It's Christmas Eve!!!

YEA! It's Christmas Eve! We're super excited here at our house, and yet the kiddos can't see to put on their "perfect kid" hats, lol! Regardless, we're having a nice relaxing day in preparation for all the fun we'll be having tomorrow with our new toys. Here's a picture of the three kiddos and Santa at the Children's Party David's squadron had a couple weeks ago:
The kids are in their natural glory. No special outfits, hairstyles, nothin'. I actually like these pictures best because it shows the "real" them. Angel would NOT sit on Santa's lap, that's why Andrew is holding her. lol! Here is another Christmas card that I made for a friend at work:
This is Santa Riley and I colored him last Christmastime, just never got around to putting him on a card until now.
I hope you all have a very festive holiday. I plan on posting all the rest of my holiday cards tomorrow, but in case I don't get around to it, I'll see you all after Christmas.

Have a BLESSED Christmas!

Happy May Day!

It's May Day! How are you all enjoying this springy day? We've been outside a lot today and I've decided it's the perfect day for a giveaway! First up, bookmarks that I made using an image NOT from The Greeting Farm, lol!
I received these adorable bookworm Riley images from an image swap I was in a long time ago. They have just been sitting in a folder being neglected so I decided I needed to use them. I promised Andrew that I would make a bookmark for him so this was the perfect opportunity. I colored the Riley's with my copic markers and used a bunch of scraps to put the bookmarks together. Andrew actually helped out by cutting the twine and setting the eyelets. So, about that giveaway... Want a book? LOL!

I have a few books that I've read, enjoyed, and would like to end on to new homes. You get a bookmark with the book too! First up there is "Fairy Dust and the Quest for the Egg" by Gail Carson Levine. Next we have:

"Hannibal Rising" by Thomas Harris. Then there is:

"Me & Emma" by Elizabeth Flock (such a great story, but be prepared to cry!). And finally we have:

"The Devil Wears Prada" by Lauren Weisberger. If you've seen the movies made from some of these books, the book is better! I loved reading these books, but it's time for the stories within the enlighten others' lives. So, want one? All you have to do is leave me a comment, tell other people about the giveaway, and come back on Friday, May 8th to see if one of them is yours! Actually, if you don't tell other people about my giveaway, that's ok. I'll still put your name in a hat to get one of the books. Also, if you have a preference of one book over another, let me know. I'm going to draw four names. The first name will get first choice, then second name-second choice, etc. OH! And before I forget, I discovered a new (to me) blog with amazing cards! And... she has a surprise giveaway going on. Her name is Trudy and her blog is True Gift's From the Heart. Go check her stuff out, you'll love her big cards (it looks like they are all 6x6 as opposed to the 4.25x5.5 cards that I usually make).

I hope to hear from a bunch of you! And how do you like the bookmarks? Thanks for stopping by and until next post, be blessed!

The other Batch of Riley's!

Hello all. Like I mentioned in an earlier post, I went a little crazy with my Riley stamps and made a second batch of cards. These cards use my favorite Riley stamp; Riley with Coffee and a Cupcake! I did discover a new Riley stamp today that has Riley holding a pan of freshly baked cupcakes, but since I don't own that one... But I digress. Here is an upclose photo of one of the cards. Can you see the subtle patterened paper in the background? I've loved this paper for a while (I used to have some argyle socks that were similar) but didn't have any idea of what to do with it. This swap used up most of it, and I'm happy with the outcome. It's a masculine card, but it does have a flower in it.
You know, I do these swaps becuase they are fun, and it's always great to get a little "paper sunshine" in the mail, especially when it's not expected. There are people living their lives without much sunshine, and I don't like that. Without getting into much detail, there is a family that is near and dear to my heart and they need some sunshine. It doesn't have to be in the form of a card, but a prayer for them could do wonders. Please pray for this family and the trials they are currently going through. Thanks everyone.
Until next post, be blessed with some sunshine!

Riley Swap-first batch

It's Thursday! WooHoo! Next week the boys start school already. They are in a year-round school, so Summer break is pretty much over and the new school year begins. Andrew is a 4th grader this year, and Ashton is starting Kindergarten! Boy, time sure does fly. I'll have to post pictures of them on their first day of school...
So, here's the first batch of Riley cards that I made for the Riley swap. I had a little trouble getting this group going. As I posted earlier, I had a different idea of how I wanted this card to turn out, but since that didn't quite work this one came about. It's the same layout, only I changed the papers, and the embellishments. With the embellishments, I didn't have anything that I wanted to use, so I decided to make my own! I used clear rain drops, and stuck them onto pieces of the Basic Gray paper. Then I cut it out, and waalaa! There they are!
Well, after I finished this set I stamped a few more Riley images and found some patterned paper that I liked and made another batch of Riley cards! But I'll post them on another day.
Until then, be blessed and thanks for stopping by.

Spring Riley

Happy Wednesday Blog readers! I've decided to be a part of another swap. I need to use up a lot of my supplies so I won't have to worry about shipping them to Italy, so I figured fun swaps would work to use up some stuff! Also, since I got reaquainted with my Riley stamps with the challenge card I made, I decided to join a Riley swap. So, I got working making a card that I could like to duplicate for the swap. I made this card, then realized I didn't have enough of that patterened paper to make all the cards I needed. So, I decided to just finish the card and keep it for a future occasion. You can't tell in this blurry pic, but I added sparkly stuff to the flowers in the top square panel and to the spade and the flower that Riley is watering. I also added glaze to the watering can and the handle of the spade.
I'm really not liking this picture, so I think I'll retake the photo and repost the pic a little later. *Edited: I reposted with a better pic, hope you can all see it now!*
Thanks for stopping by my blog again today. Tomorrow I'll post the first set of Riley cards I made for the swap.

Riley likes coffee and cupcakes too!

I love these Riley stamps. I haven't bought any new ones since the very first release, but I still love them, and the new ones are so dang cute. I want them! But it's not in the budget right now so I'll just be happy with what I have... for now. lol! Taylor VanBruggen always does a Cupcake Friday sketch challenge, and while I have admired all the sketches and the resulting cards I've seen, I never seem able to participate for one reason or another. Well, this week I got the card done, photographed, edited, uploaded, and all of this on time! WooHoo for me! The lighting is a little funky because it's been a cloudy, gray, and rainy day. The upclose photo is so you can see my coloring. This is the first Riley I've colored with my copics. I bought the browns with Riley in mind, but it's taken me a month to finally color one! Boy, time flies when you have kids to chase after...If you'd like to check out Taylor's challenge (she gives away prizes too!) you can click HERE. I hope everyone has a great Sunday, with lots of blessings.