PMS/Sketch Girl Challenge #2

It's time for another Sketch Girl Challenge! Annie has created another great sketch to work with. I love that it is simple enough to be open to endless interpretations.



And here's my take on the sketch . . .

I was soo excited to receive this little guy from Paper Makeup Stamps in the mail on Tuesday (thanks Katie!!), that I had to get him inky right away!! I cut the cloud freehand and then paper pierced around the edges. I fussy cut the bear and balloon and popped them up to create mulitple layers and give some dimension to the card. The sentiment comes with the image, too cute!

You've got to head on over to the Sketch Girl Blog and check out all of the details on the sketch challenge and the other designers awesome interpretations. And BE SURE to sign up as a follower!! There's some free stamp sets to be given away once the followers reach 100 . . . so get clickin' :0)


Just a note: With a little twist, ribbon and imagination, this card also resembles this week's PMS sketch challenge :0). How fun is that! So I'm gonna link this one up there too!


Thanks for stopping by! Hope your day just soars!


Recipe:
Stamps: Paper Makeup Stamps
Paper: SU!
Ink: Memento Black, Copics, White gel pen
Accessories: Paper Piercer, Making Memories ribbon, tracing wheel

Sketch Girl Sneak Peak

Hey There!

It's almost time for the 2nd Sketch Girl Challenge. A new one goes up tomorrow. This time there's a prize up for grabs to all that participate!!! Here's a sneaky peaky at the card I did for the challenge :0) Come back tomorrow to see the whole card.


Have an awesome day!

Shoebox Fun!

It's been FOREVER since I last saw my SU! stamping friends and upline! I was so excited to be able to get together with them last night and stamp. This is the card I created for the shoebox swap. For anyone who doesn't know what that is, the idea is for each person to bring all of the supplies for each person present to make the one card you designed. The rules are that all supplies must be current SU! products and the card must be easy enough to make in 5-10 minutes. We all then sit around a table and pass each "shoebox" around until we've all made one of each! Talking, laughing, and sharing are a must . . . yummy deserts are an added bonus :0)

This card used the Sizzlets little leaves die and the new Level 2 Hostes set, "Kind and Caring Thoughts". I scored vertical lines down the chocolate chip cardstock for visual interest. The white panel is raised up on dimensionals.

I had so much fun last night and realized how much I miss getting together with my friends. Hopefully I'll be able to schedule in some more shoebox swaps this year :0)

Thanks for stopping by and have day filled with friends and fellowship!

Recipe:
Stamps: SU! Kind and Caring Thoughts
InK: SU! Chocolate Chip
Paper: SU! Chocolate Chip, Whisper White, Old Olive
Accessories: SU! Scallop Punch, Buttons latte, Sizzlets leaf die, hemp twine, paper piercing mat

Spooky Cuttlebug Challenge!

Hey there! It's been a lazy end of the week since the boys have been gone! No running every night to one activity or the other, making sure everyone is fed, referee-ing fights . . . I miss ' em terribly, but I'm enjoying it :0)

SO!! I got a chance to have some fun stamping. When I saw the Cuttlebug Challenge Blogs Wednesday post I was very excited to play along. Any altered item (preferebly out of your recycle bin), just not a card! Hmm . . . what to do, what to do. I wanted to do something for Halloween (cause I REALLY wanted to use the Spider Web embossing folder). I decided to make a treat container out of and empty can that used to hold pineapple chunks. Its a little bit larger than the normal size - it's 20 oz. Here's how it turned out . . .



Pretty cute huh? I made a corresponding gift card that can be tied to the handle. Here's a close up of the card.

Aren't these stamps adorable?! They are both images from Anna Wights Spooky Expressions set for Whipper Snapper. You've got to check them out - Hocus Pocus is another fav, and her newest Halloween set is on my wish list too :0) I was originally planning on embossing black cardstock, but I decided to go for a vintage feel to coordinate with the Crafty Secrets vintage halloween images I used around the card. So, I embossed on white and distressed around the edges with Ranger distress ink in sepia. I matted the white on black cardstock I had originally started out with, so when you open the gift card, the reverse web design still shows - pretty cool!

I used 3 images from the Crafty Secrets Vintage cuts sheet around the can. They are all so adorable :0) I matted each one on a coordinating piece of colored cardstock and then on black. Hard to tell, but I faux stitched around each image as well. And one last added note. A 4 1/4 X 11 strip of card stock is perfect to fit around this can. And even better, you can easily stick the embossing folder on each end of the cardstock to get the image easily all the way around!!

I used my Crop-o-dile to punch two holes on either side (works like a charm and so effortless). Then used some rusty wire to create the handle. For a little added touch I tied this gorgeous black and tan striped ribbon around the handle and added a cute little skeleton jingle bell - I even rubbed a little sepia ink on him to age him a little bit more :0)

There are lots of details on this one, but in the end, my favorite part is the web background. I LOVE how the distressing ink emphasizes it so much more. This is definitely a fav!!

Thanks for stopping by, hope you have a very relaxing weekend!


Recipe:

Stamps: Spooky Expressions - Whipper Snapper (AnnaWight)

Ink: Ranger Distress ink - sepia, Black Stazon

Paper: SU naturals white, black, Bazzil, Crafty Secrets Halloween Time Vintage Cuts

Accessories: Cuttlebug, Spider Web embossing folder, Ribbon - (Heidi :0), buttons - ??, SU! scallop border punch, Martha Stewart border punch, rusty wire, skeleton jingle bell (Michaels)

Past PMS

My boys left yesterday (all 3 of them) to spend a couple weeks at Grandma's!! I kept telling myself, "What a great opportunity for uninterupted stamp time!!" I had all of the best intentions, all of the challenges I wanted to participate in laid out, ideas running through my head . . . but the lure of the couch, the clicker and the thought of getting to watch WHATEVER I wanted to in complete peace and quiet was too strong :0). I NEVER watch T.V., unless it's either a sports game or cartoons. So last night I indulged in a little HGTV and Food Network :0) Loved it . . .

But I do have a couple of cards from past PMS challenges that I never posted;
This first one was a sketch challenge for the July release party. I used this adorable rat stamp and coordinating sentiment. He looks like he forgot the birthday, but didn't forget to eat the cake!! Totally reminds me of Templeton from Charlotte's Web.
This next challenge was a little tricky and fun! It was an inspiration challenge to use this Hello Kitty picture:

I decided to dress Argus up Hello Kitty style!! And I thought it was perfect that he had a little bear friend, just like the picture :0) First I drew in a little bikini and bow on the bear. Then I drew a bow and cut it out for Argus. I drew in a nose and some eyelashes to make him more Hello Kitty -ish! I didn't have a soda stamp, but I did have an ice cream cone - goes well with the summer theme and doesn't it just look like he/she is ready to take a bite ?!? :0) I matted the image on some polka dot background and created a flower to tie in with the picture. I thinks it so fun how you can make your own images totally different than the original stamped version!

I'm hoping to get some quality stamp time in these next few weeks. Stay tuned !!

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by!!

MY Birthday Cards!

I thought today I would showcase some of the "handmade" cards I received for my birthday yesterday! It was a significant one, and my friends and family didn't let it pass by un-noticed. I walked into my office building with signs posted on each floor by the elevator (thanks Deb) and from the end of the hallway I could see the black streamers and balloons taped to the doorway. Even my cube was encircled by 20 perching buzzards and more black streamers and balloons (thanks Joan)!!

This card was created by my DH. He says the double stamped image was done on purpose to give the look of movement! And the stamped-off flowers were to give "the illusion" of different shades of color :0) He wrote the sweetest poem inside and I'd share it, but he might get a tad embarrassed :0)
This card was made by my 10 year old son. I like the way he put things in perspective. He stated the truth, but then made me feel good about it :0)

This is what my 12 year old son created. Notice how it is not just to me, but to ALL 40 year old moms :0). I like this one because he didn't define an age to my prettiness :0)

Here's the one from my 5 year old son. I was really surprised when I saw this one at first; multiple stamps, multiple colors . . . then I realized that Dad must have grabbed this from out of my scraps and the little one just "embelished" it. I'm pretty sure that big circle is a balloon and the drawings underneath are lips giving me a kiss :0)

I was surprised to receive this card in the mail from my SU! upline, Charlotte. She is just so sweet and always remembers me (thanks Charlotte!).

And finally a card from my good friend Joan. I love everything about it! The embossed background, the faux stitching, and the "frosting" on the cake!! I included a close-up so that you could see how real it looks!! And the best part about this card . . . it came with a Scor-Pal !! Oooh how lucky am I !!! I can't wait to play with that one :0)

Thanks for letting me share a little part of my birthday with you. I was dreading the impending doom of turning 40, but my family friends sure did make it fun!!

Wishing you a day filled with surprises!!

The New Sketch Girl Blog!!

Hey there!! I wanted to share with you a cute card (of course) and some cool news! First of all, Leigh Ann Baird (AKA stampingwithannieb) is starting up a new sketch challenge blog! This very first numero uno sketch went up yesterday. You can read all the details on Leigh Ann's Blog. And for the second cool news . . .(drum roll here please) . . . she's letting me be a designer (insert clap clap woot woot)!! I was soo excited I HAD to squeeze some late night stamping in so I would be able to show you my card today. Here's my take on the sketch. . .


I used the new Soft Suede cardstock from SU! I wasn't too sure about the color when I first saw it, but it's growing on me :0) The image from Hero Arts, however, I fell in love with immediately! It's so cute, so fun, and has so many possibilities. The pp is from Cosmo Cricket's Lil' Man series. I just can't seem to get enough of it lately!! Maybe it's because it's still sitting on my table and it's the first thing I grab "wink wink", or maybe because it's just super duper uberlicious!! Anywhoo . . . I thought the card turned out simpler than what I've been doing lately - not so many layers - and only 3 pop dots!!, but I still think it's pretty darn cute :0)

So why not play along!! Sign up to be a follower on the Sketch Girl Blog so you don't miss any of the upcoming challenges. If you upload to a forum use SG1. Here's a list of all of the Sketch Girls . . . give them a looksee and lets get this thing going . . .


Alyssa: www.critterlyss.blogspot.com
Harriet: www.alittlethisandalotofthat.blogspot.com
Sara: www.luminousinmychaoticdreamslife.blogspot.com
Eve: www.thisisbliss838.blogspot.com
Annie: www.stampingwithannieb.blogspot.com
Tiffany: www.paperandstamps.blogspot.com
Jennie: www.stampawaytheday.blogspot.com
Chris: www.chriscorner-23.blogspot.com
Katie: www.leftsidecrafts.blogspot.com
Randee: www.mystampingground.blogspot.com
Bonnie: www.aboutascountryasonecanget.blogspot.com
Jessica: www.basicjess.blogspot.com
Julie: www.lastminutecrafter.blogspot.com

Have a super "Tweet" day and thanks for stopping by!!

Recipe:
Stamps: Hero Arts
Paper: SU!, Cosmo Cricket Li' Man
Ink: Staz On, Copics
Accessories: Paper Studio buttons, twine, Little Leaves Sizzlits, CB, puffy heart sticker

Paper Makeup Stamps Snail Trail

Front

Inside

Hey there! Just wanted to show you a card I made for the Paper Makeup Stamps blog - Monday Challenge. This weeks theme was BUTTONS!! Use them somehow, some-way on your card. I chose to use them as wheels of an adorable little sign being pulled by an ever so determined little snail! I can't take credit for the idea, I saw it on SCS. I used a sticker and papers from Cosmo Crickets Lil' Man line - too cute!. I paper pieced the shell of both snails with coordinating paper from Lil' Man. Both sentiments on the inside are also from PMS :0) There's still time to play along, and you don't need to use PMS stamps . . . you never know when they might offer up some goodies :0)

Thanks for stopping by, hope your day is not to "sluggish"!!

Recipe:Stamps: Paper Makeup Stamps
Paper: Cosmo Cricket Lil' Man
Ink: Memento, Copics
Accessories: Paper Studip buttons, black hemp twine, Michaels ribbon, EK Success large scallop border punch, tracing wheel

Traveler's Inspiration Challenge #2

Here's my card for Travelingmama's 2nd Traveler's Inspiration Challenge. I was drawn to the blue blue sky and of course the pueblo! I thought this sandcastle image would tie in nicely, and the blue background reminded me of both the sky and sea. If you look closely at the picture you will see small horizontal rows of dots. I'm not sure if those are windows, air/drainage vents?? Whatever they are, they inspired the paper pierced border around the image. And finally, I thought this sentiment tied in nicely with both the picture and the image. If you read Chavez's description of the photo on Travelingmama's blog she says that it was actually really cold when they were there!

Simple card, but fun! Thanks for stopping by. Hope you have a warm, sun-filled day :0)

Recipe:

Stamps:Inkadinkado

Ink: Memento, Copics

Paper: SU!

Accessories: Paper piercer, CB & Nestabilities, button, twine

Cuttlebug Woodsy Inspiration

This week on the Cuttle Bug Challenge Blog the task was to create a woodsy outdoor project, using woodsy animals (except for snakes) using twigs, pebbles anything from nature. With an added fun colour template as a component.

The owl seemed to be the woodsy animal of choice for most other posts, so I decided to follow suit and chose an Inkadinkado owl that had never been inked before. I used the Distressed Branches Cuttlebug folder for the background and as my natural element, I used individual pinecone pieces to create a scalloped border around the owl. I paper tolled the owl to give him some added dimension and colored him a nice shade of Holiday blue with my copics. I stamped the sentiment from AMUSE as the finishing touch!

Thanks for stopping by, hope you are having a hoot of a day :0)

Front Porch Beauties!

I think I've mentioned before that I'm a procrastinator . . . . In all aspects of life. But I justify that by telling myself I work better under pressure or with a deadline. So here's my latest success. I am just NOW getting around to planting my front porch flowers. Because our house is still under construction, I haven't been too concerned with the yard. But I wanted to get some color around the front of the house, so I planted two larger pots on either side of the front door. And here's how they turned out . . .

Tiger Eye Rudbeckya

Angelonia, Rudbeckya, Coleus

Front Porch Beauty

I thought they turned out beautiful. Instant gratification!! They make me smile as I pull into our driveway. Hopefully I'll be able to enjoy them for the rest of the summer.

And here's a cute little story for you. My little guy was soo excited to help me and get his hands in the dirt!! What 5 year old little boy doesn't like to get dirty :0) He helped me get all of the plants out of the car. And then, all by his big boy self, lined up each pot along the whole length of our front porch - equally spaced even!! When I told him we had to take the plants out of the pots and put several of them together in the BIG pot . . . well he thought that was way too much fun. He helped me scoop the dirt and fill in around the plants. Thinking we were done, I went inside.

A couple of minutes later he came running in saying "Mom come look at what I planted, come look at MY flower!". I went outside to find him holding his plant. He had grabbed one of the empty containers, filled it with dirt and then "planted" a leaf right in the middle - a nice dried up dead one :0) He was soo proud and thought it was the coolest thing. Of course Mom was proud too. I had to grab my camera right away and take a picture of his adorable effort. We even watered it . . . we're hopeful :0)

Hopeful

Have bloomin' beautiful day!

Caardvarks is Da Bomb!

The Caardvarks challenge this week is a sketch challenge. I had all of these coordinating papers, trims and die cuts in the Making Memories "Just Chillin" line so I thought I would use a little of each to create a hip and happening teen card. I don't have a teen yet - next year :0), but I thought it would be fun to try to create something that age bracket might like! I was drawn to the Just Chillin' line because . . . 1. I have 3 boys, 2. It had some fun camouflage prints and trim, 3. It had some cool Fleur de Lis die cuts. Camo and Fleur de Lis fit well with the whole Scouting theme.

Many of the die cuts have a shiny colored foil to them (guys version of glitter :0) ) On this card the star, the outline of the sentiment, and the edge of the guitar all have the foil for lots of shine. Not too sure I achieved the "hip and happenin'" factor I was looking for, but it was fun playing with all of the coordinating items.

Head on over to Caardvarks and check out all of the other awesome entries . . . and have a hip and happenin' day. I'm off to chaperone a bunch of - way too cool Cub Scouts at their week long summer daycamp!!

Recipe:

Stamps: None

Ink: None

Paper: Bazzill Cardstocke, Making Memories - Just Chillin

Accessories: Making Memories - Just Chillin', EK Success large scallop border punch

Blog Candy Alert! Big Shot Die Pack!

Stampin’ Up! just released the 2009-2010 Idea Book & Catalog and it’s loaded with new products that every stamper must have. As part of the summer celebration Stampin Addicts is holding a blog contest during the month of July giving away a Big Shot die pack made up of 5 new exclusive Stampin’ Up! dies.

Stampin’ Up! Thanks (Embosslits)
Stampin’ Up! Final Press (Embossing Folders)
Stampin’ Up! Perfect Details (Textured Plates)
Stampin’ Up! Two Tags (Bigz Dies)
Stampin’ Up! Fancy Favor (Bigz XL Dies)

Stampin Addicts dot com has tons of ideas using the Stampin’ Up! Big Shot . To enter, all you have to do is write about it. This is my entry . . . . now give me my dies :0)

Moroccan Gecko

I created this card for Travelingmama's first Traveler's Inspiration Challenge. She's living in Morocco and came up with the idea to start an inspiration challenge based on everyone's travel photos :0) I think it's a fantabulous idea. You can even submit your own travel photos to her and they may be used for future inspiration challenges. You gotta check out her blog, she has some beautiful photos and great videos about what life is like raising a family in a foreign country.

So now, on to the challenge :0) I used the rich vibrant jewel tone colors in the inspiration picture to come up with this razzley dazzley gecko. I tried to make it a little girly (considering they are slippers) by adding some bling to my geckos eyes and the spots on his back. I even used my Sakkura stardust glitter pen to draw around the rhinestones on his back and outline the sentiment on the inside. I used alot of scraps on this card so instead of pulling out another sheet of cardstock I just decided to use my 1/4 sheets I already had laying around and created a swing card. My paper piercing was all freehand - no circle template so it's a little off, but then again it's handmade :0)

Thanks for stopping by - hope your day is filled with colorful fireworks and shimmery sparklers!!

Recipe:Stamps: Inkadinkado

Ink: Memento Black, Copics

Paper: We R Memory Keepers, Su!

Accessories: Sakura stardust glitter pen, Mark Richards bling, paper piercer, CB and Nestabilities, Basic Basic ribbon

100% Pure Happiness

This is my take on Dawn McVey's color challenge. I was a little skeptical at first, but when I read Dawn's advice to use large amounts of the neutral colors and keep the bold bright colors to a minimum, it all came together. Guess what - I LOVE it! These colors are so yummy together. Once I finished my card I started noticing this color combo all around - strawberries sitting in a red bowl on my grey/black countertop. Even a box of Coke Zero up against my green wall!! Inspiration is all around :0)

Sorry I don't have a lot of deets on this one :0( The pp is from a free pack they gave away at Archivers for spending WAY too much money and the packaging is long gone!! The flowers I'm guessing are from Prima?? I got those in some yummy blog candy I won from the VERY talented Heidi Van Laar :0) Chipboard was from a pack of assorted pieces I got at Target. The rest I think I've got :0)

Thanks for stopping by . . . and have an inspiring day!!

Recipe:

Stamps: None

Ink: None

Paper: Su! Cardstock

Accessories: Peal - Mark Richards, Rub On - Cosmo Cricket, Ribbon - Bassic Basic

Hey Batter Batter!

My oldest son just finished his baseball season for this year last night. It's always a bitter sweet ending. The boys (and parents) who barely know each other come together for just a few months and form this bond with a common goal. The parents cheer them on from the sides and struggle with the highs and lows together and then it's all over . Each family goes their separate way, some to never meet again. I always admire the parents that volunteer their own personal time to help these boys succeed. They are mentors and teachers and truly giving.

I made this card for one of the coaches. I used this weeks 2Sketches4You layout. All of the papers are from Cosmo Crickets "Lil Man" line. SOOO CUUTE!! The papers, images, stickers and border sayings in this pack are all awesome and have a slight vintage feel. You gotta check them out. I used an embossing punch at the bottom by Martha Stewart. I liked it better than the scallop punch. It reminded me of the shape of home plate :0). The button and chipboard tag were from my stash. I added the rub-on sentiment from SU!

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

Recipe:Stamps: None

Ink: None

Paper: Cosmo Cricket Lil Man, Su!

Accessories: Twill ribbon- Basic Basic, Button - Paper Studio, Chipboard tag-? ,

Martha Stewart border punch, SU! Rub-on