Sweet November Preview - Strawberry

Welcome to the fourth and and final day of the May Sweet November stamp previews. Todays projects feature Strawberry from the Flitter Friend collection. Be sure to also click on over to guest designer Alice Wertz. Amy, the designer of the Sweet November line has a beautiful card to share with you and also provides the details on how to win some fabulous blog candy which is as simple as you commenting on each designer's blog. It doesn't get any easier than that!

I first stamped the flitter friend image onto Copics X-Press It blending card, then masked her and stamped the fruit so that it would appear that she is standing in the middle of the strawberries. Afterwards I colored with the Copics markers listed below. I combined pattern papers from Cosmo Cricket and Echo Park.

Products: Sweet November stamp, Cosmo Cricket and Echo Park dp, PTI sentiment, cs and buttons, Twinery Twine, American Crafts ribbons, Bo Bunny pearls, Stampin' Up ticket punch, Spellbinders Nestabilities, Copic Markers

Copics: Skin-E0000, E00, E11; Hair-E31, E33, E35; Strawberries-R22, R24, R27; Leaves-YG0000, YG21, YG23, G85; Clothing/Wings-Y21, Y23, Y35, YG0000, YG21, YG23, 0; Shadows-Y0000

I hope you've enjoyed all the new Sweet November previews. I think this is one of my very favorite collections so far. These will be available for sale at the All That Scraps store on Sunday, May 1.

Sweet November Preview - Raspberry

Welcome to Day 3 of the  Sweet November stamp previews. These will be available for sale at the All That Scraps store on Sunday, May 1. Todays projects feature Raspberry from the new Flitter Friend collection. Be sure to also click on over to guest designer Alice Wertz. Amy, the illustrator of the Sweet November line not only has a fun project to share but also details how you can win some fabulous blog candy just by you leaving comments on the designer's blogs.

I was thrilled to see raspberries represented in this collection as they are my favorite berry.  Add some chocolate to them and you have one happy woman. I stamped the Flitter Friend image onto Copics X-Press It blending card, masked the image and then stamped the raspberries so it would appear that she's playing in the middle of the fruit. She looks so excited I'm thinking she is very happy to have discovered this raspberry patch. I would love to run a cross one my self as raspberries are expensive right now! All patterned paper is from the Echo Park Little Girl line.

Products: Sweet November stamp, Echo Park dp, PTI cs, sentiment stamp, die and buttons, Basic Grey pearls, May Arts ribbon, Twinery Twine, Cuttlebug embossing folder, Spellbinders Nestabilities, Copic Markers

Copics: Skin-R0000, R00, R01, R20; Hair-Y38, YR18, E07, E19; Wings-E50, E51, E53; Clothing-R01, R11, R20, R32; Raspberries-E32, R35, R37; Leaves-G20, G82, G85; Shadows-G0000

I hope to see you back here tomorrow for the last of the Flitter Friend previews.

Sweet November Preview - Blueberry

Welcome to Day 2 of the May Sweet November stamp previews. These will be available for sale at the All That Scraps store on Sunday, May 1. Todays projects feature Blueberry from the Flitter Friend collection. Be sure to also click on over to guest designer Alice Wertz. Amy, the illustrator of the Sweet November line has a fun project to share and also gives the details on how to win some great blog candy just by you leaving comments on the designer's blogs.

I stamped the Flitter Friend image onto Copics X-Press It blending card, then masked the image and stamped over it with the blueberries image so it would appear that she is tip toeing through the blueberry bushes. I colored with Copic markers and then cut out with a square Spellbinder's Nestabilties shape; however I trimmed the sides so that the lacy edges only appear at the top and bottom. All patterned paper is from the My Mind's Eye Stella and Rose 6x6 pad (Gertie).

Products: Sweet November stamp, My Mind's Eye dp, My Favorite Things Die-namics, PTI die and sentiment, Ki Memories ribbon, Doodlebug jewels, Spellbinders Nestabilities, Copic Markers

Copics: Skin-E000, E00, E11, R20; Hair-E53, E55, E57; Clothing-R20, R22, R24; Wings-Y21, Y23, Y26; Blueberries-B95, B97, B99; Blossoms-RV10, B91; Greenery-G40, G82, G82; Shadows-B0000, B000 

I'll be back tomorrow with another Flitter Friend debut featuring my favorite berry.  Can you guess which one it is?

Sweet November Preview - Blackberry

If you are looking for the the All That Scraps Wednesday Challenge, please scroll to the post below this one.

It's time for some fabulous new Sweet November stamp previews. Over the next four days we will be previewing the Flitter Friend collection. These will be available for sale at the All That Scraps store on Sunday, May 1. Todays projects feature Blackberry Flitter Friend. Be sure to also click on over to guest designer Alice Wertz.  Amy, the creative mind behind the Sweet November line has a beautiful project to share and also outlines the details on how to win some very generous blog candy just by you leaving comments on the designer's blogs.

I stamped the Flitter Friend onto Copics X-Press It blending card, masked the image and then stamped the blackberries image over it. I colored with Copic Markers and then cut the image out, eliminating one of the blossoms. I positioned the image onto the bejeweled Prima leaf so that it would appear that she has slid off the leaf and - splat! - right onto a nearby blackberry bush. At least that was the look I was going for anyway! She certainly looks rather surprised about this turn of events. All patterned paper is from the Echo Park For the Record collection.  By the way, have you noticed that the ATS store is now carrying the new Echo Park 6x6 pads?!

Products: Sweet November stamp, Echo Park dp, My Favorite Things Die-namics, Prima leaf, Doodlebug jewels, May Arts ribbon, PTI button, Copics Markers

Copics: Skin-E000, E00, E11, R20; Hair-E30, E31, E33, E37, E57; Wings-Y0000, YR30, Y11; Clothes-BG000, BG70, BG10; Blackberries-BV23, BV25, BV29; Greenery-G20, G82, G85

I'll be back tomorrow with another fab, fruity Flitter Friend.  Try saying that four times real fast!

All That Scraps Wednesday Challenge - Project for the Home

If you are looking for today's Sweet November preview post, please scroll up to the top of the page.

It is time for another All That Scraps Wednesday Challenge. There is a prize being offered and in order to be eligible to win it, your project must include a stamp that is sold in the All That Scraps shop whether it is any of the wonderful in house designs or from the various other stamp companies that ATS carries. Be sure to link up your project with Mr Linky by next Tuesday at 10PM EST and only one entry per person please! Today's challenge is to "create something for your home".
I love the My Favorite Things Pure Innocence stamps and since All That Scraps carries this line I decided to get started on a project I've been thinking about for a while with this challenge. It's actually a Christmas ornament and I hope to get a bunch of these done to fill a small tree with these sweet images by the time the holiday rolls around. I stamped the My Favorite Things Snow Day image onto Copics X-Press It blending cardstock and then again onto the Echo Park pink patterned paper. I colored the image with Copics, added my paper piecing and then cut out. I cut the tree with the My Favorite Things Tree and Leaf trio Die-namics and attached both to the background panel. I used some Liquid Applique for the snowballs and added snow on the tree.  

I used a Melissa Frances resin frame that I've had for a while to complete the ornament. To protect the image, I first glued a thin piece of clear acetate to the back of the frame. In order to keep the dimensional aspect of my images,  I placed double sided tape between the acetate and the stamped piece. I attached the ribbon to the back and then finished up the ornament with a piece of linen fabric to keep everything fully protected.

Products: My Favorite Things stamp and Die-namics, Echo Park and Melissa Frances patterned paper, May Arts ribbon, Liquid Applique, Jenni Bowlin button, Copic Markers

Copics: Skin-E000, E00, E11; Hair-Y21, Y23; Scarf/Gloves/Stockings-B70, B000; Hat/Boots Trim-E40, E41

I hope you have fun with the challenge.

Time Marches On

I hope you had a great Easter weekend. Ours was very quiet but nice. I didn't even get mad when I found my car had been hit by a 16 year old when I came out of the grocery store on Saturday morning. Not too much damage, I'm hoping it can just be buffed out. Did you do anything special for Earth Day which happened to coincide with Good Friday? On Friday, The Children's Hospital offered free shredding so we took that opportunity to get rid of some old financial records. We had started shredding it ourselves but it was so tedious and our little shredder was really not up to the task so we just had the boxes sitting in the basement. The City of Hoover had their yearly hazardous waste dump day so Don took all the old paint we didn't want and also a dead television. It feels good to get rid of all that stuff out of the basement. Enough chitchat - on to today's project. 

One of my goals for 2011 is to use some of my older stamps from my collection. I've actually had this done for a while but just hadn't shared it yet. Now is a good time as I am working on the latest Sweet November release which starts Wednesday.

It's a bit early for Father's Day but since I donate most of my cards, it's never too early for me to get started. The image was stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black ink onto a ledger page from a My Mind's Eye pad. I had a "thing" for clock stamps several years ago and I think I acquired this one from Above the Mark. I'm also not sure who makes the watch brads - I found them in an iris cart drawer when I was cleaning and organizing last fall. I must have found a fire sale cause I have quite a few of them. Definitely a mix of old and new on this project. 

Products: Above the Mark stamp, PTI sentiment stamp, label die and buttons, My Mind's Eye dp, My Favorite Things Die-namics, Basic Grey and Kaisercraft pearls, 7 Gypsies arrow photo corners

As always, thank you for visiting.

Dandelion Dreams

I am missing someone very much so the sentiment on this card unfortunately fits the day for me. I stamped The Cat's Pajamas Blow image onto Copics X-Press It blending cardstock, colored with Copic Markers and then cut out eliminating the dandelions. I then stamped the top part of the image again onto the blue patterned paper with Versamark ink, sprinkled white embossing powder on the dandelion portion and heat set with an embossing gun. I attached the colored image over the embossed area so that the dandelions were part of the image again. I added the cloud diecut above and the felt grass diecut below to create a scene that {I hope} looks like a warm summer evening. This is for The Cat's Pajamas Tuesday Challenge (TCPTUES155) which is a sketch. I altered mine so that it was not as tall. Since I donate most of my cards to Operation Write Home, they need to be A2 size. All paper is from The Crate Paper Neighborhood 6x6 pad.

Products: The Cat's Pajamas stamp and Cut-ups, Crate Paper dp, May Arts ribbon, My Favorite Things Die-namics, Martha Stewart tissue flower, PTI felt, Copic Markers

Copics: Bunny-E50, E51, E53; Mushroom-E40, E41, E42, E44, R30, R32

Happy Easter! I hope you have a weekend surrounded by many blessings including the love of your family.

Smooth Sailing

The post title is ironic as my life is anything but smooth sailing right now. But it is the name of the stamp set I used today from My Favorite Things. There is not much coloring on this as I paper pieced the majority of it. I stamped the full image onto Copic X-Press It blending card and then the bunny portion of the image again. I colored the bunny image with Copic markers listed below and then cut it out. I stamped the sails and the boat onto two different patterned papers and cut out. After assembling the image, I masked it and then created the subtle cloud background using a cloud die and some light blue ink. All patterned paper is from the Echo Park Little Boy collection. This card fits this week's My Favorite Things Wednesday Stamp Club Sketch Challenge (MFTWSC16). I have been taking a break from these lately but I already had the image panel completed and in a ready-to-create kit so it was easy to put it together.

Products: My Favorite Things stamp and Die-namics; Echo Park dp, Spellbinders Nestabilities, Copic Markers


Copics: Bunny-E50, E51, E53; Hat and flag-R24, R27; Rudder-E40, E41, E42

I hope you are experiencing some smooth sailing right now.

All That Scraps Wednesday Challenge - Handmade Flowers

It is time for another All That Scraps Wednesday Challenge. There is a fun prize being offered and in order to be eligible to win, your project must include a stamp that is sold in the All That Scraps shop whether it is any of the wonderful in house designs or from the various other stamp companies that ATS carries. Be sure to link up your project with Mr Linky by next Tuesday at 10PM EST and only one entry per person please! Today's challenge is to "make your own flowers" for your project.

I love making my own flowers and they are especially easy to do by using the various metal dies on the market. A favorite set is the rolled roses by My Favorite Things. I use a quilling tool to roll them up. When I release the flower from the tool I let it uncurl a bit to loosen the petals. I then put some liquid glue on the bottom circular piece and hold together until it is dried. I also squish the flower down with my thumb to flatten it out a bit to reduce the bulk for mailing. I created three of them, two small ones and a medium one for this card. The stamp is C.C. Designs Nora on a Swing from the Swiss Pixies collection which I stamped onto Copics X-Press It blending card and then colored with Copic markers. All patterned paper is from My Mind's Eye Stella and Rose (Gertie) 6x6 pad.

Products: C.C. Designs stamp, My Mind's Eye dp, My Favorite Things Die-namics, Doodlebug jewels, Martha Stewart punch, PTI cs, sentiment stamp and die, Copic Markers

Copics: Skin-E0000, E00, E11, R20; Hair-E31, E33, E35, E57; Clothing-Y21, Y23, Y26, R30, R32, R35; Shoes-BG70, BG72, BG75; Wings-E50, E51, E53;Swing-E50, W00, W1, W2; Tree-E42, E44, E25, E29, YG0000, YG91, YG93, YG95

I hope you enjoy the challenge.

Bundle of Joy

Today's card is for the The Cat's Pajamas Tuesday Challenge (TCPTUES154) which is all about babies. I stamped The Cat's Pajama's Honey Bear onto Copics X-Press It blending cardstock and colored with Copic markers. I also stamped the heart and tummy portion onto patterned paper. I cut out all and adhered to the doily diecut. I only wanted the two colors of cream and blue but it looked a bit "flat" to me so I added the scallops in the same color as the background to give it more texture.

Products: The Cat's Pajamas stamp and Cut-ups, Melissa Frances dp, Verve sentiment stamp, My Favorite Things Die-namics, May Arts ribbon, PTI and Doodlebug buttons, Copic markers

Copics: E50, E51, B0000, B41, B93

Thanks for stopping by. Happy Tax Day!

Spring has Sprung

I didn't have time to make a card for the March 30 The Cat's Pajamas challenge (TCPTUES152) which was to make a shaped card (anything other than a square or rectangle) on the week it was posted. I saw a cute tutorial on the October Afternoon blog to make a butterfly card using PSE so I decided to try it for this challenge. Although the instructions were clear apparently my PSE version was different so I had to fumble my way around to get the butterfly created and printed. After I made the card base, I then stamped The Cat's Pajamas TuTu bunny onto Copics X-Press It blending cardstock and cut it out. I stamped the sentiment (which came from another TCP set) directly onto the Martha Stewart doily and then placed all the elements around it. Fun and easy.

Products: The Cat's Pajamas stamps, Cosmo Cricket dp, My Favorite Things Die-namics, Making Memories stickpins, Kaisercraft pearls, Martha Stewart paper doily, Copic Markers

Copics: E40, E41, E42, Y0000, Y11, Y15

We've been busy around here - a good kind of busy. I need big projects like this to keep my mind off my troubles. The front bed along our driveway has been needing some updating for a while now. It contained three boxwoods and two azaleas but the boxwoods had long ago taken over most of the space and was smothering out the azaleas. In a last ditch effort to save them we did some major trimming of the boxwoods last fall but it was obvious this spring that it didn't help that much. So we decided to just rip everything out and start over. It was a lot of work as the boxwoods were huge and were deeply rooted. We pulled them up by wrapping a tow chain around each of them and hitching to the 4 Runner. Some roots were still left after we pulled them out so we had to do quite a bit of digging to get rid of the worst of them. We really wanted color and it came down between Knockout Roses or Azaleas. We chose the latter as they are a southern tradition plus after the gorgeous spring blooms the bush itself is a nice evergreen. We decided to plant only three to give them plenty of room to grown. After the blooms are gone I plan on planting some annuals in the front to help disguise the drainage pipe and add even more color.

Thanks for stopping by.

All That Scraps Wednesday Challenge - Watering Can

It's time for another All That Scraps Wednesday Challenge. There is a fun prize being offered and in order to be eligible to win, your project must include a stamp that is sold in the All That Scraps shop whether it is any of the wonderful in house designs or from the various other stamp companies that ATS carries. Be sure to link up your project with Mr Linky by next Tuesday at 10PM EST and only one entry per person please. Today's challenge is "a watering can".

I chose to work with the C.C. Designs Swiss Watering Can digi stamp. I first did a bit of altering using the PSE eraser tool to eliminate the flower and butterfly images leaving me with the watering can, flower stems and grass. I printed twice onto Copics X-Press It blending cardstock then cut out the first image with a Spellbinders Nestabilities die which became my base. I cut out small strips of felt and adhered over the stems images and colored the "grass" portion and added shadows with Copic markers. I then colored the second image with Copics, cut out and then adhered over the base image with pop dots for a 3D affect.

Products: C.C. Designs digital stamp, My Mind's Eye dp, My Favorite Things Die-namics, Twinery Twine, PTI buttons, sentiment and die, Spellbinders Nestabilities, Copic Markers

Copics: Watering Can-BG70, BG72, BG75, Y21, Y23, Y26; Grass-G40, G82, G85; Shadows-BG0000, BG10

I hope you will join in with the challenge this week. See you back here soon.

Bear Hugs

I hope you had a great weekend and are ready to tackle the week. I've got a lot going on this week but hopefully I can squeeze in some more crafty time.

I am double dipping on challenges today as this card is for The Cat's Pajamas Tuesday Color Challenge (TCPTUES153) and also follows the Sweet Sunday Sketch (SSSC112). I stamped the TCP Bear Hugs onto Copics X-Press It blending card once and then again for the paws. I then stamped the heart portion onto the patterned paper. After coloring the images with Copic markers I cut out all the pieces and then assembled the image. I attached him to the background piece which was embossed with a Cuttlebug embossing folder, placing a pop dot behind the head portion. Love the new TCP grass cut-up. I had resisted purchasing a metal die since I already had the Martha Stewart grass punch but this one was different enough that I felt like I could justify it. That's my story anyway.

Products: The Cat's Pajamas stamp and Cut-ups, Echo Park and My Mind's Eye dp, PTI buttons, Cuttlebug embossing folder, Copic Markers

Copics: B000, B01, BG53, E50, E51, E53

Have a great day and I hope to see you back here soon. As always, thanks for stopping by.

You Spin My Spurs

Good morning. Today's card is a rather loose interprertation of April's Sketch for You to Try. When I converted it to an A2 size rather than a square, I thought it needed an extra background strip rather than just the two. I stamped the MFT Fred Bear Out West onto Copics X-Press It blending cardstock, then masked the bear and stamped the cactus. I colored with Copic markers and then sponged Ranger's Fine Linen Distress ink around the edges to give it an aged appearance. Both papers are olders ones from my stash. My friend Madeline will recognize the Sweetwater paper as they were always a favorite with her when we were on the Lifetime Moments design team together. The metal charms are also from my stash.

Products: My Favorite Things stamp and Die-namics, Sweetwater and Carolee's Adornit dp, Flair Designs and Making Memories charm

Copics: Bear-E40, E41, E42, E44; Hat/Bandana-E08, E09, E19, B95, B97, B99; Boots/Spurs/Badge-C3, C5, E55, E57, E29; Cactus/Grass-YG91, YG93, YG95

I hope you have a great weekend.

All That Scraps Wednesday Stamp Challenge - Anything Goes

Welcome to this weeks All That Scraps Wednesday Challenge. There is a fun prize being offered and in order to be eligible to win, your project must include a stamp that is sold in the All That Scraps shop whether it is any of the wonderful in house designs or from the various other stamp companies that ATS carries. Be sure to link up your project with Mr Linky by next Tuesday at 10PM EST and only one entry per person please. Today's challenge is "anything goes".

I used one of the newest Sweet November stamps from the April release, Darby and Lulu for my card. I stamped both images onto Copic X-Press It blending card, colored with Copic markers then cut the image panel with Spellbinders Nestabilities. I stamped the petals portion of the stamp again and ran it through my Cuttlebug to create texture. I cut it out and placed it over the original stamped image only gluing around the top edges, placing a pop dot underneath the bottom portion for a 3d effect. Don't they look like they are having a fun conversation?

Products: Sweet November stamp, Echo Park dp, My Favorite Things Die-namics, PTI doily die, Kaisercraft rhinestones, Spellbinders Nestabilities, Cuttlebug embossing folder, Copic Markers

Copics: Skin-E0000, E00, E11; Hair-E50, E51, E53; Clothing-Y0000, Y21, BV00, BV01, BV11; Greenery-G20, G21, G82; Ladybug-RV10, R83, R85

I hope you will join us this week. Have fun.

All That Scraps 4th Birthday BLOG HOP

Welcome to the 4th Birthday Blog Hop for All That Scraps/CC Designs!
Christine began selling her stamps exactly 4 years ago on this day and what better way to celebrate this joyful occasion than with a Design Team blog hop.

You should have arrived here from Donna's post but if you've just happened across my blog or you are one of my wonderful regular readers, you can start at the beginning of the hop at the All That Scraps blog. In case you get lost or find a broken link anywhere, you can always find your way on the master list of participants. 

Since it's a birthday celebration I chose to work with C.C. Designs Cupcake Birgitta from the Swiss Pixies collection (digital version). I printed her onto Copics X-Press It blending cardstock, colored with Copic Markers, then cut the image out. I perched her on the main panel, using a pop dot underneath her legs to give her a little more lift.

Products: C.C. Designs digital stamp, My Mind's Eye dp, PTI cs, sentiment stamp, ribbon and buttons, Spellbinders Nestabilities, Copic Markers

Copics: Skin-E000, E00, E11, R20; Hair-E30, E33, E35, E39; Clothing/Wings-BG0000, BG10, BG53, R01, R02, R05; Cupcakes-G0000, G20, G82, E25, E29, E50, E51, E53

A randomly selected comment from one of the blog hop posts will be chosen to win a fabulous prize from All That Scraps. So make sure to leave a comment on each post along the way to increase your chances of winning.

Thanks for stopping by. Continue the hop by visiting one of my very favorite card artists Amy.  

Sweet November Preview Day 3 - Briar and Sonata

Welcome to day the last day of the April Sweet November previews. Todays projects feature Briar & Sonata. Be sure to also click on over to guest designer 1LuvnMama as well as another terrific All That Scraps designer, Rachel. Amy, the illustrator behind the Sweet November line is offering a chance for some great blog candy so please check it out to see how easily you can win.

Briar is a new character for Sweet November. I stamped both images onto Copic X-Press blending card, colored with Copic markers and then cut out with Spellbinders Nestabilities with a small amount of "out of the box" action. I then masked the two images and sprayed the splotchy background with my very old Stampin' Up Color Spritzer tool. I no longer have any viable SU markers to use with it but my Memento Brown marker fit in it just fine. Can you tell that I gave Briar a ruddy complexion befitting his outdoorsy way of life? All patterned paper came from the My Mind's Eye Stella and Rose 6x6 pads (Gertie and Hazel).

Products: Sweet November stamp, My Mind's Eye dp, PTI sentiment and button, My Favorite Things Die-namics, Taylored Expressions die, Spellbinders Nestabilities, Copic Markers

Copics: Skin-R01, E00, R11; Hair-E55, E57, E29; Eyes/Tongue-B32, B34, RV11; Shirt-BG70, BG72, BG75; Pants-YG91, YG93, YG95; Shoes-W1, W2, W5; Grasshopper-YG0000, YG91, YG93, YG95

I hope you have enjoyed all the Sweet November April previews. These will be available for sale at All That Scraps on Sunday, April 3 at 9pm CST. Thanks for stopping by. I hope you are having a great weekend.

Sweet November Preview Day 2 - Penelope & Fibonacci

Welcome to the second day of the April Sweet November stamp previews. These will be available for sale at the All That Scraps store on Sunday, April 3 at 9pm CST. Todays projects feature Penelope & Fibonacci. Be sure to also click on over to guest designer 1LuvnMama as well as another terrific All That Scraps designer, Rachel. And Amy, the illustrator behind the Sweet November line is offering a chance for some great blog candy. You can win just by simply leaving a comment. How easy is that?

I stamped Penelope and Fibonacci onto Copic X-Press It blending card, colored with Copic Markers and then cut both of them out. I cut and embossed the main panel in a size that allowed Penelope's mushroom umbrella to fall outside of the box. All patterned paper is from the My Mind's Eye Stellla and Rose pad (Mabel).

Products: Sweet November stamp, My Mind's Eye dp, PTI button, die and sentiment stamp, Cuttlebug embossing folder, Spellbinders Nestabilities, Copic Markers

Copics: Skin-E0000, E00, E11; Hair-Y21, Y23, Y26; Eyes-B41, B34; Dress-G410, G82, G85; Shoes-YR01, YR12, YR14, YR16; Mushroom-E50, E51, E53, E55; E02, E07, E08; Snail-E41, E42, E44

I hope to see you back here tomorrow for another Sweet November preview.