Miss U - DS51

Happy Thursday and Happy Deconstructed Sketch Day! Here's what we're playing with this week:

I pulled out one of my very favorite Verve sets, You and I. along with the coordinating die set, I Heart U. The papers are from the We R Memory Keepers Anthologie 6x6 pad. The ivory decorative frame is from the Twisted Metal Accents set by Spellbinders. I definitely took some liberties with the circle focal point and went with a layered grouping instead.

More sketch interpretation from the Deconstructed Sketch girls and our newly named guest designer, Judy Rozema. Welcome, dear friend!

• Amber Hight
• Arielle Gordon
• Donna Wardle (sitting out this week)
• Jen Shults 
• Jessica Diedrich
• Kadie Ensley
• Lori Boyd
• Pam Varnell
• Sheri Gilson
• Judy Rozema (guest designer)

Hope you can join us this week! To play along, link up your creation HERE.

Thanks so much for stopping by,

May SFYTT - Skipping Stones Design

Happy Cinco de Mayo! In addition to margaritas and the mariachi, today also brings us the May SFYTT, which is sponsored by Skipping Stones Design, home of some of the funniest stamp sets in the industry.

Here's what we're playing with this month:

I was in the mood for something soft and pretty this morning when I sat down to stamp up today's sample (nothing like waiting until the last minute), so I pulled out my all-time favorite Skipping Stones Design set, the classy and timeless Healing Wings. I stamped one of the beautiful butterflies onto pink paper, then trimmed it out, curled the wings for dimension, and attached it to a patterned gray Spellbinders Labels Eighteen die-cut. All of the papers are from Cosmo Cricket's Evangeline Mini-Deck. Accents include crinkled seam binding, burlap string, stick pins, mini rose ribbon, adhesive pearls, and distressing. Missing is some stitching, and that's because my brat machine is broken -- again! Grrrr.

Visit the SFYTT Sisters for more sketch inspiration:

• Jen del Muro with designer of the month, Annie Rose
• Amber Hight
• Becky Carafa
• Carole Burrage
• Jen Tapler
• Jodi Collins
• Kerry Johnson
• Megan Lock
• Susan Liles
• and our newest Sister, Tracy Shultz (Welcome Tracy! Woohooo!!!)

Hope you'll join us at SFYTT this month! All the how-to is in the graphic below (click to enlarge):

Have a fantastic weekend, friends!

DS50 + Exciting News!

It's Deconstructed Sketch day, and Jen has a very cool sketch for us this week:

Isn't that fun? Love the staircased vertical strips and the diagonal element on top. 

Being that it's the first Thursday of the month, this week's sketch is also sponsored, and the sponsor is ...

  The Ribbon Carousel

One lucky sketch participant will win a one-year membership to the Ribbon Kit Club, thanks to our friends at the Ribbon Carousel. Is that an awesome prize or what?! To be eligible, compete your sketch in the next week and link it up HERE.

Load of sketch inspiration this week from the DT:

• Amber Hight
• Arielle Gordon
• Donna Wardle
• Jen Shults 
• Jessica Diedrich
• Kadie Ensley
• Lori Boyd
• Pam Varnell
• Sheri Gilson

Now for the exciting news ... my guest designer term with the Deconstructed Sketch Girls officially ended last week, but today I officially join the team. Yes, really ... I'm a "Deconstructed Sketch Girl"! I'm thrilled to be sticking around!!

Such good news also means I'm that much more embarrassed about not having a sample ready yet. I know, so lame! Forgive me, but I haven't touched a stamp in a week. I'm looking forward to some stamp therapy today, though {finally!}, so I'll cross my fingers and hope to update with a sample in a few hours. 

A quick word about my silly card ... The mustache was die-cut from brown felt using a super fun new CutUps die from The Cat's Pajamas called Mustaches. The sentiment in the lower left "Have A Fun{TACHE}tic Day" is from TCP's coordinating stamp set, The Mustache Set. This set and these dies are SO much fun!

Today's card is also my sample for TCPTuesday #208. This week, we have a color challenge hosted by Lori Tecler: (I'm totally counting denim as a neutral -- wouldn't you?)

TCP TUESDAY CHALLENGE DETAILS... 1. Each Tuesday we will give you a challenge. 2. You will have until the end of the month to complete the challenge. 3. Add your entry to the guestbook on Alma’s blog or upload to the SCS Gallery, using the keywordTCPTUES208 for this week’s challenge. 4. TCP stamps are not required for this challenge, but of course we love to see TCP fans use their TCP stamps! 5. There will be one randomly chosen weekly winner, announced on Tuesdays who will win a Gift Voucher for use on The Cat’s Pajamas website. 6. There will be one winner, The Swanky Stamper, announced the 1st of each month. They will win several sets from an upcoming release and get to play along with us at our Pajama Party and Blog Hop.

  Happy Thursday, friends!

You're My Hero - DS49

It's Thursday, which means there's a brand-new Deconstructed Sketch (#49) to try. Here it is: 

I love that cluster of shapes and banners! When I was playing around with my card for this month's Diva Dare (which I posted yesterday), I cut some of Verve's new Ribbon Banners out of corrugated cardboard. (The Diva Dare theme is "All Aboard" -- use chipboard, cardboard, and/or kraft.) I didn't use the banners for that card, but thought they'd be absolutely perfect for this sketch. The patriotic theme was inspired by both the Heidi Swapp papers I used and the "You're My Hero" sentiment in Verve's Purely Sentimental stamp set. It's hard to see, but to the left and right of the stamped and white embossed sentiment, I clear embossed rows of little stars using one of the stamps from Super Dad. To give the card some oomph (it's still feeling a little plain), I tied on some red/white/blue Airmail Divine Twine from The Cat's Pajamas and punched the edge of that white panel with a spiral notebook punch (that I'd long forgotten about until I saw these awesome cards by Amy Rohl).

The Deconstructed Sketch girls are bringin' it on strong for this week's sketch. Check out their samples, too. Here they are:

Amber Hight

Arielle Gordon

Donna Wardle

Jen Shults

Jessica Diedrich

Kadie Ensley

Lori Boyd

Pam Varnell (later today)

Sheri Gilson

To play along, link up your sketch creation HERE!

April Diva Dare: All Aboard

The Verve Divas kicked off a brand-new Diva Dare last week, and today is my turn to share over on the Verve blog. Hope you'll join me over there!

This month we dare you to make a card, project, layout, or whatever fits your stamping style using this month's theme - All Aboard!   It has been Grand Central Station at Verve lately, since Julee gave birth to two beautiful baby boys and has had her hands full!  So we are challenging you to use chipboard, corrugated cardboard, or kraft on your creation or project!  Can't wait to see how you answer the dare! 

1. Play along with us and link up your new All Aboard creation (posted April 20 or later) to the linky widget on THIS POST over on the Verve blog before 6:00PM MST on Thursday May 3.  One lucky stamper will win a $30.00 gift certificate to the Verve Store. Verve Stamps are not required, but if you've got 'em we would  LOVE to see ‘em!
2. For another chance to win, be sure to give the Divas a little shout-out in the comments section (on the Verve blog, not here) as we share our All Aboard creations. One lucky commenter will win the Verve stamp set of his or her choosing!  Winners will be announced on Friday, May 4th over on the Verve blog

Hope you're having a great week!

TCP April Release Day Blog Hop

It's Release Day at The Cat's Pajamas -- all of the stamps and dies we've been peeking for the past week are now available in The Cat's Pajamas store. We're celebrating the release with a Blog Hop. Did you come here from the talented Carole Burrage? If not, then scoot over to Julie to start the hop and get all caught up.

I'm featuring the new Window CutUps, along with a sentiment from Bloom. The Window CutUps set includes the window frame, as well as four small dies that fit within the window panes, one of them being the flower pot. I cut two flower pots from cork and topped them with layered flowers that I die-cut using the Flower Buttons CutUps. To make the window valance, I used one of the Circus Panels CutUps. I just trimmed down an ivory die-cut to make the rod, then trimmed down three pink plaid die-cuts for the valance portion.

This is also my sample for a brand-new TCPTuesday Challenge, #207. This week, Julie brings us a technique challenge, which is to use handmade flowers in your creation. Play along for your chance to win some TCP! Details in the TCP Forum on SCS.

Be sure to continue along the hop. Your next stop is my uber-talented friend, Jen del Muro!

Enjoy the hop!

TCP Sneak Peek: Quality Time

 

Our final Cat's Pajamas Sneak Peek is a heartwarming one: Quality Time. Isn't little PJ darling?

Visit Alma for links to all of today's peeks. And plan to party with us tonight, 8-10 pm EST in the TCP Forum on SCS.

My heart has just melted over today's sweet set! Reading to my children has always been one of my very favorite things to do with them. I love that little PJ has on his bunny slippers and that they're reading "Beary Potter." I paper pieced the sofa and colored the rest with Copics. Accents include navy blue felt Hearts Trio CutUps topped with buttons and beige linen thread, as well as a heart border done with the new Heart Border CutUps die.

You'll have a chance to win today's featured stamp set just by leaving a comment in the In It To Win It thread. Good luck!