Little Bit Of Life

She's Coming Home!!!

2011-05-28T22:16:00.000-04:00

I'm so happy to report that my daughter, Corporal Kristina Lockhart Beko will be coming back from her 7 month deployment to Afghanistan in just a few days! Just a couple of weeks ago, she was promoted to Corporal which was her second meritorious promotion since joining the United States Marines. We are so very proud of her and her accomplishments and the fact that she serves her country with pride.

While I wasn't able to participate in the Operation Write Home Memorial Day Weekend blog hop this year, I did want to post and thank all the wonderful cardmakers out there for their time and talents in keeping our military members supplied with cards to send home. Kristina loved receiving the boxes that Sandy sent to her and her fellow Marines did as well. Lots of family and friends of ours received so many beautiful hand made cards thanks to all you wonderful card makers! Thank you from the bottom of my heart!

I thought I'd share a few pictures that she took while in Afghanistan. I hope you enjoy them!

This was taken when she first arrived at Camp Leatherneck. November 2010

Truck in the middle with the big #1 is what she drives..

Common site of Camels traveling around the villages.

Kristina and her fellow Marines enjoying cookies from Archway and Valentines Cards from Operation Write Home!

This would be her sleeping quarters. She keeps it nice and neat just like home..LOL

Promoting to Corporal! OOHRAH Baby Girl!

Standing in the poppy fields..

Goofing around in the back of the dump truck!

Kristina with all the cards she received for her 21st Birthday

Kristina with the Afghan kids.

Caleb, Kristina, JB and Luque! I can't wait to hug them all!

Purse-onally I Think Your The Best!

2011-04-03T00:37:00.000-04:00

Hi Friends!

Hope you are all having a great weekend. I worked today (boo) and then took some pictures of a dear friends daughter for her Senior Prom. Ashlynn was just gorgeous. It's hard to believe that 3 years ago my daughter was attending her Senior Prom and now she's a United States Marine currently deployed in Afghanistan. Where does the time go?

Here's a few photos of the gorgeous young lady I photographed today.

Isn't she the cutest!!

Today, I am sharing a card I made with a GinaK Designs stamp set by Rupa Shevde called Retro Boutique.
These purses are just too cute. I paper pieced them after stamping the image and then cut the image out with my Nestabilities. Patterned paper is Basic Grey. I added buttons and bling for my accents.

Enjoy your weekend. I'll be back tomorrow with another card to share.

Cherry Blossoms

2011-03-31T22:11:00.000-04:00

Hi everyone,

Today was a total washout. Nothing but Severe Weather.. Rain, Wind, Tornadoes and over 5 inches of rain in some parts of my area. We got almost 4 inches, but my parents got over 5 inches. Luckily no damage to our house but the high winds did damage our shed out back.

So, today was a perfect day to make some cards. I had the day off of work because I have to work on Saturday... *BOO!

I used a sketch to make my card today. This sketch is from StampTV and I just loved it.
Here is a picture of the sketch:

This is my card:

Card Recipe:
Stamps: Cherry Blossom by Rubber Stampede; Sentiment stamp from GinaK Designs
Paper: Card base is GinaK Designs 120lb base weight white cardstock. Patterned paper is Basic Grey.
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black -Stampin Up Regal Rose for the shading around the image.
Accessories: Nestabilities: Scalloped Rectangles, Beaded Circles and Fancy Tags. Pearls for embellies.

I hope you enjoyed my card today. I'll be back tomorrow with another!

Bunny Hop Time!!

2011-03-05T10:32:00.000-05:00

Welcome to the Operation Write Home Bunny Hop! We have a great line up today of awesome card makers who love to support our troops! Make sure you start the "Bunny Hop" at the beginning so you don't miss a step along the way.

I've been under the weather all week with "Spring Time Allergies". The pollen count here in Florida has been way above normal and low and behold I've been bed ridden for 3 days with a nasty chest cold compliments of the allergies. YUCK! I'm actually missing the baby shower of very dear friend's daughter today because I don't want to pass this on to her or anyone else for that matter. I'm really bummed about missing the shower but just can't take a chance on getting the mother to be sick.

Before I share my card with you, please take note that the deadline to mail in your Easter Cards is March 18th and the deadline for Mother's Day Cards is March 31st.

Now on to my card... this cute little bunny is from Darcy's and I have had him for years. I love inking him up at Easter time! I colored him with copics and cut him out with my scalloped rectangle nesties. I sponged around the corners before I removed the image with Ranger Distress Ink "Broken China". I added a little piece of ribbon and then my sentiment.

If you haven't already looked around the Operation Write Home website, might I suggest you take a peek at the "Get Involved" page. Every little bit counts in helping support our troops.

Trivia Question:

How many members of my family are actively serving in the military at this time?

For each correct answer, I will donate .25 cents to OWH. Leave your answer in the comments section. Oh.. and you can find the answer to this question on the Operation Write Home website.. you might have to do a little digging.. but it's there. Your answer must be posted by midnight on Monday March 7th to count.

Thanks for stopping by today! I hope you enjoyed your visit and make sure your next stop is Michelle

OWH Stars and Stamps Sketch Challenge # 57

2011-02-21T23:15:00.000-05:00

Hi Everyone! I know it's been MONTHS since I've blogged, but that crazy thing called LIFE has been standing in my way! I have made a vow to start posting again frequently and to get back in my craft room more than once a month! My goal is to make at least one card per night for the next month! Let's see if I can do it! Wish me luck!

So, I decided to try out this weeks sketch challenge from OWH Starts and Stamps..
Here is the sketch...

I made two cards using this sketch, but changed the second one up a little.

Here's my first card: I used K&Co design paper. I distressed the DP and then inked the edges with Distress Ink. The sentiment is from Just Right Stamps. The embellies are also from K& Co.

The second card is just reversed on the sketch.

I'm looking forward to participating in the upcoming hop to be held on March 5th! I hope you'll mark your calendar to make sure you check out all the blogs participating to see the beautiful cards everyone will be showcasing.

Have a great night everyone!

Success! Cards for Operation Write Home!

2010-09-12T23:11:00.000-04:00

Hi Everyone! Hope you all had a wonderful weekend! Saturday was a day of reflection and prayer for our country as we marked the 9th anniversary of the tragic events on September 11, 2001. I know like all of you, I will NEVER FORGET that day. I pray that those who lost a husband, wife, son, daughter, friend or family member will be comforted by the loving memory of their loved one.

Two of my dear friends came over and we spent the day and into the night making cards for Operation Write Home. It was a successful day, with almost 30 cards made by the three of us. I wish we could have done more, but, we will have more get togethers soon!

Here's a collage of the cards we did get finished.

Thanks to Lynn and Amanda for helping me make these great cards!
I'll be back tomorrow with another post! Have a Happy Monday!

Happy Birthday to My BFF

2010-09-06T22:30:00.000-04:00

Kelli Sue Barrett Pittman. Born September 7th, and has been my best friend for the past 16 years. We've been through lots of ups and downs, laughed, cried, and always been there for each other.

I am blessed to have such a wonderful friend. Kelli is one of the most caring, thoughtful and generous persons I have ever known. She's got my back, just like I have hers. She is beautiful on the inside and out. She is like a sister to me.

Kelli, I hope you have a wonderful birthday, filled with love and all the things that make you happy. You are an amazing friend, amazing mother and I know that God has great plans for you.

Always remember you are loved and cherished by so many people, especially me!

Operation Write Home - Birthday Bash!

2010-09-06T22:16:00.000-04:00

Saturday, I'm having some friends over to make cards for Operation Write Home. I am very excited to get together for a day of friendship and crafting for a great cause.

My goal is to make at least 100 cards to send to our troops! If you are local and would like to join us, please do!

Here is a card I don't think I've shared. I just love HouseMouse stamps. I really need to use more of them.

Hope you all had a wonderful Labor Day Weekend. I had a nice one even though the weather wasn't that great. Good thing, the work week will be short!
I should have another card to share with you tomorrow night.

Thanks for stopping by!

Missing You is Ruff!

2010-08-26T21:47:00.000-04:00

Hi Everyone! I promised I'd be back tonight with some cards to share. I had such a fun time making these cards!

I followed a tutorial I found at Gina K's Stamp TV found here

The first card is made with a new stamp I purchased at StampFest in Orlando back in June. I bought it from Inky Antics and just love this little dog and the sentiment that goes with it.

The second card is similar but I didn't use the reverse nestabilities technique.

The last card I used one of my Gorjus Girls stamps by Sugar Nellie. I just love this little girl. Again, I used the Gina K reverse nestabilities technique. It's really very easy to do and I love the look of these cards!

I am hoping to get some cards made this weekend. I'm currently planning a get together to make cards for the troops for Operation Write Home. September is their big Birthday Bash and I'd love to send them a great big batch of cards! I'm looking to have the stamping get together on September 11th. If you are in the area and would like to join me, please let me know! I'd love to have you!

Card Details:

Stamps: Inky Antics and Gorjus Girls
Ink: Memento - Tuxedo Black
Coloring: Copic Markers
Cardstock: Stampin Up
Nestabilities, Cuttlebug Folder Swiss Dots

Thanks for visiting! Have a wonderful Friday!

A Busy Summer!

2010-08-26T00:13:00.000-04:00

I can't believe I haven't blogged since Father's Day! I fully intend to start blogging on a regular basis again. I hope you all have had a wonderful summer! We had a wonderful time at our annual beach vacation in New Smyrna Beach.I celebrated my 29th birthday again while we were at the beach this year. (LOL) It was a great time, my best friend and her son came this year and my son Eric was actually able to come for a couple days and spend my birthday with me. He hadn't been to the beach with us in about 4 years.

We've also been spending a lot of time on the boat this year. The weather has been so gorgeous this summer but extremely hot! I really enjoy boating. It is so relaxing to be out on the water.

Here's a photo of my niece Adele on her first attempt wakeboarding. She has become the little expert after a week of practice!
I have made a few cards, but need to take photos so I can post them. I will do that tomorrow night on the next post.

This is me and my son Eric on my birthday. I just love this boy! I don't get to spend much time with him anymore as he works on the road most of the time.

Here are my two beautiful children on 4th of July. Kristina was able to come home for a 4 day weekend and we really enjoyed spending time her. She is currently in California doing her Pre-deployment training. She will be deploying to Afghanistan in early November.

That's it for now.. Hope you all are well and ready to start seeing some cards! I'm ready to start stamping again!

Hugs!

Happy Father's Day!

2010-06-20T17:35:00.001-04:00

Today is the day we celebrate or remember that special Dad in our life. I am so blessed to have a wonderful Dad. This is my Dad...

I am a very lucky girl to have such a wonderful father. He is my mentor, my friend and my inspiration. I love you Dad!

Today, I have a couple of cards to share. Yesterday, I went to StampFest in Orlando and had a wonderful day with my friends Lynn and Amanda. I got lots of great new stamping things that I can't wait to play with... Here's a couple of photos of all my goodies.

I can't wait to make some cards for OWH with these two stamps! Aren't they adorable? I also got really good deals on the Just Rite Stamp sets. I used the "By The Sea" stamp set to make a Father's Day card from my Dad and my Dear Hubby.

Both cards are stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black ink and colored with Copic Markers. The first card is for my Dad...

I cased this card from the Just Rite Gallery and found this awesome card made by Kathy J. Her blog is Inspired To Stamp. This is the card of her's that I cased: Click here
This card I made for my husband and the father of my children. I am also blessed to have such a great husband. I love you sweetie!

I hope you all have a wonderful day spending time with your family!

S & S Sketch Challenge #21

2010-06-15T21:48:00.000-04:00

Good Evening! I don't know how the weather is where you live, but here in Florida it is HOT!!!!!!!!
This morning when I got up it was 90 degrees. Our high today was 97 with a heat index over 100 degrees! UGH. It's only mid June... I can't imagine how hot it will be in July and August which are our really hot months.

This week Karen gave us a great sketch to work with. I strayed a little bit from the original..using an Oval image instead of a square image.

Here's the Sketch:

This is the card I made:

Card Details:
Stamps: Just Rite Stamps - Breath of Spring Borders
Colored with Copics- Crystal Effects on Tulips; Red Stickles on border

Thanks for stopping by tonight. I'd love to hear your comments on my card.

Enjoyed the Sunshine Today!

2010-06-13T20:16:00.000-04:00

Hi everyone.. I hope you all have had a wonderful weekend! I had a nice one myself. I have a few photos to share from my day today boating with my dad and cousin Josef. I have a couple of cards to share too, so sit tight and bear with me...

Josef is really great at wakeboarding and we spent the afternoon on Tampa Bay soaking in the sunshine and heat!

As we headed into the bay, we saw a wonderful display of Sailboats...

We headed to a popular boating place called Beer Can Island...but it was a little too crowded for us to anchor down and slip onto the island, so we just circled the island and headed back towards downtown Tampa..

As we headed back in, we passed the beautiful Carnival Cruise Ship - The Legend.

Then Josef decided to do a little wakeboarding...

It was a fun day!

Now my cards to share....

I finally have my box of cards for Operation Write Home ready to ship! Included in this box are about 15 Any Hero Cards that I had my scrapbooking girlfriends sign when I went to a weekend retreat back in April. Some of the ladies actually made their entire cards, other's just wrote a message to a Hero inside and then I made the cards when I got home. Here's a few of the cards:

I also made a card for a friend of mine's little girl Gabriella to give to her father for Father's Day. I love this GinaK designs stamp called " With Daddy's Help". The designer paper is Basic Grey and I colored the image with Copics.

Thanks for stopping by today. I hope to have another card to share with you tomorrow! Have a great week everyone!

Bella Birthday Card...

2010-06-10T18:36:00.001-04:00

Greetings! I have a card to share today.. though it's rather simple. I've been trying to put cards together to get a box sent to Operation Write Home for the troops. I've got so many images already colored and I just need to get my butt in gear to put the images on cards.

I'm also excited that this weekend my friend Lynn is coming over and we are going to be card making fools. I have about 7 cards I need to make for myself to give to people and then I'm planning on making more for the troops.

If you are interested in making some cards for our troops, we'd love you to join our great group! You can find all the information you need at Operation Write Home's website. Check out the videos there too! It's really been awesome seeing all the publicity lately in the magazines like CardMaker, PaperCrafts and even Creating Keepsakes! If everyone just sent in 10 cards a year, we would make a lot of servicemen and women very happy!

My daughter will be deploying soon to Afghanistan. She already told me that she wants OWH to send her boxes of cards to share with her unit.

I hope everyone is geared up for summer! It's HOT as heck here in Florida. I hope to have another card to share with you tomorrow night!

Have a great evening and thanks for stopping by!

What Memorial Day Means To Me

2010-05-29T10:00:00.075-04:00

Good Morning! Thank you so much for stopping by my blog today! If you are following the hop in order you just came from Heather's blog Stamptastic Creations. To start at the beginning of the hop, please start at the Stars and Stripes Blog.

If you are just learning about Operation Write Home, you are in for something! I am so proud to be a cardmaker for OWH and help give our servicemen and women something to send home to their loved ones. We are a group of cardmakers focused on making hand made cards for our troops to send back home to their loved ones. We make cards for all occasions: all the major holidays, birthdays, thinking of you, and Any Hero cards which are cards we send to the soldiers to thank them for their service and send encouragement to them while they are deployed. You can find a wealth of information on the Operation Write Home website. They also have a Facebook page and two blogs.

My daughter is currently serving in the United States Marine Corps. My husband is retired from the Army. My Grandfather was a Colonel in the Army during WW2. My brother Stephen served during the Persian Gulf War in the Army. My Uncle Wayne served his whole career in the United States Coast Guard. My cousin Jim served in the Navy and Air Force. My brother in law Jim, served in the Air Force.

As you can see I have a strong line of military pride in my family. Memorial Day is an important day to our family as we remember the fallen heroes that have made our country the best place to live on earth. I am grateful for all of the branches of Service that defend our freedom and ensure that my family sleeps safely every night. The pride that I feel as my daughter serves as one of the Fewer and Proud is indescribable. Thank you to all of the past, present and future servicemen and women who defend our country and serve it so well!

The theme for our blog hop is " Miss You". My card is dedicated to the memory of my brother who passed away in 2007 and to my daughter who I miss everyday as she is away from home serving our country.

My card is made with the Red White and Blue theme with a Tilda stamp from Magnolia. I colored this cutie with Copic Markers. I cut out Tilda and popped her up with dimensionals to give the card a little extra zip.

We would love to recruit some new card makers for OWH. Even if you are new to card making, please think about joining us in this great cause. Our soldiers LOVE cards of any kind! There are some wonderful tutorials on the OWH website and especially on the Stars and Stamps blog! The Facebook site is a great place to ask questions and get answers from all the cardmakers. Don't be shy... we'd love to have you join in our passion to make these cards for our troops!

The next stop on the hop is Deborah at Thoughts of a Grasshopper. I know you'll enjoy her creation! She does fabulous work! Please leave a comment if you stopped by today. I'd love to hear from you!

Have a Wonderful Memorial Day Weekend!

Coming Up For Air......

2010-05-24T23:01:00.000-04:00

I can't believe it's been two months since I have blogged! I have to remedy this situation and fast! I'm back in the craft room and have some new cards to share.. but, I won't share them all at one time.

So, since I last posted, my daughter has moved to her permanent duty station in North Carolina. I was blessed to be able to travel there on Mother's Day Weekend to spend some time with her and see her new home. My husband and I drove her car up to her and boy was she ever happy! She's been without her car since October. I was a little worried she might have forgotten how to drive. LOL

I've been busy lately making cards for Operation Write Home. For those of you who know me, you know that this is an organization near and dear to my heart. This Saturday, on Memorial Day Weekend, I will be participating in my third blog hop with OWH. I hope you'll take a few minutes this weekend to visit the wonderful cardmakers to see the great creations and tributes we have to share with you in honor of our service men and women.

The card I have to share with you tonight is a card I made using the sketch challenge from the Stars and Stamps Blog

I love this cute Magnolia stamp.. Tilda with bee. Isn't she the cutest?? I colored her with Copic Markers. I will be back tomorrow night to share another card with you. I hope you have a great day! Thanks for visiting!

Lucky Winner of My Blog Candy and a card to share....

2010-03-22T22:58:00.000-04:00

Good evening everyone!! Thanks again to everyone who stopped by on the Blog Hop! It was so much fun and I thoroughly enjoyed everyone's cards and posts along the hop! What an awesome group of talent we have making cards for our heroes!!

The lucky winner of my blog candy is Rufus! I've sent you an email.. please reply back with your mailing address so I can get the goodies in the mail to you!

I have another card to share with you all. If you know me, you know that Magnolia stamps are one of my all time favorites! I made this card by paper piecing Tilda's outfit with designer paper. I colored the rest in with my Copic Markers.

This is a very simple card, but sometimes I like simple! LOL

Hope you enjoy it!

I will be back tomorrow night with another card to share.. meanwhile I hope everyone has a wonderful Tuesday!

Hugs,

It's Blog Hop Time!!!

2010-03-20T09:00:00.012-04:00

Welcome to the Spring Operation Write Home Blog Hop!

I’m so glad you are here! If you didn’t start at the beginning, please go here:

http://www.owhstarsandstamps.org

I’d hate for you to miss out on any of the great blogs before me!

If you came here from Joscie’s Blog.. you are following the right path.

I am so excited to be participating in today’s blog hop. Last October my daughter joined the Unites States Marine Corps. My husband served 20 years in the US Army, and my brother served in the Army during Operation Desert Storm. I had taken a break from cardmaking while my daughter was in bootcamp and have just started crafting again. I’m really happy to be making cards for our troops so they can send cards back home to their friends and loved ones.

I have two cards I’m sharing today as well as some blog candy!

The first card is my spring card I created..

The image is from Sugar Nellie, sentiment from Stampin Up, and designer paper from Basic Grey. Cardstock Stampin Up and I used my Copic Markers to color my image.

The second card is one I have made to send to “Any Hero”. I will write a note of thanks to let our heroes know how much I appreciate their service to our country.

To be entered in the drawing for my blog candy pictured below, please leave a comment on my blog no later than Sunday night at 10pm EST. I will draw a name from the comments on Monday evening and post the winner here on Monday night. I am also committing to making one card for each comment left here.

It gives me such a sense of honor to be involved with Operation Write Home. I know how much these men and women sacrifice to keep up safe and Free! I hope during your many clicks through this blog hop, we will inspire you to make a few cards for our troops! Please visit the OWH website to see what a great organization Sandy runs. The website is full of information, motivational stories, cardmaking tips and the Stars and Stamps blog also runs weekly challenges!

Your next stop on the hop is none other than Sandy, the Operation Write Home founder and President. She works tirelessly with many other women to get these cards shipped to our troops every week.

Thanks so much for stopping by today! Have fun visiting all the other wonderful blogs on the hop!

Two New Cards... Gorjus Girls

2010-03-18T23:41:00.000-04:00

Hi everyone! I have two cards to show you tonight. I've had these adorable stamps - Gorjus Girls for quite some time and just love them. I just love the little girl that's got attitude!

Both of these cards were colored with Copic Markers. I hope you like!

I'm ready for the big Blog Hop on Saturday! I really hope that you'll stop by and also play along with the rest of us who are hopping! I can't wait to see all the wonderful cards out there!

I 'll be back tomorrow night with another card to share! Have a great Friday!!

Getting Ready For The Blog Hop--- Operation Write Home- Join Us!

2010-03-15T23:47:00.001-04:00

As many of you know, the military men and women hold a very special place in my heart. Now that I have a daughter serving proudly in the United States Marine Corps, I have to say my love has grown to a whole new level.

When I first started cardmaking 2 years ago, I started out by reading lots of different blogs. I came across a blog called Cards For Heroes which has now evolved into Operation Write Home. OWH is a non profit organization that sends thousands of cards to the deployed troops all over the world. These hand made cards are made by thousands of different card makers who generously donate to this great cause.

When my daughter was traveling from her last training base to the current training base, she flew into St. Louis International Airport. I told her to make sure she stopped by the USO room at the airport if she had time to kill before her bus arrived to transport her to her base. She was so excited when she found a box of hand made cards there that had been donated. She found several cards she took and a few days later she surprised me by sending me one. Inside she wrote how the cards immediately brought a smile to her face because she knew how much work us card makers put into making them.

She even likes to make cards too. I always have fun helping her create a card for a friend or her sweetheart.
Anyway, on Saturday, March 20th, OWH is holding a blog hop. We have 80 people participating and we'd love to have you join us!

I've been busy getting things ready and will have some blog candy to offer on Saturday. I'll get a picture posted here in the next couple of days. I'm steadily getting back into the card making mode and hope you'll like the cards I have to share.

Stay tuned for more... Please visit the website link above if you are interested in participating with us on Saturday.

I'm Still Here....

2010-02-27T22:19:00.000-05:00

Hi everyone... I'm still here and just returned from seeing my Marine graduate from the last portion of her Basic Training for the United States Marine Corps. My dad, also in this picture with Kristina and me, accompanied me on the 12 hour drive from Florida to North Carolina to see the graduation. It was so nice to see my girl and yes, we are soooo proud of her!

She is now in Missouri at her MOS school learning the job she will do. She is in the Motor Transport Field and will learn to drive different vehicles. She'll find out where she'll be stationed permanently in about 5 weeks.

Now that things have settled down, I am really looking forward to getting back into card making and doing a scrapbook for Kristina.

I hope to start blogging again on a regular basis! I've really missed you guys! Hope everyone is doing well and life is good! I'll start popping in your blogs again soon!

Hugs to you all!

Monica

We Have A New United States Marine!

2010-01-11T23:12:00.000-05:00

Hi Ladies!

I know I haven't blogged in FOREVER!! I haven't had time to make cards in so long and I really really miss it!

The past 13 weeks my daughter Kristina has been going through boot camp at Parris Island, SC. I am happy and oh so proud to tell you she just graduated and is now a United States Marine!

I promise I will be back soon! I'm going to get back in the craft room and start creating again!

Hope you all are doing well!

Hugs!

Monica
Proud Marine Mom to PFC Kristina!

Up Up And Away....

2009-08-26T22:44:00.004-04:00

My best friend Kelli and her husband Randy just celebrated their 20th Anniversary on August 12th. They celebrated their special day by going up in a hot air balloon. I got to go along for the ride and take pictures of their ride...

This is the card that I made for their anniversary. I found this stamp set while I was at CHA in Orlando. It's a Unity Stamp set and when I saw it I knew I had to buy it just to make this card for Kelli and Randy.

Thanks for stopping by! I hope to have some new creations to share with you soon!

Holes In The Floor Of Heaven.....

2009-08-26T21:06:00.005-04:00

I can't believe how long it's been since I posted on my blog! Since I last posted, I've had a lot going on. On July 18th, my best friend's mother lost a courageous battle with lung cancer. Betty Barrett was a very special lady and I will miss her dearly. Below is a picture I took of Betty and my best friend Kelli just over a year ago at Betty's 50th Anniversary Party.

WALK IN SUNSHINE
May you always walk in sunshine and God’s love around you flow, for the happiness you gave us, no one will ever know, it broke our hearts to lose you, but you did not go alone, a part of us went with you, the day God called you home. A million times we've needed you. A million times we've cried. If love could only have saved you. You never would have died. The Lord be with you and may you rest in peace. Amen

Family Beach Vacation.... Not So Sunny Florida!

2009-07-08T22:42:00.004-04:00

Well, we arrive at our annual Beach Vacation in New Smyrna Beach, Florida on Saturday, July 4th. The weather was beautiful the first two days. Yesterday and today, we got very little sun and lots of clouds and thunderstorms! Not my ideal vacation, but any time away with family and friends can't be all that bad, right?

I was able to take some pictures the first few days.. thought I'd share some with you.
When I get home, I'm looking forward to doing some creating in the craft room and hoping my Summer Magnolia kit has arrived when I get home.

This is a fun shot I took of all the kids here. They love for me to spend hours taking photos of them! They have a blast acting goofy and modeling for the camera!

This is my daughter Kristina and my hubby Bennie.

This is my daughter in the middle with her Best Friend Mallory on the right and friend Emily on the left. We have been vacationing at the same Condo on New Smyrna Beach with Mallory's family for the last 9 years. Mallory's family has been coming here for longer and told us about this Condo and beach. We just love it here.

That's it for now. I'll post again soon I promise!!! I hope everyone had a wonderful 4th of July holiday!

Where Is Monica......

2009-06-23T00:49:00.003-04:00

OMG! I can't believe it's been over a month since I've posted on my blog! I have been such a bad blogger!! Life has just taken over lately and honestly, I haven't had the energy to craft lately. I've still been putting in a ton of hours at work. I'm at the point of burnout now.

A friend of mine that I work with asked me to make her daughter some Thank You cards for her Graduation. She loved Diplomabella and thought it would make a great thank you card. So, here are the cards I made her.

I really missed card making. I promised myself tonight that I'm going to get back to making cards and posting more regularly!

My friends Lynn and Amanda and I are planning to go to CHA this year! It's here in Orlando and we are so excited!

Other exciting news on the homefront... my daughter is planning to join the United States Marine Corps! She busy studying for the entrance test and working her butt off on PT right now. I know some of you are wondering how I feel about my daughter joining the military. Well, I couldn't be more proud. She loved ROTC in High School and thrived there. I know she will do well at anything she puts her mind to. Her plans to go in in September. Keep her in your prayers as she goes through her round of tests and physical training, please!

See you soon!!

Something Exciting! Join Me For The First Ever CardsForHeroes Blog Hop!

2009-05-21T22:45:00.006-04:00

I am participating in the first ever Cards For Heroes Blog Hop. What a perfect weekend to hold such an event as we all celebrate Memorial Day. Those of you who know me or follow my blog know that I have a strong love for our men and women who serve our country. My brother and my husband both served in the Army. My Uncle Wayne was in the Coast Guard for over 25 years, my Uncle Jim made his career in the Navy and his son Jimmy served in both the Navy and the Air Force. I've posted here before about Corporal Kevin Lowe, United States Marine Corps, who is like a second son to me. He just returned home from his tour of duty in Iraq this past March. I wish I had a photo to share of each of my family members that have served our country. I think I'll make a point to do that and post some photos of them in uniform.

CardsForHeroes is a non-profit group whose mission is to send blank handmade greeting cards to our troops so they will have cards to send back home to their family and friends.

Please visit the website and read some of the inspiring stories and then join us on Saturday, May 23rd for the blog hop!

A Few Pictures From Kevin's Visit Home!

2009-05-10T18:33:00.003-04:00

Kevin and me. I love this picture!

Kevin and my dad.

Kevin's dad, Bob, my mom, Kevin, Debbie, Kevin's Mom and me

My Mom, Kevin and my Dad.

Just wanted to share a few pictures of our visit with Kevin when he was home from his Post Iraq trip home. We had a great dinner at my parent's house. Kevin is back in California now at his home base at Camp Pendleton. Last week, on May 7th, he turned the big 21!!

Love you and miss you Kevin!!

Happy mothers day!

2009-05-10T18:31:00.000-04:00

Just wanted to wish you all a happy mothers day! I don't have a card to share yet but should later tonight. Also test posting from my blackberry to see if this works.

I Am Still Alive and Kicking!!

2009-04-27T00:29:00.000-04:00

I can't believe how long it's been since I have posted on my blog!! Gosh..life has just totally been out of control busy lately. I have been working so much overtime at work it's unreal. I literally have had no time to even step into my stamp room. I did manage to get away last weekend to a 3 day Scrapbooking retreat. My friend Lynn went with me and we had a great time. I finally finished my daughters scrapbook! I'll try to post some of my favorite layouts soon.

Speaking of Lynn... today was her birthday. Happy Birthday Lynnie!! I hope you had a wonderful day!
I made this card card for Lynn and will be giving it to her tomorrow. This Tilda is from the recent Spring Kit. I think she's just too cute! The paper is Basic Grey and Stampin Up Regal Rose cardstock is the base. I stamped Tilda on my new Gina K Pure Luxury cardstock! I REALLY REALLY like it!!

Yesterday, I got my Gorjus Girls pre-order in the mail and OMG.. I can't wait to color them and create a card! I'm hoping to be able to do that this week if I can find the energy!

I hope you all are well! I've missed you and I'm looking forward to getting back into my regular blogging mode!

Thanks for stopping by!

I'm Still Here..

2009-03-22T23:07:00.003-04:00

Sorry I haven't posted in over 10 days. Work has been so busy and my camera is on the fritz. I had to send it in for service. I have been creating and hope to share some cards with you sometime this week. I have kept up with my Christmas Stamping All Year Long challenges and as soon as I can I will post my creations.

Saturday, I went to a new stamp store in Lakeland and got a new set of Nesties, Scalloped Circles, two new stamp sets from Cornish Heritage Farms and a new 6X6 Basic Grey "Eva" paper pad. Love it!! The stamp sets I bought are sentiments, one for Mother's Day and the other Birthday sentiments.

I also went to Violette's Yard Sale on Saturday and picked up a few good stamps :)

My Magnolia Spring Kit finally arrived Saturday as well and the images are just adorable. I can't wait to play with them.

On a Happy Note... Kevin came home from Iraq on Thursday!! His mom and dad, flew out to meet him and Debbie, Kevin's mom sent me a couple of pictures! So glad he's back on US Soil! He'll be back home on April 3rd and I just can't wait to hug him!!!

Here Kitty Kitty....

2009-03-09T01:01:00.004-04:00

I made this card for a very dear cousin who celebrated her birthday on Friday. Meryn is a cat lover and I knew this image would be perfect for her. Isn't it the cutest? The stamp is from Cornish Heritage Farms and I actually bought this stamp as a gift for my friend Amanda when we went to Stamp Fest a few weeks ago. I asked to borrow it to make this card for Meryn and Amanda was so sweet to let me. Thanks Manda!!

I've had a busy weekend and didn't get much crafting in at all. Yesterday, I went to the Strawberry Festival which is an annual event here in Plant City, Florida that showcases lots of Country Music and yummy strawberries! It's my favorite festival of the year. The weather yesterday was gorgeous and it was a wonderful day spent with my husband, parents and niece.

I hope to spend lots of time in my craft room this week and share some cards with you all. Thanks for stopping by!!

Cardstock: Stampin Up and Basic Grey
Stamp: Cornish Heritage Farms; Sentiment from Stampin Up Wonderful Words
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black
Ribbon: Michaels
Coloring: Copic Markers

Christmas Stampin' All Year Long- Challenge #6

2009-03-03T00:20:00.004-05:00

This week Maria provided a wonderful sketch with a twist. Our card could only have one embellishment on it and the chosen embellishment was eyelets! You had to use at least 3 eyelets but could use more if you wanted.

If you haven't already visited the Christmas Stampin' All Year Round Challenge Blog, you really should go see all the wonderful inspiration over there! Each week a new challenge is posted and it helps me get my Christmas cards done early. I don't know about you, but last year I was scrambling to get them all done and it stressed me out!

This is the card I created...

This Tilda is a Magnolia stamp that I got in the Winter kit. I just think she's adorable and need to ink her up more!

Just Sitting Here....

2009-03-02T09:45:00.000-05:00

I made this card last weekend when the girls were over to stamp. I love this Tilda. She came in my WinterKit and I had so much fun coloring her.

Just another simple card.. not much bling to it. But I like it!

Stampin Up Stamp Club...

2009-03-01T21:48:00.002-05:00

I have a Stamp Club and I'm looking for more people to join.

What is a Stamp Club you ask??

The club runs for 6 months and with 6 people. Each month you commit to purchase a minimum of $25 in product from any current catalog. Each person in the club will get to be the hostess one of the months and earn the hostess benefits that month. You also get a free catalog of your own.

This is a great way to slowly build your Stampin Up supplies and stamp sets. If you are interested, please email me at riverviewstamper@gmail.com

I will send you the agreement form!

I promised...

2009-03-01T20:20:00.006-05:00

I would share some photos of my craft room. I'm not finished with it yet..I do need to get some things hung on the wall and I'm hoping to go to Ikea next weekend to pick up some shelves and the racks to hang all my punches on.

This is the view from the doorway looking in.

Another view of the workspace.

This is the shelf I have DP stacks, stamps and more stamps on...

The countertops I put in were purchased at Lowes and were very inexpensive.

This is my cuttlebug and the basket behind it where I store my nesties and embossing folders.

This is another shelf on the other side of the window. Holds more stuff! (Ha- should have said junk!)

This is an extra table I have set up so my buddies can stamp with me!

Thanks for visiting today! I will have a card to show in just a little bit. I had a good day crafting today!

Missing You......

2009-02-27T00:38:00.004-05:00

Here's another card I made last weekend. I just love this Tilda by Magnolia stamps. The card is very simple, but I really like how it turned out. I used a new corner punch I got at Joann's to insert the stamped image in. I stamped the sentiment from Gina K on the front and that's it!

Simple. Sometimes I really like simple.

I'm so glad the weekend is here. I hope to get some crafting time in and I'm really hoping my Spring Kit from Magnolia stamps shows up in my mailbox.

Thanks for stopping by! I really do appreciate all the nice comments I get on my cards! Hugs to you all!

Wacky Wednesday....

2009-02-26T07:00:00.000-05:00

I'll tell you, today was one Wacky Wednesday! Work was beyond insane! I hope you all are having a great week so far. I'm already looking forward to the weekend so I can get some more stamping done.

Today I have Tilda with Balloons to share with you. My friend Lynn has this cute Tilda and she let me borrow her to ink up some images. I just love her. A couple of weeks ago, one of my SBS sisters, Kim, posted the cutest card using paperpiecing and she used this same stamp. You have to check out her card here.

I have tried my hand at casing her card, but don't have it quite finished yet. I hope to get it finished and posted in the next day or two.

Hope you come back again to visit.. Have a great day everyone!

Card Recipe:
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black
Stamps: Magnolia
Cardstock: Stampin Up- real red- Certainly Celery
Coloring medium- Copic Markers
Emellishments: Cuttlebug embossing folder
Designer paper- Basic Grey- Urban Prairie.

A Birthday Card For Becky....

2009-02-25T01:17:00.000-05:00

One of my friends Becky celebrated her birthday on Sunday and this is the card I made for her. She really liked it! I used my Janome Sew Mini to do the stitching on the card using Basic Grey Designer paper. I just love this image from Whiff of Joy. I colored her with Copic markers and used my Nesties to cut out the image.

Well.. yesterday I asked who out there is watching American Idol. Little did I know that President Obama was speaking tonight so no Americal Idol tonight. I hope you all had a great day today!

Be back tomorrow with another card to share!

Birthday Bella

2009-02-24T00:23:00.001-05:00

It's Tuesday and American Idol is on tonight.. are you watching this season? I'm really liking Danny the best so far. I'm so glad he made it through last week.

Today I'm sharing a simple gate fold card with Birthday Bella from Stamping Bella. I just love her! I made this card for a Birthday girl on the other side of the big pond. Putting it the mail tomorrow and hoping it arrives in time for her birthday.

Thanks for stopping by!

Card Recipe:
Stamp: Stamping Bella
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black
Paper: Basic Grey, Stampin Up Cardstock,
Coloring: Copic Markers

Challenge #5- Christmas Stamping All Year Long

2009-02-23T15:14:00.000-05:00

Well this is week number 5 for the challenge divas over at Maria's Christmas Stamping All Year Long. This week we were given the instructions to use the colors purple, pink and blue and to use the sketch shown.

These colors don't sound like they'd make a good Christmas card, but I love them together!

My image is Tilda with cap from Magnolia stamps. I am so in love with these stamps. You all will probably get tired of seeing them on my blog!

The DP is from a Christmas stack I got at Michaels. I used Stampin Up cardstock for my base and accenting cardstock.

Lauren in Love- New Paper Makeup Stamps!

2009-02-22T23:59:00.003-05:00

Hi everyone! I hope you all had a wonderful weekend. Yesterday, Lynn and Amanda came over and we stamped our hearts out. I got 6 cards finished and am so happy that I'll have lots to share with you this week.

Tonight I am sharing a card I made with a brand new stamp line that I have just fallen in love with. Katie from Paper Make Up stamps has just started her own company and she has the most adorable images. She has a pre-order special going on right now for her March Release stamps. Go check it out! You'll love her stuff. She is also starting to carry Nestibilites too!

I colored Lauren In Love with my Copic Markers. I added the grass stamp from Amuse stamps to add a little extra scenery.You can't really see it very well, but I used Angel Wing Shimmerz on her wings. The designer paper is from Basic Grey. The sentiment is from Gina K designs. I added some pink organza ribbon for accent. Other embellishments are the baubles and brads.

Thanks for stopping by and I hope everyone has a Happy Monday!

Card Recipe:
Stamps: Paper Make Up, Amuse, Gina K Designs
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black
Paper; PTI, Basic Grey, Stampin Up
Embellishments: Ribbon from Michaels, Brads and Baubles, Shimmerz
Coloring: Copic Markers

Week 4- Christmas Stamping All Year Long

2009-02-16T23:39:00.003-05:00

Today was our reveal day for this week's challenge sketch over at Christmas Stamping All Year Long.

The sketch above was created by Maria, our fearless group leader. She does an awesome job each week of motivating and inspiring us to create our Christmas cards early!

This is the card I created for the challenge.

Go check out the rest of the Diva's and the cards they created this week to inspire you!

Meet Vivian!

2009-02-16T00:30:00.003-05:00

If you follow my blog you know that Saturday I spent the day with friends at StampFest. We had such an awesome time and I spent way to much money! I'll be working overtime to help me pay for the damages! LOL

Today I am sharing a card I made with one of my new images from Sparkle and Sprinkle. There's a whole line of these images...beautiful ladies. I fell in love with Vivian and had to have her! Isn't she beautiful???

I stamped her with Brilliance ink and heat embossed the image with clear embossing powder. I then colored her with copic markers and cut the image out with my scalloped oval nesties. The designer paper is Basic Grey and the sentiment is from Gina K Designs. I added a Prima flower for embellishment.

Hope everyone had a great weekend! I have lots more to show you this week!
Have a great Monday!

We have a winner!!

2009-02-15T23:04:00.003-05:00

As promised, I used random.com to choose the winner of my Blog Candy!

Here are your random numbers:

5

Timestamp: 2009-02-16 04:02:48 UTC

Katie C said:

congrats!!!!! i love the candy up for grabs! i posted ya on my blog! :)

February 9, 2009 8:53 AM

Thanks to everyone who participated!! Katie, I'll be emailing you shortly for your mailing address!

Stay tuned.. I have a couple cards to post yet tonight.

True Love....

2009-02-14T00:24:00.005-05:00

Happy Valentines Day Everyone! I hope you all have a wonderful day with your sweetheart, loved ones and friends!

Tonight when I got home from work, I found this waiting for me from my Husband! Isn't it Go-jus???

I also had some new stamps waiting for me when I got home! I ordered the new Leanne Ellis stamps from Sugar Nellie - Funkykits.com. I fell in love with these when I saw them. I decided to make a card with one tonight and this stamp is called True Love.

I used Copic Markers to color the image and then used some Tim Holtz distress inks to duab on the background. The designer paper I used was from Basic Grey and the card base is Chocolate Chip from Stampin Up. I added some ribbon from CTMH. I used Taylor's sketch challenge as inspiration for the layout. It's not exactly to the sketch but I liked the different pieces of patterned papers in this weeks sketch.

Here's my card:

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Have a great day everyone! I'm heading to StampFest in just a few short hours! I'll be back tomorrow night to share more stuff!

You Mean Everything To Me....

2009-02-13T00:28:00.004-05:00

Happy Friday the 13th!! I hope everyone has had a good week! One more day for me to wait until StampFest!! I am so excited about going on Saturday. I'm taking along 4 friends, including Lynn, Amanda, Becky and Kim. StampFest is an all day event with lots of stamping vendors exhibiting their products for us to buy! Last year when I went I had only been stamping for about 3 weeks and I was overwhelmed. I'm just plain out of my mind excited now.

I'll be sure to take my camera and share some photos with you all.

My card today is a Whiff Of Joy stamp- Melinda holding Heart. I just love her!! I colored her with Copics and the Designer Paper is K&Company. I used a sentiment stamp from Stampin Up and the ribbon is CTMH.

Thanks for stopping by. I hope to have more to share tomorrow night.

Come And Join Us!!

2009-02-09T20:17:00.004-05:00

A few months ago when Paper Craft Planet started to make it's boom, I created a group there for all the Magnolia Stamp Lovers. We've got over 250 members there and continue to grow. We're starting some fun new things too. I also created a new Yahoo Group for the Magnolia Stamp Lovers United (MLSU). If you like to participate in challenges, swaps, RAKS and chatting about these cute stamps, come join us! Tell your friends to come join too!

Click Here to join us!

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alt="Click to join MagnoliaStampLoversUnited"/>

Click to join MagnoliaStampLoversUnited

Christmas Stampin' All Year Long- Challenge #3

2009-02-09T19:47:00.002-05:00

This is the card I created for the challenge this week at Christmas Stampin' All Year Long Challenge Blog. Maria created this blog and a group over at Paper Craft Planet to inspire us to make our Christmas Cards early!

Each week we get a sketch to go by and then upload to the blog. I'm one of the challenge divas and I'm really enjoying this. Here's the link to all the cards the other divas made. Check it out and leave some love if you can!

Happy Sunday and Blog Candy!

2009-02-08T22:41:00.008-05:00

I hope you all had a great weekend. Mine was busy but I did get some crafting time in.
Last night Lynn and I went to a co-worker's 40th Birthday party and after we left I went to Lynn's and colored. Lynn's daughter Ashleigh has been really getting into cardmaking in the past couple of months. She is 14 years old and is an amazing colorer! Lynn has a few of her creations over on her blog.

Today, I spent some time at my parents house and colored some more. I'm finished coloring my images for my Valentine cards but I don't have them put together yet to share with you.

Today's card I am sharing was made almost a year ago. I got this sweet Sugar Nellie image in a swap with my SBS-15 sisters.

Tomorrow I will have more to share. Now on to the fun stuff...blog candy!

As you know I celebrated my one year blogaversary last month. I'm just getting to post my blog candy.

Here's what is up for grabs...

Hero Arts Decorative Birds Stamp Set
Magnolia Stamp - Stylish Tilda
Cuttlebug Embossing Folder - Merci
Recollections Decorative Brads (Pinks,Browns and Orange)
CTMH Waxy Flax - Olive
Making Memories- Label Holders
Making Memories- 6x6 Paper Pack Funky Vintage Lizzie Collection
7 Gypsies Wire Album- great for altering!

To enter the giveaway, comment here on this post and announce my blog candy on your blog. Please leave the link to your blog in your comment. I will use the random integer to pick the winner on Sunday, February 15th.

A Bella Card!

2009-02-04T23:40:00.003-05:00

OMG.. is it ever cold here in Central Florida! Tonight our lows are dipping into the twenties and tomorrow night we're supposed to hit the teens! We haven't been this cold since 1995! I spent hours tonight bringing plants inside the garage, covering plants with sheets, wrapping the pipes to the well pump with a towels to keep them from freezing. BRRRR... I don't know how you Northerner's live in the cold all the time!

Tonight my daughter asked me to make a card to give to her boyfriend's mom for her birthday tomorrow. Don't you just love these last minute requests?? This is the card I made for her.

I colored Bella with copic markers and used my scalloped oval nesties to cut her out and mat her. The designer paper is Basic Grey Two Scoops. I used the label tags from Spellbinders for the sentiment and added a white organza ribbon.

Tomorrow night I hope to have a couple more cards to share! Thanks for stopping by!

Sale-A-Bration Time Is Here!

2009-02-02T13:17:00.002-05:00

Promotion Dates: February 1- March 31, 2009

Promotion Details:

Our Sale-A-Bration promotion gives reason for everyone to celebrate!

Customers: Receive a free Sale-A-Bration product for every $50 purchase.

Hostesses: Receive a free Sale-A-Bration product with a $300 or more workshop, in addition to the normal hostess benefits.

Recruits: Choose any retail stamp set (a value up to $47.95) from the current catalog when signing up during the promotion. Plus, get 15% off the regular $199 price of the Starter Kit--that's $335 worth of products for only $169!

Also, From Feb 1st through April 30, anyone who orders from my Stampin Up website will get a free catalog shipped with their order while supplies last. If you'd like a catalog, what a great way to get one shipped right to you.

Superbowl Sunday.... Congrats To The Steeler Nation!

2009-02-01T21:45:00.008-05:00

Well it's Superbowl Sunday.. Who are you rooting for? I haven't felt good all day and have been laying on the heating pad most of the day with those dreaded monthly cramps. UGH!

My best friend Kelli has a Superbowl Party every year and I skipped out on her tonight cause I just don't feel like do much of anything.

I am excited about finally getting my craft room! I've got all my stuff moved into my son's old bedroom. Saturday, my husband, son and I installed some kitchen countertops in the room for my workspace. I spent all day yesterday organizing my shelves, the closet and patiently waiting until I could put things on top of the countertops.

I will take some pictures of my craft room soon so I can share with you all. I've still got a few things to do, like hanging things on the walls..but everything is in so I'm happy!!

I have two cards to share with you tonight. The first card I used my Tilda with heart from the Holiday collection. I going to use this as a Valentines Day card even though it's not your traditional colors. I colored her with Copics and used my Scalloped Oval Nestabilites and the Houndstooth Cuttlebug embossing folder. The DP is from DCWV. I added ribbon I got at Michaels.

Now.. the second card I have to share is for a new Challenge Blog that I just joined. Christmas Stampin All Year Long is a great way to get you Christmas cards done early! Each week, a sketch is provided and you make your card from that sketch.

This is the sketch for this weeks challenge:

This is the card I created:

I love this Santa image. The DP is from My Mind's Eye Glitter Christmas Glitter Pack. I added the three snowflake brads..aren't they cute???

Thanks for stopping by!! I will have more cards to share this week!

At Long Last... Byrony!!

2009-01-26T23:41:00.006-05:00

I've had her colored for over a week. I just couldn't get a vision of how I wanted to showcase her.

I put this card together tonight and I think I like how it turned out.

I stamped Byrony on PTI Special Select Cardstock and colored her with Copics. Her wings are painted with Shimmerz. I purchased both the stamp and the shimmerz from Susana. My card base is Certainly Celery by SU and the DP is Basic Grey. I added two Prima flowers as embellishment and the sentiment I just picked up two nights ago at Michaels.

Thanks for looking! Leave a comment if you will.. I'd love to know what you think of this card!

P.S. Stay tuned.. Tomorrow I'll be posting about my 1 year blogaversary blog candy!

I'm Such A Slacker!!

2009-01-22T23:41:00.006-05:00

I haven't fallen off the face of the earth! It seems like forever since I posted any cards on my blog. Sorry for the long delay! I've been busy this week with a sick daughter and a sick husband. Sick Husbands are worse than sick kids, don't you agree? My gosh they can't do anything for themselves! LOL

Tonight I have two cards to share.

I decided to take Deb's challenge and create a Valentine's Day Card. Deb posted this challenge to the Magnolia-Licious Yahoo Group. This Tilda stole my heart when I first saw her! She is the cutest.

I colored Tilda with Copic markers and used my Nestabilities Label One set to stamp the sentiment on. I added a couple of Prima flowers and brad and a piece of organza ribbon for embellishments. The DP is from DCWV.

I used a new stamp I purchased recently from Susanna. This is from the Shy Bear collection and I think he's just adorable!

I colored him with Copic markers. I placed some baubles on the four corners of the image that I punched with the ticket corner punch. I wanted to make this more of a masculine card because I'm going to send it to Kevin in Iraq. The hemp ribbon adds just a little more embellishment to the card. The DP is from a paper stack I got a Joann's but I can't remember who makes the paper! Sorry.

I'm working on a card using Bryony from Susanna's Faerie Song Arts Stamp Line. I finally used my new Shimmerz that I purchased from Susanna's store and will finish the card tomorrow night! I promise to share it with you when I'm finished.

Hope you all have had a great week. I'm looking forward to the weekend and getting my craft room set up!

The New Catalog Has Arrived!

2009-01-20T00:42:00.005-05:00

The Spring/Summer Catalog is here!

I am really loving the new products just released by Stampin Up! This catalog is just beautiful and full of great cards and accessories.

You can shop online by visiting my Stamping Up website here.

Stay tuned, tomorrow I will be posting some exciting new clubs I am starting.

Also, I haven't forgotten about my blogaversary blog candy! I need to get a picture together of all the goodies I'm going to give away and I hope to do that in the next couple of days.

Thanks for stopping by!

Mom Is Home!!

2009-01-13T23:49:00.004-05:00

First of all, I want to thank each and every one of you who left such nice comments and offered thoughts and prayers for my mom while she was in the hospital. I can't tell you how much it means to me and I am truly blessed to have such wonderful friends!

Mom was discharged from the hospital on Saturday around noon. It's been a hectic few days since she got home. I am still staying with Mom and Dad until I am comfortable that she is able to get by without me. Her legs are very very swollen. My mom is a tiny woman and I've never seen her swell like this. The doctor finally called in a medication for her tonight to help with the water retention. She is using a nebulizer to take her breathing treatments four times a day. Her breathing is doing much better and I'm happy to report that she is not smoking! She hasn't smoked since Dec 31st.

She talks daily about how she didn't think she would live the day Dad called 911. She knows how serious it is for her to quit smoking. I pray she can do it!

I know I promised you all some creations, but honestly, I'm so tired that I have no mojo to put together any cards. I have colored a few images, but sadly, I didn't bring enough stuff with me to create cards for the images I have colored.

I am hoping to have some of my stamping buds over this weekend, if my Mom has improved enough for me to go home.

I haven't forgetten about the blog candy to celebrate my blogaversary either!

My box of Stampin Up Catalogs arrived at my house yesterday! I CANT wait to see it! My daughter is supposed to bring the catalog to work for me tomorrow and I'm dying to browse through it. ( Kristina, my daughter, works with me now)

I decided to dig up the very first card I ever made! Hey Joni.. if you are out there reading... do you remember this?? Joni is responsible for my new found obsession.
I think I've come a long way in the short year I've been stamping!

Night everyone... will talk to you soon! Thanks for visiting!

It's My Blogaversary!!!

2009-01-09T10:01:00.004-05:00

Today is my One Year Blogaversary!

I can't believe it's been one year since I fell in love with stamping! Since I haven't had much time this week to focus on a nice blog candy to celebrate, I'm going to think about a nice prize to give away and in the next few days I'll post the details!

Thanks to everyone who visits! I've made many many wonderful friends through this great craft and I look forward to what 2009 has to bring!

It's Great To Be A Florida Gator!!!!

2009-01-09T00:12:00.005-05:00

We did it!!! Tim (Superman)Tebow led us to another NCAA Football National Championship!! What a great game it was and it's great to be a Florida Gator!!!

On a more important note, my Mom is doing better and was moved to a regular room today after spending 7 days in ICU. We are hoping she'll be able to come home tomorrow.

I am hoping to get some cards put together this weekend. I brought some stamping supplies to Mom's which included new stamps and shimmerz that I just received from Susana. Can't wait to ink them up!

Another Update on Mom...

2009-01-06T16:47:00.002-05:00

Mom is still in ICU. We did make a little progress and they removed her from the ventilator but she's still not able to breathe on her own and is on a by-pap machine which is supplying oxygen for her. Her blood pressure has been through the roof and they are battling that too.

She's still unable to speak much and is very weak.

We were hoping she would be out of ICU by now, but that's not the case. Praying she'll be better enough in a day or two to go to a regular room.

I'll update more later tonight.

Thanks for your continued thoughts and prayers!

Update on My Mom

2009-01-04T22:32:00.002-05:00

Well..unfortunately I don't have any good news to share. My mom is still in ICU on a respirator. They tried three times this weekend to wean her off the respirator and each time she couldn't breath on her own.

She's also having some issues with her blood pressure. They did an Echo Cardiogram and Ultrasound on her heart on Saturday to rule out possible heart attach, but we haven't gotten the results back yet. Hopefully in the morning we will know how that turned out.

Your continued thoughts and prayers are great appreciated!

Hugs!!

Monica

Prayers For My Mom Please....

2009-01-02T23:30:00.002-05:00

This morning, my Dad had to call 911 because my Mom was in respiratory distress. She has COPD and unfortunately is still a smoker. She's been fighting a cold for several weeks and yesterday and New Year's Eve Day felt progressively worse and short of breath. She had an Asthma attack yesterday morning and couldn't sleep all night. This morning she told my dad she wanted him to take her to the ER. He went back upstairs to get dressed, and when he came back down she told him to call 911.

My mom is in ICU and currently on a respirator and oxygen. She's been heavily sedated all day, so we haven't been able to talk to her at all. Lab tests came back this evening and her cardiac enzymes were elevated which my indicate that she also had a heart attack. They are going to run more extensive tests tomorrow to determine if she did or not.

It's going to be a long weekend at the hospital. I will try to update you all as soon as I can.

The picture above is of my Mom and I almost a year ago. She is my rock and my best friend. I'd really appreciate any prayers you can send her way!

Thanks!!

Happy New Year!!

2009-01-01T22:30:00.002-05:00

I hope you all had a wonderful New Years Eve! We had a small gathering here at our house and spent the evening singing karaoke. It was so much fun!

I don't have any new creations to share with you all today, but my plan is to spend the weekend stamping and creating cards! I wanted to thank you all for continuing to come by my blog and visit! It means a lot to me. I've made so many wonderful friends this past year with my new found passion of stamping.

I wish you all a wonderful 2009 filled with many blessings, good health, love and friendship!

Hugs and Heartstamps,

Merry Christmas!!

2008-12-24T09:21:00.002-05:00

I don't have anything to share card wise today, but I wanted to take a moment to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas!!

I have been so blessed this year in finding a new love of stamping and all the wonderful friends I've made through this craft! I hope you and your families have a blessed holiday and reflect on all of your blessings.

I will be spending the next few days with family, but hope to be back to regular blogging after the new year!

Remember... Wise Men Still Seek Him!

Love and Hugs!

Monica

Birthday Card For My Husband

2008-12-15T23:42:00.003-05:00

Tonight I have a card to share with you that I made for my husband. Tomorrow is his birthday and I wanted to make him a hand made card. I have only been stamping since January 2008, so this is the first birthday card I have made for him.

I really had a hard time with this card. Why are masculine cards so hard to make?? UGH! I really wanted the stamped image to turn out differently. I tried brayering and decided I need more practice! So this is the finished product.

I used Stampin Up's Nature Silhouettes stamp set. The paper is Not Quite Navy, Bordering Blue and Always Artichoke. I used my Label Nesties set to cut out the image and the matting. I also used the Nesties Ribbon Label die cut for the sentiment. The lighter blue background was cuttlebugged with two different embossing templates.

This is the inside of the card:

I was sick all weekend with the flu/head cold that's going around. I am feeling better than I was, but not back to 100% yet. Thanks for stopping by! Hope everyone had a great weekend!

New Rubber from Rubber Romance!

2008-12-10T23:08:00.004-05:00

Forgive me if this posts ends up sounding loopy! I have caught a dad-gum head cold from either my daughter or my parents. Who should I blame? LOL .. anyway, I've taken some cold medicine and will hitting the sack very soon.

I have two cards to share with you tonight: The first card I created with a new stamp I purchased from Susana at Susana's Custom Art and Card Design. This is from Rubber Romance and I just the love this stamp! My card is very simple, too simple in fact. I made this to give to a friend who I've been missing lately. But since the head cold kicked in full force today, I didn't have alot of MOJO to really embellish. Sometimes I think simple is good. I like how it turned out.

I stamped the image with Memento Tuxedo Black ink, and colored it with Copic Markers. The DP is Basic Grey and the matting around the image is SU Taken With Teal. I added a simple piece of organza ribbon.

The second card is one of the Christmas cards that I mass produced for my Christmas card list. I really LOVE this Santa stamp! I finally found one on Ebay and took the plunge to purchase it. I stamped it with Gold pigment ink and then embossed with clear embossing powder. The DP is from the My Minds Eye Christmas Glitter pack. LOVE this paper!!

Hope everyone is doing well and making progress in their Holiday shopping. Don't even ask if I've started yet! My tree still isn't up.. but come heck or high water it will be this weekend.

Have a great evening! Thanks for coming by and for all your sweet comments you leave me!

College Football and New Cards...

2008-12-08T01:01:00.004-05:00

What a weekend!! First and most important.. my Florida Gators beat Alabama in the SEC Championship and now The Gators are headed to Miami to play Oklahoma in the National Championship game! WOOOOOHOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!! GOOOOOO GATORS!!! I hope Tim Tebow wins the Heisman again this year. He soooo deserves it. What an awesome young man Tim is.. we are so proud of him.

I spent all day today with my three girlfriends, Lynn, Becky and Amanda, stamping away and trying to get my Christmas cards finished. We had so much fun today!

The two cards show are made with a new Tilda I just got from Diana Crick at Magnolia-Licious.
I think she is so cute. I colored her with Copic Markers and the Designer paper is from My Minds Eye Christmas Paper Pack. I also used my new Martha Stewart tree branch punch, Circle Nesties and ribbon from Michaels.

I have several more cards to share with you that I made today.

It's late and I need to get to bed! Thanks for stopping by!

I'm Still Here!!

2008-12-02T00:18:00.004-05:00

First of all, I hope all my American friends had a wonderful Thanksgiving! Ours was very nice and plentiful! Boy, did I eat too much!

I have two cards to share with you tonight. The first one is a card that I made for the recipients of a swap I do monthly in the Magnolia-Licious Yahoo Group called "It's Raining Cards". I used Tilda with Lantern and used Deb's sketch challenge for the layout of my card. You can find the Bi-Weekly Challenges here.

I used DP from a Christmas pack from My Minds Eye which I found at Michaels! I LOVE the paper in this pack. I colored Tilda with Copic Markers and cut out the snow flakes with my Sizzlet die cuts. I added the glitter and used distress ink to ink around the edges of the image and the border. I used Nesties to cut out the ribbon tag and then looped the ivory organza ribbon through the tag.

The next card I created with Gina K stamps from the Magic of Christmas by Rupa Shevde. I love this image.. it's so elegant! I used DP again from the Christmas stack from My Minds Eye and you can barely see it but I used a border punch from Marth Stewart along the edge of the snowflake paper. I adhered the stamped image which was embossed with Gold ink and clear embossing powder to the card with foam dimensionals. Then I added the ribbon and boom... I was done.

I'm waiting on a box from the big brown truck which shall arrive tomorrow and as soon as my goodies arrive, I'll have more to show this week!

Thanks for stopping by!!

Don't Miss Out!!

2008-11-26T15:20:00.002-05:00

Starting today and through December 1st you can take advantage of some wonderful bundle packages at 20% to 50% off!

Just go to my SU website and order online! Just think.. you won't have to fight lines, or crowds or even leave the comfort of your home!

Supplies are limited.. so don't wait!

Exciting Announcement and Other Random Stuff

2008-11-25T01:08:00.003-05:00

I finally started my Stampin'Up Demonstrator Website. If you didn't already know, I am a Stampin Up Demo.. more hobbist than anything, but I do have a great group of girls that order from me and we get together quite often to stamp!

If you're looking to place an order or browse the catalog, please check out my website.

I still have some work to do on the website and will do that in the next couple of days.

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Deb and I started a new Challenge Blog for the Magnolia-Licious Yahoo Group Challenges. You can check out the latest challenges here.

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I have been working on some cards but don't have any finished to share yet. I hope to have some in the next night or two! Bear with me.. sorry for the lapse in posting.

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This award was so kindly given to me by my stampin' friends Suzanne and Emma Thank you both!!

Here's some info on the award:

This blog invests and believes the PROXIMITY- nearness in space, time and relationships. These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in prizes or self-aggrandizement . Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers.
Deliver this award to 8 bloggers who may then pass it on. I've seen this award do the rounds yesterday, so if you've already received this then your extra special :)

So my award goes to some of the people that inspire me! I wish I could list them all here!

Deb - Itty Bitty Inkspots
Susan - Stamping Tink
Cheryl - Cottage Creations
Suzy - Papermonkey

Wake Me When It's Christmas....

2008-11-18T01:00:00.001-05:00

Great Places to Shop Online

2008-11-13T23:22:00.002-05:00

I've been placing a lot of orders online lately and have found some great stores! I'm going to be adding these links to my side bar, but I wanted to talk about a few of the places I've found in more detail.

As you all know, I am crazy about Magnolia stamps. Within the last few months we've been able to buy them here in the states through online webstores instead of buying direct from Sweden.

You can visit Magnolia-Licious owned by Diana Crick (Scor-Pal inventor)

or you can visit Roses on Paper owned by Summer.

If you are looking for other stamping, scrapping and papercrafting supplies give these stores at look:

Susana's Custom Art and Card Design - wide variety of stamps including Rubber Romance, Lockhart stamps, Hot Off The Press, I Brake For Stamps, Serendipity and Susana's own line of stamps called Susana Loves Stamps. Stamping accessories, stickles, paper, Spica Atyou Glitter Pens by Copic, adhesives, embellishments.. loaded with great products!

A Page At A Time - stamps, paper, adhesive, embellishments, Cricut cartridges and more.

All That Scraps

Ellen Hutsen

I Heart Papers

I just got my new Nesties that I ordered from Ellen Hutsen.com and can't wait to play with them this weekend! I finally purchased the new Nesties called Labels 1 and Labels 2.

Sorry I haven't had any cards to post this week. I promise to have something this weekend!

Thanks for stopping by!

Taylored Expressions Sketch Challenge #41

2008-11-09T00:11:00.004-05:00

This is the first time I've participated in Taylor's Sketch Challenge. I really had fun making this card. It's going to be mailed to a very special person. She reads my blog but I'm not naming her so hopefully she'll be pleasantly surprised when she gets it.

I picked up this House Mouse stamp months ago and forgot I had it!! It's a pretty old stamp...but it still inks up nicely! I have a lot to learn about coloring these images. I'm happy with how the card turned out.

Here's the sketch...

This is my card:

Supplies Used:

Image: House Mouse
Paper: Stampin Up Purely Pomegranate and Wild Wasabi; stamped on PTI Stampers Select.
Designer paper is Basic Grey Urban Prairie.
Ink: Ranger Archival, Stazon and Handsome Hunter
Accessories: Rectangle Nestabilites, Ribbon, Baubles, Copic Markers, Fiskars Threading Water Punch, corner rounder.

Tomorrow I will be spending the day with my family. My Aunt and Uncle are celebrating their 50th Wedding Anniversary! They are renewing their vows and then having a reception afterwards. I am looking forward to sharing this special day with them and my cousins and other family I don't get to see near enough. I hope you all have a great weekend!

Thanks for stopping by!!

Blog Candy Alert!! Suzanne's Giveaway...

2008-11-05T20:51:00.002-05:00

My friend Suzanne has some awesome blog candy up for grabs on her website!

Make sure you check it out!! I'm dying to get my hands on that Basic Grey paper pad!! Can't find it anywhere!

Go enter.. and good luck!!

Frohliche Weihnachten!

2008-11-04T18:03:00.002-05:00

If you aren't German or don't know what Frohliche Weihnachten means, it means Merry Christmas! My mother was born and raised in Germany and I have lots of family who live there. I made this card today and decided if I liked how it turned out I would make several more just like it to send to my family in Germany.

I used the new Janome Mini Sewing machine that I won from Lesa to stitch on the card. As you can see, I have lots to learn! LOL...

I colored Tilda with my copic markers. The DP is Basic Grey Two Scoops and my card base is Stampin' Up Always Artichoke. I matted the DP on Not Quite Navy and then matted the Tilda image on Wild Wasabi. The ribbon is from Michaels dollar spot!

I'm feeling a little better today, but still don't feel great. I'm going to take one more day off of work to take it easy and will go back on Thursday.

Thanks for stopping by today! Leave a comment if you can.. I'd love to know what you think of this card!

Don't Forget.....

2008-11-04T01:21:00.002-05:00

To Vote today!!!

I'm not into posting my political views here on my blog... but I do encourage EVERYONE TO VOTE!!!

On another note, today I had a outpatient surgical procedure done so I haven't felt up to crafting today. I slept most of the day and am hoping tomorrow I will feel up to creating a few cards since I have the day off for recuperating.

I have been blurfing most of the evening and boy I've seen some beautiful creations tonight. There are lots of new releases coming out and one that I am really excited about is from My Favorite Things. Check out this sneak peek on Michelle's blog!

Thanks for stopping by! Have a great Election Day!

Great New Site! Check it out!

2008-11-02T19:12:00.003-05:00

Have you heard about Paper Craft Planet? Susanna Boyd from CardoftheWeek created a new community for paper crafters! Lots of great tutorials, templates, photos, forums and awesome paper crafters over there! Make sure you check it out and if you decide to join, send me a friend request!! I'm RiverviewStamper there!

Holiday Recipe Swap

2008-11-01T14:00:00.000-04:00

I signed up to do a Holiday Recipe Swap on my Magnolia-Licious Yahoo Group. This is the card I created.. I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. I can't wait to receive what the other participants created.

The card base is SU Purely Pomegranate cardstock cut to 6 x 6. I used patterned paper from a Christmas Paper Stack from DCWV. I cut out the snowflakes on Soft Sky and then added glitter. The small candle stamp on the recipe is from the new release from Saltbox Studio. The ribbon was purchased at Michaels.

Thanks for looking!!

My Stamping Area

2008-11-01T02:54:00.008-04:00

Hope everyone had a great Halloween! Can you believe it's November??? OMG.. where has the year gone?

About two years ago, I had an actual craft room. When my son turned 18, he decided to move out and try living on his own. I turned his bedroom into my scrapbooking room. Well that was short lived, because dear son decided to move back home! UGH! I had to move all my stuff out and right now my crafting supplies are located in several places in my house..

I have a large desk that I used when I worked from home. Now that I've returned to the Corporate work force, I turned my old office space into my stamping-crafting area.

As you can see the space is small, but it suits me fine for now. Don't think I'm not counting the days down till my son finally vacates again! LOL

Here's a few more shots of my desk...

This is the basket I found at Joann's that I store my Copic Markers, Prismacolor Pencils and my glitter gel pens in. I love it! I actually got two at the same time and the other I use to store my Nestabilities and my Cuttlebug Folders in.

The next couple photos show different shots of my desk and one shows my new Janome Mini sewing machine I recently won on Lesa's blog.

I have a couple of cards to share with you tomorrow. Thanks for stopping by!

More Holiday Cards

2008-10-26T23:16:00.006-04:00

Hope everyone had a great weekend. I got a little crafting time in, colored more images for a few birthday cards I'm making and also putting the finishing touches on my Magnolia-Licious Recipe Swap.

The Janome Mini Sewing machine that I won from Lesa arrived on Friday and I did play with it a little over the weekend! I hope to be able to show something I've done with the sewing sometime this week. Thanks again Lesa!! I know I'm going to put this to good use!

The cards I am sharing tonight are a variety of different cards I made.

I'm not sure who makes the stamp above. I stamped it at my friend Lynn's house. I'll have to ask her if she remembers who makes this stamp. I just love these snowmen! I'm not sure I like the size card I used to make this. I bought these cards at JoAnns and they come with the circle already cut out. Colored with my copics and I used my snowflake cuttlebug embossing folder. Image was cut out with my Nesties.

Another A Muse card. Again colored with my copics. Simple and a little crooked too!

This card features A Muse stamps. I just love A Muse!! I colored the image with Copic Markers. Very simple card as you can see. Sometimes simple is so cute!

Thanks for stopping by!

My Hero in Iraq

2008-10-23T23:47:00.006-04:00

Some of you who have followed my blog know that a very special person to me is serving in the United States Marines and is currently in Iraq. Kevin dated my daughter for almost 4 years and is so very special to our entire family. When my brother died, he flew all the way from California to honor my brother who served in the Army. Kevin and two other dear friends who are Marines conducted the Flag Folding Ceremony and presentation of the Flag to my parents and my niece.

I'm very lucky that I get to email quite frequently with Kevin. Today he sent me some pictures of him in Iraq. To say it made my day is putting it mildly! I hope you don't mind me sharing.. One of the pictures is so cool!

I'm going to be sending a box of cards to Kevin in the next couple of weeks. I'm working on some holiday cards to send him and his unit so they will have some cards to send home to their families and friends during the holidays. If you'd like to help and make a few cards.. I'd love it! Email me at riverviewstamper at gmail dot com and I will give you my address to send them too!

Thanks for serving our country Kevin and please know you are in my thoughts and prayers daily! I love you!!

Thanks for stopping by!!

Twenty Years Ago Today....

2008-10-18T01:28:00.003-04:00

I gave birth to my first child. I can't believe my little boy is now a man. Not a teenager anymore. Funny...he said that to me the other day. "Mom, I'm not going to be a teenager anymore." This is Eric. He's so special to me.

Happy Birthday!!

Here's the card I made him for his birthday. It's perfect because he loves to fish!
I colored Riley with copic markers and the DP is Basic Grey. I used baubles and some hemp twine for embellishments.

Thanks for stopping by!

I'm So Excited!!!

2008-10-14T02:11:00.003-04:00

I just found out I won a WONDERFUL blog candy contest I entered!! Lesa was giving away a Jenome Mini Sewing Machine if you entered her 40th Birthday Blog Candy Challenge. I did and I won!! OMG.. I am so excited. I have been dying to try stitching on my cards!

I forgot to post this the other day. I also won the entire new holiday release from Saltbox Studios!
You can see all the stamps I won here

Thanks Lesa and Linda for the chance to win such awesome prizes!!

Fall is in the air...

2008-10-14T00:05:00.003-04:00

This has nothing to do with my next card, but I wanted to share what an awesome weekend this past weekend was. I am an AVID sports fan. I LOVE Football and am a Die Hard Florida Gator and Tampa Bay Buccaneer Fan. I watch and go to football games more than I do baseball, but I've been avidly following the Tampa Bay Rays this year since they are doing so well.

This weekend, all of my teams just kicked some booty! The Gators rolled over the LSU Tigers who are the defending National Champs. The Rays are in the ALCS and we're hoping to make it to the World Series. The Buccaneers beat the Carolina Panthers yesterday in an whooping they hadn't received in our home town in several meetings. It was a great sports weekend! My dad, mom and I had so much fun cheering on our teams!

Anywhoo.. Go Gators, Rays and Bucs!!

Now on to my next Card..

I love Fall and wish that we had more of this beautiful season here in Florida. I colored Tilda with copic markers and sponged distress ink around the image after I cut it out with my Nesties. I mounted the image on pop-dots to give it some dimension and the DP is from Basic Grey.

Merry Chris-Moose! Florida Gator Style!

2008-10-13T23:36:00.007-04:00

First of all, I'm sorry it's been 12 days since I last posted. Life has been busy lately and I've spent a great deal of time coloring images to complete lots of cards. Tonight was very productive. I finished 5 cards!

Before I share my cards tonight, I'm happy to report that my friend Lynn came through her surgery just fine and even better, the biopsy came back fine!! Praise God for his blessings! Thanks so much to everyone who kept her in your thoughts and prayers and emailed me and sent comments! Lynn and I really appreciate it! She's home recuperating now and doing lots of blog surfing! She's even coloring and making some cards! I promised her I'd help her set up her own blog as soon as she's up to it.

The first card I'm sharing tonight is one of the Christmas cards I'm sending out to my Friends and Family who are avid Gator Fans like me! I used the new Hanna Stamps, Riley and Snowman stamp. I colored Riley's hat and scarf in Orange and Blue - Gator colors!

I'm not sure what's up with my camera. I think I need to clean the sensor. I have a Nikon D50- DSLR and you can see a shadow on these pictures I took tonight that looks like a squiggly line. It is not on the card itself, so I need to get the sensor cleaned so it doesn't keep showing up on my photos.

Recipe:

Ink: Memento-Pitch Black and Clear Embossing Powder
Paper: Stamped on PTI Stampers Select; SU Pumpkin Pie to mat and DP is a paperpack of Christmas paper from ProvoCraft.
Ribbon: Michaels
Nesties
Coloring: Copic Markers: YR24,E57,B00,C3,E37,B29,YR09

Thanks for looking! As always.. I love to hear your comments!

Your Kidding Me!! It's not a Magnolia??

2008-10-02T01:47:00.003-04:00

It's a Bella!! Latte Bella that is...

I made this card for my boss who is also a very very dear friend of mine. I have worked for her for over 12 years and love her to death.

I colored Bella with my Copics and used my Nesties.
Thanks for stopping by!!

My First Whiff of Joy Card

2008-10-01T01:25:00.004-04:00

I purchased this stamp by Whif of Joy from All That Scraps a week or so ago, with a special purpose in mind. My dear friend Lynn, LOVES Angels and I saw this stamp and had to get it to make a card for her. Lynn is having surgery on Thursday. This will be her third major surgery in the past year and we are all praying it's her last! Lynn is one of those people that the moment you meet them you know they are special. I am so Blessed to call her my friend and have her in my life. She sits next to me at work and I'm going to miss her the next few weeks while she's recouperating. Lynn... I love you and am praying for you.

Here is the card I made for Lynn...

Here's a close up of the colored image. I really love how it turned out because it was my first time embossing the stamped image. Not only does it make the card look so much better, it makes the coloring so much easier and vibrant.

I used SU Certainly Celery as my card base and the DP is Basic Grey Two Scoops. I used my nestabilites to cut out the image and the mat around the stamped image. I used Copic Markers to color the image and used some Stickles to add a little bling.

Thanks for looking and stopping by!

A Big Thank You and a New Card...

2008-09-28T02:21:00.004-04:00

First of all, I want to thank everyone who emailed and left me all the wonderful comments regarding my post a few days ago pertaining to my brother. I feel so blessed to have so many wonderful friends!

On To The Card...

I made this card last week and haven't had time to share it on my blog yet. I really like how it turned out.

Tomorrow I'm going to my friend Shelley's house for a day of stamping! I've got lots of images colored and hope to get them made into cards. I need to get some Christmas Cards completed so hopefully I'll make some progress tomorrow.

I hope to have some new cards to show you tomorrow night. I know you all are probably tired of seeing Magnolias.

BLOG CANDY!! Hanglar & Stanglar Stamps!

2008-09-26T13:58:00.002-04:00

Anki is celebrating 1000 hits to her blog. Check out the adorable stamps she's giving away! I love love Hanglar stamps and have been dying to get some, but they don't sell them in the US.

A Very Personal Post

2008-09-24T01:09:00.006-04:00

Me and my brother... Christmas 2004

I'm not sure that I have ever shared this information on my blog, but I am compelled to post today because it is a very difficult day for me and my parents, niece and family.

One year ago today, my brother committed suicide. One year ago today was the worst day of my life. One year ago today, I lost my only sibling. One year ago today, I watch my parents lose a child and witnessed the heartwrenching pain they would endure.

This past year has been difficult. My brother left behind a beautiful 10 year old daughter. She misses her daddy.

Today, I will spend the day with my parents and try to get through the day as best we can. Please say a prayer for us.

I'll be back in a day or two with some cards to share.

A Baby Card For Triplets!

2008-09-19T22:43:00.004-04:00

A dear friend of mine asked me to make a special Baby Card for a friend of hers who just gave birth to triplets. I really am happy with how it turned out and my friend and the new mother Loved it too!

The stamp is from an old Stampin Up retired set. I used copic markers to color the image and the DP is Nana's Nursery-Boy edition. I used SU cardstock and ink to sponge in the sky and grass.

Today is my 21st Wedding Anniversary! I can't believe I've been married that long! My hubby and I will go out for a nice dinner tomorrow night. He works nights so we couldn't go tonight. Here is a pretty recent picture of the two of us taken back in May.

Happy Anniversary Honey! I Love you!!

Another Monday....

2008-09-15T00:28:00.003-04:00

WOW...is it just me or are the days flying by this year? I can't believe we are half way through September already! I hope everyone had a good weekend, and I hope that all my fellow stampers that were in Hurricane Ike's path are ok and got through it with minimal damage.

Have you seen the new widget that you can add to your blogs called "followers"? If you follow my blog you can add yourself to my followers list over on the right. I'd love to see how many followers I have.

You can also subscribe to my blog over on the right too. I love Google Reader and keep up with all my blurfing through google reader.

I haven't made any new cards in the past few days, but I did get to color some new Magnolias. I'm hoping to get the cards put together this week. Here's a card I made last week.

Today I went to see the new movie "The Women". Very cute movie! Amazingly, there wasn't one single solitary male in this movie. The story line was cute and I LOVE Meg Ryan!

Have a great day! Thanks for stopping by!

Just A Swing'in

2008-09-10T00:54:00.002-04:00

Here's another card I created last week. I just love the swing and can't wait to play more with it. I also bought the Big Old Oak Tree and I'm going to try my hand at creating a scene with some of the accessorie stamps I have.

I colored Edwin with Copic Markers and sponged the sky background.

I made some new cards tonight and have to take pictures of them to share with you tomorrow.

Have a great day.. and thanks for visiting!

What's up Cupcake??

2008-09-08T23:31:00.002-04:00

I made this card last week and due to a busy week and weekend I'm just getting around to posting it. I am absolutely in love with this Tilda! Isn't she the sweetest!

I colored her with my Copic Markers and sponged the blue background behind her. I added stickles for a little bling. I used my Oval Nestabilities and the designer paper is DCWV from a paper pack I bought at JoAnns.

I hope everyone had a great weekend! I'll be back tomorrow to share another card.

Thanks for stopping by!

Allison's Blog Candy!

2008-09-01T22:37:00.001-04:00

Make sure you visit Allison as she celebrates her 2 year Blogiversary!

Hope Your Not Tired Of..

2008-08-31T16:55:00.005-04:00

Magnolias. I am totally in love with these little people! They are so much fun to color and create cards with.

If you'd like to order you can contact Diana Crick at magnolia.us@shaw.ca
She will send you an inventory list via email. Hopefully her site will be up and running soon! I can't wait.

Yesterday, my friends Lynn and Amanda came over and we spent all day coloring and making cards.

I'm going to share one card from each of us! Amanda and Lynn don't have blogs but I'm going to work on getting them to start one. :)

This is the card I made. I colored Tilda with my Copic markers and used Stampin Up ink pads to daub the sky and grass. I really like how this card turned out!

This Edwin card was colored and created by Amanda. She did a great job! I love how it turned out.

Lynn made this adorable Tilda card! I love the colors she chose.. she is just so cute!

On a side note, I'm praying for all of those in the path of Hurricane Gustav! We are getting alot of wind today from the outer bands of this massive storm.

Thanks for stopping by and I hope to have some more cards to share with you tomorrow! Have a wonderful Labor Day Weekend!

I Got An Award!

2008-08-29T00:13:00.003-04:00

My SBS sister Roz has given me the above award! Thanks Roz... your the sweetest!

"With great power, comes great responsibility" and here are my responsibilities for accepting this award.

The rules...
(1) The winner can put the "I :heart: your blog" logo on their blog. Isn't it cute! :))
(2) Link the person you received your award from.
(3) Nominate at least 7 other blogs.
(4) Put links of those on yours.
(5) Leave a message on the blogs of the girls or boys you’ve nominated.

I am nominating the following people:

1. Becca Feeken - Becca's blog is amazing. Her creations are stunning!

2. Suzanne Dean - I just started following her blog after finding her through the Magnolia-Licious Yahoo Group. Check out her beautiful cards and she's even started some Copic Tutorials!

3. Theresa - Theresa is one of my fellow Stampin Gals from Stamping Links To Love. She creates beautiful cards and papercrafts and goes into a lot of detail with her posts.

4. Lainy- another one of my SBS sisters. I always enjoy her posts.

5. Geeta - one of my fellow A Muse Addicts! I love A Muse stamps and Geeta is such a fabulous cardmaker! Love her stuff!

6. Cheryl- Her cards are just so inspiring. I love her style and find myself wanting to CASE all of the cards she posts!

7. Kimmmie - Another fellow Magnolia Lover! Check out her blog! Love it!

New Color Challenge!!

2008-08-28T23:15:00.002-04:00

Suzanne is hosting this weeks challenge over at Stamping Links To Love. I haven't made my card yet...but will tomorrow night! I've got my stamping buddies coming over to stamp tomorrow night!

Edwin

2008-08-27T01:10:00.002-04:00

I made this card for my Magnolia-Licious "It's Raining Cards" swap. I really enjoyed making this card. I colored Edwin with copic markers but the stone wall is colored with Primsacolor pencils and OMS.

I sponged the sky and the grass. Edwin is cut out and placed on pop dots for dimension. I really like how it turned out. Can't wait to play some more this weekend!

Thanks for stopping by!

Where has the time gone??

2008-08-24T23:40:00.004-04:00

Well, Tropical Storm Fay has finally left the state of Florida! I think that's a record...having a storm linger for 7 days! Our state is totally saturated and I honestly can't wait to see the sun shine again.

We did get some wind and rain but nothing like my SBS sister Roz. Her area received over 20 inches of rain in 24 hours.

I have been making cards the past 10 days since I've blogged. I got my first order of Magnolia stamps and gosh have I had fun playing with them! I finished my cards for my "raining cards" swap today and will get them in the mail tomorrow.

The card below was made for my best friend Kelli. I gave it to her on Friday and she loved it. I'm so glad she did!

The image was colored with Prisma Color Pencils and OMS. I used my Martha Stewart decorative border punch and added a plain white ribbon.

I'll be posting more frequently.. I promise! thanks for visiting!