LEAP Blog Hop

Welcome to

Have we got a hop challenge for you today. 
Take the letters LEAP and create any paper crafting project; a card, a scrapbook layout, a journal page, etc. 
Here is the trick....whatever you make must use L-E-A-P in it somewhere.
For example:
A lavender (L) card with embossing (E) and angled (A) with prills (P).
Get it? So who is up to the LEAP challenge? Throw a frog into your project and you've leaped right off the lily pad.  You should have come from SHARON's blog, if not and you just came across my blog by accident, please begin at  THERESA's blog.

Now on with the projects...

I received this label/sticker- background- in a swap right after Valentine's Day.  I added it to a Recollections A2 card base and had to trim it down just a little to fit the card. First things first- my LEAP items are Lighthouse, Embellishments- kite and shells, Anchor, and Pink border and ribbon. The sentiment at the top is From far away, a friendly light- you can barely see it since I colored over it. I used Spectrum Noir Essentials Blendable Professional Pencils to color this scene. There's an orange sequin (Craft Smart- a rainbow set found at Michaels) in the top corner under the Stickles Orange Peel for the sun. The kite is an EK SUCCESS punch and I used a scrap of paper to punch it. I used Jim Holtz Stickles Distress Peeled Paint for the string and to accent the grass. I then decided to use my Gelly Roll White gel pen to accent the string, kite, shells, sailboat,and water. The shells I fussy cut out of some beach patterned paper from Oriental Trading. I fussy cut the anchor our of  a piece of Graphic 45 By The Sea collection. The ribbon is 3 Girl JAM Pink Tye-dyed collection. They no longer sell the ribbon, but you can still view their Facebook link if you're on Facebook.

 I added this Me & My Big Ideas Pocket Page  on the inside that I found from Hobby Lobby on clearance. It can also be my P for the Purple color! I glued everything down with my dual Tombow MONO Aqua Liquid Gel pen. That's it from me! :)

Up next is ALICIA I'm sure she has something awesome to share!

Today's hop is kindly sponsored by 

http://www.onlinecardclasses.com/

Who is generously giving away a class of the winner's choice. Be sure to comment on each blog on the hop by Friday, March 4th to be entered. Winner will be posted on Theresa's blog  (http://scrapsbygracie.blogspot.com) on Saturday March 5th. 

Here's today's line-up in case you get lost along the way.

Theresa ~ http://scrapsbygracie.blogspot.com/
Card A Day Challenge Blog DT ~ http://cardadaychallenge.blogspot.com/
Kim ~ www.katydidcards.com
Sharon ~ http://piece-ofheart.blogspot.com
Amanda ~ http://salnclts76.blogspot.com -- YOU ARE HERE
Alicia ~ http://goldengoddessdesigns.blogspot.com -- GO TO NEXT
Holli ~ http://sunflowerholli.blogspot.com/
Connie ~ http://conniecancrop.blogspot.com
Lisa ~ http://lisaslittlerascals.blogspot.com/
Anna - http://grumpygrandmacreations.blogspot.com/
Rhonda ~ http://craftingwithblue.blogspot.com/

Oh Christmas Tree

No, I didn't go crazy! LOL! I'm a little behind in my scrappin'! I entered this layout for a Red & Kraft Challenge with Unity Stamp Company. As you can see my red is more dominant on the left side and my kraft is under the upside down tree and under the layered stamps. Can you guess what I used under the stamps? A coffee filter! I cut out the center of the coffee filter. It was actually the inspiration for my layout when I was making coffee this morning! :) I'll reveal what stamps they are under the next picture.  Now for the details of my layout. The patterned 12 x 12" paper is from Pebbles Home For Christmas 12 x 12" Paper Pad as is the fussy cut black strip with Christmas trees in the middle. The title piece- Oh Christmas Tree, the mat under the Christmas tree on the left, and under the border punch at the bottom is from Craft Smith Olde Time Christmas 6 x 6 Paper Pad. Oh Christmas Tree is actually a journaling square, but I hid the left half under the pic to the left of it. I placed everything on this layout before I glued it down to have the right measurements for the mats and so just enough of the background paper is still visible. I love the Christmas tree design on the paper that's why I made it the biggest mat! Another reason is this tree was our Christmas tree last year as the journaling states underneath. The upside down tree was at the front door of Home- a store similar to Home Goods- in Raleigh, NC. I had never seen an upside down tree and wanted to take a picture- yes all 3 pictures were taken with my cell phone and developed with Photo Affections aka Free Prints- all you have to pay is shipping. One of the best apps I have downloaded on my cell phone yet! The mat under that pic is Recollections Kraft 4.5 x 6.5" Cardstock Paper. The bottom picture is of the Christmas trees at Tryon Palace that I helped decorate this past December. The mat under it is from Colorbox Holiday Extravaganza 12 x 12" Designer Paper Pad. The paper reminds me of a live Christmas tree with pine cones in it. The punch is EK Success Ornaments Large Edger Punch. I punched it on Craft Smith Embossed 8.5 x 11" Paper Pad.

The stamps are from Unity Stamp Company Never Ending Love Layers of Life 12/13 kit. I used Color Box Cranberry Archival Ink Pad on the hearts stamp and Versa Fine Onyx Black Fine Pigment Ink Pad on the Never Ending Love stamps. I stamped them on white cardstock. I used Tombow Mono Aqua Liquid Glue Pen to glue everything down. TFL! Please come back on Friday for a LEAP Blog Hop that I'm participating in as you can see in the right margin. It will start with ScrapsByGracie's blog. I'm sure they're will be an awesome prize and I can't wait to share what I have made!

Hello Beautiful

I made the following card using the sketch above from My Favorite Things

I used Recollections A2 card base. I cut down the paper from Colorbok Holiday Extravaganza Designer 12 x 12 in Paper Pad and I used Tombow MONO Aqua Liquid Glue Pen on everything except the washi pieces. The washi tape is from Recollections Valentine's Day washi tape book that was $1 at Michaels! The tag is Recollections Valentine's Day and was also on sale at Michaels as a 20 piece set. The Hello Beautiful sentiment is from my stash- it's from a journaling set and I can't remember the collection name. The ribbon is Recollections- I love the conversation hearts. The twine is Watermelon Sorbet from Timeless Twine. That's it! I'm going to send this to one of my friends as a Valentine's Day card. I'll write a note inside. I still have about 3 more cards to make tomorrow that I might can make a little faster. The washi tape on the side of the card wasn't cooperating with me and tore the paper when I peeled it up. It's made cheaper than regular washi tape. It was cheaper so I shouldn't expect better. LOL. I'm sure my friend will like it anyway and won't even notice the tears. I'm thinking about sending this to my friend, Laura, who races horses and owns a horse and a pony. We're like Anne Shirley and Diana Barry off of Anne of Green Gables bosom buddies except she lives in Florida now. I'll see her again one day. I've also got to sign my Valentine's for my Sunday School class- I found a box of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Valentine's at Walgreens that I'm sure they'll like! I'll post my cards tomorrow if we don't get a lot of snow. We're supposed to get a little snow and don't see it very often so I'm excited! I'll have to go out in it and take pictures. It's coming from the south and we get our best snow from the south! I have a busy weekend ahead again- we're watching War Room with the church on Saturday night and then following up with a sermon on the movie on Sunday. I have to run the computer/projection on Sunday, too, so I have to set the service order up sometime Saturday. I finally get to work Sunday night! I haven't worked in 4 weeks, my pocket isn't liking it, and I'm getting tired of staying home. Thanks for listening to my rambles! TFL!

First Valentine of 2016

If you are here for Angela's Birthday Blog Hop GO HERE

Yes, the title is true, this is the first Valentine card I have made this year! Eek! I made the following Valentine's Day card using the Unity Sketch above for Unity Show & Tell on Facebook- I can't provide a link, because the group is private and the challenge ended today. You can check out Unity Stamp Company for the Growing In Unity blog that is featured this week. The challenge times have changed. Anyway, I know you're itching to know the deets on my card! :)

I used Recollections A2 card base. I glued everything down except the washi tape with Tombow MONO Aqua Liquid Glue- I used too much, but at least the card is standing up whereas it wasn't when I made it! The arrows paper and big hearts paper is from Pink Paislee Pen Pals 12 x 12 in Paper Pad. I stamped both sentiment stamps on the back of pieces that I fussy cut out from American Crafts Dear Lizzy Neapolitan 6 x 6 in Paper Pad as is the little pink corner at the top. The Love (is) stamp is from Unity Layers of Life Never Ending Love 12/13 kit and the Happy Valentine's Day stamp is made by Craft Smart. I used Colorbox Cranberry Archival Pigment Ink to stamp both stamps with. I must have left the stamps on the pad too long to cause the ink to run before gluing down. I was trying my best to stay with the sketch and make layer fit! I've never done well with measurements- geometry wasn't my best subject in high school- so I used the card base to measure all the paper when cutting on my Recollections dual score marker/paper cutter. The washi tape is made by Studio G. I know that's a lot of hearts, but it's Valentine's Day! I'm going to mail this to my great aunt who is in a rehab center after having female organ problems. Sorry for rushing through the post, but I want to get it in the mail before the mail man gets here. Have a great Thursday! I'm going to be working on more Valentine's this afternoon. Most of them are going to be late, but it's the thought that counts! I'll just be breathing through everyone of them! I really love making cards! TFL!

Angela's Birthday Blog Hop

Welcome to Angela’s Birthday Hop! So glad you can join us! HAPPY BIRTHDAY ANGELA!! :)

13 super crafty girls would like to share with you their birthday creations. Hopefully this will give you all some inspiration to make something for that upcoming birthday!

If you came from JESSICA, then you're in the right spot! If not, please start at the beginning at ANGELA'S!

For today's hop, Angela is giving away a fun birthday package! All you have to do to win is like and comment on all 13 of us!

Jaded Blossom Birthday Splatter Stamp
Recollections rhinestone embellishment
Recollections purple burlap
Basic Grey 6x6 Shine On paper pack
Mon Ami Gabby diamond mesh

Here's my project I have to share with you today:

I made this birthday card for a little girl in my Sunday School class who will be 7 the end of this month. She wears rainbow sandals- with socks- every Sunday and I thought of those shoes when I made this card. She always takes her socks and shoes off as soon as she gets in class so all the other kids want to do the same thing. Some of them remember what their parents told them and don't take their shoes off. I teach 3-7 year olds or Pre-K-1st Grade. Now that I have the story behind this card out of the way, let's get back to my card! I cut down a sheet from K&Company Que Sera Sera Designer 12 x 12 Paper Pad and glued it down with Tombow MONO Aqua Liquid Glue Pen onto Recollections A2 Card Base. I stamped Happy Birthday from Stampin' Up Remembering Your Birthday collection using Versa Fine Onyx Black Pigment Ink onto a piece that I fussy cut with decorative scissors from the same sheet of designer paper. I wanted to make the sentiment stand out a little from the card, but didn't have any adhesive squares so I had to improvise Luckily when I made this card I was at my crop in the kitchen of my church building and knew there's a teacher's closet upstairs that may have some foam squares or some sort of foam. No luck, so I went to look in my classroom and found some foam paper pieces. I found a pair of scissors and cut off a small rectangle. I went back downstairs to the kitchen and cut 3 little squares from the foam rectangle. I borrowed my friend's, Aleene's Original Tacky Glue to adhere the squares to the paper and the card. The tacky glue I found in the teacher's closet was dried up. I wasn't giving up!! :) I added an American Crafts Crate Paper After Dark Adhesive Enamel Gold Dot to the butterfly to give it some bling. Now for the inside:

 The cupcake stamp is Studio G Pinklight Design that I stamped on typing paper again with Versa Fine Onyx Black Pigment Ink and then colored it with 80s Glam Sharpies and then I cut it out and glued it down with the same Tombow Aqua glue pen. The sentiment stamp- today calls for something pink with sprinkles on top- is also from the same Stampin' Up birthday collection and I used Versa Fine ink again. I will write a note on the card before I give it to her. She's supposed to have a party at the local skating rink and if I go I'll give her this card with a gift. That's all I have to share with you. I would love for you to become a follower of my blog if you're not already!

Up next is my friend, CONNIE and I'm sure she has something awesome to share with you!

Here is the lineup in case you get lost:

ANGELA
KIM
MICHELLE
VERONICA
MIRANDA
SANDY
HOLLI
JESSICA
AMANDA  --YOU ARE HERE
CONNIE   -- GO HERE NEXT
DAPHNE
SHAWNEE
LISA F

Thanks for hopping with us today!

Happy Birthday!

I'm entering this card in the 30 Day Coloring Challenge with The Daily Marker. I made this card for a friend's mom who is turning 80 on Sunday. The card base is Recollections A2 cards. I then added a piece of Craft Smith Watercolor 12 x 12 that I cut down to fit the front of the card. The stamp is from a Stamped Image Swap from Dawnette with Girls, Giggles, Glitter, and Glue on Facebook so I'm not sure of the name of the stamp. 4G's as we call it is a secret group on Facebook, but you are welcome to ask to join. I used Spectrum Noir Essentials Professional Blendable Pencils to color in the jar. The Happy Birthday stamp is from Stampin' Up Remembering Your Birthday collection and I used Versa Fine Onyx Black Fine Pigment Ink to apply the stamp with. It wouldn't fit vertically so I decided to stamp it diagonally. (I decided to link up to Julie's Stampin' Up demonstator site so you wouldn't have to search for a demonstrator if you wanted to buy this set or anything from Stampin' Up.)  I added the bling in the top corner to give the card some extra pop. They're from my stash and may be a part of iClear stamp set.

I added this sentiment that was from the same Facebook swap to the inside of the card. I'll include a short message to the card before I mail it.

I don't know the woman personally that will be receiving this card. Her daughter is in a nursing home, requested cards for her mom, and doesn't think she will see her mom on her birthday. Jan, my friend, is an only child and lost her dad a few years ago. Jan is wheel chair bound due to being paralyzed from the waist down. We met in a chat room years ago and have kept in touch through Facebook. I decided to make this card out of the kindness of my heart plus I love making cards! :) TFL!

Bean Boozled

I made this layout this past Friday night and am just getting around to blogging about it! 

Anyway, let's get to it! The patterned paper is from Colorbok Holiday Extravaganza 12 x 12 Designer Paper Pad. The arrow tag, egg die cut, and the journaling tag are from a swap and I forgot who I got them from. I stamped "Too Funny" using Amy Tangerine from American Crafts Everyday Roller Stamps that I received as a blog prize from Spiegel Mom Scraps last year and I used Versa Fine Onyx Black Fine Pigment Ink. On the egg die cut I stamped Sunday November 2 2017 with Dear Izzy rolling stamp from the same set and the same ink. I realized I stamped the wrong year after I stamped it, I meant to stamp 2015 so I wrote a "5" over the "7" with an ink pen. You can't really tell unless you look at the picture close-up.  I used a pair of decorative scissors to cut out the bigger pictures of the Jelly Belly Bean Boozled box and my stepmom's hand.

Here's a close-up of the journaling tag:

I printed it out on my computer and fussy cut the strips to fit the tag. I also printed out the title out on my computer. You can see that Emily gave Tyler this game for his birthday. (which was the same day) As you can tell by Emily's face some of them are nasty! :) I wish the smiley faces print upright on here, but it's ok. The only flavor I tried was dog food and it is nasty!! I had fun taking pictures! :) I'll post pictures of his birthday as soon as I scrap them. I've got to get to working on my Valentine's this week. I'm also going to be participating in Angela's Birthday Blog Hop this Thursday, February 11 and I'd love for you to hop along with us. The hop will start with Angela since it is her birthday.  TFL and have a great day!

Three Projects in One Day

I've been trying to color everyday for 30 Day Coloring Challenge, but didn't yesterday. #30daycoloringchallenge

I made this Easter card for a swap. Yes, I know I'm ahead one holiday! The swap has to be mailed by February 15 is why. This is the first of 5 cards I will be making. The card base is Recollections A2 cards. The top paper is from Colorbok 12 x 12 Holiday Extravaganza Designer Paper- both the Easter eggs and jelly beans. The bottom half is from Colorbok Spring Morning 12 x 12 Pattern Pack. The washi tape is Scotch Expressions. The stamp is Craft Smart Happy Easter than I stamped with VersaFine Onyx Black Pigment Ink and is fussy cut from Recollections Kraft paper. I used Spectrum Noir Essentials Blendable Pencils to color in Easter and the flowers. I also used a White Gelly Roll pen to highlight the fancy swirl on the stamped image and the dots on the flowers. The butterfly I fussy cut out of DCWV The Primrose 12 x 12 Stack. The flower in the top right corner is from Petaloo FloraDoodles Shapes N Centers Yellow. I used my Gelly Roll pen to draw the tentacles on the butterfly.

I used Heidi Swapp Love Stencil Mini Frames to trace love. I colored in the negative space with a Chromatix Grape pigment ink pen. I used Creative Memories Basic Red to color in the letters. I used my Gelly Roll pen again to draw hearts all over the image and then colored the ones in the word "love" with the same Chromatix pen. I'll use this image on a Valentine's Day card to be made in the future.

Today was also Thank Your Mail Carrier Day so I made this card for my mail carrier. They used to be just mailmen, but we have both sometimes thus mail carrier. The patterned paper is from Pink Paislee Pen Pals 12 x 12 Paper Pad. The Washi Tape is Scotch Expressions. The stamp is from Skipping Stones Design Thanks Sew Much Collection. I used VersaFine Onyx Black Pigment Ink again. That's it for today! I'm going to a crop at my church later tonight. I'm excited because we haven't scrapped together since November due to the holidays.  I'll try to post another blog entry later tonight after I get home. I have a bridal shower to go to on Saturday and Sunday is church and then Super Bowl 50- go Carolina Panthers!! I have a busy weekend ahead of me! TFL and have a great Friday!

Starbucks SMASH Entry

I've decided to join the 30 Day Coloring Challenge with The Daily Marker. I'm actually a day behind. Here's my entry for today:

I decided to SMASH about my love for Starbucks! All the Starbucks, colorful cups, and printed images were found on Pinterest. The Starbucks printables aren't on a website anymore, but you you can view my pin- Starbucks. The colorful cups are from RebeccaB Designs and the other printables are from Mama Dini's Stamperia- the set is called Espresso Yourself. I used Spectrum Noir Essential Blendable Pencils to color in the mug and the hearts on the opposite page. I wrote on the coffee collars 3 of my favorite flavors that are only available during Christmas time- Chesnut Praline Latte, Caramel Brulee, and Caramel Macchiato. Caramel Macchiato is available all year round. I also added a fussy cut piece of holly from Recollections Christmas Noel Cozy Lodge 8.5 x 11 Scrapbook Pack, because that is the closest thing I have to their design inside every shop. I found this coffee page in my K&Company SMASH Eco pad. All of the glue in my SMASH pens have been used up, so I used Tombow Mono Liquid Aqua glue pen. That's it for now, I'll add a Christmas layout that I made earlier next. I hope you join the Color Challenge as well! TFL!