Tiki Hut Treat Box

Today, it's my turn to post for Verve's monthly Project Parade. Our theme is Sizzlin' Summer Fun. Head over to the Verve blog for more info on this tiki hut treat box that I put together for the parade:





As with all of our Project Parades, we’ve got prizes! There are two ways to win:

1. Play along with us and link up your new Sizzlin’ Summer Fun creation (posted May 17 or later) to the linky widget on the Day 1 parade post before midnight on June 7th. One lucky stamper will win a $30.00 gift certificate to the Verve Store. Verve Stamps are not required, but we 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. One lucky commenter during the course of the parade (May 17 ~ June 4) will win the Verve stamp set of their choosing!

Thanks for visiting, and Happy Memorial Day!



Stamps: Dude and Relax (Verve Stamps)
Paper: Papertrey Kraft card stock, Kraft wrapping paper, BoBunny "Paradise" and "Mama-razzi" designer paper
Ink: Papertrey Fresh Snow, Versafine Onyx Black
Accessories: distressing tool, needle and thread, hot glue, cello bag, Papertrey ribbon, Mike 'N' Ike candy

MFTeaser: Fred Bear and the Butterfly

It's Day Three of Teaser time at My Favorite Things. Today, we're showing peeks of three new sets that will be releasing this Wednesday, June 2. I chose to work with the cutie-pie Fred Bear and the Butterfly. Love this new(ish) character! Be sure to visit Kim anytime after 11 am (EST) for links to all of today's teasers.

I stamped in Versafine Onyx Black ink onto Watercolor Wonder Cardstock and watercolored with my Tombow markers and a water brush. Kim has had Watercolor Wonder Cardstock in the MFT store for a few months now, but this is the first time I've tried it. I'm impressed! The colors blend and move very nicely, and the surface is a little smoother than the watercolor paper I normally work with. It also seems a bit thinner and easier to hand-cut (but still nice and sturdy), which I really appreciated when it came time to trim Fred Bear.

The designer papers are American Crafts Dear Lizzy. I die-cut the sun with MFT's new Die-namics Sunshine die (also releasing Wednesday) and hand-stitched the perimeter. The cork strips are die-cut with the Die-namics Jumbo Scallops edge die (temporarily out of stock). Do you know MFT is carrying cork now? I've been using up some Magic Scraps cork from my stash, but if you're looking for a source for cork, look no further :)

Mark your calendars for MFT's release party this Wednesday, June 2, from 8-10 pm in the MFT Forum on Splitcoast. At 10 pm, we'll have our new release blog hop, beginning with Kim.

Thanks for stopping by, and enjoy your weekend!



Stamps: Fred Bear and the Butterfly (My Favorite Things)
Paper: Papertrey Kraft and Aqua Mist card stock, Watercolor Wonder Cardstock, American Crafts Dear Lizzy designer paper
Ink: Versafine Onyx Black
Accessories: Tombow watercolor markers, water brush, foam boosters, needle and thread, MFT Die-namics Sunshine and Jumbo Scallops dies, Papertrey Aqua Mist ribbon, Webster's Pages Green Vintage Cut trim, distressing tool, Stampin' Up mini library clip, Magic Scraps cork

Butterfly {W}ishes

I was putting things away and rearranging the other day when I rediscovered my Queen Bee paper pad by Pink Paislee. Boy, does this collection ever call my name! I just love the modern elegance of the colors and the trendy patterns. Today's card is my sample for Jen's Sketch For You To Try. Check out the sketch:



And visit the talented SFYTT sisters for more inspiration:

Jen del Muro with guest designer Iwona Palamountain
Amber Hight
Amy Rohl
Jenn Diercks
Jodi Collins
Kelly Lunceford
Leigh O'Brien
Megan Lock
Sonja Christoph
Susan Liles

I started out by stamping three different damask patterns (using Fanciful Flourishes by Flourishes) in black ink onto some of the more monochromatic patterns in the Queen Bee collection. I punched out 1 3/8" squares, arranged them into a vertical strip, then trimmed to fit my card front. The punched border along the vertical strip was punched with the Martha Stewart Optic Dots punch set.

Next, I added some Pink Paislee pleated twill for the horizontal strip and secured each end with a black button. The circle focal image panel is cut with Spellbinders dies. The butterfly is stamped, clear embossed, trimmed out, and adorned with Kaiser black adhesive pearls (the black ones are out of stock currently). Last, I added the sentiment circle, which was stamped with one of the sentiments in the Fanciful Flourishes set.

Have a super weekend!



Stamps: Fanciful Flourishes (Flourishes)
Paper: Pink Paislee Queen Bee 6x6 pad, Stampin' Up Basic Black card stock
Ink: Versafine Onyx Black, Ranger Old Paper Distres Ink
Accessories: Spellbinders classic and scalloped circle Nestabilities, Kaiser adhesive pearls, clear embossing powder, Papertrey buttons, May Arts ivory burlap string, Pink Paislee pleated twill, Swarovski mini crystals, Martha Stewart Optic Dots punch set
Size: 5 1/2" x 4 1/4" (A2)

Hello, Sunshine!

Can you believe June is right around the corner? That means all-new My Favorite Things stamps, dies, and other goodies are also right around the corner - YAY! Today, the MFT designers are kicking off six days of MFTeasers with a look at three new Die-namics dies as well as a very cool texture board. I'm thrilled about these new dies! For links to all of today's previews, visit Kim anytime after 11 am EST.

Here's what's coming on Wednesday (June 2):

Fresh Cut Grass


Jumbo RicRac


Sunshine


And check this out - use this Grosgrain Texture Board with the Jumbo RicRac for the look and feel of real grosgrain ribbon!

I got to play with the new Sunshine die ....



Sunshine is perfect both for creating scenes and for adding sunny accents to more traditional card designs. The die includes two shapes - the starburst as well as a circle that fits in the center. I can't wait to try layering a few of the starbursts in yellow, then adding a brown center to make a sunflower. I'm thinking it also has a comic book look to it as well - you know, for all those pows and bams. I think I even see a porcupine hiding in there :)

The patterned papers I used today are all from MFT's Sheltering Tree digi pack. I cut the sun twice, once in the yellow pattern from Sheltering Tree and once in a golden yellow card stock. I added some random, hand-stitching, then layered them together and topped it off with a translucent yellow button and twine.



The branch and leaves are cut by hand. The scalloped roof was done with the Die-namics Jumbo Scallops die (temporarily out of stock). The bird, from In the Background, is colored with Copics, and the sentiment is from Let's Picnic. The house itself is made from some Creative Imaginations cherry veneer paper. It's real wood - so cool!

Don't forget to pop over to Kim's blog (after 11 a.m EST) for a list of all the designers posting teasers today!

Thanks for visiting!



Stamps: In the Background, Let's Picnic (My Favorite Things)
Paper: Papertrey Kraft and Dark Chocolate, MFT Perfect Paper Panel, MFT Sheltering Tree digi paper, Creative Imaginations Cherry Veneer wood paper
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Ranger Frayed Burlap Distress Ink
Accessories: MFT Sunshine and Jumbo Scallops Die-namics, Copic markers, Papertrey buttons, May Arts twine, Spellbinders circle die, Offray brown twill, needle and thread
Size: 5 1/2" square

One Touch of Nature

Greetings and Happy Thursday. Didn't mean to be gone for so long -- minor computer issues, all fixed now. I've missed my little blog, and I've missed you! Lots of new projects to share, starting tomorrow, but for today, I'm pulling one out of the archives. The stamps I used are from Wildflowers by Crafty Secrets/Clear Art Stamps. The papers are from an older Close to My Heart pack - Simple Pleasures, maybe? I painted the dragonfly and flowers with Shimmerz paint, and the piercing was done with an Ornare piercing template (now discontinued).

A couple of updates: First, I had a fantastic time with the Daisies at the big Girl Scout Encampment last Saturday. Second, Claudine Hellmuth's techniques class that I took on Sunday was soooooo cool! I learned a ton of more artsy type techniques that I hope to play around with in my art journal and maybe even incorporate into my cardmaking. During our lunch break, I also learned that in minor rear-end collisions, the coffee-drinking passenger fares far worse than the vehicle's rear bumper. (So sorry (again) Marti! She says I owe her a coffee. I think I might need to pick up a dry cleaning bill and maybe even then some!) I'm still trying to figure out where that brick wall came from!

What Color Is Your Coffee Cup?

Happy Saturday! Assuming all goes according to plan, by the time this posts, I'll be well on my way to enjoying my Saturday with nine giggly 6-year-old girls at our region's Girl Scout Encampment. (That's not counting the other 350 adults and girls that we'll join once we get there.) Among other things, the girls will get to do a letterboxing trail, a trailblazing/orienteering try-it, a flowerbed beautification service project, games, and a swap (I know all about swapping - teehehe). Should be fun!

And the good thing is I won't have much access to email or my blog, so I won't get to hear you beg mercy after today's card permanently sears your eyeballs! It's bright, I know (and the nighttime photo is horrid), but I am *really* loving Cosmo Cricket's DeLovely collection (maybe precisely because it is so not my typical color palette?) and wasn't ready to put it away after Thursday's card.

I used Jen's Sketch For You To Try ...

I knew if I rotated the sketch, those three circles would move to the bottom and become perfect places for some hanging coffee cups from Impression Obsession's Coffee With a Friend set. For the focal point rectangle, I chose to frame a Coffee with A Friend sentiment with one of Pink Paislee's Artisan Elements Frames. Once again, I left the frame white. Next time I promise you I'm going to alter one with ink or mists - so many neat things you can do with these! The embellishment (heart) rotated to the upper left, where I was glad to place a bow/flower/button/leaf trinket pin stack. The crinkly bow is made with some white seam binding that I sprayed with Lime Metallic Maya Mist. The coffee cups are paper pieced with various DeLovely patterns.

Be sure to visit the rest of the SFYTT gang for a heavy dose of sketch inspiration:

Jen del Muro with guest designer Iwona Palamountain
Amber Hight
Amy Rohl
Jenn Diercks
Jodi Collins
Kelly Lunceford
Leigh O'Brien
Megan Lock
Sonja Christoph
Susan Liles

To play along, upload your creation to the slideshow on Jen's blog that corresponds to the sketch you've used. Remember, future guest designers are chosen from sketch participants!

That's it for me today. Tomorrow, I'm heading to my local stamp store for a guaranteed injection of high-octane mojo - I'm taking a class with the Claudine Hellmuth. Can't wait!

One housekeeping item before I go - I've had to turn word verification back on due to increasing amounts of spam. So sorry for the inconvenience!

Have a great weekend, friends!

DeLovely Speckled Ornaments

It's already the 20th of the month, which means another fun Dirty Dozen/Dirty Dozen Alumni challenge. This month, Bev is hosting our "Cute as a Button" challenge, where the required element is, you guessed it, buttons ;) And get this, our restricted element is ..... black. No black anything, including ink. I can't remember the last time I made something without black, so this was a good challenge for me!

I was itching to break out my new DeLovely Mini Deck from Cosmo Cricket. I have to say these colors aren't especially "me," but I'm loving this collection to pieces (literally)! Things might start looking a lot brighter around here :)

To start, I stamped a flourish image from Hero Arts' awesome Speckled Ornaments set in VersaMark onto one of the DeLovely patterns, then heat embossed it with white embossing powder. I did all kinds of layering on that horizontal strip, including a cork layer cut with MFT's Jumbo Scallops Die-namics and a strip punched with Martha Stewart's Optic Dot border punch. I stamped three hearts (heart image is also from Speckled Ornaments) in Papertrey's Raspberry Fizz and attached them to the flourish strip with dimensionals. A cluster made of white seam binding, a crocheted flower, a button, and two leaf trinket pins breaks up some of the pink up top. At the very top, I added a thin strip of dp and even more buttons. The sentiment is from Fanciful Flourishes by Flourishes.

Many of the supplies used for this card are available at Stamper's Dream.

It's always a treat to see what all the past and current dirty girls do with these monthly challenges. Check out this month's gallery HERE.

Thanks for swinging by today!




Stamps: Speckled Ornaments (Hero Arts), Fanciful Flourishes (Flourishes)
Paper: Neenah Classic Crest Solar White card stock, Cosmo Cricket DeLovely Mini Deck
Ink: Papertrey Raspberry Fizz, VersaMark, Versamagic Tea Leaves
Accessories: white embossing powder, dimensionals, Martha Stewart Optic Dot punch, MFT Jumbo Scallops Die-namics, HugSnug white seam binding, Stampin' Up crochted flower, buttons from stash, Maya Road leaf trinket pins, corner rounder, Spellbinders tag die
Size: 4" wide by 5 1/4" high (slightly smaller than standard A2 ... I thought I'd be layering, then decided not to)

Think GREEN!

It's VIP day at My Favorite Things! If you just happened to stop by today, you've landed at the tail end of our monthly VIP blog hop. Which means there's lots of catching up to do! Head over to Kim's to get started! If you came here from Kerry, you're in the right place.

What is VIP day? It's a chance for you to pick up one of next month's stamp sets a whole two weeks early, plus get your hands on additional not-yet-released stamps and products, including a NEW, mystery Die-namics die! Be one of the first to get this new die - official release is not until June 2. But hurry - the June VIP Package is available one day only (through Wednesday, May 19 at 11:59 PM EST)!

What's in it?

Who’s That Girl Goes Green $17.95
What a Day (FREE, $9 value)
Twill Ribbon Collection $5.95
Die-namics Edge Die $11.95

WTG Goes Green VIP is available now for $35.85.

For my card, I've stamped one of the two main images onto one of MFT's Perfect Paper Panels and colored her with a combination of Copic markers and Prismacolor pencils. I created a paint-strip effect using punched squares of different designer papers from Jillibean Soup, then added a Jumbo Scallops border, some twill, and a burlap scrap. The patterned Kraft background is from Basic Grey's new Kraft Basics 6x6 pad. The layout mostly follows Mojo Monday Sketch #137 (I added to the sketch just a bit).

Here's a fun little detail. I saw Jessica's challenge over on the Paper Crafts Connections blog, which is to incorporate phone book pages into your design. I was looking for a fourth pattern for my vertical strip, so I punched a square from the business pages -- from the "Green" listings, of course.


On the inside, I've included this awesome Gandhi quote: "You must be the change you wish to see in the world."



So inspiring and motivating, as is this whole set, which promotes a philosophy very near and dear to me! Along the bottom, I stamped the words "Reduce," "Reuse," and "Recycle" onto each Jumbo Scallop, then added the recycling logo (one of the stamps in the WTG Goes Green set) in between the scallops. The little black brads are from the Baby Braddies Adornments - Summer Collection.

Tip: In order to stamp the sentiment all curvy, I first cut the stamp itself into three pieces (gotta love clear stamps for this!), one for each line, then placed each piece of the stamp on individual blocks in the shape desired. When I cut my stamps apart like this, I try not to cut in a straight line. Instead I make sure there is a zig-zag or notch somewhere, so that when I want to stamp the sentiment in its original format, it's easier and quicker to fit the pieces back together.

I hope you've found our VIP blog hop inspiring! Both the June VIP Package and the new Costumes from Wonderland (shown elsewhere along the hop) are available NOW! Oooo, do I spy some new, very cool digi papers, too? Yes, be sure to Take Note! Happy shopping!



Stamps: Who's That Girl Goes Green (My Favorite Things)
Paper: Papertrey Spring Moss, Stampin' Up Basic Black, MFT white Perfect Paper Panels, Jillibean Soup Lentil Soup designer papers, Basic Grey Kraft Basics 6x6 dp
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Versafine Onyx Black, Versamagic Tea Leaves, Ranger Frayed Burlap and Brushed Corduroy Distress Inks
Accessories: Copic markers (E000, E00, E40, E41, E42, W1, W3, W5, W7, YG00, YG21, YG13, YG25), Prismacolor pencils (PC915-Lemon Yellow, PC1005-Limepeel, PC1080-Beige Sienna, PC1085-Peach Beige), 5/8" natural twill, Making Memories button, May Arts burlap string, foam tape, burlap scrap, MFT Die-namics Jumbo Scallops edge die, sewing machine, distressing tool, MFT Baby Braddies - Summer Collection, 1/2" circle punch
Size: 5 1/2" square

May Nothing But Happiness Come Through Your Door

I have some new goodies enticing me into my craft room - Basic Grey's Cappella 6x6 pad, a new Martha Stewart border punch (Optic Dots - comes with a corner punch for the punch around the page functionality), and some of the fun seam binding that's been showing up so much lately around blogland. During some belated playtime with Jen's Sketch For you To Try, I came up with today's card. The quote and flourish are from Verve's Blessings set. They've been stamped in two different greens, die-cut with a Spellbinders Labels 10 die, and sponged with Old Paper and Vintage Photo Distress Inks. The patterned paper is also inked with distress inks, then distressed along the edges and machine stitched. A soft bow out of the cream seam binding, some ivory tulle, and ivory buttons and string finish this more-or-less neutral monochromatic card.

Here's this week's sketch:



Be sure to visit the SFYTT sisters for more inspiration:

Jen del Muro (coming soon) with guest designer Iwona Palamountain
Amber Hight
Amy Rohl
Jenn Diercks
Jodi Collins
Kelly Lunceford
Leigh O'Brien (coming soon)
Megan Lock
Sonja Christoph
Susan Liles (coming soon)

Thanks for visiting! Hope you're having a great weekend!




Stamps: Blessings (Verve Stamps)
Paper: Papertrey Rustic Cream card stock, Basic Grey Cappella 6x6 pad
Ink: Stampin' Up Always Arichoke and River Rock, Ranger Old Paper and Vintage Photo Distress Inks
Accessories: Spellbinders Labels 10 Nestabilities, Hug Snug cream seam binding, Papertrey ivory buttons, May Arts ivory burlap string, ivory tulle, sewing machine, Martha Stewart Optic Dot Punch Set
Size: 4 1/4" x 5 1/2" (A2)

Sketch For You To Try

If you've stopped by for today's Sketch For You To Try sample, then I do apologize. I've been trying (without success) to find some time to craft since last evening. I'll have something ready as soon as I can, but in the meantime, have a look at this week's sketch:



and some beautiful sketch inspiration:

Jen del Muro (coming soon) with guest designer Iwona Palamountain
Amber Hight
Amy Rohl
Jenn Diercks
Jodi Collins
Kelly Lunceford
Leigh O'Brien (coming soon)
Megan Lock
Sonja Christoph
Susan Liles (coming soon)

See you again soon!

Stamped Lace

I've had Flourishes' Lace Edges stamp set for a little while now and was so happy to ink it up and play around with it earlier this week. And play I did! I have two cards to share today and at least two more that I'll share another day, since I didn't quite get them all finished. For this first one, I used a single lace scallop image to create a dramatic black-on-ivory background. I began by placing a Spellbinders circle in the lower right, then repeatedly stamped the scallop around the circle. I stamped a few more lace scallops to fill in the gaps, then accented with some black Kaiser pearls.

For the focal point, I stamped the butterfly from Fanciful Flourishes, trimmed it out and placed it on the black circle. (It's hard to see in the photo, but the image comes in two parts, a solid background, which I stamped in Soft Sky, and the patterned butterfly, which I stamped in black). A little striped ribbon, some ivory seam binding, a strip of Swiss Dots embossed Soft Sky, and a punched bottom border finished this off.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

For this next one, I created a scored background using my Scor-Pal, then filled in each diamond with a lace circle image from Lace Edges. I dotted each score-line intersection with a white gel pen for a little pop. The two hearts are from Fanciful Flourishes. They've been stamped in two parts as well, the solid heart in Stampin' Up Soft Sky and the filigree heart in Papertrey Smoky Shadow. White satin ribbon, a lacy punched border and bling finish off the bottom, and at the top I placed a little sentiment cluster.

Speaking of Flourishes ... have you seen their awesome new release? Be still my heart - sooooo beautiful! (Yes, I'm aware that using Flourishes and beautiful in the same sentence is totally redundant and unneccessary - lol!)

The new release is now available at Stamper's Dream! Check them out:

Antique Map
A Guiding Light
Cherry Blossoms
Beauty Within

Thanks so much for stopping by today, and I wish you a fabulous Friday and a fun weekend!

MFT Greatest Hits - Stephanie Fizer

Last month, My Favorite Things did a special Greatest Hits feature, where we looked back at some of our favorite Who's That Girl sets. We decided to do it again today, only this time we're using all of our favorite Stephanie Fizer sets. Visit the MFT blog anytime after 11 am for a list of all of the Fizer Greatest Hits being shown today. And guess what?? Kim is generously offering a 15% discount on all Stephanie Fizer sets today (5/13) and tomorrow (5/14) only. Use code FIZER at checkout to claim your savings!

I've always had a soft spot for Snuggle Bunnies. (Okay, who am I kidding? I have a soft spot for all of the Fizer sets!) Today, I've paired up my Snuggle Bunnies with some October Afternoon Farm Fresh paper. I love how Melody and Jody used the Jumbo Scallops Die-namics die to create an awning. I went with the same idea here to create (loosely) a stage curtain. Imagine it's the final act, the curtain is about to fall, and, as with all fairy tales, they lived "hoppily" ever after (in their little fruit and veggie heaven).

Thanks so much for visiting!



Stamps: Snuggle Bunnies (My Favorite Things)
Paper: Papertrey Rustic Cream and Kraft card stock, October Afternoon Farm Fresh, MFT Perfect Paper Panels
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Ranger Distress Inks
Accessories: MFT buttons, May Arts burlap string, Die-namics Jumbo Scallops die, Spellbinders circle Nestabilities, foam adhesive, Copic markers, liquid applique
Size: 5 1/2" square

CAS Viva La Verve

I couldn't wait to play along in this week's Viva La Verve challenge. I went clean and simple for this one (not my forte), and there is no designer paper here - shocking!

Here's the sketch:




And I used this inspiration photo:



On the Kraft background I created a watermark pattern using one of the stamps from Relax and some VersaMark ink. The sentiment is from One Person. I added a little dry embossing, ribbon, paper piercing, and a punched border for some added interest. The row of white dots just above the Soft Sky panel was done with one of the stamps from Verve's Bountiful Backgrounds.

All the challenge details are posted HERE. And remember, if you complete all of the Viva La Verve challenges in any given month, you can enter into a random drawing to win the next Verve release in full! Have fun!

Both Relax and One Person are available individually, or as part of the Beach Party Collection. Save $18 when you purchase the Beach Party Collection - now through May 16, while supplies last. The Beach Party collection includes five stamp sets and three Plain Janes for a total of 70 stamps!





Stamps: Relax, One Person, Bountiful Backgrounds (Verve Stamps)
Paper: Stampin' Up Kraft, Whisper White, and Soft Sky textured card stock
Ink: Versafine Onyx Black, VersaMark, Papertrey Fresh Snow
Accessories: Stampin' Up Soft Sky ribbon, Spellbinders circle Nestabilities, Cuttlebug Swiss Dots embossing folder, Martha Stewart border punch, paper piercer, Papertrey button, May Arts ivory burlap string
Size: 3 1/4" wide x 6 1/2" tall

May The Road Rise Up To Meet You

I made this altered mini picture frame using stamps from Verve's amazing April release. The Irish Blessing and flourish image are from Blessings. I first stamped the flourish in Papertrey Spring Moss onto Stampin' Up's white naturals card stock, then stamped the Irish blessing in Ranger Walnut Stain Distress Ink over the flourish. The corners are punched with a Fiskars corner punch, and the edges are lightly inked with various Ranger Distress inks. The blue patterned paper in the background is from K&Co's Addison collection.

The frame itself came from the Target dollar spot (although it was actually from the $2.50 shelf) in a pack of three. I was a little disappointed to open the package and see that the frames are a shiny white plastic. Kinda cheesy, but what can you expect for less than $1 each? To minimize the cheese factor, I dolled up the frame with assorted green dew drops, some Papertrey Enchanted Evening ribbon, and a corner cluster of flowers, leaves, and bling. For the rolled paper flowers, I followed this tutorial by LollyChops, and for the ribbon flowers, I followed this tutorial (with thanks to LollyChops for the link to that one, too). Havin' a blast making flowers :)

By the way, Blessings is available individually or as part of the larger Beach Party Collection. Buy the bundle and save!

Thanks, as always, for visiting. Your kind words and encouragement are such a blessing to me!



Stamps: Blessings (Verve)
Paper: Stampin Up White Naturals Card Stock, Papertrey Spring Moss card stock; K&Co Addison designer paper
Ink: Ranger Antique Linen, Vintage Photo, and Walnut Stain Distress Ink
Accessories: Fiskars corner punch, Kaiser Craft adhesive pearls, Stampin' Up leaf die, Martha Stewart branch punch, Zva Creative bling, Papertrey ribbon, Offray ribbon, Robin's Nest Dew Drops, white picture frame (Target)

A Helping Hand Blog Hop

I'm so honored to be participating in a very special blog hop to raise funds for Tennessee's flood relief efforts.



Here's how it works: The adorable images above are all part of a digital stamp set called A Helping Hand, designed by Jen Shults, owner/illustrator of Wild Flower Patch digital stamps, and Betty Roberts of Simply Betty (a new stamp line debuting June 1). One hundred percent of the proceeds from A Helping Hand sales will be donated to the Nashville area Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund. I hope you'll consider helping out by purchasing this set!

For a very poignant video about the devastating flood, go HERE.



I just love this little guy with his shovel and tool belt. I printed him on Neenah Classic Crest card stock and colored him with Copics. I dirtied up the edges with Ranger's Pumice Stone Distress Ink, then gave them a heavy distressing with a distressing tool. The papers are by Fancy Pants. I embellished with some mini brads, paper piecering, and some woven trim tied off with a small length of natural hemp.

On the inside, I've included one of the sentiments from A Helping Hand: "The best place to find a helping hand is at the end of your own arm."



Check out what these awesome stamping friends have done with A Helping Hand:

Jessica Diedrich
Cindy Haffner
Pam Varnell
Joanne Basile
Jodi Collins
Jackie Pedro
Amy Sheffer (you're here)
Jen Shults
WPK blog

A big thanks to Jen and Betty for creating this set and to Jessica for organizing the hop!

Happy Mother's Day

Wishing all mothers a very Happy Mother's Day today!




Stamps: Clearly Sentimental About Mothers (My Favorite Things)
Paper: Papertrey Rustic White card stock; Memory Box Gossamer 6x6 designer paper pad
Ink: Ranger Antique Linen, Vintage Photo and Walnut Stain Distress inks
Accessories: Offray ivory ribbon, Papertrey saddle-stitch Spring Moss ribbon, Papertrey button, May Arts ivory burlap string, Kaiser pearls, Maya Road leaf stick pins, EK Success Scalloped border punch, Martha Stewart Deco Shells border punch, EK Success corner rounder, distressing tool, foam adhesive, white acrylic paint, foam brush
Size: 4 1/4" x 5 1/2" (A2)