When pigs fly

Good Morning!  Thank goodness for coffee or I wouldn't be able to post this early....EVER! That would not do though, because this is my last post as a Guest Designer over at Hambo Stamps for the Hambo Hoedown.  Sniff, sniff, sniffle... :(  I don't want it to end, I've been having so much fun over there.  The team and the coordinator was great, the challenges fun and the stamps are awesome!   I can only hope that they will invite me back to play again one day.

This weeks challenge was to use eyelets.  That is a hard one for me, I don't often use eyelets.  The last time I used them was to make a flip-flop card and prior to that probably over a year ago.  I took my cues for this card layout from Retro Sketch #74.  I believe the xxx's are intended to represent a sentiment, but I decided to use them as my eyelets.  For my image I used Hambo Stamps Floating Pig.  This is a perfect parting digi stamp because, well it's a pig (as is Hambo's Logo) and it is floating away as if to say goodbye, though I had to provide a couple of extra balloons to keep him buoyant- LOL!  I LOVE this image, it is one of my very favorite from their digi library.  Oh wait, I also love all the monsters...and fish...and birds...and Bailey... and Wee Henry.  :)

So won't you pick one and come play this challenge with us.  You can grab some bragging rights if you win and each week you play you get the next week's digi release for free!  AWESOME!

Now onto today's Question of the Day- The other day I was dancing around trying to kill a wee-tiny spider about the size of a typical sequin (I know, the crafting reference  helps you visualize) because it was #1- near my craft stuff (BIG NO-NO!) and #2- creeping around on eight legs giving me the hebie-jebies .  I was trying to smash it with my computer power cord/battery (isn't that what they are for?!) and kept missing because it was in a corner.  I was totally freaked!  Eventually I got it- BOO-YAH!  So, what critters, bugs, etc. are you afraid of and why?

Thank you again Hambo for having me!  It has truly been a pleasure!

PS- Only two days left to enter my giveaway here!

BOO-YAH!

So what is the definition of Boo-yah!?  I often use it in conjunction with an accomplishment or feat, like, "woo-hoo, I did it!"  It might mean something different to you though?  I was checking out the Urban Dictionary definition and there are several funny things that come back when you type in boo-yah!  For example:

• Boo-yah! - An annoying exclamation, often uttered by planetarium-headed freshmen who think they're karate kid, often in a high-pitched, grating, nasal tone.  Example- "Boo-yah! I'll slap you!"

There are some others that I found funny, like an example with Hillary Clinton.   (Disclaimer- The fact that I think it is funny has nothing to do with my political views and I don't express them here  I don't want to offend folks and that is never my intention, I just like to laugh and have fun.  That, however, is why some of the examples are left unsaid here.)  Anyway, you should check it out.  While you are there when you go to the UD main page, there are some funny new-to-me terms like:

• Emotinap- Being too emotional, that eventually as a result, you fall asleep.  (This is *so* me!)
• Moronimated- Something so dumb it has to be animated.

Anyway, I made a card with the sentiment BOO-YAH! today using my CAS-ual Friday Exclamations set, so fun.  And per UD this tends to be a guy term so how appropriate that I made it on a masculine card.  I used my Lawn Fawn Botanical Bliss set for the vines and some of their Dewey Decimal paper to fill in the leaves.  That was a LOT of fussy cutting, but it worked out so glad I did it!  I love this combo of blue & aqua with the orangy-yellow (should I submit that term to UD?!).  I made this using this week's CAS(E) this Sketch #38 and The Pink Elephant #210 with a masculine theme.  This could easily be used for a birthday, which is why I'll submit to Seize the Birthday...again (they are probably tired of me!).  Or this card can be used for any accomplishment, "Boo-yah! You Graduated!" or even like "Boo-yah! I love you!" LOL.  I have to say, this is pretty CAS for me, so I am feeling pretty impressed with myself...BOO-YAH! :)

The Question of the Day is what terms do you use on a regular basis that may or may not be recognized by a standard dictionary and what do they mean?  Maybe you made them up or it was an accident, who knows. My daughter actually made one up last night, she freaked out about a little bug that kinda looked like a potato bug but not quite, it looked "gross" and "sorta rotten" so she called it a "potato-nub-nub"- we laughed about that and used it all night long.  That one is going down in the history books for sure! ;)

Thanks for stopping!

A couple of tweeties!

Reminder- I am giving away blog candy on this post- go comment to win!

Hiya!  Monday again, here we go.  I can't say I had a restful weekend, but got to see some friends and some of the kiddos friends and it was fun.  My brother was in town visiting and he and my husband did "guy things" all weekend (UFC fight, soccer game, etc.) and had fun too and that makes me happy. :)  Already ramping up for next weekend, we are leaving for camping on Friday.  It will be a large family affair.  The weather should hold out with a chance of thunder storms (which I like but would mean that I have a child plastered to my leg the entire time...) so should be fun. :)

So, I recently won a new stamp set from the Newton's Nook Designs innagural release- Winged Wishes.  I was so excited, the sets are so cute and fun!  (You did know I like cute right?!)  I figured the best way to break "her" in was to use her for the first Inky Paws Challenge over there at NND!  Yahooooo!  This first challenge is a sketch- check it out!  I combined this with the Color Throwdown Challenge 252 because...well... this is a gorgeous pallette.  Of course since these bright colors and fun images are an ode to summer and sunshine I have to enter into the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge- Ode to Sunshine! 

Here is the card.  I used my new washi tape which was a gift from my friend Amy- yummers!  Thanks Ams!  The twine came wrapped around the Winged Wishes set so it just seemed like I had to use it (I mean that was a stamping sign if ever I've seen one...wink!) .  I am loving the flowers and all the brightness from the various paper packs (LF, BasicGrey, etc.).  So what do you think?

You may have noticed that I called my stamp set "her"...obviously this is because "she," like all my sets have their own personality.  There are a few dudes in there, but mostly females.  So, for the Question of the Day- What inanimate objects to you assign genders or names to, what are they and why?

What's the Buzz?

Just a reminder that you have until Thursday, August 1st to comment on this post to be eligible for some blog candy.

I have two cards to share with you today using some fun images from Paper Smooches and Little Tangles.

Here is the first card.  For the backdrop I sponged yellow onto the black using my Balzar Designs hexagon template.  Since you couldn't see much of the yellow, I decided to also outline it with a yellow colored pencil from my Prismacolors.  The bee is one of the freebie digi images Paper Smooches offers, but is also part of the Bee Mine set.  I used the Sup? sentiment from Slang Gang in white.  It didn't fill all the way, so I went over it again with my Signo white pigment ink pen.  This card was inspired by this week's Paper Smooches SPARKS- Picture Perfect Challenge as well as the challenge from The Play Date Cafe- A Splash of Neon.

The next card was made for the Little Tangles Challenge- Into the Woods.  Again, I used this digi image Neat & Tangled and colored it.  I liked the thought of putting the birdie into the tree, so I did.  I used my wood grain embossing folder and brushed the kraft paper with dark brown to make the tree.  The sentiment is from the PS set Slang Gang.  I am thinking it might make a good birthday card for someone who likes birdies.

So as I was creating these I was watching Despicable Me with my kiddo.  So very funny!  The second one is even funnier than the first.  No joke, see it!  I love that part in the previews when the secret agent says his name is, "Ramsbottom" and the minions giggle and say, "bottom...heh-heh-heh."  It totally cracks me up!  My daughter and I have decided that my husband can be our minion- hehe!  So the Question of the Day is- what is your favorite comedy and/or line from a comedy that makes you laugh when ever you think about it?

So sad it is the last day of the weekend but oh well. Enjoy the last of your day off!

Flashback Friday- "I Love Technology...."

"...but not as much as you, you see."  :)  Do you know where that line came from?  No...how about this hint, "Num-chuck skills... bowhunting skills... computer hacking skills... Girls only want boyfriends who have great skills!"   One of Thursday's answers to the Question of the day reminded me of those quotes from a movie (for now let's just call it the mystery movie) and it made me laugh to think about it.  So I wanted to share my fave answers from those questions with you.  So....Sit back, relax and read some funny comments/answers to my questions and..... there is a prize up for grabs here so you should really read on- wink!


7/25/13
Question-  what kinds of things does one (or all) of the dudes like in your life that might be a good card theme or gift for them?
Fave Answer- Sav said,  "not sure what the guys in my life like. It's only my brothers, father-in-laws, father, Poppie, and Trav.... So maybe music and technology.... Good question:)"

7/24/13
Question- how's about you tell me what shows you grew up watching? Where there any you particularly liked or some you didn't and why?

Fave Answer- Barb said, "I watched Dukes too, Luke...*sigh*"

7/22/13-
Question- There are so many berries out there, some I've never heard of. So....what is your favorite berry and/or what is a berry that grows in your area that might be new to the rest of us?
Fave Answer- Kimberly said, "Berries....well we rented a small cabin at a private lake in Mason County last summer. I also invited my bestie over for a day and as the boys played on the lake with the paddleboat, we walked the lake picking wild Salal berries. They are somewhat like a cross between blueberry and huckleberry. Later we sat and chatted away as we cleaned them.
The funniest thing was we would walk and hear a ting-a-ling faintly..I fessed up and told her it was me - you see..I told her, We had to bring bells, as there could be bears..
Yup.....You guessed it..She wanted to go right back to the cabin..
I still have them berries in the freezer. It took us forever to get a gallon! Not enough for much.. I told her eventually I would make her syrup."

7/19/13-
Question- How about telling me what you eat with PB sandwiches...jam, honey, pickles, mayonnaise (yep, had a friend who ate PB and Mayo sandwiches...), marshmallow fluff (that would be my hubby), carrots (again, hubby- he dips them right in the jar- ew!)?
ETA- My husband aslo east bologna with his PB- GROSS!  Apparently, I had forgotten about that and blocked it from my memory and didn't list it in my post.
Fave Answer- Sav Said, "Uh.... mayo and PB? That makes me kind of gag! I def. put bananas on a toasted PB sandwich... or marshmallow fluff... sometimes honey. MMMMM! Mayo-- GAG! LOL!"


I hope a few of these made you chuckle.  I found myself ROTF laughing when I read a few of these.  Now before I ask today's question I want to tell you that there is a prize up for grabs.  I have been *SUPER* lucky with my blog candy/hop/giveaway/etc. winnings lately, so I wanted to share with you.  Here is how you can win....Among those who answer today's question of the day correctly, I will use a random generator to pick who wins grab bag of prize stuff.  Interested?!? 


Well  here is today's Question of the Day- what movie did that quote come from?  You have until next Thursday (8/1) to answer.   I'll give you one more hint before I go... I made this card based on the movie and the movie poster.  Pretty nerdy eh?!

Good luck!

There is nothing hoagie about your birthday!

Get it?  Heh... OK! I know, bad joke!  I couldn't resist though... :)  There is also nothing hokey about this post.  You may think it is a joke because there are no challenges, no Guest DT, just something I made for an upcoming birthday- for FUN!  Believe it!

So this card is for a guy birthday.  In my head I was thinking, what do guys like...tools, cars, fishing, etc...  How about a big hoagie!  They like sandwiches with lots of layers of stuff with a beer in the other hand and football on TV right?!  Well I hope it is true because that is what I went for here.  Actually the guy I have in mind for this card is a foodie, so I think he'll like it.  I used my new Paper Smooches Set Think Fast.  I also played up the summer aspect with the paper that looked like a picnic tablecloth and the brown card stock is embossed with woodgrain to give you the feel of a picnic table.  So this card is a big deal, just like the sentiment says! :)  Oh and speaking of big deals, there is a July DT blog hop  over at Paper Smooches with a give away- check it out!

It's time for the...(wait for it)...Question of the Day.  So today's question is- what kinds of things does one (or all) of the dudes like in your life that might be a good card theme or gift for them?

Also, I wanted to show you this fabulous card I received form Virginia Lu!  What a sweet, sweet woman she is and such an amazing designer!!!!!  Check out this fab card!  I love how she used the chalboard technique with this old time image!

7/26/13 ETA- Per instructions from one Savannah O'Gwynn, I am entering this into the Moxie Fab World Birthday Card Challenge.  With directions from someone as cool as that how can I not?!  While I am at it I might as well enter it into the Seize the Birthday Challenge. :)

It's time for another Hambo Hoedown!

Wahoo!  And this week the theme is STRIPES!  So go grab you Hambo images, some paper and any tools you want and come play along.  Anyone can play, even if you don't have Hambo Stamps, but the winner will be chosen  among those with Hambo images.   The winner gets a free digi stamp, how fun is that?!  You can find out more over at the Hambo Hoedown Blog.

For my card, I used one of the fun images from the flowers set.  I had a TON of fun coloring this to look like a sunflower.  I love the bright colors with this fun image.  For the challenge, not only did I use stripes, but I used chevron and rik-rak ta-boot! BTW- this card is for a friend of mine who's birthday is coming up, so go head, party at the hoe-down but don't tell, it will be our secret.  Pinky Swear?!?! OK Deal!

Oh and did I mention I am entering this in the Seize the Birthday Challenge?!  But of course! :)

Now that I totally have the Dukes of Hazard music running through my head right now!  A little twangy banjo- Awesome! So for the Question of the Day how's about you tell me what shows you grew up watching?  Where there any you particularly liked or some you didn't and why?

Fun with digis- post two

Did you see my other post this am?  If not you can scroll down or click here to see more digi fun.

The second card for today is using another free digi.  It is amazing how many fabulous digis are out there!  This one comes from Clearly Besotted.  Again, coloring with my Prismacolors on this rocked!  I used 3 or 4 varieties of orange/peach, 2 pinks and 4 greens.  I don't have a blending tool, so I just use q-tips.  They may not be sophisticated, but they work!  The sentiment is from the Reverse Confetti Peacock Pretties set.

Yes, I have some challenges I've entered this in of course.  You may think I am challenge crazy...and you would be right...but I also find them to be an excellent source of inspiration!  Check out the three challenges I used and how came up with this fun card design:

#1- Clearly Besotted Challenge- Seeing Spots (polka dots)
#2- Pinspired Challenge #14- flowers (colors & texture)
#3- Sketchbook Saturday #101- sketch (layout)

So fun!  There are so many challenges out there!  I keep finding new ones every week if not every day.  I wonder if I can play them all.... ;).  So here is the 2nd Question of the Day- what is your favorite challenge and why?

Thanks for stopping...again!  Tomorrow is more digi fun because it is Hambo Hoedown time- woop!

Fun with digis- post one

Hiya!  I been having some fun with some new digi images this week.  Coloring is just so fun!  I have a ways to go with markers, at least on bigger images...the often look a little streaky when I am done.  Maybe I need better blending tools or markers (I don't have the coveted Copics), who knows, but I am working on it. :)  I used to color with colored pencils a lot, especially in high school art and college, but then I abandoned them for a while.  You know the saying, "if you love something, let it go.  If it comes back to you it is yours forever...." or something like that.  Well that is how I am feeling about my Primsacolor colored pencils about now, destined to be together forever!  I hope they don't mind- ha! 

So I got this super cute freebie image from Whimsie Doodles and the sentiment is from By LORi Designs.  The image actually had it's own sentiment, but I thought this went really well together and made the perfect baby card!  I love the base color of Calypso Coral from SU! and the DP from Lawn Fawn Pink Lemonade, it just works so well with that cute little worm!  For the layout I used the current Retro Sketch #73.  This is my first time playing over there and it was oh so fun! 

7/29/13 ETA- I am also linking to the 52 Card Pick-up for the first time.  Thanks for the invite Patrice! :)

So, for the Question of the Day- what kind of markers and blending tools do you prefer and why? 

I'll be posting another card with a digi soon, so stop by again please! :)

Litterally enjoying the fruits of our labor

This weekend my family and went to Beringer Farm and picked a whole flat of raspberries.  YUM, my favorite fruit!  We had a ton of fun too!  I had to bribe my daughter to actually pick some for the basket by making it into a game, "they play hide and seek, can you find them?!  For every 5 you find you can eat one!"  LOL!  It totally worked though.  I can't really say I blame her for just wanting to stand there and eat them.  They are best straight off the plant and warmed by the sun...mmmm!  So we litterally enjoyed the fruits of our labor this weekend, we ate plain raspberries, raspberry shortcake, my hubby and I had raspberry mojitos (one of my fave summer drinks!), tonight we are making raspberry scones, and the rest will be frozen for later use.  For good measure I am throwing in an picture of my adorable daughter with our bounty! :)

So today's card does NOT feature raspberries, but it features another summer fruit that is pretty darn tasty...strawberries!  Is there anyone who doesn't love strawberries?!  Probably but only if they are allergic I think, otherwise they would have to be Ca-razy! :)  So this card is for the Lawnscaping Paper Piecing Challenge going on right now.  I lurve paper piecing and had sooo much fun with the various shades of red and pink for the strawberries.  They just look delectable to me.  I struggled making the basket, but loved the idea and the DP seemed perfect so I worked my way through it.  I feel that the banner totally finishes this off nicely.  It will make a fun love or thank you card.

So, with all this talk of food are you hungry yet?  Well if not yet, maybe you will be after the Question of the Day- Raspberries and strawberries are a fruit from my childhood, we picked them straight out of the garden.  We also occassionaly went into the mountains to do huckleberry picking!  DEVINE... but much harder to come by.  At Beringer we learned about tayberries, which is a cross between raspberries and blackberries- who knew?!  There are so many berries out there, some I've never heard of.  So....what is your favorite berry and/or what is a berry that grows in your area that might be new to the rest of us?

I also wanted to tell you I am LOVING the answers to the question of the day and I am going to have to post some of my favorite responses b/c they crack me up.  Not sure when I'll compile them yet, but how about a teaser for now....   In this post I mentioned I had a goat named goatie when I was a child and asked what your oh-so-clever pet names where...here are two hillarious answers:

From Lyn at mypurplehouse- My first pet that was truly mine was a basset hound that I named Norm(an) after the character in Cheers - and just like the cheers Norm when people saw my little guy, they would yell "Norm!!" HaHa I loved that dog!

From Monica- My kids won a goldfish at a school carnival, which they named "Flushie" because... well... yes, they had to flush him days later.


  Have a tasty day!

Curtain Call, 10 Minute Craft Dash & Simon Says Stamp Challenge

Happy, Happy, Happy Friday!  Can you tell I am excited it is Friday? :)  Well I get some girlfriendy craft time this weekend and that will be fun and family time in the sun too- woop!

Speaking of girlfriends and crafts...I had lunch with my friend Amy the other day.  It was super fun to chat and she brought me a birthday present, how sweet!!!!!!  She gave me this FABULOUS card and as if that wasn't enough she gave me some washi tapes and some Dear Lizzy embellishments (she knew I had the matching paper pack).  Thank you my wonderful friend, you know the way to my heart!

Now I want to share the card I made for the Curtain Call Challenge- Nautical Theme, the 10 Minute Craft Dash (see colors) and Simon Says Stamp Challenge- By The Sea.  My process- I was determined to make a card for the oh-so-grand return of the CC but hadn't come up with anything other than knowing I was going to use my anchor die and sentiment.  Of course the SSS Challenge was so similar, why not make the card for that too.  I am thinking and then I see the 10MCD colors- BAM!  Those are perfect nautical colors and I have some Dear Lizzy papers from the Atlantic collection that will rock!  Off I go to think up my design and get out my supplies.  I had everything laid out perfectly.  I had a few time savers by already having some die cut and embossed clouds (constantly using them so I make extra and put them in a bin) and I only used one tiny sentiment stamp from Amuse (with no coloring this time), the rest is die cut or embellishments.  PERFECT!  So....ready, set, go!  Here is my finished product made in 8 minutes and 4 seconds.  I hope you like it!

I have a short funny story for you.  When I was pregnant with my daughter my husband insisted that I smelled like peanut butter all the time, whether or not I had eaten any peanut products.  My daughter LOVES peanut butter.  I know that doesn't sound strange if your kid isn't allergic, but I swear to you that there are times when she can go through a jar (I am talking 16-28 oz size) in a matter of weeks!  I am convinced that this is related to the fact that I smelled like PB during my pregnancy.  Agree?  Which brings me to the Question of the Day... How about telling me what you eat with PB sandwiches...jam, honey, pickles, mayonnaise (yep, had a friend who ate PB and Mayo sandwiches...), marshmallow fluff (that would be my hubby), carrots (again, hubby- he dips them right in the jar- ew!)?