Color Throw Down #99

This is a sneak peek at a new set from Mark's Finest Papers available July 13th. I used a Nestablities to cut out the scalloped circle. The leaf punch is from Martha Stewart.

CWC010 and FTTC73

This sketch is the challenge over at the CAS-tastic Wednesday Challenge. The challenge this week over at Flourishes' Timeless Tuesday Challenge was to use fruit, so I thought when I decided to use this ribbon it would be perfect for both challenges. Summer and strawberries just seem like a perfect combo as well.
I used a Martha Stewart border for the red accent for the card. I love this light green paper that I think is from PTI.

Speedy's Friends Blog Challenge #9

The challenge for Speedy's Friends this week was selected by Vicki and we were to use 3 flowers on our card. I just love camillias so I knew immediately which one I would use.Here's a sneak peek at a new set from Mark's Finest Papers that comes out in July. I have always loved camillias because they remind me so much of roses. Once I lived in a house that had a couple of camillia bushes and they were blooming in December when everthing else was dead. I don't know if they came in white or yellow, but the ones we had in our yard were a rose red.

What a terrific response we had  in participants for our challenge last week! It is hard to beat, when everyone has a chance in 40 of winning a prize!! Thanks, Faith for a real incentive for those participating. If you have a Mark's Finest Paper's stamp set, we would love to see you use it and that will double your chances of winning. Be sure to link your card to Mr. Linky over at Mark's Finest Papers Blog.

FTTC72

The Flourishes' Timeless Tuesday challenge was a sketch challenge hosted by Silke.
Since she is in my group of favorite stampers, I just had to do this challenge. I decided that if I could make one of the many challenge cards I do during the week a Christmas card, I could get my cards done a little bit at a time and wouldn't have to do so many when Christmas gets here. I love this Breezy Blue cardstock from Mark's Finest Papers and it went so well with this Basic Grey Eskimo Kisses collection. I matched an old piece of soft sky ribbon from my stash and used my nestabilities for the ovals. I punched the holly leaves out with a Martha Stewart punch and used red rhinestones as the holly berries.

Color Dare #70

Colors for the Color Dare Challenge:
Old olive
cameo coral
ruby red
ivory

I'm really going to miss cameo coral and ruby red.

Belli Challenge #94

The theme for this Belli Challenge is Patriotic. And there is a sketch to go along with this. Hope you will join in on the fun! Make sure you link your card over on the Creative Belli Challenge Blog.

I used Mark's Finest Papers stamps for mine. These star rhinestones have been in my stash forever, so pulled them out for this card as is the ribbon. I added score lines to the red cardstock just to give it some texture.

House Mouse challenge #72

The challenge for the Mouse House challenge this week is to make a card for something new.

There's always lots of weddings in summer so I thought this was perfect for a new Mr. and Mrs.

I used a couple of different Martha Stewart punches, Su oval punches and border punch, and a Martha Stewart leaf punch. I colored the image with copic markers. The image was stamped with tuxedo black. The light green is called willow wind from Mark's Finest Papers. I just love it. The design paper is from Basic Grey. The sentiment is computer generated.

Speedy's Friends' Blog Challenge #8-Embossing

I just love this Momma's Favorite Purple cardstock from Mark's Finest Papers. It is the prettiest purple I have ever found. Today, Claudine has asked for embossing on our challenge cards. I love this embossing folder from Provo Crafts for the cuttlebug. This flower is from the Speedy set called "Butterflies, Dianthus, and Flourishes.  I also stamped this stamp in Versamark and embossed it with gold embossing powder. Then I colored it in with my copic markers. Sympathy cards are always the most difficult for me to make and I thought it might be easier to make them before I really needed one.

I look forward to all of Speedy's Friends out there in the land of stamping to join us this week for this great challenge. Faith is so generous in offering a free stamp from a random drawing for every 40 participants. That alone should make this one of the greatest challenge incentives out there. Link your card to

Mark's Finest Papers' Blog. Don't forgot to click over to the store as well to check out all the new things being offered by Mark's Finest Papers. All my fellow Speedy's Friends Blog challenge design team members are listed on my side bar with links to their blogs. Check out what they have been up to in their MFP creations. Happy stamping and good luck in the drawing!!

Christmas Stampin' All Year Long #54

I just discovered this weekly challenge this week on Daily Dare. I've been wanting to get started on my Christmas cards, and this site seemed like my motivation. The challenge was to do a vintage Christmas card. This stamp is one of my all time favorite vintage stamps from Stampin' Up. Of course, it is now retired and wasn't even around very long either. Sure glad I couldn't pass it up. The lovely willow wind cardstock is from Mark's Finest Papers. I cuttlebugged it and used ivory for the stamped image. I did a direct to pad distressing around the edges. I stamped the image with Memento's tuxedo black and colored it with Copic markers. The punches are from Martha Stewart and the ribbon is from Paper Trey Ink.

Stampin' Bee's challenge

This apple is from a new Mark's Finest Papers set coming out in July. I used the leaf stamp from MFP's roses set. The challenge was to use an apple, red and green, and a circle.

C4C41

I have a friend who had a rough week last week, so I wanted to send her a card. I thought these colors for the Crazy 4 Challenges this week were very peaceful and calm. So I sponged on the amethyst, pink, and celery behind this tree stamp from Mark's Finest Papers.

Speedy the Cat's Friends' Blog challenge #7

It was my week to think up the challenge so I decided to do something I always love doing--making my own design paper with stamps. I used the heart from More of Speedy's Friends and the flower from Daffodil and Anise sets from Mark's Finest Papers. Then I topped it with this great cupcake from one of the newly released sets called Cupcake Birthday. I used a few Martha Stewart punches and my nestabilities. I thought the rhinestone tiara was perfect for this sentiment. Hope you join us in this week's challenge and don't forget to link it over at Mark's Finest Papers.

June Release for Mark's Finest Papers Blog Hop Day 4

Mark's Finest Papers' Design Teams are celebrating our NEWEST RELEASE Blog Hop.
All 4 sets are available TODAY!

For your chance to win BLOG CANDY, visit and comment on each of the following design team members' blogs on June 8, 9, 10, and 11th. On Saturday, June 12, 2010, a winner will be chosen FOR EACH DAY from those participants who visited all the blogs listed for that day! Wow!!ONE WINNER EACH DAY!
So even if you miss a day, you still have other chances to win.

The 4 winners will be announced over on Mark's Finest Papers Blog on June 12, 2010.

Here is today's Blog schedule:
June Guest Designer- Samatha
NancyRuth 
Lois
Vicky
Jeanne
Anne
Debbie
Peggysue
Faith
Vicki
Claudine
Dawn
Liz (that's me!)

and don't forget to check things out at Mark's Finest Papers!

This is such a yummy set and I just had to try something in chocolate!! This is my new " go to" birthday card set. I love it. All the papers used, ribbons and charms are all from Mark's Finest Papers. All the blog hop information is below this post. Make sure you go visit all the exciting ideas of the Design team and the blog team and leave your comments. Good luck in the drawing and don't forget to come back Saturday to check out the winners!!!

Mark's Finest Papers June Blog Hop Day 3

In the above entry you will find  those who are participating in today's Blog Hop over at Mark's Finest Papers. Visit them all, enjoy the wonderful things created with this new set called More of Speedy the Cat's Friends. I have a Burmese cat at my house, but thought a siamese would be great with these colors.

The Belli Challenge #93 is to use rub ons somewhere on your card. I found this rub on border in a sale bin, so put it together with some Verve stamps, a few primas and punched leaves, and came up with these results. The soft blue cardbase paper is calley Yum Yum's Blue eyes from Mark's Finest Papers. I just love it. I hope you will play along and join us over on the Creative Belli Challenge Blog. Link you card there so we can all enjoy them.

FTTC70

Dee Jackson is hosting the challenge this week at Flourishes' Timeless Tuesday. I got to meet Dee last September in Georgia at a Kitchen Sink workshop. What an amazing woman!! Her challenge for us was to use black, white, and any other one color. I chose a kiwi green as my color. These cherry blossoms are one of my new favorite Flourish stamps. Aren't they just beautiful?
I just love Marcella Hawley's art.

KSCC#26

There is a new challenge up over at Kitchen Sink for this month. I was a lucky winner last month, so of course, am motivated to take part in this challenge as well. The challenge is to be inspired by a ribbon as a starting point for your piece. I love reds, yellows, and oranges and this plaid ribbon had them all. So that motivated which stamp I used and of course, the color scheme of the card. I used momento inks for my stamping and then I cuttlebugged the texture over the stamped image. Kind of like how that turned out. I used my Nestablities and also a Martha Stewart punch to complete the card. The papers are morning marigold ( an old retired color from SU), ivory and ripened tomato from Mark's Finest Papers, and only orange from SU. Don't forget to check on the fun over at Kitchen Sink Stamps. YOu have the entire month to work on your idea, and who knows, you might too be a winner.

FLLCJUN10

Here is my card for the FLLCJUN10 challenge to use any shade of blue and yellow. The set I used is Flourishes Sweetpeas, which I colored with my copic markers after stamping the image with Tuxedo black (Memento).  All the papers and the ribbon used for this card are from Mark's Finest Papers.

rI combined them with some cuttlebug embossing and a Martha Stewart Paper punch and these were  my results. What do you think??

Stampin' Sister in Christ

A wonderful little House Mouse stamp I found in the bargain bin last week seemed perfect for this challenge. I just thought it the sweetest.

This verse from Genesis 1:26 also shows to me the relationship God wants us to have with all of His creatures and especially with each other.  I made this card for a very special friend who had a double lung transplant last week. Is it not amazing how our God can take the tragedies of life and let it come forward as a miracle?

What a gift of love an organ donor gives to another!

My friend is a servant of the Lord serving in prison ministries and in our Emmaus community. The Lord still has plenty for him to do in this life! Rock on Bobby, singing your praises to the Lord.

Speedy the Cat's Friends' challenge blog #6

Love this new set called More of Speedy's Friends from Mark's Finest Papers. Cathleen challenged us this week to use buttons and bows. I used MFP's ripened tomato cardstock for the card base. The Basic Grey papers coordinated so well with it. The ribbon is also from Mark's Finest Papers and found these little buttons in my stash in just the colors I needed. Hope you will join us in this week's challenge over at
Mark's Finest Papers' Blog. The other blog design team members are listed on the side bar which will link you to their blogs.

Color Dare #69

I did two cards this week because I thought the card with the rose was a little overpowering. So I did the other card with less of the tempting turquoise and bermuda bay. The colors this week are crushed curry, tempting turrquoise, and bermuda bay. I used Stampin' Up sets  for both cards. I did a reverse embossing technique for the rose card and inked it with bermuda bay. The card on the left I colored my white organdy ribbon with my BG13 copic marker so it would match my card. I wasn't sure if everyone is aware that copic markers are very versatile and will color ribbons, brads, and jewels to match your embellies to your card.

Join us in the Color Dare challenge this week and link it here.

FTTC 69

I was so excited to see the one layer card as the challenge for this week. I used Flourishes' peaches  set by stamping it three times down my card. I also embossed the pattern down the side of the ivory card. Fresh peaches are one of the best parts of summer for me. My dear grandmother would fix peaches and cream and put in her ice cube trays. Somehow those memories become more dear every year. Life was simpler but yet we drew such pleasure in those simple little things.