Sketch Girl 13

It's the end of the month - tomorrow will be March 1st!! I dream of green grass, budding trees, flowers and butterflies . . . as we sit under a blanket of snow :0( I must say, however, that I did see a small patch of grass today from where the snow had melted - come on spring!!

The end of the month also means it's time for another Sketch Girl challenge. This challenge is being sponsored by Wild Flower Kids and they gave us some digi images to play with from their newly released set, Royal Court. This is fairy princess. Her wings remind me of a butterfly ;0) There are some really cute sentiments, other princesses, a prince and even a frog!! Be sure to head on over to the Sketch Girl blog to check out all the details on this challenge. You can even win 5 free images from the Wild Flower Patch Kids store!

Have a Happy Sunday! We'll be watching and rooting for the mens USA hockey team to win GOLD!!

You're So Sweet

Woke up to MORE snow again today - this is really getting old!!
I need spring and I need it fast. I keep making cards with lots of springy colors to keep motivated and inspired that it is just around the corner (and down the road, and over the hill and through the woods . . .) !!! I'd love to be taking pictures in natural sunlight, but there's little of it these days! Just a quick post to show you a couple of cards I made for/with some "sweet" friends :0)

I LOVED this paper by my Minds Eye called Graceful Circles. Sweet springy colors. The Recollections - Light Pink Dots is paper I bought with Vday in mind. Buttons and stamps are from Papertrey ink - finally got a chance to play with that set! Dark ribbon is my favorite from Stampin' Up! I just wish they offered it in roll form! The other ribbon is Ofray from your friendly neighborhood Wal-mart!!

Have a Happy Wednesday! Hope it's warm and bright and sunny, even if it's only in your dreams :0)

My Secret Admirer

Good thing come to those who wait . . .And I've got proof!

Some of the PMS design team members decided to do a little secret admirer exchange for V-day. We were asked to answer a few questions about ourselves (favorite colors, candies, hobbies, etc. ) Then each person received a secret admirer and their "rap" sheet. The week of V-day we were to send our secret admirer a package that included 2 cards, 2 handmade items, and some other small goodies.

Lucky me! Look what I received in the mail from my secret admirer - the super sweet and amazingly talented - Christi Thorsen;

Aren't these cards gorgeous? I've always admired Christi's work. Everything she posts on her blog is beautiful, but to see it IRL is truly awesome. See that "Love you" card? The dress, her collar and even that itsy bitsy heart she's blowing is paper pieced!! Gorgeous!! And the Penelope card opens in the most clever way to reveal a super sweet birthday message. NOPE, these cards aren't going anywhere!

If you think those are amazing, check out what was also in the box;

Isn't this matching card and mini milk carton just the cutest? And that carton is (I mean WAS) filled with yummy chocolate hearts in the same color combo! This little combo is soo awesome it was even selected as the Verve project parade winner. You can read more about that on Christi's blog. I loved it when she posted it on her blog, but when I opened my package and saw it in there my jaw dropped and I did a little happy dance!! It made me feel so special to know that she made this with me in mind :0)

But wait, there's more!!

Look at all these fun goodies that were also included!!

• We're talking REAL big glittery chipboard letters
• Butterfly bling
• Sticky half pearls (LOVE these)
• 2 pkgs of Rhinestones (in my fav colors)
• Stamping Bella buttons (these look so fun)
• A little pink pot of shimmerz (can't wait to play with this)
• Pretty pink binder clips (to stay stylishly organized)
• Very pretty "love" sentiment stickers

And finally (as if that wasn't enough already), She gifted me 3 COPIC markers of my choice!! I just need to pick out the colors and they'll be sent along :0)

HOW FUN IS THAT!! I love surprises, and this was just soo much fun both giving and receiving. My secret admiree was Dawn Barrett. You can read about my gift to her HERE.

Thanks again Christi- you definitely are the sweetest - with a cherry on top!

I hope the rest of your day is filled with sweet surprises too!

PMS Birthday Bash Remake

Hey there everyone hope you're enjoying your weekend :0) I got to get some stamp time in, so that always makes for a good weekend. And today I get to take a little trip to IKEA for some much needed organizational supplies. Can't wait!!

As part of the Paper Makeup Stamps month long birthday celebration, we were given a fun challenge. To post your very first PMS card and then remake it!! Well, as I've stated before. It was PMS love at first sight when I saw Argus. So of course he was my first card, and here it is;

Pretty simple and pretty cute don't you think? I was having a hard time trying to remake this. Why mess with something that's perfectly fine :0) I decided to just change the colors up a little and use Copics to color him in (I didn't have ANY when I made this first card).

I kept the layout the same, but just added a different ribbon treatment, a different sentiment (I didn't have ANY PMS words back then), and a little sewing around the edges (I didn't have a sewing machine back then either!!) and finally a scalloped edge for just a little more visual interest :0)

You can head over the the Paper Makeup Stamps Blog and see Tangii's and Christi's remake as well as read up on all of the other month long birthday fun that's going on :0)

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

PMS MFTW17

Happy Friday!! Time for a little challenge to get the weekend started :0) This time, PMS DT'er Gabby has a sketch for us to work with. I must admit I was a little intimidated. You might have to open your mind a little to see how I interpreted it, but I think I got most of the elements in there :0)





The cute little cottage and sentiment are from Paper Makeup Stamps. I colored it in with Copics and then popped up the windows and door to give it some dimension. I bought lots of these puffy heart stickers around Vday and never used them, but I AM finding ways to use them lately :0)

Hop on over to the PMS blog to view some other interpretations of the sketch as well as link up your own!

Recipe:
Stamps: Paper Makeup Stamps
Paper: Crafty Secrets, Stampin UP!
Ink: Black Stazon, Copics
Accessories: Puffy heart stickers (Michaels), sewing

Love Monkey

Here's a card I made for a swap with some of my stampin' buds. The challenge was to use a stamp set we haven't inked yet :0) I bought this Love Monkey set from Verve with the best intentions of making Valentines with it, but never got them done in time. So, I decided to break it in using this week's 2 Sketches 4 You challenge. Lots of layers on the circle, but other than that pretty simple!

Hope you have a happy Thursday! Only one more day left and boy am I ready for the weekend. We've got a whole lot of nothin' planned which is fine by me :0) Maybe I can get some craft spring cleaning done! My stamp cave is in desperate need!

Recipe
Stamps: Verve
Paper: SU!, Basic Grey Scalloped Border
Ink: Black Staz ON, Copics
Accessories: Ribbon, puffy heart sticker (Michaels), Nestabilities
Technique: Sewing

Sketch Girl 12 Meets Caardvarks

It's the 15th of the month which means time for another Sketch Girl challenge, and lookie what we've got for you . . .



Pretty fun eh? Our Sponsor for this sketch is Sassy Studio Designs . They have lots of super cute digi images for you to use. I had to go check them out myself and when I saw this adorable pair of frogs, I HAD to have them - and they were only $1.00!!! I'm not a big user of digi images, but these were super easy to download, resize and print out. Sassy Studio will be providing the randomly drawn winner of SG12 - 4 images of their choice :0) So check out which ones you think are your favorites and come play!!

I was originally going to try and make a Valentines day card. But I decided that since we will be attending a wedding in March, I would make an off the wall wedding card instead :0) And it fits in with the Caardvarks challenge currently going on too :0)


I colored the image in with Copics and then used the colorless blender to create some "spots" on my frogs, I think it turned out pretty cute. I also used a spica glitter pen on the crowns.


And I thought this sentiment from PTI's Button Bits set fit nicely!!

Make sure to head on over to the Sketch Girl Blog and check out our Guest Designer Amy Tsuruta and ALL of the other DT members cards, I'm headed over there now too -I'm sure they're just fabulous.

Have a great day!

Friends Rock!

It's nice to know we have friends that are there for you through thick and thin, that when times get rough they'll be there with a smile, a word of encouragement or with a shoulder to cry on. And every once in awhile, it's nice to BE that friend. Not because you feel an obligation. Not because the friend has asked. Not even because the friend has suffered a tragedy. Just because sometimes, we all need a little bit of support.

This is one of those times for our friend (and design team member) Gabby Arriaza. Gabby and her family have come upon a hardship that is proving to be more than they can handle on their own. You can read more about it on her blog.

Since Gabby is one of the rockinest stampers out there, Katie asked Moody Girl designer, Cynthia about designing a rockstar moody girl. This image is the only moody available as a digi stamp! Gabby herself has also supplied some word art and we have another digi sentiment available. You can check out and purchase these stamps here.

I loved working with this image and it's theme. I used a cuttlebug embossing folder with shimmery silver coardstock to give that metal look - looks even more awesome IRL. And I was excited to find some metal scrap letters in coordinating colors that I just so happened to have in my stash!! Finally, for some more sparkle, another large glittery chipboard letter - again in a coordinating color - yippee!! I think this would be a fun card for a teenage girl - what do you think?

Proceeds from all sales will all go directly to the Arriaza family. Thanks for considering this and for time and time again helping us to help others.

Cogsmo Loves 2S4U !!

It seems like forever since I've participated in a 2S4U challenge!! Not this time!! When I saw the circle card challenge, I knew I HAD to find time to play along.

I fell in love with Cosmo Crickets Cogsmo line at first sight. Maybe it had something to do with having 3 boys :0). Anyway, the black chipboard cogs and wheels fit in perfectly with this challenge!

All of the paper is from the line and the little robot dude and his buddy on the inside were just cut out of the paper. (Please excuse the messy sewing - fast moving sharp things and corners just don't work well with me)



You can go over to the 2S4U blog and see TONS of other fabulous examples.

Have a great weekend everyone!!

PMS Birthday Blog Hop

"Go PMS . . . it's your birthday . . . we're gonna party . . . like it's your birthday!!"

O.K. maybe not the same effect as the real song :0) ,but if you're coming from the long list of hop stops before me then you'll know how excited we are for Katie and Paper Makeup Stamps very first, numero uno Birthday!!

If you haven't started from the top then go back to the PMS BLOG, lots of details on fun, fun, fun!!

I decided . . . that I couldn't decide . . . on my favorite PMS stamp that is!! Just too darn many to choose from. So instead, I chose to use the images that made me fall in love with PMS in the first place, my beloved monster buds - Argus, Dreck and Spike . . .And they're ready to celebrate too :0)


These guys just crack me up!! For the inside I used another fav image, Jerry. I actually thought he looked a little like Argus's little buddy. Maybe Argus didn't hold on tight enough (hee hee)!! The Happy Birthday sentiment is from the "Rats I forgot" set and the "get carried away!" came with Jerry (I just omitted the "don't"). Everyone deserves to get a little carried away on their b-day!!

So party hearty PMS style and collect your letters for 15% OFF YOUR ENTIRE ORDER this week. And join us tonight in the forum for lots of other fun stuff!

OOOH! How about a letter???? Well if you haven't already guessed it your bday letter from me is . . .!!!!!!!!!!!!!! M !!!!!!!!!!!

Now head on over to your last stop on the hop . . .the wonderful Miss Lisa M.

ETA: This card is rather large - just an 8 1/2 X 11 folded in half. Lots of room for birthday wishes :0) and it will still fit in a common size envelope!!

Whipper Snapper Weekend

Happy Monday, Happy February Everyone! Hope you all had a nice relaxing weekend. The weather is still cold here - not the biting bitter cold that it was last week (thank GOD)! But still cold enough to not go outside very much. I did bundle up yesterday morning and take the dog for a walk! He was very excited, I think the last time I did that was November!!

So with the weather still chilly and not much on the agenda, I was able to get a couple of cards made!! Here are the last two cards for the December/January Release of Anna Wight's Springtime Quilt and Quilting Forever for Whipper Snapper.

I loved how the cherries turned out on this first card. I got to play with some new red Copics I received a couple of weeks ago and I used some Crystal Effects to make the cherries nice and shiny and give them some dimension.



This next card came about just by me playing aroud. First I was just coloring in some images, not to sure what I was going to do with them. Then I wanted to play around with that zigzag stitch, I thought it would show up better against black. Finally I realized I had ribbon that matched exactly with the colors I was using in the image - voila!! Card is done.


I wanted to thank Anna Wight and Whipper Snapper for letting me play with 4 awesome sets these past couple of months. These last two sets really threw me out of my comfort zone - and I liked it :0)

On another note, I wanted to mention that yesterday afternoon I went to a firends house for an in home party. Can you guess what it was? Not jewelry, clothes, kitchen items or even stamps!!
It was a Dove CHOCOLATE party!! Lots and lots of yummy mixes, candies, martinis!! . . . all made with Dove chocolate :0)

Have a sweet yummy day!