It Never Fails.....

Just when things are the busiest--

Design team work due,
Set designs due,
Publication calls to submit to (and most likely get rejected from!)...

THIS is when your Photo software decides to stop working. I cannot download any photos from my camera.....Yipes----NOT a good time.

I am working on the problem...

In the meantime---
Here is a quick card that you can make it in about 5 minutes!!! Woohooo--gotta love that! Cool, eh?

Materials used:Whisper white cardstock (Stampin' Up!); Designer paper: Vintage black stripe (The Paper Studio); Rub-ons & Rhinestones: Imaginisce (Bazzill); Friend rub-on: Rub-On Sentiments (Royal & Longnickel Brust Mfg.); Paper Piercing tool.

Ok....off to try and fix the problem!!! (Wish me luck!)

Thanks for stopping by!

Wanna Win all the New My Favorite Things Releases?

Check out this post for details!

Good luck!

Yo Featured Stamper!

This week the featured stamper on Splitcoaststampers is Mary Jo Albright. If you are not familiar with her work---you are missing out. She is a fabulous designer and a sweetheart.

So, I had to get this challenge in! I chose to case her card which can be seen here. I used her color palette because I LOVE it. I also used the same images (Let's Go For a Walk by My Favorite Things.)

The changes I made were--I added hardware on the main image. I added piercings under the main image. I used hanging hardware instead of an eyelet on the sentiment. I added the scalloped strip underneath the main image. I used different ribbon (and substituted the vertical ribbon for a piece of embossed cardstock) and I rounded the two corners of cardstock.


Thanks Mary Jo for sharing your talent. Even though my case doesn't begin to do yours justice, I had a blast trying!

Materials used: Let's Go for a Walk (My Favorite Things); Ink-black; cardstock-turquoise, real red, pumpkin pie, whisper white, black; paper piercing tool; Copics, prismacolor pencils; odorless mineral spirits; slit punch; Cuttlebug and textile embossing folder; ribbon (May Arts); scalloped punch and circle punches (SU!); brads and hardware (WE R Memory Keepers); adhesive ribbon (Martha Stewart); corner rounder punch (Creative Memories).

Thanks for stopping by!

Color Challenged

I am not very good at color challenges. For some reason, being told which colors to use for a card paralyzes my ability to create. (....or I create some hideous card and then end up shredding it!)

Today's color challenge on Splitcoaststampers was to use whisper white, black and river rock --ohhhh!!! I love those colors and so I HAD to play along.

Here is my card:

I stamped the butterflies in river rock and cut them out. Then, I embossed them with clear embossing powder to make them shine (and make them more durable!) The background was embossed with the flower folder in the Cuttlebug. I added a little rhinestone sticker to the sentiment (these stickers can be found at Stamper's Dream .)

Everything is pretty straightforward---I am just happy that I don't have to shred this one!

Materials used: Stamps-Kind Thoughts (Stampin Up!); ink-black, river rock (SU!); cardstock- black, white, river rock (SU!); circle punch (SU!); scalloped circle punch (Marvy Uchida); rhinestone sticker (Hero Arts-available at Stamper's Dream); ribbon (May Arts); eyelet; Cropadile; brads (Paper Studio); paper piercing tool; dimensionals (SU!); clear embossing powder; versamark; heat tool; Cuttlebug and flower folder; pop dots (SU!); corner rounder punch (Creative Memories); slit punch (SU!).

Thanks for stopping by!

No one likes a Poked Eye!

Forget about worrying about my son's teeth....after this conversation today, I am now more worried about his school (lol!):

Ben: Mom, do you want to play school?

Me: Sure, Ben. Am I the student again?

Ben: Yep. And here are the rules that you have to just listen to--

• Number 1- Don't push anyone (understandable!)
• Number 2- Don't grab anyone in the neck or you will kill them (hmm...me thinks this one was lost in the translation)
• Number 3- Don't poke anyone in the eye or they will have a poked eye (very true!)

(I promise we live in a good neighborhood!!!) Gotta love kids. Just makes me wonder what he says about me at school!?!

This card was created for Beate's weekend sketch challenge (WSC36). I normally don't get a lot of stamping time on the weekend so I miss out on a lot of fun sketches.....but this weekend, I found a little bit of time (Ok..... I stole it!) Beate has a weekend sketch on her blog every week and she is a phenominal stamper too!

I used Baskets of Happiness from Gina K Designs (Yes, I am obsessed with this set!) I colored the main image with prismacolor pencils and Copics. I added some paper piercing along the side and rounded the two corners. I used a Copic Marker to color some white ric rak to match the colors in the card. I love how simple the design is...really lets the image stand out.

Thanks for a great sketch, Beate! Really helped to pull me out of my creative slump!

Here is a close up of the image. I used a piece of hemp to tie around the basket of flowers. Also, you can see the ric rak that I colored with my Copic marker to match the card.

Materials used: Stamps-Baskets of Happiness (Gina K Designs); ink-black, olive; Cardstock-vanilla, designer paper by Cosmo Cricket; white ric rak; Copics; Prismacolor pencils; Odorless mineral spirits; hemp (Hobby Lobby); paper piercing tool; Corner rounder punch (Creative Memories); Sakura stardust jellyroll pen; dimensionals (Stampin' Up!).

Thanks for stopping by!

Blog Candy Winner!!!

Thank you for sharing all of the things you are thankful for---really makes me realize how blessed I am and I hope it was a nice reminder for all of you.

Random.Cara picked number 312:
Shawn K, who said "I am most grateful for so much that it's hard to just pick one thing. I guess ultimately I am grateful for the chance to be alive and the chance to love and the chance to experience the wonder of the creation.Congrats on your milestone!"

Shawn, please email me your address so I can get your goodies in the mail.

Thanks for playing along everyone!

More blog candy coming.....I have a new stamp set coming out with Gina K Designs in March.....stay tuned for how you can win it here!

Thankful...

After reading all of the amazing responses to my blog candy post (you still have a few more hours to post on that thread!), I wanted to follow up with what I am so thankful for---

We spent the day at a local state park today....what a gorgeous day--we had a picnic, hiked, waded in the water and enjoyed the waterfalls.

Here is my husband and three kids:

And me and my kiddos (yep, that is Ben who is pretty fed up with the pictures by now as he told me several times "Dinosaurs do NOT get their pictures taken!")

On the way home, we were traveling some back roads....there wasn't too much traffic on the road and we were just enjoying the scenery. After driving awhile, we saw two motorcycles parked on one side of the road and two men standing over a lady on the other side of the road.

As we got closer, we could see a motorcycle in the ditch on the side of the road that the lady was on.

We slowed down and pulled over so my husband could check it out. Not good. They were out for a ride and she got too close to the incline and the bike must have thrown her before landing in the ditch. The lady was banged up pretty badly. Luckily, my husband was able to do a quick vitals check on her (I actually held it together enough to assist) and she could have been much worse off than she was. She has severe lacerations to her face from her sunglasses and her face was a mess of blood. But the only real evident marking on her body was a huge gash in her knee. (I cannot believe I didn't faint when I saw this.)

Unfortunately she was not wearing a helmet. My husband said that she might have walked away from the accident had she been wearing one. At the beginning of the quick neurological assessment he gave her, she could see how many fingers he held up and was talking pretty well. But by the time the ambulance showed up (about 10 minutes later) she could no longer see and could not remember anything she had said. It is likely she has some bleeding in her brain from the accident and they made the decision right away to airlift her to the nearest hospital.

Once help arrived, we decided to leave...knowing that she would be in capable hands. Immediately, I was reminded how very lucky I am to have my wonderful family. I am so very proud of my husband who has the power to physically help people--and does so whenever needed.

On the way home, I counted all of the people on motorcycles I saw who were not wearing helmets.....I lost track at 19....

I had a pretty busy weekend but I managed to squeeze in a card yesterday. I used the adorable new stamps from Melanie Muenchinger at Gina K. Designs. I cased Mel's idea of creating a onesie for the bunny---because how cute is that? (You can see her original idea on her blog!)

The onesie and the balloon are paper pieced.

Materials used: Stamps- Just so Hoppy (Gina K Designs); paper-lilac, white, dollar store dp; Copics; ribbon (SU!); punch (SU!); Cuttlebug and Nestabilities; dimensionals (SU!).

When I came home today I had an email from a friend letting me know that Holly McMillen gave me an award:

Holly, who is such a toy-riffic artist (heehee...she is probably pretty sick of me using her SCS name "Toy" this way!) and whom I GREATLY admire, gave me an "Oscar" for great photos on my blog. You are the sweetest and I am so honored to receive this award. THANKS so much Holly!

Thanks for stopping by! (Blog candy winner will be posted tomorrow morning!)

Window Scrapbook Page

I was playing around with my new Scor-Pal and the sheet I was practicing on became the backdrop of this page. I love the subtle lines---the lines add such a simple touch (AND they help you to line up the elements on the page so that they are not crooked!) I LOVE this new toy (and I have barely begun to play yet!)

This page features a window -- so when you pull the tab up---the picture of my daughter lifts and there is a journaling circle underneath it.

I used Scor-Tape to seal the edges of the folded over cardstock---this stuff is super sticky and holds the pocket closed tightly.

I used various rub-ons for the layout but the words around the edge of the dark pink layers are simply my handwriting--I used the signo white gel pen (SU!) to add that detail.

I covered the chipboard L with patterned paper and sanded the edges. The little "2" tag was made from the bling & dazzle embellishments from Gina K Designs. I covered one with cardstock and then sanded the edges and used a rub-on (daisy ds) before attaching it to the chipboard letter. These embellishments make it simple to create a perfectly coordinated project.


Here is what the page looks like when you pull up the picture. You will notice that the little punched heart remains on the pocket and the picture is pulled out using the little ribbon loop.

What a fun page to create! My hubby will be proud of me for getting another scrapbook page done!

Materials used: Paper-white (SU!); Designer paper (American Crafts); slit punch (SU!); Marvy heart scalloped punch; Bling & Dazzle embellishment tag (Gina K Designs); Chipboard L; signo white gel pen; Creative memories cutting system and circle templates; rub-ons (Stampin' UP! and daisy ds); Martha Stewart small heart punch; grosgrain ribbon (SU!); Scor-Pal; Scor-Tape (by Scor-Pal); dimensionals (SU!).

**Don't forget to add an entry to the blog candy post below!**

Thanks for stopping by!

Ten Minute CARDS!!

One of the things I am trying to do on my blog now is offer LOTS of variety! I am trying to design some clean and simple cards, some innovative designs, some highly detailed cards, some altered items and some scrapbooking pages. It is really fun for me and I hope you like this idea as well.

So here are two quick and easy card ideas!

Both cards use a clear set by Hero Arts available at Stamper's Dream store. The idea behind both is to make some simple but classy designs when you are pinched for time. I used patterned paper and piercing to add simple elements that add so much.
For the first card, I stamped the bracket design and cut it out. The sentiment is popped out too.

REMOVED FOR PUBLICATION

Materials used: Stamps-Hero Arts clear set (available at Stamper's Dream); ink-olive; cardstock-white, bordering blue, SU designer paper; silver brads (SU!); piercing tool (SU!); dimensionals.

For this second design, I used some designer paper (from Stampin' Up!) that I think match the stamped frame perfectly. I added some Hero arts bling to the flowers on the center piece for a neat touch. Stamps and bling are available at Stamper's Dream.


Materials used: Stamps-Hero Arts clear set (available at Stamper's Dream); cardstock-white, orange, wasabi, SU designer paper; Ink-pumpkin pie (SU!); pumpkin ribbon (SU!); silver cord (SU!); Hero Arts bling (available at Stamper's Dream); piercing tool (SU!); dimensionals.


I love these simple designs---something about the clean and simple that is just really appealing to me.


Thanks for stopping by! (Don't forget to post a comment for blog candy on the post below!)

Celebration--Blog Candy!!!

I was slightly bumped off my groove yesterday---had my son at the dentist and found out that he needs to be put under general anesthesia for some dental work. He has major anxiety at the dentist's ever since he got a cap put on his tooth last year and his teeth need a lot of work (has a few cavities and a cracked tooth.)

I am so fastidious about teeth and it just kills me that he has all of these problems (soft teeth.) I feel for the guy and I was really down on myself last night figuring this must be my fault.......but this morning I woke up and I feel so much better. I know that in the scheme of things, this is nothing---it will all be over soon and he will most likely get more cavities but, hey, he is a healthy child and so we are celebrating!

But first, I have a card to show you:

This card is pretty straight-forward---the only thing I did besides stamp and color was to add the flower embossed vellum sheet over the background. I love the look this gave this card. And I think the flowers accent the image so nicely! The prima is colored with Copics to match the pink in the background. I added some Sakura stardust to all of the flowers and to the sentiment.

The main image is called "Rainin Daisies" by Penny Black. The sentiment is from a clear stamp set by Hero Arts and includes lots of beautiful sentiments and frames....(I will be posting some more samples of this set tomorrow!) Both can be found at Stamper's Dream stamps.

Materials used: Stamps by Penny Black and Hero Arts (both available at Stamper's Dream stamps); ink-black, lilac; cardstock-purple, pink, white, vellum; Copic markers; prismacolor pencils; odorless mineral spirits; cuttlebug and Nestabilities (circles, petite ovals), flower embossing folder; ribbon (May Arts); Sakura Stardust jellyroll pen; eyelets and Cropadile; white gel pen (SU!); dimensionals (SU!); slit punch (SU!); prima (bazzill); button (SU!).

Now time to celebrate!!! Time to celebrate 3 months blogging and 40,000 hits!!!! Thank you so much--I am so thrilled someone else reads this besides my mom!

So here it is (sorry about the bad picture--it was hard to cram all this stuff into one shot!):

What you get:

• 1 sheet of Stampin' Up! rub-ons
• Tattered Angels glimmer mist
• Flower embossing punch
• Making Memories shimmer brads
• All Night Media brass stencils/charms (butterflies)
• Stampin' Up! brand new stamp set--So Many Scallops
• Miss Elizabeth's Paper Scraps pack
• Hot Hues-Card Making Kit (includes paper and embellishments to make 4 cards!)

What you have to do to win: Just leave a comment on this post and tell me one thing you are grateful for in your life.

Please number your posts (if possible!) and subscribers----(you know what is coming!!!) feel free to post TWICE! (Yes...that means if you subscribe to this blog by ANY means...you may post two comments!)

Random.Cara will pick a winner on MONDAY MORNING at 7 a.m. central time.

Good luck and thanks for stopping by!

MFT Sketch--sort of!

This card is for the My Favorite Things sketch challenge on Splitcoaststampers. But, as most of my projects do, it took a wild turn to the left! Still, you can kinda sorta a little bit tell that it began with the sketch. (That is my way of making myself feel better about my failed attempt!)

I used one of my favorite sets from My Favorite Things to create this card--"By the Seashore." I used a sheet of bazzill scalloped cardstock to create the base of this card. The scallops remind me of the shells so I stamped them all along the borders.

I picked up these cool threading brads (which look like mini golf balls) while shopping with my enabler friend, Deb, last week. I love the cool frame that can be made with these by just threading hemp or thread around them.

I stamped the sentiment on twill and created the waves by ripping cardstock and adhering it on top of a strip of sand I added to the card. I sponged some soft sky ink in the background for the sky and then stamped the seagulls. The girl and dog are stamped and colored and popped out....I added a peice of hemp for his leash. As a final touch, I added a little creative candy twinkle sticker (a muse) to the center of the flower on her hat.

Materials used: By the Seashore (My Favorite Things); cardstock-brilliant blue, celery, bazzill cardstock, very vanilla; brilliance black ink; soft sky and chocolate chip classic stamp pads (SU!); sponge; sand; double sided tape (SU!); Prismacolor pencils and odorless mineral spirits; threading brads; hemp (Hobby Lobby); a muse creative candy; twill tape (SU!); eyelet and Cropadile; dimensionals (SU!).

Thanks for stopping by!

CCEE Challenging Challenge

Every week a group of gals and I do these challenges on Splitcoaststampers. This week we had to use 18 buttons on our card....18!

Well, I had been cleaning my house all day yesterday so I rewarded myself with a break to create this:

The picture is one of my all time favs of my daughter, Cara. She has such a beautiful smile....so I made a scrapbook page that showcases it. (I used the colors and circle shapes she has in her room as the inspiration for this!)

The chipboard C was layered with blue cardstock. I embossed the flowers from My Favorite Things "Farm Friends" on the letter and on the strip of blue on the side.

I used 19 buttons (one for extra credit!!!) Some of the buttons are clear and are layered underneath the letters I printed from my computer. Others are layered on top of other buttons--but they are all there!

Whew...a tough challenge for me. Glad that one is done!

Thanks for stopping by!

I am so Lucky!!!

...and I am so grateful!

Recently, I mentioned to the awesomely talented Julie Brooks that I loved her blog banner...and guess what? The new blog banner you see above was created by her--the digi Queen! Isn't it fantastic?!?!? Thank you soo much Julie....it is exactly as I envisioned it would look (and just a little bit better...lol!) Check out her online store for great deals on ribbon, embellishments and very cool items to alter!

Today marks 3 months blogging!!! Woohooo....seems like only yesterday.
My blog candy will be posted in a few days. I am waiting for something that is coming in the mail.....but it will be a good one so I hope you stop back and celebrate with me!

I have a cute little St. Patrick's day card to share with you today. The images (the leprechan, the three clovers and the sentiment) are all by Stampendous and can be found at Stamper's Dream. I love this sentiment--"So Lucky to have you!"...now who wouldn't want to get a card that said that?

The image was stamped and colored with Prismacolor pencils. I cut the oval shapes using my Creative Memories Cutting system. The sentiment was stamped and cut out. I attached ribbon slider die cuts to the sides to attach the ribbon. I outlined the sentiment with my stardust pen to give it some sparkle.
The shamrock frame was created using the Stampendous three shamrock stamp...I just stamped it twice on each side to create the little frame for this image. After the card was assembled, I added some green stickles to the four-leaf clover in his hand!

Here is the image close up!

Materials used: Stamps--all by Stampendous (available at Stamper's Dream); cardstock- olive, orange, white, Stampin' Up! designer paper; ink-black, olive, pumpkin pie; Prismacolor pencils; Odorless mineral spirits; ribbon (Stampin' Up!); hemp (SU!); Cuttlebug and slider dies; stickles (green); Sakura stardust jellyroll pen; dimensionals (SU!).

Hope you have a lucky day!

Thanks for stopping by!

Treat Box Tutorial

I love creating treat holders and boxes and here is an EASY one you can create with just a few strips of paper. It makes the perfect presentation for a gift for any occassion.

I designed this triangle shaped box and the directions are so simple--you can make it in a few minutes!!

Directions:
Cut a strip of cardstock lengthwise at 3 inches so that it measures 3 by 11 inches. Score the paper at 3 inches, 6 inches and 9 inches. (There will be a two inch extra strip on the end...do not cut it off!)

Fold into shape and adhere the two inch strip so that it overlaps the first section and forms a triangle. After you have your shape ready, trace the bottom on a piece of cardstock. Cut out the drawn shape leaving about a quarter inch all around the drawn edges. After you have the shape cut out....cut slits in the corners and fold up to the drawn lines. Adhere this to the bottom of the triangle section using the tabs you have created.

Decorate as desired!

I decorated my box with My Favorite Things Boho Blossoms. The heart is the perfect accent for this box. I stamped it three times so that the image appears on each side. (I just stamped different sentiments on each kraft punched heart. I used "Love" "Bliss" and "Joy.") I added some gemstones to the stamped image and Whola...a simple and sweet gift box! You can tuck a gift card in there too to make it an even sweeter gift!

The final thing I added was a bag of kisses with a little acetate tag with the word "Friend" stamped on it!

Materials used: Stamps: Boho Blossoms (My Favorite Things); cardstock-white, Kraft, black; ink-red, black; ribbon (May Arts); hemp (SU!); cuttlebug and Nestabilities (Spellbinders); dimensionals (SU!); gemstones (paper studio); heart punch (Martha Stewart).

Very simple. If you try this project, I would LOVE to see it--just leave me a link and I will check it out!

I just received word that my SU! order shipped so MAJOR blog candy is a comin!

Thanks for stopping by!

Happy Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day to all my cyber friends. I wanted to pass along this email my sister sent to me today....I just love the message:

Happy Valentine's Day!

"Be kinder than necessary because everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle."

I will have something to share with you tomorrow...until then, thanks for stopping by!

Pierced....X 2!

No...not me...I am talking about cards!!!

But first, thank you so much for all the sweet and encouraging remarks left on my last post--It was so nice that so many of you left a comment to congratulate me on my publication. I so appreciate all of you!

I have two cards to share with you tonight:
The first one features one of the cutest images called "Lazy Days." I actually did another card with this image a few weeks ago but it was picked up for publication. I was just waiting a bit before I used it again. This image is by Penny Black and the sentiment is by Hero Arts, both can be found at Stamper's Dream.

For this card, I wanted to create a subtle background...to let the image be the focal point. I thought it would be a neat idea to try to emboss vellum. (Neat, yes..but also very loud!) As I ran the vellum through the cuttlebug, I was convinced I snapped a plate--but no, it was just the vellum.
Luckily, I liked the result and used it for the top of this card. I also seem to be into piercing a lot again and so I added a lot of piercing accents.

REMOVED FOR PUBLICATION

Materials used: Stamps-Lazy Days by Penny Black and sentiment by Hero Arts (both can be found at Stamper's Dream); cardstock-red, white, celery (Stampin' Up!); Prismacolor pencils; odorless blending spirits; slit punch (Stampin' Up!); gingham ribbon (SU!); jumbo eyelet (SU!); vellum; Cuttlebug and flower embossing folder; label punch (SU!); paper piercing tool (SU!); mat pack (SU!); oval punches (SU!); brads (SU!); dimensionals (SU!).

The next card is my version of today's sketch on Splitcoaststampers. I used one of the basket images (that I adore!) from Gina K Design's set "Baskets of Happiness" and paired it with this new paper I just got from Cosmo Cricket called "Little Girls." Too cute!

I used a Bling & Dazzle tag embellishment from Gina K. Designs. I adhered some of the designer paper onto it and then sanded the edges. When I was finished, it looked like a purchased embellishment. Then I used the sentiment "Thanks" from Gina K's "Rectangle Greetings" set to add to the tag.
The ribbon is more from May Arts---I love how soft and airy it is!

Here is a close up view of the image, which was colored with Copics and Prismacolor pencils.

Materials used: Stamps-Baskets of Happiness and Rectangle Greetings (Gina K Designs); cardstock-olive; Designer paper by Cosmo Cricket "Little Girls", ink-brilliance black, olive; sponge, Copics; Prismacolor pencils; odorless mineral spirits; oval punch (SU!); small circle punch (SU!); brads (SU!); eyelets (SU!); ribbon (May Arts); silver cord (SU!); paper piercing tool (SU!); mat pack (SU!); Bling and Dazzle tag (Gina K Designs); dimensionals (SU!).

Coming soon---blog candy, a new banner and a scrapbook layout!

Thanks for stopping by!

I'm in CardMaker Magazine

Woohooo! I finally got my complimentary copies of the March issue of CardMaker Magazine.

My creation for this issue is on page 22 and 23 AND if you look on page 94 (at the top), you will see my father's day card that will appear in the next issue!

This issue is very special to me because this card was the first one I ever got accepted for publication. (Yes, I had a few cards in a magazine last month, but this one was the first accepted-- way back in June!)

I will never forget how it felt to receive that acceptance email (and neither will my family!)

It just goes to show you---If I can do it, you can do it too!

Thanks for letting me share my news!

A Pirate and a Basket

My mom was feeling sad that I had not sent her a picture of Lauren's new haircut. (oopsie!) So, I wanted to get a picture of it (even though at this point she needs another!) I grab my camera to try and get a quick shot before her "school."

Me: Lauren, I have to take a picture of your new haircut for Mimi. (wincing because I KNOW how much Lauren hates anything having to do with her hair.)

Lauren: Oh, ok....Let me get me brush (said in her best pirate voice! Lauren refers to everything this way now....me brush, me shoes, me pants, etc.)

Me: You don't need your brush, just come over here so I can take your picture.

Lauren: Me picture

Me: Yes

Lauren: Oh, ok....Let me get me brush.

Me: Fine

So here is the picture of Lauren brushing her hair. Silly little pirate.


Now to show you a project (but it isnt NEARLY as cute as Lauren!) For those of you who emailed me, I am so sorry....I had NO idea that Gina was posting this on her blog yesterday or I would have posted it as well with the materials used. Sorry about that. Here it is....better late than never!

I picked up this little unfinished ceramic basket at Hobby Lobby. Isn't it so cute? It was $1.50!!! I applied a coat of acryllic paint on the basket and set it aside to dry (it will dry very fast!)

I stamped the image from Gina K Designs "Baskets of Happiness" on white cardstock and colored it with Copics and Prismacolor pencils. I chose to color the pot with Prismacolor pencils because I wanted that rustic look that you can achieve very easily with them.

I used my Nestabilities dies to cut out the image and then create a scalloped mat for it. I added an eyelet on one side of the image to thread some of that beautiful May Arts ribbon through. (I got this and TONs of other beautiful ribbon from Jody's ribbon share--great deal!)

The sentiment was embossed in white on the matching lilac cardstock. I colored one of the Bling & Dazzle embellishments by Gina K Designs with a Copic marker. (I love that you can make these ANY COLOR you want just by coloring right on them--a perfect match everytime!) Then I attached the sentiment to the top of the handle with more ribbon and threaded it through the flower to tie it off.

I added some purple grass and a bag of jellybeans and Whola! This was very simple and I think it makes an adorable Easter treat!

Materials used: Stamps: Baskets of Happiness (Gina K Designs); white and purple cardstock (Stampin' Up!); ribbon (May Arts); eyelet; bling & dazzle flower (Gina K Designs); Copic markers; Prismacolor pencils and gamsol; white gel pen (SU!); Cuttlebug and Nestability dies; ceramic basket (Hobby Lobby); pink acryllic paint; purple grass; bag of jelly beans.

Thanks for stopping by!

More Gina K New Release Cards

Phew! Gina K had her release party last night on Splitcoaststampers and if you were there--you knew how fast moving the thread was. I even had a hard time keeping up!!! But it was so much fun. (It was probably even more fun this month since I did not illustrate anything this time -not as much pressure!) I DO have a set coming out next month though so stay tuned for more info and your chance to win it here!

I have a few designs to share that I created to help kick off the release. All of these cards are made with the newest sets from Gina K Designs, which are available NOW!

The first card is a set designed by my friend Melanie! It is called "Just so Hoppy" (soo cute).
The bunny is popped up and I used only a part of the basket image...popped it out and then hung the basket over the bunny's arms using a piece of hemp. The background is embossed with hearts and I added some piercing to the top and bottom. Simple but cute!

The next card features the Free with Three set (you get this set FREE this month when you purchase three other sets) called "Tag, You're It!" The snowflakes are one of the images in this set. I stamped them on the background and then stamped them in white StazOn on a transparency and placed it over the pink cardstock layer. The tag is made using the new Bling & Dazzle embellishments at the store. These embellishments are made exclusively for Gina K and you can color on them, stamp them, cover them with paper or sand them....they are so cool!
For this card, I colored the tag with a red Copic marker so it would match the base of the card.


Finally, here is a sample with the "He is Risen" set. I love this cross image. This set is perfect for Sympathy cards, Easter, Baptism, Holy Communion or Confirmation cards. The cross is embossed on vellum for this sample. I backed the vellum with white cardstock. I used gold spray webbing to create the background and my Cuttlebug and textile embossing folder to create the design on the punched corners.

I will have a fun Easter project to show you tomorrow.

I just ordered something fun to give away as blog candy so as soon as I get it---I will be posting it! Be sure to check back!

Thanks for stopping by!

Sneak Peek - Stamps AND Embellishments!

This card features one of the new sets from Gina K Designs that will be revealed tomorrow night (SUNDAY!!) after the release party (from 7-9 p.m. central) on Splitcoaststampers. Join us there for some fun and challenges!!!

Gina is adding four new stamps sets (including the set you get free when you purchase any other three sets!). In addition to stamps, Gina is introducing her Bling & Dazzle embellishments. There are tag shapes and little flowers and the cool thing about these plastic pieces is that they can be stamped, colored and dyed with alcohol inks or markers or covered with patterned paper....so many possibilities. For more peeks at these embellishments and the newest stamps, check out Gina's blog!

For the card below, I used the new set called "Baskets of Happiness." There are three different basket stamps in this set and they are all beautiful. I colored the Bling & Dazzle embellishment flowers (on either side of the sentiment) the same color as I used on the stamped flowers. (The Copic markers work directly on them and dry so fast!) Amazing!

The image was colored with Copics and Prismacolor pencils. The flowers sparkle because I added some Stardust jellyroll pen accents to it.

Materials used: Stamps-Baskets of Happiness (Gina K. Designs); ink- brilliance black; cardstock-white, eggplant, Basic Grey dp; Copics; Prismacolor Pencils; Gamsol; white brads (Paper Studio); Bling & Dazzle flowers (Gina K Designs); slit punch (SU!); signo white gel pen (SU!); Sakura stardust jellyroll pen; Cuttlebug and Nestability dies; dimensionals (SU!); paper piercing tool.

Special thanks to Tammy Hershberger who awarded me the Excellent blogger award. Thanks so much Tammy....check out her rockin' blog here. (Rumor has it she turns 40 soon and she is celebrating with AWESOME blog candy!)

Thanks for stopping by!

Happy Birthday Gina!

Today is my friend Gina's birthday. You may know her as Gina K of Gina K Designs. She is celebrating her 29th birthday AGAIN! For those of you who do not know her, she is such a sweet lady with a HUGE heart plus more than her fair share of talent. Head over to her blog to catch some sneak peeks of some new sets that will be released on Sunday night. (While you are there, wish her a Happy Birthday!)

Happy Happy Birthday Gina!

This is the card I made for Gina. I created a similar design in June (kind of the reverse of the topper card that was invented by Michelle Wooderson). I thought that the image that sits on the top of the card would look fantastic if you could see the image when you opened the card as well. And so, the reverse topper was born.

I love this idea and have used it several times---I thought this image from Gina K's "How Sweet it Is" set would be perfect for this type of design. (This stamp set was created to raise money for research to help adults and children with diabetes--gotta love that!)

For this design, the card base is cut out. Then, I used my creative memories cutting system to cut out just half of a circle at the fold. (You do this by opening the card up and centering the circle in the center of the fold.) This allows the image to be adhered to the inside of the card but also be seen on the front. The fun glittery brads are from Gina K Designs as well. Stay tuned, Gina has tons more fun embellishments coming to her store on Sunday!

Fun details: I added red stickles to the cherry. The red ribbon is pulled a bit through two primas (where a brad would normally go!) The scallops at the bottom of the card were created using the slit punch (SU!) and then attaching the strip to the card.

Here is how the card looks on the inside. The front of the card can actually flip over so the inside message can be displayed! Cool, eh?

Materials used: How Sweet It Is (Gina K Designs); cardstock-red, white, dp by Cosmo Crickett; ink-black, red; brads (Gina K Designs); prima (Bazill); red stickles; slit punch (SU!); Cuttlebug and Nestabilities; ribbon (SU!); Copics; Creative Memories cutting system.

Gina K Designs will be holding a release party on Splitcoaststampers in the forum on Sunday night from 7-9 p.m. central time (8-10 p.m. eastern). Join us for fun and games! Four new sets will be added to the store as well as some veryyy cool new embellishments! Hope to see you there!

Wow....Special thanks to Silvia Mabie who honored me with an "Excellent Blogger" award. Thanks Silvia!!!

Thanks for stopping by!

Dedicated to the ONES I LOVE!

I love this card. And this is why: I bought this set from Papertrey mostly because of this sentiment and coordinating images.

The sentiment reads "I love you... to the moon and back again, to infinity and beyond, forever & ever."

I have said this and various other things to all three of my kids at night (almost every night)....varying the expression (I love you to the moon and back, around and around the earth and back again, around the solar system...etc!)


Another favorite song I used to sing with my 11 year old when she was young was "I love you in the morning and in the afternoon, I love you in the evening and underneath the moon...."

And so the concept of this card was born. I wanted to convey CONSTANT and UNRELENTING love (that love you unconditionally give your children and probably no one else!) They are loved in the evening (the dark side of the card with the moon) and all during the day (the white side.) They are loved in winter/fall (the bare branches on one side) and during the spring and summer (the flowered branch on the other side.)

This was so much fun to make and it is dedicated to the ONES I LOVE!


Materials Used: Stamps-Out on a Limb (Papertrey Ink.), ink-choc chip, black, pink; cardstock-white, black, American Crafts decorative paper; white embossing powder; slit punch (SU!); signo gel pen (SU!); versamark; heat tool; cropadile; ribbon (SU!); dimensionals (SU!); white eyelet; Cuttlebug and flower dies.

REMOVED FOR PUBLICATION

Fun Stuff:

Gina K Designs will be revealing four new stamp sets on Sunday night. She will be holding a release party on Splitcoaststampers in the forum from 7-9 Central time (8-10 Eastern). Wait until you see these new sets and she is also introducing a FANTASTIC new embellishment....loooovveeee it.

She will begin sneak peeks on her blog tomorrow (Friday). Check it out here. (If you head over there today, she has an excellent tutorial on photographing your cards...I learned so much!)

Congrats to my friend Becky Oehlers who was named a new designer on the Papertrey Ink team. Yeah Becky! You ROCK!

Thanks for stopping by!

Thanks Tosh!

My Friend Tosh nominated me for this award. If you haven't stumbled across her blog you have to check it out...that girl is a creative genius! Thanks so much girlfriend!

I am supposed to nominate ten other blogs. Since there are TONS of awesome blogs out there (and I don't want to leave anyone out!), I nominate YOU!

Thanks for stopping by!

Twisted Sentiments-Get 'em Tonight!

The much anticipated "Twisted Sentiments" set by My Favorite Things will be available tonight, after the release party (from 8-10 p.m.central time) in the MFT forum on Splitcoastampers. Two other new sets will also be added to the store--"Egg-stra Special Easter" and "Serenity Now." (See posts below for peeks of those sets!)

Today, I thought I would give you some "tame" cards using some of the "Twisted Sentiments." (What can I say, I am a wimp....but if I got a call from my mom because I said "Craphead" on here you can just imagine what would happen if I put a card on here that said "Better than Sex?") See mom, I'm a good girl, I am!

The first card was for the sketch challenge on Splitcoastampers. I used "Meet Me at the Cafe" along with a "Twisted Sentiments" phrase. This sentiment was MADE for this set! I stamped the awning on red designer paper (that matches the rest of the paper) and poped it up a bit so it looks like it is overhanging the window.


Materials used: "Meet Me at the Cafe" "Twisted Sentiments" (My Favorite Things); ink-black; Copic markers; cardstock-red, white, Cosmo Cricket Dutch Girl dp; scalloped punch (SU!); circle punch (SU!); ribbon (May Arts); brads (the Paper Studio); dimensionals (SU!).

The next card is literally a 10 minute card. I used "You Take the Cake" along with a sentiment from the new set. I added gel pen dots around the scalloped border to make the scallops stand out more. A few olive brads on the cake help to add some texture to the design.

Materials used: Stamps-"You Take the Cake" and "Twisted Sentiments" (My Favorite Things); ink-black, olive; cardstock-soft sky, white, SU! designer paper; ribbon (SU!); Cuttlebug and Nestability dies; slot punch (SU!); corner rounder punch (Creative Memories); white signo gel pen (SU!); Copic markers; dimensionals (SU!).

Thanks for stopping by!

Serenity NOW!

This is me at the end of the day---"Serenity NOW!" (If you are a Seinfeld fan---you understand this!) If not, just picture that you have three kids- varied ages and interests, trying to please everyone from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.---"Serenity NOW." (I think many of you can relate!) Ok......so sometimes just saying that doesn't work---but a Hard Mike's Lemonade sure does! (wink!)

***By stating the above, I am in no way condoning or encouraging the consumption of alcoholic beverages. Consult your physician before engaging in this stress relieving therapy and do NOT drink and drive.

Here is a peek at the new set called "Serenity Now" from My Favorite Things. This new release will be available tomorrow night (Wednesday!)

Don't forget: My Favorite Things will be holding their release party from 9-11 p.m. EASTERN (8-10 p.m. central) time on Wednesday in the forum on Splitcoastampers. Join us for fun, MFTeasers and to learn about how you can be the next My Favorite Guest designer. Hope to see you there.

Thanks for stopping by!

MFTeaser--Easter Basket!

Yipeee...time for some MFTeasers! My Favorite Things will be adding three new stamp sets to their site on Wednesday night. This little Easter basket was created with "Egg-stra Special Easter."

Cute, eh? And it was SIMPLE to make. I used an empty Swiss Miss Hot Chocolate box and cut it in half. I covered it with decorative paper and then added the fringed grass and the cute stamped images. I used the same paper to create the handle and added a strip of ribbon and the bow before adhering it to the inside of the basket.

Finally, I added some crimped paper and a bag of jellybeans!

Here is a top view (This picture is JUST so you can see the jellybeans since I did make a special trip to the store to get them for this project--ahhh....the sacrifices I make for stamping!)

A view of the other side of the basket!

Materials used: Stamps-My Favorite Things "Eggstra Special Easter"; ink-brilliance black; cardstock-white, celery, American Crafts dp; Ribbon (Offray); Copic markers; Watercolor Wonder Crayons (SU!); dimensionals (SU!); double stick tape (SU!); Empty box; crimper paper; jellybeans.

Don't forget: My Favorite Things will be holding their release party from 9-11 p.m. EASTERN (8-10 p.m. central) time on Wednesday in the forum on Splitcoastampers. Join us for fun, MFTeasers and to learn about how you can be the next My Favorite Guest designer. Hope to see you there.

Thanks for stopping by! I will have another set to show you tomorrow!

IT's SPRING...(in Texas) and LOTSA news!!!

I created this card for a challenge a group of gals on Splitcoaststampers and I do each Monday. This week it was to create a card--either spring or winter themed--depending on if you thought the groundhog was going to see his shadow this weekend.
(I am seriously concerned about the gal who thought this one up--lol!)

Anyhoo....this was easy for me....in Texas it is ALREADY spring! So....I did a spring themed card.
The stamps (cat tails and sentiment) on this card can be found at Stamper's Dream. The cat tails and sentiment are by Paper Inspirations (Note: I used only part of the sentiment--but the whole stamp is amazing!) Tip: Get more mileage from your stamps by using only a part of an image or sentiment.

I inked the cattails in caramel ink and used a chocolate chip marker to edge the sides. I stamped the image three times on three panels. I sponged caramel ink on the panels and edged them with chocolate ink using a sponge.
The sentiment was stamped with StazOn on a transparency. The butterfly was stamped with StazOn on vellum. I cut it out and colored it and then adhered it to the card using a clear pop dot.

Although it is difficult to see in the photo, the edges are all distressed. Pretty and "springlike." I am just sorry for all of those who have to endure six more weeks of winter.

Materials used: Stamps: Cat tails and sentiment (Paper Inspirations available at Stamper's Dream), butterfly (All Night Media); cardstock-caramel, choc chip, vanilla; ink-black StazOn, choc chip, caramel, close to cocoa; Copic markers; oval punch (SU!); Cropadile; ribbon; corner punch (SU!); vellum (SU!); transparency (Office Max); sponge; brads (American Crafts); mounting tape (Dollar tree); pop dots (SU!).

Fun NEWS:

• HUGE Congrats to the new Guest/Sr. Design team that was announced for Gina K Designs. You can check it out here (as well as learn about how you can be part of her next guest team). I was so thrilled to be asked to join the senior design team, including the other new addition, my friend Melanie Muenchinger---and I am honored to be part of such an amazing group. Gina is just the most amazing woman to work with. I am so lucky!
  
  
• My friend Alli Miles was just announced as a new illustrator for Papertrey Ink. Woohoo! Your talent is as BIG as your heart and I am so proud to call you a friend.
  
  
• Finally, I want say thank you to Nancy Panko who gave me the "You Make My Day Award." Check out her new blog here! She has so much talent! Thanks Nancy!


• **Tomorrow I will begin my MFTeasers. I have a few projects using the My Favorite Things releases that will be available on Wednesday night. My Favorite Things will be holding their release party from 9-11 p.m. EASTERN (8-10 p.m. central) time on Wednesday in the forum on Splitcoastampers. Join us for fun, MFTeasers and to learn about how you can be the next My Favorite Guest designer. Hope to see you there. **
  
  Thanks for stopping by!

Blog Candy Winner!

Sorry this is late!

Random.Cara had a sleepover last night so I just had her pick the number. She chose #176. Congratulations Linda ss who said "#176 This is so cute - your husband will get such a kick out of it:)"

Linda, please email me your address and I will get this set to you! For everyone else, THANKS for playing along! For all of those who did not win, you can still purchase Dr. Feelgood at Gina K Designs or at Stamper's Dream stamps!!!

Thanks for stopping by! I am approaching 30,000 hits (gasp!), so more blog candy will be coming soon!

Measure of Life

Still working on release stuff....but here is a card I recently made with Papertrey's newest set "Out on a Limb."

The limb and leaves are stamped on vanilla cardstock. Then I stamped the sentiment on vellum holding the vellum in place over the stamped image so I could line it up where I wanted it. The vellum gives this a really soft and neat look in real life.

I added the "Life" part of the sentiment (so it appears to be hanging on the tree limb) using my Cropadile to punch a little hole behind the tag. After I had everything as I wanted on the main panel, I added the scalloped edge, embossed the background and added the hemp around that layer. The final detail was adding some stamped leaves across the top and bottom.

The full sentiment reads: Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away. (Love that!)

Materials used: Stamps- Take a Bough (Papertrey Ink); cardstock- celery, vanilla, choc chip, olive; ink- choc chip, celery, olive; hemp; brads (SU!); vellum (SU!); Cuttlebug, textile folder, tag die, nestabilities; dimensionals (SU!); corner rounder punch (Creative Memories); Cropadile.

Thanks for stopping by!
Blog candy winner will be picked tomorrow morning (Sat)....you still have time to post below!