Word Verification On Comments

Just a quick post to let you know I had to turn "word verification" back on~I know its a pain, but after getting an email with a virus attached, I am back to using all the safety measures I can.  I am very careful about what I open, I have McAfee virus protection, but this virus was caught AFTER it was installed...a Trojan virus...that looked identical to McAfee's program, telling me that a virus had been quaranteened, after checking the box "okay", it installed the virus......what the virus amounted to was a company that wanted to sell you "protection" for $16.95 a month to uninstall the virus and keep you "protected" (yeah from THEM!)...a nightmare I didn't need.......

Time Well Spent~FTTC51

Cold, snowy morning....all our snow was gone (cept' the snowbanks of course)~its back~cold~windy~sub zero temps on the way~perfect time to share a cup of coffee with a friend~which I will be doing today!

I am trying to get out of my winter blues~doing challenges~using Spring colors~telling myself winter will be gone soon!

I participated in challenge FTTC51......had to go girlie with this one...the challenge was to  use a "P"...you know~Pink~Punches~Polka Dots~just so it starts with a "P"...now how fun is that!!!!

Echo Inspired Card Challenge #2

 I couldn't help myself~ I HAD to do a second card using Echo as my inspiration, I chose "that 70's floral pillow"....you can see all the "inspired cards on SCS, just by typing IC216 in the gallery search...easy~easy CAS card...I used 3 round punches for the flower center, SU Petal Pizzazz and SU 's newest  from the mini occassions "Well Scripted"...I LOVE this set..it is just so dang "pretty"!!   The flower is really black IRL...just my "expert" photo taking...lol....that makes it look "odd"!

Echo Inspired Card~Yummy Cookies

Happy Sunday everyone~it's warm here...or going to be...maybe 46 today...raining and WET!  But, at least the snow is melting away~for today!  Its been a whirlwind 48 hours...but I was able to do a challenge I found on SCS....an inspiration challenge using an item of choice from Echo , I choose this "Jaipur Square Embroidered pillow".....it is suspose to be a "jumping off point" to make your card...but when I saw this I right away thought of my yet "uninked" Stampin'Up! "Medalion"...just had to use it and make this pretty card!  Its a large one, the stamp is HUGE~I also stamped a flower image from SU Petal Pizzazz...just so "sunshiney" on such a dreary day!

Here are  some yummy cookies I baked on Friday~they are good, but so very sweet....they have an entire container of ricotta cheese in them...different...I found the recipe on another blog......have a nice day!!!

Lots of Layers & Another Michigan Winter Sunrise

I should of been cleaning the house.....not as much fun as "blogging"~I saw on Sherry Cheever's blog a layered card she did using her SB label dies.....go and check it out, it is just plain gorgeous...I have to do another one, as soon as I can find my CD with all my images on it..I have a bad habit of misplacing everything...it won't change.......I had to improvise with my card...I don't own any of the SB label sets~yet.....this one has 6 layers...and I forgot to emboss the edges.....that's what happens when my creative room and my computer room are at opposite ends of the house, by the time I walk from one end to the other, I forget what I was doing....anyhow...let me know if you "like"!

Next photo I took early Wednesday morning as I was letting Nellie out.......so very pretty...and hopefull that soon (2 1/2 months) winter will be gone!!

Mini Valentine "Tucks"

Do you make New Year's resolutions??  I don't, as I never do it anyhow, but I do make "goals"....goals are good, its something to "reach for"!  One of my (many) goals this year is to "use what I have"......I am a "gather-er"...I have as much fun "gathering" my supplies as I do using them.....problem is, I "gather" much more then I use!!  That's where these little mini Valentine "tucks" come in...I purchased these mini note card sets (2) at M's a few years ago~M's is a great place to buy "goodies" to alter.....and let me tell you I have bought my share...I have a bin full~untouched~each set of these little mini's have 10 cards and envies.....so I have 3 done...yes, just 17 more to go...lol......these are great little cards to "tuck"in with a bit of candy or a small gift.....the stamps I used are from Stampin'Up!s set "Forest Friends".....perfect size for these little cards!

I did reach another "goal"....to sort all my paper "scraps"....It took me 2 days (not steady), but they are sorted by color...I bought these BIG Ziploc bags to put them in, they work well, they stand up well in a small bin I have tucked under my work table...so when I need a color, I can just grab the bag and "dig" thru...it is working well...I find myself reaching for them all the time now!  Plus the bags at Target were only $3.24...very...very reasonable way to store!!!

Love At First Bite~& Faux Grid

I sure have been in  a creative slump lately~and I have a bunch of NEW stuff to work with...hopefully I can get back with it!

Tonight I took some time and played around with this pesky "gator"...I love how "goofy" this big guy is!  I used my CB EB folder that looked like "maybe" gator scales...the first one is my first ever "attempt" at using my Copic's (be gentle)...I only have 6, and the colors just happened to be red, pink and green!  He is really a much more "vibrant" green IRL....!!

The next card is the same pesky "fellow"...but this one I did a bit more "girlie" and used my colored pencils and OMS to color him in.....both cards say "Happy Valentines Day" inside.

My first  card I did tonight (yep, I actually did 3)... is for the House Mouse challenge using a "faux grid"....I did the one from SCS...its a smaller card using one of the "hoppers".....well thats it...short and "sweet"!

In With The New

Very windy out, BUT, the sun is shining and its NOT snowing and its warmer.....a nice break!  I saw a challenge on SCS to use something new, it can be something you just purchased, a new technique...anything, just so its new.....Me~I purchased this CB EB folder with the owl on it as it reminded me so much of a Valentine card in the making!  so this little guy is my new, as well as the white wash Cord-in-nations paper I used to emboss him on...the sentiment is from SU, which by the way~WHERE is that UPS man with my new SU order...I thought for sure he would be here early this morning, after all, he should know I am panting for it!  Whoops a little side tracked here...sorry....oh...and to be an enabler...on HSN...they have 6 NEW CB EB folders for Valentines...mine will be here on the 25th.....thats why I did the challenge...because I just love NEW!!!  You can see the other cards on SCS for this challenge by looking in the gallery at WT252...see ya tomorrow!

Love Without Hearts Challenge

Been to town~ran errands~exhausted!  Too tired to do any "housework"...so my next best thing is a challenge~the girls at Saturday Spotlight Challenge challenged us to make a card expressing love without using hearts.....I thought well, that is easy.....not so...had to put my thinking cap on for this one...so here is my card, and if it doesn't "say" love"...well...you get the picture!  Go have some fun with these challenges!

Kiss Me~Now I Have Your Attention!!!

Another "up early" morning for me.....its quiet, a hot cup of coffee, a great creative time!

 I came across Dawn McVey's Raspberry Suite Challenge #21 using the yummy colors of Chocolate~Soft Yellow~Light Aqua ~Cream.....beautiful color combination!  I have been in the Valentine~Punch mood lately...maybe because I don't have time to "stamp" and "color" .  Here is my card....I just LOVE how it came together, though I need to supply myself with "pale yellow"...seems I don't have much of that and its a favorite of mine right now.  I used my poor neglected "Quickutz" to cut the hearts and the tag~the "kiss me" punch is a MS Valentine one from last year....all papers used are SU.  And of course it is much prettier IRL!!  Have a nice day!

Punching~Embossing~Masking

It's snowing~still~again~I will be so VERY glad when January is over!  At least its warmer today...19 degrees!!

I have been "addicted" to purchasing new punches it seems...and MS has an entire new line out...just what my budget "needs"..oh yeah!  My latest purchase (yesteday) was the large "pop up" punch called "water lily"...so very pretty...I also used a new (to me) CBEB folder .....the cardstock used is SU So Saffron, the flowers are bits of SU scraps....I also embossed the inside of the card for a bit of detail!  I have a new SU order arriving on Wed....and guess what...it has NEW SU punches in it...just what I need..right...LOL!!

The next two cards, well, I was cruising thru my SU Stampin'Success magazine and they had a 2 page article on masking.....these are the first 2 I finished, and have 2 more "in the works" I'll have on later.  I had forgotten how much fun masking is......still working on some Valentine tags and "containers....and some stamped images...keep warm!!

You're A Sweetheart~JUGs Challenge 15

This week the girls at JUGs have a challenge to use stitching on your card....an easy one for me, as I LOVE to sew.....I did a bit of zigzag around the heart and the "pocket" of the card......the inside has a tag you pull out  with a popped up heart that says "love you".....lots of little details in the tag and card, that does not show well in the pic.....but what's new..right....LOL...short post today..lots more to bring later...just a busy day at the cabin...go...do this challenge!!!  Oh, look at the cool MS birdie edge punch on the bottom of tag....you are soooo going to want this!

Butterfly Happy!!

Snow~snow~and more snow!  A perfect day to stay inside and be creative!  I have to admit though, I didn't do much today...just too cold, even my hands are cold inside the house, hard to make them work.......I did mangage to get 3 more cards done using up some more bits and pieces of my scraps.

I guess I was "butterfly happy" today, as thats what I came up with!

The last card is for my granddaughter that had her tonsils out today...working on some Valentine tags tomorrow and maybe a few little treat boxes...have a nice evening and keep warm!

Clean and Simple Card

Okay, I changed my post...decided I didn't want my blog to be my sounding off place, I can do that alone...LOL.....so after taking a deep breath to start this morning, I have this lovely card to share with you.

There are days I just love to make simple cards.....one or two colors and not much else...love the simplicity of it....other days I love loading the cards with everything I can...guess its just the time factor and the mood I am in....SCS has had some beautiful CAS cards on lately, a great place to go and grab some "inspiration"!

For You Sweet One~JUGs Challenge~Bird Watching 101

Brrrrrrrr its cold outside...just went and filled up my bird feeders (more on that later)....in trying to be creative when your mind is tired from all the hectic holidays, I look to the challenges~I stumbled onto this one called JUGs (Just US Girls) and am so glad I did.....they have a wonderful blog and a really neat setup for the challenges......the first one is a sketch challenge, and this is what I was working on, my little bear, so used him for the sketch....the front sentiment is "for you", the little card on the front opens and it says "Sweet

One"....all  items used are SU with the exception of the button...I punched all his little hearts and the ones inside with the punch called "Heart to Heart"!  Cute card for one of the grandkids!

The last photo is
Bird Watching 101...my kitties seem to have "cabin fever" so to entertain them I put up a couple of small bird feeders......one thing I noticed is that to bird watch, you have to swish your tail, and have a stutter in your meow (don't try this at home...lol)......it has given them many hours of entertainment and they seem to sleep better at night having little birdie dreams!

Hip To Be Square Challenge

Michelle has a challenge on her blog with a sketch she designed (see below) called "Hip To Be Square".....well, I had to jump right in there and do it, after all it is "MY" day to do what I want...I really should be cleaning up my creative room, but later...right??  This is the card I came up with....I used a piece of my "hoarded" SU Kiwi Kiss (what will happen if I run out....yikes) and Melon Mambo.....I am loving these bright colors!!!!  Make sure you scroll on down and see all I have posted in the last couple of days....really neat "stuff"!!  Leave a comment as it is appreciated greatly!!!

Have A "Scrap-tastic" New Year!

Its a cold~snowing~lazy kind of day~we have a fire going~eating leftovers~a perfect day to do nothing but what "I" want!  I came across this challenge  to use up bits of your scraps......we all seem to have so many of those...I have been thinking of punching these MS hearts for the last few days out of bright colors~I love making Valentines....go visit and take the challenge!

On another "note" my sister told me about a site she saw that you took a photo a day..... thats 365 photos for 2010.....they are to  be out of the ordinary.....here is my first one, it's looking out my front window~brrrr....I wonder if I will make it past today...LOL...but at the end of each month you are to take the photo's amd make them into a college`.....sound slike fun to me!  Don't forget to scroll on down to "see" more other "new" posts...you have to see "Nellie"!!

Happy New Year

Nellie looks like she had a little too much "party"...but she actually was asleep on the sofa when I "made" her put on her party hat.  We had a stay at home New Year's...a quiet wind down from all the Christmas activities....a few finger foods.....and neither of us made it to midnight....I am glad to see a New Year ahead...

Happy New Year everyone!!!!!  Thank you for visiting my blog and for making it what it is!!!