Halloween Project - Pumpkin Man Scarecrow

Here is my final Halloween project using files from Filekutz by LisaJane:

I used the Pumpkin Man cutting file (LK00077).  I thought that he would make a great addition to a Halloween card or scrapbook page.

Supplies:

Stamps: Papertrey Ink - Simple Alphabet

Paper: PTI White, Basic Black, Close to Cocoa, Only Orange, Old Olive, Unknown DP

Ink: Archival Jet Black

Accessories: Cricut, Filekutz by LisaJane - Pumpkin Man Scarecrow (LK00077), SU 1/4" Grosgrain Ribbon - Only Orange, SU Small & Large Oval Punches

Hump Day Inspiration #16

Hello and Happy Wednesday to you!

It's time to be inspired with another challenge from Inktegrity's Hump Day Inspiration.  This week's challenge is a color challenge.  You are to use your favorite fall colors.  Here are mine:

This is a sneak peak of one of Inktegrity's new fall releases.  The pumpkin house is just too cute!

Supplies:
Stamps: Inktegrity - Pumpkin House
Paper: PTI White, Gina K Luxury White, More Mustard, Always Artichoke, Close to Cocoa, SU Old Olive DP
Ink: Cat's Eye Chalk - Amber Clay, Copics
Accessories: None

Squigglefly Challenge #68

Happy Monday everyone!  This week is challenge #68 at Squigglefly.  It is to use your favorite embellishment.  Here is mine:

I just love using ribbon!  I would say that my favorite place to purchase ribbon is from Papertrey Ink.  I love how it coordinates with their ink and paper!

Supplies:
Stamps: Squigglefly - Fancy Flowers
Paper: PTI White, Gina K Luxury White, PTI Raspberry Fizz, Bo Bunny DP
Ink: PTI Tea Dyeing Duo, Copics
Accessories: PTI Swiss Dot Ribbon - Rapsberry Fizz

Life

Since I got my latest order from Papertrey Ink on Thursday, I decided to play and make a few simple cards!

I've had this stamp set for a few months but I have not used it yet.  So I broke out the preview pages for this stamp set that I print out for every set that I purchase and I came up with this.

Supplies:
Stamps: Papertrey Ink - Life, Papertrey Ink - Beautful Blooms II
Paper: PTI White, GP White, PTI Kraft, Perfect Plum
Ink: Perfect Plum, Pale Plum, PTI Burnt Amber, PTI Snow White
Accessories: Brad

Happy, Happy, Happy ...

... Happy Birthday!  I totally fell in love with this stamp set because of a similar card that was shown on Papertrey Ink's website. 

I just got this stamp set last night with my latest PTI order.  I just had to ink it up right away.  This stamp set will get used over and over again!!!

Supplies:
Stamps: Papertrey Ink - Birthday Bash Sentiments
Paper: PTI White, GP White, Basic Black, Tempting Turquoise
Ink: Archival Jet Black, Only Orange, YoYo Yellow, Green Galore, Tempting Turquoise
Accessories: Cuttlebug, Swiss Dots Embossing Folder

The Bishop's Daughter - Wanda E. Brunstetter

Summary from Good Reads: Leona is Bishop Jacob Weaver's daughter and a dedicated teacher in a one-room Amish schoolhouse. After her father's tragic accident, Leona's faith wavers. How could God allow something like this to happen to one of His servants? Outlander Jimmy Scott comes to Pennsylvania in search of his real family. When he is hired to paint an Amish schoolhouse, Jimmy and Leona find themselves irresistibly drawn to each other. Can anything good come from the love between an Amish woman and an English man? What secrets will be revealed and what miracles await God's people in Lancaster County? The Bishop's Daughter is book 3 in the Daughters of Lancaster County series. Other books in the series include The Storekeeper's Daughter: Book 1 and The Quilter's Daughter: Book 2.

Leona's faith is tested over and over again.  She starts to question why God would let things these happen in her life.  Then she meets Jimmy Scott, an Englisher, who is in Lancaster County searching for his real family.  Jimmy learns that he is adopted on his twenty-first birthday and wants some answers.  Upon his arrival in Lancaster, Jimmy takes a job as a painter with Jacob Weaver and starts to get to know the Amish community.  Leona and Jimmy become close friends and start having forbidden feelings for each other since Jimmy is not Amish.  In the end, God shows his involvement in Leona's life and His reasons for all of His actions.

This book ended the Daughter's of Lancaster County series very nicely.  Although I knew where Ms. Brunstetter was going with her story, it was nice to wait and see how it worked out.  This was the first series that I read by her and I am anxious to start another one soon.

Hump Day Inspiration #15

Happy Hump Day to everyone!

It's time for another challenge over at Inktegrity.  This week's challenge is a sketch challenge created by ME!  Here it is:

Here is my card using this sketch:

This is such a cute bear!  I realized last week that I had several baby boy cards and none for girls!

Supplies:
Stamps: Inktegrity - Ted E, Papertrey Ink - Daily Designs Sentiments
Paper: PTI Rustic Cream, Gina K Luxury White, PTI Berry Sorbet, Unknown DP
Ink: Archival Jet Black, PTI Tea Dying Duo
Accessories: Cuttlebug, Circle Nestabilities (Classic & Scallop), Brads, SU Mat Pack

Welcome Baby

A co-worker asked me to make a gender neutral baby card for a shower that she is attending this weekend.  I came to the realization that I don't have much for baby stamps.  Need to add some to my Papertrey Ink wish list.  LOL!

I played with some of my newer toys from Papertrey Ink.  I used the Mat Stack 3 die and their Sunshine impression plate.  I really like the impression plates because they offer a less raised look that Cuttlebug embossing folders so I don't have a problem with my adhesive staying stuck.  I want to get more of them but they are $16 for one double sided plate so I am picking ones that I absolutely love and that I can use often.

Supplies:
Stamps: Papertrey Ink - Daily Designs, Papertrey Ink - Round & Round 2009 Anniversary Set - Not for Sale (Sentiment)
Paper: PTI White, PTI Lemon Tart, PRI Aqua Mist, GP White
Ink: PTI Aqua Mist, PTI Burnt Umber
Accessories: Cuttlebug, PTI Impression Plate - Sunshine, SU 1-3/4" Circle Punch, PTI Mat Stack 3 Die, Rhinestones

VSBC Grab Bag Project

Here is a cool Halloween project using the new files from Filekutz by LisaJane that were included in the September Grab Bag over at Visual Design by Chris:

This file features several Halloween borders to use on your cards or scrapbook pages.  I cut out a row of black cats and trimmed it down to fit my card.  What a nice addition to a simple and quick Halloween card!

Supplies:

Stamps: Inkadinkado - Trick or Treat (Sentiment)

Paper: PTI White, Basic Black, SU Summer Picnic DP

Ink: Archival Jet Black

Accessories: Cricut, Filekutz by LisaJane - Halloween Borders Cutting File

Happy Birthday Kyle!

Today my nephew, Kyle, turns 13!  Here is my attempt at a non-childish card for him!

I totally cased this card from Papertrey Ink when they were releasing this stamp set.  I love the layout and it is perfect for a male teenager!

Supplies:
Stamps: Papertrey Ink - Get the Point, Papertrey Ink - Get the Point Sentiments, Papertrey Ink - Fillable Frames #4
Paper: PTI Kraft, GP White, Real Red
Ink: Archival Jet Black, Real Red, PTI Fresh Snow, Copics
Accessories: Cuttlebug, PTI Fillable Frames #4 Die, SU 1-1/4" & 1-3/8" Circle Punches

A Time To Love (Quilts of Lancaster County #1) - Barbara Cameron

Summary from Good Reads: War correspondent Jenny Miller thinks she’s just a temporary guest in her grandmother’s Amish community while she recuperates from the devastating injuries sustained in a car bomb attack that changed her world. But when she meets Matthew, the man she had a crush on as a teenager, she wonders if God has a new plan for her.

Jenny is an Englisher who goes to her grandmother's house in Lancaster, PA to recuperate after several surgeries from a car bombing.  She is having problems dealing with her scars and people taking care of her.  She is reunited with a summer love, Matthew, who is lives next door and is a widower with three kids.  As her memory returns, she pieces together the summer as a teenager when she spent it there with him.

She falls in love with Matthew and his family.  His youngest daughter, Annie, is absolutely adorable.  Jenny falls in love with her, and the others, instantly as she can relate to them losing their mother.  They develop a wonderful relationship that touches her heart in a very special way.

I fell in love with this story because it is not like any other Amish story that I have read.  I love the unusual "twist" that Barbara Cameron incorporated into this book.  Barbara's writing style is wonderful and all the characters become alive within the book.

I am very anxious to read the second book in this series, A Time to Heal, which is scheduled to be released in March 2011.  There was a bonus chapter from the second book at the end of this one but I must admit, I did not read it.  I enjoyed the book so much that I know that it would leave me wanting more right away!

A special thanks goes out to Net Galley and Abingdon Press for giving me this great opportunity to read and review this book in advance for them.  I am looking forward to reading more of this series and more, in general, from Barbara Cameron.

Inktegrity's Hump Day Inspiration #14

Yeah, Inktegrity's Hump Day Inspirations are back!  There is even a new DT!  Check it out HERE!

Here is my card:

Supplies:
Stamps: Inktegrity - Mr. Owl, Papertrey Ink - Wise Owl (Sentiment)
Paper: PTI Vintage Cream, GP White, Close to Cocoa
Ink: Close to Cocoa
Accessories: Prismacolor Pencils, Blending Stumps, Baby Oil, Cuttlebug, Deckled Rectangles Nestabilities, PTI Twill Ribbon - Burnt Umber

Recovered!

My boss went in for hernia surgery today. I made this card to send to him so he will have when he gets home!

Supplies:
Stamps: Papertrey Ink - On My Couch, Papertrey Ink - On My Couch Additions (Sentiment)
Paper: PTI Kraft, Brilliant Blue, GP White
Ink: Archival Jet Black, Brilliant Blue, Close to Cocoa
Accessories: Cuttlebug, PTI Couch Dies, Ribbon

Squigglefly Challenge #66

It's Monday!  Man, I do not like Mondays!  But having the Squigglefly challenge helps to make it "bear"able.

For challenge #66, it is to use your favorite Squigglefly image.  Well that is nearly impossible for me since there are so many great images.  So I picked an image from my favorite line of images, Shy Bear.  Here it is:

Shy Bears are so fun to color and to send as cards!  How can you not smile looking at this card??!!

Supplies:
Stamps: Squigglefly - Shy Bear Snail Mail Bear, Papertrey Ink - Mailbox Greetings (Sentiment)
Paper: PTI White, Basic Black, Bo Bunny DP
Ink: Archival Jet Black, Cat's Eye Chalk - Lipstick Red
Accessories: Prismacolor Pencils, Blending Stumps, Baby Oil, Brads, SU Mat Pack

September's Newsletter Project

Here is a new project using digital cutting files from Filekutz by LisaJane for her monthly newsletter:

In this project, I used Circle Borders 1 (LK00145) to make the two side borders.  I added the flowers where the two borders intersected to cover it up.

Supplies:

Stamps: Whimsie Doodles - Puddle Jumper

Paper: PTI White, Gina K White, Brilliant Blue, Basic Black, SU Summer Picnic DP

Ink: Copics

Accessories: Cricut, Filekutz by LisaJane - Circle Borders 1 (LK00145)

A Simple Amish Christmas - Vannetta Chapman

Summary from Good Reads: Annie Weaver always planned to return home, but the 20-year old RN has lived in Philadelphia for three years now. Her time of rumschpringe is about to come to an abrupt end, bringing for Annie an overwhelming sense of loneliness. She returns home and finds herself face-to-face with a budding romance with an Amish farmer and Annie has several important choices to make.

Annie is such a wonderful Amish woman.  She left home at sixteen to pursue her education while living with her Aunt in Philadelphia.  She is called home to help her family and she heads back without a second thought.  With the holiday season upon her, she is feeling really homesick for her Amish family and their traditions.  Once returning back, she quickly gets back into her Amish routine while she cares for her father.  In only a month's time, she meets Samuel, who cares for all the sick in their community but he is not a doctor.  She is able to use her nursing skills to help him and the community.

Without giving away any details of the book, I wish Ms. Chapman would write another book to make this a series so we can see how things play out with Annie and all the other characters in this novel.  Although I am happy with how the story ended, I feel that it could continue if she wanted it to.

Based on reading this book, I would never have thought that this was Vannetta Chapman's first novel.  Her writing is wonderful and so is her talent to develop her characters.  I am looking forward to reading more from her as it becomes available!

Name the Monkee Contest

I came across this cool contest from Some Odd Girl Stamps.  They have created this cute monkey and he (or she) needs a name.  Read about the contest details HERE along with all the cool prizes that are available for the winner!

Mockingjay (The Final Book of The Hunger Games) - Suzanne Collins

Summary from Good Reads: Against all odds, Katniss Everdeen has survived the Hunger Games twice. But now that she-s made it out of the bloody arena alive, she-s still not safe. The Capitol is angry. The Capitol wants revenge. Who do they think should pay for the unrest? Katniss. And what-s worse, President Snow has made it clear that no one else is safe either. Not Katniss-s family, not her friends, not the people of District 12. Powerful and haunting, this thrilling final installment of Suzanne Collins-s groundbreaking The Hunger Games trilogy promises to be one of the most talked about books of the year.

This book begin with 6 victors remaining from the Quarter Quell. There is a war between the rebels and the Capitol. It is Katniss Everdeen versus President Snow.

I really like the way this trilogy wrapped up. I am glad that read all 3 books back to back and did not have to wait for the next book. I would highly recommend it for anyone young or young at heart!