Thank you, OWH, for the Blog Hop Prize

Thank you SO much, Sandy, for this prize.  I am totally in love with My Mind's Eye and I am eager to make some cards with these great embellishments & papers.  It is so generous of you!  I have been very focused on fall cards, but there are so many pretty Christmas papers in here that I'm going to have to switch gears.  Thanks again for a fun, inspirational blog hop and for these gifts.

Here's the original blog hop in case you'd like to see some beautiful clean and simple cards:
http://www.owhstarsandstamps.org/2011/08/blogskip-cas.html

Weathering the storm(s)

Hurricane Irene is blowing through.  So far we've had lots of rain, some pretty good winds and flickering lights.  My father in law is without power just two miles away though...Hopefully this is as bad as we'll get it.  I'm not sure, I haven't been watching the news at all.  I have been nursing a sick family for over a week!  I thought I had already gotten sick with the rest of the family--but then I had a fever last night.  I do feel much better today, no fever just a bit of a cough & sore throat.  Again HOPEFULLY as bad as it gets.

I saw a challenge on OWH's blog and decided to give it a try.

I have never done a challenge before, but I think I got the hang of it.  This is what emerged:

I scanned this because my camera battery is dead.  I am not sure I love it.  For some reason I missed the line in the challenge that said this would be great for a large image until after I finished it.  I think that's what bugs me about this card--there's no real focal point.  I originally had a raffia bow, but the tan of the raffia and the cream of the background clashed.  I found this organza ribbon in some old fall decorations I have.  I don't think it comes through on the photo, but it has an orange sheen to it, too.  The background leaf paper is the flip-side of the sentiment paper which is by Moxie: Fall Frolic/Scarecrow.  I used a Wordsworth stamp & EK Success acorn punch.

I LOVE FALL!!!  And my shipper needs some general fall cards, so I'm going to crank out as many as I can in the next 3 days.  I'd love any feedback on how this can be better.  Thanks for stopping by!!

God Bless Olivia

I do not know this little girl-or any of the people involved.  I was visiting the blog Infinite Possibilities and learned about a card drive for Olivia.  Please go here for more information. I can not imagine what it is like to face something like this.  I am thankful that Olivia's surgery went well and I pray she recovers quickly and completely.  Here's the card the kids & I made for her. Hope it brightens her day!

The ocean is K & Company Citronella Waves Glitter Thermography Paper.  The whale is Best Occasions Pearlescent Paper. The font (I hate to say...) is called Fart Bubble which I downloaded from FontSpace.  What a naughty name for such a cute font!

 

Inside: the little fish are fingerprints.

I'm making her a lined envelope too.  I really wish her all the best!
Thanks for stopping by!
~HUGS~ Brenda

Check out these great stamps and fantastic prize package!

La-La Land Crafts Blog

 

 

HIP, HIP, HOORAY, Marci and Luka had a BIRTHDAY!

On August 1st, our Marci and Luka finally turned ONE!
We want to thank each and every one of our customers for your continued excitement and support as we celebrate this amazing milestone! We couldn’t have done it without you, and we want you all to know…YOU ROCK!!

Are you ready for some birthday FUN?!

To celebrate this momentous occasion, we have a special surprise for you!! We’ve brought back some La-La Land Crafts’ alumni and friends to celebrate Marci and Luka’s birthday with us….YIPPEE!

On top of our special guest bloggers, we are offering up a HUGE BLOG CANDY for this exciting event.

Take a look at this prize package!!

collage made using Smilebox
This Blog Candy contains the following: ~ Set of 12 Copic Markers in NEW 2011 colors ~ Spica Glitter Pens (set B) ~ Pack of X-Press It Blending Cardstock ~ New Scor-pal ~ Pack of ¼” Scor-Tape ~ 3 sets of 12x12 Basic Grey Collections paper packs ~ $20 gift certificate to the La-La Land Crafts Store To be eligible for this FABULOUS blog prize, you must follow these 3 easy rules: 1. Become a follower and/or subscribe to our Blog. 2. Display a picture of our Blog Candy on your blog with a link back to THIS POST. **if you don’t have a blog, please spread the word 3. Leave ONE comment BELOW after completing the blog hop answering this question: “Which stamp used on the projects in this hop is your favorite?”

Feet first or head first?

My husband, Josh, and I were debating whether or not I meant feet first or head first in my first blog post. I actually had that debate with myself as I was typing it and settled on feet.  I imagined myself getting into a pool--was I diving, jumping in or climbing down the ladder?  I decided I was jumping because I don't like getting water in my ears which ALWAYS happens when I dive, yet I wasn't being so cautious that I was slowly getting in the water.  I jumped in and got it all over with quickly without getting my head wet.  The hardest part of setting up my blog was getting the background photo the right size.  Well, there's a little insight to how this girl's brain works...

Here are my two latest cards:

 

This one was made with a Cuttlebug embossing folder, American Crafts black glitter cardstock, and I created the sentiment in Adobe Photoshop using Calibri and Scriptina Pro (www.CheapProFonts.com) Fonts

I made two cards like this and I added Inkssentials Glossy Accents on some of the dandelion dots--I don't really like it. I think I either have to do them all or none.

This card used pattern paper from DCWV Harvest Gathering Matstack, autumn stamp from Close To My Heart and EK Success leaf punch

These were so fun to create!  I am grateful for the privilege of making these for our troops.  I hope they will enjoy them!

Thanks for stopping by!  ~Hugs~ Brenda 

And the blogging begins!

I went on my first blog hop today!  What great fun.  It was so inspiring.  I am still working on getting good pictures of my cards to post--scanning them is SO easy, but they look a little junky.  I know my camera will take a great photo--I just have to learn how to use it.  Anyway...here is one card I finally completed.  Hopefully the next few will go quicker.

I used three EK Success punches for this card.  Again the background was done with a Cuttlebug embossing folder.   And the sentiment is from Close To My Heart.

Off to make more!  Or maybe I'll pay some attention to my kids {snicker, snicker}.

Hugs~Brenda

Let's get started...

Hello! I am not really sure where I want to take this blog, so I am just jumping in feet first.  I like the idea of it being like a diary--sort of yet another way of documenting my memories, but I am not really sure.  I am posting a quick card I made for my mother for her birthday.  If she happens to stumble onto my blog she'll get a sneak peek (not likely!)  The card was so simple! I used a friend's Cuttlebug for the background (Thanks Vanessa!) and a Wordsworth happy birthday stamp.  My mom is a huge bird lover and I think she will really like this card.

I SO have to have a Cuttlbug!!!  Again, thanks Vanessa!!! :)

I scanned this card instead of taking a photo.  The ribbon and the background exactly match.

Hugs to all~