The Citrus Birthday Fairy!

Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Yes, today is my little baby's 4th birthday. I can't really call her a baby any more. At three, you can still get away with it, but now that she's 4, she's a big kid now. That's what she tells me anyway. :) She keeps measuring herself to show me how much she's grown because..."I can play soccer with the big girls Mama." *tearing up* My little girl is growing up!

So in honor of my 'little one', here is the birthday card I created especially for her.

It has all the things she loves on it; Tinkerbell, fruit and lots of sparkles! Her card just so happens to tie in with this week's Twinkling Tuesday challenge. It's an inspiration one: Citrus! My little girl is nuts about her fruit! Whether it be berries, lemons, oranges or grapes. Whatever the fruit, she'll eat it till the cows come home!

So I immediately pulled this small matt pad from K&Company aptly named 'Citronella' and one of her favorite stamps in my collection - Fairy Tink from The Greeting Farm and went to work. I have been so inspired lately by the work of the Top 5 girls in the 2sketches4you Ultimate Card Showdown challenge that I channeled some of their creativity to create this starburst look behind Tink. The card also happens to use the Weekend Sketch Challenge WSC86.

If you'd like to play along with Madelynn's Twinkling Challenge this week, just create your card, upload it somewhere, and leave a comment on this week's Twinkling Tuesday blog post. If you upload it to SCS or PCP, just use the keyword MTTSC29. This week, our hostess with the mostest is the super talented Janna Hull!

Last but not least, I did promise you a picture of my little 'big' girl. :) She is our Tinkerbelle in every way, shape and form.

Happy Birthday Sydney!!

Supplies
Stamps: The Greeting Farm 'Fairy Tink', PaperTrey Ink 'Paper Tray'
Inks: StazOn 'Jet Black', Creamy Caramel, Pretty In Pink, Morning Marigold, Certain Celery, Cool Caribbean
Papers: Canson Watercolor, Bazzil Basics, Core' dinations ColorCore Cardstock, PP - K&Company 'Citronella' and 'Que Sera Sera'
Access: Ribbon, Circle Nestibilities, Paper Piercer, Dimensionals, Stickles

He Who Laughs Last...

Monday, June 29, 2009

Good Morning Everyone! I hope you all had a wonderful weekend.

Syd and I took her Narnie strawberry picking again this weekend. The picking is so easy at the moment, it's hard to pick anything less than a tray full of them! At least we got to split it this time with Narnie. :)

I'm a little sad to show you this card today. You see, it's my last week designing for Doggone Stamps. I have been part of this wonderful family business for the past 6 months and I've met some wonderful stampers because of this company. I have had such a great time playing with these stamps! The images have inspired much chatter and laughter between me and my girlfriends over what sentiments would make for funny cards. I want to wish Nancy, Brian and the new DT much success in the future.


When I finished this card, my husband asked if I was feeling ok because it appeared a little darker than my usual cute cards. All I could say was "The paper made me do it." I've had it sitting in my stash for at least three years but could never find the right card or project to use it on. It's (appropriately) called 'Clown' and for some reason, I think this court jester and the paper are a match made in heaven!

Laughs best? Laughs loudest? Laughs longest? He's definitely laughing at something! Maybe at me for making this card? LOL I don't mind these moody colors, but I know they're not every one's cup of tea. Mr Jester was colored up with reinkers and an aquapainter on watercolor paper. Then cut out and popped on dimensionals onto the circle panel. That inverted scalloped circle was created with decorative scissors. I wanted to use ribbon on the card, but not in the usual way just because I didn't want to make this a 'typical' card. A tied ribbon would have been too cutsie for shady Mr. Jester. I loosely machine stitched around the edge of the base panel to create more of a whimsical feel.

Thanks for stopping by today. Tomorrow my daughter is turning 4, so I'll have a birthday card to show you and maybe even a picture of the birthday girl herself! :) (Where does the time go?!)

Supplies
Stamps: Doggone Stamps 'Jester', sentiment by Karen Foster Snap Stamps (discontinued)
Inks: StazOn 'Jet Black', Creamy Caramel, Morning Marigold, Close To Cocoa, Ruby Red, Cranberry Crisp, True Thyme, So Saffron, Going Gray, Cool Caribbean
Papers: Very Vanilla, True Thyme, Canson Watercolor, Bazzil Basics, PP - We R Memory Keepers Comstock Collection 'Clown' and Sassafras Lass Life is Beautiful Collection 'Woodland Whimsy - Say Timber'
Access: Ribbon, Nestibilities, Decorative Scissors, Sponges, Machine Stitching, Dimensionals

TSG Week In Review

Sunday, June 28, 2009

Ever wanted to receive a card from a Trendsetter??

Well, you can! Every Sunday on the There She Goes blog, Jessica has a 'Week In Review', where she posts a stack of cards created during the week by her inky and fabulous Trendsetters and you get a chance to win your favorite just by leaving a comment!

On Monday, Jessica draws a random winner. So head over there now and pick your favorite! :D

TSG Bloom Blog Hop!

Saturday, June 27, 2009

Hellooooo! And welcome to today's There She Goes blog hop! If you've stopped here from the fabulously talented Maki Jones, then you're golden! And if you haven't but want to play along on this blog hop, then head over to Jessica Knutsen's blog and start there.

I am soooooo excited to share with you a sneak peek of the second TSG set being released on Sunday June 28th!! It's appropriately called 'Bloom' and it's absolutely, hands down, my all time favorite flower set EVER! And I'm not just saying that for the sake of it either - I really love this set. And you wanna know why? Because it has the most beautiful line work I have seen on any set. The stamped images look amazing before adding any color to them. How often can you say that about a black and white image?

This set is huge! I think it's a 6"x8" set and it has 6 images and 11 sentiments so you can mix and match them. I created a sympathy/friendship card to show you how beautiful the flowers are in this set. It's colored up with reinkers and an aquapainter on watercolor paper. The background was watercolored/shaded with SU's retired In Color Soft Sky and then sponged on around the edges of the circle panel. I love how striking the image is on the soft blue background, don't you?

The scalloped circle wasn't created with a Nestie but with a corner punch! I like the larger scallops. Its a much softer look, don't you think? (Nod your head and just agree! LOL) The other panels were sponged with Distress Inks and machine stitched.

Here's a bit of a close up on the coloring for you. Clicking on the image will give you a larger image to view.

So, like yesterday's blog hop, if you leave a comment on all the Trendsetters Bloom blog posts then head back to Jessica's blog post and leave your name on the Mr Linky at the bottom of her post, you get the chance to win this set! Just like that! Easy peesy, lemon squeezy. :)

Your next stop on this hop is the my favorite CAS stamper - Silke Ledlow! If you happen to get a little lost along this hop or want to go back and take a second look at one of the blogs, here's the list of Trendsetters in order of the hop:

Jessica

Becky

Christi

Faith

Holly

Jessie

Joanne

Jodi

Julie

Maki

Sandra

Silke

Thanks so much for stopping by today! Have yourself a fabulous weekend!!


Supplies
Stamps: There She Goes 'Bloom' set
Inks: StazOn 'Jet Black', Soft Sky, Buckaroo Blue, So Saffron, Certain Celery, Old Olive, Distress Inks 'Weathered Wood, Antique Linen, Tea Dye, Vintage Photo and Walnut Stain'
Papers: Canson Watercolor, Bazzil Basics, PP - My Mind's Eye Tres Jolie Collection 'Mon Cheri - Girl'
Access: Ribbon, Kaiser Adhesive Pearls, EK Success Corner Punch, EK Success Edge Punch, Decorative Scissors, Nestibilities, Sponges, Machine Stitching

Life's A Beach Blog Hop

Friday, June 26, 2009

My first There She Goes new release blog hop! How exciting!!

I'm on the tail end of the hop, so if you've stumbled onto my blog and would like to check out the rest of the hop, you can head on over to the There She Goes/Jessica Knutsen's blog and start there. Just so you know, if you leave a comment on all the Trendsetters 'Life's a Beach' blog posts and then go back and leave your name on Mr Linky at the bottom of Jessica's blog post, you go into a random draw to win your very own 'Life's A Beach' set! Just for leaving some sweet comments!? How awesome is that?

When this set arrived on my door step earlier in the week, I kid you not - I literally squealed when I saw it! LOL It was perfect timing because all this rain we've been having here in NH was starting to get to me and this set was just the vacation I needed! :)

I colored up the this island oasis with reinkers and an aquapainter. The two seagulls were drawn by me with a Micron pen (it's waterproof). Then I thought it would be neat to imitate the sentiment frame, so I sketched it out, traced over it with the Micron pen again, colored it up, cut it out and popped it on dimensionals over the image. The background designer paper was distressed with an edge distresser, sponged with Distress Inks and paper pierced around the edges. I added some twine to the corners of the frame to add to the ambiance.

Your next stop is the super talented Silke Ledlow's blog.

Just in case anyone gets a little lost or a link isn't working, here's a helpful list of Trendsetters in order of the blog hop:

Jessica

Becky

Christi

Faith

Holly

Jessie

Joanne

Jodi

Julie

Maki

Sandra

Silke

Thanks for stopping by today! Tomorrow I have another There She Goes sneak peek, a blog hop and another chance to win some stamps! So come on back for that. Have a fabulous weekend!

Supplies
Stamps: There She Goes 'Life's A Beach' set
Inks: StazOn 'Jet Black', Cool Caribbean, Morning Marigold, Creamy Caramel, So Saffron, Old Olive, Close To Cocoa, Chocolate Chip, Pretty In Pink, Regal Rose, Distress Inks 'Antique Linen, Tea Dye, Vintage Photo and Walnut Stain'
Papers: Canson Watercolor, Bazzil Basics, PP - Creative Imaginations Signature Collection
Access: Raffia, Tim Holtz Edge Distresser, Paper Piercer, Precision Scissors, Sponges, Dimensionals

Bella Birthday Skip, Hop and Dance!

Thursday, June 25, 2009

Are ya having fun yet?!? :) I know I am! Sooo much eye candy in one hop - it's incredible!

If you've stumbled onto my blog today and know nothing about the Stamping Bella Birthday Skip, Hop and Dance, but you want to hop along, then head on over to the Emma Bella's blog and start hopping there. If you've dropped by from Amy Rysavy's wildly creative blog, then you're on the right path! :D

I wanted to use the adorable Phoebe Ketto to send Miss Em her birthday wishes! I was sooo tempted to create a red and pink card for her, but I'm so glad I didn't because I love these purples!!


Miss Phoebe is colored with SU reinkers and an aquapainter. To finish the image, I added some sparkle to her wings and heart flowers with Stickles and sponged around her with Antique Linen Distress Ink.

Remember, one random and extremely lucky person will win a $40 gift certificate to Stamping Bella just for leaving a comment on one of the blogs today! Nobody knows who's blog it will be so be sure to leave a comment on every stop along this hop! :) Gotta be in it to win it, right?!

Ok, that's enough babbling from me. Please head on over to the lovely Lori Craig's fantabulous blog for some more eye candy!

See ya!

Supplies
Stamps: Stamping Bella 'Phoebe Ketto', Technique Tuesday 'Small Talk'
Inks: StazOn 'Jet Black', Creamy Caramel, Elegant Eggplant, Lavender Lace, Certain Celery, Cool Caribbean, Distress Inks 'Antique Linen'
Papers: Georgia Pacific, Bazzil Basics, PP - Basic Grey 'Wisteria Collection - Jardin & Violet'
Access: Ribbon, Button, Twine, Stickles, Sponges, Circle Nestibilities, Decorative Scissors, Dimensionals

A special announcement!

Hi Everyone!

I've been a good girl and kept super quiet about this....but now I can let the cat out of the bag! (Don't worry - no actual cats were harmed during this fit of excitement!)

I'm going to be July's Guest Trendsetter for There She Goes!!

I'm so excited to be stamping along side owner Jessica Knutsen and her inky and fabulous Trendsetters this coming month! They're such a talented group of ladies. It's like a who's who of SCS! And you should see the stamps we'll be showcasing this week!! Eek!

Oh, but I can't show them to you until tomorrow! ;) I guess you'll have to come on back to see what I mean. *insert evil laugh here* hehehe

Have a fabulous day!!

Round 4: Ultimate Card Showdown!

For me, this 2sketches4you Ultimate Card Showdown has truly been the most amazing, challenging and eye opening experience! Having only gotten serious about card making and stamping a little over a year ago, I have just been in awe of all the cards that I have seen over the course of this competition. From the creativity to the different styles and products used, I have really been inspired by each and every card.

It has also challenged me to push my own boundaries of what makes a great card. My first card played it safe. Then round two's sketch threw me a little, but I enjoyed the challenge. Round three's card was 'thinking outside the box' for me with it's collage style but I really liked enjoyed making it! For me, this competition has been about trying new things and experimenting and I think my cards have shown that.

So, with that being said, I hope you enjoy my card Round 4!

Meet Mr Skunk. He followed me home the other day and I couldn't resist keeping him around! ;) hehe He's from Die Cuts With a View's 'Green Stack Chipboard' collection. I paired him with some colorful Sassafras Lass paper that I've been hoarding forever! The scalloped borders on the SL paper worked really well with the sketch too.


I applied some of the polka dot 'Woodland Whimsy' paper to a wooden oval shape I found at Michaels. I sponged the edges with Distress Inks and added the punny sentiment with Making Memories alphabet rub-ons. Then I added the bow, flower and buttons to balance out the card a bit. Lastly, I added some stitches with DMC thread for some extra detail.


I have to say that this sketch - by far - was the most challenging of all of them all! I had a tough time with it. Keep your fingers and toes crossed for me! I want to say good luck to all the Top 10 girls. You all do such amazing work and it is truly a honor to be amongst you all. Thank you for this experience.

Thanks so much for stopping by. I have a couple of other posts scheduled for today, so keep an eye out for them!

Supplies
Stamps: None! *gasp*
Inks: Distress Inks 'Tea Dye, Vintage Photo & Walnut Stain
Papers: Bazzil Basics, Georgia Pacific, PP - Baisic Grey 'Ambrosia Collection - Citrus', Sassafras Lass 'Life Is Beautiful 'My Dearest - All My Heart' & 'Woodland Whimsy - Say Timber'
Access: Ribbon, Buttons, Twine, Prima Flower, Making Memories Simply Stated Rub On Letters 'Heidi', Wooden Oval, DCWV 'Green Stack' Chipboard, Thread, Sponges, Dimensionals

Grill Meister

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Good Morning Everyone!

Today I wanted to show you the card I made for my husband for Father's Day. This Stamping Bella/Fella image is the epitome of my husband. He IS the grill-meister in our house!

Lately, he's been concocting different burger recipes that just make my mouth water! They have a bit of a kick to them, so when you pair it with sharp cheddar cheese and Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ sauce.....pure heaven between two buns! Bhahahaha!

Grillafella was colored up with SU reinkers and Distress Inks. I think it might be time to change out the needle on my sewing machine - those stitches/holes look a little big.

Just a short post today. I'm participating in the Stamping Bella Blog Hop tomorrow, so stop by if you can! :)


Supplies
Stamps: Stamping Bella 'Grillafella', sentiment by Karen Foster Snap Stamps
Inks: StazOn 'Jet Black', Creamy Caramel, Buckaroo Blue, Close To Cocoa, Cool Caribbean, Going Gray, Distress Inks 'Antique Linen and Black Soot'
Papers: Georgia Pacific, Bazzill Basics, PP - American Crafts Sixth Avenue Collection - 'Broadway'
Access: Raffia, Machine Stitching, Dimensionals

The Sisterhood

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

I envy those who have a sister. I grew up watching my best friend and her older sister interact and I just loved the closeness they had. I wished it for myself many times.

When I started participating in the amazing community of SCS a little over a year ago and really got serious about stamping, I met an amazing group of women who make me feel like I have the sisters I always wanted. These girls support and encourage one another as well as bring the tissues when they're needed and baseball bats if they're needed too! I love their friendship and I couldn't imagine continuing to stamp and create without their support and encouragement. So girls, you know who you are, this card is for you! *mwah*

This week's Twinkling Tuesday challenge is a Use It one. Can you guess what it is? Yep, bling!! Lots of it! So I pulled all my adhesive rhinestones and rhinestone brads to create this card.

Can you believe that there is not a lick of stamping on this card at all! Nothing! That image is a cotton scraps piece from Crafty Secrets (found at Hanna Stamps). It's actually printed on cotton fabric! It's a really neat idea, but I'm afraid I didn't do it quite justice with this card. I should have pinky sheared the edges for more of a quilted look.

Check out how the other Twinkling girls have 'bling-o-fied' their cards today by stopping by their blogs. You can find links to them in the blog list on the left. Today's featured Twinky is none other than the uber talented and mama of Madelynn with the mostest - Jessica Diedrich! If you'd like to play along and bling-o-phy a card, upload it to SCS or PCP and use the keyword MTTSC28 so the Twinkettes can leave you some love!

Thanks for stopping by today! Tomorrow I want to show you the card I made for my husband for Father's Day. :) See you then.

Supplies

Stamps: None!

Inks: Distress Inks 'Vintage Photo'

Papers: Bazzil Basics, Bazzil Bling, PP - K&Company 'Ancestry'

Access: Ribbon, Prima Flowers, Making Memories Rhinestone Brads, Adhesive Rhinestones, Crafty Secrets 'Cotton Scraps - Family', Dimensionals

Whipper Snapper Release

Monday, June 22, 2009

Happy Monday everyone!

And it's an extra special day because it's the June release day for Whipper Snapper and Anna Wight has created not one or two, but three sets this month! And the best part?? They all work together really well!

Those sets are 'Hooked on Fishing', 'Great Outdoors' and 'Beware of Bears'. With the exception of the cloud, I mainly used the 'Great Outdoors' set for this card.

The pick-up, or 'ute' as they're called in Australia, the caravan and the line of pine trees from the 'Great Outdoors' set. The cloud is in the 'Hooked On Fishing' set. I first stamped the caravan and ute using a stampamijg to place them properly (I'm anal that way!). Then I used a Post It note to mask them off and stamp the line of trees behind them. Then I colored the whole scene in with SU reinkers and an aquapainter.

The edges were sponged with Antique Linen and Vintage Photo to age the image a bit. I wanted to create a postcard feel to this card so I used small scalloped decorative scissors (from Michael's) in reverse to create the perforated edge.

After piecing the card together, I wasn't happy with how flat it looked, so I stamped out another ute and caravan, colored and cut them out and popped them on dimensionals. Much better!

I can't wait to show you the rest of the sets! I think they may be my favorite sets yet! :) Please check out what the other WSFD are doing with this set - you WON'T be disappointed!

Julie Campbell
{Blog} {SCS Gallery}

Tab Robinson
{Blog} {SCS Gallery}

Joanne Basile
{Blog} {SCS Gallery}

Shellie Daniel
{SCS Gallery}

and Miss SweetMissDaisy herself
Anna Wight
{Blog} {SCSGallery}

This week is shaping up to be a busy one! I have a Twinkling challenge/card for you tomorrow, then at least one blog hop to participate in, another Hanna Stamps challenge on Friday and somewhere in between all that, I have another card to make for the next round of the 2S4Y Ultimate Card Showdown challenge! I'm getting tired just thinking about it all! LOL

As always, thanks so much for stopping by today!

Supplies
Stamps: Whipper Snapper 'Great Outdoors'
Inks: StazOn 'Jet Black', Buckaroo Blue, Cool Caribbean, Old Olive, Really Rust, Close To Cocoa, Chocolate Chip, Going Gray, Distress Inks 'Antique Linen, Vintage Photo and Black Soot'
Papers: Canson Watercolor, Very Vanilla, Bazzil Basics, PP - K&Company 'Actopus to Zelephant'
Access: Button, Twine, Decorative Scissors, Dimensionals

Where's that prescription?!

Sunday, June 21, 2009

..............................................................................THUD!!!!

I was sooooo not expecting this! My card made it to the Top 10 of Laura and Kazan's 2sketches4you Ultimate Card Showdown! The Top 10!!? Have you seen the crazy talent that's in the Top 10?!? *shaking my head* I am just so overwhelmed right now..... I think I need a bit of a lie down.... and maybe a sedative. ;) Never in a million years would I have guessed this.

To Laura, Kazan and the 2S4Y judges - from the bottom of my heart, THANK YOU!

Round 3: Ultimate Card Showdown!

Friday, June 19, 2009

To get into the Top 30 of 2sketches4you's Ultimate Card Showdown challenge was a huge honor. I mean - HUGE! Then to make it to the Top 20 was just downright shocking! Seriously; I was left speechless all afternoon. If I happen to make it to the Top 10....well...lets just say this: I might need a prescription. LOL

When I saw the sketch posted last Sunday for the Top 20 girls, I initially pictured an image inside the circle panel, but then I looked at my last two cards and realized I had done that with both of them. So then I rotated the sketch and I immediately saw a scene for the horizontal panel. I was so happy that I had an idea to play with, but between work and my mummy duties at home, I didn't get a chance to work on my card until last night! Talk about stressful! haha

Welcome to my neighbourhood! :) It's a little kooky but aren't all neighbourhoods?!

I used Starving Artist's Doodle Factory 'Neighbourhood' for the horizontal panel. The image fit about 1.5 times across this 5" x 7" card. So I stamped it out twice and colored both of them up with reinkers and an aquapainter. No copics here! Then I cut them out leaving some white space around them so they would pop off the page more. The clothes lines were drawn back in with a Micron pen. The 'road' was created with a strip of black cardstock and some ribbon. The green scalloped border was created with punched out circles, sponged with Colorbox Fluid Chalk Ink. I layered them so that they created some weight and a base for the 'neighbourhood'.

The circle panel is a die cut journaling tag from MME's 'Penny Lane - Uniquely You' collection and the sentiment was created using a Dymo labeler. The whole image was then layered on some really fun patterned paper from Reminisce. Just for fun (and a little balance), I added a fun brad from Making Memories.

Last, but not least, I couldn't resist adding a miniture Mimo from the Doodle Factory's Creatures set. He was the perfect size for this neighbourhood and well, who can resist that face?! :)

Thank you so much for stopping by today! Keep your fingers crossed for me and have a fabulous weekend!


Supplies

Stamps: Starving Artistamps/Doodle Factory 'Neighbourhood' and 'Creatures - Mimo (sml)'

Inks: StazOn 'Jet Black', Morning Marigold, Pumpkin Pie, Old Olive, Certain Celery, Buckaroo Blue, Not Quite Navy, Cool Caribbean, Really Rust, Close To Cocoa, Chocolate Chip, Going Gray, ColorBox Pigment Brush Pad 'Moss Green' and Fluid Chalk Ink 'Dark Moss'

Papers: PTI 'Stampers Select' White Cardstock, Bazzil Basics, PP - Reminisce 'Cloud Puff' and BoBunny 'Wasabi Dot'

Access: My Mind's Eye - Penny Lane Collection 'Feeling Groovy Uniquely You' Die Cut, Dymo Labeler, Making Memories Brad, Ribbon, Circle Punches, Dimensionals, Sakura Micron Pen

Stars and Stripes

TGIF!! Wooohooo!

I am soooo ready for a weekend! We're going strawberry picking tomorrow which means fresh strawberry pie for dessert this weekend! :D I'm definitely a pie girl. And a fruit one too. A la mode.....YUM! *drool*

Ok, getting back to business. LOL Today's Hanna Stamps challenge HSC74 is being hosted by yours truely and my challenge to you all is to create a card with stars and stripes on it! Since July 4th is around the corner I thought it a very appropriate one. If you're not State-side, you can still create one - it doesn't have to have a red, white and blue theme.

I've been listening to Trace Atkins's greatest hits lately so when I was thinking of a sentiment for this card, I instantly thought of the title line from his song 'American Man'. It's a great song and it makes me proud of my American man. :)

So in honor of all the hardworking American men serving in our armed forces, I created this card using my stars and stripes and a bit of the red, white and blue thrown in for good measure.

I found this double sided paper at Michaels. I sponged it, distressed it with my edge distresser, then machine stitched it to the dark blue cardstock. Then I just layered it on some vanilla and deep red cardstock to make it pop. Riley was colored with the Riley set of Copics exclusive to Hanna Stamps. (They're the only Copics I own!) I used this week's Sketch For You To Try for the layout.

If you play along with this Hanna Stamps challenge this week, you go into a draw to win a stamp set of your choice! Just by playing along! So get your game on and get busy stamping! :)

(PS. I may have another card to show you later on today! Fingers crossed.)

Supplies
Stamps: Hanna Stamps! 'GI Jon Riley', sentiment by Karen Foster Snap Stamps (discontinued)
Inks: Distress Inks 'Black Soot, Antique Linen, Vintage Photo and Walnut Stain', Copic Markets - Riley Set, Old Olive
Papers: Very Vanilla, Bazzil Basics, PP - Creative Imaginations
Access: Tim Holtz Edge Distresser, Machine Stitching, Fiskars Star Punch, Button, Dimensionals

Gorjuss Blossom

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Good Morning!

I've wanted to participate in the Sugar Bowl sketch challenges for a while now, but the timing was never right...until now. This biweekly challenge was a great inspiration because a few of weeks ago I had just received a couple if these sweet Gorjuss Girl images from a dear friend and immediately colored them up.

The sketch for this round was really creative, so I just had to give it a go!

I'm using the Purrfect Friend stamp (minus the little kitty) from Funky Kits. Instead of breaking out my SU reinkers, I used my Distress Inks this time to color up the image. They give a much softer look don't you think? The edges of the panel were sponged heavily with Vintage Photo and Walnut Stain. It was then matted with two pieces of vanilla cardstock and machine stitched.

I used my go-to paper K&Company vintage papers when I want to create a vintage looking card. They're perfect for this style of card because they already have an aged look to them. The other layers were sponged with Vintage Photo around the edges and machine stitched. The little scalloped border on the vertical panel was created with decorative scissors. Those scissors have served me well!

I then added some finishing touches like the vintage Prima flowers, vintage brads, adhesive rhinestones and the sentiment, which is a rub-on. There's some serious weight to this card because I finished off the inside to it as well.

I've been toying with the idea of selling my cards, and this may be my very first one. I want to do it right though, so I need to pick up a few things first and set up a store somewhere. If you're interested; stay tuned!

I may not have anything to post tomorrow because I'm working on a project, but I'll be back on Friday! Have a great Wednesday.


Supplies
Stamps: Sugar Nellie 'Gorjuss Girls - Purrfect Friend'
Inks: StazOn 'Jet Black, Creamy Caramel, Pretty In Pink, Close To Cocoa, Chocolate Chip, Distress Inks 'Weathered Wood, Tattered Rose, Vintage Photo, Walnut Stain'
Papers: Whisper White, Very Vanilla, Bazzil Basics, PP - K&Company 'Classic K Margo Collection'
Access: Ribbon, Adhesive Rhinestones, Making Memories 'Spring' Rub-on, Prima Marketing Inc 'Nursery Tales Collection' Vintage Style Flowers, Making Memories Vintage Brads, Sponging, Machine Stitching, Decorative Scissors, Dimensionals

Howdy Partner!

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Howdy y'all!

Thank you everyone who left the sweetest comments yesterday about my Top 20 achievements! It's a huge honor for me to even have made it this far and to be amongst some crazy good talented women. I hope the idea starting to form in my head for the next card really wows the judges! (It's not wowing me yet! LOL)

Anywho...today is Tuesday and that means 9 year old Madelynn has another sketch for us to play with! And this week, well, it's a bit of a doozer! (I'm beginning to feel like I say that every week! hahaha) Well, it kind of is with all those horizontal and vertical panels, but I found a way around them - stitching! Brilliant!

I feel like a big smarty pants for figuring this out! LOL I always think of ribbon or strips of paper so this was a huge lightbulb moment for me! :D

I'm playing with another underwater sea creature from Anna Wight's/Whipper Snapper's cling set, Swimming By' released last month. (Be on the look out for a sneaky peek at June's sets in the near future!) I've named him Mr. Octavius - Cowboy Extraordinairre. :) He's colored up with SU reinkers and the background was watercolored and sponged with Antique Linen and Tea Dye Distress Inks.

See that yummy paper; I bought it about two years ago and have never touched it until the other day! I had to have it of course! Can you imagine a real octipus trying to ride a horse?!? I don't know who'd be more frightened! LOL


I created a little lasso with some twine for an embellie and a cowboy card wouldn't be complete without some eyelets now would it? ;) I think this might be my favorite card yet! :)

If you'd like to play along this week, head over to Madelynn's blog to check out the sketch. Create your card and if you upload it to SCS or PCP, use the keyword MTTSC27 so the Twinkettes can leave you some love! I do try to check out the gallery over the weekend to see the cards, so don't think we don't look. This week's fabulous featured Twinkette is Jacquie Peiffer! Definitely check out Jacquie's blog - it's FULL of great projects!

Have a fabulous Tuesday!

Supplies
Stamps: Whipper Snapper 'Swimming By', Karen Foster Snap Stamps (discontinued)
Inks: StazOn 'Jet Black', Taken With Teal, Really Rust, So Saffron, Distress Inks 'Antique Linen, Tea Dye, Vintage Photo and Walnut Stain'
Papers: Canson Watercolor, Bazzil Basics, PP - Cosmo Cricket - Wanted Collection 'Buffalo Bill'
Access: Twine, Eyelets, Machine Stitching, Tim Holtz Edge Distresser, Sponges, Dimensionals

Enabler Alert: Hanna Stamps is having a sale!

Monday, June 15, 2009

For the next three days only, Hanna Stamps is having 10% off all stamps; clear, wood mounted rubber and unmouted!! So if you've been humming and ahhing over whether or not to get the retirting sets, now's your chance!

All designer paper is 50% off and Prism cardstock is 40% off! And if that wasn't enough to tempt your wallet - all charms are 5o% off!!! I absolutely love Hanna's charms! :)

A Real Wedgie!

A happy Monday to you all!

I hope you had a great weekend and found some time to create something. Syd and I bought some supplies to make her daddy a present for Father's Day. We're going to paint and embellish a picture frame with 'Love Daddy' on it. :) I hope he likes glitter and sparkle on it! ;) hehehe

Last Friday the girls at Stamp Something challenged everyone to a sketch which is being sponsored this week by Doggone Stamps. The winner gets 8 - count 'em - 8 stamps of their choice! That's fabulous enough to make a card for!

I chose to use this witch stamp from Doggone Stamps and rotated the sketch to a portrait position. She was a hoot to color up! Black is a hard color to show the gradations of tone, so I used SU's Going Gray for her outfit and added Distress Ink's 'Black Soot' for the deep shadows. The hilarious sentiment is from Starving Artistamps.

On my trip to my local scrapbook store last week I had to check out their Halloween section because it's one of my favorite holidays. Probably because it wasn't a celebrated holiday in New Zealand or Australia and I was so drawn to all the festivities I'd always seen on American TV shows. Anyway, I spied these two luscious pieces of patterned paper there and they followed me home. :)

The layers are sponged with Walnut Stain from Distress Inks and the inverted scalloped border was created by flipping my decorative scalloped scissors. A cool look, don't you think?

I have to tell you a funny little thing that happened over the weekend that goes along with this card. Sydney was in the middle of her gymnastics class and I see her walking towards me from the floor area. She says "I need to go potty, Mama." Now I know for a fact she doesn't need to because I make sure she goes before class, so this kind of interuption doesn't happen. So I say "No you don't. You went before class." To which Syd quickly replied "But Mama! I got a wedgie!" Can't argue with a wedgie! LOL

Besides sponsoring the challenge this week, Doggone Stamps is also having a sale! If you like dogs, you have to check out their dog stamp section!

Thanks for stopping by today! See you all tomorrow with a Twinkling Tuesday sketch.

Supplies

Stamps: Doggone Stamps 'Witch Riding Broom', Starving Artistamps 'Witch Trio sentiment'

Inks: StazOn 'Jet Black', Almost Amethyst, Creamy Caramel, Close To Cocoa, Distress Inks 'Black Soot, Walnut Stain and Peeled Paint'

Papers: Georgia Pacific, Bazzil Basics, PP - My Mind's Eye - Night Light Collection 'Candy Time and Halloween Wishes'

Access: Ribbon, Button, Twine, Brads, Sponges, Dimensionals, Precision Scissors

Waahoooo! My card made it!

Sunday, June 14, 2009

It made it into the Top 20 of 2sketches4you's 1st Annual Ultimate Card Showdown!!!

I knew the list was being posted today and I purposely stayed away from the computer because if my card made it I was going to get so worked up over it and not get anything else done! LOL Turns out I was right! I should be working on some projects and I can't because my head is so blurred with this news! Ahhhh!

I want to congratulate the other 19 girls who made it to this round too. The talent these girls ooze is insane and I'm just so stunned and honored to be amongst them all. Definitely take a moment to check out their work - you won't be disappointed!

Off to have a celebratory glass of wine now! (That might calm my nerves.) :)

Have a relaxing Sunday evening.

Doggone Stamps and a Sketch Challenge!

Friday, June 12, 2009

Hi Everyone!

Doggone Stamps is sponsoring this week's challenge over at Stamp Something!! Their challenge this week is a sketch and you're not going to believe what the winner will receive?! Not two, not four but eight, yes, 8 stamps of your choice from Doggone Stamps! Wooohooo!!! How's that for a fabulous prize!!?

Just create a card using the sketch above, and post a link to it using Mr Linky on the Stamp Something post I linked to in the paragraph above by 7pm EST Thursday June 18th, 2009.

Need some inspiration to get you going?? Check out what the Stamp Something DT girls have done with their Doggone Stamps! And I'm sure the Doggone Stamps DT girls will be playing with this sketch too, so stop by their blogs (list is on the left) over the coming week. I'm playing and I'll have my card to show you on Monday! :)

Have a fabulous and crafty weekend!

Grill Master!

Thank the Lord it's Friday already!

I could use a good weekend! Can't you? One filled with berry picking and pie making! If the weather around her permits, Syd and I will be picking raspberries and/or blueberries for some pies. Yum!

The other thing I like to do on weekends is BBQ! Well, more accurately, I like to watch The Man cook on the grill while I sip on a glass of wine. :) Perfect. In honor of The Man and his talent for mastering the grill, I made this card for him. :)

I used this week's sketch from Card Positioning Systems CPS119 for this layout. This week's sponsor is none other than Hanna Stamps! I am posting this card a little late since this challenge ends Saturday night, but if you want to be in with a chance to win something from Hanna Stamps, make your card and upload it to the CPS site quick!

I kept my card pretty clean and simple....it's a BBQ! No need for fanfare! BBQ Riley was colored up with my reinkers and aquapainter. The hotdog and hamburger images were from a stamp set by ProvoCraft I picked up on Ebay. It has some great images in it but my only issue with the set is that it's not made from red rubber. It's more like a soft, clear acrylic on a soft black acrylic base. Really weird looking but still stamps fine. Anywho, it did what I needed it to do. The 'grillin' sentiment is from those Studio G $1 stamps at Michaels. I love them for sentiments! Don't you love that picnic table paper?! I found it at Joanne's. It had ants running around the edge of the paper, which I just cut off and used the 'ant free' piece. If give the card a handmade feel, I machine stitched the edges with black thread.

A quick post from me today. Sorry about that, but I need this weekend to start early! I've got a lot of cards to make! :) Have a great one!


Supplies
Stamps: Hanna Stamps 'BBQ Riley', ProvoCraft Simply Chic Stamps 'Summer Party', sentiment from Studio G $1 stamps
Inks: StazOn 'Jet Black', Creamy Caramel, Cool Caribbean, Really Rust, Ruby Red, Certain Celery, Close To Cocoa, Sahara Sand, Distress Inks 'Black Soot'
Papers: Canson Watercolor, Real Red, Bazzil Basics, PP - Unknown
Access: Circle Punches, Marvy Scalloped Square Punch, Dimensionals, Machine Stitching

Why Did The Chicken Cross The Road??

Thursday, June 11, 2009

Because he was driving his Ford pickup of course!

I think this just might be my favorite Anna Wight/Whipper Snapper stamp I own. Not that I own a huge collection, but this one just makes me smile every time I see it. :) Who knew chickens could drive?!


On Monday night I sat at my craft table flicking through my binders trying to decide what image to color up and Mr Chicken practically jumped off the cling sheet at me! ;) The fact that my car broke down that day might have had something to do with it. Apparently it was a broken coil or something like that. Thank the Lord it was an easy fix this time! So on Monday night, coloring was my therapy. :)


Again, I used reinkers and an aquapainter to color this image. From start to finish, it took me about 45-60 minutes to color and that's including waiting for the layers of color to dry. I left some highlights, but I also used a white Gelly Roll pen to add some extra highlights. The plaid patterned paper and stitching really pull this image together don't you think? I'm going to have to get myself some more of that polka dot ribbon. It's from Michaels in that $1 rack of mini ribbon reels. Loooooove it!

Thank you so much for stopping by today. Tomorrow I have a Riley card for you!

Supplies
Stamps: Whipper Snapper 'Ford Chicken'
Inks: StazOn 'Jet Black', Creamy Caramel, Close To Cocoa, Chocolate Chip, Really Rust, Morning Marigold, Ruby Red, Buckaroo Blue, Cool Caribbean, Sahara Sand, Going Grey, Distress Inks 'Black Soot & Vintage Photo'
Papers: Canson Watercolor, Kraft, Core'dinations ColorCore, PP - K&Company 'Classic K Margo Collection'
Access: Ribbon, Button, Twine, Machine Stitching, Sponges, Dimensionals

Round 2: Ultimate Card Showdown!

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Good Morning!

I hope you've all had an easy week so far. All that gorgeous weather we had here in New Hampshire over the weekend and into Monday has gone AWOL! Yesterday I woke up to it bucketing down and we're in for more of the same for the rest of the week. Just when we were getting used to that gorgeous weather too!

A benefit to all this awful weather was that I got some card making time in and put together my card for round 2 of the Ultimate Card Showdown over at the 2sketches4you blog! Every cloud has a silver lining right?! ;)


I found this gorgeous scalloped paper from MME at my local scrapbook store and based my whole card around it! I grabbed some coordinating MME patterned paper, lightly sponged the edges with Distress Inks, matted it with some Georgia Pacific cardstock then machine stitched around the edges. Then I trimmed the scalloped paper to size, sponged that piece with some more Distress Ink, and machine stitched the two straight sides only. Then I adhered those layers onto a base layer of some cream Bazzil Bling cardstock.

This adorable fairy is from Stamping Bella. Her name is Maisy. I colored her with reinkers and an waterbrush. Then I added some Stickles to her wings, white highlights to her shoes and cheeks with a Gelly Roll pen, and I adhered some of Taylor's Tiny Twinkles to Maisy's crown with my Quickie Glue pen. To ground the image a bit, I water colored some Antique Linen ink in and around Maisy and then sponged some more along the edges of the circle panel. Then I paper pierced around the edge of the circle for some added detail.

See that scalloped base under the main image? It wasn't done with a Nestibility. Nope, I used a small corner punch to create it! Who knew you could create scalloped edges on a circle and not just a straight edge?! Ok, probably everyone, but this was news to me! (I can be a little slow sometimes! LOL) I found this out tidbit of information on the UK blog Scrap Paper Scissors. I love the big scalloped edge, don't you??

To finish off the card, I added some fun ribbon and a button tied with twine across the bottom and pinned down the sentiment with a smaller button and twine along the top of the card. And voila - one card that I hope is good enough to make it into the Top 20 this week!

Good luck to all the Top 30 girls! It's a huge honor for me to be amongst all of you talented ladies!

Supplies

Stamps: Stamping Bella 'Maisy Ketto', My Favorite Things 'Essential Sentiments'

Inks: StazOn 'Jet Black', Creamy Caramel, Morning Marigold, Pumpkin Pie, Ruby Red, Cool Caribbean, Certain Celery, Distress Inks 'Antique Linen, Vintage Photo, Walnut Stain and Black Soot'

Papers: Georgia Pacific, Bazzil Basics, Bazzil Bling, PP - My Mind's Eye Penny Lane Collection - Free Bird 'Passion' & 'Love'

Access: Ribbon, Button, Twine, Taylor's Tiny Twinkles, Sakura 'Quickie Glue Pen' & 'White Gelly Roll Pen', Ranger Stickles 'Diamond', EK Success Small Corner Punch, Paper Piercer, Nestibilities, Machine Stitching, Sponges, Dimensionals

Here's The Scoop!

Tuesday, June 9, 2009

I have another Twinkling Tuesday sketch challenge for you all!

Every week 9 yr old Madelynn (or a temporary Twinky) creates a sketch for everyone to play with and you're welcome to play along. Just head over to her blog, Twinkling Tuesday, to check out this week's sketch and get all the details. You'll also find this week's featured designer, the most creative and talented, brown-loathing girl I know - Heather Schlatter!

In honor of Heather, I made a 99.9% brown free card! Heather, if you squint, you can't see the brown in her shoes. ;) I am so loving the big hair on this little chica! How she keeps it so beautiful and tangle-free I will never know! LOL She's one of the new chics on the block at Stamping Bella.

I colored her with reinkers and some chalk inks on her dress. I added some Stickles to her double scoop ice cream and headband. The rhinestones on the card replicate the dots on the sketch. I snagged the sentiment a from My Favorite Things ice cream themed set I have.

If you'd like to play along this week, just create a card and upload it to your blog and leave a link to it on this week's post on Madelynn blog so we can leave some love. If you upload it to SCS or PCP, please use the keyword MTTSC26 so we can find it. :) This week we're saying goodbye to two Twinkles - Jenn and Bonnie. I'm so sad to see them go because they have been such an inspiration to me, but I plan on stalking them for years to come, so this isn't really a goodbye!

Bhahahahhaaaaa!!


Supplies
Stamps: Stamping Bella 'AMPLEE 'tude', My Favorite Things 'Here's The Scoop'
Inks: StazOn 'Jet Black', Creamy Caramel, Morning Marigold, Chocolate Chip, Cool Caribbean, Distress Inks 'Vintage Photo', Chalk Inks
Papers: Whisper White, Bazzil Basics, PP - Dream Street Papers 'Gracie - Bubble Gum'
Access: Ribbon, Adhesive Rhinestones, EK Success Edge Punch, Stickles, Dimensionals

A Fin-tastic Day!

Monday, June 8, 2009

It's a VERY happy morning for me! Can you guess why??

I found out yesterday that my Cutie Pie card made the Top 30 cardmakers on 2sketches4you Ultimate Card Showdown!! Ahhhhh! Can you believe that?! And it's all thanks to my husband for making me do this second card! LOL

I was so excited when I found out; then I checked out the other 29 cards that made it into the Top 30 and I haven't been able to pick my jaw up off the floor since!! Holy Moly! I think I'm in over my head a little! Anyone got a mojo dance or ritual they wanna share so I can make sure my mojo doesn't fail me this week?! I'm all ears! LOL

Ok, enough about that; onto today's card! This was the only card I managed to complete all weekend! Hubby wasn't working and the weather was gorgeous so we spent most of the two days outside or running errands. I barely spent any time at my table. I even got a bit of sun! :)

How cute is this fishy?! I couldn't help coloring him in Goldfish colors! He looks exactly like the crackers doesn't he?! hehe This fishy is in the 'Swimming By' set by Whipper Snapper and his party accessories are included in that set. He'd make great birthday cards for little kids, wouldn't he?

I watercolored Mr Goldfish with the reinkers and an aquapainter. The background was sponged with two shades of blue ink. I knew as soon as I pulled this patterned paper from Scenic Route that it was a perfect match to the blue panel. It was all the other layers I had trouble with! LOL I tried for hours to get a good balance. Finally I just took an afternoon nap with Sydney and it all made sense when I woke up! Nothing like a good nap to set you straight! hahaha

I know you guys like wish you could see my coloring in real life, so I hope these snap shots I do help you see the detail in the images. Watercoloring can be this bright; it just takes a few layers of color to get the intensity.

Thanks so much for stopping by today! I've got a house to clean today, but I'm off to my local scrapbook store to look for some inspiration! ;)

Supplies

Stamps: Whipper Snapper 'Swimming By'

Inks: StazOn 'Jet Black', Pumpkin Pie, Really Rust, Pink Passion, Old Olive

Papers: Canson Watercolor, Georgia Pacific, Bazzil Basics, Bazzil Bling, PP - Scenic Route

Access: Dew Drops, Dimensionals

Testing the water

Friday, June 5, 2009

Goodbye weekdays; Hello weekend!!

I love my weekends. Sometimes we have hectic, overly planned weekends, but the ones I love the most are the ones with no set schedule. Like this weekend. Time to relax and unwind.....ah! I think the only thing we have tentitively planned is an outdoor concert at the State college in town. I love going to outdoor music festivals because we bring a blanket to lie on and I get to watch my almost 4 year old dance her wiggles out! :) Nothing brings me more happiness.

Today's card is all about that free living feeling. Riley sure knows how to unwind!

This Friday's Hanna Stamps challenge (HSC72) on SCS is a color combo of Burgundy, Pink and Black. Huh?! What do you mean my card doesn't have those colors in it?? Ok, I confess: I tried to make those colors work with Fins Riley, but it wasn't working out. And I'm just not that flexible to change my stamp choice to make it work. ;) Oh, but looky here; at this card I did last weekend! It has all those colors in it! LOL I already did this challenge before the fabulous Cindy posted it! LOL If you'd like to play along, please do. Just follow the link I posted above. (Remember, everyone that plays along on our weekly challenges goes into a draw to win a stamp set of their choice at the end of the month!)

This card is pretty straight forwards, so I won't go into too much detail. I only want to point out that the inverted scalloped circle isn't those new nestie dies everyone's been using. As much as I wish I had them, I've been using my decorative scalloped scissors to recreate that look. Don't discount those scissors just yet! They're cheap and effective! LOL

I hope you all have a fabulous weekend whatever it is you're doing! And don't forget to stamp!!

(PS. Just incase you were wondering why Riley appears to be standing on sand and yet the sentiment mentions 'hanging in the pool'.....I was thinking about these pools!) :)

Supplies
Stamps: Hanna Stamps! 'Fins Riley' and 'Pool Party'
Inks: StazOn 'Jet Black', Creamy Caramel, Real Red, Pumpkin Pie, Close To Cocoa, Really Rust, Cool Caribbean
Papers: Canson Watercolor, Georgia Pacific, Bazzil Basics, PP - Scenic Route Paper Co. 'Beach House'
Access: Scenic Route Buttons. Dimensionals, Decorative Scissors