Another Sneak Peek: The Greeting Farm!

Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Oh my gosh, I have been going crazy waiting to show you this sneak peek!!

I have soooo been enjoying coloring all the images from The Greeting Farm's newest designer, Marina Neira! She is one talented lady! If you like to color like I do, I'm telling you right now; you're going to fall in love with these new images being released this Thursday!

Meet Maggie Rabbit!

Isn't she the sweetest thing you've ever seen?! Look at those giant eyes and that sweet smile - so cute! Did I mention I had a ball coloring her up?! ;) And the best part - she comes in RUBBAH!! I love the convenience of digitals, but I love my rubber more. I paired Miss Maggie with some gorgeous paper from Bo Bunny (Will you look at that?! I matched up the paper name again! LOL It's funny how often that happens!) and this week's Friday Sketchers layout (FS71). I colored her up with reinkers and an aquapainter brush and added some Glossy Accents to her eyes for some more pop!

Wanna see more sneak peeks?! Check out what the rest of the DT have created for you today!

Cindy
Cheryl
Kadie
Lisa
Lynda
Mercy

Don't forget!! Starting at 8am CST tomorrow, The Greeting Farm will be hosting a blog hop to kick off the release of 4 individual stamps, 2 full sets and lots of digital images! It will continue until 8pm CST and prizes will be given away!! So get ready to hop!!

Ok, thanks so much for stopping by today and I'll see you all tomorrow!

Supplies
Stamps: The Greeting Farm 'Maggie Rabbit', My Favorite Things 'Essential Sentiments'
Inks: StazOn 'Jet Black', Pretty In Pink, Old Olive, Cool Caribbean, Sahara Sand, Going Gray, Distress Inks 'Frayed Burlap, Black Soot'
Papers: Strathmore Bristol Vellum, Bazzil Basics, PP = Bo Bunny 'Back To Basics Collection - Tutu Dot and Alissa Twirls'
Access: Ribbon, Buttons, Machine Stitching, Sponging, Dimensionals

Mr Bone Jangles and Wild Women!

Good Morning!

This week is getting crazier by the day I tell ya! Double postings everywhere! So expect another from me this morning.

I have two more cards to show you today that I made for my guest spot with Starving Artistamps. I've had so much fun with these stamps! They really are happy stamps! My favorite kind. *grin*

This first card uses this week's Taylored Expressions sketch challenge (TESC84) for the layout. I changed out the circle panel for this labels four nesties because I needed the length for Mr Bones. I really liked that glitter frame I created for a card I did last week, so I did it again to frame Mr Bones. The super yummy paper is from Making Memories 'Spooky Alley' collection which I sponged lightly with some distress inks to give it a moody feel.

I saved my most favorite image from the Prehistoric set till last. I want hair like this!! I used a bunch of distress inks to create her hair color. Usually I leave a bit of white space around my images that I cut out or else they get a bit lost on the card. This card uses this week's Weekend Sketch Challenge (WSC99) for the layout and some Bo Bunny paper.

Hope you've enjoyed these cards as much as I've enjoyed making them!

Supplies

Card 1

Stamps: Starving Artistamps/DoodleFactory 'Costume Party' and 'Prehistoric Sentiments'

Inks: Versamark, Distress Inks 'Vintage Photo'

Papers: Bazzil Basics, PP - Making Memories 'Spooky Alley' and The Paper Company 12x12 Black Glitter Paper

Access: Stampendous 'Seafoam White' Embossing Powder, American Crafts ribbon, Making Memories Hardware, Labels Four Nestitbilties, Decorative Scissors, Sponges, Dimensionals

Card 2

Stamps: Starving Artistamps/DoodleFactory 'Prehistoric Set and matching sentiments'

Inks: StazOn 'Jet Black', Creamy Caramel, Close to Cocoa, Distress Inks 'Frayed Burlap, Antique Linen, Tea Dye and Vintage Photo'

Papers: Strathmore Bristol Vellum, Bazzil Basics, PP - BoBunny 'U Bug Me! Outdoors'

Access: Large Circle Nestibilities, Paper Piercer, Decorative Scissors, Foof-fa-la 'Savannah' Button, Twine, Dimensionals

Sneak Peek: The Greeting Farm!

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Good Morning again!

I'm soooooo excited to be showing you a sneak peek this morning of one of the new sets being released from The Greeting Farm!! Along with my fellow Fall Gardeners and the fabulous Farmers, you're going to see sneak peeks all over the place this morning!

One of the new sets being released is the Merry Tags set and it's exactly what I'm going to use on all my Christmas gifts this year!

I went to Michaels yesterday and found this awesome bucket in the aisle bins! So I snatched it up and made up a cute little container for Christmas cookies! The Christmas tree is from one of the tags. I just masked it off to create this little medallion for the bucket. I also made a complete tag and attached it to the other side of the bucket.

To make the bucket I just created a long band to fit around the circumference of the bucket and glued it down with some tacky strip glue. Then I added an ornament (from Michaels) and some ribbon and the cookies and it was done! These buckets were all the rage last year, but I've never made one until now but I'm telling you - they're addictive!!

The Cookie-In-A-Jar is just a quick thing to whip up by using a recycled glass jar and some fun Christmas fabric. Add some ribbon, a button and one of the Merry Tags and you've got yourself a great, inexpensive gift! The possibilities for these tags are endless!

Want to see more sneak peeks?? You can check out more here:

Cheryl

Cindy

Kadie

Lisa

Lynda

Mercy

Jessica

Thanks so much for stopping by today!!

Supplies

Stamps: The Greeting Farm 'Merry Tags'

Inks: StazOn 'Jet Black', Creamy Caramel, Ruby Red, Old Olive, Morning Marigold, Distress Inks 'Frayed Burlap'

Papers: Strathmore Bristol Vellum, Georgia Pacific, PP - Basic Grey 'Wassil Collection - ?? and ??' and K&Company 'Smitten 12x12 Brown Glitter Paper'

Access: Ribbon (Michaels), Folk Art Santa Ornament (Michaels), Martha Stewart Edge Punch, Scalloped Decorative Scissors, Marvy Scalloped Circle Punch, Pinking Shears, PTI Rustic Button Ribbon, Foof-fa-la Button, Dimensionals

Riley With A Cause

Good Morning!

I have a special card to share with you today! Put up in the Hanna Stamps store just yesterday, is Ribbon Riley!

He's perfect for any cause you want to show your support for; all you need to do is color the ribbon the appropriate color! October is the National Breast Cancer Awareness Month so in honor of that, Kristi is releasing Ribbon Riley early.

We all know someone who has been affected by breast cancer in one way or another and wouldn't they love a card that makes them smile but also lets them know you're thinking of them? I think if you love your Riley's, this really is a must have for your collection.

I had no problem picking the patterned paper for this card. Basic Grey's Lemonade Collection with all it's pink was an obvious choice. I used this week's Get Sketchy #7 for my layout and girlied the card up a bit with some scalloped edging and some yummy ribbon. With all the ribbon I do have, I don't have any wide pink ribbon! I kept staring at my collection hoping that one would appear right before my eyes, but no such luck. :(

Be on the look out for another post from me this morning! I told you it was going to be a crazy week! :)


Supplies
Stamps: Hanna Stamps 'Ribbon Riley', My Favorite Things 'Essential Sentiments'
Inks: StazOn 'Jet Black', Creamy Caramel, Going Gray, Sahara Sand, Cool Caribbean, Pretty In Pink, Regal Rose
Papers: Strathmore Bristol Vellum, Bazzil Basics, PP - Basic Grey 'Lemonade Collection - Poppy Field and Pink Fizz'
Access: Ribbon, Cotton Candy Stickles, EK Success Corner Punch, Decorative Scissors, Machine Stitching, Dimensionals

The Greeting Farm Sneak Peek!

Monday, September 28, 2009

Hello! Me again!

My term with The Greeting Farm offically starts tomorrow *woohoooooo*, but I've been allowed to show you a couple of sneak peeks at what's being released this Thursday!!! You are going to freak when you see what Marie has in store for you all!

As you have probably noticed with last month's release, Marie has been seeking out some other fabulously talented designers to create stamps for her. This month is no exception! The newest designer for TGF is Marina Neira!!


How stinkin cute are these little guys?! I swear they are just as much fun to color as they are to look at! This is Benny. He's all cosy and snug in that stocking! So adorable! He's the perfect size for stardard cards and this layout actually really great for all those Christmas cards we'll all need to be banging out soon!

And now meet Archie and Marlene at harvest time. So cute! They could be brother and sister, or best friends or even boyfriend and girlfriend. Unbelieveably cute! I used this week's Sweet Sunday Sketch (SSC37) for this layout. These new images from Marina are going to be digi stamps because Marie only just got them in her hot little hand and wasn't going to be able to turn them into rubber before the holidays. But digis's are great because there's no waiting for the mail man to deliver them and you can make them as large or as small as you want! :D

So are you crazy about them as I am?! Let me know what you think. Tomorrow, me and my fellow Fall Gardeners offically start our term and I can't wait to show you what we've all been working on!! :)

Thank you so much for stopping by!!


Supplies
Card 1
Stamps: The Greeting Farm 'Benny_Stocking', sentiment....shhh, it's a surprise!
Inks: Going Gray, Pretty In Pink, Ruby Red, Old Olive, Cool Caribbean, Sahara Sand
Papers: Georgia Pacific, Bazzil Basics, PP - My Mind's Eye 'Wild Asparagus - birthday polka dot'
Access: Ribbon, Martha Stewart Snowflake Punch, Spellbinders Tags Trio, Machine Stitching, Sponges, Dimensionals

Card 2
Stamps: The Greeting Farm 'Archie and Marlene_Harvest' and 'Panda Friends' - retired
Inks: Creamy Caramel, Close To Cocoa, Buckaroo Blue, Pumpkin Pie, Really Rust, Pretty in Pink, Morning Marigold, Certain Celery, Soft Sky, Distress Inks 'Frayed Burlap and Black Soot'
Papers: Georgia Pacific, Bazzil Basics, PP - Creative Imaginations 'Art Warehouse - Harvest Moon Collection - Cornucopia'
Access: Ribbon, Prima Flowers, Dew Drops, Marvy Square Scalloped Punch, Spellbinders Tags Trio, Sponges, Dimensionals

TSG22 - Spooky Cracked Glass

Good Morning! Good Morning!


How was your weekend?? Mine was slamming busy! I was churning out cards like no bodies business because there are LOTS of exciting things happening this week in the stamping world and I have another busy week at work, so I had to make as many as I could this past weekend. Hang onto your seat; this week is going to be jamming!!

First off, I want to apologize for forgetting to tell everyone about it the TSG release party that happened last Saturday. Because of all the events on my calendar this week, I've been so frazzled trying to keep them straight in my head. I promise you that once this week is done, I'll be back to my normal self and be more organized by the time the TSG release week comes around.

Ok, so every Monday There She Goes puts out a challenge for everyone to play along with. This week's challenge (TSG22) is to create a card or project using the cracked glass technique. It's a fun and easy technique that gives you awesome results!

I used the witch from the Spooktacular Silhouettes set that was released this past Saturday night. I stamped her on some Strathmore Bristol Vellum with StazOn, then sponged around her with Antique Linen, Frayed Burlap, Walnut Stain and Black Soot Distress Inks. Then I applied about 5 layers of clear embossing powder over the top of the image and threw it in the freezer to set. This is the fun part! Brought it out after about a half hour and started bending the piece to create the cracks. It's really cool to hear it cracking! Then I rubbed Walnut Stain all over it so it got into the cracks to give it that really distressed look.


The rest of the card came together pretty easily. I used this week's Sketch For You To Try and rotated it onto it's side. The sentiment is from one of the other sets released this past weekend, Home Sweet Home Halloween Additions. The paper is from Making Memories Spooky Alley Collection.

Wanna win a $5 gift certificate to There She Goes?? Just create a card for this challenge and leave your name and a link to your project in the Mr. Linky that is located at the bottom of the challenge post. If you don't have a blog, just upload it to SCS and use the keyword TSG22. The challenge is open until the winner is announced next Monday, Oct. 5th.

Be on the look out for another post today!



Supplies
Stamps: There She Goes 'Spooktacular Silhouettes' and 'HSH Halloween Additions'
Inks: StazOn 'Jet Black', Versamark, Distress Inks 'Antique Linen, Frayed Burlap, Walnut Stain and Black Soot'
Papers: Strathmore Bristol Vellum, Kraft, Bazzil Basics, PP - Making Memories 'Spooky Alley'
Access: Ribbon, Labels Four and Circle Nestibilities, Clear Embossing Powder, Sponges, Dimenionals

TSG Home Sweet Home Halloween Additions Blog Hop!

Friday, September 25, 2009

Welcome to the Haunted House....ooops! I mean the Home Sweet Home Halloween Additions Blog Hop!!

This is your second last stop on the hop and if you've swung by here via the super lovely Maki Jones's blog, then you're on the right track. And if you haven't, but would like to play along on this frightful and delightful hop, then head over to the TSG blog to begin the scary ride there.

This brand new Home Sweet Home Halloween Additions set is fangtastic!! hehe (I couldn't help myself!) It contains over 40 images to mix and match and play with in addition to the Home Sweeet Home set.

This scene is almost identical to what you'd have found at our old house during the month of October. Except we didn't have skulls in our fireplace! Candles are less creepy! Haha Can you tell I love Halloween yet?! LOL So it should come as no surprise that I really, REALLY love this additions set. It has everything you need to create a spooktacular fireplace scene (except the fireplaces themselves, which are in the HSH set). I used NINE stamps in this scene...can you spot them all?! I'll give you a hint: One is hiding under the mantel. :)

The image was colored again with reinkers and an aquapainter brush. I then matted it with two tones of orange cardstock and then, because I don't own the square scalloped nestibilities, I used my Marvy square scalloped punch (remember those paper weights?!) to punch out enough scallops to complete the scalloped frame behind the image. Time consuming, but it's a way around the issue if you lacking these nesties in your collection. :) That YUMMY paper is from Making Memories, which I found at Michaels. Oh and if you click on the image, you might see the drippy goo punch I used beneath the ribbon...really hard to see on this layout, but I HAD to use it! LOL The sentiment is cut out using the Spellbinders Labels Trio set and sponged with Pumpkin Pie and Vintage Photo while still in the template.

Ok, I'm now sending you on your lovely way to the fabulously funny and talented Wendy Bond's blog! Enjoy!

Supplies

Stamps: There She Goes 'Home Sweet Home Halloween Additions'

Inks: StazOn 'Jet Black', Sahara Sand, Going Gray, Morning Marigold, Pumpkin Pie, Really Rust, Perfect Plum, Distress Inks 'Peeled Paint and Black Soot'

Papers: Georgia Pacific, Bazzil Basics, PP - Making Memories 'Spook Alley'

Access: Maya Road Ribbon, PTI Rustic Buttons - Black Mix, PTI Rustic Button Twine, Martha Stewart Drippy Goo Edge Punch, Marvy Scalloped Square Punch, Spellbinders Labels Trio, Dimensionals

TSG Home Sweet Home Blog Hop!

Thursday, September 24, 2009

Welcome to the TSG Home Sweet Home Blog Hop!

This is your second last stop on the hop and if you've swung by here via the super lovely Maki Jones's blog, then you're on the right track. And if you haven't, but would like to play along on this cosy and comfortable hop, then head over to the TSG blog and begin your hop there.

This brand new Home Sweet Home set is such a beautiful set with it's elegant fireplaces and accessories. I wanted to create a warm and welcoming feel to this card so I picked out this soothing (oldy, but a goody) paper from Crate Paper and paired it with some yummy ribbon I picked up last Christmas.

This image was watercolored with a combination of SU reinkers, pads and Distress Ink pads and I used a total of 6 images from the HSH set to create this scene (including the sentiment). Some of the layers were machine stitched to add to that warm and cosy look I was going for. I also sed my decorative scissors to create the edging on the bottom two layers. Kind of looks like the edging you'd see on a quilt, don't you think? You can't quite see it in the picture, but I added some glossy accents to the candle, the mirror and the vase. (Sorry for the average photo - it was cloudy today and no amount of editing was going to help, so I took the photo in the kitchen!)

Ok, I'm now sending you on your way to the fabulously funny and talented Wendy Bond's blog! Enjoy!


Supplies
Stamps: There She Goes 'Home Sweet Home'
Inks: StazOn 'Jet Black', Creamy Caramel, Going Gray, Soft Sky, Pretty In Pink, Old Olive, Sahara Sand, Morning Marigold, Pumpkin Pie, Ruby Red, Close To Cocoa, Chocolate Chip, Distress Inks 'Frayed Burlap and Black Soot'
Papers: Georgia Pacific, Bazzil Basics, PP - Crate Paper 'New Garden Collection - Fresh Cut & Flower Patch'
Access: Ribbon, Ranger Inkssentials Glossy Accents, Stickles 'Orange Peel', Decorative Scissors, Machine Stitching, Sponges, Dimensionals

Changing Of The Season Sale!

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

It's the first day of Fall here in the northern hemisphere (Spring for all my family down under!)and do you know what that means??

It's the start of the Changing Of The Seasons Sale at There She Goes!

Five, count em.... 5 select stamp sets are on sale for 15% off. This sale is going on right now through to this Saturday, September 26th. Here are this season's sale sets:

Nature Of Friendship $18.70 (reg. $22)

Rejuvenate $15.30 (reg. $18)

Life’s A Beach $12.75 (reg. $15)

Tweeterpated $15.30 (reg. $18)

She’s A Lady $12.75 (reg. $15)

Grab yours before the price goes away!

TSG Spooky Silhouettes Blog Hop!

Welcome to the last stop on the There She Goes Spooky Silhouettes Blog Hop!!

Mwhahahahahahahaha!! (No one laughed better than Vincent Price!)

If you've come by my blog from the super talented Maki Jones's blog, then you're on the right (spooky) path, but if you've just stumbled upon this post and you want to check out the rest of the SPOOKY BLOG HOP, then head over to the TSG blog to start your dark and mysterious journey there!

I looooove silhouettes for their boldness and the solid impression they leave. And especially because they work so well with the sponged ink technique!

I chose to use this silhouette of this spooky tree because it's scrolly branches matched this scrap piece of Creative Imaginations paper I have and because it SCREAMS Halloween! The area around the tree is sponged with Frayed Burlap and Walnut Stain Distress Inks. Then I used some very sparkly black glitter paper and the Labels Four Nestibilities to create a frame. The two layers of patterned paper were sponged around the edges with Walnut Stain and matted on some black cardstock.

You can't have a spooky tree without a crooked fence, so I used Martha Stewarts edge punch to add a little detail across the card and added the bow to ground it. Then I added some bats with the MS bat punch and sprayed the entire card with some Pearl Glimmer Mist for some extra sparkle! Oh my gosh how it sparkles!

Congratulations! You made it to the end of the hop! YAY! Now head back to the TSG blog to leave your name and contact info with Mr Linky for the chance to win this SPOOKTACULAR SET!! Woohoooo!

Thanks for dropping by!!

Supplies

Stamps: There She Goes 'Spooky Silhouettes'

Inks: StazOn 'Jet Black', Distress Inks 'Frayed Burlap, Tea Dye, Walnut Stain, Black Soot'

Papers: Georgia Pacific, The Paper Company Black Cardstock and 'Black Glimmer', PP - Creative Imaginations 'Melange, Fright Night Collection - Dusk' and 'Flair Designs - The Christmas Story'

Access: Ribbon, Martha Stewart Crooked Fence Edge Punch and Bat Punch, Labels Four Nestibilities, Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist - Pearl, Sponges, Dimensionals

Some Exciting News!

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

I finally get to tell you something I've been keeping under wraps for a couple of months now!

For the next 6 months, I'm going to be a (Junior) Trendsetter for THERE SHE GOES!!! Waahoo!! I'm so thrilled to be a part of this great company and to design along side the talented design team! I had such a great time being a guest designer for TSG a few months back so I'm really glad to be back with the team again.

Thank you Jessica for this incredible opportunity!

Starting tomorrow, the TSG design team will be hosting a series of blog hops to celebrate the new sets being released this Sunday, so head over to Jessica's blog tomorrow for more details and to see some fabulous sneak peek's!

:)

Rawrrrrrrrr!!

Good Morning! I have some more Starving Artistamps/DoodleFactory cards for you today!

I've been having a ball playing with these new sets! I think cards should bring a smile to the faces of the recipients and these DF images make is so easy to do that. They're fun, colorful and guaranteed to make you smile!

There are three dinosaurs in the Prehistoric Set and this first card uses two of them. The card's dimensions are 5.5 x 5.5 inches, so you can gauge how big they are. Love the sentiments in the matching set! So fun! I'm kicking myself that I stamped the sentiment over that black dinosaur. It was my only sheet left of this Basic Grey Archaic paper and I couldn't avoid it! Grrr....or is that Rawr?! LOL

This second card uses the last dinosaur in the set. Pretend he's purple and doesn't he look like Dino?! Too cute! He'd make great birthday cards for kids wouldn't he? I wanted to make a fun card using him and some bright, colorful paper instead of the obvious (Basic Grey's Archaic). The paper is from K&Company's 'Cut 'N Paste' collection. I used a corner punch with it's guard off to create the large scalloped circle panel. Dino was colored with More Mustard. I added more layers of color to the shadows to create that darker, more intense color. To avoid bleed lines, I keep the brush moving as I add the layers of color and I re-wet everything within that area, even if there is no ink on the brush anymore. This is important otherwise you will leave bleed lines.

Hope you find this tip useful. :) Have a good one!

Supplies

Card 1

Stamps: Starving Artistamps/DoodleFactory 'Prehistoric' & 'Prehistoric Sentiments'

Inks: StazOn 'Jet Black', Old Olive, Pumpkin Pie, Really Rust, Going Gray, Distress Inks 'Frayed Burlap'

Papers: Strathmore Bristol Vellum, Bazzil Basics, PP - Basic Grey 'Archaic Collection'

Access: Orange Twill, Making Memories Antique Square Brads, EK Success Circle Punches, Sponges, Dimensionals

Card 2

Stamps: Starving Artistamps/DoodleFactory 'Prehistoric & Prehistoric Sentiments'

Inks: StazOn 'Jet Black', More Mustard, Going Gray, Old Olive

Papers: Strathmore Bristol Vellum, Bazzil Basics, PP - K&Company 'Cut 'N Paste Mat Pad'

Access: PTI Rustic Buttons - Cream & White Mix, EK Success Corner Punch, Large Circle Nestibilities, Dimensionals

Sit Back, Relax & Enjoy!

Monday, September 21, 2009

Good Morning!

Hope your weekend was a good one. Ours was quite uneventful really. We stayed close to home and went apple picking. As much as we love apples, I think we picked a few too many. May have to find some creative ways to use them up!

I really love coloring up Wheat Riley. I don't know whether it's because of the big hat or the banjo he's carrying or the sprig (is that the word) of wheat in his mouth. It might be the fact that he's wearing clothes and there's more to color than just his fur and antlers?!

A couple of weeks ago, the uber talented Kerry Donovan hosted a sketch challenge (HSC86) for the Hanna Stamps Friday challenge. I wasn't able to play along then, but I had some down time yesterday and the sketch was perfect for Wheat Riley. I had some left over Mr Campy paper Cosmo Cricket and since they're double sided, they came in handy for all these layers in this sketch! Nothing too out of the ordinary with this card. Each layer was sponged with Vintage Photo Distress Ink and matted with Bazzil cardstock. I used (up) some eyelets for some detail and I am LOVING my oval nesties...can you tell? LOL

Have a painless Monday! :)

Supplies

Stamps: Hanna Stamps 'Wheat Riley' and Stamping Bella 'Sit Back, Relax & Enjoy'

Inks: StazOn 'Jet Black', Creamy Caramel, Going Gray,

Papers: Strathmore Bristol Vellum, Bazzil Basics, PP - Cosmo Cricket 'Mr Campie Collection'

Access: Eyelets, Small Oval Nestibilties & Scalloped Oval Nestibilities, Sponges, Dimensionals

Anyone for Bingo??

Friday, September 18, 2009

TGIF right?!? Sooo happy about that! LOL

I've been stamping like a mad woman all week and in dire need of a good night out! Actually, who am I kidding? If I went out tonight, I'd have one drink, call a taxi and be in bed by 9pm! LOL I'll settle for PJ's and a glass of wine though. :)

Ms Bella is getting set for a night out....playing bingo! hehe

As I was filling my online shopping cart with Bella's I stumbled across Bingodabbabella and decided I HAD to make a card for sweet lady who lives in the apartment underneath us. She loves her bingo nights and I often see her leave with her carry case full of bright colored dabbas. So I *think* this card will put a smile on her face. :)

This week's Bellarific Friday sketch challenge was a nice and easy one. Should have taken me no time at all right? Yeaaaaah. It took me 3 hours. *rolling eyes* I couldn't pick the right paper, then I couldn't get a sentiment to work. Argh! Finally I decided on some paper and left off a sentiment. Less is always more, right?! hahaha Again, Ms Bingo was colored with reinkers and an aquapainter on Strathmore Bristol Vellum for that smooth finish I am liking so much lately.

That's it from me this week. Have a good one!

Supplies
Stamps: Stamping Bella 'Bingodabbabella'
Inks: StazOn 'Jet Black', Creamy Caramel, Close To Cocoa, Chocolate Chip, Cool Caribbean, Sahara Sand, Pink Passion, Going Gray, Distress Inks 'Frayed Burlap'
Papers: Strathmore Bristol Vellum, Bazzil Basics, PP - Basic Grey 'Mellow Collection - Taper'
Access: Large Oval Nestibilities, Large Oval Scalloped Nestibilities, Ribbon, PTI Vintage Button - White and Cream Mix, PTI Rustic Button Twine, Sponges, Dimensionals

Fall Blessings

Good Morning Sunshines!!

It's a beeeeautiful morning here in New England today! The sun is shining and there's a slight chill in the air. The leaves on the trees are starting to turn shades of yellow, orange and red and I'm got a craving for some apple cider! :) Looooooove this time of year!

This week's Hanna Stamps Challenge (HCS87) is to create a genie bag. A what?!? A genie bag. You've never heard of one before? Well that makes two of us...until Cindy Haffner, our gracious hostess this week, showed us this tutorial on SCS. Easy peesy!

Fall Time Hanna is perfect for this type of project! I can see myself giving a few of these away as gifts to Syd's preschool teachers. Or you could do Halloween ones, or Christmas ones! Hmmm...time to plan ahead I think!

The lunch bags I found at my grocery store were larger than a standard sized card (which the tutorial calls for), so the fronts of my bag at 8.5x5.5 - half a 8.5x11 sheet of cardstock. I've seen a bunch of bags or boxes created with this window in it, so I used my Labels One Nestie to cut the window out of the front cover. Before gluing down the patterned paper to the cardstock, I sandwiched a piece of plastic (that I recycled from a individual popcorn wrapper) between them. Worked out really well! For the handle, I used my circle punch to punch two holes almost side by side, then cut the little bits left between them with a scalpel blade. Finally I decorated it with some images from the Fall Time Hanna set. The tag was created with a small oval nestie and a sentiment from the set. Really love how this turned out!

Thanks for stopping by today and have a fabulous weekend!

EDIT: Oppps! Forgot to *scream* this from the rooftops!! Recognize it? My jaw is still on the floor! :)

Supplies
Stamps: Hanna Stamps! 'Fall Time Hanna'
Inks: StazOn 'Jet Black', Creamy Caramel, Buckaroo Blue, Pumpkin Pie, Old Olive, Distress Inks 'Antique Linen, Tea Dye, Vintage Photo, Walnut Stain and Frayed Burlap'
Papers: Strathmore Bristol Vellum, Pumpkin Pie (SU), PP - K&Company 'Lemon Drop Collection'
Access: Ribbon, Raffia, Labels One Nestibilities, Lunch Bag, Circle Punches, Wrapper from Individually Wrapped Popcorn, Sponges, Dimensionals....and cookies! :)

Have A Spooktacular Halloween!

Thursday, September 17, 2009

Good Morning again!

Remember how I said I hope you weren't sick of all the Halloween cards I've been cranking out?!? Well, here's a couple more! LOL Forgive me, but I have a double post tomorrow and since I don't normally post on the weekends, I only had today to show you these fun cards using the recently released Costume Party set from Starving Artistamps/DoodleFactory!

I seriously could color these trick or treaters all day long! They really are the perfect size for coloring and cutting out. The layout for this first card was from an old TCP sketch I found on Leigh O'Brien's blog (love her style!). I used more of that Halloween paper from Recollections again and sponged the edges with Black Soot from Ranger's Distress Inks. The green horizontal panel was sponged then I stamped the haunted house from the Graveyard Shift set in the Peeled Paint ink. The two trick or treaters were colored with SU reinkers on Strathmore Bristol Vellum, then cut out and popped up on dimensionals. The inverted scalloped border was created with decorative scissors. It really does create a great look on Halloween cards.

This next card uses this week's Get Sketchy #5 sketch for it's layout. Again, I used more of that Recollections Halloween paper because, well...it's fabbie!! LOL The corners of the purple patterned paper were rounded with a corner punch and I also used it to create that large scalloped circle panel. Just take the guard off when you do this. The sentiment is from Starving Artistamps/DoodleFactory's Witch's Brew sentiment set which was released last year.

Thanks so much for stopping by again today! :)

Supplies

Card 1

Stamps: Starving Artistamps/DoodleFactory 'Costume Party', 'Graveyard Shift' & 'Graveyard Sentiments'

Inks: StazOn 'Jet Black', Creamy Caramel, Cool Caribbean, Close To Cocoa, Pumpkin Pie, Really Rust, Ruby Red, Old Olive, Lavendar Lace, Certain Celery, Morning Marigold, Going Gray, Distress Inks 'Peeled Paint and Black Soot'

Papers: Strathmore Bristol Vellum, Bazzil Basics, PP - Recollections 'Halloween' 8x8 Stack

Access: Ribbon, We R Memory Keepers Glitter Brads, Decorative Scissors, Sponges, Dimensionals

Card 2

Stamps: Starving Artistamps/DoodleFactory 'Costume Party' & 'Witch's Brew Sentiments'

Inks: StazOn 'Jet Black', Creamy Caramel, Going Gray, Buckaroo Blue, Distress Inks 'Black Soot'

Papers: Strathmore Bristol Vellum, Bazzil Basics, PP - Recollections 'Halloween' 8x8 Stack

Access: Ribbon, PTI Vintage Button - Black, Twine, EK Success Corner Punch, Sponges

When Black Cats Prowl...

Happy Thursday!

It's gotten a little colder in our neck of the woods lately and I've been thinking about dragging out my Halloween decorations this weekend. We have a bunch of Lemax houses that we scatter all around the apartment, lots of pumpkin heads, black cats and even some scary eyes that flicker on and off that stick to our windows. :) I'm like a big kid around this time of year. It's probably got a lot to do with growing up in New Zealand without a huge Halloween. Although, we did have Guy Fawkes night which was AWESOME! Any excuse to light fire crackers really. *grin*

Are you sick of my Halloween cards yet?! I hope not because I have A LOT more to come so I hope you are enjoying them. :) This one just might be my favorite yet. I love the monochromatic colors and you should see it in real life - it sparkles!! Oh how it sparkles!

The card base is some Bazzil Bling cardstock and the black matting and the inverted scalloped base to the oval are cut from this gorgeous black glitter paper I found at Michaels. Loooove it! Must remember to buy more of it. I did that inverted scalloped border with inexpensive scalloped decorative scissors. I just flipped the scissors so that instead of giving an edge a true scalloped edge, it inverts the design to create the look you see here.

I stamped and clear embossed this sentiment from Anna Wight's and Whipper Snapper's 'Spooky Expressions' cling set onto a scrap of kraft cardstock. I never knew this trick until a little while ago, but you can ink up your stamp with Versamark first then ink it with the color ink (in this case, black), then stamp it out, then sprinkle the clear embossing powder over the image and heat set it. I'm sure this is not news to you but since I've only attended a handful of SU workshops, I am constantly learning new (new to me) things all the time! LOL Anyway, once I stamped the image, I then ran it through the Cuttlebug with an oval nestie. After embossing it with the nestie, I left the nestie in place so I could sponge around the edges with Frayed Burlap and Black Soot. It creates a really cool halo effect! Then I just matted it to the glitter paper and created that border. The kitty is also from the set and I clear embossed her as well. Add the button and some twine and I was done.

Once I had the idea down, this really was a quick card to create. Great for giving to friends. :)

Thanks for stopping by today!

Supplies

Stamps: Whipper Snapper Anna Wight Cling Set 'Spooky Expressions'
Inks: Versamark, Distress Inks 'Frayed Burlap and Black Soot'

Papers: Kraft, Bazzil Bling, The Paper Company 'Glitter Paper', PP - Creative Imaginations 'Art Warehouse, Harvest Moon Collection - Haunted'

Access: PTI Vintage Button 'Black', Twine, Decorative Scissors, Large Oval Nestibilities, Sponges, Clear Embossing Powder

I'm Jack, the Pumpkin King!

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Good Morning!

Can you guess what movie I've been watching lately?! Yep, The Nightmare Before Christmas. It's one of my all-time favorite movies. Actually, my other favorite movie is Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (the old version)...bit of a bizarre pair isn't it?? About the only thing they both have in common is that they're musicals! LOL Hmmm, that might explain Mama Mia too. :)

Today I have another Whimsical Wednesday: Diedrich Dare challenge for you and I'm hosting this one on the WWDD blog so you all have to play along! LOL Only kidding! This week the Diedrich kids have challenged us to make a circle shape card. Hmmm. I actually have never done one before and I didn't know whether to laugh or cry at the news! LOL

Lots of details and layers to this sketch, but they aren't too bad if you keep the colors to a minimum. I pulled some Core'dinations Color Core paper and embossed it with a Cuttlebug 'Spots and Dots' embossing plate. Then, because this Black Magic Color Core paper is black on top and a different color on the back and in the center, I sanded some of the black off to get the orange to show through. It's a very cool and edgy look! I zigzag stitched some orange and black cardstock together for the second layer and the third layer was some scrap Halloween paper, sponged around the edges and straight stitched to some black cardstock.

Mr. Pumpkin King, from The Greeting Farm's Spooktacular set, was colored with reinkers and an aquapainter brush. I used three colors on his head: Morning Marigold, Pumpkin Pie and Really Rust. Once he was colored up, I cut him out with some precision scissors and popped him on dimensionals. The circle frame around him looks like chipboard doesn't it? It's actually more of that Color Core paper. I punched a 2' circle in some scrap paper first, then grabbed my Marvy scalloped circle punch and punched around the circle/hole that was left. Then I lightly sanded the edges for more of a grunge look. Popped it on dimensionals and added some ribbon and my shape card was done.

If you'd like to play along this week and make your own circle card, use the keywords DDSC2 when uploading to SCS or PCP so the Daredevils can find it and leave some love! Thanks for stopping by today!

Supplies

Stamps: The Greeting Farm 'Spooktacular'
Inks: StazOn 'Jet Black', Morning Marigold, Pumpkin Pie, Really Rust, Old Olive, Distress Inks 'Black Soot'
Papers: Strathmore Bristol Vellum, Core'dinations ColorCore Cardstock 'Black Magic - Spell Caster' , PP - Ichabod Crane paper (unknown)
Access: Ribbon, Cuttlebug Embossing Folder - Spots and Dots, Machine Stitching, Marvy Circle Punch and Scalloped Circle Punch, Sponging, Dimensionals

It's A Man's World....

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Not really, but I let The Man have his dream once in a while! *grin*

Check out these fun 'man' cards! I was totally cracking up while coloring them in this past weekend.

Meet Caveman Gorf. He's very hairy; check out that uni brow! LOL! I used this week's TESC82 for this card. Tweaked it a little bit by straightening the angular background paper, but kept everything else the same. The sentiment is also from Starving Artistamps/DoodleFactory. Those sentiments really have me cracking up laughing; love the sarcasm!

It's an age-old question; why DO kids draw on walls?! There's perfectly good paper next to them, and yet the temptation to scribble on the walls is too great. My Syd have been even more creative than this of late. I've been told by her preschool teacher that she'll sometimes draw with her saliva on the tables! I just about died when she told me. *roll eyes* This is definitely not something she has learnt in our home! Lord give me the strength. :)

The smaller stick figure stamps in the background are also included in the Prehistoric set, so you can create your own 'wall art'. :) I used this week's Weekend Sketch Challenge (WSC97) for the layout of this card. I think it worked out great! The images from both cards were colored with reinkers on Strathmore Bristol Vellum paper. It's not as forgiving as watercolor paper, but it's smooth and I like the finish it gives the images. It is a little time consuming to cut the images out, but it gives me something to occupy my hands while I watch a movie or tv. :) The paper used is from Basic Grey's Archaic Collection and some from We R Memory Keepers.

Thank you for the well wishes for Syd. She had a much better night's sleep last night, so hopefully she's back to her old self today. See you all tomorrow. :)

Supplies

Card 1

Stamps: Starving Artistamps 'Prehistoric and Sentiments'

Inks: StazOn 'Jet Black', Creamy Caramel, Close To Cocoa, Chocolate Chip, Distress Inks 'Frayed Burlap'

Papers: Strathmore Bristol Vellum, Bazzil Basics, PP - We R Memory Keepers 'Urban Window Collection - Boho Chic Funky Fix', Basic Grey 'Archaic Collection - 6x6 Paper Pad'

Access: Ribbon (unknown), EK Success Circle Punches, Dimensionals, Sponges

Card 2

Stamps: Starving Artistamps 'Prehistoric' & Sentiments'

Inks: StazOn 'Jet Black', Creamy Caramel, Distress Inks 'Antique Linen, Tea Dye and Vintage Photo'

Papers: Strathmore Bristol Vellum, Bazzi Basics, PP - Basic Grey 'Archaic Collection - 6x6 Paper Pad'

Access: Making Memories Square Bronze Brads, Paper Piercer, EK Success Corner Punch, Circle Nestibilities, EK Success Edge Punch, Sponges

The Love Of Friends

Monday, September 14, 2009

Good Morning!!

So again this weekend flew by wayyy too fast. It rained here all Saturday so we couldn't do much, then Sunday was gorgeous, but way too short. We managed to tackle some more cleaning and organizing of our teeny apartment. We burnt all our old CD's onto an external hard drive and into iTunes so we could pack away the CD's and reduce the clutter and I hemmed and put up the new curtains in Syd's bedroom and our living room. Looks like a home now rather than just an apartment. :)

I also managed to create a few cards too. Love productive weekends! I was recently given this beautiful Whiff of Joy stamp by my sweet friend Amy (thanks girl!) and I immediately had to color her up and put her on a card!

Isn't she sweet?! I used Distress Inks for her clothes and hair and some Soft Sky from SU for the background and Sahara Sand for the ground. Then I added some glitter with a Quickie glue pen to her wings and on some of the hearts. After coloring Melinda up, I automatically reached for my K&Company vintage paper stacks because that's what I usually go to and use. But then I had a change of heart since I always use that paper, and went for some old My Mind's Eye paper instead. It was much more colorful and pretty - just like this guardian angel!

Here's a close up of the detail in the image. The little charm was something I found at a CKC Convention a couple of years ago. Came in handy today! LOL

My little girl is home from daycare today. She developed a sore throat over the weekend and her voice has gotten really husky. Poor baby. :( Hopefully it's nothing a bit of rest and medicine can't fix. Thanks for stopping by today!

Supplies
Stamps: Whiff Of Joy 'Guardian Angel Collection - Melinda Blowing Kisses'
Inks: StazOn 'Jet Black', Creamy Caramel, Pretty In Pink, Sahara Sand, Soft Sky, Distress Inks 'Antique Linen, Tea Dye, Vintage Photo and Walnut Stain'
Papers: Strathmore Bristol Vellum, Bazzil Basics and Bling, PP - My Mind's Eye .Wild Asparagus "Sweet Little One" Paisley/Pink Paper and Plaid/Blue Paper
Access: Ribbons, Little Davis Heart Charm, Jump Ring, Kaiser Adhesive Pearls, Machine Stitching, Dimensionals, Stampendous Crystal Snow Glitter

Love Is In The Air

Friday, September 11, 2009

A very happy Friday to everyone!


Personally, I'm VERY glad it's Friday because I need to catch some Zzz's and be with my family. How about you?? Got any plans for the weekend? Stella has plans... ;) hubba hubba!

Stella has some BIG plans for the weekend! Love is definitely in the air for her. It's Bellarific Friday again and there was really no excuse to play along this week because Em had the sketch posted for over a week! (She came down with something and subsequently there was no BF last week.)

Most porcelain tubs are white but that's really hard to portray when you color. You can either use gray tones or pale blue hues. I went with the latter this time. I'm not 100% happy with it but I do like how it looks against the pale pink background wash. For some sparkle, I added a bit of glitter to a few of the hearts and Stella's wand with a quickie glue pen. The rest of the card came together pretty easily. Nothing too fancy going on here. :)

The first time around I really enjoyed coloring this Stella doing a Balancing Act in. Second time; not so much. The third time was painful. What you see below is what happens when you decide to spray Glimmer Mist to an image that was colored 6 days ago and you try to fix the bleeding by scrapping away at it with a blade. Mental note to self: don't apply glimmer mist to any red ink...WHAT SO EVER!! I almost cried when I had to redo the image, but then I tried rushing it and had too much water on my brush, all the colors ran into each other and what you see on the card now is my third attempt! LOL What a morning that was!


I hope you all have a lovely weekend what ever it is you're doing. Remember a few weeks back how I said I needed to clean out my car?? That's on my list of projects this weekend...we'll see if I get to it! LOL

Supplies

Stamps: Stamping Bella 'Stella Doing A Balancing Act' & 'Love Is In The Air'

Inks: Creamy Caramel, Cool Caribbean, Pretty In Pink, Regal Rose, Ruby Red, Sahara Sand, Distress Inks ' Tattered Rose and Frayed Burlap'

Papers: Strathmore Bristol Vellum, Bazzil Basics, PP - Basic Grey 'Pink Lemonade Collection -

Access: Ribbon, Doodlebug Brads, Stampendous Glitter, Large Oval Nestibilties, EK Success Hole Punch, Decorative Scissors, Machine Stitching, Taylor's Tiny Twinkles, Dimensionals

Give Me The Candy...

Thursday, September 10, 2009

Good morning!!

I hope your Wednesday flies by and the weekend is here before you know it! (Unless of course you have to get something done before then. Then I hope it drags! LOL)

I have some really exciting news to share with you all today! I was asked by Tracey from Starving Artistamps to be her guest designer for this month!! :D Woohooo!! This is incredibly exciting for me because I have LOVED the DoodleFactory line ever since I laid eyes on the Creatures set. The characters just crack me up every time I see them! And a lot of the sentiments are so sarcastic, they make for great cards. So you'll be seeing a bunch of cards over the coming weeks with the kooky characters that is the DoodleFactory!!

If you're not laughing at this first card, something might be wrong with you! This is the new Costume Party set recently released and the characters in this set are so great for cards for the little trick or treaters in our families. The sentiment is from the a Halloween set that Starving Artistamps released last year and it works perfectly with this hairy little monster. In fact, all of the sentiments from those sets work so well with this new set! The candy bags stamped on the purple dp are accessories stamps from the set. I used this week's 2 Sketches 4 You sketch for this layout.

This next card is my favorite! How adorable are these two?!? They remind me of my daughter and her cousin in their Halloween outfits last year. So cute! I stamped them on some Strathmore Bristol Vellum and colored them with reinkers and an aquapainter. The paper is from a Recollections Halloween 8x8 stack from Michaels. The sentiment is actually from the Witch's Trio set (which can be bought separately). Loving that Martha Stewart rickety fence punch!!

Hope these made you laugh. :) Thanks for stopping by today!

Supplies

Card 1
Stamps: Starving Artistamps 'Costume Party', 'Witches Brew Sentiments'

Inks: StazOn 'Jet Black', Creamy Caramel, Really Rust, Close To Cocoa, Old Olive, Distress Inks 'Frayed Burlap and Black Soot'

Papers: Strathmore Bristol Vellum, Bazzil Basics, PP - Recollections 'Halloween' 8x8 Stack

Access: Decorative Scissors, We R Memory Keepers 'Glitter Brads', Sponges, Dimensionals

Card 2

Stamps: Starving Artistamps/DoodleFactory 'Costume Party', Trick or Treat sentiment

Inks: Creamy Caramel, Close To Cocoa, Chocolate Chip, Really Rust, Pumpkin Pie, Morning Marigold, Buckaroo Blue, Cool Caribbean, Pretty in Pink, Distress Inks 'Antique Linen, Tea Dye, Vintage Photo, Black Soot, Frayed Burlap'

Papers: Strathmore Bristol Vellum, Bazzil Basics, PP - Recollections 'Halloween' 8x8 Stack

Access: BasicBasic Ribbon, Martha Stewart Edge Punch, Decorative Scissors, Sponges, Dimensionals

Whimsical Wednesdays: The Diedrich Dare!

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

Good morning and welcome to the first ever Whimsical Wednesday: The Diedrich Dare!

If you remember, a couple of months back, the Twinkling Tuesday girls decided to take the summer off. Well, we're back! It's the same group of talented girls and the same challenging sketches from the Diedrich kids, but we have a new name and a new blog! And to kick of this week, we have an awesome sponsor!!

This week's sketch is a nice symmetrical one! My favorite! LOL I *love* the fact that Jessica's kids draw these sketches for us to play with. They're so unlike other sketches out there and they're not always easy, but remember, sketches a just guides and you can tweak it here and there to make it work for you.

To kick off this week's Diedrich Dare, I decided it would be very fitting to use a Greeting Farm image. Bree is just adorable! I love her little braids and that satchel! I think I omitted one of the layers and the dots embellishments along the bottom and top from my card, but it still keeps the majority of the sketch intact.

If you'd like to play along this week, just create a card using the sketch, upload it either to your blog, SCS or PCP and leave a link to it on this week's WWDD blog post. If you upload it to SCS or PCP, remember to use the keyword DDSC1 so the Diedrich Dare girls can find your cards and leave you some love! :) The best part is one lucky (and random) participant will win the awesome Butterfly Wishes set just by playing along! :) Woohooo!!

Need some more inspiration?! Check out what the other Diedrich Daredevils have created with the sketch!

Jessica Diedrich

Jacquie Peifer

Cassie Larson

Darla Wilson

Debbie Lee

Heather Schlatter

Kim Ross

Lisa Slusser

Rebecca Ednie

Sandra Maclean

Thanks so much for stopping by today!

Supplies
Stamps: The Greeting Farm 'Wild Sprout - Bree', PaperTrey Ink 'PaperTray'
Inks: StazOn 'Jet Black', Creamy Caramel, Pretty In Pink, Close To Cocoa, Regal Rose, Ruby Red, Cool Caribbean, Distress Inks 'Frayed Burlap'
Papers: Strathmore Bristol Vellum, Bazzil Basics, PP - Cosmo Cricket 'Girl Friday - Friday'
Access: Ribbon, Dimensionals, Sponges