Winter Wonderland for Sketches in Thyme

Oh, I am so happy to be back for a number of reasons! The first being some super exciting news - I'm the December Maven for Sketches in Thyme! I am so very thrilled to be their Maven for the entire month and can't wait to share a new LO with you each week. In case you are not familiar with SIT, they are a fabulous sketch site that provides some wonderful inspiration. They have a super talented DT and you can check it all out RIGHT HERE! The other reason being that I've missed y'all so very much! It's been nearly a month since I last blogged and while I usually keep things private, it is due to my health. Among many health problems, I have a very severe case of Fibromyalgia, Osteo Arthritis, and Polymalgia Rheumatica. Several weeks ago I began receiving nerve blocks in my spine & hips. Today I go back for another round of the nerve blocks and they usually keep me down for a couple days. I'm also receiving injections in my knees as well. However, not only do I have an amazing Lord & Savior in Jesus Christ and a strong faith, I am so very blessed to have an amazing support network of family & friends. Their prayers and help have got me through so much, for which I am eternally grateful. Therefore, if you'll bare with me, I promise to keep up my crafting and get back to my normal schedule. It lifts my spirits to do a hobby that I love so much and this past week it has truly made me happy to be creating again. Now, on to the good stuff!

This is the sketch for this week and I loved that it featured more than one photo, as well as the side title. What I also love about sketches in general is not only are they helpful in getting started, but that you are not held down to the exact sketch. You can flip it, tweak it, and adjust the photo sizes - which is what I did. I decided to use 2 photos, one being slightly larger than the other. To check out how the SIT DT gals interpreted Sketch #62, click HERE!

The photos above are from a winter storm we received 2 years ago. I've been wanting to scrap them forever and am so glad they are finally done! And I also gotta give a shout out regarding those 2 super cute crochet hearts. They were made by and sent to me by a super sweet crafty friend - Heather Dennis, who owns Fresh Brewed Designs! She is such a sweetie & I love the special touch they give to my LO.

Supplies

Patterned Paper - Jillibean Soup (wood grain), October Afternoon (red gingham)

Foam Thickers - American Crafts

Ribbon - Fiskars

Doilies - Wilton

Distress Ink - Tim Holtz (walnut stain)

Journaling Spot - Shabby Chic Crafts

Adhesive - Glue Glider Pro, Aileen's Fast Grab Tacky Glue, Pop Dots

Stash - Crochet Hearts, Glitter Snowflakes, Buttons, Twine, Quote,

Thanks so much for stopping by and baring with me during a kinda lengthy post! Now, I hope you'll visit Sketches in Thyme to not only leave me so me love, but play along for a fabulous prize. You'll also be totally inspired by their amazing DT. Just click HERE to visit their blog! I'm planning on sharing another project in the next couple days, but just in case something happens, I will definitely be back next Thursday to share my next LO for Sketches in Thyme. Until then, Happy Crafting & Merry Christmas!

I'm also entering my LO into the following challenges!
Paper Issues -  Holiday Madness
Inspire Me Fridays - Inspiration Link Party
Fresh Brewed Designs - Christmas
 The Paper Variety - Inspired by a Christmas Song (winter wonderland)
Kaboodle Doodles - Colors of Christmas
True XoXo - Challenge #24 (inspired by the colors in Ana's LO!)
ScrapFit - WWU#19 Stitching (stitching on my ribbon!)
Lasting Memories - All about the Sentiment (used a favorite christmas song!)

Share the Holidays...

Well, hello my crafty peeps! Been a little bit since I last posted and I'm sorry about that. Things have been kind of crazy round here so please forgive me. However, I'm hoping to get back to my normal routine now and to kick things off, I'm sharing with you a card I created for my Guest Design post at Paper Crafting Journey! I shared a creation about a month ago that I created for PCJ as well and you can check that card out HERE. I can tell you right now that I've loved creating for them & if you are not familiar with their challenge site, you should definitely check PCJ out RIGHT HERE! Psssttt...this week's super fun challenge is embossing - which I made sure to showcase on my hearts. Oh, and I just have to share that I scored that sweet sentiment for a whopping 12 cents, yep 12 cents, at my local Hobby Lobby Basket Market awhile back. Love that place so much and if you are lucky enough to have one, go check it out!!

Supplies

Cardstock - Bazzill

Patterned Paper - Cosmo Cricket (Odds and Ends)

Embossing - Cuttlebug

Crochet Lace - Prima (from the YMH store!)

Sentiment - Stampabilities

Ink/Scallop Border Punch - Stampin' Up

Glimmer Mists - Tattered Angels (also from the YMH store!)

Perfect Pearls - Ranger

Adhesives - Glue Glider Pro, Pop Dots, Aileen's Fast Grab Tacky Glue

I feel a little happy getting a jump start on a few of my handcrafted Christmas cards this year. Normally, if I get any made at all, it is at the very last minute. I swear I'm one of the world's worst procrastinators! I'm hoping to get back here later this week to show off a few more holiday cards I'm whipping up. It doesn't feel like we should be talking about Christmas yet since Thanksgiving hasn't even passed, but oh well. For those dreading the craziness that comes with the holidays, forgive me for starting early! Make sure to hop on over to Paper Crafting Journey to check out this week's challenge and I hope you'll play along too! 

Until next time, Happy Craftin'!

I'm also entering my card into the following challenges!

Creative Inspirations - Anything Goes

Inspire Me Fridays - Inspiration Link Party

Party Time Tuesdays - Bling It On! (used glimmer mists & perfect pearls!)

Fresh Brewed Designs - Anything Goes Month Long Challenge

Card Makin' Mamas - Cut It Out!

Speedy the Cat - Fall or Winter Theme

Catch the Bug - Anything Goes

Really Reasonable Ribbon - Christmas

Paper Sundaes - Rectangle
Joy's Life - Make It Messy (awesome new challenge site!!!)

FBD's 'Save the Hooters' Blog Hop!

Good Morning and thank you for joining in on the Fresh Brewed Designs Save The Hooters blog hop. 

If you are getting here from Stacy's blog HERE then you are right on track. If not, please start off at the beautiful and talented Linda's blog.

We are so happy that you are joining us today as we spread smiles, share beautiful projects and most of all raise awareness. The word Cancer is one that makes us all cringe and sometimes turn away. That does not make it go away, it just means we try to avoid talking about it and pretending it is not there. It is there and it is a reality. I know most of us have had family or friends who have been diagnosed with a form of cancer or know someone who has died of cancer related causes. One of those cancers is Breast Cancer. In the year 2011 in the United States alone approximately 230,480 new cases of invasive breast cancer in women have been reported, approximately 57,650 new cases of carcinoma in situ (CIS) will be found (CIS is non-invasive and is the earliest form of breast cancer, and approximately 39,520 deaths from breast cancer (women).

Fresh Brewed Designs has created a brand new rubber stamp set as well as several digital stamps in which part of your purchase will be donated to Chemo Angels. If you have not heard about Chemo Angels we suggest you look them up. They are a wonderful organization. They support all forms of cancer as well as have ways to donate in the form of time, cards, as well as monetary donations. To find out more about how Fresh Brewed Designs will be taking part, visit HERE.

 (wanna win? leave a comment & become a follower...super easy!)

I'm also offering some fun Halloween blog candy during the hop! If you'd like the chance to win, simply leave me a comment & become a follower. If you are already a follower of my blog, just let me know that in your comment. Super easy huh? No jumping through hoops on this gal's blog...LOL! 

So for today's hop, I chose to use FBD's Spicy Pumpkin Latte to whip up a fun fall card! I just love this stamp because it is very versatile...last Saturday I used it to create a Halloween card you can find HERE. I just love creating with FBD's stamps & I am so blessed to their GDT for September!

Supplies

Spicy Pumpkin Latte Stamp by Fresh Brewed Designs

Ink - Staz On

Coloring - Bic Mark-It

Sentiment - Studio G

Cardstock - Bazill (orange,black), The Paper Studio (white)

Patterned Paper - Basic Grey

Punch - Martha Stewart

Perfect Pearls - Ranger

Distress Ink - Tim Holtz (walnut stain)

Ribbon - May Arts

Baker's Twine - The Twinery

Adhesives - Glue Glider Pro, Pop Dots, Aileen's Fast Grab Tacky Glue

Stash - Button

Fresh Brewed Designs is also sponsoring Link Up For Pink. The linking party will be held from October 1 - 14.  Every project linked will be pink themed and there will be lots of opportunities for prizes. Grab the badge below and be sure to save the date! 

If you purchase the featured BCA stamp set or any of the BCA digital stamps, be sure to be watching for a special link in the tabs under the blog header at Freshly Brewed Challenges. There will be a special link up challenge just for you starting October 1st. We'll allow back linking if you're using these images.

Thank you so much for visiting me today! Your next stop on the hop will be at Vanessa's blog HERE. Make sure to hop along to all the blogs because besides great inspiration, there are some super fun prizes to be won. Make sure to check back Saturday too for my next FBD post...I think you'll like it!
Until then, Happy Craftin'!

Here is the hop order in case you get lost along the way!

Linda 

Celeste
Stacy
Crystal (ME!)
Vanessa
Stacie
Yolanda
Carolyn
Rhonda
Sheryl
Catherine
Heather
Freshly Brewed Challenges

I'm also entering my card into the following fun challenges!

Paper Issues - Tree Hugger
Party Time Tuesday - Sketch
Really Reasonable Ribbon - Autumn
Jellypark Friends - Pass It On (created this one for a long distance friend!)
Catch the Bug - Make a Scene
Tuesday Taggers - Anything Goes
Tuesday Throwdown - Fall
Delightful Sketches - Happy Fall Y'all!