Happy "Hump" Day! and Gardens!

Happy Wednesday or as the camel in the Geico commercial calls it  Geico Camel Commercial...Happy Hump day! If you haven't seen this commercial take a peek, it will make you smile! I promise!

So for this morning I have a new little garden card....it is not my usual style as I typically have cleaner lines and less embellies, but i think it's so pretty and I like experimenting!

Stamp - Penny Black mimi
Paper - Crate Paper & Garden Harvest Recollections
Copics
Misc. flowers & twine & button
Color inspiration - Sparkles & sprinkles

Challenges entering:

Sparkles & Sprinkles - August Color Challenge (Aug. 31)
Sister Act - Challenge 21, Anything Goes (Aug. 29)
7 Kids challenge Blog - Challenge 81, Anything Goes with Markers (Sept. 11)
Simon Says Stamp - Anything Goes (Sept. 4)
Anything Goes Challenge Blog - Challenge 100 In the Garden (Sept. 9)
Crafty Sentiments - Make it Girly (Sept. 2)
Loves Rubber Stamps - Challenge 67, Favorite Color comb (green & blue) (Sept. 2)(GDT)
Use It Tuesday - Challenges 62, Trends (I used stash trend TWINE baby!)(Sept.5)
CMC Challenge Group - Challenge 75 anything goes (aug. 31)
Cutie Pie Challenges - Challenge 51, Anything Goes (Aug.30)

Simply elegant....

This little image was super fun to color.  I know I say that about all of them...but its true! Since she is such an elegant lady I wanted clean lines and a simple layout.  I found the gorgeous sketch at Sparkle creations.

Ingredients

Stamp - Little Blue Button Stamps digi
Sketch - sparkle creations
Coloring - Copics
Various designer papers & flower embellishment
Candi dots colored with copies

Challenges entering:

Crafty Sentiments - Colorful (Aug. 25):

Color Me Creative - Anything Goes (Aug.30)

Marker Pop - Challenge 29 Color Blue (3 weeks)

Tuesday Throwdown - Challenge 161 Use your scraps (Aug.27) --The scraps I used were the blue card stock  and the black designer paper--:
Pink Gem Challenges - Challenge 94 Anything with a "B" (her "Blue Boots") (Aug.30)
Pile It On - Challenge 34 Designer Paper (Aug.30)
Paper Take Weekly - Flower Power (Aug.27):

Paper Pretties - Girly Girl (Aug. 27):
Sister Act - Anything goes (Aug. 28):
One Crazy Stamper - Birthday (Aug.30)

Happy Birthday To You...

Ok...its not my birthday...but this cake looks so yummy and it is the color inspiration from Yumi & Fumi.  Beautiful saturated colors and its unusual to see a hibiscus flower as decoration.

This little birthday girl card is from a Some Odd Girl digi. I don't own any Yumi & Fumi stamps yet, but I would love to win a Yumi & Fumi stamp as those are adorable and have such a "local" look I love.

Materials used:

Image - Some Odd Girl digi

Coloring - Copics

Paper - Michael's Recollections

Buttons - from my stash
Die - Nestabilities circles

Challenges entered:

Yumi & Fumi - Challenge 22 Cake Photo Inspiration (Aug. 30)

One Crazy Stamper - August Challenge Birthdays
Crafty Sentiments - Colorful (Aug. 25)
Cutie Pie Challenges - Challenge 51 (Aug.30) must be cute

Creative Cuties...

I discovered this great blog that offers free digi images created by Heather Sybil Chavez. They are soooo cute. You can find "cute girl handstand" here Creative Cuties, but make sure you peek around her blog for other adorable digi images.  

Well I couldn't resist coloring this girl and amazingly she came out right the first time~! I've mentioned before how I usually stamp something several times and color the same image several times....just to test colors and see how I want to finalize it.  This little image was the first one Ive made that I was happy with it right at the beginning.  I really focused on the sun light on her left side and this image was easy and fun to color. I definitely have plans to check out more of her images in the future! 

Materials Used:

Digi Image  -  Creative Cuties by Heather Sybil Chavez

Pens  - Copics (sorry I forgot again to take a photo of the colors used

Sentiment - Gina K Designs

Plaque - Stamping up frames die

Flowers - Lawn Fawn flower die

Papers - My Mind's Eye "A mother's love"

Challenges Entering:

Crafty Sentiments - Colorful (Aug. 25)

Dis Digi Designs - back to school (aug. 30)
Cutie Pie Challenges- Challenge 51, Anything goes (Aug.30)

Asking God for more...

It seems simple for others to share God's word on their blogs, and I admire them and get so much encouragement from their sharing.  But it is hard for me to write my inner thoughts here.  Having said that, today I feel strongly lead to share what I experienced this morning so here it is:

I got up early enough this morning and was able to have a devotional time.  100% honesty here - I have been really slacking in my devotional time..its probably been weeks. Its like the more I skip it, the easier it is to skip.  But I realize that even I with a toddler and 2 school age kids, can do 5-10 minutes in the morning, and when I started again yesterday it was so refreshing and peaceful that I woke up eagerly this morning wanted to be close to God in devotion again.

The devotional I am using is:

Jesus Calling by Sarah Young

I like it because it is quick and so relevant in my walk with the Lord.   

Today's sharing was about how "you have not because you ask not" (James 4:2).  Since God has set me on the path he has chosen for me (SAHM and not an attorney) my life has been so blessed.  Not with material things, although he has given us that in abundance seriously beyond my dreams, but in having my family back. My relationship with my husband and kids.  

In fact, I often feel I dont want to ask God for anything because it would be greedy and I dont deserve all he has given me so far.  Then I realize God chose to create me, so when i devalue myself I am making God sad because he thinks Im awesome.  So while it was hard for me to do, I prayed this morning and asked God to continue to bless me and my family.  God does not want me to feel that I am not worth blessing.  I know he feels the same way about you too.  

Purple Fun...

This sweetie is a digi from Some Odd Girl.  I wanted to enter the Guest Design spot challenge for LOVES RUBBER STAMPS and I haven't done purple (or any other non-traditional color) hair before, so this was FUN!  Again, the hardest part for me is the card design...it takes hours.  Whereas the coloring with copics seems to fly by.  

Materials used:

Stamp - Some Odd Girl digi

Paper - Japanese rice paper; polka dot Recollections

Accessories - rhinestone & red bow Joannes.  

Sentiment - My Minds Eye sticker

Ink - Laser Jet & Copics & White Gel pen for eyes

Cardstock - Neenah

Dies - Sweet & Sassy Stamps sentiment die tags

Challenges entering:

Loves Rubber Stamps - Different Color Hair (Aug.19):

Color Me Creative - Anything Goes (Aug.30)

Simon Says Stamp - Make the Cut (Aug. 18) **I used die cuts on the sentiments**:
Marker Pop - Challenge 29 Color Blue (Sept.8)

Thanks for peeking!

Kids Summer Challenge Cade

Its Simon Says Stamp Kids Challenge....so what does that mean?  My 8 year old, her best friend, and my 10 year old in the stamps, ink and cardstock having some fun.  Here is what they created, I think its awesome don't you?

And another!

I think they all did fantastic and am glad they got a chance to enter the challenge!  

Challenges entered:

Simon Says Stamp - Kids Challenge

Thanks for peeking!