Tuesday, July 27, 2010

MIDNIGHT MADNESS (MMSC64)

 Happy Tuesday Folks!
Did you all have a great weekend with lots of crafting? Mine was not what I expected as I'm having a hard time adjusting back to being home after my vacation in Holland, but I'll get there....soon I hope! I missed seeing everyone's creations and not being by the computer but I'm definately looking forward to getting back to visiting you all again and catching up on what's been happening while I was away. Did you all notice that my background disappeared while I was gone? Maybe you're letting me know it was time to change it!!! So I did....this won't be a permanent one but at least it looks better than just a white background with the little square box from photobucket!!! LOL
First things first, CONGRATULATIONS to our winners this week
Our MMSC63 Gold Star Award goes to...
#5 Karin Van Eijk
Our MMSC63 Remarkables Awards this week go to...
#20 Dorcas
#31 Bonnie O'Clair
#45 Carolyn Miller
Our sponsors this week are Stamp and Create

Stamp and Create  and is offering  a $25.00 gift certificate.

 Stamp and Create is an on-line store carrying many popular brands of stamps, paper, and embellishments including: Wags ‘n Whiskers Rubber Stamps, High Hopes Stamps, Sweet Pea, CC Designs, Kraftin’ Kimmie Stamps, Whiff of Joy, Stampavie, Penny Black, The Greeting Farm, Basic Grey, 7 Gypsies, Shimmerz, Nestabilities (always 20% off!!), charms and more!! Lacey is always adding new items to the store…so check it out at http://www.stampandcreate.com/
**Plus for the term of this challenge MMSC64, all Midnight Madness participants/blog readers can receive 10% off your total order!! Use discount code MMSC64(all one word - all CAPITAL letter) at check out.Thanks Lacey for your wonderful prize this week!!
**Our Monthly sponsor is..
Sew Many Cards
Click here to see this months prize.
My card this week is made using this adorable image of the two puppies from Stamp and Creates Wags n Whiskers called Puppy Love. Thank you Pricilla for this RAK...I love this stamp.
I colored the image in copics (my coloring is off this week so don't look too close, LOL), and added some sparkles to the smallest puppy. I also used the gorgeous stencil I won over at Layers of Color on the corners and it fits so well with the DP, don't you think? There is some simple straight stitching and the addition of the little paw brads to complete the look.
I hope you will join us this week at Midnight Madness and don't forget to check out my DT sisters creations.
Thanks so much for stopping by
Hugs,
Charlotte

Sunday, July 25, 2010

DOODLE DRAGON STUDIO CHALLENGE #15

Happy Sunday again,
Well I'm back from my vacation in Holland and a little disorganized right now....I'll blame it on the jet lag as that sounds better than just admitting I'm overwhelmed with everything I need to take care of!!! LOL
Later in the week I'll post some of my photos and share a little bit of Holland with you all. So if you like windmills and scenery I have lots to share.
OK, now down to business, are you all ready for another Doodle Dragon Challenge? My last challenge card was scheduled to post but for some reason it didn't go up so if you see it below this one, I'm posting it manually...better late than never I guess. This week our challenge is Friendship. I used another Toby and Buster image from Dustin Pike for this weeks challenge, as they are just the best of friends together! I love the bunny on the swing and both of them with big smiles on their faces! Just adorable.
I'm still trying to catch up with things around here so I'll keep this post really short :)
Have a great day and thanks for stopping by!
Hugs,
Charlotte

DOODLE DRAGON STUDIOS CHALLENGE #14

Happy Sunday everyone!
Are you enjoying the weekend and ready for another challenge over at Doodle Dragon Studios?? This week we have a great sketch from the lovely Lelia..thanks so much for making this sketch for us. I used this adorable image from Dustin Pike which is part of the Toby and Buster set. Isn't it the cutest and makes you greatful for the friends you have. I love the look on the bunny's face, patiently waiting for the little turtle to place the baby bird back in it's nest! I know this really would be better as an Easter card but I love it for a Friendship card too! I hope you will join us this week for this fun challenge and don't forget to check out all the other DT creations!
As this post is pre-scheduled, by the time you see this I should be watching the finals of the World Cup in Holland with the Netherlands playing Spain! How cool is that...to be watching in the home country of one of the finalists....I'm sure the whole country will be dressed in Orange and looking cool or crazy, I know I will be!!! So for those of you who've been following the games I hope you enjoy the finals too! Of course being part of a Dutch family I'm so hoping that the Netherlands will get their First World Cup!!
AS YOU CAN SEE THIS IS A LATE POST THAT WAS SCHEDULED TO GO UP ON JULY 11TH WHILE I WAS ON VACATION...FOR SOME REASON IT DIDN'T! SORRY!
Thanks so much for stopping by!
Have a great day!
Hugs,
Charlotte

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

MIDNIGHT MADNESS (MMSC63)

It's Tuesday again and I'm still in Holland! By now we will have enjoyed the party for my in-laws celebrating their 40th Wedding Anniversary but will be flying home in a few days time....back to reality with catching up on emails (I don't even want to think how many will be in my inbox), laundry (blah) and probably with jet lag too! LOL
Until then, let's enjoy some fun going on over at Midnight Madness. Are you ready for this sketch? I loved this one with all the flowers and ribbon and enjoyed making my card this week.
Before I forget, Congratulations to all our winners for the Masterpiece and Remarkables Awards. I'll get to view them all on my return.
Our sponsor this week is D'Amour Allure
Our Monthly sponsor is Sew Many Cards
For my card this week I used this darling image called Jenna from D'Amour Allure and colored her in copics. For the sky I first chalked it blue then used modge podge with sparkles to give it a shiny and sparkly effect, kinda like a stary night! For the moon I colored it then placed a jumbo rain dot from Cloud9 Designs on top to give dimension.
This photo was taken with the light reflecting on the sparkles so you can see them better. I also popped the sweet image and sentiment up on foam dots away from the sky.
Flowers are from Prima, ribbon and lace from JoAnn's and pearls from Michael's
Isn't this metal globe charm beautiful! I found it at JoAnn's in the Blue Moon charms and thought it would be the perfect addition to this card. As I am on the other side of the ocean and missing my blogging friends, what better way to send some love to you all to let you know that I am thinking about you!
Don't forget to stop by the lovely DT ladies and show them some love.
See you really soon,
Hugs,
Charlotte

Saturday, July 17, 2010

ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATIONS CONTINUED

Today I want to wish my in-laws a very Happy 40th Wedding Anniversary!
Their actual anniversary day is June 25th, but today we are celebrating with family and friends in Holland. We weren't sure what to get them for a gift as they have everything, so my hubby and I decided to make them a shadow box. Arjan made the whole box himself, (his grandfather would have been so proud of him!) and I made the inside. We have been working on this for a while now and getting everything together took some planning! I wanted to get some photos from one of their albums but we had to wait until they were away for a couple of days before we could sneak their wedding album out of the house without them knowing!
Here's the happy couple on June 25th, 1970
We didn't want to try to remove any of the photos and risk ruining their album so Arjan took the whole book to get some scans of the photos.
The most recent photo of them together we couldn't get copied because of copyright issues! So it took some effort to get what we wanted with lots of patience too.
These two little girls were such a special part of my MIL's life....aren't they adorable! Just precious in their little dresses and gloves!
That's all for now, I hope you've enjoyed seeing some of these wonderful family photos and our special handmade gift for the Happy Couple.
Enjoy the rest of your day and Thank You for stopping by!
Hugs,
Charlotte

Friday, July 16, 2010

ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATIONS

Hello everyone!
Tomorrow I will be my family celebrating my in-laws 40th Wedding Anniversary, so I wanted to share with you something I made for their party. As there are going to be over 100 guests (family and friends) they wanted to have a book where everyone could leave their special messages for the happy couple. I offered to make the book look pretty for my mother-in-law so she left it with me the day before she left for Holland. I decided to do it with a little vintage flair, something pretty but not completely over the top feminine.

This is what the book looked like originally, plain cream with not much creation to it
and this is the finished look on the outside
Here is the inside, I took a photo of their original wedding invitation, printed it out on some pretty paper then mounted it on the inside cover. Added some edge punching to give a lacy effect and some flower stickers, and voila, that's all there is to it. I figured I would let them write on the first page!
This is the page before the guests write their messages and it looked a little plain so I added the sentiment and a lace tulip (appropriate for the Dutch don't you think!), then added the ribbon page marker with a pretty metal and glass charm. I had fun with this book and I sure hope my in-laws will like it!
Thanks for stopping by, tomorrow I will share something else my hubby and I made for them.
Enjoy your day!
Hugs,
Charlotte

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

MIDNIGHT MADNESS (MMSC62)

Happy Tuesday Folks!
I hope you all enjoyed a good weekend and are ready for another Midnight Madness sketch. This is going to be a short post today as I am still in Holland and this has been scheduled to post this morning! Fingers crossed it posted at the correct time!!
Congratulations to all the winners this week, wear your badges with pride!
Our Sponsor this week is Paper Temptress
Our Monthly Sponsor is Sew Many Cards
For my card this week I used this gorgeous angel called Serenity from the Stamping Boutique. Isn't she just beautiful! I colored her in copics, added stickles to her wings, popped her up on foam dots and added glitter to the edges of the rectangle. I also added some tiny silver pearls to the stars around Serenity. 
 
The entire background dp and the ribbon is all from the Paper Temptress, and what lush paper this is let me tell you. I've taken a second photo of the card so you can see the detail on this gorgeous black paper. The lighter paper is Sky Sagebrush CS and the black is Retro Black Glossy Lustre dp. Can you see the detail on it? The pretty ribbon is 5/8" Black Arabesque with satin edge. The pretty flowers were a RAK from Priscilla...Thank you for those, I love them!
Please don't forget to stop by my lovely DT sisters to check out their gorgeous creations! I'm going to have to wait until I get home to see them, so go show them lots of love for me, OK!
Have a fabulous week!
See you soon,
Hugs,
Charlotte

Thursday, July 8, 2010

HIGH HOPES TENT CARD

Hello Blogging Friends,
I thought I would share a quick card I made just for fun with you all. I've had this cute little girl stamp for such a long time and never created anything with her, so I thought it was about time I did! Isn't she the cutest? I just love her pig tails and her beaming smile, makes you want to get a slice of watermelon and join her doesn't it!!!  She is from High Hopes stamps and called Summer's Sweetness. 
This was my first attempt at a tent card and although I love the final appearance I found it a little tricky to get the image hanging from the top. I'm sure there's an easier way than how I did it, so I will just have to keet practicing. I did make one mistake though, I placed the bottom section upside down!! LOL Oh well, I think it still looks ok. The image was colored in copics and the flowers are from Prima. Butterfly is from a Martha Stewart punch and the swirls were made with a Sizzix Flowers and Vines die. Ribbon and gems are. from Michael's
Thank you for stopping by!
Have a great day!
Hugs,
Charlotte

Tuesday, July 6, 2010

MIDNIGHT MADNESS (MMSC61)

Happy Tuesday!
I hope those of you in the USA all enjoyed your July 4th celebrations with family and friends and lots of fireworks! We didn't go anywhere as DH had to work so I spent the time packing our suitcases as we are now down to two nights before we fly to Holland. My little one is just so excited as this will be his first trip over there.
Over at Midnight Madness we are ready with another sketch MMSC61....are you all ready too?
We have to say goodbye to Jessica, our guest DT who has stunned us all with her incredible talent for the last 3 months. She has made such beautiful cards and her CAS style is definately admirable. So Thank You Jessica for being a part of the team, we've really enjoyed having you as part of the team and will miss you.
On another note we have another very talented guest DT joining us
Holly Miller
"Hello! My name is Holly Miller and I am delighted to have been picked for "Guest Diva " at "Midnight Madness". I have been stamping about 10 years and continue to be fascinated with all the new products. One of my favorite things to create are my own embellishments. Nothing is safe from being turned into something to decorate a project. I work full time as a Clinical Laboratory Scientist and have 2 grown children. I also enjoy cooking and reading."

Congratulations to all our winners this week. 
Our Masterpiece Award goes to
#11 Lorie S
Our Remarkables Awards go to
#16 Linda W
#28 Jane Snyder
#38 Teri Sherman
Our Sponsors this week are Doodle Palace
Our Monthly Sponsor is Sew Many Cards
My card was made using this adorable mice image from Doodle Palace, isn't it just the cutest! I had so much fun coloring this and creating my card to go with it. I colored the mice in copics then put a little shine on the inside of their ears and the cheese with stickles, just to add a little sparkle!  
I hope you take the time to check out the rest of the DT's beautiful creations this week.
Thank you for stopping by!
Hugs,
Charlotte