Busy, Busy, Busy!

Wow, I have been keeping CRAZY busy with subbing. I have worked every day since I started!  I love keeping busy but it is also challenging trying to get in my crafting time!  I was expecting to have the whole day off today but then received a call this morning asking me to sub in the afternoon, so of course I agreed!  That only left me with two hours to get 2 cards completed and all of my housework finished for the day. Yikes!  I made it though!  One of my cards was for our Clean and Simple challenge at Addicted to Stamps and More.  I was able to use this fabulous sketch at retrosketches for my card, as well as the challenge at The Paper Players:

I just noticed the other day that I was running low on male cards, so this was a great challenge to participate in!  

I got to use a few of my new goodies on this card, so that made me feel good!  The mini stapler in the Holiday Catalog is so stinkin' adorable!  This was also my first time using the star mask. LOVE it!  I don't know what I have been waiting for!  Time, I guess. :)

Thanks for stopping by. Make sure to stop by the Addicted to Stamps and More! blog to see the other ladies' lovely creations!  

Kind Koala

Wow, is this school ever going fast!  I can't believe it is almost October already. I have started substitute teaching in the schools since all three kids are now in school and I am having a great time with it!  It's nice not having to do the same thing every single day. My favorite part is that I can choose if I want to work on a particular day or not!  It's really the perfect job, in my opinion. :)

It's time for a new challenge at Addicted to CAS and it's a great one, as usual! Make sure to check out all of the fabulous creations by our design team, as well as our Guest Designer, the AMAZING Tenia! I just love her style, and I am sure you will too! Now on to the code word...

Awwww, isn't that a great word!  So many opportunities there!  I went straight for my favorite little cuddly creature stamp for my card...

Isn't he so cute?!!! I just love him. :) He is colored with my Blendabilities, as well as the rhinestones. They are Wisteria Wonder...hard to capture that on film but they look great in real life!  I have also seen where people are going around the image with gray so I gave that a try and I really like it!  Makes him really pop right off of the card.

Thanks for stopping by!  Have a fantastic weekend and happy crafting! :)

The Stamp Review Crew: Truly Grateful Edition

Wow, it is already the third Monday of the month, so you know what that means?  It's time for another edition of the Stamp Review Crew!  This week we are working with one of my favorite stamp sets from last year's Holiday Catalog, Truly Grateful.  I am a sucker for fall images and colors, and couldn't wait to make a project for this challenge.  My good friend Mandy was over to work on some Project Life scrapbook pages, and she helped me out with some inspiration for my background. I love how it turned out!

That background stamp is probably my favorite stamp in the set. I just love those chevrons!  The little pearls are colored with Blendabilities. Coloring embellishments has been so much fun with the Blendabilities.  I love the pop of color it adds!  

Thanks for stopping by to visit. If you are continuing on through the hop, you won't want to miss the FABULOUS Tanya's project.  She is sure to have something creative and amazing for you to see! Or if you are working backwards, make sure you stop by the oh so TALENTED Holly's blog to see what she has for us this week!  Of course, if you are completely lost, like I tend to be most of the time lol, you can see the entire blog roll at the bottom.  See you next time!

Blog Roll:

1. Kerry Willard Bray   http://www.peoniesandpaperchains.com/2014/09/stamp-review-crew-truly-grateful-edition.html
2. Mike Funke    http://stampin-style.typepad.com/stampin-style/2014/09/stamp-review-crew-truly-grateful.html
3. Holly Krautkremer   http://rubberredneck.typepad.com/rubber-redneck/2014/09/the-stamp-review-crew-truly-grateful.html
4. Shana Gaff   http://stressfreestamping.blogspot.com/2014/09/the-stamp-review-crew-truly-grateful.html
5. Tanya Boser    http://tinkerin-in-ink.blogspot.com/2014/09/stamp-review-crew-truly-grateful-edition.html
6. Wendy Weixler  http://wickedlywonderfulcreations.blogspot.com/2014/09/stamp-review-crew-truly-grateful-edition.html
7. Yapha Mason  http://yaphamason.com/blog/2014/09/14/stamp-review-crew-truly-grateful-edition/
8. Cindy Beach   http://stampspaperandink.typepad.com/stamps_paper_and_ink/2014/09/my-entry.html 
9. Dawn Tidd   http://tiddbitsfromdawn.typepad.com/tiddbits-from-dawn/2014/09/the-stamp-review-crew-truly-grateful-edition.html 
10. Heidi Baks   http://runningwscissorsstamper.blogspot.com/2014/09/the-stamp-review-crew-truly-grateful.html
11. Debra Burgin  http://heartfeltinkspiration.com/2014/09/14/stamp-review-crew-truly-grateful

Holiday Home

It's time for another challenge at Addicted to Stamps and More and this week our challenge is Make Your Mark!  Use markers, crayons, watercolor pencils...whatever coloring medium your little heart desires. :) I have been using this opportunity to practice with my Blendabilities.  The little houses from Holiday Home are so much fun to color in!  I used this sketch from retrosketches on my card:

I like this simple sketch and it worked nicely with my row of houses that I colored in.

I had all of my houses colored in except the shingles on the roof of the blue house and I grabbed the darkest marker in the Night of Navy Blendabilities set.  I colored it in and it was so dark you couldn't even see the shingles anymore!  I grabbed the Color Lifter and ran it over the shingles to remove some of the color and you can see them now!  That's a pretty cool little tool!

Thanks for stopping by. Make sure to visit the rest of the design team at the ATSM blog. They are constantly showing me new tips and tricks, as well as BEAUTIFUL cards!

Hmmm...a stumper!

When I looked to see what our challenge at ATCAS was this week, I was truly stumped!

I have no stamps that remotely look oriental to me, so I had to go out of my comfort zone and do something that I have never done before...freehand an image!  I googled the word and found quite a few of these beautiful flowers that were easy enough for me to duplicate. lol

This was also a great chance for me to practice some more with my Blendabilities. It's hard to tell but there is even a little shading going on at the top of each branch.  The cute little flower punch complete with some pearls finished this card off really quickly! 

Thanks for stopping by. Make sure to check out the ATCAS blog to see the rest of the design team's beautiful creations!