Stamping with Kim

Merry Monday Challenge #10

Happy Monday morning!  It's going to be a great week - I just feel it!!

This is definitely the earliest I've finished the Merry Monday Challenge.  That's because I had the sketch early *wink*.  Lesley chose my card as her winner a couple of weeks ago - and this week she has THIS CARD featured on her website.  Be sure to check out her site & all the fabulous entries that are posted for this weeks' challenge!!

This fabulous Christmas Poinsettia (and die) is from PTI (Paper Trey), along with the designer paper and (Autumn Rose) card base.  Fortunately, these colors match beautifully with Old Olive & Rich Razzleberry from Stampin' Up!  The Tiny Tag (and die) are also from PTI.

Inks on the poinsettias are SU! Pretty in Pink, and PTI Autumn Rose.  They are perfect together!!  Leaves are Old Olive, with More Mustard centers.  Scallop punch, textured embossing & twine are SU!  The teeny tiniest bit of Dazzling Diamonds was added, naturally.

I think now that my card is all done - I might play along again just to have another card in my stash!!

Also going on this week....kitchen cabinets!!  Yes, I have to get that narrowed down right away.  (you know I'll post pics here!)  Eating sandwiches & pop tarts is already old - and it's only been a few days!

Whatever is on your agenda this week -- I hope you have a good one!!  Thanks for visiting with me!!

 

Merry Monday Challenge #8

woo hoo!  I'm 8 for 8 in this challenge, and no one is more surprised than me!!  LOL!

Lesley has another inspiring layout for us this week.  As soon as I saw her sketch, I knew exactly which stamp set to use.  Love it when that happens!!

Before we move past last weeks' challenge, though, be sure to check out my sweet friend, LeAnne's, card from last week.  Not only is it incredibly adorable - but she won the challenge last week & will be one of Lesley's featured artists next week!!  Woo hoo, LeAnne!!!

This is my offering for Challenge #8.  I love this stamp set!!  It's from PTI, along with matching die & sentiment.  The papers are SU! Shimmery White & Riding Hood Red, along with SEI designers.  The ribbon is retired SU! RHR, and the oval(ish) die is new SU!

I am sooooo in the mood for Christmas with these challenges! 

Now...on to the rest of my life - or at least a big chunk of it....here's a little sampling of the construction a/k/a DESTRUCTION going on in my house...

This is the teeny tiny screened porch we had on the back of our house.  It was just big enough for a small round table with 4 chairs.  I called it my "tea" porch, because it was only big enough for a couple of girls to enjoy a cup of tea on.

It's all gone now....and here's the beginning of the replacement...

This picture was taken a couple of days ago - now we actually have wood on the roof.  The felt is going on right now since we are expecting thunderstorms this afternoon.

You really couldn't see the original porch from the side of the house.  Now it looks like this from the side...

Quite a bit different - don't you think??  That's my kitchen on the end there - right under those 2 big windows.

When finished, it will be screened with a fireplace at the end.  Hopefully we will get to enjoy it before the weather turns too warm!!

Now, I have to turn my attention back to the kitchen.  Part of this construction/destruction includes a total overhaul of the kitchen -- including replacing the sculptured concrete floor!!  That means everything has to come out of the kitchen and cabinets.  yuk!!  Mike the Builder said "it's kinda like surgery -- things are gonna get really messy before they get better!!"

I love his analogy!!!

Happy Wednesday to you!!!

 

 

Merry Monday Challenge #7

I'm so excited to be able to join Lesley's 7th Merry Monday Challenge!  I really didn't think it was going to happen this week.  This is why I love her simple sketches! 

Here is THE SKETCH for this week.  We had the option of using the Ovals, or any other shape.

I chose to use parts of a kit that I purchased a while back - combined with two Oval punches from Stampin' Up!, the sentiments (from "Petite Pairs" and "Delightful Decorations"), twine & rhinestones...mounted on Cherry Cobbler cs.

When I first saw this sketch I thought it might be a little difficult to work with - but not so!  I was very pleased with the final results.

In other news... my 85 year old step-father-in-law came through his surgery yesterday beautifully!!  I tell you, there is something about that generation - he woke up & wanted to go home!!  He had a total knee replacement & won't be coming home for a week or so.  Glad I'm not the one trying to keep him in the hospital!!

We had planned on spending this weekend with some friends from West Virginia - but they had to postpone their trip due to SNOW!!  Instead, looks like I will be packing up my kitchen & getting ready for the big hole that's going to be where the kitchen wall now stands.  What a mess it's going to be!  But I can't wait for it to start so it can all be overwith!!

I hope you have a fun weekend planned!  Happy President's Day weekend!!

Merry Monday Challenge & a Trip down Memory Lane

Wow, I got this weeks' challenge done really early!  I guess it was all the help I had!!!  Doesn't he look like the tall, dark & handsome type??!!   *smile*  This is Brother a/k/a Punkin.

LESLEY has another really cute sketch for us this week & once again things just fell right into place for my card.  Love it!! 

For this weeks' challenge I pulled out one of my favorite SU! sets from this past Christmas called "Merry & Type".  Colors used are Lucky Limeade & Cherry Cobbler (markers & cs).  The DSP is from my stash, and small sentiment from the corner is also an SU! stamp from "Delightful Decorations", another favorite set.  I just got a new order this week that had some beautiful "lime-colored" rhinestones that worked like a charm on this card! 

My DSP was not double-sided, so I used the vanilla side as the outside for an envelope.  LOVE how that turned out, too!

With a little glitter on the ornaments & some texture on the CC band across the front - this card was finished in a flash....that's why I made two of them!!

So thanks again, Lesley, for making my December look bright already!!

Now...for another tour down memory lane...who remembers this stamp set??

And before you ask....YES, this stamp set is unmounted!!  It's called "Summertime".

I joined SU! the year AFTER this set was available & drooled over it for YEARS!!  I believe it was also one of the early Convention themes ....before my time!  But I can just imagine the place was incredible being decorated with this set!

A few years ago - maybe SU!'s 20th anniversary?? - they had some old & popular stamp sets re-issued.  That is when I made this purchase!!  I love it way too much to mount it & use it!  If I had been really smart - I would've bought TWO of them & made one a "working stamp set".  Oh well, I'm happy just pulling this one out & drooling over it from time to time.

OK, so who remembers this stamp set??!!  Again, YES...this set is unmounted, too!!

This set is called "French Twist" and was highly sought after.  If I remember correctly, this set was only available to demonstrators that were performing at a certain level.... and I don't remember off-hand what that level was.  But I think it was one of a number of sets that were available each quarter for performance???  There have been a lot of incentives from SU! over the past 14 years & there's no way I can remember all of them!

Anyway... the memory is highly overrated.  And I can't remember why!!!  LOL!!

So that's my card, my help & my trip down memory lane for today!  I hope you enjoyed it - and please leave me a comment and let me know if you remember these stamp sets...and anything else you'd like to share!

Thanks for visiting me today!!

 

 

 

Merry Monday Challenge #5

Happy Friday!!

It's been another whirlwind week around here.  What about where you are??

Let's see if I can do a brief re-cap....hubby is up & about after some major back surgery (insert smile!) ....my mom FELL DOWN the steps when I took her to physical therapy on Wednesday (insert heart rate of 200+) she is OK, BTW! ....and I completed the 5th of five  Merry Monday Challenges!! (insert happy face!!)

Here is the sketch for this week.  So perfect!!  Do I have to say again how much I love these simple sketches?!!  I do!  I do!!

If you read THIS POST from a couple of days ago, you know that I was itching to play with my new SIMPLY SENT KIT that came in this weeks' order.  And it just so happened that I had a sketch in mind!!

This card practically fell into place.  I pulled some DSP from my stash, stamped the sentiment into the label sticker that came with the kit.  Then I added the tree (in Baja Breeze) with cardinals & chunky white glitter.  That's it.

No, seriously, that's it!!  The notecard itself is pre-printed AND pre-laser-cut along the border!  What's not to love?!!

Now....if you DID read my blog from the past couple of days, then you know that I teased about having some really retro things to share with you...how about this one...

Who remembers this stamp??!!

I can't remember the name - but I do remember that it was a large, background type stamp.

I also remember that when SU! first introduced their website -- oh yes, I remember BEFORE SU! HAD A WEBSITE!! -- but this image was what you saw when you first went to SU!

How cool is that?!!  Oh how I wish I still had this stamp!!!

This card was my own design - I did the watercoloring & layering :-)  So glad I kept it!!

I hope this gives you a smile for the weekend!!   I also hope you have a blissful Saturday & Sunday.  We deserve it!!

Happy Friday!!