Lucky Stars

It has rained for thirty hours, give or take, here, and all I can dream about is sunshine and FLOWERS!  Last summer we had a rain so hard and heavy that the freeways flooded and people's homes were turned into swimming pools.  I'm hoping this isn't THAT.

So what do you do when you're stuck inside?  You make cards!  This is the third card of my Patriotic series that I started last week for the OWH blog hop.

This stamp set has a lot of great sentiments, and I couldn't choose which one to use, so I put one inside, too.

Hence the title of this post :D

Of course some challenges with this gorgeous card!

• Inspiration Destination - #35 Anything Goes
• Not Just Cards - #20 Anything Goes
• DLArt Linky Party
• Artistic Inspirations - #132 Anything Goes/Die Cuts
• The Pink Elephant - #300 Anything Goes
• A Gem of a Challenge - #145 Flowers
• Penny Black and More - Dies and Punches 1/3
• DLArt Thankful Thursday #157 1/3
• Simon Says Stamp Monday - Thank You 1/5
• Art By Miran - #33 Anything Goes 2/3
• Card and Scrap - #97 Flowers 2/3
• Stamping Sensations - Flower Power 2/3
• Word Art Wednesday - #185 Anything Goes 2/5
• Simon Says Stamp Wednesday - Anything Goes 2/5
• The Corrosive Challenge - #225 Anything Goes 3/3
• Scribble and Scrap - #45 Anything Goes 3/3 
• Scrapbook Stamp Society - #67 Anything Goes 3/3
• Cuttlebug Mania - Bling It On 3/3 (I used Spellbinders Delightful Daisies)
• Little Red Wagon - #291 Red White and Blue

Thanks so much for looking and happy crafting.  Laters!!

Stars and Stripes

Hi again!  Time is running out for May's ODBD Challenge at OWH and they need a few more entries to hit their goal of fifty cards and earn two free boxes of cards shipped to our troops!  So get those embossing folders out and create, create, create!  You've got a few days left, get to it!

• Not Just Cards - #20 Anything Goes
• Our Daily Bread Designs - Embossing 1/1
• Cards and More - #133 Sketch
• Bloggers Challenge - Red White and Blue

Be sure to visit OWH and play along with the challenge!  Thanks so much for looking and happy crafting.  Laters!!

**All Creatures Great or Small** New Challenge with Crafty Creations!!

It's a new challenge at Crafty Creations, and our theme is All Creatures Great or Small!  Jaime is sponsoring this challenge with a gift card to Close To My Heart, so we could create with whatever we wanted.  I didn't have any CTMH stamps with animals, so I went with Stamps of Life instead.

I decorated the inside, too.

I'm of course entering a few challenges:

• Not Just Cards - #20 Anything Goes
• Artistic Inspirations - #132 Anything Goes/Die Cuts
• The Pink Elephant - #300 Anything Goes
• Design Team Showcase - #13 Anything Goes
• Sweet Stampin - Birds and/or Bees 1/2
• Amusing Challenge - Birds and Bees 1/2
• Fantasy Stampers - #37 Wings and Things 1/3
• FAN-Tastic Tuesday - #87 Anything Goes with a Twist-Texture 1/4
• One Crazy Stamper - Anything Goes 2/5
• Sunday Stamper - #357 All Kinds of Everything
• Pixie Snippets Playground - #178 Anything Goes (used scraps for the bees and the Kraft parts are scraps, too!)

Don't forget to visit the blog and see what the rest of the DT has created!!  Thanks so much for looking and happy crafting.  Laters!

Red White and Blue Thanks

This card was inspired by my OWH Blog Hop card, but is bigger, sparklier and more dimensional!

I think the flowers are my favorite part :D

I'm entering some challenges, of course:

• Not Just Cards - #20 Anything Goes
• Inspiration Destination - #34 Anything Goes
• A Gem of a Challenge - #145 Flowers
• Coffee Chocolate and Cards - #91 Thank You 1/2
• Stamping Sensations - Flower Power 1/3
• DLArt Thankful Thursday #156 1/3
• Craft Stamper - Take A Stamp (anything goes) 1/3
• Card and Scrap - #97 Flowers 1/3
• Our Creative Corner - April Showers Bring May Flowers 1/3
• One Crazy Stamper - Anything Goes 1/5
• Sunday Stamper - #357 All Kinds of Everything
• Pixie Snippets Playground - #178 Anything Goes (used scraps for the flowers and the sentiment is on a scrap, too)
• Bloggers Challenge - Red White and Blue

Thanks so much for looking and happy crafting.  Laters!!

**ANYTHING GOES** New Challenge with Crafting From The Heart!!

Happy Monday!  It's a new challenge at Crafting From The Heart!!  As always, our theme is Anything Goes and our lovely sponsor is Karleigh Sue Digis.

I was so inspired by this "Book Nerd" that I based my whole card around reading!

I'm entering a few challenges of course:

• Not Just Cards - #20 Anything Goes
• Inspiration Destination - #34 Anything Goes
• Suzy Bee's Bloomin' Challenge - #81 Anything Goes/Make It Girly
• Robyn's Fetish - #265 Anything Goes 1/3
• Creative Fingers - #81 Anything Goes 1/3
• Creative Corner - Anything Goes 1/3
• Simply Papercraft - #5 Anything Goes 1/3
• Doodle Pantry - #5 Anything Digital Goes 1/1

Don't forget to visit the challenge blog and see what the rest of our DT have created.  Thanks so much for looking and happy crafting.  Laters!!

OWH Finish Strong Memorial Day Blog Hop!

Happy Hopping!!!  It's Memorial Day weekend and that means it's time for Operation Write Home's Blog Hop!  The theme is a little different this year.....

Operation Write Home, a charity that has supported heroes with handmade cards since 2007, will be closing later this year.  All cards need to be sent in by August 1st, so I'm helping to get the word out!  I'll be posting various cards I'm donating over the next two months to help inspire you all to create cards to donate!!

This is the card I created for the blog hop.  There is another card coming that's a blingier version, I'll share that in a bit.

And a couple challenges, cause what's a blog post without challenges?!?

• Not Just Cards - #19 Anything Goes
• Inspiration Destination - #34 Anything Goes

Thanks so much for looking and happy crafting and happy hopping!!  Laters!!

Together Forever - 600th Blog Post!

This is such a milestone to hit, and when I thought about what I wanted to draw inspiration from, I was watching Friends reruns and every commercial break, they showed the Walmart cell phone commercial with Rick Astley.  Somehow, "Together Forever" was my theme.  Looking at my new Prima doll stamps, it was easy to come up with an awesome idea.

Of course I'm entering lots of challenges!!!

• DLArt Linky Party
• Inspiration Destination - #37 Anything Goes
• Not Just Cards - #21 Anything Goes
• Artistic Inspirations - #133 Anything Goes/Layers
• 30 Day Coloring Challenge
• Eclectic Ellapu - Anything Goes
• Scrappers Delight - #45 Anything Goes
• A Gem of A Challenge - #146 Something Blue
• Art By Miran - #34 Anything Goes 1/3
• Sugar and Betty - Anything Goes 1/3
• Ladybug Challenge - Use Dies 1/3
• Crafting with an Attitude - #4 Anything Goes 1/3
• Fashionable Stampers - #100 Glitz and Glamour 1/3
• Love To Scrap - #56 Anything Goes 1/3
• Sisters of Craft 1/3
• One Crazy Stamper - Anything Goes 1/5
• Tip Top Tuesday - Cut It Out 2/3
• Great Impressions - Anything Goes 2/3
• 613 Avenue Create - Anything Goes 2/3
• Creative Fingers - #83 Anything Goes 2/3
  Creative Ladybird - #4 Anything Goes 2/3
• Lacy Sunshine - Color Your World - Anything Goes 2/3
• Show It Off Saturday - Anything Goes 1/1 **WINNER**
• Fairytale Stampers - #57 Anything Goes 1/1
• The Corrosive Challenge - #226 Pile It On 3/3
• Crafting By Designs - Anything Goes 3/3
• Scribble and Scrap - #46 Anything Goes 3/3
• ATW - Anything Goes 3/3
• Di's Digi Designs - Use Die Cuts 3/3

Thanks so much for sharing all these crafty posts with me!  Happy crafting.  Laters!!

Compendium of Curiosities 3 Challenge - Week 28 - Alcohol Ink Ombre

WOOHOO I finished this a whole day early!!  The Compendium of Curiosities 3 Challenge this week was Alcohol Ink Ombre.  This was the first time I ever tried this technique and I LOVED it!!!  You can find this technique in Tim's book, A Compendium of Curiosities, Vol.3 which you can purchase here.

Their lovely sponsor is the Funkie Junkie Boutique!  They're offering up a $25 gift card!

I just got these girly TH stamps so I just HAD to use them!!

I created the flowers with the same technique.  I colored the paper first, then stamped on it and die cut the flowers.

I'm of course entering some challenges:

• Compendium of Curiosities 3 Challenge - Week 28 - Alcohol Ink Ombre
• DLArt Linky Party
• Not Just Cards - #19 Anything Goes
• Inspiration Destination - #34 Anything Goes
• Through The Craft Room Door - Anything Goes 2/2
• Going Grey with Scrap Creations - Anything Goes 2/2
• Creative Ladybird - #3 Anything Goes 2/3
• Craft Your Passion - #262 Anything Goes 2/3
• Sugar and Betty's - Anything Goes 2/3
• Crafting By Designs - Anything Goes 2/3
• Love To Scrap - #54 Anything Goes 2/3
• 613 Avenue Create - #124 Anything Goes 3/3
• Crafting With An Attitude - #3 Anything Goes 3/3

Thanks so much for looking and happy crafting.  Laters!!!

Pretty Peacock

IDK about you, but I go through phases where I'm really into a particular design or style (coffee cups, owls, chevrons, polka dots) and have to have every crafty item with that thing that I can get my hands on.  Right now, that thing I'm into is peacocks.  As I build up my collection, I've made this gorgeous card that I've been waiting until I gave it to its recipient to share with all of you:

IDK what I love more, the background, the embellishment or the peacock die itself.  This is such a rare card for me, it doesn't have any stamping!!

I'm of course entering this into some challenges:

• DLArt Linky Party
• Not Just Cards - #19 Anything Goes
• Sister Act Card Challenge - #106 Anything Goes
• Through The Craft Room Door - Anything Goes 1/2
• Going Grey with Scrap Creations - Anything Goes 1/2
• Creative Ladybird - #3 Anything Goes 1/3
• Craft Your Passion - #262 Anything Goes 1/3
• Sugar and Betty's - Anything Goes 1/3
• Crafting By Designs - Anything Goes 1/3
• Love To Scrap - #54 Anything Goes 1/3
• 613 Avenue Create - #124 Anything Goes 2/3
• Crafting With An Attitude - #3 Anything Goes 2/3
• Simply Paper Crafts - #4 Anything Goes 2/3
• Scribble and Scrap - #44 Anything Goes 3/3
• Creative Fingers - #80 Anything Goes 3/3
• Scrappers Delight - #44 Anything Goes 1/1

Thanks so much for looking and happy crafting.  Laters!!

**RECIPE** New Challenge with Get Creative Challenges!

Happy Monday!  It's a new challenge at Get Creative Challenges and it's a Recipe theme!  Make a card with 1 printed paper, 1 fiber and 1 sticker!!  It's a hard one for me work with such limitations, but I think it came out okay.  Our lovely sponsor is Limited Runs and I'm working with Fairy Floss.

I want to note that I used the sketch at Freshly Made Sketches this week for this card, but I am not linking up there as they limit the number of other challenges you can enter with your creation and I rarely play along with challenges that do that.

• Not Just Cards - #19 Anything Goes
• Imagination Destination - #33 Anything Goes
• Sister Act Card Challenge - #106 Anything Goes
• Design Team Showcase - #12 Anything Goes
• Loves Rubber Stamps - #151 Add A Sentiment
• CraftDee Bowz - Anything Goes with a Handmade Bow
• Through The Craft Room Door - Anything Goes 1/2
• 613 Avenue Create - #124 Anything Goes 1/3
• Crafting With An Attitude - #3 Anything Goes 1/3
• Create and Inspire - #21 Anything Goes 1/3
• Simply Paper Crafts - #4 Anything Goes 1/3
• Scribble and Scrap - #44 Anything Goes 2/3
• Creative Fingers - #80 Anything Goes 2/3
• CRAFT Challenge - #311 Birthday 1/5
• Fresh Brewed Designs - Ribbon or Twine 1/5
• Word Art Wednesday - #183 Anything Goes 5/5
• Party Time Tuesdays - #198 Anything Goes

Be sure to visit the blog to see what the rest of the DT created. Thanks so much for looking and happy crafting.  Laters!!

Just Breathe

That saying always makes me think of Ever After.  You know, the scene when Danielle shows up at the ball in her gorgeous white gown, and she tells herself, "Breathe, just breathe" before she enters and Henry sees her?  That's what I think of when I see this stamp.  That was the inspiration for this card, my entry for this weeks' FWF.

I loooove shaker cards!  I just love how this one turned out.  I glued the beads into the center of the flower so it would have embellishment no matter where the shaking beads went.

• Unity Friday Friends with Flair
• DLArt Linky Party
• Not Just Cards - #19 Anything Goes
• Imagination Destination - #33 Anything Goes
• Fat-Tastic Tuesday - #85 Anything Goes/Add Some Flowers
• Sister Act Card Challenge - #106 Anything Goes
• Scrappy Land - #17 Anything Goes (I used Spellbinders dies on this!)
• Suzy Bee's Bloomin' Challenge - #79 Anything Goes/Use Some Flowers
• Scribble and Scrap - #44 Anything Goes 1/3
• Creative Fingers - #80 Anything Goes 1/3
• Word Art Wednesday - #183 Anything Goes 4/5

Thanks so much for looking and happy crafting.  Laters!!

**SPRING IS IN THE AIR/ANYTHING GOES** New Challenge with Crafty Girlz!!

Happy Friday!  It's a new challenge at Crafty Girlz and our super fun theme this month is Spring Is In The Air!  You can always play the optional Anything Goes if you would like.  Our lovely sponsor is Dr. Digi and I'm working with one of the zany sayings from Funny Sentiments 2.

Just a few challenges today:

• Not Just Cards - #19 Anything Goes
• Imagination Destination - #33 Anything Goes
• Fat-Tastic Tuesday - #85 Anything Goes/Add Some Flowers
• Sister Act Card Challenge - #106 Anything Goes
• Design Team Showcase - #12 Anything Goes
• Scrappy Land - #17 Anything Goes (I used Sizzix and Lawn Fawn dies on this!)
• Suzy Bee's Bloomin' Challenge - #79 Anything Goes/Use Some Flowers
• Word Art Wednesday - #183 Anything Goes 3/5

Be sure to visit the blog to see what the rest of the DT created!  Thanks so much for looking and happy crafting.  Laters!!

**For A Teenager** New Challenge with Creative Moments!!

Happy Hump Day!  It's a new challenge at Creative Moments and our theme is For A Teenager!!  Our lovely sponsor is Robyn's Fetish and I'm working with Go Team.

I'm of course entering a few challenges:

• Not Just Cards - #19 Anything Goes
• Imagination Destination - #33 Anything Goes
• Sister Act Card Challenge - #105 Anything Goes
• Design Team Showcase - #12 Anything Goes
• Scrappy Land - #17 Anything Goes (I used Sizzix, Spellbinders and Lawn Fawn dies on this!)
• Word Art Wednesday - #183 Anything Goes 2/5
• Creative Finger - #79 Anything Goes 3/3

Be sure to visit the blog and check out what the rest of the DT have created. Thanks so much for looking and happy crafting.  Laters!!

**ANYTHING GOES** New Challenge at Crafting From The Heart!!

Happy Monday!  It's a new challenge at Crafting From The Heart and our theme as always is Anything Goes!  Our lovely sponsor is Zuri Digital Stamps.

I'm of course entering a few challenges:

• Wonderful Wednesday - Anything Goes
• Not Just Cards - #19 Anything Goes
• Imagination Destination - #32 Anything Goes
• Sister Act Card Challenge - #105 Anything Goes
• Design Team Showcase - #12 Anything Goes
• Crafty Boots - Ribbon or Lace
• Craft-Dee-Bowz - Anything Goes with a Handmade Bow
• Scrappy Land - #17 Anything Goes (I used Memory Box dies on this!)
• Happy Little Stampers - CAS/Die cuts and Punches
• DLArt Linky Party
• Penny's Paper Crafty Challenge - #226 Anything Goes 1/3
• Creative Corner Challenges - Pink Galore 1/3
• Creative Finger - #79 Anything Goes 1/3
• Craft Your Passion - #261 Anything Goes 1/3
• 613 Avenue Create - #123 Anything Goes 1/3
• Word Art Wednesday - #182 Anything Goes 1/5
• Crafty Ribbons - Anything Goes with Ribbon 1/5
• Kraftin' Kimmie - #279 Pretty In Pink

Don't forget to visit the blog and see what the rest of the DT have created.  Thanks so much for looking and happy crafting.  Laters!!

**FLOWERS** New Challenge with Mema's Crafts!

It's a new month and a new challenge at Mema's Crafts!  Our theme is FLOWERS and since Lesia is graciously donating the prize herself this month, we designers were free to choose whatever we wanted from I Break For Stamps.  I chose some of their beautiful flowers and the Teacup digital stamp.  I knew I wanted to make a vintage Mother's Day card, and here's what I created:

Of course I'm entering some challenges:

• DLArt Thankful Thursday - #155 Mother's Day
• Wonderful Wednesday - #29 Anything Goes
• Not Just Cards - #18 Anything Goes
• Imagination Destination - #31 Anything Goes
• Sister Act Card Challenge - #104 Anything Goes
• DLArt Linky Party
• 613 Avenue Create - #122 Anything Goes/Feminine 1/3
• Simon Says Stamp Wednesday - Anything Goes 2/5
• 4 Crafty Chicks - #244 Anything Goes

Be sure and visit the blog to see what the rest of the DT have created.  Thanks so much for looking and happy crafting.  Laters!!