I'm So Excited! And I Just Can't Hide It!

Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Good Morning sweet friends!

I hope you all had a fantastic weekend and got to relax just a bit. We hit a few garage sales and spent Sunday afternoon at a house warming for one of The Man's work friends. Hopefully it will be us celebrating in a couple of months!

So I have been keeping a secret for a few months now and I'm so excited because today I can officially share it with you all! Claudia and Lori invited me back to the Claudia & Company design team!! :) Woohooo! I'm so thrilled to be working for these two wonderful ladies again! I also have the pleasure of designing with some fabulous women on this new design team....and let me tell you - WHAT A TEAM!!



This also means I get to play with a whole new set of Puddle Jumpers and Lollipops! :D Since tomorrow is September 1st, it is release day at Claudia & Company and the girls and I have TONS of sneaks peeks to share with you! So if you love the Puddle Jumpers as much as I do, then please pop on over to the C&CO blog tomorrow at 10am for a HUGE blog hop!

Here's a couple of teasers of what you might see tomorrow!


If you want to see the all of the cards, you'll have to come back tomorrow! Mhahahahahhaha!!
:)

Etsy Friday Finds

Friday, August 27, 2010

So I started looking for back to school ideas for my little ray of sunshine, but I got a little side tracked and found a few other things that caught my eye!

Amber Filkins
These are gorgeous aren't they?! Love the vintage feel to them! Perfect for a 19th century house. ;)





Pinky Toast
Stumbled upon this AWESOME artist's work! Her characters remind me of a mix of Annie Rodrigue's work and the Lil Lolita stamps. Love the quirky images! :)






Raceytay
This caught my eye - love the colors and perspective!







Shakespeares Peddler
Getting back to what I was really looking for....I thought this was sweet and my little girl likes to sing this song all the time.








Buttons By Robin
Absolutely adorable!! Love these!


Hope you enjoyed the eye candy today. :)

TSG Believe In You Blog Hop!

Thursday, August 26, 2010

Welcome to the last blog hop for the September There She Goes releases!

Today we're showcasing the awesome and adorable Believe In You set! If you've hopped here from Pam's wonderful blog, then you're A-OK! If you haven't and would like to play along with us, just hop on back to the TSG blog and start your journey there. Remember, you could win this great set just by hopping with us today!

Believe In You is perfect if you have kids in school OR if you teach! A year ago TSG friend Teresa W. (hi Teresa!) asked Jess for a school themed set that was versatile enough that teachers could use it to make projects for their students instead of just the other way around. So when Torico came on board as an illustrator for TSG, Jess knew that she was just the artist to illustrate the perfect images for this set! It's a 6"x8" set that has a total of 37 images and will be sold for $24.

There are so many cute little images in this set, I couldn't decide which one to color up! So I ended up choosing two of them! :) Another simple layout but I changed it up a bit by cutting a peep hole for the center panel and putting the sentiment on the inside. Without any embellishment or ribbon, the card felt a bit plain, so I tied a bit of embroidery thread to the top of the card. The dimensions of the card are 3" x 7.5".

Would you like a chance to win the Believe In You stamp set? Here’s what you need to do: go to each of the Trendsetter’s blogs and leave a comment on their Believe In You Blog Hop Challenge post. After you have finished checking out the eye candy and have left some love, return to the TSG Blog to add your name to the Mr. Linky at the bottom of the Blog Hop Challenge post. A winner will be chosen randomly using a random number generator to receive their very own Believe In You stamp set. The winner will be announced Saturday (the 28th) during the Release Party Chat.

Your next stop is Torico!


Supplies
Stamps:
There She Goes 'Believe In You'
Inks: StazOn 'Jet Black', Creamy Caramel, Pretty In Pink, Regal Rose, Ruby Red, Cool Caribbean, Distress Inks 'Antique Linen, Tea Dye, Vintage Photo, Frayed Burlap'
Papers: Georgia Pacific, Bazzil Basics, PP - October Afternoon 'Fly A Kit Collection'
Access: DMC Thread, Spellbinders Large Circle Nestibilties, Dimensionals

TSG Dream A New Dream Blog Hop!

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Welcome to the second blog hop for the September There She Goes releases!

Today we're showcasing the beautiful Dream A New Dream set! If you've hopped here from Pam's wonderful blog, then you're on the right track, but if you haven't and would like to play along with us, just hop on back to the TSG blog and start your ride there. Remember, you could win this beautiful set just by hopping with us today!

Dream A New Dream is another breathtaking set by talented illustrator Chris Dark! It has a total of 18 images. As with all of TSG's sets, it has a great mix of images with plenty of sentiments to match. It's a 6x8 set that will be sold for $24.

I think it's pretty obvious by now that I {heart} all of the stamp sets designed by Chris. :) Her sets are timeless and beautiful and I love to color them! This set is no different. Jess and Chris have come up with the most sincere sentiments for this one and unlike Chris's past sets, this one has lots of cut flower images in it. I chose to use the sunflower image with the set's title sentiment. I paired it with some of Cosmo Cricket's Early Bird paper and this week's SFYTT for the layout.

I know you're loving all the sneak peeks, right? It's amazing how much talent there is on this team, but unfortunately this is the end of the hop. :( Please head back to the TSG blog and leave your name in the Mr. Linky at the bottom of the post so you can be in the random drawing to win your very own Dream A New Dream set!

Thanks so much for hanging out with me today!! and I hope to see you all hopping along with us tomorrow for our final sneak peek! :)


Supplies
Stamps: There She Goes 'Dream A New Dream'
Inks: StazOn 'Jet Black', Morning Marigold Soft Suede, Sahara Sand, More Mustard, Soft Sky, Old Olive, Distress Inks 'Antique Linen'
Papers: Georgia Pacific, Bazzil Basics, PP - Cosmo Cricket 'Early Bird Collection'
Access: Ribbon, Button, DMC Thread, Spellbinders Labels One Nestibilities, Basic Grey Opaline Adhesive Pearls, Machine Stitching, Sponges, Dimensionals

TSG Angel Mail/Bit of Stardust Blog Hop

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

It's Day One of the September sneak peeks for There She Goes!

Today the Trendsetters are showcasing TWO new sets designed by TSG's newest illustrator, Torico! If you've stopped here from the awesomely talented Pam's blog, then you're on the right track. :) If you haven't and would like to hop along with us (and possibly win yourself these sets) then head on over to the TSG blog and start your journey there.

The first set is a very beautiful and heartfelt mini set called Angel Mail. It's also this month's Stamps For A Cause set. $4 from every set sold will benefit the amazing Chemo Angels organization! Our fearless leader Jess is a former Chemo Angel and well aware of all of the wonderful things that they do for patients that are undergoing cancer treatment. They are always in need of donations as well as more Chemo Angels so please visit their site to find out more information! http://www.chemoangels.net/. Torico did a beautiful job illustrating the angel wings that are included in this mini set. It's 3"x4" in size, with 6 stamps and will sell for $7.

Don't you just LOVE those wings?! Are they not beautiful?! This is just one of the sentiments in the set and it rang so true for me, so I couldn't wait to bring it to life on a card! I thought I'd play up the rope notion and use some rustic button twine from PTI. Then I layered the nesties and sponged the edges with Antique Linen Distress Ink. This inspired the vintage feel to the rest of the card.

It’s hard to believe that with all of the awesome stamp sets that TSG has come out with in the last year and a half that there still isn’t a baby themed stamp set yet! We're happy to say that we can finally check that theme off of our to-do list :) Torico has illustrated some wonderful baby themed images that include both line art and silhouette images so that you have the versatility of coloring images or stamping them together to create quick and easy baby themed projects! Bit Of Stardust is a 4x8 stamp set that includes a total of 28 of stamps and will sell for $18.

Lord knows our time is precious these days, so decided to create a quick, non-traditional baby card to prove to you how easy it is with this awesome set! I kept the image and text black and used some bold paper (from Basic Grey) to add color to the card. A baby card isn't complete without a bit of sparkle, so I added some swirl rhinestones to complete the card.

Would you like a chance to win the Angel Mail and Bit Of Stardust stamp sets? Leave a comment on each of the Trendsetters blogs, then return to the TSG Blog to add your name to the Mr. Linky at the bottom of this Blog Hop Challenge post. A winner will be chosen randomly using a random number generator to receive their very own Angel Mail and Bit Of Stardust stamp sets! The winner will be announced Saturday (the 28th) during the Release Party Chat.

Your next stop along this hop is the oh so talented Torico's blog!! Thanks so much for stopping by!


Supplies
'End of Your Rope'

Stamps: There She Goes 'Angel Mail'
Inks: StazOn 'Jet Black', Distress Inks 'Antique Line, Frayed Burlap and Vintage Photo'
Papers: Georgia Pacific, Bazzil Basics, PP - MME 29th Street Collection
Access: PTI Rustic Button Twine, Button, Spellbinders Labels Eight Nestibilities, Machine Stitching, Sponges, Dimensionals

'Congratulations'
Stamps:
There She Goes 'Bit of Stardust'
Inks: StazOn 'Jet Black', Distress Inks 'Antique Linen'
Papers: Georgia Pacific, Bazzil Basics, PP - Basic Grey 'Eva Collection'
Access:
Silk Wrinkled Ribbon - Black, Button, Spellbinders Scalloped Nestibilties, Machine Stitching, Sponges, Dimensionals

Etsy Friday Finds

Friday, August 20, 2010

Hi again!

Today's Etsy finds are totally random...I just stumbled upon most of these by accident.....love happy accidents! *grin*

Dudadaze
Ok, this one might not have been quite so accidental. :) I bought a couple of these for my girlfriends and I think I need a couple for Syd's new room. Love the whimsy feel of them!





Monbonbon

6 yards for $4.50...not bad at all!




Funzeewithonsies

This on a t-shirt would ROCK! :)









Brookish

I seem to remember stumbling upon these cups before...but this one in particular struch a chord with me this week. Gee, I wonder why?! ;)







Iloveitall

I have tried making these and have failed miserably! So 6 for $2 sounds OH SO appealing! :)






We're off to see Nanny McPhee tonight! Thanks for stopping by this week!

Graduating Preschool

Hallelujah it's Friday! Woohoooo!

I soooo need the break! We've been doing some serious haggling over a house this week and yesterday, finally, we came to an agreement. It's exhausting stuff! So, unless the inspector finds a deal breaker, we will be home owners again come September 30th! :) I'm a little bit excited about it. :) And I promise to share some pics of the house with you after the inspection is complete - I don't want to jump the gun just yet! :)

Besides the house thing, today is a special day for my little ray of sunshine. She has her 'graduation' party today! In a little over two weeks from now, she starts kindergarten, so her preschool/daycare is having all the parents come to hear their children sing some songs and accept a certificate. Somehow my little baby grew up! *wahhhhh!* I'll share pics next week of her at the graduation.

And of course, I had to make her a card to celebrate it! I just bought the latest kids in the Puddle Jumper collection from Claudia & Company with this card in mind. This is School Time Lucy and she looks just like my little ROS...if she would keep still long enough so I could put braids in her hair! LOL

I started out making the card to match this week's MOJO sketch, but ended up stopping short of the bow at the top and the scalloped panel. Lucy was a bit too big to make it work. The paper is from October Afternoon's Ducks In A Row collection. I got mine from Die Cuts R Us, but I think I took the last stack because I don't see it in the shop anymore.

Speaking of my little ROS, she said the cutest thing to our realtor while we were looking at houses. As we were looking around this particular house, Syd asked her if she had a room "for mama's card stuff". *sigh* Love that girl to pieces!! :)

Have a FABULOUS weekend my crafty friends!


Supplies
Stamps: Claudia & Company 'School Time Lucy', PTI 'Mixed Messages'
Inks: StazOn 'Jet Black', Creamy Caramel, Pretty In Pink, Regal Rose, Ruby Red, Not Quite Navy, Cool Caribbean, Morning Marigold, Sahara Sand, Distress Inks 'Antique Linen, Tea Dye, Vintage Photo and Black Soot'
Papers: Strathmore Bristol Vellum, Bazzil Basics, PP - October Afternoon 'Ducks In A Row'
Access: Ribbon, Spellbinders Large Scalloped Oval Nestibilities, EK Success Circle Punch, Machine Stitching, Sponges, Dimensionals

Oh Ida....

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Happy Hump Day again!

A couple of weeks ago I couldn't resist snapping up some more stamps from Stamping Bella and one of them was this cauuuuutie-patooootie!

Everyone - meet Ida. Ida's from the Lulu collection and I up until now, I wasn't sure about these Bella's. They are a little different, but I've completely changed my mind about them now! I added her to my cart because I've seen some amazing images colored up by Paula and Linda, so...it was their fault! They totally enabled me! ;)

Ida totally reminds me of a 20's diva, so I went with a vintage color palette of pale pink, cream and black. I used Tattered Rose and Frayed Burlap Distress Ink to color her outfit and Cool Caribbean for the background. I've been consciously reminding myself to leave plenty of white space around my images when I color them. Especially if I'm trying to recreate an outdoorsy look. I'm still learning too!

I immediately pulled this subtle pink piece of patterned paper from Making Memories then I remembered about that black and cream filigree paper from October Afternoon's Thrift Store stack. That's another thing I've been consciously doing - picking contrasting paper from different collections. I love how Miss Mary does it and how much a card will pop more when I do it. Love learning new things with this hobby! :)
Thanks for stopping by today!

Supplies
Stamps: Stamping Bella 'Ida Lulu', There She Goes 'Bloom'
Inks: StazOn 'Jet Black', Creamy Caramel, Cool Caribbean, Old Olive, Sahara Sand, Distress Inks 'Tattered Rose'
Papers: Strathmore Bristol Vellum, Bazzil Basics, PP - October Afternoon 'Thrift Store' and 'Making Memories 'Noteworthy-Addie Brocade Dot'
Access: Ribbon, Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist - Pearl, Fiskars Decorative Scissors, Machine Stitching, Dimensionals

TSG68: Bookmarks!

Monday, August 16, 2010

A happy Monday to you all!

There's nothing better than kicking off a week with an EASY PEESY challenge, is there? And if your mojo has gone AWOL, then this is the challenge (TSG68) for you! Fabulous and UBER TALENTED Trendsetter Holly is this week's featured Trendsetter and she wants us to make...bookmarks!

It's great timing too because I just started reading the first book in the True Blood series and I couldn't find where I put my old bookmark, so this one will do the trick! :) (Love it when a plan comes together! :)

I had to use the new Bee Happy set for mine because, well 1. It makes me happy and 2. It lends itself to tall and narrow projects. This bookmark was REALLY easy to make. I cut a 2"x6.5" piece of white cardstock and sponged the clouds and sky on using the Post-It note technique. I then machine stitched it to the black cardstock. The scalloped yellow layer was created with my Marvey scalloped square punch - remember those?! I don't own the long rectangular Spellbinder nesties, so I improvised! Then I stamped out the hexagonal flowers and bumble bees onto some scrap cardstock, colored them up, then cut them out and adhered them to the bookmark. Last, but not least, I punched a hole at the top of the bookmark and tied a bunch of fun ribbons to the top of it. And there you have it - a quick and easy bookmark! :)

Now it's your turn! Just create your bookmark and link your post back to the There She Goes blog post for this challenge. Leave your name and you could be in with a chance to win a $5 gift certificate to the TSG store! :) NICE!!

Have a fabulous Monday crafty friends!


Supplies
Stamps: There She Goes 'Bee Happy Mini Set'
Inks: StazOn 'Jet Black', Morning Marigold, More Mustard, Cool Caribbean, Regal Rose, Ruby Red
Papers: Strathmore Bristol Vellum, Bazzil Basics, PP - NONE! :)
Access: Various Ribbon, Marvey Mega Square Punch, Machine Stitching, Sponges

Stampbook Saturday

Saturday, August 14, 2010

Happy Saturday sweet peeps!

I just finished up writing the post to my very first Stampbook page and I thought you might like to check it out too! Here's a little sneak peek at what you might find over on the There She Goes blog this morning!

Have a FABULOUS Saturday my crafty friends!

Etsy Friday Finds

Friday, August 13, 2010

Hello again! :)

Etsy Friday Finds is back! I've been so busy lately that I haven't had much time to window shop on Etsy much, but this week I decided I needed a shot of summer, so I browsed everything to do with SUNSHINE! Enjoy!

Silk Clutch by Fiazco
An EFF wouldn't be complete without a handbag or clutch in the mix right? :) I spied this beauty and I literally beamed ear to ear when I saw it! Isn't it beeeeeautiful?! Loooove it!



Good Day Sunshine by ColorBee
This print would look GREAT in my craft area! Everyday would be a great day after seeing this, wouldn't it? It makes me happy.






Butter Yellow Sunshine by DarlaDear
Another fabulous print!









Butterfly Vase by RedHotPottery
This vase is sooo sweet isn't it?? I love the pops of white on the yellow.









Sunshine Ring by Tamar

I {heart} this ring!! Love the filagree and white on yellow....*sigh*




I <3 summer. Have a good one!

You Go Girl!

Happy Friday!

I CANNOT believe we're already into the middle of August! Where on earth did the first 7 months go?! *scratching my head* I can't believe the cooler days are almost upon us! I still feel like I need more vitamin D in my skin! *sigh* As much as I love the Fall, I just don't think I'm ready for it this year.

I wanted to make a card that was a little fun and out of the ordinary for me, so I played with one of Jenny Bowlin's mini bingo cards!


I've never played with one before and embellie-challenged moi wasn't quite sure how to use them. :) I looked around blogland (love blogland!) and figured out that you just treat them as background patterned paper. Ohhhh! That was my light bulb moment! :) I've also been dying to try the layered scalloped look everyone's been doing lately. Only I don't own any of the die templates that make them (yet!), so I used my trusty corner punch, with the guard off. It doesn't produce a deep scallop but it still works.

Ooops! I almost forgot to mention sweet Mino! She's one of the cute kids from TGF's Roll Call kit. I almost forgot how to color in these Wild Sprouts, it's been so long! Out came the reinkers and aquapainter brush again and I borrowed last week's TESC123 for my layout. And because I'm on a roll with using up my old patterned paper, I used some sheets from Cosmo Cricket's Material Girl collection. Almost ready to buy me some new CC paper! :) hehehe

Hope you have a fabulous weekend whatever it is you're doing. We're heading to the Mall (it's 1.5hrs from us) to buy the Little Sunshine new clothes for the coming school year. I can't believe she starts school in three weeks! Eek!

PS: I finally got around to putting a few cards from this past couple of weeks (including this cutie) into the store! Need to make space for all that new paper I need to have! hahahha

Supplies
Stamps: The Greeting Farm 'Roll Call', Kraftin Kimmie Stamps 'Everyday Sentiments'
Inks: StazOn 'Jet Black', Creamy Caramel, Pretty In Pink, Regal Rose, Ruby Red, Not Quite Navy, Cool Caribbean, Distress Inks 'Antique Linen, Tea Dye, Vintage Photo
Papers: Strathmore Bristol Vellum, Bazzil Basics, PP-Cosmo Cricket 'Material Girl'
Access: Ribbon (Michaels), EK Success Corner Punch, Jenny Bowlin Mini Bingo Card, Sponges, Dimensionals

Thinking of You...Lil Lolita

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Happy Hump Day!

This is another image I colored up while at Mary's house and I'm not going to lie to you - it took me HOURS! And not because we were talking either; I was coughing the whole time! I had to add all the shadows to her hair and those layers in her dress, then I couldn't decide what color to do her eyes...decisions, decisions! :)

Most of you have probably seen these images around blogland, but for those who haven't, they're called Lil Lolita's and you can pick them up from Tickled Pink Stamps, an Aussie company! They're so different and sassy, I just love them! I actually borrowed Miss Kadie's stamps while she was in Maryland (thank you sweetie!), but I have a feeling I'll have to buy my own soon! Just add it to my ever-growing list of wants!

This Lolita's name is Willow and even though Miss Mary had a HUGE stash of copics I could have played with, I still ended up coloring her in with SU reinkers and Distress Inks. (Still scratching my head over that one?!) I picked out some funky June Bug papers (Basic Grey) from Mary's stash to pull colors from for the image but that's as far as I got at her place. So the other night I sketched up a layout that would fit this big image and went to work. Each layer was inked with Frayed Burlap and Vintage Photo Distress Ink, distressed with a pair of scissors and machine stitched with black thread. Then I added some black lace, adhesive rhinestones and I used my open scalloped edge punch for a bit of detail down the vertical panel. And because I can't get enough of using my new toy, I made another flower using PTI's Beautiful Blooms die template! I added the sentiment, from Kraftin Kimmie's Everyday Sentiments set to a scrap piece of base cardstock and cut it out using one of the small dies from the Labels Eight nestie set.

EDIT: I just looked at this week's Lil Lolita Challenge #10 and it's all about polka dots! Technically, I did post this the day before the challenge, and I'm bummed out now that I did before seeing this challenge, but I hope the Tickled Pink crew love it anyway! :)

I would have put this in my store today, but Miss Mary emailed me before I'd even put this vamp on a card and put dibs on it! Crazy girl! ;)

Toodles!


Supplies
Stamps: Tickled Pink
'Little Lolita - Willow', Kraftin Kimmie Stamps 'Everyday Sentiments'
Inks: StazOn 'Jet Black', Creamy Caramel, Pretty In Pink, Buckaroo Blue, Not Quite Navy, Morning Marigold, More Mustard, Ruby Red, Distress Inks 'Antique Linen, Tea Dye, Vintage Photo, Frayed Burlap and Black Soot'
Papers: Bazzil Basics, PP - Basic Grey 'June Bug Collection'
Access: Ribbon, Lace, Basic Grey June Bug Brad,
PTI Beautiful Blooms Template, Spellbinders Labels Eight Nestibilities, EK Success Open Scallop Edge Punch, Adhesive Rhinestones, Machine Stitching, Sponges, Dimensionals

TSG67: Sketch By Pam

Monday, August 9, 2010

Good morning my sweet peeps!

Hope you had a great weekend! We had a jam packed weekend with the local carnival on Friday night, house hunting on Saturday morning and blueberry picking in the afternoon, breakfast out on Sunday, grocery shopping, a lazy afternoon drive, the laundry and I even baked a blueberry pie! Love weekends like that!

Since it is Monday, I have another There She Goes challenge for you. This week's challenge, TSG67, is brought to us by the bold and beautiful Trendsetter Pam Varnell!


It's an awesome sketch, full of possibilities, so I hope you all can play along this week! I pulled out the awesome new set Puppy Love for this card because I was itching to color in the cutie pie in it!

First off, I colored her in with my reinkers and aquapainter brush, then I cut it out using the large circle nestibilities and matted it with a red piece of cardstock cut with the big scalloped circle nestie. I pretty much kept close to the layout but used the corner punch on the vertical panel just to change things up a bit. Each panel was sponged with a little Frayed Burlap and machine stitched. I had to add the ribbon because the card just needed a little something extra. You all know what that's like right? :)


Here's a look at the inside of the card. I couldn't find the right place to add a sentiment to the outside, so I added one of the larger sentiments in the set to the inside instead. LOVE how Jess includes all sorts of sentiments, large and small, in all her sets!

To be eligible for the giveaway, you are to create a card that incorporates Pam's sketch, and then come back to the TSG blog to add your name and a link to your project in the InLinkz that is located at the bottom of this challenge post. This challenge is open until the winner has been announced on the following Monday (August 16th). The winner will get a $5 gift certificate to use in the TSG web store!

By participating in this challenge, you may also find yourself in the Trendsetting Spotlight that shines on the TSG blog every Thursday. We will be on the look out to find challenge cards that stand out and show Trendsetting qualities. TSG stamps are not required to participate in the challenges but are appreciated :)

Thank for stopping by today! Have a fabulous Monday!

Supplies
Stamps: There She Goes 'Puppy Love'
Inks: StazOn 'Jet Black', Creamy Caramel, Soft Suede, Pumpkin Pie, Regal Rose, Ruby Red, Old Olive, Cool Caribbean, Distress Inks 'Antique Linen, Vintage Photo and Frayed Burlap
Papers: Strathmore Bristol Vellum, PP and Cardstock - Taylored Expressions Garden Party Project Pantry Kit
Access: May Arts Wrinkled Ribbon - Brown, Button, DMC Thread - Brown, Spellbinders Circle and Big Scalloped Circle Nestibilities, Fiskars Decorative Scissors, Sponges, Machine Stitching, Dimensionals

My Friend Elodie!

Friday, August 6, 2010

Happy Friday!

Congratulations! We've made it to the end of the week again my friends! I'm looking forward to this weekend since we're heading to the County Fair tonight and tomorrow we'll be picking blueberries - YUM! And the weather is supposed to be super nice! Yay! I L.O.V.E my weekends!

I have been slowly building up a small collection of Sarah Kay stamps for a while now and I have barely inked up any of them. Shame on me because I love the sweet little kids in her images! I finally have some time now to devote to coloring up them up, so that's what I did this week!

I'll be the first to tell you that I am HIGHLY embellishment-challenged! I see amazing designers like Claudia Rosa and Amy Sheffer create masterpieces with the right amount of ribbon, flowers and sparkle on their creations and for the life of me, I can't recreate those looks! But - that doesn't stop me from trying! :) How else am I supposed to get better at it, right?! Practice makes perfect!

So for this card, I inked up the sweet Elodie In Her Garden with my SU and Distress Ink reinkers and aquapainter brush. (I bought mine from DieCutsRUs, but Claudia doesn't have this one in stock anymore.) Then I spritzed the image with a teeny, tiny bit of Glimmer Mist in Pearl. (Loving a little sparkle!) Then I matted it with some kraft cardstock and Bitter Chocolate Bazzil cardstock and machine stitched them together. Then, for the base layers, I used some of BoBunny's Double Dot patterned paper and JillyBean Soup's Old World Cabbage Stew 'Caraway Seeds' paper, matted with more of the bitter chocolate cardstock, machine stitched them both and adhered them to a kraft cardstock base. I distressed and inked up the edges of the Double Dot paper and used some decorative scissors to decorate the edge of the floral patterned paper. For embellishments, I (tried) adding some crocheted eyelet ribbon, a wooden button tied up with PTI's Rustic Button Twine and mini Prima roses. Then I tucked a little tag stamped with the My Friend sentiment on it under the button and a matching sentiment on the kraft cardstock and cut it out with a Labels Four nestibilitie die.

I love the colors of this card....very sweet and calming.

You've probably either read, or noticed, that I no longer design for TGF's Critter Crew. I had the opportunity to stay on, but I decided to step down because I've been trying to free up my summer (even though it's nearly the end of the season!) to spend more time with my family and enjoy (the outdoor) life a bit more. I have had such a blast coloring for The Greeting Farm and the Critter Crew! But, that means there's now an opening or two on the Crew for some new talent and Jess is having a DT Call for anyone who wants to color those adorable critters for the next 4 months! You can find all the details on the TGF blog!

Thanks SO much for stopping by this week! Have a fabulous weekend everyone!

Supplies
Stamps: Stampavi 'Elodie In Her Garden', There She Goes 'What's Up Buttercup?' sentiments
Inks: StazOn 'Jet Black', Creamy Caramel, Pretty In Pink, Old Olive, Morning Marigold, More Mustard, Cool Caribbean, Soft Suede, Distress Inks 'Weathered Wood, Antique Linen, Tea Dye, Vintage Photo'
Papers: Strathmore Bristol Vellum, Bazzil Basics, Kraft, PP - Bo Bunny and JillyBean Soup
Access: Crocheted Ribbon, Ribbon, PTI Rustic Button Twine, Wooden Button (Joanns), Spellbinders Tags Trio and Labels Four Nestibilities, Prima Mini Roses - Off White, Glimmer Mist - Pearl, Tim Holtz Edge Distresser, Fiskars Decorative Scissors, Machine Stitching, Sponges, Dimensionals

Ever Had One Of Those Days?

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

Happy Wednesday to you!

Are you having a good week so far? It's been pretty quiet at work lately. No real deadlines since most of the department heads are at a golf tournament. Nice!

I thought I'd show you a card I made while I was at Mary's house a few weeks back. Actually, it's the only card I finished there! Shame on me, but honestly, all I wanted to do that weekend was color and chat! Two things that don't require a whole lot of thinking! haha



Mary had sent me some images of Charlotte from Kraftie Kimmie Stamps a while back. I've been DYING to color them in, but haven't had a chance to until recently! These images a big and easy to color with my aquapainter brush and reinkers. I thought she's look great with red ringlets, so I used SU's Really Rust and some Close To Cocoa in the shadows. For her dress I used Almost Amethyst and Elegant Eggplant, and a combo of Old Olive and Always Artichoke. Sahara Sand was the color I used in the background and sponged around the edges. I thought I'd use up some of my old Eerie paper from Basic Grey, since I'm trying to be diligent and use up my old paper before buying anything new. Each panel was sponged with Vintage Photo and Walnut Stain Distress Ink and machine stitched.

I couldn't resist adding some black sparkle paper and checkered ribbon! And do ya see that flower embellishment? I used Mary's Beautiful Blooms die template from PTI and I fell in love with it! PTI finally got it in stock again and I last week, I was finally able to buy my own set! Yay! Notice anything different about this photo compared to my usual ones?? Mary took the photo with her AWESOME camera and FLASHY lighting setup! Makes a world of difference doesn't it? I may have to invest in something similar one day....

Toodles!


Supplies
Stamps:
Kraftin Kimmie Stamps
'Charlotte' and 'Sassy Sentiments'
Inks: StazOn 'Jet Black', Creamy Caramel, Pretty In Pink, Really Rust, Close To Cocoa, Almost Amethyst, Elegant Eggplant, Old Olive, Always Artichoke, Sahara Sand, Distress Inks 'Antique Linen, Tea Dye, Vintage Photo and Walnut Stain'
Papers: Bazzil Basics, PP - Basic Grey 'Eerie Collection'
Access: Ribbon, Basic Grey Brad, PTI Beautiful Blooms Die Template, Fiskars Decorative Scissors, Machine Stitching, Sponges, Dimensionals

TSG66: Watercolor Wonder

Tuesday, August 3, 2010

Good Morning!

I hope you all had a fabulous weekend. I had a quiet one but that was just fine with me! I did manage to fit in some stamping in amongst the chores. You have to right? Having a hobby is what keeps us sane....and busy! :)

This week's There She Goes challenge is about watercoloring wonder! Get out your aquapainters and brushes out and start coloring! If you know me, you know that's my medium of choice. So I had noooo problem with this challenge! lol


I resisted LONG enough! It was time to ink up those orchids from the beautiful The Journey set! Aren't they beautiful? I just love this new set from illustrator, Chris Dark. She creates such masterpieces!

So as the challenge requests, I broke out my aquapainter brush (hehe!) and colored the orchid with my reinkers. Then I sponged the edges with Antique Linen. The layout is pretty simple, but really, why complicate things?? :)

Would you like to play along and possibly win a gift certificate to the There She Goes store? To be eligible for the giveaway, you are to create a card that incorporates watercoloring, and then come back to the TSG Blog to add your name and a link to your project in the InLinkz that is located at the bottom of this challenge post. This challenge is open until the winner has been announced on the following Monday (August 9th). The winner will get a $5 gift certificate to use in the TSG Web store!

Thanks so much for stopping by today!


Supplies
Stamps:
There She Goes
'The Journey'
Inks: StazOn 'Jet Black', Sahara Sand, Old Olive, Pink Passion, Soft Sky, Going Gray, Distress Inks 'Antique Linen'
Papers: Strathmore Bristol Vellum, Bazzil Basics, PP - Basic Grey 'Kioshi Collection'
Access: Ribbon, Button, DMC Thread, Machine Stitching, Sponging, Dimensionals

TGF 2nd BIRTHDAY BLOG HOP!!

Sunday, August 1, 2010

Hellooooo sweet peeps! Welcome to the two year anniversary birthday blog hop for The Greeting Farm!! If you'd like to hop along with us tonight, then head on over to The Greeting Farm blog where the master list is, to find out where to start hopping!

I'm soooo thrilled for Marie and her incredible stamp company! She's come a LONG way since the Pink Poison days and a handful of stamps. Congratulations Marie on your 2nd birthday and I am SO looking forward to another year of incredible stamps and characters!

In celebration of this momentous occasion, I inked up the BRAND NEW Cupcake Anya digi stamp since it all started with her and a few of her pirate friends! :)

She's such a cutie...and all grown up now! Before you know it, she'll be off to kindergarten and having kids of her own! (Oh, wait! She's done that already! lol) hehehe

I colored her with my reinkers and aquapainter brush on Georgia Pacific cardstock. Then I used this week's Mojo Sketch Challenge (MOJO149) for my layout and some of that yummy paper from Basic Grey's Olivia collection. I found the perfect cupcake sentiment from Stamping Bella and since it's a birthday card, it has to have some bling on it, right?? :)

Thanks so much for stopping by! Head on back to the TGF blog to find out where to go next!


Supplies
Stamps: The Greeting Farm 'Cupcake Anya digi', Stamping Bella 'It's a Cupcake Thing'
Inks: StazOn 'Jet Black', Creamy Caramel, Pretty In Pink, Regal Rose, Ruby Red, Cool Caribbean, Close To Cocoa, Distress Inks 'Antique Linen, Tea Dye and Vintage Photo'
Papers: Georgia Pacific, Bazzil Basics, PP - Basic Grey 'Olivia Collection'
Access: Ribbon, EK Success Edge Punch, Adhesive Rhinestones, Spellbinders Large Circle Nestibilities, Fiskars Decorative Scissors, Sponges, Machine Stitching, Dimensionals

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