The Whimsical Butterfly: March 2010

Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Get Well and a Good Cause...

Hello everyone!

{PLEASE SCROLL DOWN for the DIEDRICH DARE post and more information on the sketch I used for this card AND the CLUB ANYA & FRIENDS preview card below! Thank you so much-it's a busy day here on the old blog! }}

We have another fun preview over at The Greeting Farm's blog for you today using the new "Get Well" set designed by Marina Neira.

Even more heartwarming, we are calling all of YOU to action by heading up a CHARITY CARD DRIVE for sick children and their families this week. Tomorrow you will hear more about that from me and be given instructions on how you can enter this card drive and put a smile on the faces of not only a sick child, but hopefully their parents, siblings, and all who are affected by all of the heartbreaking illnesses out there. We have been wanting to do this for some time and I'm really happy about it; can't wait to see how many cards we can collect for this wonderful cause!

We are also really excited about release day tomorrow AND the announcement of this contest. Because it will be the focus of the TGF Release this month, sans Blog Hops, etc...we have put together a HUGE prize for this contest, so stay tuned! In addition, there will be prizes given away tomorrow on our Release Day so be sure to stop by the TGF Blog for the Official Contest rules but also a comment contest tomorrow....who DOESN'T like a little immediate gratification ;)

The Design Team-Farmers and Critter Crew alike, has some SUPER cute samples today on the TGF Blog and our own personal blogs too! Thanks for stopping by! In fact, ONE LUCKY WINNER will be chosen today from ONE of our blogs to WIN this "Get Well" set by Marina! WE don't even know who's hiding it...so be sure to make your rounds (heehee, just like a doctor would to "Get WELL!") if you have the time and GOOD LUCK to all!

See you back here and on the TGF Blog tomorrow...but for now, please visit the DT blogs to see their Get Well previews and good luck:

See you back here tomorrow for a fun TGF RELEASE DAY post and for a HIP-HOPPIN' good time with the UNITY crew! April 1st is gonna be HUGE, guys!

****and, just as a quick note...I feel SO bad that I haven't been around to comment much lately this past week-I just wanted to let you know that I'm having a WONDERFUL time visiting with my cousin/BFF and I am SO happy t that she came to see us and where we live! Having a BLAST and miss you all-be 'makin' the rounds' soon!!!***

xoxo

Jess :)

DARE to be ADORABLE...

Hey all!

It's time for another Whimsical Wednesday edition of The Diedrich Dare! We are SUPER excited to be welcoming Krista Vantol as our newest DAREDEVIL this week...I have adored her blog, "Crafty Little Pigtails", from the minute our friend Andi pointed it out to me and couldn't be happier to have her join us! Welcome, KRISTA!

My little guy Jack has QUITE the fun sketch again today....today being his 8th BIRTHDAY along with his twin brother Nick! I can't believe it...I know that EVERY parent says this, but really...WHERE does the time go? These birthdays, although so much fun, make me a little sad, too. But while I lament, AND celebrate the miracle of these twin boys and how beautifully different they are, here is DDSC29:

Love the buttons!

Today just so happens to be another preview day on the Club Anya and Friends Blog as we debut a new set with the lovable OLIVER and AMELIA..."Buddies". This adorable little duo will be released on Thursday, APRIL 1st...thats TOMORROW at The Greeting Farm! Here is cute little Oliver and his pupster, using the sketch:

There is SO much fun going on today I don't even know where to start. I'll say it again, I just CANNOT BELIEVE my twin boys are EIGHT YEARS OLD today! HAPPY BIRTHDAY Jacky and Nicky! Mom and Dad love you BUNCHES and can't believe how big you guys are! We will be celebrating with dinner, cake, and of course, presents later! We will go to Grandma and Grandpa's tonight with our cousins who are in town.

Speaking of which, I am still having an AWESOME time with my cousin/BFF Kim :) Her, her husband, and two girls have been here since Sunday and I can't believe today is their last full day here. They leave tomorrow and I'm so sad! We have been having the BEST time. Here's a picture of us yesterday taken at the top of Lookout Mountain near Chattanooga, TN. Kim just so happens to be one of our DAREDEVILS to so be sure to leave her some love on her blog today!

Well, be sure to head on over to the DIEDRICH DARE Blog to see what the rest of our fearless Daredevils have been cooking up, and visit their beautiful blogs, as well:

Thanks for stopping by today-we hope you'll be able to play along!

Live, Love, Laugh, and Smile...

Jessica ;) xoxo

Tuesday, March 30, 2010

I {heart} Anya...

Hey all!

It's another SUPER exciting day at Club Anya and Friends AND time for another Mercy's Tuesday Sketch Challenge!

Over at Club Anya & Friends we are previewing a new little cutie who you may have seen during our CHA recap week...she was (literally!) the poster child for The Greeting Farm and is now our latest in the line of Anya stamps...introducing... STAMPING ANYA!

Team Anya has a bunch of ADORABLE previews for you today over on the CA&F blog with a chance to WIN this little sweet pea, so be sure to head over and visit:

I'm really excited about my project today because I FINALLY made a box to store all of my digi images that I print out and also some colored images that I'm not ready to use yet. I cannot think of a more PERFECT stamp than the new Stamping Anya with her little shirt that reads "I <3 stamps!" SO fitting, right? I used a Perfect Package card box from Taylored Expressions and some new paper from the Linen Closet line by DCWV.

I used Mercy's Tuesday Sketch this week (MTSC67) to create the decorative top for the box:

I'm SO excited to finally have a place to store all my digis and know they're all in one place! Here are a few pics of the finished product, having flipped the sketch vertically:

Well, I know you'll definitely want to visit the rest of Mercy's Muses today and be sure to stop by and say hello to our FABULOUS March Guest Muse, Dawn Easton as this is her (sniff sniff!) last week playing with us as our March Muse :) Thanks for all the inspiration, Dawn!

In other news...GUESS what comes out on DVD TODAY?!??!?!

HECK YEAH! In between hanging with my cousin/BFF who's here til Thursday, taking a trip to the mountains today, and eating some more yummy Southern grub, I will DEFINITELY be stopping at Target to grab my copy of the UN-anniversary edition! WOO HOO!!!!

See you tomorrow here for TWO more previews from The Greeting Farm! One from TGF and one from CA&F...lots of fun stuff happening!

Live, love, laugh, and smile...

Jess ;) xoxo

Monday, March 29, 2010

Sweet Lil' Dee Dee...

Hey Everyone!

It's going to be QUITE the exciting week, can I tell ya? My cousin/BFF KIM is in town visiting until Thursday, there are previews all week long at TGF and Club Anya...TONS of prizes to be had...all leading up to THURSDAY, APRIL 1st-RELEASE DAY!

Today over at Club Anya & Friends we are previewing this adorable little baby girl, Dee Dee! Is she not the SWEETEST thing? I couldn't wait to play with my Beez Kneeez card kit again-the glittery Pink Paislee chipboard letters were calling my name today!

So here's Dee Dee, our latest Wild Sprout:

Rumor has it she's UP FOR GRABS today...so be sure to check out the Club Anya & Friends blog, and you should know there are LOTS of fun announcements there too....BIG DT news...a few questions answered....MEET U THERE!

Be sure to stop by the rest of the DT's blogs today too, to see their sweet takes on this sweet girl!

Thanks for stopping by today and I'll be back tomorrow with another preview and some more fun, of course ;)

Before I go, I need to show you what my cousin's girls made me. They are little stampers in the making and I ADORE their creations. They are going to come over tomorrow and raid my TGF binders and I cannot WAIT to see what they do! Here are their cute cards:

Kaeli, age 9

and Emilie, age 7

I LOVE THEM! I'm going to put them up in my studio where I'll get to stare at them all day! Hooray for creativity! Hooray for visits from loved ones! I'm so excited!

Live, love, laugh, and smile...
Jessica ;) xoxo

Saturday, March 27, 2010

CHAPTER 6: The Red Queen's FINE PRINT...

"The Red Queen shook her head, "You may call it 'nonsense' if you like," she said, "but I've heard nonsense, compared with which that would be as sensible as a dictionary!"

This week we're getting down to business and reading the "fine print" here in Wonderland.
We're also SO excited to be welcoming Digital Delights by Louby Loo as our sponsor this week! WOW!

Wendy is giving away a $10 GC to the store to ONE LUCKY participant of the Oh, Alice challenge this week!

Here's my card using her cute Briley *aka alice image:

I used Mary's sketch from last week's TGF Farm Fresh Friday sketch and I really adore little Alice here :) I found a very old handwritten free-lanced copy of "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" on the internet and printed it out as my "Text"/print on the card. Why did I do that, you ask?

Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to create a card using some form of TEXT/Printed DP, Old Book pages, Newspaper print, Old dictionary, etc. We just need to see SOME form of printed text on your card or project!

Need some inspiration WRITTEN out for you? Check out the Oh, Alice! Blog for some examples and a fun announcement which I'll also share w you here:

We're super excited to annouce that Erin has agreed to serve as our DORMOUSE for the remainder of this DT's first term! We are THRILLED to have her on board as your "DOOR Mouse"...a.k.a. Meet and greeter ;) She'll be scurrying around your blogs to make sure that you're all having a great time, helping out with sponsorships, and will be around more permanently...that is, until the Hatter and the Hare stuff her in the teacup as the book tells us we're going to! LOL! JK....WELCOME Erin! Thanks for sticking around!

Be sure to check out Erin and of course, the TWISTED and terrific Thirteen:

There's no time limit to play, but to be entered into the PRIZE drawing entries must be received by 10pm CST Friday (4/2). Be sure to check back again next Saturday for another Sponsored event with a PRIZE up for grabs! If you upload your creation to a public gallery this week, please use keyword OAC6.

Mr. Linky is waiting for you over at the Oh, Alice! blog! Have a WONDERFUL week in Wonderland, all!

Little Emo Eric...

Awww, isn't he somewhere between today's classic "emo" kid and a little bit dreamy?

LOVE this new Wild Sprout...along with all the other GORGEOUS samples being previewed by the Club Anya and Friends DT today! WOO HOO! This little cutie will be released on April 1st at The Greeting Farm!

Be sure to pay the blog a visit...we have an AWESOME sketch by Pam and some fun announcements today, too! It's a big day at Club Anya and Friends, Hooray! We are celebrating the addition of TRACI PORTER as our newest Full Time DT member and also welcoming our friend CAZ as our April GUEST Designer! Congrats, everyone!

My card today, I had some fun with...but I had to laugh because I am JUST now realizing that I used BROWN ink for the sentiment instead of Black, LOL! Oopsie...chalk it up to my forgetting to turn my Ott Lite on a few nights ago, hahaha ;)

Be sure to check out the rest of the team's awesome samples with Mr. Eric here:

Be back later today with my Oh, Alice post! Ciao!

Jess :) xoxo

Friday, March 26, 2010

"SEW" Awesome...a little bird told me to share w/ you...

Hey everyone!

{PLEASE SCROLL DOWN for the CUTEST TGF Animals you've evah seen!}

I don't really have a new card for UNITY's Friends w/ Flair Friday, but I do have something super fun to share. A few days ago I had sat down with my morning coffee, the house was quiet, I was on my laptop and DH across the table from me on his. I started sifting through emails when all the sudden I shreiked so loud, DH actually looked like he was in pain, LOL!

Well, I was scrolling down through my Archiver's Newsletter, and found THIS:

Hmmm....seems to me that...{squeal} I MADE THAT CARD!!! You can check out that post HERE. :)

Here's the card again-I did notice that they took the Japanese Washi tape off that I used, but they don't sell it there or maybe they didn't 'Get it". It was funny-at first I thought they replicated it but then I zoomed in on the TOTALLY CROOKED stitching and knew that it indeed, was my original...LOL! HOW funny is that?!?

SEW. EXCITING. hee hee heeeeee.... I called my Mom, of course, LOL, but I really have to thank my "cousin/BFF" Kim for being almost more excited than me. She was so cute when she saw the ad and the post on the ARCHIVER's BLOG (my card is also posted there, yay!) that she's been waiting to "post it all over facebook" LOL! I LOVE that she's so excited about it. I have to say it was a pretty fun feeling to see that first thing in the morning :)

So now that that cat's outta the bag, I can share with you, because UNITY is THRILLED to announce that we are now being sold at Archiver's! Hooray! This is HUGE for them and I am so proud to be a part of it all. And "SEW" honored that they chose MY card to put in the ad...how cool is that?!

Again, you can check out the Archiver's blog for the deets and hey, why not leave them some love-they need to know how many people out there LOVE Unity! HOORAY! The card is made with the set "Stitched Greetings" one of our CHA releases.

Thanks for letting me share with you today-I strongly dislike the word "toot" but I guess that's what I'm doing, hahaha. Anyway, it wouldn't matter as much if you guys weren't so good to me so I really appreciate you sharing in my excitement as you always do :)

Live, love, laugh, smile... ;)
Jess xoxo

Farm Fresh Friday...

Ok, so it's one of those days and I'm really wondering if maybe I should send this card to myself! I guess I'm a little bit in need of my own "well wishes", LOL...we all have bad days, right?

But that's not why I'm writing...WHO are those CUTE little critters, you ask? Well, Marina has outdone herself with this BRAND NEW Set, "Get Well", coming to you on APRIL 1st! I LOVE this one-in fact, it's my fave in Marina's "Critter Crew" line for The Greeting Farm!

Isn't this the SWEETEST image? TGF's FFF Challenge this week is a color challenge and we hope you'll play along!

Be sure to visit the TGF Blog today for a ton of SUPER cute samples and a chance to WIN "Get Well", too! That was a fun little last minute addition to today's FFF post ;)

Live, love, laugh and smile,
Jess ;) xoxo

Thursday, March 25, 2010

YOU are Unique...

Just like the little blue flower here who stands out all on its own, each of us have that "something". That one (or several) defining factor, especially as artists and designers, that make us unique.

CELEBRATE IT!

On that note, UNITY is unique too. It's a pretty "feel-good" place, right?! That's why I LOVE it here and love these girls-such a beautiful bunch in every way and all SO unique... If you guys have been reading up, you know that we have a LOT of fun, exciting things planned for you that are all JUST around the corner!!! LOTS of new releases, challenges, and TONS of fun that can only be had in true UNITY STYLE!!!

Have you visited the SCS forum lately to hear about all the fun birthday plans we have? Be sure to head over to the UNITY BLOG too. Ang has a new "Deal of the Day" for you EVERY day, and there is always inspiration to be had!

Check out our girlies too-they are ROCKSTARS:

Well, I will leave you for now with LOTS of inspiration from the ladies above and thanks for visiting! See you tomorrow!

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Dare to be where you SHOULD be...

Hey everyone,

It's Whimsical Wednesday and time for another Diedrich Dare! This week, we have another sketch by my little guy Jack :)

I'm going to keep this post short and sweet because today is DH's birthday and this card is for him....because family is ALWAYS right where we SHOULD BE :) Happy Birthday, babes...

Like that sentiment? It's one of my FAVORITES! It's from {Ippity} stamps, and you can get them from ME! I do have this and a few other gorgeous sets in stock, so be sure to check out my {Ippity page} HERE.

Last but not least, check out the rest of the Daredevils and their creations and head over to the DARE blog for our wonderful ANDI's post:

Live, love, laugh, & smile,

Jessica ;) xoxo

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Thanks for bein' the Beeez Kneeez...

Hey everyone,

It's time for Mercy's Tuesday Sketch Challenge and she has a super fun again this week:

I was SO excited to bust out my brand new "Beez Kneeez" kit from The Caffeinated Cropper! The minute I saw this kit on my friend and fellow Unity DT member, Amber's blog I knew I *needed* it ;) The kit is put together by hand by Amy, a.k.a. "The Caffeinated Cropper". Amy has put so much time and energy into these kits to make sure that everything goes perfectly together and the value is excellent! Make sure you check out THIS post to see ALL you get in this card kit-you'll be surprised!

I was also really happy to be able to use my "Believe" set from Verve for this card. I haven't been able to play with my sadly neglected Verve stamps in a while and now that I've got some more "me" time this week w/ hubby home til Thursday, they made a much-needed appearance ;)

I LOVE this new cardmaking kit and how perfectly everything goes together! I had a blast making this card as a thank you to DH. We've been through kind of a lot this past month and I don't know what I would do if it weren't for him. See the nice brown stitching on this card too? hee hee that's cuz last night my sewing machine BROKE and I was about to break into hives but it was hubs to the rescue and here's what I got ;)

LOVE that guy...and not just cuz he gets me stuff, but because he's thoughtful, and helpful, totally supports my stamping, and because he knows the true meaning of being a team. So this one's definitely for you, babes.

On that warm and fuzzy note, be sure to check out the rest of Mercy's Muses today and see what they have in store, including our fabulous March Guest Muse, Dawn Easton. The rest of the crew:

I will be back tomorrow with a DARIN' new sketch for you!

Live, love, laugh, and smile,

Jess ;) xoxo

Monday, March 22, 2010

Monday Mania...

...isn't that the TRUTH?!

I'm posting a card today with sweet little Audrey sprout, a new Digi from The Greeting Farm! Isn't she sweet and sassy all wrapped up into a cute little package? Audrey actually reminds me a LOT of myself on days that I just want to throw my hair up into a cap and get crafty, play some b-ball with my 2 little dudes, or just one of those "i'm not going anywhere; I don't have to do my hair" days but still try to look SOMEWHAT cute, haha!

Be sure to head over to Club Anya and Friends today....my friend and past DT mate GWEN is the hostess today and she's got a "Sketchipe" for y'all to use! Enjoy, live and PLAY today!

Jess ;)

"If you quit playing because it is a child's sport, then you are wrong. As George Bernard Shaw said, "We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing."

Saturday, March 20, 2010

Oh, Alice....I'm CRAZY for Spring...

WHOOOOOOOO RRRRRRRRRRR YOUUUUUUUU?

"Who are YOU?" said the Caterpillar.
This was not an encouraging opening for a conversation. Alice replied, rather shyly, "I--I hardly know, sir, just at present-- at least I know who I WAS when I got up this morning, but I think I must have been changed several times since then."

This week we are celebrating SPRING here in Wonderland on the Oh, Alice! Blog. It also happens to be the week for the "Signs of Spring" Challenge at the Crazy4Challenges blog, so I'm combining my card for today! It is SO rare I actually have the foresight to do that, LOL!

Today at the OH, ALICE! Blog, we bave some WONDERFUL winged-things to show off AND A PRIZE courtesy of this week's sponsor, our very own Jen Shults! Jen's stamp company, Wild Flower Kids, has grown to be a favorite of mine and we are SO honored that she's agreed to sponsor the Oh, Alice! Blog by showcasing one of her new lines "All-A-Flutter"! This little cutie is Chrysanthe :)

(Inside of card-using sentiment by DRS Designs, our C4C sponsor this month)

Jen was gracious enough to provide the DT with some of these wonderfully cute and whimsical images as well...Check them out:

Your mission, should you choose to accept it is to create a card using a CATERPILLAR or BUTTERFLY on your projects this week! You have until Friday, March 26th to submit your entries by 8pm CST. Winner will be announced on Saturday 3/27 during our next challenge and the WINNER will receive the "All =a-Flutter" digital images from Jen! This week's keyword is OAC5.

On another note, I have some news. Sadly, this will be my last post as a member of the Crazy4Challenges Design Team. I have decided to ease up on my responsibilities just a bit here and sadly had to let it go. What I will NEVER let go of, though, are the friendships that I've made on the team, some even before our team was formed, and the inspiration that I draw from these ladies-not just on Saturdays! Please take some time to visit the rest of my beloved "Crazies":

Barbara Anders

Cindy Haffner

Frances Byrne

Jessica Diedrich

Jessie Rone

Joanne Grzelak

Jocelyn Turner

Lori Boyd

Lynda Benden

Mercy Kerin

Robin Willis

Vicki Garrett

Well, thanks for flyin' down the Rabbit Hole with me this weekend and GO GET CRAFTY! Can't wait to see who win's the PRIZE over on the Oh, ALICE! BLOG this week! Good luck to all and see you next week!

Live , Love, Laugh and Smile,
Jess :) xoxo

Thursday, March 18, 2010

You are like NO other lil' Bug!...

...and may I say so, myself, that she's one of the CUTEST little bugs around?

I was SO inspired to scrapbook yesterday-I am BEYOND excited. Let's just say I have something coming up here in the near future that will be requiring me to scrap a little more and I was feeling VERY inspired!

I am about 3 years behind but I figured I'd start a LITTLE current so I'm here in the Summer of 2008 and here is my precious baby girl staring at one of those big green leaf buggers at our old house in IL. Could this quote be ANY more perfect?

"It is the SWEET, SIMPLE things of life which are the REAL ONES after all..." ~Laura Ingalls Wilder

Seriously could NOT be more perfect for this picture! I don't even like bugs; I'm actually terrified of them but always try to put on a brave face for the kiddos, but you better believe I stuck that lens right up in that moment because it NEEDED to be captured!

Fast forward from Summer 2008 to the present...and I bring you the MARCH 2010 Kit of the Month from Unity Stamp Co.! Here you will find all the cute stamps I used for this layout and more:

Isn't it sweet as can be? If you're not a kit club member, be sure to stop by THIS page for all the info-there are so many neat new perks and LOTS of rubber you're missing out on!

Speaking of missing out, you definitely don't want to miss out on the talented bunch that I am HONORED to work with and call my friends:

AJ Otto-DT Coordinator Extraordinaire
Amber Hight
Angela Magnuson-Owner Extraordinaire
Brooke Lien
Christi Snow
Jen Ericksen
Jennifer Buck
Jimmi Mayo
Julie Campbell
Kimber McGray
Lastisha Yoast- Feb/March Guest DT
Maren Benedict
Natalie Dever
Renee Dezember
Robyn Weatherspoon
Wendy Chang
and our WONDERFULLY TALENTED GUEST DT: Latisha!

Be sure to stop by the UNITY BLOG too-find out what the DEAL OF THE DAY is, and all the fun stuff Ang has to tell you about over there-there is ALWAYS something going on at Unity and I LOVE being a part of it all!

Take care and I'll be back with some more fun tomorrow :)

Live, love, laugh and smile,
Jess :) xoxo

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Darin' Daisy...

Hey everyone!

It's Whimsical Wednesday and time for another DIEDRICH DARE!

This week, my darling little dude Nicky provided us with a SUPER fun sketch:

I am just LOVING this new Unity set, "Crazy for Daisies" and couldn't WAIT to ink it up! For this first time in a LONG time I didn't "color" the stamp...it felt weird, you know? Weird, but good! So this is what I came up with, using some GORGEOUS new DP I scored while shopping with my friend and fellow UNITY DT gal, Amber. It's from the DCWV Cafe Mediterranean Stack and I LOVE it!

I scored some really pretty lace by the yard at Jo-Ann too and used it for this bright and cheery card. I have ALWAYS loved Daisies-in fact, I had them in my wedding bouquet. As much as I love roses and expensive lilies, etc., the truth is well, for one I have horrible alleries and for two, I'm really just a daisy girl. I love the simple beauty to them and the happiness they evoke, not to mention the beautiful colors you can get them in now!

There's really something about DAISIES that just makes me smile, much like UNITY and much like my fellow DAREDEVILS, not to mention the 4 amazing children behind the DARE itself! I am so blessed to see the creativity being passed on and how much they enjoy everything about my cardmaking :) They are the coolest little peeps I've ever met :)

Thanks, Nicky boy, for another fantastic sketch, and make sure to check out the DARE BLOG as well as our players this week:

Be sure to stop by tomorrow for more UNITY fun and THANKS AGAIN for being patient with me while I play catch up, LOL! Oh, and one more {ippity} lil' thing:

FREE SHIPPING? STILL, you say??? YES!!! As a THANK YOU, did you see THIS post? That's right! I've extended my FREE SHIPPING offer on {ippity} stamps as a thanks for the HUGE success I had selling the first round of stamps! To see what's in stock, click HERE. Offer good for a few more days, thanks everyone!

"DAISIES are like sunshine to the ground..." ~Drew Barrymore

xoxo,
Jess :)

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Life's Little Rainbows wouldn't happen without the rain...

Gosh it's been crazy huh? This weather has been nuts!

Well, I'm BACK and I missed y'all! First and foremost, THANK YOU for all the sweet, wonderful comments you guys left on my blog last week while I was enjoying a fun and MUCH needed vacay with my family in the most magical place on earth! We had an absolutely BLAST! Always hard to come home, ya know?

Well, my email inbox and project list greeted me with a vengeance, my google reader max'd out at 1000 and I can't wait to visit your blogs this week, so thanks for hangin' with me while I was away!

Well, I know I am READY for summer-and more sunshine! The Florida weather was GORGEOUS w/ the exception of one VERY rainy day at Epcot, but you know, it was actually a blessing and a curse because it was empty! So we all looked FABULOUS in our $7 ponchos and off we went, skipping, puddle jumping (my poor new leather sandals took a hit, but hey, I only waited 5 minutes for my FAVORITE RIDE, "Soarin'" at Epcot!). We were SOAKED!!!

But, after seeking temporary shelter inside "Innoventions" at Epcot, we ventured back out when we knew it wasn't going to let up...We even DANCED in the rain-which was so exhilarating! And kinda chilly! LOL! The kids thought we were nuts at first but soon looked at me with their eyes actually dancing and you could tell they were thinking "my Mom's pretty cool". Is there ANY better feeling than that?! Don't think so! What a great week we had-lots to share!

For today, my card for Mercy's Tuesday sketch challenge is just a reminder of all the good things that can come when life's little storms are above our heads, and the invigorating feeling we get from being right there in the thick of it and soaking up both the rain AND sun that always follows at some point, right?

Here's the sketch this week, MTSC65:

My card uses the adorable Pure Innocence line from My Favorite Things that I just so happened to stamp up the last time I was with my girlies Mercy and Pammy. Oh, how I miss them! I thought the "hugs" sentiment was perfect and the new My Mind's Eye "Quite Contrary" line is gonna be a fave, for sure!

Be sure to check out the rest of the muses this week, including our FABULOUS March Guest Muse, Dawn Easton!

Well, I'll leave you with a few more pics of the FUN we had that same day at Epcot when the sun came out...although the rain definitely didn't get us down!

Ok, if that's not magical...NOTHING is! Can't even TELL ya what little moments that put the biggest smile on their faces do to me! Thanks for letting me share with you again and I hope you have a WONDERFUL and INSPIRED day! I'll leave you with some of my favorite quotes pertaining to my little post today:

Anyone who says sunshine brings happiness has never danced in the rain. ~Author Unknown

"Everyone needs a little RAIN. If all we had was SUNSHINE, there'd be no PUDDLES to jump in"... (*you can BUY this quote at www.papermakeup.com)

"And when it rains, look up rather than down....Remember, without the rain, there would be no RAINBOWS..." ~Gilbert Chesterton

Here's to a FABULOUS time w/ my 4 little 'rainbows'...they're off for another week of Spring Break...yeah!