What's on My Kitchen Counter

Do you realize that there are only 2.9 more months to Christmas? We really only have 2 months now to get all our Christmas cards made, addressed and mailed. So we need to take every opportunity to join in Christmas card challenges! Squigglefly is having a Christmas Challenge this week - it is Get Started on your Christmas Cards week .I used two Squigglefly images on my card: Kris Kringle by Marla Shega and Pam's Bows by Pamela Lehto . Marla's Santa is so realistic and detailed, and Pam's bows are absolutely wonderful. There are 5 bows for 2 dollars and some would work for weddings, some for Christmas and almost all of them would work for birthdays. Hope you will join us in the challenge - anyone can enter with any image but to win, you must use an image from Squigglefly (there are plenty of free ones in the store). Hugz to all!

This week's Inspiration Challenge on SCS had is visit The Bella Cottage. I used THIS lovely Jeanette Donaher Spring Hydrangea photo as my inspiration, but I saw a bunch more items that inspired me at this lovely shop. I used my new Joy! Crafts Hydrangea die that Carol at Chocolate Crafts and Bears oh My made me buy (just kidding but she is a big Enabler). Took a little time, but I love how the flowers came out. My sentiment is from Our Daily Bread Designs so I am entering it in this week's Anything Goes Challenge - I love this sentiment as it works for so many occasions. I added some fun glitter from Sparkle and Sprinkle to the centers of my Fall Hydrangeas so I am also entering this in the Sparkle N Sprinkle September challenge (my second entry) which is to use glitter, embossing or flocking on your creation. Hugz and have a great weekend!

This week our team is off at Squigglefly and Holley's team is playing with Pink and whatever other color they want in the latest Squigglefly challenge . I love color challenges and I got some fun new pink glitter from Sparkle and Sprinkle (I picked it up at the CK Jacksonville conference) so I had to play. My image is one of the new ones from Pamela Lehto called Pam's Daisy Bouquet Cup . I love these sweet flowers - what a fun image. My bg is a piece of a corrugated cardboard box I painted and distressed and touched a bit with some Tim Holtz pink distressed ink. I am also entering this in the Sparkle and Sprinkle September challenge which is to use glitter, embossing or flocking on your creation. Hope you have a wonderful week! Hugz!

Here in Alabama there is a hint of fall in the air - I didn't have to use the air-conditioning until mid-day! Yay! I decided it would be fun to make a fall card. This week's {Pin}spirational Challenge is perfect for a fall card: Here is my card: I used the Pattie's Creations Autumn Wreath image and SEI papers and embellishments. Hugz!

The newest Pattie's Creations Challenge starts today and the theme is Animals. Pretty easy theme! Pattie's Creations gives two prizes every challenge - one for cards made with Pattie's Creations Images and one for all the others. If you don't have a Pattie's Creations image, you are in luck! There is a huge sale in the store right now (September 14 -22nd) where you get 40% off if you use the code PATTIEBOOP1. For my card I used the Holiday Reindeer image: I used a lot of pink - my favorite Christmas color - LOL! The sketch I used is from Sketch Saturday : Hope to see you in the challenge! Hugz!

Hey Ya'll, This week's Squigglefly Challenge (SFC3713) is Down on the Farm Themed Cards. I live on a small farm so I love farm themed items - especially cows, tractors, scarecrows and my sweet and handsome farmer husband! The image I used is called Bring on the Crows by Marla Shega. I love the detail Marla has in her images and this one was a fun one to do. I layered the image on some burlap I distressed, a lasercut frame, and some pretty SEI paper. I thought this image would be good for a fall birthday card so I added a few fall colored candles, some fall berries, and some raffia. The little index card peeking out the left is a cake recipe (I am craving some birthday cake - I haven't had any since December...). Hope you will join us in the Farm Themed Card challenge at Squigglefly. Hugz!

The {Pin}spirational challenge is based on this sweet and very interesting picture: My youngest DD is off at college and I miss her like crazy! She just pledged a sorority and their mascot is Panda bears so I thought I would make her a cute little Panda Bear card after seeing the super fun inspirational picture. I know she is going to love this! The image is a freebie from Beary Wishes. Hugz!!

This past weekend I went to the CK convention in Jacksonville, Florida and met my sweet friend Carol. We have been friends for 4 years but had never met in person. She was exactly how I pictured her other than she was even more beautiful in person than on the little pictures that you see on blogs and SCS posts. She is so talented and I asked her to share some of how she comes up with her wonderful creations. She shared some ideas with me and we made two gorgeous creations. I can't wait until she posts them so you can see more of her wonderful work. We made a Halloween and a Christmas tabletop centerpiece using recycled items and dollar store finds. They were gorgeous! I decided I would try one on my own using some different items I found at the dollar store. Mine isn't as elegant or detailed but I like it anyway! I purchased the box, the skeleton, box, pumpkins (I painted them white), and the candlestick at the Dollar Tree and Dollar General. I cut out the tree and spi...

The Haunted Design House Challenge right now is Halloween In Your Face. I just got back from the CK convention in Jacksonville, Florida where I bought this Tim Holtz Skull stamp and die - I totally love it! I met my friend Carol from Chocolate Crafts and Bears Oh My there and we had a blast shopping and crafting together. She is so talented and was sweet enough to share some tips and talent with me. She taught me to make the little glittered flowers I used on this card and a million other things. I will post a lot more fun details later but I have to run off to work now - urgh!!! Here is my card for the Haunted Design House Challenge: Have a great day! Hugz!!!

Pattie's Creations is going to be having a giant 40% off sale from September 14th until Sept 22nd and here are the details: Giant: 40% OFF SALE Link: PATTIE'S CREATIONS DIGITAL IMAGES Coupon Code: PATTIEBOOP1 Duration: SEPTEMBER 14TH TO THE 22ND This is a big sale and she has some great Fall and Christmas images! Hugz!

Today kicks off the newest Pattie's Creations Challenge which is Tags . Just Tags. No cards with Tags on or in them - just tags. I love to make just tags so this one was right up my alley. I used the super cute Penguin image from Pattie's Creations, but I couldn't stop at just one so I made a little penguin family. My tag is made from an old cardboard box top which I peeled down, painted, distressed a bit, and then added some snow medium. My bow is actually a new bow designed by Pamela Lehto (available at Squigglefly tomorrow). Please join us in the Pattie's Creations Tag Challenge - there are lovely DT tags for inspiration and Pattie gives away wonderful prizes! Hugz!

I had some time to play yesterday (until we went to the medical clinic to resolve Hubby's Pink Eye anyway). Here are some of the cards I did: This one is a case of the very talented Pat Smethers (Blooms in a Box on SCS). I cased THIS card by Pat. I needed a very good Sympathy card for a friend at work who just lost her husband. Sad and heart-wrenching! My image is SU! Lovely as a Tree and I used some old hymnal pages as my dp. Then I checked out the Mix-ability Challenge on SCS which is to drip a medium in some way. That sounded like fun so I did these three cards (I saw something like the coffee card on Pinterest and the other two are made with the SU!Inspired by Nature stamp - I just dropped SU!Reinker dye directly on the images): Then I cased the Featured Stamper at SCS - LuvLee - I cased THIS card using the Small Talk image by Cheryl Alger (available at Squigglefly): Lastly, I had time to do the Teapot Tuesday Challenge at SCS which has the teapotters (hope I ca...

The new Squigglefly Challenge asks us to use a flower on our card (can be on the bg paper, the image, or an embellishment). I started with one flower, but it looked better with two and then looked better with three until it ended up like this with a bunch of flowers. I find it very easy to do cards with flowers until someone tells me I have to have a flower on my card and then I am stuck - this card took me awhile! LOL! My image is Sam's Rainy Day by Cheryl Alger . It is one of my all time favorite Squigglefly images. I use it for almost every occasion. This card is actually now sitting in a rehab center on the side table of one my Mom's all time best friends. She loved it. Inside it says: "I hope sunnier days are in your future." She is now on her fourth or fifth knee surgery. This one was a success so she is much more upbeat. This card is also for the Sassy Cheryl Challenge - Make a Splash. So grab a Squigglefly image and some flowers or a Squigglefl...

Warning - this post is a bit mushy! This is a sneak peek at a new image that will be available in the Squigglefly store this coming Saturday. It is by Judith Hart and is called "Will It Blow Away." I think the image is sooo cute with her head all lifted up like that. I was studying the image thinking about what it said to me, and I decided it reminded me of my little Allie going away to college. I really didn't think her moving away was going to get to me as much as it has... Luckily, my oldest DD was sweet enough to come create with me yesterday so I wouldn't miss Allie's normal hang out day on Saturdays or Sundays. We made chocolate cookies in the shape of footballs layered with cream cheese icing (I didn't eat any but she assured me they were yummy). Any way back to the card. I made up this little poem and added it to the card - it really represents how I feel about Allie going out in the world. I think both my girls will make great positive imp...