Here's a card I made for the Nutcrafter's Challenge #1. This was a freebie image and so cute. This is not actually their first challenge, but it is since they re-opened.

They have some cute prizes, and this challenge runs until September 27 - so you still have plenty of time to participate. Get the freebie and join in!

CDAC

Here's the second card I've made for the CDAC Progressive Challenge.

OLW64

This is for the OLw64 CHALLENGE. I think my favorite cards are CAS or One Layer. It's a go-to for me. And this is such an adorable fall image, and my sister in law needed a card! What can I say!

Challenge - Back to School

Here's another card for the Back to School Challenge at Designed2Delight.

Naturally most people think of kids when thinking of back to school, but in our community, there are more and more going back at a Much Older Age. I wanted them included too!

Thanks for coming by to check it out!

I'm on a new team...

First things first, I want to announce that I'm a new DT team member of GingerLoft Designs. Please come back and look for a new posting on September 18th for the Vintage Challenge, and every two weeks thereafter.
Or just go to the Blog to check things out! There are lots of other members making some great cards!

Also, here's a card I made for the Designed2Delight Challenge.

2 Challenges - Wow for me!

This first card is using a freebie image from Ginger Loft, and it's for their challenge.

And if you used this image, you are supposed to get another freebie by email. Can't beat a deal like that!

And the second card is using a newest image from Designed2Delight.

Both images are so cute, and fit in perfectly with a couple of cards that I needed to send to some relatives for fall! I'm way behind on that type of correspondence!

Back to school...

A little card for those returning to school! Designed2Delight has this as a freebie for those who made a card last week! Check it out, what a great way to get some images that are adorable!

Stamping Boutique DT call

Here's a recent card I made using a Stamping Boutique image and so I'm submitting this for the DT call that going on right now!

They have such adorable images, I definitely would like to become a part of this team.

YAHOO! I made the team. Come back often to see what I can do with those lovely images!!

CDAC challenge

Here's a cute little card using a freebie image from CDAC. They have an ongoing challenge - go check it out if you haven't already.

another Designed2Delight!

Here's my entry into the challenge at Designed 2 Delight. Cute little image. Love getting a free one because I played along too! Check it out for yourself~!

Check this new blog

Hey, I found a new-to-me blog and I wanted to share. Please go check it out, and at the moment, there is a little bit of goodies available. Please let Lori know that I told you about it, and we both can win. You can check it out here!

Designed2Delight for Aug 15th

After all this 100 degree heat it doesn't really feel like fall yet, but the cute little pumpkin fits!

Go check them out, and see all the different ideas for using these pumpkins.

Check it out - Party Invitation

Annabelle Stamps Blog is having a 2nd Birthday Celebration really soon, and you are invited! Check it out Here!

September 8, 10, and 12 are the challenge dates.

Don't be late. Wow, I just love a good party!

My last official babysitting day....

Here's my darling little one again! She got to spend a little longer at Grandma's today (Tuesday) as it was her Mom's last day at work, and so she stayed very late doing a final inventory and so Dahlia was here until her Dad got home from work. So... we took some pictures!! In the one you can see that she's wearing a pair of sneakers that actually belonged to her Daddy! So they are over 30 years old. I put them on her (they're a little big) but these were ones that my Dad bought for Steve when he was a baby. I just had to do it!

We are scheduled to babysit overnight this weekend, but then it will just be a very hit and miss thing (like normal grandparents) after that.

I'm going to really, REALLY miss her every day. But she was getting a little much for me, since she's growing and wanting to investigate every little thing. Wearing me out daily.

But I will be crafting a little more, I think, after the end of the month. We are getting some visitors that last week, then things will surely settle down quite a bit! Stay tuned, you never know what will really be going on!!

Designed2delight Challenge

Here's my "masculine" style card - using the free Cupcake Mouse image - but why is it that I choose kraft/brown as the backdrop - who knows! Just that I guess I figure it's a more masculine color. You have until August 11 to join in.

Paper Sundae #80

Here's my entry for the Paper Sundae's #80 challenge of Clouds and Sky! Very muted, but they are there! I love this image. And I'm trying to keep cool, but it's hard!

Aug 10 is new challenge

I love Whimsy Stamps. *I don't often do the challenges though. Maybe that will change. There is a new one starting on Aug 10!

new pic of Dahlia

Here's my little cutie in her swing, playing with a new book! She's getting better at cooperating with Grandma and not focusing on the camera.

some misc cards I've made recently....

Designed2Delight for July

This image is the July freebie from Designed2Delight and it's a cutie. Go check it out. Then make a card and join in!

I saw so many cute ideas using this image on their website!

Candy, candy and more candy! YUM

Congrats to Whiff of Joy for reaching a goal of 1500 followers! And by jove, Katharina has offered some yummy candy.

Also, there is some YUMMY candy available at She Stamps by Cheryl and it's a goodie. I'm just telling you about it because she asked so nice, but I don't want you to sign up - there is enough competition already!

There is also a chance to win 5 images from the new July 14th release from Make It Crafty and Tiddly Inks. You can check it out Here. But again, I want to win, so don't sign up! hee hee.

Designed2Delight again.

Here's my little card for this week's Designed2Delight freebie.

Very cute image and I went for the CAS style card.

I owe one of my Aunts a card, so this is it. Hope she likes it.

Well, Here's my little cutie again.

She's 5 months old now.

Teething like crazy.

But just adorable!!!

BLOG CANDY.... postponed because not enough signed up

EDITED:

Unless I get at least 3 more comments before Noon today . . . just a couple of hours away . . . (and I didn't get more)

I will put off this candy until later - maybe August. I realize this candy isn't for everyone - some people who follow my blog aren't into reading much maybe, but I felt I needed that many to make this worthwhile. Since I have over 200 followers I felt 25 was a very reasonable requirement.

I'm extremely sorry for those who did as asked - please note that you will be in again for the drawing at the later date automatically as I'll save your names/entry.

EDITED to say that unless I get a minimum of 25 participants, I'll postpone this until later.

Hello everyone! Welcome to my newest blog candy offering. This candy is rather unusual.

Yes, I'll have a little carding-making candy included too (photo of that later), but the focal item is: This Book!

ABOUT THE BOOK

Andrew Scott’s stories take place in the Heartland, and they will land squarely in your heart. Unflinching but sweet-tempered, they ring as plaintive and pure as ballads.

—Michael Parker, author of The Watery Part of the World and The Geographical Cure

In Naked Summer, Andrew Scott brilliantly conjures up my home state of Indiana, that in-between, mixed-up blend of farmland, suburbia, isolated towns and would-be cities stuck in the flyover, but he accomplishes much more than this. His stunning collection of stories also deftly captures those in-between states that everyone finds themselves in at some point—those times of limbo when we’re between jobs or relationships, or, most memorably, that last “naked summer” when childhood lingers and adulthood has not yet arrived. This is a heart-wrenching collection, at once hilarious and wise. I couldn’t put it down.

—Elizabeth Stuckey-French, author of The Revenge of the Radioactive Lady and Mermaids on the Moon

Andrew Scott’s stories are streamlined, intense, and unsettling. His characters don’t quite know themselves, but the author knows them well. They teeter in the margins of safety, in a way that many Americans have been pushed off the path to the dream. I recommend these stories highly.

—Alice Elliott Dark, author of In the Gloaming and Think of England

Here's a link: http://www.amazon.com/Naked-Summer-Andrew-Scott/dp/1935708317/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1306293728&sr=8-3

Also, to see a little trailer about this, click here: http://andrewscottonline.com/

Now, for the real story about this candy;

So I thought this was something unusual I could do to help promote his book, and give my readers a little something extra! You see, Andrew Scott is my son, and this is his book - a collection of short stories. We are so proud of him. This candy will remain on top until June 20 - so that gives you about 3 weeks to: Post about this on your blog; And leave a comment letting me know who your favorite author is and what's the latest book you read.

Designed2Delight card

Here's the little card I made for the Designed2Delight challenge this week. Very cute image, but then I love flowers! I also did a little extra trimming on the edges of this card - so it's actually a shaped card now!!

Designed 2 delight

Here's my card made with the image "Mary Mary" from Designed2Delight! I wish it was cool enough to just go traipsing through my garden like this, but it is in the 90s, and too hot for me!

Designed2Delight

Here's a card I made for the Designed2Delight challenge. This was a freebie image.

I love gardening, although any more I don't seem to have the energy required to do it well. But this is a lovely image!

Go check out all the other submissions, there are tons and they are great.

hang in there....

that's what I keep hearing, but Blogger is not working right and it's SOOO FRUSTRATING!
Tells me I DON'T HAVE A BLOG, then asks for the password. Won't let me in to do anything. When trying another browser, I finally get logged in, and it won't let me leave messages. Hope others aren't having as much problems as I seem to have with it.

A month ago things were fine - then someone must have messed with the whole thing! Put it back and fix it and then leave it alone!

Darlin Dahlia....

Well, here's my darlin'! Hubby and I have been babysitting while the new parents are on vacation, and I now know why you don't become new parents at our ages!! Exhausting! But Love Her to pieces! She is just now getting on cereals and wants to control it herself! See that first picture again!

I'll get back to showing some cards in the next week or two. I have made some, in the wheee hours, but forgot to take pictures of a lot of them! go figure! Can you say, DUH? and sleep deprived. Well, I can!

BLOGGER PROBLEMS here

**Whew! Blogger has finally fixed the problem (knock on wood) my blogs I follow are all back now!

But naturally it happened today, when I went to the eye doctor and my eyes are still dilated a full 11 hours after I left their office. So hopefully I can check things out fully in the morning.

The last couple of days, Blogger Reading List has been saying that I am not currently following any blogs. Well we know that isn't true at all. Some of the blogs I follow show up in Google Reader, but not anywhere near all of them. I miss them, but without this list, I cannot remember them all (over 1,000)

Going over to The Real Blogger Status (not an official site of Blogger news), I have learned that this is not the first time that this type of problem has occurred.
So if you recently posted something and are surprised that I have not commented, odds are that I have not read it yet because of this particular bug. And please, if I've won blog candy - someone let me know by email.

skipping stones challenge

Here's a card I made for a sketch challenge #74 at Skipping Stones.

I recently won a couple of packages of their images, and I love them! (of course it helped that they both had some butterflies in them!!). So I thought I'd give this a try.

Great prize....

Wow! Check this out! I'd LOVE, love, love to win.

Go Here to find out more!

Relay for Life cards.... 30 of them!

Here's a little of the reason I've not been posting much lately. I had promised to make 30 cards for the Relay for Life that a friend is sponsoring and I needed lot of time - babysitting it taking up way too much of my craft time! And I also recently began selling some of my cards locally in a little shop, so I had to make about 100 miscellaneous cards for that and get them into the shop in early April.

So.... I've been a little swamped!

But I like how these turned out. I hope she does too. This Relay for Life is scheduled for May 14, so that's coming up pretty quick. They are coming to get them tomorrow so they can finish making up some little gift bags she hands out! Each is different and although originally I had intended to make most of them for breast cancer, Lindsay had told me that they don't know specifically what kind of cancers the survivors had (except for a few of us), so that didn't work out. And I had a couple cute stamps sets I had intended to use! But luckily I recently won a great set - so I utilized it and also several freebie images I found.

Wow, I'd love to win this, wouldn't you?

Well, you can. Go to

The Ribbon Girl's blog and check it out. Do it, now! Must do before April 30.

Limited Runs Challenge

Here's a card I made for the Limited Runs Challenge that was extended to run through April 21st which calls for the use of Glitter, Sparkles or Bling and use of any Limited Runs Digi.

So, I used a couple of Nikki's images and some sparkles on both of them! I don't often use her other images, as I absolutely adore her cupcakes!

But come on, give it a try. She has offered freebies and I think you can still get them if you need an image!

Carnival Entry

Here's a card I made for the Craft Critique's

April Carnival: Spring/Easter/Earth Day!

I love Carnivals! To join in, share your link for Spring, Easter or Earth Day (April 22nd - My choice!). They say they'll republish the final carnival on April 29th and share everyone's projects!
"Add Your Link" icon at the Craft Critique website to participate! The link you share can be from your blog, Flickr or any online gallery the public can view.

There is a great prize from one of my favorite places:
Susana's Custom Art and Card Design is proud to host the Spring Carnival!


go check it out.

My darling Dahlia

These are some of my recent pictures, sure wish I was a better photographer.

Isn't she adorable?! Almost 3 months now!

When my son first drops her off here, I can usually get one of these smiles first thing! Guess she likes coming to Grandma's! So far anyway.

These smiles are so fleeting sometimes that I can't catch too many to photograph. This is the reason there haven't been a lot of posting of cards. I'm still making them in the evenings, but not nearly as many.

Non-response to the "awards"

I felt I should mention here that I don't respond (or hardly ever) to those "awards" that are making the rounds.

I have recently received several of them (thank you all so much for thinking of me) but I have also visited so many, many blogs that never seem to get them, and these are wonderful blogs I'm talking about - with tons and tons of followers.

So I just don't understand it and have decided not to participate. I thought at first I may not have seen the "award" and so I've gone back through old blog posts (a couple years worth actually) on many of blogs that I follow, and have never seen such awards on their blogs. Now - it could be they have decided not to participate either, but I never saw a posting about it whatsoever. So now I'm wondering how those excellent blogger/crafters have been missed by so many who promote these "awards".

Something just isn't right.

So,... I hope no one is offended, but I just don't want to play along.

I love it when someone puts on their blog that they follow me and give a link back to my blog, and say that they like my blog, and then they contact me and say so .... I just don't see the need for these awards.

So to all those people who's blogs I would have listed, consider yourself awarded! If I follow your blog, it's because I want to. Not for the blog candy, not to steal your ideas (although sometimes I do minic as best I can!) but I follow because I find your blogs witty, entertaining, informative, inspiring, (add whatever adjective you want here!) it's because I LIKE IT.

House Mouse Easter

Here are a couple of cards I made for a friend for Easter. She loves the Little House Mouse too!

Squigglefly challenge

I haven't participated in a long time, so I thought I'd make the effort today while I had a few minutes.

Very simple image with a very simple sentiment. Then just a few half pearls and a special corner punch. Simple.

Enjoy.