HELLO good friend! { Julee's Sketch Challenge }

Julee at Poetic Artistry is having a contest on her blog celebrating 75,000 hits! If you've seen her blog, you can understand why she has so many hits. Her blog is one of the BEST! Congratulations, Julee!

Her challenge is to create a card using a sketch that she has posted. This is a layout that I would probably never think of on my own. Actually, there are *so* many wonderful sketch challenges on various blogs and on Splitcoaststampers that I wish I could participate in them ALL!

For my card I've started with a 5-1/2 x 5-1/2 square of turquoise blue DCWV textured cardstock. I've layered with Stampin Up So Saffron and patterned papers by Bo-Bunny and Recess. The sentiment, "hello good friend" in the circle is a $1 Michaels stamp. I've stamped in brown staz-on and embossed with clear embossing powder, but you really can't tell it's embossed. "Hello" was colored with prismacolor pencils and I've used the mega circle and the giga scalloped circle punches for the layers. The striped piece of patterned paper on the right side was put the my Cuttlebug with the script embossing folder. I'm not sure you can really see that in the photo either. I've added some large brads and a small triangle clip with ribbon to embellish it a bit. I don't know if it's "contest worthy", but I'm happy with how it turned out! ; )

Today, I got the WONDERFUL news that my sister Judy from California is planning a visit to Nebraska!!! I'm *so* happy as it's been 2 years since she's been *home*. I was already planning to take a vacation from work next week, so now I'm just going to postpone it a couple weeks and take the time off when she's here. I can't wait! :)

Well, it is *way* past my bedtime and I struggle to get up in the morning as it is, so better say goodnight all! Sweet dreams and Smiles 2 U, Pam :)

Quote for Today ~

"Life's better when it's fun." - Kevin Costner {boy, that's deep isn't it?} :)

Pick a Petal of Smiles! { Stampin Up! }

Yes, this color combo is a bit out of my comfort zone! : ) Please tell me what you think of it! I can take it. : )

The green striped paper "Playful Streamline" is by K*I Memories and I don't recall where I got the orange paper with brown polka dots. I think it was in a DCWV stack pack. The big flower is created with my new Stampin' Up! "Pick A Petal" set, stamped with chocolate chip ink.

This layout idea was borrowed from one we made at SU Club last month. I guess I wasn't feeling creative enough tonight to come up with something new. Besides, I love this layout with the big flower. The card is a 5 x 5 square. I've layered the striped paper on top of chocolate chip cardstock. And I also layered the flower petals too and attached them with SU dimensionals.

The "Smiles" sentiment is an "A Muse" stamp. The inside sentiment is "Sending smiles your way" - a Verses Rubber Stamp. And that is where I've "borrowed" my QUOTE for TODAY ~ "If I could reach up and hold a star for everytime you've made me smile, the entire evening sky would be in the palm of my hand." - unknown

Sending U Smiles, Pam :)

An Apple A Day . . . { Stampin' Up! Give Thanks }

An apple a day keeps the doctor away. An onion a day should take care of everyone else! :)

I saw this funny sentiment on Splitcoaststampers and printed it on my pc to use for this card. This is a fun card design, but a little tricky to photograph. In the first picture, I had to tape the card closed so you can see how it looks before you open it. The second picture shows how it opens to reveal the inside sentiment. This is just a standard 4-1/4 x 5-1/2 card, but the front is folded in half again at 2-1/8". The patterned paper is by the Paper Studio - Harvest Stripes.

The bucket of apples is from the Stampin' Up! "Give Thanks" set. I've colored it with prismacolor pencils and blended with gamsol. I wasn't sure of the correct shading on the apples, but they do look like apples, right? :)

I'm having a lazy weekend here and haven't accomplished much more than getting the laundry done. Yesterday, I did take my little dachshund Lilly for a walk and we both pooped out before the end of the trail. I guess we're out of shape, huh?!

The weather is still pretty warm and humid here, but windy today and it just seems like Autumn is in the air. I guess that's what inpired this card today. Hope you like it!

Wishing you all a warm and sunny Sunday! Smiles, Pam :)

Quote for Today ~

"If I had known I was going to live this long, I'd have taken better care of myself." - Jimmy Durante

Business Card Blog Contest { Heartfelt Greetings }

One of my favorite bloggers ~ Amy at "Heartfelt Greetings" is having a blog contest to create business cards for a chance to win some yummy patterned paper by DCWV. I couldn't pass this up, so here is my entry...


It's very simplistic. Actually, I'm having a difficult time controlling myself from embellishing it a bit! Doesn't it need ribbon or brads or such?! :) Amy's instructions say "We're not looking for "which card has the most layers" or "who's card is distressed the best". What my celebrity judges (yes, celebrity!) will be looking for first and foremost, is functionality, followed then by great design elements! Don't bust your hump trying to make it stunningly gorgeous, ok?"

Isn't she hilarious? You've got to check out her blog, if you haven't already got it in your favorites like I do!

Back to my "business card"... I've printed the info on patterned paper and stamped the black dots with my PapertreyInk set. Then it was cut out and layered on black cardstock.

Now, I'm off to the patio to soak up some SUNSHINE and color a few images for cardmaking later.... Smiles, Pam :)

Quote for Today ~

" It's good to play, and you must keep in practice." - Jerry Seinfeld

Another Hedgie?! { Friends Forever }

Really, I had no intention of making *another* hedgie card this week, but here it is! It's funny how some cards just happen. I had this floral patterned paper out on my craft table for another project and noticed that the colors "went" with this image. I debated that it may be a little too "busy", but I went with it anyway.

The hedgehog stamp is by Penny Black, colored with prismacolor pencils, punched out the image with the Marvy Uchida mega circle punch, layered with retired SU color - marvelous magenta - punched with the giga scalloped circle. The "friends forever" sentiment is from a $1 Michaels Studio G acrylic set that my sweet DIL Jami (Crazy Daisy Creations) bought for me.

Hooray, another weekend is here already! I'm hoping to ink up my new Stampin' Up! Petals & Paint set this weekend. Also, I couldn't resist the 50% off cardstock sale at Hobby Lobby this week and have some fun new patterns to try out.

Have a WONDERFUL fun-filled weekend! Smiles, Pam :)

Quote for Today ~

"Light tomorrow with today!" ~ Elizabeth Barrett Browning

I.C.U. by A Muse { PC Temporarily Fixed! }

I'm Back!!! Yeah! :)

My friend, the pc tech, found the problem right away but had to order parts that will take about a week to get here. Thankfully, he was able to come up with a temporary "fix" to get me by until the parts come in. It's the pits being without a computer, especially when you spend as much time on it as I do!

At least I did get a few cards made so I have something to post for you. This is a get well card that I made for a good friend of ours that had back surgery last week. I wish I owned this adorable A Muse stamp, but I was just the lucky recipient of some of these cutesy images. I've colored it with prismacolor pencils and blended with gamsol. The cardstock is Stampin' Up! Buckaroo Blue. I've stamped the top half with the Canvas background stamp. The striped paper is by Chatterbox ~ Mantle Stripe. It's a two sided paper and I've used the light blue reverse side to layer the image. The Old Olive cardstock was put through my Cuttlebug with the Mesh embossing folder. On the left is a brad & anchor and on the right side is a triangle clip that I've put a piece of ribbon through. Since this is a "guy" card, I didn't really want to use a bow, but I like the looks of ribbon for embellishment.

There is a terrific sentiment that goes with this image ~ "now I know why they call it I.C.U." Isn't that great?! : ) Instead of using that, I used a simple "get well" message instead. (see attached photo of inside card)

It's great to be back online and now I'm anxious to check out a few of my favorite blogs and the Stamp Shack too!

Smiles! Pam :)

Quote for Today ~

"It's not who we are that holds us back, it's who we think we're not." - M. Nolan

FUN Whirlwind Weekend! { & PC issues! }

I'm still recovering from my unbelievable surprise last Friday! (see previous post) We had an *awesome* weekend and made the most of every minute.... I just wish I could have hit a pause button so it would have lasted longer than it did!!! :)

Last night I was back to stamping and made a get well card for a friend of ours that had back surgery last week. I turned on my computer to post it and it kept shutting off! I tried four times and gave up and I'm posting this today at work. I've got a pc tech to look at it tonight and I'm hoping it's nothing major, maybe just the switch. If I don't post this week, now you know why! But, I'll be stamping for sure and have lots to share when I get my pc back!

Have a WONDERFUL week dear friends! Smiles, Pam :)

Quote for Today ~

"The artist's world is limitless. It can be found anywhere, far from where he lives or a few feet away. It is always on his doorstep." ~Paul Strand

What a SURPRISE!!! { My KT Girl is Home! }

Yesterday I had a SUPER SURPRISE and I can't wait to share it with all of you dear friends! . . .

it was about 4:30 pm and I was at work trying to get things finished up for the day. I looked up to see my husband Jim walking in and then behind him my daughter Katie and her friend Warrick!!! OMG, what a total knock me off my feet, take my breath away SURPRISE as I had absolutely NO idea she was coming home! Of course, Jim had known for two weeks, but they all thought it would be so neat to surprise me! Well, they did!!!!!!!

In case you don't know, Katie moved to Hawaii over a year ago and hadn't been home since. We were over there to visit her in January and we do keep in touch almost daily with email and cell phones, but still it's not like being together!! She's only here for the weekend, so we'll have to make the most of every minute. We've already planned a BBQ for tonight with some of her friends and think we'll make homemade ice cream.

She's still sleeping so I've got a minute to post this and then I better get busy! Looks like cardmaking will be on hold until next week, but I'll be back! Thanks for letting me share my excitement with all of you. Smiling in Nebraska..... Pam :)

p.s. the photo is of Katie, Jim and I at the North Shore of Oahu in January '07.

Quote for Today ~ (I may have posted this one already, but it's one of my favorites and SO appropriate for today.)

" The best things in life are the people we love, the places we've been, and the memories we've made along the way! " ~ unknown

Rise ' N Shine!!! It's FRIDAY!!! { My Final Hedgie Card }

Last night I worked late, had a hair appt, and before I knew it, it was bedtime! I missed stamping last night, soooo.... I woke up EARLY this morning with an idea in my head for this card. Have you ever done that? Should I be concerned about a serious addiction to cardmaking??? LoL :)

This adorable image is another one I received from my Shackie friend Nancy. I don't know the name of it, but I do know it's another hedgehog stamp by Penny Black. The patterned paper I used is by Basic Grey - Oh Baby! Girl! and the cardstock is Stampin Up Marigold Morning and Wild Wasabi. I used my 1/2" circle punch to punch out a couple circles from the patterned paper to embellish the sides of the image. I was going to attach ribbon and a sentiment and then decided it really wasn't needed since there is ribbon and the "for you" tag in the image. What do you think?

Well, now I'm off to WORK, but T.G.I.F.!!! I've got ideas brewing for more cards this weekend using by new Stampin' Up! Pick a Petal set. Can't wait! :)

So sorry I missed leaving a quote on my last post and I thank my dear friend "Sharon of NE" for letting me know she missed it. She was even kind enough to leave a couple of her favorites for us. Thanks so much Sharon! You're the BEST! :) . . .

Quotes for Today ~

"Kindness can become its own motive. We are made kind by being kind." - Eric Hoffer

"Great beauty, great strength, and great riches are really and truly of no great use; a right heart exceeds all." - Benjamin Franklin

She's a Country Lady! { Penny Black Hedgehog }

This cutie patootie hedgehog by Penny Black is called "Country Lady". I've punched the image out with my marvy uchida mega circle and layered with a scalloped circle of Stampin Up pretty in pink cardstock. The pink & green plaid paper is my Bo Bunny Press. The card is 4-1/4 x 4-1/4 square before adding the image to the top. The sentiment I've used is from the Stampin Up set "Small Sayings" ~ happy today, happy tomorrow, HAPPY EVERYTHING! :)

Are you getting tired of all these "Happy Hedgie" cards"? If not, please check back tomorrow for just one more! :) I don't know the name of the image, but I will tell you it's a colorful birthday card.

Smiles 2 U! ~ Pam :)

"Happy Hedgie Week" continues...

"So glad to catch you" is the name of this sweet little hedgehog stamp by Penny Black. This is the third card I've made this week with the images sent to me by my generous Stamp Shack friend Nancy.

For this card, I've used a peach colored textured cardstock from DCWV (diecuts with a view) and the floral designer paper is "rosey beach house flower" by Chatterbox. The hedgie image is colored with prismacolor pencils and blended with gamsol. "Hang in there" seemed like an appropriate sentiment for this image and I just happened to have this stamp that I bought with my Changito monkeys (Stampendous).

"Happy Hedgie Week" isn't over yet! Stop back tomorrow to see what I do with the "Country Lady". : ) Smiles, Pam :)

Quote for Today ~

"A single rose can be my garden... a single friend, my world". ~Leo Buscaglia

Graduation Hedgie! { Penny Black }

On Saturday, I mentioned that it was going to be "Happy Hedgie Week" on my blog because Nancy (directmailscrapper) at the Stamp Shack sent me an envelope FULL of images of these cute little hedgehogs by Penny Black. They are such FUN to color with prismacolor pencils, but I'm still practicing on getting the colors right on this little critter! :)

It just so happens that I needed a congratulations card for a friend who recently graduated from college, so this image was perfect! I used my Cuttlebug congrats embossing folder on a royal blue cardstock with white core, then sanded it lightly so the words were more visible.

The tag sentiment "You did it!" is from my first ever Stampin' Up! stamp set ~ Mini Mates. I still use it often. I punched it out with the 1" scalloped punch by Martha Stewart and then layered with SU punches 1-1/4 & 1-3/8". I added an eyelet and 1/8" grosgrain ribbon and attached with dimensionals. The little tab on the left side is made using the word window punch and an eyelet.

I've got a couple more of these images here... so STAY TUNED!
Have a GREAT week! Smiles, Pam : )

Quote for Today ~

"The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams. ~ Eleanor Roosevelt

Monkey Business! { Changito by Stampendous }

Don't you just love these little Changito monkeys by Stampendous? They are TOO CUTE! :)

I bought two of these monkey stamps and the hang in there saying from my FAV eBay seller ~ Michelle at Stamper Dream Stamps. If you order from her you can be assured of FAST & FRIENDLY service!

My sweet DIL Jami of Crazy Daisy Creations found this silly patterned paper for me last weekend at Archivers and I thought it went perfectly. It's by Reminisce and it is appropriately called "Monkey Business". :)

I hope this card makes you SMILE! Have a Super Sunday everyone and try to make time for the creative YOU! Smiles, Pam :)

Quote for Today ~

"Blessed is he who has learned to laugh at himself, for he shall never cease to be entertained." ~ John Powell

Happy Hedgies! { Penny Black }

It's "Happy Hedgie Week" ! :) Nancy (directmailscrapper) at the Stamp Shack sent me an envelope FULL of images of these cute little critters! All I had to do was leave a not so subtle hint on a post of hers. ; ) She's a sweetie and I know that I must owe her a book of stamps by now for all the images she's sent to me. Thanks so much Nancy!!!

This rubber stamp image is called "Hedgehog Bouquet". I couldn't find a Penny Black website, but I did find a LOT of the stamps for sale at Addicted to Rubber Stamps. There are SO many that I would love to have! The sentiment stamp is from a Hero Arts Clear Design set called "Friendship Messages".

For this card, I used my brand new Stampin' Up! "Wild Wasabi" green cardstock. I love this shade of green and think it's prettier in real life than in this photo. Also used are summer sun, pumpkin pie and the patterned paper is "harvest stripe" by Karen Foster. The ribbon is from JoAnn's - the little 99 cent mini spools. The green is called "kiwi" and the orange is "creamsicle". That makes me hungry for a Jamba Juice! :)

Some cards come together easier than others and for some reason, this one took me awhile. Maybe I was trying too hard. Coloring the image was relaxing and fun, but this layout just wasn't happening for me. Anyway, I hope you like it!!

Smiles 2 U,
Pam :)

"A hunch is creativity trying to tell you something." ~ Frank Capra

Friday's Featured Blog! { Who ME ?!!! }

Guess who is the Friday Featured Artist this week at Distinctive Touches ? It's ME!!! Colleen emailed me earlier this week to ask if she could feature me as an artist on her blog. Of course, I didn't hesitate to say YES! :) Honestly, how could anyone say no? What an honor to receive this type of recognition!

For those of you who don’t know Colleen, she is a reporter at Craft Critique and a designer for several stamp companies. She has a special gift for writing, which is evident if you read her blog. I'm totally impressed with the article she wrote about me. (blush) Bless your heart, Colleen! I am humbled…and so very appreciative!

Now, I better get my rear in gear this weekend and get creative so I have something to post for all of you dear faithful readers!

Have a WONDERFUL weekend! Stay COOL! (Our temps are supposed to by in the high 90's with even higher heat indexes) So much for coloring on the patio...

Smiles 2 U All, Pam :)

Quote for Today ~

"Don't aim for success if you want it; just do what you love and believe in, and it will come naturally." ~ David Frost

Hang in There! { A Muse Hammock }

Yes, this is the exact same Basic Grey Oh Baby! paper that I used for my Mary Engelbreit card on Sunday. It was still laying here on my craft table and the colors just happened to coordinate with my image. Certainly, finding the *right* paper isn't always that easy! :) The yellow strip and the blue piece behind the image are both from the same line of Basic Grey. I embossed the yellow with the Cuttlebug "Spots and Dots" folder.

For this card, I've actually used 4 different stamps. The palm tree/hammock is by A Muse. The "hang in there" tag is by Studio G, the little smiley sunshine and cloud are from a small acrylic set by Stampendous. ($1 Michaels stamps) My puffy "cloud" is actually cupcake frosting. :) How's that for being creative? I colored the images with prismacolor pencils and doodled around the edge with a fine black Zig pen.

Hang in There! and Happy Stamping!

Smiles,

Pam :)

Quote for Today ~ "Keep on keepin on."

Mary Engelbreit Thank You { All Night Media }

I've been so spoiled lately by my Shackie friends sending me images! I love it! It's a wonderful way to get a variety of images without spending a lot of $$ for stamps!

This image is by All Night Media, a Mary Engelbreit design. It was sent to me by Jennifer from Ontario, Canada. We know her as "Inkinupstamps" at The Stamp Shack and she has a terrific blog you'll want to check out called "Thimbles, Bobbins, Paper & Ink". As a skilled seamtress, her creations are outstanding with the extra touch of real stitching!

Have a wonderful Sunday dear friends and thanks so much for stopping by my blog. Have I told you lately how much I appreciate your comments and encouragment? It means so much to me! :)

Quote for Today ~

"You can make more friends in two months by becoming more interested in other people than you can in two years by trying to get people interested in you." ~ Dale Carnegie

a romantic dog smiles for you! { Penny Black }

Don't you just love this little doxie stamp "a romantic dog" by Penny Black? Recently, I saw this quote "dogs smile with their tails" and I knew that I had to make a card using the quote with this image. I typed it up in Word, using my Stampin' Up! font CD and printed it off on white cardstock. I colored the image with prismacolor pencils to match the paper. :) Can we say OCD?

The cardstock is a retired SU color marvelous magenta that I thought went well with this striped paper by KI Memories. The card is 6x6 folded in half to make a 3x6 card. I like the long narrow card for this image. I've added some polka dot ribbon (Walmart) and a Stampin' Up! flower punch with large brad. How do you attach ribbon to your cards? I've found that using "sticky strip" works perfectly. It is a double sided narrow tape that is super sticky. Mine is by Stampin' Up! but I know there are other brands of it too. I've got a couple different rubber stamps here that would be perfect for the inside sentiment: "My heart smiles with thoughts of you" and "Sending smiles your way". This was a FUN card to create and I hope it makes you *smile*! :)

Eeeks, I think I'm boiling my green beans over on the stove! Later....

Thoughts of You . . . { Scalloped Tent Topper! }

This is another "tent topper" style card with just a little different dimensions than my first one. This one is a square 4-1/4". I've stamped the "Thoughts of You" image and punched it out with the mega circle punch. The brocade blue cardstock is used for the card, the script cuttlebugged layer and for the scalloped giga punch. I colored the image with prismacolor pencils and distressed with the Stampin' Up! Itty Bitty Backgrounds and Tim Holtz Distress Ink ~ old paper. The designer paper is by Basic Grey ~ Oh Baby! Boy.

This was a fairly quick and easy card! I hope you like it! :) Now, I'm off now to play "Nurse Nancy" and assist my friend in changing her bandages from a recent achilles/heel surgery. She thinks she can come back to work right away and I just don't see it happening! Time will tell!

The sun is shining and it looks like a great day to spend some time on the patio coloring images. Catch ya later! Smiles, Pam :)

Quote for Today ~

"I live by this credo: Have a little laugh and look around you for happiness instead of sadness. Laughter has always brought me out of unhappy situations. Even in your darkest moment, you usually can find something to laugh about if you try hard enough." ~ Red Skelton

SMILE! You're on Candid Camera! :)

There was a little girl who walked to and from school daily. Though the weather on one particular morning was questionable and clouds were forming, she made her daily trek to the elementary school.

As the afternoon progressed, the winds whipped up, along with thunder and lightning. The mother of the little girl felt concerned that her daughter would be frightened as she walked home from school and she herself feared that the electrical storm might harm her child. Following the roar of thunder, the lightning would cut through the sky.

Full of concern, the mother quickly got into her car and drove along the route to her child's school. As she did so, she saw her little girl walking along, but at each flash of lightning, the child would stop, look up and SMILE.

Another and another were to follow quickly and with each the little girl would look at the streak of light and SMILE. When the mother's car drew up beside the child she lowered the window and called to her, "What are you doing? Why do you keep stopping?"

The child answered, "I am trying to look pretty. God keeps taking my picture.

_______________

Hi Friends!  I didn't have time to stamp tonight as I had a wedding to attend.  Instead, I decided to post this cute little story for you.  I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did.  :)    

I'm also testing out a new software that was recommended to me for posting to my blog.  It's called Windows Live Writer.   I'll let you know what I think of it once I test it out. 

Hopefully, I'm going to have time for some cardmaking this weekend so stay tuned!   Have a wonderful weekend everyone and Keep Smiling!  :)

Summer FUN Tent Topper!

Tonight it was late when I finally got a chance to sit down at my craft table. I had no idea what I was going to do, other than I wanted to use this adorable little smiley bee that I had colored last weekend.

I've been seeing these "tent topper" cards on some of the blogs and decided to give it a try. I had no dimensions or instructions, so just improvised. Next time, I will make the bottom a smidg taller. This one is 4-1/4 x 3-3/4". The image piece is 2-1/2 x 3". My cardstock is Stampin' Up! Marigold Morning and Chocolate Chip.

I created my own background paper using the summer words template from The Stamp Shack. It's a pdf file and I just printed it directly onto my patterned paper. This paper had the little suns and I added the centers with a small circle stamp and close to cocoa ink. The flower is an EK Success punch that I put through the Cuttlebug using the mesh embossing folder. The center is a 1/2 circle punch from the background paper...with a brown brad. (attached with a dimensional)

If you like this card design, you may want to search "tent topper" on Splitcoaststampers and you will be surprised at all the clever and creative cards!

Thanks for stopping by! Smiles, Pam :)

Quote for Today ~

"In the depth of winter I finally learned that there was in me an invincible summer." ~ Albert Camus