Eggstra Special Easter!

Friday, February 18, 2011

Thank goodness it's Friday!!

And I am thankful for that! It has been a long, slow week for me and I'm looking forward to a productive weekend of card making and sewing. I have a shower curtain to whip up and lots of cards to do for a release next week. Mental note to self: buy more thread! :)

Can you believe we're already half way through February and Easter is almost around the corner?! It's crazy! Where does the time go? I'm glad I've got a jump on some of my Easter cards with this card I have for you today!

Easter Basket, from Claudia and Company, is such a sweet image and perfect for your Easter cards! And the best thing is that it's digital, so you can enlarge or scale back the size to whatever suits your project. I kept this card clean and simple (minus all the layers) and let the image shine. When the image is as detailed as this one, it's usually a good idea to keep the card simple. After coloring the image with my SU reinkers and aquapainter brush, I spritzed the piece with some Glimmer Mist in Pearl for some twinkle.


In case you haven't heard, there's a customer blog hop going on next week for Claudia & Company and you're being invited to join us! You have until Feb. 23rd to sign up and you can find all the details........here!

Thanks so much for stopping by this week. I know I've been quiet but next week I'll have lots of eye candy for you all! :) Have a great weekend!


Supplies
Stamps: Claudia & Company 'Easter Basket Digital Stamp', There She Goes 'Hunny Bunny'
Inks: Creamy Caramel, Old Olive, Cool Caribbean, More Mustard, and various other colors
Papers: Georgia Pacific, Bazzil Bling, Bazzil Basics, PP - My Minds Eye
Access: Ribbon, Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist - Pearl, Machine Stitching, Sponges, Dimensionals

Some Bunny Loves You!

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Good Morning!

So over the past couple of weeks we've been busy repainting our downstairs bathroom and I've been scouring Craigslist for pieces to fill it with. We have a closet in there that apparently used to have a door to it, but hasn't for quite some time (a little weird!). Luckily, I managed to pick up a louvered door for $25 that will fit the opening perfectly! I'm planning on painting it white to match the trim. Can't wait to finally close the door on the clutter! Woohoo for small triumphs!

Onto today's card shall we??

Puddle Jumper Ezra and his little rabbit are adorable in these colors! More often than not, I tend to color in the Puddle Jumpers in the same hues every time, but this time, I had a little help! I was digging through my paper drawer that I store all my 6x6 papers in and I found this glitter stack from My Minds Eye that I had forgotten I had! (Love it when that happens!) Those colors in that pad inspired me to color up Ezra with these yummy colors! Everything else just fell in place - the layout, the embellishments and even the sentiment. I had this card done within 2 hours! That just might be a record, my sweet peeps!! :)

It's pretty quiet at work this week. All the bosses are out of the office attending a summit. So I'm sure I'll be window shopping on Etsy during my lunch break!

Thanks so much for stopping by this week!


Supplies

Stamps: Claudia & Company 'Puddle Jumper Ezra Digital Stamp' and There She Goes 'Hunny Bunny'

Inks: Creamy Caramel, Pretty In Pink, Morning Marigold, Really Rust, Soft Suede, Sahara Sand, Cool Caribbean, Distress Inks 'Antique Linen and Tea Dye'

Papers: Georgia Pacific, Bazzil Basics Bling Cardstock, PP - My Minds Eye

Access: PTI Large Eyelet Border Die, PTI Rustic Button Twine, PTI Button - Chocolate, Spellbinders Labels Eight Nestibilities, Sponges, Machine Stitching, Dimensionals

Claudia & Company February Blog Hop!

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Good Morning and welcome to today's Claudia and Company February Release Blog Hop!!

If you've stopped here from Tracy's awesome blog, then you're doing great! But if you haven't and would like to hop along with us today, then head on over to the Claudia & Company blog to start your journey there! So lets get started shal we?!

Introducing...Puddle Jumper Charlotte!!

Ain't she sweet?! I am in love with her hair!! Having been cursed...I mean blessed, with curly hair, I have always been envious of anyone with straight hair. I always look like I stuck my finger in a socket! :) Anyway...

Puddle Jumper Charlotte is one of the digital stamps being released today and she's just a peach to color up! As with all of the Puddle Jumper sets, Charlotte comes with a little something extra...the potted flowers! I used my reinkers and aqupainter brush together with pretty paper from The Girls Paperie and this week's Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge #102 for the layout.

Next up...

Easter Basket by John Grutta!!

Just in time for Easter, Claudia and Company's newest illustrator, John Grutta has come up with an great image for us! This is Easter Basket is a digital stamp. Those chickies are too cute! I kept the layout basic since it's a pretty busy image. Papers from Basic Grey's old Lemonade collection and some polka dot ribbon was all this card needed. The nice thing about digital stamps is that you can make the image fit the nestie rather than trying to get the nestie to fit the image! Love that!

Introducing.....Puddle Jumper Ezra!!

You can't have a new girl Puddle Jumper to play with and not have a new boy image too! And Ezra is his name! :) Another image perfect for Easter, illustrator Lori Boyd has worked her magic again and created another cuuutie patootie!

I borrowed this week's Card Patterns sketch # 100 for the layout and the paper is from a 6x6 sample pack of My Minds Eye Quite Contrary Jack & Jill Collection.

Well, I hope this was enough eye candy for you today! Thanks so much for stopping by!

Your next stop is....my dear friend, KADIE!!

Supplies
Card One
Stamps: Claudia & Company 'Puddle Jumper Charlotte Digital Stamp', sentiment from There She Goes 'Beautiful Spring'
Inks: Creamy Caramel, Pretty In Pink, Cool Caribbean, Buckaroo Blue, Sahara Sand, Really Rust and various other colors
Papers: Georgia Pacific, Bazzil Basics, Bazzil Bling, PP - The Girls Paperie
Access: Ribbon, Spellbinders Labels One Nesties, EK Success Circle Punch, Sponges, Machine Stitching, Dimensionals


Card Two
Stamps: Claudia & Company 'Easter Basket Digital Stamp', sentiment from There She Goes 'Hunny Bunnies'
Inks: Creamy Caramel, Old Olive, Soft Suede, Morning Marigold, More Mustard, Cool Caribbean, Raspberry Razz and various other colors
Papers: Georgia Pacific, Bazzil Basics, PTI Kraft Cardstock, Basic Grey 'Lemonade'
Access: Ribbon, PTI Button, PTI Rustic Button Twine, Martha Stewart Edge Punch, Spellbinders Labels Four Nesties, Sponges, Machine Stitching, Dimensionals


Card Three
Stamps: Claudia & Company 'Puddle Jumper Ezra Digital Stamp' and 'So Random Sentiments/Up Down Edition
Inks: Creamy Caramel, Soft Suede, Buckaroo Blue, Sahara Sand, Cool Caribbean and various other colors
Papers: Georgia Pacific, Bazzil Basics, Bazzil Bling, PP - My Minds Eye Quite Contrary-Jack & Jill Collection
Access: Ribbon, Spellbinders Labels Four Nesties, Machine Stitching, Sponges, Dimensionals

You Make Me Happy!

Friday, January 28, 2011

Happy Friday everyone!

My days are about to get VERY COLD! Work is sending me to Cheektowaga next week to measure up our warehouse there. Where is Cheektowaga you ask?! It's right next door to Buffalo, NY! Cold country! But that's not the worst part about the trip. This warehouse I have to measure.....it's a giant freezer! So, my days will be spent in rooms where the temps hover around -20 deg F and 0 deg F!! I'm just praying that my finger that has really bad circulation doesn't get frostbite! Oh how I'm going to miss our wood stove next week! lol

I thought I'd round off the week with another look at the Puppy Love digital stamp from Claudia & Company!

I usually like to keep the whole image intact, but I printed this guy a little too big, so I had no choice but to cut him down to size! :)

I colored up the image with my reinkers and aquapainter brush then used some papers from Sassafras Lass's Apple Jack collection. I really like this combination and I think I'm going to have to use it again soon!

Next Tuesday is February 1st (how on EARTH did that happen?!?!), which means another new release from Claudia & Company!! So if you want to see some uber cute stamps, come back here for some eye candy! Just saying... :)


Thank you SO MUCH for stopping by this week! See you on the flip side!



Supplies
Stamps: Claudia & Company 'Puppy Love' and Kraftin Kimmie Stamps 'Everyday Sentiments'
Inks: Soft Suede, Cool Caribbean, Regal Rose, Ruby Red, More Mustard, Creamy Caramel, Sahara Sand, Distress Inks 'Antique Linen and Tea Dye'
Papers: Strathmore Bristol Vellum, Georgia Pacific, Bazzil Basics, PTI Kraft Cardstock, PP - Sassafras Lass 'Apple Jack' Collection
Access: PTI Rustic Button Twine, PTI Button, EK Success Corner Punch, Sponges, Dimensionals

You're Invited!

Monday, January 24, 2011

Good Morning!

How are we all doing today? Good, I hope! As for me, I'm just trying to stay warm today. It is BEYOND freezing here in New Hampshire this morning! I didn't even know it could get this cold here! How cold, you ask?! How does -24 deg sound?! Can you say 'cold'?! Yeow!

We stayed low and didn't do much this weekend, but I did get a lot of cards done! Six cards infact! Go me! Haha One of those cards was this one using Todd Puddle Jumper!

One of my favorite sketch challenges is Karen Giron's Sweet Sunday Sketch challenge, and this week's sketch, SSSC101, was perfect for showcasing the Todd Puddle Jumper digital stamp. I turned the sketch on it's side to make it work for the stamp.

I colored Todd in with my reinkers and aquapainter brush. I used Sahara Sand on his pants and a combination of Broken Glass Distress Ink and SU's Buckaroo Blue. His hair and shoes were colored with SU's Soft Suede.

Basic Grey's Max and Whiskers collection is not only great for making cards for dogs and cats, but it's also great for boy cards. It's got the right amount of dirt and grit. :)

Stay tuned early next week for February's releases from Claudia & Company! By the way, there's a sale going on over at the Claudia & Company webstore! Claudia has tons of things marked down 25-40% off, so you might want to check it out! Just saying... ;)

Thanks so much for stopping by today!


Supplies
Stamps: Claudia & Company 'Puddle Jumper Todd Digital Stamp', There She Goes 'Sentimental'
Inks: StazOn 'Jet Black', Creamy Caramel, Sahara Sand, Soft Suede, Distress Inks 'Vintage Photo, Frayed Burlap and Broken China'
Papers: Georgia Pacific, Bazzil Basics, PP - Basic Grey 'Max and Whiskers' Collection
Access: Raffia, PTI Buttons - Chocolate, Spellbinders Large Oval Nestibilities, Fiskars Decorative Scissors, Sponges, Dimensionals

I Love Puddle Jumpers!

Friday, January 21, 2011

Happy Friday Everyone!

Are you as happy as I am that it's Friday? Oh yes sireee! I'm soooo thankful it's only a few hours until the weekend! I've had a very busy week at work (which is why I've been so quiet this week) and I am looking forward to taking it easy for a couple of days. How about you?

One card I did manage to whip up this week is this one!

I {heart} these Puddle Jumpers! And sweet Mary Jane is up there amongst my favorites!

Since Valentines Day is right around the corner, I pulled Basic Grey's Olivia paper pad to make this card. Not an obvious choice for a romantic card, but when I saw the hearts paper, I knew it was perfect for Mary Jane! As always I used my ever faithful reinkers and aquapainter brush to color her in. Then I cut her out and popped her on a panel made with various papers from the Basic Grey collection, Bazzil cardstock and the Labels Eight Nestie. The layout is from this week's Sweet Sunday Sketch #100. Some of my favorite crafting tools are my Fiskars decorative scissors. I especially love the small scalloped ones, which I used around the edge of scalloped nestie panel. LOVE that look!

Got any plans for the weekend? We're laying low with all this snow we've been getting. Although, we may be painting our downstairs bathroom if we can decide on a paint color! :)

Thanks for dropping by and have a good one!

Supplies

Stamps: Claudia & Company 'Mary Jane Puddle Jumper', There She Goes 'Sentimental'

Inks: StazOn 'Jet Black', Creamy Caramel, Baha Breeze, Regal Rose, Ruby Red, Distress Inks 'Antique Linen, Frayed Burlap and Black Soot'

Papers: Georgia Pacific, Bazzil Basics and Bling, PP - Basic Grey's 'Olivia Collection'

Access: May Arts Stitched Ribbon, Kaisercrafts Adhesive Pearls - Rose, Martha Stewart Edge Punch, Spellbinders 'Labels Eight' and 'Large Scalloped Circle Nestibilities, Fiskars Decorative Scissors, Sponges, Dimensionals

Claudia and Company Surprise Release!

Friday, January 14, 2011

Good Morning and welcome to the surprise January release for Claudia and Company!

That's right! Claudia and Company is releasing four new digital images today and you guys get to see a look-see of one of them right here, right now! :)

What a sweetie pie right?! Puppy Love and three other images were designed by John Grutta, Claudia and Company's newest illustrator! He's created this sweet image for us just in time for Valentines Day.

I colored up Puppy Love with my reinkers and aquapainter brush on Georgia Pacific cardstock. Then I sponged the edges with SU's Cool Caribbean and I drew a border around the edge with a Micron pen. Then I used papers from October Afternoon's Modern Homemaker and made a quick and easy card background.

All four digial images are available RIGHT NOW in the Claudia and Company webstore! But that's not the best part! To help celebrate today's big release, John gave Claudia an image to give away FOR FREE to every reader who visits the C&Co. blog!

Before you race over there and grab your freebie image, please take a minute to check out what the other girls on the design team have created for you all!

Lori Boyd
Kadie Ensley
Kim Costello
Krista Van Tol
Risa West
Sandra MacLean
Sheri Gilson
Tori Wild
Tracy Clemente

Thanks so much for popping in today! I hope you all have a fabulous weekend!

Supplies
Stamps: Claudia & Company 'Puppy Love' and There She Goes 'Everyday Greetings'
Inks: StazOn 'Jet Black', Soft Suede, Sahara Sand, Creamy Caramel, More Mustard, Regal Rose, Ruby Red, Distress Inks 'Antique Linen and Black Soot'
Papers: Georgia Pacific, PTI Kraft Cardstock, Bazzil Basics, PP - October Afternoon 'Modern Homemaker'
Access: Ribbon, Martha Stewart Edge Punch, Micron Pen, Sponges, Dimensionals

Claudia & Company January Blog Hop!!

Wednesday, January 5, 2011

Welcome to the January release blog hop for Claudia & Company!

If you've found your way here from Risa's wonderful blog, then you're on the right track! But if you haven't and would like to check out all the awesome cards the girls have whipped up for today's hop, then head on over to the Claudia & Company blog to start the ride there.

If you haven't heard already, DieCutsRuS changed it's name! They are now officially known as Claudia and Company! It's a name you know and love so the change won't be a hard one to wrap your head around! Their new website is http://www.claudiaandcompany.com/. Not only can you purchase your favorite Claudia and Company stamps there, but you can purchase all kinds of supplies for your card making needs.

Today's release is for two new Puddle Jumpers and you are going to just LOVE them!

Meet Puddle Jumper Mary Jane!!

Adorable right?! Love that hair and I'm always a sucker for polka dots! Mary Jane is just in time for Valentines Day. She comes with her very own heart stamp accessory! To make this card I used this month's Sketch For You To Try and paper from Cosmo Cricket's Circa 1934 collection.

Introducing...Puddle Jumper Todd!

Boys need Valentines Day cards too! And Puddle Jumper Todd is perfect for the little guys (and big guys too!) in our lives.

I used this week's Friday Sketchers #135 layout for this card as well as some of that yummy 6x6 sample pack of My Minds Eye Fine and Dandy - True Blue collection of papers.

And the best part of all this - is that these Puddle Jumpers are available RIGHT NOW from Claudia and Company webstore!!

If you get lost along the way, here's a list of all the blogs you need to check out!

Claudia and Co. Blog
Lori Boyd
Sheri Gilson
Krista Van Tol
Tracy Clemente
Kadie Ensley
Tori Wild
Risa West
Sandra MacLean
Kim Costello
Guest Hopper - Pam Varnell

Thanks so much for stopping by today!

Your next stop is...Kim Costello!!

Supplies
Card One
Stamps: Claudia & Company 'Puddle Jumper Mary Jane', The Greeting Farm 'My Fav Thing'
Inks: StazOn 'Jet Black', Creamy Caramel, Pretty In Pink, Regal Rose, Ruby Red, Old Olive, Cool Caribbean, Distress Inks 'Antique Linen, Tea Dye, Vintage Photo and Black Soot'
Papers: Strathmore Bristol Vellum, Bazzil Basics, PTI Kraft Cardstock, PP - Cosmo Cricket 'Circa 1934' and Bo Bunny
Access: Ribbon, Heart Button, Spellbinders Labels Four Nestibilities, Machine Stitching, Sponges, Dimensionals

Card Two
Stamps: Claudia & Company 'Puddle Jumper Todd' and 'So Random Sentiments Set Up/Down Edition'
Inks: StazOn 'Jet Black', Creamy Caramel, Soft Suede, Buckaroo Blue, Really Rust, Cool Caribbean, Distress Inks 'Frayed Burlap, Antique Linen, Tea Dye'
Papers: Strathmore Bristol Vellum, Bazzil Basics, PTI Kraft Cardstock, PP - My Minds Eye 'Fine and Dandy - True Blue' Collection
Access: Ribbon, PTI Button, DMC Thread, Spellbinders Labels One Nestibilities, Machine Stitching, Sponges, Dimensionals

Claudia & Co

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Good Morning!

Are you all set for Christmas Day? I've been preparing for Christmas Eve dinner at my house and the other night we had a minor setback. Our gas oven decided not to work! How does one cook a rib roast in an oven that doesn't work?! One doesn't! So The Man worked his magic and got the stove to work again! Yay! Now Christmas Eve dinner is back on and I'm psyched! I'm making a potato and leek soup for starters, then a rib roast, glazed carrots, squash and Yorkshire pudding for mains, and cherry cheesecake to finish the meal off. I haven't had Yorkshire pudding since I moved to the US over 10 years ago, so it's going to be a real treat for me! What are your favorite Christmas dishes? I'd love to hear them!

Today's card is one I had some fun with! Fun papers and a funky layout really put me to the test with this one!

I have so enjoyed coloring up these Puddle Jumpers, as has my little Ray of Sunshine! We like nothing better than to color in our art room together. While making this card, Syd insisted I color her hair black, so I obliged. :)

I colored up Party Time Piper with my reinkers and aquapainter brush and cut her out using some small precision scissors. I also did the same thing with the present thats included in the stamp set. The layout is this week's Friday Sketchers #133 layout. For the panel beneath Piper, I cut a piece of kraft cardstock with the Labels One nestie and matted it with some black and more kraft cardstock. Then I sponged the edges with Tea Dye and Vintage Photo Distress Ink and machine stitchedd them together. I can't resist adding more sparkle to a card, so I spritzed the panel with Pearl Glimmer Mist from Tattered Angels. Each panel was sponged with Black Soot Distress Ink and machine stitched to black cardstock. The horizontal strip across the bottom of the card was made with Papertrey Ink's eyelet lace trim using more of that gorgeous Curio paper from Basic Grey.

Have you heard the exciting news?! DieCutsRUS is changing it's name! On January 1st, they will officially be known as Claudia and Company! It's a name you know and love so the change won't be a hard one to wrap your head around! :) You can sign up for the new Claudia And Company newsletter to receive regular updates and heads up on all the sales. Head over to the webstore now and sign yourself up!


Thanks so much for stopping by today!

Supplies

Stamps: Claudia & Company 'Party Time Piper', There She Goes'Snow Days'

Inks: StazOn 'Jet Black', Creamy Caramel, Pretty In Pink, Really Rust, Regal Rose, Certain Celery, Cool Caribbean, More Mustard, Distress Inks 'Antique Linen, Tea Dye, Vintage Photo, Black Soot'

Papers: Georgia Pacific, PTI Kraft Cardstock, PP - Basic Grey 'Curio' Collection

Access: PTI Eyelet Lace Trim, Spellbinders Labels One Nestibilities, Adhesive Rhinestones, Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist - Pearl, Machine Stitching, Sponges, Dimensionals

Claudia & Company Monthly Challenge

Friday, December 10, 2010

Happy Friday everyone!

Got any plans for the weekend? I think I'm going to be making some Christmas cookies with the little one. We usually make a few different types and Syd really loves helping out, so that should be fun!

It's the second Friday of the month which means it's time for another Claudia & Company challenge! This month's challenge is a good one! The girls and I are challenging you to use the spotlight technique and highlight an area on your card!

I used the round and cuddly Party The Penguin rubber stamp for my card. He's nice and big and great on his own or in a pack! ;) Now, I will admit that I found this challenge tough! I had to restrain myself from coloring in the whole image!! I think you're supposed to 'pop out' a section of your image and color it up, but I chose to leave the image intact and color only one penguin in. Please don't gong me for this!

The layout for this card just kind of evolved. I stamped Mr. Penguin several times and colored in just one of them. I paper pieced his scarf with some matching patterned paper from Echo Park's 'Everyone Loves Christmas' collection. I used more of this yummy paper on the rest of the card and zigzag stitched around the edges. Each panel was sponged with Antique Linen Distress Ink and machine stitched to cardstock. As a final touch, I added some stitched ribbon, a bow and a tag with the hello sentiment from the So Random Set- Up/Down addition.

If you would like to see more examples of this technique, then check out what the other girls from the Claudia & Company team have whipped up!

Lori Boyd
Kadie Ensley
Kim Costello
Krista Van Tol
Risa West
Sheri Gilson
Tori Wild
Tracy Clemente

We hope you'll join us this month creating your own card using Claudia & Co. stamps and the spotlight technique! You have until the second Friday of next month to come up with an idea!

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


Supplies
Stamps: Claudia&Company 'Party The Penguin' & 'So Random Sentiments Up/Down Addition'
Inks: StazOn 'Jet Black', Going Gray, Morning Marigold, Distress Inks 'Black Soot'
Papers: Strathmore Bristol Vellum, Bazzil Basics and Bling, PP - Echo Park 'Everyone Loves Christmas' Collection
Access: May Arts 'Black and White Stitched' Ribbon, Spellbinders Tags Trio and Labels Four Nestibilities, Fiskars Decorative Scissors, Machine Stitching, Sponges, Dimensionals

Happy Winter!

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Good Morning!

Have you ever been so tired that your eyes sting when you blink?! That was me yesterday and I know darn well it's because of all the late night's I've been having. 1am. 2:30am. 1:30am. I finished up a card quick last night and hit the hay early....relatively speaking. What?! 10:30pm is early for me! lol I do feel a bit better this morning so it worked but I know I need a few more good night sleeps to get myself back to feeling great again. Here's hoping for another great night's sleep tonight!

Today's card is another one I made for this month's Claudia & Company challenge.


I poured through my scrap stash and found these oldies but goodies pieces from Basic Grey's Figgy Pudding collection from a few years ago. Don't you love how Basic Grey's paper never dates itself?! Love that!! Anyway, it was perfect for this month's color challenge of cream, brown and one other color - my color of choice - blue. :)

I used this week's Card Positioning System's CPS #195 sketch for my layout and colored my one of those adorable Puddle Jumpers - Winter Landon! He's my favorite out of the November release - I can't get enough of that pea coat! :)

There's still time for you to play along with us on this challenge. You have until December 7th to create your card or project using your Puddle Jumpers or any other Claudia & Company stamp, and leave a link to it at the bottom of the challenge post. You could be next month's guest designer!

See you all on Friday!


Supplies
Stamps: Claudia & Company 'Winter Landon'
Inks: StazOn 'Jet Black', Creamy Caramel, Pretty In Pink, Buckaroo Blue, Close To Cocoa, Chocolate Chip, Soft Suede, Distress Inks 'Antique Linen, Tea Dye and Frayed Burlap'
Papers: Strathmore Bristol Vellum, Bazzil Basics, PP - Basic Grey 'Figgy Pudding' collection
Access: Spellbinders Labels Eight Nestibilities, DMC Thread, Machine Stiching, Sponges, Dimensionals

Winter Hugs!

Friday, November 19, 2010

Happy Friday Everyone!

So glad it's finally here! My work week has been less than exciting because of the monotinous work I'm doing lately, but hopefully things will pick up next week. Oh, and thank you to everyone who left suggestions for switching things up in my craft room! We found the little tv we had from the apartment and put it in my room, and it definitely made things more comfortable in there. Only now, I'm constantly watching the thing instead of stamping! Might have to bring the ipod player in too! :)

I didn't get anything done on Wednesday night because we went to look at a wood stove off of Craigslist....and ended up buying it! It's huge, but I think it's just what we need for our house. I didn't tell you but the Monday after we moved into our house, the power went out for 4 hours! Even though the heat didn't drop too much, The Man and I were pretty much in agreement that we needed a secondary source of heating the house in case we had any more surprises like that! Can't wait for it to be installed and the snow to start falling! Oooo!

Ok, enough about wood stoves! lol Today's card is a bit of a tribute to my favorite part about winter - piling on the layers!

Don't you love that about Winter too?! Love being as snug as a bug in a rug! Apparently so does Winter Hannah from Claudia & Co.! She's so cosy looking in all those layers!

For this card I used this week's sketch MTSC100 from Mercy's blog and more of that awesome paper from Basic Grey's Jovial Collection. Each panel is sponged with Distress Ink and machine stitched in either a straight stitch or a zigzag stitch. I get a lot of questions about how I stitch around the nesties, and I'm not going to lie to you - it's a slow process! I rest my foot on the pedal so the machine sounds like it's in motion, but the needle doesn't move until I pull on the wheel a little to help it turn over. I do this with each and every stitch! Yes, it is slow, but so worth the final look on a card!

Winter Hannah was colored with my reinkers and aquapainter brush on my favorite paper, Strathmore's Bristol Vellum (not really vellum). Then I sponged Antique Linen and a little Tea Dye around the edges of the oval. Then I stamped that vertical sentiment (love these sentiments - because I never leave enough room for horizontal ones!) from the So Random, Up-Down Edition set. Then I matted it onto a scalloped oval piece of Georgia Pacific cardstock. Added a little ribbon, some black rhinestones and some Stickles to her pompom and I was done!

So what are your plans for this weekend?! Getting your plans for Thanksgiving finalized? I have to go hunting for our Elf....he is scheduled to pay our new house a visit next week! I have been looking forward to this ever since we knew we were buying this house! :)

Have a fabulous weekend, whatever it is you're doing!

PS. I have a great Etsy Friday Find for you a little later on today!


Supplies
Stamps: Claudia & Company 'Winter Hannah', 'So Random Sentiment set, Up-Down Edition'
Inks: StazOn 'Jet Black', Creamy Caramel, Pretty In Pink, Regal Rose, Ruby Red, Sahara Sand, Morning Marigold, More Mustard, Old Olive, Soft Suede, Distress Inks 'Antique Linen, Tea Dye and Black Soot'
Papers: Strathmore Bristol Vellum, Bazzil Basics, PTI Kraft Cardstock, PP - Basic Grey 'Jovial' Collection
Access: Ribbon, Adhesive Rhinestones, Spellbinders Large Oval and Oval Scalloped Nestibilities, Sponges, Machine Stitching, Dimensionals

C&Company Challenge: Color Recipe!

Friday, November 12, 2010

Hello again!

It's the second Friday of the month (seriously?!?) which means it's time for another Claudia & Company challenge! You're going to love this one because it's a color recipe challenge! The girls and I are challenging all of you to get out your C&Co. stamps (rubber or digi) and create a card using the colors - cream, chocolate and your choicce of another color!

I have had this paper pack from Memory Box since last Christmas and haven't used a single sheet.....until now! :) It had the cream, the chocolate and one other color - baby blue!

And who better to be paired with this color combination then Party Time Noah! I can't get over how handsome he looks in that cute outfit! As usual, I colored him with my reinkers and aquapainter brush on some Strathmore Bristol Vellum (it's not real vellum!). Then I cut him out and adhered him to the card. The layout is this week's Mojo Sketch MOJO164. And because you can't have a Christmas card without some bling, I added some chocolate colored adhesive pearls for a little sparkle!

We'd love for you to play along with us this month, so grab your Puddle Jumpers and make a card using your favorite color as well as cream and brown! And remember - have fun!! :)

Have a fabulous weekend everyone! I'll be raking leaves, but I'll be enjoying it in my new house!


Supplies
Stamps: Claudia & Company 'Party Time Noah'
Inks: StazOn 'Jet Black', Creamy Caramel, Pretty In Pink, Chocolate Chip, Soft Suede, Buckaroo Blue, Distress Inks 'Antique Linen, Tea Dye and Frayed Burlap'
Papers: Strathmore Bristol Vellum, Bazzil Basics, PP - Memory Box
Access: May Arts Wrinkled Ribbon - Brown, Basic Grey Adhesive Pearls, Machine Stitching, Sponges, Dimensionals

Claudia & Company November Release Blog Hop!

Friday, November 5, 2010

Hello and welcome to the November Release Party for Claudia & Company!!

We've been showing you samples all week and today is the grand finale!! We have two more stamps to share with you today along with the ones we've shown you this past week. If you've stopped here from the Claudia & Company blog, then you're on the right track, but if you haven't and would like to hang out with us today, then head back to the C&Co blog because that's the first stop! :D

Ok, lets kick things off!

Meet Party Time Noah!!

He's just too adorable for words! I couldn't resist coloring him in preppy Christmas party clothes! Doesn't he look dapper?! He is made from deeply etched rubber and comes with the stocking and sentiment you see on this card. I used some more preppy paper from Basic Grey's Jovial collection and the layout is from last week's Sweet Sunday Sketch SSSC90.

Next up.....

Meet Winter Hannah!!

Lori really did outdo herself with all these Puddle Jumpers this month! Hannah is so stinking cute with her sagging hat and polka dot dress! I love her! I used some of that awesome paper from Crate Paper and I finally pulled out the Martha Stewart snow flake punch this year! If you click on the image, you might be able to see the snowflakes I stamped around Hannah. Those come with the Winter Hannah Puddle Jumper set too! (She also comes with a 'Brrr!' sentiment that I completely forgot to add to this card! Opps!)

Here's another look at all the cards I've sneak peeked this week!

Winter Landon

Winter Ella

Party Time Piper

Party The Penguin

Your next stop along this hop is....TORI'S!!

If you get lost along this hop, here's a complete list of blogs for you:

Claudia & Company Blog

Sandra

Tori

Pam

Risa

Shelby

Krista

Nicole

Margie

Tracy

Jacquie

Kim

Sheri

Lysa

Lori

Shelly

Kadie

Our wonderful guest designer:

Mercy Kerin

Claudia

Thanks SO much for hopping with us today!

Supplies
'Party Time Noah'
Stamps: Claudia & Company 'Party Time Noah Puddle Jumper'
Inks: StazOn 'Jet Black', Creamy Caramel, Soft Suede, Cool Caribbean, Regal Rose, Ruby Red, Cranberry Crisp, Distress Inks 'Antique Linen, Tea Dye, Black Soot'
Papers: Strathmore Bristol Vellum, Bazzil Basics, PP - Basic Grey's 'Jovial' Collection
Access: EK Success Edge Punch, PTI Button and Twine, Tim Holtz Edge Distresser, Machine Stitching, Sponges, Dimensionals


'Winter Hannah'
Stamps: Claudia & Company 'Winter Hannah Puddle Jumper'
Inks: StazOn 'Jet Black', Creamy Caramel, Pretty In Pink, Rich Razzleberry, Old Olive, Cool Caribbean, Distress Inks 'Antique Linen, Tea Dye and Vintage Photo'
Papers: Strathmore Bristol Vellum, Bazzil Basics, PP - Crate Paper's 'Snowy Day' Collection
Access: Martha Stewart Snow Flake Punch, Pebbles Inc Candy Dots - Glitter White, May Arts Stitched Ribbon, Button, Machine Stitching, Sponges, Dimensionals

Claudia & Company Sneak Peek Two!

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Good Morning! I have another Claudia & Company sneak peek for you all today and if you loved the last sneak peek, you're going to LOVE THESE!!

Meet Winter Landon!!

I'm a sucker for a beanie and a peacoat! And....are those Uggs?! ;) Winter Landon is one of the Puddle Jumpers being offered in red rubber this month and like all of Claudia & Company rubber stamps, Landon is made from deeply etched rubber and stamps like a dream! And just like most of the Puddle Jumper sets, Landon comes with the CUTEST little buddy - the teddy bear - and the perfect sentiment! I paired him with some of Cosmo Cricket's Jolly by Golly Christmas paper from last year (but you can still find it in Claudia's store!) I used Jen's Sketch For You To Try from a couple of weeks ago for the layout.

Next, we have another adorable critter from illustrator Jane Belio!

Introducing Party The Penguin!!

Just like her last little guy, Monster Smiles, Party the Penguin is big and bold and perfect for coloring! I decided to give him a color makeover and made him Rich Razzleberry! So refreshing don't you think?! And he matches the old Basic Grey Eskimo Kisses paper perfectly! Penguin comes in rubber this month and he comes with the beanie and the two sentiments.

There are some awesome samples being shown today on all the Claudia & Company design teams' blogs, so check them out - you won't be disappointed!

Sandra
Tori
Pam
Risa
Shelby
Krista
Nicole
Margie
Tracy
Jacquie
Kim
Sheri
Lysa
Lori
Shelly
Kadie

Our wonderful guest designer:
Mercy Kerin
Claudia

Thanks so much for stopping by today! Friday is the official November Release Party Blog Hop and all the stamps you've seen so far (as well as two more we have under wraps!) will be on sale!!

Supplies
'Winter Landon'
Stamps: Claudia & Company 'Winter Landon Puddle Jumper'
Inks: StazOn 'Jet Black', Creamy Caramel, Pretty In Pink, Buckaroo Blue, Regal Rose, Ruby Red, Cranberry Crisp, Distress Inks 'Antique Linen, Tea Dye, Vintage Photo, Black Soot'
Papers: Strathmore Bristol Vellum, Bazzil Basics, PP - Cosmo Cricket's 'Jolly By Golly' Collection
Access: Ribbon, KaiserCrafts Adhesive Pearls - Snow, Spellbinders Large Oval and Scalloped Oval Nestibilities, Machine Stitching, Sponges, Dimensionals

'Penguin'
Stamps: Claudia & Company 'Party the Penguin'
Inks: StazOn 'Jet Black', Distress Inks 'Antique Linen, Tea Dye, Vintage Photo, Milled Lavender and Dusty Concord'
Papers: Strathmore Bristol Vellum, Bazzil Basics, PP - Basic Grey's 'Eskimo Kisses' Collection
Access: Martha Stewart Lace Edge Punch, EK Success Circle Punches, American Crafts Ribbon, Button, Machine Stitching, Sponges, Dimensionals

Claudia & Company Sneak Peek!

Friday, October 29, 2010

Something's been brewin' over at Claudia & Company! For the past month or so Claudia, Lori and the DT girls have been feverishly planning and creating a huge November party bash and today we all get to share an itty bitty sneak peek of what you can expect to see at the birthday bash next Friday!

Claudia and Lori know how much you all love the Puddle Jumpers, so you are going to flip when you see what we all have in store for you today! We have not one, but TWO cuties to share with you all! Hold onto your hats peeps because here they come......

Meet Winter Ella!!

Love this girl!! She's oh so cute with those earmuffs and scarf! And don't even get me started on that pet penguin of hers! OM gosh!

Winter Ella is a digital stamp, so you can have that instant satisfaction of coloring her up when you purchase her! For this card I printed Ella on some Georgia Pacific cardstock and colored her up with my reinkers and a aquapainter brush. Those yummy papers are from a 6x6 sample pack of Echo Park's 'Everyone Loves Christmas' collection. I used Julee's MOJO160 sketch for my layout because that's how long I've had this card sitting on my desk unseen! :)

The sneak peek I have to share with you today is my favorite!

Introducing Party Time Piper!!

She's just too precious!! I can't get enough of her polka dot dress! So many color combinations for it! There's no need to find the perfect sentiment and accessories because Party Time Piper digital stamp set comes with that present and the sentiment so you have everything you need to create a Christmas card! I've been dying for a chance to use that velvet ribbon on a card!! Sooo yummy! And it works perfectly with that beautiful Christmas paper from Basic Grey!

You definitely want to check out what the rest of the girls have come up with using these cuties, so do yourself a favor and pop on over to Kadie's, Kim's, Krista's, Risa's, Sheri's, Tori's, Tracy's, Jacquie's, Lysa's, Margie's, Nicole's, Pam's and Shelby's blogs!

We'll all be back on Wednesday with another sneak peek, so ya'll come back now, ya hear?! :) Have a FABULOUS weekend sweet peeps!

Supplies
'Winter Ella'
Stamps: Claudia & Company 'Winter Ella Puddle Jumper - Digital Stamp'
Inks: StazOn 'Jet Black', Creamy Caramel, Pretty In Pink, Regal Rose, Ruby Red, Cool Caribbean, Distress Inks 'Antique Linen, Tea Dye, Vintage Photo'
Papers: Georgia Pacific, Bazzil Basics, PP - Echo Park Papers 'Everybody Loves Christmas' Collection
Access: Ribbon, Spellbinders Labels One Nestibilites, Pebbles Inc. Candy Dots - Glitter White, Machine Stitching, Sponges, Dimensionals

'Party Time Piper'
Stamps: Claudia & Company 'Party Time Piper Puddle Jumper - Digital Stamp'
Inks: Creamy Caramel, Pretty In Pink, Ruby Red, Cranberry Crisp, True Thyme, Distress Inks 'Antique Linen, Tea Dye and Vintage Photo'
Papers: Georgia Pacific, Bazzil Basics, PP - Basic Grey's 'Jovial' Collection
Access: Spellbinders Tags Trio, Velvet Ribbon, Adhesive Rhinestones, Machine Stitching, Sponges, Dimensionals

Pretty Cool McCoy

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Good Morning!

I can't believe how fast the temperature dropped around here lately! It's already into the low 40's every morning and there's ice build up on the car windscreen. Brrr! Although I wouldn't complain if this was as bad at the winters got here....*sigh* a girl can dream, right?

Here's another look at Cowboy McCoy from Claudia & Company!

What a cutie he is! I was waiting for the right image to come along so I could break open my Pyrus paper pad from Basic Grey and McCoy was perfect for it! LOVING this paper collection!

I colored McCoy in with my reinkers and aquapainter brush on Strathmore Bristol Vellum (SBV) (it's not really vellum!). The edge of each panel was sponged with Frayed Burlap Distress Ink and machine stitched to some coordinating cardstock. I stamped the sentiment onto some scrap SBV, cut it out with the Labels Four Nestibility, cropped the top off it, sponged the edges with more Distress Ink and added the button and twine detail.

In case you missed the announcement during release day, Claudia from DieCutsRUs (and boss lady of Claudia & Co stamps) will donate $1 for every single Claudia and Company rubber stamp purchased at Die Cuts R Us during the month of October, and $2 for every photopolymer/rubber stamp set to the Susan G. Komen for the Cure foundation! It's for a fabulous cause, so isn't it about time you picked up a cowboy?!? LMBO!

Thanks for stopping by!


Supplies
Stamps: Claudia & Company 'Cowboy McCoy Puddle Jumper' and The Greeting Farm 'Roll Call'
Inks: StazOn 'Jet Black', Creamy Caramel, Pretty In Pink, Soft Sky, Buckaroo Blue, Morning Marigold, Distress Inks 'Antique Linen, Tea Dye, Frayed Burlap, Black Soot'
Papers: Strathmore Bristol Vellum, Bazzil Basics, PP - Basic Grey's '??' Collection
Access: PTI Rustic Button Twine, PTI Button, Spellbinders Labels Four Nestibilities, Fiskars Decorative Scissors, Machine Stitching, Sponges, Dimensionals

Bippity Bopitty BOO!

Friday, October 15, 2010

Friday's are a wonderful thing! :)

After tonight, I'll have been to three pumpkin carving events this week! The reason is that tomorrow is Keene's Pumpkin Festival and everyone in town is gearing up for it. Last year we broke our town record and had 29,000 carved pumpkins registered and when it gets close to dusk, everyone chips in to light them. The scene is nothing short of spectacular!! Unfortunately, the organizers have said that this will be their last year organizing it. :( But we're hoping that the retailers in town will come through and bring it back next year.

Today's card is a bit of a tribute to my little Ray of Sunshine. She's insisting on wearing one of the dresses in her dress up box as her costume this year (unless we can persuade her otherwise this week). It's a wedding dress!! So this is what Syd will look like on Halloween, if she has her way.


Sydney, uh, I mean Princess Chloe is all dressed up and ready to Trick or Treat with all that glitter on her dress! I colored in the shadows on her dress with SU's Cool Caribbean, then added the glitter with a Quickie Glue pen. Once she was dry, I cut her out. The paper is from MME's Boo To You collection and I'm sorry, but I used more of that black glitter paper from Michaels! I flipped over my scalloped decorative scissors and cut around the circle panel to create that inverted scalloped edge. Each panel was sponged with Distress Inks and machine stitched to Bazzil cardstock. The sentiment is from Whipper Snapper. Can you believe I actually came up with this layout myself?!? I couldn't find a sketch that fit this week. Shocking isn't it?!! Hahaha

Got any plans for the weekend? Besides the pumpkin carving tonight and the Festival tomorrow, we'll be packing some more stuff up for the pending move. It's starting to sink in a little more that we'll actually own a house again. :) I'll be more excited the day of closing.

I'll be back in a little bit with my Etsy Friday Finds, but have a great weekend whatever it is you're doing!!


Supplies
Stamps: Claudia & Company 'Princess Chloe Puddle Jumper' and Whipper Snapper 'Spooky Expressions'
Inks: StazOn 'Jet Black', Creamy Caramel, Pretty In Pink, Cool Caribbean, Distress Inks 'Antique Linen, Tea Dye, Frayed Burlap, Black Soot'
Papers: Strathmore Bristol Vellum, Bazzil Basics, PP - My Mind's Eye 'Boo To You' Collection
Access: PTI Rustic Button Twine, PTI Button - Black, Spellbinders Large Circle Nestibilities, Fiskars Decorative Scissors, Stampendous Crystal Snow Glitter, Machine Stitching, Sponges, Dimensionals