Top Ten Blog Hop 2015!

*Blog Candy Drawing Now Closed.*

Good morning! Welcome to the Top Ten Blog Hop!  I hope you have a very large cup of coffee, because you're going to be here awhile!  There is an $80.00 USD to an online store of your choosing being given away! All you need to do is leave a comment on each blog to increase your chances of winning.  There are 24 bloggers participating, so that means you can leave up to 24 comments! To be entered you will need to leave a comment on the blogs by 11:59 pm CST on January 3.  In addition to the $80 prize, many of the bloggers, including me, are giving individual prizes away as well. For mine, scroll down to the bottom for all of the details.  Are you ready?  Let's go!

#1 Rusty Ball Jar ornament
This was a recent post using a rusty Ball jar lid and a vintage image from Crafty Secrets.  You can see the full post HERE.  

#2 Shaker Ornaments!
This was another recent post but I had to include them because I thought they came out pretty cute.  They use SRM's Jane's Doodles stamps, Copics, clear acetate, and sequins.  Click HERE to read more!

#3 Heart to Heart
I love this little card because it was made using a sentiment from JustRite and left over pieces on my craft desk. Oh! And I had just gotten my new Zig Clean Color Markers and suddenly became addicted! Click HERE for all of the details.

#4 Give Thanks
Some die cuts, water colors, and a sentiment from SRM made this one of my favorite fall cards.  Click HERE to see the original post.  :)

#5 Hello
The combination of the image, glittery sentiment, and the long pieces of silk ribbon, make this another one of my favorites.  Click HERE to see the original post.

#6 Autumn
I had rediscovered my old Quickutz die cuts for this card, along with an SRM sentiment and die cuts from Spellbinders.  Click HERE for original post.

#7 Just a Note
This card uses SRM's Jane's Doodles and water colors.  It was my first time creating an image without lines.  I was pretty pleased with myself with how it turned out.  ;)  Click HERE for original post.

#8  Lovely
Scrapbook Adhesives by 3L and Donna Salazar featuring my Cortney and her BFF. How could it not be one of my favorites?  These two have the most special bond....and truly make my heart grow a bit bigger whenever they are together.  See the original post HERE.

#9 Father's Day Card
I am not one to make many masculine cards.  But I actually really liked how this one turned out.  I had created my own plaid background using double sided tape from Scrapbook Adhesives by 3L.  And glitter!  Lots and lots of glitter on a man's card! EEK!  ;)  Click HERE for more details!

#10 Easter Carrots with a complete tutorial.  
I was so proud of myself for coming up with a way to make ornaments look like carrots.  (It doesn't take much people!) ;)  Click HERE if you want to see the complete step by step instructions. 

My Individual Giveaway! 
One winner will win all of this!  Just leave a comment below and I will pick a winner on Sunday, January 3rd at 8 P.M. CST.  If you are not a follower of my blog and decide to become one, leave an additional comment for an extra chance at winning!

Christine Meyer 

Mendi Yoshikawa 

Cathy Harper 

Nicole Nowosad 

Chantalle McDaniel 

Becki Adams 

Wendy Antenucci 

Jen Matott 

Katrina Hunt 

Michele Kovack 

Kelly Holbrook 

Rhonda Van Ginkel 

Jennie McGarvey 

Suzanna Lee 

Monique Liedtke 

Jennifer Haggerty 

Marcia Dehn Nix 

Rebecca Keppel 

Kelly Jean Guzlas 

Melissa Elsner
Shannon Morgan

Juliana Michaels

Audrey Yeager

My Last Crafty Secret's Design Team Post.....

I have been with Crafty Secrets for many years now, and am saddened to say that Crafty Secrets will be sold to a new buyer for all of Sandy's digital images.  In the meantime all digital products will be transferred and sold to an Etsy shop.  Sandy will announce soon when that happens.  

I have loved my time on this amazing team, working with a multitude of talented ladies. 

It will be a loss for me for sure.

Vintage is where my heart really lies. I created this ornament using this sweet St. Nick image from the Winter Printable Christmas Sheet. I cut it with a circle punch and gave it a dose of glossy accents. The rosettes were cut from glittery purple ombre paper, the bottom layer from gold. 

The wooden ornament was picked up at a craft store, Michaels I believe. It was also given a thin coating of glossy accents and glitter. 

As a finishing touch, I added purple rhinestones.  

Here it is hanging snugly on my tree.  

Lots of changes this year.  I am not always good with handling changes, so January should be interesting for me.  Hopefully other opportunities will come up.

In the meantime, I am trying my best to go with the flow.

:) 

Thank you for always being a constant in my life.

Denim Christmas Ornament

Merry Christmas Eve to you!

I am up on the Scrapbook Adhesives blog today with a last minute ornament idea! 

Just pull out some of those foam stickers, load them up with glitter, and tie the top off with some pretty denim ribbon tied with jingle bells! 

For all of the products used, be sure to head on over the Scrapbook Adhesives by 3L blog! :)

Time for me to mosey on outta here and get my Christmas on! 

Hugs to you!

Sweet Snowman....

 Good morning my friends! 

I have a card today that was created for the SRM Blog.  It uses this adorable snowman from Jane's Doodles called, Warm Wishes.  He was stamped in Versamark and embossed in white.  I colored him in with my Zig Clean Color Markers.  

And because I can never leave well enough along, I added liquid applique to his hat and the snow.  While it was still warm, I sprinkled glitter over it.  

I matted the image in coordinating card stock and used a pretty rectangular die from Spellbinders. More glitter was added to that die for a bit of additional sparkle. :) 

I am finishing up my wrapping today....as I am still getting a few last minute packages in the mail. 

I will be back tomorrow with a Christmas Eve post.

I hope you all have a wonderful day!!

Vintage Ornament

Good morning! I want to thank you for your kind comments yesterday. It really means a lot to me. I find this blog therapeutic in so many ways. Not just the crafting part but being surrounded by girlfriends. So thank you for your advice, your good wishes, and for just being there for me. I have a quick post today as trying to get a decent picture of this ornament just wasn't happening for me! So one picture is all ya get! LOL! I used my JustRite Snowflake die with an image from Crafty Secrets.
Lots of glitter was used here.  I also added rusty jingle bells and satin ribbon to finish it off. 

I am finally finished with my Christmas shopping and even managed to clean my house a bit. Now to tackle the laundry! ;) Have a wonderful day!

A Piece of Heart is Leaving....

I have been meaning to share for awhile now.

But life has taken away a lot of my computer and crafting time. 

Which I am fine with.

If you have followed my blog, you know my daughter, Cortney. 

She is one of the lights in my life. She is my shadow.

My sidekick.

She has shaped me into the person I am today. Our journey together has been sad, hard, joyous, and an experience I would never in a million years trade in.

But the reality is, I won't be able to take care of her for the rest of my life.

She is as tall as me and weighs about the same as me. I struggle daily with her care. She is aging out of her school program next year and then the question became, what will we do?

In 2006 I put her name on a list for a wonderful group home called, Misericordia.  The waiting list is extremely long.  I knew it would be years before she were to ever be called, if ever.  But in October, the call came. 

They have an opening for her.  She will be moving there in January.

How is it that I can feel happy and sad all at the same time? I've had well intentioned people tell me it's like she is going away to college.

Nope, not really.

Most college students can take care of themselves, and for years have screamed their independence from the rooftops. It was a gradual process with Kyle.  I miss him, but in a whole different way.

Cortney has the mental capabilities of a 3 year old.  I take care of her every need. She consumes much of my time each and every day. 

But Misericordia has a wonderful reputation. Not one single parent or adult resident has ever said anything negative about them.  In fact, they love it so much that the residents don't want to come home. They make friends, they hold a job, there are countless activities to participate in. Things I won't be able to offer her.

Cortney is social and loves school. This will become her new school.

And yet my heart is heavy.

I am losing a huge piece of my heart.

Any yet I am happy.

I know she will carve out a fabulous life there.

And I can visit anytime I want. She can still come home on weekends.

And Misericordia will become my second home too.

The people there are warm, friendly, and we are all in this together. 

But still.....there will be a huge gap in my life.

An adjustment to say the least.

So pray for Cortney to acclimate to her new home.

For her mama to adjust to her absence.

For us both to find peace and balance.

Shaker Ornaments!

Good morning!

My last day of school was yesterday and I am so happy to be home to spend time with my family!

My house is a sea of presents, wrapping, laundry, dust, and dog hair....but what matters are the people IN the house! (Or at least that's what I keep telling myself! LOL!) 

I haven't had a ton of time to craft, but I managed to squeak these babies out.

I have this circle die from Tattered Lace called, Decorative Edge Circles.  It just seemed perfect to use with acetate.  I cut two circles and sewed them together. 

 

Right before closing them up I filled them with clear beads and sequins. The cute snowman is part of SRM's and Jane's Doodles stamp set called, Warm Wishes. 

Each snowman was colored with Copic markers. The scarf was stamped, colored and cut out.  I gave it a coat of glossy accents for extra dimension. 

I added coordinating jingle bells and silk ribbon from the Stamp Simply Store.  

We are having our first Christmas celebration with my dad today.  The kids always get excited since this sort of kicks off the holiday week for us.  :)

Have a wonderful day my friends!

Christmas Wish List

Good morning!  I am in my last week of school and then I have two weeks off to spend with my family.  My son is coming home from college and my hubby took next week off of work.  We want to spend some time together baking and heading downtown to see the lights.  In my heart I know these moments are fleeting and want to take advantage of the time given to us.  

That is number one on my Wish List. 

 Time. ;)

This card was created using Retro Christmas Digital Image and polka dotted paper from the Christmas digital paper kit, from Crafty Secrets.

I added bits of lace and two poinsettias using THIS fabulous new die from JustRite.  It was cut from water color paper and given color using my Zig Clean Brush Markers.  I added silk ribbon from the Stamp Simply Store and bits of gold tinsel ribbon. 

This last week is always a bit crazy at school.  

26 super excited 9 year olds can wear a gal out! ;)

Have a great day my friends!

Happy Holidays!

Good morning! I am up on the Scrapbook Adhesives by 3L blog today with a holiday card! There hasn't been much snow here in Chicago and I don't think we will have a white Christmas, but I am kind of liking the 50 degree temps. ;) My card uses the negative space of my 3 die cut snow flakes. I watercolored around each snowflake. I added a smaller snowflake to each center as well as a gem.

The sentiment is from SRM Stickers. I added jingle bells tied with silk ribbon from the Stamp Simply Store.

For more detailed information be sure to head to the Scrapbook Adhesives by 3L blog. My husband is having his gall bladder removed tomorrow. Even though it is minor surgery, please keep him in your prayers. Have a wonderful day!!

Welcome Little One!

I totally forgot to post this last card I had created for JustRite's November release! The set is called, Arriving Soon, and is perfect for the arrival of a new little human! 

I created the background with a dot stencil and Tim Holtz inks in purples and blues.

I cut the stars out using my Spellbinder's die, lining it with a piece of acetate, using foam tape around the perimeter, and filling it was sequins.  I stamped the moon with black ink and colored it in with my Copic markers.  I used the extra star behind the moon.  It was glittered using glossy accents.  The sentiment was stamped on vellum using Staz On ink.  I added silk ribbon from the Stamp Simply store. 

I have to keep this short and sweet today as I am writing this before I head to work!

:)

Have a wonderful day my friends!

Thanks for keeping me company!

Crafty Secret's Design Team Challenge With a Tutorial!

Good morning! It is the first Monday of December and that means it is time for another Crafty Secret's Design Team challenge! We would love for all of you to create a project and link up at the Crafty Secret's blog! So for my project this month, I was trolling around the Internet when I came across, how to rust Ball Jar lids. I loved this idea and decided to create my own!

Once the lid was nicely rusted, I decided to use this Santa image from the Vintage Christmas CD. I added a Poinsettia and some gold cording to finish it off. It is such a fun way to create a vintage inspired ornament.

I adore this image and printed multiples of it to have for future use. :)

Here is my rusty lid.  I soaked it for about a week in a 1/2 cup vinegar and 1/2 cup bleach.   I put mine in a air tight container in the basement.  It smells nasty and you need to be careful when you open the lid.  The fumes are pretty strong.

I glued the lid back in place and used my Cropidile to punch a hole for the string.

I wanted to add a little accent so I used my Poinsettia die from JustRite.  I cut them out of water color paper.  

I gave them a wash of color using my Koi water colors.

For the centers of my poinsettias, I added a dallop of glossy accents to the center and sprinkled on gold micro beads.

I have a few more lids in the works and will share sometime before Christmas!

Be sure to pop on over to the other ladies' blogs for more tutorials and inspiration! 

Crafty Secrets Blog 

Kathy Clement 

Ginny Nemchak

Michele Kovack (You are HERE! :)

Sheila Rumney

Shantaie Caudill-Fowler 

Diane Hover

Vintage Christmas

Good morning! I am home today with a sick girl today. She has the flu....and while she sleeps in a bit, I thought I would share a vintage Christmas card. The image is from Crafty Secret's Creating With Vintage Christmas CD. I added gold Stickles to the perimeter of the image.  I matted the image to a tag. The tag was given a bit of color using brown ink and a snowflake stencil.  I splattered it with a bit of pink water color.

The background was completely water colored in shades of green. The edges were edged with black ink to make it pop a bit more. For the finishing touches I added lace, gingham ribbon, and some rusty jingle bells.

Thank you for stopping by! Have a wonderful weekend! I am off to take care of my girl!