Hello, Friday crafters!!!  If you're looking for my Festive Friday post for the new Festive Friday Challenge Blog, just scroll on down!  BUT, if you're here for a little Friday inspiration with Precious Remembrance...you're in the right place!  Check out the fun little embellishment I made by stamping on clay using the 'Thanks Set'...

This was so fun!  Have you tried it yet???  If not, head on over to the Precious Remembrance Blog for a tutorial on how I made it, along with the little Valentine treat I tied it on.
Thanks for dropping in!!!
~Geri~

First EVER Festive Friday Challenge...

Welcome, my sweet friends!  Something exciting and new to share today!  I met a gal quite some time ago that has become one of my best blogging buddies...Meredith MacRitchie.  I love her style and so admire what she does with stamps and ink, and over time...well, we've just clicked, and I'm so thankful to call her  friend.  She has been creating and posting Christmas cards every Friday for quite some time now, and Fridays on her blog have become known as Festive Fridays.  I've really enjoyed those posts and often thought...just think of all those pretty Christmas cards she'll have all ready to go, come December!!!  Knowing that she was going to take a little break from it 'til about February, I had all but emailed her to say..."Meredith, how about me joining you on your Festive Friday posts, and we can send our visitors to one another's blogs???"...when SHE emailed ME and said, "Geri, I'm starting a Festive Friday Challenge blog...wanna help me out???"  Talk about great minds thinking alike!  So anyway...here we are...with the first challenge for the Festive Friday Challenge Blog.  This first challenge is a color challenge...

Now I couldn't help but go a little elegant with this challenge, so here's my take on it.  A shiny silver die cut (PTI) and a little heat embossing in silver...

...layered on top of some crisp, white dry embossing (Sizzix)...

I know...it's a little traditional looking...no big surprises...but I couldn't help but be happy with the overall look of it.  But, if this neat and tidy card is not your style, you can find lots more inspiration at the FF Blog, where designers Amber Kemp-Gerstel, Melissa Phillips, Sarah Martina Parker, Meredith MacRitchie, and this round's guest designer, Elena Roussakis have some lovely projects waiting to inspire you.  THEN...YOU have 2 weeks to link up YOUR Christmas creation in these pretty challenge colors.  We'll highlight some favorite creations as we go along, and offer additional inspiration at the 1/2 way point of each challenge to help keep everyone inspired and motivated.  I sure hope you'll join us and give it a try!  Come December, I'll think you'll be glad you did!!!
Thanks so much for joining me today!
Stay tuned for my Precious Remembrance post later today!  I've tried a new (to me) technique I'm excited to share!
~Geri~

It's Friday again, friends, and you know what that means...

A new creation using the Thanks Stamp Set at the Precious Remembrance blog!
I really enjoyed making this one!
And I just wasn't quite happy until I had turned my 'sun' into flower!  Blame it on the papers I used, I guess!

Oh, and here's last week's card if you weren't able to visit the PR blog...

Alrighty then...I'll be on my way and let you get along on yours too!  Have a wonderful weekend!!  We have a fun one planned...Disney on Ice!!!
Thanks for coming!!!  Maybe I'll see you over at the PR blog!
~Geri~

Happy Friday, everyone!  Seems another week of 2013 has flown by!  I'm here today with a peek of a new card showing off Dyane's latest set at Precious Remembrance...the 'Thanks' set.  This one is a little different, was really fun to create, and for me, came together very quickly.  Here's a peek...

All the details can be found over at the blog!

And here's Monday's release card, in full...

Well, it's almost midnight and time to hit the hay, I'd say!  If any of you are heading over to the PR blog...

#1--THANKS!!! I have so appreciated your support there!

#2--PLEASE don't feel like you have to comment here, too...I know how busy we all are visiting (I know I have some visiting to catch up on, myself!) and I don't want to slow anyone down!

I'm just so thankful for you all and so very glad you stopped by!!!

~Geri~

Hello, and Happy Monday, everyone!  Hope you're ready for this new week.  I am!  I'm just gradually getting the house back to normal after the holidays.  I enjoy the decorations and lights longer than most, I'm sure.  And being able to stay at home...I'm probably not quite as rushed as others to get it all stored away for another year.  So I sit here by the light of a small artificial tree that has taken the place of the large fresh-cut one.  It will keep me company, and light up my little corner of the living room through the rest of the month.

I'm extra happy to be here and say that Dyane, from the Precious Remembrance Shop, was so sweet to ask me to stay on as part of her team!  I'll be doing my usual 'Inspire Me Friday' posts throughout the month of February with a new and cute little set Dyane is introducing...the 'Thanks'  set.  Here are some peeks of how I've used some of the images from the set in my creation...

It's such a clever and versatile little set!  And as usual, this set contains several sweet little sentiments that are created with a mix of traditional fonts, along with Dyane's own artful handwriting...for a really cute and fresh look!

You'll find the rest of my creation, along with creations from the rest of the talented ladies on the team today at the Precious Remembrance blog.  I saw enough of their work with the Christmas set to know it will be worth your visit there!  Can't wait to check it out, myself!  Maybe I'll see you there! ;)

Thanks so much for stopping in!
~Geri~

OK, now...this is just fun!  I couldn't stop with just one of these MIM Chalkboard Technique cards!  I stayed a little truer to Betsy's interpretation on this one.  But had a little trouble with my white ink...I think it's just about gone.  And since my double stamped shadows were light, I had to be careful not to go overboard with my 'chalk dust' smudging...

I wish the white inking could have been a little more dramatic, but...it's fine.  It's interesting how every little step of this technique really brings it to life.  I used images from All My Heart on this one, and the florals are from Pink Paislee's Spring Jubilee set.  And, once again, I pulled papers from CP's Fourteen collection...

...and I'm happy with it!  It's been so long since I've participated in a challenge of any sort...almost forgot how much fun it was.  Thank you so much for your sweet comments on the last card...I really appreciate it!  And thanks for coming back today!
Geri

Oh, my achin' back never felt so good!!!  (Am I the only one who crafts on the floor...all hunched over my goodies?!?)  Feels SO GOOD to have made some time for creating today...it has just been too long!  (Yes, mama had started gettin' a little cranky!)  Have to be quick with this...almost time to get the critters!  I don't know if I have ever created for a Make It Monday, but I thought it looked like a great challenge to get me back in the crafting mode...the 'chalkboard technique'...

Now mine may be a little small and a little tidy from what I've seen, but it worked for what I wanted.  Thought if I was creating a chalkboard, it may as well be for my kids' poor neglected teachers...can't thank them enough!  I've used a couple different sets from PTI on it...School Time and Teacher's Apple.  (The little scroll image is from Waltzingmouse...so pretty, and added a needed femine touch to the board!)  I added some pretty layers of Crate Paper's 'Fourteen' collection with it...(Got me some, Char!!!)...

Love those colors!!!  They're just some of my all time favorites, and I thought they looked so nice with the little black chalkboard.  My only regret...here it is a brand new year...and it looks like I've reverted to an OLD layout!  Didn't really intend to do that,...just how it came together!  Fun, FUN challenge!!!  I'd really love to make another using this technique...we'll see!

Now...if I may...more old news, I guess...

The house all lit up with snow starting to fall before Christmas, and...

...my little Christmas Eve critters in their new jammies after getting their new ornaments opened and on the tree!  Ah!!!...what a wonderful holiday it was!!!  Happy New Year, my friends!!!  Thanks so much for stopping in today!
~Geri~