Sketch Inspiration - Mini Snow-cation!

I have some exciting news! I'm sponsoring the prize over at Sketch Inspiration this week. I just love this site. I find so much inspiration there, so I was so happy to be able to show my support. So this week features a marvelous sketch that I really found inspiring. In fact, I had picked out my Echo Park paper from the Winter Park collection and my pictures of the furballs playing in the snow, but hadn't yet found the time to put the layout together. Then hubby and I took a three day camping trip to the coast where it snowed! By the time we got home, I knew the furballs pictures were out and the camping trip pictures were in. My absolute favorite picture right now is this one of Chewie and hubby napping together on the couch in the RV. Just too cute! I really had fun with this layout. I speckled paint on the stripped paper to bring it more in line with the speckling pattern in the other papers. I used my great Stampin' Up paper piercer to prepare the paper for hand-stitching with DMC floss. I made the title in the Silhouette Design Studio. The "Snow" is is cut in glitter paper (unfortunately that doesn't show well in the picture). The snowflakes are also cut out in glitter paper on the Cameo. The snowflakes were an image downloaded from Silhouette's Design Studio. Did you know that Echo Park has shapes that match some of their paper lines in there? I didn't until I found these and that just gave me one more reason to love the Silhouette and Echo Park (as if I even needed another reason). I just really love Echo Park paper! This Winter Park collection perfect for this time of year when we all get such great wintry pictures, well except DaisyMae Maus who lives in sunny Sandy Eggo, where it rarely, if ever, snows. But the paper also has some pages that would fit any time of year too. That's why I picked it for the prize for this week.

So, go on over to Sketch Inspiration and upload your take on the layout for a chance to win the entire Winter Park collection pack from Echo Park plus a bonus page of white glitter paper.
If you can't participate this week, stop by Sketch Inspiration any time you can. You'll always find an inspiring sketch and lots of inspiration in the gallery.

Window card

A week ago I came home early from work because I had a killer sinus migraine. I get them from time to time, particularly when the weather starts going through rapid changes (90 degrees to 60 degrees in two days). Most of the time, they are a pain (literally) but I can make it through work and then come home to sleep it off. So I thought I could make it through the whole day at work, but it quickly became quite clear that wasn't in the cards for me. At least not if I wanted to make it through the day with my dignity somewhat intact. So I hung in there until my meeting were over and then dear Hubby drove me home - have I mentioned before how fabulous it is that we work in the same building - and I took some decongestants and went to bed. Now the bad part is that I drift in and out of consciousness with these. I sleep for a little and then wake up for a little, but can't really move without making my head feel like it's going to explode. So while I waited for the meds to kick in, I started up an episode of Scrapbook Memories on the DVR. Now I've seen most of these so if I drift off, no problem. Also, with the DVR, who cares anyway, I can just rewind it. Which I did about five times that afternoon always waking up with the end credit music started. I would rewind the show and be out a few seconds later again (wouldn't it be nice if I could just turn the TV off? But no, I freak out if the TV isn't on). I don't remember much about the episode but I have had this crazy urge to make a window card ever since (not surprisingly I've since learned they did a window card on that episode). So here is my simple window card I made using two different Fiskars stamps that DaisyMae Maus sent me. The first is the tower of gift boxes that came with a stamp set to be used with Fiskars Push and Print Stamp Factory and the second is the birthday greetings that goes with the Fiskars Continuous Stamp Wheel. I then colored in the words "Happy Birthday" and "Enjoy" in pink (again my photography sucks because you can't really see that all that well in the picture) and used my Stampin' Up set to punch the little box of holes around the window. It was a pretty quick card to put together, but at least I've conquered that urge to make a window card and can move on to other things now.

Sketch N Stash Birthday Card

Thanks to Cheryl Ann First Cafe Expressions I found a great new sketch blog called Sketch N Stash. The current challenge is to use one of their existing sketches. I found that Sketch 22 was calling my name. I dug into my scrap bin for the paper, which I think is maybe from DCWV from a Spring stack from a few years ago. I found the eyelets in my embellishment bins. It's been an awfully long time since I've used eyelets. The stamp is a new one that came in the Fiskars Stamp Factory that DaisyMae Maus was kind enough to send my way.

Race Day Sunday!

It's the first race of the Chase so normally it would be a day of lounging on the big chairs for some good lap time while Mommy and Daddy watch cars go left all day, but today Mommy says is special. DaisyMae Maus' Mommy and family are coming to visit for a few days. What do I think about this? Hmmmm.... More laps! More loving! Maybe even, no I dare not say it, but more Temptations????? Whooowiiieee! I love it! Plus I'll still get race lap time courtesy of TIVO. It's the best of all worlds. Go Smoke go!

I almost forgot! It's Skeezix's birthday today! Drop by and wish him a great birthday.

Wordless Wednesday

Okay so not so wordless...

First, thank you furry much DaisyMae Maus for the kyoooot kitty pillow. We had lots of fun opening the package today and had a blast taking turns sniffing it.

Second, concatulations to Tara, Princess Meezer. She was the first person to comment on our 50th post. (Can you believe it's been 50 already?) Anyhow, Mommy will be sending her a little something. I hope that by our 100th post I will have whipped Mommy into shape so we can do a more structured contest, but what can you expect from a bean, right?