A Berry Sweet Summer!

Greetings Sweet Bloggers!
My goodness! It has been a whirlwind the past few days. We attended the Desperation Conference (so AWESOME!) and I have been working non-stop on an upcoming publication the past few days. And in addition, I have been preparing for a card Make-n-Take.... The event is at New Life Church for Young Mom's. The theme: "A Berry Sweet Summer".

>> SO I am thrilled to be a part of this fun Young Mom's Night Out. Tonight (June 30) at 6:30pm. Any Mom's in their 20s and 30s come join us for some fun pampering!
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>>So any of you who have created cards for mass production can totally sympathize with me. Praise God for my house mom who helped A LOT with cutting and preparing. We wanted the card to be BERRY CUTE, but not too intimidating for a non-crafty person walking up. So we have pieces all ready to make about 120 cards! Shwoo! Lots of cutting!


The theme of the night is BERRY SWEET. So the refreshments will be all kinds of berry desserts (with quite a bit of chocolate, too.)

DETAILS, DETAILS!
>> Papertrey Saves the Day! I found some pattern paper that I wanted to use, and would you belive that PTI was a PERFECT MATCH!? We are utilizing Spring Moss and New Leaf cardstock. The pink and orange accents are actually a perfect match to the Summer Sunrise, and Raspberry Fizz colors too!
>>How great are these strings and ribbons? I love the colors together! I glued the pink down, then hole punched and wrapped the oranged through several time to make sure it is fastened tightly.
>> On the New Leaf background, I designed some subtle wording and a flourish to look like the leaves behind the stem. (This was easier than having the 100+ ladies stamp things.
>> BUT there MUST be some stamping right? Check out the swirls on the orange flower? We thought it would be a simple intro to stamping for them.

So, whatcha think? I hope the ladies like it! I am really looking forward to a fun night tonight!

Smile 'till your face hurts!!!

Fabulous!

Greetings dear bloggers!
I have to be quick today because I am overloaded with graphics projects, and also trying to fit things in so I can worship at the Desperation Conference today and tomorrow! Woo Hoo! So excited!

>> Here's a fun card featuring a PTI raspberry fizz base, with more accents from Color Couture!

Have a happy friday!! Take a moment and text, call, or email someone special and tell them you think they are fabulous!

A Heavenly Taste!

HOLY CANOLI! I had the best best BEST EVER breakfast!! We are a bunch of pancake and waffle lovers at the Pastor House! This morning I had a fabulous quiet time on my porch and my sweet boy greeted me with a smile and the kind of hug that knocks you over. I love that first hug of the morning! And I thought it might be a perfect day for pancakes. But since I used up all the milk chocolate chips on my Father's Day present for my husband, I had to use white chocolate (no complaints from me!). While my son was mixing the batter, I had an epiphany... why have not white chocolate and strawberries baked into the pancakes! If it works for blue berries, why not strawberries!?

>>> SO... WOW! I seriously think the angels were singing as I scarfed my pancakes! Warm strawberries and white chocolate with each bite. OK, confession, I ate NINE pancakes! It was a gluttonous moment, but I don't care! SO, you MUST try them! Makes some pancakes for breakfast, luch, or dinner (I am giving you permission!) and throw in some white chocolate and strawberries! Yum! I want to hear how you like it!

And to run with the elegance of my fancy breakfast tangent... Here's a card for you to peek at. It came out kind of regal, huh? I love the Melon Burst satin ribon, and I cut out fun pieces from the Color Couture series. Cuttlebug added some dimension, and the larger rhinestones made it feel quite fancy, too!

Check out my Truth Be Told blog for some pics from our Father's Day fun. :)

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Dream Big Today!!!

A Little Note...

Hello Sweet Bloggers!
My, oh my! I am so sorry I let the week get away from me! What a whirlwind. Every day was packed with stuff. My husband went out of town, I am helping with a Young Mom's Night Out at church (which I am soo excited about! More about that coming soon!) And I have been staying up late every night working on my book... just started the revisions stage, then my husband has been sick in bed the last two days after returning home from his travels...and then of course there are always lots of little things going on. SO... all that is to apologize for my absense!

Here is a fun card I put together with my PTI Color Couture Series. I love these colors together don't you!? PTI Ripe Avocado, Melon Burst, and Spring Moss... just love it! With the rhinestones and ribbon it makes for a fun little card to have on hand at just the right time to send a word of encouragement to a friend!

Have a LOVELY day!! I am off to the local craft stores to buy supplies for a big card project for the Young Mom's Night Out. I will be posting pictures of the card for you to see soon!

Smile till your face hurts,

Daddio!

OK Friends,
Believe it or not, I actually made this card for my husband for father's day an entire week ago! Nevermind the fact that I honestly thought that Father's day was last Sunday. :) None the less, now I have more time to plan a gift for my amazing husband. I DO appreciate him SO very much! Right now he is at the gym with my little boy so I can have time to write my book. (I am taking a quick to post on my blog... don't tell him! ha!)

DADDIO has been a recent nickname that I have trained my almost three year old son to call Luke. :) And I thought it would be fitting for the card to reflect this fun season of being a dad for him. It's nice to make a card a bit more personal with a person's name, nickname, or something about them that would be especially for them. :) I love that! It is what makes my card different from the others in the store.

DETAILS, DETAILS!

>>Would you believe I got this distressed pattern paper at Hobby Lobby on clearance for 10 cents? I LOVE those deals! I thought the paper would be a fun masculine option for Luke's card. And I totally love the color scheme, too! That teal, brown and spring moss goes so nicely together!

>> PaperTrey saves the Day! Don't miss the perfect strip of PTI spring moss cardstock, coupled with the AWESOME Eyelete lace die I used on some brown heavy felt.

>> Hats off to my handy dandy SLICE for cutting out my custom title!

>> How about that awesome distressed stamping I did? This little $7 set of grunge elements was CALLING my NAME at Michael's the other day! (A 40% off coupon made it an even sweeter deal!) If you know me, then you know I love all things grunge, vintage, and flourished... so I had fun incorporating those elements in the card by stamping spring moss ink right on the same color cardstock.

>> I really love using twine or thin threads instead of big satin ribbons lately. It is especially nice for my husband's card. And you can't beat the price! 7 yards for 35 cents in any color you want? Love that!

In Colorado there are dandelions everywhere bursting into wishful wonders! I love blowing wishes on these little buds and have successfully sucked my son into the addiction as well. It's perfect for a relaxed afternoon walk. I love to see the little wishes float off with the breeze!

Here's one last shot from my backyard. Blurred behind the card is the gorgeous view of Pike's Peak and the Rocky Mountain skyline. What a beautiful place to live! I am so blessed!

I hope you have a gorgeous day! Drink some lemonade, enjoy fresh fruit, dream a new dream, and laugh a lot!

Sending Smiles!

Hello Dear Bloggers!
My goodness what a crazy week it has been in the Pastor house. My hubby and I have spent the past few days helping my grandma move into a new house. So lots of projects, lots of boxes, and lots of work! :) We were blessed to help lighten Grandma's load, AND my son got to get some good play time in with the other cousins on the mountain, and that was a blast!

Here is a card compliments of Papertrey Ink's Color Couture series. This was the first of their releases. It was definitely fun because playing with all the stuff in the set got me to stretch out of my usual color routines.

DETAILS, DETAILS!
>> Papertrey Saves the Day! The cardstock base was from the perfect match series: Hibiscus Burst. I love that color! I need to incorporate it in more of my projects.
>> My cuttlebug paisley background definitely added a lot, too!

One thing I loved about this card was the fun rose embellishment. I colored the leaves with some bright green to pull in a fresh color for the card, and the glitter really made it fun!

I hope you are having a beautiful day in your neck of the woods! I have lots of fun projects to work on this week, so I look forward to sharing some fun stuff with you!

AND.... my samples for my upcoming Papertrey stamp set release should be coming in within the next few weeks! Woo Hoo! I can't wait to ink them all up and share with you all the fun new ideas!!! SO keep your eyes open for good stuff coming your way!

Happy Anniversary!

Here's a fun card I put together a few weeks ago for my brother's anniversary. I have been waiting for it to arrive in the mail before I uploaded it to the bloog.

>> I have a blast with this card! It came out quite elegant. A style I haven't been making much of lately. It was fun to remember my brother's wedding only one short year ago. He has an awesome wife... (just look up the Brenna card and that will say it all!)

I made another card for the sweet family we are living with as a thank you for the many ways they bless us!

DETAILS, DETAILS!

>> Papertrey saves the Day! My cardstock base is with PTI Dark Chocolate, adn the frames for the sentiment are Ripe Avocado and Spring Moss.

>> Both sentiments are from the PTI Mega Mixed Messages stamp set!

>> The Ripe Avocado frame was cut with my slice! :)

>> I have had this romantic background paper for years, adn was so happy to have a good use for it. The border punch I think was EK Success.

>> Don't you just LOVE those sweet little flowers? I saw Ashley Cannon Newell use flowers like that and it reminded me that I had some in my tote! Thus the inspiration for the card!

>> The PTI rhinestones were a perfect fit and just what I needed to trim out the card with a splash of sparkle!

Have a day filled with smiles and laughter! Tickle someone you love today! And don't forget how blessed you are! I know that I am!

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PS. A Writing Update... I had an awesome break through with my book last night! Wow! I was so pumped I could hardly sleep. I thought I was much further from completion then I am, and as I pressed through for another hour and connected other pages I had already written.... all of the sudden I saw light at the end of the tunnel! WOO HOO! 270 pages!! Almost there! Ican't wait to share this story with you all one day! Hooray!
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Side by Side

Hello dear Bloggers!
I hope you had a LOVELY weekend! It feels like the weekend rushed by for me. I can't believe it is Monday already. It's a gorgeous day in Colorado. This is the time of year that I can so easily fall in love with living here.

Saturday we took a nice hiking trip on a trail on Mt Hermon which is very close to where we live. What an amazing view! Wow! I didn't have my camera, or I would have so many fun pictures to share with you. On Sunday, Luke led worship at Summit Church in Castle Rock. My son loved the bouncy houses they had for the kids! And there was a really fun picnic at a park for everyone afterward. It was our first time at the church, but so nice to sit and eat lunch with people and get to know them. We met some really awesome people!

THEN, we also went to the Sunday Night service at New Life Church. Worship was great, and a guest speaker (Dr. Todd) gave an AMAZING message about making a difference in the world. Afterward was an awesome family night at the church, with bouncy houses galore, and games and candy, and hotdogs,hamburgers, drinks, candy, and popcorn all for 50 cents each! What fun. We got to see lots of friends, and watched "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs" on the side of the building out in parking lot. It was so beautiful sitting outside with friends on lawn chairs and blankets as the kids ran around and the sun set. Of course, everyone loved the movie, too! :) What a fun and full weekend... AND I haven't even mentioned the best part yet!!!!

My dear friend. Laura, moved to Colorado Springs! Hooray! She and her family went to my home church in Florida. Our sons are the same age. She loves to scrapbook and make cards. (She's an Stampin' Up gal.) We both have Yorkies and we have similiar style in decorating. I pretty much have figured she is my clone only a little less high strung than me! :) She's easy going, laid back, loves the Lord, and SOO much fun! And NOW she lives like ten minutes away!!! How awesome! Her husband got a military assignment here in the Springs, and I am so happy have her here! Yeah!

SO, this card is in honor of Laura and the many other friends of mine who are far away. Though Laura doesn't fall in that category anymore! I just LOVE the sentiment: Side by Side or Far Apart, True Friends live within our Heart!

I just love that! AND it is a sentiment that I could use a lot these days!

DETAILS, DETAILS!
>>The stamped frame and sentiment are compliments of Close to My Heart.
>>Papertrey Saves the Day! The cardstock base is PTI's ocean tides (a FABULOUS color!), and the saddle stitch ribbon is PTI's ripe avocado, spring moss, and aqua mist.
>> I believe the pattern paper was a scrap of Basic Grey, but don't quote me on that!
>> Don't forget the awesome PTI large scallop border used on the pattern paper, too!
>> The orange rhinestones in the corner of the frame brought out the warm hues in th pattern paper, too.
Lots of love to all you bloggers out there! And welcome to Colorado, Laura!

Cruise and Crop Announcement!

Today is the day that Cruise and Crop reveals the BIG NEWS! And incase you haven't put two and two together from the image above, let me just spell it out for you!

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MICHAEL'S CRAFT STORES

is doing a

Cruise and Crop Cruise!

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Enjoy a Western Caribbean Cruise onboard

The Liberty of the Seas

Feb. 27, 2011

Enjoy a beautiful 6 night cruise starting at only $599 pp plus taxes.

AND, only $50 for participation fee! (What a bargain!)

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Cruise and Crop wants YOU to be the first to know about this amazing cruising opportunity! Michael's will be introducing the cruise at The Great American Scrapbook Convention in Arlington, Texas today. This cruise will feature their online personality, Jo Pearson, along with Kathy Kromer and Amy Gamble. (Of course, Gail and Cheri, of Cruise and Crop, will be onboard, too!) The cruise will feature scrapbooking, paper arts, beading and more! Michaels is developing FABULOUS classes that you won't want to miss!

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The Cruise and Crop gals wanted YOU to be the first to know so that you could book your cruise before the announcement hits all Michael's stores nationwide. Just go to the Cruise and Crop website and click on the Michael's logo for more details.

Growing UP, and Cruise & Crop Count Down

Hello Sweet Bloggers!
OK, so double the fun... Today I will be sharing a great card AND releasing HINT #2 for the Cruise and Crop Count Down!
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SO...today's card was a fun little challenge issued by my husband. As you know from recent posts, Luke just graduated from the New Life School of Worship. He mentioned that he wanted me to make some thank you cards for his favorite teachers or leaders who meant a lot to him. He needed five cards, so I spent an evening in my craft room (totally guilt free since I was working on a project for my hubby!) and here is what I came up with!



I created the sentiment on the computer, and I must say that it is my favorite part about the card! It's a great statement that has a little more to it than just "Thank you". This could be used for a teacher, pastor, parent... really anyone who has invested in you!

DETAILS, DETAILS!

>> Fun things about this card include the adorable paisley cuttlebugging action on the base of each card. I inked up the raised design with white ink and it really added a lot!

>>Papertrey Saves the Day! I used my PTI perfect match cardstock to coordinate with the funn stripped pattern paper on the flower. Card bases are Spring Rain, Summer Sunrise, and Lemon tart! The flower stem and leaf is cut from PTI's Spring Moss cardstock.

>> My flower created with some inspiration from Betsy Veldman came out as a lovely centerpiece.

>> Basic Grey ribbon gave a lovely ground effect with nice colors to make it look like the flower just popped out of the earth!

>> My Michael's find for rhinestones had a beautiful orange color which was fun and cheery.

>> And don't forget PTI's awesome Large Scallop border to add a refined touch!

OK.... WHO'S READY FOR A HINT!?!

That's right... TOMORROW is the BIG DAY when Cruise and Crop makes a HUGE, we're talking HUGE announcement. Trust me! You all will want to get involved! You won't want to be left out!

Hint #2:

There will be a CELEBRITY involved!!

Check out my blog for the big announcement on Thursday, June 3!!!

I hope your day is filled with Sunshine and oodles of joy!

CRUISE & CROP Count Down!

Hello Dear Bloggers....

It's time for a VERY exciting Cruise and Crop Count Down!!! Today is Day 1... and the good news is that you don't have to wait very long... ONLY TWO HINTS and then you get to hear the news! That's right.. on THURSDAY we can spill the beans... so for those of you who are all curious... you might ask yourself "What is happening on Thursday in the crafting world?" (OK that hint was a freebie...)

SO... are you excited yet?

HINT #1: Creativity will happen at SEA!!!

(Bet ya did see that one coming! LOL!)

Have a happy day!