You're Better Than Ice Cream!!

Happy Inauguration Day everybody!!! Whether or not Barack Obama was your choice for President or not.. I hope we all take a moment to recognized the importance of this moment. Maybe one day this nation will progress so that all of us are created equal, not just men. What a historical day in the story of our nation. I hope you all join with me in wishing the new president the best of luck in fixing things.

Now on to the card....

This is definitely a girlfriend card!! Our girlfriends are always there to pick up our piece when they crumble aren't they? This card is perfect for that I think. The DP is Hobby Lobby. The cardstock is DCWV and GP. There's a little bling in the sentiment box. The stamps are from MFT. My main image is colored with Copics. I used my Perfect Layers to mat the image and my nesties to die cut the sentiment. I can think of a few gals that fit this bill.. You know the ones.. the girls willing to spend hours in the ER with you while your hubby is deployed.. the friends you can call at 6 in the morning to take your kids.. The ones you can count on to pick up the slack when you can't take another step and especially the ones who will make sure your mother gets picked up at the airport when your too sick to drive.. those are the girls this card is talking to..  I am very blessed to have a gaggle of these ladies to call my girls, my sisters in service, my friends..

Santa Riley

Christmoose Wishes to you and yours!! I just adore this time of the year. Christmas is my absolute favorite holiday. Although being in south Texas I must admit I miss seeing winter white. San Antonio doesn't see much snow I'm afraid and although I hate getting out into it, I LOVE waking up and seeing the world blanketed in white. Isn't Santa Riley just to die for... The main image was colored with Copics and Prismacolor Pencils. I also used puffy paint for his beard and hat.  This is the last in my 2008 Christmas Card Series... I hope you've found some inspiration among them...

Just Rite Reyes.....

This is my Just Rite Creation for Three Kings Day.. My husband is a native of Puerto Rico and so is my dad. We celebrate this holiday. When you think about it the theory makes a lot more sense then the guy in the red suit.. After all it was the Three Kings that brought gifts to Baby Jesus. On the eve of Three Kings day our sons collect grass and leave a bowl of grass and water for the camels to sustain themselves as the Kings deliver their gifts. Let me tell you this was no easy feat, finding grass in New York City in January... our sons always managed to scrounge up a bowl full of grass and the kings deliver them one special gift. Living in San Antonio has made the grass locating much easier, although the grass is pretty brown this time of year.  I created this card to send to our families that celebrate El Dia de los Reyes along with us.

A Better Place

Do you have those special people that just make your world a happier place to be?? I am lucky enough to have several people that make my world a happier place. The person most able to keep me smiling is definitely my DH. Tomorrow we will have been married for 15 years. It sure doesn't seem like it's been that long. As I look around us I realize that our marriage has endured a lot. Being married to someone active duty military take a unique personality. Don't get me wrong I LOVE our life but having your husband gone frequently doesn't spell bliss for you marriage. We are fortunate though we are each others best friend and we always seem to find a way to make things work for us. I have often wondered what made us different from those we have known that have divorced. One thing I know that sets us apart is that we do what works for the two of us instead of trying to make what works for others work for us and another is that we confide in each other. If something troubles me, he's the one I talk to about it. Anyway.. Cheers to 15 years of marriage, good times and bad have made us who we are and I wouldn't change one bit of it. Now on to the card..

 

Card Deets:

DP:  DCWV

Cardstock: DCWV, Georgia Pacific

Stamps: Papertrey, Gina K, SU!

Accessories: Copics, Nesties, Perfect Layers

Warm Riley Wishes

I ADORE this Riley. Isn't he just the coolest!. This card is totally out of my realm. I never use this many layers. Nine layer is the most I've ever used but I LOVE how this card turned out. My snowman is covered in stickles and sparkles great IRL. I used my perfect layers tools to get my mats perfect.  My nesties on the sentiment. The sentiment is from Papertrey's Mailbox Greetings. Hope u love this as much as I do. It's one of the many different types of cards I sent out at Christmas. A few more posts and you'll have seen all of them..

 

Michelle

Patriotism Never Melts!

Being military and having several friends whose DH spent the holidays away from them I decided to make these Papertrey snowman and add a saying from a stuffed snowman that a girlfriend gave me. The patriotism that is shown everyday by those serving in far away lands is inspiration to be better and do better with our lives. Honor their sacrifice by paying it forward each and everyday. HOOAH! It's an Army Thing....

 

Card Deets:

DP: Provo Craft Americana Pack

Stamps: Papertrey

Other Supplies: Nesties, Copics, Saying generated on my computer the cut out with my Nesties

Wishes Riley

Don't you just adore Riley and Sophie? I know I do. I own most of them. There's just something about their adorable little faces that calls my name. Kind of like Melanie Muenchinger's animal faces do... Melanie's animals have the MOST expressive faces. Don't believe me go HERE and check out all the stamps she has designed for Gina K. Of course you can find Riley and Sophie HERE!

 

Card Deets: The base of the card is Kraft. The Base is stamped with Papertrey stamps in Whisper White. The main image is of course Hanna Stamps. The image is colored with Copics and the snowman is riddled with stickles. Everything was cut out using my all time favorite toll.. NESTIES!!!

Merry Christmoose!

HAPPY NEW YEAR and Feliz Dia de los Reyes!!!!!!!!!  I can't believe that 2009 is here. I am continuing my Christmas card posts from last year. I have a few more to publish then I'll show you the new stuff I'm working on now. Merry Christmoose was created on my computer the cut out with my nesties. The main image is colored with my copics and cut out with my nesties. A simple yet fun card to warm someone's holiday season. I'm not sure how much I like this card but I LOVE my Riley's.. I am on my way to play with some new ones that I got over the holidays..

From Our House

Here's another version of the card I showed you the other day using a different DP and different color palate on the main image. It's colored the same way, with copics and my Prismacolor pencils and gamsol on the hat.  This looks to be my last post for 2008. I wish you and a truly blessed and spectacular New Year. I pray that this year will be a better year for you all, filled with fabulous projects and good times. Love and Blessings to all my creative sisters out there..

 

Michelle

Christmoose Skier

This DCWV DP is so cute and whimsical. The CS is DCWV also. The The main image is colored with Copics and Prismacolor Markers. Don't you just love these little Riley's. I am totally addicted to them. I see new ones come out and my inky little fingers just itch to get them. They are ADORABLE! The sentiment was created on my computer then die cut with my nesties and so was my main image.

Hope your holiday preparations are almost complete. Don't forget to take a little time during this blessed season to reflect on your year and what it has meant to you and on how truly blessed we are to live within the borders of  this great nation. This holidays keep in your prayers all those serving in the armed forces who will be spending this beautiful season  far away from those that they love the most. Their sacrifice makes possible the dream of freedom for millions. May God Bless them and Keep them safe until they return home to those who await them with open arms. And may God Bless you and yours with all the things that fill your heart. I wish you all a Mele Kalikimaka.

 

Much Aloha,

Michelle

Elegant Snowman

I love this DCWV paper and This image is one of my favorites that I added to my collection this year. How adorable is that snowman and little bird. I made several different cards with this image using different colors and DP. The sentiment I created on my computer and cut out myself. The image is colored with Copics for the most part but the hat is done with colored pencils and Gamsol. Hope you like it...

Bright Riley Wishes

Skiing Riley is too stinkin'  adorable isn't he? This card is whimsical with it's bright non traditional holiday colors. I LOVE this image. The main image is Hanna Stamps and the sentiment is Papertrey. The DP is from my stash so I am not sure who the manufacturer is. I used my nesties to cut out both the main image and the sentiment. I hope your holidays are going well and that you enjoyed this card.

Holiday Cheer!

This is the first in my Christmas series. Every year since I started making my own cards I make about a half dozen cards of different designs to send to our family and friends. Being active duty military many of our friends and family are far away from us so Christmas is the PERFECT time to reconnect with them and find out what's happening with them and let them know what's going on with us. I write family newsletter every Christmas that I enclose in our cards.

 

Card Deets: The DP is from HL. The card base is Papertrey. The stamps are also Papertrey, Board and Beams and the Home for the Holidays addition. I LOVE these two sets. If I had more time I would have done a gazillion variations of this card. The sentiment is also Papertrey. The image is colored with Copics and The ribbon is Mike's. The background of the main image is stamped with snowflakes in Platinum ink from Versamagic. It's MUCH more visible IRL. I used my nesties to cut out the main image and sentiment.

Congratulations!

Sorry for the inexcusable lack of posts. I just seem to be playing catch up these past few weeks. I am almost back on track though. I have about 1/2 of my 2200 cookies baked and my cards are almost complete. So I beg your indulgence while I get my tasks complete for the holidays. Here's a card I complete before I left to help care for my Papa.  When congrats are in order I couldn't think of a better phrase than "You're the Best". The DP is DCWV. The cardstock is DCWV and GP. The ribbon is Mike's. My main image is colored with Copics and die cut with my nesties. The sentiment is made with my computer and cut out with my marvy punch. The card looks crooked but IRL is isn't. There are so many little moments that don't get recognized but I've found that sometimes it's the little things that can mean the world to those who mean the world to us. So take a minute during this BUSY season to recognize a little things that someone you love has done. I know I will.

Riley's Feel Better Wish

Another Riley image that I JUST LOVE!!!! Poor Riley looks so sad being sick. This is the same look my boys had whenever a bug made them too ill to go out and play. Those sad little faces are burned into my memories. But I'm getting sidetracked which is very easy for me to do since I am feeling the effects of the bug my DH got over the Thanksgiving holiday.Well I'm off to finish up my Christmas Cards..

The Card Deets.:

The main image is colored with Prismacolor Pencils and Gamsol. This is my favorite way to color the Riley's and Sophia's. The feel better is from my Papertrey set. Riley's and Sophia's can be found at Hanna Stamps. The Papertrey can be found HERE! The DP is from HL. The cardstock is from DCWV and GP. The ribbon is from Mike's. I used my nesties to cut everything out.

Blooming with Happiness

I hope you all had a fabulous Thanksgiving. Ours was filled with lots of fabulous friends and family and a ton of food. At this time of year we are reminded of all that we are most thankful for. Please remember to keep our men and women of the Armed Services in your prayers as they are spending their holidays defending all that we hold near and dear to our hearts. Flowers just scream happy to me. I LOVE them, I don't know many girls who don't. The image is from Gina K Designs. The sentiment I created on my computer and printed onto cardstock. The DP is American Crafts. The cardstock is DCWV and GP. The image is colored with Copics and a little Mike's ribbon finishes it off.

Palm Tree Riley

Being from Hawaii I fell in love with this Riley the first time I laid eyes on him.  I love the little coconut trees and the Margarita under the hammock. The phrase "Live Your Bliss" seems to coincide perfectly with this image. The phrase is from my Papertrey Mixed Messages set.  The main image is colored with Prismacolor Pencils and Gamsol. The image and sentiment are cut out with my Nesties. The DP is DCWV and the cardstock are DP and HL.

Soul Bloom

I LOVE this saying. There are always those people in your life that leave you feeling happy with who you are and where you are in life. These are the people this sentiment was created for in my opinion. For me my DH is that person. He always seems to give me what I need. Even if I'm not sure myself what it is. He's even willing to tell me the stuff I don't want to hear. He just wants what's best for me. Now on to my card... The image and sentiment are from Gina K Designs.  The image is colored with Prismacolor Pencils and Gamsol.  I used my nesties to cut out the image and free hand cutting for the sentiment. The new SU! punch was used on the blue strip on the left. The ribbon is Mike's. The DP is from Hobby Lobby. The cardstock is DCWV and GP.

Buy On Get One Free At JUST RITE STAMPERS!!!

 

OK if you don't already own those ultra FAB just rite products RUN don't lolly gag over to their website that you can find HERE!!

They have a buy one get one free sale going on.. take your friends and you can get your faves for half price if you split the packs!!! OMG! I wish this sale was going on when I discovered Just Rite. All those too cute new products for the holidays are being made with the Just Rite Stamper!!!  What are you waiting for?? GO GET IT!!!

You Make My World..

This card looks much better IRL. In the photo the sentiment seems to not be as prominent but IRL it shows up well. The main image is colored with Copics and matted with my Perfect Layers system. The DP is from Hobby Lobby. The cardstock is DCWV and GP. The ribbon is from the dollar bin at Mike's. I think I bought 5 rolls of it. I love that chocolate brown color and the width is perfect not too thick not too thin. The main image is Cupcakeabella and isn't she ULTRA fabulous! She's perfect for all those Cupcake Girls in your life!!

Dropin' a Line

More love for Riley.. The image is colored with my Prismacolor Pencils and Gamsol. The DP I used is from HL. The cardstock is from HL and GP. The ribbon is from Mike's and the sentiment tag was created on my computer and punched out with my marvy punches. If you have any trouble making straight mats you need to get the Perfect Layers System.  It's a mat, rulers and cutting blade that allow you to make several different sizes of layers. I am so glad I bought this system. I use it on almost every card I make.

I'm BACK!!!!!

 

Well... I'm back from the land of Aloha.. My Papa is continuing his recovery and I am so glad that I was able to spend that time with him. As for my lack of postings.. I can only plead exhaustion. I took the night shift with my Papa and he seemed to have developed an internal alarm clock that woke him at at around 1:30 am and kept him calling me on and off till about 5:30am. Since I have a hard time sleeping when it's daylight I probably averaged about 2-3 hours of sleep a day for a little over three weeks. I did get 95% of my Christmas Card images colored so now I am just left the task of assembling our cards. I've been back for a few days and sufficiently caught up on my sleep so the posting shall resume promptly today!! Hope you all had a productive November.

Well sorry for being a bad bad blogger but my lack of sleep makes it hard to keep my eyes open long enough to do it. Taking care of my Papa has been my privledge but what a daunting task it is. He's trying so hard to recover and gain back what the stroke took from him but he has had a few setbacks along the way. I am so grateful to have this opportunity. Here is a card I made for my aunt who has a love of all things frog. There will be several more coming, he card base is GP. The CS is GP, and CM. The DP is from my scraps pile. The ballons are colored with my spicas and the frog with my colored pencils. The stamps are SU! The ribbon is mike's and the tag punch is SU! I used my perfect layers to mat the main image.

Halloween Treat

Better late than never. I know I said I would try and post something a few days ago but taking care of my grandpa has taken presedence over this. But here is the post I promised. If you email me inquiring about this pattern I can get back to you but it won't be for a few weeks since I'm not home right now.Using a pattern I found at Splitcoast I created these sweet little treats for my friend's daughters. Since my sons are in High School things like this really don't wow them like they used to when they were little. The DP is from Hobby Lobby as is the regular and glitter Cardstock. The stamps are from Just Rite Stampers and SU! The ink is SU! Pumpkin Pie and Basic Black. The ribbon is from Mike's.

I'm HERE!!!

Well after a 14 hour plane ride and some settling in I'm Here! What a joy it is to see my family again. My grandpa is doing better and is a real pistol. He's a firecracker. The Home Health Care therapists are amazed at his recovery speed. He's finally eating regular food a few times a day. We are having a great time. I'll try and add a post tomorrow with a new card. I even got to hold my God-Daughter for the first time since she was born in June. I'll tell I think that she has got to be the CUTEST little thing ever!! Well must be going..

Leavin on a Jet Plane.......

Three weeks ago my beloved Grandfather had a massive stroke and is in the process of recovering. Stroke recovery is a LONG process and although he is making a lot of progress the road has not been easy it's been full of two steps forward and one step back days.  I will be taking my turn at helping out and taking care of my Grandfather for about three weeks. I am looking forward to being home with my grandparents but I am sad to be going for this kind of thing.  I wanted to add this blurb to my blog to talk about Stroke awareness. Stroke are deadly and quick. In a matter of a few minutes my grandfather went from an 87 year old man who could still mow his 1/2 acre lawn and repair his own car to a man that needed round the clock care and a feeding tube. Strokes are PREVENTABLE! Please visit the THIS SITE to educate yourself about stroke prevention. I think that you'll be AMAZED at how susceptible your loved ones are to strokes and the EASY things that can be done to prevent them.

Take A Break

Many times I make cards and leave the sentiments off until I need the card. Then I can tailor it to suit my needs. This one, even though it has the "take a break", has not main sentiment and I can create the card I need. The main image is colored with Copics and cut out with my nesties. The ribbon is from my Mike's stash. You'd be surprised what you can find in the dollar bin at Mike's.

Pamper Yourself

Another Riley card for your viewing pleasure. The DP is from DCWV and the cardstock is both GP and HL. The phrase I created on my computer and punched it out with my SU! punch. The main image is colored with my Copics and my Prismacolor Markers. A little ribbon accents my phrase.

Another MFT Break

This MFT stamps is fast becoming one of my favorites. I am definitely going to have to add the others like it to my collection. I kept this one simple. A few dew drops and a splash of ribbon and it's all she wrote. Many of my cards are simple. I have a simple style when it comes to card making. I love the clean look. You won't find very many cluttered cards here. I think this is a lesson learned from my early scrapbooking days. My first pages were extremely busy and as I continued on my style became simpler and I let my pictures be the focus not the decoration. In my cards my thought is to let my message be the star. Because to me that is the most important part. The DP is HL. The image is MFT. I used my nesties to cut out the image and background. Dew drops dot the corners. My image is colored with Copics and my Mike's ribbon completes the card.

Riley Thanks

Sorry about the crooked photo. It's been a long few weeks. The image is from Hanna Stamps. It's colored with my Copics and I cut it out with my Nesties. The DP is HL. The cardstock is GP and DCWV. The little ribbon accent is Mike's.  I love this image. I love all the Riley's and Sophia's. They are just adorable. This one just makes me feel relaxed. I love coloring my images it's the part of this craft that soothes me. Give me a container of markers and a few images and I am a happy girl. Hope you like the card...