Top Dog Dies Tuesday - Heart Album

Top Dog Dies Tuesday

and 

Happy New Year's Eve everyone!!!  

2014 is just hours away, are you ready for a new year?  I am getting ready by creating a fun heart album, to celebrate a wedding anniversary!  We have three anniversaries in our family in the first two months of the year and one of them is mine!    My husband and I go out to a favorite restaurant and we bring a notebook with us.  We write out one sentence notes about the past year: favorite songs, movies, our hopes, how our children have changed, etc!   With that in mind I created this fun mini album but I don't think I created  enough pages to hold our memories of the past year so it will probably head north next month!!  

I used Top Dog Dies Heart Mini Album and Heart Mini Album Finishers Die Set.

My album pages were created with cereal boxes covered with CS to make them nice and sturdy.

I made a little pocket and included a min pad of paper so that the recipients can use it write something fun about the past year.

The Heart Finishers set includes the cute mini mustache and lips and I LOVE the arrow and entwined circles.  I threaded the arrow through through the hearts for a fun look and left a little memo to pen a memory!

Thanks so much for looking!  I hope you have a wonderful and SAFE New Year's Eve!

Prickley Pear Rubber Stamps Monday Inspiration

Hi! It's Monday just one day away from a new year, can you believe it???  Do you have any New Year's Eve traditions?  We usually celebrate at home with the kids.  Sometimes we watch "It's a Wonderful Life" and we all stay up to ring in the New Year.  In our house we are very good at moving days around so that we can celebrate when my husband is off BUT THIS is one day that just CAN'T be celebrated on a different day so  it will just be the kids and me this year.  Maybe we will come up with a new tradition!

If it's Monday, then it's PRICKLEY PEAR RUBBER STAMPS inspiration day!!!  I am sharing a card I created with Prickley Pear Rubber Stamps - hh0150 Snow Bunnies,  and ee0179 When Skies are Grey .

These girls are just so much fun, it's impossible not to smile even when skies are gray!!!!  For more Monday inspiration hop on over to PPRS blog!

Speedy Fox & Friends 192 - New Year

HAPPY NEW YEAR!  Ooops!  I am getting ahead of myself!  Happy Saturday!  Did you have a nice Christmas?   I hope you enjoyed some quiet moments in all the hubub.  Ours was different but it was nice.  Lots of good memories. 

 You might have guessed from my opening sentence that Speedy Fox and Friends Challenge this week is to create a NEW YEAR's project!

I stamped Pocket Watches and heat embossed.  I gave the tag some added color by stamping TH Distress Ink - Mustard Seed and Wild Honey on my craft mat and spritzed with water, then I dragged the tag through the wet ink.  I didn't care for the shiny blue watches so I decided to see what would happen if I added Gesso.  I liked the softened look the Gesso provided and added "glass beads" randomly to the tag and flowers.  My sentiment was computer generated.

I will be back again before the New Year but in case you can't stop by I would like to say, Thank You so much for stopping by my blog and leaving your kind comments this year!!!  You inspire me and I treasure the friendships that have developed over the year!  I can't wait to see what 2014 holds for us!

A little on the late side.....

Hello!  I have a little different post to share today.  It's a bit on the late side but I just couldn't get the post written before now.

I turned 50 earlier this month!  I have been preparing myself all year for this.  I don't handle the birthdays with "0" on the end very well and I was determined this year it was going to be NO BIG DEAL so all year I told myself, "I am 50".   I pondered throughout the year the weighty things so when my birthday came what remained was, "Gratitude"! 

My husband told me to clear my calendar the first weekend in December as he had a surprise trip planned.  My thoughts raced all over the place and quite honestly, I didn't feel like going on a trip!  I put on my happy face, packed my bag and got in the car.  When we passed the airport, I was a bit relieved.  When we stopped in the middle of the city I was certain that my friends had cooked up an outing, what I NEVER dreamed was that my BIL and Sister would step out of a hallway of the lobby of a hotel and shout SURPRISE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  They drove 6 hours 20mph on icy roads plus another 5 hours just to surprise me.  My family kept this secret since August!!!!!  I have never been so surprised or felt so deeply loved!  It was a fabulous day.  

It wasn't just my family that placed a warm glow in my heart this month but also sweet friends!  

Isn't this a beautiful collection of cards!!!  

 Check out more beautiful creations from my talented friends (from left to right of the hand made beauties): tessaduck, Michelle, Janeen, Joyce, Janine, and rbkhandco. 

Top Dog Dies Tuesday - All About Round

Merry Christmas Eve everyone!!!!  I  hope this is a special day for you regardless of how you celebrate or don't celebrate, whether you are surrounded by friends and family or are  enjoying a party for one!  

It is also Tuesday and that means Top Dog Dies Tuesday so I have one last Christmas card to share.  I love creating Christmas projects so it is with a little sadness that I put my Christmas paper back on the shelf and turn my attention to other projects.  If you have followed my blog for awhile you know that I can't stay away from Christmas creations too long so when you least expect it a holiday project is sure to pop up! 

I love to stretch my stamps and dies by using them in different ways so today I used the Top Dog Dies Circle Mini Album Die to create a card instead of an album.

To create this shape card:

 Cut CS 5 1/2" x 11" and score at 5 1/2"

Place folded CS on wood die with fold just beneath and NOT overlapping the rectangular edge of die (note left edge of photo)

Card Base

I used my favorite paper stack from MME "Merry Little Christmas".  Next I die cut "MERRY" with Top Dog Dies Vintage Alphabet. The result is a fun nontraditional Christmas card
that qualifies for February CCC14 challenge to create with nontraditional colors!

Thanks for Looking!!!

I would like to add this to the following challenge:
Word Art Wednesday 
DL.Art - Anything goes

Prickley Pear Rubber Stamps - Monday Inspiration

Happy Monday!!!  Today should certainly become a bit more happy for me after 3PM today when I get my crown reset.  Not the best timing to have a crown pop off, I must say.  Today was also our Christmas day and for the first time in the lives of our teen's they are opening gifts in the morning!  A new tradition?  Hmmmm, I kind of hope not.  :)

Moving on from dental appts and early celebrations,  today is Monday and that means I get to share Prickley Pear Rubber Stamp Inspiration with you!!!

This angel was so much fun to color,using my favorite color combo!  

I used JJ0068 Vintage Angel and CLR027b Scalloped Oval Winter stamp sets.

Thanks so much for taking the time out of your busier than normal week to visit my blog! For more Monday Inspiration  please visit PPRS blog!

I am entering this into the following challenges:
Simon Says Wednesday Challenge: Bling (Bling on my sentiment!)
Word Art Wednesday - Anything Goes (angel)
DL. Art - Anything Goes

Speedy Fox & Friends 191 - Christmas Birthday

Hello!!!  Phew!  Has it been a whirlwind of activity at your house!!  Tensions have flared now and then as we have prepared for the end of term exams, band concerts, chorus programs, and science fair projects and Social studies projects.  Throw in the added flurry of shopping and wrapping so that all will be ready for an early Christmas celebration to accommodate Steve's work schedule and oh yeah, why not have a dental crown come loose to really top off the week?  I have had to remind myself to BREATHE and then Breathe again!

  How about you?  Are you all set for holiday celebrations or are you hurrying, scurrying?

In the midst of the busyness, nothing steadies my blood pressure like some stamping time.  If you have a little time this week we have a challenge for you at  Speedy Fox & Friends challenge.  We are creating a Christmas Birthday card this week.  If you are all done with your December birthdays why not get a head start next year!

I used this week's sketch at SCS:  SC467 for my design.  

I added the birthday sentiment on the inside with a partially stamped image from Lots of Words

To see the gorgeous art from my teammates and to find out all the challenge information please visit Mark's Finest Papers & Stamps a HC blog.

I hope you will stop by next week but in case you are too busy, I'd like to take the time to wish you a PEACE filled Holiday!

Top Dog Dies Tuesday - FAN Art & WE HAVE WINNERS!

Did you have fun last week hopping along Top Dog Dies first blog hop? I thought it was a blast and can't thank everyone enough for leaving such warm comments!!!! 

The winners of $50.00 eGift Certificates are:

Kim Crain

Kate Burton

Congratulations!!!!!

*****************************

Now on to Top Dog Dies Tuesday!   I am a big fan (pun not intended) of winter/Christmas projects so here's my treat for you today!  I used Top Dog Dies Isabella Fan Die and created a Christmas Ornament.

I wanted my Fan to hang at an angle so I glued the ribbon hanger close the right end of the fan.

Here it is hanging on the tree!  I can just imagine making these in different colors and decorating the entire tree with them!  Side benefit.....Storm can't knock them down and play ball with them racing around the room making all sorts of racket at 3 am!

The fan die makes an elegant tag to decorate a gift box as well!  Check out the pretty piercing decoration on this intricate die!

To pick this die up for yourself head on over to Top Dog Dies Online Store here!

TFL and have a great week!

Projects entered in the following challenge:

Ribbon Carousel Challenge #88 - Anything Goes