Win Some Crafty Stuff!!

check out this cool Giveaway from Sarah! In order to win a bunch of goodies from Sarah you need to post a guess of the companies whose products are featured in 7 pictures (#6 was hard, but I guessed anyway) and if you post a link to her contest ON your blog - she'll put your name in a drawing for a different prize! How fun is that?! Give it a try!! The winner will be announced on April 2 - Good Luck!!

Photo Key Chain

I have been haning onto this photo keychain I bought at Michael's $1 spot for MONTHS now and was inspired to finally do something with it. I used the Doodle That set with black stazon & watercolored with ink (Taken with Teal, Cool Caribbean, Pumpkin Pie, Pixie Pink & Rose Red) Colors taken from the best site for SU! color combos using aquapainter on watercolor paper. The photo is a little blurry (sorry) now I can look at my sister Val (hi Val) & her beautiful baby all the time!! I get to see them in just 28 more days for my niece's 1st birthday!!! Woohoo - SO excited!!

Exciting Stuff Debuting/Blog Candy!!!

Check out these awesome events & blog candies!

New Papertrey Ink stamp set debuts April 1st and you can get one for FREE from Lisa Johnson!
75,000 hits blog candy from Beate!!

Giga Scallop Punch!

Blog Candy from Jackie

Alexa's Set contest by Lauren Meader buy the set here & support a great cause

10,000 hits blog candy from Barb

1,000 hits blog candy

Cool Caribbean brads in this Blog Candy from Kendra!! How awesome!

1,000 hits blog candy

Check back with me soon - I will have my FIRST blog candy posted - working on the goodies right now & some creative way to introduce it *wink*

If I missed any let me know!

Jammybella's Ready for Bed!!

Hi my name is Donna and I'm an addictabella!! I'm a Bella Virgin no longer - I jumped on the Bellabandwagon - all the other addictabellas were makin' me want some Bellas so bad when I saw your awesome creations! So here is my first card with Jammybella - I had to get her first because I LOVE wearin' my jammies too!! It's the first thing I do when I get home from a long day at work - take off the stuffy confining over-the-shoulder-boulder-holder (or BRA) and all the business casual clothes I have to wear (o.k. it's not that bad) but I always look forward to getting my jammies on!!! Especially during the winter, I have a one-piece soft purple jammy that is so delish that I got at Cabela's 2005 Christmas that DH affectionately started calling me his Purple Grape when I wear it. It keep me SO warm & comfy. I also LOVE to wear slippers! I have several awesome slippers that my sister Deana & DH Frankie buy me for Christmas every year along with some jammies & I always look forward to it. One year she bought me the cutest baby blue pair with 2 little girls on the front that says best friends & they hae bling! They're so comfy! o.k. so on to the Bella. I used SU! retired DS paper I don't remember the name but I LOVE the pinks & yellows together & thought it would be PERFECT for my jammybella. I watercolored with WWC & aquapainter, blender pen. On the pink base I stamped one of the little flowers from the Petals & Polkadots set and put Stardust Stickles on the centers as well as her fluffy slippers & daisies on her jammies.

Christmas 2006 Memories

I made this coaster frame for my DH (in the picture on the left). I recently bought some coasters & a crop-a-dile (which I'm not sure I'm using right so I need to check out some info on it because I can't find the insert that cam with it, as it didn't punch ALL the way through & I think it should). Anyway - the picture on the left with John is Madison, she is Princess Chloe's 1/2 sister who just turned a year on February 1st. Christmas was only the 2nd time we saw little Madison (even though we live in the same state - hey remember how BIG Texas is? we're in Central TX & they live in Tyler {East TX} so it's about a 5 hour drive). Well much to everyone's surprise who spends time with Madison on a regular basis & doesn't take to new people that much, took to John like he was her Christmas present!! She let him hold her, play with her - she even got a big smile on her face when he walked in the room & put up her arms for him to hold her! What was so funny was the time she was with her grandma & when she put her down, she saw John & immediately started crawling back to him so fast like she missed him!!! It was so cute to see - so I had to get a picture of this sweet memory of them. He said seeing what I created nearly made him cry. I used SU! retired DS paper & copper accents to match her red hair & blue eyes (yes, it's real - you should see her Mama's hair just gorgeous!) she's going to be a knockout, I just know it. Chloe will be too (beauty & brains) lookout, Stephanie!

Princess Chloe

This picture of me & my cousin Chloe was taken the week before Christmas when we celebrate the birth of Jesus (complete with birthday cake) with out of town family. We hadn't been able to see her in a few years (she is 4 now) and it was so cute watching her dance around with her ballerina dress with her mom & sing. She is such a smart girl who has been through a lot in the past few years; but acted as if hardly any time has passed not seeing us. When I first saw her she said she remembered me when I asked her (you know some kids just nod their heads yes when you ask questions like that, huh?) Well, by the end of the weekend I knew she would definitely remember me; after all I played patty-cake with her, we drew pictures for one another, we talked & I even carried her when we went to look at our property because she didn't have good shoes on. It was a precious time with her and we finally got a good picture together so I wanted to send her a special gift to remember me.

I am really proud of this frame. I used SU's Pretty Princess & Alexa's Set (adorable set created for a special little girl read about her story here) I purchased a nekkid wooden frame from Michael's & mod podged Loves Me DS paper. Then stamped her name using Doodle Alphabet in Lavender Lace Craft ink & added Stardust stickles. Princess is colored with Gamsol Magic, Prismacolor pencils and stickles on her dress, wand & earrings & the flowers. Chipboard flower was smooshed in craft ink & pretty in pink brad placed in the middle. Pink grosgrain ribbon on her name frame. Voila! I'll send it off to her this week.

Hope Is...

Recently a work associate (A/R at one of my vendor's) who is my age was diagnosed with Breast Cancer and I wanted to make her something special. I started making jewelry recently and this was my first attempt at a bracelet. My supervisor who is her best friend told me she's worn it everyday since receiving it. I know this is a tough battle but I think she's a fighter & will lick this!

Hello Friend Doodles

I got to stamp for hours quietly for the past few Saturdays while everyone slept, except for my dog & cats...they usually hang out in the stamp room with me. But it's quiet, I have the morning light, nice breeze with the window open & it's peaceful. That is where my new blog banner title comes from. I find Serenity in Stamping. I usually don't like the radio, t.v. or anyone talking while I'm trying to concentrate. Well, sometimes it's o.k. but I've noticed that my creativity has stepped up a few notches as well as my accomplishments since we've been at this house and I've had more quiet peaceful time. It's been wonderful...I made 10 cards & mailed a few RAK's & customer thank yous and I made a cute picture frame for my cousin I'll upload tomorrow. Here's one of the cards made with the Doodle This & Polka Dots & Petals sets on Cool Caribbean.

Baby - I'm ready for SPRING!!

This is my niece Gabriella - taken on Tuesday by her Nini (my sister Deana who watches her during the day) on her camera phone. Doesn't she look SPRINGY with her little blue gingham top with flowers? You can't see the cute jeans with ruffles on the hem but I bought those for her!! They live in CA and I am SO excited that I will see her in just 43 more days!!! I haven't seen her since the beginning of November when I went for a long weekend & she was 6 months. I talk to her on the phone weekly & she always smiles (it warms my heart) but I can't wait to hug & love on her if she lets me {wink}. DH and I arrive on her 1st birthday & we're going to have a BIG party (Elmo & Sesame Street since she LOVES Elmo (see the other picture?!) She loves to eat paper but I bet a lot of babies do. She is adorable, looking more & more like my oldest sister, Val IMO - but she still has her daddy's ears (sorry, Tom it's the truth) - but that makes her so memorable & unique!!!

Black & White Gift Set

I have a co-worker who loves black & white (she loves to shop at the B & W store, I can't remember the name of it at the mall) so I figured for her 30th birthday I would give her this gift set. I got the note pads, candle at Michael's ($1 spot) & made the notecards with floral bg, organdy ribbon & gingham ribbon to match. Then I stamped the card & tissue with doodle this and voila! instant homemade matching gift...I love it when stuff like this comes together & I can hardly wait until April 6 to give it to her! I know she's going to LOVE it. I just wish I knew where my white wrapping paper is or my white bags - I wasn't crazy about the brown paper bag to put everything in (oh well, the result of the recent move & not totally settled yet)

Featured Stamper #5

I did a challenge on the day today! woohoo, what an accomplishment - I actually needed this card to send to a friend in the hospital so it worked out great!! FS05 by Holly Toy here is the card I chose to case Lexicon Butterfly and here is my card My Presence Butterfly . I just realized I wasn't supposed to really use a sketch challenge, but I think I kept it mostly the same, so oh well. I like the card anyway.

Featured Stamper #4

I am about a week behind on all the FS Challenges on Splitcoast but hey - at least I'm doing one of the many challenges regularly posted! This one's been so fun that I'm ALMOST scared to get hooked on the others and I would neglect all the other things I have on my TO DO LIST! Here is my case You happened to me of Atomicbutterfly's Little Lively Ones I hope y'all don't consider this a cheat since she uploaded this card the other day – I was just drawn to it for the layout & paper piercing as I hardly ever do that even though the tool kit was on my first order the year it debuted with SU!

BLOGGER RAK from JULIE

I always LOVE getting FUN mail - well, yesterday was double the fun!! I got this gorgeous RAK from Julie Pardum - check out her blog Rubber Room Ramblings where she was recently blessed by her sister with some Bella images & posted the cutest spring card! I am anxiously awaiting the arrival of 2 Bellas (it's rare for me to jump on bandwagons like that, but with all the adorable images I've seen on SCS & several blogs, I couldn't help myself! I digress...Thank you, Julie for the awesome card - I absolutely love it!!

Roses in Winter Gift Set

My dear friend Donna's birthday was Feb 16th and we're finally going to go to lunch tomorrow to celebrate! I had in mind to make a bath giftset for her, she has roses in her bathroom and came up with this: Bath & shower gel, lotion, body mist, mesh, confetti roses (dipped the edges in Bravo Brugundy & Rose Red ink), 2-year calendar, 4 notecards with mini r.s.v.p. pen filled with silver microbeads and a 2-4-6-8 box filled with 2 pair of earrings I made her. I stamped the tissue - I really like how it came out, but couldn't get a very good picture with the goodies in the basket!

Roses in Winter set, Floral BG; Bravo Burgundy, Rose Red, Mellow Moss, Always Artichoke & Apricot Appeal inks; Bravo Burgundy, Mellow Moss & Very Vanilla cardstock; Color Spritzer with Bravo Burgundy & Mellow Moss markers; Burgundy & Spring Moss grosgrain ribbon

Featured Stamper #3

FS03 and new Hostess of the Sunday Challenge is Beth (MyPrecious on SCS) I love her creations and her blog Freckled Fun - check them out!

Here is Beth's Sassy Stems and here's my card, I changed up the colors, stamp set & ribbon

to send off some thank you cards to our friends who helped us move last weekend

Featured Stamper #2

Trying to catch up from the past few week's Featured Stamper Challenge on SCS FS02

notimetostamp card Designer Dots . I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the new DS Double-Sided Paper Petals & Paisleys (page 9 in the Spring Mini from SU! I ADORE that on one side they split up the colors so you can make faux ribbons like I used on this card using the Polka Dots & Petals set in the mini too. I used Old Olive, Pretty in Pink and Tempting Turquoise pulled from the little strip. I also used Pretty in Pink Craft ink so the Paisley BG showed up better...I LOVE craft ink especially in the lighter colors in Soft Subtles line. This was fun! I was never really much of a CASE (Copy & Share Everything) but this Sunday Challenge on SCS has been really cool for me to step out of my box!

RAK from Nicole!!

Check out the neatest card I received today (it's my first piece of FUN mail since the move - yea) from Nicole Cooke The Stampin’ Librarian. This is my first RAK (Random Act of Kindness) from the SCS Blogger’s Only RAK Club - come join the fun!!!

I LOVE the little note that she slipped inside that reads, "I didn't sign this card before I sent it off to you. Instead it holds my warmest thoughts, invisible but true. And if you find a time you need to brighten someone's day, then take this card and sign it and send it on its way'. That is the neatest thing and I'm going to start doing this too! Usually I just write a little note on a post-it but this is WAY better! Also she wrote on the back 'Donna - love your blog!' how sweet was that and how much did it make my day! Mucho!! Thanks, Nicole