Shaking it up!

Edited to add:  I just got back from Darnell's blog! she has some FUN she is cooking up for April fools Day!! Check it out HERE.

My cutie patootie Dress Up Dolls stamp set and die combo are making their debut today : ) I loved playing with paper dolls when I was a little girl.  I really appreciate Betsy Veldman creating this sweet product for Papertrey Ink so I can play with paper dolls again! heeheehee.  I put my little boy INSIDE the shaker portion! what could be more fun to be a boy and to be inside a shaker card?! LOL

Aren't they just adorable!! Betsy has even given them little underwear just like real paper dolls.  Such detail to "unmentionables"!  The boys heart underwear crack me up!

I want to enter my card in the fun challenge at Seize the Birthday challenge blog where the theme this time is "The Great Divide" : )  I used a cover plate from PTI and divided up the shaker portion of the card by covering the entire cover plate with an acrylic sheet - then adding foam tape on the back side along each division so I could contain my sprinkles.

I will enter my card in the Just Us Girls challenge because woo hoo!! the theme is:

Shaker Cards!! : ) A match made in heaven - two great challenges.

I will be sending this card to a child who is in the hospital via Send a Smile 4 Kids and I pray it brightens their day.  I have been making cards for children to get a bunch sent to them.  If you love making cards for young children and teens you may want to consider sending your cards to this amazingly good cause.  The challenge at Send a Smile 4 Kids challenge blog is "Spring Colors" I love the happy look of spring colors : )

Both my cover plate and my adorable little paper dolls are NBUS so you know what that means!! Check out what our fun and loving friend is doing now that her and Hammy have woken up from their nap! : )

It is cold today here in the Black Hills of South Dakota but the sun is bright and I still believe spring is on the way!!

Thank you for stopping by.  Have a GREEN! day today!!

Patti

Supplies:

Dress Up Dolls stamp and die set - PTI
Retro Style Birthday stamps - PTI
Text Block - You Did I - PTI
Scraps of paper from my stash

This one is for Marybeth : )

I am just barely getting this one in under the wire but I really wanted to do this challenge at the Tag You're it! challenge blog in honor of this week's designer! The very lovely and talented Marybeth Lopez of Marybeth's Time for Paper Blog.

This is the tag I created from her beautiful inspiration tag.

I wanted to use my new zipper die from PTI to created this tag.  Beneath the gingham paper is a secret message : ) I love those zipper dies! giggles.

How about that ribbon? hmmmm well I did try! Check our THIS LINK for the most beautiful ribbon you'll ever see!!  Lisa and Marybeth are two of a kind! - outstanding paper crafters and complete sweethearts! : )

I have had a fun day playing with paper but now it is well after midnight and I'm going to hit the hay! : )  See your bright and early tomorrow (or later) : )

Thank you for stopping by.

(((Hugs)))
Patti

Ready for GOLF!

I'm ready for golf and cake!! It's not my birthday but I am always ready for cake!! giggles

I can't wait to get out on the golf course.   I've really had it on my mind lately so it became the inspiration for my brother in law's card.  He is about to celebrate his 70th!! birthday : )

I forgot to shoot a picture of the sentiment on the inside of the card so I just took a quickie snap and it is a terrible picture but I wanted you to see the fun sentiment that pairs with this golf themed stamp set from Papertrey Ink.

I am entering my card in two terrific challenges!!

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge "A bit O" Green".  This is a super popular challenge blog in which I have never entered!! I was inspired to by all the terrific cards I see being entered over blogland.  I think part of the popularity is that there is a NICE! prize!! Be sure to check them out and all the delightful cards in the gallery.

My Bit O" Green is headed to the golf green! heehee get it?

The next challenge I am entering my card in is The City Crafter Challenge Blog where the theme this month is... you guessed it! GREEN! : ) This is the time when nearly everyone in the world is craving that GREEN stuff!!

Speaking of green stuff LOL we have been burning the midnight oil finishing up our taxes! UGH!! I have not had much craft time in the past few days.  UGH!! but Praise the Lord the deadline is today! LOL so that means we actually HAVE to be done : ) My poor husband didn't get to bed til 4:00 this morning.  We are moving slow today but as soon as my mojo wakes up I will be moving to my crafty space!! : )

I hope you are having a wonderful day.  Thank you so much for stopping by and I always really appreciate your comments.

(((Hugs)))
Patti

Supplies:

On the Links stamp set and die from PTI
Retro Style Birthday Sentiments by PTI
Retro Style Graduation Stamp Set by PTI
Circle Die by Lil Inkers
Clouds by God (just kidding I made them : )
Baker's Twine by SU

Made you laugh!

The CASology challenge blog Cue Card is "Laugh" and oh how many laughs you will get as you visit the talented DT and gallery this week.

My card uses some of the first images I bought when I began stamping in about 1997.  Tells you something about my personality huh?!?   heeheehee

I just love her sassy face : ) I modernized her a bit using a polka dot stencil from Heidi Swapp.

My design was inspired by this week's sketch at Freshly Made Sketches

Speaking of laughter I thought I would share a fun picture I took a several years ago.  This is a picture of my granddaughter having a blast with a wild burro from Custer State Park here in SD.

She is feeding him peanuts from her hand. Can you zoom in to see the burro's tongue and the peanut!?

During the gold rush days burros were used to help the miners with their supplies.  When the rush was over the burros were left behind. The burros in Custer State Park are descendants of those pack animals.

There is a sort of love affair between the burros and the tourists! The burros know when they see a car it means a treat! Everyone who comes to visit us loves to feed the donkeys!

Thank you for stopping by today and for your comments! They really make my day!

(((Hugs)))
Patti

Supplies:
Image and sentiment from The Angel company
Stencil by Heidi Swapp
Papers by PTI

Wishing You A Colorful Easter

Dawn McVey is one of my favorite card designers at Papertrey Ink.  She is hosting the challenge for Make it Monday this week.  The challenge: Sponged Stamping.  Please see her VIDEO HERE.  I got really carried away and sponge stamped my patterned paper and my birds and the flower inside the orange bird and even my sentiment! Fun challenge PTI!

My design was inspired by Lesley at  Always Playing with Paper challenge blog.
My colors were inspired by the Queen Arielle at colourQ

I hope you will stop by each of these great challenge blogs and join in the fun!

Have a great day doing something inky!! I will be having an inky good day because according to tracking I have some HaPpY mAiL out for delivery! woo hoo!!

Thank you for stopping by.

Patti

Supplies:
Patterned Paper by KaiserCraft called Spirograph
Image and dies by PTI "Songbirds"
Sentiment by PTI "Simply Spring Borders Stamp Set

Enjoy a Lovely Easter

Edited to add:

Wow talk about exciting! I was surprised and blessed to receive this honor from this great challenge blog! 

Good morning friends! I hope your day is off to a wonderful start!

My card today is in answer to the Challenge at Curtain Call.  I really love the challenges at Curtiain Call.  I think it is because of their beautiful inspiration photos! Don't you just wanna bite into that beautiful cupcake!?

I wanted to bring out that dreamy white frosting in the inspiration photo so I used a lot of white space on my card.  I'm not sure what is up with my lighting - I struggled to capture the lime green color in this card.  I used Limeade Ice ink! that is "lim-ey" right?! giggles

My design was inspired by CAS(E) this sketch! another super fun challenge blog.  One of the things I like most about challenges is that they really get me thinking outside of the box! I appreciate these challenge blogs very much!!  Please consider joining Curtain Call and CAS(E) this sketch!.

There is a lookout area on the Needles Highway where oodles of Chipmunks hang out.  They are obviously used to the tourists giving them treats because they are just as friendly as they can be.  Here our grandson has them eating unsalted sunflower seeds right out of his hand!!

Thank you for stopping by today.  Have a wonderful day!!

Patti

Supplies:

Quilted Spring stamp set by PTI
Quilted Spring die by PTI
Sentiment from the Simply Spring Borders Stamp set by PTI
Limeade Ice ink by PTI
Solid white cs by PTI
Lemon Tart cs by PTI

Just a Quickie

Just a quickie post not a quickie card! LOL This card seemed to take me forever!! I like how it finally turned out but the several others that are now in the trash can had me feeling like I'd completely lost my Mojo!

I really wanted to join the ColourQ challenge this week using my new Guidelines Two Stamp Set.  Funny thing about wish lists.  I have had a PTI wishlist since I placed my first order with them in 2010.  That stamp set has almost always been on my wishlist.  When they announced it was going to the Vault I knew I better grab it!! Now I have it.... gulp! LOL I have wrestled with it until I gave up!  Instead I used Background Basics: Morocco Stamp Set and it was just a little better - It MUST be me!  What I think saved me with this card was the addition to the velum sheet over the entire card. : ) It is a Vellum sheet from the SaleABration catty from Stampin Up. I love that it makes my vase look like it is textured.

I stamped my Morocco image to imitate the inspiration photo in shades of Island indigo and Tempting Turquoise from SU on a separate strip.  I added two thin layers of Gray paper and glued it to my card base.  I stamped my floral sprig right on to the card base and then sprayed some Tempting Turquoise ink using my stamp pad and a toothbrush : )  I also added some "flowers" from the Pedal Pusher Stamp Set.  Next I cut a vase from Mega Gracious Vases Die and attached it to my card. Then I placed my Vellum over the entire face adhering it snugly to the inside of my card.  I covered the vellum "salvages" with a panel on the inside of the card to keep everything tidy and snug.  At last I stamped the sentiment on the top of the Vellum using Island Indigo Ink. Whew! I lied I guess this isn't a quickie post either! LOL

I'm kind of in a rush because we are gearing up for a big neckStyles™ sale on my Etsy shop!!  There will be some very low prices on some amazingly pretty scarves for spring! Please stop by my shop and have a look.  If something tempts you be sure to use this code for an ADDITIONAL 20% discount : )

NKSTR20

Last but not least!! I will enter my card in Darnell's NBUS challenge because everything except the ink and my sentiment! is NBUS!!

I am just a little behind visiting all of you in blogland so please be patient with me!! I will see you soon : ) Thanks a bunch for stopping by! Have a wonderful day.

Patti

Time to Celebrate!!

My card today is a fun birthday card I created using Papertrey Ink's ingenious "Scene I - Celebration Dies"  I knew I just had to own these great dies when I saw them.  They make for a fast and fabulous card!!

I also used the Birthday Cheer Die and the Balloon Bash Cover Plate Die.  You can whip these cards up really quickly! .... well that is if you aren't me LOL I seem to take forever when I make a card.

I cut my stars from (an expensive!) sheet of glitter paper from Michael's (but it was worth it!).  I cut the balloons from white card stock and them inked them with sponges.  Finally I cut the word Celebrate from a matching light green cs and gave it a bit of an Ombre' look using ink and a sponge.  Tied it up with some Baker's Twine from my stash and felt like going to a party!!

Speaking of parties..... there is a fun party going on at the Seize the Birthday challenge blog. This weeks's celebration is made extra special because it is Colleen Foelker's birthday!! Colleen is not only a DTM for Seize the Birthday but she is the owner of the One Smile Lifts a Spirit blog

Check out this fun challenge blog and be sure to visit Colleen and wish her a Happy Birthday!


I have been having so much fun sharing some of my favorite pictures with you from the beautiful area we've moved to.  I want to say a special thank you to all of you who have left such delightful comments about them! : )  it is really my pleasure to share them with you.

Today I have a couple Rocky Mountain Goat pictures.  We have seen these amazing animals twice in the wild since moving here last year.  This one was near the road just after we left Mt. Rushmore one day.  We were super close but unfortunately I only had my "point and shoot" camera with me so the quality is not very good.

The next time we saw one of these goats it was on the side of these rocky cliffs.

Don't squint your eyes because the goat is not in this picture! LOL We didn't even have a camera with us that day! I could have kicked myself!  The goat was nearly to the top of the main rock formation there.  It is shocking how they can actually climb around on those craggy - uneven rocks!!

This picture was captured at Bear Country USA - it is a wildlife park.  It would have been a great shot if the goat hadn't moved it's head! LOL But the tree is sharp! giggles oh well can't win em all - you can still see how incredible these creatures are.

We have enjoyed an incredible weekend!! so warm and spring like!! It is really hard to stay indoors on days like this!! But pretty soon the sun will set and maybe you can guess where I might be!  I've been working on a card for the ColourQ challenge.  I've thrown out several attempts so far! I might not make that challenge : ( shucks sometimes things just don't make it from my head to my paper. : )

Thank you so much for stopping by!! Have a great day!

Patti

Doing the hApPy DaNce!

Happy Saturday! : ) friends!! I hope your weekend is going great.

I wanted to join the fun at CASology whose challenge this week is "SPIN" as well as TIME OUT Challenges who is celebrating their 2nd Birthday!!   Please check out these two super fun challenge blogs!!

My sweet little Irish miss is doing the happy dance because Spring has really sprung in blogland - if not on the street where you live.

I just love this sweet digital image from Mo's Digital Pencil.  I created another card using this image for St. Patrick's Day in 2014 in THIS POST and she is still cute today!

Thank you so much for stopping by and please have a great day!

Patti

Sending You Sunshine!

I hope to send out some sunshine to my friends in blogland today! as well as to someone who is sick in the hospital.

 This is a late post today but I have been unexpectedly busy!! Still I did not want to miss the deadline for a new challenge blog that I have found thanks to Donna from design by Donna. 

I'm very happy to have found the Send A Smile 4 Kids group and am excited to make many more cards to send "the kids"!  Please check out the "About Us" tab on their blog for all the details.   

The amazingly talented designer at Papertrey Ink, Betsy Veldman, has challenged us in this week's Make It Monday to create an Ombre Stenciled Background.  I didn't have any stencils so I rushed out to buy some.  In two days I've become a stenciling fool!!

I not only stenciled my background I stenciled my bunnies too! : ) 

How is it that I can have this much SCHTUFF and still need more! but I certainly do....right?? !! Good thing we have Darnell and her wonderful good!! NBUS challenges to help us to put all those needed supplies to good use.  This card is all about NBUS! every thing including the paper is NBUS - oops - not the ink - or the tiny string on bunnie's neck! but everything else!! : )

I designed my card in response to the challenge at Freshly Made Sketches. 

Because I wanted to combine these two challenges - I was challenged in how to get the vertical strip as the design shows while still keeping my Ombre background.  What I decided to do was to simply cut my paper - add two additional pieces of card stock just behind the center section "bumping it up" : )

Thank you FMS and PTI and Darnell for all the fun!! Please check out each of these challenge blogs and by all means consider joining the efforts at Send a Smile 4 kids!!

My photo today is for Leigh Penner of "To the Full" blog : ) I might get to meet Leigh when she visits South Dakota this summer!! Our plan is to meet at this lake!! Maybe we'll see Nicholas Cage! or find a National Treasure of our own!! : ) 

Thanks a bunch for stopping by! Have a great night.

Patti

Supplies:

Simply Spring Borders stamp and die set from PTI