Sketch Day!!

It's Saturday which means a new Sweet Stop sketch....you may not be aware of this but I stepped down from the Sugar Baby team a while back to ease up on some of my responsibilities....I can say, I sure do miss playing along with the sketches.

These past few weeks have been insanely busy with home stuff, business stuff and everything in between so my *stamping for fun time* as been majorly limited. Last night I had some free time so I decided to use it to make a card for today's sketch. It felt great to stamp just because :).


This week is the Sketch with a Spin and you know what that means.....there is a sweet prize up for grabs!! Head over to The Sweet Stop to check it out.

This week's spin is "Starstruck". You can interpret that any way you wish, but the most obvious way is to use stars somewhere on your card. I found these awesome metal stars at Michaels a year or two ago and have kept them in my "Christmas embellies" stash for such times as this.

My wonderful man in brown dropped off a box full of yummy new Echo Park Christmas papers yesterday, so you KNOW I just had to break some out for my card :). The paper I used is from their new Season's Greetings 6x6 pad. I think it's my favorite line of the 3 holiday lines they released this year.

I also used Dina Kowal's gorgeous new Christmas Light stamp set and die. I am telling you, dies for stamped images are the best thing since sliced bread :)!

Today I leave you with another funny kitteh pic....

Meet Tank....a basement cat in the making....hehe....


In case you are "unawarez"....basement cat (typically a black cat) is the arch nemesis of ceiling cat (often a white or light colored cat) in a fun online battle of the kittehs known as lolcat. Lydia knows exactly what I am referring to....and I have to say it's a pretty funny thing....you can find more amusing basement cat pics HERE.

Until next next time....

Christmas Sweet Peeks #8 & #9-Candle & Background

I have been dying to peek these two sets :).....Dina Kowal has done it again this time with a gorgeous image & amazing coordinating background and the best part is.....the candle image has a matching die!!! Squeeeee!! It is sooooo awesome!

Here's my card using all three new products which will be available tonight after our release party.


Look at that image!! No fussy cutting necessary! Just cut out the shape with your die and stamp the image inside it! A perfect cut every time!!

Don't miss our release party tonight in our SCS Member Company Forum. The fun starts at 8pm EST. A few of the DT will be hosting some great challenge and don't forget the FULL REVEALS :)!! See you there!!

Christmas Sweet Peek #7-Cocoa

Cocoa is back and he's celebrating Christmas with us! Today's Sweet Peek is of our new Cocoa's Christmas stamp set.

I have to admit I had a terrible time with this card.....I still don't care for it much, but oh well...such is life.

I wanted to use the brick embossed panel to give the idea of a fireplace since Cocoa is peeking out of a stocking. Not sure if it works together, but I tried ;).

Also, you won't want to miss our Christmas Release Party tomorrow night at 8pm EST in our Member Company Forum at SCS.

Stop by the SNSS blog to see the other DT peeks :)! They are super sweet!

Christmas Sweet Peek #6-Tags

Today's set was designed by Dina Kowal and it's super versatile. The set comes with a whole slew of interchangeable sentiments that can be stamped inside the beautiful tag or used alone.


Instead of making a card with this one, I decided to create a gift item. This little package would be so sweet filled with green and red M&Ms or Hershey Kisses :). Don't you agree?

I used the beautiful Blitzen papers by Bo Bunny, added some pretty Christmas embellies and tied the tag on with gold-trimmed ribbon. I love this set!!

And in case you were wondering how my trip to Pine Grove went yesterday....

It was bittersweet. The church I grew up in took an offering Sunday tofill 45 buckets with cleaning supplies, toothbrushes, etc...so a group of us got together to hand out the buckets to flood victims in town. It was a blessing to see and hear of some many people in the community coming together to help the flood victims, but it was hard to see all the damage. Thankfully, we missed the worst of it....Friday & Saturday the sidewalks up and down the streets were piled high with "trash".....people's belongings, furniture, clothing, books, toys, anything and everything you can imagine. The pictures I saw were just heart wrenching. Many homes are being condemned (some will condemned until repaired but some must be completely torn down). You just can't imagine it until you see it. Houses completely gutted out...some even abandoned by the owners because they just didn't know what to do. The town is really pushing through, though. School started back up today and many of the roads are open again (but still needing much repair).

One of the ladies who organized the community service project yesterday took pics of our group and posted the album on FB. I shared it on my wall if you want to see them.

Today it's back to the grind....but it will be a long time before the images from this last week fade.....never away....but into a distant memory. May the Lord bless the little town of Pine Grove and draw the people closer to himself through this tragedy.

Thanks for stopping by today! See you tomorrow with another Sweet Peek....

Christmas Sweet Peek #5-Cardinal

It's time for another sweet peek and this time we have a non-cutesy image for you :).

This is my 4 bird in a series I have been working on. I love cardinals...they are such beautiful birds. They also happen to be my high school mascot.... we were the Pine Grove Area Cardnials :).


For my card I used the Father Christmas paper by Bo Bunny. I am not a huge Santa person, but most of the paper in this pad is very pretty as you can see :).

On a different note, the boys and I are heading to Pine Grove this morning to see where we can lend a hand (8 hands to be exact). Please continue to pray for the flood victims. It's going to be a LONG road to recovery.

And one more thing....

I feel so burdened to help out my home town in any way that I can, so I have designed this stamp set in honor of Pine Grove. I drew the "pine grove" image in honor of the town's name and I came up with the sentiments as I pondered what I might say to the flood victims....many of whom are my friends and family. All proceeds from the sale of this set will be donated to the Pine Grove Disaster Relief Fund & the Operation Hugs & Kisses Organization to help the many, many flood victims of Pine Grove.

PLEASE NOTE: This is a PREORDER and stamps will begin shipping late September.

Comforting Pines

Until tomorrow....make it a great day!

Christmas Sweet Peek #4-Snowman

It's Sweet Peek day 4 and all you snowman lovers out there ought to enjoy this one :). The set is called Holly Jolly Christmas.

Isn't this smiley snowman adorable with his pile of presents :)? I am a huge fan of snowmen myself so I really enjoyed coloring this sweet image. The image itself only has the gift, so I stamped the separate candy cane and stocking (also included in the set), colored and fussy cut them and popped them up with foam tape.

Check out the rest of the amazing DT cards by visiting the SNSS blog.

On a more solemn note....I'd like to share something with you in honor of 9/11/01...

This is today's devotional from Daily Focus....it's too good not to share....

There are certain moments in time that people vividly remember in connection with a certain date in history. My mother can recall exactly where and what she was doing when Pearl Harbor was attacked in World War II. I can recall where and what I was doing when John F. Kennedy was shot. My daughter now recalls where and what she was doing the day the World Trade Center twin towers burned and crashed to the ground. For three days, homeschooling stopped, and we, along with millions of others, watched the awful events of those days. Her thoughts are forever recorded below in her poem written shortly after that tragic day:

September 11, 2001

Out of the clear blue sky,

I saw thousands die.

I saw people jump to their death.

I saw America hold its breath.

I saw the sadness of the world.

I saw the flag at half staff furled.

I saw the grief of a president.

I saw America lose its innocence.

I see the towers fall in my mind.

I think I've seen it a hundred times.

I saw America cry and pray.

I will never forget that horrible day.

I saw acts of the most evil kind.

I know we can never turn back time.

I'll remember those who fight to save

Freedom in the land of the brave.

Even in our darkest moments in time, we can know God is with us. "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 8:35, 38-39).

Dear God, thank You that even in tragic times when the world is falling down around us, we are conquerors through Him who loved us! In Jesus' name, Amen.

Christmas Sweet Peek #3-Rhubarb

I don't know about you, but I am loving sweet little Rhubarb the Teddy Bear so I just had to design a new Rhubarb Christmas set. :)

Here's my sweet peek for today....


I decided to go with a less traditional color scheme for this Christmas card. We just got in these adorable papers from Bo Bunny called Sweet Tooth, which will be added to the store with our release next week. It was perfect for this gingerbread image, don't you think?? ;)

Check out the other DT creations by visiting the Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps Blog.

See you tomorrow with another fun peek at one of our new Christmas sets :).

Back in Business! Christmas Sweet Peek #2

Sorry for the late post....my internet has been down since 11am. Thankfully my awesome hubby came home and fixed it. He rocks!!! Seriously....totally rocks :)!!

So without further ado, here is my card for today's adorable Sweet Peek, Christmas Puppy illustrated by Rachel Zimmerman.

I used up various scraps I had on my table from other recent card projects. I added some yummy twine and these fabulous glittery metal stars I got at Michaels last year.

Thanks for taking a peek today!

I leave you with a video I made last night of our adorable kittens....

Aren't they so sweeeeeeeet :)?

Blog Hop Winner

i am having technical difficulties with my internet so i am posting this from my phone...and for some reason i can't get the caps to work...anyway, the winner of the season of change bundle is wanda cullen!!! congrats wanda!

thanks for hopping along with us :)!

i will get my christmas puppy sweet peek up as soon as i can! sorry to make you wait :(.

Christmas Sweet Peeks #1

It's time for another round of Sweet Peeks....this time we're celebrating Christmas in September. Our first peek is of our September Stamp of the Month, Beary Christmas. This guy was super popular as a digi last year so we thought it would be fun to bring him to our clear stamp line as our Free w/ $50 Stamp of the Month :).


Paulie Polar Bear is decked out for Christmas, but he's feeling a tad self conscious ;)....do YOU think the wreath makes his butt look big? ;)


For my card I used the fun new Blitzen 6x6 pad by Bo Bunny. Love these fun papers :)! I used a Nestie die for the main image panel and popped Paulie up with foam tape. Then I added some pearl flourishes and glittery snow....overall a pretty easy card.

Be sure to check out the other Beary Christmas creations some of the DT are sharing today. You're going to love them!

And on a slightly (ok, make that VERY) different ans solemn note....

Please pray for my home town of Pine Grove, PA. The rain has been coming down for days and the whole town is flooded. The National Guard is assisting with evacuations, but the damage is horrific....and the rain isn't over yet. Here are some pics taken from some of the residents...









As you can see, this little town is in BIG trouble. Please pray!! Thank you!

Tomorrow I'll be sharing another Sweet Peek....so see ya then!

Fall Fun Blog Hop

Hello and welcome to the Fall Fun Blog Hop!

A group of online buddies decided the Labor Day holiday would be a GREAT time to get inky together, and so we've put together a fall themed blog hop to inspire you as Autumn approaches. What a fabulous idea, right :)? Please note: The hop officially begins at 8am Central Time. I am a tad early ;).

We have hoppers from all over the globe today, and you won't want to miss a one!! Grab yourself a nice fall beverage and enjoy the Fall eye candy we've planned for you!

Here's my Fall creation...

Stamps: Autumn Bounty

Paper: Kraft CS, BoBunny & Memory Box DP
Ink: Copics, Memento, Versafine
Accessories: ribbon, pearls, machine stitching

I LOVE fall and I LOVE pumpkins :). They are pretty to look at AND they make some seriously amazing desserts :). Nothing says Fall like pumpkin pie, right? ;) For my card I stamped the image in Memento ink and colored it with Copics. The design was actually quite simple. I added a Fall sentiment, machine stitched the panels, added some ribbon and pearls and viola---a lovely Thanksgiving card :).

Before I get to your next stop and the list blog hop participants, I want to be sure to mention that as you hop along today you may discover that some of us have some fabby blog candy up for grabs--like ME!!! Just another great reason to join the fun :).

What can you win by commenting here today? The newly released Season of Change Stamp Set AND Die Bundle :)!!


To enter you MUST leave a comment on this post with your name and email address (so I can let you know if you have won) by midnight EST, Thursday, September 8th. It's that simple :). I will announce the winner of the stamp set and die bundle on Friday, September 9th.

Your next stop on the hop is Taylor Usry .

Just in case you need it, here is the full list of our blog hoppers today.....be sure to stop by each one!

Lydia Fiedler

Libby Hickson

Kim Williams

Michelle Single

Lee Murphy

Sara Henton

Yapha Mason

Lisa Adametz

Jimmi Mayo

Jeanne Streiff

Bev Gerard

Shannon

Dana Keith

Joan Ervin

Maren Benedict

Teresa Kline

Hannah Clark

Dina Kowal

Wanda Cullen

Korin Sutherland--(you are here)

Taylor Usry--(go here next)

Monika Davis

Harriet Skelly

Kim Schofield

Cathy McCauley

Mary Marsh

Julia Aston

Bridget Finlay

Alison Habetler

Leslie Hanna

Sue Farrant

Michelle Hanway

Misti Oblander

Judy Rozema

Jenna Barber

Tammy Hershberger

Eva Dobilas

Kerri Michaud

Cheryl Navarrete

Neva McMullen

Marianne

Samantha

Cindy Wallach

Thanks for hopping along with us today!!

Puppy Backpack

It's quite obvious that school is back in full swing...I have been seeing tons of adorable back to school creations popping up on blogs and in galleries lately. One of the projects that caught my eye was these adorable little backpacks so I decided to give one a try.

Stamps: Ruff Day & Many Thanks (Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps)

Paper: Peachy Keen (Kaiser Craft)

Ink: Copics, Memento, Versafine

Accessories: ribbon, button, hemp, Nesties

I found a template on SCS although I think if I make them again I may change it up a bit. I would have preferred my backpack to be a bit shorter/wider.

I don't really have any back to school stamps and I didn't feel like printing any digis when I was making this so I went with a non-school image but added a sentiment that would be perfect for a teacher.

Oh and before I forget to tell you, I will be participating in a fabulous Fall Fun Blog Hop on Monday in honor of the holiday, so I hope you will plan to hop along. There may even be a prize or two along the way :).

To all my US friends, enjoy your Labor Day weekend!! And to everyone else, I hope your weekend is fabulous, too :).

Because of the Brave

In honor of Labor Day, I have a patriotic card to share with you today. I made this one for Lydia's VSN challenge this past weekend. She challenged us to use the Texas flag as inspiration to create our card. I have been dying to use this Bo Bunny Liberty paper since we started carrying it in the store recently so Lydia's challenge gave me the perfect opportunity :).

Stamps: star image from Polka Dot Silhouettes & sentiment from Patriotic Cocoa

Paper: Bo Bunny-Liberty, Kraft-CS

Ink: CTMH-Cranberry & Outdoor Denim

Accessories: string of self-adhesive stars, baker's twine, Nestie, border punch

How about I leave you with another adorable kitty pic....

I snapped this one last night before I went to bed :). Aren't they sweeeeeet?

Orange you sweet?

Happy 1st of September to you!! Can you believe you just read that? I can't believe I just typed it.....sheesh....how is this year two-thirds over already??

We're a week and a half into school and it's going quite well thus far. In fact, I am giggling at Evan right now because he is sitting next to me doing a page in his grammar book and talking in a silly voice saying, "Is there something wrong with my voice?" This kid cracks me up.

Anyway, I have another VSN card to share with you today. This time the challenge was to make a tent fold card with a food theme so this is what I came up with.


I used one of our $.99 digis (Orange You Sweet) and some fun papers from Echo Park's Candy Shoppe Dots & Stripes pad to make a fun monochromatic card.

One of the VSN challenge hostesses left a comment on my card saying her craft room was orange and would I send it to her...she was kidding, of course, but I asked her for her address anyway and it's being mailed today :). I hope she likes it even more in person ;).

I'm off....gotta help Evan with those nouns...see ya soon!