Easily Amused

Berry Sweet

2012-03-12T11:58:00.000-04:00

Does anyone else have this problem? It seems that often I make a card with minimal stamping it ends up taking longer to make than ones with lots of intricate coloring. It's not because I didn't how I was going to lay it out because it was made for a sketch challenge. It wasn't because it took a long time to pick the papers because as soon as I decided on the stamp I knew which papers I would use. Wish I could say why it took so long but I can't. I guess I was just putzing...

Here's the deets:

stamp - My Favorite Things "Feelin' Fruity"

ink - Memento "Tuxedo Black" and "Ladybug"

paper - Bazzill "Ruby Slipper" "Parakeet" and dark green cs; Imaginisce "Berrylicious" dp

miscellaneous - copics; Souffle markers; bling; ribbon; SU linen twine; charm; brads; sewing machine

Here's the challenges:

My Favorite Things Wednesday Stamp Club MTWSC62 - sketch

Simon Says Stamp and Show - Anything Goes

CES challenges- Use a charm

I {Heart} Ribbon - Printed Ribbon (it's hard to see because it's covered by the images but the ribbon has strawberries printed on it)

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you'll come back again.

don't forget the inside

Wishing You Luck

2012-03-11T07:26:00.121-04:00

It's time for the wearing of the green so go dig out your green sweater from the moth balls. What about green bagels and beer, where do you stand on those? Those kind of gross me out. I prefer to have uncolored Irish Soda Bread and if you can get some very lean and thin cut corned beef and then top it off with some Baily's Irish Cream...

don't forget the inside

At the Pile It On Challenge blog we're going with the green theme too. This week our challenge #11 is St. Patrick's Day and/or Shades of Green. It's sponsored by Simon Says who will give the winner a $15 gift certificate for their store. So why not play along for a chance to win.
Here's the deets:
stamp - My Favorite Things "Wishing You Luck"
ink - Memento "Tuxedo Black"
paper - the Paper Cut (MFT) "Lemonade" cs; October Afternoon "Modern Homemaker" dp
miscellaneous - copics; buttons; brads; lace; ribbon; charm; sewing machine; MFT die-namics "Simply Scallops"

Here's the challenges:
Pile It On -#11 - St Patrick's Day and/or Shades of Green

Sketch Saturday #198 - Sketch

Sweet Stampin' - Let's See Those Layers and optional Sketch

Totally Gorjuss #122 - Anything Goes with a Button

Crazy for Challenges C4C127 - Spring Is in the Air

Papercraft Star #87 - St. Patrick's Day use a Lucky Theme

Crafty Creations - Stripes

Delightful Challenges - St. Patrick's Day

DYSU #62 - Go Green

Moving Along With the Times - Cute as a Button

Card Makin' Mammas - #40 - Let's See Some Green

Friday Mash Up FM#49- Use Green and Yellow and/or a 3-D basket

CES #76- Charmed

Raise the Bar #95 - Go Green

2 Sisters #82- Spring Colors

Totally Papercrafts #107 - My Favorite Things (Charm and MFT stamps)

Simply Create Too #8 - I'm So Lucky

CRAFT #145 - Inspired By a Song (I'm Looking Over a Four Leaf Clover)

Crafting for All Seasons #22 - Green and Yellow

Going Grey - St. Paddy's Day

Papertake Weekly - Anything Goes

Thanks for stopping by, I love reading your comments and appreciate that you made the effort. I hope you'll play along with us in the Pile It On Challenge.

Irish Cupcakes

2012-03-11T07:07:00.084-04:00

I find myself wondering if the baker put green dye in the batter of this cute cuppies. These are the inspiration for this week's Cupcake Inspirations challenge. We're sponsored by Stamp Fairy, one of our regular and generous sponsors. They've got cute and sweet bear images for every occasion. If you enter the challenge this week you may win a little shopping spree. If I weren't a DT I'd be playing along.

There's lots to be inspired by in this photo. There's the cute little bear, the pot of gold, the flag, the rainbow, and of course the shamrocks. There's something for everyone in this photo and everybody's Irish in March.

You can see I've been inspired by that cute little bear and the St. Patrick's Day theme. The Stamp Fairy bears are just about twins with the cupcake bear.

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don't forget the inside

Here's the deets:
stamp - Stamp Fairy "Herb/St. Patrick's Day"
ink - hp printer
paper - the Paper Cut "Whip Cream" cs; Bazzill green cs; Basic Gray "Origins" dp; Recollections Printed Scrapbook Papers (yellow dot) dp; Stampin' Up "Kraft" cs
miscellaneious - copics; SU crochet lace ribbon; gingham check ribbon; Irish charm; My Favorite Things oval die-namics; Fiskars "Upper Crest" punch; sewing machine

Here's the challenges:
Cupcake Inspirations CIC151 - photo
Friday Mash Up #49 - use Green and Yellow and/or a 3-d basket
DYSU #62 - Go Green
Digi Doodles #98 - Animals
Delightful - St. Patrick's Day
Crafty Sentiments - Bears

Thanks for stopping by, I appreciate all your kind words. I hope you'll come back again.

I {Heart} Shoes

2012-03-10T14:34:00.000-05:00

I really do love shoes. Unfortunately shoes do not love me. My feet look like Fred Flintstone's feet, in fact when I was pregnant I used to sing a little ditty about my feet using the Flintstone vitamin jingle for the tune. It went like this "I have Flinstone feet, they are wide and growing...". During my pregnancy I couldn't fit a shoe on my feet, I wore flip flops even with my prettiest dresses. In my youth I could ignore the pain and squoosh my foot into a pretty shoe but more often than not my foot would eventually burst through the side of the shoe and that was the end of that. Nowadays I just wistfully look at all those pretty heels and put on my Easy Spirits double wides and pray they'll be wide enough. At least with stamps the size and width doesn't matter.

don't forget the inside

Here's the deets:
stamp - Paper Pretties "Sassy Shoes"
ink - Memento "Tuxedo Black"
paper - Recollections gray card base; the Paper Cut (MFT) "Banana Split" cs; Recollections light gray cs; Stampin' Up dark gray cs; October Afternoon "Modern Homemaker"
miscellaneous - copics; Q and Co. pearls; MFT die-namics "Perfect Bracket" sewing machine

Here's the challenges:
Unscripted Sketches #149 - Sketch
Playdate Cafe PDCC122 - Charcoal, Ash and Butter
Simon Says - Mother's Day/Special Girl
Craft Your Days Away #40 - Mother's Day
Dream Valley #27 - Mother's Day

Thanks for stopping by, I love reading all your comments and appreciate the time and effort it takes.

Mint Magic

2012-03-09T09:59:00.000-05:00

I just love that little teapot charm and the pearl in the
center of the rolled rose

Here's the rolled royal rose again. They look amazing, even my teenage daughter likes them and wants to make some. I have no idea what she wants to do with them but that's doesn't matter. Any creative interest needs to be nurtured. For me, it doesn't matter if you stay in the lines or color flesh appropriately. After the masterpiece in mixed media (mascara and lipstick) was created on my off white living room furniture I had a little sit down with my darling daughter and talked about how beautiful her work was but that the furniture was not where it belonged. At that point I made up my rule that walls and furniture were off limits and she could have as much paper as she wanted. Too bad I didn't mention that my make-up and bed linens were also off limits, but I digress...oh and now that she's grown she's put a mural on her headboard and is painting on her walls. They say what you resist persists. I gotta agree.

It's Friday and the weekend is here. Stampin' for the Weekend has a great challenge for you this week. Our team member Mummylade is asking you to use this photo of a fabulously shabby chic room for your inspiration. I don't know about you but I would love to live there. Of course to do that I would have to get rid of my family and pets.

My card was inspired by the color scheme and the tea cups and tea pots on the table. I pulled out a House Mouse stamp which got me thinking about a cabin we used to own. it was in the woods in the Poconos. It was a very quaint little place that an occasional mouse liked to visit. From personal experience I can tell you they are much cuter on your cards than in your teapots.

don't forget the inside

Here's the deets:
stamp - House Mouse "We're Mint Tea To Be Together"
ink - Memento Tuxedo Black
paper - Stampin' Up "Kraft" cs; Bazzill "Frosted Teal" cs; the Paper Cut (from MFT) "Pink Lemonade" cs; Stampin' Up "Pink Pirouette" dsp (for flowers and flourish); Melissa Frances "5th Avenue" dp
miscellaneous - copics; My Favorite Things die-namics "Fancy Flourish" , "Scalloped Ribbon" and "Royal Rose"; Pearls; ribbon; silver cord; teapot charm; sewing machine

Here's the challenges:
Stampin' For the Weekend #5 - photo inspiration
Crafty Creations #160 - Stripes
Simon Says - Mother's Day/Special Girl
Crop Stop #62 - Rainbow of Color (pink, blue, green, brown)
Creative Card Crew #5 Humor
Cutie Pie #13 - Pearls and Swirls

Thanks for stopping by, your visits mean the world to me. I hope you'll come back again and I hope you'll find the time to play along in the Stampin' for the Weekend challenge.

Get Cooking!

2012-03-07T07:34:00.002-05:00

Here's the recipe for Cooking It Up with Katie's latest challenge:
1.) Embossing
2.) Stitching
3.) Punching

The last time embossing was part of a recipe I forgot about it till after I had the whole card put together, soooo this time I made sure I made an embossed layer before things got put together. Sadly it doesn't show very well in the photo but the beige banner type cross piece is embossed with dots.

I cheated a little. Instead of using a punch I used a die to make the flowers. I am loving these flowers, they are made with the new Royal Rose die-namic from My Favorite Things. I can't stop raving about it. If you scroll through my blog you'll see that I don't use a lot of flowers but now that I have this die I'll be using them more often.

This week is also the prize week at Mojo Monday so I had to make a card for that challenge. It's not I need to win a prize, not that a prize wouldn't be appreciated, but it's for bragging rights, kwim. Who doesn't want that honor?

Here's the deets:
stamp - My Favorite Things "Clearly Sentimental About Children" (at least I think that's the name)
ink - Close To My Heart "Desert Sand" and Ranger "Scattered Straw"
paper - Stampin' Up "Soft Sky", "River Rock" and "Wild Wasabi" cs; Melissa Frances "5th Avenue" dp
miscellaneous - pearls; manilla tag;silk ribbon; embossing folder; My Favorite Things "Royal Rose" die-namics; sewing machine

Here's the challenges"
Cooking It Up With Katie #91 - Embossing, Stitching and Punching
Mojo Monday #231 - sketch
Shabby Tea Room #104 - photo and use Aqua, Pink, Green plus a tag
Kaboodle Doodle #109- Think Spring, Let's See Some Flowers
Dream Valley #27 - Mother's Day
Paper Play week 9 - Something old (paper and tag) Something New (Royal Rose die)
Craft Your Days Away #40 - Mother's Day
CES Challenges - Flower Frenzy
Fussy and Fancy #57 - More Than Words

Thanks for visiting, reading your comments makes my day enjoyable. I hope you'll stop by again.
Don't forget, you've got two weeks to join us at the Cooking It Up with Katie challenge to use embossing, punching and stitching. I look forward to seeing your creations.

an MFT Kind of Day

2012-03-05T20:57:00.001-05:00

Did you ever get on a roll and can't seem to stop? Outside of doing household chores I've been on an MFT roll since yesterday afternoon. Given the choice of the two I prefer the MFT roll, sadly, some one has to wash the clothes, etc. Most of you are in the same boat so I'm not expecting any sympathy.

don't forget the inside

This is my entry for the MFT Wednesday Stamp Club Sketch challenge. This is an old image but it wanted to be inked so here it is. ere's the deets:

stamp - My Favorite Things "Who's That e-Girl?"

ink - Memento Tuxedo Black and Ranger Scattered Straw

paper - Stampin' Up "Kraft" and "Blue Bayou" cs, DSP Patterns stack neutrals dp; Favorite Things "Earth" dp

miscellaneous - copics; brads; twine; charm; MFT Scalloped Ribbon Border die-mamics; sewing machine

Here's the challenges:
My Favorite Things Wednesday Stamp Club MFTWSC61 - sketch

The Pink Elephant TPE138 - Let's See Those Layers - at least 3

Raise the Bar #94- Use Twine

Thanks for stopping by, please come back again.

One Year

2012-03-05T19:20:00.000-05:00

It's hard to believe that this time last year the buddies were moaning over having to wait for Baby Girl (Crystal) to pop her baby.
Isabella is just gorgeous and she was worth the wait. I am so lucky that Bella travels so I've been able to meet her twice. She is just a doll, and both times she was a perfect lady, as if we'd expect anything.
This March MFT Guest Designer contest is "Hit the Books". One of my favorite things to do is cover notebooks and I probably would have made one if I hadn't discovered an acrylic scrapbook in my closet.

Well it seems to me that this is the perfect chance to combine a challenge with a present for Bella and her family. So that's what my entry is. I didn't start this till Sunday afternoon and I worried that I might not be able to do it in time for the deadline but I got so involved I worked till the wee hours of the morning and then went finished it off and took pics this morning.

The sweet Pure Innocence stamps are perfect for this project. I pulled out a few, grabbed some festive birthday papers and my die-namics.

Crystal and her mom are both avid scrappers so I know they'll be able to fill the blank spaces and of course they can add more embellishments if they'd like.

The book is set up to follow a birthday party. The first pages can have pics of the guests or decorations, and of course the princess. Then the cupcakes and sweets can be for a photo of Bella blowing out the candles (or sticking her hand in the cake).

The dress on this PI was colored with copics and a Souffle pen was used for the polka dots.

After the cake, it's time for presents.

The paper flower was made using the "Royal Rose" die-namic. I love this die, finally I'm able to roll a flower that looks good to me. I've been playing with this today so if you come back on Wednesday I'll be posting a card using that die again.

Looks like the party's over but there's room for another photo here. I kept this page simple and flat because this books are often left sitting on that cover and from my experience the embellishments on the backs of my albums have gotten pretty beat up.

There are only a few ribbons on the rings, just enough to dress it up. Another "from experience" thing. If you put lots of ribbons on the rings, it looks really nice when it's closed and it's going to stay closed. There has to be some room for the pages to move and tons of ribbons will stop it. AND grandma Edna is the ribbon queen. She's sure to add some of her favorites.

Here's the deets:
stamps: My Favorite Things "Birthday Princess", "Ber Bling", "Hello Cupcake", "I Want Candy", "Don't Open Until" and "My Balloon"
ink - Memento "Tuxedo Black" and Versa Magic "Spring Pansy"
paper - Stampin' Up "Orchid Opulence" cs; Bazzill "Intense Kiwi" and "Frosted Teal"; Doodlebug "Cake and Ice Cream" dp; Cosmo Cricket "DeLovely" dp
Miscellaneous - copics, ribbon, twine; charm; pearls; brads; Spellbinders "Ribbon Tags Trio"; MFT die-namics "Royal Rose", "Oval Dainty Doily", Banner Day", "Scalloped Scallop"; "Sweet Stack", "Jumbo Rick Rack","Scalloped Ribbon Border", "Jumbo Scallop", "Ticket Tab", "Open Scallop Edge"; sewing machine

Here's the challenges:
My Favorite Things - March Guest DT
Craft Your Passion - Anything Goes
Crafty Catz #122 - Punches and Dies
Crafty Ann #60- Anything But a Card
Fairy Tale #36 - Paper Piecing
Frosted Designs - Numbers
Ribbon Carousel RCC42 - Anything Goes
4 Crafty Chicks #79 - Anything But a Card

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you'll come back again.

Spring is on the Way

2012-03-04T10:53:00.000-05:00

CIC150

When you start seeing cute little chickies and duckies instead of Santas and snowflakes it can only mean spring is on its way. When I lived in the north it was a favorite time of year. So I imagine there are many of you enjoying the first glimpses of budding flowers. Just remember, as my mom used to remind me that you never know what kind of weather March is going to serve up and if you're planning to march in a St. Patrick's Day parade you could be wearing shorts or your heavy coat. You might start with one and end in the other.

Well, these cuppie chickies are the inspiration for this week's Cupcake Inspiration Challenge. This week we're sponsored by Prairie Fairy Designs . They have generously supplied the design team with images. If you're a fan of Gilly (who isn't) then you must check out the challenge blog because some of the DT have used adorable Gilly images, just perfect for this time of year. For me it was a bit of a struggle picking an image to use, I really do love Gilly and they were all great choices to use in this challenge but in the end I decided on the Spring Ducks. Of course that just means that some other day I'll have to use Gilly. It all works out in the end.

don't forget the inside

Here's the deets:
stamp - Prairie Fairy "Spring Ducks"
ink - hp printer
paper - K & Co "Susan Winget Spring Bouquet" dt; Stampin' Up "Lucky Limeade" cs; Bazzill "African Daisy" cs
miscellaneous - copics; Spellbinder's Lacey square die; lace; ribbon; twine; charm; brads

Here's the challenges:
Cupcake Inspirations CIC150 - photo
Colour Q CQC#126 - Early Espresso, Lucky Limeade; Daffodil Delight; Pumpkin Pie and white
Raise the Bar - Use Twine
Crafty Catz #122- Punches and Dies
Allsorts #144 - Spread Your Wings
Crafts and Me #73 - Pretty in Lace

Thanks for stopping by, I appreciate your kind and supportive words and hope you'll come back again.

Now get your fingers inky and make something for the Cupcake Inspirations Challenge, the sweeties love to see what you do.

Make It a Fun Fold

2012-02-26T08:32:00.001-05:00

It's time to do something a little bit different. For some of you it'll put you out of your comfort zone but that's not a bad thing.
The challenge at Pile It On is to Make It a Fun Fold. There are so many fun folds to try and if you haven't ever tried one now's as good a time as any to start. If you have no idea where to begin I've added "Fancy Fold" to my label list near the bottom of my sidebar. If you click on the words "Fancy Fold" you'll get a list of my posts using some different folds like the Origami Diamond Fold, the Center Step Fold and the Pop Up. In the posts there should be links to tutorials on how to make them. Or you can try going to the Splitcoast Stampers resource section for tutorials. And when all else fails you can do a google search.

This card is a plain Easel Fold. There are so different versions of the Easel Fold but I haven't learned them. I chose this fold because it's easy, I can do it without looking up directions and I was short of time this week but if you've got some time to play around try the Pop Up, it's really fun. Actually so are all the others. I think I am going to resolve to use a fancy fold at least once a month so that I will be able to do them without needing the directions.
Here's the deets:
stamp - Crafty Secrets "Easter Joy"
ink - Memento "Tuxedo Black"; Versa Magic "Spring Pansy"
paper - Bazzill "Purple Pizzazz" cs, Best Occasions green cs; K & Co "Susan Winglet Botanical Specialty paper" dp
miscellaneous - copics; ribbon; DMC embroidery floss; charm; mini brads; Doodlebug Easter assortment brads; sewing machine

Here's the challenges:
Pile It On #9 - Make It a Fun Fold
Crafty Catz #121 - I Spy Something Beginning with B (bunny and basket)
Moving Along With the Times - Lots of Layers
Delightful Challenges - Use Patterned Paper
Paper Pretties PWC194 - use punches or die cuts
Stamp Man - Colours of Spring - Easter
Fairy Tale #35 - Spring
Crafty Sentiments - 2 Designer/ Different Papers
Truly Scrumptious #74- All Creatures Great and Small
Crafts and Me #72 - Shades of Spring
Allsorts - Anything Goes
2 Sisters #80 - Anything Goes

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you'll come back often and I hope to see your creation posted on the Pile It On challenge blog,

Yummy Strawberries

2012-02-26T08:17:00.077-05:00

Yummy Strawberries and kiwi on a cupcake, now that's divine. As usual I'm drooling over my keyboard as I write my Cupcake Inspiration Challenge post. And as usual there is lots to be inspired by in this photo - the colors, the swirls and textures, the fruit even the arrangement, it reminds me of a flower. What do you see?

Our sponsor this week is Sparkle Creations. Check out the CIC blog to see some creations made with Sparkle Creations images.

I happen to love cupcake images and have a few (okay more than a few) and when I saw that cuppie with the berries and kiwis on it I immediately knew which image I was going to be using. I have a strawberry buddy and we always send each other cards and presents with a strawberry theme. This has been going on for a long time. Would you believe it's over 30 years and whenever a package arrives I'm still exited to see what's going to be in the box. And when I'm out shopping I'm always on the lookout for fun strawberry items. Sometimes I forget where I put them and can't find them when I'm ready to send them, then it's always a fun surprise to find them again.

don't forget the inside

Here's the deets:
stamp - Bugaboo "Berry Fairy Cupcake"
ink - hp printer
paper - Colorbok Primary colors cs; Making Memories "English Garden" dp
miscellaneous - copics; stickles; brads; ribbon; twine; charm; Spellbinders circle and scalloped circle dies; My Favorite Things Die-namics scallop border die; sewing machine

Here's the challenges:
Cupcake Inspirations CIC149 - photo
Our Creative Corner - Over the Edge
Crafty Ann #59- Bold and Bright
Cute Card #205 - Winged Things
Sisterhood of Crafters - Get Digi with It

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you'll come back soon and often. I also hope that you'll play along with us at Cupcake Inspirations. The sweeties can't wait to see how the photo sets off your creative juices.

Bingo

2012-02-24T07:49:00.002-05:00

What are doing for the weekend? How about playing BINGO with us at Stampin' for the Weekend? Bingo can be a tough challenge or an easy challenge but it's always a fun challenge. Every bingo challenge I've seen has been different, some are easier than others. I think that the SFTW board has great choices and no matter what your style you'll be able to find a row that works for you. I used two rows. I almost did the whole board but I don't use flowers very often and this wasn't going to be the exception to the rule.

Here's the bingo board. You just need to pick a row in any direction, including diagonal lines. Then you make a project with those three embellishments. Easy peasy, right? When you're finished link it up on the Stampin' for the Weekend challenge blog so we can see what you've made.

Here's the deets:
stamp - My Favorite Things a la mode "Fight Like a Girl"
ink - Memento "Tuxedo Black"
paper - Stampin' Up "Kraft" cs; Authentique "Uncommon" dp
miscellaneous - copics; brads, pearls; ribbon; twine; charm; lace; Nesties circle dies; Die-namics bracket die; sewing machine

Here's the challenges:
Stampin' for the Weekend #4 - Bingo
My Favorite Things Wednesday Stamp Club MFTWSC60 - sketch
Crafty Sentiments - 2 designer papers
Craft Us Crazy #21- Favorite Color and Favorite Embellishment (pink and charm)
Paper Shelter #52 - Add a Sentiment
Really Reasonable Ribbon #42 - Pink and Brown

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you'll come back again.

This week one of my blogging buddies let me know that she was diagnosed with breast cancer. I made this card with her in mind. It is a certainty that everyone of you reading this knows someone who has had the misfortune of having cancer and it's pretty likely that you know someone with breast cancer. We need to work at eliminating breast cancer and helping women who don't have the finances or insurance for a mammogram. With that in mind PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, click on the pink ribbon at the top of my sidebar. It only takes a couple seconds and a couple clicks, it doesn't get much easier than that.

A Really Easy Recipe Challenge

2012-02-22T19:35:00.000-05:00

If you're in the mood to make a card but don't want to have to follow a theme, color combo, or inspiration photo how about the easiest recipe challenge you're ever going to find. This week Cooking It Up With Katie Challenge is to use your three favorite things. Recipes don't get much easier than that.

The toughest part of this challenge for me was to limit it to three favorite things. There's definitley more than three of my favorite things on this card but I'll just list the three. My Favorite Things are paper piecing (the star), machine stitching and charms.

This stamp makes me think of the 1940's and the Andrew Sisters (here's an old video of them belting out the Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy ) so I inked around the edges of the papers and used tea dyed lace to get a vintage feel.

don't forget the inside

Here's the deets:
stamp - My Favorite Things "Blue Without You"
ink - Memento "Tuxedo Black" and Ranger "Antique Linen"
paper - Stampin' Up "Kraft" cs, "Patterns Pack II" dp and "Pawsitively Prints" dp
miscellaneous - copics; mini brads; lace; charm; twine; sewing machine; MFT "Oval Dainty Doily"

Here's the challenges:
Cooking It Up With Katie #90 - Your 3 Favorite Things
Sugar Creek Hollow - Sketch and use a cute image in a vintage, shabby chic or primitive style
Ribbon Reel #22 - Weathered/ Distressed
Craft Your Passion #98 - Red, White and Blue
Stamptacular Sunday #152 - Charm Me
Crazy #107 - Use a die or punch
Craft Your Days Away #39 - Paper Piecing
Totally Gorjuss 119 - Lace
Crazy for Challenges C4C124 - Stripes and Polka Dots

Thanks for stopping by, your comments make my day. I hope to see you play along with us at Cooking It Up with Katie's challenge to use your three favorite things.

Wintry Wishes

2012-02-21T10:51:00.000-05:00

This is not what winter looks like in my neck of the woods and from what I've heard from my northern buddies it isn't what it's been looking like for them either. I'm not sure how things are further north where the economy depends on cold and snow for winter sports and tourism. Hopefully they are not suffering.

This was made for My Favorite Things Wednesday Stamp Club sketch challenge so I'm off to get it posted on Splitcoast before the deadline.

Here's the deets:
stamp - My Favorite Things "Ski Bunny"
ink - Memento "Tuxedo Black"
paper - Stampin' Up "Kraft"; Bazzill "Crabapple Dark" and "Beeswax"; My Mind's Eye "Lost and Found Christmas"
miscellaneous - copics; twine; charm; mini brads; SU button; sewing machine

Here's the challenges:
My Favorite Things MFTWSC59 - sketch
Stamptacular Sunday #152 Charm Me
The Pink Elephant TPE136 - Print It
2 Sister #79 - Stitch It
DYSU #59 - Layer It

Thanks for stopping by, I appreciate all your kind words and encouragements. I hope you stop by again.

Monkey Love

2012-02-19T11:34:00.000-05:00

CIC148

How much fun is this photo! You've got a sock monkey, a pail full of Tootsie Pops (and in my favorite flavors), a big old banner, and a mile high pile of cupcakes! Wowsers, if you can't find inspiration for Cupcake Inspirations challenge #148 from this photo you better have somebody check your pulse.

Now if the fantastic photo isn't enough to get you excited how about the sponsor - it's Bugaboo Stamps and they're offering a prize of 7 digital images. Double Wowsers!

Bugaboo let the sweeties pick an image to use so you have to check out the blog to see how the team was inspired. I think this week the sweeties have outdone themselves.

My card features "Birthday Monkey - Cupcake". If you like cupcake images there's a large selection of images featuring cupcakes. Would you be surprised to know that I have quite a few of the cupcake images in my stash? No, I didn't think so.

Don't forget the inside, even doing something simple that's just a reflection of the card's face.

Here's the deets:

stamp - Bugaboo Stamps "Birthday Monkey - Cupcake"

ink - hp printer

paper - Stampin' Up "Crumb Cake" and "Poppy Parade" cs; Recollections "Red Dots" and "Monkeying Around" dp

miscellaneus - copics; stickles; mini brads; liquid pearls; ribbons; baker's twine; monkey charm; sewing machine; Spellbinder's circle and inverted scalloped circle dies

Here's the challenges:

Cupcake Inspirations CIC148 - photo

2 Sisters #79 - stitching

Totally Papercrafts #104 - Ribbons and/or Bows

Fabulous Fridays - Brads and/or Eyelets

DYSU #59 - Layers

Paper Play week 7 - Critters

My Time To Craft - Bring on the Cake

Shabby Tea Room week 101- Hi Ho Cherry O

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you'll come back again and that you'll play along with us at Cupcake Inspirations. Us sweeties love to see your creations.

Sending Happiness

2012-02-19T10:55:00.000-05:00

Surprise, this week both of the design teams at Pile It On are working. Did you even know or care that there are two design teams at Pile It On? No, I didn't think so.

The theme for challenge #8 is "Sending Happiness" and we're sponsored by Meljen's Designs. Check out the Pile It On blog to see what the rest of the designers did. Now why not break out your supplies and give it a try, you could be the winner. of three digital images.

I was trying to make a masculine card so I was keeping it simple, avoiding girly embellishments. I don't think it came out masculine, in that I don't think a man would pick this card to send but I think it could be sent to a man. I also think I gotta work on my masculine card making skills, or lack thereof.

don't forget the inside

Here's the deets:
stamp - Meljen's "Mailed with Love"
ink - hp printer: Ranger "Tea Dye" and "Vintage Photo"
paper - Recollections beige card base; K & Co "Life's Journey" dp; Stampin' Up "Calypso Coral" cs
miscellaneous - copics; twine; destiny charm; SU corner punch

Here's the challenges:
Pile It On #8 - Sending Happiness
2 Sisters #79 - Stitching
Fairy Tale #35 - Spring
Daring Cardmakers - Post It
Crafty Catz #120 - Favorite Things (charms, I just love charms)
Digi Doodles - Anything Goes
Allsorts #142 - Anything Goes
If the Shoe Fits FF99 - Anything Goes (yeah, the shoe is back!)
Terrifically Thrilling Thursday - Show Us What You Got

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you'll come back again.

A Quick Post

2012-02-12T16:43:00.002-05:00

Just as I was uploading this card I got a phone call from one of my Jersey best buds. She's in the area for her niece's wedding and has some down time and is going to visit. YEAH!!!! AND her baby grand-daughter's coming too!!! So I'm real excited and can't think of much to say other than...

Here's the deets:
stamp - My Favorite Things a la Mode "Girl Talk"
ink - Memento "Tuxedo Black"; Ranger "Frayed Burlap" and "Faded Jeans"
paper - Stampin' Up "Blue Bayou", "River Rock" cs and "Bella Blue" dp
miscellaneous - copics; Kaisercraft pearls; burlap twine; phone charm; SU button; sewing machine

Here's the challenges:
My Favorite Things MFTWSC58 - sketch
Craft Your Days Away #38 - Get Stitchy with It
Paper Sundaes #107 - Cream, Blue, distressing and Pearls
Crafty Sentiments - Let's Get Girly

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you'll come back again.

Oh - don't forget the inside

Good Morning Cupcake Fans

2012-02-12T07:48:00.016-05:00

CIC147

Big Love day is almost here. If you haven't made your sweetie a card yet, well you better get cracking. Why not use these yummy cuppies as your inspiration that way you can enter your creation into the Cupcake Inspirations Challenge CIC147 and have a chance to win the prize offered by our sponsor Stamp Fairy.

My inspiration came from the cute little bears and the dreamy light color palette. What about you, maybe it's the hearts, or just the the cupcakes, do the initials pop out at you? Just find some inspiration from the photo and share your creation with us at the Cupcake Inspirations challenge blog. The sweeties love to see what you create.

This week our sponsor is Stamp Fairy. I think the bears on the cupcakes are dead ringers for the many of Stamp Fairy images. If you're not familiar with their images you must go check them out.

Here's the deets:
stamp - Stamp Fairy "lllove3"
ink - hp printer
paper - Best Occasions taupe cs; Urban Oasis green cs; Basic Grey "Cappella" dp
miscellaneous - copics; Spellbinder's Lacey square, Classic Heart and Classic Scalloped Heart dies; Sizzex "Flourish" die; Hero Arts green pearls; Kaisercraft pink pearls

Here's the challenges:
Cupcake Inspirations CIC147 - photo
CES #72- Lots of Layers
Moving Along with the Times #135 - Cute Critters
Basic Grey #162 - Love/Valentine (using BG "Capella" dp)

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you'll come back again. Now get inspired by those cupcakes and join us in the Cupcake Inspirations Challenge.

Heart Throb

2012-02-12T07:31:00.123-05:00

A heartfelt thanks is the theme for Challenge #7 at Pile It On. Our sponsor is Stampotique. I chose to use Heart Throb for my card. He reminds me of a boy that was in my grammar school, Jeffrey R. I wonder what ever became of him... but I digress...
In case you can't tell the open scallop border is cut from felt. I can't believe how perfect a match it is for the card stock. That card stock is embossed with hearts, which don't show up very well either.

don't forget the inside - more oppurtunity for ripping

A little ripping and tearing always warms my heart and looks good with the image. Embellies down to a minimum to make it masculine and it's a done deal.

Here's the deets:
Stamp - Heart Throb #6057
ink - Memento "Tuxedo Black" and Ranger "Scattered Straw"
paper - Best Occasion cs for base and mat; Bazzill "earth tone' pack and "pinecone" cs; Provo Craft "Heritage Music Score" dp
miscellaneous - copics; felt; twine; heart embossing folder; MFT open scallop die-namic; brown bic pen

Here's the challenges:
Pile It On #7 - Heart Felt Thanks
Card Positioning System - 5th Anniversary Day 11 sketch
Totally Gorjuss #118 - Luvre!
Sugar Creek Hollow - Masculine Valentine
Fussy and Fancy #56- With All My Heart
Card Making Mamas #38 - Valentine
Paper Play week 6- Love Letters
2 Sister #78 - I Heart You
Allsorts #141 - Free and Easy February
CES #72 - Lots of Layers (3 or more)
Fabulous Friday- the word "Love" (this has got me singing the Beatles "the Word" from Rubber Soul)
Crafty Catz #119 - Valentine's
Crafty Ann #58 - Love is in the Air
the Color Throwdown #178 - Summer Sun, Early Espresso, Cajun Craze, Very Vanilla
Partytime Tuesday PTT#54 - Valentine
Tuesday Throwdown #84 - Be My Valentine
Crafting For All Seasons #20- Love is in the Air
Crafts and Me #68 - Use a New Image
Fab 'n' Funky #107 - Love is in the Air
For Fun - Put a Little Love in Your Heart
Sisterhood of Crafters - Valentine's
Truly Scrumptious - #73 Love and Hearts
Simon Says - Love is in the Air
4 Crafty Chicks - Love is in the Air
Delightful - Love
Do You Stack Up #58 - Love
Papertake Weekly - Anything Goes with optional Heart/Love
Going Grey - Valentines

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you'll come back again and that you'll play along with us at Pile It On. See you there.

Got Mojo

2012-02-11T21:39:00.001-05:00

What do you do on a Saturday night when you don't have the desire to go out on the town, there's nothing that interests you on TV? That's when you pull out the stamping supplies and play. It's the perfect time to get a Mojo card done and that's just what I did. Then there's the resolution to get some of those virgin stamps inky and use up the paper stash (as if that's possible and of course now all the new lines are being released, what's a gal to do).

Once you've got a stamp and sketch picked the only other thing is to pick a color scheme. I wanted to do something that was a little out of the ordinary for a valentine so I went with the Playdate Cafe's color scheme for this week.

And of course there's last year's resolution to do the inside of my cards. Lately that's been just something very simple like this one but it helps to use up the paper stash so easy peasy works.

here's the deets:

stamp - the Cat's Pajamas "Admit One"

ink - Memento "Tuxedo Black"

paper - Bazzill "African Daisy" cs; Stampin' Up "Pawsitively Prints" (checks, tripes and argyle prints) dp and "Patterns Pack II" (blue dots) dp

miscellaneous - the Cat's Pajamas "Big Ticket" cut up;the Cat's Pajamas twill ribbon and baker's twine; charm; mini brads; sewing machine

here's the challenges:

Mojo Monday 227 - sketch

Playdate Cafe PDCC118 - blue, light blue and yellow

Craft Your Days Away #38 - Get Stitchy with It

the Cat's Pajama - Valentine's Blog Hop

Creative Belli #136 - Hearts/Valentine (using up old embellies and papers, yeah!)

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you'll come back again.

It's Nature's Way

2012-02-10T07:20:00.082-05:00

inspiration photo

When you want a funny card there's no place better to go than Bugaboo. The only problem is there's just so many funny images you won't be able to pick just one. If that's your biggest problem today say a little prayer of thanksgiving and fill up your cart.

At Stampin' for the Weekend we're being sponsored by Simon Says as well as Bugaboo Stamps. It's times like these when I wish I was eligible for a prize, oh well...

To play in this week's challenge all you have to do is create a project using the photo as your inspiration.

Isn't Stella a hoot? She always cracks me up. This image comes with the sentiment "Winter is Nature's Way of saying "Up Yours"'. Love, love, love that one. First of all "it's Nature's Way" is an old song by Spirit (ask your grannies or look here for a You Tube video) and I remember how me and my friends would sarcastically croon that line to each other every time chance we got. Hey, I was easily amused even in my youth.

For me there's another reason I love this particular image. When you move to Florida from parts North there's the fun of sending taunts to your buddies who are digging out while you're sunning. Since it's been such a mild winter there hasn't been much teasing but there's always next year.

Here's the deets:
stamp - Bugaboo "Stella Calendar Months - November" digi
ink - hp printer
paper - Stampin' Up "Soft Suede" cs; My Mind's Eye "Paris and Co" dp
miscellaneous - copics; glaze pen; brown satin ribbon; DMC floss 747; Stampin' Up kraft button; snowflake charm; the Cat's Pajamas "Apron border" Cut Ups; brads; Stampin' Up corner punch

Here's the challenges:
Stampin' for the Weekend - photo inspiration

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you'll come back again and that you'll take the time to play with us at Stampin' for the Weekend.

Eat, Sleep, Create...

2012-02-08T07:00:00.077-05:00

"Eat. Sleep, Create" sounds like the recipe for a perfect day. Here's another great recipe: 1.) use anything on a spool 2.) add something metal and 3.) and include a sentiment. That one sounds like the perfect card. That's Katie's recipe for this week's Cooking It Up with Katie challenge #89. That's a really easy peasy recipe to follow so why not give it a go, we'd love to have you join us.

For my card the thread is Tatting Crochet which comes on a spool, the charm is metal so are the brads and the staple and of course you can see the sentiment stamped below the image.

don't forget the inside

Lately I've been ignoring last year's resolution to do the inside of my cards. My excuse was that my crafting room was in turmoil because of our move. Well, it's still pretty messy in here and I still don't know where everything is but this could last a long time so it's time to start working on the insides again especially when the card stock base is dark like this. Even if you keep it very simple this little extra step is worth it.

Here's the deets:
stamp - Taylored Expressions "Knit Wit"
ink - Memento "Rich Cocoa"; Ranger "Scattered Straw"
paper - Bazzill "Pinecone" Kaisercraft "Up, Up and Away" dp and ticket
miscellaneous - copics; pearls; brads; thread; charm; Nesties circle and scalloped circle dies; stapler

Here's the challenges:
Cooking It Up with Katie #89 - Anything on a Spool, Something Metal, a Sentiment
Taylored Expressions TESC151 - sketch
Craft Your Days Away #38 - Get Stitchy with It (I stretched the knitting to be the image of a knitting basket - it's OK if you delete me)

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you'll visit often, and that you'll join us at Cooking It Up With Katie for this week's challenge.

"THE" Challenge

2012-02-05T10:04:00.000-05:00

Every month just before My Favorite Things puts out its new release they have "the" challenge that all us MFT junkies would love to win. The prize is always fabulous, stamps and dies from the following months release and the best part is the chance to play along with the MFT design team in the following months sneak peeks.

This month the challenge is to "Stamp Your Heart Out" incorporate love/hearts in your card or project.

I usually let the theme percolate in my head for a day before I start, of course I never end up where I think I'm going but that's OK with me. This month was no exception. I was stewing over a project, figuring I would use it as a Valentine's gift for hubby but as you can see that is not what turned up. Would you be surprised to know that there was a brown, red and plaid paper and a pink harlequin paper on my desk when I started out?

you can tweak the shape after you
cut the template out

In the end I made a shaped card. To make a heart shaped card start out by folding a piece of plain paper (8-1/2 X 11 works fine) in half. This card is meant to go into a 6-1/2" square envelope, it uses a 12" piece of card stock for the base. On the paper I made marks at 6" on the long side and 3" on the other. Draw half a heart on it, cut it out cutting through both layers of the paper. Once you open it up, you can decide if it needs trimming.

you just need the smallest bit to go
over the edge, it's barely noticeable

Place your template over a six" square card base. Be sure to let a small section go past the fold of the card base so that it will open. You can tack the heart down using extremely small amounts of tape or if you have repositionable tape use that. Trace around the edge of the heart and cut it out. You can sand the edges to make them smooth or you could distress the edges. If you're uncomfortable making your own template you could run to the store and pick up a box of chocolates in a heart shaped box and use that for your template.

I had been browsing around the MFT gallery looking for a something done with the "Mermaid WTG" stamp (I used that for another challenge). I spotted one of my cards made with the "Who's that Harvesting Girl?" stamp set and thought one of the stamps was a bunch of hearts. So as I was looking for this stamp set I was pulling other MFT stamps with hearts. turns out the harvesting girl doesn't have hearts but that idea was just stuck in my head so I decided I'd just draw some hearts to put in the basket. The rest of the image is paper pieced. I pulled some die-namics to use for embellishments. Of course I had to use heart charm and some pearls to finish it off.

Here's the deets:
stamp - My Favorite Things "Who's That Harvesting Girl?"
ink - Memento "Tuxedo Black"; Ranger "Frayed Burlap"
paper - Bazzill "Ruby Slippers" cs; Stampin' Up "Kraft" cs and "Pink Pirouette" dp; My Mind's Eye Lost and Found Two "Blush" dp; Recollections Printed Scrapbook Papers dp
miscellaneous - copics; glaze pen; baker's twine heart charm; MFT die-namics "scallop ribbon", "faux crochet", "Fancy Flourish" and trio of hearts; open weave ribbon; pearls

Here's the challenges:
My Favorite Things MFTGUESTDT2012- February Guest Designer
One Stop Craft #168 - For the One I Love
Friday Mash Up #44 - Inspiration Photo and/or Cherry Cobbler, Regal Rose and White
Paper Play week 5 - Get In Shape
Moving Along with the Times 134 - Have a Heart
Pals Paper Arts PPA128 - Any Red, Any Red, Any Red
Really Reasonable Ribbon #41 Red and Pink with Ribbon
L'il Red Wagon #118 - Valentine's Day or Love
Ribbon Carousel RCC38 - Paper Piecing
Color Q CQC#122 - Black, Real Red, Regal Rose, Kraft; White
Tuesday Throwdown #83 - Use Hearts

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you'll come back again.

Mermaids

2012-02-04T11:11:00.004-05:00

Mermaids are always portrayed as beautiful. Have you ever seen one that wasn't pretty? I can't think of one. Now, have you ever heard that manatees were probably what the sea goers saw and thought they were seeing a creature half fish and half human? That's what I've read and I can imagine that in early times many months at sea could make you a little batty and you could see things that aren't quite right but have you ever seen a manatee? Here on the Gulf Coast (I live in Manatee County) you can see manatees swimming in the not so wild gulf waters or in captivity at Mote Aquarium. I've sat in front of the tank at Mote for long periods of time (remember I'm easily amused) and watched them swimming and eating but I've never thought they looked like a human, but that's me.

So what do you think? Look half human? Not just half human but gorgeous half human? Well maybe if you're out at sea for a very long time without a lot of modern conveniences? Still not seeing it? How about after a few swigs of rum? Hmmm....

Here's the deets:
stamp - My Favorite Things "Mermaid WTG"
ink - Memento "Tuxedo Black"
paper - Recollections beige base card; Stampin Up "Kraft" dp and Patterns Pack II" dp; My Mind's Eye " Peaceful Dream" dp; Colorbok "Azure Tiles" dp; DCWV "Sand" dp; Paper Pizzazz "Seashells" dp; Paper Pizzaz "Sandstone" dp
Miscellaneous - copics; brads; pearls; Cuttlebug folder; sheer ribbon; burlap twine; mermaid charm; sewing machine

Here's the challenges:
My Favorite Things Wednesday Stamp Club MFTWSC57 - sketch
Southern Girls #37 - Magic and Mystery
Do You Stack Up #57 Anything Goes
Ribbon Carousel #38 - Paper Piecing
Creative Card Crew #3 - Fantasy Creatures

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you'll come back again

Warm Fuzzies

2012-01-29T08:36:00.083-05:00

This stamp reminds me of one of my other crafts, knitting. It also reminds me of the leg warmers that my daughter asked me to make for her. I made them for Christmas 2010. She still hasn't worm them. Granted, this is Florida and it is warm but she could have least worn them once. Oh well....
So it's time to Pile It On. This week our theme is "Just Because" and our sponsor is Stamp-N-Doodle.

Please stop over at the Pile it On challenge blog to see what the rest of the team created and to find the rules and the linkey thingy. We can't wait to see what you create.

Here's the deets:
stamp - My Favorite Things - the A La Mode "Knit Happens"
ink - Memento "Rich Cocoa"
paper - Stampin' Up Kraft cs; Bazzill "Beeswax" cs; Crate Paper "Prudence Collection Kit" olive dp and olive mat paper; October Afternoon "Modern Homemaker" red polka dot dp; Cosmo Cricket "Circa 1934" red and yellow print dp
miscellaneous - copics; Nesties circle and scalloped circle dies; red pearls; snowflake charm; ribbon; burlap twine; mini brads; sewing machine

Here's the challenges:
Pile It On #5 - Just Because
My Favorite Things Wednesday Stamp Club MFTWSC56 - Sketch
Crazy for Challenges C4C121 - Lots and Lots of Layers
Speedy Fox and Friends #92 - Layers, at least 4
One Stop Craft #167 - Stitching Faux or Real
Secret Crafter - Ribbon
Sew Many #78 - Circles
Simon Says - Anything Goes
Freshly Brewed - Brr/Snow/Winter
L'il Red Wagon #117 - Winter Wonderland
Do You Stack Up #56 - Ribbons
Fussy and Fancy #55 - Polka Dots
the Kraft Journal - Tie It Up
the Color Q cqc121 - Red Riding Hood, Old Olive, More Mustard, Kraft and White
Ladybug Crafts Ink #52 - Bows
My Time To Craft 171 - Your Favorite Embellishment (charms are my fav)

Thanks for stopping by, I do hope you come back again and that you'll join the fun and play in the Pile It On challenge "Just Because"

Would You Believe...

2012-01-29T07:45:00.119-05:00

CIC145

that the words "it's too sweet for me" actually came out of my mouth? I had to ask my hubby "Have you ever heard me say that before?" We were out at a buffet and they had my my favorite cake, carrot cake, sitting prettily on a raised platter (ok, who am I kidding, whatever cake is on my plate is my favorite cake). Who'd think at this late stage things would be too sweet, but two bites was all I could take. Fortunately for me they had some other not so sweet goodies....

This cake is just so funky, funky but chic. It's our fabulous inspiration for this week's Cupcake Inspirations Challenge. Wouldn't you love to have this at your next birthday party? I would, I don't even care what it tastes like, sweet or not, I just want to look at it. Well, now that it's on my blog I guess I can look at anytime I want.

This week our sponsor is DRS Designs. They graciously let the design pick a stamp to use for this week. When I saw this cake stamp I knew it was the one for me.

Originally I thought I would paper piece the cake with zebra paper but as I was looking through my stash the white and cream printed paper jumped out at me so I gave it a try. When I was looking through my stash a pack of pink prints kept finding their way into my hands and onto my desk. I thought I would use them for different layers but it occurred to me to use different papers above and below the squiggled lines on the cake so I tried that out. In person the three different paper stand out more. After putting the icing on the cake I stamped out the flowers again, cut them out and added then to the card, put a some pink bling on the side stems and a little stickles on the candles. In the end this cake is pretty dang cute too.

Here's the deets:
stamp - DRS Designs "Girly Swirly Birthday Cake"
ink - Memento "Tuxedo Black"
paper - Close to My Heart "Silhouette" cream and black dp; Bazzill "Parrot" and "Flamingo" cs; Authentique "Uncommon" collection dp
miscellaneous - copics; flower charm; burlap twine; pink bling; lace; flower brads; sewing machine; SU corner punch

Here's the challenges:
Cupcake Inspirations Challenge CIC145 - photo
Crafts and Me - Pink and Sparkly
Charisma - Pretty in Pink
Paper Play week 4 - Lovely Lace

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you'll come back again.

TGIF

2012-01-27T07:52:00.016-05:00

Yeah, it's the weekend! Even though I'm retired I still like the weekend. What better time to do the things you love. For me it'll be crafting and checking card blogs. If you have some free time this weekend why don't you join us at Stampin' for the Weekend in our challenge #25 to "Emboss". We're sponsored by Stamp Fairy (my card is using the Barry Angel digi). The sentiment on my card is heat embossed. You can dry emboss if you prefer. Stop by the blog to check out the details and see what the rest of the design team has created.

Here's the deets:
stamp - Stamp Fairy "Barry Angel"
ink - hp printer
paper - the Paper Cut "Pink Lemonade" cs; Kaisercraft "Hey Birdie" collection dp
miscellaneous - copics; glaze pen; Tiny Twinkles; brads; ribbon; baker's twine; charm; sewing machine

Here's the challenges"
Stampin' for the Weekend #25 - Emboss

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you'll come back again.

Get Cooking

2012-01-25T11:42:00.000-05:00

Look at the size of that heart Lucy's carrying. That must be at least a five pounder. I think that five pounds might even be a challenge for me and I love bon bons.

The challenge for you is to make a card or project using hearts, a punch and embossing. That's challenge #88 at Cooking It Up with Katie. The sponsor this week is Robyn's Fetish. The paper that the little girl is mounted on was embossed with the heart folder but it didn't photograph well, I tried taking shots from different angles but to no avail. You're just going to have to take my work for it.

Here's the deets:

stamp - Robyn's Fetish digi "Lucy Valentine's girl"
ink - hp printer
paper - Recollections red base card; Bo Bunny dp (just a scrap with the name gone); Authentique "Uncommon" dp; Bazzill "Maraschino" cs
miscellaneous - copics; stickles; ribbon; twine; charm; heart bling; sewing machine

Here's the challenges:
Cooking It Up With Katie #88 - Punch Me an Embossed Heart
Simon Says - Anything Goes
Ruby's Rainbow - Valentine's Red and Black
The Pink Elephant TPE132 - photo inspiration

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you'll come by often.

Sew Fancy

2012-01-23T19:17:00.002-05:00

Sometimes you just need to fancy a thing up. When I'm sewing I keep finding myself looking for a pad for notes. I started using one of those small and inexpensive legal pads. If you buy a pack of them they get even cheaper. Since these are so easy to make and are great gifts (think teacher appreciation) you might as well get the pack and make a few for your friends, everyone can use a pad next to the phone, with one of these on hand you'll only be searching for a pen. Hey, you can always make a little loop to hold a pen.

don't forget the inside

After using the pad a couple days I thought it looked icky and needed some dressing up. Just about that time I checked out the My Favorite Things sketch challenge and decided that it was time to make a cover. I could ink up a stamp set I hadn't opened yet (there's one of my resolutions), enter a favorite challenge and make something blah look a lot better.

Since this was for sewing notes it was the perfect time to break out the "Sew Nifty Dienamics" set. I think the stamps have a vintage look (maybe cause it's mostly us old fashioned types, emphasis on the old, who like to sew) so I decided on a heavily distressed look. Ripping and smudging is something I just get lost in, it's great therapy and I highly recommend it.

Here's the deets:

stamp - My Favorite Things "Sew Nifty Dienamics"

ink - Memento "Rich Cocoa "; Ranger "Tea Dye"

paper - Neenah Classic Crest Natural white cs for images; Bazzill "Blossom" and "Pinecone" cs; Basic Grey "Cappella" and "Porcelain" dp

miscellaneous - lace; Recollections pearls; spool charm; embroidery floss; twill ribbon; Spellbinder's "Ribbon Tags Trio" die; sewing machine'

Here's the challenges:

My Favorite Things MFTWSC55 - sketch

Sentimental Sunday #86 - Die Cuts

Craft Your Days Away #37 - Distressing

CES #69- Anything But a Card

Basic Grey #61 - Favorite Things (I love pearls, die cuts, machine sewing and distressing)

Delightful - Vintage/Distressed

Sugar Creek Hollow - Go Girly

Thanks for stopping by, please come back again

I Like These Snowflakes

2012-01-22T06:15:00.026-05:00

CIC144

These are defintely the kind of snowflakes I like. They're so pretty and not in the least bit cold or wet. Now there's something for Mother Nature to think about.

They're also great as inspiration for this week's Cupcake Inspiration Challenge. Those pretty pastel colors made me think of some favorite papers from My Mind's Eye so I went straight for the "Wonderful Winter" pad and got started.

This week's sponsor is Fresh Brewed Designs. They've suppliesd the design team with some cute winter images so be sure to check out what the rest of the design team has created. Everything you need to know and see cn be found here.

Here's the deets:
stamp - Fresh Brewed Designs "Build a Snowman"
ink - hp printer
paper - Bazzill "Safari" and "Frosted Teal" cs; My Mind's Eye "Wonderful Winter" dp
miscellaneous - copics; stickles; mini brads; snowman charm; linen thread; embossing folder; Spellbinder's Lacey Square die; sewing machine

Here's the challenges:
Cupcake Inspirations CIC144 - photo inspiration
Pixie Cottage 104 - sketch and embossing

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you'll come back again.

Brrrr!

2012-01-15T08:36:00.048-05:00

CIC143

If I were to get a personalized license plate for my card it would be "No Mo Sno". I do not miss that cold wet stuff and never want to see first hand again. However, I do like it as a design element. This pretty sparkly cupcake is the inspiration for this week's Cupcake Inspirations Challenge.

The snowflake and silvery shimmer is what inspired me. What will it be for you? All the sweeties are anxious to see what you come up with, so get busy stamping and don't forget to link it up at Cupcake Inspirations Challenge.

Here's the deets:
stamp - the Cat's Pajamas "J*lly H*liday"
ink - Versamark
paper - Recollections silver card base; Neenah Classic Crest Brilliant white cs; Creative Memories "Cany Cane" dp
miscellaneous - Silver Embossing powder; Nesties Labels Eighteen; Recollections bling; Martha Stewart lace; the Cat's Pajamas twill ribbon; burlap twine; charm
Here's the challenges:
Cupcake Inspirations CIC143 - photo inspiration
the Cat's Pajamas - TCPTUES192 - Embossing
Sugar Creek Hollow - Embossing
2 Sisters #74 - Use Metal
Polka Doodles - Vintage/Retro
Secret Crafter - Anything Goes with Blue
Fussy and Fancy - Let It Snow
Tuesday Throwdown #80- Baby it's Cold Outside
Creative Belli #134 - Snowflakes

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you come back again and that you'll join the sweeties and create a card or project for the Cupcake Inspirations Challenge.

Aren't We a Pair

2012-01-15T07:37:00.105-05:00

Here comes Valentine's day yet it seems like Christmas is still here. Maybe that's because I've been delinquent in getting the decorations stowed away.   I enjoy them so much I hate to put them away. I think I finally got it all but I think that every year and then discover something somewhere. Last year it was a mini quilt and by the time I realized it was still out I decided to just leave it there and there it remained till I packed it up when we moved. I do know the wreath is still on the front door but that bad boy is so dang large I don't know what to do with it.   Oh well...

So onto the real reason you're here. It's Sunday and it's time for the Pile It On challenge #3. The theme is Fuzzy Friends, sponsored by Di's Digi Downloads.

I chose to use a couple of bears, or a bear couple depending on how you look at it, for my image. I think they're perfect for Valentine's Day. It's not a pink or red card but lots of hearts on it do the trick and it's fun to be non-conventional once in awhile.

Here's some info (tips) about making the card:
The scarf is paper pieced.  I prefer to use a paper that will be used in the card layers. To get this look I stamped the scarf several times on the paper and cut out six pieces. I think it looks more realistic if the design on the paper is broken up in the image. The pieces are laid down with the furthest away pieces down first. These things may seem picky but in the end they make the card look better. The heart the bears are holding is not pieced but that would have made a nice touch.
Mistakes can end up helping your card. After all the coloring of the image was done I noticed there was a small smudge on the background.  To cover it Ranger Shabby Shutter ink sponged around the image.   I wasn't planning on sponging but as it turns out I think it looks better than it would have if left plain.

Here's the deets:
stamp - My Favorite Things "Polar Love"
ink - Memento Tuxedo Black; Ranger Shabby Shutters
paper Bazzill "Beesxax" cs; Jillibean Soup "Dutch Mustard Soup" dp
miscellaneous - copics; ribbon; baker's twine; heart charm; Crystazzi bling; stickles

Here's the challenges:
Pile It On #3 - Fuzzy Friends
My Favorite Things MFTWSC54 - sketch
2 Sisters #74 - Use Metal
Delightful Inspirations - Include a Heart
Tuesday Throwdown #80- Baby It's Cold Outside
Top Tip Tuesday- Anything Goes
Crafts and Me - Anything Goes
For Fun - Anything Goes
Sisterhood of Crafters - Let It Snow/Winter
My Time To Craft #170 - XOXO Hugs and Kisses
the Pink Elephant TPE130- Hearts

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you'll visit often. I also hope you'll play along with us at Pile It On and create a Fuzzy Friends project.

Surf's Up, Dude

2012-01-13T07:48:00.048-05:00

It's Friday, yeah! So what are you doing this weekend? I hope you're going to join us at Stampin' for the Weekend because this week I picked the challenge theme. We've being sponsored by LOTV and that means a nice prize for someone. This challenge is easy peasy, it's "Use It Up". We'd like you to use some stuff that's been sitting in your stash since last year. Technically you can use stuff you got for Christmas but why not move some of the stuff that's starting to get dusty. You're welcome to use stamps or digis of any brand you'd like.

This year I'm going to try to make more masculine cards. I'm thinking that at least one a month would be a good commitment and easy enough to keep and maybe I'll get more done. I'll keep you posted.

Here's the deets:
stamp - digi from Teddy Bo
ink - hp printer
paper - Stampin' Up cs and dp
miscellaneous - copics, lacey square nestie; twine; charm

Here's the challenges:
Stampin' for the Weekend - Use It Up
Moving Along with the Times #130 - Spots and Stripes
Teddy Bo #20 - Anything Goes
Color Throwdown #174 - Soft Sky, River Rock, Daffodil Delight and Soft Suede
Simon Says - Spots and/or Stripes

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you'll come back again and that you'll find the time to play along with us at Stampin' for the Weekend.

Pretty Pink Stuff

2012-01-11T06:58:00.043-05:00

"Love is All You Need" is written in lower left corner

The Cooking It Up With Katie challenge is back. Katie gave the design team a little time off for the holidays. I don't know about you but I really needed it but I'm happy to be back at my desk again. I'll be happier when I get it organized.

So are you ready to start cooking. This one's easy for me cause I love all the ingredients. The challenge is to make a card (or project) using pink, pearls and posies. With Valentine's Day closing in on us you might want to make a card for your honey. My image is from this week's sponsor Digital Delights. If you'd like to grab this image now's a good time to go shopping cause there's a sale going on. Check out the challenge blog to see what the rest of the design has created. That's where you'll find everything you need to know about playing with us.

Here's the deets:
stamp - Digital Delights "Love You Larry"
ink - hp printer
paper - Recollections Red card base, the Paper Cut "Pink Lemonade" cs; Authentique "Uncommon" dp
miscellaneous - copics; ladybug charm; pink burlap twine; lace; SU pearls

Here's the challenges:
Cooking It Up With Katie #87 - Pink, Pearls and Posies
the Sweet Stop SSS140 - sketch
My Time to Craft #170 - Hugs and Kisses
Paper Players #77 - All You Need is Love (and that's the sentiment written on this card)
the Pink Elephant TPE130 - Hearts
the Ribbon Reel #19 - Pink Polka Dots

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you come back again.

What'd I Do With...

2012-01-08T07:59:00.025-05:00

CIC142

Today I experienced a couple of the joys of moving. First I worked in my craft room, which should really be called my craft mess. There's just too much stuff. Combine that with not being sure where things are. But I was able to make a card I liked, even if I didn't dig out my Big Shot. Later on I was putting gas in my car and attempted to charge it.  Try to guess if the credit card company still has your old zip code on file or your new one. I was pretty sure that which ever one I guessed would be the wrong one and I was right, fortunately I did have some all American green stuff in my wallet. And if these are the biggest problems I have in life than I count myself as blessed.

This week the Cupcake Inspiration Challenge is being sponsored by Stamp Fairy.   Some of the sweeties have used Stamp Fairy images so you have to check out their work on the blog, you'll find all the info you need there, including the linky thing for entering your creation.

That lovely cuppie in the photo got me hunting for an image with a cupcake with a single candle on it. Then I picked some papers that had the colors. This Basic Grey paper even had a trim with stripes that are similar to the stripes behind the cuppie in the inspiration photo.

Now it's your turn to make a card or project inspired by the photo. I can't wait to see what you create.

Here's the deets:
stamp - My Favorite Things a la mode "Birthday Girl"
ink - Memento Tuxedo Black
paper - Basic Grey "Kioshi" dp; the Paper Cut "Pink Lemonade" cs; Bazzill "Intense Kiwi" cs
miscellaneous - copics; baker's twine; phone charm; Martha Stewart border punch

Here's the challenges:
Cupcake Inspirations CIC142 - photo
My Favorite Things MFTWSC53 - sketch
Friday Mash Up FM#40- Birthday/Pastels
Secret Crafter - Let Them Eat Cake

Thanks for stopping, please come back again.   Now go make a card for the Cupcake Inspirations Challenge.

Happy New Year

2012-01-01T07:52:00.001-05:00

Happy New Year!

Well I'm still trying to make sense of my craft room but I was able to make a card and to join my teammates at Pile It On for the challenge #1 of the New Year. We hope you'll join us so we've made it an easy theme - Anything Goes. This week's sponsor is Simon Says Stamp. So get your fingers inky, you could be the next winner and even if you aren't you'll have fun.

How did you spend your New Year's Eve? Were you out partying hardy, all dressed up in a pretty dress? My little family went downtown to the movies. Amazingly, I did not fall asleep. Yeah me!

don't forget the inside

And then there's the resolutions... Well last year I resolved to use up more of my supplies, ink up stamps that needed love and to do the inside of my cards. If you're a regular visitor then you know that I did a pretty job of doing the insides of my cards. So along with the usual lose weight and exercise more (I did a decent job with those too!) I am going to resolve to keep up with last year's resolutions.

Here's the deets:
stamp - My Favorite Things (a la modes) "Cheers"
ink - Memento Tuxedo Black; Close To My Heart "Cranberry"
paper - Recollections red card base; Black card stock; white cardcstock; Stampin' Up "Night and Day" dsp
miscellaneous - copics; pleated ribbon; burtlap twine; Taylored Tiny Twinkles; mini brads; Stampin' Up punch; champagne charm; glaze pen

Here's the challenges:
Pile It On #01 - Anything Goes
Cutie Pie #7 - Use a Sentiment
Color Q #117 - Black and White and one other color
Party Time PTT#48 - Anything Goes
Top Tip Tuesday #66 - Anything Goes
Crafts and Me #66 - Anything Goes
4 Crafty Chicks #70 - Something New
Cute Card Thursday #197 - Happy New Year
Moving Along with the Times - Music/Retro Related (Lady in Red)
For Fun - New Something
L'il Red Wagon - Something New
Paper Pretties - Ring in the New Year
Sisterhood of Crafter - Black and White and one other color
Simon Says - Anything Goes
Fabulous Friday - Something New
Friday Mash Up #39 - Sparkles and/or Celebrating the New Year
Really Reasonable Ribbon - Anything Goes
Allsorts week 135 - New Beginnings
CES #66 - Party, Party, Party
Totally Gorjuss - Something Happy
Sweet Stampin - New Beginnings
Secret Crafter - Anything Goes
One Stop Craft - Winter Wishes
Come and Get It - Happy New Year

Thanks for stopping by, I hope to see you here regularly.

Here's the link for the Pile It On challenge blog. I hope you'll play along.

Moving Along

2011-12-09T22:42:00.000-05:00

I haven't disappeared, this blog isn't dead.
I'm moving, that's the new digs. We closed a couple weeks ago and have been working our butts off getting it into shape. We've had lots of help and it's looking really good.
On Wednesday the things we had in storage in NJ were delivered and now we've got dozens of boxes to unpack but we don't have our furniture from here moved yet so lots of it has to stay in the boxes till Thursday when we move from our current house. It's very tiring work but it's exciting to see it starting to come together.

All my craft supplies are packed up and not likely to see the light of day for another week or two so don't give up on me, eventually I'll be back to posting papercrafts.

Tis the Season

2011-11-27T07:15:00.077-05:00

CIC138

This is Cupcake Inspirations CIC138 challenge. Have you ever made a gingerbread house? I've never made a real one but I did make something like it. If you tape a couple small milk cartons (or whatever boxes you've got) together they make the base for the house. Instead of gingerbread you use graham crackers with canned vanilla icing to glue the pieces to the box. Decorate with whatever candy you like. I did this with my Girl Scout buddies. The kids and the adults had a great time.

It'll be a lot easier to make a card using the photo for your inspiration. Stop over to the Cupcake Inspirations challenge blog to see how the other sweeties were inspired. You'll also find the rules, the sponsor info and the linkey thingy.

the sentiment is "Do I Smell Candy?"

It's hard to realize that Christmas is just around the corner when the temperature is in the balmy 80's and there are flowers blooming anywhere you look. I lived most of my life in New Jersey where the temps drop considerably lower, the leaves have fallen from the trees and children are hoping for a snow day for Christmas. I don't miss the cold, or the colors of fall, I just miss those cues that the holidays are coming. At least I've got blogland to remind me Christmas is almost here. I took advantage of the challenge to make another Christmas card. This one uses a Cat's Pajama's stamp and sentiment, the inspiration is pretty obvious for that.

Did you know that my fellow sweetie Nina Dee runs I {Heart} Ribbon challenge on her blog? The current challenge is "Polka Dots" so this week my ribbon choice was picked with that in mind. The big pink button and my color choices were inspired by the photo.

Here's the deets:
stamp - the Cat's Pajamas "Candyland Christmas"
ink - Memento "Tuxedo Black"; Ranger "Shabby Shutters"
paper - Paper Cuts "Bubblegum" and "Sno-cone" card stock; My Mind's Eye "Winter Wonderland" dp
miscellaneous - copics; Stampin' Up corner punch and ribbon; burlap twine; button, charm

Here's the challenges:
Cupcake Inspirations CIC138 - photo
I {Heart} Ribbon #11 - polka dots
The Sweet Stop SSS136 - sketch
Our Creative Corner - O Christmas Tree (the dp)
Craft Your Days Away #34 - Buttons or Bows
2 Sisters #67 - Holiday
Totally Papercrafts #94 - Christmas
Crafty Sentiments - Metal
L'il Red Wagon - #108 Christmas
Friday Mash Up #34 - Christmas and/or Aqua, chocolate and white
Moving Along with the Times - Ribbons and Bows
Fairy Tale #29 - Christmas

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you'll come back again and that you'll join us in the Cupcake Inspirations challenge using the photo of the gingerbread house as your inspiration.

Black Friday

2011-11-25T09:36:00.000-05:00

In the states it's Black Friday. Which is just a shopping frenzy that I don't care to partake in. I'd rather be home stamping, so if you're like me why don't you join us in the Stampin' For the Weekend challenge. This week the theme is friends and there's two prizes to be had so stop over to the blog to check out all the deets and see what the rest of the design team has created.

I may actually make it to some stores today, but it's because there's still lots of stuff that have to get purchased for the new house. Why is it you can never use curtains in more than one house, or the shower curtains? Crazy isn't it? More cleaning supplies which of course means more cleaning, ugh. I can't wait till this move is completed. I think I'll stay put for a very, very long time.

Here's the deets:
stamp - Teddy Bo
ink - hp printer
paper - Recollections silver card base; the Paper Cut "Bubblegum" card stock; My Mind's Eye "Winter Wonderland" dp
miscellaneous - copics; pleated ribbon, ribbon, silver elastic thread, charm; Stampin' Up corner punch

Here's the challenges:
Stampin' for the Weekend #21 - Friends

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you'll come back again and that you'll play along with our challenge at Stampin' for the Weekend.

Can You Bake a Pie?

2011-11-23T12:51:00.001-05:00

Well you don't have to be able to bake a pie to play in this week's Cooking It Up With Katie "Piece of Pie" challenge #85. In this case PIE stands for P - punch, I - ink, E - Emboss. For my card I used a Martha Stewart tag punch (the sentiment on it says "hugs"), there's Ranger Ink sponged on the edges of the papers and I used a Cuttlebug embossing folder for the white card stock layer.

This week we're sponsored by Meljen's Designs. Home to many cute images, including this adorable fairy. Pop over to the Cooking blog to check out what the rest of the design team has created,the rules and the linky thingy.

Here the deets:
stamp - Meljen's "Cocoa Christmas Fairy"
ink - hp printer; Ranger "Scattered Straw"; Stampin' Up Handsome Hunter marker for sentiment
paper - Georgia Pacific card stock; red Recollections card base; DCWV green card stock; Stampin' Up grey card stock; Authentique "Wonder" dp
miscellaneous - copics; pleated ribbon; linen twine; charm; Crystazzi bling; Cuttlebug snowflake folder; Creative Memories cutting system; mini brads; Martha Stewart tag punch

Here's the challenges:
Cooking It Up with Katie #85 "Piece of Pie" punch, ink, emboss
Ribbon Carousel RCC30 - Holiday Hoopla
Party Time Tuesday PTT#43 - Snow Us What You Got
Whoopsie Daisy - Anything Goes for Christmas
Stamps R Us - Bling It On
Southern Girls #32 - Embellishment bingo (Twine or String, Punches, Embossing)
Thanks for stopping by, I hope you'll come back again. Have a great Thanksgiving.

For Someone Berry Special

2011-11-21T10:42:00.001-05:00

Here's something I made for my berry special friend. We've known each other since high school and that's a berry, berry long time. The year I moved into the first place of my own I found a pattern to make a fabric cornucopia filled with stuffed vegetables and fruits. One of the pieces was a strawberry and that pattern was so simple I decided to make a bunch of them to decorate my Christmas tree. When Aguas (her maiden name was Waters and that's what she was called in high school and forever after) saw them, she liked them a lot and thought they'd be cute presents. So we went into production and made hundreds of them and filled all kinds of jars and baskets with them. Ever since then just about every present we've given each other has something to do with berries.

I found the pattern for this tote bag in "Let's Do Lunch" by Atkinson Designs. It works up very quickly, if you're obsessive you can complete it in a couple hours (don't ask me how I know). The "K" is from a sample from a Martha Stewart monogram set that was included with my sewing machine. It's amazing to watch this machine embroider.

The flamingo (from a Cactus Punch set)didn't photograph well. I tried him out on a pair of shorts and it looks great, I should have tried to take a photo of that but instead I took this one which is on a towel. Working on towels was one of the classes I had signed up for before I knew I was moving and it was a nice break to go out and play for a couple hours.

I've also been to a couple quilting classes but haven't finished up those projects. So check back now and then, maybe I'll have time to work on them. If you look for the label "quilt" you'll find it there. So far there's only two items there but I'll be putting up more as time goes by.

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you come back again.

"P" is for...

2011-11-20T11:32:00.054-05:00

PINK!!! as in flamingo and pretty in...
This week the Pile It On challenge is Anything with a "P". You can fill in that blank with anything that begins with the Letter "P". Here's a couple ideas - paper piecing, paper piercing, punches...not to mention all the images that being with "P"...pumpkin, poodle, pizza and did I mention PINK FLAMINGO.
So dig out your pink crayons (and don't forget purple begins with P) and crank out some kind of paper project for our challenge and then combine our challenge with at least one more challenge and your Piling It On.

I have a confession to make. I made this card awhile ago but never got around to posting it and lucky for me it fit this week's challenge cause I'm deep in the middle of getting our new house into move in condition and I'm so tired I don't think I could have picked up a stamp, truly exhausted. I will be glad when we're in and I can just sit back and enjoy living in it.

So here's the deets:
stamp - Inkadinkado and Stampin' Up sentiment
ink - versamark
paper - white and pink card stock
miscellaneous - gold embossing powder; pearls; SU corner punch; Creative Memories cutting system; Spellbinder's tag; ribbon, SU dot plate

Here's the challenges:
Pile It On #47 - Anything with a "P"...
Card Making Mama #33 - Thanks/Be Thankful
Terrifically Thrilling Thursday - Anything Goes
Card Mad Fairy #21- Texture
Fabulous Friday - Die Cuts
Jelly Park Friends - Give Thanks
Creative Card Crew - Thankful
Crafting For All Seasons #14 - Thanksgiving or Thank You or Sketch
Crafts and Me #61 - Simples
Ruby's Rainbow #16 - Something with Wings
CCEE1146 - 2 die cut or punches
Paper Craft Star #71 - Thank You
Catch the Bug - Give Thanks/Thanksgiving

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you'll come back again. I also hope you'll join us at Pile It On and create a paper project using the Anything with a "P" theme.

Fudgie the Whale

2011-11-20T10:00:00.002-05:00

CIC137

Are you old enough to remember Fudgey the Whale? This cupcake cake reminded me of Fudgie and the Tom Carvel commercials. For those of you not old enough to know what I'm talking about, Tom Carvel started the chain of ice cream parlors and popularized the ice cream cake. His first cake was Fudgey, and that mold got used for several other cakes by changing the decorations on top and this turkey just looks like a cake Carvel would make and have multiple uses for the mold.

Onto the challenge...this is the photo for Cupcake Inspirations Challenge CIC137. Our sponsor this week is JLJ Designs. By the way, JLJ Designs is owned by one of our own sweeties, Jennifer, and she's offering a $10 gift certificate for use in her store and $10 can go a long way. For my project I used the Thanksgiving Digital Scrapbooking kit. What a great value! There are 15 digital papers and 30 elements and as you can see they're not just for scrapbooking. I used just two of the the papers and one of the elements to give you an idea of how you can use them before you have the photos to scrap. I've started with place cards, which no one in my family will ever pay attention to but maybe your folks are better behaved. If you make the place tag large enough later on it can be used for the "totin" bag. Whenever I host Thanksgiving dinner everyone gets sent home with a bag of leftovers so they too can enjoy a turkey sandwich. Then there's the little bag of doggie cookie treats, there's always room for pets at our celebrations and they get a bag too. This would be perfect for a grandchild too, of course you'd put real cookies in it. If you've got kiddies running around, you can enlist their help cutting out the turkeys or other decorative elements you use. The kids love to help with arts and crafts projects.

Here's the deets:
everything except the adhesvies is from the JLJ Designs Thanksgiving digital scrapbooking kit -

Here's the challenges:
Cupcake Inspirations CIC137 - photo
Paper Cutz #117 - Let's Talk Turkey
Catch the Bug - Give Thanks/Thanksgiving
Play Date Cafe PDCC108 - Maroon, Copper and Tumeric
Fussy and Fancy #50 - Make a gift/Anything but a card

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you'll come back again and that you have a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday spent with your family and friends.

Please join us at Cupcake Inspirations for this week's challenge. You can find the rest of the design teams creations, the rules and the linky thingy by clicking here.

Just a Note

2011-11-13T06:52:00.022-05:00

CIC136

I don't know about you but I am tired. Thursday was the big day, we finally closed on our new home. We have been so busy. It's hard to believe that a house that's only about 10 years old needs so much work but it does. Because this was a short sale I figured this wasn't going to happen till sometime after the holidays and I had all sorts of stuff planned, including a now cancelled trip North to scrap with my best buddies. A short while ago I bought an embroidering sewing machine and a serger and had classes to take to learn how to use them as well as signing up for a couple quilting classes. Little did I know that the short sale was going to be approved shortly after making that purchase. Well, it's all working out and come tomorrow when I have a quilt class to go to I am going to be thrilled to take a day off from cleaning and packing. Instead of inky fingers my hands stink of bleach and forget about my fingernails.

Now onto the reason you're here. It's Cupcake Inspiration Challenge time. This week are sponsored by Tiddly Inks. The sweeties got to pick an image to use and boy was it hard deciding. They are just the cutest things. I heard a couple of the sweeties couldn't pick just one and went on a little shopping spree. I can understand why and imagine when things calm down around here I will pushing a cart around the site.

I finally decided on Danny's Duck. For a long time my nick name was Duck because I used to ask my friends "What's up Duckie?". Plus it's just too dang cute and I can always use a boy image.

Here's the deets:
stamp - Tiddly Inks "Danny's Duck"
ink - hp printer; SU "Chocolate Chip" marker for sentiment
paper - Bazzill "Pinecone", "Citrus" and "Beeswax" cs; Cosmo Cricket "Nutmeg"
miscellaneous - copics; red burlap twine; leaf charm; Crystazzi Crystals; EK Success leaf punch; Stampin' Up oval and scalloped oval punches; Nesties lacey square

Here's the challenges:
Cupcake Inspirations CIC136 - photo
Digi Doodles - sketch
CRAFT #128 - Cute
Charisma #44 - Cutesy
Ruby's Rainbow - Something with Wings
CCEE1145 - Include 3 different shapes
Party Time Tuesday PTT#41 - Bling It On
Kaboodle Doodles #92 - Colors of Fall
Stamps R Us - Masculine theme
Crafty Catz #108 - Use a digital image
Tiddly Inks #73 - Anything Goes

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you'll come back again and that you'll play along with us in the Cupcake Inspiration challenge.

Card Tag

2011-11-09T09:34:00.000-05:00

Kind of like CatDog, it's both. It's and easel card attached to a box with the image being a gift with a tag. More about this later...

This week at Cooking It Up with Katie challenge #83 is fold some fancy flowers. Now you don't have to fold flowers but we'd like to see a fancy fold (this easel card is very easy to do) and some flowers on your fancy card. What makes a card fancy - I don't know but for mine I used a charm and some bling and thought that made it fancy. If you play along you could win a prize from this week's sponsor Robyn's Fetish.

For this project I wrapped a jewelry box with the same card stock used for the card. Cut a piece of card stock the same width as the box. Fold the paper around the box. With each fold score the paper. Secure the wrap with red tape or score tape.

After you've finished your easel card place score tape or red tape on the bottom of the card to secure it to the box. This easel card is 4" x 4" x 12" with folds along 4", 6", and the 8". You can see from this photo how it's folded. It's a very simple technique. Just remember that you need to put something with a little depth on the inside so that when you open it up to stand something will catch the edge to keep it open. Something as thin as a brad or button will usually work.

By the way, I wanted my burlap twine to match the ribbon on the image. I didn't have any violet twine so I used a piece of ivory colored twine and colored it with the copic I used on the image.

Here's the deets:
stamp - Robyn's Fetish
ink - hp printer
paper - Bo Bunny "Winter Joy Magic" and "Winter Joy Bundled"; I think the cs is Nicole's
miscellaneous - copics; Taylor's Tiny Twinkles; flower brads; burlap twine; present charm; Spellbinder's Brommet Tag

Here's the challenges:
Cooking It Up with Katie #83 - Fold a Fancy Flower
Top Tip #59- Anything Christmas
Ribbon Carousel RCC28 - photo inspiration (all the ruffles on the pillows made me think of gift boxes)
Party Time Tuesday PTT#41 - Bling It On
Whoopsie Daisy - Tag It
Cutie Pie #4 - Use a Charm
Digital Tuesday #136 Anything Goes
Pink Elephant TPE124 - Gift Tags

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you'll come back again and that you'll join us at Cooking it Up with Katie for our "Fold a Fancy Flower" challenge.

Easy As Pie

2011-11-06T08:00:00.080-05:00

Just how easy is pie? The best apple pie I ever had was made by my buddy (we've been friends since grammar school, that's a long time) Susie's mom, Annie. I can make a good apple pie, but her mom's pies were outrageous with a crust to die for. So one day I asked Susie if she'd ask her mom for her recipe. Here's how the recipe went: first she goes to the orchard where she gets a couple bushels of apples, then she takes one can of Crisco and a bag of flour...so much for replicating that crust. I forgot that whenever Annie made pie there were usually five or more of them. Annie had seven kids, not to mention all of their friends (lots of friends) and there was always something to eat on the kitchen counter. The memory of those pies is making me salivate.

So this week at Pile it On the challenge is to
make a Thanksgiving card or just give thanks to someone. This week our sponsor is Karen's Doodles who gave the design team some images to play with, I'm using the Grandma Pie image. If you click here, you can see what the rest of the design team created, find the rules, and the linkey thingey so you can post your creation. We all love to see what you do.

Here's the deets:
stamp - Karen's Doodles "Grandma Pie"
ink - hp printer
paper - Recollections Kraft card base; Colorbok green cs; Bazzill "Yukon Gold" and "Ruby Slippers" cs; October Afternoon "Modern Homemaker" dp
miscellaneous - copics; burlap twine; heart bling; apple charm; SU Handsome Hunter marker for the faux stitching and sentiment; gathered ribbon

Here's the challenges:
Pile It On #45 - Thanksgiving, or just give thanks to someone
A Sketch for You to Try - November sketch
Totally Papercrafts #91 - Stitching
Crafty Catz #107 - Anything goes
2 Sisters #64 - Ribbon
Craft Your Days Away - Autumn/Fall (apple pie is a fall favorite for me)
Speedy the Cat #80- Fall or Winter
Moving Along With the Times #123 - Food or Drink
Ruby's Rainbow #15 - Metal (apple charm)
Freshly Brewed FBC71 - Anything Goes
Papertake Weekly - Anything Goes Plus a bit of bling
Ribbon Carousel - RCC27 - Anything Goes
Cutie Pie #14 - Use a Charm

Thanks for stopping by, please come back again.

They Look Good Enough...

2011-11-06T07:27:00.030-05:00

CIC135 Inspiration photo

...to eat! My husband wonders why I'm looking at the dessert menu before I've picked a dinner. Geez, I've been looking at these bad boys for days now.

These are the inspiration for this week's Cupcake Inspirations Challenge CIC135. This week's sponsor is Stamp Fairy. You can find the rest of the design team's creations, the rules, the prize and the linkey thingey by clicking here. As usual the design team has done a bang up job, if you have a few minutes to spare, leave them some love.

I'm still on pumpkin overload so for my card I've used all the colors from the inspiration photo to make a birthday card. The rest of the sentiment ("the firemen are called because your candles caught on fire!") is on the inside. I think to make it a little extra snarky I'm going to write in "AGAIN!" in bold red letters.

Here's the deets:
stamp - Bugaboo - Stella Birthday Fireman Call
ink - hp printer
paper - Recollections Kraft card base; Basic Grey "Ambrosia, Fresh Squeeze" and "Lucky, Dream"; Stampin' Up "Kraft" cs
miscellaneous - copics; linen twine; baker's twine; cake charm; MFT jumbo rick rack die-namic

Here's the challenges:
Cupcake Inspirations CIC135 - photo
Fairy Tale Challenges #27 - Lantern, lights and candles
Craft Your Days Away - Autumn/Fall
Catch the Bug - Anything Goes
Basic Grey - Anything Goes
Moving Along with the Times - Food and Drink
For Fun - Special Birthday Card (you can only taunt special friends with cards like this, especially if they're a little bit older than you!)

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you'll come back often. In the meantime why don't you make a card using those yummy cuppies as your inspiration.

A Cuddly Christmas

2011-11-04T08:15:00.043-04:00

Sometimes you just gotta use non traditional colors for Christmas cards. I think these look pretty good on this adorable image. They don't get much cuter than this. It's Pachela Studios Toby Tumble Christmas Tea. from Cuddly Buddly.
This week the Cuddly Buddly challenge #19 is a recipe. So pick your image, find a sketch and then use the recipe - 3 Flowers, 2 buttons and 1 ribbon. I cheated a little, my buttons are actually brads and I used two ribbons and twine. It's hard to see in this photo that under the crochet ribbon there's a yellow ribbon.

Here's the deets:
stamp - Cuddly Buddly "Pachela Studios Toby Tumble Christmas Tea"
ink - hp printer
paper - Bazzill "String of Pearls" cs; scrap of blue cs; My Mind's Eye "Lost and Found - Sunshine" dp
miscellaneous - copics; Prima flowers; nesties Lacey Square die; brads; SU crochet ribbon and so saffrron ribbon; Polar White Flower Soft; burlap twine; bunny charm

Here's the challenges:
Cuddly Buddly #19 - recipe 3 flowers, 2 buttons, 1 ribbon
Do You Stack Up #44 - Teal
Digi Doodles - #81 - a Wintry Theme
Paper Shelter #38 - Christmas Fun
Crafts and Me #59 - Let the Music Move You
Crafting for all Seasons #13 - Texture
ABC Christmas - V is for Vintage
Pixie Cottage #95 - sketch and get started making a Christmas Card
CCEE1144 - Use 4 different embellies
Charisma #44 - Cutesy
Southern Girls #31 - Can You Hear the Music
One Stitch as a Time #86 - Christmas
Ladybug Crafts Ink #44 - Non-traditional or distressed Christmas
Cutie Pie #4 - Use a Charm
Digital Tuesday #135 - Cute and Cuddly
the Squirrel and the Fox #4 - Hats or Flowers

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you'll come back again.

Who's Counting?

2011-11-04T08:07:00.010-04:00

I keep seeing Christmas countdowns but I'm not counting. It's going to be here before I'm ready and I'll be wondering where the heck the time went.
In January, we started looking for a bigger house. Almost a year later we're going to be moving. Yep, just in time for the holidays.
As you can imagine I'll be packing or looking at paint colors or some moving related stuff this weekend, but what about you? How about Stampin' for the Weekend?
This week the challenge is a sketch. That' makes it really easy for you to play along. It's the perfect opportunity for you to get some Christmas cards done.

Here's the deets:
stamp - Verve "Winter Mittens"
ink - Memento "Tuxedo Black"; Close To My Heart "Cranberry"
paper - Recollections red card base; Bazzill "Classic Green" and "Ruby Slippers"; Authentique "Wonder" Collection
miscellaneous - copics; gelly roll glaze pen; bling; bird charm; red burlap twine

Here's the challenges:
Stampin' for the Weekend - sketch challenge

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you'll come back again. Now go get busy making a card using the SFTW sketch. You can find the sketch, the rules, the linkey thingy and see what the rest of the design team created by clicking here.

How Many Days...

2011-10-30T10:13:00.001-04:00

...left till Halloween? I do love Halloween but today I am just not in the mood to make another Halloween card. Probably by tomorrow I will be but not today. But, look at today's Cupcake Inspiration challlenge photo. What's a girl to do? Well, this girl decided to use the cake as the inpsiration for a birthday card. What will you come up with? The Sweeties are always anxious to see what you think up, so join us in this week's challenge, we're sponsored by DTS. You can find all the details by clicking here.

I'm still wondering when things are going to get back to normal for me, by which I mean, that I'll have plenty of time for sitting down at my scrapbox or sewing machine and time to get to the computer to blog and browse. Well this weekend isn't it but it's all for good. My cousin and her husband are visiting. My brother and I are having a great time catching up and showing them all the great things there are to do and places to visit around the Sarasota area. AND they are having a great time not being in New Jersey for the unbelievably early first snow storm of the season.

So, here's the deets:
stamp - Sassy Cheryl "A Load of Cake"
ink - hp printer
paper - K & Co "KP Halloween"; Paper Pizazz "Leaves"; Stampin' Up "Patterns Pack II" ; Recollection Printed Scrapbook papers; Recollections kraft card base; Bazzill "tangelo" cs
miscellaneous - copics; black glaze pen; leaf buttons; burlap twine; gelly roll pen

Here's the challenges:
Cupcake Inspirations CIC134 - photo
Sweet Stampin' - Anything Goes
Sweet Stop SSS132 - sketch
Craft Your Days Away #32 - Autumn/Fall

A Little Different

2011-10-25T19:44:00.002-04:00

It's not just paper that obsesses me. There's needle crafts too. I've been parcelling out my time in order to do both.

This pattern is from "Frightfully Crazy" from the Buggy Barn. It's a funky pattern that was fun to do. Besides the machine piecing there's lots of hand work. To add to the primitive look I attempted to make my hand stitches uneven and most of the eyes have mismatched button irises. The machine quilting is a random jagged stick that often goes where it shouldn't.

Have you ever noticed how many photos of quilts have tops of heads and feet in them. That always cracks me up. The pooch had to get into the shot too and I just couldn't bare to crop him out.

Here's a close up of the square that has the mouth flipped down. What you can't see is that the stars, the inside of the ears, the nose, eyes and mouth are felt. The same felt I've been using on my cards. They are all hand stitched with a variety of colors of embroidery floss.

Checking out challenges I noticed that the Ribbon Carousel RCC26 is "Inspired by Halloween" and they welcom all forms of crafting, they just want you to use something that comes on a spool. Well, there was lots and lots of threads from spools used for this quilt. So what the heck, I'm going to enter it there, mostly so that some one will see it.

Since I posted this I have been trying to link this up with the Ribbon Carousel but can not get anything to move on that site. Is anybody else having problems with that site or maybe blogger is going haywire again.
I don't really know what info to leave for the deets so if you want to know anything about it just leave me a comment and I'll try to answer you. Thanks for stopping by, I hope you'll come back again.

If You're Happy

2011-10-23T09:00:00.114-04:00

and you know it...make a card. You can clap your hands or stamp your feet but that won't get you entered into Challenge #43 at Pile It On. This week the theme is to "Make a Card That Expresses Happiness in Some Way".

This little Jellypark Friend looks pretty happy to me, that's probably because she's too young to know what creepy things could be lurking in that pile of leaves. I won't tell her if you don't.

My good buddy Maddy just picked up her first set of copics and that reminded me of how helpful tips can be, So if you're a new copic user you may be wondering how I colored those pants. Here's my tip: First there's B21 over the entire area, then a small edging of B23 around the left bottom side, then a slim line of B24 just around those edges, followed by going over the entire area with the B21 to blend the edges. Then I take E40 and color over the light areas. I don't remember exactly when or how I discovered that using E40 over the blue looks like faded denim but I do know it was a happy accident.

I wonder if there's a 12 step program for craft supplies.

Here's the deets:
stamp - Jellypark Friends digi "Girl Jumping in Leaves"
ink - hp printer
paper - white Georgia Pacific cs; Bazzill Basics Earth tones cs pack (no names of colors on the papers or package); We r Memory Keepers Autumn Splendor "Orchard" and "Autumn Leaf" dp
miscellaneous - copics; black Glaze pen; burlap twine; leaf charm; EK Success leaves punch; Nesties rectangular die

Here's the challenges:
Pile It On #43 - Be Happy
Pals Paper Arts PPA116 - sketch
Really Reasonable Ribbon #34 - Fall theme
Friday Mash Up FM#25 - Belly Band and/or twine
Totally Papercrafts #89 - Layer Upon Layer
Our Creative Corner - Fabulous Faces (what's more fabulous than the look of joy on a child's face?)
Wee Memories #73 - Free for All
L'il Red Wagon #103 - Fall themed
4 Crafty Chicks #60 - Marker it Up
CCEE Stampers CCEE1142 - Fall Theme or Related to Fall
Top Tip #56 - Layer It
My Time to Craft #162 - Punches and Dies
City Crafter #79 - Harvest Festival
Picture Perfect Creations Specialty#11 - Fall/Halloween

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you'll come back again and that you'll join us at Pile It On in this week's challenge.

Only Half

2011-10-23T08:15:00.003-04:00

CIC133

If I ever made a bow out of fondant that looked this good I would consider it a miracle of biblical proportion. I would never even think about trying it, and I took all three Wilton cake decorating classes. Having taken those classes leaves me in awe of the cupcakes and cakes that we use for inspiration at the Cupcake Inspiration Challenges.

This week we're sponsored by Stamp Fairy. Make a stop over at the Cupcake Inspiration challenge blog to see what the rest of the sweeties have created, you'll also find the rules and the linky thingy.

My life is still in chaos, it's actually getting even more chaotic if you can believe that's possible. Now on top of the health issues for daughter and doggie we're expecting to move in about a month and I've got friends and relatives visiting over the next two weeks. Would somebody tell when retirement is going to get boring.

Here's the deets:
stamp - Bugaboo digi - Stella Wicked Witch (the sentiment if from a different image but I'm not sure which one)
ink - hp printer
paper - We R Memory Keepers "Spookville Magic Moon" dsp;
purple cs
miscellaneous - copics; star mini brads; Nesties circle and inverted scalloped circle dies; ribbon; burlap twine; pumpkin charm; sewing machine

Here's the challenges:
Cupcake Inspirations CIC133 - photo
Really Reasonable Ribbon #34 -
Fall Theme
If the Shoe Fits FF#94 - Spooky Fall
Allsorts #126 - Halloween
The Stamp Man - Night Time
Delightful Challenges - Halloween
Crop Stop #42 - Halloween
Corrosive #135 - Flying Things

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you'll come back again and that you'll make a card for the Cupcake Inspirations challenge CIC133.

Spooky!

2011-10-21T12:01:00.000-04:00

It's that time of year, when you see all the creepy stuff taking center stage. So at Stamping for the Weekend we want you to make something spooky.
I hope you have as much fun as I did. First of all, while I made this my mind was on my good buddies (Eileen, Maddy and Edna) who just gave me a bag full of Halloween goodies. And it was a LARGE bag. They know how much I love Halloween stuff and over the years we've spent fun times in costumes (Maddy has some rotten teeth that will make you run for your toothpaste, she likes to sport them in her hillbilly get up) and on haunted hay rides (I nearly peed my pants on that one - Ei will remember the ghoul with the spider hanging out of his mouth and the creep in the spider mask) and camping trips (anyone remember Edna falling off, I mean dismounting from the horse) . We had great times in the fall and I was strolling down memory lane as I made this card.

Here's the deets:
stamp - Inkadinkadoo "Ghouls and Goblins"
ink - Memento Tuxedo Balck
paper - Stampin' Up black cs; K & Co "KP Halloween" dp
miscellaneous - copics; buttons, SU linen twine; ghost charm; Nesties "Label 1" die; ribbon; glaze pen

Here's the challenges:
Stampin' for the Weekend #19 - Spooky
Stampin Royalty #94 - sketch

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you'll come back again and that you'll make a spooky card for the Stampin' for the Weekend challenge #19. Stop on over at the blog to get some inspiration from the rest of the design team. I was blown away by their creations. You'll also find the rules and the linky thingy there.

A Cuddly Buddly Buddy Christmas

2011-10-21T11:34:00.001-04:00

Oh Boy! This was just too much fun to make. I don't know about you but I'm pretty much a big old kid when I sit down to craft. It's like back in those school days when you knew you had art class and couldn't settle down till you got there and then the smell of the glue and crayons was just intoxicating. Yeah, I'm an art nerd.

I used to save my allowance till I had enough money to buy a big box of crayons. OMG, 64 colors put my head in a tailspin. Well, little has changed since those days and I still have a big box of crayons and I'm not afraid to use them.
This card brought those feelings back because I got to play with a bunch of new toys that I'd been anxious to break out.
First of this is Cuddly Buddly time for me. This week the Cuddly Buddly challenge #17 is "Best Friends". For this card I chose "Dancing on Ice", that way I had friends that I could use for a Christmas card. And of course they are an adorable couple that just happened to be a lot of fun to use. After I had the image colored I broke out the "Lost Found" Christmas paper that's been begging to be used, and then there's the Spellbinder's die that I have been dying (not sure if the pun is intended) to use. As if that wasn't enough fun stuff to launch me into craft nirvana I used a ribbon that's been sitting around forever AND flower soft.
Now I have to try to calm down a little.

Here's the deets:
stamp - Cuddly Buddly "Dancing on Ice" digi
ink - hp printer
paper - Bazzill "Ruby Slipper" and green cs; My Mind's Eye "Lost and Found Christmas" dp
miscellaneous - copics; glaze pens; Polar white flower soft; bling; Her Arts snowflake bling; snowflake charm; baker's twine; ribbon; Nesties "2011 Heirloom Ornament" and "Inverted Scalloped Circle" dies

Here's the challenges:
Cuddly Buddly #17 - Best Friends (a card for your best friend)
Ruby's Rainbow #14 - Cute and Cuddly
Terrifically Thrilling Thursday - Show Us What You Got
ABC Christmas - "U" is for unused stash (the flower soft, the ribbon, twine, charm and bling have been sitting around awhile)
Creative Belli #128 - Flower soft, felt or chunky glitter (I thought of the Belli as soon as I picked up the over a year old jar of flower soft - lucky for me it's this week's challenge)
Simon Says Stamp and Show - Some Stripes
My Time To Craft #162 - Punches and Dies

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you come back again and that you'll find some time to play in the Cuddly Buddly challenge to make a card for your best friend, won't that make them happy.

Cupcake Time

2011-10-16T14:13:00.000-04:00

CIC 132

How cute are these? I'd like to sink my teeth into that purple monster.
These are your inspiration for this week's Cupcake Inspirations challenge. This week Prairie Fairy is back as our sponsor. I know you'll want to win the prize of 5 digis of your choice. So get your crayons ready and give it a go. The only down side of having Prairie Fairy sponsor us is that I have a terrible time deciding on an image.

For my card I chose Pumkin Dillan . Stop by the Cupcake Inspirations blog to see some other fun Halloween images being used.

If you've been reading my posts you know that things are a bit crazy for me. Well, they're getting crazier. The sellers of the house we are buying were finally approved for a short sale so now we have moving to add to everything else. I'm thrilled it's finally happening.

Here's the deets:
stamp - Prairie Fairy "Pumkin Dillan"
ink - hp printer
paper - K & Co "KP Halloween" pad; Bazzill "Tangelo" and "Witch Hazel"
miscellaneous - copics; bat ribbon; Queen and Co purple rhinestones; mini brads; pumpkin charm; baker's twine; gelly roll pen

Here's the challenges:
Cupcake Inspirations CIC132 - photo
A Sketch for You To Try - October
Polka Doodles #41 - Ribbons and Bows
JUGS #106 - Orange, Green, Purple and Black
Really Reasonable Ribbon #34 - Fun 4 Fall
Fussy and Fancy - Fall or Halloween
Craft Your Days Away #31 - Halloween Colors
One Stop Craft #153 - Halloween
Card Making Mamas #31 - Halloween
Simon Says - Halloween/Goth

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you come back again. Now get busy making a card inspired by those cute cuppies. Don't forget to link it up to Cupcake Inspirations, we love to see what you make.

A Birthday with the Dragon

2011-10-12T17:20:00.000-04:00

One of my favorite sponsors is back for this week's Cooking It Up With Katie. Stamping Dragon Designs is sponsoring this week's challenge. This week's winner will receive four images. Even though I made my card for a girl one of the things I like about the dragons is that they are great for boy's cards too. So what do you have to do to win this fab prize. Just make a card or project using Katie's recipe.

This week's recipe is 1.) include some coloring, 2.) try a little curling and 3.) add a circle.

That's pretty easy peasy, even for a lunk head like me who had the card almost completed when I realized I hadn't paid attention to the recipe. I did color my image and I was ready to attach my lace ribbon flower with the pearl center which would have been a circle but I didn't curl anything. So, what's a girl to do. The orange ribbon was already in place and it wouldn't curl anyway. Then the thunderbolt hit me. Why not try curling a thin slice of card stock. Well, it worked and since it's the card stock used for the mats it's a perfect match. In case you are craft challenged and have no idea how to do this, it's very simple. Slice a sliver of the card stock and then roll it around a pencil and voila, you've got a curly ribbon. I stuck a glue dot on the card to attach the ribbons.

So now it's your turn. I hope to see you play along with us.

Here's the deets:

stamp - Stamping Dragon Designs - Happy Birthday Dragons

ink - hp printer

paper - Bazzill "Frosted Teal" and "Glow" CS; Doodlebug "Cake and Ice Cream" dp

miscellaneous - copics; mini brads; orange ribbon; lace flower; sewing machine

Here's the challenges:

Cooking It Up With Katie #79 - Curl a colored circle

Sweet Stampin - In Stitches

One Stitch At a Time #83 - Anything goes

Simon Says Stamp and Show - Things with Wings

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you'll come back again and I'm looking forward to seeing what you create for the Cooking It Up With Katie challenge.

Devastatia

2011-10-09T20:23:00.001-04:00

CIC131

I think this is Jack Skeleton and Sally's wedding cake. Weren't they the perfect couple. A match made in Halloweentown. Where ever this cake came from it's a great inspirational piece for this week's Cupcake Inspirations challenge #131. This week we're being sponsored by Kenny K and there will be 3 prizes awarded so go your crayons sharpened up.

This week there's a second inspiration cake. So if you're not a fan of Halloween you can use the "Sweet 16" cake for your inspiration. So like I said before - go get those crayons ready.

CIC131b

I happen to be a big fan of Halloween so you know which cake I picked.

This week has been incredibly busy and stressful for me. My daughter had to have unanticipated surgery on Tuesday to remove a pilonial cyst and just a couple days earlier we adopted a puppy (our kitty was not too happy). So I haven't been paying as much attention to blogging as I normally would. Tomorrow we go back to the surgeon to find out if she can return to school. Keep your fingers crossed.

there's a tiny skull and crossbones charm hanging off the
linen thread whick is tied to the orange ribbon. if you
click on the photo to enlarge it you might be able to see it

Here's the deets:
stamp - Kenny K "Devastatia"
ink - hp printer
paper - Stampin' Up "Only Orange"and "Brilliant Blue" cs, "Ghostly Greetings" dsp
miscellaneous - copics; gelly roll glaze pen; Martha Stewart graveyard and ghoul border punches; Stampin' Up linen thread; pleated ribbon; wide striped ribbon; green findings safety pin; orange ribbon; EK success flower bling; Queen and Co rhinestones; sewing machine; Nellies multi frame die

Here's the challenges:
Cupcake Inspirations CIC131 - photo
2 Sisters #60 - Halloween
Friday Mash Up #27 - Halloween theme and/or black, pumpkin pie, lucky limeade and concord crush
Simply Create #53 - Older than 6 months (the only thing that isn't older than 6 months is the image)
Secret Crafter #155 - Anything Goes with Sparkle

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you'll come back again. I also hope that you'll play along with us at Cupcake Inspirations. We love to see what you create.

For those of you who have been waiting to see a photo of our new fur baby here's a pic of his adorable face.

His name is Bill Bailey. He came to us from Underdog which is a rescue group here in Bradenton. If you're looking to get a pet I encourage you to look into a rescue dog, I found Underdog by doing a google search for rescue dogs in my area. There are so many deserving animals in need of a home. Can you believe that Bill was slated for execution? I am so glad that Underdog rescued him and a wonderful couple were willing to give him a home till he was ready to be adopted.

It took a week but Shamus was finally willing to make friends with Bill.

Just Because

2011-10-09T11:30:00.002-04:00

Time to Pile It On, Just Because. This week the challenge theme at Pile It On is "Just Because" Our sponsor is Nikki Silvils, the designer of this cute scrapbook paper kit.
This card was super easy to make, and if you're like my buddy Pam it's right up your alley. Pam would loves to fussy cut while she's watching a Yankee game. The beaver is cut out and popped up from a page that contains medallions and designs, the back is a sheet that coordinates with the other papers, which like the two used here are cute as can be for your fall cards or scrap pages.

Here's the deets:
stamp - no stamp, the image is cut from the papers
ink - no ink - the sentiment is from the alphabet stickers
paper - Nikki Sivils
miscellaneous - gel pen for faux stitching; twill ribbon; leaf charm' pin

Here's the challenges:
Pile It On #41- Just Because
Sweet Stampin' - In Stitches
Raise the Bar #78 - Furry Friends
Totally Papercrafts #87 - Animals
One Story Crafts #152- Anything Goes
Delightful Inspiration - Falling Leaves
Paper Play week 40 - Autumn colors
Moving Along With the Times #119 - Autumn Leaves
Paper Variety - Forest Friends
Fussy and Fancy - Fall or Halloween

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you'll come back again. Now, stop over to the Pile It On challenge blog to see what the rest of the design team created and to get all the details on this week's challenge.

Check It Out

2011-10-07T07:30:00.072-04:00

Check it Out! That's what the Cuddly Buddly challenge #15 wants you to do. Use checks, plaid or tartan patterns. That challenge got me thinking of some Graphic 45 Christmas paper in my stash. Yeah! another Christmas card done.

Did you know that there are free digi images available at Cuddly Buddly. I can't think of a better deal than that. Click here to find out the details. I checked it out and was amazed. Go to the shop and click on the "Instant Downloads" menu. Click to list the images by price and you can view all the free ones. I clicked on the last page and made my way backwards from there. There's several pages filled with a variety of images. If you haven't made your Christmas cards take a look to see what's available. I picked up a couple Easter images too. Go on a spree, you can't go wrong at these prices.

After you've picked up some great new images why not use one to make a card or project for the "Check It Out" challenge. Who knows, maybe you'll win and then you can get even more images. You don't have to use Cuddly Buddly images to play along with us but we'd sure love to see what you do with them.

Here's the deets:
stamp - Cuddly Buddly "Xmas Lights"
ink - hp printer; Ranger "Scattered Straw
paper - Georgia Pacific white cs; Recollections red card base; Graphics 45 "Christmas Past" Collection; Bazzill "Beeswax" cs; DCWV green cs
miscellaneous - copics; Nesties circle and inverted scalloped circle dies; Hero Arts Snowflake bling; Crystazzi gold bling; red silk ribbon; burlap twine; ornament charm; sewing machine; glaze pen

Here's the challenges:
Cuddly Buddly #15 - Check It Out
Simon Says - Sparkle and Bling
Cutie Pie #2 - Bingo (charm, something with wings, ribbon or lace)
Crafts and Me #55 - Use a Digi
Cardmad Fairy #17 - Too Early for Christmas
Thanks for visiting, please come back again. I hope you'll find time to play along with us in the "Check It Out Challenge" at Cuddly Buddly.

Boo!

2011-10-07T07:00:00.011-04:00

I think that pumpkin charm is darling

Don't be frightened, it's just time for Stampin' for the Weekend's challenge which is the "Colors of Autumn". It doesn't get much easier than that. You can make any kind of card or paper craft you wish, just use fall colors.

You can get lots more inspiration from the rest of this very talented design team by clicking here. All the details as well as a linky thingy will be there.

For my card I used a Teddy Bo image. I picked this one because not that long ago I wore a pumpkin costume just like it. That year I took a holiday but went into the office with my daughter. I wish I knew where those photos are, I would put one in this post.

don't forget the inside

Here's the deets:
stamp - Teddy Bo "Pumpkin Bo"
ink - hp printer
paper - Georgia Pacific white cs; Bazzill "Intense Kiwi" and "Tangelo" cs; My Mind's Eye "Blackbird" dp
miscellaneous - copics; candy dots; Queen and Co. gold rhinestones; baker's twine; pumpkin charm; stickles; Ranger glossy accents (doesn't show in the photo - it's on the candy in his bag)

Here's the challenges:
Stampin' for the Weekend #18 - the Colors of Autumn
Teddy Bo - My Favorite Colors

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you'll come back again. Now it's time for you to create something using the colors of Autumn. Don't forget to link it up at Stampin' for the Weekend. We love to see what you create.

Delicious Doodles

2011-10-06T07:00:00.078-04:00

One of the most fun things you can ever get to do is be a guest design team member. This week I have the honor of being a guest designer for Do You Stack Up. The theme for the challenge is "Brown". The sponsor Delicious Doodles supplied this pretty image. Since I didn't plan on using brown on the image I went through my stash to find some dp that fit the theme and found some that I thought worked really well. I hope you'll take some time to stop over at the Do You Stack Up challenge blog and find some time to play along with us.

We applied to adopt a puppy and said we would be willing to complete the vet care that was scheduled. What we didn't plan on was our daughter getting sick and needing surgery just as we were getting the pup. Fortunately Liddy came through the surgery with flying colors but is going to need a long time for healing. The puppy goes for surgery tomorrow. So you can imagine it's a little hectic here and why I need to finish up this post quickly.

don't forget the inside

Here's the deets:
stamp - Delicious Doodles "Sniffing Daisies"
ink - hp printer
paper - Pebbles "L'il Miss Collection"; Rubber Soul "Garden Variety" collection; Stampin' Up "Soft Suede"; Bazzill "Frosted Teal" and "Maraschino"
miscellaneous - copics; candy dots; powder blue pearls; lace; burlap twine; flower pot charm; Taylored Expressions die; sewing machine

Here's the challenges:
Do You Stack Up - Brown
Fab N Funky #93 - die cut and/or punches
Crafts and Me #55 - Use a Digi

Thanks for stopping by, i hope you come back again.

A great big thanks to Do You Stack Up for picking me to be a guest Designer. Pop on over and join in the fun with this week's "Brown" challenge.

Cornucopia

2011-10-02T08:15:00.002-04:00

This looks like something I would sink my teeth into so could somebody make a dozen of these and bring to my house for Thanksgiving dinner? On second thought bring them tomorrow, I'll get pie for Thanksgiving.

This gorgeous cuppies is the inspiration photo for Cupcakes Inspirations challenge CIC130. So this week the challenge is a piece of cake, well, cupcake.

This week the sponsor is Doodle Pantry and I think this cornucopia is gorgeous and I loved coloring it. This image comes in a set with 3 sentiments and another image.

To get some more inspiration, you can see what the rest of the design team made and find the linky thingy over at Cupcake Inspirations blog. We'd love to have you play along with us.

don't forget the inside

Here's the deets:
stamp - Doodle Pantry "Let Us Be Thankful"
ink - hp printer
paper - Georgia Pacific white cs; Bazzill "Parakeet" and "Glow" cs; Jillibean Soup "Dutch Mustard" dp
miscellaneous - copics; brads, burlap twine, leaf buttons; sewing machine

Here's the challenges:
Cupcake Inspirations CIC130 - photo
Tuesday Morning Sketches #113 - sketch
Totally Papercrafts #86 - Autumn
Friday Mash Up - Fall theme and/or brads, lots and lots of brads (I used four, that may or may not be lots and lots depending on your point of view)
Crafting for All Seasons - CH#10 - Fall Colors
Freshly Brewed FBC66 - Fall, Autumn

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you'll come back again.

Everyone at Cupcake Inspirations would love to have you play along with us, so get cracking on a card inspired by that gorgeous cupcake. Don't forget to link it up here.

Fast and Easy

2011-10-01T21:27:00.000-04:00

Sentiment as focal point cards are fast and easy. With the right paper and a few embellishments they look like a million bucks. There are lots of places you can find inspiration. This card was inspired by a card I saw on the Sharon Johnson's No Time To Stamp blog. If you're stumped or your mojo's gone on walk about, that's a good place to poke around.

Here's the deets:
stamp - Pape Pretties "Birthday Sentiments"
ink - Stampin' Up "Always Artichoke"
paper - Stampin' Up "Kraft" cs; K & Co "Life's Journey" dp
miscellaneous - pleated ribbon; lace; Webster's Pages Silhouette (the cameo); sewing machine; brads

Here's the challenges:
Paper Pretties PWC173 - Use a Sentiment as a focal point
Southern Girls #28 - Anything Goes
4 Crafty Chicks - Anything Goes
Crafty Creations #137 - CAS
Simon Says - Anything Goes
Top Tip #53 - 2 or More ribbons, twine, lace, fabric
Truly Scrumptious #66 - Clean and Simple
Paper Sundaes #88 - Anything Goes

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you'll come back again. By the way, unless you've been on a desert island for the last 20 years you know that October is breast cancer awareness month. One of the easiest things you can do to help the fight is to click on the pink ribbon at the top of my sidebar. It's a good thing.

FIGHT LIKE A GIRL

Fall Birthday

2011-09-28T08:00:00.001-04:00

This week at Cooking It Up With Katie challenge #77 is to punch, include a pocket and a pair of something.

This week our sponsor is Digital Delights. There's some really adorable Halloween images. If you like to stamp but don't like to color you're in luck, some of the images are already colored for you. For me, that's half the fun of making a card but it is time consuming. If I needed to make several cards (like Halloween party invitations) the already colored images would be a great help.

The pocket on my card was drawn freehand and is supposed to look like a pants pocket. I'm not sure if I succeeded.

The Stampin' Up library clip holds a bill sticking out of the top of the pocket. That the pocket is deep so the clip ensures the bill won't get lost. .

The punches are Stampin' Up's oval and scalloped oval for the sentiment and there is a pair of buttons, one on each side of the sentiment, as well as a pair of brads on the pocket.

Here's the deets:
stamp - Digital Delights
ink - Bic Marker for sentiment, hp printer
paper - Paper Pizzazz leave print; Recollections Printed Scrapbook Paper (olive with polka dots); Nicole orange cs; the Paper Cut "Red Hot" cs
miscellaneous - copics; mini brads; Stampin' Up oval and scalloped oval punch; buttons; burlap twine; sewing machine; Stampin Up library clip

Here's the challenges:
Cooking It Up With Katie #77 - punch, pocket, pair of something
Corrosive #133 - Punches and/or dies
Stamps R Us - Operation Write Home Birthday challenge (no glitter)
Paper Play week 38- Autumn Leaves
Paper Cutz #110 - Button Up for Fall
Crafty Sentiments - Happy Birthday

Thankf for stopping by, I can't put into words how grateful I am that you visit and leave comments. I hope you'll take the time to play along with us at Cooking It Up With Katie. We all love to see what you do with the recipe.

A Couple of Cuties

2011-09-27T15:10:00.000-04:00

That's the name of the stamp set for this image. It's a perfect name. There's another stamp in the set I can't wait to get inky so if you like this stamp stop back. Hopefully I'll use it soon. Of course if you ever saw the list of stamps I want to use you'd be right to think I'll never get to them, the stinking problem is that all these stamp companies just keep making more and more must have stamps. If there's ever a shortage of new and appealing goodies I just might catch up. Sound familiar?

Here's the deets:

stamp - Crafty Secrets "A Couple of Cuties"

ink - Memento "Rich Cocoa"

paper - Bazzill "Pinecone", "Beeswax" and "Parakeet"; Jillibean Soup "Dutch Mustard" dp

miscellaneous - copics; silk ribbon, burlap twine; heart charm; Nesties oval and scalloped oval dies; brads

Here's the challenges:

Paper Players PP65 - sketch

One Stitch at a Time - Favorites (I love charms, they are my favorite embellie)

the Squirrel and the Fox #1 - Anything Goes

Crafty Catz #101 - Autumn

Sew Many #69 - Ovals

Really Reasonable Ribbon #32 - Autumn theme

Sugar Creek Hollow - Vintage Children (I know they're driving a car but they're little kids, they remind me of the Campbell soup kids - maybe they hot wired one of their parents cars)

Tuesday Throwdown #68 - Fall

Crafting for All Seasons #110 - Fall Colors

4 Crafty Chicks - Fall/Autumn

Delightful Challenges - Happy Fall Y'All

Digi Doodles #76 - Autumn Colors

Thanks for stopping by, I do hope you'll come back again.

Rip Roaring Good Time

2011-09-26T20:23:00.000-04:00

the ticket Christmas sentiments and 25 printed on it

Seems like a lifetime ago when a rip roaring good time usually entailed too much liquor, dancing (on the bar?), meeting the most adorable guy (son of Frankenstein), pledging your never ending love to anyone within ear shot and ending with a hangover that made you swear you'd never drink again. At least you thought that was where it ended till you went back to the bar and people start telling you things you did the last time they saw you and you have no idea who they are and no recollection of those exploits. But I digress...

Making a beachy Christmas card is what's a rip roaring good time as you near the golden years...

Here's the deets:
stamp - My Favorite Things "The Beach"
ink - Memento "Rich Cocoa", Ranger "Tea Dye" and "Scattered Straw"
paper - Stampin' Up "Kraft" cs; Graphic 45 Christmas Past collection; Neenah Classic Crest Natural White card stock
miscellaneous - MFT ribbon; burlap twine; snowflake charm; Christmas ticket

Here's the challenges:
My Favorite Things Wednesday Stamp Club MFTWSC38 - sketch
One Stitch at a Time #81 - Favorites (charm)
2 Sisters #58 - Gingham or Plaid
Polka Doodles #38 - Distress It

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you come back again.

Triangle Star Card

2011-09-25T08:33:00.001-04:00

This is a fold I've wanted to try for a long time, ever since I saw it on Stamp Owl's (Frances Byrne's) blog. So when the Pile It On Challenge called for a fancy fold it was time for me to make a triangle star card. I used Frances' tutorial which you can find here.

It's actually pretty easy.

Because I put some ribbon rose on the inside the card didn't want to stay closed, so I stuck a piece of velcro to the bottom of the star.

Here's the deets:

stamp - the Cat's Pajamas "Shine Brightly"

ink - Stampin' Up "Brocade Blue"

paper - Best Occasions light blue cardstock; Stampin' Up "Bella Bleu" dsp

miscellaneous - Nesties "circle and lacey circle" die; Stampin' Up oval and scalloped oval punches; the Cat's Pajamas "ocean" seam binding; Basic Grey pearls

Here's the challenges:

Pile It On #39 - Fancy Folds

the Cat's Pajamas TCPTUES177 - Create Roses with Seam Binding

Stampin' B #129 - Use 2 or more Spellbinders

Card Makin' Mamas #29- Get Punchy

Sweet Stampin' - Anything Goes

Southern Girls #28 - Anything Goes

Simon Says - Use Dies and/or Punches

Going Grey with Scrap Creations - Anything Goes

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you'll play along with the Pile It On challenge and make a card with a fancy fold.

Shaped Card

2011-09-25T07:32:00.031-04:00

It's time for another fabulous Cupcake Inspiration. Boy do I love this cake that's topped with a cupcake. The colors are so soft and feminine. It looks divine, another cake I couldn't bring myself to cut but I wonder what's under the fondant. Is it a chocolate cake or a yellow cake? Is there fruit or lemon between the layers.  Fortunately you don't need to know what's on the inside to be inspired and if you need a little jump start there's plenty to see on the Cupcake Inspiration challenge blog. The design team has been busy making cards for your viewing pleasure.

This week the challenge is sponsored by Stamp Fairy. My card is made with one of the freebies on the site. If you've never tried using a digi before, this is a great way to find out if you'd like it. You can choose from 10 images.

I was inspired by the top layer of the cake. I made a card shaped like a cupcake and used the colors of the top layer when I made it. A cupcake is a pretty simple shape to make. I took a piece of plain paper and cut it the size of an A2 card, then rough sketched the shape of a cupcake, making sure to have a part of the icing area be on the card fold. Trace it or affix your pattern to your card base with a removable tape then cut it out. Then cut the "icing" portion off of the pattern and do the same thing to cut out a piece of white card stock. The "icing" was fancied up with an embossing folder and glitter.

To make the card a little more interesting I used the paper tole technique and made three layers of the image. The bottom layer is the entire image. For the middle layer the heart and halo are cut off. The top layer is the head.   The close up is supposed to show you the three layers but it isn't the best photo I've ever taken.

Here's the deets:
stamp - Stamp Fairy Freebie digi
ink - hp printer
paper - The Paper Cut "Sno Cone", "Sweet Tooth" and "Red Hot" card stock
miscellaneous - copics; Spellbinder's oval, scalloped oval and cherry dies; Kaisercraft pearls; embossing folder; glitzy glitter

Here's the challenges:
Cupcake Inspirations CIC129 - photo
Raise the Bar #76 - Things with Wings
Stampin' B #129 - Use 2 or more Spellbinders
Speedy the Cat's Friends week 74 - Things with Wings
Top Tip #51 - For the Kids

Thanks for stopping by. I hope you'll play along with us at the Cupcake Inspiration challenge.

Leftovers

2011-09-23T08:00:00.001-04:00

It's time for another Cuddly Buddly challenge. Have you been on pins and needles waiting for it.   Well, I have. The challenge is to add a big number or letter to your creation. I've had this idea to make a gift bag racing through my brain for a couple weeks. The planning, the gathering, the putting it together. I don't think I put as much thought into planning my wedding.

The planning of this bag brings me to this next little story. When you go out to restaurants are you at best an odd duck or worse an embarassment to your family and friends. Crafters are always thinking about making things. For me it's like a never ending ticker tape passing thru my head. I'm always finding inspiration in weird places, always on the look out for materials. So last weekend hubby and I are out for dinner at a Chinese restaurant and we have leftovers. Our waitress came to the table with the fun box and a brown paper bag. Well, the bells are going off in my head, I needed one for this project so I asked the waitress if I could have another bag. The way she looked at me I knew she was wondering if she was translating what I said correctly or what else I could have meant and my hubby is making the "what the heck do you want a second bag for" face. I explained that I wanted to make something and I got another bag.  After we got home I found hubby had placed both the bags on my desk and I couldn't tell which one was the unused one. Oh well, go figure, if I hadn't asked for a second one you know that toting bag would have had lots of grease spots on it. But I digress...

For my project I used the "Eline's Digi Set - Baby Girl's Bath & Bedtime". Talk about getting a lot of bang for your buck, well this is it. There are 25 cute as pie images and five patterned papers. If you're a pink kind of girl this set is worth it just for the papers. You download them once and you can use them forever. I can always use the gingham check and the polka dots. If you've visited here often you know how much I use and love pink. Oh, but you need to make a bag for a baby boy, no problem she's got little boy collections too and yes, there's a collection for when you don't know if it'll be a boy or girl.

The big letter on the bag is from a set of rub-ons. After putting it on white card stock I cut it out and then mounted it ontolight pink cardstock cut it out and then repeated on dark pink cardstock. It doesn't show that well in the photo but in real life all those layers look great.

How about a couple tips? If you decorate a bag when you set it out pay attention to which side the seam is on. Don't ask me how I know and don't go taking any close looks at my photo. It's not enough to ruin your work if you use the wrong side but a seamless side looks better.  In addition to the seam, there's usually a manufacturers mark on the bag which may or may not show when you fold the top down, so be prepared to cover it. Also if the bag's edge isn't very nice you will want to use a die cut on it. Border punches don't work so well, been there done that and had to die cut it afterwards. The ribbon isn't just a decoration, it's attached by several glue dot to the back of the bag. You could punch holes or slots to wind yiour ribbon through. Whatever works for you. The bag that inspired me used ribbon through slots. You can see it in the July/August 2011 Papercrafts magazine on page 28. But with that bag you have to put your gift inside and staple it closed, with the ribbon affixed to back you can open and close the bag over and over again which means the recipient can open it without ruining it and afterwards put it out on display and have it be functional.

Here's the deets:
stamp and paper- Cuddly Buddly "Eline's digi set - Baby Girl's Bed & Bathtime"; scraps of pinks and white cs
ink - hp printer
miscellaneous - gingham brads; rub on letter; Doodlebug buttons; pink Candy Dots; pink glaze pen; MFT die-namincs "large scallop" and "large scallopey scallop" border dies, mini brads, ribbon

Here's the challenges:
Cuddly Buddly - Add a big letter or number to your project
Top Tip #51 - 1 for the kids
Simon Says - Dies to die for
Ruby's Rainbow C#12- For the girls
Creative Card Crew - Babies
Picture Perfect Creations Specialty Challenge #10 - Use 3 designer papers

Thanks for stopping by, I hope I've inspired you to play along with us at the Cuddly Buddly challenge to add a big letter or number to your project. You don't have to use Cuddly Buddly products to play along, but if you've got them we'd love to see what you create with them. By the way, did you know there's some free digi images available, well, now you do.

What a Cutie!

2011-09-23T07:00:00.049-04:00

What a Cutie! How's that for a challenge theme? The possiblilities are endless so you have no excuse to not play in this week's Stampin' for the Weekend #17 challenge. This week we have a sponsor. It's Wee Stamps
and boy oh boy are these cute. You have to stop over to the SFTW blog to see what the rest of the design team has created. Those ladies blow me away, they just get better and better.

Sometimes less is more. There's only one piece of dp on this card, one stamped image ,one mat, one big old bow and one flower. There's four candy dots and four pieces of bling. It's not a clean and simple card but there's not much to it. The dp had nice big floral motifs in caty corners. One is on the face and the other is on the inside. To show off the design it made sense not to over layer papers and the big old bow is covering the plain area of the paper. The color combination is one of my favorites, it works so well when you want a pretty feminine look.

Here's the deets:
stamp - Wee Stamps "Wee Suzi"
ink - hp printer
paper - Stampin' Up "Certainly Celery"; Crafty Secrets "Heartwarming Vintage Collection
miscellaneous - copics; candy dots; prima flower; ribbon; sewing machine

Here's the challenges:
Stampin' For the Weekend #17 - What a Cutie
the Pink Elephant TPE117 - photo inspiration
Digital Tuesday #129 - People Images

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you'll find some time to play along with us at Stampin' for the Weekend. You should pop over there to see what the rest of the design team made. There are some real cuties there.