Mojo Monday, Cupcake Challenge 84 and a bit of my favorite chocolate...

After a month of feeling "off,"  I had a spurt of energy today...woo hoo!  The girls and I did a little shopping and then we went to lunch at Olive Gardens...a treat for us since I HATE spending money on food (craft supplies are an entirely different matter...)
When we came home, I did a quick attempt (okay, not as quick as I would have liked...) on the Cupcake Craft Challenge 84 which was to create a spring or easter project and use lots of the color chocolate.  I need to make a few Easter cards so that is what I opted for, using the Mojo Monday sketch. I also thought I'd include a picture of my favorite chocolate: Zone Dark Chocolate Almond bars. I frequently eat them for breakfast...kinda like eating a candy bar for breakfast, I know...

Here's the mojo sketch:


Thanks for stopping by!
Marie with a : - )

Clean and Simple: FTL 84 (A Comedy of Errors...)

Haven't spent much time in the craft room lately, so I thought I'd check out the Clean and Simple blog for the current challenge since simple (and QUICK!) is my modus operandi...out of necessity AND preference. I further challenged myself by only using what scraps/pieces/diecuts were already out on my table (which meant I only had to take out a stamp set for sentiments...) and here's what I ended up with:

For this first one, I started assembling some scraps I had laying out, but then decided the butterfly needed some color...so I sprayed some glimmermist into a tray and set about painting it...did NOT like the results (it was a bold color rather than the subtle I was going for) SO I cut out another one that was on my table and used crackle paint on it...then dropped it and smashed the crackle paint...SO I grabbed a bottle of glitter that E-beth left out and sprinkled some on...it looked like I spilled salt on it....SO I used the watercolor/ink technique and finally glued it down....it only took 15 minutes including my little comedy of errors...

And here's a second one from table scraps :-)

CPS 159 and Other Ramblings

I used the CPS 159 Sketch for this card.  I'm not feeling very creative these days and wasn't thrilled with it.

A simple birthday card 

I've been trying to make some thank you cards for people who invested a lot of time in the Mock Trial program that Alyssa and Matthew were part of so I thought clocks would be a good theme.  I love using the CTMH window charms on the pocket watch stamp.

I think I would have preferred this one with different colors.  I have such a tough time with masculine cards!

Anyway...thanks for stopping by!  Hopefully next time I'll be feeling those creative juices flowing...
Marie with a :-)

Mojo 130 (and a HAIRY moment in the life of Marie...)

This particular sketch was a bit of a challenge for me...I've really come to realize that my personal style is simple and clean (or quick and easy?) and this sketch seemed to have a lot of different elements to it.  But I gave it a try anyway. For the flowers, I used some pop dots.  Now, I keep my pop dots and glue dots in a little box in my craft room.  I reached into the box, and met with something sticky.  I pulled my hand out and as my mind registered what the white, sticky stuff on my hand was, I saw it.  A huge hairy spider!  I screamed, the box went flying and my kids came running!  One squished spider later, my card was complete.

And finally...I have a question for some of the Christian moms out there...have you ever had a child go down a path that you knew was destructive? If so, how did you respond?  I'd love to hear your story. (You can e-mail me if it's too lengthy for a comment box...)

Thanks for stopping by,
Marie with a :-)

Flutter By Wednesday

Flutter By  should be a regular challenge I participate in since I soooo love butterflies...but it's only the second time I've remembered it.  This weeks challenge was an open one...the only requirement was a butterfly, angel or fairy.
So does anyone want to share with me the secret to great looking bows?  I see so many out there, but haven't been able to master them myself.

Thanks for stopping by,
Marie with a :-)

Mojo 129

I had a very unexpectantly quiet day today - Alyssa didn't work and she took Elizabeth and Michelle shopping while I puttered around at home - then they brought home Chipotle...yay!  Later Josh came by for some Scrabble time.  I really wanted to play with some  of my new birthday gifts, but mostly cleaned up...and then made two quick cards using the Mojo 129 sketch:

Thanks for stopping by!
Marie with a :-)

Bridal Shower Gift: Magnetic Memento Box and Thank You Cards

My friend Teresa...whom I've known for over 23 years...has a big event rapidly approaching - the wedding of her only daughter.  How exciting is that?  I made this magnetic box and a set of 50 thank you cards as a bridal shower gift for her. I couldn't seem to get a good photo, but this is the top. The box can be used to keep wedding momentos...invites, napkins/favors etc. in.  Hope she likes it :-)

The metal piece in the upper right corner says: On this day I will marry my best friend, the one I laugh with, live for, dream with, love.

I used some pearlescent paint mixed with an ink refiller to get the color for the heart and then covered it with a crackle paint to make it look vintage.

Marie with a :-)

CPS 157: Time...

This card did not turn out all like I was anticipating; it's not nearly as vintage-ish and my clocks were too big to fit all the way across!  Still, it's my take on the CPS 157 Sketch.

 The inside has a faint image of a clock and reads : to get together!

Thanks for stopping by,
Marie with a :-) 

Unscripted 45 and Unbelief

As Scott and I sit down tonight to have a heart to heart with our eighteen year old daughter, I have thought of so many things I want to share with her.  This Tim Holtz sentiment expresses one of those things, and I think it is such a powerful truth: we often limit ourselves with our unbelief.  The Scriptures even go so far as to say we limit the ( ALL POWERFUL) GOD of the universe with our unbelief.  So as she begins this second phase of her life, this phase of adulthood, we want to remind her to not put limits on herself.

Thanks for stopping by.  I always appreciate feedback,

Marie with a :)

CD 58...and the fastest card I have ever created

It started out as a lousy day - I've been sick, had to take Michelle to CSAPs, had trouble backing out of my parking spot at the crowded hotel where they were hosting the tests, arrived home to find Matthew had overslept and needed to be rushed to his tests, plus some other unpleasant news...so I headed to my therapy room to spend the hour before I needed to go pick Alyssa up.  I saw these colors for the Color Dare and loved them so much I decided to let them be the focus of my card.  It took all of fifteen minutes to create this card and take the photos!  After looking at the photos, I realized some of the jewels were slightly askew, so I did fix those afterwards.



Thanks for stopping by,
Marie with a : )

Mojo 128...for my sweet sister

(I think this old school flower punch is one of my favorite card making go-tos.)

What a fun birthday I had.  From the moment my sweet husband said "I'm yours...speak and I'll do..." to shopping at ARCHIVERS with my very artsy daughter Beth and an Archiver's gift card...to the dinner made for me by my family...I was feeling very blessed and it was easy to feel joy.  But I know all too well the emotions my sister (and friend) is experiencing right now - she's discouraged and believing some lies about herself...no, not lies that anyone else is speaking, but lies that the enemy of her soul is whispering "you're not good enough, you can't keep up..." and other deceitful words..  When we begin to believe these things about ourselves, the result is major depression.  I'm praying for her, that she will believe the truth that she is a beautiful, amazing, talented, smart, compassionate, giving, cares-for-others kind of girl.  If you have a moment, stop by her blog and share some words of encouragement.  Words are powerful...in them is the power of life and death, according to the Bible - so bless her with some life-giving words!

Thanks for stopping by,
Marie with a :-)