Camptown Girls . . .

Won't You Come Out tonight? The Rosebuds made it through to the next round with The Greeting Farm Royal Battle and it's my turn up and I'm scared! My battle challenge was to make a scrapbook page and I don't scrap! HELP! I need you to go and vote and you if follow this link, it will get you there. Please help me by voting for my page at the above link. Everyone has worked so hard and I'd hate to let my talented team members down.



I love this picture and found it while I was at home in Ohio last weekend. Look at these saucy girls! This is a picture from my navy days when a couple of my friends and I went to an amusement park. We decided we'd put a bit of fun into our outing and instead of sitting around in jeans and tank tops having our Jack and coke, we decided to add a bit of fantasy to our adventure. We could have really stepped back in time and fit right in with any camptown going ons! Yes, we could hold our own!
I love the vintage look of the papers and this Cheeky Shooter is one of my favorite stamps from The Greeting Farm. She just screams sass and I love to stamp me some sass!




Isn't this Cheeky Shooter just the best? I simply adore her and her sisters from The Greeting Farm. I've got so many ideas for these babes and can't wait to play some more with them.



I hope you enjoyed one of my first scrapbook pages. It's a scary thing but I had so much more fun that I thought I would! I'm going to be making me another page!

Please go over and vote for us Rosebuds over at The Greeting Farm blog. I need all the help I can get! Thanks a bunch!


Page Ingredients:

Cheeky Shooter from The Greeting Farm, MS fancy lace edger punch, copics, ribbon, K&Company paper, Making Memory brass hardware, Jelly Roller clear pen, Distressed inks.

Camptown Girls . . .

Is coming tomorrow! I get to show off my scrabpooking abilities or lack of, for our team, The Rosebuds, for The Greeting Farm's Royal Battle. We've made it through to Week 3 and I sur4e don't want to let my sisters down. So stop back tomorrow and find out where to go to vote for us.

In the mean time, I thought I'd show you a couple of pictures of my family from
Easter. We had the greatest time and I love spending time with them. So enjoy and I'll be back tomorrow with a different side of me!

Here's our Allie eating breakfast. She grows so fast!



Ella, Heidi and Allie., Aren't they all just gorgeous?



With Daddy going through the Easter Egg Hunt bag.



This is all of us. Gosh, it was wonderful!

Stampin With Those New Clear Stamps

I thought I'd share a tutorial for those of you who are a bit leary of the new clear stamps. This is my way of stamping and hopefully it will put a different spin on the clear stamps for you.

Ingredients:

1 Belles N' Whistles stamp (the most important thing and I just love Wishes!)
Ink of your choice (I chose Memento Tuxedo Black)
Paper of your choice
Acrylic block to fit your stamp
1 9 x 12 sheet of craft foam (Yes, it's like the kind you can get at Joann's for like 10 for $1.00 when they're on sale!)



First I place my paper on top of the sheet of foam. This gives your stamp a great cushion in helping the ink cover the paper.



Then I peel off the protective covering from my acrylic block. I always cover my blocks with Tac N' Peel and love it!



Next I ink up my stamp. I like to pat my block on top of the ink pad but do it however works for you.



Then I place my block on the paper wherever I want to stamp. And then press down! Don't rock too much and try and place even pressure over the entire stamp.



Then just lift the stamp up and you've got a great, clear, crisp and clean image! I have been stamping like this for like a year and a half and I always get a great impression but these clear stamps are great to stamp with.



Some of you were worried about how detailed Elisabeth Bell's images would turn out and I picked Wishes from our new Spring and Summer Release because of the great detail and small lines used and it came out perfectly! I've stamps up all of the new clear Belles N' Whistles stamps and didn't get a bad image out of any of them.



So go get some cheap foam sheets, a great acrylic block and stamp away! I hope this clears up some of your misgivings about the quality of the image you'll get by using these clear stamps. I've got to tell you that not only was I not disappointed with them, but I loved how much space I saved with them! Quick, easy, clean stamping, Belles N' Whistles stamps! Enjoy!

Li'l Cowboy by Elizabeth Bell

She's gone and done it again! The oh so talented and inspiring Elisabeth Bell has taken me back to my childhood where things were so innocent and pleasures were simple. She's brought us some us some of the sweetest digi stamps and I couldn't be happier to be presenting and sharing them with you on my favorite holiday of the year, Easter weekend!



This sweetie pop is Li'l Cowboy and he takes me back to times with my brother and my nephews. There's nothing as timeless as a little horsey head on a stick! I can still feel the soft, cool plastic with the bright white impressions on it from when my little brother, Rick, used to get one of these. He would ride it around and I so wanted to have my own horse. I remember one time telling Mommy I had changed my name and demanded that everyone start calling me Dale Evans! And I remember getting mad at my brother one time for something stupid and I took his horse and stuck the head in some water and mopped the floor with his horse's mane! Yep, I was a little something with attitude back then!




I just adore the feel of this sweetie with his little long johns on. Can't you just see him growing up to become a real bull rider or ranch hand? Oh, those earthy men just make me weak in the knees!



And his sweet boots! I remember buying one of these same horsey's for my nephews and the boots. Oh how they thought they were all grown up in those boots! Little did I realize how fast their little feet grew!

I love this saying 'Free your mind from worries". I adore these block sayings and thought this one was so carefree and perfectly suited for the easy feel of this card.



So go off and free your mind from worries and let it create something wonderful and warming from your childhood. Head on over to Elisabeth's blog and pick up these sweet things and show us what you created. I love hearing about other's childhoods and memories. Happy Easter on this blessed weekend.

Card Ingredients:

Li'l Cowboy digi by Elisabeth Bell, My Mind's Eye paperpack, Kaisercraft flowers, Scrapper's Floss, buttons, star charms from Blue Moon, MS leaf punch.

The Greeting Farm, The Rosebuds and The Royal Battle!

A few of my good stamping buddies got together and joined the Battle going on over at The Greeting Farm! It's kind of like the American Idol of stamping and we'd love for you to come over and vote for our team. We're The Rosebuds and Jodi has our first card up and she did a fabulous job! Go Jodi! Go Jodi! You're a Rosebud! You're a Rosebud! It was retro week and the picture above was the inspiration for the card.

So if you would like to place a vote (well - you actuall got 3) - then this is how you do it:

"You must be registered to vote.
Go to http://thegreetingfarm.com/galleria/
Click on Register and fill out the form.
You will be sent confirmation info to your email and you must click the link to officially be activated. If for some reason you do not recieve it, just email me and I will manually activate your registry.
Once you are activated, go back to http://thegreetingfarm.com/galleria/ and login.
Once you are logged in, go to Contest/Challenges > TGF ROYAL BATTLE > Week 1
Vote for your top 3 choices. When you comment, that counts as your vote. So Comment on your top 3 choices.
ANYONE and EVERYONE can vote. "


So if you love the card from The Rosebuds this week - please make sure that you vote before Tuesday!

Summer Time, Summer Time...

It's my day to host our blog post for the day and I thought I'd being a bit of sunshine and fun into your day! Don't you just love our new release? I simply am enchanted by them and thought I'd share one of my favorite activities with you - hanging out by the pool!



If you know anything about me, you know I love the sun and fun and these two cuties from Splashing Good Time take me back to some of my favorite times. Can you remember the days when that little wading pool just felt so cool and refreshing on a hot day? I'm not a bit ashamed to say that I used to lay out in the sun smack in the middle of one of those wading pools! One of my good friends thought I was buying the pool for my nephews who used to come over all the time, but I certainly set her straight that it was MY pool, thank you very much! Oh, to be young and have the time to laze around out in the sun.

This cutie is colored with copics and I added some bright yellow Prima Flowers and spacers and pearls at the bottom because yellow flowers just mean hot weather to me. I love the waterfall Stickles and think it gives this water the perfect sparkles.

And here they are close up! Wouldn't you love to just jump in that pool with them?



Hope you enjoy this cute summery creation. It was so fun to put together and I hope it brings a bit of sunshine into your day! Thanks so much for stopping by!


Card Ingredients:

Splashing Good Times from Belles N' Whistles, copics, June Bug paper pack from BasicGrey, BasicGrey Bling, EK Success wave punch, MS leaf punch, spacers, Stickles, Diamond Glaze, Prima flowers.

Roses on Paper Challenge - Punches!

I finally have a few minutes to participate in our Roses on Paper Design Team Challenge. It feels like I've been gone forever, but I've been so busy with work and family and my dog and major computer problems and my new activities here in Florida that it's been hard to concentrate and get a card done!

This week our oh, so talented Rosette, challenged us to use punches on our cards and what fun it was! I really had to pull out my box of punches from the back of my stamping things and I had a ball with them! The image I used was Belle Dusting Cuckoo from the new Belles N' Whistles release that we had the great pleasure of showing off on Friday. Hope you enjoy her because there's a story that goes with her.

When were were stationed in Sicily, my ex-husband went on a trip to Germany with his squadron and brought me back the most beautiful cuckoo clock and I absolutely loved it! The pinecones and tether that went back and forth keeping time always fascinated me. Well, when I moved and got my cat, Porthos, he would sit and just look at it with amazement. I think it was the constant motion that did it for him. After he got a bit older and bigger, he'd wait for the pinecones to get to where he could reach them and he'd bat them back and forth and try to get them off the chain and that poor clock almost lost it's life more times than I care to remember! Now my girls are fighting over who gets it when I'm too old to worry about it. Little do they know, I don't think I'll ever be that old!

Belle is colored with copics and I added just a bit of Stickles to her sweet apron. I used some half moon pearls on her and made a lacy doily type bank instead of ribbon. Hope you enjoy her because she sure was fun to play with and take a trip down memory lane with.

Make sure to stop by and join in on our challenge. We'd love to see how you use your punches!

Card Ingredients:

Belle Dusting Cuckoo by Belles N' Whistles, copics, Stickles, Cherry Pie paper pack by Cosmo Cricket, BasicGrey Bling, Scrapper's Floss, SU ticket punch, EK Success swirl punch, MS lace edger, MS branch punch, buttons, Jelly Roller clear glaze pen

Belles N' Whistles Blog Hop - Bronzing Beauty

Hot fun in the summertime! I love that song because it's about my favorite time of the year. So I want to welcome you to the new "Spring & Cleaning & Summertime" blog hop release! If you've come to my blog from the ever talented Lynda, then you're on the right track. If not, make sure you go to our Belles N' Whistles blog and start from the beginning. These images are just to stinkin cute and you'll not want to miss out on seeing a single one of them! Now, on to the cuteness!



Isn't she just too cute for words? I'm just head over heels in love with Bronzing Beauty! When I looked at her, well, it was true love! I love every single thing about her, especially her towel! She's exactly how I see myself in my mind - slim, gorgeous and having some great time in the sun'! Well, I'm not slim or gorgeous but I sure do love the sun!

She's colored with copics and I added some Diamond Glaze to the pool to give it that vinyl look. Isn't the sun and pool just too much fun? They're new digis that are also available with this fun release. I added some stickles to the water and a bit around Belle and on the Prima Flower for a bit of sparkle because you know how much I love that!



And have you heard that Belles `n Whistles stamps are now sparkling clear! Designed by artist Elisabeth Bell, they are the finest of sparkling clear, genuine photopolymer stamps around, made in the U.S.! Ready to use with an acrylic block, stamping couldn't be any simpler! These sparkling clear stamps allow for effortless placement on craft projects, easy clean up and compact storage too! Stamping clearly has never been so sweet! You are sure to love your new sparkling clear Belles `n Whistles stamps!

OK, so now head on over to our fearless leader, Summer's blog for the next round of gooey sweetness coming your way! Thanks for stopping by! Remember that pre-orders for stamps start on Saturday, March 20 with stamps beginning to ship March 27. Happy hopping!

Card Ingredients:

Bronzing Beauty from Belles N' Whistles, Portebello Road paper from K&Company, Rhinestones from K&Company, MS daisy border punch, copics, SU topnote die cut, Prima Flowers, Stickles, ribbon, Blue Moon charm.

Where does Belle live? New Belles N' Whistles Release Blog Hop ComingTomorrow!

There's a new Belles N' Whistles release coming and we're celebratring this fun release with a big blog hop tomorrow so get ready! You're going totally love it! I can't wait to share them with you! To mark this great release, we're wanting to see where Belle lives so make sure to hop over to our Belles N' Whistles Design Team Blog to see where all of our Belle's live and to see where some of your fellow stampers are. What fun this has been. Here's Belle's new home with me here in Florida.



This is out Belle's front door. Gorgeous tree, isn't it? Gives me shade all the time!



And this is where Belle hangs out when the temperature allows. Oh, I do love the sun!



And we can't forget Hagrid! Bell even walks over to the dog park with him and keeps me company while he plays. Well, he sniffs more than he plays!

Don't forget to join us for our blog hop tomorrow because these are too cute to pass up! See you then!

There He Goes, Off To The Wild Blue Yonder!

We've finally reached the time when my son-in-law Branden has left for basic training for the Air Force. It seems like it was only yesterday when he and Nichole told me they were getting married and he was going into the Air Force. So much has happened since that time in our family. The babies celebrated their first birthday, Tiff and Allie were up with us for a month before the wedding. And then there was the gorgeous, fabulous wedding. Oh, what a grand day that was for us! Then came my move to Florida and a new career and then last week Branden left for bootcamp and it's like we came full circle. Gotta love that in a family.

This is the card I made for Branden in celebration of his new journey. This cutie is a digi from The Greeting Farm called Chibi Business. I love his watch and while his hat isn't an Air Force cover but I tried to get his suit to stand out more! The paper is from my stash and I just think he's great!

Good luck to my fabulous son-in-law and my daughter, who is doing just great! I love you all so very much.

Card Ingredients:

Chibi Business from The Greeting Farm, copics, gold spica pen, paper from my stash.

Aurora with Tulips

I know, I know, two days in a row is a bit scary! But I love this sweet little sprite Aurora from Victoria Case for Susana's Custom Art and Card Design. She's such a cutie pie and always looks so stinkin happy! Just love her sweet face!

She's all done up in copics with stickles and some great BasicGrey papers. I embossed the plaid paper with my cuttlebug folder for a bit more texture and added some Stickles to these sweet tulips. Gosh, I want to be sitting with her, don't you? It's raining like crazy here in Florida and it reminds me that before long the tulips and spring bulbs will be popping out of the ground and I can't wait for all the beautiful color. My mom has the greatest tulips in her yard every spring and it's one of the things she looks forward to the most - all that gorgeous color!

Susana is having a great release tomorrow for her new line of sweet stamps from Victoria Case! Make sure to stop by and join in on the blog hop! There some of the most talented stampers around and I'm sure you won't be disappointed!

Here's hoping that Miss Aurora visits Nola's tulips this year!

Card Ingredients:

Aurora with Tulips from Victoria Case for Susana's Custom Art and Card Design, BasicGrey paper, cuttlebug embossing folder, nestabilities, Stickles, copics, Bella Baubles, ribbon, Petaloo flower.

Love me some Tilda!

I don't know how I posted this cutie without writing something! This is one of the sweeties I made while my computer was down and have just had a chance to post here. This is my sweet Tilda from Magnolia and I made her for our last challenge over at Roses on Paper. I do love these sweeties and haven't given them as much attention as I should have lately. This is Tilda with Birdcage and I just think she's so precious.

She's colored with copics and the paper is from BasicGrey and the flowers are Prima Flowers and I had to put some stickles on her! You know I just can't keep them off my Magnolias!

Hope you enjoy my sweet Tilda. I sure do love them!

Card Ingredients:
Tilda with Birdcage, BasicGrey Bittersweet paper, ribbon, Stickles, copics, Prima Flowers, BasicGrey Bling, spacers, cuttlegbug embossing folder

I'm back and a new digi release from Elisabeth Bell!

For those of you who came back to visit, thank you so much for hanging in there with me! It's been a very trying couple of weeks without a computer but it's been a good, revealing couple of weeks for me. I've got my computer back and it's better than ever! Nice new monitor and a keyboard that I think I can finally type with! And I'm having some work done on my blog, so look back in a few days and it should be fabulous! And I've got a few cards to share with you this week and I've been playing around with some of digis and here's an absolutely enchanting one from the oh so talented Elisabeth Bell that I'd love to share with you.



The ever so talented Elisabeth Bell has released another fabulous digi and this sweetie is called "Pat-A-Cake"! Isn't it just too sweet and cute? The Belles N' Whistles team was asked to help show her off so make sure to stop over at all my sisters blogs and see what they've come up with for you!

I remember sitting for hours on end playing Pat-A-Cake with my best friend growing up, Debbie, and then with all my nephews and of course with my girls. And I'm sad to say that no matter how many time I baked that cake, you still wouldn't eat it very much of it! Baking is not my forte but spending hours on end with the little ones that I love sure was! I love this sweet image because it so reminds me of spending wonderful, happy times with loved ones and oh, how I wish I looked this sweet and fresh playing!

She's colored with copics and I used the great papers from The Basic Origins collection from BasicGrey. Love their papers and the colors from this collection are just beautiful.

Make sure to stop by over at Elisabeth's blog and pick this sweet experience up for your collection. So go have some fun and tell me all about your favorite childhood game. I' love to hear about it!


Card Ingredients:

Pat-A-Cake by Elisabeth Bell, Basic Origins paper pack from BasicGrey, Prima Flowers, copics, Cuttlebug folder, nestabilities, Diamond Glaze, BasicGrey Bling, ribbon, MS branch punch.

No Monitor!

Well, my monitor has gone out on me and I can't see a graphic or touch up a photo or see it the picture is clear. I should be getting a new computer or monitor on Tuesday and should be back up shortly after that. Wish me luck and know that I've missed you all! Susana at Susana's Custom Art and Card Design has some great new products in the store so make sure you stop over and take a peek!

Sorry for my absence!

I'm so sorry that I haven't been around to post this week but my daughter, Tiffany, and her husband, Chris, and my Allie have come to visit! I need all the Nana time I can get! Chris has been doing some housekeeping on my computer so I've been a bit out of commission. I promise to be back tomorrow with something cute and maybe something a bit sassy.

But while I'm here, head on over to Susana's Custom Art and Card Design and check out all the great new products she's brought into the shop! Tons of sun stuff!

Yak at you all tomorrow!