Beadn&Stampn

We interrupt this broadcast...

2012-02-10T06:29:00.001-06:00

Hi everyone!!

It's the weekend again, can you believe it? I think this week went by quickly!

Anyway, my internet and phone have been down since yesterday and a technician is finally coming out today to take a looksie. So, I won't be able to post my projects until this weekend hopefully, if this problem doesn't persist. Until then, I will be on the quiet end.
Thanks in advance and I hope you all have a wonderful Friday!!

Hambo Hoedown Wednesday

2012-02-08T05:00:00.000-06:00

It's Wednesday and you know what that means! It's time for Hambo Hoedown

This week we are showing a little love with this darling digi of some yummy chocolates and the challenge is to use either buttons, brads, or ribbon on the card. These are not just any chocolate... It's chocolate to remind you that life is like this box of chocolate...(scroll down for the finish...) hee hee...

Well... I would say that this is spot on. I mean, how boring would life be if you didn't have those hidden nuts?! Lol!
For my card, I used this months sketch from A Sketch For You To Try colored in the main image with my Copics and used MME Lost and Found dp throughout. I popped up the image that was cut out using Spellbinders die. The side circles were punched out using my 1 1/4" circle punch and the center scallop circle was punched with my Paper Studio punch. The hearts were cut out using MFT Die-namics Hearts a plenty finished with a button and twine in the center.
For the inside, I used the same dp but used my Paper Studio heart punch to line the bottom and my MS edge punch as well.

Now we do hope you will be able to hoedown with us! Thanks for stopping by and taking peek! Have a Fantabulous day!

Super Easy Valentines using SRM Stickers

2012-02-06T10:18:00.001-06:00

Happy Monday!! I hope you all had a great weekend and enjoyed the Super Bowl! What a game! I thought perhaps it was a little slow going with the Patriots poor defense, but the end was exciting!!

Today I am going to share with you some really easy Valentines using some stickers from SRM Designs. This is a fabulous company and they have a sticker for every occassion.

For this card, I punched out some hearts using a Paper Studio heart punch and layered it around the card. I really wanted to make a tree of hearts, but I don't have a tree!! WHAT?! :) So, I opted for this and I like it! I finished it off with an SRM Sticker of Be Mine.

On some of the stickers, they are made with some of the colors going over where the cut line is. That makes it perfect for re-use as a border which I did for the center square. The red line is the over-run of color and then I added another sticker inside of the dotted heart. I finished off the card punching out scallops on the bottom, adding some heart ribbon from Hambo Stamps, and a border sticker from SRM!! Here is the inside which I also used a sticker for the sentiment layered on top of cardstock.

These will most likely be the cards for the boys teachers to add to thier goodie bag. Super easy!! Thanks so much for stopping by and taking a peek!

An Altered Note and A HAMBO SUPER BOWL SALE!

2012-02-03T01:00:00.000-06:00

Happy Friday!!

I wanted to share with you a quick project I made prior to leaving for CHA trying to get my feet wet in Altered Art. I made an altered mini notepad using Tim Holtz stamps, ink, and findings. I cut my paper to fit inside a 4x3 notepad and perforated each page as well.

I cut up some chipboard to size and covered it with dp using Modge Podge. I then stamped with Tim Holtz set the bicycle, ticket, and sentiment with Distress Inks. I used the same Distress Inks and sponged it over the dp. I then took a scrap piece of dp and stamped a background, lightly wet it, curled the edges and then heat set it with my heat gun. I added a crown brad from Paper Studio, Tim Holtz gears and game spinners. For the spiral binding, I used Carla Crafts binding system and matching grey color coils.
It is a quick try in dabbling into this altered art schtuff. I will definitely have to make more items to get it down.

Now I mentioned a SALE! And who doesn't?! Hambo Stamps is having a Super Bowl sale!

Now this sale is a bargain so you don't want to wait... Everything on the sale page is 30% off in stock items AND you have the chance to win your order for FREE! Visit the Sale page Here for all the details.

I hope this jump started your game weekend! Have a great day and thanks so much for taking a peek!

CHA Paper Finds

2012-02-02T11:38:00.001-06:00

Hi everyone!

I am back from CHA and had a wonderful time catching up with friends and seeing some of the great products getting ready to debut. A couple days ago I had a spotlight on Grant Studios which I really enjoyed! Now I have the rest of what I found that I really liked (and what I remembered to take a picture of!) but there are many products coming out that are fun!

I will start out with Heidi Grace's Clever Handmade. Heidi Grace decided to take the plunge and market herself and her own line of products. That line is Clever Handmade. Here are her paper lines along with some cool rub ons that were made to be used so you can embroider or sew to make items with her line. Her lines are fun and peppy!

Next up is Echo Park. Now, they are coming out with mini packs. These are 12x12 paper packs but with 3 sheets of paper, double sided, so 6 patterns and a sheet of stickers. Perfect for just scrapbooking a couple of things, a few cards, or my favorite, a holiday that you can do some projects and not have a ton left over! : ) Such as 4th of July....

The top row are your basic sports. Perfect for scrapping your kids teams!

4th of July mini pack

Echo Park also has some new lines from Laurie Whitlock called This & That coming out as well which are awesome! Why I didn't take a picture of them? I have no idea!! But you can head to thier site to take a peek! I did take a picture of one new line that I really liked called Messages. This CHA I was really drawn to a lot of vintage looks and I am not really a "vintagy" person. But I think I may just start!! : )

Another great new set came from Cosmo Cricket. Again, a bit on the vintagy look but I really liked it.

My final look at some goodies is from Ranger. I love Ranger products and this one really stuck out and is really cool! It is called Studio 490. They are 3-D alterable items to create items like these pictured.

That about sums up my quick CHA finds!! Many of these products start shipping out to stores in February so keep you eyes peeled at your lss or larger name stores!! Thanks for stopping by!!

Hambo Hoedown Time!

2012-02-01T05:59:00.000-06:00

It's Wednesday and that means Hambo Hoedown time! Today is a special celebration, because the Hoedown is ONE YEAR OLD today! We are celebrating with newly released Bailey Cupcake - the second digital image in the "Bailey" line. Don't miss seeing the newest picture of the real Bailey too. It's at the Hoedown today!

My project is a card I made with the new digi image of Bailey wishing you a tail wagging birthday! I colored in the image with my Copics and cut him out. I sewed the back panels with my sewing machine and popped up Bailey on the oval cut out used with my Nesties. I cut out the sentiment for the words to be placed seperately in a playful fashion, while I finished the card with adding a Prima flower with a button and bakers twine. The second image is of the inside of my card which I also used my sewing machine to create some layers. Again, the sentiment cut out and placed at different angles for a fun look.

Each participant this week will, of course, receive next week's image in their mailbox FREE! Play along each week, and you will have oodles of fun Hambo digital images! But there is more! Since it's the Hoedown's birthday, each participant will ALSO receive a party goody bag, with an ADDITIONAL FREE image of their choice from the Hambo Digital Store! How fun is that?!
What else is happening? All of the new Bacon Bits Design Team have been introduced and now it's time to see everyone's art. Head on over to catch all the details! Don't miss out on the party fun!
Thank you for stopping by and be sure to check out all the other fabulous designs by the bacon bits!

CHA Grant Studios

2012-01-30T12:53:00.000-06:00

Hi everyone!!

Well I am at CHA and enjoying my time with friends and seeing all the fun and new products getting ready to debut soon!! One company I fell in love with is Grant Studios. They are Australian based distributed through Notions here in the US. This is just one of many new products I wanted to share. These photos are of a couple paper lines I really liked and want to spread the word in having you keep your eyes peeled for them at your lss! What do you think? What are you looking for or hope to see?? I'd love to hear about it!

Thanks for stopping by and more to follow on some other great products!

Fashionista

Exciting News!!

2012-01-27T23:50:00.001-06:00

Hi everyone!!

I am currently at CHA having a great time with my stampy friends.. I have been trying to post a project since yesterday, but have found some difficulties on my iPad to do so. I am currently working on that...

I mentioned that I had some exciting news and now I can share! I am now a bacon bit playing in the pigpen! In other words, I am now on the Hambo Stamps design team! You can now laugh along with us whilst playing along weekly in the Hambo Hoedown! I do hope you visit the Hambo blog to keep tabs on what the other bacon bits are creating!!

Thank you for sharing in my good news and hope to get these projects posted! Have a great Saturday!!

A Little Valentine

2012-01-24T12:49:00.002-06:00

Today has been a mish mash of things to get done. I have been trying to multi task and do both beading and stamping as well as clean my home!! LOL!! I just wish I could hold a vacuum and stamp at the same time!! : )

Today is a little Valentine made with some small 4x4 folded bases that happen to be scraps from a card I started to make but didn't like. So it made for a perfect Valentine card size.

I used MFT's Dienamics of Hearts a penty for the main heart and stamped the sentiment heart with The Cat's Pajamas set Full of Hearts which I cut out and popped up. This set happens to be on sale right now, so check it out here!! It's a great deal!! I colored in the center heart with my Copics and finished it off with some ribbon, mini flowers, and the inside sentiment says "Be Mine." The dp is Imaginisce.

Just a quick card for my mulitasking day!! I hope your day is wonderful and calm!! Thanks for stopping by!

Bee Mine

2012-01-23T12:21:00.000-06:00

{{Yawn}} It's Monday again and I am slowly getting my day complete!! How about you? Maybe it's just me... : ) We had a nasty storm roll through here last night so my sleep was disturbed with tornado sirens and just sleeping a bit restless. DH had a very early meeting so he got up and then I did. Hopefully tonight will be better!!

Today I would like to share with you a Valentines Card made with some fun We R Memory Keepers stickers, and oldie but goodie Gina K stamp and some MFT Die-namics to make for a cute and simple card.

I colored in the bee with my Copics and added the border sticker along with the MFT Die cut outs of Fancy Flourish and Hearts a plenty. Finished off the card with some ribbon, a mini prima which I colored in with my Copics to match, and another flower sticker from the batch. I then popped up the hearts and sentiment. Easy peasy!! Thanks so much for taking a peek!! Have a great Monday!!

Using Rub On's for Quick Cards

2012-01-20T10:42:00.001-06:00

Happy Friday everyone! I can't believe another week has gone by by it was a good one! My boys both ended on the Honor Roll at school and they deserved it! They worked SO hard for it which is not an easy feat for my two. This coming week will be hectic as I prepare to head out to CHA and get the house in order for the hubby!
Today I wanted to share with you some vintage cards I made playing around with some rub on's to make for very quick and easy cards either to keep on hand or give as gifts. I love wine so these with the vintage corkscrew and goblet got my attention. But I also love the bike with one of my favorite sentiments. Both sets of rub on's I picked up in Mike's $ bin. I just wanted some clean and simple cards to use and felt using rub on's would fit the bill!

I received some exciting news yesterday which I can't share yet, but will next week. Thanks so much for stopping by and hope you have a fab Friday!

Lego Time!

2012-01-18T09:13:00.001-06:00

Hi everyone!
I just wanted to share with you a project I made for my boys to have in their playroom. They are huge Lego fans and we two bookcases with Star Wars Lego sets among a few other themes. Not to mention the buckets of loose Legos! My boys use every bit of Legos for some very imaginative designs and some even brilliant. They have even expressed wanting to become an engineer or architect just so the can become Lego Designers!

Anyway, a clock was needed in their playroom and I decided to take a few of their men and parts to create a Lego clock. I even hand drew the Lego Logo, but wished I made it bigger. I didn't think the clock piece would cover so much.

This is a super easy project which I used wood and paint along with a glue gun to create this simple clock! You will also need a drill to drill the center for the clock piece to fit. I did paint the hands of the clock black to match and stand out a bit more. (instead of the standard gold color it comes as)

Thanks so much for stopping by!!

Stamping on Tile

2012-01-13T13:17:00.001-06:00

TGIF!
What a week! Trips to the DR for the kids and myself and just getting things done! It snowed yesterday just a little but the schools are still closed for today. So, a 4 day weekend for the boys! Much to their delight of course!

Today I want to show you something that is not new to the stamping world but a re-visit to this craft. Stamping on tile to make coasters! It makes for great housewarming gifts or gifts in general since everyone needs coasters! It is very inexpensive and you can purchase these tiles at any home improvement store for about $4 for 6-8 of them. Since they are natural, you will find them pitted and of different styles, but that makes them unique and a unique look when you stamp on them.
I used an Army seal stamp with black Staz-on ink. I heat set it with my hest fun and then sealed it with some matte Modge Podge. I used a very light seal with a very damp sponge brush so bit to make it too tacky. Let it dry and add some cork or furniture felt to the back. Thats it! Super easy and unique to make!
I hope you enjoyed this and thanks so much for stopping by! Have a great day!

Late posting

2012-01-12T14:22:00.001-06:00

Hi everyone!

I was going to post my project today, but my son had a reaction to his allergy shots today and it started snowing which made me a little behind with a few things. So, I will post tomorrow. It's a quick, easy, and inexpensive project that is a great gift for anyone! Hope you all are having a great day!

Inspired by Love...

2012-01-10T10:32:00.000-06:00

Well, yes, I can be but for today, MFT has inspired me! : ) And then I inspired my son!! Yes, my son did a little stamping and he is dying to show it off on my blog. So at the bottom you will see what he created for his father. I love it!!

Happy Tuesday everyone!!

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend!! I did as it was pretty relaxing and we were able to host for a night an unexpected guest. Not a stranger, but a co-worker of DH from NC who is in the process of moving to his next duty station in KS. It was great to see him and let my hubby have a little guy time!! I know he is always amazed at my girl time that I get often, (in a good way) that I am happy for him to have his time. Very far and few for him. I also got to do some crafting that I mentioned last week so that was wondeful!! Just a little dusting off of my sewing machine and stamps and I was good to go!! LOL!

Today I want to share with you a card I made for MFT's weekly sketch. You can find the information here on the SCS Member Forum. Check it out and play along!! You can win a gift voucher to MFT!

I used MFT's line of Inspired By... In this case, Love. I used MME Lost and Found dp and sewed along the edges as well as rouched the ribbon which unfortunately you cannot see. I popped up the circles cut with my nesties and finished off the bottom using MFT's Die-namics mini rolled rose die, cut out in felt and topped with a self adhesive pearl. The inside:

Ok... so don't look at the color of this!! It looks like a horrible bubbegum pink!! I had to use my phone for the picture as my camera was charging so I guess it doesn't look like my phone likes this color... :) For this, I used the remaining dp and stamped the sentiment with Tattered Rose Distress Ink for a simple look.

So here are the two cards my son made for dad. He wanted to thank him for working so hard side by side to get my son's grades up and now he is making the honor roll!! We are so proud of him because there is a long educational history with my son and his progress is tremendous!! <3

He used some pre stamped images I had lying around and some pre-made cards. He loves the embellishments for sure!! His coloring is great and he used my Prismacolor markers for that.

Thanks so much for taking a peek and I hope you have a great day!!!

Christmas in January

2012-01-07T09:40:00.000-06:00

I know... Christmas has passed but I had forgotten to post the card I made for my boys. This is one of two but they are the same except of what the boy carrying. They love skateboarding, as you can see by yesterdays post, so I thought it was most fitting to use the MFT image from Pure Innocence and alter it just a bit.

The boy is usually wearing a helmet, but I stamped off the helmet part and drew in a santa hat. I then took some accessories from The Cat's Pajamas A Beary Good Year and added them. Those accessories would be the candy cane and scarf. I used MFT's Die-namics grass and the sun to add to the scene. The image is colored in with Copics and I just wanted this card to be simple since it was for boys. The inside reads: Merry Wishes Dude! I popped up the image for some dimension. They really loved it and I was happy. :) I love putting a smile on thier faces!

Thanks for stopping by and have a great weekend!! I am in the midst of some projects (YAY!!) for something I can't divulge yet but soon hopefully.

Happy New Year and Birthday Friday

2012-01-06T09:32:00.001-06:00

Disclaimer: Picture at the end is not for the faint hearted!! :)

Happy New Year and Happy Friday everyone!

It's hard to believe that 2012 is upon us and much hope is being given to this year; My creative and me time is not one excluded! My posts have been far and few in between, sporadic really, and a few personal issues fell on my lap the last two months that needed attention, thus taking time once again from my hobby. DH and I have talked a lot about my love of this hobby and he is so understanding of the little time I do not get to accomplish all I want with it. He is really great...So, he is helping me try and get some more time in to create. His schedule and job is grueling though, so I know it is tough for him too. The daily family jobs fall on me and I don't mind... Me time is only ink and paper. We both try to make the balance scale even, but with two very active boys who are 9, well, that makes it that much harder! :)Allow me to share this story:
Picture it...New Years Eve.... 3:15pm... Boys want to play outside with friends. Hubby and I settle in for taking down the decorations... 20 minutes go by and my other son is ringing the doorbell frantically yelling... He is telling me my other son has a hole in his leg! Whhaaaat?! So we run out and find my other son in tears limping towards us... Yup! A hole... Not in his leg but in his knee. Skateboarding accident. Ok... So decorations put on the back burner, my day of crafting pushed back another day because the decorations taking down day will replace my day. Off to the ER where 4 hours later and 3 staples to my sons knee happened and then were we able to enjoy the New Year sans one child passed out from his emotional high! Lol... Poor guy.... Our special dinner planned didn't happen either so that had to be pushed to the next day. (Picture at the bottom) This is only one of many hiccups I will endure; I have some daredevil children! Sorry for the longwinded story, but I thought I would share our New Year excitement with our very active boys. With all that said, I have some changes in store for me this year and I do hope it will be for the better. But for today, I am going to share with you a birthday card I made for a special young lady!

This card was made using some dp from Pink Paislee and the image from MFT. I layered the card with some brown cs amd cut out the dp with my large Spellbinder die. I used the negative of the dp as my next layer and I then cut out the orange cs with the next size down of the circle dies for an over laying effect. I used MFT's Die-namic Prima Donna Petals for the flower and colored in some white grossgrain ribbon to match with my Copics. I finished it off with a button and the sentiment overlayed on the cake. I am not sure why I didn't use the candles this set came with... I clearly forgot! It can look like presents too... The inside of the card mimics the outside with circles overlapping.
Thanks so much for stopping by and peeking and reading!! :) Have a great day and hope your New Year is off to a wonderful start!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR FROM THE ANTONS

Here is the picture of my son's knee after the injury.... I won't put you through to see it before! (Gross...)

It's beginning to look alot like Christmas

2011-12-17T10:37:00.001-06:00

Happy Saturday!
I can't believe that Christmas is a week away! Wasn't Halloween yesterday? :) well I have started this coming week being out of town as I mentioned yesterday. It's really not a "fun" trip; rather a necessity, but I will squeeze in a little bit of fun with a friend nonetheless!
I wanted to share with you a card made for one of my boys teachers. I love this image as it is fun and cute! Penguins just make for adorable images I guess! This is from The Cats Pajamas. I colored in the image with my Copics and added some Our Craft Lounge Sparkly Fluff to the stockings and hat. Dp is Cosmo Cricket and I used my MS border punch for the middle panel. I finished the card with some bling and red cord and popped up the image in the centre.
Thats about it for me today! Thanks for taking a peek and stopping by! I will be quiet the next few days until I get back, but will have more to post then! Have a great weekend!

Happy Holidays! Our Craft Lounge

2011-12-16T14:22:00.001-06:00

Happy Friday everyone!!

It has been a hectic week for me trying to get everything done. I have to leave out of town tomorrow until Tuesday, so I have been busy getting everything organized for the hubby to ensure the kids bring presents, goodies, etc. to school Monday and Tuesday. I know he is tickled to have to be left attending the school parties and being the class mom! ; ) He really is a trooper!!

Today, I wanted to share with you a card made with an image from Our Craft Lounge. These guys are just so cute!! Our Craft Lounge is having a sale, so if you haven't already, check it out!! There are some good deals!!

For this card, I decided to whip out my neglected colored pencils and gamsol for a softer look on the image. I used my Spellbinder dies for the cut out of the image, MFT's Die-namic snowflake trio die, and my MS border punch for the leaves. The dp is MME. I finished off the snowflake with some Stickles and a rhinestone and tied it in with some skinny ribbon. I always have to have some bling going on!! : )

Thanks so much for stopping by and taking a peek!! Have a great Friday!!

It's a sign...

2011-12-12T12:02:00.001-06:00

No really!! It is! I have created a canvas sign for the holidays to take place of my usual sign I made for removing shoes in the house. I am a bit OCD in this matter, but it keeps me from mopping my floors every day!! :)

For this sign, I used an 11x14 canvas, some acrylic paints, acrylic paint markers, some crystal embellishments, and finished it off with some glitter glaze for the sparkle.

You will see in the next sign my terrible handwriting, so for this one, I used a template that I cut out using a Cricut. That allowed for much better looking letters. I really wanted to leave it very clean and Christmas like, so just the basic Christmas colors.

The first sign I made for everyday use is made with some acrylic paints, acrylic paint markers, and the negatives of MFT's Die-namics Flourishes die. My handwriting is atrocious, so kindly look over that... lol! I am hoping to make another with better writing....

This sign I wanted it to look a little shabby chic in the colors to match the entryway of my home. As for both signs, I place them in a large easel which I bought at Hobby Lobby.

A very simple project that can add some personality to your decor even if it is not to remove your shoes!! Thanks for peeking and hope your holiday activites are keeping you on your toes! I am happy to say that I am done with shopping, cards, and decorating!! Woot! I now hope to get more inky!! Have a great day!

Another blip on the radar...

2011-12-02T09:09:00.001-06:00

Happy Friday everyone!
I know it's been another long silence from me and I apologize. But my family has to come first and lately, they have needed it and had taken away my crafting time. But thats ok... Very few come to visit here anyway! :)
Anyway, I wanted to share a graduation card I made for a friend. Very simply made, (the ones I love!) And used with an inexpensive Studio G stamp. Cs is American Craft and the die is from Spellbinders. I finished it off with ribbin, and the inside edge is from The Cats Pajamas.
Thanks for peeking! Have a great day!

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-31T07:35:00.000-05:00

Happy Halloween everyone!! I hope you have something fun and ghoulish planned for this evening!! My boys are excited for trick or treating tonight and last night they decided to paint their pumpkins- like Angry Birds! It came out great and dh and I did some of the detail outlining, but the boys did all the planning. The picture is below.

Today I just want to share a quick card I made using The Cat's Pajama's set of Little Pumpkin. These penguins are just the cutest!! I colored the main image with Copics and used some old dp I had that I do not know who made. I finished off the card by rounding the corners, adding some fun twine from MFT, and a button.

Simple and cute that I wanted to get out in the mail. (Which was before this post! LOL)

Here is the picture of my kids pumpkins...

I hope you all have a great day and Halloween!! Thanks for stopping by!

A very quick manly birthday card

2011-10-25T09:06:00.001-05:00

Hi everyone! Wow! It's amazing how your week of having nothing becomes full of appointments in an instant! Mostly for my kids, but appointments nonetheless!
I had a free 30 minutes that I thought I would whip up a very quick birthday card for a friend that I always seem to screw up his birthday! It's very simple but says exactly the truth! Lol!
I used MFT's die-namics stamp set and Basic Greys Granola collection. The outside tab is from the die collection of The Cats Pajamas. I distressed the edges, used Tim Holtz Distress ep for the top of my embellishment and popped up the center sentiment. I finished it off by using sone distress ink all around. The inside sentiment is from MFT's tongue in cheek collection... It says "Hell has officially frozen over." It's quite appropriate for this friend.. Lol!
Thats about it for me today! I'm now off to my kids award ceremony and another appointment! Ugh... Thanks so much for stopping by!

Quick Teacher Gift

2011-10-08T10:56:00.001-05:00

Happy Saturday!
Hopefully you have something fun planned for the weekend enjoying some of this Fall weather! My kids are off this week for Fall break which we are not used to.. We have never had a Fall break in the last school we were at so this is a nice change! We are taking a small family vacation so I will be posting from the road. On another note, I have mailed to those who have contacted me the blog candy you have won! :)
I was in the process of making a thank you teacher gift when my child decided he wanted something else for her that apparently he says she really needs! So... That left me with an unfinished project to share, but I do have one I made in the spring for his last teacher that I did not get to post. It is above. (Blogging on the go doesn't allow for moving pictures...) For this project, I used coasters which I covered with dp by DCWV and used my Crop a dile to make the holes for threading. I thread the coasters with some twine and utilized some large ric rack for the back and sides. For the front, I made it look like a chalkboard and printed out a tiger from the computer which I cut out and popped up. His class were the tigers and known as the Two-riffic Tigers. The teacher was in need of new white board markers which I filled it with. This is rather simple and a quick gift that you could make unique for someone to place on their desk!
Thank you for stopping by and if you are one of my blog candy winners, be sure to get in touch with me! Have a great weekend!

Another winner!

2011-10-05T10:28:00.001-05:00

Hi everyone!

Happy Wednesday... I have the 4 winners for the paper giveaway! Not too hard considering there were not many if you for the random numbers to be chosen! Lol! Thank you all for entering and I will have more giveaways over the next few weeks!

Sorry I am not posting a project today, but will tomorrow! I'm working in a thank you teacher gift for my sons teacher so hopefully our will be posting worthy! :)

On to the winners:

Here are your random numbers:

4
Stacy aka Twinshappy on SCS said...

Totally CUTE... They are getting so tall,oh my goodness. Great photo of them together.

1
Tanya said...

Hi Deborah! Thanks so much for the chance,I already follow ya,though #1 never wins,lol. Thanks! :D

5
Vicki said...

Already a follower (from the blog hop). Thanks for the chance to win.

6
Mawacindy:
How Sweet of you to have a Giveaway! I would Love to win ,since I don't have a lot of different Papers. I'm already a follower. Thanks for the chance to win! :0) cindymarshall63 at hotmail dot com

Timestamp: 2011-10-05 15:16:06 UTC

Please email me your information and I will get those goodies out to you! Thanks for stopping by and I hope you all have a great day!

Blog Candy Winners

2011-10-03T09:33:00.001-05:00

Winners!! Winners!!!

Thank you everyone who stopped by to take a peek during the Blog Hop this weekend!! All your comments were very kind and I look forward to visiting all the new blogs of those who left me your links!! We have some winners!! If you weren't chosen, I have some candy that I am giving away until Wednesday! So you have time to enter again! Just click the picture at the top right!!

For Saturdays giveaway of the Cosmo Cricket, American Crafts, and Ippity stamp, here is the winner:

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

Timestamp: 2011-10-03 14:19:21 UTC

Amanda said...

Wow! U really put some time & effort n2 this project & it is amazing! Luv it! Following via GFC! Thanx~prhmangel at gmail dot com

Amanda... please email your address so I can get your goodies out to you!!

For yesterdays giveaway of Rusty Pickles Halloween set... And I do apologize for not posting a picture!! I admit that I forgot to come back and repost!! :(

Random Integer Generator

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Timestamp: 2011-10-03 14:28:54 UTC

Heather said...

Love the tag!!! Simple yet spooktacular!!! I am now a follower and am looking forward to seeing more projects!!

Heather.. Please email me your address so I can get your goodies out to you!

Thank you again to everyone!! I hope you have a great Monday and not a Manic Monday!!

Ghoulish Blog Hop- Day 2

2011-10-02T09:16:00.001-05:00

Happy Sundayand welcome to day 2 of Angela's Craft Corners Blog Hop! If you have begun here then you need to hop to Angela's Blog at http://theblingtheory. blogspot.com first!
Today, I have created a Halloween tag and one of my first altered art types. I'm not great at altered art, but I really like it and feel like Halloween is perfect for it!

I used a digi download for the images but used MS dp for the covering of the tag. I added some black feathers and metal embellishments along with coordinating ribbon. The images are popped. I used PTI's Spooky Treats II set for the stamped sentiment on the back. My intention is to attach this to a wine bottle which is why I chose witches brew. I finished the tag by distressing the edges and doing direct ink to paper distressing using Tim Holtz Tea Dye ink.
Thanks for taking a peek and the next Blog that you will be hopping to is Patricia. She is Eleventh on the list! Follow the link here: http://www.pattyandcharlie.blogspot.com/

I've got another blog candy giveaway for today which is a Rusty Pickle Halloween Collection papers, stickers, and alphabet stickers! I apologize for no picture as I'm doing this post on the road! I had to go to the airport early this morning.. I will edit and post a picture as soon as I get back home. Again, this is open to those in the US... Sorry! I will pick a random winner tomorrow AM for both yesterday and today! Good luck!

A Ghoulish Hop on World Card Making Day!

2011-10-01T08:49:00.002-05:00

Happy Saturday and World Card Making Day!! But first really, I have to say Happy 10th Anniversary to my dh... It has been an adventure and I am looking forward to many more the next 10!!

I am excited to be part of Angela's Craft Corner's Ghoulish Blog Hop this weekend! If you have begun here then you need to hop to Angela's Blog at http://theblingtheory.blogspot.com
Thank you for stopping in and being able to peek at the many great projects ahead as well as your chance to win some Blog Candy!! My project is a haunted house candy jar. It started off as a plain paper mache house which I painted and turned into something fun for Halloween.

Here is the front of the house. I started off with using Tim Holtz Distress EP around the windows to give it a "broken" feel. From there, I painted the entire house inside and out with black acrylic paint except the roof which I used metallic acrylic paint for a copper look. Once dry, I lightly went over the roof with some black paint to make it look old. I followed that up with using Modge Podge on each side, one at a time, and covering it with black glitter.

One side of the house. Here, I used a MS sticker of a tombstone. I added some spainsh moss around it. For the windows, I used some orange textured cs run through the CB with the sticks embossing folder, cut out to size and used some decorative scissors for the ends. I then ran over lightly with a sponge and black ink and popped it up using some mounting tape.

For the chimney, I used some craft wire and some decorative bat appliques for the look of the bat flying out. I added some black feathers and spider webs to finish it off.

This is the inside with candy.

The left corner of the house I used some mini picket fences that I had for quite some time which I painted and added some glitter to. I then glued it to the corner of the house adding some moss and feathers for the finished touch.

This is a closer look of the tombstone side. I did add some googly eyes to the windows which first, I placed some transparent sheets on the inside for the eyes to stick.

Finally, the front area, I bought a mini broom which I cut to size, painted and added some glitter to place on the front. The door was made running it through a CB folder and distressing it with a sponge and ink. I used PTI's sentiment from Spooky Treats II to cross over the door. I then finished the house by adding some ribbon along the bottom side and adding some chipboard over it for stability.

I really had a great time making this project and cant wait to place this on our coffee table for the holidays!! Thanks so much for peeking and the next Blog that you will be hopping to is Patricia. She is Eleventh on the list! Follow the link here:
http://www.pattyandcharlie.blogspot.com/

Just leave a comment for your chance to win 2 great candies!! You will be entered to win 40-50 total sheets of 6x6 paper of Cosmo Cricket collections of Girl Friday and Ever After as well as American Crafts collection of a la Carte. You will also receive an Ippity stamp called A Bit of Burlap. Perfect to create a little ghoulish item of yours!! (Sorry... this is only open to those living in the US.)

World Card Making Day! (Eve)

2011-09-30T06:59:00.002-05:00

Happy Friday and World Card Making Day Eve!!

Tomorrow is the official day of World Card making day and I will have some projects to share with you the whole weekend!! I will be participating in Angela's Craft Corner's Blog Hop that you don't want to miss! Candy to be won and some great Halloween ideas to be shared! On top of it all, it is my dh and my 10 Year Anniversary tomorrow and we have a great night planned for us, so I will spend tomorrow with the family. I can't believe it has been 10 years for he and I but it has certainly been 10 great years!!

Today, I want to share with you a card I made at the end of the school year in June which I did not get to post due to our move. It is fitting to post this today as I am needing a teacher card inspiration for one of my son's teacher. We found out yesterday that he will be moving to a different class with a new teacher due to the rising number of kids in 3rd grade. The school had to add another class and my son was one who was randomly picked to be moved. I am not happy about that but am happy that the student number will be smaller. DH and myself really love his current teacher and being military, we move so much as it is, the last thing we want is to bounce our kids to new teachers throughout the year. {sigh} what do you do? Anyway.... here is my card:

For this card, I used Our Craft Lounge set for the sentiments while the dp was the main focus of the card. I used MFT's spiral Die-namics for the top of 'teacher' with some Cosmo Cricket chipboard pin head. I do not know who made the dp, but the alphabet dp on the bottom is Bazzill. The bits of color on the sentiments are colored in with Copics.

Don't forget that there is still time to enter for my Blog Candy of 100 sheets of 6x6 Wild Asparagus paper!! Click here to enter!! I sure hope you join us this weekend for the Gouhlish Blog Hop and your chance to win more candy!!

Thanks for stopping by and taking a peek!!!

In Sympathy

2011-09-28T10:34:00.003-05:00

Happy Wednesday!!

I just wanted to share with you a quick card I made for a close friend of mine who lost her mother recently. Her mother liked the color blue, so I really wanted to capture those colors and her style in the card.

I used K&Co dp accented with some crystals and a large paper flower made by Recollections. I stamped the sentiment on a small chipboard tag which I colored and distressed using Tim Holtz distress inks. The sentiment is stamped using Bamboo ink from Momento with PTI On a Limb set. I finished the chipboard with some mini brads and popped it up with some mounting tape. The base is SU! confetti cream cs.

Don't forget about The Ghoulish Blog Hop with Angela's Craft Corner this weekend! Click the icon for more information. I am excited to share my project that I am working on! It should be a 'Ghoulish' time with some goodies to be won!!

Thanks for stopping by and taking a peek!!

Super Birthday and Blog Candy!

2011-09-26T07:14:00.000-05:00

Happy Monday everyone!

I hope you all had a great weekend and did something fun! I had been putting my house together after family had been in town so nothing too fun!

Last Monday was my twins birthday and they were so happy to receive a few items they had been asking for. I made them a card each which I love doing because even though they are boys, they still really appreciate the handmaking of my cards and save all that I have made for them!

For this card, I used MFT's Pure Innocence line with matching chipboard for a popped up effect. I colored in the image with Copics and used The Cat's Pajamas Happy Birthday sentiment from A Beary Good Year. I cut out some stars using my nesties and finished it off with some metal dots. The green background on Happy Birthday was colored with Copics to match the paper which I believe I have had from the $ spot. The inside sentiment says "To a Super kid!' I made two different styles of this card.

Here is a quick photo of my boys on thier special day with dad and Uncle:

OK!! I mentioned some BLOG CANDY!! Since moving I did some serious purging and cleaning and have LOTS of things that I know all you crafty ones will use!! I will slowly be giving away some things but to start off the week, I am giving away over 100 6x6 DP sheets made by Wild Asparagus!! I have 4 of these to give away so THERE WILL BE 4 WINNERS!

There is two styles of paper in here... one is vintage style while the other is more of a Bohemian style. You have an awesome color palette ranging from greens, to browns, to pinks, to blues!! How do you win?

If you are a follower, just leave a comment here. If you are not, please follow me (I would love to get to know you!) and leave a comment. If you refer someone, they just need to follow and leave a comment along with who refered them so that you may get an extra chance to win!!! Sorry, this is only open to US and Canadian Residents. This candy will be open until October 5, 2011 5:00AM.

I will be running another Blog Candy simutaneously this weekend in conjunction with Angela's Craft Corner (aka The Altered Page) Blog Hop October 1-2!! We do hope you join us and get a chance to win more!!

Thank you so much for stopping by and taking a peek!! Have a great Monday!!

A Fabulous Birthday

2011-09-14T13:39:00.001-05:00

Happy hump day!!

It's crazy that I have so many birthdays to remember this month, including my twins, that I am playing some serious catch up! This week has already started off hectic with some family coming into town tomorrow, the kids sports, and the usual house stuff. I told my hubby that so far my new craft room is nice to look at but there is not much action going on! : ) I guess I will need to re-train myself into being a night owl so I can actually create!

But for todays creation is a birthday card I made for a fabulous friend using The Cat's Pajamas set. I love this one as it is not only cute, but the sentiment always makes me laugh. Especially when making a card like I just did for a person whom it will fit perfectly!!

Here I used some American Crafts dp along with SU! PP and OO cs. I utilized my long rectangular scalloped nestie for the center and colored the image with Copics. I popped up the image and finished it off with some sheer ribbon, button, and kiwi twine from MFT.

This is the inside sentiment... always makes me giggle. I mirrored a bit from the front the inside dp and edged the white cs with ink.

That is my quick creation today and I thank you for stopping by to take a peek!! Don't forget about the Altered Pages' Blog Hop Oct. 1 and 2!! You can win some candy so be sure to stop in!! And speaking of candy... I have some to give away over the next few days!! Here's a hint... Who doesn't like paper? :)

Have a great Wednesday!!

For Cammie.... my comeback post and new craft room

2011-09-11T11:30:00.000-05:00

Hi everyone!!

I know it has been quite some time since I have posted anything. These last few months have been an adventure to say the least with our move to TN from NC, summer vacation (we drove to CO), illnesses (you know that has to happen!), and beginning a new school year at a new school for the boys!! Prior to our move, I had been creating here and there before the packers came to pack up all my things. I will be posting those items to share. We literally had the packers come the day after school let out and we were on the road to our new home a week later.

So, for my comeback post, I am dedicating this for Cammie. LOL!! She threatened me to post soon or she would have to come and force me to use my new craft room. I wish I could have stopped putting together my room in an evil plot to make her come here, but I just couldn't. :D I really wanted to get it finished. I had to methodically think this new room since it is really the first time I have had an entire room to my hobby and I wanted to purge, clean, and set it up to what best works for me!! I have some empty spaces, but I'm sure it won't be long before I use that up too. For a start, this is a great set up for me since I really like to have everything at my fingertips. So, without further ado, I would like to share with you some pictures of my new space that I am excited to use!!

As you walk into my room

My island workspace/cutting table. Lots of empty space, but I will figure it out!

Cubby of alterable items

No space of the closet was wasted that I re-used some Ikea rails I had and some Ikea curtain clips to hang up my CB folders and the baskets to be used for other odds and ends.

Inside the closet where I house my reference file of clear stamps and what little SU! stamps I still own. Inside, I house large backgrounds stamps, acrylic paints, extra envies, etc. The other side of the closet houses my other hobby of jewelry making items.

Here I place my cs in Ikea Magazine holders and the ribbon rack I made. (apparently, I have way too much ribbon and would have been better off with a larger unit!! LOL! I have more ribbon in another drawer!)

I couldn't figure out where to place my 8x8 and 6x6 pads where I could see them and have them available, so used an office sorter which works out perfectly!

I created my 'L' shaped area with the help of my awesome hubby. Everything is from Ikea. On the left, I use that as my sewing and CB area. I re-used more rails I had to hold my colored pencils and items I use often. I still have all my SU! inks that I never use and just don't know what to do with. And for my liquid items and such, I used a spice lazy susan to hold it all. My Scor-Pal is easily accesible next to that. The drawers holds my puches, glitter/embossing powders, binding items, envelopes, acrylic blocks, etc.

These shelves are re-used as well that uses to hold my kids Legos and I decided it was perfect to hold more ribbon and embellishments. The ribbon jars are 1/2 gallon jars from Wal-Mart and the spice jars are from Ikea. The large container holds all my yummy MFT bakers twine. For an inexpensive Clip it up type thing, I used a curtain wire from Ikea that my husband drilled into the sides of my shelf brackets and it holds other small embellishments. Love it!

This is a DVD hanging file box that holds all my dies. I love the simplicity of it.

Here is what it looks like on the inside. Just like a hanging file system, but instead I used magnet sheets cut to size to hold my dies in place. I have yet to place some dividers, but I know at least where my circles start and such! : )

Here is a close up of how I use the files. (ignore my camera strap! lol!)

I hope you enjoyed peeking into my room and hopefully getting some easy ideas to organize items you have!! Thank you for stopping by and for those of you who have been patient with me, thank YOU!!!

**Keep your calendars ready for a fun Blog Hop Oct.1 and Oct. 2 with The Altered Page!! You can click the badge for more info!!**

All You Need in Life.... MFTWSC13

2011-04-04T09:09:00.000-05:00

Is definitely a friend with chocolate!!! Happy Monday everyone! I hope you all had a great weekend and enjoyed some good weather!

I thought I would start off the week with MFT's WSC on SCS.

I inked up another darling Pure Innocence stamp called Sending a Box of Love.

I colored in the image with my Copics and used October Afternoon's Thrift Shop dp for the panels. I cut out the image and popped it up on a MFT's Die-namic die. I also used the Hearts a plenty Die-namic die for the sentiment banner. I added a button with some bakers twine and for some quick stitching, I used my faux stitch stamp by Paper Studio. (I couldn't find my brown thread for my machine!) I finished up the inside to complete the sentiment and card...

Don't look too closely as I had some ink on my block apparently and when I stamped, I got some of that ink on the panel!! I hate that!! Well, when I send this card I will have to put another panel on top and restamp carefully!

Well.. I am off to prepare for a meeting I am running tonight with my husband's unit and get a few things ready for our house hunting trip this coming weekend!! We are certainly staying busy around this house!! Thank you so much for stopping by and I hope you have a fabulous day!!

Call the Papers! Another Scrap Page!

2011-04-03T08:11:00.000-05:00

Happy Sunday everyone!

I have made another scrap page for the record! This time is is a picture from the 2009 CHA Summer Convention in Orlando. That was such a fun time and crazy time too! That was the first convention of some changes, my husband landed in the hospital my second day there, and it was very quiet at the show! In any event, us MFT gals made the best of it and this was a picture we took on the last day.

Now, I am not sure what happened to this picture, but I didn't realize it was crooked until I downloaded it! I seem to be good at these crooked photos though! LOL! In this picture is Kim (The MFT Lady), me, Kirsten DuBosque, and Christy Beckwith (MFT Illustrator). I used on the journaling tag a sentiment from the set Hangin' with my Peeps and that is exactly the sentiment I used. I also used Bling Bet which I then added some crystals to and the Flower trio Die-namic from MFT. I finished it off with a scallop border also a Die-namic and some MFT Ribbon and wooden button. I had fun making this and hopefully this will end up on a wall! ; )

Have a great Sunday and thanks for stopping by!!

Altered Nurse Feelgood - Thank you

2011-03-25T09:42:00.000-05:00

Happy Friday everyone!! I hope you all had a great week. I have stayed busy with my kids, their school activities, and of course, our upcoming move! It is hard to believe that we will only in be in NC for another 2 months. But, in true military fashion, you embrace the journey and look forward to new adventures! Now... if only we can find a home! LOL!

Today I would like to share with you an "altered" card I made for our unit's Chief Nurse who is leaving us to head to a premiere military hospital to become their Chief. Because our DR's and Nurse's spend most of their time in Military uniforms, I altered Carolyn King's Nurse Feelgood set from Gina K to have the nurse in her ACU's. I cut off her skirt and drew in some pants and boots. Sorry for the off center photo! I forgot to take a picture and before we gave it to her, I took a photo with my phone!

I paper pieced the uniform with some dp by the Paper Studio and added some Flower Soft in sand for the boots to give it a suede like texture. I then popped her up on a background using my Spellbinders Nesties. I also used MFT's die-namic open scallop for the top of the middle panel. I stamped the caduceus and added the 'N' from Nurse over it to signify the Nurse Corps she belongs to. I punched it out using my 1" circle punch. I colored the face and hair with my Copics and finished the card with some MFT Twill ribbon which I stamped Nurse across and added a K&Co brad. The inside of the card says Thank you.

Thank you for stopping by and taking a peek at my altered project! : ) I hope you have a fabulous weekend!

Happy St. Paddy's Day! TCP Retro

2011-03-17T06:22:00.000-05:00

Happy St. Patricks Day! Nothing like a holiday to celebrate a favorite color of mine! : ) Of course there are other reasons for this day... lol!

I wanted to share with you a card in honor of this day made with some TCP stamps called a Beary Good Year. I also wanted to play along with last weeks challenge of Retro TCP where you picked a sketch from the past. Here, I chose TCP 139.

And here is the card:

I couldn't resist the use of OCL's Sparkly Fluff on the bear! I colored in the the rest of the image with my Copics and used my Nesties for the circles. Here is a close up of the fluff:

I cut out and popped up the clover the bear is holding while I stamped and handcut the sentiment banner. The cs is Kraft while the dp is Basic Grey. Just green enough for my day! : )

I hope you all are having a great week! Mine has been busy once again with more DR appt's for my son. But I am happy that we are getting the services we are needing! Thanks so much for stopping by and taking a peek!!

Let's Sail into the Sunset

2011-03-11T14:11:00.000-06:00

TGIF everyone! Although for those in Japan, it is not so much. I hope we all take a moment to remember the devastation that country is going through. I am happy to report those I know living there are safe and so are their families.

On a lighter note, I created a card using MFT's Smooth Sailing Flopsey and Wave Die-namic to recreate a sailing into the sunset scene.

I used some unknown dp for the ocean and three different color cardstock scraps to make the waves with MFT's Die-namic. I then used the MFT Sun Die-namic in two different yellow scrap cardstock and placed it behind the dp to mimic a sunset. I cut out the airplane and cloud from some Cosmo Cricket dp which I attached some cotton twine connecting the banner sentiment. Sailing Flopsey was colored with Copics and cut out.

Super easy and fun!! That about wraps it up for me today, but as always, thanks for stopping by and please keep those in Japan affected by the Tsunami in your thoughts. Have a great weekend!!

My first scrapbook page

2011-03-10T07:47:00.000-06:00

Happy Thursday everyone!!

This week is sure flying by, and although I must be dilerious, I wouldn't mind my Monday back!! It is always a crazy schedule here in our household and essentially it is just me fullfilling it! There are some days I feel like Cathy the comic strip when she yells AAAACCCCKKKK!! Hee hee....

Ok! So I mentioned that I would share my first scrapbook page- here it is!! : )

This is of my boys baseball team last year. They miss their coach and the team. Partly because they were undefeated!! LOL!! It really was a great team, coach, and season. These large 12x12's make me a little nutty because of all the space, but I think I did ok with it. With boys, you can't get too frilly with those beautiful Prima's and fun bling we have hoarded away. At least with my boys you can't. They always point out that it is too girly. {Sigh..} Oh well, what can you do, right? I used some dp I got at Micheals and I didn't capture by whom. The embellishments are Jolees and the numbers are by Martha Stewart.

Well, I appreciate you taking a peek and now I am off to play some overdue challenges on various blogs. Thanks as always for the love!! Have a great Thursday!!

Industrial Beach - Jewelry

2011-03-07T06:08:00.000-06:00

Happy Monday everyone! I know I have been quiet but I've had company for almost two weeks and then it was playing catch up when they left! My craft room is also our guest room, so that is always a little tricky. We also got our orders for our next move this June, so that has kept up running with preparing for that! Homes, schools, Dr. appts, etc. It's hard to believe that it is 3 months away!! This has definitely been the shortest notice we have ever gotten. Partly because dh was put into a few different hats for his next assignment that we weren't sure what we were going to get. But... we got what we thought and wanted! Meanwhile, it is constant preparation.

This weekend I got a little crafty with jewelry. I haven't gone back to my original roots of jewelry making for a while, so I found some fun components that I wanted to play with and it was fun! This first one is Industrial Chic- components by Susan Lenart Kazmer. These components are so fresh and different that I couldn't resist playing around with it!

Each component is unique and many to choose from. I had a hard time decided what I wanted! I love the spiral spacers which I added in a different way. I spiraled them through the connector split rings and through the component rings for added security.

This next piece is a favorite theme I like to do - Beach!! Anything with the beach I love!

For this, I added two rows of chain linked at the front with a toggle. The toggle bar is etched to look like wood and instead of using the given 'O' toggle, I opted to use the jumpring the individual shells are hung from. It is a clean and summery look that I love! Here is a close up of the front:

I hope you enjoyed these creations and I will have a card to share with you tomorrow! In the meantime, I have actually attempted to begin my very first scrapbook of the boys starting with thier sports!! I will share if you promise not to be too critical!! LOL!! I can't believe I have gone to the otherside of papercrafts but it's not too bad!! :D Those large sheets fighten me! And small sheets are never enough!

Thanks so much for stopping by and taking a peek!! Have a great Monday!

Simple Anniversary with Papertrey Ink

2011-02-15T06:29:00.000-06:00

Hi everyone!!

I hope you all had a wonderful Valentines Day with your loved ones! I have been busy gearing for the arrival of my family but was able to knock out a simple card using some Papertrey products. I had this fun felt flower I made at CHA last summer at their make-n-take booth that was originally supposed to be a pin. But I opted to keep it as an embellishment instead. So I am recycling this onto a card! : )

I used Papertrey's coordinating cardstock and dp in Aqua Mist. I embossed the main card panel with my CB Swiss Dots folder and added the dp. I made the center banner strip and stamped the sentiment using PTI's Mixed Messages set. I finished off the card with the felt flower and some self adhesive rhinestones for sparkle. The inside is also finished. Easy Peasy!!!

Yesterday I mentioned my kids Valentines that I made. Here they are:

Totally non-traditional but they loved it!! They especially loved the chipboard robots. For these, I used My Mind's Eye dp and coordinating chipboard called Lil' Robots. Super fun set for little boys!

Thanks so much for stopping by and leaving some love!! Have a great Tuesday!!

The Best Thing About Me...

2011-02-14T06:11:00.000-06:00

Happy Valentines Day!!

By the title, it sounds as if I was going to talk about myself! LOL!! Nope! But my card will explain it.

I hope you all have some wonderful plans in place to give and receive lots of love today!! For me, this holiday usually will take place after because of the schedule dh holds, it never can happen on the actual holiday! LOL! But after 11 years, I am used to it! We actually have a wonderful weekend planned and my mother is coming in to watch the kids! This should be fun as we rarely get to escape for a weekend!

Today I want to share with you the card I made for my hubby. We had some family photos taken right after he returned from Iraq this past October and I wanted to use a photo that I really like of us that really shows who we are. We are always laughing and having fun. I was gearing for a normal shot of us on the beach, when at the last minute dh threw me down and tackled me! But it came out good!

So, as you can see, the title is my card! DH really is the best thing about me! I wanted to keep this card pretty subtle and not too frilly. Masculine... I used SU! Kraft cs, some fun American Crafts dp, and red corrugated paper. (remember that?!) I then took some chipboard I had for the frame and covered it with some K&Co self adhesive mat paper and sanded off the remaining using my Basic Grey files. I then added some SU! CC twill ribbon across the middle and a chipboard heart which I colored with my Copic marker and covered it with some Ranger Glossy Accents. I distressed the edges added some Tim Holtz Distress ink in Tea Dye. The sentiment is a Gina K set called Love Notes which I stamped and cut apart and also distress with some ink and popped up. I finished the inside to match.

I would have shared with you my Valentines for the kids, but I didn't realize until I went to transfer the photo that that file was corrupt. So, since I have already sealed the envie for them, I will retake the photo when they wake up and open the card and share with you tomorrow. I have always made Valentines for my kids since probably Pre-K, and they really look forward to them every year. (Either that or they just look forward to the treat that goes along with it! LOL!) I will never forget when they were in Pre-K and at a stage where lunchboxes fascinated them. They would fill it with all sorts of "trinkets" and carry it to school. One day, months later after Valentines, I opened it up to be sure no frogs or insects were in them, and I found my Valentines. They continued to carry that heart Valentine until almost the next year! I guess you can say it was a proud Mamma moment! : ) This years Valentine is non-traditional with Robots. I hope they like it!

Thanks so much for stopping by and taking a peek and hearing my story! Have a loving Valentines Day!!

A Sketchy Thanks! MFTWSC6

2011-02-11T15:04:00.000-06:00

Happy Friday!!

All my appointments for the day are finished and I finally get to upload my card! : ) Today, I used MFT's Wednesday Sketch on the SCS Forum which you can find here. It is a fabulous sketch and perfect for my thank you card I needed to make!

While we are talking about thanks, if you haven't heard yet, Cindy Haffner is leaving the MFT Design Team and she will be missed!! You can comment on Kim's blog to wish her the best!!

This card I made was using some fun American Crafts dp and of course, the ever fantastic Die-namics from MFT!

I needed this thank you to not be too girly or frilly so I opted for these colors and with a hint of masculinity. Maybe the bow and button don't count, but it works! lol!! I used SU! for the main sentiment but the frame stamp and matching Die-namic die is from MFT's Textile Rectangulars. I also used the sun Die-namic for the top which I accented with white dots and the ribbon and button. I then used the chain link Die-namic for the bottom panel and finished the card by popping up the main sentiment panel and "sun" and added some self adhesive metal dots. The inside of the card is also finished, but do you think I remember to take a photo of that?! (of course not!) : ) The inks used are Cocoa Momento, Bamboo Momento, White gel pen, and SU! CC marker.

I hope you can play along with this sketch!! Have a great night!!

Inspired by Love

2011-02-10T06:00:00.001-06:00

WELL! It's Thursday, cold, snowy (just for part of the morning) and I am slowly getting caught up creatively because I now have a NEW CAMERA!! WOOT!! I ended up with a Canon G12 since you really can't go wrong with the brand and it's what I like to call a hybrid. It's not a full professional SLR nor a basic Point and Shoot, but inbetween. : ) Thank you to everyone who helped with my decision and beyond.

So, to start off, I want to share with you a card made with MFT's Insipired by Love set that was released in January. Such a versitile set that can be used as is or even perfect for some shabby chic/mixed media art.

I also used MFT's Die-namic die Hearts a Plenty. This is a great triple die and perfect for all your heart needs! I used Paper Studio dp and SU! French Script for the center panel. I popped up the heart, cupid, and stamped and cut out 'Love.' I finished off the card with some swirl pearls which I used my pink Copic Marker to give the white some color and some lace ribbon from No Time to Stamp? Ribbon Store. Cocoa Momento ink for Cupid and Tim Holtz Distress ink in Fire Brick for the sentiment.

But since we are on the subject of love and Valentines Day is just around the corner, I thought I would share with you my Valentine... really it's 3 Valentines!

I hope you all have a Valentine(s) as wonderful as mine to celebrate with next week!!
Thanks so much for stopping by! Have a warm Thursday!

Get well wishes

2011-02-03T09:04:00.002-06:00

Happy Thursday all!
First off...what do you think if this new makeover on my blog? :) I hope you like it as much as me! I am really enjoying the new look and colors!

Today I wanted to share with you a little card I made using MFT's Pure Innocence line. I was up early this morning and had time to whip up a quick gift card. I used MFT's Perfect Panels in cream to stamp the image on and used my Copics to color her in. I punched the edge out with SU! Scalloped edge punch and added some K&Co dp along the inside to peek out from the scallops. I finished her off with a small Prima flower and some self adhesive crystals. Something rather simple and quick!

Since we are on the subject if get well wishes, I just want to wish Kelly a speedy recovery! As you know, she was my blog candy winner whom I didn't hear back from, but that was because she had an emergency appendectomy! Get well Kelly!

I hope you all have a fab Thursday!

New Blog Candy Winner

2011-01-29T10:56:00.001-06:00

Ok!! So I never heard back from Kelly as my camera dilemna blog candy winner. I have picked another winner!

Babe O'Mara! Come on down!

Email me your info and I will get your goodies out to you!!

Have a great Saturday everyone and within the next couple of days, you will see my blog with a whole new makeover!! : )

Mega Blog Candy Winner

2011-01-28T10:21:00.000-06:00

TGIF everyone!!

I have a winner to my mega blog candy giveaway!!
And speaking of blog candy winners, KELLY!!! WHERE ARE YOU? You are the winner of my camera dilemma blog candy!! If I don't hear from you today, I will pick another name.

Ok... so I won't make you wait any longer....

My random pick was:

Here are your random numbers:

Timestamp: 2011-01-28 16:15:31 UTC

Yvonne Russell said...

Hi Deborah
So generous of you to share these crafty goodies. I'm a follower of your blog.

Wishing you all the best and thanks so much.

YVONNE!!! Come on down! Send me your addy and I will get your goodies out to you!

Thank you all for playing along and for those of you who are a new follower, thank you and welcome!!

Blog Candy Winner

2011-01-25T07:32:00.000-06:00

Hi everyone!!
I hope you all had a great weekend and a good start to the week. DH and I have come up with the camera we want and it is a Canon G12. We had looked at it before but couldn't decide and then you all gave me some fabulous choices as well! It was confusing but we did it!! Now, gotta find the good deal and order it!! :)
In the meantime, I have a WINNER to this blog candy!! It is:

Here are your random numbers:

Timestamp: 2011-01-25 13:26:41 UTC

Art Journaling/ Sharing The Journey said...

Great thoughts. I have a digital slr canon and I love it! I highly recommend it!

Kelly... Please send my your addy and I will get your goodies out to you!! Thank you everyone for your input and for playing along!! There is still time to win my other blog candy giveaway so be sure to check that out!
Have a great day!!

The Year of the Rabbit (Amate Studios)... and my scratched weekend

2011-01-21T09:29:00.000-06:00

TGIF!!

Well, not so TGIF for me as today was the day I was to fly out for my girls weekend. I have been up since 3 AM and as I was going to leave for the airport, my guilt punched in and I decided not to leave. Why? Because I have a sick husband who has been sick for a few days, working some extra long hours, still having to go in to work, and I was about to leave him to tend to my kids. He barely could tend to himself! So, I scratched my looking-forward-to-wine-and gossip weekend for my medicine-giving-tending to the family weekend. Oh well... I know I will see these girls again and hopefully soon! Now they can gossip about me... LOL!! (That's right ladies... my ears are burning!) {giggle!}

Thank you to everyone who has given me so much input about thier favorite camera!! I have gotten some idea of which camera I want and now when dh and I can sit down together, we can discuss it!! Thank you sooo much!!

Today I would like to share with you two projects I did for Amate Studios in the theme of The Chinese New Year. This is the year of the rabbit, although, I have nothing to do with a rabbit in my project! LOL!

The first project was using Amate Studios oval linked bracelet and a picture of a Chinese dragon. My idea was to make it look like a dragon in motion. I punched out the picture using EK Success oval jewelry punch and topped it with Lisa Pavelka's Magic Glos.

The second project took a little more time and a little help from the hubby. I wanted to use the Chinese coins within a pendant but still be able to string it through as the Chinese do during this holiday. I used some bulk link chain with some dragon beads strung through and knotted around the red rat tail holding the coins. For the center pendant, I glued the coin into the pendant and then punched a hole using my Crop-a-dile. I kept punching until I got it as sqauare as possible and then filed through to make it smooth. I did not want the top part of the pendant, so I asked my husband to cut it off and smooth it down with his Dremel. It worked out well and certainly made for an interesting piece!

Well, that is about it for today! There is still time to enter my two blog candy giveaways! Scroll down one post... Thanks for stopping by and I hope you all have a great Friday!

Random Thoughts and More BLOG CANDY!

2011-01-20T08:54:00.000-06:00

Happy Thursday everyone!!

First off... thank you to everyone playing along in my Blog Candy giveaway!! If you have not seen the mega candy, you can here.

Today, I just had some random thoughts I thought I would share. And I wouldn't even mind some input!! Why your input? Because you can win MORE BLOG CANDY!! :D What's in it? Some Prima Flowers, Epoxy Brads, acrylic frame, and a Gina K set called My Tailgate or Yours? Perfect for the upcoming Super Bowl parties!!!

Random thought #1....So, let's start off with cameras! Now, you all know I have been without a camera for some time now. Let me share with you my camera saga! I had a wonderful point and shoot Canon since my kids were born, which had been dropped, played with by the boys, seen crazy pictures taken by my boys that no poor camera should see (LOL), and used on just about every vacation we have taken!! That particular camera finally had enough a little over a month ago. Last Valentines, my dh bought me a new camera while deployed to Iraq and it was wonderful!! Then about 6 months later, while sitting in my craft room, I am hunched over with the kids getting ready to take a picture, when it slipped and drops about 1-2 feet onto our hard floors. Kaput! The camera refuses to work. I contacted the company to see if they would fix it since it was still under the warranty, but being the honest Abe, I mentioned I dropped it. Well!! The warranty is now void because of my negligence. It was not worth trying to fix as it was cheaper to buy a new one. So, I went back to using my trusted Canon. Now that my trusted Canon decided that it has had enough, I am in the market to purchase a new one. DH and I love the SLR cameras, but they don't take video, which we like to do if our video camera is not with us. We are minimalists to where if we travel, we just like to bring only what is really needed. You don't always need video, but we like having the option. We are now back at looking at some point and shoots. We love Canon, but can't help looking at Nikons. My question to you is, do you have a favorite brand or camera or did you receive a new one over the holidays that you can kindly share your thoughts about? The hubster and I really need to get going on this but can't seem to agree on which model. Really?! As if this is rocket science... LOL!

Random thought #2.... Did I really think I could get my two 8 years olds to sign thier own Thank you cards to send out from Christmas? Yeeeaaahhh.... For a brief moment, I must have been living on another planet. So, I finished them off this morning and signed thier names.

Random thought #3.... How is my laundry growing when I have completed the loads over and over? I am beginning to think I might just be doing my neighbors laundy too...

Random thought #4.... I am supposed to travel for a girls weekend tomorrow... here's to clear skies (HA! It's suppose to rain here...) and clear runways- For all the girls meeting up!

Random thought #5... There are personal shoppers right? Why can't there be personal packers and un-packers for travel? {giggle...}

OKAY! So those were just some randoms thoughts I figured I would share. : ) Thank you for reading them and don't forget to answer my question!! You could WIN this blog candy!! I will pick a random winner Tuesday AM. I'm headed back to the laundry room to see what else might have ended up there to be washed....
I hope you all have a wonderful Thursday and tomorrow I will have an Amate Studios Project to share with you all! The theme... Chinese New Year!

Blog Candy Alert

2011-01-17T14:59:00.000-06:00

Happy MLK Day!

I hope you all are having a nice long weekend with your family! I am still without camera but realized (DUH!) that I can use my phone! Soooo.... I just wanted to pop in to share with you some mega blog candy I am giving away!

I am cleaning house and slowly downsizing my craft area so there are some really great items in here! You will get some Karen Foster Snap Stamps, Le Plume markers, Flower Soft stamp, Maya Road chipboard, ribbon, embellies, Pink Paislee, MS Stamps, Cosmo Cricket Blackboard, Hero Arts stamps, and a lot of other things!!

Want to enter?! Here is all you have to do...

1) If you are not a follower, that is ok but I would love for you to be! You will have an extra chance if you do...
2) Leave a comment!

THAT'S IT!! I will pick a random winner January 28!! I will have more candy as I clean house so you will have other chances to win! Good luck!

Feeling a little lost...

2010-12-29T08:52:00.001-06:00

Hi everyone! I hope you all had a wonderful holiday and now gearing for the New Year! I have been busy with preparing with the holidays and then the Noreaster rolled in. We were to head to FL the day after Christmas but my hubby and I decided that perhaps we should try to beat the storm and leave Christmas night. We did! It was crazy but we drove all night and made it! The worst part about this holiday is that my camera broke and we have not gotten a new one yet. We haven't decided on which one and of course it can be pretty pricey. With that said, I hope you will continue being patient until then for my projects to be posted. I will have a back log for sure!

I wish you all a Happy and Prosperous New Year and all the best in 2011!!

2010-12-29T08:31:00.001-06:00

Tag!

2010-12-09T05:59:00.000-06:00

It's Thursday! Just one more day til Friday.... I hope you all have been having a great week so far! Mine has been busy with holiday party plannings and a holiday ball I am attending tonight. I will be happy when this week is over. Then it will be back to the "norm."

Today, I want to show you a tag I made with the new MFT Die-namic stamp and die combo set called Textile Rectangles. I love this shape die that I thought it would make a cute tag.

I used my Pure Innocence set called Merry Wishes and colored her in with Copics and Prisma pencils. I used Basic Grey's Wassail dp for the background and the small strip along the bottom. I popped up the image and sentiment while the back says To: and From: I added a large eyelet and ribbon for the ties and finished off the tag with some crochet ribbon along the bottom.

That about sums it up!! Thanks so much for stopping by!! Have a great day!

MFT WSC- Bottom of my heart

2010-12-07T05:18:00.000-06:00

Hello!! First off, I want to say thank you to everyone who stopped by last week and left me some love here during the MFT release and sneak peeks! It is appreciated!
I don't know about you, but this Christmas season is sneaking up pretty fast on me!! It's just over 2 weeks away and my 'To Do' list is getting longer...

Today I am sharing with you a card made with MFT's new release of WTG called Bottom of my heart using this week's WSC sketch. It's a great sketch so we hope you play along!

I used some dp and cs from Paper Studio while stamping and coloring the image on MFT's Perfect Panels. I ran the top panel through the CB and the scallop and circle are my Nesties. I colored in the image using Copics and used some twine as my long panel on the side. For an added look, I used my MFT Die-namic Chain die for the bottom and popped up the image and sentiment. I finished the look with some metal embellishments.

Thanks so much for stopping by today!! Have a wonderful day!

December Release MFT Blog Hop

2010-12-01T21:00:00.002-06:00

Welcome to my blog!! You should have arrived here from Jen's blog. If not, start at Kim's Blog here and work your way through the list because you sure don't want to miss any amazing projects! Thank you Kim and Jody for asking me to play along this month. I had the BEST time!!

I am going to show you a card made with Acetate. Remember those?! I know it has been a long time since I have made one of these and I had so much fun doing it! They are just so neat to look at! LOL!! This one features Splish Splash from the Pure Innocence line.

Isn't he just so darn cute?! I stamped him on MFT Perfect Panels with Momento Ink and colored him with Copics. I then added some rub on's from Imaginise for the raindrops and sentiment. I also added some glaze on the water and drops with my Sakura Glaze pen and lightly added some crystal stickles along the top part of the puddle.

This is the inside of the card. Like the front, I used my nesties to cut out all the circles and eyelet circles while stamping the dog on one side and the sentiment on the other. I then finished it off with some blue gingham ribbon. Such a great card to make!!

Up next is KERRY Be sure to stop by check out her awesome creation, and when you are done hopping, be sure to stop by MFT and shop for your favorites this release!! Thanks so much for stopping by and leaving all your kind comments! I had so much fun playing along with the MFT gals!!

Day 5 MFT Sneek Peaks- Love

2010-12-01T06:49:00.000-06:00

Happy December! And do you know what that means?! It's MFT release day!! WHOO HOO!! I know you are all itching to do a little shopping, so be sure to join us in the Member Forum tonight for all the fun, chatter, and more sneaky peeks! Here are some deets:

* Release party is from 8-10pm on December 1st, on this thread in the MFT Splitcoast Member Company Forum.
* The December Guest Designer Contest is still open, but entries will close TOMORROW on Tuesday, November 30th at 10 PM EST. The winner will be announced at the release party.
* Teasers will run daily through Wednesday, December 1st. Be sure to check my blog at 11:00am for links to designers previewing each day. Every day there will be a prize hidden on two of the Creative Team’s blog posts. Leaving a comment on every designer’s blog post will give you the best chance of winning every day This month, each day, 2 winners (one from each prize blog) will be sent a $10 gift voucher! Be sure to check back on Kim's blog each day to see if you are one of the lucky winners!

Today I am going to show you a card made with Clearly Sentimental about Love. These are perfect for everyday when you want to drop a little love to someone.

For this, I used Kraft cs for my base and some Basic Grey Sultry and Two Scoops for the dp. The green was some scrap I had while the sentiment was stamped on MFT's Perfect Panels. I sponged around the edges to give it a softer look. I used the new MFT Die-namic Die called Hearts a plenty for the heart at the top finished off with a button from the MFT Scoop-o-Button's collection and some twine.

I completed the card with some ribbon and self adhesive pearls. I hope you have enjoyed these 5 days of sneek peeks and we look forward to seeing you in the Forum tonight!! You sure don't want to miss it! Thanks so much for stopping by and leaving all your kind comments!! Have a fantastic day and be sure to check out the rest of the design teams projects!!

Day 4 MFT Sneak Peeks- Heartfelt

2010-11-30T07:27:00.000-06:00

It's Day 4 of Sneak Peeks for MFT! The Design Team has been rocking them this week and we hope you have been able to peek at them all! Here are a few tidbits about this release:

* Release party is from 8-10pm on December 1st, on this thread in the MFT Splitcoast Member Company Forum.

* The December Guest Designer Contest is still open, but entries will close TOMORROW on Tuesday, November 30th at 10 PM EST. The winner will be announced at the release party.

* Teasers will run daily through Wednesday, December 1st. Be sure to check my blog at 11:00am for links to designers previewing each day. Every day there will be a prize hidden on two of the Creative Team’s blog posts. Leaving a comment on every designer’s blog post will give you the best chance of winning every day This month, each day, 2 winners (one from each prize blog) will be sent a $10 gift voucher! Be sure to check back on Kim's blog to see if you have won!

Today, I am showing you a card made with Heartfelt. She is darling and I really wanted to keep her the focus. So this is a white card with a hint of color. I really like making cards like this every once in a while.

I started with stamping the image on MFT White Perfect Panels with Black Momento ink. I colored her in using Copics and I cut out and popped up the heart she is holding. (It's hard to tell in the picture) I used my Nestie die to cut out the image while using the awesome new MFT Hearts a plenty Die-namic die for an accent on the bottom which is also popped up. LOVE this new die!!

I added some green crystals, popped up the sentiment, and placed some gingham ribbon to finish off the card. I did draw in a little "xox" along the bottom corners to match her cute little jacket.

Be sure to check out Kim's Blog for the awesome list of designer blogs to take a peek at!! Have a wonderful day!!

Day 3 of MFT Sneak Peeks- Pure Innocence

2010-11-29T07:39:00.000-06:00

Happy Monday everyone! I hope you all had a wonderful weekend! Today is Day 3 of the MFT Sneaky Peeks and you are going to love it! It's Pure Innocence!! Whoo hoo!! I just adore this line...

First, here are a few things to know about our sneak peeks...

* Release party is from 8-10pm on December 1st, at the Member Company Forum on SCS.

* The December Guest Designer Contest begins today and ends on Tuesday, November 30nd at 10 PM EST. The winner will be announced at the release party.

* Teasers will run daily through Wednesday, December 1st. Be sure to check my blog at 11:00am for links to designers previewing each day. Every day there will be a prize hidden on two of the Creative Team’s blog posts. Leaving a comment on every designer’s blog post will give you the best chance of winning every day This month, each day, 2 winners (one from each prize blog) will be sent a $10 gift voucher! Be sure to check back on Kim's blog each day to see if you are one of the lucky winners!!

There are 4 new sets being released in the Pure Innocence line. With all my heart, Splish Splash, Hello Cupcake, and Box of Love. I am going to show you a card I made with 'With all my heart.' I really wanted to also have a card done with Splish Splash, but DH hurt his back which gave him a trip to the ER, so my day was cut short yesterday. He fine now-luckily only strained his lower back with no injuries to his spine. SO... I will be sure to have one done for the release party that I know you ALL will attend in the SCS MFT Member Forum! ; )

On to the card...

Isn't she cute?! For this card, I used some dp from Kaiser Craft, my labels nestie to cut out the image, and my MS loop border punch. For the image, I colored her in using Copics and actually used my purples for her dress!! lol!! I don't normally use that color, but it worked wonderfully with the dp. I wanted to give her dress a "marbled" look to match the marbled heart look the dp had. I think it looks better IRL!! : ) The rose was made using the MFT Die-namics rolled rose die and I added a pearl in the center to match the feel of the border. The lace ribbon is from HL while I finished off the card by popping up the image.

I did finish the inside of the card with the sentiment placed there instead of the outside.

I used the same dp and lace with the coordinating cs. That about sums it up for me today, but be sure to continue your tour of the fabulous creations the rest of the MFT Design Team has to show!! And don't forget to leave them some love for your chance to win!! Have a fabulous day!!

Day 2 MFT Sneak Peeks- Flapper Doodles and Flopsey

2010-11-28T06:38:00.004-06:00

It's day 2 of some fabulous sneak peeks of the upcoming MFT release on December 1!! You don't want to miss it!

Here are some details about the upcoming release on December 1st at 10 PM EST:

The MFT release is on December 1st at 10 PM EST. You can attend the release party from 8-10 PM EST here in the forum for fun, games, and prizes! All the new sets and dies will be available on December 1st at 10 PM EST.
The guest designer contest is ON! Check out the forum for details on how YOU can win over $100 in stamp sets and play along with the DT for a month.
If you'd like to see all the teasers for today, please click on over to Kim's blog at 11 AM EST. Be sure to leave comments as you go for a chance to win one of 2 $10 Gift Vouchers being given away daily, just for leaving a comment. :) Check Kim's blog every day for the winners.

I have two sneaky peek's to share with you. This firtst one is a new image from Flapper Doodles. These stamps are just the bees knees!! I love these stamps for the simplicity and the clean lines it showcases and I just know that this set will be the one I will grab to send out my New Year's cards! This set comes with 3 sentiments and the image.

I wanted to keep the card a little Art Deco like with the straight lines and clean look. These girls needed to be on "stage" so I stamped them on the large Labels 2 Nestie and added some side panels for curtains. I trimmed off the top and used my MFT Die-namic open scallop border for the top curtains. What flapper girl would not be sparkly on New's Years? I added some glitter on each dress to coordinate the colors. I used ribbon from MFT's ribbon collection which I then used some crystal accents for the top and bottom.

The DP used is from American Crafts and I finished off the card by popping up the image and adding more crystals to the top curtain and curtain "tie backs."

For my second card, a new Flopsey!! This little guy is too cute!! I love this new set with the fun sentiment images that come with it! He skates out what he wants to say! : )

Included with this card is a lot of stitching! But that is the Guest Designer Challenge in the MFT Forum at SCS; to get all stitched up! I colored in Flopsey with my Copics and cut him out. Basic Grey's dp Jovial was used while I used some MFT Twill ribbon and awesome Snowflake Die-namics to complete the look. The image is popped up and the bottom portion is a MS punch.

I have been having so much fun playing along with this group of talented ladies! Please be sure to check out the creations of the rest of the Design Team! If you are not sure who, check out Kim's blog for the list of gals participating!! I will be back tomorrow with more peeks!! Thanks so much for stopping by and leaving some love!

It's time for December MFT Sneak Peeks!

2010-11-27T07:27:00.000-06:00

Happy Saturday everyone! I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving and have found some great deals! But don't shop til you drop just yet, as MFT has its December release coming up soon!! The next few days I will show you, along with the talented Design Team, what darling stamps are going to be released!

To show you a little of what is in store, I am starting the peeks off with a new set called, You give me wings. Isn't she just adorable?! I stamped her with Momento black and colored her in with Copics. I stamped her wings off twice, cut it out, and then popped it up for some dimension. To finish the image, I added some sparkle by placing Stickles on the wings and using my yellow Copic Spica pen, outlined her hair for a little glitz!

I cut out the image using my square scalloped nesties, layered on some Kraft cs to match the base. The dp is from Lizzie Anne. I cut out the flowers using MFT's Die-namic flower trio which I added an eyelet through the middle and then tied a bow with some bakers twine. To finish off the card, I added some self adhesive rhinestones on the corners of the image and under the sentiment, popped up the image, and placed some lace ribbon from The Ribbon Store (notimetostamp) across. The sentiment is stamped directly on the dp.

Well that about sums up my card today! Be sure to check out the Design Team's creations and stay tuned for all the wonderful sneak peeks from all of us!!

Have a wonderful day and thanks so much for stopping by!!

Merry Wishes!

2010-11-17T13:27:00.000-06:00

It's hard to believe that Thanksgiving is a week away! I am always amazed at all the things that need to get done before the holidays. You are going to blink and then it will be Christmas!! Crazy...

I have a card today to share using MFT's Pure Innocence line. These are just the CUTEST! This one I used is called Presents for you.

I colored in the image with my Copics, paper pieced her coat to match, and used my Nesties for the eyelet circle that is popped up. The paper is Basic Grey's Jovial which I stitched all around using my sewing machine. The snowflake is MFT's Die-namics while the ribbon is from No Time to Stamp? Ribbon Store. My MS border punch was used for the bottom punch. I couldn't resist using some Our Craft Lounge Sparkly Fluff for her hat and my Sakura Glaze pen for her boots. So fun!! Here is a closer look at that:

That is about it for me today!! I hope you all have a wonderful Wednesday and thanks so much for stopping by and taking a peek!! Your love is appreaciated! : )

Oh Fudge! What a weekend!

2010-11-15T05:55:00.000-06:00

Happy Monday! I hope you all had a great weekend! We had a wonderful family weekend with a trip to the Great Wolf Lodge in Charlotte, NC and then an overnight to Asheville, NC. The drive was beautiful with the changing of the leaves and the views from the Pisgah National Forest. Here is a picture from that drive- the coloring was definitely much more vibrant in person than in this picture! : )

I was able to make a card for MFT's WSC on SCS for last week. The theme is Cooking Up Some Love-make something with food on it.

For this card I used an old set by MFT that I can't remember the name of! I think it may be called Here's the Scoop, but I am not sure. I had taken it out of the package into a CD case and I didn't label it! (smack forehead here....) I used some SU! Pixie Pink cs and some unknown dp that was given to me for the back panels. I used my MS punch and SU! scallop punch for the edges. I colored in the image with Copics and cut it out to be popped up on a green oval punched out with my SU! Large oval punch. For a little texture fun, I used some mini white pom pom's I had and glued them along the side over a scrap piece of SU! Baja Breeze and finished it off with some ric rac ribbon along the bottom. The sentiment is is also popped up. That about wraps up this easy peasy card! Thanks so much for stopping by! It is appreciated!

Thank you Veterans

2010-11-11T06:10:00.000-06:00

Thank you to all the Veterans currently serving, have served, and to those who have made the ultimate sacrafice. Please do not forget them and we hope you take the time to remember them!

I would like to leave you with my favorite picture of my husband and kids on his recent return from overseas...

Tag me with Elegance

2010-11-08T17:09:00.000-06:00

Happy Monday everyone! I hope you had a great weekend and did something wonderful! I had mentioned that the family and I were going to head to the mountains of NC, but we had to scratch that die to weather conditions. However, we did end up heading down to the beach and had our family photos taken. (Finally!! After 4 years... LOL!) It turned out to be a great weekend anyways!

Today, I have a quick project that I whipped up this morning. I had to head out early and thought I could post this via mobile, but was having some technical difficulties, so I am posting this now.

I have always loved the Peace set from Flourishes they released a few years ago. It is just so simple and elegant. In this set, the main image comes in both a large stamp and a smaller one. I used the smaller one for the tag. I stamped it in Momento Cocoa, then outlined it with my Quickie Glue pen. I then added some Antique Gold ep for sparkle. I used my long rectangle scallop Nesties for the back panel and cut to size some SU! Blush Blossom and VV for the main panels. I finished the tag off with some Prima Pointsetta flowers/leaf and a crystal brad in the center. For the tie, I used some cream sheer ribbon and gold beaded ribbon. Super simple and a touch of elegance!!

Thanks so much for stopping by!!

Accordian to me...

2010-11-05T09:03:00.000-05:00

TGIF!

I hope you all are gearing up for a great weekend- I know I am! The family and I are going to explore a little more of NC heading up to the mountains to hopefully see some beautiful changing of the leaves. It may be late for the peak time, but there is still plenty more to see!

Today I want to share with you a mini accordian file that I case'd from Maria Bell on her blog. I altered the size to fit what I wanted and add a couple of things to it. I have been needing something to hold coupons, reciepts, and odd-n-ends that keep piling up in my pockets of my purse. I knew what I wanted but wasn't sure how I wanted it. Maria had just the ticket and I adjusted the measurements to to fit my needs. The best part is how EASY it is to make! Here is the front:

For this, I used some beautiful white embossed paper by Paper Studio that I had and just sponged a little color onto the flowers for a pop of color. I wanted to keep this very simple with not a lot going on since this was going to be something that will be in my purse. The embossed paper covered some light chipboard which made the front and back of the file and I completed the closure by doing the same thing, although covering cardstock. The closure on Maria's blog tucks into the file, but I chose to use some velcro instead.

Here is the inside. Again, Maria used #10 envelopes cut in half, while I used some 4 Bar envelopes to make this entire file smaller. Now, I wanted to add some paper and a pen holder as those are some things I always need handy. (My memory is not as sharp as it used to be! Kids will do that to you!)

I added some ribbon for a pen holder to accomodate a mini pen which you can find everywhere these days. I made the size to accomodate the fatter barrel pens such as RSVP's or something comparable. The paper is some post it notes which I cut in half to fit perfectly into this space. It is not a complete pad of Post its, but maybe an 1/8th of it. I secured it with some removable double sided tape. I finshed the project off by adding some tabs which I punched out using my SU! Tab punch and I will label them later. After I organize a bit!

This was a fun project to do and I hope you enjoyed it!!! Thanks so much for stopping by and taking a peek and I hope you have a great weekend!!!

Fabulous Birthday- Mojo Monday 163

2010-11-03T05:51:00.000-05:00

Happy November!! I can't believe October came and went with a blink of an eye and now we are weeks away from Thanksgiving and, {gasp!} Christmas!! I am running to keep up!! With that said, I am finally back from trips, seeing family, and dh is adjusting nicely back to home life. Well, for the most part... : )

To start off my return, I would like to share a card using some stamps from The Cat's Pajamas. I just adore them and this new artist.... fabulous! I also used this week's Mojo Monday's sketch 163.

I used SU! Kraft and Real Red as my base and Basic Grey's Cupcake dp collection. I colored in the main image with Copics. Instead of a bow and ribbon, I used some oversized ric rack ribbon and some buttons laced in with both some basic cotton twine and brown bakers twine. I popped up the image and sentiment. Once again, I did not take a picture of the inside, but I did finish that and added the sentiment from this set that says, "Hope your birthday is as fabulous as me!" LOL!! I just love it!

Well, that about wraps today's creation up! I hope you enjoyed it and thanks so much for stopping by!! It is always appreciated!!

Harvest Wreath - Amate Studios

2010-10-27T06:19:00.000-05:00

WOW!! It has been so long since my last post! But it has also been so crazy at my house! Between my dh's return home, family in town, and then I left out of town, makes for a long time of not being crafty!! I have much catching up to do!

Today I want to show you a creation for Amate Studios called Autumn Wreath.

Here is a closer look:

To make it, I used Amate Studios large gold round pendant and some gold wire to create the wreath. While wrapping around the wreath, I intertwined some Swarovski Crystals and small silk flowers throughout. Once the wreath was complete, I finished off some wire by curling them. I put a Nunn Design decal of a bird on the on the component so that it will show through the center. To complete it, I added some Lisa Pavelka resin and cured the wreath into the resin using my UV light. For the finished look, I added some fun fiber ribbon as the necklace which I finished off by wire wrapping the ends around the toggle to secure.

I hope you enjoyed this fun little project! Thanks so much for stopping by and taking a peek!! Have a great Wednesday!!

Hang in there- WSC

2010-10-16T13:04:00.000-05:00

happy Saturday all!! I hope you are enjoying the fall weather as we are here!

I just wanted to share a card I made for MFT's WSC which is called All about the boys! You can find the deets here.

For this card, I used the set from MFT's Pure Innocence line called Tree Swing. I colored it in with Copics and cut it out. Cut out some MFT green felt with the Die-namics Grass and placed that behind a hand cut ground using some DCWV paper. If you don't own the grass Die-namic or if you do, this is such a great die because there is essentially no waste! You can make two sets of grass cuts just by using the cut out! So fantastic! The sun is also a Die-namics which is so much fun to use! The image is popped up and the inside is also finished with the a ground to match with the little dog on top that comes with the set. Overall, I had a great time making this card and if I would have just played the WSC when it was Make a scene... it would have been perfect!! LOL!!

Thanks so much for stopping by on this beautiful weekend!!

Sweet One- Mojo Monday 159

2010-10-13T06:26:00.000-05:00

Hi all!! I hope you are having a great week so far! I had such a busy weekend and then started this week with a sore throat and I'm losing my voice a little. (much happiness to my kids... lol!) DH arrived home safely and we are certainly enjoying our time! However, I have a lot of creative catching up to do!!

I needed to make a quick baby card for a neighbor and decided to use last weeks Mojo Monday sketch.

For this, I used Basic Grey's Sultry collection as the focus for the main panels of the card. I decided to use a stamp that has never been inked up by SU! and used the scallop punch that coordinates. I also used a ribbon slide that I have had for-evah and stitched around the main panel. About that stitching.... I was fighting with my sewing machine and it won, but I had already begun sewing, so I did the best I could with what had started! The inside of the card is finished as well for a nice touch.

That pretty much sums it up for me today!! Thanks so much for stopping by and taking a peek!!

Welcome Home!

2010-10-09T07:00:00.001-05:00

It's Saturday! It's Saturday!! I still can't believe a year has gone by already and dh is finally home!! In honor of his return, I made this card with SU! Set of Courage which I have never inked up! I really wanted to make the soldier stand out the most with very little of anything else colored. However, I started coloring the flag but I don't think I would next time. The inside sentiment is a quote by Winston Churchill that say:
"Courage is rightly esteemed the first of human qualities, because it is the quality that guarantees all others."

To color the image I used my Prismacolor Pencils and Odorless Mineral Spirits to blend. I used some dp by Paper Studio while the brad in the center of the ribbon is by K&CO. The ribbon is SU!. I popped up the image and gently did an ink to paper sponging with Tim Holtz Distress ink in Antique Linen. Simple and just a little something to give to the hubby in appreciation! Thanks so much for stopping by and I hope you all have a fantastic weekend!!

JOY!- MFT WSC

2010-10-08T08:50:00.000-05:00

TGIF!! The best four letter "word" isn't it? : ) For me this week, it's the best because less than 24 hours my dh will arrive home after a year of being away! It will be a great weekend!

I would like to share with you MFT's WSC on SCS. This week it is a sketch challenge and you can find the sketch and deets here.

I figured that I should at least attempt an early Christmas card to get me going for the season, so I chose the set called Merry Christmas? I just love this set because I certainly feel like this stamp during the season some days! lol! And the sentiment I chose to put on the banner is of course ironic because I really don't feel that way on those days!! {giggle} Anyway, I used MFT's Die-namics for the banner and Banner Day alphabet set for the sentiment. I colored in the image with my Copics which I had used some SU! WW cardstock for it. Mistake! I forgot it is not so Copic friendly when layering your colors. However, I would like to think that the chair is an old leather chair with that look... lol! I distressed the edge of the layer on my image and popped up the banner and image. The dp is Basic Grey's Wassail.

That is about it for me today! I have family in town so its crazy in my little home! : ) Have a fabulous Friday!

Sweet Thang- OCLDT33

2010-10-06T06:00:00.001-05:00

Happy Hump Day! The week is nearly over and the weekend will be here!! Woot!

I wanted to share a card that I made for Our Craft Lounges' Friday Sketch challenge. I don't get to play this challenge as much as I would like, but I was able to do so yesterday. I also didn't realize until after it was put together that I forgot to round my corners! lol!! I hate when I do that! So I guess I made a modification to the sketch!

The sketch:

For this card, I used a set called Tweet Thang! It's so cute with all those birds and flowers. I used some paper I picked up at the dollar spot which actually made me look twice and perked my interest. I colored in the image with my Copics and used my nestibilities for the backing which I then popped up. I added some ribbon, a little bit of Copic Spica to the beak and heart and I was done! That pretty much sums it up for me today! As always, thanks so much for stopping by and I hope you have a great Wednesday!

We're in this together... CPS 187

2010-10-05T06:06:00.000-05:00

Hi everyone!! I hope you all are having a great start to your week! I am busy getting everything ready for my husband's return and of course, the family who will be visiting.

I made a card from CPS's sketch 187 in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness month.

I used MFT's set of Think Pink for the main image and sentiment. The dp is October Afternoon called Rain Boots. I cut the center circles using my nestibilities in both scallop and regular. I colored the image with my Copics and cut it out to be popped up in the center. I then stamped and cut out the ribbon to be popped up along side the sentiment and I was done. This was a great sketch to play along with and I hope you enjoyed my creation! Thanks so much for stopping by and leaving some love! Have a great Tuesday!!

All Dressed up! WSC

2010-10-04T06:00:00.000-05:00

Happy Monday!! I hope you all had a great weekend and possibly some time to get crafty on World Cardmaking Day on Saturday. By the looks of my posts, it is obvious I did not get to play and make a ton of cards, but I was able to squeeze out two! My Saturday was a day FULL of company from a friend I have not seen in over 5 years and another whom I haven't seen in a few months!! It was so great to catch up...

This card I made is for MFT's WSC which you can find all the deets here. The theme is Let's Play Dress Up. Funny enough, I don't own too many stamps that have to with dressing up, but I did have this adorable set called Too Cute to Spook.

I used some DP that I have had and not sure who it is by. I believe it may have been some I picked up in the dollar spot. I colored in the image with my Copics and popped up the sentiment. I added some self adhesive metal embellies as the finishing touch. Fairly simple and straight forward!!

I hope you have a great day and thanks so much for taking a peek today!

Love you Berry Much! Operation Write Home

2010-09-29T08:56:00.000-05:00

Hi everyone! It's another wet day here but we were lucky enough to dry out for a bit yesterday before getting this second wave.

I wanted to share with you I made for a sketch challenge by SRM Stickers who partnered up with Operation Write Home. This is a fabulous organization who provides donated handmade cards to all our servicemembers of all branches overseas so that they may send them to their loved ones back home. It's funny how I had a hard time choosing what kind of card to make, as I sat to think about all the things my husband would tell me about the soldiers there and what I thought most of them would want to send. So, I chose this:

This card is made from a set by Taylored Expressions called Berries and Cherries. The sketch is based on this:

I used K&CO's paper called Citronella which I just adore!! It also fit perfectly with the image! I used my CB folder Swiss Dots for the background after I had scored some diagonal lines with my Scor-Pal across the panel. I then colored in my image with my Copics and cut it out to pop up on the DP and sentiment. I finished off the card with a bow and put some Sakura Glaze over the cherries for some shine. Here's a closer look.

Well, that about sums it up for me today!! I need to do some grocery shopping now (the story of my life!) and help in my son's classroom!! Thanks so much for stopping by to take a peek!!

Wishes do come true - Mojo Monday 158

2010-09-27T12:04:00.000-05:00

Happy Monday all!! It has been raining here in NC since yesterday, but we are not complaining! We needed it- like in June! LOL!! I just want to be lazy today and hole up in my craft room, however, I cannot! : ( Laundry and sheets await me! I did squeeze in a card between loads with Mojo Monday's sketch of either round or square.

For this card, I used Webster's Pages from Stamp Simply Ribbon Store (Notimetostamp) as my main focus for everything. These papers are gorgeous and I just couldn't decide what I wanted to use from one sheet, so I used it all! The wishing well is popped up while the sentiment was already on the paper which I cut to size and used it as my second strip. The background paper is from K&CO and I used a navy sheet from Basic Grey's Boxer collection as my layering sheet. I finished it off with some sheer ribbon and IF I payed a little closer attention to the sketch, I would have added some buttons along the bottom or something like the sketch shows! Oh well! Next time!! : )

I hope you all have a dry and fantastic Monday!!

Are you afraid? No Stamping required! CPS 185

2010-09-23T13:13:00.000-05:00

Happy Thursday! I started off running early this AM to get my kids to the eye DR, back to school, and then to do some errands. We found out that one of my sons needs to have reading glasses which you can imagine, he is NOT pleased with at all!! What 8 year old would be I guess.. However, we are hoping this is an answer to some of the reading problems he has been having at school. Since last year, he had been struggling with reading and following instructions on his papers. He was always skipping words and sentences! I am happy to have this caught early on but feel terrible I didn't have his eyes checked sooner. More frustrating though, is that no one in the school caught it when he was being helped. Oh well... I can't point fingers forever now can I? Except to myself! LOL!

In the midst of all this, I managed to squeek out a Halloween card based on CPS's sketch 185 AND I didn't stamp any images!!

I used MS dp which I mentioned before I really like! I then used some coordinating MS 3-D stickers as my main image which I popped up. The scallop is Bazzil Papers Just the Half Edge which was white but I colored in with Black. I finished off the card by threading in some black cord at the top and bottom corners, (yes, it was supposed to be crooked! LOL!!) and punched out some spiders with MS punch and then covered in Black/grey glitter from Studio G. Something fairly simple!!

Well, that about covers it for me today! Thanks for lending an ear and stopping by!! It is always appreciated!! Have a great day!

The Mummy and The Broom

2010-09-22T09:34:00.000-05:00

Hello everyone!! Gosh! It's Wednesday already?! I better get posting on some projects I have! LOL!!

Today I wanted to share 2 projects by Martha Stewart. They are not "new" but I am re-visiting them! : ) They are cute to hand out for Halloween and it will be what I will give the kids teachers. You can currently find the broom treat bags as a kit at Micheals for $9.99 for 6 but why spend that kind of money when you can purchase inexpensive treat bags and grab some sticks from outside?

For the broom, I used those inexpensive treat bags filled with kisses and a stick from my yard, while the tag I made using MFT's Totally Witchin' set for the sentiment. I hand drew and cut out the hat for the tag. The string is some basic black cording. This requires two treat bag for each broom- the first one, you will cut down into about 1/4" strips and stop at the bottom base all the way around the bag. Fill the second bag with treats and cut the top portion into the same size strips only about 1/2" down. Put the stick into that bag. Place the filled bag into the bag you cut open and gather at the top to be secured with the cording. You can use a rubber band to help hold it together while tying the cord around. Add a tag or whatever you like and enjoy!!

For the mummy bag, I used the basic white lunch bag which I cut down a little and then used my craft knife and ruler to cut in various different spots. The eyes I made using my 1" and 3/4" circle punches because I did not have any large googly eyes. The googly eyes make it that much cuter. : ) I filled some more kisses in a cellophane bag and placed it inside. (obviously before you seal it down with the eyes)

These treat bags are really simple to do and make for a different way to present some candy. I hope you enjoyed these projects and I appreciate you stopping by!! Have a great hump day!!

Happy Birthday!!

2010-09-19T14:50:00.000-05:00

Happy Birthday to my boys today!! They turned 8 and are having a great day... Friday I took them and 2 of their friends to a day at Lego and some lunch! They had so much fun! We are on Lego overload here...

I thought I would post my quick creation with Mojo Monday's sketch here:

It's a great sketch to use up some of your scraps. Man! Do I have scraps!! I may have to make many more of these!! LOL! Here is my card:

I used Our Craft Lounge stamps and sentiment for the main image which is then colored in with my Copics. Not a good shot to see the shading but I did use three different shades of Oranges. I added a small rhinestone to the center of the flower to finish it off. The top scrap is I believe Fancy Pants and the polka dot is Wild Asparagus. I faux stitched the center strip and used my SU! Scallop border punch for the bottom. The main image is popped up and and completed it with a sheer ribbon which I applied to the bottom of the image instead of the side.

I am off to serve cake and ice cream for the kiddos!! Thanks so much for stopping by and leaving some love!!

You're a Superstar! MFT WSC

2010-09-18T09:21:00.000-05:00

Happy Saturday!

I once again got to play MFT's weekly WSC! This week it was to use stars in your creation. Perfect! I picked up some Spellbinders Star nesties while at CHA in July so now I can really use them!

I used SU! Kraft and VV for the base and K&CO dp for the main panel. I also used a new Nestie set from Spellbinders called Eyelet circles for the background of my image. The image is MFT along with the sentiment from Blingbet. I finished off the card with beaded ribbon, sheer ribbon, and popped everything up on dimensionals. Thanks so much for stopping by this weekend I hope you enjoy it!!

Man up! ssnotime156

2010-09-14T06:05:00.000-05:00

HI all!

Today I want to share a card I made using Sharon's No Time to Stamp? challenge called Let's hear it for the boys! ssnotime156. It is to make a man card but using no bows of any kind! This was a perfect challenge for me as I needed a man card to make!! There is no time limit to this challenge and you are able to play at any time.

For this card, I used SU! Confetti Cream for the base and the dp is Pink Paislee from their collection Captivating. The bingo card is Jenni Bowlin and the sentiment is Gina K. I darkened the bingo card a bit by rubbing over it with Tim Holtz distress ink in Antique linen with a sponge that had some brown. That way, it gave just a hint of darkness without having to actually make it SO brown. I then edged the sentiment with the same ink and sponge. I popped up the bingo card and sentiment and finished it off by adding some plain cotton twine and used a lock and key brad by Paper Studio which I cut off the back brad part to have it stand along like a charm. This was simple and actually quicker than I thought it would become! : ) Man cards can be difficult!

The Stars and Stripes blog is giving away some candy by playing along in their holiday sketch challenge! These are cards to support Operation Write Home for the soldiers still overseas. I can't wait to play along in this challenge! It is for a good cause and hope you will play too!! Thanks so much for stopping by and leaving a little love!

Fabric Flowers- SFYTT

2010-09-12T12:53:00.000-05:00

Happy Grandparents Day! It has been a slow and lazy start to my Sunday but I was able to play along with I {heart} 2 Stamp sketch of the week below and try out some fabric flowers I have been wanting to make.

I used SU! WW for the base and added some SU! Kraft for the second layer. I used American Crafts Adhesive backed Fabric Paper by Dear Lizzy for the flower and strip on the side. I stamped SU! Bella Toile on the Kraft cs with Versamark ink for a subtle look. The butterfly is from Fun with Rubber Stamps, stamped on MFT's Perfect Panels in white, and colored in with Copics. I added some Spica glitter pens over the butterfly for a little sparkle. A sewing machine was used for the stitching while the the image and flower was popped up with diamensionals. The circle die behind the flower is Spellbinders new Eyelet Circles die set. I finished it off with edging the sides of the image and panel with Tim Holtz Distress ink in Antique Linen. Here is a closer look at the flower. I added a fun crystal brad to the center and I am pretty happy at how this flower turned out since it was my first one!

Thanks so much for stopping by!! Have a great rest of the weekend!!

Back to School Blues-WSC

2010-09-10T05:53:00.000-05:00

HA! I really don't have the blues, but it's a challenge I got to play! Actually, I played two challenges. Back to School Blues is MFT's WSC which you can find all the deets here. You have to incorporate the color blue. I also used Mercy's Sketch here:

My card:

I used MFT's Jolienne set of Love you. This set is so cute and I thought perfect for the challenge. What little girl doesn't miss her puppy when she heads off to school?! : ) I also used an Amuse Stamp that I had of a stack of books which actually has a coffee cup on top. I masked the books to fit on top of the rock and left off the coffee mug. I really like how that looked. I also used the rag technique with my Copic marker and blender solution on the rock to give it some texture. However, I used a sponge instead. The image is colored in using my Copics and the dp is Greenhouse by Carolyn Gavin for K&Co. It is such a fun collection! I popped up the main image which were cut out using my Nesties and I used my sewing machine for the sides of the strips. The main card is cream confetti by SU! Thanks so much for stopping by and leaving your kind comments!! Have a great weekend!!

Inky Crows- CPS 182

2010-09-08T09:30:00.000-05:00

Happy Wednesday! I hope everyone is having a great week so far! I have kept busy tying up loose ends as my hubby will be home from his deployment soon!! WHOO HOO!! The boys and I are very excited...

My creation today is based on CPS's 182 sketch that I really wanted to play last week but didn't. Here is the sketch. Super simple and clean! I love those!

I picked up some really great Halloween DP by Martha Stewart. I don't know what drew me to it, but this collection grabbed me.

The base is SU! Going Grey to match the image paper. SU! Real Red was used for the second layer and the stamp is Inkadinkado. What you can't see is some sparkle from my Copic Spica pen in Black I used on the crows. It adds a bit of sparkle to the card. I also outline the moon with my yellow Spica pen and also a little of my Copic marker in Atoll. I sort of wished maybe I didn't do that, but its done, so it will stay! : ) The ribbon is unknown but I know I bought it by the yard at a fabric store a long time ago. The main image is popped up. CAS although I really wanted to add something else. You know when you look at your card and think just one more element needs to be added? LOL!!

Thanks so much for stopping by and all your kind comments you all have left! Have a great day!!

You are the sweetest!

2010-09-05T10:35:00.000-05:00

Happy Sunday everyone!! I hope you all are enjoying the long holiday weekend!

Today, I just wanted to show you a card I made a while back but didn't post. It was made for a friend's daughter.

This card was made with MFT's set called Meet Emma and Wyatt. It is such a sweet set! I paper pieced the outfit to match the dp by Basic Grey. I colored in the hair with Copics and added a little stickles to the flower in the hair. I used MFT's Die-namics scallop die for the bottom piece and some MFT twill ribbon at the top. The sentiment I broke off into each word and popped them up along the side. I also popped up the main image and finished it off with a Prima flower.

I have a few things for sale if you are interested! Just visit the tab below my blog title! I will be adding some more things over the next few days as well as more Blog Candy!! Woot! Who doesn't like that?! Thanks so much for stopping by and all the sweet comments the last few posts!!

From the Heart... And Blog Candy winner!

2010-09-02T06:22:00.000-05:00

Hi everyone!
I am so sorry I did not post the winner yesterday. I completely lost track of the day! I can't believe today is Thursday already!! This week has flown by!!

I did a real quick creation using only one stamp and made those great rolled flowers but using metal sheets!
Yes, METAL!! They are so much fun to make and makes for a unique look.

I started with some Cream colored cs for the base. I have had sheets of this great cardstock but have no idea where I got it from! It's very smooth and a nice shade of cream. I used Basic Grey's Periphery dp for the bottom portion and ran another piece of cream cardstock through the CB for the upper embossing. I then ran over the embossed print with Versamark and careful brushed it over with some Perfect Pearls in Kiwi for a beautiful sheen. Here is a closer look:

I punched out a strip with my MS border punch and added some sheer ribbon for the finishing touch. I stamped "From the Heart" (SU!) in a perfect space on the dp with a few added self adhesive pearls. Now, the flower as I mentioned is metal.

I used Quick Kutz self adhesive metal sheets to cut out with my MFT die-namics rolled flower die. Being self adhesive makes it easier to keep it all together, BUT being metal you have additional step to really get the look. Once you are done with rolling the flower, I used some jewelry pliers to pull out some of the layers to give it more of a "flowered" look. Bending and pulling in different areas. You must use pliers or something like it as you are unable to use your fingers- you will cut yourself. Be really careful because it does get sharp playing around with it and I recommend washing your hands after to get any left over metal fibers off. I added a little self adhesive pearl to the center of the flower to finish it up. A simple card with a hint of elegance! : )

OK!! I know you want to know the winner of the blog candy! This was fairly easy as not too many entered so lucky you who did! Your odds were good! LOL!!

Congratulations to CHRIS OLSEN!! Chris, email me your info and I will get that out to you! Thank you everyone who played along and left sweet comments about my boys! I hope to post more candy this weekend!! Thanks for stopping by and taking a peek at my creation!

Happy Birthday OCLDT28 and ANOTHER BLOG CANDY

2010-08-28T10:16:00.000-05:00

Happy Saturday everyone! Sorry I didn't post my candy yesterday as I said I would, but I have caught the cold bug and it hit me hard by mid morning! I am not feeling 100% today yet, but I feel a bit more rested. Also, I didn't mention that my kids started school on Wednesday and so that routine has taken place once again. (It's a beautiful thing!) They are enjoying 2nd grade so far and loving their teachers-always a plus! Here is a picture of them...

The creation I want to show you is a card I made using Our Craft Lounges' Friday sketch challenge.

I just love sketch challenges! And this one is fun! You can win some awesome OCL products for just playing along! Click here for the blog page with all the deets.

Here is my card with OCL's set of Big Birthday Wishes. For the cupcake frosting, I used Liquid Applique in white, (Liquid what?! LOL! Remember that stuff?) and my Glaze pen on the cherries which you can't really see in this picture. I colored the bottoms of the cupcakes with my Copics and the dp is from Paper Studio to tie in the whole cupcake theme! I popped up the sentiment and main image and finished it off with the buttons tied with Bakers Twine. I just love that stuff! Next up is the inside of the card:

Here I used a little bit of the dp which I punched out with my SU! Scallop border punch and added it to the two connections of cardstock. I then used the balloon stamp from the set and stamped that along the side.

Thanks so much for taking a peek and keep reading for the Blog Candy deets!

Here is what you can win:

This is Papertrey Ink's set of Holiday treats. It's a perfect set if you love to bake or make goodies to give away. All you have to do to win is to leave a comment! You have until Tuesday August 31 to leave a comment and a winner will be picked Wednesday AM! Again, I will have more candy to give away next week! Share the news! Thanks again for playing and leaving your comments!! Have a great Saturday!

Blog Candy Winner!

2010-08-26T09:15:00.001-05:00

Good morning everyone! It is a busy day for me today but have a moment to post the winner of my Just Rite Stamp set! Thank you for all your comments and playing along! No worries if today was not your lucky day... I will be posting another candy tomorrow for your chance to win something fun! I will also have a creation to post...

OK! The winner is... TANYA!! Tanya, please email me your addy and I will get that out to you!!

Thanks again everyone for playing along and have a great Thursday!

Happy Anniversary

2010-08-24T08:43:00.000-05:00

Hi everyone!

I don't know about you, but today I am feeling a little blah! I don't know if its the weather, (cloudy with a chance of thunderstorms) or the fact that school begins for the kiddos tomorrow! Maybe it's both but I am not feeling today. I also wanted to sleep in but that didn't happen either. Oh well... There is always Saturday! : )

Today I wanted to show you a CAS Anniversary card I made for my brother and his wife. I was out of town for their anniversary and I didn't even get to send a card out before hand. So, I am now getting this out in the mail!

For this card, I used Papertrey Inks set of Fillable Frames #4 and the coordinating die to match. I also incorporated their paper of Everyday Blessings and cardstock in Aqua mist. I ran the Aqua Mist cs through my CB using Quik Cutz embossing folder. I love this folder as I love the cross over embossing that you can make with your Scor-pal, but this saves a little bit of time in one shot! The lines are thicker and there are circles where the lines cross which has great possibilities of what to place there if you choose. Here, I placed little pearls. I finished the card with some white cotton lace ribbon an popped up the frame. I really wanted to keep this CAS and with no flowers.

**There is still time for your chance to win some blog candy of a set from Just Rite!! All you have to do is leave a comment!! Thursday AM a winner will be chosen! Pass it along!!**

Thanks for stopping by!! Have a great un-Blah Tuesday!

The World is a Book... And Just Rite Stamp BLOG CANDY!

2010-08-23T08:51:00.000-05:00

Happy Monday everyone! I hope you all had a great weekend... I know we did! We had a last "getaway" to the beach for the weekend before the start of school. We all had such a good time! I thought I would start the week off with some fabulous Blog Candy. If you have never owned a Just Rite stamp set, now is your chance!

Before the deets on the candy, I want to show you a really great sentiment set by My Favorite Things called Clearly Sentimental about Summer Vacation. I love to travel and see new things, meet new people, and have wonderful memories of it all! This set is perfect for it!

For this card, I used SU! Kraft as my base and dp paper from My Minds Eye. I used my sewing machine to sew around the edges and my Nestibilites for the main cut out. I really like the metal flower in the corner that I made from some basic jewelry wire. Here is a close up of it.

I used the same technique as if you were wrapping paper, but used wire and some jewelry pliers instead. The leaves are from SU! Wild Roses set which I stamped and cut out. I added a little Marvy Glitter pen to the leaves for sparkle. I finished off the card by popping up the main panel, added some Kaiser Craft pearls to the edges of the cut out, sponged around the edges, and put some beautiful lace ribbon by Paper Studio along the side.

NOW! On to the blog candy! The set is the Curlz Monogram Stamper Kit and is brand new still in the package.

This set is interchangable and not only comes with the curlz alphabet but with also three borders and three sentiments shown in the picture!

How do you win? It's easy peasy! All you have to do is leave a comment here and a random winner will be picked Thursday AM! Be sure to share the news!! Thanks for stopping by, taking a peek, and leaving a comment!!

Sneak Peek 3 & Blog Hop-Our Craft Lounge

2010-08-20T02:00:00.003-05:00

Hi everyone! I hope you have been enjoying all the amazing creations the OCL Design Team have done during these 3 days of peeking! The day has arrived to hop your way to some fabulous stamps from OCL!

Today, I am going to show you a card that coincides with OCL's weekly sketch and we hope you can play along with that as well! Another way you can win some OCL products! You can find the deets and the sketch on thier blog here.

This card is quick and fun at the same time. I think this image is just darling! A card, I think that anyone of any age would like! This image is from the Little Boogas set. So fun and versatile. For this card, I used Kraft for the base and dp from My Minds Eye. I colored my image in using my ever so neglected Prismamarkers and popped it up with dimensionals. I also popped up the sentiment and finished off the card by adding some Prima Flowers and metal embellishments in the center.

So, are you wondering what set you have a chance at winning just by leaving a comment? Keeping Halloween in mind, here is the awesome set:

How fun is that?! So many fun treats can be decorated using this set. The Blog Hop begins Friday, August 20th starts @ midnight Pacific time/3am Eastern) and ends Sunday August 22 at 12noon Pacific time (3pm Eastern). Candy winners will be announce Sunday. Be sure to visit the blogs of the design team for more chances of winning some OCL stamps.

Amber Hillman

Beate Johns

Beth Silaika

Bev Gerard

Broni Holcombe

Cambria Turnbow

Charmaine Ikach

Cindy Lawrence

Deb Felts

Debbie Corbari

Deborah Anton ----------> you are here!

Denise Marzec

Heather McNally

Holly McMillen

Jeanne Streiff

Joy Kennedy

Julie Okada

Kendra Wietstock

Kisa Peters

Lori McAree

Maree Truelove

Michelle Fowler

Pam Hooten

Tammy Hershberger

Terri Thill

Vicki Garrett

Thanks so much for stopping by and good luck!! Happy Stamping....

Day 2 Sneak Peeks- Our Craft Lounge

2010-08-19T02:00:00.001-05:00

Today is day 2 of Our Craft Lounges' Sneak Peeks!! This is a great release so I hope you play along in the blog hop tomorrow as well as leaving comments on everyone's blog during the sneak peeks for your chance to WIN!!

For this project, I used a coffin box by Pinecone Press which I used some coordinating cardstock stickers to decorate the outside. I thought this box was appropriate with the image I chose for you to peek at today from a set called Mummy Crossing.

Here is a closer look at the sides.

Here a look at the inside:

I cut out my mummy image and made a "pop up" stand that is attached to a self adhesive spring made by Piggy Tales. I thought it would be fun to have the mummy "pop" out when the lid is lifted and have some candy around him. I attached the sentiment to his hands and I was done!

Thanks so much for stopping by and hope you visit and see what other great creations the OCL design team has come up with! You could win some awesome stamps just for leaving a comment!!

Deborah Anton ------------> you are here!

Not sure where you can find some fun OCL products? Here is a link for you to check out!
http://www.blog2.ourcraftlounge.com/?page_id=40

I hope you have a great day!

Our Craft Lounge Sneak Peek Day 1

2010-08-18T02:00:00.001-05:00

Hello all!! Today is Our Craft Lounges' Day 1 of Sneak Peeks!

Today I am going to share with you a set called Tweet Trees. So cute to play with! I have made two cards with ideas of how you can utilize the tree in this set and have fun with it. This first one, I popped up buttons which were tied with bakers twine in the areas of the tree that were circles.

I used my Copics to color in the rest of the image and Nestibilities for the oval mats. I used Basic Grey's DP in Origins and some FX Ribbon to finish it off. I popped up the main panels and sentiment.

For this next one, I used the same tree but decided to use the ever so popular rolled flowers.

In order to achieve some uniformed flowers, I used My Favorite Things Die-namics Die made especially for this purpose! If you haven't checked this die out, you must! It will save you lots of cutting and time! I also used Basic Grey's Origins paper and Nestibilities for the main panel. The chain link paper on the bottom is another Die-namic Die from MFT. I popped up the images and sentiment and finished off the flowers with some glitter for sparkle.

**I hope you enjoyed these fun cards and be sure to check out the awesome works of the OCL Design Team! You can win some cool stamp sets just by visiting and leaving a comment here and on the design team's individual blogs! You don't want to miss out! Also, be sure to join us Friday for the OCL Blog Hop for more fun creations!**

Need to know where you can find some OCL awesome products? You can visit this link!

http://www.blog2.ourcraftlounge.com/?page_id=40

CHA Pictures and a quick card

2010-08-11T14:21:00.000-05:00

Hi everyone!! Ahhhh.... it feels good to be back and in the creative seat once again. I am back from CHA; pictures and all! My creative juices are flowing and I have been able to spend time in my craft space everyday and accomplish what I wanted. Unfortunately, I have submitted some of those creations for publication, so I can't share some of them yet, until I get turned down! lol! Can you believe the Summer is coming to an end??!! I know for some of you it's sad, but for me- well, I am happy just for the fact that the boys had a fun time traveling, at camp, and now gearing for the return of daddy!!! We are on the last 60 day stretch!

I thought I would start off with a simple card, (CHA pictures at the bottom) made from a set I picked up at the CHA Supershow from Taylored Expressions called Chillax! I just LOVE this set! Perfect for those Margarita drinking fools, (Like myself!) or even for some masculine cards.

I made this card with a man in mind for simplicity and for the inside sentiment that says, "Chill-ax!" This is a long and skinny card using My Minds Eye dp and Copic Markers for the coloring tools. When I use the lime image again, I will be careful in choosing my greens as I accidently started off with some shades that were too dark and I really wanted it a tad lighter. I added a little ric-rack along the top of the dp for some additional color. I finished it off by adding a hint of Ranger Stickles to the center of the lime.

Now! On to the CHA pictures... It was so nice to see everyone again and to meet new people. I tend to chat a lot and forget to take pictures but I have some with the MFT gang that would be nice to share.

Kim (MFT), Carolyn (Cammie), and myself. These two girls I just LOVE!! They are the best of friends and have the heart the size of the world. Carolyn and I used to be neighbors but the Army brought us our separate ways. So these CHA times are the most special to see each other again! Kim adopted me to be one of her "girls" and she is a brilliant person!

OMG!! I finally got to meet Stacy (Twinshappy) after 4 years of talking and emailing!! It was so exciting to see her, catch up, have a dessert dinner, and just see each other face to face!! She is a doll and I can't wait to see her again!

Kerry, Joanne, and Christina- These girls are amazing! The sweetest girls you could meet, not to mention talented! I had the best time with them!!

Our last night in Chicago and I think by this time, the martinis were talking and we all were being so goofy, talking, and the cameras couldn't stop flashing!

Here we are as a "whole" including Kim's sweet girls and hubby!!

Now, I can't believe this is the only picture I have of Carole (TruCarMa) in a calm fashion!! But the other pictures are sure to be a laughing reminder of our time there at CHA!

So, as you can see, we had an awesome time and can't wait until the next time!! Thanks so much for stopping by!!

Enjoying the Summer...

2010-07-13T00:00:00.000-05:00

Hello everyone! I know the lines here in blogland have been quiet from me, but it has been a very busy end of school year and summer so far!

I decided to take a break at the end of my guest designer stint with Our Craft Lounge as my hubby came home for his R&R sooner than expected. We enjoyed every minute of the 15 days he was home nonetheless! Knowing what my family dealt with this Spring with my kids, it was important for my husband and I to continue the focus as a family. This month has turned out to be busier than thought and I am now living out of a suitcase! I needed to pass some time and keep the kids minds off the fact that daddy has left back to Iraq again that I have taken them to FL to visit my mom. She and I then took the boys to Universal Orlando and we had a blast! While we were there, I had a wonderful dinner with Kim and her family as they got to experience the Anton twins! (Kim is probably recovering still! Lol!!) On a sad note, while here in FL my husband's grandfather passed away. He was a strong gentle man whom my husband looked up to and was very close. He will be missed by us all but he will not be forgotten! We are getting ready to return to NC only to re-pack and spend a week at the beach for a camp I have enrolled them in at the Aquarium. They are so looking forward to that! Once that is done, I once again turn around to re-pack and excitedly head out to Chicago for CHA!! Woot! I can't wait to see everyone again! If you will be there, I would love to meet you!

So as you can see, it's been a little nutty around here and completely uncreative! :( I am ready to get back on the saddle after CHA to share with you my creations! I know how unforgiving crafters can be when you have been silent for long periods of time, but I appreciate your patience to those who have waited!

Thanks again and be sure to stay tuned!!

Cowabunga! OCLDT15

2010-06-01T05:28:00.002-05:00

I hope you all had a great holiday weekend! We had family in town and really just relaxed and took the weekend in. Lots of sun and swimming!

I am sad to say that my stint as one of Our Craft Lounges' guest designers has come to a close! I had SO much fun playing along with the challenges and creating with their sets the last 3 months. THANK YOU Cambria, Joy, and Kendra for the opportunity to create alongside the best!!

Friday was Our Craft Lounges' weekly sketch challenge. Play along and you could win some awesome OCL products!

Here are the rules:

use any Our Craft Lounge stamps that you wish – but you must use OCL stamps to be eligible to win the prize

link to your card/project at the bottom of this post using Mr. Linky – **be sure to link DIRECTLY to your challenge card – not a general blog or gallery link**

use the sketch as your basis – do whatever inspires you, but please base it on the sketch

If you upload to SCS, please use the Keyword OCLDT15.

I really don't own any funky nesties for this fun sketch so I settled for this one. It worked out well with this image I chose from Hangin' with Kona. These turtles are just too dang cute!!

I used SU! Wild Wasabi as my base and Basic Grey's Scarlet Letter for the red dp underneath. Scenic Route is the polka dot dp on top. I also used Black and SU! RIver Rock for the layering colors. I punched the bottom of my card with my Fiskars Threading Water punch and finished off the card by popping up the image and sentiment and adding some ribbon from Paperchase.

Super easy and fun!! Thanks so much for stopping by and looking!! Have a great Tuesday!!