Snugglin' at home...

     After spending the last two days up at "Oncology" it sure was nice to sleep in this morning and know that I could stay in all day!  Our weather has been very cold and while it's all normal for January, I till dread it and hurt so much more when it's bitter and cold!


     Today, I'm a super snuggly and warm and have a great fire going in the woodstove.  I did all my morning chores and then quickly headed to my craftroom to make some new cards.  I am SO HAPPY to be back to creating and can hardly begin to tell you all just how much I LOVE it!  It's my passion and much like "therapy" for me.  Keeps my mind of the pain of Fibro and then upset of living with Cancer.


     Moving on to happier thoughts--I'll start with this first card which was created with a new challenge in mind and also as a "Thank you" card for a family who adopted a wonderful dog from "Paw Affection Dachshund Rescue", where I am a happy volunteer and a member of the Board.  If you know of anyone in my area who would LOVE adopt one of our Rescue Pups...please let me know.  I also invited to visit our website and our Facebook page, which you can link to from the site!!

    

    

   This card is also being submitted the newest challenge over at CASolgy, where the them is "Simple" and what would be more simple and a basic "Black & White" Card.  My cute little Pups stamp is from Paper Smooches and the Sentiment is from Winnie and Walter.

 

   My next card was created for a brand new challenge that I am playing in for the first time.  It's being hosted over at "Stamp Junkies" which is a Stamp Group on Facebook.  Feel free to come on over and join the group!  It's a fun group, great peoples and no drama!  Love that!!  You can find all the details on their January Challenge, including the theme --- HERE!!

   Catherine Pooler is donating the wonderful prize for this challenge, which is one of Stamp Of Approval Kits.  The theme this month is "Friendship" !!  We were also asked to use the colors featured on the SOA Kits, which are:  Pink, Orange, Turquoise and White.  I created this fun watercolor background using my Zig Markers and an Aqua Brush.  My Sentiment is from WPlus 9 and is a new stamp that "Lucky Stars" which I'm using for the first time today.  I die cut my frame with a die set from Lil Inkers and added it a "Black Hero Arts Card", the pink bling/gems are also from Hero Arts.

    I am also submitting this card to today's new "Something New" Challenge over at the Simon Says Stamp blog, along with my next card, (below).  The "Something New" in this card is the new stmaps set from WPlus 9 and the "Something New" in the card below if a brand new die cut, which is one of the newest exclusives from SSS!   

 

   In addition to the Wednesday Challenge at SSS, my "Heart" card was also inspired by this weeks' new Muse Challenge, which you'll find HERE !  I loved the color theme of the MUSE card and that was my inspiration for this card!

This week's Muse Card

created by Michelle

 

 

   And now I am off to clean up my desk a bit and then decide if I want to make dinner or call Hubby at work and have him pick up something for us on his way home.  Right now, I'm kind of beat, so I am definitely leaning toward having him bring something "yummy" home and I am craving seafood so I do think that will be my plan!

    Evening Update -- I was on such a fun "roll" creating that I headed back to my desk and created two more fun cards to share.  This first card was SUPER and was created with a "Stampin' Up" Shaker Card kit...!  Loved it and loved how fast it went together!!

    This card is being submitted to a brand new challenge blog, called "Paru's Card Making Challenges"!   The theme for the very first challenge is "NEW".  This card is my submission and is based on the fact that it comes from a "New" kit which I used for the very first time today!!

   That brings me to my final card of the day and this one was created for the new "Sketch Challenge" over at "The Outlawz Challenge Group".

 Sketch

My Card

  Have a great night and Happy Creating!!

Snowy Monday...

    ...and not my favorite weather, by an stretch of the imagination.   Not to mention that the forecast called for a bit of "spitting" snow and looking out, I can see that the ground is almost covered already..I guess this may be a bit of "Ocean Effect" snow, which we can often have here on the coast.

    The perfect day to say in all day, light a nice fire and rest...but I do have to venture out later for my bi-weekly lab work up at the Oncology department.   For now, I am enjoying some "creative" time in my craft-room and have two new challenge cards to share!

     My first card was created today's brand new "Something New" challenge be hosted over on the Simon Says Stamp - Monday Challenge Blog!  

   

  

    My fun little "Purple Valentine" was created using one of my brand new "Die Cuts' part of the Exclusive line at SSS.   This die is called, "Sweetheart Tag" and it is adorable -  Love it.  I cut it first in lavender and then again in white and used the white to layer on top.  I colored some of the heart with a clear Wink of Stella marker and then added a touch of Glossy Accents.  I popped the tag up on a white doily and added a little lavender ribbon, and I was done.

    My second card was created for the new "Greeting Card Challenge" over at "The Outawz Group" where today's challenge was to incorporate a "tree" on your card.  I started with a sweet little Digi Image from Meljen Designs, printed it on out quality cardstock and then colored it with my Copics, some Glitter, Stickles and more Glossy Accents.  My sentiment is a favorite and is favorite and you can find it over at Hero Arts.  

    Before I go, I am very happy and excited to tell you all that I have decided to want to get back to designing and I am in the early stages of looking for open Design Team Calls.  If you know any group that is hosting a call for looking for new team members or guest designers, please let me know.   Now that I am feeling better, I am loving creating again and very much want to be part of a team again!  I have been on several teams over the years and you'll find the names of dates of each team on my "Design Team" Tab Here!

  Thanks for thinking of me and thanks as always for stopping by!

 

First Cards for 2016!!

  Happy Saturday!  I spent most of my New Year's Day cleaning and doing more organizing, so today, I decided after a few morning chores, that I wanted to spend more time creating and that's exactly what I did.  I plan to continue to organize more and more and very soon will start "selling" a bunch of my craft goodies here and on Facebook!   Please stay tuned for more details coming very soon!
 
     This morning I happily sent out a "Kindness" package to a new card-maker that I learned about from my friend, Betty.  Betty knew that I had planned to do a major purge and told be about her friend Lynn, who has fallen in love with this wonderful hobby.  I was very excited for her and decided I wanted to "gift" her a box of goodies, which I do hope she'll enjoy!   It makes me "happy" to share with others and I only wish it could "giveaway" all my things, but with the cost of postage and such, it's simply too much!   Even so, I can promise that I'll have super deals on everything I sell and many goodies are brand new and have never been used!   I plan to put the money toward my "Cancer Treatment" -- Now that we are into a new year, I have a rather large deductible to meet before anything will be covered.  Yuk!!  In the meantime, if there are any "Craft Supplies" you are looking for -- Stamp Sets, Dies, Stencils, Inks and so on...please let me know and I'll be happy to pull them our for you!   If anyone is looking for any Cricut Cartridges, I no longer have  Cricut and I have several that I'm selling -- you can find them listed in this blog post!!   MAKE an OFFER!!

     I'm here to share my first cards for 2016 and most of them were inspired by some of my favorite challenges.    Starting with this very "Glittery" card which I created for the new challenge over at the a2z Scrapbooking Blog where the theme for January is "Glitter and Bling"!   I stared this by first choosing my favorite Hero Arts Stamp and Cut sets, which is Hello and although it's currently out of stock at a2z, you can simply ask for a "Custom Order", and they'll be happy to order it for you!

 

    My next card was created to send out as a "Thank You" do a dear "Rescue" friend who sent me an adorable "Purple" T-Shirt that says - "You Can't Buy Love, But you can Rescue It"!  I think it was so sweet of Liz to send that to more, and all just as a wonderful act of Kindness.   This is a an image if the T...how cute is that?

And the card I created for Liz

    I added this card to "My Gallery" over at The Outlawz challenge Group.  Today, (Sunday) I was delighted to see it was chosen as one of the Featured Cards!   Thank you!!

    My next card was created for the "Monday" Challenge over at Simon Says Stamp, where the them this week is "Winter Wonderland" and I used my wonderful new SSS January Card Kit (LOVE it)..to make this card.  

 

 And this is another card, also created with this same 

wonderful kit! 

   And my final card for today was created for the new "Wonderful Watercolors Challenge" being hosted over on the Simon Says Stamp Flickr Group,  and for the "Use Something New" Paper a la Mode Challenge over at "The Outlawz Group".   

   

      I decided to created a "Watercolor" background with my card and did that using this cute little "Watercolor Set" and I found at Amazon Smile.   I used an Aqua Pen to paint directly onto some Watercolor paper and then misted it with some WPlus9 Shimmer Spray Mist, (love the shimmer).  I then heat set that and adhered it to a bright pink card base.  I then used two of my brand new SSS dies, the heart is from the "Scribble Heart" set and the "Love" from this set and added those to my card.  I added a layer of Stickles to the "Love" die cut and then finished it off with a few crystal gems!  

    Speaking of "Watercolors", there is a brand new class coming up over at the Online Card Classroom and it starts on January 25th.  It's called "Watercolor for Card-Makers / Intermediate Techniques" and you can enroll by going to the OCC site here!   I totally LOVE all the classes the Jennifer and Kristina offer and have been fortunate enough to have taken EVERY one!   Two of my all time favorites are the Watercolor classes.  The first was "Watercolor for Cardmakers" and the second is "Watercolor for Cardmakers - Exploring Mediums"  -- Both of which you can still take and I'm sure you'll LOVE them.   I highly recommend any and all of the classes and have never been disappointed, they ROCK!!

My Top 10 from 2015!

Happy January and Happy 2016!!

    The past couple of years, I have enjoying seeing the blog posts where designers show their "Top 10" Favorite Cards, (or Creations) from the previous year!  It's not something I have done before, but I thought it would be fun!  Little did it know it's not easy to pick a Top 10, but it was kind of fun to go back and look at all the cards I created this year, especially since there were several weeks, that I never found the energy to make any!  It sure is nice to be feeling better again and I hope to make lots of fun and creative new cards this year!   I chose one card from each month of the year!

These are my Top 10 !  
January - December 2015

Love Hearts

January 

My first Shaker Card

With Love

February

Copic Coloring/Digi Images

Love

March 
Fun with Watercolors

I am tougher

April

Created as inspiration to WIN my Cancer Battle...

Woof

May
Just for fun 

Thank you

June

Created at a Card Class at "Absolutely Everything"

Hello
July
Playing with Watercolors

Teal Flowers

August

Just for fun 

Hello
September
Created for the Card Chain Swap

Share Handmade Kindness
October 
Created at Simon Says Stamp Create

Kindness Matters
November
Casing "Michelle Lupton"

 

Jingle
December
Created with my SSS December Card Kit

  

    I was happy to see that I managed to create cards every month of the year, even though there were a few months, with very little to choose from!   Hope you enjoy my Top 10 and if you do this on your blog, please leave me a note, so I can come by and see your choices for 2015!!

Happy 2016!!!

I wanted to stop by and wish you all a Very Happy New Year!  I pray that 2016 will be the year that they find a cure for my type of Cancer and all the other illnesses that take away our lives.   I also hope that there will be Peace in  our world and that our children  can live long and happy lives!   I love you all and want to thank everyone for all the support you have given to me this year. March 27, 2015, was the worst day of my life--it was the day I learned I had a brain tumor and that lead me to also learn that I have Stage IV Lung Cancer, that sadly is incurable.   As my doctor says, it is treatable, but not curable.   Even so, I'm still fighting and HOPE and PRAY that I can beat this damn cancer...!!   Thank you all for being so kind and caring...it means more to me than I can truly express. Please keep the good thoughts and prayers coming and please continue to be there for my family and my children, in time!     I HOPE with all my heart that my life will be better this year and that I can continue to find treatments that will help me feel better and live longer!   I am not at all ready to say Goodbye..I can't bear the thought of leaving.... my Husband, My Mom, all my wonderful friends, especially my childhood friends, who I've know forever, my two cherished Pups, Skye and Zeva and  mostly my two loving sons, Brian and Alex who have always been the greatest Loves and Joys of my life.     I hope with all my heart that a miracle will come for me and so many others who are battling terminal illness!     Hugs and Love too all!