My Best Friend Jacqui

Well, this is certainly not the most becoming picture of either of us, the rare beauties that we are, nor is it the worse............ummm there are some kicking around of me taking a bite out of a very special cake that Jax made for my Birthday a few years ago.

I just LOVE this woman...........believe it or not, we met online about six years ago and through Stampin' Up! Our paths would have never crossed if we both didn't have a common interest.

I am blessed that if anything, this hobby brought us together.

It's funny how you can get a feeling about a person through cyber correspondance..............I have to tell you that in the time that we've known each other, we've shared laughs, tears, big belly laughs, frustrations, hurt.........well you know, a range of emotions.............and a little silliness too.

Although we live several hours apart, we still manage to see each other a few times a year. We stay in contact over the phone and through email and messenger.

I have been blessed to meet so many wonderful people in the Stamping Community, who have become my friends!

Anyway, I'm going to see Jax tonight!!!! Yay! I'm hoping that we get cut loose a little early from work with it being the Holiday Weekend.................we (Jon's coming too!) should arrive just after dinner and will celebrate Canada Day with she and her Family.

Then we are off to another Dear Friend, Kristi to spend a week with Her, Hanna, Mark and the Dogs! We'll Celebrate our first Independence Day with them! I am very excited about that although I have watched festivities on television, I've never experienced them for real!

Oh, I almost forgot about the card! That's why I'm here isn't it?? lol!!! I purchased this image with my first order from In Style Stamps.

The reason that I purchased this image, apart from it being so darn cute, is that it is called Jax, which is my pet name for Jacqui!

I used Pumpkin Pie as my card base with Kiwi Kiss Accents. Melon Ribbon, DP is from Debbie Mumm and I also used SU Tag, Flower and Border Punches!

I am going to preschedule some posts for while I'm away and hope that they load.

Happy Stamping

*****Vicki~~~~~

I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas

just like the one's I used to know.........where the treetops glistened and children listened to hear sleighbells in the snow.........Oh man! I can't get Bing (Crosby) out of my head. I've been singing or humming this tune since I started working on my Christmas Card on Saturday. Good thing it's a pretty song.......but erm.............well a couple of people in the house mentioned that perhaps singing Christmas Songs was a little premature!

Sankari has come up with a Fabulous Challenge for us this week, White Christmas.......although she said that we could use hints of colour, the them for the card is predominantly white.

I really like the way this card turned out.........I started a different one with the Christmas Town scene cuttlebug and couldn't get it quite right. After feeling like my brow was getting permanent dents from furrowing and upon tearing the silly cardfront into a gazillion pieces (gee, I hope Santa wasn't watching..........don't temper tantrums put you on the naughty list? ) I cuttlebugged these cute Christmas Ornaments.

They looked a little plain, so I yummied them up with some K&Co and SU half pearls. I used some "Elizabeth" Fibre........yes "Elizabeth".....isn't that Regal!, to ground my sentiment, which is layered onto a punched Scallop Oval (Stampin Up!) of Glorious Gold Metallic Paper.

Hope you'll play along with us this week and check the CSAYL site to see the pretty samples. You can get such an elegant look with white cards!

Happy Stamping!

*****Vicki~~~~~

For Ethan-A big Thank You and my Blog Candy Winner

Thanks SO much for all your support in getting the word out for the Fundraiser in Ethan's memory. To date $1,423.20 has been raised for the Make-a-Wish Foundation. We couldn't have done it without all the support of the stamping Community. To those of you who posted the information, purchased the stamps and made samples, we can't thank you enough.

Through Random.Org, the winner of my Blog Candy is Tracey, from Tray's Spot
Congratulations Tracey!

Hugs for you all and God Bless!

*****Vicki~~~~~~

Our Creative Corner Sketch Challenge

This week, our Hostess Jennifer Meyer presented us with a Sketch Challenge. I wanted to keep this design clean and simple.........I've been trying to acheive a look that I like, using less layers!!!

This sweet little image is Baby Fluer #3 by Janet Klein. You can find this adorable image over at STAMPOTIQUE Originals. As you can see, there's not too much to this card. A base of White, a layer of SU DP (Level one Hostess paper from last year's catty!) and the image layer, that is just coloured with copics and sponged on Neenah White. Olive Ribbon is from Stampin' Up!

I can't seem to get used to the minimalist look though.....it always feels like it's missing something............kind of like when I forget to put my lipstick on!

If you'd like to play along, here's the great sketch! Don't forget to visit my fellow DT's Blogs to see their interpretations of the sketch and the OCC site to link your creation

Happy Stamping!

*****Vicki~~~~~

In Style Stamps Rootin Tootin' Blog Hop!

Today's the day!!! In Style Stamps is releasing some VERY VERY COOL Cowboy images!!!! I have always been a fan of cowboys and all things Western and I absolutely love this image of Nate! I coloured Nate with Copics, adding some white Gel pen highlights! A base of Brocade Blue matches his jeans, Kiwi Kiss and Cuttlebugged and Sponged Really Rust CS compliments the Colours in the DP, which is Boho Chic, but it was in my Scrap bin and I can't recall the company, but it's a couple of years old! I embossed the HB stamp from SU! It's your Birthday in Copper Embossing Powder to compliment the Copper Brads. The Lasso was formed with Hemp Twine ( you might have seen something similar this week ;-p) ) and Sizzix and SU Star Punch outs complete a base fit for a cowboy I think!

In Style Stamps will be giving away a Grand Prize to one lucky Blog Hop Participant and one Lucky Design Team Member. To enter, hop through the Design Team Blogs, which you can find by heading to the DT Blogs

Cathy

Sandy

Melissa

Kim

Jodi-Ann

Risa

Joy

Taylor

Mary

Michelle

Vicky C

. Then head to the ISS Blog to vote for the Designer of your favourite project!

Lastly, leave a comment on the blog with suggestions for what you would like next months blog hop to be. That's it! nice and simple. You have until 11:59 p.m. EST on Saturday June 27th to enter and the winners will be announced on Sunday June 28th~ Have fun!

Hanna Stamps Friday Challenge

Today's challenge is a sketch challenge brought to you by our Challenge Coordinator Frances

Want to play along.............you can find the post in the Hanna Stamps Member Forum

Each month at the release party, one of the weekly challenge players has the opportunity to win a free Hanna Set of their choice!!!

Little Inner Tube Riley is having some fun this summer! The last two days have been a scorcher here (I'm not complaing, it's been so cold for so long) and a little pool time would have been a relief!

I'm lovin this new cardstock from SU! .......hmmm now to tap into my memory for the colour.........ohh where's the catalogue..........well it's melon something!!! lol! Tempting Turquoise and white of course!

With the exception of the Martha Stewart Border Punch, the rest of the punches are from SU! as well as the sentiment!!!!

Hope your summer's getting off to a good start! Today was the last day of school here and Jon's pretty excited about sleeping in and staying up late! Heading off to visit Kristi in Detroit with a stop along the way to see my BFF Jax............going to celebrate Canada Day with her and my first Indepence Day in the States with Kristi! Should be fun!!!!!

Happy Stamping!

*****Vicki~~~~~

Pretty Ava, the Garden Fairy

Well, I suppose Ava can be whatever Fairy that Strikes your fancy, but today she's a garden fairy! The image, Sitting Ava is a digital image from In Style Stamps
What's new is the sweet Shell Bench that acts as the perch for this Pretty Fairy Princess. It's kind of difficult to see in the picture, but I coloured the bench with Copics and painted over a thin coat of Lumiere to give it the pearlescent look of the inside of a Conch Shell. The digi bench image will be available this Friday!

I found the heart shaped notebook at the dollar store........now for the DP! The name of it is really irrelevent, cause I received it at a class at Creating Keepsakes University in Boston Mass about 5 or 6 years ago, so it's long gone! See.......packrat extraordinaire! I printed the sentiment on the computer.

Ava's coloured with Copics......if you're wondering how I get that subtle and soft blend, before applying colour, I put a good coat of colourless blender over the image and then start working in colour gradually. I love the chunky glitter on her wings!!! Because the Bench is pearlescent, I wanted to ensure that her wings had a different texture.

And here's my real garden fairy...........lol.........no in all seriousness, this picture would have been more appropriate on yesterday's post......but I just took it last evening. Mom was heading out to a Oriental themed party last night and asked me to do her hair. Jonathon commented that she looked so pretty and I dashed for my camera. Being very sunny, it was hard to capture her with fully opened eyes, but I love her laugh lines. I look at my mother, who is 69 an can only hope that I am blessed with her Beauty and elegance when I reach her age.

Have a great day!

ISS Blog Hop is up tomorrow!

*****Vicki~~~~~