A Blast From The Past - UGH!

When I logged on to MSN and saw the headline for an article about worthless collectibles the other day I knew TFM had to be in there somewhere! What I didn't expect was for one of my programs to be highlighted. I figured it would be some other cutesy program NOT one of my own. LOL!!!

If you only knew how much work, by so many folks, went into the development of this item...it is unbelievable. On the up side, during my tenure I learned so much about Princess Diana through studying her fashions and recreating them in miniature and am constantly amazed at how fashion forward she became and how her clothing stands the test of time. Many of the later gowns, such as this blue gown, are still fashionable today. There was a day when I could tell you what event each dress was for and who designed it but I'm afraid my knowledge of those minute details about this beautiful blue silk sheath have disappeared with the mist of time.

Princess Diana was an amazing style icon! I'm very honored and privileged to be part of a creative team who made this and many other wonderful dolls.

Orchard Fun and OWH Blog Hop

Have you ever seen such unusual pumpkins? My granddaughter wanted to take home the wartful jack-o-lantern for her own. The little gal has an eye for the unusual. After I told her we couldn't take the already carved one covered in warts she ran straight to a oblong yellow pumpkin. We finally settled on some rather cute pie pumpkins and a big one for carving. Oh, and we had to take home just one cider donut!

Sorry, there was no time to blog yesterday so I only uploaded these great photos of my oldest granddaughter having fun with me at Milburn Orchard. Who'd imagine a little girl running around an apple orchard in a dress on a 75 degree day just before Halloween? The dress part her choice but 75 degrees here on the East Coast, who'd guess?

I just signed up to participate in the OWH blog hop for Veteran's Weekend on 11/13. Please keep eyes peeled for more information and snag yourself a badge and link it to OWH with this... http://operationwritehome.org/bloghop. Stop back soon to read about the coming fun. I'll be offering some fun blog candy!!

OWH and a Pop-Up Card Tutorial

Hey there blogging fans! Today, OWH posted on FB a terrific little tutorial on making a fun, easy pop-up card. Check out the tutorial on the OWH website for deets. I've been wanting to make one of these and seeing how darn easy it is inspires me to get going...maybe tomorrow. My weary Vaio laptop is coming home and needs a little TLC tonight. It will be so nice to put the old Toshiba away!

UPDATE...my Vaio came home last night and old Toshiba is resting comfortably after helping out for the last week. Oh my...poor old T is about ready for the Halloween graveyard! I WILL make a pop-up card and post it today...PROMISE so pleeeezzz come back.

Ranger Giveaway and Kellie Winnell Blog Candy

Check out the photo of Ranger Products' Halloween bags I snagged from their blog. Ranger is offering a giveaway for your comments on what to put inside their Halloween bags. Click the title above to head over and leave your comments but hurry...winners will be announced Wednesday!


Blog candy doesn't get better than this 2010 Magnolia Christmas Collection. Be sure to head over to Kellie Winnell's blog for your chance to win!

This one ends November 11th...winner announced Nov. 12th. Good luck!!

Magnolia Lovers SPARKLE Challenge

This challenge was a lot of fun and added to my growing stack of Christmas cards for my faraway family this year. For as much as I LOVE making cards...I am the world's worst at sending cards but this year I am promising myself I MUST make it a holiday priority!
This card was inspired by a sheet of wonderful snowflake DP by Anna Griffin which I sewed to layers of coordinating Bling by Bazzill. Leftover scraps of assorted sparkly and coordinating paper were punch with a MS punch and Stickles added with a sparkly irredescent bow to top things off. The faux crystal & pearls finished the look I was going for on this one-of-a-kind creation.
My vintage Tilda sprite image was stamped on Neenah Solar White cardstock and colored with Copic markers in a subdued pallette to coordinate with the card and glazed the leafy skirt with touches of Stickles for a little more bling. I hope it fills the bill for "SPARKLE" at the Magnolia Lovers Challenge blog!

Halloween Witchy (& Crafty) Tilda Decoration

Hello blog visitors! I'm excited because I'm running short on time for an outing with my gal pal, Bonnie, so will try to hurry this up so I can meet her on time!

I am entering my crafty Tilda in three challenges, Totally Tilda's Special Halloween Challenge, Copic Creations Clear Blender Techniques, & Magnalicious' Brown Paper Bag Challenge. I had great fun making the base for Tilda from a vintage wood thread spool on a rosette base made from 2 @ 16"x1 1/2" lengths of accordian pleated strips from my recycled brown paper bag. I glued the sections together and scored/folded at 1/2" intervals then antiqued, folded and formed into the rosette. This was glued with a mighty glob of E6000 to a 2" cardstock circle covered in some vintage 7 Gypsies paper. To the assembled rosette I glued(E6000) one vintage wood spool & went to town decorating. Again...no shopping trips were made in the construction of this piece...LOL!!

This is the first time using a vintage Tilda I purchased used on eBay a couple years back so the shades of black are fairly new to me. The new Copics worked well and I was able to get a decent outcome for a first try using C3, C5, C1, and N7...with an itsy bit of black and some mixing things around with the Copic Colorless Blender (CCB). Since I am using shades of the same color my CCB was invaluable. The apron highlights were added with the CCB...I ususally soften the folds with CCB here too but this design worked better without that this time. I had a bit of panic when the hat and hair melded into one image and I could not distinguish one from the other. A little work with lightning pigtails with my CCB and shading the interior of the hat worked! To further distinguish the hair from the hat I covered Tilda's hair in clear gloss gel. I wanted the Tilda to be as dark as possible to go along with the base so I also antiqued it all over with a sponge and walnut ink. I created a new string leash and legs for the spider from floral wire I colored with black Copic. Usually, I don't like things as cute as Tilda on items with an altered-art feel but I think this worked fine!

For my Copic Creations friends...I also use the CCB solution straight out of the bottle to clean the blades of my scissors after cutting gooey things like the EZ Mount backing for unmounted stamps!

The links in the Copic Creations challenge are worth a visit even if you don't want to enter!

Fun Halloween Altered-Art Craft

I've had this heart-shaped wooden bag around for a few years just waiting for this altered-art craft. My daughter is coming home from a Mediterrean cruise on Saturday and I was thinking about her upcoming Halloween lollipop-making and thought this would look cute on her desk at work full of pumpkin lollipops!
I hope she likes it...all made from things I didn't have to buy. If I live long enough to use up my stash, I'll be a very old lady!! This was so easy to make. I painted and distressed a $1 box from the unpainted wood deptartment in my ACMoore. Traced it and cut down 2 layers of papers I distressed and went to town with my box of Halloween embellies. I may yet go back and add some orange boa around the top for a little fun...we'll see. The distressed flowers were made with scalloped circles I cut, quarter folded, antiqued and glued to a kraft cardstock circle with a nifty epoxy button added. I just love the vintage Making Memories epoxy buttons and wish I had bought more way back when. I'll have to make myself something when I get to the last one. Remember those typewriter key alpha stickers? They make a perfect "BOO".

Our backdoor neighbors had a bad fire at their house yesterday. DH and I were moseying around the house with a birds eye view and didn't realize anything was going on until the first firetruck arrived, 4 came in total. The poor kids ended up running out of the house in their pjs, not warmly for the chilly weather. We heard today that the dryer shorted and melted the pvc waterpipe which caused further shorting and an electrical fire. They'll be out of the house for a couple months while the house is worked on but it could have been so much worse. The young woman came by to return the fleece I took to her and told DH if they hadn't been home to call it in, the result would have been catastrophic. We're so happy they are all safe.

Cindy Lyles' Pump for Habitat for Humanity

This is a little peek at the awesome work of altered art created by Cindy which will be auctioned off to benefit Habitat for Humanity. Please be sure to visit Cindy's amazing blog, Starlit Studio, for a generous dose of inspiration and entertainment. I happened across it yesterday by way of Ellen Hutson's which I probably found by visiting Cindy's blog...it is amazing how we are all so interconnected.

Cindy and I go way back to our days working for the same collectible manufacturer so it was a real treat to stop by her blog and see the wonderful projects she is working on and to see we once again have a little more in common. She created an amazing altered-art piece for which Habitat for Humanity will benefit. I couldn't help myself and had to tell her about my daughter and how she worked with the Habitat for Humanity efforts in New Orleans after Katrina so I absolutely LOVE, LOVE what she created. I hope it brings in TONS of $$$ for this worthy charity!!

I left a little love note on her blog and was tickled to get a nice little email first thing this morning. What a nice treat!! Thanks Cindy...I hope you don't mind I snagged a photo as a teaser to send my visitors back to your blog.

Mojo Monday #160 Challenge

For this challenge, I rotated the sketch 90 degrees to suit the shape of my 5.5" square card and design. The rubber stamp is a sweet one by Whiff of Joy. The image was colored with Copics with a smear of Stickles to add some bling. The snowflakes across the top are punched, layered over chipboard, with Stickles, a faux crystal, and added with a pop dot. The pink sheer ribbon is by May Arts. I had lots of fun using my new Cottage Christmas which was a prize from Imaginisce!

Here's the cool sketch I followed:

Tiddly Inks Blog Candy

What can you say besides Y-UM!! This is some special blog candy. If you've wondered where to find a sweet goth girl...this is the spot to shop for digis!

Be sure to visit Tiddly Inks to enter by Nov. 4th.

Here's a peek back at a card I recently created. I can't wait to send it this Christmas.

A Fun Blog Hop...

I just finished hopping around...its very therapeutic when one has the bug and can't get motivated to do their own card making! Hopefully, will be back at it later today, if not and will post a challenge card very soon.

Hurry over to La La Land...this ends on Monday, 10/18.

And if you're interested in joining a brand new design team check out this blog...Paper-crafting Journey is seeking members for this brand new challenge blog. Hurry over...the call ends Oct. 31st.

COPIC SALE at Scrap-Mart

Hello friends and happy Saturday! I got an exciting email today from Scrap-Mart and wanted to share it with all of you who love Copics as much as me. Scrap-Mart has the best prices I've found plus...free shipping everyday on Copics! Until Monday you get free shipping PLUS 20% off their already low price on anything Copic. I'm buying a dozen or so Sketch markers which run in the vicinty of $6. normally, for only $3.90 a piece! This is the first time I've ever seen Sketch markers for such a great price.

Don't forget to enter "COPICSALE" at check out and don't forget who gave you this great tip! Stop back and tell me how many you bought.

Day 3 without my closest little pal and daughter, Carrie...she's off on a Mediterranean cruise with her good friends, Megan & Shannon. The girls arrived in Barcelona 2 days ahead of their ship to enjoy a little bit of Spain as well.
I was relieved to get a call from her this morning and happy to hear they are safely on the ship which should have just sailed out heading for Nice in France where she's going to look for Hanglar Stanglar rubber stamps or any other unusual European stamps!! Hanglar Stanglars are from Sweden and don't ship to the USA so I'm hoping she finds a store in France. I should be so lucky!

My Rare Top Tip Tuesday Challenge Entry

The folks at Top Tips are having a challenge with prizes for the top tip during the current challenge period. My tip is a simple one that involves a bit of recycling. Cricut users are guaranteed to LOVE this one!

I have the Cricut Expression and have found once I am ready to discard my adhesive mats I save them to reuse the top acetate sheet if in good shape but the real secret is I reuse the mats too. I love to do paper piecing and make many of my own patterns for animals and little humans, etc. I found the "spent" mats make great patterns or templates. I trace around my piece (right side up) with a Sharpie and cut out. The adhesive remainder on the pattern you've just created will adhere just enough so the pattern doesn't slide around and the vinyl makes a terrific sturdy pattern. Enjoy!

New ORANGE Challenge Card!

Well, it's October and the challenge called for orange over at Copic Creations' challenge blog so what could one do besides a Halloween card? I tested out my newly won C.C. Designs Honey Witch digital stamp hand colored with my growing collection of Copics and applied her to a 5-1/2" card cut from the Cricut Wild Card cartridge along with coordinating layers of circles in black & orange. My recipe for witchy gal's complexion is to use a rim of G20 & lightly w/G99 around the head and fill in & blend with E50. Her blush and lips color are shaded with V00 & V06. I like the outcome!

Love the 5/8" orange & black grosgrain ribbon & bow, for fun I colored the thread on the orange Button-Up black with a Copic for the occasion.
On the inside I added a stamped tag and a creepy spider from the Cricut Paper Dolls cartridge. This was a fun little card to make with the double-sided vintage K & Co. DP. It's perfect for one of my sweet little grandgals!

Be sure to check out the other fun entries at Copic Creations Challenge Blog!

Free Halloween Coloring Page

Check out the amazing free coloring page I received today in the Knack Newsletter from craft superstore Michaels. I think it would make a terrific paper piecing pattern or digi for a Halloween card for the kids too!

Be sure to click the link above to head to Michaels' Knack for your own 8-1/2" x 11" coloring page!

2 Peas and Jennifer McGuire - Free Lessons!

The amazing online superstore
2 Peas In A Bucket and Jennifer McGuire have teamed up for a series of videos entitled "Thinking Inking." I've been at 2 Peas most of the morning catching up! Jennifer is a endless well of creative energy who constantly amazes with the treasures and techniques she creates. Do yourself a favor and set aside a little time to go enjoy these videos. Then head over to May Arts and Hero Arts for more Christmas magic and giveaways! Check around too...many of the HA stamps are on sale around the internet.

My Mind's Eye Challenge #16

Here's a fun challenge with a great Anam Stubbington sketch from one of my favorite paper companies... My Mind's Eye!! The theme is "black" and must be 80% MME product. It doesn't have to be a Halloween layout and can be any theme.

The challenge ends October 21st and there are wonderful prizes! Oh, I sure hope I can do this one...who wouldn't want to win 3 full collections of MME paper? Sheesh...amazing for a paper addict like me :-)

Triple Play!!!

Today, I'm entering three challenges with my new and improved Christmas stocking card.
The challenges are:
Magnolia Lovers - Lace theme, ends 10/9
Just Magnolia - 2x2 (pairs of things), ends 10/14. Can you find the 5 pairs I used on the card??
All That Scraps #2 Magnolia Challenge, Christmas Scene

For the card I used a vintage Magnolia Santa stamp which was colored with Copic markers and a $1 vintage "Do Not Open Til Christmas" stamp from one of the big 3 craft stores. Everything was from my stash of DP and vintage trims...nothing new went into the making of this card! The base card is a 5x7 ivory invitation from early Martha Stewart that I cut into my desired shape and recycled. It can be glued shut to make a sweet stocking for giftcards and moola or a greeting can be added to the interior to make it a regular Christmas card. The green base Santa rests on is also a perfect sized pocket for giftcards. Look for more of this shape card from me as the holidays approach. I LOVE it!

Etsy.Com Coup!!

Have you ever seen those nifty montage pages the etsy.com staff assembles periodically that are so cool? Well, am I ever excited!!! I just got some etsy mail telling me my ancient snowman cards are featured there. Guess I better get busy posting some more cards tonight! Wow, my run of good luck is on a roll...I'm buying a lottery ticket soon! Click this link and see the last row for my set of 4 cards.

Mojo Monday #159 Challenge

Just when I thought all my mojo was gone along comes a fun challenge sketch to get the creative energy flowing! I decided this sketch lent itself well to cards I wanted to make for OWH so I went to town and made 6. I think they turned out pretty nice and might make a great Valentine card too.

Here's the cool Mojo Monday sketch:

For my interpretation of the sketch I used my paper stash to make a double-layer diecut label from the Cricut Storybook cartridge. Bo Bunny Double Dot ribbon conceals the "seam" on the 2 patterned papers which are layered with harlequin check on a 5.5" x 4.25" black card base which was lined with white paper (since the troops don't have white pens.) The red diecut "love note" comes from the Wild Card cart. I stamped the back in white with the OWH logo. The flowers are generic mulberry flowers and ones I diecut with the Cricut Wild Card, self-adhesive Button-Ups make fun centers. Best of all...everything used came from my stash so no shopping required!

Hurry over to Mojo Monday's blog...this is a weekly challenge where you can enter more than one card. Entries must be in by Sunday. The prize is a set of Verve stamps. Have fun!

I wish I could find a partner to share a case of A2 size white envelopes because the $10.99 Staples charges for a measly 100 is a budget buster when one can get 1000 for about $29.00 from the OWH source! Email me if anyone nearby would like to share a case.

* * Uncle Luther's Honor Flight * *

I remember my mother's stories of long ago about her large family's beloved oldest brother who went off to war and was captured by the Germans...I thought it was so exciting when I heard that my aunt, Margie had nominated him for the Honor Flight Program. Honor Flight weekly flies WWII veterans, free of charge, to Washington, DC so they can see the wonderful memorial dedicated in their honor. Our uncle is one of the nicest men on Earth so it is fitting that he was selected to participate. His sacrifice was great and we are all so proud, and blessed to know this special man!

Each Honor Flight has mail call in flight heading to DC so lots of family members sent off cards to our participant. For me, it was much fun making a greeting card for our own family hero after just sending off dozens of cards to Operation Write Home. Everything I needed to make a patriotic card for a special veteran was right at hand...no shopping required!

Congrats Uncle Luther...I hope you had a terrific adventure!!

To make tax deductible contributions to this worthy organization contact Diane Gresse by email at offmgr@honorflight.org or call the National Office at 937-521-2400.

HOLY COW - I won!!!!!

Wowza!!! I cannot believe this but I won a wonderful set of Sugarplum Christmas stamps from one of my favorite stores online...All That Scraps. It pays to blog hop :-)

Here's the cool set I won and if you hop over to ATS there are still many chances to win new stamps:

All That Scraps Blog Hop & Contests

Lots going on over at the ATS blog. Be sure to check it out soon. There are hops and new stamp premieres with lots of chances to win free stamps. I got totally confused hoping around the design teams blogs but it was a fun journey with lots of great inspiration. Check it outat the ATS blog!