Hidden Joy

Hello my crafty friends! Hope you are having a sunny day today! We are!!!! For once, we have a bright and sunny day. The weather man said that we haven't had a nice, bright, all day sunny day for 36 days! We have had peeks of sun but that is it. It will be short lived as clouds will be moving in tonight for rain tomorrow, but for now I'm enjoying this sunny day! 

I know, don't faint at all my posts of late!! I'm on a roll, but don't get to used to it. lol I do have more cards to share, but wanted to play in some challenges as well. Today's cards I made for two challenges and to add to my stash of Christmas cards. I made four of them because I have decided that if I wanted to build my stash of Christmas cards, then I would need to make more than just one or two at a time. I wish I would have made more of these, and maybe I will but with a different hidden word or such. Who knows, but I know I will be making at least 4 cards at a time.

So Darnell's 9th NBUS challenge is on, started on Monday and will run until Sunday. The optional twist is to do a hidden word on your card. I love this technique and have done it once or twice before. So I was in! Then as I thought what I would make, I decided to combine challenges using one card design. Today, the 25th, starts the Rudolph challenge as well. Maureen hosts this challenge and it is fun to play along. I am hoping to play for all 12 months this year! Now hold me accountable! lol The Rudolph challenge starts on the 25th of each month and runs to the end of the said month. I'm so proud of myself to already have my card ready to go over and play for both challenges. I made two green ones and two red ones. Can you see my hidden "joy"??? I didn't put the sentiment "to the world" (which is also a NBUS) on all my cards as I didn't like it. So only one has it. Here are my cards:

As always I thank you for stopping by and visiting with me for a spell. I also love when you come by and your comments bring so much joy to my world!!!

Playing at these challenges:

Darnell's NBUS #9

Rudolph Days

Crafty  hugs,

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Card Recipe:
Avery Elle-Beautiful Bow
Stamplorations-Christmas Candles for the sentiment "to the world"-NBUS
My Creative Time-Holidays Tags Stamp & Die set for the "joy"-Joy die-NUBS

Proceed to Party

Hello my crafty friends, we actually have a bit of sunshine today! Yippee! Hope it is sunny where you are today. 

I have Bret's birthday card to share with you today.  Now this type of card I would have never made for my other boys at this age, but Bret has a very level head on his shoulders for his age, where as the other boys didn't. Bret turns 21 today, so I made him a party card. Totally CASED! You can see the original here. I saw it years ago on Pinterest and knew that was the card I would probably make for him. Well it didn't change and it is the card I made. This weekend he will be in State College with his friends. They are going to a popular club there on Friday and then his friend is throwing him a party on Saturday at his apartment at Penn State. Soooo, I had to make this card for him. Of course I've had the "talk" with him many times about being responsible when drinking, not getting into a vehicle with someone who has been drinking, etc...One of the reasons for getting together with his friends in State College. They can take the bus around or Uber. Plus he has been designated driver for his friends many times as he was the last of them to turn 21 so I expect one of them will do the same if they don't have transportation. But in State College they have buses that take the kids everywhere as the whole town is part of the college for the most part. So here is his card.

I got the cup from my image library in Design Space on my Cricut Explore. I had to tweak it to look like a solo cup. The original cup had a straw that I sliced off and weird lines in it that I hide. Didn't have an inside look to the cup either, so I made one with a free shape. But in the end I think it turned out pretty good! I topped my solo cups with glossy accents to make them all shiny. I then popped up all the cups as I stacked them. In real life it looks awesome. The Explore also wrote my sentiment as well for me. 

 An angled view to see the "shadows" better from the cups. I used white paper with a slight texture to it and my pen didn't write as well as it usually does. Never gave that a thought when I selected a snippet of white card stock! My whole card is made from snippets except the card base! Yay for me for using snippets! lol 

As always I appreciate you stopping by and visiting with me a spell. I am off to the movies this afternoon with my teacher friend. I am really enjoying getting out and seeing some movies! Thank you for your sweet comments as always they bring so much joy and sunshine to my life! 

Off to play at the Snippets Playground since I haven't been over in forever!


Crafty hugs,

Card Recipe:
Cricut Explore Cartridges-Fast Foods, Free Shapes, 3 Birds Life's a Party writing style font for the sentiment

UR Amazing!

Hello my crafty friends, I hope your weather is brighter than ours! It has been so gloomy this winter, which is not like us. We usually have lots of sun in the winter, even after it snows.  So I'm not loving this gloomy, foggy weather!

I'm coming in under the wire, but I wanted to join in on Darnell's NBUS challenge for this week. I think she is having three weeks of challenges using your NBUS (never been used schtuff), but one change this time around. She has an optional twist with each week! This week was use your colored pencils on kraft cardstock. Well, I've always wanted to do that, but never did. So this morning was the morning to give it a try. Wanted to get this done last night, but granddaughter left late, and Bret wanted to go to town and wanted me to go along. Darnell is also celebrating a blogaversary as well as an wedding anniversary!!! Happy Anniversary Auntie Darnell!!!! Both for the blog and the wedding anniversary!!! 

I stamped my images because last year I had made up my mind to always do at least 2 of each card while the supplies where out. One image I colored with a white Prisma colored pencil first, the other one I did not. I wanted to see which would have the brightest coloring. I was very surprised by this little test! The one with no white base was NOT the brightest! Ok then! So that surprised me. I also wanted to put some black and pink sequins on both of my cards, but I couldn't find them. Yeah, everything is a mess. Hard to craft when you are tearing your room apart! Anyway, I down right copied one of Miss Emma's design team members for this card. You can see that card here among all the cards using the stamp and die set that I used. You will see it right away. Yes, I did change my up some, but the design is the same! I'm not sure which designer I copied because their names aren't on the cards, or I would totally give them credit. Her DT is crazy talented!!! Anyway here is my two cards.

Thanks so much for stopping by and visiting me for a spell. I hope our weather didn't depress you too much! I will say that your comments bring the brightest sunshine to my life and I am so grateful for you all!!!

This one was colored with a white colored pencil before adding the other colors. I also dropped my ink pad on the edge of my card! So I used my sand eraser and then put that little piece of paper by the sentiment. Ooops! 

 This one I colored first and then used the white pencil to highlight areas. Much brighter colors! What do you think???

Crafty hugs.

Card Recipe:
My Creative Time-Missing You Stamp and die set
                                  Geo Borders Stamps
piece of snippets from my red snippet drawer

I SAW it was Your Birthday!

Hello my crafty friends, long time no talk! Happy New Year!!! I hope your new year is off to a good start. I started out with furnace problems and no heat. Finally after having the furnace guy here 4 times (3 days in a row and twice in one day), it is working!!! Thank God for small favors as my furnace is over 60 years old! Thinking that I was going to have to buy a new furnace, I was a happy camper when the furnace man told me my furnace was still good and pretty efficient for as old as it is. It is operating at over 70% and he said that the new furnaces operate at 10% more, so not bad for a furnace over 60 years old! He only cleaned the nozzle where the oil comes out and then replaced it because it wasn't the right tip he learned later. We found out later though that something needed taped together so when the furnace kicked on, they would move and couldn't create an arc to spark ignition.

Went to post this post the last week and my computer charging cord stopped working, so had to order another one. Finally I am able to post now. Checking email and answering email on a smart phone is nice, but not something you want to do all the time! Old eyes!!! lol 

January is a big birthday month around here. The 3rd is Dwayne's birthday as well as one of our granddaughters. Then Bret left to go back to college on the 8th, which was also son #3's birthday. Yep, he was born on Elvis's birthday. Bret is home this weekend for his birthday, which is Jan. 24th. Haven't even made him a card yet! But will and then will mail it to him at college. Thought it might be nice to get a birthday card up there since his birthday is on Tuesday. We are going out Sunday with very close friends for crabs and shrimp for his birthday.  OMGosh, my baby is turning 21! My oldest.....35.  The other 4....33 down to 29. What the heck, how does this happen?!! lol Time waits for no one!!! lol And I'm feeling so old. 

So I have two birthday cards for you today.  These two cards are for son #3 and our granddaughter, who shares a birthday with Dwayne. I have been making some Valentine cards too, hope to share them soon as well. 

This is granddaughter's card. I had the card made, but didn't have a sentiment on the front, so added it. I colored this little bear with my Spectrum Noirs, this cutie came from Paper Crafting World from when I was on Melin's DT. 

 I know tool boxes don't have fancy feet on them, I should have used a square to cut out the bottom, but I didn't. lol This is Son #3's card. 

Here are some updated shots of Savannah as well. She is really growing big. Around 70 lbs now and so strong! She is now 7 months old, will be 8 months on the 6th of Feb. She graduated her other training class just before Christmas with flying colors! I was so proud of her! Of course she is still puppy, but listens so much better now. I tell you, doing those 2 rounds of training was worth the money!!! Now I know how to train a dog! And that's half the battle. Anyway, I think she is growing into a beautiful girl and yes, she has finally grown into those ears! lol 

As always thanks so much for stopping by and visiting for a spell. It hasn't been a hard winter so far and that makes me happy. But we have had some icy messes, although they haven't lasted long and melted, thank goodness because I hate ice! Give me snow over ice!!! I always appreciate your comments, they always bring rays of sunshine to a dreary winters day for me!! 

Crafty hugs,

Card Recipe:
Zig Clean Color markers for coloring the tools
Spectrum Noirs for coloring the bear
My Creative Time- Greatest Handy Man, Stitched Party dies
Bear image-Paper Crafting World
Paper Trey Ink for the "Happy Birthday"