Oh My Bright-FTL 139

Yea!!! I finally got my color coach last night. No more guessing which color goes with which for me!! Color coordinating is not my strong suit...hey, I wear blue polyester everyday!

Todays layout inspiraton came from the Fall to Layout challenge over at Clean and Simple Stamping. I had never visited this blog before and after scrolling through their layouts I am going to definitely add this to my weekly challenge list.

For this week's challenge I used coordinating paper from the Brights DSP stack. (Love that paper!) And I heat embossed the flowers from the Punch Potpourri set using Melon Mambo Embossing Powder. Finally, to add a little contrast I added the Daffodil Delight butterflies.

The card is a little..okay, A LOT, brighter than what I normally like but I think it will be fun for someone who's young and fun themselves!

SSC 202

After almost 2 full months off from work..(I did a trip here and there during that time) I'm slowly getting back into the swing of things. I don't think that I'll be taking that much time off again. I'm a girl who needs some structure and a schedule...even if it's the crazy schedule of a flight attendant. I'm hoping to get back into participating in some weekly challenges now that I am back to work.

For this week's Stamping 411 challenge I used the color combination of Poppy Parade, Crumb Cake and Night of Navy. I really like this color combo. I paired it with the Eastern Blooms stamp set which is one of my all time favorites! I think the tiny pearls added really make the card.

Party Time's Over...

Like all good things, my vacation has come to an end. I've had 3 awesome weeks off in which I spent alot of time with my husband, my family and my home. I'm back to work tonight and off to the west coast. I'm hoping warmer weather awaits me in L.A...maybe I can get some pool time before I have to come back east.

Anyways, I was so occupied doing projects around the house while I was off I made very little time for myself to stamp. That is, until I received the new colored embossing powders that are in the Summer Mini. Love them and can't wait to use them some more!

For this week's card I used the sketch over at Stamping 411. I've said it before...but the operators NEVER disappoint me with their sketches. If you haven't stopped by there, you should play along..I always enjoy it.

Small Miracles---MOJO185

This card is representative of two small miracles in my life. The first being that my amazing neighbor gave birth this morning to a little baby boy. I was so excited watching them drive off to the hospital knowing that she was going to bring home the most precious bundle of joy!

The second and 'lesser' miracle is that I have finally figured out how to tie a bow!!! Don't know how I figured it out. I was playing around with the ribbon and the next thing I knew I had a bow! I've been fighting with bows for 3 years now and voila! (Every card since then has had a bow attached!)

I saw this sketch over at Mojo Monday and I knew right away the layout would make a great baby card. The stamp set 'Bundle of Joy' is an oldie but goodie. It has always been my go-to set when I needed anything baby. I think this is the first time I have ever used Tempting Turqouise and I love how it works with the Certainly Celery and Early Espresso.

Here's my card..I hope you enjoy!

...and I hope you'll have small miracles in your life this week!

Thank you!

Spring is here! Although it doesn't really feel like it here in New England. My crocuses are up but I really would like to see some green on my trees! The colors for this card were chosen by the girls over at Stamping 411 for this week's color inspiration and the sketch was provided by Mojo Monday's Weekly Sketch Challenge. I absolutely love these colors together. On this card I tried out the inlaid embossing technique for the background. I first saw it over at Joyful Creations with Kim and then there was a tutorial last week on it at Stamping 411 so I thought I would give it a shot. There's a million things you can do with this technique!

Here's my card! I hope you like!

Back and Relaxed...Back to the Grind!

One of the greatest things about my line of work is the flexibility in scheduling. I'm just back to work after 20+ days off. During my time off I traveled to Miami to run in a Half-Marathon and five days after getting back from Florida my husband and I packed up the car and headed to Myrtle Beach for a week of golfing and sun. The weather was amazing! It was a bit of a shock and a bummer to come back to cold and snowy weather on Monday. I have faith though, Spring is just around the corner!

This 'little' dude was sunbathing just off my tee-box at TPC Myrtle Beach...YIKES!

I took some time yesterday to stamp before I left on my trip. I can always count on the Ladies at Stamping 411 to have a great sketch to work with. And they didn't disappoint! Here is the final product...

I hope you enjoy!

Feeling Fortunate!

happy to have finished!

Twenty three hundred runners gathered in the dark this past Sunday morning to run in the Miami Beach Half Marathon. I was fortunate enough to be one of them. I had never started a race in pitch black darkness before so this was new territory for me. The sun was shining by mile 3 and I had already settled into a nice groove. At mile 6 I felt great and at mile 10 I hit a wall. Perseverance won out and I finished with a personal record of 1:55:59.

As soon as I saw the sketch for the Stamping 411 Challenge this week I knew right away the card I wanted to make...I've said this before..but you gotta love when that happens! I am obviously still on an in-color kick as I mixed Concord Crush and Pear Pizzazz with an old favorite of mine...So Saffron! I hope you enjoy!

I had a dear friend of mine travel the 1500 miles with me to cheer me on as I crossed the finish line. This card is for her. I am so grateful to know such a wonderful person and feel extremely lucky to call her my friend! Thanks, Darlene!