Let the Sunshine In! FMS179

The calendar says spring but Old Man Winter must love it here because he is still hanging around! So I am bringing sunshine into my little corner of the world one way or another!  

That amazing Amy O'Neill designed a wonderful sketch for us this week at Freshly Made Sketches!  Hope you will join us and spread some of your own sunshine!

Birthday Celebrations! PPA244

My husband celebrated his birthday this week - all week as a matter of fact!  First a family dinner at a local pub. Then came the annual buying of his own birthday present.  This year he treated himself to a new utility trailer to replace the one that he has been dragging around for years.  (We never know what it is going to be each year - it can be anything from a chain saw to ski boots!)  Then came a ski trip to Vermont with our son. Finally on St. Patrick's Day - his actual birthday - was a gathering that involved pizza and ice cream sundaes. All this for the guy who says every year......I don't want any fuss on my birthday.........

Irresistibly Yours DSP made working with the sketch at Pals Paper Arts simple as can be this week! I masked off the center with Post It Tape, sponged the edges with Coastal Cabana ink and wiped it off to reveal that wonderful pattern underneath.  Hope you play along at Pals Paper Arts this week - would love to see what you create!




                                                        

Flowers From Misti - FMS178

I often color my stamps with markers to get a multicolored image and that usually involves inking and stamping the image several times to get the result I want! No more thanks to you know who......that little Misti!  I inked and stamped two pots of flowers. Each one was stamped twice to get good coverage in the exact same spot and that was it!  I used only two pieces of white paper - a miracle in itself - and punched out the circle to spotlight the image and I was done!  I am thinking Misti needs to be in the spotlight!

My oh so faraway and very talented friend Narelle has a sweet sketch for us this week at Freshly Made Sketches.  I put flowers on my card just for her....she makes the most beautiful floral arrangements on her cards!  I think she was a florist in a past life!  Hope you join us!

                                                     

The Stamp Review Crew: Project Life Point & Click

True Confessions:  I don't do Project Life......I can hear you all gasping......and I don't scrapbook any more either........more gasps!?!?!  I am happy just puttering around with my cards.  So when the Stamp Review Crew decided to feature Point & Click I thought....uh oh.....because Point & Click is part of Stampin' Up!'s Project Life Collection.  I bought the set to use the funky images here and there as accents on my cards.  I've never used this set as the main attraction but I decided just to have fun with it and created this "adorable" couple........

I had way too much fun putting this together!  I used Misti to get accurate placement of all 15 of those little pieces! I learned a lot about Misti by trial and error - and a few duh moments.  Yes I did put the stars on upside down - twice - and inked the smooth side.  That was an interesting effect but not exactly the look I was going for!  But all in all it was a very entertaining stamping session! Hope you enjoy the rest of the hop - I can't wait to see what everyone created with this set!

If you just enjoyed Holly's  delightful work you are right on track.  Point & Click on Wendy's link next for her wickedly wonderful creations!


                                
                                                                                   

Play MISTI For Me.........FMS177

Got some new toys in the mail this week including a few dies and that amazing stamping tool called the MISTI.  I was captivated by the MISTI videos on the blogs of Lydia Fiedler and Jen McGuire and ended up ordering one.  It arrived Monday so we are just getting to know each other -  but so far we are off to a great start!  Crooked sentiments make me crazy and I have thrown away many card fronts because of that!  I have also wasted a lot of paper trying to stamp a sharp image on colored cardstock or designer paper.  No more - thanks to my new friend!  I stamped "birthday" three times in Night of Navy to get a strong image on the Calypso Coral cardstock.  The sentiment stamp was aligned perfectly every time thanks to MISTI.  It is going to be a fun week experimenting with my new toy!

Karren Johnson my very talented friend from New Zealand has a wonderful sketch for us this week at Freshly Made Sketches!  Hope you play along!
 
                                                       

Coffee and Friends

There is an amazing blog hop going on over at the Coffee Loving Cardmakers Blog!  There are so many fabulous cards linked up that I can smell the coffee from here! So pour yourself a cup and head on over and enjoy! 

Hello March! PPA242

With a name like Callahan wouldn't you think I would have looked at these colors and thought "Wow perfect for St. Patrick's Day!"  Never even entered my mind!  I think this long snowy winter has gotten to me.....I am so ready for butterflies, green leaves and golden sunshine!  So for those of you still under a blanket of snow like I am keep thinking warm thoughts!

Pals Paper Arts' color challenge is very glam this week~hope you join us!

Oh For Peep's Sake! FMS176

I know For Peep's Sake is an Easter set but doesn't it make a sweet baby card when paired with a sentiment from Bravo? Perfect for a baby girl arriving the end of March!

Cindy Hall has a wonderful sketch for us this week!  Feel free to use your standard A2 size or have fun with this long and lean size!  My card is 5 1/2 in. by 3 in.  Hope you join us at Freshly Made Sketches!

The Stamp Review Crew: Sheltering Tree

                       

The Stamp Review Crew is featuring Sheltering Tree this week.  I love the sentiment that comes with the set:  Friendship is a sheltering tree.  I just used "friendship" on the front of my card and finished the sentiment on the inside.  

I am lucky to have a lot of branches on my friendship tree...........childhood friends, high school friends, college friends, teacher friends, library friends, neighborhood friends, stamping friends......and of course the newest branch on the tree.............Facebook Friends :)

If you missed Wendy's wickedly wonderful creations head on back!  But if you are on track then go see what delights await you at Betty's!

   



The Paper Players is having a spring theme this week.  Since my tree is just beginning to bloom it is definitely a spring tree!