New DRS Designs releases!!

Hi all!! Hope everyone had a nice Christmas and got all kinds of new goodies to play with!
I'm so glad to finally be able to showing sneaks of the new DRS Designs releases!!! Go here ~ http://www.drsdesigns.com/ ~ to check out ALL of the *NEW* designs!!!!
I finally got a couple of the kaleidacolor ink pads and thought this solid snowman would be perfect to try them out! This one uses the caribbean sea kaleidacolor spectrum pad. I was also happy that SU's green galore, taken w/ teal and turquoise match up perfectly!! So, I hope you don't mind another snowman card, but at least it's a bright one!
card info: stamps ~ drs designs. paper ~ ww, teal, turquoise, green galore. ink ~ caribbean sea kaleidacolor pad, black. access ~ cuttlebug, brads.

Now here's where I get emotional...

I hope that 2009 brings much joy and happiness for you all. After the year we've had, I am somewhat glad to be done with 2008. It's bittersweet because we lost my brother, but my mom now lives closer to us. I've yet to find a "good" way to deal with his passing. It is still so very hard and at times, I don't even like to think of it as a reality. Maybe that's dumb, but I think it's just my minds' way of processing it. I hate that he's not in our lives anymore. And I don't like to use the word 'hate', but that's how I feel. I hate that there are times when the fact of it all smacks me in the face and I can't control my tears. I hate that as I turn 38 tomorrow, he won't be able to give me a hard time for getting old and looking more and more like our mom. I hate that in 21 days, it'll be 1 whole year since he left us. Sorry to get so somber on you, but it's that time of year to reflect and not a day goes by that I don't miss him. Not a day goes by that my heart doesn't ache because he's gone and left our mom without her "baby boy". So I pray that this new year brings only joy, peace and healing for us. Thanks for letting me vent and have a HAPPY AND SAFE NEW YEAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!!!!!!

I truly hope everyone has a BLESSED day and that you take some time to remember the true reason for the season!!!!





I also have a card for you ~ the latest Elzybell blog challenge which is a sketch by Frances! Here's mine:

This will go to my dear friend, Deb, who's bday is today! Sorry, hon, it's gonna be late but it's on its way!!!! Go to the Elzybell blog and follow the link on the right for Challenge 10 to see what the rest of the dt did w/ this sketch! Again, have a wonderful day, be SAFE and thanks for stopping by!!

Blingin' Christmas trees!

Can ya stand one more Christmas card?? I think I'm done sending them, unless we receive a late one, so at least I've already started my stash for next year! hehe! This is for our newest challenge over at the DRS Designs blog ~ *Bling*!! I stamped these trees using olive ink and also watercolored them w/ olive ink. The bling that you may not be able to see in the pic is the versamark dazzle ink I used to stamp the snowflakes onto the red and pretty in pink layers and also onto the sentiment layer. The ribbon is also a shimmery satin.
Thanks for stopping by during your busy schedule!!
card info: stamps ~ drs design. paper ~ regal rose, pretty in pink, olive, red, watercolor, ww. ink ~ olive, black, versamark dazzle in champagne. access. ~ ribbon, piercer, punches, nesties, bling.

Almost done w/ my Christmas cards!

First, let me apologize for the pic. I always think cards look better if the pic was taken using natural light. And since I don't own an Ott light or any other kind of fancy schmancy stuff like that, I had to use the regular lighting in my living room. {ok, sorry for the small rant about my lighting issues!}
This card was made for today's color challenge ~ baja, kiwi, basic grey and night of navy(optional). This is my first time inking up this set! Yikes! And it's such a simple set to work with, I think. The snowflakes were stamped in baja and night of navy ink. The tree is stamped in basic grey. I added a baja snowflake next to the sentiment and put a gemstone (Martha Stewart) in the center. And just a bit of info, the sentiment is there because of a boo-boo on the tree layer. Worked out just fine ~ love when that happens!
Ok, so I'm down to less than 10 cards to make and mail. I've already mailed over 30, maybe even over 40. I'm hoping once everyone gets our new addy (we moved here after last Christmas), we'll receive more Christmas cards!! And I'm down to a few presents left to buy and I'M DONE! Phew. What a good feeling. Thanks for stopping by!!
card info: stamps ~ SU season of friendship, holidays & wishes. paper ~ baja, basic grey, kiwi, dp. ink ~ basic grey, baja, night of navy. access. ~ bling, taffeta ribbon.

Elzy's Traditional red, green and gold Christmas challenge

Time for another Elzybell Blog challenge! I love this one because well, I'm a "tradtional" Christmas sorta girl. We had to use red, green and gold for our colors. I went w/ this tree which I watercolored using kiwi, artichoke and hunter green. What can I say, I wanted a lot of dimension?! The 3 little ornaments have some MS glitter on them and the star was colored in w/ a gold gel pen. I also watercolored a little saffron ink around the whole thing for extra *pop*. The top part of the larger white layer, above the scalloped artichoke layer, was cuttlebugged w/ my swirl embossing folder. I added some gold eyelets to put some extra *goldness* (ok, I know that is NOT a word!) on the card. Finished off w/ one of Elzy's cute sentiments.

Ok, can I just share how excited I am about all the new stuff coming your way from Elzybell??!!! Sorry, I can't say anymore than that, but let's just say it's going to be a *FUN* new year! Thank for stopping by! Go check out all of the dt's creations at Elzybell's blog and remember, Elizabeth still has her advent contest going on, so after you've looked at all the *eye candy*, scroll down a bit and enter to win!!!

card info: stamps ~ elzybells UK. paper ~ ww, artichoke, red, SU dp. ink ~ kiwi, artichoke, hunter and saffron (for watercoloring), black. access. ~ eyelets, punch, gold gel pen, MS glitter.

DRS Designs blog challenge #10 and new camera!

First off ~ the ornament! This is an SU chipboard circle that I've had forever and thought it'd be great for this challenge! I covered it in some pretty BG Wassail dp first. One of my circle nesties was the perfect size, so no cutting by hand (yay!). I stamped the sentiment, then cut it w/ nesties, also. I sponged some mellow moss ink around it while the nestie was still covering it (make sense?) so i could get that non-sponged edge. I colored the holly and berries from DRS w/ my SU markers. There are crystal effects on the berries. I finished it all off w/ some Heidi Swapp bling I've also had forever! Love using up stuff that I already have! I think it would be cute to add this to a present as a tag, maybe write the "to and from" on the back of it, date it, then the recipient can use it as an ornament! Ok, now go check out what the rest of the dt did here ---> DRSDesigns.
Now, about the new camera ~ I got my Christmas/bday gift a little early. A Nikon D40!!!!!!! OH, I am just SO excited to learn how to use this bad boy! Without reading the book, I've already taken some great shots! It's so easy! If you have any tips or suggestions for me, please share! I'd love to, at some point, be able to have a little side job as a photographer.

And congrats to Stacy as my one and only blog candy contest participant!!! Have a great week and hope you're all getting your Christmas shopping done! I'm almost there!

Limited supply card and new banner?

Ok, so what do y'all think?? Like the new banner? It's a pic of a glitter ornament that I made and just played around w/ in Photoshop. Thought it'd be nice to get a little festive around here! Alright, now on to the card ~

Like I said, this is for the limited supply challenge that Wendy posted on SCS today ~ only snowflake stamps, monochromatic, bling and one word sentiments!! Yea, I know! But honestly, sometimes I really like these types of challenges where almost all the decision making is done for me. It keeps me from sitting at my desk and just staring trying to figure out what in the world I'm going to use!! *please tell me I'm not the only one that happens to??!!* The snowflake stamp is from DRS Designs. The "noel" is from SU. I punched out the corner of the moss layer and then put that layer on dimensionals so the punched out flake stands out more. I added a little bling to the center of it, as well as the upper flakes and on either side of the sentiment. This is the sketch that I made up for my BLOG CANDY POST BELOW!!! You only have until THIS SUNDAY to make a card using this sketch and then give me a link to it back here. Hope y'all have a great weekend! I know I plan on sleeping in!!!

card info: stamps ~ drs designs, SU. paper ~ moss, watercolor. ink ~ moss. access. ~ ribbon, punches, bling.

Elzy ornament and ELZYBELL BLOG CANDY!

Ok, before you go off and check out Elizabeth's blog candy over on the Elzybell blog, I wanted to show you the ornament I made. Cute, huh? Know what it is? It's a little paper mache gift box! It was unfinished, so I just covered it with some Basic Grey dp. I had to punch holes for the organdy and silver cord to go through and on the inside, I added a little jingle bell! Thought it'd be a nice touch! The dp on the top was run through my Cuttlebug, then I attached the scalloped Angel. Her dress is paper pieced w/ some BG Wassail dp. There are stickles on her wings and the star.
Ok, now I'm guessing you're ready for the Elzybell blog candy??!!! Elizabeth came up with the coolest one yet ~ it's Advent Calendar blog candy! So, yes, that means she's giving something away every day this month until Christmas!!! Some of the prizes are yet to be released Valentine sets!!! Wahoooo!! Oh, here's the link ~ ELZYBELL blog candy! Good luck!