Go away Irene!

Hello blogland!  Just popping in very quickly to wish everyone on the East Coast of the US a SAFE weekend with Hurricane Irene heading our way.  I live on the East Coast of NJ and we're in the projected path of this monster and have just finished preparing our house.

Not looking forward to this at all, but I think we're ready.  Go away Irene - out to sea all the way!!

A Dose of Hope

Hello blogland!  You may remember two of my previous posts that my daughter Amy had participated in and completed two Tough Mudder events to raise money for the Wounded Warrior Project.

Next up, she's participating in a sports endurance event as a member of The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s (LLS) Team In Training to raise funds to help find cures and better treatments for leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease and myeloma.  All her hard work will culminate with a half marathon in Walt Disney World in January 2012 and while she's preparing, she's raising funds for The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.  For more information on LLS and to make a donation, please visit her fund raising page at A Dose of Hope.  I love this kid!

StampersBest YouTube Challenge

Hello blogland!

Come join the 1st YouTube/StampersBest Challenge! Create a project using any of the Borders or Frames rubber stamps from StampersBest.

How to enter: Post a video response showing your project to the challenge announcement on StampersBest YT channel by Aug. 31st (no mail in).

The winning entry gets: $50.00 to spend on anything in store at StampersBest.com

Add your entry at: YouTube/StampersBest

Go shop at: StampersBest.com

Find more inspiration at: StampersBest.blogspot.com

Want a coupon to save 10% off your StampersBest order? Use code msb10off at checkout.

Crafting by Designs Challenge - Cards for Operation Write Home

Hello blogland! What a fun time this weekend during the Blogoversary hop for Yvette at Cre8tivegirls.  I hope you enjoyed my tutorial for coffee filter flowers - if you missed it, go HERE.  They're so quick and easy to make and if you use white filters you can color/dye/stain them any color you want.

Next up - two new challenges from Crafting by Designs.  The first is to make an altered item, and I painted up a blue flower bucket.

Perfect to put some cut summer flowers in :)  The next challenge is to make card for Operation Write Home and what better time to do it than now after the horrible tragedy of the downed helicopter.  There are no words to thank these men and women for their sacrifice, and if I can help by making cards for them to keep in touch with their family, that's the very least I can do.  Want to join us?  Leave me a comment on this post with your email address and I'll send you an invitation to Crafting by Designs or you can go straight to the OWH website and check out their card making requirements.  Here's a few of the cards I made for this challenge which wil be send to OWH:

Thanks for stopping by today :)

Cre8tivegirls Blogoversary Blog Hop

Hello blogland and welcome to the Cre8tivegirls Blogoversary Blog Hop!  Today you should have come here from Emma at  Creative Time for Me, but if you're lost go HERE to start at the beginning of the hop.  Our theme is "firsts",  and I'd like to share a tutorial I've tried for the first time - quick and easy coffee filter flowers.

Here's a quick list of items you'll need:

-cone shaped coffee filter

-scallop or circle paper punch or die

-your favorite ink/stain spray such as Glimmer Mist or MoonShadow Mists from Lindy's Stamp Gang

-a small brad for center of flower

-heat gun

Step 1:

Spray both sides of the coffee filter with your favorite ink or stain - I do this in an old box.

Step 2:
Use your heat tool to dry the coffee filter.

Step 3:

Using your paper punch, cut out 4 scallop circles - you'll get 8 because the coffee filter has two sides.

Step 4:

Pile together all 8 scallop circles and poke a hole in the center; secure with a small brad.

Step 5:

Gather each layer towards the center of the flower.

Step 6:

After all 8 layers are bunched upwards, carefully fluff them out to your desired fullness.

You can make these flowers as big or as small as you wish depending on the size paper punch you use.  For my samples, I used a 2" Stampin' Up scallop circle punch.  This was the "first" time I've made these, but it won't be the last - I'm hooked now!

I'd also like to share a card I made- not a first, but a thirty-first anniversary card for my husband.

Yeppers, 31 years with this man......I'd do it all over again and I hope I get another 31 with him!

I hope you enjoyed this little tutorial and card!  And now you're off to visit Chris at Craft E Mama's Craft Haven.  Enjoy the rest of the hop :)



A Triple Challenge at Crafting by Designs

Hello blogland!  This week at Crafting by Designs, we have a Triple Challenge, and boy was it fun!  The first part of the challenge was Use Your Stamps:  make a project using either a digi stamp or a rubber/clear stamp you haven't used in a while. I made both!

This adorable digi image is from CD Designs and was so much fun to color!

For this card I used a Unity stamp and sentiment I've had in my stash for a while, and paired it up with some patterned paper from K&Co on a kraft cardstock base.

The next part of the Triple Challenge was to make a CAS card, and here's mine:

This quick card was made with a kraft cardstock base and a clear stamp set from The {Stamps} of Life and some chalk inks, a little stickles and a scrap of dyed seam binding.

The last part of the Triple Challenge was a Color Challenge with some fantastic colors!

I chose the light pink, hot pink and black colors and used a digi stamp and sentiment from The Cutting Cafe.  This challenge kept me busy this week, but boy was it fun!  Want to play along with us at Crafting by Designs?  Send me an email and I'll send you an invite!