JustRite Friday Sketch Challenge

Stamper's Dream is proudly sponsoring this week's JustRite Friday Challenge. Tosh has drawn up an awesome sketch, and one lucky winner will enjoy a $50 Stamper's Dream gift certificate! Not only that, three honorable mentions will win a JustRite stamp set of their choice! Be sure to check out Cammie's, Michelle's and Tosh's sketch samples, too. Challenge details, including how to link up your creation, are over at the JustRite Inspiration Blog. You have until next Thursday (May 6) at 9 am Central to play along - good luck!

Here's the sketch:



As you can see, I flipped the sketch to suit the vertical oval of this beautiful lighthouse image from the new By the Sea set. If you haven't seen this set of four nautical images (plus four coordinating borders), I hope you'll click on that link and take a look - just gorgeous! Sigh.... Makes me long for the beach.

My lighthouse is stamped on Neenah Classic Crest Solar White card stock, then colored with Prismacolor pencils and blended with Gamsol and blending stumps. I knew I'd be using ivory cardstock elsewhere in the design, so I toned down the stark white by inking the perimeter with Ranger Antique Linen Distress Ink. (I tried coloring the image on ivory/natural card stocks, too, but oddly enough preferred the brightness of the white version, especially with the clouds and the yellow lightbeams.) I cut out the image with Spellbinders oval Nestabilities and roughed up the edges with a distressing tool. The ivory oval frame was done with Labels 10 and classic oval Nestabilities.

For the two narrow stips that ground the main image, I used a combination of a distressed Kraft strip and some pleated 5/8" natural twill. The sailor's knot, done with some rope twine from Stampin' Up, was inspired by this card designed by Barbara Anders. The ends of the rope twine have been fed through some jumbo eyelets and secured to the back of the background panel. That entire panel is popped up with foam tape.

The Martha Stewart Deco Shells border punch makes a cameo appearance along the left of the large blue panel. A full border strip was too much, but I thought why not include just a snippet? I like it! It's hard to see in the photo, but I also placed a teeny tiny clear rhinestone on the lighthouse light and then dotted on some clear glitter along the beams.

Thanks for stopping by, and Happy Friday!



Stamps: By the Sea (JustRite Stamps)
Paper: Neenah Classic Crest Solar White card stock, Papertrey Kraft card stock, Stampin' Up Ivory and White Naturals card stock, Webster's Pages Petite Papers designer paper
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Ranger Antique Linen, Frayed Burlap and Pumice Stone Distress Inks
Accessories: Spellbinders classic oval and Labels 10 Nestabilities, Prismacolor pencils, Gamsol, blending stumps, foam adhesive, Sakura Quickie glue pen, clear glitter, clear rhinestone, 5/8" natural twill, Martha Stewart Deco Shells border punch, Stampin' Up rope twine, brads, and jumbo eyelets, distressing tool
Size: 5 1/2" square

Introducing ... Die-namics!

My Favorite Things is proud to introduce its new line of exclusive dies -- MFT Die-namics! These are high quality, American-made steel dies. We're kicking off this new line with three fabulous designs - Clouds (one die, three different clouds on it), Jumbo Scallops edge die, and Scalloped Scallops edge die. The dies will be available for purchase this coming Wednesday, May 5, along with one of the most fabulous MFT stamp releases ever! In the meantime, we thought we'd whet your appetite by showing off some Die-namics Teasers. Visit Kim at the MFT blog for a complete list of designers posting teasers today.

Ready for my project?



I've worked with two of the dies - Jumbo Scallops edge die and Clouds. You'll see two rows of Jumbo Scallops along the bottom. I cut them from Creative Imaginations Real Wood Veneer paper - very cool stuff. It really is real wood (in this case, cherry), but thin enough to behave just like paper. I used the exact same Cuttlebug sandwich that I use for card stock and designer paper (A plate, B plate, wood paper, die [cutting side down], C plate). The Die-namics die cut the wood paper beautifully - crisp, clean, precise.

Do you see the Clouds trio? Instead of making clouds, I used them to add some foliage to the tree image from the new Sheltering Tree stamp set. Total happy accident while I was playing around with some white velvet paper clouds and the tree trunk. Granted, it's not a giant creative leap from clouds to trees, but I was still tickled :)

I finished the card off with some machine stitching, distressed edges, twill, burlap string, and a pieced sentiment. The green polka dot, green vertical stripe (used here for grassy slope) and brown polka dot patterns are all from MFT's Sheltering Tree digi paper pack. The blue pattern I used for the sky is from MFT's Summer Collection paper pack. I should also mention the odd size of this one - 4 1/2" wide by 7 1/2" tall.

Last, here's a look at the inside. The picture isn't the greatest (lighting issues), but you can get the gist still. The DARLING owl pair is also part of Sheltering Tree. Coloring is with Copics.



Check back tomorrow, as MFT begins five days of stamp set Teasers, all leading up to release day next Wednesday! It's an exciting time at MFT!

Thanks so much for visiting!

Missing You

I received a letter in the mail a couple of days ago from a dear, dear friend and my former college roommate. She has nearly indecipherable handwriting, so I was relieved to see it all typed up and printed out - so much better for these tired eyes of mine! Anyway, I thought how much easier it would have been for her to send it as an email, but how much nicer for me to receive it by mail. I've carried it around with me all week and re-read it at least a half-dozen times :)

Naturally, I'll respond by mail, too. She knows I scrapbook and make cards occasionally, but I don't think she has any idea I blog, much less how big a part of my life papercrafting has become these past two years. So I whipped up this little homemade paper treat just for her. I hope she likes it!

The lovely teapot image is from CreativiTEA by Taylored Expressions. I went for a shabby, super soft, ultra-feminine look here, using papers from Memory Box's Gossamer collection, some Melissa Frances lace trim, pearls, and even a lace doily to go along with the tea theme. Lots of texture and dimension here. The image and label (also part of CreativiTEA) are both paper-pieced. The label is designed to work with the Labels 9 Nestabilities, but it's also easy to hand-cut if you don't have those nesties (I don't). I added just a touch of shading on the paper-pieced teapot to give it a little depth.

This is likely my last official guest designer post for Taylored Expressions, so I'd like to give thanks to Taylor for the GD opportunity and give thanks to the Baker's Dozen for the warm welcome these last two months. I will continue to use and enjoy all of my TE sets and look forward to new releases!

Thanks for stopping by!



Stamps: CreativiTEA (Taylored Expressions)
Paper: Stampin' Up Ivory Naturals card stock, Memory Box Gossamer 6x6 designer paper pad
Ink: Ranger Antique Linen and Walnut Stain Distress Ink
Accessories: white acrylic paint, Prismacolor pencils, foam adhesive, Stampin Up ribbon, Papertrey button, May Arts ivory twine, Melissa Frances lace trim, Kaiser pearls, lace doily (unknown), pinking shears, sewing machine, distressing tool, corner rounder
Size: 5 1/4" square

Little Yellow Schoolhouse

After making a more masculine teacher appreciation card a short while back, I promised my little girl I would come up with something more girly for her two female teachers. I started off with this cute schoolhouse image from Make the Grade by Taylored Expressions. Love the variety of imagery in this set (I haven't even used my favorite image yet)! I colored the schoolhouse a warm yellow using Prismacolor pencils. The papers are all by October Afternoon (Farm Fresh and Report Card).

The layout is Jen's Sketch for You To Try from this past Saturday. Yay! I was able to get something made after all, albeit a few days late. Here's the sketch:



And here are more links for inspiration (if you haven't already seen them):

Jen del Muro with guest designer Makeesha Byl
Amber Hight
Amy Rohl
Leigh O'Brien
Kelly Lunceford
Megan Lock
Jenn Diercks
Sony Christoph
Susan Liles (taking a break this week due to Eric's chemo schedule. Please continue to pray for them!)

To play along, just upload your sketch card to the appropriate slideshow sketch (there's a new slideshow for each new sketch).

Thanks for visiting!



Stamps: Make the Grade (Taylored Expressions)
Paper: Stampin Up Ivory Naturals card stock, My Favorite Things Creme Perfect Paper Panels, Stampin Up Very Vanilla, October Afternoon Farm Fresh and Report Card dp
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Ranger Antique Linen and Vintage Photo Distress Ink
Accessories: Prismacolor pencils, Gamsol, blending stump, sewing machine, foam tape, Creative Memories circle punch, natural burlap string, Stampin' Up mini binder clip
Size: 4 1/4" x 5 1/2" (A2)

Relax ... Life Is Good

Here's another card that I made last week for Verve's latest release - seriously LOVING these new sets! This one uses a super cool, fun, hip set called Relax. I can almost hear the happy sound of waves tumbling toward my favorite sandy beach! The palm tree leaves are paper pieced and the trunks are colored with Copics. Patterned papers are from Cosmo Cricket's Garden Variety 6x6 pad. My 6yo DD and I debated at length whether the white rope twine along the bottom was too much. I won't tell you who gave in to whom :)

Relax is available on its own, or as part of the Beach Party Collection. Buy the bundle and save! And for lots of gorgeous eye candy, check out Verve's Relax gallery.

Hope you had a fantastic weekend. Thanks for visiting!




Stamps: Relax (Verve)
Paper: Papertrey Kraft card stock, Neenah Classic Crest Solar White card stock, Stampin' Up Barely Banana card stock; Cosmo Cricket Garden Variety 6x6 designer papers
Ink: Stampin' Up Garden Green, Versafine Onyx Black, Ranger Frayed Burlap and Vintage Photo Distress Inks
Accessories: Spellbinders circle Nestabilities, paper piercer, May Arts burlap string, Papertrey button, Stampin' Up rope twine, sewing machine, foam adhesive
Size: 5 1/2" x 4 1/4" (A2)

An Occasion to Smile

Happy Saturday, blog friends! I'm enjoying today with my family, grandparents and cousins, who have all gathered to celebrate my youngest son's third birthday. Happy Birthday, Gabriel!

Before I get to today's card details, I have just a couple of things to share. First, Verve's fantastic Beach Party Release was last night - such a fun time at the release party last night, and the best part is that all those gorgeous images and sentiments you saw last week are now available in the store. Save $18 when you purchase the full Beach Party Collection (all five new sets and three Plain Janes) - that's like getting a whole set free! If you stop by the store, you'll also find 40% savings on the April featured set, Bountiful Backgrounds, and 15% savings on select sets for Dads and grads! You'll find all the savings in the "On SALE!" category.

Second, the Sketch For You To Try sisters are at it today, with their amazing artistry. I may have a sketch card to share in the next few days, but for today, I'm sitting out. I hope you'll have a look at the sketch and all the other designers' samples, and then give it a go for yourself!

Jen del Muro with guest designer Makeesha Byl
Amber Hight
Amy Rohl
Jenn Diercks
Kelly Lunceford
Leigh O'Brien
Megan Lock
Sony Christoph
Susan Liles

To play along, just link your creation to today's slideshow over at Jen's.

Okay, on to today's card. This is one I've been sitting on for a while, so I'll try my best to remember all the details. The sentiment comes from Cuckoo by Hero Arts. The chipboard birdcage and bird are by May Arts. Papers are from Pink Paislee's Queen Bee 6x6 pad. I've also incorporated one of the Queen Bee Flip Notes at the top and some Queen Bee Ribbon Pleats along the bottom. The ecru trim is May Arts oops, I think it's Maya Road, actually. Ribbons are a mixture of Stampin' Up and Offray, and the button is SU. The chipboard bird is covered in dp, sanded, inked with distress inks, and adorned with a Kaiser black pearl for an eye. For the bird cage, I first painted it with gesso, then gave it a coating of Ranger's Picket Fence crackle paint. Here's a closer look at that:



Thanks for stopping by!

Verve Peek: One Person

The sunny-and-70º weather here in Virginia today has been almost intoxicating! All day long it has beckoned me to come out and stay out. (Or is it the weeds beckoning me to be pulled, or the screened porch beckoning me to clean it before tomorrow's birthday party?) Either way, I've obliged, but I did want to pop back inside to quickly show you another peek at one of Verve's new sets. This one is called One Person, a set of truly beautiful sentiments and gorgeous Vervalicious florals. I started with the title quote, which has always been a favorite. I stamped onto one of the paper punch-outs from Kaiser Craft's Devonshire 6x6 paper pad. The other designer paper patterns are also from Devonshire. I dry embossed the white base panel with a Cuttlebug Argyle folder. The edges are inked with Ranger Antique Linen and Vintage Photo Distress Inks, then machine-stitched. My clean-and-simple design is still simple, just maybe no longer very "clean." I can't help it - those Distress Inks jump into my hands almost every time!

The flower embellishment is made of both a larger and smaller pair of stamps from One Person. I stamped them onto a Devonshire pattern, trimmed them out and stacked with foam tape, slightly curling the bottom flower petals downward and the top flower petals upward for more dimension. Here's a close-up:



Hope you'll be able to join Julee, Mark (aka Mr. Verve), and the Verve Divas tonight at 9 pm EST in the Verve Forum on Splitcoast for our new release Beach Party. We'll chat, reveal sets, announce winners, show more projects, and then let you shop! I'll keep an eye out for you :)

Verve Peek: You're So Cool

The Verve blog is hot, hot, HOT this week! If you haven't already, be sure to check out yesterday's and today's amazing new release spotlights. The peeks continue the rest of the week! Today, I'm spotlighting Happy Days, which includes a gorgeous hibiscus pair, a stylish circular flourish, and tons of mix-and-match sentiments. I am loving all the sketches Julee drew up for this week's Beach Party Release Challenges. My card uses challenge #3. Hope you can play along! Remember, each separate challenge will have a random winner, so if you only have time for one or two, you'll still have a chance to win. But, for all the challenge junkies who complete all five challenges (four sketches and a color challenge), one of you will receive the entire release!

For more peeks at Happy Days and another new set called Dude, visit the Verve blog. While you're there, don't forget to leave a little comment love for a chance to win each day's spotlight sets.

Last, mark your calendars for Verve's Beach Party Release Party this Friday, beginning at 9 pm EST.

MFT Top Shelf VIP

Today is VIP day at My Favorite Things. What does that mean? One of next month's sets is available, together with a fun assortment of goodies, today for ONE DAY ONLY!

What's in the VIP Package?

Top Shelf stamp set (Who's Thate Girl?)

Top Shelf ribbons (7/8” grosgrain in White, Black, Wisteria, Grey, Sunflower)

MFT NEW EXCLUSIVE PRODUCT. This is a “BLIND” addition to the kit. You will be one of the FIRST to receive and use this product! It’ll be a happy surprise!

Top Shelf Sentiments FREE ($9 value)

Total cost is only $34.85.

Wannna see some amazing creations with the VIP set? The MFT design team did a blog hop last night and the project are (as always) absolutely amazing! You'll also see some projects featuring a fabulous new Stephanie Fizer set called Sheltering Tree, which, as soon as I ink mine up, I'm certain will become a new favorite - love it! You all know how much I love blog hops, so it pains me to be sitting out for this hop, but I don't want you to miss out, too, so if you haven't already hopped, scoot over to Kim's to get started!

Remember, pick up your MFT VIP Package today only!

Verve Peek: Romans 8:18

Verve is gearing up for an exciting Beach Party Release this coming Friday, April 23. The party begins at 9 pm EST in the Verve Forum on Splitcoast. Sure hope you can join us!! But why wait 'til Friday? Let the fun begin today!

As with every new release, Verve has a fun week of challenges and peeks planned. The five Release Week Challenges have been posted in the Verve forum. There's even a handy PDF file you can download for quick reference. Each challenge will have a random winner for a $25 Verve gift certificate. Plus if you complete all five, you could win the entire release! That's five full sets and three Plain Janes!

Peeks of the full sets begin tomorrow on the Verve Blog, but today, we get to show off the new Plain Janes. I've used Romans 8:18. Such a beautiful Scripture passage! The layout is from Beach Party Sketch Challenge #4 (VSAPRBP4). I designed this as a pocket card, where the tilted Scripture panel pulls out for separate use as a bookmark.

The Scripture itself is cut with a Labels 10 Nestabilities die. The decorative rectangle-ish mat was done by punching the centers of each side with the Martha Stewart Flourish punch, and the four corners with a Fiskars corner punch. The pocket part is adorned with some Papertrey Spring Moss saddle-stitch ribbon, a Prima flower, and some white lace gathered with pink wired cord. The bottom punched border was done with a Martha Stewart Deco Shells border punch. Everything is sponged with Ranger Old Paper and Vintage Photo Distress Ink. Designer papers are from the Memory Box Gossamer 6x6 pad.

Guess what? If you have Verve's Delightful & Delicious set, check out the Coffee Anyone? Ready, Set, Stamp! challenge for yet another chance to win something from the upcoming release!

Thanks so much for stopping by, and have a terrific day!



Stamps: Romans 8:18 Plain Jane (Verve Stamps, to be released Friday, April 23)
Paper: Stampin' Up Naturals White Card Stock; Memory Box Gossamer 6x6 designer paper
Ink: Ranger Walnut Stain, Vintage Photo, Old Paper, and Spun Sugar Distress Inks
Accessories: Spellbinders Labels 10 Nestabilities, Martha Stewart Flourish border punch, Fiskars corner punch (unknown), Papertrey vintage buttons, Prima flower, Martha Stewart Deco Shells border punch, white trim (unknown), May Arts pink wired string

You're An A+

Taylored Expressions' new Make the Grade set gets an A+ in my books! How cute is this owl and the stack of books? And the customizable teacher report card?! Squeal! I've only scratched the surface of this set of 15. See all the amazing images and sentiments HERE.

I used Jen's Sketch For You To Try to get an early start on teacher appreciation cards this year. One down, six to go. Today's color combo and embellishments (or lack thereof) were chosen with my oldest son's two male teachers in mind. The blue background paper is from October Afternoon's Report Card 8x8 pad, the red card stock has been embossed with Cuttlebug's Swiss Dots folder, and the green vertical strip has an "A+" randomly stamped all over in white ink. I colored the sweet little owl and his stack of books with Copic markers, trimmed them out and popped them up with foam adhesive. I inked the sentiment with markers so I could get the A+ in red and the rest in black. A button with twine, mini binder clip, and row of brads add a little extra somethin'.

Here's this week's sketch:



(Yes, I did stray from the sketch a bit with that tilted report card panel, which is not part of the sketch.)

To see some more inky inspiration, visit the SFYTT gang:

Jen del Muro with guest designer Makeesha Byl
Amber Hight
Jenn Diercks
Kelly Lunceford
Leigh O'Brien
Megan Lock
Sony Christoph
Susan Liles

Hope you'll play along! Just link your creation to today's slideshow over at Jen's.

Have a fantastic weekend!

You Light Up My Day

Playing around with some current favorites ... October Afternoon's Thrift Shop paper pack and Impression Obsession's Love Chandelier cling stamp. I stamped in Memento Tuxedo Black, colored with Copics, and sponged with Ranger Antique Linen Distress Ink. The sentiment, Light up My Day, also by Impression Obsession, is stamped, cut apart, individually matted, then tucked under one of the panels. I love Joanne's sentiment treatment on this card (second one down) and wanted to give it a try. Thanks, Jo! I embellished with a Martha Stewart Deco Shells punched border, some Kaiser pearls, Hero Arts clear gems, red burlap string, an ivory button, and some machine stitching. I also added some clear glitter to portions of the stamped image. Finished size is 5 1/2" square.

Check out all the New Arrivals at Stamper's Dream ... Martha Stewart punches, tons of stamps, papers, and dies. Also, coming soon ... new Flourishes and new JustRite!

Busy evening, so I better scoot. Thanks so much for visiting!

Seriously?

Here's something fun: today, the My Favorite Things girls are taking a look back at some of MFT's Greatest Hits. We're using sets that have been released for a while now and are needing fresh ink and some good ol' TLC. Visit the MFT blog anytime after 11 am EST for a list of designers posting Greatest Hits.

I've put together the main image from Call Me (check out the Bubble Bin for great steals and deals on this and many other MFT sets!) and a sentiment from the oh-so-fun Twisted Threesome (currently out of stock). I stamped in Memento ink and colored with Prismacolor pencils. The thought bubble around the sentiment was done by hand. The designer papers are Cosmo Cricket Garden Variety, and the Kraft card stock, ribbon, and buttons are from Papertrey.

And a peek at the inside, which includes one of the sentiments from Call Me:



How about a good "seriously" story to accompany today's card? During a cold snap on Wednesday, we discovered that our heating unit wasn't working. The repair man came out yesterday afternoon, only to discover that the power switch to the unit was off. The switch is mounted on the unit about thigh-high, which is, oh, pretty much eye level for a curious toddler.

Seriously, we called in for service without checking first?
Seriously, $95 for that???
Seriously, can I handcuff the kid for life?

Spinning A Yarn

I'm lying low for a few days this week, catching up on rest and a few other non-stamping interests and getting ahead on some upcoming projects. I'll be back in a day or two with something new, but in the meantime, here's one from the Fan Club archives. The gallery theme was Chick-Lit, and my inspiration, can you guess, was The Friday Night Knitting Club by Kate Jacobs.

I adore this Penny Black stamp, Spinning a Yarn, which was a gift from my sweet friend, Michelle Rodgers of Stamper's Dream. The image was watercolored with Stampin' Up re-inkers and a water brush.

Thanks for visiting!



Stamps: Spinning a Yarn (Penny Black)
Paper: Basic Black, Tangerine Tango card stock (SU!); watercolor paper (Canson); dp (Pink Paislee)
Ink: Versafine Onyx Black; So Saffron, More Mustard, Really Rust, Creamy Caramel, Chocolate Chip, Tempting Turquoise, Riding Hood Red, Cranberry Crisp, Pumpkin Pie, Tangerine Tango, Basic Gray
Accessories: flowers (Prima and Dasiy D's); black brads, scallop border punch, natural hemp, and aqua painter (SU!); foam boosters; sewing machine
Size: 5 1/2' square

In the Flourishes Limelight!

Hi friends, I'm so honored to be the Flourishes Limelight Designer today! Normally, Flourishes features a single designer for the month, but this month they're featuring three of the designers from the Stamper's Dream Team. I'm kicking off the series today. Some of my bestest stamping buddies, Laurie and Tosh, will take stage the next two Sundays.

Here's a teensy look at my project, which uses a brand-new, BEAUTIFUL set that will be releasing this Friday.



For the full project, head on over to the Flourishes blog. Hope to "see" you there!

Sweet Thrifty Wishes

Some fun new goodies made their way to my mailbox this week - so excited to get the new October Afternoon 8x8 pads! Today I've used a mixture of both Thrift Shop and Fly A Kite. Love these!! I think my very favorite pattern is the one I used in the background for today's card. Such a sweet, homey look.

The yummalicious strawberry image and sentiment are from Sweet Chocolate by My Cute Stamps. I stamped the strawberry twice in VersaMagic Jumbo Java and clear embossed to give the chocolate-covered part a shiny look. The rest is colored with Copics, trimmed and popped up. Some of the fun accents include: some brown burlap string with a red button, Pewter Kaiser pearls, cream ruffle edge trim, and two brown & white checker ribbon tabs. Card stocks are Prsimatics Brown Suede (Dark) and Blush Red (Medium) and Papertrey Ripe Avocado.

I *love* Jen's Sketch For You To Try that I used for today's card:

Check out my sketchy friends for more inspiration:

Jen del Muro with guest designer Makeesha Byl
Amber Hight
Amy Rohl
Jenn Diercks
Kelly Lunceford
Leigh O'Brien
Megan Lock
Sony Christoph
Susan Liles

To play along, upload your creation to appropriate slideshow at Jen's blog (a new slideshow for each new sketch). Future guest designers will be chosen from challenge participants!!

Thanks for stopping by today, and I hope you have a wonderful weekend! I'll be back tomorrow with some very exciting news!

Oh My Darjeeling

This sentiment cracks me up! Both the sentiment and teapot image are from a brand-new Taylored Expressions set called CreativiTEA. I love all things tea, so this set had no trouble at all charming its way right into my heart. Taylor and the Baker's Dozen have been showing the most gorgeous projects this week using this and the other sets that have just released. If you haven't followed along, Taylor has links to all the previews HERE, HERE, and HERE. Those girls are wildly talented, and I'm honored to be guest designing for TE again this month. Visit the TE store to see all the new stamp sets and products!

I'm super in love with this particular paper combo from Basic Grey's Kioshi collection. I stamped the teapot on one of the solid patterns in black, clear embossed, and trimmed it out. The focal point layers are cut with Spellbinders Circle and Peony Nestabilities. I embellished with some white satin ribbon, a black button with twine, light blue adhesive pearls, and a punched decorative border.

Thanks for visiting!




Stamps: CreativiTEA (Taylored Expressions)
Paper: Papertrey Ripe Avocado, Stampin' Up Basic Black and Whisper White, Basic Grey Kioshi 6x6
Ink: Versafine Onyx Black, Stampin' Up Old Olive, Always Artichoke, and Soft Sky
Accessories: Spellbinders dies, foam adhesive, Papertrey white satin ribbon, PTI button and twine, Kaiser pearls, Martha Stewart border
Size: 4 1/4 x 5 1/2

MFT April Release Blog Hop

Welcome to the My Favorite Things April Blog Hop & Shop. To get started with the hop (if you haven't already), visit Kim at the MFT blog. If you arrived by way of Michele, you're right on track.

I am so happy to show off one of the cutest stamps ever - the new Boy & Dog Tree Swing from the Pure Innocence line. I am so smitten with this image - his precious bald head, the adorable overalls, the tree swing - it just sings of those wonderful, carefree days of early childhood. I stamped him on one of MFT's Perfect Paper Panels, then colored with Copics and Prismacolor pencils. I included lots of earthy, natural embellishments to go along with the outdoor feel - natural twill, woven ricrac, and twine. The corners of some of the panels are adorned with MFT's Chocolate Kiss Baby Braddies.



On the inside, I stamped a different tree and swing image (from Grow Love [temporarily out of stock]) and added the "Missing You" sentiment, which comes from Flurry of Love. I did all the inside coloring with Prismacolor pencils to avoid any bleed-through to the back of the card.

Your next stop on the hop is the oh-so-talented Christina! Enjoy!



Stamps: Pure Innocence - Boy & Dog - Tree Swing, Pure Innocence - Flurry of Love, Grow Love (My Favorite Things)

Paper: MFT Perfect Paper Panel, Papertrey Rustic White, My Mind's Eye Abbey Road dp

Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Ranger Antique Linen, Frayed Burlap, Brushed Corduroy, Tea Dye, and Vintage Photo Distress Inks

Accessories: Copic markers, Prismacolor pencils, Gamsol, blending stumps, Spellbinders die, 5/8" natural twill, woven ricrac (purchased at Jo-Ann's, I believe), May Arts natural burlap string, Papertrey button, MFT Chocolate Kiss Baby Braddies, sewing machine

Size: 5 1/4" square

MFTeaser: So Many Dreams

Tonight is the My Favorite Things release! Can't wait! Join us in the MFT Forum on Splitcoast frm 8-10 pm EST for the release party. Following the release party, we'll have a fun blog hop re-cap. The hop begins at 10 pm EST on Kim's blog.

But before we get to all of that, we have our final day of MFTeasers! I've worked with Clearly Sentimental About Babies. I love this sweet sentiment paired with the vintage imgery in the Lullaby Lane petite papers collection by Webster's Pages. The main image is cut from the dp using a Labels 10 Nestabilities, then trimmed off on the left and right. Finished card size is 3 1/4" x 6 1/2". I think everything else is pretty straightforward.

For a list of all of today's MFTeasers, visit Kim's blog after 11 am EST.

Thanks for visiting!



Stamps: Clearly Sentimental About Babies (My Favorite Things)
Paper: Papertrey Kraft and Rustic White, Lullaby Lane Petite Papers by Webster's Pages
Ink: Ranger Distress Inks
Accessories: Papertrey buttons, EK Success scalloped border punch, Labels 10 Nestabilities, paper piercer, distressing tool, sewing machine, foam adhesive
Size: 3 1/4" x 6 1/2"

Go-To Gals & Friends Blog Hop

Have you seen this little baby yet:



It's Paper Crafts' newest special publication, filled with a whopping 66 sketches (created by the six Go-To Gals) and 282 unique projects created from those sketches. Talk about inspiration!

Yesterday, the folks at Paper Crafts Connection, Cath at Moxie Fab World, and the six Paper Crafts Go-To Gals kicked off a full week of Go-To Sketches fun and excitement. I'm beyond thrilled to be participating in today's festivities. A few weeks ago, I got an email from Go-To Gal Maren asking if I'd like to be a part of the week's celebration by playing along with one of her sketches. Of course! I'm truly honored and humbled. Thank you, sweet Maren!

Without further ado, here is Maren's sketch:



And here's my take:



The Scenic Route chipboard butterfly has been covered in one of the Basic Grey Kioshi 6x6 patterns, then spritzed with Pssst! Shimmer Spray. I wish you could see this one in real life, because that shimmer is soooo nice! The sentiment is by Verve Stamps.

You can see just a hint of the shimmer in these detail shots (click photos for close-ups):





Don't you love all the different ways a single sketch can be interpreted? Take a look at what Maren and her other Go-To Friends have done with the sketch:

Maren Benedict
Carolyn King
Joslyn Nielson
Julie Campbell
Lisa Johnson

Would you like to win a copy of Go-To Sketches? Leave a comment here for just one of many chances to win. I'm always looking for good reads, so in your comment, tell me something you've read (and liked) recently. Fiction, non-fiction - anything goes :)

Leave comments on all of today's participating blogs for even more chances to win. Start with each of the six Go-To Girls:

Teri Anderson
Maren Benedict
Kim Hughes
Kim Kesti
Betsy Veldman
Jessica Witty

They'll each be introducing their five Go-To Friends (that's 36 chances to win right there). And last, no day would be complete without a visit to Paper Crafts Connection, where you'll find yet another chance to win.

Comments close at midnight (MDT) on Wednesday, April 7!

Good luck and thanks for visiting! Oh, before I go ... GO DUKE!



Stamps: Feel the Sun (Verve Stamps)
Paper: Papertrey Ripe Avocado and Rustic White card stock, Stampin' Up Basic Black card stock, Basic Grey Kioshi 6x6 dp
Ink: Versafine Onyx Black
Accessories: Martha Stewart butterfy punch, Scenic Route chipboard butterfly, Zva Creative bling, Papertrey ribbon/button/twine, Stampin' Up Top Note die, Spellbinders rectangle die, sewing machine, Kaiser black pearls, Tsukineko Pssst Shimmer Spray
Size: 4 1/4" x 5 1/2"