Today was my birthday and a wonderful birthday it was! It's always wonderful when you have your loved ones around no matter what day it is! We have a lot of birthdays within about two months of one another to celebrate!

My granddaughter came to help me celebrate!

The one on the far left is my son Rick! The one in the middle background is my brother Tim. The one in the grey shirt is my grandson! This is my husband Joe and my little mother!

We had a wonderful day cooking out, enjoying each others company and eating way too much! WOW! Happy Birthday to me!

Thanks so much Liz (allee) for nominating me for this award! Wow! I am so honored!
 Liz's Blog

After accepting this award, I had to complete the following list!

 *Thank the person who nominated me for this award!
 *Copy the logo and place it on my blog!
 *Link the person who nominated me for this award!
 *Name seven things about me that people might find interesting!
  *Nominate seven Kreativ Bloggers
 *Post a link to the seven blogs!
 *Leave comments on the seven blogs letting them know I have nominated them!
    
    The seven things about me:

I am a native Floridian!
The American Indian name for the little town where I was born is *Grassy Waters!*
We moved to Miami, FL. when I was 10
I have a brother that is 10 months older than my son!
I used to play local competitive team tennis!
My stamp room is in the basement!
The first stamping party I attended I was so overwhelmed when my order arrived I shoved it all into a closet! I didn't use it until the following year when I attended another party and was really bitten by the stamping bug!

The seven people I am nominating!

Charlene
Anne
Joanne
Julie
Joan
Joanne
Stacy

Lovely Gerbera Daisies!

This is for two challenges! Anne (Itsapassion) hosted the Inspiration Challenge! This is also for Flourishes Timeless Tuesday Challenge! We were to use red, olive and black! You could also use one neutral!

The Flourishes Timeless Tuesday Challenge can be found here:Flourishes

The beautiful image is from Flourishes *Gerbera Daisies* set! It was stamped using Memento Tuxedo Black and colored using Flourishes Copic Collection Dusty Rose and Poppy! These copic set are awesome! It takes all the guess work out of the coloring! I used SU cert. celery and old olive for the stems! The red panel was embossed using a Sizzix embossing folder! The corners are cuttlebug die cuts!

Thanks for stopping by! Hope you have a wonderful blessed weekend!

This brings back warm and fuzzy memories of my childhood! I remember visiting my great aunts farm in north Florida. Have you ever heard of Lulu Florida? If you blink you will surely miss it! Anyhoo, I would visit for a few weeks in the summer! I thought all those chores were fun things to do! Of course, my cousins that had to do them everyday thought I was nuts!

The card measures 4 by 4 1/4! All images are by *Clear Stamps*! Stamped using Memento Tuxedo Black. Colored using copics and reinkers with an aqua brush! I added *Flower Soft*. The background was embossed using Cuttlebug and a Sizzix embossing folder!

Thanks for stopping by!

Nova Scotia Bound!

This is for Cindy's (Mothermarks) Teapot Tuesday Challenge! We are headed for Nova Scotia Somethin" about there are no facilities except a lighthouse! The rent is 42,000 pounds of fish! We've got a husband coming to teach us how to fish, a mermaid to show us where the fish are, Barbie and Spider Man fishing poles so how can we miss!
The image was stamped using Mememto Tuxedo Black and colored using copic markers and reinkers! The water was colored using bashful blue and an aqua pen! For the sand I used copics E31 and E33! The flowers are copics R20, R24,and R27! The railing is copic E27 and then lightened using colorless blender! The bricks are a combo of copics C00 and C3! The piling under railing is copic E40! The sailboat is copic R24. The sky is a template (Mothermark) and SU soft sky sponged! The tabs are SU punches! The charm is from an old purse! TFL!

Thanks for stopping by!

Speaking of stopping by! My soon to be 21 year old grandson stopped by unexpectedly this morning! That always warms my heart! Wow, 21 and takes the time to visit his grandparents! Awesome!

Northwoods Pines!

Good morning! This is for today's Clean and Simple Challenge! Today we were to create a masculine card!

The lovely image (Northwoods) was stamped using Versamark, sprinkled with black embossing power and heated with a heating tool! I colored the image using copics E27 and E09 for the pine boughs and YG03 for the pine needles! The border was made using an EK Success border punch! The inside was layered and an embossed pine bough was glued in place! All card stock is from GinaK's fabulous Pure Luxury Collection!

This is for our neighbor that has been housing one of my DH's toys. He has now sold it so it will no longer be cluttering up Bill's garage! Anyhoo, it was really nice that he could do that and it saved us having to rent a space!

Big boys and their big toys!

Thanks for stopping by! Hope your have a wonderful blessed day!

Nothwoods Beauty!

This Lovely image is from Northwoods! It's another
new toy I purchased when I attended the Stampaway USA convention!

I stamped the image using Memento Tuxedo Black! In my opinion this is the best ink to use when coloring with copics! It does not bleed! The image was colored using SU reinkers, copics and pastels! The clouds were sponged in using a cloud template and SU Soft Sky! To color the bird I used Flourishes Flesh Tones Copic Collection 1. E00, E11, E31 and E33. The decorative corners are die cuts from Cuttlebug!

I read a tip by Kurtis, in GinaK's Stamp TV Stamping Lifestyle on line magazine, if your photo has a lot of white or soft colors play around by using a darker background to bring out the colors! I changed my white background to black and I think it enhances the soft colors!

This is a Featured Stamper Challenge! Today's featured stamper was *Stamp Muse*!

Thanks for stopping by! Hope you have a blessed and marvelous day!

Signs of Autumn!

This card was done using GinaK's Signs of Autumn Showtime Stamp Kit! She did the awesome video tutorial on Stamp TV. Found here! It's called Josephs Coat! I used Versa Magic Thatched straw, Oasis Green and Tea Leaves! Then used Brilliance Coffee Bean to sponge over those! The main image was stamped using Momento Black and colored using copics! After coloring I brushed Shimmerz Sunflower on the petals and Glimmer Mist on the leaves! Too bad it doesn't show up in the photo. In real life it really gives the flower a wonderful shine! This is for today's sketch challenge!

Thanks for stopping by! Hope you have a wonderful and blessed day!

Bee Good Bee Kind!

This is for three challenges! Anne (jdmommy) hosted a DDC challenge that I do with some of my SCS friends. We were to make an out of the box card! Charlene (LilLuvsStampinP hosted DDC challenge that we were to use the Mr Good Do Bee from an old TV series teaching good manners! The third challenge is for Cindy's (mothermark) Teapot challenge featuring a Bee! If you haven't checked out Cindy's teapot challenge on Tuesdays you are missing out on all the fun!

I didn't have a bee image so I Googled *cartoon bee coloring* and printed this cute image! It is colored using the Tiger Lily Copic Collection from Flourishes! These are awesome because they take all the guess work out of blending with copics! I then cut it out and popped it up! When I sat in on a demo. at the Stampaway USA Convention this weekend I picked up a tip on coloring the leaves of a plant! She told us to pick up a little of the color from the flower and add it to the leaves! The small panel was done using new toys by *Just for Fun* that I purchased from the convention! I used a template and a stipple brush to add color and then stamped floral image silhoulettes! The decorative border was done using a M/S punch! The background was cuttlebugged! The photo corner is a Paper Shaper punch! I also used Spelbinders die cut for the small panel!

Thanks for stopping by!

Northwoods Tranquillity!

This is for today's Clean and Simple challenge hosted by Jen! The lovely Northwoods image was stamped using Versamark, embossed using black e/p and colored using an aqua brush, SU reinkers and copic markers! The card measures 4 l/4 by
4 l/4. Added the crystal hearts for my bling!

This is one of the many, many new toys I purchased at the fabulous *Stampaway USA
Convention* this weekend! It you have never attended mark your calenders for next year! Wow! Forty eight companies all under one roof!

I was hanging out watching a demo and spotted Sherry as in *Bad Sherry*! I also met Kelley that owns *Our Daily Bread*!

After spending the day at the Convention, my friends and I stayed over night so we could visit the wonderful stamp store *Stamp Your Art Out*. So, if you are ever in the Blue Ash, Ohio area make a point of stopping by! Wonderful store with lots of smiling and helpful people!

Thanks for stopping by!

Hope you have a marvelous and blessed day!

Peaceful Holiday!

This is for three fabulous challenges! Don't you just love it when that happens!

The color challenge CC230, the DDC challenge I do with some of my SCS friends and Flourishes Timeless Tuesday! Found here:

For whatever reason my computer is not letting me copy and paste in my blog. I will have to get my son to help me with that later!

The image is from Flourishes *Beach Life*! I'm really lovin this set!

The images were colored using reinkers and an aqua pen. The chair was stamped twice, colored, cut our and popped up! After coloring in the sand I used a versamark pen to add Golden Sand e/p to areas of the beach! The background was done using a cuttlebug and c/b folder! The decorative border is a punch by M/S. Added eyelets from M/M. Sentiment and punched circles are from SU!

Yesterday was our 36TH Wedding Anniversary! My wonderful husband treated me like the Queen I am! (tee-hee) He took me out for breakfast, prepared lunch for me and then we dined out! Waaaaa-hooooo no cooking! Of course that left lots of time for stamping!

I wasn't totally selfish, I did give him a thirty minute back rub!

Thanks for stopping by! Hope you are having a marvelous and blessed day!

Happy Anniversary to my darling husband!

Today is our 36Th Wedding Anniversary! So many wonderful years!

This card is also for today's CAS26 challenge on SCS! The lovely image is from Flourishes *Beach Life*. It was stamped using Brilliance black! I used an aqua brush and reinkers to colors the trees! After coloring the sandy beach (creamy caramel) I used a versa pen to go over parts that I wanted to emboss with Golden Sand Opaque by Stampendous! This give the sand a wet look! I then brushed in the ocean (bashful blue and brilliance blue) and drew a line using night of navy! I also used a copic marker (BG0000) and a tiny bit of liquid applique! The sky was sponged in using a homemade template and bashful blue!

Thanks for stopping by!

I hope you are having a marvelous day!

Wishing You Butterfly Kisses!

Good morning all! Hope your are having a fabulous weekend! This is for today's Featured Stamper challenge! Teresa (va.sunshine) is today's featured stamper! Congrats to Teresa! The background collage was colored using SU markers applied on the stamp and then used the huffing tech. and stamped! The adorable Tilda is from Magnolia. Tilda was stamped using Brilliance black. I like Brilliance black because it does not bleed when you color with copics! Tilda was colored with copics (flowers R20, R24 and R27) (Tilda's outfit YG00, YG03 and YG06! These were in kits put together by Flourishes. Takes all the guess work out of coloring!

Thanks for stopping by! Hope you have a marvelous and blessed day! Hugs!