Pile of Penguins

It's hard to resist even a single cute little penguin. Pile six of 'em in a pyramid, and I'm helpless. This is one of those images that just had to come live with me! It's called A Pile of Penguins and it's from the Laurence collection by Stampavie, available at Stamper's Dream. I stamped onto Neenah Classic Crest Solar White card stock, colored with Copics, and cut the image with a Labels Fourteen Nestabilities die. The papers are from My Mind's Eye's Alphabet Soup Boy collection, which, incidentally, has tons of aqua and red patterns just perfect for winter-themed images.

I'm super excited that Stamper's Dream is now carrying a selection of Die-namics steel dies from My Favorite Things. I used the Let It Snowflake Die-Namics with white felt for the snowflake accents. The camera doesn't pick up the warmth and texture of the felt very well, but in real life, it has such a nice, cozy feel. I also used the Open Scallop border Die-namics for the large black scallops along the right side.

A few other details ... I added some Martha Stewart Snow glitter to the snowy ground beneath the penguins and then dotted the snowflakes with a Viva Decor Iced White pearl pen. The stitching is by hand. Instead of a stamped sentiment, I coated some white chipboard letters with clear glitter. The dry embossing on the red panel was done with Cuttlebug's Seeing Spots embossing folder.

The layout is Jen's Sketch For You To Try:

Find more sketch inspiration here:

Jen del Muro with guest designer Lesa Smaligo
Amber Hight
Amy Rohl
Carole Burrage
Jenn Diercks
Jodi Collins
Kelly Lunceford
Megan Lock
Sonja Christoph
Susan Liles

To play along, link up your creation to the linky widget on Jen's blog and remember to use keyword SFYTT when you upload to online galleries.

Have a fantastic weekend! My boys will all be gone most of the day today (my youngest is at "Camp Nana" for the weekend, and my oldest and DH will be at a Boy Scout event). I can't tell you how much I'm looking forward to some girl time with my DD! She turns 7 in a few weeks and wants to have a very girly spa party with her friends. Today will be the perfect day to practice our nail painting and hair styling. Better yet, we could head to a spa for some professional pampering and inspiration {grin}.



Stamps: Pile of Penguins (Stampavie)
Paper: Neenah Clasic Crest Solar white card stock, Stampin' Up Real Red, Papertrey Black, My Mind's Eye Alphabet Soup Boy
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black
Accessories: Copic markers, Viva Decor Iced White pearl pen, Martha Stewart snow glitter, Spellbinders Labels Fourteen Nestabilities die, needle and thread, foam adhesive, Cuttlebug Seeing Spots embossing folder, MFT Let It Snowflake and Open Scallop border Die-Namics steel dies, Heidi Swapp chipboard letters, glue pad, ultrafine clear glitter, Papertrey ribbon
Size: 5 1/2" square

Happy Halloween

I had some free time on Wednesday and decided to play along in Splitcoast's Sketch Challenge (#302). It's been forever since I did one of those! I always have the best intentions ... {sigh}. My Mind's Eye's Blackbird collection has been sitting on my desk for a few days now, and I'm determined to milk it for all its worth between now and the end of the month (or longer ... some of the patterns aren't limited to Halloween).

The two pumpkins are from Verve's new Bountiful Harvest set, and the sentiment is from Happy Fall (also by Verve). I stamped the pumpkins onto one of the Blackbird patterns, then colored with Prismacolor pencils and Copic markers. The ivory mat around the main image was cut with a Spellbinders Deckled Rectangle Nestabilities die, and the open scallop border along the bottom was done with a My Favorite Things Die-namics die.

Bountiful Harvest and Happy Fall are available individually or as part of the Autumn 2010 Collection. Buy the full collection and save. Details HERE.

Thanks for visiting!



Stamps: Bountiful Harvest, Happy Fall (Verve)
Paper: Papertrey Kraft and Vintage Cream, My Mind's Eye Blackbird dp
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Ranger Antique Linen Distress
Accessories: Prismacolor pencils, Nestabilities dies, Die-namics dies, PTI button, May Arts twine, SU brads, paper piercer, needle and thread, SU ribbon

The Beauty of Fall

Can you imagine a more "fall-ish" image than this one by Impression Obsession? It's called Pumpkins and is illustrated by Gary Robertson. Love his illustrations because they already include all the clues you need to color up a masterpiece. The areas of light and shadow are determined by the level of crosshatching (that may or may not be the proper technical term, but you know what I mean), so that's one {huge} less thing to think about!

I stamped this image a few times in several different brown inks before settling on Frayed Burlap Distress Ink (Tim Holtz/Ranger). Its nice shade of medium brown really warmed up the image and allowed the orange tones to show even in the most shadowed areas. I colored with Prismacolor pencils and blended with odorless mineral spirits using paper blending stumps. The combo of Frayed Burlap ink and the colored pencils gives such a nice, soft look. Here's a detail shot:

The embellishment cluster in the upper left is made from some hemp cord, gold organdy ribbon, and two leaves die-cut with the smallest Spellbinders Nested Maples Leaves die, topped, of course, with a button.

A few other details ... the sentiment is from JustRite's Nature's Nested Sentiments. The creamy yellowish paper with the diamond pattern is from the Blackbird collection by My Mind's Eye (not just for Halloween!). To help the organdy ribbon stand out a little more, I added a thin strip of designer paper underneath -- a striped pattern from Cosmo Cricket's Wanted collection. A third dp snuck in to the picture -- the top-most leaf is cut from the woodgrain pattern in Crate Paper's Restoration collection. It's rare for me to mix manufacturers like that - so liberating, though! The lattice border is done with a Martha Stewart punch, and the warm brown card base is Prsimatics Dark Tawny.


Thanks so much for stopping by today!




Stamps: Pumpkins Cling Stamp (Impression Obsession)
Paper: Neenah Classic Crest Solar White and Natural, Prismatics Dark Tawny card stock, My Mind's Eye Blackbird dp, Cosmo Cricket Wanted dp, Crate Paper Restoration Collection dp
Ink: Frayed Burlap, Old Paper, Vintage Photo, Walnut Stain Distress Inks
Accessories: Prismacolor pencils, Gamsol odorless mineral spirits, paper blending stumps, distressing tool, needle and thread, Martha Stewart lattice border punch, Spellbinders petite oval and nested maple leaf dies, Stampin' Up gold organdy ribbon, natural hemp twine, button, Robin's Nest Dew Drops
Size: 5 1/2" square

Give Thanks

Here's a little clean-and-simple card I put together last week using all-new Verve stamps. Bits of it materialized in my scrap pile, so I ran with it. It's smalller in size, only 4 1/4" x 3 1/2" -- good for notecards, gift card holders, treat bag toppers, place cards, etc. The sentiment is from a wonderful little sentiment set called Happy Fall, and the leaf stamp is from Autumn Splendor.

All of the new Verve sets are available individually or as part of the Autumn 2010 Collection. By purchasing the full collection, you'll save 15%! Offer good through October 28 (while supplies last).

Have a great day!

Hang Out Spider

Happy Saturday, friends! I found an already-colored image from Hang Out Spider (Stampendous) lying in my "leftovers" pile and thought it would be perfect for todays' SFYTT.

The scalloped border strip and the star are paper die-cut elements from the Blackbird 12x12 Paper and Accessories Kit by My Mind's Eye. So all I had to do was cut a small rectangle from the black spotted pattern in the Blackbird kit, punch an orange circle, tie on some twine, and stamp the sentiment. Oh, and I added some paper piercing around the outside of the black tilted rectangle. It doesn't get any easier or quicker! It's a super quick image to color (I used my Tombow Markers), so even starting from scratch, this would be a quickie.

Check out what the other SFYTT Sisters have put together with today's sketch:

Jen del Muro with guest designer Lesa Smaligo
Amber Hight
Amy Rohl
Carole Burrage
Jenn Diercks
Jodi Collins
Kelly Lunceford
Megan Lock
Sonja Christoph
Susan Liles (out this week - swing by her blog to leave her some get well wishes)

Leigh O'Brien is taking an extended stamping break due to an injury and upcoming surgery. I know she, too, would appreciate your well wishes!

Have a great weekend, and happy stamping!

Stamps: Hang Out Spider (Stampendous)

Paper: Papertrey Kraft, Rustic White, and Black card stock, My Mind's Eye Blackbird 12x12, Paper and Accessories Kit, 140-lb Strathmore Series 400 cold press watercolor paper

Ink: Versafine Onyx Black, Ranger Frayed Burlap Distress Ink

Accessories: Tombow Markers, clear embossing powder, Stampin' Up circle punch, May Arts ivory burlap string, foam adhesive, paper piercer

Size 4 1/4 x 5 1/2

Verve New Release Spotlight: Bountiful Harvest

It's Day Three of Verve's New Release Spotlights. What do you think of what you've seen so far this week? Julee always amazes me with her classy designs! Today, we're showing another Autumn set called Bountiful Harvest. I think there was a collective squeal when the Divas first saw the pumpkin images in this set! I'm betting you'll be just as tickled over them :)

I'm always calling one or the other of my children "pumpkin," so I created today's spotlight card in honor of all "little pumpkins" out there :) Their mamas know who they are!

Among the nineteen stamps in this set is a gorgeous pumpkin trio image. I love that each of those three pumpkins in the trio also comes as its own separate image - so much more versatility! I stamped the largest pumpkin onto ivory card stock and colored with Copic markers. The grass is done with Prismacolor pencils. Patterned papers are from Cosmo Cricket's Matilda collection, and the woodgrain embossing folder that I used on the dark brown background panel is one of Tim Holtz's Texture Fades.

Check out our first looks at Bountiful Harvest:

1. Mercy	9. Amy
2. Jen d.	10. Laurie
3. Charmaine	11. Susan
4. Michelle	12. Jackie
5. Tosh	13. Sankari
6. Teresa	14. Amber
7. Lynda	15. Julee
8. Andrea	16. Shannan

Be sure to leave some comments along the way for a chance to win!

All four of the new sets and all four new Plain Janes will be available in the Verve Store today at 12:00 noon Mountain Time! Happy shopping!



Stamps: Bountiful Harvest (Verve Stamps)
Paper: Papertrey Kraft, Vintage Cream, and Chocolate Kiss card stock, Cosmo Cricket Matilda designer paper
Ink: Versafine Onyx Black, Ranger Old Paper Distress Ink
Accessories: Copic markers, Prismacolor pencils, Spellbinders Lacy Circles Nestabilities die and Fancy Scallops border die, Papertrey ribbon and buttons, foam adhesive, natural hemp twine, needle and thread, Tim Holtz Texture Fades Woodgrain embossing folder

Verve New Release Spotlight: Autumn Splendor

Today is Day #2 of Verve's New Release Spotlights. Featured set of the day: Autumn Splendor. Oh my, oh my, oh my! Leaves, leaves, and more leaves. All different sizes. Both solid and outline images. And of course, a Verve-y mix of very suitable sentiments. If you weren't a Fall lover before, you will be after seeing this gorgeous set!

For my spotlight card today, I've used several of the different leaves to create a Fall wreath. The leaves I've used are line images, and I've just stamped them onto colored woodgrain patterns from Cosmo Cricket's Nutmeg collection and trimmed them out. Each leaf has been lighly ink distressed and curled for more dimension. The ivory open scallop circle is a die-cut from Spellbinders Lacy Circles Nestabilities. Along the bottom is a border strip built from MFT's Jumbo Scallops Die-namics die, some ivory crinkled seam binding, burlap string and a button. I hand stitched around the perimeter of the top half in brown thread using a simple running stitch for a more homespun look.

Here's a closer look at some of the dimension:

Okay, here's the official hop list for today. Check out our first looks at Autumn Splendor:

1. Mercy	8. Amy
2. Charmaine	9. Susan
3. Michelle	10. Andrea
4. Jen T.	11. Jackie
5. Tosh	12. Sankari
6. Teresa	13. Amber
7. Lynda	14. Julee

Be sure to leave some comments along the way for a chance to win!
Have fun and we'll see ya tomorrow!

Stamps: Autumn Splendor (Verve Stamps)
Paper: Papertrey Kraft and Rustic White card stock, Cosmo Cricket Nutmeg Mini Deck dp
Ink: Ranger Walnut Stain Distress Ink
Accessories: Spellbinders Lacy Circle Nestabiltiies die, Cuttlebug Seeing Spots embossing folder, foam adhesive, needle and brown thread, May Arts burlap string, Papertrey button, ivory crinkled seam binding, My Favorite Things Jumbo Scallops Die-namics die, Stampin' Up oval punch