Glad Tidings

Today's project is my first Christmas card for 2013. By the time I completed my cards last year, I was totally burned out on the holiday (in more ways than one). But I did set a goal for this year to do at least 1-2 a month until I start another Christmas in July on the blog. It also represents my very loose interpretation of the Week 2 sketch for the Viva la Verve January challenges. I received the Pink Paislee City Sidewalks 8x8 paper a little too late in the season to use much of it so I really wanted to cut into it more. I replace the circle in the sketch with the oversized snowflake Die-namics from My Favorite Things that I purchased in an end of year sale. I inked the edges with Tim Holtz Distress Ink in Antique Linen and then added a bit of sparkle with white glitter. I stamped the sentiment from the Verve Holiday Phrases set in the center of the snowflake. I tried the 3.75 x 7.5 size again for my 4x8 envies. Easy!

Products: Verve stamp, Pink Paislee dp, May Arts twill, My Favorite Things Die-namics and button, Doodlebug glitter, Tim Holtz Distress Ink

It's hard to believe January is almost over.


My Sale Page.

Enjoy the Journey

I really embraced the white space and a CAS style with this one! I'm rather proud of myself for making yet another masculine type card within my interpretation of the Week 5 Viva la Verve sketch (VLVJan2013). Not a lot of stamping obviously. Instead I used several Studio Calico wood die-cuts and then pieced together the sentiment from two Verve sets (Relax and Black Tie Birdies) and the My Favorite Things Inspired by Travel set. All the paper is from the Pebbles Walnut Grove 6x6 pad.

Products: Verve sentiment stamps, My Favorite Things sentiment stamp, Pebbles dp, Studio Calico wood die-cuts, Kaisercraft pearls

Thank you for spending part of your Monday with me!


My Sale Page.

Jeremiah 33:3

Good morning. As we are off to church soon it seemed appropriate to post today's card featuring Verve's Jeremiah 33:3 Plain Jane stamp. I stamped it onto the Verve Tagged Rectangular die.   I wrapped the flourish cut with the My Favorite Things Fancy Flourish Die-namics around the tag shape and then added a button to the top. It was placed on pop dots for dimension. I generally used the Viva la Verve January (week 4) sketch for the layout. All the paper is from the Pebbles Walnut Grove 6x6 pad.

Products: Verve stamps and die, Pebbles dp, My Favorite Things Die-namics, PTI button, Strano ribbon

Thank you for stopping by. Enjoy the rest of your weekend.



My sale page.

Learning to Sail

Good morning. I have another card today for the Viva la Verve January challenges. This card is for the week three sketch although I altered it a bit. I am once again used the Verve Learning to Sail stamp set. I stamped the sentiment onto the subtle patterned paper. I stamped the "storms" portion again on the same patterned paper I used for the background panel, fussy cut out and then placed on pop dots for some added interest. The sailboat was stamped onto Copics X-Press It card stock and then colored with Copic Markers. To keep things clean and classic, the only embellishmenst added were a Studio Calico wood die-cut sailboat and a couple of pearls.The paper is all from the Bazzill Basics Beach House 6x6 Mini papers.

Products: Verve stamps, Bazzill Basics dp, Studio Calico wood die-cut, Kaisercraft pearls, Spellbinders Nestabilities, Copic Markers
Copics: Ship-R22, R27, W00, E81, E41, E42, E44; Water-B91, B93, B95; Shadows-W00, W1

Thanks for stopping by.


My sale page.

Gorgeous Inside and Out

I seem to be on a roll this week. I have another challenge card today which follows this week's Mojo Monday Sketch (MOJO277) plus it also fits the Viva la Verve January Week 1 (inspiration) challenge. I was inspired by the colors in the inspiration piece which happen to be prominent in one of my favorite paper pads Pebbles Seen and Noted.

I loved all the white space on the sketch and I used an older Cuttlebug embossing folder on it to give the main panel some texture. The stamps are from the Verve Learning to Sail set which I picked up in their December sale. The funky flowers were cut using the Verve Loopy Blooms dies.

Products: Verve stamps and dies, Pebbles dp, Kaisercraft pearls, Cuttlebug embossing folder, Spellbinders Nestabilities, Copic Markers
Copics: Y11, Y21, Y35, R00

I hope you have a great weekend!

My sale page.

Going Retro

Hello. It's been a while since I've had a chance to play in the There She Goes challenge. I've had this image colored and kitted up for several months now and this week's sketch (TSG191) gave me the perfect reason to use it. The vintage camera image from the There She Goes Oh Snap stamp set is actually in three layers with pop dots in between each layer for dimension. Not only as the camera retro, I went retro with my embellishment too. Anyone remember metal rim tags as a scrapbook craze a gazillion years ago? I dug one out of the old stash and then glued a wooden veneer camera by Studio Calico to it. The paper is all from the Echo Park This and That Charming 6x6 pad. And yay! It's nice to have a masculine card in my stash.

Products: There She Goes stamps, Echo Park dp, My Favorite Things Die-namics, PTI buttons, Studio Calico Wood die-cut, Copic Markers
Copics: N1, N3, N5, N7, E40, E41, E43, E44, BG70, G0000, G000, W00, E81

Have a great day! I hope to see you back here again soon.


My sale page.

Sweet November Review - Safari Pals

Today is review day over at the All That Scraps Blog and I am joining other design team members in showcasing more of the January release stamps and dies. Today we are concentrating on the Sweet November line.

I only had a chance to use one of the stamps from the Safari Pals set during release week so I wanted to make sure I used all of them this time around. After coloring the images with Copic Markers, I fussy cut them all out and placed each on a separate background panel placing a pop dot behind their heads for a bit of dimension. I kept the embellishments to minimum with a single button. This card is a different size for me. I bought some 4x8 envelopes so the card size is 3.75x7.5. The paper is from the Simple Stories Sn@p collection.

Products: Sweet November stamps, Simple Stories dp, PTI button, Cuttlebug embossing folder, Copic Markers
Copics: Monkey-BG0000, BG53, BG05, Giraffe-RV00, R81, R83, R85; Lion-YR01, YR12, YR04; All-Y30, Y21, Y23, Y35, E55, E57

As always,thank you so much for stopping by. Check out the All That Scraps blog for more review projects.

My sale page.

A Beary Birthday

I created this card for another challenge from super TCP fan Linda on The Cat's Pajamas forum at Splitcoaststampers which was to make a banner or use a banner element on a card.

I didn't have time to make an actual banner so I decided to use them on a card instead. I re-used one of Leigh's sketches from March 2011 and you can see my original card version here. I went with a more masculine theme on this one, using the bear from A Beary Good Year set (now discontinued). I had to do a bit of masking to place the hat and cupcake. The sentiment is from the Admit One set. The background banners were cut using the Pennant CutUps.

Products: The Cat's Pajamas stamp and CutUps, Authentique, My Mind's Eye and Basic Grey dp, PTI button, Kaisercraft pearls, Spellbinders Nestabilities, Copic Markers
Copics: E51, E53, E55, E57, YR12, YR14, YR18, BG10, BG72, BG75, W00, E81


Have a great day. Thanks for stopping by.

Celebrate

I had a chance this afternoon to finish up a card for this week's My Favorite Things Wednesday Stamp Club sketch challenge (MFTWSC107).  This is the first one I've managed to create for the challenge in 2013. The image is from the a la modes Time to Celebrate set as is the sentiment although I parsed it down to one word. I colored with Copics and then used brown Liquid Applique for the frosting. I love that heating it gave it a "chocolate fudge" look. How can anyone resist fudge frosting?!

Products: My Favorite Things stamps and Die-namics, My Mind's Eye dp, PTI button, Liquid Applique, Spellbinders Nestabilities, Copic Markers
Copics: Skin-E000, E00, E11; Hair-E50, E51, E53; Clothing-Y0000, Y11, Y21, R81, R83, R85; Cake-E25, E29, W00, E81

 I hope your Monday has been good to you.

Beautiful Moments

Happy Friday!

I have two cards today using the Carta Bella Beautiful Moments 6x6 pad which has been majorly underused. Both cards were actually created last fall but I just never got around to sharing on the blog.

My first card features a stamp from my "un-used" box which is Rabbit Watering Can from Stampavie. After cutting the image out with Spellbinders Nestabilities and coloring with Copics, I added some photo corners with My Favorite Things Die-namics and an additional banner in the opposite corner from the pre-printed portion of the dp.The banner pieces were cut using two different C.C. Designs Cutters Corner Banner and Mini Banners. A few jewels and buttons provided the finishing touches.

Products: Stampavie stamp, Carta Bella dp, C.C. Designs Cutters, My Favorite Things Die-namics, Basic Grey Jewels, Spellbinders Nestabilities, Copic Markers
Copics: Main Flowers-R81, R56, R59; Tiny Flowers-R81, R83; Leaves-G40, G82, G82; Vase-W00, E81, Y21, Y23, Y26, W2, W5, W7; Bunny-W00, E81

My second card is super simple and features a stamp that was unmarked as to origin. I actually found it in my box of wood mounted that I've designated for sale or donation and is from my pre-Copic days. I thought if went perfectly with the Carta Bella paper.

Products: Carta Bella dp, PTI ribbon, Kaisercraft pearls, Stampin' Up punch, Copic Markers
Copics: Roses-E35, E37, E39, W5; Greenery-G40, G82, G85; Shadows-W00, W1

Thanks for stopping by. I hope you have a great weekend.


My sale page.

Thankful for You

Good morning. I have a card today featuring the new C.C. Designs Teddy Bauregard stamp which was part of the January release at All That Scraps.  I paired this little cutie up with the new Pebbles Family Ties patterned paper which is a new favorite of mine. It's so sunshiny and happy and very much needed considering all the rain and gloom around here. The sentiment is also from a C.C. Designs set, AmyR Be Happy Sentiments. I followed this week's Deconstructed Sketch (84) for the layout.

Products: C.C. Designs stamps, Pebbles dp, PTI buttons, Spellbinders Nestabilities, Fresh Ink, Copic Markers
Copics: Skin-E000, E00, E21, R01; Hair-E34, E37, E29; Bear suit-BG10, BG11, BG23, W00, E81; Grass-G20, G21, G43, YG91

I hope all is well with you. Thanks for stopping by.

Thinking of You

I created this card for a challenge from super TCP fan Linda on The Cat's Pajamas forum at Splitcoaststampers which was to use an older or your oldest TCP stamp.

I definitely went retro back to the rubber stamp section. Meet Big Fifi! After stamping, I added some Liquid Applique for the curly cues for more dimension. I colored both the image and liquid applique with Copic Markers.The sentiment is from the Simply Said set and the heart behind it was cut with the Heart Trio CutUps. The paper is all from the Carta Bella Paris Girl 6x6 pad.

Products: The Cat's Pajamas stamps and CutUps, Carta Bella dp, Liquid Applique, Liquid Pearls, Stampin' Up punch, Spellbinders Nestabilities, Copic Markers
Copics: RV00, RV10, W00, E81

That's it for today. I hope Monday has been good to you.

You Make My World Go Around (and a Sunday driveby)

Anyone else having a hard time getting back to the regular routine after the holidays? It's been slow getting back to normal around here. Hopefully I get my bearings soon.

A CAS look today. I stamped this fun image from the Lawn Fawn Admit One set onto Copics X-Press It blending cardstock, colored up with Copic Markers and then cut out using Spellbinders Nestabilities. I generally followed the current Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge (SSSC175) for the layout and the paper is all from the Carta Bella Paris Girl 6x6 pad.

Products: Lawn Fawn stamps, Carta Bella Blvd dp, Strano ribbon, Doodlebug jewel, Kaisercraft pearls, Basic Grey embossing folder, Spellbinders Nestabilities, Copic Markers
Copics: R81, R83, R85, N1, N3, N5, C00, C1, W00

A Sunday driveby:

• Finally got to see Life of Pi last week and I have to say, it was brilliant.
• We are on the look out for a church to attend regularly. Visiting a different church every Sunday for a while.
• It is ridiculously warm here but getting back to cooler temps Monday.
• Did you see the Alabama vs Notre Dame BCS Championship game? What a dominating performance. Roll Tide.

Hello

It's a gloomy Friday afternoon here and isn't expected to get much brighter for at least a week. Sigh. I so don't do well in gloomy weather. To counteract the gray of the day, I went with some bright and happy colors. I stamped yet another image from the Lawn Fawn Just My Type set for the main image and then colored with Copic markers. I stamped the dial portion of the image a second time, colored and trimmed and then attached with a dimensional dot. I generally followed this week's Mojo Monday sketch (MOJO275) for the layout. Now I can officially take this stamp set out of my un-inked box.

Products: Lawn Fawn stamps, Pebbles dp, May Arts ribbon, Doodlebug pearls, Spellbinders Nestabilities, Copic Markers
Copics: Phone-BG10, BG13, BG15, Y15, Y17, Y35, E81; Shadows-BG70, BG0000; Table-W00, W2, W5

Have a great weekend. 
 

C.C. Designs Review -

It's review day on the All That Scraps blog and I am joining other members of the design team in showing you more projects using the January release stamps and dies.

Today's card features one of Christine's images, Baby Bear Beatrice. The Beatrice and Beauregard characters are some of my favorites so I always have fun using them. I tried to emulate how my colorist idol Amy colored the image on this card to color my version of this cutie pie. Not sure how successful I was but I enjoyed the process. I paired the image up with paper from the Echo Park Sweet Day 6x6 pad. The diaper pin was cut using a die from the also new Baby Accessories Cutters set and I also added heart cut with the Lock and Key Cutters set. The sentiment is from the also new AmyR Welcome Little One sentiment set.

Products: C.C. Designs stamps and Cutters, Echo Park dp, Doodlebug pearls, Lifestyle Crafts Cutting dies, Spellbinders Nestabilities, Copic markers
Copics: Skin-E000, E99, E11, R30; Hair-E50, E51, E53; Bear clothing-E31, E35, E39, E29, R00, R01, R02, R05

As always,thank you so much for stopping by. Check out the All That Scraps blog for more review projects.


My sale page.

U R Fun TACHE Tic (ATC)

A quick little Monday morning post for you today. I created this ATC for a challenge from one of our devoted TCP fans on The Cat's Pajamas forum at Splitcoaststampers. I went with a "valentine-ish" theme using The Mustache Set and one of the coordinating dies from the Mustaches CutUps. I paired them up with some sweet Mustache Love paper from the Bella Blvd Kiss Me collection, adding a layered heart cut with the TCP Heart Trio. A couple of pearls and the sentiment stamped with Fresh Ink Pink Lemonade finished it up.

Products: The Cat's Pajamas stamp and CutUps, Bella Blvd dp, Doodlebug rub-ons, Kaisercraft pearls, Fresh Ink

That's it for today. Have a happy Monday! We're on pins and needles here waiting on the Alabama-Notre Dame game tonight. Roll Tide!

You're Just My Type (and a Sunday driveby)

Today is my birthday so it seemed like a good day to talk about some changes. At least those regarding my crafty and blogging habits. Nothing drastic and probably things you wouldn't even notice if I wasn't talking about them.

For starters, I am now only posting blog posts to Facebook that are design team related. So if you read my blog from my postings there you will miss some of them. I suggest a reader such as Google Reader or signing up for email updates.

Secondly, I started last year trying to use up some of my stash from my scrapbooking days. Who is with me in needing to get out that stuff and using it?! I plan on trying to do that even more in 2013. Yes, I have dies to make my own embellishments but that doesn't mean I can't use the premade stuff too, especially since it has already been bought and paid for. Same goes for paper. I need to really pare down my 6x6 pads.

Also, I've been a bad commenter of late. Once upon a time if I entered a challenge I always commented on two or three of the other entrants blogs and I want to get back to that. Plus visit my commenters blogs. I don't want to be one of those selfish bloggers who just take and do not reciprocate. You know who you are bad bloggers!! Everyone is busy these days but no one person's time is more valuable than another.

I also want to broaden my horizons a bit on my stamp purchases. Naturally I have a lot of stamps from the companies I design for which is perfect and just as it should be. But I do have a habit of sticking with just a couple of stamp companies for my main stamp budget when I go outside my design teams. I am rectifying that this year and actually bought some new to me stamp companies in some end of year sales already.

So let's get to what you probably came here for - today's project. It was so nice to get back in my craft space yesterday, after I set it back up of course. I scrap out of my dining room these days and I had put up everything for the holidays. I really need to come up with a better way to do that as if appears I really am not going back to my upstairs craft space.

I stamped the cutie patootie typewriter from the Lawn Fawn Just My Type set onto Copics X-Press It blending cardstock, colored up with Copic Markers and then fussy cut out. I placed it onto a circular panel cut with my Spellbinders Nesties. I then added some twill ribbon tied in a double knot with a felt heart glued to the knot. I generally followed this week's Mojo Monday sketch (MOJO274) for the layout because it happens to be created my friend Ms. Carole Burrage who is a fellow Cat Pack teammate over at The Cat's Pajamas.

Products:  Lawn Fawn stamps and dp, The Cat's Pajamas CutUps, Papertrey Ink twill and felt, Spellbinders Nestabilities, Copic Markers
Copics: BG0000, BG10, BG11, YR31, YR23, Y35, E55, E57, E29, W00, E81
 
I am so grateful for this wonderful blogging community. Not only do you guys inspire me with your creativity you managed to make me smile during a very difficult time with very sweet and uplifting posts and emails! I am happy to be starting 2013 with you.

My Favorite 2012 Creations

Good morning!  I'm a bit late but I thought I'd take a little time today to look back at twelve of my favorite creations for 2012. Obviously those companies I design for figure prominently in my choices since I wouldn't be designing for them if I didn't love the stamps:

Featuring The Cat's Pajamas (cards 1-3):

Featuring C.C. Designs (4-6):

Featuring Sweet November (7-9):

And a few from several of my favorite stamp companies (10-My Favorite Things, 11-Verve, 12-There She Goes):

I hope that some of my favorites are your favorites as well. I'll be back soon with some goals and aspirations for 2013 as well as some changes I hope to make in my crafty life.