A Princess For Halloween!

Thursday, September 30, 2010

Good Morning!

Tomorrows October 1st, which only means two things in our house - Halloween decorations come out and new stamps being released from Claudia and Company! Yippee! Today's card is a sneak peek of what's to come!

Meet Princess Chloe!

Another adorable Puddle Jumper from the fabulous designer Lori Boyd!! And the best part is that she's also releasing a Halloween Treat Bag digi set...so you can turn Princess Chloe into a Trick or Treater!! And what perfect timing too because my Little Ray of Sunshine has been begging to be a Princess for Halloween since, oh, last Halloween! LOL

As usual, I colored Princess Chloe with my reinkers and aquapainter brush. I used SU's Morning Marigold on her dress and More Mustard for the shadows. Her hair was done using Antique Linen, Tea Dye and a teeny, tiny bit of Vintage Photo Distress Ink. Although, in this photo you can't see it too well, those streaks in her dress are areas of glitter I applied using a Quickie Glue pen. The sentiment is from the Birthday Lily set. Love how versatile she can be! That patterned paper is a 6x6 Girl's Paperie sample pack of paper I bought from Claudia's online store, DieCutsRUs. But those things fly out the door like hot cakes, so I can't link you to them....because they're all gone!

If you want to see some more sneak peeks, then check out what the rest of the Claudia & Co team have been working on this week! (The links are in my sidebar.) Or, if you'd rather keep it a surprise, then stop back here tomorrow for a huge blog hop where you'll see another Puddle Jumper, a new monster on the block....and our FABULOUS guest designer for October!! Bet you can't guess what FARM she's from?! ;)


Supplies
Stamps: Claudia & Company 'Princess Chloe Digital Stamp' & 'Birthday Lily'
Inks: Creamy Caramel, Pretty In Pink, Morning Marigold, More Mustard, Sahara Sand, Distress Inks 'Antique Linen, Tea Dye and Vintage Photo'
Papers: Georgia Pacific, Bazzil Basics, PP - The Girls' Paperie
Access: Ribbon, Martha Stewart Edge Punch, Fiskars Decorative Scissors, Stampendous Crystal Snow Glitter, Machine Stitching, Dimensionals

Smooches!

Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Good Morning Farm Lovers!

I've been feeling WAY guilty for not inking up my new Wild Sprouts from The Greeting Farm. They're not the newest kids on the spot, but since they haven't seen ink yet, they're new to me! I also bought some new paper from Crate Paper, a few weeks back that I haven't broken into yet, so Saturday night I pulled them all out and got them dirty! ;)

I've really missed my time on the Farm (the Greeting Farm, that is) so it was great to revisit it by playing with what might possibly be the CUTEST wild sprout in the land - Dee Dee! I also used this week's Club Anya and Friends Saturday Sketch challenge for my layout. Do you see the sparkle on that inverted scalloped border?? It's black glitter paper (from Michaels) and it's my favorite paper right now! I can't get enough of the stuff!

As usual, I used my reinkers and aquapainter brush to color in Dee Dee. I distressed the base panel with my edge distresser and then each panel was sponged with Frayed Burlap Distress Ink and machine stitched with either a straight stitch or my other favorite thing right now - zigzag stitch! I don't own the inverted scalloped circle nesties, so I used the flip side of my Fiskars scalloped scissors instead. When I do use this technique, I try to hide the point where I stopped and started under something - like the ribbon. I punched a scalloped border out of some scrap black cardstock and tucked it under the ribbon. The sentiment is from Kraftin Kimmie's everyday sentiments.

It felt good to ink up a neglected stamp! May have to do this on a regular basis....hmmm, I wonder what else is calling my name?! ;)


Supplies
Stamps: The Greeting Farm 'Wild Sprout Dee Dee', Kraftin Kimmies 'Everyday Sentiments'
Inks: StazOn 'Jet Black', Creamy Caramel, Pretty in Pink, Raspberry, Almost Amethyst, Regal Rose, Ruby Red, Distress Inks 'Antique Linen, Tea Dye & Frayed Burlap'
Papers: Strathmore Bristol Vellum, Kraft, Bazzil Basics, PP - Crate Paper 'Restoration Collection'
Access: Ribbon, EK Success Edge Punch, Spellbinders Large Circle Nestibility, Fiskars Decorative Scissors, Tim Holtz Edge Distresser, Machine Stitching, Sponges, Dimensionals

The Tooth Fairy Was Here!

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

So something BIG happened that I've been dying to share with you! On Sunday night, my Little Ray of Sunshine lost her first tooth!


Soooo exciting, right?! We've been at her to wiggle and jiggle that tooth for about a month now, and last night her daddy convinced her it was time to pull that sucker out! The first tug made it bleed and that shocked her because she started crying - poor baby. We probably wouldn't have pushed it any further, but that tooth now lay horizontal instead of looking up at the sky! LOL So we convinced her to give it one more tug - which did the trick!

After that, just like a typical kid, she was completely fascinated with the hole that now lives where the tooth was once was. :) Even to the point where, in the wee hours of Monday morning, she woke me up to tell me that the hole had stopped bleeding! (It had already stopped before she went to bed, but apparently she had forgotten that!) Hahaha

Anyway, just had to share that. :) Thanks for popping in!

TSG74: Inspiration Challenge

Monday, September 27, 2010

Good Morning!

So, we were supposed to be packing this weekend because tomorrow would have been the day we closed on the house we've been negotiating over for the past 6 weeks. The packing didn't happen. Why? Last Monday we found out that the bank appraisal came in $11,000 lower than our offer and the owners refused to sell for the appraised value. But they took all week to decide this! Grrr! So we've extended our contract another month and we're going to get another appraisal done to see if it comes in any closer to our original offer. It's crazy I know, but we adore the house. So we fight on. *sigh*

Since it's Monday again, I have another There She Goes challenge for you all! This one is brought to us by the crazy talented Trendsetter, Iwona Palamountain! I adore her creative style...and the fact that she lives in my home country *might* have something to do with it too! ;)

Iwona has challenged us to an inspiration challenge this week and it's an awesome one - see the image above! The thing I love about inspiration challenges is that you can use ANY part of the image to inspire you! It could be the colors, the layout, the texture, style....anything! I chose to work with the layout and apply it to a Halloween card.

I was itching to make a card using this image and sentiment for the release last week, but I ran out of time! How FUNNY is this sentiment?!? I LOVE IT! It still cracks me up and I've spent heaps of time looking at it! I used Martha Stewarts bat punch and rhinestones to take the place of those white pompoms and two pieces of Basic Grey's old Eerie Halloween paper to create the backdrop.

To be eligible for the giveaway, you are to create a card using this sketch challenge, then come back to the TSG Blog to add your name and a link to your project in the InLinkz that is located at the bottom of this challenge post. This challenge is open until the winner has been announced on the following Monday (September 20th). The winner will get a $5 gift certificate to use in the TSG Web store!

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

You do not need to have a blog to be able to participate in the TSG Challenges! You can simply add the URL link from your project after it has been uploaded to your online craft gallery. If you upload your card to an online craft gallery, please use the keyword TSG74 so we can check out your beautiful work!

A little birdie told us that our fabulous Trendsetter, Jodi Collins, is gearing up to bring her second daughter into the world today!! So please join me and the other Trendsetters in congratulating Jodi and her family the very best of luck and a HUGE CONGRATULATIONS!!

Thanks for stopping by today!


Supplies
Stamps: There She Goes 'Hauntingly Delightful'
Inks: Creamy Caramel, Pretty In Pink, Soft Suede, Going Gray, Sahara Sand, Distress Inks 'Antique Linen, Tea Dye, Vintage Photo, Black Soot'
Papers: Georgia Pacific, Bazzil Basics, Glitter Paper, PP - Basic Grey 'Eerie'
Access: Martha Stewart Edge Punch and Bat Punch, Spellbinders Labels One Nestibilities, Adhesive Rhinestones, Machine Stitching, Sponges, Dimensionals

Etsy Friday Finds

Friday, September 24, 2010

Happy Friday everyone!

Did you all enjoy the TSG sneak peeks this week? Awesome sets right?! I have been in an Autumn kind of mood, sothis week I thought I'd seek out everything harvest-y on Etsy! Hope you enjoy these!

Bucks County Frames
Just a gorgeous image isn't it? Love, love, love the colors in this picture.









Funky Lobez
LOVE THESE!! I remember making one of these things (on a much larger scale) when I was a kid, so these earrings remind me of good times. :)





Rosa Maria's Kitchen
Mrs Rosa is a very talented lady! I was salivating over these yummy apples when I saw them!









Alien Label
Looooove the colors of this ring...and the pearls make it more delicious!









Naokosstoop
How cute is this?? Love the prints you can find on Etsy!










Thanks so much for popping by this week! Have a fabulous weekend!

TSG Hauntingly Delightful and You're A Hoot Blog Hop!

Thursday, September 23, 2010

Welcome to the third and final blog hop for the October There She Goes releases!

Today the Trendsetters are showcasing two FABULOUS sets - You're A Hoot! and Hauntingly Delightful!! If you've hopped here from Piali's fabulous blog, then you're a-ok, but if you haven't and would like to play along with us, just hop on back to the TSG blog and start your journey there. Remember, you could win one of these awesome sets just by hopping with us today!

I'M SO EXCITED that Halloween is just around the corner! Torico has illustrated a ton of fun images that you are going to love creating spooky projects with! From witches to vampires and everything else in between, this stamp set is going to quickly become a favorite of yours to use for years to come.

Hauntingly Delightful is a 6x8 stamp set that includes a total of 36 stamps and will sell for $24.


Being that Halloween is my FAVORITE holiday, I had a ton of fun making this card! I used all three mummies from the Hauntingly Delightful set (LOVE how they look like a Mama, Papa and Baby mummy!) and colored them up with Antique Linen, Tea Dye and Vintage Photo Distress Ink. Then I gave them a purple glow with Milled Lavender and Dusty Concord Distress Inks. That YUMMY paper is from Graphic 45's 'Halloween in Wonderland' collection - loooove it!

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Jessica has been wanting to add a cute owl themed stamp set to the TSG stamp line for a while now, so when Torico came to her with the idea of wanting to illustrate an owl set, she was already on board! This fun stamp set includes owls in different shapes and sizes as well as fun sentiments and access images.

You're A Hoot is a 4x6 stamp set that includes a total of 26 stamps and will sell for $15.


I {heart} this set!! It reminds me of my very first owl set (by Sassafras Lass) which I loved, but I could never color in those images - I can with this set! I stamped out the branch and owl, then used my Post-It note technique to sponge the clouds behind them. Then I colored in Mr. Owl with my reinkers and aquapainter brush. The card base was created by layering cardstock and some Autumn-y Bo Bunny paper (Kitchen Spice) and machine stitching them together. The large scalloped edges were done with a corner punch (with the guard off) and the little scallops were created with my $2 decorative scissors from Michaels. Then it was just a matter of adding some wrinkled brown ribbon and brown rhinestones as the finishing touches!

Don't forget to leave a comment on each of the blogs and to leave your name in the Mr. Linky at the bottom of the TSG post so you can be in the random drawing to win your very own Cattitude set!

Your next stop along this hop is the amazing designer herself...

Torico!

Supplies
'Don't Worry...'
Stamps: There She Goes 'Hauntingly Delightful'
Inks: StazOn 'Jet Black', Sahara Sand, Distress Inks 'Antique Linen, Tea Dye, Vintage Photo, Milled Lavender and Dusty Concord'
Papers: Georgia Pacific, Bazzil Basics, PP - Graphic 45 'Halloween In Wonderland'
Access: Rangers Glossy Accents, Fiskars Pinking Shears, Spellbinders Labels Four Nestibilities, Sponges, Dimensionals

'You're So Very Wise'
Stamps: There She Goes 'You're A Hoot'
Inks: StazOn 'Jet Black', Sahara Sand, Close To Cocoa, Soft Suede, More Mustard, Really Rust, Ruby Red, So Saffron, Cool Caribbean
Papers: Georgia Pacific, Bazzil Basics, Kraft, PP - Bo Bunny 'Kitchen Spice'
Access: May Arts Solid Wrinkled Ribbon, Fiskars Decorative Scissors, EK Success Corner Punch, Taylor's Tiny Twinkles - Multi, Sponges, Machine Stitching, Dimensionals

TSG Autumn Mosaics Blog Hop!

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

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

Today the Trendsetters are showcasing the beautifully serene set, Autumn Mosaics!! If you've hopped here from Piali's gorgeous blog, then you're on the right track, but if you haven't and would like to play along with us, just hop on back to the TSG blog and start your ride there. Remember, you could win this fabulous set just by hopping with us today!

Autumn Mosaics is another stunning set designed by the incredibly talented Chris Dark. This set has all the things I love about autumn - from baskets filled with apples to big maple trees that (when colored) glow in the afternoon sun. I feel very fortunate that I get to experience this season in all it's glory living in New Hampshire!

Autumn Mosaic is a 4x8 stamp set that includes a total of 21 stamps and will sell for $18.

For this card I really wanted to create a very soft, traditional watercolored scene, so I used more water on my brush than usual. Then I sponged the edges with Antique Linen Distress Ink to age the image, matted with some Kraft and Bitter Chocolate Bazzil cardstock and machine stitched them together. The patterned paper is from MME and it's something I've had forever now. I sponged the edges with Tea Dye and Vintage Photo Distress Ink, machine stitched them to some pumpkin-colored Bazzil cardstock and adhered it to a Bitter Chocolate base. I wrapped the image with some beautiful wrinkled silk ribbon and kept the rest of it simple.

Congratulations! You've made it to the end of this hop!

Make sure you've left a comment on each blog along the way and don't forget to leave your name in the Mr. Linky at the bottom of the TSG post so you can be in the random drawing to win your very own Autumn Mosaic set!

Thanks for hopping with us today! Make sure you come back for tomorrow's grand finale hop!

Supplies
Stamps: There She Goes 'Autumn Mosaics'
Inks: StazOn 'Jet Black', Old Olive, Soft Suede, Soft Sky, Ruby Red, Distress Inks 'Antique Linen, Tea Dye and Vintage Photo'
Papers: Georgia Pacific, Kraft, Bazzil Basics, PP - MME
Access: May Arts Wrinkled Ribbon - Brown, Machine Stitching, Sponges, Dimensionals

TSG Cattitude Blog Hop!

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Welcome to the first blog hop for the October There She Goes releases!

Today the Trendsetters are showcasing the awesome set called Cattitude!! If you've hopped here from Piali's gorgeous blog, then you're on the right track, but if you haven't and would like to play along with us, just hop on back to the TSG blog and start your ride there. Remember, you could win this fabulous set just by hopping with us today!

Puppy Love was a big hit with all of you dog lovers out there and now Torico is back with a little something for the cat lovers! This adorable cat themed set includes felines that range from cute to sassy as well as the perfect sentiments to accompany them.

Cattitude is a 4x6 stamp set that includes a total of 24 stamps and will sell for $15.
Cat lovers are going to LOVE this set! There are all sorts of cats and fabulous sentiments to match! I couldn't resist picking one of the sassy cats and turning her into a Siamese! Growing up, my Aunt had Siamese cats and they have to be one of the regal looking cats out there. I could just imagine one of them in a little outfit striking this pose!


For this card I used some of Basic Grey's Max and Whiskers paper and this week's Sweet Sunday Sketch layout. Each panel was sponged with either Antique Linen or Vintage Photo Distress Ink, matted with Bitter Chocolate Bazzil cardstock and machine stitched with cream thread. (A trick I like to use to disguise the thread color, is to sponge over the top of the thread with the Distress Ink to help blend it in.) The flower was made with PTI's Beautiful Blooms Die Template and the brad was from Basic Grey's June Bug Collection.

Are you enjoying the sneak peeks so far?? The new Trendsetters have done a FABULOUS job haven't they? Don't forget to leave a comment on each of the blogs and to leave your name in the Mr. Linky at the bottom of the TSG post so you can be in the random drawing to win your very own Cattitude set!

Your next stop along this hop is the talented designer herself...

Torico!

Supplies
Stamps: There She Goes 'Catitude'
Inks: StazOn 'Jet Black', Sahara Sand, Soft Suede, Soft Sky, Not Quite Navy, Distress Inks 'Antique Linen, Tea Dye, Vintage Photo'
Papers: Georgia Pacific, Bazzil Basics, PP - Basic Grey 'Max and Whiskers'
Access: PTI Rustic Button Twine, Spellbinders Large Circle and Big Scalloped Circle Nestibilities, PTI Beautiful Blooms #1 Die Template, Basic Grey 'June Bug' Brad, Machine Stitching, Sponges, Dimensionals

You're Invited!

Monday, September 20, 2010

After last week's crazy ups and downs, I thought I'd be enjoying a relaxing, quiet weekend...not a chance! In fact, I had one of the busiest and most productive weekends this year!

I made ....count 'em...7 cards (HUGE record for me!), went grocery shopping, ran errands, made pancakes and 3 loaves of bread on Sunday morning, picked up packing boxes, cleaned the kitchen and bathrooms and even managed to watch a whole season of American Pickers AND squeeze in a nap!! Phew! Thankfully The Man chipped in by doing the laundry....that would have probably done me in! After all that, I think I need a weekend to get over my weekend! :)

One of those cards I worked on was this one...


Every Saturday morning my ritual is to run around blogland looking for all the sketches I can use for the following week. As soon as I spied Jen's Sketch For You To Try, I knew it'd make for a great card using Birthday Owen from Claudia & Company! Then I pulled these super bold and fun papers from my old MME stash, colored Birthday Owen with my reinkers and aquapainter brush to match and cut him out. Then I cut a panel using the Labels One nestibility and sponged the edges of it with Yellow Cadmium Chalk Ink from Colorbox. I matted it with some red Bazzil cardstock and machine stitched them together (very, very slowly!). Then I made the base, zigzagging the edges of the patterned paper and attaching two dovetail strips to the top. I slipped the sentiment panel under the main panel and added the birthday cake to the top for the final element of the sketch. No real embellishments to this card, but I don't think boys really appreciate all the foo-foo stuff anyway! :)

Don't forget: You still have time to enter Claudia & Company's monthly challenge! All you have to do is make a card using the color RED and a Claudia & Co. stamp! So easy! You can find all the details.....HERE!

See you all tomorrow!


Supplies
Stamps: Claudia & Company 'Birthday Owen' Puddle Jumper
Inks: StazOn 'Jet Black', Creamy Caramel, Pretty In Pink, Soft Suede, Going Gray, Morning Marigold, More Mustard, Regal Rose, Ruby Red, Colorbox 'Yellow Cadmium, Ice Jade', Distress Ink 'Antique Line'
Papers: Strathmore Bristol Vellum, Bazzil Basics, PP - MME
Access: Spellbinders 'Labels One and Eight Nestibilities', Sponges, Machine Stitching, Dimensionals

Mousey Love

Friday, September 17, 2010

Happy Friday everyone!

I am very thankful that this week will soon be over. My Little Ray of Sunshine's second week of school did not run as smoothly as last week. Dropping her off at school each day was an emotional roller coaster to say the least! Monday and Wednesday went well, but Tuesday and Thursday was tough! She had to be held by her teachers so I could leave and she cried out for me like I was leaving her in the worst place in the world! Urgh. We have talked about how all her other daycare classes took a little time to get used to them, so she knows that Kindergarten will be the same, but she still reacts the same way. I'm almost positive it's all overwhelming for her right now; new rules, new classes, new friends and new routines, so hopefully she'll work through it these next few weeks. Fingers crossed! :) Lord knows, mama needs it to!

I haven't participated in a Bellarific Friday challenge in a long, long time, so since I had nothing going on today, I thought I'd play along this week. This week's challenge was a sketch - LOVE those! :)

Meet Eunice and Irving! How cute are these two?!! I threw them into my shopping cart because I thought they'd make for a great card or two. Maybe I'll get to go to another wedding and I can make these two into a bride and groom! Alas, I think I'm past having friends getting married and the such. But they would still make fabulous anniversary cards! :) I knew I bought them for a reason! ;)

As usual, I colored Eunice and Irving with my reinkers and aquapainter brush on Strathmore Bristol Vellum. Then, using the sketch, I cut up pieces of some old My Mind's Eye paper and created the base for the two lovebirds. Nothing fancy here. Just a nice card with a nice image. Sometimes simple is good! :)

I hope you all have something great planned for this weekend. We're laying low since we're trying to save money at the moment. There might be a new house in our near future! ;) Have a good one!


Supplies
Stamps: Stamping Bella 'Eunice and Irving', PTI 'Mixed Messages'
Inks: StazOn 'Jet Black', Going Gray, Pretty In Pink, Regal Rose, Ruby Red, Old Olive, Cool Caribbean, Soft Suede, Colorbox 'Ice Jade' Chalk Ink
Papers: Strathmore Bristol Vellum, Bazzil Basics, PP - MME
Access: Ribbon, Button, Bakers Twine, Machine Stitching, Sponges, Dimensionals

Etsy Friday Finds

It's getting to be that time of the year again! My absolute favorite time of the year - Halloween!! Probably because I didn't grow up with it (Halloween isn't that big in Australia and New Zealand) but I've always been fascinated with it. So don't be surprised if you see more Halloween themed Friday Finds in the weeks to come. :)

The Wooded Lake
How cute would these look in amongst a bowl full of gourds?! Soo bootiful!








LTerrill
These are probably very simple to make, but I favorited them anyway...love the idea!






Fable and Fury
Love these earrings!!









Strangeling
Fabulous autumn colors and I love anything whimsical!










Marley's Creations
They glow in the dark!!! Need I say more?!






Have a fabulous weekend my friends!

So Sweet!

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Good Morning! Is it just me, or do these weeks just fly by?! I mean, I feel like it was just August and already we're almost at the end of September! How does this happen?! Life could really slow down a bit...please?

I got my drivers license sorted out....finally! And I even got a pretty good photo out of it too! My last photo was taken when I was 9 months pregnant and even though I was definitely 'glowing', I was not a little thing by any stretch of the imagination! lol Glad to have a new photo for the next 5 years!

Have you seen who Jen Del Muro picked for this month's guest designer for her Sketch For You To Try challenge?? It's none other than the UBER talented (and my Claudia & Company team mate) Tori Wild! So I had to play along this week with one of the stamps from this month's release.

Baby Jackson fit this week's sketch perfectly! And so does that new Alphabet Soup paper from My Minds Eye! So yummy!

I printed out the digital Baby Jackson stamp onto some Georgia Pacific cardstock, colored him up, then cut him out. Then cut a panel of plain cardstock with a Labels Four nestie and sponged it with some Ice Jade Chalk Ink from ColorBox then stamped the sentiment over it with Tea Dye Distress Ink. Then, as I seem to do with all my cards lately, I machine stitched around the edges (really, really slowly). The strips of paper were layered and machine stitched. I punched out three 1-1/8" circles from some scrap paper, layered them off center just a bit and held them together with a bit of red Baker's Twine and a button. And that's it!

LOVE those colors in that MME paper, don't you?? I {heart} MME. :)

Have an awesome day!

Supplies

Stamps: Claudia & Co 'Baby Jackson', There She Goes 'Bit of Stardust'

Inks: Creamy Caramel, Pretty In Pink, Regal Rose, Ruby Red, Cool Caribbean, Soft Suede, ColorBox Chalk Ink - Ice Jade

Papers: Georgia Pacific, Bazzil Basics, PP - My Minds Eye 'Alphabet Soup - Girl', Cosmo Cricket 'Material Girl'

Access: PTI Eyelet Lace Border Die, Spellbinders Labels Four Nestibilities, EK Success Circle Punch, Button, Baker's Twine - Red, Machine Stitching, Dimensionals

TSG72: A Sketch...With A Twist!

Monday, September 13, 2010

Happy Monday everyone!

We had a quiet weekend but that was a-ok. After a week of running errands and Syd's first week at Kindergarten, a quiet weekend was just what the doctor ordered. The weather has gotten much colder around here too, so I didn't mind staying indoors either. Won't be long and Fall will be here.....LOVE this time of the year! :)

Since it is Monday, it's time for another There She Goes challenge (TSG72). This week, Trendsetter Kim Teasdale has an awesome sketch....with a twist, for you all! Since this is TSG's 2nd birthday month, we're putting a TWIST on all our challenges all month long! The twist to this challenge is that you have to create a birthday card with the sketch! You can check it out all the details over at the TSG blog and as well as what the other Trendsetters have done with it.

Every time I see an oval in a sketch, I immediately gravitate towards my floral sets! It's definitely a subliminal thing with me. I can't resist doing it! So that's why I pulled this older set, Garden of Friends, for this particular birthday card. I thought I'd show some of the older TSG sets some love. :) Which is why I also picked this Green At Heart paper from Basic Grey - I'm all about using up my old paper at the moment!

I colored up the floral bouquet with my reinkers and aquapainter brush, then cut it out with my precision scissors (yes, this took a while!), then added some tiny twinkles to the centers of the rosy red flowers. Then I cut an oval from some scrap neutral patterned paper and a scalloped oval from some cream cardstock, machine stitched them together and adhered the image to it. The edges of the base layers were sponged with Frayed Burlap Distress Ink, matted with some cardstock and machine stitched together. I then added the purple ribbon, glued them all together, added the sentiment and orange tiny twinkles in the corners. And that's it!

Now it's your turn! :) Just create your card using Kim's sketch - don't forget to make it a birthday card, and leave a link to it on today's TSG blog post so you're in with a chance to win a $5 gift certificate to the TSG webstore! You have until next Monday (September 20th) when the winner will be announced.

Now, get cracking! :) Have a great Monday!

Supplies

Stamps: There She Goes 'Garden Of Friends'

Inks: StazOn 'Jet Black', Going Gray, Old Olive, Curry Crush, Almost Amethyst, Regal Rose, Ruby Red, Cool Caribbean, Distress Inks 'Antique Linen and Frayed Burlap'

Papers: Strathmore Bristol Vellum, Cranberry Crisp, Bazzil Basics, PP - Basics Grey 'Green At Heart'

Access: Ribbon, Spellbinders Large Oval and Scalloped Oval Nestibilities, EK Success Circle Punch, Taylor's Tiny Crystal Twinkles, Machine Stitching, Sponges, Dimensionals

Claudia & Company Challenge!

Friday, September 10, 2010

Happy Friday!

Another week done and a whole weekend to look forward to! Love Fridays! :)

Hope you all had a great week. With Syd starting Kindergarten this week, all the errands I ran to get our home loan organized, then realizing yesterday that my drivers license has been expired for the past 8 months!! Oi vey! Where is my brain these days?! Funny thing (about my license) is that I was in a fender bender about 3 months ago and the police officer never said anything about it being expired! Nor did the security people at the airports when I flew to Maryland?!! How crazy is that?!

Anywho! It's the second Friday of the month and Claudia & Company have a new challenge for you all! And it's an EASY one too, so get out your Puddle Jumpers and get busy! The challenge is to use the color RED on your card or project.

I created my red card using the uber sweet Birthday Lily Puddle Jumper (minus her birthday present) and a bunch of red paper from Cosmo Cricket's Material Girl's collection and I HAD to use some of that YUMMY May Arts stitched ribbon I just got in the mail! You won't believe how soft it is!!

So now it's your turn! We want to see what you create with your Puddle Jumpers AND the color RED! You have until Friday October 14th to get your entries in! So you should have no excuses...unless you happen to be going on vacation for a whole month. If that's the case, can I come too?!? :)

Have a fabulous weekend everyone!!


Supplies
Stamps: Claudia & Company 'Birthday Lily Puddle Jumper'
Inks: StazOn 'Jet Black', Creamy Caramel, Pretty In Pink, Old Olive, Ruby Red, Distress Inks 'Antique Linen, Tea Dye, Frayed Burlap, Black Soot'
Papers: Strathmore Bristol Vellum, Bazzil Basics, PP - Cosmo Cricket's 'Material Girl' Collection
Access: May Arts Stitched Ribbon - Black, EK Success Edge Punch, Machine Stitching, Sponges, Dimensionals

Etsy Friday Finds

Good Morning!

Here are my very vintage inspired picks for this week's Etsy Friday Finds! I've been window shopping in the vintage section of Etsy all week! Something about these things just make me feel like home. :)

Mountain Brook
Love this playful silhouette! It'd look so cute on a side table in an old house somewhere.






Mountain Cove Antiques
How gorgeous is this trim?! It'd look great on an apron.....or even a card! ;)








In My Nest
I've been on a milk glass kick lately....love the sizes and shapes these bud vases come in but most of all I love the fact that they're all white! Perfect for mini collections!







Mostly Madeline
These would look FABULOUS on a shelf somewhere!








Cheryleoc
LOVE THESE!! Collections are fun aren't they?!




Hope you enjoyed these as much as I did finding them! Be on the look out for another post from me later on today. :)

In A Garden Of Friends...

Thursday, September 9, 2010

Good Morning!

My Little Ray of Sunshine's first day at school went well....I think. That's because getting any information out of her was like squeezing blood from a stone! I had to ask all the right questions otherwise the only answer I got to the 'What did you do today?' question was: "Nothing." Sound familiar?! Yesterday sounded like it was a little more difficult for her because she had had a rough afternoon at the after school care facility. But I soon found out the reason for it - apparently an older boy on the bus threaten to kick her butt if she sat next to him. Now I know all about school buses and the unspoken hierarchy that goes on in them, but seriously?! What makes a 7 or 8 year old think it's ok to threaten a 5 year old little girl?!! I was furious! I plan on calling the program administrator about it this morning to make sure it doesn't happen again. Syd is a tough little girl, but I won't have her scared to take the bus everyday! Grrr!

Lets move onto more pleasant things shall we? I colored in this image about three weeks ago and had a bugger of a time trying to get it on a card! I couldn't find a sketch that worked with it and then I had problems with what paper to use. Finally everything came together the other day and I'm thrilled with how it turned out!

Isn't this image adorable?! It was so cute that I couldn't resist putting it in my shopping cart (along with other yummy things!) from DieCutsRUs about a month or so ago. It's called Mouse In a Hammock and it's drawn by Tina Wenke for Stampavie. Claudia at DieCutsRUs no longer has it in her store (can't imagine why?! ;)) but I did spy it at 7Kids....just in case you can't live without it, like I did!

As usual, I colored the image with my SU reinkers and aquapainter brush, then once it was dry, I added some Glossy Accents and Stickles to the daisy petals and spritzed the whole image with some Pearl Glimmer Mist. You should see it IRL! The layout is this week's Friday Sketchers Challenge #118 and the paper is a combination of Crate Paper and Basic Grey's Origins Collection. Each panel was sponged with Frayed Burlap Distress Ink, machine stitched to some Bazzil cardstock. That sweet sentiment is from the Garden Of Friends set by There She Goes. It's perfect for this image, don't you think?! Since I used an animal on this card, it fits this week's A Spoonfull of Sugar Challenge #120!

Thanks so much for stopping by today! Have a good one! :)


Supplies
Stamps: Stampavi 'Mouse In a Hammock'
Inks: StazOn 'Jet Black', Creamy Caramel, Old Olive, True Thyme, Cool Caribbean, Ruby Red, Curry Crush, Distress Inks 'Frayed Burlap, Vintage Photo'
Papers: Strathmore Bristol Vellum, Bazzil Basics, PP - Basic Grey 'Origins Collection'
Access: Ribbon, PTI Button - Chocolate, PTI Rustic Jute Button Twine, Fiskars Decorative Scissors, Machine Stitching, Sponges, Dimensionals

First Day of School

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

Good Morning!

Hope all my US friends had a great long weekend! I sooo enjoyed the extra day and I'm starting to see the benefits of all weekends being three days....are ya with me?! ;)

It's a good thing we had that extra day too because we were busy doing the laundry and cleaning out Little Ray of Sunshine's dresser to make room for her new clothes....because today she officially starts Kindergarten! I'm sooooo excited for her because I know she's going to just love it! I'm bringing LOTS of tissues with me tomorrow beause I WILL be crying! My baby is growing up!

So in honor of this momentous occasion, I made this card for Syd. I plan on putting it in her lunch box so she opens it up at lunch time. :) I can't help it! I just have to let her know that mama loves her and is watching out for her.

Granted, these are somewhat strange colors for a good luck card, but I have a reason! I used this week's There She Goes challenge, TSG71, which is a color challenge! Newly crowned Senior Trendsetter, Julie Lacey, has asked us to use the colors black, kraft and teal on a project this week! This is where you gong me.....I swear that when I was making this card (VERY LATE on Saturday night) that dark blue looked like teal!! Honestly I did! Hopefully Julie lets this pass! ;)

I used the school house from the recently released Believe In You set for my main image and colored it with my faithful reinkers and aquapainter. Then I used this week's Sweet Sunday Sketch (SSSC84) for the layout. I got the ah-hem, teal paper, from Basic Grey's Max and Whiskers collection and I paired it with some of the matching plaid paper because it reminded me of my old school uniform!

Now it's your turn to play along!

To be eligible for the giveaway, you are to create a card that includes the 1, 2, 3 RECIPE, then come back to the TSG Blog to add your name and a link to your project in the InLinkz that is located at the bottom of this challenge post. This challenge is open until the winner has been announced on the following Monday (September 6th). The winner will get a $5 gift certificate to use in the TSG Web store!

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

You do not need to have a blog to be able to participate in the TSG Challenges! You can simply add the URL link from your project after it has been uploaded to your online craft gallery. If you upload your card to an online craft gallery, please use the keyword TSG70 so we can check out your beautiful work!

Because I couldn't resist, here's a picture of my little girl this morning! She's always a ham! It's a good thing school photos are tomorrow and I should get a decent one. :)


Thanks so much for stopping by today!

Supplies

Stamps: There She Goes 'Believe In You'

Inks: StazOn 'Jet Black', Creamy Caramel, Soft Suede, Regal Rose Ruby Red, Cool Caribbean, Old Olive,Going Gray, Distress Inks 'Black Soot'

Papers: Strathmore Bristol Vellum, Bazzil Basics, PP - Basic Grey 'Max And Whiskers Collection'

Access: EK Success Edge Punch and Corner Punch, Fiskars Decorative Scissors, Machine Stitching, Sponges, Dimensionals

Some Days....

Sunday, September 5, 2010

A happy Sunday everyone!

I bet you're suprised to see me posting today! :) I felt really inspired by yesterday's Sketch For You To Try and since my Little Ray of Sunshine was having a sleep over at her Narnie's house, I figured I'd get in some stamping while I had the chance! ;)

With all the sunshine we've been having, I felt like making a happy and bright card using the recently released Angel Mail mini set. Doesn't this card make you smile?!

I combined some old Sassafras Lass paper and October Afternoon's Thrift Store paper to make this card pop. They go together like cheese and crackers, don't you think?! :) I first stamped the sentiment on some Strathmore Bristol Vellum (it's not really vellum - that just describes the texture), cut it with one of the Large Oval Spellbinders Nesties, then sponged the panel with SU's Cool Caribbean ink. Then I matted it with a black Scalloped Oval Nestie and machine stitched them together. Then I stamped out the angel wings on some scrap cardstock, colored them in with Antique Linen, Tea Dye and Vintage Photo Distress Ink, cut them out with some precision scissors and mounted them to the oval panel with dimensionals. Apart from the main panel being oval, I pretty much kept to the sketch - why change a good thing right?! ;) The other panels were matted and machine stitched with cream or black thread. To play up the hearts in the sentiment, I added a few heart buttons I picked up from Michaels around Valentines Day.

Ok, off to make the clan some supper. Enjoy the rest of your Sunday! Thanks for popping in today. :)

Supplies

Stamps: There She Goes 'Angel Mail'

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

Papers: Strathmore Bristol Vellum, Bazzil Basics, Kraft, PP - Sassafras Lass and October Afternoon 'Thrift Shop'

Access: PTI Rustic Button Twine, Heart Buttons, Spellbinders Large Oval and Scalloped Oval Nestibilities, Machine Stitching, Sponges, Dimensionals

Claudia & Company Digital Stamp DT Call

Friday, September 3, 2010

(Please scroll down for my Taylored Expressions Birthday Bash Blog Hop!!)

Hi again peeps! Just wanted to pop in and let you know about a DT opportunity!

Claudia & Company is searching for two more talented ladies to join their Digital Stamps Design Team!! If you love the Puddle Jumpers and Lori's Lollipop Kids, and you LOVE working with digital stamps, then you this is the job for you!

All the details can be found on the Claudia & Company blog.

GOOD LUCK!!

Taylored Expressions 2nd Anniversary Blog Hop!!

Hello sweet peeps and welcome to the 2nd anniversary blog hop for Taylored Expressions!!

I'm SO thrilled to be a part of this momentous occasion and I hope you can all play along with us today! If you've stopped here from fellow New Englander Joanne Basile's blog, then you're on the right track, but if you haven't and would like to play along with us, then pop on over to Taylor's blog to start the fun there!

A birthday bash wouldn't be complete without some SWEET DEALS now would it?! Well, hold onto your hats peeps because Taylor has some sweet ones for you:

*-Purchase ANY 4 full-size stamp sets and receive a free Binder Box
*-Purchase ANY 8 A la Carte stamps and receive a free set of Stamp Storage Panels
*-4 orders will be selected at random (one each day from Friday - Monday) to win a $25 TE gift certificate

And the best part?! All of the stamps you've seen this morning are available RIGHT NOW from the Taylored Expressions store! Saweeet! :)

I jumped at the chance to ink up Miss Fashionably Late! She's big and round and perfect for coloring and paper piecing! She reminds me of Hyacinth Bucket from Keeping Up Appearances; all prim and proper! That's why I created a perfectly proper card for her Fashionable Highness! :) I used some paper from MME's So Sophie collection then sponged and machine stitched each panel with cream thread. After coloring Miss FL with my reinkers and aquapainter brush, I cut her out using the large oval Nestibilties, matted her with Bitter Chocolate Bazzil paper then matted her again to a piece of scrap base cardstock cut using the Labels Ten Nestibility and machine stitched them together. Then I added the finishing touches; a frilly border, adhesive pearls, ribbon, a button center and the sentiment - that comes with this A-La-Carte stamp!! If you haven't guessed already, I used this week's Mojo Sketch challenge (MOJO154) for my layout.



Here's a close up of the paper piecing I did on her dress and hat. I layered her sleeve and flower because they were in front of the rest of the image. I popped up the feather in her hat. If you click on the image, you can see that I added some Glossy Accents to her eyes and Stickles to her pearls and feather.

If you haven't guessed already, this A-La-Carte stamp comes with TWO sentiments - one for the outside of the card and one for the inside! A complete stamp set for only $6.95!! I tell ya, that Taylor thinks of everything! :)

Thanks so much for stopping by today!

Your next stop is Monika Davis!

Supplies
Stamps: Taylored Expressions 'Fashionably Late'
Inks: StazOn 'Jet Black', Pretty In Pink, Regal Rose, Ruby Red, Distress Inks 'Antique Linen and Tea Dye'
Papers: Strathmore Bristol Vellum, Bazzil Basics, PP - My Minds Eye 'So Sophie'
Access: May Arts Wrinkled Ribbon, PTI Button, Spellbinders 'Labels Ten, Large Oval and Tags Trio', PTI Rustic Button Thread, Kaiser Crafts Adhesive Pearls-Chocolate, Martha Stewart Edge Punch, Rangers Stickles - Diamond, Rangers Glossy Accents, Sponges, Dimensionals

TSG70: Easy As 1, 2, 3!!

Thursday, September 2, 2010

My Little Ray of Sunshine starts kindergarten next week and yesterday she had an evaluation done with her teachers at her new school. They sat down with the kids and played certain activities that tested their numeracy and literacy skills and their hand/eye coordination. The parents were scuttled off to another room so we couldn't see how the testing went (probably a good thing too!), but Syd's a pretty bright kid and I think she did just fine. It's supposed to help the teachers know where each of the kids are at in their education so far, which I think is a great idea. Tomorrow is orientation for the Kindergarteners and Syd is bursting at the seams!

This week's There She Goes challenge (TSG70) is a recipe one and it's as easy as 1, 2, 3! :) Trendsetter Jessie is challenging us to use 1 piece of patterned paper (can you believe the nerve?!), 2 different colors of cardstock and 3 embellishments. Now, I'm thinking this is open to a bit of interpretation here. Since it wasn't defined as only three elements or only 3 types of embellishments, I went with the later. So there! ;P

Now I know the idea behind the challenges is that it's meant to challenge you, but seriously Jess - did you really want to punish me?! Only one piece of patterned paper was just plain cruel! I was trying not to create a simple card since I usually stack up multiple layers of patterned paper, so I thought I'd try layer one piece of REALLY BUSY patterned paper to see how that went. What do you think? Did I do ok?

I colored in one of the floral bouquets from Chris Dark's newest set, Dream A New Dream with my trusty reinkers and aquapainter brush. Then I watercolored some Milled Lavendar Distress Ink around the bouquet and sponged around the circle panel with Antique Linen to soften the transition to the white cardstock.

The layout is really simple - I sponged each piece of Cappella paper from Basic Grey with Frayed Burlap, matted it with Bitter Chocolate Bazzil cardstock and machine stitched it with brown thread. Then I adhered the smaller square panel to the base panel and popped the matted main image off the smaller square with dimensionals. Then I added some GORGEOUS wrinkled ribbon with a button and some adhesive pearls for the finishing touches. Easy peesy card but WAY hard to do! :) Thanks for the challenge Jess!

As I promised last week, here are some pictures of Syd at her preschool graduation. Apparently this mama didn't get the memo that the kids might want to wear something nice to the graduation! Tsk. Tsk. Bad mama! My mum never made a fuss over stuff like that, so I never thought to do it. Oh well. You live and learn.

With her besties!

Singing one of her counting songs.

Syd receiving her certificate.

Thanks so much for stopping by today!

Supplies
Stamps: There She Goes 'Dream A New Dream'
Inks: Old Olive, True Thyme, Distress Inks 'Milled Lavendar, Dusty Concord, Antique Linen and Frayed Burlap'
Papers: Strathmore Bristol Vellum, Bazzil Basics, PP - Basic Grey's 'Cappella Collection'
Access: May Arts Wrinkled Ribbon - Brown, PTI Buttons - Dark Chocolate, DMC Thread, Kaiser Crafts Adhesive Pearls - Pearl, Machine Stitching, Sponges, Dimensionals

Claudia & Company Blog Hop!!

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Good morning and welcome to the Claudia & Company September release blog hop!

This month Claudia and Lori have created TWO Puddle Jumpers and two BABY Puddle Jumpers for us all! If you've stopped here from the uber talented Lori's blog, then you're all set. But if you haven't and would like to play along with us on this hop, then head on over to the Claudia & Company blog to start your ride there!

Meet Baby Jackson!

Isn't he adorable?! Sooo cute! Baby Jackson is one of the digital stamps being released today and if you hop along with us, I'm sure you'll spot the other digital stamp being released today too! ;) I printed him up on some Georgia Pacific cardstock and colored him up with my reinkers and aquapainter brush. The layout is this week's Mojo Sketch (MOJO154).


Meet Birthday Lily!!

You know how much I love my polka dots, so you can figure out how much I {heart} her dress! :) As with most of the Puddle Jumper rubber stamps, Birthday Lily comes with her very own sentiment and a little image (the present) to match! Perfect for those birthday cards for the kiddies! Again, I colored Lily with my reinkers and aquapainter brush and sponged the sky around her with SU's Cool Caribbean ink. The paper is from SEI's Happy Day collection and layout is from this week's Sketch Saturday challenge.

Meet Birthday Owen!!

Owen looks all grown up with his Blundestones and jeans on! Birthday Owen comes with the "You're Invited" sentiment and birthday cake. He's perfect for birthday invitations for little boys' birthdays. I used last Friday's sketch from Friday Sketchers blog. It was perfect because I used the side element as a tag that tucks behind the main image as the actual invitation! Love it when that happens! :) Oh! And that yummy paper is from Basic Grey's Oliver collection.

Fantastic stamps right?! If you would like to win yourself a stamp from this release, all you have to do is hop along with us today and leave a comment on every blog! It's THAT easy! :)

You have until Friday Night at 10 PM EST to hop and comment and possibly even win!
The winner will be announced on the Claudia and Company blog Saturday morning at 10 AM EST.


Your next stop for eye candy is Sheri Gilson!!