I actually won some blog candy!

I cannot believe it but I have actually won Blog Candy - and quite a win it is.  I am just shaking with joy over this.  I have entered various blog candy contests for over 2 years and have never won until now.  Below is the listing of what I have won and I am just thrilled.  I had a bad last 7-10 days, part fibromyalgia, part discovering that my blood sugar is horrendously low at 47!  Perhaps that explains why I am shaking, have palpitations and cannot stay awake.  Seems lab normal is 80-120.

Kellie, thank you for your generosity.  I have written you as requested, from my Comcast account as AOL is acting up - again. 

From Kellie's blog:

Blog CANDY to Celebrate….

Saturday, July 17th, 2010

I am so overly EXCITED about many things, some I can share now and some you’ll have to wait and see, some are to do with my store and some are not but all craft related. But one of my reasons for this candy is that I have reached 550 followers…. WOW I am BLOWN away and amazed that many people like reading my waffles hehe….. And am extremely touched in so many ways by all the visits and comments that people come by and leave… So lets see the candy hey…… OH but before I do…. My candy consist of mainly stamps, stamps from my store, stamps I have bought and never used or bought 2 of etc…..

I actually had to get a chair in the end and stand on it to try and get it all in hehe… OK so here is the NON teasing photo….

Want to know everything that is in there that you may not be able to see….? Well then here is the list….

Tim Holtz 2 Embossing Folders
Flourish with a Bling Pearls – Pearl
Flourish with a Bling Pearls – Black
Flourish with a Bling Pearls – Pink
Flourish with a Bling Rhinestones – Silver
Flourish with a Bling Rhinestones – Wine *NEW*
Flourish with a Bling Rhinestones – Black
Magnolia Doohickey – Tilda Lace
Magnolia Doohickey – Vintage Tag
Magnolia Doohickey – Leaf and Swirl
Magnolia Doohickey – Peony Petal
Simply Betty Stamp Rio
Simply Betty Stamp Betty
Kraftin’ Kimmie Stamp – Babette
Kraftin’ Kimmie Stamp – Monique
Kraftin’ Kimmie Stamp – Perfect Poision
C.C Designs – Heidi Amount The Flowers
C.C Designs – Sandbucket Tevor
C.C Designs – Bathing Beauty Emma
C.C Designs Beach Scene
C.C Designs – Coffee Kiki La Rue
Motivet – Rabbit with Dandelion
Baby Buds Designs – Owie
Baby Buds Designs – Ashton
Baby Buds Designs – Jack
Fairy Tales – Cupcake Belle
Fairy Tales – Belle
Fairy Tales – Phillip
Sweet November Stamps – Current Ebbtide & Anela
Sweet November Stamps – Ocean Wavedancer & Echo
Sweet November Stamps – Shimmer Redkelp & Otto
Sweet November Stamps – Bubbles Lostlagoon & Palu
Tickled Pink Stamp – Lil Lolita – 20’s Evie
Tickled Pink Stamps – Lil Lolita – 30’s Lylah
Tickled Pink Stamps – Lil Lolita – 50’s Lilith
Pink Cat Studio – Sick Billy
Pink Cat Studio – Sick Lily
The Greeting Farm – Thursday
The Greeting Farm – Sweet Message
The Greeting Farm – OA – Happy Days
Magnolia Stamp – Wedding Collection – Tilda with Peony
Magnolia Stamp – Wedding Collection – Tilda with Veil
Magnolia Stamp – Wedding Collection – Flower Girl

AWARD DAY

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

I received this lovely award from Mary Anne at her sparkly-train blog and am honored that she decided to pass this on to me.  Mary Anne is a special friend - one you meet online, may never meetin person , but you know that you are friends and always will be.
There are some conditions attached to this award, which I am more than happy to fulfill.

1. You need to thank the person who sent it.  Mary Anne, thank you from the bottom of my heart.  I am truly touched that you thought of me.

2. You need to post a favorite photo on your blog.

These beautiful ladies with dirty seats are my eldest granddaughter, Beth, on the left, and my daughter, Megan, on the right.  Yes, despite being mother and daughter, it is hard to tell them apart.

These handsome young men, taken a long time ago, are my two boys.  This was taken at the Phila. Zoo back in the early 80s.

3.  Capture the award and post it on your blog. 

4.  List three things you like about yourself :  a) I love my children, without reservation and always will, no matter what; b) I honor my friends and cherish their friendship; c)  I have loved and been devoted to rescue dogs.

5.  Choose five blogs with which to share this award.  Like Mary Anne, I follow a lot of blogs and this is really a hard one.  I will say that I have perhaps gone with the blogs I follow the most and from which I derive a great deal of inspiration.  That said, I cannot share this with Mary Anne since she sent it to me but would if I could.   I just cannot decide on 5, so I have added a sixth.  Keep in mind I follow over 100 blogs and am grateful to all of you for the inspiration you impart and the techniques you so generously share:

     1.  Eulanda S. Cards, Cards and More Cards.
           http://eulandasilvey.blogspot.com/
     2.  Suzanne Dean
           http://scrapbitz.blogspot.com/
      3.  Sue's Sentiments         
           http://suessentiments.com/wordpress
      4.  Bev R. All the Things I Love.
           http://bevscrafts.blogspot.com/
      5.  Angie - Scrap Girl
           http://scrapgirl-angie.blogspot.com/
      6.  Pam S.
           http://expressionswithheart.com/wordpress

Again, Mary Anne, thanks so much for sharing this award with me.  I am touched and honored.
          

Tweet Kisses - again

Another House Mouse card - using the same sketch as the previous post, but this one is for an exchange on the House Mouse group.   I like everything about the card except the color of the flowers that I used.  I am thinking now it should have been closer in color to the violets between the mouse and the bird.  I have purple flowers but none that color.  From now on I must remember to check my flower stash before I color in an image!  The feathers, however, I think work well.  I had pearls in that area first and they did not work at all.  I love the DP and wish I had gotten more than one sheet of it.

Maybe it is that I am not as comfortable putting flowers on the HM images as I am on the Magnolia images.  The Maggies just seem to take to all sorts of bling.

I love doing the inside of the cards also. The feather made this one a lot of fun!

Recipe:
Image:  Tweet Kisses, House Mouse HMJR1035
Other stamps:  Swirl stamp - Kolette Hall for Studio G; Sentiment - Boxes Wishes, Inkadinkadoo
Card base:  DCWV Sorbet Stack
Ink:  K & Co (blue)
Cardstock/solid:  DCWV Brights stack
DP:  Prima Stone Rose Collection, Muuirfield
Flowers:  Prima Got Flowers; Recollections Boutique Fleur
Ribbon:  American Crafts Elements, Popsicle Collection
Nesties:  Classic Scalloped Squares, Large; Classic Scalloped Rectangles, Small.
Chalk:  Pebbles Pearlescent Chalks, Shimmers
Misc:  Stickles - Crystal; Gelly Roll - Clear Star; Feathers - Touch of Nature;  Embossing powder - A la mode in Clear; Glossy Accents.

Thanks for stopping by.  Your comments are always appreciated.

Card count:  20/365

New House Mouse Card

It took longer to get a good photo of this card than it did to make it.  I have a low-end digital camera and I think it was tricked by the small dots and wanted to blur the background.  Finally, I had to resort to taking the card outside, fighting the breeze that kept the day from being stifling, and finally got a good photo.

I have been so busy with Magnolia cards that my House Mouse images have been gathering dust.  However, a friend on the House Mouse group had a birthday, which I missed, so I will be sending this card off to her.   Thanks for looking!

I had a hard time lining up the cupcake paper on the inside, and after wasting a sheet of this great paper, it dawned on me to cut the inside paper as one sheet, and then cut it at the fold in the card!  (It was very late and I was watching a movie - The Mission - while cutting the paper, not the best way to guarantee accuracy!)

Recipe:

Image:  House Mouse Make a Wish 02

Sketch:  House Mouse and Friends 7/19/10

Coloring:  Prismacolor and Derwent pencils with turpenoid and blending stumps; Pebbles Pearlescent Chalks in Shimmers.

Cardstock (brown dot):   DCWV Spring card stack (card base was part of a kit)

DP:  TPC Studios Sweet Celebration/Cupcakes Galore

Ribbon:  American Crafts Elements: Popsicle

Flower:  Prima Essentials No. 9 Watercolor Flowers/Lg

Sentiment:  Hero Arts Special Birthday #F456

Other:  Sewing machine, brad from stash
Bling:  Stickles Frosted Lace

Card count:  19/365

New header photo

The photo that I added behind my blog title is a photo of the beautiful bay in Belfast, Maine.  I lived there for three years, and thought the view just suited this new blog background.  The weather we have been having here in PA this summer has made me miss Maine even more.

Change of background

My new cards generated a lot of visitors, but some had trouble reading the posts because of the purple color that had been under the text.  I changed my background to one with a white center, so I hope this makes it easier to read my blog.  Thanks for letting me know. 

Please take a moment to look at my side bar, for the button for Digi Drawn.  A few months back, one of the members (Maureen) of the Magnolia-licious group on yahoo made a card using Giggling Tilda, and this sweet Tilda was being kissed by the cutest Beagle/Basset hound.  What made this especially wonderful was that  Maureen drew the dog herself! She kindly sent me a few of the images after I told her of my rescue Beagles and one Beagle/Basset.  I just learned that she offers this, and other wonderful designs, as digi stamps.  Please click on the button to see her creations.  This is the card Maureen made, sizing the dog perfectly to kiss a seated Tilda.  Isn't he wonderful?  I can almost imagine him wagging his tail as he kissed Tilda. 

UPDATE:  Maureen has just joined the Magnolia Design Team.  What good news!

Entering My First Challenge

I just found out about the challenges at Flutterby Wednesdays so I am entering this in their Challenge #115.  The entries need to have either butterflies, angels or fairies on the cards, and since I love butterflies (and dragonflies) that is not a problem.  So, swallowing hard, I am entering my first challenge with this card, my first easel card.  There are a lot of layers on the front of this card - three layers of paper on top of the card base, plus the additional added layers of the branch, Tilda, Rufus the dog, etc.  It took forever as things as tucked in here and there,  but I was quite happy with the result.  The swing branch was tucked between the two solid die cut layers, with another part of the leaves stamped and cut out separately and applied over the left end of the branch where it went under the frame.  Tilda had the space between her feet cut so her feet could slip over the grass.  Rufus' lollipop was cut from DP and adhered to him.   I also entered this in the One Stop Craft Challenge, theme - pattern. 

RECIPE:

Stamps:  60s Tilda #385, Rufus the Dog #402, Swing #512 (the branch is part of this stamp).  Sentiment: S.U. Friendships Grow (2001) stamped with Color Box Cat's Eye and embossed with A La Mode clear embossing powder.  Flourish: Recollections clear stamp set from Michael's. Cardstock, solid:  DCWV Pastels.

DP:  K & Co. Paper Doll (floral inside frames, behind the swing).  Rufus' Lollipop has been cut from a paper in the DCWV Sweet Stack.

Coloring:  Prismacolor and Derwent colored pencils, Gamsol and blending stumps.

Punches:  EK Success Rock Fern; MS Frond and Butterfly.

Die:  Spellbinders Label Two in Cuttlebug

Grass:  Diecut by Jolee's By You/EK Success.

Embellishments:  Stickles:  Crystal on Rufus' Lollipop; Flowers:  Prima Spring Petal Mix and Summer Mix (small roses); Glitter:  MS coarse glitter in Crystal;

Pearls:  Queen & Co..

Chalk:  Pebbles, Inc. in Shimmers.

If additional entries are accepted, I have a few more with butterflies which I will enter.

I made two cards using identical papers.   It must be a throw-back to my high school years when I dated a few fellows from Father Judge High School in Philadelphia, but I just love deep red and light blue together!  My Mind's Eye certainly helped with their Bohemia line in just these colors.

The first card uses Bridesmaid Tilda while the second uses Peachy Tilda.  Otherwise, I used almost identical items in making both.  I get all my Magnolia cards from Diana at http://www.magnoliastamps.us/.  If a certain stamp does not show up on the website, it means it is out of stock and will be listed when it is back in stock.  Contact Diana with any questions at ladydian@shaw.ca (but she is at CHA this week). 

RECIPES:  (identical except for stamps and stickles on Bridesmaid Tilda.
Stamps:  Bridesmaid Tilda #322; Peachy Tilda (do not know # at this moment).  Both from Magnoliastamps.us at above link.  
Papers:  CS - DCWV; DP - MME Bohemia (Bliss/Love of My Life and Tiny Dots/Blue) and Basic Grey Blush (Admire).
Sketch:  Adaptation of Friday Sketchers #93.
Punches:   EK Success Morocco Lace; MS Butterfly; MS branch.
Coloring:  Prismacolor and Derwent colored pencils and Gamsol.
Flowers:  Prima Spring Petal  Mix and Spring Mix.
Embellishments: Gelly Roll pen in Copper Star on dots around Peachy Tilda;
Stickles:  Crystal on wings on Bridesmaid Tilda;  Rhinestone stickers from Michaels.

I did make one other card this weekend.  In May, my best friend lost her husband of almost 40 years, after failed cardiac bypass surgery.  Needless to say, she is devastated, as are their children.  While I have sent the usual sympathy card, and a perpetual Mass enrollment, I wanted to do something else, something more personal, for Carol.  It must have been a weekend for firsts, as this was my first criss-cross card.  While I used an Anna Griffin  book for inspiration, I miscut my paper (using my scoring board for the first time too!) so had to make it smaller than she suggested.

RECIPE:
Cardstock:  DCWV
DP:  K & Co.  Brenda Walton Evergreen Shimmer Paper Pack (Christmas).
Scissors:  Fiskars Victorian.
Ribbon:  Michael's.
Charm:  Jewelry Essentials
Quote:  Found in "Treasury of Tips & Tricks" by Paper Crafts and Stamp It (ISBN: 1-57486-572-2, purchased at Michael's).
Inspiration:  My 51 year friendship with Carol and her sticking with me through thick and thin, especially these past 10 years, and a book by Anna Griffin - "Card Crafting Techniques". 

The photo was cropped from a photo of Carol and Thom when they attended my eldest son's wedding in 2002.   I tried to use my Spellbinders scalloped oval dies to back Thom's photo but they just were not the right size for the face of the card, so I used the Fiskar's scissors.   Not having a ribbon slit punch, I used the smallest hole punch I had and made a row of connected holes, until I had an opening the correct size for the ribbon. I sewed the charm to the knot of the ribbon.  The following cards show the card with the insert tucked in,  then showing the poem on the insert and finally, a photo of Carol and I in our younger days.   (I'm the shorter one).  Carol, should you see this, you are definitely a keeper, my friend! 

Card count:  18/365