DS91: You Rock My World!

Thursday, February 28, 2013

Hey there!

By the time this post goes live, I'll be on my way to the airport to pick up my two favorite (and probably very sun burnt) people. My family is coming home today and as much as I've enjoyed the alone time, I'm glad they'll be back, safe and sound, home with me again. :)

In honor of their homecoming, I made a card for them!

This week's Deconstructed Sketch #91 is nothing short of AWESOME! I love how, some week's, Jen's sketches really challenge me. This was one of those weeks! I'm in my comfort zone if I can include a colored image on my cards, so this sketch really tested me, but I really do like to push myself every now and then. 

I kept everything pretty simple and let the papers do all the talking. The sentiment is a Hampton Arts stamp I picked up at Michaels a few years ago. I stamped it on some translucent paper and used a mix of October Afternoon, Sassafras Lass and MME papers to really bring this sketch to life.  The hearts are stickers (from Michaels) and I used a black button and a valentine brad to balance out the hearts. Each panel was sponged with Tea Dye and Vintage Photo Distress Ink.

Think you're up for the challenge?? I hope so! I love seeing your takes on the sketches each week.

Please check out what the rest of the Deconstructed Sketch girls have come up with and leave them some love:

Amber Hight
Arielle Gordon
Cresta Woodruff
Dawn Easton
Donna Wardle
Jen Shults
Joni Wilson
Judy Rozema
Kadie Ensley
Lori Boyd
Sandra MacLean
Sheri Gilson
Tobi Crawford
Tracey Pickersgill

Have a fabulous day everyone!

{Supplies}

{Stamps} Hampton Arts

{Papers} Black Cardstock, Translucent paper, PP - October Afternoon, MME and Sassafras Lass

{Inks} Versamark Ink, StazOn 'Jet Black', Distress Inks 'Antique Linen, Tea Dye and Vintage Photo'

{Access} Recollections Heart Stickers, Recollections Brads, PTI Button - Black, Sewing, Sponging, Dimensionals

TSG196: Case A Trendsetter!

Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Happy Hump Day everyone!

This week's There She Goes challenge (TSG196) is to CASE a Trendsetter! The TSG team has had a ton of talented trendsetters over the years, so the hardest part for you all will be picking just one! :)

For me, there was one card from last week's release sneak peeks that really caught my eye - THIS CARD by the talented Danielle Lounds!

And this is my CASE of it...

What do you think?? I ADORED her layout, and that paper she used reminded me of this piece of October Afternoon's Fly A Kite collection that I've had sitting on my desk for ages now! I had be dying to use it again, and as soon as I saw Danielle's card, I knew I'd found my muse! :D To CASE a card you're supposed to change at least three things on your card, so I switched up the papers, the stamp (of course) and used banners instead of the Spellbinder nesties that Danielle used.

The sewing machine stamp is from the Cute As A Button set and I paper pieced it with some cute pink polka dot paper from the same OA collection. I've been sewing so much these past few days that it was the perfect set for me to use.

I hope you can join us this week!

Thanks for stopping in today!


{Supplies}
{Stamps} There She Goes 'Cute As A Button'
{Papers} Bazzil Basics - Vanilla, PTI Kraft Cardstock, PP - October Afternoon 'Fly A Kite' collection
{Inks} StazOn 'Jet Black', Regal Rose, Ruby Red
{Access} Hemp Twine, Pattern Makers Wheel, Sewing, Dimensionals

TMS187: You + Me And A Cup Of....Coffee?

Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Howdy peeps! 

It's Tuesday so that means I have another Tuesday Morning Sketches card to share with you all! This week's one is REALLY EASY...so you have no excuse not to play! LMBO! (But seriously, no excuses, ok??) :)

    This week's challenge is being sponsored by....wait for it....Sweet 'n' Sassy Stamps! I bet you're excited to play now, right?? Yeah, I knew it. :) They have all kinds of rubber stamps and their line of digital stamps is CRAZY huge! I had a hard time deciding which image to play with, but in the end, I picked out the CUTE Cocoa Latte image!

Told you he was cute! lol I paired him with some sentiments from the Perk Up! set by There She Goes. Cocoa Latte was colored with my SU reinkers (Creamy Caramel for his body, Going Gray on the mug, with Morning Marigold on the detail and Sahara Sand on the sleeve) and my trusty aquapainter brush. Then I cut him out and mounted him to a panel that was sponged with Antique Linen, Tea Dye and Vintage Photo Distress Inks (also sewed to some cardstock matting). I used a honeycomb embossing plate on the wood grain designer paper and sponged the edges of it with Walnut Stain Distress Ink. Then I mounted it to some Bazzil Basics cardstock and stitched them together. The middle panel was cut from some scrap paper from October Afternoon's 'Fly A Kite' collection, sponged with Antique Linen and Tea Dye, then stitched to some cardstock. That swirly detail on the sketch; I don't know if it's supposed to be an element, but I used it as an excuse to add some ribbon, a button and some twine to my card! Hey - when in doubt; go ahead and do it! lol

This is actually my final card as Tuesday Morning Sketches guest designer this month. I've had A TON of fun with the sketches and I'm so glad there's a sketch challenge blog like this one still going strong after so many years! Keep up the great work Melissa and the girls!!

If you need more inspiration for this sketch, check out what the TMS girls have come up with!

Angela
Bonnie
Cheryl
Dawn
Debbie
Jenee
Jessi
Laura
Theresa
Melissa

Thanks for popping in today!


{Supplies}
{Stamps} Sweet 'n' Sassy's 'Cocoa's Latte' and There She Goes 'Perk Up!'
{Papers} Bazzil Basics - Bitter Chocolate and Latte, Canson Manga Cardstock, PP - Woodgrain paper (Unknown) and October Afternoon's 'Fly A Kite'
{Inks} StazOn 'Jet Black', SU's Creamy Caramel, Morning Marigold, Sahara Sand, Going Gray, Distress Inks 'Antique Linen, Tea Dye, Vintage Photo and Walnut Stain'
{Access} Spellbinders Oval Nestie, Fiskars Decorative Scissors, Seam Binding, PTI Button, Jute Twine, Sewing and Dimensionals

Weekend Ramblings and a Cross Stitch

Monday, February 25, 2013

Hi everyone!

Hope you had a lovely weekend! As much as my husband hates to hear it, I had a great weekend! lol Him and the kiddo are sunning it up in Florida (which isn't  bad way to spend your pre-spring vacation) and I'm at home looking after the 4-legged family members. On Saturday, I woke up on my own free will, ate breakfast while reading the online news at my leisure. Then I headed out to run some errands and to take my first Pump It! class at the YMCA. Holy cow am I (still) sore today! We did some weight training and cardio work and my arm muscles feel bruised! lol  Then in the evening, I made a couple of cards.

I also started cutting up some fabric for a mini quilt that I'm making my my little girl's American Girl doll bed. We found an old canopy bed at an antique store a month ago, and I thought a cute little quilt would look so darling on it! I should have the pattern done by the end of the week, so I'll share it with you then.

Remember how I said I had stayed up into the wee hours of the mornings working on a cross stitch I had just picked up? A few of you had asked to see it when I was done, so here it is!

Isn't it cute?! The design is by Little House Needleworks and it's the first in a 12 month series of sheep-themed ornaments that I am IN LOVE witth! I'm planning on finishing them just like the company suggests, so I can hang them on my Christmas tree this year. I've already ordered February's pattern and can't WAIT to get my hands on it! I suspect I'll have a few more late nights in my future! lol

Because I'm the gluten for punishment that I am, I went back to the YMCA yesterday to take my first every yoga class! But unfortunately they had already started before I got there, so I did some treadmill work instead and burned 400 calories too! Woohoo! I'm not sure what's gotten into me because I also signed myself up for a spinning class this morning!! At 5:45am!! I think all this free time has gone to my head! lol Hopefully I'm not too sore tomorrow....what was I thinking?! 

I'll be back tomorrow with another Tuesday Morning Sketch card, so I hope you can pop in again then!

Take care!

Sandra

Happy Friday and A DS90 Card!

Friday, February 22, 2013

We made it to the end of the week peeps! Work had me BUSY all week, which is usually a good thing, but I couldn't catch my breath! Add that to my two favorite people (The Man and My Little Ray of Sunshine) leaving for vacation in Florida last night (with me driving them to the airport, which is 1.5hr away!), and you could say that I'm all knackered out! Instead of vacationing with my family, I chose to stay home and take care of our animals. Our dog Stella is a very nervous dog and I didn't feel comfortable leaving her in a kennel for a week. I'm sure she'd feel completely abandoned and it would set all our hard work, getting her to trust us, back a good six months! Plus, if you think about it, I really am on vacation....a staycation actually. No husband; no kid; no feeding them....I can stamp, sew and do whatever I like for the next week! So don't feel sorry for me! I'll be just fine! lol

Anyway, I did promise you a card using this week's Deconstructed Sketch #90 and here is!

Such a simple looking card right?? I have no idea how it took me 2+ hours to make! Maybe it was because there was no coloring involved and I feel so out of my element when I do! Cards feel nekked without a colored image to me! lol

The sentiment is from a set called Flowers of Happiness by There She Goes. And I paired it with some papers from MME and some yummy seam binding ribbon. The button is from a package of white Papertrey Ink buttons.

I hope you all can play along this week! Can't wait to see what you do with it!

Have an awesome weekend!


{Supplies}
{Stamps} There She Goes 'Flowers Of Happiness'
{Papers} Bazzil Basics - Vanilla, PTI Kraft Cardstock, PP - MME
{Inks} StazOn 'Jet Black', Distress Inks 'Antique Linen, Frayed Burlap'
{Access} Spellbinders Nesties, PTI Buttons White and Cream, Hemp Twine, Seam Binding, Sewing, Sponging, Distressing, Dimensionals

TSG Release Sneak Peek: Giddy Up!!

Thursday, February 21, 2013

(If you're looking for my Deconstructed Sketch card...I'll be posting it tomorrow...stay tuned! lol)

Good morning again folks! It's Day Two of the There She Goes March release sneak peeks and we've got a humdinger of a set for you today!

Cowboys and western themes are all the rage right now, and we wanted IN on this super popular trend….and boy did Torico deliver!! Our new Giddy Up set is so fun, you’ll be roped in!

Giddy Up is a 6x8 set that includes a total of 26 stamps and will sell for $24.00.

Being from Australia, I was not familiar with some of the slang in the USA, but I managed to pick up a lot of them as the years went by. Then, in the summer of 2003 or 2004, I discovered a new one....Cowboy Up! From the most unlikeliest of places too - major league baseball! My favorite player on the Red Sox that year was Kevin Millar and he started a rally cry among the fans...to cowboy up! (For those of you who don't know it's meaning, it means to 'pony up', or 'buck up' or just plain ol' 'suck it up'! lol  I LOVED the saying and it has stayed with me ever since! So you know I HAD to use it on my sneak peek! lol

I used my trusty reinkers to color in this little cowboy and his pony and the layout is based on this week's Retro Sketches Challenge #51.

Would you like to win the new Giddy Up stamp set? Here is what you need to do:
 Visit the Trendsetter’s blogs that are participating in each of the blog hop challenges below and comment on their creations as you go. One of the Trendsetter’s blogs (from each hop day) will be randomly chosen as the ‘it’ blog and a winner will be picked using a random number generator from the comments left on that Trendsetter’s Blog Hop Challenge post.

You will not know which blog has been chosen so the more you comment on the better your chances are of winning new stamps! The Blog Hop Challenges will be open until 5 PM Eastern Time Saturday, February 23rd with the winner being announced during the release party chat.


I hope you've enjoyed this week's sneak peeks! Thanks so much for stopping by today and I hope to see you all at the release party!


{Supplies}
{Stamps} There She Goes 'Giddy Up}
{Papers} Bazzil Basics - Bitter Chocolate, PTI Kraft Cardstock, PP - Crate Paper's Wanted Collection
{Inks} StazOn 'Jet Black', SU's Creamy Caramel, Buckaroo Blue, Sahara Sand, Soft Suede, Really Rust, Crushed Curry, Going Gray and Distress Inks 'Antique Linen, Tea Dye, Vintage Photo and Walnut Stain'
{Access} Eyelets, Jute Twine, Spellbinders Nesties, Tim Holtz Distressing Tool, Sewing, Sponges, Dimensionals

TSG Release Sneak Peek: The Beary Best!!

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Hi everyone! Are you excited about this release so far??

It's day one of the There She Goes March release sneak peeks and we've got such a sweet set to share with you all!

Torico is at it again with her SUPER cute animals that we all LOVE and adore! This set has some of the CUTEST bear images, and the sentiments will bring a tear to your eye. This set is the perfect mix of sentimental and super cute!

The Beary Best is a 6x8 set that includes a total of 19 stamps and will sell for $24.00.

 

My little baby girl is leaving for vacation tomorrow with her daddy and his family for a week in Florida, so I made this card with her in mind. :) Just like the sentiment says, I can't bear to be without them!

I colored the image with my reinkers and aquapainter brush and I CASed this card by Michelle Boyer (another idol of mine!) because the layout caught my eye on Pinterest.

Would you like to win the new The Beary Best stamp set? Here is what you need to do-visit the Trendsetter’s blogs that are participating in each of the blog hop challenges below and comment on their creations as you go. One of the Trendsetter’s blogs (from each hop day) will be randomly chosen as the ‘it’ blog and a winner will be picked using a random number generator from the comments left on that Trendsetter’s Blog Hop Challenge post.

You will not know which blog has been chosen so the more you comment on the better your chances are of winning new stamps! The Blog Hop Challenges will be open until 5 PM Eastern Time Saturday, February 23rd with the winner being announced during the release party chat.

Here's the list of blogs you'll want to check out and leave a comment on:

  Thanks for popping in today! See you all tomorrow!


{Supplies}
{Stamps} There She Goes 'The Beary Best'
{Papers} Bazzil Basics - Cream, PTI Kraft Cardstock, PP - Echo Park's Sweet Day
{Inks} StazOn 'Jet Black', SU's Close To Cocoa, Morning Marigold, Pumpkin Pie, Really Rust, Regal Rose, Ruby Red, Sahara Sand, Soft Sky, Cool Caribbean
{Access} PTI button - Stone, Lace - Joanns, Hemp Twine - Michaels, Sewing, Sponges, Dimensionals

Tuesday Morning Sketches #186: Thank You

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Hi everyone!

Did you all have a good weekend? I hope so. We took it pretty easy....actually, scratch that. I went to the YMCA gym on Saturday and Sunday and my thighs are really regretting it! lol I worked out on a recumbent bike, at different speeds, for an hour and holy cow - am I hurting today! It doesn't phase me though. I'm going to give the yoga, cycling and bodysculpting classes a go over the next week...wish me luck! lol

It's Tuesday and I have another Tuesday Morning Sketches card to share with you all! I hope you're enjoying them and are giving them a go. This week's sketch is awesome and you can find all the detail.....here!
 

I loved all the elements in this week's sketch! I used some digital alphabet flash cards (from My Day Dream Designs - which now seems to be off-line now) for my main image and antiqued them with Distress Inks and Tattered Angel Glimmer Mist (remember that stuff?). The sentiment is from the Believe In You set from There She Goes.

We'd love for you to play along with us this week. If you need more inspiration, you can visit the blogs of the TMS girls to get you in the mood! ;)

Angela
Bonnie
Cheryl
Dawn
Debbie
Jenee
Jessi
Laura
Theresa
Melissa
Thanks for stopping by today!

Hugs,
Sandra


{Supplies}
{Stamps} My Day Dream Designs and There She Goes 'Believe In You'
{Papers} PTI Kraft Cardstock, Bazzil Basics - Bitter Chocolate, PP - Crate Paper scrap
{Inks} StazOn 'Jet Black', SU's Regal Rose, Ruby Red, Old Olive, Morning Marigold, Distress Inks 'Antique Line, Tea Dye and Vintage Photo'
{Access} PTI Buttons, Jute Twine, Ribbon - Joanns, MFT Medium Scalloped Border, Sewing, Sponging, Dimensionals

There She Goes (Again!)

Friday, February 15, 2013

Happy Friday everyone!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Valentines Day! The Man surprised my little girl and I with flowers, a card and a small present. He had already left for work when we came down stairs for breakfast, so they were lying on the table, waiting for us. You should have seen my little girl's face light up! It was precious! Then, when I heated up the pancakes I had made earlier in the week, I cut heart shapes into them...she just beamed ear to ear at that! lol 

It's the final day of our There She Goes (Again!) week and I have a brand new card to share with you all using one of the sets we've been featuring all week long. 

 

Bloom was one of the very first sets I owned from TSG. In fact, Jess sent me it as part of my guest designer stint with TSG wayyyyyy back in 2009! It was my favorite flower set back then, and it still is today! I just love it! 

I wanted to keep this card simple since the flower was so big and bold. I used some scrap MME and October Afternoon paper and my go-to neutral - kraft cardstock. The image was watercolored with SU's Rich Razzleberry, Cranberry Crisp, Soft Suede and Old Olive. The background was lightly watercolored with Tea Dye and Vintage Photo Distress Ink. I sewed each panel to some of my favorite colored Bazzil Basics cardstock - Bitter Chocolate and layered everything with the help of dimensionals.

Here's a close up of my watercoloring.

You might have noticed that my photos are a little clearer now. I couldn't stand how blurry my images had become lately. It wasn't my camera, but Blogger that was doing it. So, after a bit of Googling, I found out that if I uploaded them to an external, online source (like Photobucket or Flickr), that would eliminate the blur. It worked! I'm so happy now! I hope you're enjoying it too!

Please check out what the rest of the Trendsetters have whipped up for you today over at the There She Goes blog! You won't be disappointed!

Thanks so much for stopping by this week! I'll see you all next week with some sneak peeks! :D Have a good one!


{Supplies}
{Stamps} There She Goes 'Bloom'
{Papers} PTI Kraft Cardstock, Bazzil Basics - Bitter Chocolate, Canson Manga Cardstock, PP - MME and October Afternoon scrap
{Inks} StazOn 'Jet Black', SU's Old Olive, Rich Razzleberry, Cranberry Crisp, Soft Suede, Distress Inks 'Tea Dye and Vintage Photo'
{Access} Jute Twine, Spellbinders Reverse Wonky Rectangles, Sewing, Dimensionals

DS89: WWASD?!

Thursday, February 14, 2013

Hi everyone! I think I say this every week, but this week really flew by for me! I got a call from my Little Ray of Sunshine's school Monday afternoon. My little girl had a fever and a headache. So we stayed home that afternoon and all day Tuesday too. She was back at school yesterday and feeling a lot better. The fact that she has a Valentines Day party planned for today might have had something to do with that! lol 

Since it is Thursday, this means Jen has another fabulous Deconstructed Sketch for you all!

DS89...you can check out all the sketch details on her blog -----> HERE!

And here's what I came up with!

If I was being completely honest with you, then I'd tell you that the sketch scared me a little! It's very rigid looking, and up until Tuesday night, I wasn't sure what I was going to do with it. But then I had a *lightbulb* moment! I simply asked myself: "WWASD? What would Amy Sheffer do?" Seriously, I did! Out loud too! lol She always puts together the best cards using any sketch - even hard ones! So I thought about it and decided that she'd definitely distress her papers, which would soften up all those straight edges in the design. Then she'd change the center panel to another shape for the same reason. She's also all about layers, as am I. Can't have too many! I don't think she sews on her papers, but I have to...it's an OCD thing now! She'd probably use banners or something for the three middle elements, which I love, but I stuck with my go-to embellishment...buttons and twine!

That cute image is from the Back In 10 set from There She Goes. It's such a sweet image and together with these not-so-girly papers, I thought they would make for a perfect Valentines Day card for my husband. He loves my cards, but I don't know that he'd love to get a really girly one! lol

Check out what the other Deconstruced Sketch girls came up with!

Amber Hight
Arielle Gordon
Cresta Woodruff
Dawn Easton
Donna Wardle
Jen Shults
Joni Wilson
Judy Rozema
Kadie Ensley
Lori Boyd
Sandra MacLean
Sheri Gilson
Tobi Crawford
Tracey Pickersgill
I hope you are able to play along this week! And have a WONDERFUL Valentines Day!!
<3 br="">


{Supplies}
{Stamps} There She Goes 'Back In 10'
{Papers} PTI Kraft Cardstock, Georgia Pacific Cardstock, Canson Manga Cardstock, PP - MME 'Follow Your Heart-Be Amazing' Collection
{Inks} StazOn 'Jet Black', SU's Sahara Sand, Old Olive, Cool Caribbean, Curry Crush, Going Gray, Soft Suede
{Access} PTI Buttons - Kraft, Hemp Twine, Spellbinders Circle Nesties, Lace Ribbon, EK Success Corner Punch, Sponges, Dimensionals, Sewing

TMS185: Love Ya Bugaboo!

Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Did you have a great weekend??

We had a great weekend, despite the Nor'easter looming over us. They called for a snow day from school on Friday, so I took a day off from work to hang with my little girl. I REALLY needed a snow day to take things a little easy. We watched a couple of movies together and got to relax a little. Saturday was spent shoveling ourselves out of the house! We only got a foot of snow but it was enough to keep us at home most of the day! Syd had a friend over for a sleepover, so we took them to the pool at the YMCA...it wore them out, just a little bit! ;) Keeping this new motivation trend going, we headed back to the Y on Sunday for a family Zumba class and I got on a treadmill for the first time in years! I did pretty good...until I turned around and saw the CEO of the company I work for standing right behind me! Good thing I wasn't jogging and jiggling everywhere! Bhahahaha!

Ok, lets put that mental image aside and get to why you're here! lol I have another Tuesday Morning Sketches card to share with you all!

This week's sketch is being sponsored by...wait for it....BUGABOO DIGI STAMPS!! But that's not all! There's a twist to this week's sketch! Your card or project has to have a 'lovey dovey' theme to it! I think you guys can rise to the challenge this week! ;) 

The sketch is a FABULOUS one for those bigger images we all have! I used the CUTE Dino Heart digi stamp from Bugaboo to fulfill the challenge twist. He's such a cutie and I'm a sucker for a dinosaur image! The sentiment is from a set of Everyday Sentiments from Kraftin Kimmi Stamps. I think I might pop this card in my litlte girl's lunch box on Valentines Day...she'll love it! :)

Check out what the Tuesday Morning Sketch girls did with the challenge!

Angela
Bonnie
Cheryl
Dawn
Debbie
Jenee
Jessi
Laura
Theresa
Melissa

Thanks for popping in today! Have a good one!


{Supplies}
{Stamps} Bugaboo Digi Stamps 'Dino Heart 1' and Kraftin Kimmi Stamps 'Everyday Sentiments'
{Papers} Bazzil Basics - Avalanche White and Bitter Chocolate, Georgia Pacific Cardstock, PP - Crate Paper and MME scrap
{Inks} StazOn 'Jet Black', SU's Pool Party, Bahama Breeze, Pumpkin Pie, Really Rust, Blushing Bride, Regal Rose, Ruby Red, Cool Caribbean, Going Gray and Distress Inks 'Antique Linen, Tea Dye and Vintage Photo'
{Access} Spellbinders Labels 4 Nestie, Jute Twine, Sewing, Sponges, Dimensionals

There She Goes (Again!) week

Monday, February 11, 2013

Hi guys!

I just wanted to pop in and let you guys know that it's There She Goes (Again!) week this week and there's lots going on! Today, we've got a new challenge for you, TSG194 and all week long we'll be sharing past projects from three older stamp sets. Then, on Friday, the Trendsetters will share a BUNCH of new cards using the sets! That's my favorite part!

Next week is RELEASE WEEK, so get ready for a WHOLE BUNCH of new stamps to add to your must-have list!!

Have a great Monday!

Stampbook Saturday

Saturday, February 9, 2013

I'm baaaaack! lol 

Actually, I'm over at the There She Goes blog with a Stampbook Saturday post this morning...

 Pop in and say hi!

TSG's ABC Friday

Friday, February 8, 2013

Happy Friday everyone!

It's ABC (Anything But a Card) Friday over at the There She Goes blog today and I've got a fun little gift box you can make in a no time at all this weekend!

They're REALLY easy!!

Have a good one!

DS88: My Little Monster!

Thursday, February 7, 2013

Whaaaat?!? Seriously?! How'd it get to be Thursday already?! Man, this week is flying by!

But it's not all bad....tomorrows Friday and the weekend is just around the corner! :) But before we get there, I've got another Deconstructing Sketch to share with you all!

Another awesome sketch, right?? If the circle base scares you, or like me, you don't have dies or cutters large enough to cut a circle base, you can use a square one - just as long as all the other elements are there!

Last Friday was family movie night, so we watched the cute Hotel Transylvania that just came out on DVD. We also watched a documentary on how the Uglydoll creators made their millions, so I had monsters on the brain when I made this card! lol

I have had this Recollections stamp set in my drawer for FOREVVVVVER! I spied it at my local Michaels store and it was one of those impulse buys (I love me some cute monsters!). But I have never inked it up until now! Me bad. :( Sad, I know. I used my SU reinkers to color Mr. Monster up, then sponged some grey sky in the background using the Rosies Roadshow Cloud Template. Each panel was sponged with Vintage Photo and Walnut Stain Distress Ink, and sewed to some black cardstock. To pull it all together, I couldn't resist adding some jute twine and a button (because I've been lacking in that department this week! lol).

I hope you get a chance to play along with us this week! It really is a fun sketch to play with!

See you all tomorrow!


Supplies
{Stamps} Recollections 'Monsters'
{Papers} PTI Kraft Cardstock, Black Cardstock, Canson Manga Cardstock, PP - Basic Grey 'Eerie', 'Max and Whiskers' Collections and Cosmo Cricket scrap
{Inks} StazOn 'Jet Black', Cool Caribbean, Pool Party, Sahara Sand, Really Rust, Ruby Red, Going Gray, Distress Ink 'Tea Dye, Vintage Photo, Walnut Stain and Frayed Burlap'
{Access} Button, Jute Twine, Sewing, Sponges, Dimensionals

TSG Wednesday Trends....Washi Tape!

Wednesday, February 6, 2013

It's my Trendsetter week over at the There She Goes blog and for this week's Wednesday Trend, I'm talking about that embellishment WE ALL have in our stash, but no one knows how to use it....

 Source

WASHI TAPE!!

So, if you want to find out how you can use it on your next card and project, pop on over to the

There She Goes blog!

Toodles!

Tuesday Morning Sketches #184: Buckets Of Love

Tuesday, February 5, 2013

Happy Tuesday everyone!

Remember me mentioning last week about a little surprise I had for you? Well, I am SO EXCITED to finally share with you the news that I will be guest designing all February long for Tuesday Morning Sketches!! 

I'm thrilled to be a part of this team!! Have you noticed lately how many of sketch challenge blogs are no longer active? Not Tuesday Morning Sketches! They're still going strong after 3.5 years! And the best part is, you don't have to remember when they post their challenges.....it's in their name! :)

You can check out this week's sketch TMS184 on their blog. Also, this week's challenge is being sponsored by an awesome embellishment company - Freckled Fawn! They have everything from wood and resin chips to tons of colorful washi tape! Seriously....I drooled over them! lol

 I was so inspired by all their tape, I decided to use some on my card!

I layered the washi tape on an angle to create my banner panel. To keep the focus on the image, I just used black and white colored washi tape, but with the right image, this idea would look FABULOUS with brightly colored tape too! I had Valentines Day on the brain this weekend, so I used my Buckets Of Love set from There She Goes. It's cute AND bold - just how I love my images! :) As usual, I colored it up with my Stamping Up! reinkers and aquapainter brush. Then I sewed each panel to some black or white cardstock. I inverted my scalloped border on my main panel using decorative scissors.

Need more inspiration?? Check out what the rest of the TMS girls did with the sketch!

Angela
Bonnie
Cheryl
Dawn
Debbie
Jenee
Jessi
Laura
Theresa
Melissa

Thanks for popping in today! I sure hope you can find some time this week to play along with us!

Hugs, Sandra


Supplies
{Stamps} There She Goes 'Buckets Of Love'
{Papers} PTI Kraft Cardstock, Georgia Pacific Cardstock, Canson Manga Cardstock, PP - MME
{Inks} StazOn' Jet Black', Cool Caribbean, Going Gray, Sahara Sand, Regal Rose, Ruby Red, Rich Razzleberry, Pretty In Pink, Soft Suede
{Access} Washi Tape, Fiskars Decorative Scissors, Sewing, Sponges, Dimensionals

TSG193: Inspiration Challenge....by me!

Monday, February 4, 2013

Hi everyone!

I hope you had a great weekend. We had a busy one with a birthday party for one of Syd's school friends at the local YMCA. They recently built a new facility and it's SO MUCH BETTER than the last place! They were crammed into an old building downtown that used to be the old Middle School....it was in a really bad state of affairs. So we joined this new YMCA this past weekend and I can't wait to get in there and use it! And the best part is that my employer reimburses us the membership fees if we go a certain number of times per quarter! It's a no-brainer really! Syd's looking forward to taking swimming and gymnastic classes; I'm looking forward to taking a Zumba or spinning class. :) This isn't a New Year's resolution for us, but more of a change of attitude. I'm looking forward to it!

I got a few cards made this weekend too! One of them is for this week's There She Goes challenge, which I'm hosting this week!  I'm challenging you all to create a card or project using this image as your inspiration!

Source

Here's what I came up with!

Who can resist the red and white polka dot patterns?! I'm a sucker for it every time! :) And since there were a few hearts in the image, I pulled out the CUTE Scent-sational set to make a sweet Valentines Day card! I used this week's Retro Sketches Challenge #49 for my layout. (Notice the lack of embellishments....shocking, isn't it?! lol)

Are you tempted to play along this week?? Here are the details you'll need to know:

To be eligible for the giveaway, create a card or project using this challenge, and then come back to the TSG Blog to add your name and a link to your project in the InLinkz that is located at the bottom of this challenge post. This challenge is open until the winner has been announced on the following Monday (February 11th). 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 lookout 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 TSG193 so we can check out your beautiful work!

 I've got a busy blog week coming up, so expect to see me A LOT MORE of me this week! :D

Hugs,
Sandra


Supplies
{Stamps} There She Goes 'Scent-sational'
{Papers} PTI Kraft Cardstock, Georgia Pacific Cardstock, Canson Manga Cardstock, PP - Bo Bunny Dots on Dots and MME scrap
{Inks} StazOn 'Jet Black', Going Gray, Regal Rose, Ruby Red, Soft Suede, Old Olive, Distress Inks 'Black Soot'
{Access} Fiskars Decorative Scissors, Sewing, Sponges, Dimensionals