Did Someone Say "Polka Dots??!!!"

DH is feeling better. I can tell because he's had bouts of 'regular' crabbiness the last couple of days. That being said, he still pretty much needs me nearby...at least until his strength returns, at which point, I'm calling my sister for a lunch date and some craft shopping. Works for me, hahaha! Thanks, too, for your kind words and thoughts and prayers for him, they are truly appreciated! 

Cards, you ask? Yep. Back at it. At least a bit! I've got two today. Less Is More has as this weeks challenge Polka Dots. Oh yes please!! Do check out the fantastic cards the DT have made; you'll fall in love, I promise!

One Michaels white base, one scrap of my all-time-favorite yellow polka dotted paper, one daisy, one HA sentiment, one ME scalloped circle die, and one MFT pierced circle die. And tons of white space!

And I made this next card for my son-in-law's mother. Peggy has seen the cards I've made for our kids and grandkids, and jokingly asked me to make her a card for her birthday. I know she didn't think I'd remember, let alone do it! I was somewhat stuck, until I saw a card that Kelly Griglione made. Giant ping hit, and I was able to finish the card. Here's what Kelly's looked like:

And here's how she inspired me!

I started with a blue base, and made a box with N&T's die. I LOVE THAT DIE!! Then, once I'd seen Kelly's card, I knew that candles were just the ticket. Fussy cut them, and added some yellow stickles to give the flames a little sparkle. The sentiment is from AE. I think the candle stamps are from HA, but I'm not sure. Papers are from Pebbles, and I used a variety of inks. I'd like to play along at Seize the Birthday, where it's Anything Goes, with optional topping of "Water" this week . Unless you count the blues as water, and the swirls on the candles as waves, I'm pretty sure I didn't go with the topping. And since I've kept you long enough, I'll stop now. Happy dances everyone!

Easter Blessings to You!

Wishing you all the wonderful blessings that Easter brings! After talking with my son a bit ago, we both decided that nothing at all, ever, is better than Christ's Resurrection! I still marvel at this gift.... Can't wait for all that beautiful music during the Easter Festival Service tomorrow in church!!! Wish we could all sing together!

And I actually have a card. DH is feeling a bit better, so I thought I'd spend a little time in the craft room today. Broke out some NBUS SSS stamps, and my Zigs (even I can watercolor with them!) to make a card for this week's Muse Challenge. Tracey has made a very Springtime card, and I did my best to put that feeling into mine. I was inspired by her colors, her watercoloring, and her flowers. Check out Tracey's card:

Isn't that just lovely?! I keyed in on the pinks as you'll see...

That's a ME die, and some TH Antique Linen for the flowers. A WPlus9 sentiment and some random sequins finish this off. 

Just wanted to say thanks, too, for all your kind thoughts and words as DH works hard to get better. He's moving in the right direction I'm glad to say! Blessed Easter and Happy Dances everyone!

Belated Birthday Wishes, Maria

"I'm late, I'm late for a very important date..." so the song from Disney's Alice in Wonderland goes. And it's going that way for me too. I missed Maria's birthday; she of rieslingmama fame. Just in case you've missed her big day as well, be sure to run over and leave her a little birthday love, even if it is a little late! I know she'll appreciate it! We'll have a quiet little party in her honor today. Pretty sure I know just the right spot! How about a beach party South Haven Michigan? I can just picture sand chairs and a nice bon fire, can you?!

Gotta have some bokeh wine glasses at our party...

And naturally something to go in them

Oh! And how about these for treats???!!!

Is this the most perfect is this birthday cake, or what??!!

And let's not forget presents for our birthday girl!

A little framed beach glass...

Something soft and sweet

Something warm and fun

And something shiny to top things off

I'm not going to show you the card I made for her in this post. It's winging its way across the ocean, and I'd like it to be a surprise for her. I know you'll all understand.

So sorry this was so late, Maria. But I did think of you on your special day. Hope you celebrated just the way that makes you happiest. And may your year be filled with joy and wonders! Birthday blessings to you!

"Me" Time

You may or may not have noticed, but I've been pretty much absent in blogland as of late. DH had a minor surgical procedure (which went well), and while at the doctor's office, he proceeded to pick up that nasty upper respiratory virus that's been going around. So I've been playing nurse these last several weeks. I don't mind; it's all part of marriage. As he's sleeping in this morning, I decided to forgo the chores and take a little "me" time. The kitchen, vacuuming, and so forth can wait a few more minutes. Crafting can't! Hopefully, he'll feel a bit better today too! 

It's the Coffee Loving Cardmakers Spring Blog Hop time, and because of DH being ill, I knew I couldn't comment on everyone's pretty cards, but I thought I'd whip up something QAEZPZ (quick and easy peasy per Miss Darnell's wonderful vocab!). I had some brand new Verve NBUS (another Miss Darnell contracted phrase; Never Before Used Schtuff) that I had to have, and it went well on this card, though I only used one of the new stamps...

My coffee card looks like this:

Starting from the base, I used a previously hoarded saved scrap of SU paper. Jen M., you'll recognize this right away... I stamped some LF woodgrain on an MFT die cut panel of watercolor paper, and used my Ziggies to color it up. The coffee cup is ancient. It's a printed die cut purchased from a now defunct Scrapbook store in Cedarburg. I heat embossed the sentiment. Some old flowers, and a nice Poppystamps leaf die. It went together pretty quickly. And since the theme at SSS Monday Challenge is Food and/or Drink, I'm going to play there too. And I'm off to check on my sleeping patient again. Happy dances everyone!

As an "aside...," what the heck did blogger do to my header???? It took away the nice gray pattern and left a strip of the ugly, old one peeking through. Wonder if it's time to move to Wordpress?! Has this ever happened to you? Aaaarrrrgggghhhhhhhhhhh!

Happy Birthday Kim!!!! WooHoo!!!

Today is Kim's birthday. Let's all celebrate her special day. Have you been blessed enough to meet her in real life? I wish you all could. She is one incredible lady, let me tell you! We got to spend a week together at the Lake House in Minnesota, and what a wonderful time we had! She's funny, sweet, nice as all get out, and like me, loves baseball! Take a minute or two to stop over at her blog, Cupcakes, Cards and Kim to wish her a happy birthday. Then come back here and party along with us! Let's go:

Here's where we'll meet up:

Between the beach, the house, and the boardwalks, we should all fit!

Some appetizers to get us started...

A drinky-pooh or two...

A few yummy treats...

Oh, and what's a birthday party without a birthday cake (or two or three)?

That last one is pretty cool, isn't it?! I think she'll like that one best of all! So now let's see what presents the birthday fairy brought!

First up is a caddy for sewing supplies. How slick is this?!

A little something "Mickey."

A comfy chair for relaxing in between projects

A pretty blouse that will go with any color sweater

An outfit just for fun!

A birthstone ring.

And last but not least, sky box tickets for all this season's games between our favorite teams. Naturally, airfare and four-star hotel accommodations are included!

I made a little card, too. Festive, and perfect for her birthday.

So my dear friend, I hope your birthday is as wonderful as you are. May this coming year be the best one yet! Eat cake, go out to dinner, and spend the day exactly the way you like! Celebrating you, sweet Kim! Happy Birthday!! xo

Happy dances everyone!

In the Way

Life has gotten in the way of my crafting, commenting and posting as of late. And I only have a bit of time now to get a post in. I need a vacation...who's with me??!! Overall, life is good, and I won't complain. Mama said there'd be days like these...

I've got a trio of cards, and I want to play along with fellow BABE Darnell's NBUS Challenge. Do I have any NBUS? Snicker, snort, chortle, laugh, guffaw, hoot, and even a holler thrown in for good measure. That's like asking if I drink coffee. You know you're nodding along with me, too, haha! And while I'm here, I thought I might play at the SSS Monday and SSS Wednesday Challenges, as well as the Inspired by all the Little Things Challenge. Shall we get right to it? Alrighty then...

This first card will head off to Darnell's. It's been in my stash, and I've used some of the other stamps in the set, but these two are brand spanking new:

Isn't he just the cutest?! This is a Studio Calico set, and the sunburst behind him is from AE. Versafine black ink a little Copic coloring. One MFT stitched frame die. Pretty CAS.

Next is a card for both of the SSS challenges. Monday's is to create our own background, and Wednesday's is to use a bit o' green.

The leaves were created with two different Verve sets. The hearts are from LF, and the sentiment is from NN. I used a punched strip from one of MFT's Blueprints sets to create a division that wouldn't detract from the stamping. A few black blings, and I added teeny-tiny black dots with a pen also.

Lastly, I wanted to pop this card over at IBATLTs:

The ginko leaves are from PTI, and I just love them. MFT dies. An NBUS 'thanks' sentiment that came with my last order from Verve. The dragonflies and butterfly are from TT. A few pink sequins and done. Running along now kids. Happy dances everyone!

Leap Day

We're all aware that today is Leap Day. And that's all I have to say about that. Moving right along, I've got to take DH to have a minor surgical procedure in a bit, and I'm waiting to hear from my son about his appointment. So I thought I'd blog a bit and share a couple more from that pile of cards I'd made over the weekend. Polar opposite cards, too. And I'm waaaay distracted, can you tell? Will try to get and stay on track.

So here's where I'd like to play today: A new-to-me challenge called CropStop, where there's an Anything Goes theme. AAA Cards, with embossing as their Game. SSS Work It Wednesday, where florals are up. And last but not least, my second entry for SSS Wednesday Challenge.

                             CropStop Linky Party #13

First up is my card for CS & AAA

Have you ever made a card and fallen in love with it yourself? This is one of those cards for me. Don't know what it is about this one, but I really like it! I printed some paper which I created all my own self with my Silhouette (slight bursting of buttons here...), and took a LF wood veneer heart that I heat embossed in gold on the lower end. A bit of vellum with those sweet gold triangles cut with a MB leaf die, and if you look really closely, you'll see a faint 'thanks' stamp below the heart. It's from NN, and I used some ME Smoke ink.

The double SSS entry is this one:

Open & Closed!

Little bit o' watercoloring with those FREAKING AMAZING Zig Clean Color brushes. I LOVE THEM (can you tell???). The stamps are from a Studio Calico set, and the die was an oval from MFT. Pretty easy, considering I totally stink at watercoloring. It was fun, though! : ) And since I have to go put on some clothes (other than my PJs), I'd better get moving. Happy dances everyone!

Thank You

Before I get to any cards, I want to say thanks to you. You left so many nice comments and offered many prayers for my son. Both are sincerely appreciated. My darling son is holding his own at this point, with pain that never goes below a "6," and is often higher, on a 1 -10 scale. He sees an Orthopedic Surgeon tomorrow morning, and I am praying that he'll say.... "Why didn't you come here first!?! We can fix your problem just like that!!" But no matter what happens, we all trust that God will care for him in the best possible way. I'll let you know what happens....

Once the chores are done, I've been crafting, trying to keep busy and my mind occupied. I've made about 10 cards in the last two days, but will only show you two here today.  Jenni's yellow beauty at Muse really captured my imagination. So I just had to play again. This time with some yellow and white polkie dots, that way I can play over at the City Crafter Challenge, where, guess what the theme is...yep, polka dots! Perfect! And N@Ali has a wonderful CAS sketch for us over at CAS(E) This Sketch. Had fun with that one!

Ready for some yellow?

Ta Daaaa! Now those are polkie dots!! I kept to the general premise of the sketch, but changed things up a bit as I'm sure you can tell. All the papers are from my scrap files, and I can't tell you where I got those little daisies (which, btw, have polka dotted centers!). The sentiment is from MFT with some Versafine black ink. And believe it or not, those yellows are matchy-matchy...but naturally, it doesn't look like they are no matter how much editing I did....

A very QAEZPZ card for CTS...

Some strawberry cardstock from the Stamps of Life, white and black scraps, an AE frame die, a WPlus9 'thanks' die, and the sentiment and sweet little airplane are from LF. So easy! So fun! So long! Happy dances everyone!!