Beautiful Things

Beautiful things.  What is beautiful in your life?  Is it a favorite outfit?  Maybe a wedding ring?  Or is it your home?  Maybe a piece of glassware that has been passed down through your family?  Beautiful things are all around us - and we take so many of them for granted.  Many times we think beautiful things are just that - things....something tangible...something that we own.  But the most beautiful things in life are those that we can't really touch or own - but things that are given freely to us because we just don't deserve them.  You've experienced it I'm sure - a smile when you're having a bad day....a friendship that spans years and years...a rainbow after a storm...the kindness of a stranger...and most importantly - God's unfailing love.  The most beautiful things can't be bought.  In a conversation today I was talking with someone about two people I have never met that I try to encourage but yet in the end - they bless me.  They haven't given me a thing - except their appreciation and they friendship.  Those are beautiful things.

I encourage you to be a beautiful part of someone's life today.  Send them a card and tell them how much they mean to you.  Or leave a note for your waitress along with the tip - telling her that you appreciate her service.  There are so many little ways to lift someones spirit...to show some kindness.  And I promise you one thing...you will be more blessed than the person you are trying to bless.

So what am I going to do today?  Well, this card is going out in the mail today....

The papers were from my stash and the image is from Deedee's Digis.  You can find it here: 

Special Lady - Non-EU Residents ONLY

Special Lady - EU Residents ONLY

My card is heading off in the mail today to a very special lady.  

I'm entering this card into the following challenges:

• Clear It Out Challenge - Anything Goes 
• Alphabet Challenge - H is for Hats/Handbags 
• Left Of Center - For the Girls 
• Catch The Bug (Bugaboo) - Anything Goes 

And hopefully this will encourage YOU:

Thank you for stopping by today.  God bless you!!!!!

Forever Friends

Have I ever mentioned that I love animals?  I do.  Any animal.  Ok, maybe not snakes and bugs....but most animals.  LOL!!  And I love animal images/stamps.  Deedee's Digis has some great animal sets and one of her recent ones is called "Forever Friends".  You can find it here (EU Only) or here (non-EU Residents).  I printed the color image in black and white then colored it with an orange Spectrum Noir marker.  I like how it turned out.

The papers were from my stash as well as the ribbon.  Oh - and look at the little easel thing my wonderful husband brought me home from work!  It's just perfect for taking pictures of cards!!!  LOVE IT!  He's such a great guy!!! 

I'm entering this card into the following challenges:

• Robyns Fetish - Anything Goes
• My Time To Craft - Zoo Animals
• The Crazy Challenge - Use Ribbon or Lace
• The Pink Elephant - Anything Goes

As always - I do like to share a little encouragement with you....

Why is that encouraging to you?   Because it's something we can say every day no matter what day it is - Be Happy - Be Blessed - God is doing amazing things!!!!


God bless you and thank you for spending a few moments with me today.  

Dreaming of the beach....

Why is it that everyone seems to be heading to the beach this week except me?  LOL!!  I know of 3 families who are beach bound this week (or already there) and I'm sooooo jealous!  So since I can't be there - I thought maybe I could at least feel sort of "beachy" by making a card using beach items.  One of the things I always loved doing at the beach was looking for shells....so why not use "Seashells" by Deedee's Digis for a card and remember those times.  At Deedee's Digis we are sponsoring All Sorts Challenge - No Squares Allowed this week.  Come on over to Deedee's Digis and play along with us....or see who else we are sponsoring too...or just get some great inspiration from some very talented cardmakers!

I'm entering this card into the following challenges:

• Fresh Brewed Challenge - Ribbon or Twine
• Cuttlebug Mania - Ribbon
• Cards In Envy - When Nature Calls
• Crafting From The Heart - Anything Goes

And a little something to encourage you:

I just love those old hymns!  They really touch my heart.  Hope this one touches you.  Thanks for stopping by today.  God bless you!!!!!

Tea anyone?

I know most people are coffee drinkers...and while I love the smell - I honestly can't figure out how anyone can drink it!  I can't even stand the fancy mocha drinks or milkshakes.... But give me a cup of tea or a big ol' glass of iced tea (unsweetened of course) and I'm very happy!

I decided to use a set called Cuppa Love from Deedee's Digis.  Even though you do get a colored version with the set, I used the outline version and then colored it in with pencils.  The paper came from my stash - just an extra piece I had from a previous project...and the same with the ribbon. 

I decided to to two different versions....since I did have the extra paper and ribbon.

The insides of both cards are decorated but I think I liked the corner ribbon one better. 

I'm entering this card into the following challenges:

• Inspiration Destination - Anything Goes
• Wonderful Wednesday - Anything Goes
• Word Art Wednesday - Anything Goes
• Clear It Out Challenge - Anything Goes (Ribbon)
• Doodle Pantry - Anything Goes
• Crafty Ribbons Challenge -Anything Goes with Ribbon

As always I like to leave you with a little something to encourage you:

Thanks for stopping by today!  Come back and visit soon.  God bless you!

A work in progress.....

It's March...and this is only my second post for the year.  Gee, what a slacker I've been...sorry.  My blog has been a work in progress.  Tonight - or should I say this morning since it's now 3:30 am and yes, I have insomnia - I've updated the "look" of my blog but in the process I lost some of my stuff like some of the blogs I follow...guess I should have been paying more attention to the instructions.  UGH.  So please bear with me while I try to get some things back.  If' your blog was linked to my blog - please leave a comment with your blog address so I can re-add it. 

So this is going to be one of those posts where I just show a bunch of cards...not sure when I made them but I'm also trying to clean up my computer and clear out some pictures...most of these are made with Deedee's Digis.  Yes, I'm on the DT...but haven't been a good DT member to be honest.  That is going to change too!  Deedee has been so patient with me - she is truly a SAINT!  The DT blogs are listed to the left - these are some very talented people!!!  And if I've left anyone out - again, please just leave a comment and your blog address so I can get it added.  So here we go:

I just love that Panda...and the grapes card too!  Ok, I just love Deedee's Digis....check out her store - you'll soon become addicted too!  Here's the link:  Deedee's Digis Shop.

Lastly are a few cards made with just some things I had laying around in my stash....not sure where the images came from:

Out of this last batch I think the last one is my favorite.  Anyway - that's it for cards I've made and I haven't posted.  Hopefully I'll be back on track now. 

Thanks for stopping by today.  Please come back again....I promise to be more diligent and attentive to this blog.  God bless you today!!!!!

Hello again!

WOW - it's been two months since I posted anything here.  Life just got busy.  It's not that I haven't been crafting...well, not as much as I would have liked.  But I just am not sure where I want this blog to go yet.  My heart is that I want it not only to share my love of card making...but also be a source of encouragement in life.  I'm not sure what that looks like yet so be expecting for this to evolve.

As I said I haven't been crafting as much as I would like.  I think there are cobwebs growing in my craft room.  This weekend I had hoped to spend a lot of time making a ton of cards.  Well, I made one.  LOL!  But I did get other things done (filed State Income Tax for one and, thank you Jesus - we don't owe).  I also took a few naps along the way...all in all it was a good day.

Since yesterday was Valentine's Day I didn't see the point to making a Valentine....and since St. Patrick's Day is the next holiday I decided to start with a St. Patrick's Day card.  What do you think?

Inside:

The papers are from DCWV from one of the Stacks....for the life of me I can't remember which one.  I colored the image with colored pencils....I just wasn't in the mood to use markers.  Speaking of markers - has anyone tried those Camelon Markers yet?  I've been thinking about trying them.  Anyway - back to this card.  The image is from Deedee's Digis called "Irish Blessings".  The great thing about Deedee's Digis is that they come in sets and you get the image plus sentiments and even papers.  The only thing you need to add is your creativity!

I haven't entered challenges in a while so why not enter a few :)

• Allsorts Challenge - Any Occasion Other Than Birthday
• Throwback Thursday - Anything Green
• Digi Galore - Anything Goes
• Simply Create Too - Anything Goes

Here's something I posted on Facebook this morning...holds a lot of truth...

God bless you today!  Thank you for stopping by.  Hope you come again real soon!!!!

Who needs "Black Friday"?

Who doesn't like a sale?  Well do I have the scoop for you!!!!  Until Dec 1st there is a Customer Appreciation Sale going on at Deedee's Digis!!!  All digi sets are on sale at 50% off!!!!!  WOWzers!!  It's a great time to stock up on some fabulous sets!  So as an inspiration to you, I'm sharing a bunch of cards I've made with Deedee's Digis....Don't forget that each set comes with colored and uncolored images, sentiments, and some even with digi papers!  Challenges entered are listed under the cards.  So let's get started:

Top Tip Tuesday - Buttons or Bows

Card Mania Challenges - Use a digi

Shopping our Stash - Free is Good (ribbon)
Get Creative Challenges - Use Glitter 

  Through the Purple Haze - Anything Goes

Word Art Wednesday - Anything Goes 

 Clear it Out Challenge - Snowflake

Just Inspirational Challenges - Winter

Cutie Pie Challenge - Festive Furry Friends (hope Feathers count! LOL!!)

My Creative Moments - Anything Christmas or Winter 

Through The Craftroom Door - Anything Goes

The Pink Elephant - Anything Goes

Digi Choosday - Christmas

Creative Card Crew - Stripes
Stamps & Fun = Creativity - Glitter
QKR Stampede - Bling it On! 

Thanks for stopping by today!  For all my USA friends - I hope you have a very Happy Thanksgiving!  Thank you for stopping by today...and don't forget to head over to Deedee's Digis for the great sale - it ends Dec.1st!  God bless you!!!

Autumn thoughts

I love Fall...it's my favorite time of year.  But today there is 3-4 inches of snow on the ground - so it's Nov.17th and I'm already done with Winter!  LOL!!  So I'm thinking back to last week when the leaves were still falling and the weather was "sweater weather". 

My card today is from a Deedee's Digis set called "Stitchy Fall".  I love the country feel to this set!  Of course the images come color or not colored...and since I don't have a colored printer I used my Spectrum Noir markers to color the image.  Add some twine and I think it's the perfect Fall card:

Thanks for stopping by today.  God bless you!!!

Fun & Festive!

Deedee's Digis is joining the party at Outlawz Challenges!  Not only is there chances to win lots of great prizes at Outlawz - but Deedee's Digis is giving away a freebie set just to help celebrate!  You better hurry though because the freebie set is only available from Oct 20th to Oct 26th...And this is certainly a set that would be great to add to your collection.  Check it out:

Here's the card I made using this set:

Great set huh?  You can get it here. 

Thanks for stopping by today!  God bless you!!!!!

Beary Buttons

Today Deedee's Digis is sponsoring the new challenge over at Sentimental Sundays.  Both these teams hold a special place in my heart - Deedee's Digis because I'm currently on the DT, and Sentimental Sundays because I had the honor of being a guess designer.  The theme for this challenge at Sentimental Sunday's is Buttons.  I used Deedeeis Digi's "Teddy Frame" (which just happens to be a freebie in the Deedee's Digis shop!).  I colored the bear using pencils because I wanted him to have that rustic/furry feel...not sure I accomplished that but I did think it was rather cute:

Of course since the theme of the challenge is buttons....had to add a few! 

So why not join us over at Sentimental Sundays as we sponsor this great challenge blog!  Oh - and don't forget that your card/project must contain a sentiment to be entered in their challenge.

Here's a little bit of encouragement for you today:

God bless you today and have a beautiful day!!!!!!  Thank you for stopping by!!!

World Card Making Day - with Deedee's Digis

It's World Card Making Day!  I guess that means that I have a good excuse to hang out in my craft room a little bit today - right?  (Oh come on - like we ever really NEED an excuse - LOL!!).  Over at Deedee's Digi's we are celebrating World Card Making Day by offering a FREE set!  Yep - totally FREE!  But hurry - it's only available until 8am Monday morning (Pacific time)!  Then it will go into the store at regular price.  But that's not all!!  If you make a card using a Deedee's Digi (either this freebie set or another freebie in the store...or any set) and link up at Deedee's Digis by Monday, October 6th at 9am - you have the chance to win a $10 gift certificate to get even MORE digis!!  I did make a card for World Card Making Day.  It's with a set called "Handmade Happiness".  Here's my card:

Here's what the whole set looks like:

Isn't that darling??  Oh, want to see the freebie set?  Check this out:

Come on over and join the fun at Deedee's Digi's.....you never know - you might just win!!!

I'm entering this card into the following challenges:

• Anything Goes With A Twist - Anything Goes (and Deedee's is sponsoring!) 
• Left of Center Challenges - 3 or more layers 
• QKR Stampede - Anything Goes 
•  Penny's Paper Crafty Challenge - 3 papers
• Word Art Wednesday - Anything Goes

Now a little something to encourage your faith:

Thank you for stopping by today and spending a few moments with me.  God bless you today!!!!

Think Pink

Another Deedee's Digi's card today...and this set is perfect for October.  The set is called "Think Pink" and with October being Breast Cancer Awareness Month it's perfect to use for your friends to remind them to be checked regularly.

(inside)

Look at the whole set - it includes paper and the cute kitty image along with sentiments:

Why not pick up this set and not only make some adorable cards...but bring awareness too!

I'm entering this card into the following challenges:

• Crafting At The Weekend - Anything Goes
• One Stitch At A Time - Anything Goes with a Flower

Now a little something to encourage you:

Thank you for stopping by today.  God bless you!!!!!

Puppy Song

Animals are really something aren't they?  They love unconditionally.  Too bad that people aren't the same way.  I love using animal images - they always make me smile.  And over at Deedee's Digi's there is an abundance of animal images!!!  Of course I love each and every one.  This week I made this card using a set called "Make A Joyful Noise".  Here's the card:

Isn't that little puppy just adorable?  Check out the whole set:

I love Deedee's Digis because you get so much in the set - images (colored and uncolored), sentiments, and sometimes even papers!  What more could you ask?  Now don't forget that you can always get Freebies too (and who doesn't like Freebies?).  If you participate in the monthly challenge using the set of the month you will automatically be sent the next months set for FREE! 

I'm entering this card into the following challenges:

• A Song In Your Heart - I've Got A Dog
• Word Art Wednesday - Anything Goes
• CCEE Stampers - National Dog Week
• Cute Card Thursday - Punches & Dies
• Creative Moments - Anything Goes/3 Layers

And before I leave you today...something to encourage you:

God bless you today and thank you for taking time to spend a few moments with me.  

Ice Cream Anyone?

I'm addicted.  That's just all there is to it - I'm addicted to ice cream!  Too bad I don't have as many arms as this little guy from Deedee's Digis - I'd be able to eat ice cream all the time!!!!

 

This image is from a set called Triple Scoop.  Look at the whole set:

For my card I used an outline image of the critter and colored him to match the purple paper I was using.

I'm entering this card into the following challenges:

• My Time To Craft - Food and Drink
• Sister Act Card Challenge - Anything Goes
• Word Art Wednesday - Anything Goes

Now a little something to encourage you:

Thanks for stopping by today!  God bless you!!!