Guest Designing over at City Crafter's Challenge Blog!

Hooray! Today I'm Guest Designing over at City Crafter's Challenge Blog. WooHoo! Let me encourage you all to pop over and play this week. What a great DT, and a big thanks to them for having me. The theme is "Animal Magic," and I've had a ball making this fun little card. Check out the inspiration photo...it makes me smile every time I see him!

So have a peek at my card, and then come and play at the City Crafter's Challenge Blog!

Started with a Neenah white base, and layered a scrap of striped EP dp underneath the main panel. Stamped my images on the main panel. Then I trimmed the bottoms of the frog's mushroom and the wizard, slipped in a scrap of dp and adhered those dp "hills." Punched out a sun in yellow, and added some orange AE ink. Stamped in SU black ink, the images are colored with Copics and Promarkers. I used all Newton's Nook stamps.And that's it for this "Animal Magic" card. I hope you've enjoyed it, and that you head over and play along too! Happy dances everyone.

Guest Designing at MUSE!!!!

OH. MY. GOSH!!!! The incredibly talented, and oh so wonderful Ardyth from the Muse Challenge contacted me and asked if I wanted to be their Guest Designer for this week's challenge. It took less than a heartbeat for me to say YES, and then jump out of my chair to do a great big Happy Dance!!! DH wondered what the heck was going on....After calming down and letting him know what was happening, I got right on it, and emailed Ardyth! Not sure if you can tell how thrilled I am!!! Thanks so much Ardyth for this wonderful opportunity; I can't tell you just how honored (excited, humbled, tickled, happy) I am to have been asked.

And this is the card I came up with. I'd be so happy to see what you all come up with from this design. Hope you all play along!

It's really quite a simple design. Neenah white base with all scraps for the rest of the papers, including the shiny blue 'hello', and the shiny strip under the scalloped border. LF die cut "hello" and TE polaroid frame die. Three Michaels sequins and that's really it. Here's a close up of the shiny part:

Really hope to see you at Muse! Happy dances everyone.

SURPRISE!!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY GERI!!!!!

Today is Miss Geri's birthday; she of Manitoba Stamper fame. One of the reigning queens of CAS, her cards and projects are incredible. An award winning card maker, Geri has talent beyond compare. Her CAS creations are always full of color and fun, and her designs are fantastic. So be sure you stop over there today and give her your best good wishes for a happy birthday! : ) Then after you've visited her blog, do come back, and party.

You know me, a birthday party is called for, even if it is only in cyberspace. So go put your party duds on, kick back, and party with us as we celebrate Geri. Are ya ready????!!! We'll pick the perfect party spot, and then we'll settle in with a few cocktail selections...

So you've picked your favorite venue, just multiply it by a bazillion so that we can all gather in one place. Thirsty work, picking just the right spot....I need a drink..join me? Then we'll toast the birthday girl!

Mmmmmm...cool and refreshing drinks to start us all off...but we'll need a little festive nourishment to go along with our drinks

A few cookies or cupcakes before the REAL cake...

YUM YUM!!! We are soooo lucky to be together as we celebrate Geri, and have all these delicious treats and birthday cakes, and not one calorie was consumed by any of us! Bonus!

It wouldn't be a birthday party without presents. Just as soon as I win the lottery, I'm getting these for Geri!

We'll start with a potted pond. Very cool.

(This one fits on a table top! She'll enjoy it year 'round!)

And since she lives fairly north, she'll need a nice warm coat...Hmmm, I think only mink will do

and one for "everyday" wear...

Did you know Geri, her DH, and son are doing some rehabbing? I think I should hire some helpers for her, don't you?

Wow!! Cake AND Beefcake! What a party!!

These guys look....well, pretty darn capable of handling the rehab, and I think that Geri should take her DH someplace special while the "construction crew", under the supervision of her son, do all the work. Let's see if we can find some interesting places to go....

I think those will do the trick nicely, don't you? Pretty sure Geri would love to visit these places; I know I would! So I hope you enjoyed partying along. Don't forget to stop by her blog and wish her a very happy birthday.

To my bloggy buddy, Geri. Sending hugs for your birthday and best wishes today and always. You've touched my life, and the lives of many of us out here and speaking for me, my life is so much richer having you for a friend. May God bless and keep you all the days of your life.

I do have a card to share too. It's a complete and total CASE of one of her very own delightful creations. This is Geri's:



And my very own little tribute to Geri. Hope you can see the connection...

Neenah white base, scraps of cardstock, and some glitter (though you can't tell it here....) letters by Making Memories. TTFN. And happy (birthday) dances everyone.

Potato Salad

Do you like potato salad?? American Potato Salad or German Potato Salad? Me, I'll go with the American version. Now. Mayonnaise or Miracle Whip? My sister Sue's recipe for potato salad, besides being the best in the WORLD, is the only way that Miracle Whip passes these lips. Guess what I'm making today? Yep. Potato Salad - Sue's recipe. Her baby granddaughter turned one yesterday, and there's a party in a park tomorrow. I volunteered to bring this; it's a family favorite. So while I wait for the eggs and potatoes to cook, I'll blog. Seems like the perfect way to not watch the pots!

Yesterday, I started two cards. The first one you'll see was tough. Not because the challenge was tough, but rather, I kept smearing the *$#^%@!*&%$* ink. Once I even dropped a loaded stamp on the ready panel. *sigh* So last night, I quit. And today, ONE try. ONE. Guess I should have given up sooner last night. This is for the Muse Challenge. And before I go any further, I'd like to say a big thank you to all who voted for my last Muse Card. There were so many gorgeous cards, truly. So "thanks" for this honor. I'm humbled and delighted all at the same time. Marion Vagg has this little sweetie pie of a card this week. Simply darling. Loved it the second I saw it. Whimsical is the term that came to my mind, and I loved the hand drawn lines. I don't have an owl, except maybe a Halloween one, so went in a completely different direction.

The one I FINALLY came up with is a baby boy card. And while it took a while to make it to my liking, I really, really enjoyed the process. Taught me that I don't always have to "color inside the lines."

First check out some of the boo-boos:

They turned into 'scratch' paper...

It's a 4.25 x 4.25" square with a 3.75 x 3.75 focal panel. With a couple of blue Copics and my AC markers, I free ?drew? the borders, letting them just flow as they would. The stamps are Gina K., stamped in SU black and colored with two yellow copics. Mounted on my ever present Neenah white base.

Next I've got a card for Fusion's latest challenge. Did my best to use both the photo and the sketch. This also fills the bill for Simon Says Wednesday Challenge, Emboss It! 

Used to have a kitchen in almost these colors. Really like them too!!

I took a page out of Virginia's book and used some brighter colors stamped and embossed on vellum. They look softer in the photo, but they really do pop against the pink and green. Gina K. flower stamps, first stamped in TH embossing ink, then dabbed with some pink Color Box. Dusted with Ranger Holographic EP. Die cut some green vellum with an MFT leaf. SU ribbon. WPlus9 sentiment with Ranger Sap Green ink. The pink and green panels are scraps. 

And I have one last card to share. This one is for Avery Elle's latest challenge to use a die cut as well as for Time Out. 

Sooo much to choose from in this fun photo! 

I printed some dp from two of my Silhouette files - the large stripes and the small polka dots. I attached the large stripes to my Neenah white base, and then die cut the polka dots with an MFT die. Some orange striped washi tape, some SC star sequins, and an AE sentiment (LOVE this set!!!) with ME Hazel ink. And since I've kept you long enough, I'll shut up now. Happy dances everyone!