What's on My Kitchen Counter

So grateful to have an extra day off - I so needed this day! Between the Wedding a few weeks ago, Allie's Graduation, and a new job at work - I have been running! Now things are settling down and I am feeling a bit better (mentally and physically). So now that I have a bit more free time, I asked Pattie's Creations to consider letting me on their DT when they had a DT Call recently. They graciously let me join them. I love Pattie's images - they are so clean and they work for so many ocassions. My DT term doesn't start until June, but I couldn't resist playing in the current challenge which is Red, White and Blue (PCC#68) - you have to have these three colors on your card but you can use other colors as well. I need to get on the ball with my Christmas cards so I thought I would use this lovely Cardinal on Branch with Snow image. I used the sketch from the Merry Monday challenge (MMC#64)- I have decided to play in this challenge each week until Christmas

This week's Squigglefly Challenge is "Just Around the Corner" (SFC 2113). I used a corner rounder on my house (you can't really see it that well but I rounded three of the house's corners) and I used a Spellbinder's Die that has rounded corners. My image is from Squigglefly and is designed by Cheryl Alger ( Just Be Yourself ). I needed to make a Thank-You card for my daughter to give to a very special person who gave her a very special hand-made wedding present. I tried to add as many layers as I could as I love mega-multi-layered cards but rarely do them as hubby chokes when he mails them. Everyone has a corner rounder of some kind so grab a Squigglefly image (remember there are free ones in the store) and come join in the fun (and have a chance to win a Squigglefly image as well). Happy Memorial Day Hugz to all.

The Sassy Cheryl Challenge this week calls for Stitching (#167). I used this super fun Jump Snowman Jump image by Cheryl Alger - isn't he the cutest??? I "stitched" around my bg panel using a Faux Sewing Kit from SU!. I layered a bunch of Spellbinder and Sizzix Dies to make my frame and flicked some Snow Medium and SU! Reinker with an old toothbrush to make my snow scene. Fun challenge - can't wait for the next one. This card is a case of Emily (aka StampMuse aka M aka Miss Em on SCC); M was the Queen For the Day #166 at SCS. I cased THIS pretty card; M has a wonderful gallery and is a wonderful girl. I had so much fun looking back in her gallery and remembering the teaparties and all the pretty cards she has made. I have been wanting to do a black card for a couple of weeks, and I think I will try it again with even more layers as I really like how it came out. Hugz to all!!!

I found a new challenge yesterday (new to me) called Drunken Stampers. They pick movies as the challenge themes and this week is The Hangover (DSC#129 ). I am not sure if we are suppose to drink when we create (LOL) or not, but I did have at least 3 cups of coffee before I started this card (that is a lot for me). I have to also admit that I haven't seen this movie so I had to go watch some scenes on the internet and read some summaries before I started my card. Anyway, I went with the party theme on my card since the movie appears to have a lot of partying in it, and I glitzed it up a bit with sparkle paper, Stickles, Spica pen on my bucket, and silver gems in the corner since the movie is set in Las Vegas. I used my new Doohickey dies to make the banner (love them) and an old DudeTime Doodles image (it is still one of my favs). Fun challenge - can't wait to see what the next movie will be. My last card for this morning is a case of Vicki (JustCrazy) for the Featur

It's our team's week off at Squigglefly, but the challenge this week is one of my favorite type of challenges in the world - masculine cards - so I had to jump right in and play too. The challenge (SFC2013) is called Man Up !, and the goal is to make some Father's Day cards for your Dad, Grandad, Brother, Hubby, etc. We all need more masculine cards so I made two (hope I can find them on Father's Day - I lost the one I made my Mom and still haven't found it - opps). I made one for my Pop who is a giant hunter. I have never tried to color something camo - I love how it came out. Isn't this image cute? It is from Diane Carubia and is called A Hunting We Will Go . I am also entering this in the Punch challenge at Card Making Mamas . Then I made one for my Hubby using the new Lynne Stansbery image called Llama Mama . It comes with some great sentiments, but I just had to make up this one for Kenny! My Mom laughed for a long time after she saw this llama a

Two posts in one day! This week's Pattie's Creations Challenge is Mother's Day and I have a friend at work who asked me to do 4 Mother's Day cards as she needed to send a few late cards. This lovely Pattie's Creations Magnolia Branch image was perfect. I printed out the image a bit larger and added an extra bloom. I sponged around a roll of ribbon for the shading and twisted a Spellbinders die to add to my frame. Hugz!

This card is for the Sassy Cheryl Challenge #166 - Lace and Handmade Flowers . I used the Signs of Spring image Sassy Cheryl image, some lace I have been hoarding (from my friend Pat S), and some flowers I made with an EK Sucess punch and some leftover paper scraps. Today my friend and fellow Punchkateer, Colleen (Smoatsmom on SCS) is the Featured Stamper. The card above is a case of her card you can find here . Hope your Sunday is going well! Hugz!

My sweet daughter's wedding is over now and I can relax a bit. It was such a beautiful wedding. 80+ people drove all the way down to Dauphin Island, Alabama to witness Joey and Crystal pledge their lives to each other. We had several groups that flew or drove across country to make it, and there were a few people that totally surprised Crystal by showing up. It was the perfect amount of people - a wonderful mix of people from both families plus many very special friends. Friends from every part of Crystal and Joey's lives - I am so thrilled they all came. I know many others wanted to come, and we appreciate all their gifts, prayers, and well-wishes. They say it takes a village to raise a child, but I want to say that it took a village to put this wedding together. I had no wedding planning skills and very little time to get with Crystal and plan things, but Joey's family, my family, and several of Crystal's friends all jumped in together to make this wonderful

It is make something with a pocket time at Squigglefly (SFS1913). I used the new A Time to Celebrate Image by Diane Carubia which is now available at Squigglefly. I made it so a little gift card could be tucked into it. This is an anniversary card for hubby - we have two anniversaries each year since we got married twice when we got married - once in April and once in June. We had planned and paid for the wedding in June but wanted to go on a trip to Las Vegas before our wedding so our preacher advised us we should get married before we traveled together alone. So we got married during Church Services before our planned wedding. We still went through the second wedding too since it had already been paid for (a little chapel in the mountains). I also made another card with a pocket as well but I totally changed the image and was almost afraid to post it. My daughter Crystal graduates this month (and gets married - urghhh). I used the Graduating Girl image by Cheryl Alger (a

Today starts the new Squigglefly Challenge and it calls for monochromatic color schemes which is one of my favorite kinds of challenges. I couldn't resist playing in the challenge even though it is our team's week off. Besides I just had to use this lovely new Lynne Stansbery image called the Power of Prayer . Lynn is one of the best hands artists around and she knows how to capture so much emotion in her drawings. I am sending this to a special friend who is approaching one of the scariest times in a person's life - the end. I will write more on this soon. Hope you all have a wonderful week, and I hope you have a chance to play in the Squigglefly challenge.

Today I am doing a sneak peak of one of the new images which will be available in the Squigglefly store tomorrow. The image is drawn by Cheryl Alger and is called Signs of Spring. I doubled the adorable image since I am sending this card to my niece who has twins. I was inspired by two challenges when I made this card. One is the CCEE Stampers Challenge (CCEE1318) which is calling for shimmer. You can't see my shimmer too well but I used Spica pens all over the images and on the flowers and even on each little tip on my SB die cuts. IRL this is very shimmery. The other challenge is the Splitcoast Stampers Queen for the Day challenge #163 where Peggy (Jasonw1) is the Queen for the Day. I cased THIS card - but you would never know it! I have got to get some new dies - I love, love, love her card! I am home this morning watching over my sweet husband Kenny who had some oral surgery yesterday. Poor thing - he is all groggy and in some pain. I am sure hoping he recover