Friendly Challenge Brings Happy Mail!

Today I'm happy to share some lovely creations by a dear friend, stamping buddy, and fellow Nebraskan ~Gail Slagle.   We became acquainted a couple years ago through my blog and now I'm excited that Gail has finally decided to start her own blog ~ What a Load of Scraps & More!  

Gail and I really enjoy exchanging cards and "goodies" and when I sent her a Valentine card last month, I enclosed these little white paper doilies and challenged her to see what she could do with them.  Well, would you look at this!  WoW!   She certainly rose to the challenge, didn't she?!  They are both such beautiful cards.  The funny thing is that she forgot to take photos before she sent them to me, so I get to be the first to show them to you!  hee hee  :)

The designer paper on this baby card has a touch of glittery sparkle to it which makes it even more special. And of course, the stitching adds such a sweet touch too!  Love it!

the inside is as pretty as the outside!

And this is the card she created to send me a little note.  Oh my!  Can you say "gorgeous"?!  You know I adore the shabby chic distressed look.  When I see this, I wish I had the stamp set and those beautiful butterfly punches from Stampin' Up! 

Oh by the way, I also want to mention that Gail is a Stampin' Up demonstrator.  I'm sure if you need any products, she would be more than happy to place an order for you.  Will you please stop by her blog and leave her some stampin' love?   I know it would make her *smile*!  :)

Thanks so much for blogging by!    Have a happy day!

Quote for Today ~
All glory comes from daring to begin. ~ Eugene F. Ware

Pretty in Pink & Paper Lace Doilies!

Happy Hello!   I hope you're finding time this weekend to do something that makes you *smile*!  For me, that means spending time in my craft room!  :)

I've been seeing several cards lately with these sweet little paper lace doilies so I picked up a couple packages and gave it a whirl.  What do you think?  Aren't they pretty?   I did use a few of them on Valentine's, but I think they can work for any occasion too.

This card is a 5-1/4" square of Pear Pizzazz with a piece of pink and green plaid cardstock from my stash.  (DaisyD's - Birthday Plaid)   I zig zag stitched around the plaid paper, attached the doily & ribbon and layered the plaid onto the cardstock base.  The cute little felt flowers are from Stampin' Up! and I'll admit that I've been hoarding them.  Why?  Because I ♥ them!  ;)



The inside is finished off with a stip of the plaid paper.

And because I've been such a slacker at posting to my blog lately, I'm going to surprise you with TWO cards in one day!  Can you believe it? ;)

This card is a standard 4-1/4 x 5-1/2", so I put the doilie right smack in the center as the focal point.

The Sending Happy Thoughts stamp is from Stampabiities. Once again, the pretty floral paper is from my never-ending stash I've been trying to use ...instead of buy, buy, buy!   That's difficult to do since I always want the latest and greatest.  Do you hear me?  I thought you would.  ;)

That's all for today! 
Sending Happy Thoughts your Way!  : )

Quote for Today ~

We tend to forget that happiness doesn't come as a result of getting something we don't have, but rather of recognizing and appreciating what we do have. ~ Frederick Keonig

Happy Valentine's Day! ♥

Wishing you all a very

 HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!

 

the inside...

 Valentine's Day has always been one of my favorite holidays and I did actually manage to get a few Valentine's made and mailed out this week!  Yay me!  :)   Today I baked chocolate cupcakes for my Mr. Wonderful and for all the wonderful guys I work with.  ♥   I sure wish I could give each one of  U a cupcake too!   But, since I can't, I want to at least wish you all a very Happy ♥ Day. . . one that is filled with many reasons to *smile*!

Thank you for stopping by!  Hugs & Smiles,

Today's Quote:
What the world really needs is more love and less paper work. ~Pearl Bailey

Happy Mail!

Happy Hi Y'all!  

Today I want to share some Happy Mail that I just received from my Nebraska stampin' buddy ~ Gail Slagle.   Isn't this a beautiful friendship card?  I love her layout and the way she's done the satin ribbon.  It would be perfect when you want to mail the card and don't want the added bulk of a tied bow.  I'm going to have to 'case' this card!   But first, I've got to get this Stampin' Up! label punch!  Swoon!

And that was just the card, wait until you see all this!! ... 

These darling little goodies really put me in the mood for creating Valentine's!  Aren't they all so SWEET?!

yummmo ...one of my FAVORITES!  Ghirardelli Peppermint Bark! 

Just for You...so you don't have to share!

Sorry, I won't be sharing my peppermint bark, but I did want to share all these awesome ideas with all of YOU!! 

Happy Stamping!  and Thanks so much for stopping by today!

Quote for Today ~
In everyone's life, at some time, our inner fire goes out. It is then burst into flame by an encounter with another human being. We should all be thankful for those people who rekindle the inner spirit. ~Albert Schweitzer

{SSSC99} My Heart Belongs to You!

Hello My Friends & Happy New Year!

Oh My!  I can't believe it has been several weeks since I last posted!  I hope you and your families enjoyed a very blessed Christmas.  I sincerely want to thank all of you who sent me beautiful handmade cards or sweet email wishes.  It means so much!   I've really missed stamping and blogging, but most of all, I've missed all of YOU!  ♥  

Today's card was created especially for the Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge #99.  Hosted by Karen Giron of The Sweetest Thing, the SSSC has always been one of my favorites! 

This *adorable* little snowman is a digital image that I purchased on ETSY from Heather Ellis, the creator of Pure Innocense stamps.   Her Etsy shop is digistampcharacters.  Check it out!  Her images are priced very reasonably and she will promptly email you the file to save for future use.   I was able to print 8 images on one 8-1/2 x 11" sheet of cardstock.   Here, I've used Stampin' Up! naturals white and colored the image with Copic markers.  It worked great!
 

The circles could have been a little larger, but this is the only size of punches I have.  I guess I *need* some circle dies! ;)  This textured cardstock and designer paper is from a "Greetings of the Season" paper pack.

 I keep looking at it and thinking it needs some ribbon or something, but for now, I'm going to leave well enough alone! 



the inside sentiment seemed appropriate... "My heart belongs to You!"

If you recall reading my last post way back when, I mentioned I had some BIG NEWS I would share with you when I returned from vacation.   Drum roll please . . . as I shout from the rooftop!

I'm going to be a GRANDMA!!!  ♥

Can you tell I couldn't wait to share this with you?!   Yes!  I"m SUPER EXCITED and can't wait!  Our daughter Katie surprised us with this news at Thanksgiving time and we are so HAPPY for her and our son-in-law Warrick.  They're going to be terrific parents! ♥  Oh, her due date is July 4th...yes, a little firecracker! :)

One other thing, I want to say a BIG THANK YOU to all of you who've helped me downsize my stamp "collection"!  I've just updated the Stamp Sale pages and deleted the ones that are sold.  There are still several here for sale at great prices, so please check it out and let me know if you're interested!  

Wishing you all a HAPPY NEW YEAR filled with many wonderful reasons to *SMILE*!

Quote for Today ~

Becoming a grandmother is wonderful. One moment you're just a mother. The next you are all-wise and prehistoric. ~Pam Brown