…A Few Of My Favorite Things from 2010

Another year has come and gone, and we’re at the beginning of a new one.  I wanted to take a look back and share some of my favorite things from this past year with you all today. 

It’s hard to believe that I was watercoloring at the beginning of the year, then my life changed with the arrival of my Copic Sketch Markers!  In the words of my sweet friend, Jessica Diedrich…”Taste the rainbow, baby”!  LOL!  My life hasn’t been the same since these little puppies arrived. :)

Then there was my favorite new recipe of 2010…Lemon Pasta with Roasted Shrimp:

 

My favorite trip of 2010 with my favorite people, Pam Varnell and Jessica Diedrich…Summer CHA in Chicago, IL (pictured with Sankari Wegman…she happens to be another favorite of mine):

And of course there are my favorite photos of my favorite fellas:

Christian- 16 years old

Gabriel- 14 years old (pictured with his best friend, Jessica)

And my gorgeous-yet-goofy hubby, Chuck (pictured with our niece, Danielle):

Then there are my favorite cards from 2010:

January 2010

February 2010

March 2010

April 2010

May 2010

June 2010

July 2010

August 2010

September 2010

October 2010

November 2010

December 2010

What are a few of YOUR favorite things?  Will you continue doing those things, or will you start a new adventure in the new year?  I don’t know about you, but I want the adventure…bring on the NEW!  I can’t wait to discover all of the soon-to-be favorite things, and I can’t wait to share it all with you in 2011!

That’s it for me!  I want to wish you all a happy, healthy, and prosperous New Year!  Thanks for stopping by for the trip down memory lane, and I’ll see you back here Tuesday with a card for By LORi Designs. Until then…

…Hoppin’ With Kraftin’ Kimmie!

MTSC103 FAVES WILL BE POSTED TOMORROW!

Today Kraftin’ Kimmie Stamps is releasing their new FAB-U-LOUS December images!  If you’ve come here from DIANA’S BLOG, then you’re in the right place…but if you need to start from the beginning, just head over to the Kraftin’ Kimmie Challenge Blog! As you hop from blog to blog, be sure to leave a comment at each and every stop because some lucky stampers will win packages of stamps from the new release!! And when you’re done hoppin’, be sure to head over to the Kraftin’ Kimmie Stamps store, because ALL the new images are NOW available!

As you’ve seen over the last few days in our Krafty Peeks, Annie Rodrigue has created some totally awesome DUDES this month! There are six images in the complete release and they are Clint the Cowboy, Curtis, Prince Charming, Private Message, Raymond the Golfer and Valentine Willard! Each one comes with one or two bonus sentiment stamps!!

And if you’ve been hammered with the white stuff over the last week or so, Steven Leary’s images will be right up your alley! He’s back with MILES THE MOUSE (and his pals), and they are having some frosty winter fun! You’ll get to check them all out in today’s December release day KRAFTY HOP! You’ll meet Sharin’ Some Cocoa, Sledding Pals, Shoveling Miles, Snowmobilin’ Fun, and Snowshoe Fun!

Also we’ve got ‘Gimme Kimmie’s Kits’ again! For those of you who just HAVE to have all the new images, we’ve got the perfect thing for you! It’s called the ‘Gimme Kimmies Kit’! Instead of clicking on each image that you’d like, you only have to click once to pick up a Gimme Kimmies Kit AND it’s at a discounted price! What could be better?

**ALSO** for the next week, we are having a little special to thank all of our loyal customers who shop with us throughout the year!!!  It's called “Kimmie's Kustomer Appreciation”! And all orders of $50 or more before shipping and taxes, will receive a FREE STAMP of our choosing! That's right…it will be a surprise gift…so no requests, please.  This special runs from Sunday, December 12th to Saturday December 18th!

That’s it for me today!  Thanks for stopping by, and your next stop on the hop is ELAINE’S BLOG!  I’ll see you back here Tuesday with another Tuesday Sketch Challenge!  Until then…

…Kraftin’ Kimmie Challenge & Sneak Peek

It’s not only day three of sneak peeks for Kraftin’ Kimmie Stamps, but it’s also time for this week’s Kraftin’ Kimmie Stamps Challenge #58 over at the KKS Blog.  This week’s challenge is hosted by Beate Johns, and the theme is…MANLY COLORS!  Here's my take:

I am showcasing the soon-to-be-released “Private Message” for my card today.  I stamped him in Rich Cocoa Ink directly onto the Kraft Cardstock, then colored him with my warm neutral Copic Sketch Markers.  The sentiment is included with the image (along with another sentiment that says “you’re my hero”), and it was stamped in White Ink onto a scrap piece of Artichoke Cardstock.  I punched out the sentiment using the Word Window Punch, punched out two stars using my Small Star Punch, then punched out the horizontal border with my Apron Lace Border Punch.  The edges of all of the punched items were sponged with Chocolate Ink and a Sponge Dauber.  I paired the completed focal image with some patterned papers from BasicGrey’s Archaic paper pad, and stitched the horizontal elements to the large background panel.  I Paper Pierced the larger panel, added a few Brads, and attached the panel to the card base using Dimensionals.  Whatcha think?

That’s it for me today!  Thanks for stopping by, and be sure to head over to the KKS Blog to check out the creations by the other guest designers for this month, and to see the official rules for the challenge.  The winner of this week’s challenge will receive “Curtis” as his/her prize…so get over there and join in the fun!  I’ll see you all back here tomorrow with a special Kraftin’ Kimmie Stamps’ Blog Hop and Mercy’s Magnificent Musings!  Until then…

…Kraftin’ Kimmie Preview ~ Day Two

PLEASE SCROLL DOWN TO SEE MY TGF POST FOR TODAY

It’s day two of the Kraftin’ Kimmie Stamps December sneak peeks!  Today I’m showing you one of the new character images called “Prince Charming” using this week’s MTSC103…isn’t he handsome?  I stamped the image in Black Ink, then colored him with Copic Sketch Markers.  I paired the image with some patterned papers from BasicGrey’s June Bug and Lime Rickey paper pads.  I dry embossed the large White Cardstock background panel, then stitched around the edges with some Blue Thread.  The focal panel was cut out using an Oval Nesties Die, then created a sentiment flag from Blue Cardstock, a Button, and Silver Cording.  After adding some Paper Piercing, Ribbon, Silver Pearls, and a ton of Dimensionals the card was complete!

Be sure to check out the Kraftin’ Kimmie Stamps’ Blog to see some more sneak peeks, and to find out who all is peeking the new images today!  I will be back every day for the rest of this week with more sneak peeks, and we’ll round out the weekend with a Release Day Blog Hop on Sunday…you don’t want to miss it!

That’s it for me today!  Thanks for stopping by to see me, and I’ll see you back here tomorrow with another Kraftin’ Kimmie Stamps Sneak Peek and Challenge!  Until then…

…Kraftin’ Kimmie Preview ~ Day One

PLEASE SCROLL DOWN TO SEE MY VERVE PROJECT PARADE POST FOR TODAY

It’s sneak peek time for Kraftin’ Kimmie Stamps!  I decided to show you one of the new winter images called “Sharin’ Some Cocoa”.  I stamped the image in Black Ink, then colored it with Copic Sketch Markers.  I paired the image with some patterned papers from October Afternoon’s Report Card paper pad.  The sentiment was from “Kimmie’s Holliday Sentiments”, and it was stamped on a piece of Vellum Cardstock and attached to the focal panel using Vellum Tape.  After adding some Paper Piercing, Ribbon, Silver Pearls, and a ton of Dimensionals the card was complete!

Be sure to check out the Kraftin’ Kimmie Stamps’ Blog to see some more sneak peeks, and to find out who all is peeking the new images today!  I will be back every day for the rest of this week with more sneak peeks, and we’ll round out the weekend with a Release Day Blog Hop on Sunday…you don’t want to miss it!

That’s it for me today!  Thanks for stopping by to see me, and I’ll see you back here tomorrow with another Kraftin’ Kimmie Stamps Sneak Peek and another TGF Farm Fresh Friday!  Until then…

…Feeling Krafty

Yep…you guessed it again!  I’m one of the special guests again this month for Kraftin’ Kimmie Stamps!  You may remember that I was a guest designer for the company a few months back also.  Kimmie asked me then if I’d be willing to come back this month to help and fill in for her regular design team so they could enjoy a month off…and of course I said yes!

So my first card for the month is actually a Kraftin’ Kimmie Stamps Challenge #57 over at the KKS Blog.  This week’s challenge is…LET IT SNOW!  So here's my take on the theme:

I decided to use “Bernadette” for my card today.  I stamped her in Black Ink and colored her with Copic Sketch Markers.  I created the sentiment on my computer in Black Ink then printed it off onto a  piece of Vellum Cardstock.  I paired the completed focal image with some patterned papers from BasicGrey’s Winter Mitten paper pad.  I stitched the larger panel onto the card base, and added a Button with some Twine as an accent.

That’s it for me today…thanks for stopping by!  Be sure to head over to the KKS Blog to check out the creations by the other guest designers for this month, and to see the official rules for the challenge.  Kimmie is also having a HUGE sale!  From December 1st to the 5th ONLY, everything in the Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps store is 20% OFF!!! Use the coupon code KK20 when checking out!  I’ll see you all back here tomorrow with another Mercy’s Magnificent Musings, so until then…

…Wanna Cuddle?

Happy Saturday, ladies and gentlemen!  The Krafty Girls for Kraftin’ Kimmie Stamps are bringing you another awesome and exciting challenge to play along with for this week.  In honor of the upcoming Halloween season we have another Color Challenge…GREEN, PURPLE, and ORANGE!  I used “Charlotte” on my creation and the sentiment that goes along with the new “Jayne” image.  Charlotte was stamped in Black Ink and colored with Copic Sketch Markers, then the sentiment was stamped in White Ink and punched out using the Word Window Punch.  My sketch today comes from Sketch Challenge #251 from SCS…but of course I flipped it!  LOL!  I used some patterned papers from a couple of retired Designer Series Paper packs, and added some Stitching and Paper Piercing them.  The focal panel was cut out using Nesties Dies and a Sizzix Big Shot.  After adding some Ribbon, a Button with Silver Cording, and tons of Dimensionals the card was complete.

That’s it for me today!  Thanks for stopping by, and be sure to stop by the Kraftin’ Kimmie Blog for complete challenge details and prizes.  Good luck, and I’ll see you back here tomorrow with another round of Mercy’s Magnificent Musings!  Until then…

…It’s All Black & White

Happy Saturday, everyone!  The Krafty Girls for Kraftin’ Kimmie Stamps are bringing you another awesome and exciting challenge to play along with.  This week we have a Color Challenge…BLACK AND WHITE!  I used “Goldilocks” on my creation, and colored her with my neutral black Copic Sketch Markers.  I kept the sketch simple (and didn’t even use any patterned paper) in order to keep the focus on the black and white image.  After some Nail Heads, Ribbon, and a few Dimensionals the card was complete.

That’s it for me today!  Thanks for stopping by, and be sure to stop by the Kraftin’ Kimmie Blog for complete challenge details and prizes.  Good luck, and I’ll see you back here tomorrow with another round of Mercy’s Magnificent Musings!  Until then…

…Kraftin’ Kimmie’s Krafty Hop

PLEASE SCROLL DOWN TO SEE MERCY’S MAGNIFICENT MUSINGS FOR TODAY!

Today Kraftin’ Kimmie Stamps is releasing their new FAB-U-LOUS September images! As you’ve seen over the last few days in our Krafty Peeks, Annie Rodrigue has created some sweet and sassy ladies this month! There are five images in the complete set and they are “Annette”, “Betty”, “Jayne”, “Raychel” and “Samantha”…each one also comes with it’s own sexy sentiment!!

Steven Leary is back with “Miles the Mouse” and some new friends! This month they are sharing some sweet times at a birthday party AND getting ready for some fall fun! You’ll get to check them all out in today’s September release day KRAFTY HOP!!

If you’ve come here from DIANA’S BLOG, then you’re in the right place…but if you need to start from the beginning, just head over to the Kraftin’ Kimmie Challenge Blog! As you hop from blog to blog, be sure to leave a comment at each and every stop because some lucky stampers will win packages of stamps from the new release!! And when you’re done hoppin’, be sure to head over to the Kraftin’ Kimmie Stamps store, because ALL the new images are NOW available!

Also, you enjoyed the ‘Gimme Kimmie’s Kits’ so much last month, that we’re doing it again!! For those of you who just HAVE to have all the new images, we’ve got the perfect thing for you! It’s called the ‘Gimme Kimmie’s Kit’!!! Instead of clicking on each image that you’d like, you only have to click once to pick up a Gimme Kimmie’s Kit AND it’s at a discounted price!! What could be better???

That’s it for me today!  Thanks for stopping by, and your next stop on the hop is ANNIE’S BLOG!  I’ll see you back here tomorrow with another Our Craft Lounge Challenge card!  Until then…

…Kraftin’ Kimmie Sneak Peek ~ Day Two

PLEASE SCROLL DOWN TO SEE MY TGF FARM FRESH FRIDAY POST!

It’s day two of the sneak peeks from Kraftin’ Kimmie Stamps!  I decided to show you one of the new Miles images from the Steven Leary collection called “Birthday Cake Overdose”.  I stamped the image in Black Ink then colored it with Copic Sketch Markers.  I paired the image with some patterned papers from Cosmo Cricket’s Early Bird paper pad.  The sentiment was from “Kimmie’s Everyday Sentiments”, and the edges were distressed before adding it to the patterned paper circles.  After adding some Stitching, Paper Piercing and a ton of Dimensionals the card was complete!

That’s it for me today!  Be sure to check out the Kraftin’ Kimmie Stamps’ Blog to see some more sneak peeks, and to find out who all is peeking the new images today!  Thanks for stopping by to see me, and I’ll see you back here tomorrow with another Kraftin’ Kimmie Stamps Sneak Peek!  Until then…

…Kraftin’ Kimmie Sneak Peek ~ Day One

THIS IS POST #3 FOR TODAY, SO PLEASE SCROLL DOWN TO CHECK OUT THE OTHERS! :)

It’s sneak peek time for Kraftin’ Kimmie Stamps!  I decided to show you one of the new autumn images called “Scarecrow and Pal”.  I stamped the image in Black Ink then colored it with Copic Sketch Markers.  I paired the image with some patterned papers from October Afternoon’s Farm Fresh paper pad.  I dry embossed the large green background panel, and I also distressed the edges of the same panel.  The sentiment was from “Kimmie’s Holliday Sentiments”, and it was punched out using the Word Window Punch.  After adding some Paper Piercing and a ton of Dimensionals the card was complete!

Be sure to check out the Kraftin’ Kimmie Stamps’ Blog to see some more sneak peeks, and to find out who all is peeking the new images today!  I will be back every day for the rest of this week with more sneak peeks, and we’ll round out the weekend with a Release Day Blog Hop on Sunday…you don’t want to miss it!

That’s it for me today!  Thanks for stopping by to see me, and I’ll see you back here tomorrow with another Kraftin’ Kimmie Stamps Sneak Peek and another TGF Farm Fresh Friday!  Until then…

…Kraftin’ Kimmie Challenge #44 - Sketch

Yep…you’ve guessed it again…I’m one of Kraftin’ Kimmie Stamps’ Guest Designers for September!!!  Can you say “Whoohoo”???  I got a chance to meet the wonderful and talented Kim Reid while I was at this summer’s CHA Show, and I fell in LOVE with her immediately!  I felt an instant connection with her, so I was TOTALLY ecstatic when she asked if I would like to be one of her guests…and of course I jumped at the opportunity!  Here’s my first card as part of her extraordinary team:

Every Saturday the Krafty Girls will be bringing you some awesome and exciting challenges for you all to play along with.  This week’s challenge is a Sketch By Michele Boyer…she’s our wonderful hostess!  I used “Clara” on my creation along with a sentiment from the “Kimmie’s Everyday Sentiments” set.  I colored Clara with Copic Sketch Markers, then cut her out using the “Out of the Box” Cutting Technique.  paired the image with some patterned papers from BasicGrey’s Marrakech paper pad.  After some Piercing, Brads, Ribbon, and tons of Dimensionals the card was complete.

That’s it for me today!  Thanks for stopping by, and be sure to stop by the Kraftin’ Kimmie Blog for complete challenge details and prizes.  One lucky winner this week will receive “Francesca” which is being featured on Michele’s Blog today.  Good luck, and I’ll see you back here tomorrow with another round of Mercy’s Magnificent Musings!  Until then…