Hoping your day...

Here's to hoping your day is fantastic - have a safe and happy new year! I'm totally looking forward to 2010. How about you?

I wanted to leave 2009 with a little cutie. Here is another image from the new TAC set Wonder & Joy. I used some KI Memories paper to give it a fun, bright look.

I didn't intend on coloring the background blue but made a slight mistake (well really it's not a mistake - I just didn't like the way it looked). I didn't just want to throw the image away so I kept trying other things with my Copics. I'm pleased with my "fixing" skills! Here's a closeup of that cutie girl...

I'm telling you this will definitely be a set you'll want to get! The set will be available February 1st so mark your calendars - and then let me know if I need to order you one :o)

Okay here's where I take a minute to thank all of you - readers, commenters, friends, family - for all you've done this past year! I so enjoy seeing visitors to my blog and reading all the comments. It brings me great joy and I'm truly touched by everyone of you. Thank you for being a part of my 2009 and here's looking at 2010 - I hope you'll continue sharing it with me!! Thanks for stopping by and HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

The last FBW - for 2009 anyway!

Good Morning to you! I'm sorry for the lack of posts lately - I've been spending a lot of time with family and catching up with friends. I promise that I'll be posting more regularly shortly! TAC will be releasing a new Serendipity soon and I was able to get some of the stamps from that catalog. I'll be showing some sneak peaks starting with my creation today!

The Flutter By Challenge this week is an OPEN one - just remember to include a BUTTERFLY, FAIRY or ANGEL on your creation somewhere! After you finished with your creation, be sure to stop by Danni's blog and link it by using Mr. Linky!

For my creation I used Mojo Monday Sketch 119
On my card I used the new TAC stamp set Wonder & Joy that will be available starting February 1st. When I saw the image I knew I wanted to use one of my favorite paper lines, More Mimi with it. Below is my creation:

Isn't she just the CA-UTEST?!?! I just love her expression! As you can see the sketch has a flower in the right hand corner which I replaced with a butterfly. Instead of a cardstock strip, I went with ribbon. I was going to add a sentiment but figured I'd do that on the inside of the card. Here's a close up of the image:

Totally makes me smile - she's just so darn cute! What do you think? I hope you find time to play along. Be sure to stop by the other team members blogs to see their creation. And don't forget, next week we'll be debuting the new Flutter By Blog by having our own BLOG HOP! Plus we'll be introducing THREE guest designers in addition to our fabulous team! It's going to be a blast so be sure to mark your calendars for the celebration!

Today, my mother-in-law is arriving for a visit. It will be her first time visiting us in our new home and location. Plus we have all this snow and it snowed again last night so I'm sure she's in for a real treat. She's from Houston so I'm anxious to hear what she thinks.

Thanks so much for stopping by - have a terrific Wednesday!

Twinkly Day - Flutter By Wednesday #89

Today officially starts the winter break for Abby and it just so happens that my hubby has the next 5 days off as well. Needless to say I probably won't be on the computer much. We are going to make our sugar cookies today and go check out the new Alvin & The Chipmunks movie. We've had the soundtrack since it came out on Dec 1st and from the music, I think we're going to enjoy this movie as much as the first!

Today's challenge for Flutter By Wednesday is an OPEN one - just make sure to include a FAIRY, BUTTERFLY or ANGEL on it! Here is my creation:

I've had the image colored since April - never used it and ran across it has I was cleaning my room. Decided it would be a perfect time to use it since I haven't been creating much for myself the last few days! The image was given to me as a RAK from a dear friend Linda. The sentiment is from TAC - Fairy Birthday (super cute set!). I Stickled her [tiny] wings and used the Stardust Clear Gelly Pen for the star and the sentiment. Here is a close up:

I hope you find time to play along. Just stop by Danni's blog to check out her fabulous creation and link your using Mr. Linky. Also, you'll find wonderful inspiration at the other DT's blogs.

Short and sweet for me today! Thursday we'll be heading to my parents house for our Christmas Eve traditions so I probably won't be posting. Christmas day I'll be busy playing with [one of] my new toy[s] the Cricut Expression...that is if I can figure it out :o) Have a joyous holiday!!!

Christmas Cards

Good Morning to you! I haven't had much time to create anything lately so I thought I'd show you some Christmas cards I received from a swap I was in. One of my stamping groups decided to have a Christmas dinner, party and swap - those ladies are so much fun and really know how to party! I had a blast and am so blessed to have met them! And to think it all started from a crop! I'd like to share their creations with you:

Aren't they great? Know what I realized though? I didn't take a picture of mine - yes, I'm a dork! Guess I'll have to share that one on another day :o)

Hope you are enjoying the holiday season! I had to cross off some things and you know what? It's ok! I'm still functioning, the world didn't end and I'm not near has stressed! I'm still behind but Christmas isn't till Friday so it's all good!! Thanks for stopping by!

Where does the time go? Time for another Flutter By Challenge!!

Happy Wednesday to you! Are you getting any free time - I know right now for me, it's far a few between. I'm hoping to escape a little this weekend and have a little girl time with some croppers! Preschool is over for me tomorrow - and then I have tons of baking and shopping to do! My hubby wants to take treats to the workers in his office and since he works with a different crew on Saturday's, Monday's and Tuesday's I basically have to have everything done for this SATURDAY - yes, the time totally snuck up on me! I don't even have my Christmas cards sent out! I have them made, just not signed and addressed - oh well there's still time :o)

As you know today is another Flutter By Wednesday. I'm so excited for this week!! The challenge is to use a wonderful sketch my Mercy along with a BUTTERFLY, FAIRY or ANGEL!! You all know how much I enjoy sketches!! Here's the sketch:

Fabulous, right? So many possibilities - love it!! Here is my card:

I finally got around to using this WONDERFUL image from Christy Croll! I think it's adorable and was so fun to color! The paper is some Chatterbox scraps. I punched out the leaves using my Martha Stewart punch and the flower and circle are from my Marvy Punches. I had just a little bit of scraps left so decided to decorate the inside of the card as well. Here is the inside:

The size of the card is 5.5x5.5. Kind of nice to do a different size card rather than just the same ol same ol!

Hope you can find some time and play along this week! Be sure to stop by Danni's blog to see her creation as well as link your creation up. Need some more inspiration? Visit the other design team members blogs to see their wonderful creations this week - I'm always so impressed with what I see!! They are a great group of ladies - very talented, for sure!! Don't forget about the FBW blog - become a follower so you don't miss out! Lots of great things happening in 2010!!

Have a wonderful day and thanks so much for stopping by!!

Happy Friday!

Happy Friday to you! It's still cold here and I'm heading into my craft room to try and finish up some projects. This is one that I'm working on. I've got them almost all colored and ready to go. This Sunday, I'll be participating in an open house where I'll have some handmade items for sale as well as my TAC stuff. This calendar is one of the items. I found this idea on the web a year or two ago. I do that a lot, find things I love but then never find time to actually make them. Well every year I make calendars and with my new job at the Preschool this year, I just haven't had as much "free time" as I have in the past. This calendar was the perfect solution.

The size is just a regular A2 card. Each side has a season on it. The bottom of the colored cardstocks are not glued down and a small piece of cardstock is tucked under providing a stand. Hope that makes sense! First up is SUMMER:

stamps: Edge Designs & Butterfly Bits; Ink: Orangerie, L'Amore Red, Chartreuse Palette Pads

Next up is FALL:

stamps: Fall & Winter Whimsy (retired set); Inks: Noir Black & Violete Palette Pad; Colored image using Aquacolor Crayons & Niji Water Brush, skin tone is with my Copics.

Next up is WINTER:


Stamps: Vintage Santa (snowflakes) & Merriest Wishes (snowman); Inks: Noir Black Palette Pad and Summer Sky Memento Ink; Colored image using my Prismacolor pencils & OMS, pink is colored using my Copics.

Next up is SPRING:

stamps: Beautiful Day; Ink: Noir Black & Paris Lights Palette Pad; Colored birds with Aquacolor Crayons and Niji Water Brush.

Obviously, I went out of order a little as the calendar would start with WINTER. So on one side of a 4 1/4 x 8 1/2 sheet of paper (scored at 5 1/4) you would have WINTER and SPRING. Flip it over and then you'll have SUMMER and FALL. Pretty cool huh?

I hope I sell a few. If not, I'll let you know. So if you want one, leave me a comment telling me and then if I have left overs I'll go in order of requests. I'm also going to give a few as Christmas gifts! They are a nice size to have by your computer too!!

Well that's it for me today! I hope you have a fabulous weekend! Thanks so much for stopping by!!

I am a TAC demonstrator. If you are interested in purchasing any of the items used in this project, just click on the item and you'll be taken to my secure 24/7 online shopping site. If you have any questions, feel free to email me!

Winter Theme Flutter By Challenge

This week challenge is very fitting for me as Old Man Winter finally hit Kansas - and in a big way too! We've got the cold (single digits with wind chills in the negative double digits) along with snow and ice!! The only place I want to be is next to my heater and snuggled under a blanket watching tv and sipping hot cocoa!!

I did manage to go downstairs into my craft room and create a card for FBW this week. The challenge is to do a winter theme creation using a butterfly, fairy or angel. Once you create your card, stop by Danni's blog to link it using Mr. Linky. That way we can all see your fabulous creation!

For my card I used Mercy's Tuesday sketch MTSC51. It worked perfectly for my image. Now about my image - well it's not exactly how I planned it. There are a few add-ons I ended up doing. Here is my card:

I really like the sketch and will most definitely be using it again! I added ribbon and a tag with sentiment but I think it works really well with the other elements. I colored Digi Snowflake Fairy Lily using my Copics. Now let me explain what I was visioning - do you watch ABCFamily? Well it's the 25 days of Christmas and a lot of the Rankin/Bass shows are on (WHICH I LOVE!!!). There's a new shower called Miser Brothers Christmas. In that show is a guy who plays the Northern Wind. His hair is grey/purple/blueish. It's cool - and it represents cold, to me anyway! So I picked out my paper (BG Eskimo Kisses) and saw there wasn't any purple - so I went with all blue. I mean she is a snowflake fairy, lol! Then I colored the snowflake using a different blue. I used shimmerz on the snowflake and hair. When I got done I hated the snowflake color. SO I colored another snowflake, cut it out and adhered with pop dots to the original. I think you can see it better in the next photo:

Yes, it was a pain to cut out but it looks good :o) I really like the addition of bling on the snowflake! I used Icicle Stickles for the wings - I have to say I don't like that Stickles near as much as my Crystal one. Oh well it suits this fairy just fine though!

I hope you find some time to play along. Be sure to stop by the other design team members blogs to see their creations this week. Also, don't forget about the new Flutter By Blog coming in January - have YOU became a follower yet? Whatcha waiting for - go HERE now!!

Thanks for stopping by!!

Flutter By Wednesday & High Hopes Challenge

Whew, do I have a lot to tell you today! First off, thanks for dropping by and welcome to another wonderful Flutter By Wednesday!! So much to talk about - I'm so thankful for being a part of this team and all the wonderful things that keep occurring! I'm so happy to announce that starting in JANUARY, Flutter By Wednesday's will have a new home! That's right - our very own blog!! Go there now and become a follower so you don't miss anything!!

This week I'm so EXCITED about our guest designer - it's MERCY!! I've played along with some of her wonderful sketches and her work is so inspirational! Please stop by and take a look at all of her fabulous creations!

As far as team members go - this week we say goodbye to Taylor. We wish her well and look forward to her participating next year! We also say hello to Kimberly - welcome to the team and we look forward to seeing your wonderful Flutter By Designs!

The challenge this week is an open one - anything goes EXCEPT you HAVE TO HAVE A BUTTERFLY, FAIRY or ANGEL on the card! So come on folks, get your stuff out and play along! Stop by Danni's blog to link your creation using Mr. Linky! Ok on to my card - this week I changed it up a bit and went with bright colors and a brand new stamp. I was fortunate to receive a gift certificate for Christmas early from a dear, dear friend (YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE) and I chose this stamp, Little Missy from High Hopes Rubber Stamps.


I decided to play along with High Hopes Challenge which is a sketch (gotta love those sketches). So this card is also my entry into the High Hopes Challenge #55 (whohoo for me - two challenges in one week....don't fall down, I know it's shocking!). I just love the colors I used - here is a close up of Little Missy herself:


SO whatcha think? She's adorable isn't she! So bright and cheerful - just makes me smile! I hope she brings you a little joy today! Thanks so much for stopping by!!

Snowman Ornament

So did you survive Thanksgiving and all the shopping? Thank you to everyone who left a comment or emailed me about the Cricut. I'm happy to report that my Mom and I were at Walmart VERY EARLY and was able to snag one for me. I don't have it as my Mom bought it for me so I have to wait to "open" it on Christmas. Oh well at least I can start making room for it in my room and such, lol! My next question for all you Cricut lovers is which cartridge is your favorite and why? One thing I've learned is that there are a TON of cartridges and I just don't know which ones I NEED you know? So if you'd help me out with that I'd be forever grateful!!

For today, I thought I'd share a quick project. This idea came from my friend Heather (thanks GF!). It's an acrylic ornament. Check out the snowman - isn't he cute? Are you a collector of snowmen? I am and am surprised at how many snowmen are out there - I want them all but where or where would I put them all?!?!

I ran the acrylic piece (one sheet from the Mini Deco Album) through my Cuttlebug using the Swiss Dots folder. I then used Staz-on White to ink the sides and the dots. Once I dry, I adhered pattern paper to the back of the ornament and my image to the front. The back piece has a swirl stamped on it but is perfect for a 2x2 photo as well. The image I used is from the Vintage set, Holiday Tags. Today is the LAST day you can purchase this set so if you want it you better hurry!! I colored the snowman using my colored pencils and OMS and outlined him using my Copic - it was either BOO or BG10.

If you'd like to purchase any of the pieces to make your own, just click on the item and you'll be taken to my online shopping website where you can order everything and have it shipped to your door!! I'm also selling completed ornaments for $3.00 - just email me for details.

Thanks so much for stopping by - have a wonderful Monday!!

Happy Thanksgiving

Just a quick note to wish you a Happy Thanksgiving! My family will be celebrating Thanksgiving at my house so right now I'm probably cooking away :o) We'll enjoy great food, good times and probably some games as well. Nothing like a good round of Catch Phrase! Thank you for visiting my blog and I hope you have a wonderful day!!

On a side note, I'm hoping the sales are good and I can find me a good deal on a Circut Expression - I think it's time I add one to my "inventory"!! If you know of any good deals for the machine &/or cartridges...drop me a line. I need to get the best deals I can since I want so many cartridges!!

Winter Flutter By Wednesday

Good Afternoon - sorry I'm a little late with this post. Are you ready for Thanksgiving tomorrow? I was out late last night doing my grocery shopping so I could stay home today and get the house cleaned, start the cooking/baking and do my FBW card! I knew what I wanted to do but it didn't come out EXACTLY how I imagined but I'm pleased still the same.

I got some new Cuttlebug Embossing folders from HSN and fell in love with the snowflake one. It's even a bigger size which I'm SO LOVING...hope they do more like that! Anyway, I embossed the snowflakes and then swiped my white New Canvas Palette pad over the snowflakes. Not sure you can see it but it just gives a little bit of color. This week I had to use my Swiss Pixie - isn't she cute...she's definitely ready for the winter weather! I colored her with Copics, colored pencils and OMS and added my Stardust Clear Gelly Pen for wing and snowflake highlights.

The challenge this week is to use A FAIRY, BUTTERFLY or ANGEL along with CIRCLES on your creation. That's where I ran into a little trouble - adding circles. SO I did a half circle by the image with the ribbon and then rounded the corners of the snowflake piece. Also if you look there are circles on the ends of my snowflakes so I've got some circles, lol! I love the purple and blue color combo, especially for winter cards. Here's a close up of my image:

With Thanksgiving being tomorrow, I'm sure a lot of us are pretty busy! I know that some of the Flutter By girls weren't able to post a project but still stop by all the blogs and leave us some love. It means so much to us, to hear from all of you - makes being a part of this team so special! Also, I hope you find a moment or two that you might be able to join in the challenge. Just stop by Danni's blog to link your creation once you do!

I know first hand that time can slip away so please this holiday take a moment to tell that person how much they mean to you and give as many hugs as you can! I know how wonderful a hug can feel/mean when I get them! Have a wonderful Wednesday and thanks so much for stopping by!

Christmas Flutter By

Good Morning! If you've been to my blog before you know that I used to do a Christmas card every Monday. Well we've finished that for the year and I'm having a little withdrawals. I like having something "due" - keeps me focused. So for my Flutter By card today I decided to do a Christmas Card.

The challenge this week is an open one - there is only ONE requirement...You MUST use a butterfly, fairy or angel (for the holiday season) on your card!! We've got to see them! Now take a moment and look at your supplies - I'm sure you have a butterfly, fairy or angel SOMEWHERE. It could be a stamp, paper, embellishment, die cut, sticker - you get the picture! So why don't you play along? We'd love to see your creation!! To play, just visit Danni's blog and link your card there by using Mr. Linky.

Before I share my card, I want to welcome THREE new team members. I'm so glad to be a part of this team and it just keeps getting better and better! These ladies are AMAZING - so talented and uber nice. Please take a moment and visit there blogs as well. Well without further ado lets welcome, PAM, KRIS and KAREN to the team!!! WELCOME ladies - I'm so glad you're here!!

Okay now for my card - I finally got to use a new stamp that's been just staring at me on my desk for WEEKS! I'm in love with the Swiss Pixies from C.C. Designs. So cute and fun to color! I colored her with my Copics and even cut out the ornament and popped it up (my blogging friend, Kim is famous for this!). I used a few Stickles (Crystal and Christmas Red) to add shimmer to the ornament and wings.

The paper is a pack from JoAnn's as is the Merry Christmas stamp. I adore the colors - some of my FAV's for the holiday season! I got the layout idea from an old Mojo Monday sketch. Here's a close up of the ornament:

So whatcha think? You likey likey? Are you starting to get in the holiday spirit? It's kind of hard not too as cold as it's been. We even got a little snow! And with all the decorations, sale ads, Christmas music - well it's definitely that time of year!! Today my friend, Ruth is flying in to spend a few days with me. We're going to have so much fun and on the top of our list is the NEW MOON premiere!! Already have our tickets and am looking forward to sharing the experience with someone that "gets it"! Thanks so much for stopping by today!!

Beary Happy Day

Yeah it's Friday! Do you have big plans this weekend? I have a 12 hr crop on Saturday where I'll be having a booth and a make n take. Then on Sunday I have a FUNShop with one of my regular groups. Busy weekend for sure but full of crafting, friends and laughing so it's all good!!

Today I wanted to share a card that we made at my FUNShops last month.

The splattered looking cardstock was made using the Marble Technique. You take a plastic box, like what TAC stamps come in and put 4 to 5 drops of reinker in it. You then drop 3 marbles in the box, close the lid and then shake, shake, shake. By shaking you cover the marbles with the ink. Next open the lid and with removable adhesive stick the white cardstock on the lid of the box. Close the lid and flip the box over and shake, shake, shake. Now you'll be running the marbles, which already are coated with ink, all over the white cardstock. That's it - pretty easy and it provides a neat effect. Oh and Michael's has a huge aisle of stocking stuffers and one of the things there was a bag of marbles for a $1! So if you want to try this technique now you know where to get a good deal on marbles, lol!

The stamp set is quickly becoming one of my favorites, known as Winter Flurries. I colored the scarf of the polar bear by using my Dove Blender Pen and my Shimmer Chalks. I then followed the swirls and snowflakes using my Stardust Clear Gelly Pen. The sentiment is from a Level B Hostess Set called Beary Happy Day. The cardstock is the Violets Monochromatic Pack.

Well that's it for me today but do you realize I actually posted THREE times this week!! I hope you've enjoyed the card and would love to hear what you think - I so enjoy reading all the comments you leave for me! Thanks so much for stopping by and I hope you have a fabulous weekend!!

I'm a Demonstrator for The Angel Company. You can purchase any of the mentioned supplies by clicking on them and it will direct you to my 24/7 Ecommerce site. If you have any questions, please feel free to email me!

Halloween Pics & A Christmas Card

WhooHoo two posts in one week and they're back to back!! Holy moly you're impressed aren't you?!? Well I haven't done a very good job in posting some pictures of Abby. She lost her first tooth in October and I didn't even get a picture of the event - funny story about that. The Tooth Fairy obviously didn't know that Abby was finally going to pull it out (the tooth had been hanging on for dear life for like a week!). Poor Abby puts her tooth under the pillow only to wake up with her tooth still there and a note from the Tooth fairy telling her to try again tomorrow - no it didn't say those exact words but you get the picture. She was upset but the Tooth Fairy did make up for it the next night so all was well, lol! I did take some Halloween pictures so I thought I'd share them and you can definitely see the hole from the missing tooth!


This picture was in our front yard - Daddy did a little decorating. I like how you have such a beautiful angel right next to that creature! Really makes the Angel shine, huh? Abby likes to pose - she's all about performing whether it's dancing, singing or acting. This is a little performance she did on the front porch before heading out to Trick or Treat.


She had a great time and came back with lots of goodies! So Halloween is over and now is the time when a lot of us start making our Christmas cards. Admit it, a lot of us just have too much going on and wait till the last minute to get things done. Although I've been doing Christmas cards all year, I can always use more. Here is a Christmas card that I had as a Make n Take at a crop and did at some FUNShops as well. It's using one of the new sets from Inspiration Avenue that I just love!!


This card was created using Vintage Santa. All the stamps used here - the background, snowflakes, Santa and sentiment are in this set along with two more sentiments. It's an awesome set with one good looking Santa Clause! I also used the Stardust Clear Gelly Pen to go over the snowflakes and sentiment. It's hard to capture the glitter but I think you can kind of see it on the sentiment below

Those Clear Gelly Glitter pens are awesome! So easy to control , fast drying and they put a lot of bling on your card!

Thanks so much for stopping by! I hope you have a terrific Thursday...so glad that Friday is almost here! Bring on the weekend :o)

I'm a Demonstrator for The Angel Company. Visit my website at http://michellem.ismyangel.net to place an order or contact me at made4ubymichelle@gmail.com with any questions!!

I'm Back - Flutter By Wednesday Time!

Good Morning Friends!! How are you? I'm sorry I've been MIA but I think I've finally kicked that nasty infection! I, at least, have found some energy along with a little mojo which is always a sign of improvement! Today, as I mentioned in my title, is Flutter By Wednesday. The challenge is to make a card using a fairy, butterfly or angel and the theme THANKFUL. There is a lot to be thankful for but I decided to focus on being thankful for my FRIENDS - I can't imagine life without them! So here is my card -

I have to tell you it felt good to color again. Sure does relax me and brighten my mood! The image is a favorite of mine that I received from a blog buddy, Tammi (THANK YOU!). I'm definitely adding these cuties to my Christmas wish list - along with some more Copics :o). I used my Copics to color and added Stickles to the wings. Here is a close up

Since I couldn't fit my whole sentiment on the front, I decorated the inside too (shocker, I know!).

So whatcha think? I have to tell you I miss reading all the comments that you leave each day. They brighten my day and I so enjoy getting to know each one of you!

Be sure to stop by the other DT's blogs and see what they've come up with. Remember to play along - it's easy! Just visit Danni's blog and link your creation up there using Mr. Linky! We'd love to see your card!

Thanks for stopping by today - and take a moment to thank those Veterans for all they've done for us and continue to do for us today! I know I'm grateful for each and everyone of them!

Christmas Card/Box - FBW Challenge plus a special card from Abby

Good Morning! For FBW this week, it's another open challenge which means you can create anything as long as it has a butterfly, fairy or angel on it!! Here lately I haven't been able to blog surf/hop near as much as I like. I'm just not feeling the best and honestly have no idea what the problem is. That in it self can be frustrating and down right depressing. Especially when you go to a Dr. and they don't know. Now I'm in the process of more tests and other Drs. so we'll see what happens but in the mean time I'm so tired and just not myself that it's so hard to just meet the day to day requirements!! Prime example, if you know me at all, I'm a total night owl - love staying up late, by myself, creating away. For the last two weeks though I've been in bed by 9:30 as I'm just so tired! That means that I'm losing at least 3 hours of prime creating time!!

I did manage to see this cute card/box idea on Tammy's blog and knew it would be perfect for my FUNShops this month. Here's my take on it:


Everything is from The Angel Company. Just click on the item and you'll be taken to my Ecommerce site where you can purchase it if you'd like. I used Scarlet and Dark Green 12x12 Cardstock, 8.5 x 11 Ivory Cardstock, my Scor-Pal, Edge Designs Stamp set, Hear the Angels Stamp set, Delicious Fall Stamp set (inside sentiment that you'll see below). I colored her in with colored pencils and added a little Crystal Stickles. The "for you" and label are both from a hostess set. Here's a picture of the inside of the "card":


These are so cute and have a WOW factor when presenting them. Just think what you can put in the drawer - candy, tags, jewelry, 3x3 card set. I mean they are perfect for a little gift giving this holiday season! I had a booth last weekend at a Breast Cancer Awareness Crop and sold these as kits - EVERYTHING included (stamped images and all) plus a color photo and directions (with measurements for easy duplicating) for $3.50. I sold out of them and am now making more for my crop in November. So if you'd like to purchase one, just email me so I can make sure to make you one too!

Abby is always wanting to create - you'll always find her with paper and markers in hand as her favorite past time is drawing. She really amazes me with her "free hand" skills - she didn't get that from me! Anyway, she wanted to participate in FBW so here is her creation for this week:

I don't help her at all. She picks out an image and then whatever paper she wants from my scrap bins. The foam stickers are from her supply. Daddy was pretty proud of this. His comment was "well someone takes after Mommy". I love how she signs everything with her name - she has to make sure it's her creation!

I hope you'll stop by Danni's blog and participate this week in the FBW challenge. We'd love to see your creation! Also, don't forget about the other team members - they'll have some wonderful stuff to and their blog links are on the right hand side.

Thanks so much for stopping by! I'm hoping tomorrow I'll get some much needed free time where I'll be able to blog surf a little. I miss all your fabulous creations and wonderful blogs! I feel like I haven't "spoken" with my friends in forever in blog land and I miss you so!! At Preschool we are having our Halloween Sing-A-Long so we should be done with school before 11am tomorrow! Whoohoo!!

Sorry FBW fans

Forgive me as I do not have a Flutter By Card to share today. I'm hoping to get one done but I just have not been feeling well at all. The last few days I've been suffering from the worst migraine I've ever had!! My ears and the pressure in my head is unbelievable so I have an appointment this week with an Ear, Nose and Throat Doctor in hopes to get this pain taken care of! I'd like to say I'll get a card done but honestly it's not looking too good :o)

HOWEVER, I know the other flutter by girls will have some awesome creations to share so stop by their blog for some fluttering inspiration. Also, Danni has told us for the holidays Angels are okay to use as well - so now to participate this week you can create ANYTHING as long as it has a fairy, angel or butterfly on it!! Come on, join in - you won't be disappointed! Be sure to stop by Danni's blog to link up your creation so we can all check it out!!

Thanks for stopping by - hopefully I'll share my card later today...

A Few Treats

I've been working on a few treats that I'd like to share with you. First up are little chocolate mummies. My uber talented friend Barb, created some fabulous samples for The Angel Company which are showcased on the website. One of your samples gave me the idea to wrap crepe paper around small Hershey bars and glue small eyes on them. I made quite a few and will be giving them away at the Diva Crop here in Topeka on Saturday, October 24th. I'll have a booth there selling goodies, doing a FREE make n take and tons of samples and inspiration. If you are in town stop by - I'd love to see you and one of these mummies would love to go home with you!

TAC has the PERFECT stamp set to go with these cuties but I haven't made my sign up yet. You can see the set though, Bone Appetit on my online store here! The mummies are easy to make and easy on the pocket book as well. I used one & half rolls of crepe paper which I picked up at the dollar store. The eyes are a bulk package from JoAnn's for $2.99. I bought one large bag and one small bag of Hershey bars. I used most of those but some got grabbed by the 'ol hubby and daughter - they LOVE sweets so I have to hide stuff. Well I didn't get them hidden quick enough!! I have eyes left though so I could easily do some more. This is a quick project that you could do while watching all those tv shows too.

Next up are Ghirardelli chocolate holders. I saw the idea on a blog a long time ago and "filed" the idea away for later. It seems that I'm always wanting to give a little something something to people and I don't have anything on hand. I made these for that purpose - birthdays, thank you's, thinking of you's, etc. I even made a few Christmas ones - I know a lot of people that do secret santa's and this is a perfect gift for that! I used scrap paper for all of them so the main cost was the large bag of Ghirardelli's. I also found anything square - Reese's peanut butter cups and York peppermint patties work as well.

Mine are 3 1/2 by 6" and scored at 2 3/4" and 3". I used my Scor-Pal for this so it went super fast. There's a little overhang when you fold on the score lines, which I trimmed with my trimmer. Of course, you could leave it and it would like fine - I'm just a little OCD about those things, lol! I put a strip of double sided tape on the chocolate and adhered it to the inside. The holders stay closed with Velcro. I cut a circle Velcro in half so I could get two holders per dot. To decorate the front I used my Just-Rite stamp sets which I colored in with my Copics. I punched out circles and rectangles using my scrap cardstock. These took more time - and I'm not even done with all of them. I'm making quite a few though for me to have on hand and to sell at craft shows. Who wouldn't like receiving one of these - I mean a handmade item and chocolate?!?! AWE---SOME!!

So what do you think? I hope I've inspired you to create something - thanks so much for stopping by!!

Flutter By Kitty

Oh how I enjoy Wednesdays! I mean it's Flutter by time, the week's half way over and I don't have to work at the preschool but a couple of hours!! The weather has been so cold and gloomy - I'm not ready for it. I'm one that LOVES sunshine...even a little. And now we are supposed to have rain for like the next 3 days. If I could just get a good heater for my basement then I'd just lock myself in my scrap room all day!!

Yesterday, I posted a card I made with the new Penny Black stamps I got. I decided to use them again for my card today. I colored my image in using my Aquacolor Crayons and Niji Waterbrush again. I love the look it gives and by using the water brush to crayon technique I'm able to control my color better and get nice results.

I used a Mojo Monday sketch for the layout. Here's a close up of the image. I like how I put yellow around the kitty - at least someone is seeing some sunshine, lol!

And speaking of kitties I might as well show mine - Here's Jazzy. She's a little prissy but she's my kitty and I love her :o)

Geez I'm a little backwards today. I usually get the details out in the beginning - oh well! The challenge this week is an OPEN one - that means anything goes as long as you use a butterfly or fairy on your card! Come in and join the fun - create a card and then share it by linking it on Danni's blog using Mr. Linky! This week we have a guest designer, Christi. She has a fabulous blog so be sure to stop by and say hi! Don't forget to check out the other mega talented DT members as well.

Well I'm outta here - off to do a few hours of work at the preschool and then hopefully home to do some much needed blog surfing. I'm having withdrawals of visiting and commenting on your wonderful blogs. Thanks so much for stopping by!!

For You

Good Morning to you! I'm so glad you stopped by! I'd like to share a card that I made using a sketch for my Yahoo group. I'm on the sketch team for the Create-A-Card group and we only have two more weeks left until we get a break for the holidays. I so enjoy the team and the sketches but am ready for a little break as I just can't seem to get everything accomplished and with the holidays coming I'm sure it will only get worse. As hard as I try to get ahead it just doesn't happen for me. You know I think I should just realize that and move on - I mean why dwell...we aren't all the same and I guess being ahead of the game just isn't me!

Here is the sketch which I LOVE - very easy and can be used over and over again. I originally thought I'd put a button where the circle is but it didn't work with my image. I have another habit where I think the sentiment has to go on the front of the card - this I KNOW stems from the fact that most of the time I just make a card front not the actual card. Oh well...


Here's my card. I thought this could be used for Christmas or even a birthday that happens in December.

A little while ago I picked up a set of Penny Black stamps. I don't have very many of them but love what I've seen. When I saw this set of little critters I knew it needed to go into my collection. Whatcha think?

Today is a Preschool day - the job is going good and I enjoy the little ones. I don't enjoy waking up early or having to get out of my pj's but oh those are the sacrifices we have to make in order to pay the bills! Hope your Tuesday is a good one!! See ya tomorrow for Flutter By Wednesday!

Winter Wishes

Is it just me or does the weekend zoom by way too fast?!?! Although it was FREEZING here in Kansas this weekend, it allowed me to stay indoors and get some much needed things accomplished. Now to just keep that momentum going as I have some craft shows, FUNShops and Vendor crops coming up!

Every Monday I share a Christmas card. This week Maria challenged us with a sketch. I received a new stamp set from The Angel Company, Winter Flurries and I knew that this sketch would be perfect for it. Here is the fabulous sketch from Maria:


and here is my card:

The paper is some left over Karen Foster paper. The cardstock is Scarlet from TAC. Each pack has 25 sheets and comes in 8.5x11 or 12x12 size. It's a wonderful cardstock that I use a lot! The snowflake is left over from a Jolee's package. The sentiment is from Stampendous. I colored the penguin's scarf & the swirls using my Niji Water Brush and Aquacolor Crayons. If you've been frustrated by your water brush (I know I was) you won't with the Niji - it is FABULOUS!!! Finally I have a brush where I can actually control the water flow!

Check out the other design team members blogs to see their wonderful interpretation of the sketch. That's it for me today. Abby is out of school and my BF from college is supposed to be stopping by on her way back home. Which means I need to get off the computer and clean the house - quick :o) Have a great day!!

Halloween & Winner

Happy Saturday to you - I don't usually post much on the weekends but since I've been missing the last two days I thought I better get on here and announce the winner of my blog candy. Thank you for all the well wishes - I'm starting to feel a little better and am hoping to be rid of this crud soon!! First off though I'd like to share a Halloween card that we made at my FUNShops last month. I started off using the mummy from the Trick or Treaters set. We applied Fun Flock to him after coloring him with colored pencils. It really adds a little something extra to the card - and everyone loves rubbing it! The little guy to the left is from a new set that I got after I made my mummy card. He's from Spooky Boys. So at my FUNShops each person could choose which image they wanted to use.

Here's a close up of the Fun Flock on the images. I totally recommend using a glue pen rather than liquid glue when applying flock. This is how I do it. I use my glue pen and color in parts of the mummy. Let's say the head first - once I've applied the glue I sprinkle the flock on top of it and then gently tap it down. If you use liquid glue and tap it down your going to get flock in other places than you probably wanted. Also, it takes longer for the liquid glue to dry rather than the glue pen. I then tap off the excess fun flock (this is easier if you do it all in your Tidy Tray - as you can continuously reuse the flock). Next, I continue doing the rest of the image.

I should point out that the boy from Spooky Boys was colored using my Copics - and guess what?!?! We sell them now through The Angel Company!! How cool is that?!?! To see the great sets we offer just click here.

Now that I have online 24hr/7 day a week shopping, you can just click on the items and go right to the site. I make it easier than ever to get these fabulous products delivered right to your door!! As always, if you have any questions, please email me or leave a comment. I read everyone of them and am here to help you!!

Now probably what you've been waiting for - the winner of the blog candy! First off, thank you to all you left such wonderful comments about my card, my daughter and my giveaway. I appreciate each and everyone of you and am thankful I have such wonderful readers and followers. I had Abby draw the name and she pulled out

JENNIFER CARTER

Congrats Jennifer!! Just shoot me your address and I'll mail out your goodies next week!!

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you have a great weekend!!

Flutter By Wednesday & Blog Candy

Good Morning - sorry for the lack of posts. I wasn't feeling well this weekend and went to the doctor to find out that I have ear infections in both ears plus a throat infection. I'm on medication but am just so tired and miserable. Honestly, I don't think the medicine is helping much. Last night I finally got a semi decent night of sleep so maybe things will turn around!

If you've ever been to my blog you know that Wednesday's mean Flutter By Challenges. This week our challenge was an open one - anything goes as long as you have a butterfly or fairy on your card. I purchased a few digi stamps from PCS and thought Itty Bitty Betty Butterfly was perfect.

I used Mercy's sketch here. I so enjoy her blog and sketches but haven't had time to participate as I'd hope. I highly recommend checking out her blog! The DP is from BasicGrey. It's Indian Summer. Very pretty paper - love the colors! It always disappoints me to see my card on here because I swear the colors and coloring are so much better IRL!! Trust me! I colored Betty with my Copics. Quick comment about Digi's - I like them but have trouble color them. When I used my Copics the image would bleed. Well I got an Epson printer and their ink is smudge proof - no more problems!!! Just wanted to put that out there for others who may have been frustrated by digi stamps.

Here's a close up of Betty:

I added Crystal Stickles to the outside portion of the wings. Not sure if I'm diggin' that but oh well - it's done now :o) Be sure to stop by Danni's blog and play along! We'd love to see your creation!! Don't forget to stop by my fellow team member blogs as well- there is always some FAB-U-OSO creations to see!

Last but not least, don't forget today is the last day to register for my Blog Candy Giveaway - I've been blogging for a year and want to thank all my readers and visitors by giving away some goodies. Here is another picture of a few more things I've added - pack of Bo Bunny paper, pack of Bazzill Bling paper and a mini book. There will also be some images that I'll stamp out and include. To enter go here and scroll to the bottom for details on how to enter. HURRY THOUGH - contest closes this evening!!! (FYI - I know it previous post it says noon but I won't be here - so I'm leaving it open until 7pm central time tonight)

Thanks for stopping by!!