Fabulous Rosie!

Wow, does it ever feel good to be back home and back in my craft room. I was starting to have withdrawals! {LOL}

First up, my challenge card for Lala's Weekly Wednesday Challenge! Sweet and ultra-talented Kathy Page is our hostess this week, and she is challenging us to use a charm in our card/project. I actually have a ton of charms, but settled on this one... Rosie's initial! It's hard to see on the metal tab, but it says "Fabulous." So here is Fabulous Rosie With Bird for you! This is definitely one of my favorite Rosie images from La-La Land Crafts.

I love a good sketch challenge, so I followed one of the two sketches this week at The Pink Elephant. The cardstock, DP and ribbon are from Penelope's Potpourri Key Ingredients Kit. The metal label is by Making Memories.

Well, I'm on the countdown now... only five days left until I go back to work, and there are still so many things I want to get done. Wish me luck! I'll be back soon with more goodies to share.

Thanks for stopping by. I hope you have a fabulous day!

Happy 2010!

Yowser, can you believe that 2010 is only 5 days away?? I still remember the countdown to 2000, and now it's ten years later in the blink of an eye!

It's my pleasure to be the hostess again for this week's challenge at Stampin' Sisters in Christ. The scripture I chose is Psalm 25:4-5 "Show me your ways, O Lord, teach me your paths; guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior and my hope is in you all day long." The challenge is to make a New Year's card or project.

Raise your hand if you make New Year's Resolutions. Now raise your hand if you keep them! It's hard, isn't it? I'm not sure why that is. There are probably a number of reasons. I think in my case it's because I already know the things I should be doing anyway, and it just seems like saying I'll start at the beginning of the new year will magically give me the motivation I need. Truth is, we shouldn't need new year's resolutions... we should resolve to change... and see it through... at any time that we know in our hearts change is necessary or would be good for us.

One thing that I'm resolving this year... or let's say right now... is to keep my heart and mind focused on God's teachings. I'm actually going to [try to] read the Bible in its entirety in 2010. I'm doing this for a number of reasons, but mainly because I want/need some answers, and I believe I'll find them in the Bible. Also, by reading the Bible every day, it will help me stay focused on what the Lord has taught us is the best way to live. I'm toying with the idea that the Ten Commandments and the further teachings of Christ are given to us that we can know how to find happiness and peace in our lives here on Earth.

This is part of my resolution when it comes to turning 50 and starting in on the second half... living with more care and less angst, especially that of my own making.

Whatever your resolution(s), I pray you find the answers and the strength to see them through!

My card uses the FREE digi image currently being offered on The Greeting Farm blog. Isn't it cute? I decided to go the simple way and colored only parts of the image. My card follows Sketch 2 of the 12 Days of Sketches at The Greeting Farm, created by the truly talented Mercy Kerin. My other resolution is to do all 12 sketches, so I have ten to go!

The 2010 background paper is a digi stamp from The Cutting Cafe, our sponsor this week at Stampin' Sisters in Christ. The polka dot paper and the ribbon are from Papertrey Ink.

Because I'm in Arizona for the next couple of days, and couldn't haul my entire craft room along with me (ha!), I won't be posting again until Wednesday for La-La's Weekly Wednesday Challenge.

Thanks so much for stopping by. I hope you have a wonderful day!

The Day After Twi-Day

Happy Day After Christmas... Happy Boxing Day... Happy Day After Twi-Day! I sure hope you all had a wonderful Christmas! Ours was blessed. We're in a different chapter of our "holiday" lives right now... sort of like the tween years. Gone are the days when we spent nearly every holiday with Nana and Grandpa, them arriving with a sleigh (trunk) full of gifts at Christmas, Nana cooking up delicious food, Grandpa helping the kids put their toys together and play with them... so many precious memories. Right now it's pretty much just us. The next chapter will begin when the boys start to marry and have children of their own.

We did have a bit of nostalgia, though. Paul and I bought the boys Beatles Rockband... the entire starter kit with drums, guitar and microphone. Goofy Paul put it under the tree after everyone had gone to bed, so it was just like Santa came when they got up. They loved it! And we're all enjoying that darn game. I've only tried the vocals, and it's a hoot! However, Collin and Clay insist that I not dance while I sing. Kill-joys! Now, of course, they want to get another guitar so one can play base and the other guitar. It's a great family gift. If you don't have one already, I highly recommend it... for older children on up.

Anyway, back to my card. I'm bound and determined to do all of the 12 Days of Sketches at The Greeting Farm, and this card is based on Sketch 1 by the awesomely talented Cindy Haffner. Since I've promised myself to play in Jodi Collin's Twi-day Challenges (how can I resist?), I started with Dressy Edward and Dressy Camille (aka Edward and Bella).

I confess that I'm not thrilled with the way this card turned out, but it'll have to do since I'm outta time. Paul and Avery and I (and Paul's brother Gary) are out the door soon to visit Paul's mom and grandma in Arizona for a few days. I sorta left this to the last minute and don't have time for a re-do, so poor Edwards looks like he's a bit ill... and what's with those lips! (LOL). Tomorrow, I'll have Sketch 2 for you. I'll do better from now on, I promise!

In the meantime, I hope you have a fabulous day... stay away from the malls if you can!

Make A Wish!

When my friend and La-La Land Crafts Design Teammate Kim Yu issued La-La's Weekly Wednesday Challenge to make anything but a card, I had to admit this was really a challenge for me. I don't often make other than cards (except for scrapbook pages). Plus I'm a bit distracted right now with Christmas prep, so I started overthinking it. Do you ever do that?

Enter the new Birthday Calendar download from Taylored Expressions and some inspiration from my idol Jodi Collins, and voila! The lightbulb turned on!

My birthday book is still a work in progress. I pulled out my OLD Zutter Bind-It-All... one of those gizmos I HAD to have and NEVER used until today. I have no idea how many years it sat on the shelf, but I do know I had to blow off the dust and that Zutter now has a version 2. I had to go on line and watch the videos to figure out how to work the darn thing. Of course, I messed up on my first try, but then finally got the hang of it. Trouble is, my wire ring is too big and I didn't have time to run to my LSS to get a smaller size. But I'll go soon and replace this one so that the book opens and closes properly.

The inside pages are also still in progress, but here's a sample. I'm planning to decorate each page with a rub-on. The DP (and rub-ons) are from SEI. Fairy Lala is colored with Copics. I glittered up her wings and wand with my atYou Spica and Sakura glitter pens.

So, did you all have fun on the Fairy Tale Blog Hop this past week? I sure did. My Design Teammates pulled out all the stops to show Princess Rosie in all her glory! I can't wait to see who wins the big blog candy prize.

You might recall that I had a little blog candy opportunity on my Fairy Tale Blog Hop post. I used Random.org to draw the winning number, which is 47: Gini Cagle aka Beadz. Congratulations Gini!!! As soon as I hear from you with your snail mail address, I'll get Sweet Rosie in the mail to you!

I hope you'll join us in this week's challenge at La-La Land Crafts. Remember, you can use any stamps you want, and there's always a prize up for grabs. We'd love to have you!

Merry Christmas Eve Eve!

A Hand Stitched Christmas...

...and all I had to do was stamp! Hello my friends! I've decided that next year I'm going to take a cue from Vicki Garrett and make a Christmas card a week so that I'm totally ready when the festive season arrives. Okay, we'll see how that goes... but it's a good idea, especially since there were so many Christmas card ideas I had for this year that have gone undone. But as soon as I saw the inspiration piece from Hope Stamps Eternal (thanks Bonnie!), I grabbed these stamps!

Edited to add: I won Top 5 for this challenge at Hope Stamps Eternal!!! Thanks Rachel!!!

I don't know about you, but I'd have a hard time eating one of these beauties... it would feel like destroying art or something. But note that every single image in the inspiration piece is part of Sewing Box - Christmas and Sewing Box - Hugs by Waltzingmouse Stamps! It bears repeating that I love love love these stamp sets!

And what do you spy in the background? Could that be one of the new Nestie Friendly sets by Waltzingmouse Stamps? Yes, indeed! It's from Vintage Labels No. 5. I love every single stamp in this collection, so you'll definitely be seeing it again and again!

I also followed Sketch Challenge 259 over at Splitcoaststampers. I haven't played in one of those challenges in awhile, and figured it was high time I did! I think the SCS Sketch Challenge was the first challenge I ever tried way back when.

Okay, back I go to finish that non-card project I mentioned last post. I really need to do those more often.

Have a happy day!

My Cup Runneth Over and Over and Over...

Greetings dear friends! Day 3 of my time off from work. I spent the weekend just trying to get organized. Turns out, I'm still nowhere near ready for Christmas. Cards will definitely be late this year! However, I'm taking breaks here and there to catch up on some stamping and blog surfing and emails, so please bear with me!

One thing I've sadly neglected are some awesome blog tags and awards I've recently received. Warning: you may be bored with all the information about me these are requiring! I won't be offended if you skip over this post! {LOL}

The first is a survey tag from my pal JoAnne Valderama. Love that girl! She is THE Jo Boogie! Definitely stop by and visit her... you will love her as much as I do!

In her post called "under my umbrella-ella-ella eh-eh-eh" (which is very appropriate since I LOVE rain) she tagged me in this survey:

1. My childhood ambition: to be a teacher or a librarian. My sister Linda recently reminded me about how I used to make her (and our sister Kim) play school with me. In Linda's words, "I remember your forcing me to play school with you when we were little. Of course, you were always the teacher with your long pointer that you loved to rap on my desk! Just so you know, that game was only fun for you!" hahahahahahaha! Memories of childhood fade over time (I hate that!), but I definitely remember this! I also remember making library cards for every book in our house. Okay, so I was a bit of a nerd.

2. My retreat: on a daily basis, it would be my craft room. On rare occasions when my friends are available, it's Glen Ivy Hot Springs Spa. Bliss! Speaking of which, Lisa K when are we going????

3. The perfect day: spending the day with my family when no one is arguing and we're just having fun! We had one of those days recently at Disneyland for my birthday. (Please tell me I'm not the only one whose kids bicker about everything!)

4. My first job was: besides babysitting, having a newspaper route. I used to fling those papers from my green bicycle and was good at hitting the porch on the first try!

5. My wildest dream: Okay, you've already heard that I planned to marry Donny Osmond. That was definitely a wild dream. Now it's to spend a year in Europe when I retire (which I now need to extend to include time in Australia... look out Debbie and Carolann!). This is a dream that WILL come true!

6. If my life was a musical it would be called: Les Miserables. Okay that sounds sad, but I really have been through some tough times in my life. Who hasn't?

7. My proudest moment: finally finishing my Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Economics 31 years after graduating from high school; but also for progressing very nicely in my career without my degree (not something I recommend, of course).

8. My favorite item of clothing: I don't really have one. Right now, clothes and me aren't on very good terms. I desperately need to lose weight.

9. I feel ready for the day when I: drink coffee, take a shower and get freshly dressed.

10. I COULD live without: anymore stamps and/or other papercrafting items, but who are we kidding???

Okay, now I'm supposed to tag a few people to answer this survey: how about Debbie Pamment, Michelle Yungbauer, Kristine Breach, Patti Gilliam, Sue Kment, Peggysue Turner, Nina Brackett, Kim Yu, Claire Brennan, Irina Blount... I could go on and on, but I'm counting on you girls to pass this torch to others we have in common. Plus, I'd love to hear your answers to these questions!

The next is a blog award from a new friend Stacie aka craft_princess:

Thank you so much Stacie!!! This is one I don't have and it's lovely!

The rules (or "Da Rules," as they say on Fairly Oddparents):

•Thank the person who nominated you for this award.
•Copy the logo and place it on your blog.
•Link to the person who nominated you for this award.
•Name 7 things about yourself that people might find interesting:

1. I'm adopted and recently discovered that I have two half-siblings. My birth mother passed away some years ago, so I'll have to wait until I get to heaven to meet her. But I have learned more about her, seen pictures of her, and have some medical history, so I consider this a gift. It's because I found out she died of lung cancer that I finally quit smoking two years ago. In essence, she gave life to me twice.
2. My birth mother was from the Honduras (which is why I look Hispanic) and I'm told my birth father was blonde and blue-eyed (as is my husband).
3. I watch recorded episodes of The Young & The Restless, General Hospital and One Life to Live while I craft. I got my love of soaps from my mom. I hope some of you don't decide you don't want to be my friend anymore because of this fact. Ha!
   
4. I love all kinds of music, but have a special fondness for 40's music (The War Years), which I usually listen to while at work.
5. My four boys are the lights of my life... they own my heart completely. I do, however, on occasion want to box their ears...
6. I LOVE the beach and dream of living near the ocean some day.
7. I miss my mother and always will. I'm quite sure she would have LOVED paper crafting. I got my love of crafting from her, and so much more.
   

•Nominate 7 Kreativ Bloggers and post their links in no particular order

I think I'm going to pass this award on to my Stampin' Sisters in Christ; they are as "Kreativ" and lovely as they come!

• Candace Mitchell
• Ceal Pritchett
• Helen Phelps
• Kathy Winter
• Kristine Breach
• Laurie Gatton
• Pamela Young
• Peggysue Turner
  
• Randi Barrett

Last, but certainly not least, I received the "Your Blog is Fabulous" award from Rachael Doxsee (Queen La Rubba herself!). Thank you Rachael! Your blog is fabulous, too!

For this one, I'm supposed to name five things I'm fond of. Hmmm...let's see. Besides papercrafting, of course...

1. Chocolate
   
2. Rain
3. The beach/ocean
4. Traveling
5. Our pets
   

I'm passing this blog award along to my La-La Land Crafts Design Team sisters, because they definitely have fabulous blogs!

Irina Blount (owner)
Jane Matsumoto
Kim Yu
Maureen Wong
Kathy Page
Kristine Breach
Moon Hulsman
Elena Joldersma
Katie Tate

Okay, if you've made it this far, then you really are a friend (or incredibly bored... ha!). Just kidding. I can tell you what I'm REALLY fond of, and that is all of you... hearing from you, visiting your blogs, making friends, seeing your incredible artwork. Thank YOU for sharing your time and talents with me!

And if I didn't tag you this time, I'll get you next time!

I'll be back soon with some cards to share and (gasp) a non-card project...

Peace on Earth, Goodwill to Men

A blessed Fourth Sunday in Advent to you! This is a very special week indeed, one during which we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior... the most awesome gift from our Heavenly Father. I pray each one of you will be richly blessed this Christmas.

Today's scripture at Stampin' Sisters in Christ is the beginning of the Christmas story, Luke 1:26-32 "In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin's name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, 'Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.' Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, 'Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David.'" (NIV)

Our hostess for this week's challenge, the sweet Kathy Winter (co-founder with me and Kristine of Stampin' Sisters in Christ), worked up a sketch challenge for us. We can use this sketch to create anything that delights us during this holy week.

Since the scripture talks about the angel's visit to Mary, I decided to pull out this adorable stamp Celestial Heart by Penny Black. Isn't she precious? I added lots of sparkly with my atYou Spica glitter pens, although it's hard to see in the photo. The greeting is from Signature Christmas by Papertrey Ink. The DP is from SEI.

Thanks so much for stopping by! I hope you have a wonderful day... and week...as we turn our hearts and minds to the celebration of the birth of our precious Lord. Blessings to you!

Edited to add: I just noticed that The Pink Elephant Challenge #45 is to make a Winter or Christmas card, so I'm entering my card!

Girly, You Rock!

TGIF!!! That's especially true for me because when this work day is over, I'll begin a two week break... 16 glorious days, to be exact. You have no idea how much I need this.

It's also a wonderful Friday because it's time for Taylored Expressions Sketch Challenge #95! I've said it before, and I'll say it again... I love a good sketch and Taylor's are amongst the BEST!

Today's card is dedicated to Jodi Collins aka Kharmagirl. Jodi is the quintessential Twi-hard. Her love of all things Edward and Twilight is infectious. I love the "Twilight" cards she makes, and all the quotes she includes with each post. She's even started a Twi-day challenge, which starts today. No way could I not play! That girl is my hero!

So, this one's for you Jodi girl! You ROCK!!!

My card features Alice... I mean Ebony... a digi image available for a limited time at The Greeting Farm (along with the rest of the family). I whipped out my Petals & Paisley Key Ingredients Kit, which made this card super quick and easy to complete... and I LOVE it! The greeting is from Signature Greetings by Raspberry Suite (Dawn McVey) for Papertrey Ink.

I realized after I colored the image that Alice's hair should be black. So I'm looking at it this way... the girl is trying a new lighter shade just for the heck of it. What girl doesn't want to try new hair styles on occasion? LOL! Bear with me, Jodi...I'll get it right eventually. At least I made her skin pale!

Okay, peeps, I must be off and running for the day, but I'll be back this weekend, a more relaxed and happy Lisa... with time to finally get around and visit blogs and answer emails. Okay, maybe give me a few days to get organized, but I'll be there! In the meantime, please visit Jodi's blog to see her awesome Twi-day card featuring "Carlisle Cullen," and the rest of the Sketch Crew's blogs to see what wonderful things they've created for you based on today's sketch:

Monika Davis: M.A.D. Stamper
Sherrie Siemens: Card Creme
Melissa Sauls: In Stamping Mode
Alice Lihsuan-Wertz: Alice's Little Wonderland
and of course Taylor herself: Taylored Expressions
(We're missing three of our girls this week.)

Have a lovely Twi-day!

A Fairy Tale Blog Hop!

Welcome to La-La Land Crafts' Fairy Tale Release Blog Hop! To celebrate the release of the new Princess Rosie stamp, we are giving her the royal treatment. Each member of the La-La Land Crafts Design Team and the Guest Designers has made a card featuring Princess Rosie. To make the Blog Hop even more fun, along with some amazing cards, you will find clues (a secret word or two) on every blog. When you follow the order of the Blog Hop and get to the end, you will have collected all of the words and will be able to put them together into a sentence. You will then return to the La-La Land Crafts Blog and leave a comment to enter the drawing for the Blog Candy.

What's in it for you???

Besides seeing all of the gorgeous cards from our Design Team, the winner of the Blog Hop will receive the newly released Princess Rosie stamp along with these goodies:


What's even more? While on your treasure hunt for secret words, you might even find some more treats offered by our designers!!! And, best of all, Princess Rosie is now available for purchase at La-La Land Crafts!!!

What do you have to do to join our Blog Hop????

* Start your Blog Hop at the La-La Land Crafts' Blog

* Each DT Member will guide you to the next Blog during the Blog Hop

* Collect all of the secret words and put them together into a sentence

* Final stop is back at the La-La Land Crafts Blog where you must leave a comment to the blog hop post to enter the contest. The winner will be drawn on Wednesday, December 23rd, around 10 am PST.

Now, on with the fun. If you haven't started from the beginning, be sure to click over to the La-La Land Crafts Blog to start the hop. To continue on your journey, here is my card featuring Princess Rosie:


My clue is "ALL OF YOUR"

Now... Hop, hop, hop to KATHY's Blog to find your next clue!! Good luck to all!!!

Before you go, leave a comment here to be entered to win Sweet Rosie! The deadline to enter my drawing is Tuesday, December 22nd at 9:00 pm Pacific Daylight Time (GMT -8), and I will announce the winner on Wednesday December 23rd!

Thanks for stopping by! Have a la-la lovely day!

Birthday Blog Candy Winners!!!

I'm sorry for being so late posting this announcement today. At least it's still Tuesday in California...at least for another 20 minutes or so. Ha!

First, I want to thank each and every one of you who entered my blog candy drawing... most especially for your good wishes for my birthday. I must say that this has been one of the most wonderful and memorable birthdays for me. Receiving 143+ greetings from my blogging friends was certainly a highlight!

When I say I wish I could send each and every one of you a gift, I truly mean that.

Okay, drum roll please! The winners have already been contacted to make their choices. They were allowed to choose their prizes in the order their names were drawn. I'm happy to say the first three winners each got her first choice, so that was lucky.

#85 Inbar from Israel - Hodge Podge of Stamps
#4 Dawn (Craftykitten) from the UK - Designer Paper
#21 1luvnmama from Hawaii - Paper Pretties
#49 Rosalee from Canada - Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps
#56 Victoria (Creativka) from Republic of Moldova - Build-A-Bear

I included the location of each of the winners to show what a diverse pool of crafters we are. Isn't it marvelous that we can make friends with people all over the world thanks to this incredible thing called the Internet?

By the way, I tried to respond to as many comments as I could, but many of you don't have your email addresses connected to your blog addresses nor anywhere on your blogs. I'm still trying to get around to visit everyone, so please bear with me.

Have a wonderful day!

Hey Sweet Pea!

A quick post today to showcase this adorable stamp set called Punny Fruits & Veggies... one of this month's new releases from Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps. They are perfect for all sorts of fun cards, but Valentine cards are beginning to come to mind. I could see making up some of each for my child's class exchange... how fun!

The paper is from My Mind's Eye. I tried out my new Spellbinders frame for the first time, and once again pulled out my MS deep cut punch... love it! There really is more dimension and embossing to the frame than appears in the picture. I also paper-toled the leaves and baby peas. This would have been a fun shaker card. In fact, I think I'm going to do that very thing next time, so stay tuned!

Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps is holding three Design Team Calls, one for each its rubber stamp line, its digi line, and for guest designers. If you're interested in joining a very talented and lovely group of Christian women, you should definitely check it out. I know I've been truly blessed by my participation.

There is also a huge clearance sale going on and... as always...all stamps are marked down at least 25%. Many are now marked down 70%. Like my husband Paul would say, the more you spend, the more you save!

Have a wonderful day, my friends. I'll be back soon with the winners of my Birthday Blog Candy!

A Christmas Flower

A blessed Third Sunday in Advent to you! Can you believe there are only 12 more days until Christmas? Yikes! I'm telling myself it's okay... nothing dire will happen if I don't get to everything on my list. The most important thing is to concentrate on the Reason for the Season, and that is to ponder on the wondrous birth of Jesus and what that means to each and every one of us.

Today's hostess for the challenge at Stampin' Sisters in Christ is my BFF and co-founder Kristine Breach. Kris chose as the inspiration scripture Matthew 6:19-21 "Do not store up for yourself treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

What comes to my mind when reading this scripture is the concept of "paying it forward." I think it's imperative for us to give a portion of our treasures to others, but not just the monetary kind. I'm not suggesting that we not tithe or give to charity... of course we should...but I think this verse is reminding us that if we share our treasures (i.e., our time, talents, love and bounty) with others, we experience Heaven on earth. These treasures cannot be stolen from us or destroyed. They are everlasting!

The challenge is to get out your crafting *treasures* and use them on your cards or other projects this week, in other words BLING IT UP (i.e., charms, gems, pearls, dazzling diamonds, flowers, etc). Simon Says Stamp is once again our sponsor and has donated the CUTEST stamp set for a prize. Please do pop by the SSCC blog to check it out and see all the lovely creations by the rest of the SSCC Design Team. I love those girls!

Bling? Did someone say "bling"? You don't need to ask me twice to add bling...I love bling!

I've had this Layers of Color stamp set for awhile and hadn't yet had a chance to ink it up. It came to mind immediately when I read the challenge. Flowering Gems was designed to add gems and pearls...and for layering. I stamped my flowers on Prism Blush Red Dark cardstock (and the leaves on PTI's Spring Moss) and embossed with white. I used Kaisercraft rhinestones and pearls to decorate the flower. Love it!

That gorgeous paper is by Nina Brackett for GinaK Designs... Simple Elegance. It's digital paper, so instant gratification! The green pairs perfectly with Papertrey Ink's Spring Moss (including the ribbon). I used my Bow Easy to make the double bow. I'm entering this card in the Mojo Monday 116 Contest. Wish me luck!

Thanks so much for dropping by today. Today is the last day to enter to win some of my blog candy! I want to thank each of you who have left me such nice comments and birthday wishes. It means the world to me! I wish I could send each of you something for Christmas.

Discover Your Wings

Hey hey hey...Happy Friday everyone! Time for another fun Taylored Expressions Sketch Challenge!

Don't you just love the stamps I used for my card? They are from the newest release in the Taylored Expressions Whimsical Wishes line called Discover Your Wings. Not only are they incredibly beautiful stamps, but $7 from the sale of each Discover Your Wings stamp set will be donated to Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep. You can read all about it on Taylor's blog here.

I was able to put this card together quickly using the Bloom and Grow Card Kit. I'm just loving these new kits... everything is ready for you to make at least 10 cards plus a matching box. I bought one of each to make Christmas gifts for Grandma E, my mother-in-law, and my step-mother. I think they'll love them, and I'll sure have fun making them. It's supposed to rain buckets this weekend, so I'll tuck in with a fire in the fireplace and the tree all decorated and craft to my heart's content. I can hardly wait! (Of course, the soft sounds of the washer and dryer will be going in the background. Ha!)

Today is my last day of commuting to Santa Ana for the class I've been taking this week... it's exam time! I wish I could be as sure of the traffic as I am about passing the exam. It's supposed to rain, so who knows how long it will take to get there and back. You wouldn't believe how lucky I was yesterday... both on the way there AND on the way back, I was part of the first wave of cars to pass fresh accidents, meaning I got by before the back-up really started. Fortunately, neither accident looked very serious. I'll be glad to go back to my 10-minute drive to work on city streets next Monday.

Thanks for stopping by for a visit today. Before you head off to play in this week's sketch challenge, be sure to check out what the rest of the Sketch Crew created for your viewing pleasure and inspiration:

Jami Sibley: More is More
Lynn Mercurio: Stamperosity
Monika Davis: M.A.D. Stamper
Sherrie Siemens: Card Creme

Melissa Sauls: In Stamping Mode
Alice Lihsuan-Wertz: Alice's Little Wonderland
and of course Taylor herself: Taylored Expressions

These girls rock!

I Get By With a Little Help From My Friends

I shared several cards I received from dear friends for my birthday in the post entitled The 11th Anniversary of my 39th Birthday. Since then, I've received even more. Am I blessed or what??

From Desiree McAllister
(no blog...yet!)

From Helen Phelps

From Peggysue Turner

From Sara Grunert

From Sarah Sharp-Aten

Thank you ladies... and to my friends who sent me some awesome store-bought cards which were very funny... some perhaps not suitable for prime time (ha!)... and to my boys who bought me one of those Hallmark music cards. On the outside it says, "The world would be a better place if we all remembered who's really in charge." When you open it you hear Hail to the Chief! hahahahahahaha!!! That's exactly right: Happy Wife = Happy Life!!! I'm going to keep it and play it for them whenever they forget. Which is, like, every day. Ha!

Hopefully this weekend I'll get pictures from our day at Disneyland uploaded and can share a few with you. Until then, have a wonderful day!!!

Walking in a Winter Lala Land!

Hello my friends! Have you missed me? Well, I really haven't been gone that long... just a couple of days. I'm commuting again this week to Santa Ana for the second of four core classes to earn my CCIM designation. Some of you might remember me sending "postcards from the freeway" last time. I am NOT good at commuting. The traffic is enough to send me over the edge. And wouldn't you know that after longing for some winter weather, I finally get my wish... just when it's time for me to get on the freeway every day this week. Argh! Folks out here don't seem to understand the concept of slowing down when it's pouring rain.

All I can say is Thanks be to God for keeping me safe and for Christmas music, which helps jolly me along when I'm creeping at 2-5 mph for 30-45 minutes (I kid you not!). Speaking of which, have you heard Josh Groban's rendition of It Came Upon A Midnight Clear? OMGoodness! And I can't help but turn up all of The Carpenters' tunes. Karen Carpenter is one of my all-time favorite singers, probably because she's an alto so I can actually sing along reasonably well. Okay, so I'm only a star in my own shower (and car).

If you happen to see a dark-haired woman in a white Camry singing to herself on the 241 merging into the 91, let me in! {LOL}

Of course, if it's Wednesday, it's time for another fabulous La-La's Weekly Wednesday Challenge, and I happen to be the hostess this week! I picked a color challenge because I'm LOVING the new Christmas colors of pink and green. So the challenge this week is to use pink and green (and a neutral of your choice, if you so desire) in your card/project. How easy is that?

There's a prize up for grabs, so why not play along??? You can use any stamps you want!!!

My card features the adorable Winter Lala. I decided to paper piece her hat, jacket and skirt. The DP is from the Lemonade collection by Basic Grey. And that fabulous snowflake you see... that was created by my BFF Debbie Pamment and sent to me with a few others for my birthday. They are so nice, I told Debbie I hate to use them on my cards 'cause then I'll have none left, but she promised me more if I want them. Beautiful, isn't it? That's why I say that Lala is walking in a winter "lala" land... where else would you see snowflakes that big and beautiful? Irina says she looks like she just made a snow angel. I love that!

The sketch is by Karen Giron for the Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge #47. I just recently discovered Karen's sketch challenges and LOVE what I see. I will definitely play again.

I have a post scheduled tomorrow of more beautiful handmade birthday cards I received, and then I'll be back on Friday with the Taylored Expressions Sketch Challenge, and hopefully back to normal (whatever that is!) by the weekend. Thanks so much for stopping by!

Christmas Blessings

Today is a glorious day... the Second Sunday in Advent. I just love the holy seasons of Christmas and Easter and the special services at church. They refresh my soul!

Speaking of soul refreshing, our hostess for today's scripture challenge at Stampin' Sisters in Christ is the wonderful Ceal Pritchett, who is also my DT sister for Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps... and Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps is once again the sponsor of our challenge! Yay Korin! Thank you soooo much!

Ceal chose the following scripture for inspiration: 2 Chronicles 7:14 "If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land." (NIV)

Ceal's challenge is to make a card to let someone you know that you are praying for them, using images of people.

As I said in the SSCC blog post, while we most certainly should pray for others, we should also pray for ourselves. I don't mean this in a selfish way. Today's scripture tells us to humble ourselves and pray and seek God's face, and He will hear us. God wants us to have a personal relationship with Him, and we do that in large part by talking to Him through our prayers. There is certainly no greater path to joy, solace and peace than by turning to God and allowing Him to be the father He wants to be to each of us.

My card might not appear to go along with the challenge, but my prayer for each of you is for Christmas blessings.

The sweet image is a digi stamp by Chris Dickinson for Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps called The Greatest Gift. The DP is more of the scrumptious holiday paper by Webster's Pages, as is the lace. I followed Mercy's Tuesday Sketch Challenge #50, although I mine is square. I'm totally hooked on Mercy's sketches!

Enabler alert: Korin has added some seasonal stamps to the clearance sale... 70% off!!! You also MUST check out the two new releases for this month, Punny Fruits & Veggies and Trees of the Field.

I'm so glad you stopped by today. Don't forget... there's still one more week to enter for a chance to win one of my five Birthday Blog Candy prize packages! See the link at the top of my blog.