Life Laugh Love

Happy Friday! It's always a happy day when it's time for the bi-monthly Taylored Expressions Sketch Challenge!!! Our sketch challenge is taking place over at SCS in the Taylored Expressions Forum. In fact, all you need to do is pop over to the TESC Sketch Challenge #141 Forum Thread for all the deets on this week's challenge, to grab the sketch and find out how you can win a $10 Gift Certificate to spend at TE by playing along with us... or a $20 GC if you use TE stamps!

My card features images and greeting from Miniature Motifs and Tweet Hearts, two of the many stamp sets you can receive for free by subscribing to Taylored Expressions Key Ingredients Kits! Taylor has a great deal for new subscribers to the Key Ingredients kit club and you can read all about it below:

• Enroll in a 6 month Key Ingredients Subscription with payment to be charged to your credit or debit card monthly and receive your choice of one of the following Mini or Petite stamp sets FREE: Crafty Expressions, Beary Special Accessories, You're my Type Upper, You're my Type Lower & #'s, A Little Love, Moka Olivia, Moka Charlotte, Capture my Heart, Collectors Anonymous, Summer Wreath. Click HERE to take advantage of this special offer if you live in the US or Canada, or click HERE if you live outside of North America.

• Enroll in a  6 month Key Ingredients Subscription with one payment upfront and choose a FREE stamp set (Full-size, Mini or Petite) from this list: Miniature Motifs, Borderlicious, Fashionista, Bakery Business, Trick or Sweet II, Sweet Indulgence, Love Everywhere, Tweet Hearts, Luxurious Labels, Sweet Occasions, Crafty Expressions, Beary Special Accessories, You're my Type Upper, You're my Type Lower & #'s, A Little Love, Moka Olivia, Moka Charlotte, Capture my Heart, Collectors Anonymous, Summer Wreath. Click HERE for inspiration using these sets. Click HERE to take advantage of this special offer if you live in the US or Canada, or click  HERE if you live outside of North America.

PLEASE NOTE: When purchasing your subscription DO NOT add the FREE stamp set to your cart. Instead, leave a comment at checkout indicating the stamp set of your choice and we'll make sure it gets included with your first KI shipment.

These special offers are only good for new subscribers and they run through June 30th.

I personally LOVE Taylored Expressions Key Ingredients Kits, which make it so easy to pull your cards together quickly and looking great! The bonus of a free stamp set would make them irresistable to me. (*grin*)

Be sure to visit my Sketch Crew friends for lots of inspiration! And help us welcome our guest designers Jasmin & Kathi!!!

• Dawn Easton
  
• Jami Sibley
• Lisa Hjulberg
• Lori Craig
• Monika Davis
• Rachel Sztonyk
• Taylor VanBruggen
• Tracy Clemente
• Guest Designers: Jasmin & Kathi

Have a great day!

Take One Home!

Happy Tuesday! Time for another fun challenge at SCACD Friends With Heart Challange!!! This week the challenge is anything goes with a SCACD stamp (i.e., any stamp sold by SCACD... and there are MANY to chose from!). The prize up for grabs this month is The Natural Beauty Collection by Carmen Medlin for SCACD!!! Every time you play in our challenge in June your name goes into the hat to win. How cool is that?

The latest addition to my SCACD collection is the Hearts & Hugs Summer Collection by Victoria Case for SCACD. Love love love these sweet images! The first one I've inked up is A Puppy is Love. The patterned paper is Fly A Kite from the Lime Twist collection by My Mind's Eye, which I paired with border stickers and a button from the Emma's Shoppe collection by Crate Paper.

I hope you'll join us this week at SCACD Friends With Heart Challenge for a chance to win The Natural Beauty Collection. Be sure to visit my fellow SCACD Friends With Heart Challenge design team members to see what they have created to inspire you!

Danni

Lorraine

Mary Lou

Pattie

Renkata

Thanks for stopping by! Have a wonderful day my friends!

Summer Games

Hello my friends! Happy Saturday! Time for another fabulous sketch challenge at Sketch Saturday!!

I LOVE this sketch! I fussy cut the paper so that "Summer Games"would show behind this adorable image of Tilda playing hopscotch... something I loved to do as a child. (*smile*) The patterned paper and button are from the Emma's Shoppe collection by Crate Paper.

Why not come along and play with us this week? Our sponsor is Polycraft, offering a whopping 18 digi stamps as a prize!!! To see them all and for some wonderful eye candy, please visit the Sketch Saturday blog. As always, the design team ladies have knocked it out of the ballpark!

Thanks for stopping by! Have a wonderful weekend! Lucky me is going to a U2 concert tonight. Can't wait!

Happy Summer

Happy Tuesday! Time for another fun challenge at SCACD Friends With Heart Challange!!! This week the challenge is Summer Fun... anything that means summer to you! The prize up for grabs this month is The Natural Beauty Collection by Carmen Medlin for SCACD!!! Every time you play in our challenge in June your name goes into the hat to win. So what are you waiting for? ;)

I paired Hot Stuff from the Retro Crew Collection by Victoria Case for SCACD with patterned paper from the Seashore collection by October Afternoon to create a summer beach scene. The greeting is by SRM. Summer means the beach to me! Yay!

I hope you'll come along and play with us this week at SCACD Friends With Heart Challenge for a chance to win The Natural Beauty Collection. Be sure to visit my fellow SCACD Friends With Heart Challenge design team members to see what they have created with summer fun in mind.

Danni

Lorraine

Mary Lou

Pattie

Renkata

Thanks for stopping by! Have a wonderful day my friends!

Birthday Party Across the Miles!

Welcome to this Fantasy Birthday Tour for sweet friend Taylor VanBruggen.  Since we couldn't all be together today to throw a party we're having a virtual Birthday Party Across the Miles and everyone is invited to come along!  And what's a fantasy party without fantasy gifts?  If money were no object, this would be my gift to you Taylor...

(In my best Bob Barker voice)... a NEW CAR!!! A mini-van to be exact! Because the mini-van years are about to start for you and Jon. ;) And, of course, the one I'm "giving" you is fully tricked out with all the ups and extras. (*big smile*) I hope you like it!

Taylor, you are such a sweet friend indeed. I've grown to love you over the years. Thanks for letting me be a part of Taylored Expressions. Thank you for being such a great friend and supporting me in my business venture. I wish you every happiness on your birthday and always!

I'm not showing my card here so it will be a surprise, but of course it's late because I'm still Last Minute Lisa! lol

You should have come here from Lynn Put's blog, but if you didn't you might want to start this Fantasy Birthday Tour at the beginning on Jami Sibley's blog.  Next up is the fabulous Lori Craig's blog.

When you're finished making the rounds, be sure to visit Taylor's blog to wish her a happy birthday!

You've Got Star Quality!

A blessed Pentecost Sunday to you! This is the day that the Lord hath made, let us rejoice and be glad in it!

I am the challenge hostess this week at Stampin' Sisters in Christ.  I chose as my inspiration scripture Ephesians 6:2-4 (NRSV) "Honor your father and mother"--this is the first commandment with a promise: {3} "so that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth." {4} And, fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord." My challenge is to make a Father's Day card or a card praising our Father in Heaven.

My card features image and greeting from the wee Star Quality stamp set designed by Claire Brennan for The Craft's Meow. I've paired it with patterned paper from the Curtain Call collection and an envelope by Graphic 45. The car is cut from black felt using a Tim Holtz Old Jalopy die. I think this is kind of a cool Father's Day card for my dad, who happens to love old cars. ;)

As I wrote in my devotional on the SSIC blog:

Since next Sunday is Father's Day, I picked making a Father's Day card (or, alternatively, a card praising our Father in Heaven) as this week's challenge... you don't want to wait until the day of to make your cards do you? (*wink*) I asked one of the pastors at my church for a "good" scripture for Father's Day. He kindly provided me with a few. I chose this one because it embodies the two sides of fatherhood... both parent and child.

Children are commanded by God to honor their father and mother. (As a side note, we are taught that this commandment extends to all those in authority over us.) In this scripture, Paul reminds us of this first commandment and then exhorts fathers to "not provoke [their children] to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord." In the NIV version, the words are "do not exasperate your children." The footnote explains this means that "fathers must surrender any right they may feel they have to act unreasonably toward their children." Very good advice, don't you agree? And, of course, most importantly, fathers are told to raise their children "in the discipline and instruction of the Lord."

Unfortunately, no one is blessed with a father who never acts (or has acted) unreasonably toward his children and/or who has brought up their children perfectly in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. No one but our Lord is perfect and without sin. Nor have we, as children, always honored our earthly fathers. But the good news, my friends, is that our Heavenly Father will never act unreasonably towards us, and His commandments and the teachings of the Bible are filled with instruction on how to live Godly lives here on earth as we wait for the day when we claim everlasting life in His kingdom.

If you're lucky enough to have your earthly father around, be sure to show him some love for father's day... and at every opportunity you can. And since you're blessed with a Heavenly Father, be sure to show Him your love every day. He wants to hear from you... right now... I promise. ;)

Be sure to join us for our challenge this week. Our sponsor is Simon Says Stamp, offering a cute exclusive stamp set as a prize for one lucky player. I hope you'll also visit the SSIC blog to see the beautiful Father's Day cards created by our very talented and devoted design team.  You will be blessed!

Have a wonderful day, my friends!

4 You

Happy Saturday! Time for another fabulous sketch challenge at Sketch Saturday!!

I flipped the sketch on its side for my card featuring Marci With Flower from La-La Land Crafts. I paired her with patterned paper from the Brioche collection by Memory Box and some cute fabric brads by Martha Stewart Crafts.

I hope you'll play with us this week! Our sponsor is Simon Says Stamp! For more inspiration, please visit the Sketch Saturday blog to see the CUTE cards created by our fabulous international design team. You will love what you see!

Thanks for stopping by! Have a wonderful weekend!

Showering You With Love

TGIF!!! Time once again for the bi-monthly Taylored Expressions Sketch Challenge!!! Our sketch challenge is taking place over at SCS in the Taylored Expressions Forum. In fact, all you need to do is pop over to the TESC Sketch Challenge #140 Forum Thread for all the deets on this week's challenge, to grab the sketch and find out how you can win a $10 Gift Certificate to spend at TE by playing along with us... or a $20 GC if you use TE stamps!

My card features sweet images and greeting from the It's in the Bag stamp set and the companion Shopping Bag and Labels die set.

I hope you'll come along and play with us! Since the sketch challenge is now bi-monthly (2nd and 4th Fridays), you have until June 23rd to play! Why not enter more than once and show your TE stamp sets some love!

Be sure to visit my Sketch Crew friends for lots of inspiration! And help us welcome our guest designer Meredith!!!

• Dawn Easton
  
• Jami Sibley
• Lori Craig
• Melissa Sauls
• Monika Davis
• Rachel Sztonyk
• Taylor VanBruggen
• Tracy Clemente
• Guest Designer: Meredith 

Have a great day!

It's Summertime!

Well, almost! (*grin*) Although, quite frankly, since I'm a fall/winter girl, I'm not that excited about hot weather. I think I'm living in the wrong climate. ;)

Happy Tuesday! We have a sketch challenge for you today at SCACD Friends With Heart Challange!!! The prize up for grabs this month is The Natural Beauty Collection by Carmen Medlin for SCACD!!! Wow, what a lucky duck she/he will be who wins that set will be! Every time you play in our challenge in June your name goes into the hat to win. So what are you waiting for? ;)

I flipped the sketch on its side for my card featuring Just Chill'n from the Retro Crew Collection by Victoria Case for SCACD. I've paired her with patterned paper from the Dots and Stripes Candy Shoppe collection by Echo Park. The greeting is by SRM.

I happen to have an extra Just Chill'n stamp, so I thought I'd run a little blog candy opp this week. If you play in the challenge and then come back here and leave a link to your card, you'll be entered for a chance to win!

I hope you'll come along and play with us this week at SCACD Friends With Heart Challenge for a chance to win The Natural Beauty Collection (and Just Chill'n). Be sure to visit my fellow SCACD Friends With Heart Challenge design team members to see what they have created to inspire and delight you:

Danni

Lorraine

Mary Lou

Pattie

Renkata

Have a wonderful day!

Fun in the Sun

Happy Saturday! Before we get started on today's sketch at Sketch Saturday, I want to announce the winner of my "Party Bag Candy" from last week's competition celebrating SS's 3rd Birthday. And that lucky winner is Red Squirrel!!  Congratulations! Please email me at thecraftsmeow@gmail.com with your address and I'll get your secret prize right out to you!

Now on to this week's sketch by our challenge hostess Jeanette Comerford!

Our sponsor this week is My Favorite Things, so I pulled out one of their Sweet Innocence images (this one is Beach Bum) for my card. I love the beach, and this is how I plan to spend a good part of my summer. (*grin*) There's something about being near the ocean that makes me feel more peaceful.

I paired this sweet image with patterned paper from the Snorkel collection by Cosmo Cricket, which I sponged heavily with Tim Holtz Walnut Stain Distress Ink.

Come on and play with this fabulous sketch for a chance to win a $25 Gift Certificate to spend at MFT! For more inspiration, please visit the Sketch Saturday blog to see the loveliness created by our fabulous international design team. You will love what you see!

Thanks for stopping by! Have a wonderful weekend!