Blog Awards

I was awarded two badges for my blog. Amazing, don't you think?! Thank you ladies for honoring me with these awards! I have included the links to these two fabulous ladies creative blogs. just click on their names to see what they've been up to. I am supposed to pass these awards on to 5 more bloggers. I'm going to have to think about that and do that a little later!
Thanks for the visit!
xoxoxo
Lorraine
Jackie left me this blog award on her blog.

Ann left me this award over on her blog.

Blog Candy Winner!

Sorry I'm a little late with the winner!
I ended up playing Mahjongg with some friends yesterday and it turned into a marathon!
Random.org picked number 23!

susan w. said...
I just came to your blog from SCS to see the sneeky peeks from cruise. On my wish list right are embellishments and more stamps. I can never get enough.

Susan W...please send me your address by Friday, November 21st so I can get these lovely prima embellies out to you!

xoxoxo
Lorraine

Yummy Cupcakes

I made this card for the MFTWUW04 challenge. The challenge was to paper piece. This cupcake set is just perfect to use for this technique due to the large image. No tiny pieces to cut out.
I used Basid Greys DP called cupcake and choose Barely Banana, riding hood red and pretty in pink to compliment the design. I added some stiching using my Janome Sew Mini to give the paper a finished edge. The cupcake was popped up with dimensionals.
I hand wrote Happy Birthday Cupcake around the image.
Thanks for looking!
I hope you're having a great day!
I'll be back later on this afternoon to announce the blog candy winner!
Smiles :)
Lorraine

Gorgeous Birthday

This is a card that I made for my friend Susie. Her birthday is next week.
I love this image! It's from American Art Stamp company.
The dp is a retired paper from SU, I combined it with chocolate chip and regal rose.
Thanks for looking.
Blog Candy winner will be announced tomorrow!
Smiles :)
Lorraine

Junk Draw House Mouse Challenge

The challenge over at House Mouse Monday was to use something from your junk draw. I had just cleaned my junk draw out! It's totally organized and everything was put back in it's place. So I had to rumage through another draw in my butler pantry. I found a set of coasters and decided to use that. The coaster is behind the scalloped image.
I colored the image with copic markers and used Tim Holtz distress ink on the edge of the image.
I used my new Martha Stewart branch punch (I saw this used on a card on a blog Going Buggy and had to have it...Thanks Enfys!) and bordered the coaster with all the punched out branches. I added some May Arts Polka Dot ribbon, a bow and a charm to complete my card.
Thanks for stopping by!
Smiles :)
Lorraine



Recipe:
Image...House Mouse wreath
Paper...Riding Hood Red, Wild Wasabi
Embellishments...May Arts Polka Dot Ribbon, charm, Martha Stewart Branch Punch

Butterflyabella

This is a card that I made for the sketch challenge on PCP. If you have not visited the site yet, go there now. Everyone is just as friendly over there as they are on SCS...really. You can pick groups you want to belong too and participate in challenges. It's a fast growing community!
Here's my bella card for BSC54
She's one of the images that was in my goodie bag. She's called Butterflyabella! She comes with a mini image of her so that you can decorate an envelope or even the inside of your card! I paper pieced her slacks. The dp is from Target...and I combined it with Sage Shadow and Groovy Guava. I added some ribbon, attached a bow that I made from my new little bow making gadget and added a charm.
I think she's really cute! Let me know what you think!
Smiles :)
Lorraine

Take Flight

This is a card that I made for my good friend, Stephanie who is celebrating her 50th Birthday next week.
I used one of the sets that I received on the cruise from Gina K. The set is called Take Flight.
I apologize for the photo. It does not show all the detail in the card, or the sharpness of the stamped image. IRL this is very pretty. The charm on the bow says "follow your dreams".
Thanks for looking!
Have a wonderful day!
Smiles :)
Lorraine



Recipe:
Images...Gina K Designs, Take Flight
Paper...Basic Black, White, Gray, Basic Gray DP Stella Ruby
Embellishments...Stickles, ribbon, charm, SU scallop border punch

Scented Geraniums

Geraniums are red, right? Not today. I was in a purple and yellow mood.
I started off by stamping the image on watercolor paper. I stamped the image twice, and watercolored the flowers on each image. Then I cut out selected flowers and used dimensionals to pop them up on top of the image. I used crystal effects on the flowers and then sprinkled some dazzling diamonds on the 3d flowers.
After working on this card I have decided that it is time for me to invest in some nesties! Lots of frustration trying to get the card to look the way I wanted.
Thanks for stopping by!
And I haven't forgotten the blog candy. I really thought that I was going to have so much loot to share from the cruise, but since my sister has decided to keep it all...well I had to figure something else out.
I have placed an order through the Prima company for some lovely embellishments. So if you haven't already left a comment for the blog candy, please click here and leave a comment. I'll be picking a winner by random draw on the 15th!

Smiles :)
Lorraine

Paper Craft Planet

There's so much excitment going on with a site called Paper Craft Planet. It's an online community for paper crafters and most likely all of your favorite stamping companies have their own group there. Please click on the craft planet badge on the top right, join and become my friend. It's so easy to do and it's free. There are some very creative wonderful ideas happening over there. I hope to get your request to be my friend!

on another note, here are some more cruise photos to share with you!

Gianni, Susie and Adian...there's a story...see bottom of this post!

The Stamping Rock Stars and their families

Our last night dinner at the Italian Restaurant with old and new friends

me, Elizabeth (she's the quiet one) and Marlene formal night

Me, Emily (Stamping Bella) and Marlene


Ok so here's the story. The yound man in the first photo, the one in the orange shirt...for some reason he just loves orange and wears it everyday...was supposed to be on his Honeymoon. The day before the ship set sail he said his wedding vows and his fiance walked out of the church. No wedding! The reception was held and he decided to still come on the cruise. The poor thing was supposed to be on his Honeymoon! Well, let me tell you, we took him under our wings. We were the Cougars That Care! LMAO! He was such a sweetie...he joined us for dinner in the dinning room ( he was surrounded by 12 woman!), hung out with us on the beach, danced with us in the Disco, and we introduced him to some yound woman his age. I think that all in all he ended up having a good time on his nonHoneymoon!
Have a great day!
Smiles :)
Lorraine

More Sneak Peeks from Cruise!

Here are some more projects that we made with Nickabella and Emabella.
I just loved these projects.
This dove is just so beautiful and the paper we used ...gorgeous textured paper! Gotta get some of this!

Isn't this snowman just too cute?

The circle images were just so adorable. Isn't that a really cute set, and we made a little box to put them all into. (the box got a little crushed in my suitcase and it is missing a lovely little punched flower embellishment.


This is a project we made in Gina's class. We used glossy white paper and this Big Juicy Ink Pad. I loved this pad and can't wait to own some! WE made a set of three cards that went into a clear box to hold them all. They really are so pretty in person!


And finally these are some projects that we made in Nicoles classes. We used our scorepals and the snowflake punch that we received as goodies to create these projects!



Well, that's it for the sneak peeks from these three amazing companies.
I still have some kits from all three companies that I didn't have time to make on the cruise. I just need to find them so that I can finish them!
Have a great day!
Smiles :)
Lorraine

I'm still stuck on this color combo. I am just loving the simplicity of it. I would never have put these colors together, by now you should all know that I am color challenged! lol
But since all my supplies were still on my desk from yesterdays card I decided that I wanted to play a little bit more with it.
I used Inkadinkado Dot Flourishes, Prima Flowers, and brads. The dotted ribbon is from our Goodie bag that we received on the cruise from Nicole of Papertrey. The ribbon is fab!
The bg panel went through the cuttlebug with the Swirls folder. It was a little too plain so I used my white gel pen and outlined the swirls. I added just a few stickles in yellow on the dots in the flourish...love a little bling...oh, who am I kidding, I happen to love alot of bling! just not on this card! lol
I love the weathered bg stamp and always forget that I have it. I'm so glad it was still out on my desk!



I'm taking my sister to the doctor today. She is having some minor surgery on her foot and I don't want her to drive home by herself. She is totally hooked on this paper crafting and is coverting a room for all of her stamping stuff! I'll try to help her get a little more organized. I know that while I'm organizing, she'll be coloring! lol

Papertry Inspired Stamping Bella

This is a tote that we made on the cruise in one of Nicoles Papertrey classes. I loved the way Nicole designed this tote and her use of colors. Don't you just love the Kraft, yellow and white together? I still haven't put the other half of this project together, which is a note pad cover....I need hands on instruction! LOL! Isn't this a really cute tote?



I'm still organizing all of my goodies from our goodie bag and wanted to work with one of my new Stamping Bella stamps, called 3 Whimsey Flowers using this lovely color combo. I used a dotted cirlce from SU's Polka Dot and Posies set to stamp the background, and also used SU Weathered BG over the stamped Flower image. I used a Martha Stewart punch to create the borders and glued some ribbon behind the border to add a splash of color. All the ink is SU's Whisper White Kraft Ink. I added some stamping bella yellow baubles and some stickles and some ribbon to complete my card.



Thanks for stopping by today!
Have a great day.
Smiles :)
Lorraine

Marlene, The Stamper!

I don't have anything new to share with you from this weekend. It was a little busy here.
On Sunday, I was going to stamp with my sister but I ended up cutting out all of her stamp sets from Gina K, putting all her paper trey stamp sets into cds and spraying tack it over all over the backs of all her Bella stamps from the cruise. She in now more organized than I am!
Before we left for the cruise my sister was ambivalent about the stamping part of the cruise. I think her words were something like, you know you can have all my stuff, what am I going to do with it?
I forced her to go to the meet and greet to pick up her goodie bag, and as soon as we got back to our cabin she packed everything away. She had no intention of using anything. She even told me, you take it all home! lol
She did not come with us to the first stamping class that was held during the day, she played bingo instead. But after dinner we forced her to come with us to our 10 pm class!
We arrived late to StampingBella's class and had to split up. I took a seat with some wonderful ladies, Kim, her friend and I'm sorry I forgot her name, and Garnet. Everyone was so nice. I'm stamping away and Emily from Stamping Bella tells me that I am needed by my sistah! Marlene had Emily making her project for her and let her have it when one of the sentiments didn't stamp evenly. YOu have to stamp the sentiment before you put on your embellishment! Then she's working with some Dazzling diamonds...now everyone else is funneling the diamond dust back into the little containers. Not Marlene, she just takes the sheet of paper and dusts the floor with all the sparkly stuff. I just lost it. I was laughing so hard, stamping my feet, pounding on the wall! I thought that's it, we're not going to be permitted to come back to this class. We were so loud and obnoxious! But at the end of class, Emily told me that we had better come back! She and Nicky got the biggest kick out of my sistah! Emily also introduced us to Michelle and Irene and we quickly became friends!
The next day we had to drag Marlene to classes, but now she's hooked!
I will be trying to get some stamping done today!
Have a good one!
Smiles :)
Lorraine


P.S. See my new picture? Emily from Stamping Bella made me change it! LOL!

Where is the mojo?

I think it's on the ship! LOL!
Everything was in little plastic bags, all the paper was cut up, the ribbon and embellishments supplied for us and all we had to do was stamp the image and color. A girl can get really used to that in a week.
My sister, Marlene is new to stamping and she was on the cruise with me. We really had quite a few laughs stamping together. The funny thing is, after a week of stamping and getting all our little "kits" she now thinks that all the projects come this way...well maybe not all the projects, but I know that she was on StampingBella's website searching for some "kits". You just have to laugh! Marlene, I love you! ...don't get mad at me, I'm not making fun of you! I think many of us would be very happy if everything came in a kit, for those days when the mojo just isn't there! and what a great idea that would be for companies to do. Make kits up for that beginner stamper...get them hooked. Once they are hooked they'll buy the store! lol

This card was made using a Flourishes set, Coffee with Friends and Inkadinkado Dot Flourishes. I love black and white together. I stamped the dotted Flourishes with SU White Craft Ink, sprinkled it with clear ep and heat embossed. I did the same with the coffee cup and the flourish inside the coffee cup. I matted the image, with black and white borders, added some sheer white ribbon and a charm, tied it all up in a bow...used my heat gun on the sheer ribbon to curl it up a little, if you do this be very careful, it will burn, shread and melt...ask me how I know! lol...
For starting with no mojo, I am actually very pleased with the end result.
Thanks for stopping in! Have a Happy Halloween! And have a great weekend.
Smiles :)
Lorraine

Combined Challenges

For this card I used MFT Hot Stuff mini set and combined the challenges on SCS for SC200, and MFTWUW03. I was going to attempt incorporating the color challenge into this card, but the thought process was just too much for me today!
The first photo is of the inside of the card.
What a crazy day! I went to my husbands office to pick him up so that we could pick up the new card. As we were leaving one of his clients fell down the steps leaving his office. I found her on the ground in the parking lot crying for help! The poor thing. She is 81 years old and good bless her, she was amazing! I immediately called 911 and an ambulance came a few minutes later. While we were waiting I was holding her hand and rubbing her back. I felt so bad for her! I would have been screaming from the pain, and she wasn't ever whimpering. We later found out that that what appeared to only be a broken ankle was much more. She broke her leg in 3 places and needs to have surgery! Please say a prayer for her!
I picked up the new Escalade today. and it is beautiful. My 17 year old son is going to think that he can practice driving in this, well, he has another thing coming to him! lol
Have a great day, and A Happy Halloween.
Ugghhh....I'm not looking forward to my doorbell ringing all night long, but love seeing the little kids all dressed up!
Thanks for stopping by!
Smiles :)
Lorraine