Just had to post this one. It is for my daughter and I just love it.

Whew, it has been a busy week. I had pretty much been holed up in my house, trying to make my Christmas cards for this year. An idea here, another idea there. I came up with several different ones. I always make special cards for my niece's three kids, so got them knocked out of the way. I made shaker cards for them as well as one for my granddaughter.

Treated myself to the movies on Thanksgiving Day. Since we had celebrated the week before, I indulged in a fish sandwich from MacDonalds and then went to the movies. Saw Morning Glory, which was hysterical, and then the new Russel Crowe movie. I even had a bag of popcorn and a diet coke. I love going to the movies. It is my escape when I need to get out of the house.

I didnt do the typical Black Friday but I did score a major victory. I went to a local stamp store and purchased 8 magnolia stamps for a total of $45.01. Plus did a couple of make and takes...it was so much fun. It was the very first time I have gone there and participated in something and I had the best time. I came home and made a couple more of the gift cards they showed us how to make using envelopes. I kept thinking, I can make these with just paper. So, a couple of trials and errors and success. I made quite a few my way and then gave them to my cousin. Of course he was amazed.

Here is one of the Christmas cards I did. I was on a roll. I used not only my copics, but used some flock, some glitter and even the laquer stuff that has been sitting on my desk for a couple of years.....

The past few days have been busy ones. My DH left yesterday for a six month assignment in Bagdad. He called this morning at 6:27 to let me know he had landed in Kuwait safely and would be transported to Bagdad within a couple of days.

To keep myself happy, I went to a couple of my favorite places and bought a few "goodies" that I "needed." Doesnt everyone need a new stamp or two, a couple of spica pens, some smooch and glitter? It made my day. Needless to say, I stayed up until 3:30 this morning playing with my new goodies.

The ladies over at Paper Crafting Mania had another sketch challenge. The challenge this week was to incorporate the following: 3 buttons, a corner punch and embossing. You could also add ribbon if you wanted to....here is the end result

Well, I finally figured out how to get back on here. And they say you cant teach an old dog new tricks. Now if I can only figure out to link stuff from here to other sites......sigh..

Today was a busy day. I had painted half of my kitchen a shade of green this past spring, and the color didnt strike my fancy, but I thought perhaps the color might grow on me. It didnt. So today, after making biscuits and sausage gravy for breakfast, I broke out the paint can. It took me all day to tape, paint, wipe up the quart of paint I spilled on my ceramic tile floor (it was a mess), wash all of the decorative things from the tops of my cabinets and then, rehang the curtains. Whew, it was a chore, but I am happy with the results.

After supper, I bathed my two little yorkies, Ranger and Rambo. My hubby and I are empty nesters and needless to say, I needed something to baby. We have had Ranger for almost three years and Rambo for two and a half. They bring a lot of joy to our lives.

I did manage to squeeze in a little play time tonight. My niece does a color challege, and today she chose the color red. Right up my alley. I used a stamp by Hearfelt Creations that I had lusted for ever since they released it (this past September). I am not crazy about birds, but this stamp series called my name. I wanted this stamp so badly that I spent the better part of half a day driving the backroads of North Liberty, Indiana looking for the shop in my mom's area that carried the products. It was so worth it.

I used a sizzix die for the flourishes and then glued the red glitter on them. My little cardinals I colored with copic R46 and shaded the belly of the birds with R22. I even broke out the Flower Soft I have had hibernating on my shelves for only who knows how long. Here it is....

Hello everyone. This is my first attempt at blogging. To the right is the first card I have made for the HouseMouse Challenge. The stamp is entitled Mouse Drops.