Happy Birthday Vicki - FMS83

A little birdie (AKA Lesley Croghan) told the FMS team that  Vicki Burdick is celebrating a birthday today - so Vicki this one is for you - Happy Birthday!

A while back Ann Schach and I were discussing blogs we like to visit and I mentioned Vicki's.  Ann replied "Stellar, always stellar!" So true!   My original plan was to use stars on her card - inspired by the word stellar of course.  But somewhere along the way the stars morphed into cherries...........probably had something to do with spending too much time "Bringing down the ingredients" on Candy Crush...........

Allisa designed our wonderful Freshly Made Sketch this week!

Mahna Mahna................PPA157

My mother returns home next week from her winter stay in Florida. It is definitely time to get her Mother's Day card made as things get busy around here the first week or two in May getting her settled back into her apartment.  I used the flowers from Reason to Smile - appropriate I thought as her return is a reason to smile.  But once the card came together I started smiling for another reason - those flowers reminded me of singing Muppets!  I had to restrain myself from adding sunglasses and a nose to the coral topped flower.............Mahna Mahna............

                   Join us at Pals Paper Arts this week - Margaret's sketch will make you smile!


                                  

You Are My Sunshine! FMS82

After a week of cold rainy weather I am ready for some sunshine so a dose of Daffodil Delight was called for!  And there' s no doubt why we always sing You Are My Sunshine to our little ones - they always warm our hearts and make us smile.  It's impossible not to smile when you look at Miss  Emma wondering how on earth that monkey landed an airplane!

Jen Brum has a splendidly unique sketch at Freshly Made Sketches - sure to inspire many creative interpretations!

                            

Fruit Basket - FMS81

I'll be sending this fruit basket out to a friend with some get well wishes! I used the minimalist technique to create the basket - but you knew that already right?

Cindy has created a wonderfully versatile sketch this week at Freshly Made Sketches.  Hope it inspires you!

  

Every Day is Earth Day! Pals Blog Hop 2013

                            

The Pals are hopping this month in celebration of Earth Day.  If you arrived here from Deb Simonis' blog you are right on track! Our cards this month celebrate the Earth and may contain a bit of recycling!

When my husband walked in with a bag of bolts from the hardware store this week I confiscated that brown paper bag!  I embossed a piece of the bag with the woodgrain folder and the resulting texture is wonderful.  I kept the card simple in the spirit of Earth Day - some flowers, greenery and a meaningful sentiment from the Grow Set given out at Convention 2011.

I miss brown paper bags!  Filling a brown paper bag properly with groceries is a lost art! My pantry used to be full of brown bags. Now there are just a few of them tucked in a basket full of crinkled plastic.  And those plastic grocery bags never go away.  You can't write a note on a plastic bag or cover a textbook or make a scary mask or start a campfire with one.  So celebrate Earth Day - ask for brown paper bags now and then!


Your next stop is at Deb Crowley's - I know she has a wonderful earthy creation for you!

The Paper Players are also holding a Recycle Challenge this week - Challenge 140.

Pals Earth Day Blog Hop 2013 

1. Maggie Mata at Maggie Made Cards
2. Katy McGloin at Just Fun Stamping
3. Sherrie Gross at Stampin' Sunshine
4. Nicole Watt at Pixel Maven's Retreat
5. Shannon Hokanson at Paper Works
6. Amy L. Lazzell at Just A Thought...Cards by Amy
7. Peggy Noe at prettypapercards.com
8. Kathleen Law at Craft With Kathleen
9. Nicole Picadura at Scraps & Stamps
10. Kerry Willard Bray at stampgoodness
11. Debbie Mageed at Scrappin' and Stampin'
12. Brian King at Stamp with Brian
13. Diane Roberts at Score at Four and a Quarter
14. Barbara Furlong at The  Love of Stamping
15. Debra Simonis at Deb's Stampin' Grounds
16. Linda Callahan at Stampin' Seasons
17. Debbie Crowley at expressivelydeb...
18. Mary Fish at Stampin' Pretty
19. Dawn Tidd at Tiddbits from Dawn
20. Kim Czenszak at LiveLoveStamp
21. Carmen Sublasky at The Creative Stamptuary
22. Susan Itell at Simple Stampin'
23. Max Conrad at Stamp to the MAX!
24. Rae Harper at Wild West Paper Arts

Eat Cake!

When Deena Boos asked me to be the guest stamper at Pink Paper Bakery this week I was delighted!  I have never met a bakery I didn't like and the Pink Paper Bakery is no exception!  There are some mighty talented ladies there whipping up some wonderful creations. I am honored to add mine to the mix and am happy to share my recipe:

Start with images from Make A Cake.  Then spice things up with arrows from the new photopolymer Typeset filled with sentiments from It's Your Day and Sketched Birthdays.  Display on a scalloped shelf of Primrose Petals garnished with slices of Summer Starfruit ribbon and designer paper.  Frame it all with Island Indigo and add some extra sparkle with rhinestones and a crystal button.  Tie it all together with Pool Party Baker's Twine - of course!

Congratulations! PPA156

I am mailing this card to a friend who is expecting a baby boy any day but it also sends congrats to Lesley Croghan - the featured stamper this week at Splitcoast! In keeping with the Featured Stamper Challenge I was inspired by a card from Lesley's gallery.  I chose this card - kept the oval focal point and updated with banners.

Do you know Lesley?  You do if you have visited Freshly Made Sketches.....or Dynamic Duos...... or the Paper Players......or Merry Monday.....or Seize the Birthday. She started them all!  Another challenge team will debut soon - be on the lookout for Fusion!  Perhaps you saw the full scale production of Oklahoma that she recently directed.......or perhaps you have a child in her classroom.......or perhaps she designed your blog......

Now you know why the Energizer Bunny is always on the move - he is trying to catch up with Lesley! 



                  Pals Paper Arts has a sweet springy color challenge this week!

                                            
                                  
 

The Colors of Spring......FMS80

After a visit from the Easter bunny this past weekend we all headed to Cousin Cindy's for our annual Easter dinner.  Last year at dinner we were all so excited knowing that there would be a new little one at this year's event!  So on Sunday Miss Emma was the guest of honor and was as charming as could be as she was passed from lap to lap.  I worked on this card when I came home that night -  and I may have been inspired by this picture my daughter took earlier in the day!  I am so ready for spring and the return of color to the northeast!

I am delighted to be hosting the sketch challenge this week at Freshly Made Sketches!  I kept the sketch very simple - should be a great starting point for some wonderful creations!