Christmas Luggage

TIME OUT Challenge #43: Christmas with the optional twist of "use pink and/or purple"

FUN!!!

Sky is the limit when using non-traditional Christmas colors, so I'm

using one of these journaling cards again.

(stamps: Hero Arts CL551  die:Papertrey Ink Sparkle & Shine  other: Basic Grey Carte Postale Snippets)

Stamp some snowflakes; slap a shiny sentiment and you've got yourself a "travelin' for Christmas"card.

Hero Arts Holiday Cardmaking Challenge

It helps to back it up with paper that looks like a sweater, don't ya think?

So many peeps skittering across the globe during the holiday season...

I KNOW...

that was US when my husband was serving.

My girlies are skilled travelers. ;)

Plan on traveling this Christmas?

Making Other Plans

This sentiment rings true, I'm sure, for just about anyone.

(stamp: Tim Holtz Visual Artistry Thoughts and Phrases  die: My Favorite Things Blueprints 11)


Simon Says (Wednesday) Challenge: Anything Goes


Seriously, ANYTHING GOES when it comes to doing life, 


right?!!!


hahahaha


Keep on keeping on friends~



 

Unforgettable Birthday

My side of the family lives in Hawaii...

I live near the east coast.

That being said, if I forget a birthday...

a card is received

REALLY REALLY late.

I invested in the WPlus9 Unforgettable set because I KNEW...

JUST KNEW...

I would need the sentiments. ;)

The irony...

 this card is going to my sister-in-law who lives 30 min away.

Her birthday is in November.

;)

That's how I roll guys...simplistically complicated.

My poor husband.

I was inspired by this challenge to go for borders...be it stamps or patterned paper.

Throwback Thursday Challenge #8

I've had this paper in my stash for a long time, but this is the season for these colors!!!

Now let's see if I mail it in time...

You Are Loved

Have you ever read The 5 Love Languages of Children or heard of The Five Love Languages?


I took a class many moons ago that was based on the first one.


Boy was it an eye opener!


Main point is....just because you love someone doesn't mean they feel it, because we all speak different love languages.


How you show it vs how it's received can vary depending on the individual.

 
I'm so grateful the Lord put these books in my hands when the girlies were little!


I still have to be reminded of what speaks "love" to each of these very unique young ladies.



That being said...remember my sickie girlie?


Goodness that virus dragged on for 11 DAYS!


It's not much, but I made her this as a reminder...

(stamp: Sweet 'n Sassy Precious Poppies sentiment  dies: Verve Wavy Hearts,
Papertrey Ink Circle Scribbles)

Gotta do what we can, when we can, as much as we can right?

You Amaze Me

I recently received some Unity girls.

Perfect timing too, because we have a sweet sixteen birthday coming up.

She is one of my girlies' sweetest friends and I wanted to create something special for her.

Tuesday Hip Hop With Unity

 So far this week has been uneventful and I'm ok with that. ;)

It gives me time to create, reflect, and pray...

pray, reflect and create.

...

 

Happily Ever After

(stamps: WPlus9 Dockside Backgrounds  paper: Teresa Collins Save the Date clipping)

Throwback Thursday Challenge #8

WPlus9 Throwback Challenge #8 reminded me of these backgrounds I own.


They're not just for nautical themes.

Maureen's cards inspired me to create a subtle border that could display any sentiment.


Yayyy for utilizing background stamps!!!!


Yayyy for surviving Monday; Tues should be a walk in the park....


andtheyallllllivedhappilyever after...

;)

Cute Masked Caper

I used to love halloween~

until I became a Christian.

 

Now I don't relish it as much...but it's still fun to dress up, right? 

(stamp: BoBunny Camp-A-Lot, Clear&Simple Circus Fun sentiment  die: Spellbinders Postage Stamp)

I love the theme here at Inkspirational...

I know he usually looks like this, but this masked caper looks dressed up to me.

;)

Man, I wish I could share my sister's costume here....it's SO AWESOME..

maybe after she wears it she will let me post it. ;)

This is a test to see if my sister reads this post...

Family of Stamps

I own a family of stamps.

A legacy of companies, past and present...

multiple generations of creative possibilities.

They all make me so happy. ;)

(stamps: Sweet 'n Sassy Grunge Elements, Verve Beautiful You, Market Street Stamps Mesh, Papertrey Ink The Sweet Life  paper: We R Memory Keepers 2X4 Journal Cards  die: Papertrey Ink The Sweet Life)

Aunty Market Street Stamps has passed away but her legacy lives on whenever I ink her up. ;)

Simon Says Challenge (Monday): Throwback

I went back to Simon Says STAMPtember:Use a Stamp since I've used four stamps here...each one a different company.

They all played nice today...

 like a family reunion of sorts. ;)

It all started with this Journal Card...I built up from there.

Man, I'm lovin' these precious little bites of paper that get me creatively flowing.

Don't be surprised to see many more of them pop up~once I'm on a train of thought I stay on it for awhile.

A Blessing

I don't have much to say about this except it was something I wanted to make with black and orange~

(stamp: Sweet 'n Sassy Precious Poppies  die: Papertrey Ink Circle Scribbles)



Don't know if this is too weird of a design but I was in the moment and I went with it.


That's what's great about designing...you can take a picture like this and PLAY.

Time Out Challenge #42


I used the stripes and colors...


stating the obvious here. ;)


I may overpost here soon...forgive me...


Marlena got inky

Hexagon Holiday Card

Another Christmas card...CHECK!

Hero Arts Holiday Cardmaking Challenge

(stamps: Hero Arts Clear Hexagons/CL551   inks: Hero Arts Soft Pool/Pool, Versafine Onyx)

I remember HAVING TO OWN HEXAGONS and then not doing much with them.

 I was definitely inspired when I saw this challenge.

YAY for using those stamps we own, right?!

It's lovely to get inky~

Papertrey October Blog Hop Challenge

I went with traditional Christmas colors today~

(stamps: Papertrey Ink (Songbirds, Background Basics Super Stripes,Winter Penguin,Holiday Photo Finishers)

 I notice it's back this year, along with lots of black accents and bases.

 Today is Papertrey Ink's October Blog Hop 


Here is the inspirational photo...

 I used my favorite image from Songbirds and those cool bauble snowflakes from the penguin mini set to represent my take on this photo.

Have a great day, thanks for stopping in~

Teacher Tree

I forgot how much I love Mighty Oak.

Isn't he handsome???

(stamps: Papertrey Ink Mighty Oak/Teach & Inspire apple and sentiments/Happy Trails paper airplane/Winter Penguin swirl and snowflake)

I enjoyed surrounding him with sentiments and images for

Make It Monday #227: Focal Clusters

hosted by Lexi

I used these dramatic colors from the Throwdown

to make it Christmasy.

 

Every Christmas card gets a bonus smile from me and a pat on the back. ;)

Let's see if I actually get these mailed out in time...

Sympathy Card & Bit of Watercolor

Wee bit of watercolor today...just on a die cut.

(stamp: Verve Treasured Words   die: Sweet 'n Sassy Season of Change)

I pulled out that razzle dazzle chevron paper after seeing the inspirational photo at


 TIME OUT Challenge #42

I love this paper so much...it's hard to use it. ;)


However, its earthy color seems appropriate for a sympathy card~softened with the leaf.


It's been wrapped with shiny washi tape for


Simon Says (Wednesday): Wrap it Up.


I didn't want the tape to come up in transport...so wrapping it around the panel and then adhering the the whole lot together seemed like the smart thing to do.


I don't know about you...but this has been the week of wrapping up loose ends also.


I finally took my car in for all its "have to's" ~


WHEW!


There's only so much time to get things done in a day, let alone a week, right?


But a car is just a car and hopefully this card will not need to be used anytime soon, you know what I'm saying?


Anyhoo, before rambling mama comes around I'll let you go friends~

Dotted Tags

My youngest girlie is sick.

She's been sick for almost a week now~

poor thing.

She's missing out on haunted hayride fun with her friends and sisters today, but I'm proud of her for acknowledging she's too sick to go.

I tied a special something around her favorite drink to make it gifty.

(stamps:dots from Papertrey Ink Shape-up Snowman Accessories/Songbirds  dies: Sizzix tags, Papertrey Ink Sparkle & Shine)

Maile Belles' dotted tags from Papertrey's Day 4 Release sent me in the direction of all season embellishments.

It inspired my dotty tags~the xoxoxo tag seemed like the perfect sentiment 

(xo stickers are from my oldies stash).

 

 

Papertrey Ink Create Along With Us October 2015

Aren't Maile's gold/black/white tags classy???

I've always loved stamping with dots...they make my head all swimmy like. ;)

I can't wait to create more.

Thanks for stopping by~

Glam Cards

Let's pretend this is a black tie event...


here comes Miss Sparkle.

  (stamp: Verve Borderline  dies: Verve Wavy Hearts, Papertrey Ink Sparkle & Shine, Spellbinders Postage Stamp,Avery Elle Dotted Borders Elle-ments other: Want2Scrap rhinestones)

Here comes Miss Shine.



(die: Papertrey Ink Sparkle & Shine  paper: My Minds Eye Fancy That)

That's it...simple sparkle and shine are all these cards need for such an affair. ;)


Since my husband retired from the Army....I haven't had to dress up for black tie gatherings.



At least my cards get to strut their stuff.


ha!


Thanks for stopping by friends~

Songbird Cards

This is my second Monday post...


I feel a little more energetic than usual on a Monday.


I should probably pace myself but I don't want the energy train to stop anywhere or I may not move again.

My first card uses a soft palette from the Throwdown challenge.

(stamp: Papertrey Ink Songbirds  dies: Papertrey Ink Songbirds, Spellbinders Scalloped Oval  other: Cuttlebug Embossing Folder)

These next two cards are more "me"...



in yo' face bold and simple.

(stamp: Papertrey Ink Holiday Photo Finishers  die: Papertrey Ink Songbirds)

Simon Says (Wednesday): Clean and Simple Christmas


I'm all about stripes lately too...


Here is another I constructed from the section cut off from the first striped panel.




 (stamp: Papertrey Ink Songbirds/Movers & Shakers Sentiments  die: Papertrey Ink Songbirds)

Why make only one card when you can construct two, right?!

Hope your Monday is sparked with energy for the long week ahead~


Blessings~

Went to Town

Good Monday Morning!!!

Marlena is unusually chipper for a Monday.

Marlena is referring to herself in the third person because marlena doesn't know who Marlena is at the moment.

hahahaha

;)

I'm excited to share a card that I went to town on elements with.

It's not my usual style, but now I want to make more like it~

I didn't worry about how heavy or thick this would end up, since I'm hand delivering this creation.

Everything jump-started with the Basic Grey Snippets Carte Postale city scene and I built up from there.

There are even previously stamped/die cut elements (building, rose) from my dropped pile that didn't fit a previous project.

They didn't make it on their own card...but the dark colors were perfect for this one.

(stamps: Verve Words of Wisdom, Papertrey Ink The Sweet Life/City Scene  dies: Papertrey Ink The Sweet Life/City Scene, Sizzix star,Silhouette Cameo Jillibean Soup Funny Sayings Soup Labels  other: Basic Grey Snippets Carte Postale/Hey Boy Designer Chipboard Stickers)  

I stamped the sentiment under the star and then on to the star and lined it up.

Just like the city...there's so much going on here...but I'm super excited to use these elements up that have been gathering dust!

Don't you love when use up your goodies on a project to give?

Simon Says Stamp Work It Wednesday

 use a stamp

Word Art Wednesday #204: Anything Goes 

 I'm going to jump on this enthusiasm and see if I can crank out another collage creation today...

Black and White Call to Me

I don't know if I like the way this photographed...but I like these colors together.

It seems the second panel that I edged with gray nail polish is barely visible.

Oh wells.

It's one of those "have to see in person" cards I guess. ;)

(Verve Scripture Medley 3/Borderline/Poppy Birthday   die: Verve Build a Poppy  other: twine, nail polish edging)

I followed this sketch...

I'm shutting down....time to take a nap I think.

This was one Sunday morning I made it to church and I am WIPED. ;)

But the message and mini fellowship was worth it.

I'm always grateful when I can make it there.

Christmas Girlies

I did some coloring on two simple Christmas cards ...

(stamps: My Favorite Things Ala Modes Sparkling Season/Stampendous Yule Penguins)

Simon Says (Wed): Clean and Simple Christmas

(stamps: My Favorite Things Ala Modes Sparkling Season/Die-namics Christmas Ornaments)

What I love about coloring is you can change the hair color and outfits on every character.

My girlies are all about lavendar, blue and pink hair...so I added a little fun on each girl's head.


I've dealt with non-conventional hair color before on my girlie's REAL heads...let me tell you....it's easier to color a pic with Copics!


There is so much involved...one of which is to bleach the hair out first.


ugh...I think we spent almost 2 hours in bleaching, rinsing, drying and bleaching again before actually adding the fun color.


In the end they loved it, thank goodness!!!

2 Simple Cards

Here are a couple of cards I created to admire the paper and sentiments.

;)

This one showcases patterned paper I've had forever~

and I'm submitting this autumn colored creation to

TIME OUT Challenge #41

"Autumn...the year's last, loveliest smile" by American Poet William Callum Bryant.

Simon Says Stamp Work It Wednesday

 (stamp: Sweet 'n Sassy Grunge Elements  dies: Papertrey Ink Circle Scribbles, My Favorite Things  Die-namics Blueprints 11)

This one is newer (to me) striped paper.

(stamp: Jillian Vance Simply Said:Coffee & Jesus  die: Spellbinders Postage Stamp)

I'm linking this up at

Word Art Wednesday #204: Anything Goes

Thanks for stopping by~

Friend in Orange and Grey

I've been all about using my patterned papers ...but sometimes I just wanna



STAMP


I created this because I wanted something with my husband's and my favorite colors....

(stamps: October Afternoon Farmhouse, Sweet n' Sassy Precious Poppies sentiment, Papertrey Ink Happy Trails "thread"  dies: Verve Pennant Trim Die, Papertrey Ink Edgers #1  inks: Jenni Bowlin Weather Vane, Versafine Onyx, Memento Tangelo)



He's the orange & I'm the grey.


yummers 


Love these 2 colors together!!!


Simon Says Stamp World Cardmaking Day.


I'm sending this to a friend who I keep wanting to drop in on.


Either I'm sick or she's sick...so I told her I'd send a card. ;)


Thanks for peeking in~

Can't Park Straight

I hardly ever park straight.

ever.

You know I've parked the car if it's at an angle.

;)

It's my creative "mark".

However, when it came to this week's challenge at Papertrey...I made an extra effort to not be "me".

Papertrey Ink Make it Monday #226: Creating with Stripes

 hosted by Laurie Willison

Watch the video...you'll learn a thing or two about how to attract ink to your stamp.

 (stamps: Papertrey Ink Background Basics Super Stripes/Songbirds  inks: Raspberry Fizz/New Leaf, Versafine Onyx  other: Copic Gray)

 This second card is for my artistic brother-in-law.

He will be so impressed I stamped those lines~they aren't perfect...but they might as well be, coming from me!!! ;)

He knows how I roll...willy nilly and what not. ;)

(stamps: Papertrey Ink Background Basics Super Stripes/Grunge Me  ink: Papertrey Ink Enchanted Evening/New Leaf, Versafine Onyx)

By the way...I must have used 20 baby wipes to keep these cards smudge free~

Thanks for stopping in~

Eat More Ham

(stamps: Sweet 'n Sassy Save the Turkeys, Waltzingmouse Teeny Trees sentiment  die: Avery Elle Dotted Borders Elle-ments, Spellbinders Classic circles  other: Copics)

This silly turkey cracks me up.

I brought him out for 

 

 

I went with bright slabs of color inspired by this challenge...

I know who to send this to...

my aunt who was always the one who cooked the ham for Thanksgiving back when I was living in Hawaii.

 It was her thing.

I bet she'll get a kick out of him. ;)

 Thanks for stopping by...

 

 

Where There Is Love

(stamp: Verve More than Love  die: Avery Elle Dotted Borders Elle-ments)



I stumbled upon The Hop to Stop hosted by Becca Cruger 

via the lovely Darnell J. Knauss

To quote Becca's post...

"...purple is the color of National Domestic Violence Awareness month. 

1 in 3 women will experience domestic violence over the course of their lifetimes." 

15 years ago I had a new friend bravely share the harrowing life she was living with her husband.


It was definitely one of those God moments...because I'm not one to pry.


I'm really not.


For some reason she felt she could trust me and little by little pieces of her nightmare eeked out in words~


10 min here and there as we whispered in between worship and women's Bible study classes. 


There were moments here and there when our kids had play dates.

As the reality of what was going on in her home settled in on me...and the shock wore off (because I seriously WAS floored)...


I prayerfully advised her to speak with a local mentoring couple who gave her and her child the resources to flee this dangerous situation.

  I know it was God directing me because

I had only lived in the area a few months prior to her arrival (typical military atmosphere).

 I had never experienced this dilemma before.


I was a new Christian and clueless to what the "right" answer was for this.


I mean, this is a MARRIAGE and FAMILY we are talking about.



I didn't know what to do or how to help her.


I'm grateful the Lord gave me timely words to enable her.
 

So grateful for this sweet, GODLY couple who didn't sweep it under a rug.


Super grateful they BELIEVED her and put her safety first.



By the way...her husband didn't look like a monster.


 He appeared like a doting, faithful husband and behaved well in a public setting.


In fact,

he was charming, nice, and smiled.




Just because it isn't obvious doesn't mean it isn't happening.


It is what it is.


 Unfortunately, even if it's not happening to you...more likely than not,


you know someone who is living it and probably hiding it.


May God give us the ear to listen & the boldness to be encouraging.


Also, may He give us wisdom to help those that can't help themselves.

If you are experiencing domestic violence, reach out for help! 

Call the 24/7 confidential National Domestic Violence Helpline at 1-800-799-7233