What's on My Kitchen Counter

It is so wet in Central Alabama!  The rivers and creeks are overflowing and flooding houses and buildings, and a road near here even collapsed.  We are lucky that our house is up high, but the back part of our property is super wet and if we get much more rain our catfish pond will overflow and our fish will swim away.  There are three ponds in our neighborhood, and one year they all overflowed.  Some of the big bass from our neighbor's pond came ove,r and you never knew what you were going to catch out of our pond.  Now that year end is over at work and Christmas has passed, I am hoping to get more time to visit my blog friends and create more.  It has been really tough keeping up in the last month.  I have been drawn to CAS or crazy involved cards lately - no inbetween! Here is a CAS card I made with the new Medium Filigree Snowflake and Warm Thoughts 1 Line Greeting.   This card was super easy and fast!  Just a bit of sponging with some torn paper towel and it was done.

Tis' the Season is the name of the DRS Designs Challenge this week - use your Winter, Christmas, or New Years images.  I went with Christmas doing a wreath made out of the Triple Holly image and the Joy to You Christmas Greeting.  This took a little extra time to color and cut out, but it was very relaxing and I like how my sponging came out  (I colored the leaves by sponging different colors of green TH Distress Ink).  .  Hope you have a wonderful Christmas! I am also entering this in these challenges: Tuesday Morning Sketches - Anything Goes Pile It On - Christmas/Winter Fresh Brewed - Anything Goes Christmas A snowflakes Promise - Christmas/Winter Hugaz!

DRS Designs is sponsoring the Tuesday Morning Sketches Challenge this week - it is their last sketch challenge of 2015.  Since DRS is sponsoring, I wanted to play along.  I only had a few minutes so I did a really quick card. I started with all White paper and stamped the Wood Grain Background  image on one of my sketch panels and the Small Merry Christmas Greeting on the next smallest panel.  I added a few sugar glitter coated wooden snowflakes from SU!, sponged my wood grain bg with TH Walnut Stain and embossed the main bg panel with the SU! Woodgrain EF.  I loved making a brown Christmas card. This sketch is super easy to play with so I encourage you to play.  If you win, you get a $10 gift card from DRS Designs. Hugz

Is it just me or is Christmas coming at us faster every year?  Seems like I was in the stores in August wondering why there were so many Christmas things and I turned around and there are only a few days left!  I have a bit over half of my presents purchased.  I just got my tree up last week (had to do that before Bunco night or people would worry about me - lol).  I am running super far behind! Sadly, I haven't sent out cards and haven't made very many either. Needless to say, I am trying to catch up on some Christmas cards fast! Here are a douple.  The first one is for the DRS Designs Gold and Silver challenge this week - still runs until Wednesday if you want to play too.  I used the DRS Designs Christmas Especially to you greeting . My die cuts are from SU!  I did the sentiment in silver embossing powder and added silver glitter for my snow effect. The current Paper A La Mode challenge is Christmas and the sponsor is My Besties.  I used this darling Lil Angel Win

This week's Paper A La Mode Challenge at the Outlawz is Anything Goes.  Our sponsor is Bugaboo Digi Stamps.  Bugaboo has some of the cutest images around. I couldn't resist this Merry Christmas to Ewe image.   Right now the store is having a 50% off sale and I think it runs until the end of the year.      Hope you had a great holiday or weekend!  I ate way too much and now I am on a serious diet until Christmas!  Many hugz!!!

Happy Thanksgiving if you celebrate it.  Thanksgiving seems like a U.S. holiday but really we all need a day (or 365 of them) to really dwell on all our blessings.  It is Thanksgiving, but I have a Christmas Card to share.  It is for the DRS Designs "Let the Holidays Begin" challenge which involves any type of Fall or Winter Holiday.  I chose Christmas because I really wanted to use these new Christmas Village stamps (all are new to me but a few are new to the DRS Designs store). I used these stamps: Christmas Village Toy Shop (new) Christmas Village Town Sign (new) Christmas Village Four in One Christmas Village Clock (new) Christmas Especially to You Greeting (new) I did the sky with TH Distress Ink and my snow is a combination of dried up Snow Tex and White Acrylic Paint flicked on with a paint brush. My kitchen counter has mail and some Injectable Jalapeno Butter for my husband's concoction he makes to inject his fried turkeys (he will do two today -

Another crazy busy week last week.  My favorite part (other than spending time with my family, especially the grandbabies) was a Bible Journaling class my daughter bought me for an early Christmas present.  I can see it will be a great way for me to combine my love of creating with my love of God.  I combined the two for the IC challenge on SCS on Saturday when Audrie had us look over one of her Pinterest Boards and select an inspiration.  Here is what I came up with (don't focus on my lack of drawing or writing skills - just focus on the fact that I have started Bible Journaling and I am so excited!!!  Here is the Pin that inspired me if you want to check it out. I picked another inspirational pin and did this card: My image is the DRS Designs Triple Holly and the sentiment is Lovely Gifts Christmas Greeting .  Here is the Pin that inspired me. Also did one last Thanksgiving card at the end of last week that I never got to post: It is for the current challenge

Beccy's Place is the sponsor of the Paper A La Mode Thanksgiving Challenge at the Outlawz, and I was lucky enough to be provided this gorgeous Roses and Pears image.  I colored it brown since I love brown pears and they seem to fit Thanksgiving better. I loved playing with this image - it is soooooo pretty!  I printed it if off a few times so I could add in some layers.  I also added in some little sprigs I made with the Martha Stewart Branch punch and I pulled apart a pretty little sparkly thin flower out of my stash and tucked the pieces in the back for some glitter. I colored  thus up with some Copics, some SU! Alcohol Markers, some colored pencils, and some Tim Holtz Distress inks and sponges.  My sentiment is from DRS Designs and is called Thanksgiving Blessings .  My bg is a free vintage image from Knick of Time  (love that place - wow!), but I found the link to it on this unbelievably cool Pinterest Board put together by Becca Feeken (it has thousands of links to gr

This week at DRS Designs , the challenge is thanks for thankful.  I went with thankful.  This week I am thankful I made it!  I had a horrible sinus infection/cold late last week and into this one and Sunday and Monday were awful.  Then, I had an event after work every night except Friday.  I even had a Christmas Party!  Can you believe it?   So I am thankful, I am on the back-end of this sinus thing and that this past week is coming to an end and maybe I can relax a bit.  I should have posted this card Thursday! If you want to play in the challenge, you still have until Wednesday to play. I started by stamping DRS Designs Winter Trees on the bottom of my top panel, then stamping the new Happy Thankful People Greeting , then I stamped the New Hot Air Balloon a few times to pop it up.  Then I sponged on a bunch of Tim Holtz Salty Ocean Distress Ink (I am almost typed Salty Dog - I went to a play on a river boat last night called Pirates of the Salty Dog - it was so fun).  The

I have been making some holiday tags and a few Christmas cards (I need to make a lot more Christmas cards!!!).  I made this card for the Outlawz Paper A La Mode Challenge. This week's challenge is sponsored by Sassy Studio Designs and I used their Sweet as Holiday Pie image.  That pie was an adventure!!!  I messed up the coloring and then sponged it and messed that up so I covered it all in Stickles and it seemed to work!  You still have all week long to play in the Christmas Themed Paper A La Mode Challenge if you want to join us and have the chance to win one of the awesome Sassy Studio Designs images (I love them). Have you checked out Loll's Twelve Tags of Christmas Event?  I have totally loved all the great mixed media tags everyone has been making!  I decided to play a bit too.  I made these two simple tags: I took some corrugated cardboard and peeled off a layer.  I then painted it with some white acrylic paint (which I also dabbed on the SU! Wooden snowflake

Layers!  I love layers.  I restrain from adding more layers to my project because Hubby gets angry when he has to stand in line at the Post Office (which he hates) and try and convince the post office people that (1) there is only a card in that envelope, (2) it does not require special handling, and (3) that they should not charge him $2.98 to mail it.  He looses a lot when I get carried away with my layers so I try to stay under the Post Office radar - it is tough but I do it.  I have 5 layers on this card but I didn't pop up any of them so it may stay under $2 for postage - lol!   This week's DRS Designs Challenge is all about layers.         I started with white paper and stamped on the DRS Designs Hayrides Harvest Greeting  (such a fun Thanksgiving Greeting) and the Winter Trees stamp.  I did two layers of paper and I sponged them using a mask for my scene (the inks are all TH Distress inks).  Then I stamped some Open Leaf images and sponged them with

  This past weekend was my birthday.  I had a wonderful time!  I got a nap and a chance to make some cards. This card is made with the Star Pixie image from Rick St. Dennis .  Rick St. Dennis is the Paper A La Mode Challenge sponsor at the Outlawz.  I love this cute image!  I colored it up with some colored pencils and mineral spirits.  I made my bg with some black paper and a gel pen.  Fun Christmas card - I think I will make some more.  I made this card for the Featured Stamper challenge on Splitcoast Stampers.  I couldn't resist casing sweet Lisa (Shoe Girl).  THIS is her card I cased.   I loved the way she did the sentiment and the colors she used. I kept her same sketch, but I moved the sentiment and main focal images plus I made all my dp using DRS Designs Stamps and a stencil. Started everything out as blank white paper (except the brown mat on the banner and circle). Used DRS Designs Vicki's Versatile background on the base panel, sponged it wit

Something Yummy (something to eat) is this week's challenge at DRS Designs .  I have these great pumpkins I sit out this time of year, and I love them.  They look super old because they are crackled.  I was thinking I could replicate them with the DRS Designs Oval Stained Glass stamp and it worked out wonderfully. I also used these other DRS Designs images: Script Font Background Open Leaf Thanksgiving Thinking of You (cut down) (New)  Wood Grain  Background Stamp I love how the card looks next to the pumpkin! I also used a button, some burlap ribbon, lots of yellow, orange, and walnut stain ink (sponged on), and my SU! Oval, and Martha Stewart Branch punches (my two all time favorite punches).  Now, I am thinking about some pumpkin bread, or pumpkin pie, or pumpkin cheesecake! Hugz

I have had a lot of my "Plan A"s go bad lately, but, luckily, a lot of my "Plan B"s have been working out pretty good. This great DRS Designs sentiment, Nothing Goes Right , is great inspiration for people who are facing some Plan A failures.  I stamped it on some white paper and then started sponging some of my favorite distress inks all over.  I wasn't happy with the result so I took a circle I had punched and sponged around it until I was happy with the result.  Next I sponged two of the new hot air balloon images and added them too.   I hope all your "Plan A"s work out this week, but, if not, I hope your "Plan B"s are just as good.  Hugz          

Did a few last minute Halloween cards this weekend - I need to get them in the mail - these will be the only ones I am mailing this year.     This card is for the Outlawz Paper A La Mode Challenge - this week it is all about Halloween.  The sponsor is A Day for Daisies . I was unfamiliar with this company until this challenge and I have to say that I love their whimsical images.  This is Little Witch on Fence and she was so easy to color up.  I colored the fence, the cats, and a few parts of her outfit and then I sponged on some super Halloween colored Distress inks.  Added a few doodles and some white gel pen - didn't take long at all!     This card was done for the Splitcoast Stampers Inspiration challenge.  My inspiration was a tiny ghost charm.  Can you find my little shy ghost? My images are from DRS Designs - Silhouette Majestic Pines and Silhouette Grave Yard .  Sponged the whole thing with Memento black and TH Distress Victorian Velvet.  Added in some

Love the current challenge at DRS Designs  - Fall-ing for You (use Fall colors, images, dies, papers, etc.).  DRS Designs has some new Fall stamps coming out in a few days.  I used the leaf pile and the new balloon stamp.  I have several balloon stamps but this one is my favorite because I love the size, the sharp lines and the way the basket is done. I grew up in the hot air balloon capital of the world, Albuquerque, New Mexico, and Fall is the best time for balloons there.  They host the International Balloon Festival each Fall when thousands and thousands of balloons fly overhead and land all over the place.  I remember talking to the pilots when they flew over my backyard, having balloons land at school, and just laying in the grass and watching hundreds go by at a time. When I got older, I joined a balloon team that travelled around the Southwest - some of my fondest memories! When I made this card, I was inspired by the Saturday Inspiration Challenge at Splitcoast Stamper

I haven't been very good at posting or visiting the last month and here is why: Isn't he sweet?  He is my newest Grandson, Patton.  He was born 7 weeks early and had to stay in the NICU for a few weeks, but now he is home!  They live right behind me so I can sneak in a little hug pretty often.  Here is a picture of the little family: Love these pictures.  We also started a flea market both (my daughter in the pictures and I) and it has been taking up some time as well.  I am going to catch up on my visits tomorrow - today I have to run to some garage sales and to a Diabetes walk (what was I thinking).  Many hugz!!!

With October being Breast Cancer Awareness Month, my card today is for all the people out there battling this tough disease and the people who are there supporting them.  Several women in my family and close circle of friends have had to face down Breast Cancer.  Right now my Mother and my cousin are doing their second battles with it.  They are admirable women facing it with poise, courage, determination and very positive attitudes. I love this DRS Designs  Cancer Is...Greetiing , it is very inspirational and something I could read every day.  I hand drew and cut my pink feathers and colored them with distress inks and Frantage. I added them to represent the warrior spirit of those facing cancer. Hope you are having a great week!  I have been spending lots of time with my grandsons lately and haven't been visiting everyone like I should.  I will be by to catch up this weekend.  Many hugz!

The news DRS Designs Challenge is to make a Spooky or Cutesy Halloween card.  I went with Cutesy although the thought of a pig flying a broom is a bit scary!     For my background, I stamped the DRS Designs Starry Background stamp all over and then sponged a bunch of SU! Elegantly Eggplant.   I used a Spell Binder die to cut the main panel and sponged it with a bit of green.  I added the Leonard Pig's Dance of Joy image (I popped it up) and the Butt Look Good Greeting on the panel.  I added a little black hand cut hat to Leonard so he would look more like a warlock and I handmade my broom from some burlap, a toothpick, and some rolled kraft paper.  The spiderweb doily is from SU! Fun challenge - hope you will come and play too. Hugz

The newest DRS Designs Challenge is to use some metal on your card.  A super fun challenge as the possibilities are limitless!!!  I went with some Aluminum Foil used as my cupcake liner.  Love me some cupcakes and this new DRS Designs  RIP Tombstone image is perfect for a cupcake topper!!!      I added the A Treat for You Greeting in the middle of my Tim Holtz Spiderweb die cut and sponged some ink around the edges using the SU! Halloween doily as a stencil (I then used the doily as my bg).  The ef I used is from Sizzix.  I mixed some white acrylic paint in my modeling paste to get some icing for my cupcake (the cupcake was made using the Cherry Top Cupcake image by DRS Designs). A fun Halloween card! Hugz!

I love some spooky music, fun costumes, and a good ghost story this time of year.  I also love to make cards that require no coloring.  For this card, I inked up my embossing folder with some Memento Black (I clean it with a Magic Eraser), ran my new SU! EF through the Big Shot, added the new DRS Designs  RIP Tombstone and a Tiny Happy Halloween greeting, and I was done.   This was soooo easy and lots of fun.     Hugz 

Made a few cards this weekend in between vising my new grandson (he is still in the NICU so keep those prayers coming). This card is for the Outlawz Paper A La Mode Challenge - Texture, Texture Everywhere.  The sponsor this week is Morgan's Art World and my image is Sports 9.  This store has some awesome images.  I colored min softly with colored pencils so it would look softer like an image from a window.  For texture, I embossed my paper, added some cheesecloth and a fishing weight. My next card is for the Featured Stamper challenge at SCS.  I cased Penny who is the Featured Stamper this week.  HERE is the card I cased.  This is was also for the Mixed Media Challenge where we were to use items from work - I used a piece of a box, paint, and dies (I work at a Water Heater Manufacturer and we have lots of those things - lol). This card is for the Inspiration Challenge at Splitcoast Stampers.  THIS is the picture that inspired me.  I stamped the image from SU! and add

My youngest daughter had her baby Sunday.  He was 6 weeks early but was already 6 lbs.  He has to spend at least a week in the NIC unit, but he is doing wonderful.  Here are some pictures I want to share with you because I am such a proud Grandma:   Look at this hair!!!   Ok, I am done with the Grandma bragging and here is my DRS Designs card for this week's challenge:  Flying High (having something that flies on your card). I have bats flying and a witch too - they are part of the Silhouette Haunted House image.  I used the Starry Background stamp for my bg panel, and the Stonewall and Gate image for the bottom. My greetings are pieces from two greetings:  Moonlight and Magic an  of the new Poison Potions Halloween Greeting .  I used my Only Orange and Elegantly Eggplant stamp pads to color this - just tons more ink in the dark parts.  Hope you will round up something that flies and come join us. Keep Patton in your prayers - we want him to grow well a

  Hello my friends! Life has been a bit crazy the last few weeks. My youngest daughter has been in and out of the hospital due to various things that scare the doctor (and us!), and it looks like she will be having a baby sooner than we thought.  Exciting but SCARY.  Meanwhile, my other grandson is growing like a weed and getting cuter and sweeter every day.  Hopefully, I will get some time with him this weekend.   In between trips to the hospital and work, I have made a few cards this week.  The first one is for the new DRS Designs Challenge which is a color challenge.  These are the colors:     For my card, I took all my ink pads that were the closest to these colors and sponged them in layers like the photo.  Then I stamped on the new graveyard border image and the Count Your Blessings Greeting from DRS Designs.  When I went to stamp on some Long Tall Wheat (also by DRS Designs), I smudged some of the black.  Tried to get it to come off with a bit of water which did n

I am a doing a guest spot in the Paper A La Mode Challenge at the Outlawz and this week's challenge is "It's A Banner Day" - use banners on your project. The sponsor is Sassy Studio Designs and I used the Princess_Feathers_Portrait image (this link will take you to all the portraits and Princess Feathers is almost at the bottom).  I spent a long time looking through the images at Sassy Studio and they are gorgeous.  I needed a Sympathy card so I added a few tears and a computer generated sentiment. Here's my card: I colored her up with SU! Alcohol Markers, Chalks, and a White Gel Pen - faces and hair are not one of my strengths but look at that super cool Brushos bg behind her!  I sponged some SU! from the Four Feathers set and cut them down so they wouldn't take over my card.  Cut and roughed them up and added some white dots and they made a cool banner.  My sentiment is computer generated and made as a banner as well.  Other than my white card base

This week's challenge at DRS Designs is "A Real Cutie" - use an image, die cut, technique, paper, or other item that is considered to be a real cutie.  I used this adorable image from DRS Designs called Smooshed S'more and the greeting is called Melt for You Greeting .     I wanted to create the look of a campfire so I sponged on Summer Sun ink on the middle of the base and top layer, then I took Memento Black and sponged it around the very edges, then followed with Tim Holtz Walnut, and then Tim Holtz Barn Door.  I tied on some raffia because it screams Fall to me and that is when I love a campfire/bonfire.     Fun challenge - hope you will join us!   Hugz    

The current challenge at DRS Designs is called "The Hole Thing ."  Creations are to have holes in them - die cut, torn, punched, piercing, etc. I have holes in my card and tag border and I have hole in my tag that I tied my raffia into.  I used the DRS Designs Large Script Merry Christmas , Snow Background , North Pole Sign , and Gift Tag Greetings . I punched my borders with a Martha Stewart snowflake border punch, cut my tag with a Sizzix die, and added some raffia and buttons.  Another super easy and quick Christmas card. Hope you will join us in the our hole challenge! Hugz

My youngest daughter is very into rustic country items.  We have been scouring garage sales and thrift stores so she can find things to decorate her new home.  She paints them, distresses them, and arranges them so cute.  She has really inspired me to do the same with stuff in my craft room - especially old cardboard pieces I have saved.  The last few weeks I have used a ton of it!  Here is my latest creation with cardboard:   This also works for the latest DRS Challenge - Feeling Sentimental (make the sentiment the focus of your card) and you still have today to make it before the deadline.  I used the new DRS Designs Baby Jesus Heart   and Jesus is the Heart of Christmas Greeting .  I hand cut the heart twice for stability so it could stand up to being set on this fun silver Christmas Garland.  I need to get going so I have more Christmas cards done before it is too late!  This may be one style I mass produce for some work friends as it was really easy and it looks so fest

Another mixed media card inspired by the SCS Inspiration Challenge this weekend - I can't stop!!! HERE is the link to the inspiration piece I picked.  I used some old cardboard that I painted white and then I added water and sprinkled on some Brushos.  Then I did the same thing to some white paper and punched out the flowers once it dried.  Actually I made this in the mornings before work so it wasn't really difficult or time consuming.  I love how it came out!!!  My sentiment is from SU! and my punch is from Martha Stewart.  I am entering this in the following challenges: Crafting with Friends :  Anything Goes Craft your Passion :  Anything Goes Inspiration Destination :  Anything Goes Hugz!!!!

The newest DRS Designs Challenge is to focus on the Sentiment and make it the main focus of your card.  Still wishing for snow, I did a snow based Christmas card: I used the DRS Designs Large Script Merry Christmas on the front and inside I used the new Baby Jesus Heart .  I added in some Tim Holtz die cut pinecones and greenery.  I made my snow by mixing in white acrylic paint, Snow Tex and Glitter.  I have to admit I was inspired by THIS awesome creation on Pinterest  - I found it when participating in the Inspiration Challenge on Splitcoast Stampers and had to try to do something like it.  Hugz!!!

DRS Designs is the sponsor at Tuesday Morning Sketches this week so I decided to play too (especially since the sketch is sooo fun).  I love the aqua, green, and red color combination I am seeing on Christmas cards this year so get ready for an aqua, green and red color explosion on my blog over the next few months! All my images and backgrounds are by DRS Designs: Ornament: Simple Ornament Inside the Ornament:   Snow Tree with Fence Greeting and foliage around ornament:  Season's Greetings Holy Spray Base Background: Small Merry Christmas Greeting (stamped multiple times) Top Background Panels:  Script Font Background This sketch was so fun and I really like how the card came out.  Hope you get a chance to play in the challenge too.  Hugz!