CDB Blog Hop Winner Announced

Trina Parsons is the winner from yesterday's Creative Design Boutique's blog hop. Please email: mjh7433109@aol.com with your address so that we can send your NEW Floral Breeze Stamp Set to you! Congratulations to Trina and thanks to all the blog hoppers!!!

BLOG HOP.....Creative Design Boutique

Today the Design Team for Creative Design Boutique is highlighting cards made with the set called Floral Frenzy. There is blog candy involved, so be sure to visit the blogs of EACH of the team members and leave comments at each. We are a small team so it will not take you long to 'travel' around. The set we are showing is called Floral Breeze and is by Rita Marie. It is available at the Creative Design Boutique. A winner's name will be chosen from those posts on Thursday September 17 and posted at 6PM.

Here are links to the team members...
Lois Bak (Clownmom)
Vicky (Vicky Gould)
Joanne (jojot) (me!!!)
Faith (markie's mom)
Nancyruth (NANCYRUTH)
Nicole (ButterflyEars)

Have a great day!!!!

What a Day!!!!

I had such a fabulous day today!!!!! It started when Mothermark (Cindy aka Muddermark) posted ME, yes ME, as the Featured Stamper on SCS for today. You could have tipped me over with a feather (and with this body that would not normally be possible). I was so honored but at the same time a little shy about the whole thing. However, I got up this morn and started reading comments in the thread, kind descriptions on cards, and started to truly enjoy the experience.....and I never looked back again. What a superb community of stampers at SCS.....they all made me feel so loved and blessed today!!! Thanks, my friends and fellow stampers. You have truly enabled me for many days, weeks, months, years to come. LOL!!!

I will never be able to listen to Elton John without a giggle ever again. For those of you who did not read Muddermark's little diddy, JOJOT AND THE SETS......click here....it is just the cutest!!! There were just so many things that made the day special....the use of my fav color combo of red, black, and white......peggysue's use of lots of glitter.......Muddermark's Elton John glasses.......I am just blown away by the kindness and gentle ribbing of friends.

Anyhoo......I did not case myself today.......however......a while back I had played around with some Rita Marie stamps for my Creative Design Boutique design team work and had planned to upload them gradually during August. Well, this month has flown by and I still have three to share, so here is one of them. This one used images from a set called FUNKY FLORALS.

Thanks for a wonderful day!! I was so honored by each and every stamper who took the time to play along today. Bless you all!!!!!

CDB -- Blooming Sunshine

I was just playing around with some stamps from Creative Design Boutique. The set is called Funky Florals by Rita Marie. I stamped the same floral image three times and hand drew the stems. Other than that, this is a pretty easy one to construct. I did use two of my new Cuttlebug embossing folders....can tell I will be wearing out the one I used on the orange...lol!!!

We have a nice sunny day today which is fabulous. However, we are in the midst of our first strip of multiple days in the 90's, so I will be keeping cool today. I actually plan on lots of play time in the workshop today, so maybe I will be back with another post.

Anyhoooooo.....have a wonderful end to your weekend!

Stampin B's Challenge #19 Use Two Die Cuts

Faith (markie's mom) was the host this week for the Stampin B's challenge. Her challenge was for us to use at least two die cuts on our card. Well....Since I used three, this card is definitely legal.....lol!!!

My image comes from the Flutterby Delight set by Rita Marie and available from Creative Design Boutique. I chose the Copic colors so it would match this designer paper I found in my stash. The paper is two sided, and the second side was used for the mid layer. Pumpkin cardstock and black were the other accent colors used. The ribbon is a remnant I have had for years. I used to buy bags of remnant ribbon 'someplace' (my senior brain can't bring that 'file' up right now.....) and it is one of those found in a remnant bag.

For those asking, my dear friend had her surgery and is recuperating and awaiting results which will determine the next step in her process to good health. Thanks again to those of you who sent cards and said prayers for her.

Have a wonderful day and please be sure to find something/someone to make you smile!!!! Be sure to check out the Stampin' B's Blog to see the creations of the other team members and for details on how you can play right along with us!! We really do play well with others......REALLY!!!

Blog Hop Winner for Creative Design Boutique

Congrats to LINDA STEVENS, the Creative Design Boutique Blog Candy Winner! Talk about fun! Thank you all for participating, and remember we will be having a blog hop on the first Wednesday of every month, so mark your calendar!Linda, please email: mjh7433109@aol.com with your address so that we can get your prize to you!

Don't forget, September 2 is our next Blog Hop with your chance to win!

Creative Design Boutique Blog Hop

Creative Design Boutique is having a Blog Hop today!!! Are you ready? And....if you are good hoppers, there's BLOG CANDY available!!! Make sure you visit ALL of these blogs today, Wednesday, August 5, 2009. Leave comments on ALL 6 of the Creative Design Boutique Team Blog Posts, and a winner's name will be chosen from those posts on Thursday August 6 and posted at 6PM. Here are the links! Good Luck!

Vicky Gould

Nancyruth

Joanne (jojot) (me...you are here already!!!!)

Nicole (ButterflyEars)

Lois (Clownmom)

Faith (markie's mom)

Remember you must visit each blog and leave a comment at each blog in order to be eligible for the blog candy drawing.

For my card I used a set by Rita Marie called Flutterby which has several butterfly and related images. This set is available from Creative Design Boutique. I used a corner punch from Martha Stewart to create the bottom border and a corner punch by Fiskar's (I think....) for the upper corners. I used my Scor-Pal for the score lines. I added some black brads. My image was colored with Copics and die cut with my Nesties.

Now, leave a comment here and then HOP onto one of the other design team member's blogs. Good Luck!!!

Charmed or not?????

Well.....I may have stretched the definition of 'charm' for this one. Today's Way to Use It Challenge on SCS was to use a charm on your card. Well, technically this is a chipboard button, BUT I used it as a ribbon CHARM. That is MY STORY and I am sticking to it. I had the plumber here all day so, give me a break, okay??????

For this card I used the Rita Marie set called Words to Love By which are available from Creative Design Boutique. It is a simple card, but I do think it has a boldness in that simplicity. What do you think?????

CDB Fairy Sweet

When playing last night I also made this sweet little card. I don't make many cards appropriate for young girls as I have all boys in the family (nephews, godsons). However, it was fun to play with the girlie colors and embellies. This stamps comes from a set called Make a Wish by Rita Marie and available from Creative Design Boutique. Isn't she one stylin' little fairy!!! The designer paper is also by Rita Marie.

I had a wonderful afternoon/evening today. As many of you know I LOVE the ocean and the peace I find there. Well today I went to a friend's picnic which was held at a rented cottage at Groton Long Point. For those of you not from our area, that is an area on Long Island Sound along the Connecticut coast. Wow....was that ever what I needed. Besides great company and mounds of food, the view was just gorgeous. Sailboats floated by, the sounds of little ones traveled over the water from the nearby beach, seagulls flying overhead, and the wondrous, majestic sight of the waters. Ah.....so relaxing. Add in some warm sunshine and a cool breeze and.....well....it was a little bit of heaven here on Earth!!

Hope you had a great day too!!!

CDB Soft, Sweet, and Simple

Tonight I was just playing around with my Rita Marie stamps and papers from Creative Design Boutique. This is just a simple card which I think pops in these pastel colors.


After a week filled with negative news from many friends and doctors, my week actually ended on a very positive note. Yesterday I spent a longgggg breakfast with a dear friend who is in the middle of her 'journey' through breast cancer. Her chemo is done, but radiation is ahead. However, despite these obstacles, she is enjoying each day to the fullest. Another friend, recently diagnosed with breast cancer, met with her surgeon for the first time yesterday and they 'clicked' which will be so important for her as she begins her journey to good health. Last night I heard from a dear SCS friend who will have surgery on one of her hands Monday, and we shared some wonderful belly laughs as well as the travails of age. She can always make me laugh (and with her cards she probably has made you laugh a time or two in the galleries).

Today I had a wonderful lunch with a former student and her mother. What a joy it was to see the excitement of this young lady heading into her senior year of high school.....so successful that she will be finished in January and will start community college work for the second semester even before getting her high school diploma. She hopes to be a nurse.....and I know she will make a fabulous one!!!!

So.....tonight I went downstairs and played in the workshop (or as DawnL calls it....my stamp cave....lol!!!) Even though times are still tough for many of my friends I am inspired by their courage and perseverence. These are things I try to also do when facing any of life's obstacles. Making this card helped!!!! The sweet smell of acrylic and rubbah calms me....lol!!!!!

Anyhow...have a great Sunday ahead. I think I'll now try to get some sleep.

Sketch Challenge Catch-Up

This is a second card I did for Wednesday's Sketch Challenge. I never did post it here to my blog, so here is a glance at it. The images comes from a set called Violet Garden by Creative Design Boutique. There are several floral images in this set. The designer paper I used is from Martha Stewart. I used a Nestie to cut out the main image and then sponged the edges with black to provide a type of soft mat. I used assorted pearls, ribbon, and my SU piercing kit. I also used a Marvy notched corner punch. That's my story.....an easy one....for right now!!!!

Be on the lookout in the morning for a blog hop post telling you how YOU can win 2 FREE stamp sheets from Innovative Stamp Creations.

Fairy Inspired

( First....for the perfectionists out there, I know that I need to go back and fix that spot to the left of the wand.....somehow I missed it when I used the irridescent embossing powder. You'll just have to forgive me as my peepers are on the weak side. Sometimes I don't see the mistakes until they are blown up here on the computer monitor.)

Anyhoo.......For this Inspiration Challenge card, I used a few of the fairy costumes for girls as my starting point. I used this fabulous set by Rita Marie and available at Creative Design Boutique which includes both the large fairy image and the border of teenie fairies, along with other stamps. The set is called Make a Wish.

I think the construction of the card is pretty evident and doesn't need much description. I did use all neutrals on this card so that it was eligible for this week's Stampin B's challenge.

Hope you are having a great weekend. Here in Connecticut we are once again in the sun. People are taking advantage of the day and you can smell the freshly mown lawns everywhere. I sat outside for a bit and the sun was nice and warm, while in the shade there was a beautiful cool breeze.......wish the weather was like this most of the year.

Take care.

Tea Party in Dublin

After another harrowing day, I needed an escape so tonight, between electrical storms, I went to the 'stamp cave' (appropriate name for my stamp room created by my dear friend Dawn (DawnL) when she visited recently. I played around a bit with the Violet Garden set of stamps from Creative Design Boutique. I was inspired by Cindy's (Mothermark's) Teapot Challenge.

The tea party was being hosted by Sabrina in Dublin today, so I kept with the flower influence of the teapot and threw some green in, cuz that is what Ireland is supposed to be...lots and lots of rolling green hills!!!

Well...I just check out Rox's fabulous Sketch Challenge and her magnificent masculine masterpiece of a card, but I just don't think I have the umph to make one tonight. See ya all in the morning!!! Sleep well!!!!

Inspired Purple Bloom

Well......yesterday when I was playing in the workshop and doing the laundry from the wet Maine trip, I played with some new stamps from Creative Design Boutique, a new design team for me, and the other Stampin' B's. This particular set will be a fav, as it is a Violet Garden of floral imagesby Rita Marie (the dp is by the same company). Well.....when Stef posted the Inspiration Challenge, this was the perfect card for one of the inspiration posters.

The SUN, yes the SUN is out today. It just might be a glorious Fourth!!!! Hope you are enjoying your weekend!!

(By the way, for my observant friends, I KNOW the watermark has an extra 'i' on the end of my name. We are working on that!!!....lol!!!)