Friday, January 28, 2011

Stamper's Dream Blog Candy

Wanna win this???


Go visit Michelle at the Stamper's Dream blog! And when you're done there, check out all the new goodies she's been adding to the Stamper' Dream store!

Michelle, Kellie, and I are meeting up in LA later today for a few days of CHA shopping and fun! I'll try to check in with pictures!!

{You're welcome to leave a comment here, but it will NOT enter you into Michelle's blog candy. You have to visit her to do that. Good luck!}


Thursday, January 27, 2011

Little by Little, Day by Day


Little by Little,
Day by Day,
Friends and Flowers
Grow that Way


A quick little card to share today. This sentiment from JustRite's Garden Fairy Seeds set really touches my heart -- so true! I stamped it onto one of Pink Paislee's Sweetness patterns, framed it with a Tattered Angels chipboard frame, then surrounded it with more lovely Sweetness patterns, a Victorian Lace diecut border, and Martha Stewart Quilted punch borders. I gave the card a shabby look with distress ink, acrylic paint, and a distressing tool.

Have a beautiful day!




Stamps: Garden Fairy Seeds (JustRite Stamps)
Paper: Papertrey Rustic White card stock, Pink Paislee Sweetness 6x6 dp
Ink: Ranger Antique Linen, Brushed Corduroy, and Tea Dye Distress Inks
Accessories: May Arts burlap string, Papertrey button and Victorian Lace border die, Kaiser Craft "Bliss" adhesive pearls, Martha Stewart Quilted border punch, paper piercer, needle, thread, foam adhesive
Size: 5 1/2" x 4 1/4"

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Be Mine


I've been checking off blog to-do's today and found a project that I made for Verve's latest release, but haven't posted here. This one features Swirling Hearts, along with the Vintage Oval die. The patterned papers are all by Stampin' Up. The layout is a slightly modified version of an older Viva La Verve sketch by Sankari (December, Week 2).

Thanks for stopping by, and have a great day!



Stamps: Sweet Treats, Swirling Hearts (Verve)
Paper: Stampin' Up Natural White and Basic Black card stock, Papertrey Kraft card stock, SU Love Letter designer paper
Ink: Versafine Onyx Black, SU Real Red craft, Ranger Brushed Corduroy Distress Ink
Accessories: Stampin' Up ribbon, Papertrey button and twine, Martha Stewart heart border and Optic Dots border punches, SU small oval punch, Verve Vintage Oval Die, Kaiser Craft black adhesive pearls

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Butterfly Birthday + Giveaway



Today I have another Skipping Stones Design sketch and sample to share. This is my last sketch as guest sketch designer this month. Thanks, SSD, for the opportunity!!

Here is this week's sketch:


For my sample, I inked up a fabulous set called Dandelion Dreams ...



Love the beautiful floral, bird, and butterfly silhouettes! I started by repeatedly stamping the Happy Birthday sentiment in blue ink onto ivory card stock. I die-cut a scalloped circle using a Spellbinders Lacy Circles Nestabilities die. Last, I stamped the floral stems in brown ink. I stamped them a second time, slightly offset and without re-inking, for a subtle shadow effect, which you can just barely see in the detail photo below. The butterfly, done with a Martha Stewart punch, is in two layers for some extra dimension.



The banner along the top was made by putting together sentiment flags die-cut with a Li'l Inker Designs die and a striped border die-cut with Papertrey's Victorian Lace border die. The idea to use the sentiment flag die as a banner came from this card by Laura Pryor, owner of Li'l Inker Designs, and this one by Jen del Muro (thanks, ladies!) I placed 1/2-inch brown circles behind the flags so that they'd just peek out along the bottom. Some twine and buttons help make it look like a real banner. Teeny butterflies top each flag. (You could also use the banner area to personalize the card.)




I'm giving away one Dandelion Dreams set to a lucky commenter! Deadline to enter is Thursday, January 27 at 11:59 pm. I hope to announce the winner sometime on Friday.** Be sure to visit fellow SSD guest designer Jen del Muro for another giveaway opportunity! Also be sure to visit Skipping Stones Design for more awesome sketch inspiration from the SSD design team and special guests! To play along, link your creation over at SSD, too!

Thanks for visiting!




**By the way, I'll also be flying out to LA on Friday for CHA! Woohoo! If you'll be there, leave a comment or email me!

Monday, January 24, 2011

Baby, I'm Yours

Have you heard about Verve's new Diva Dare Challenge? On the Friday following each release, we'll post a theme we'll dare you with, and you'll have two weeks to complete the challenge.  During those two weeks, the release team will post their creations and tell you how they answered the dare.

The January theme is Baby Love:

We dare you to make a card, project, layout, or whatever fits your stamping style using this month's theme - Baby Love. The baby part could be for a new little someone...or a special someone. Play along for a chance to win some new Verve goodies! That's something everyone loves!

I answered the dare with a Cher-inspired, shabby Valentine for my dear husband ...


Find out more over on the Verve blog!





Stamps: Love Notes (Verve Stamps)
Paper: Aqua Mist card stock, Basic Grey Capella dp, cardboard box
Ink: Ranger Pumice Stone Distress Ink
Accessories: Jotted Heart die, distressing tool, Martha Stewart heart border punch, My Favorite Things Rolled Flower Die-namics, Kaiser Bliss adhesive pearls, Recollections bling, Making Memories white acrylic paint, woven burlap trim/looped trim/crochet trim (sources unknown), Offray aqua satin ribbon, Maya Road trinket pin, Prima white roses

Friday, January 21, 2011

Precious Little One


I made today's card for the new Viva La Verve January - Week 4 sketch challenge, hosted by Sankari. Remember, if you complete all four of the January Viva La Verve sketches, you can add yourself to the Sketch Champions thread, where a lucky participant will receive the entire next Verve release. The deadline for the January sketches is midnight, Thursday, January 27th. Winner announced on the 28th!

Here's Sankari's awesome sketch:



For my card, I pulled out Verve's awesome new To the Moon set and My Mind's Eye's Fine & Dandy True Blue paper collection. For the main image panel, I layered a Spellbinders Lacy Circle die-cut over a classic square over a Labels Sixteen. The giraffe has been colored with Copics and trimmed out. The pennants were cut from one of the True Blue patterns. And did I forget something on the sketch? Yes ... the three little circles in the bottom right. Oopsie! A few more white brads would have been perfect!

Thanks so much for popping in for a visit today. Hope your day is fantastic!



Stamps: To the Moon (Verve Stamps)
Paper: Papertrey Aqua Mist, Harvest Gold, and Kraft card stocks, Stampin' Up Espresso card stock, My Mind's Eye Fine & Dandy True blue 6x6 pad
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Ranger Walnut Stain Distress Ink, Stampin' Up Pumpkin Pie
Accessories: Copic markers, The Twinery twine, Mark Richards orange rhinestone, white gel pen, Cuttlebug Seeing Spots embossing folder, Pink Hedgehog Papercrafts white brads, paper piercer, needle, thread, foam adhesive, Spellbinders Classic Circle, Lacy Circle, Classic Square and Labels Sixteen Nestabilities, Papertrey button and ribbon, My Favorite Things Open Scallop Border Die-namics

Thursday, January 20, 2011

Love Song



I couldn't wait to ink up this new Penny Black Love Song stamp that I received from Stamper's Dream. I just love the sweet, whimsical style! And this image couldn't be any easier to work with. I just stamped in black, colored in the trunk and birds with Copics, then used dark and light green Copics to trace along the foliage swirls. Last, I sponged on some Tumbled Glass ink around the birds and around the perimeter of the image for a subtle sky feel. It was so easy to color, I almost feel like I cheated! Just for fun, I added some crystal  ultrafine glitter, and two sizes of crystal rhinestones, randomly placed around the branches.

To finish off the card, I added some green felt grass (die-cut with the Fresh Cut Grass Die-Namics by My Favorite Things), velvet ricrac, a button topped with red baker's twine, and a scalloped cork border (die-cut with MFT's Jumbo Scallop Die-Namics). The sentiment is from JustRite's Happy Everything Mini Tag Kit.

The bling shows up a little better in this detail shot:



Thanks so much for stopping by. Hope you're having a great day!!




Stamps: Love Song (Penny Black), Happy Everything Mini Tag Making Kit (JustRite Stamps)
Paper: Prism Simply Smooth White, Stampin' Up Real Red and Basic Black, and Papertrey Hawaiian Shores card stock
Ink: Versafine Onyx Black, Memento Tuxedo Black, Tumbled Glass Distress Ink
Accessories: Copic markers, Sakura quickie glue pen, Art Institute crystal ultrafine glitter, MFT green felt, Jumbo Scallop Die-namics, and Fresh Cut Grass Die-namics, black velvet ricrac (source unknown), The Twinery baker's twine, clear rhinestones (various sources), Papertrey ribbon and buttons, Cuttlebug Seeing Spots embossing folder
Size 4 1/4" x 5 1/2"

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Men Are Like Purses ...

(Men are like purses)

Time for another Skipping Stones Design sketch challenge! I'm going to miss this gig come February :) Today's card uses a brand-new, super fun set called Birthday Purses.

Ready for the inside?

(cute, full of crap, and totally replaceable)


Here's a look at the full set:


Gotta love a cute purse (or three), and aren't these sentiments awesome?!

Here's the sketch, SSD60:

I hope you'll play along! All you have to do is link your creation up to the SSD#60 post on the Skipping Stones Design blog. There may be goodies ... just sayin' ;)

My sketch sample is pretty straightforward. The three purses are paper-pieced with patterns from Cosmo Cricket's DeLovely collection, then layered onto a lacy circle die-cut. For the strips along the left, I just used some more DeLovely scraps. The sentiment flag is attached with a button and some Pink Sorbet baker's twine. The pink die-cut border on the inside (totally crooked - eek! I can't believe I didn't catch that beforehand!) was done with Papertrey's Victorian Lace border die, and the sentiment is die-cut with a Spellbinders Labels Fourteen die. I don't think I've ever dry-embossed the inside of a card, but the panel was lying there (a reject for the card front), and I thought why not?

I made this card for a good friend who could use a little cheer in the "men" department. She will know exactly who those three purses represent - teehehe! Time for a new purse, B____!
 



Stamps: Birthday Purses (Skipping Stones Design)
Paper: Papertrey Dark Chocolate card stock, Neenah Classic Crest Solar White card stock, Cosmo Cricket DeLovely dp
Ink: Versafine Onyx Black, Ranger Walnut Stain and Tumbled Glass Distress Inks
Accessories: Spellbinders lacy circle die, Papertrey button, The Twinery baker's twine, Swarovski crystals, needle and thread, Papertrey border die (inside), Spellbinders Labels Fourteen die, paper piercer, needle, thread, Prismacolor pencils

Monday, January 17, 2011

Get Well Soon


Have you played along in this month's Sketch For You To Try (SFYTT) yet? If not, visit Jen's January sketch post to check out the new monthly format and all the deets on a very special prize package coming at the end of this year for one lucky sketch participant!


We've kicked off a new year of fabulous sketches with the swankiest sponsor around -- The Cat's Pajamas! Anyone can participate in this month's sketch and is welcome to use any stamps she'd like, BUT for those who use TCP stamps, a sweet prize is up for grabs! To enter, just link up your creation HERE. Remember to use keyword SFYTT in online galleries.

Here's the sketch:


For today's card, I've used the adorable TCP set A Cuppa to make a get well card. The image is colored with Copics primarily, with the sky and grass added in with Prismacolor pencils. The apron was so much fun to  paper piece! Throughout, I've used papers from October Afternoon's Modern Homemaker collection, along with some punched borders, baker's twine, box pleating, stitching, and dry embossing.

Thanks for stopping by!



Stamps: A Cuppa (The Cat's Pajamas)
Paper: Papertrey Dark Chocolate, Kraft and Rustic White, Neenah Classic Crest Solar White card stock, October Afternoon Modern Homemaker
Ink: Versafine Onyx Black, Memento Tuxedo Black
Accessories: Copic markers, Prismacolor pencils, Papertrey button, twine, and ribbon, corner rounder, Scor-Pal, Martha Stewart border punches, Stampin' Up scallop border punch, Cuttlebug Seeing Spots embossing folder, Pink Hedgehog Papercrafts brown brads, foam tape
Size: 5 1/4" square

Friday, January 14, 2011

Pezadoodle Designs SALE!!

Hy friends, wanted to let you know that my friend Marti of Pezadoodle Designs is in the process of closing out her online store. There are some great deals to be had -- as in 33% off EVERYTHING! Check it out: Pezadoodle Designs.


A Verve-y Thanks


Lots of Verve updates for you today, and a card too!

First, in case you missed it, on the Verve blog on Monday, we did an after-party post, which included a favorite selection from each Diva. The above project is the one I shared. More on that in a minute.

Second, today is the first day of our new Diva Dare Challenge. Check out the Verve blog for all the deets on how you can participate, as well as Laurie's super-cute project!

Third, since it's Friday, there's a new Viva La Verve sketch posted in the Verve Forum. Tosh is hosting, and it looks like a really fun one! I plan to play along over the weekend!

And last, just a reminder that the full January release is on sale for the month at a savings of 10%. It includes the four new full stamp sets and two Plain Janes.

Okay, a few words about my card. I used stamps from both Sweet Treats and Love Notes. For the focal sentiment panel, I first stamped the flourishy oval frame image from Sweet Treats in black and colored some of the areas blue using Copic markers. Next, I stamped the classy label image (from Sweet Treats) in Antique Linen for a subtle effect. Last, I added the sentiment, also from Sweet Treats. Along the bottom, I stamped a border using the XOXO stamp from Love Notes. Details include teeny black pearls, lace trim, crinkled seam binding, trinket pins, punched borders, and distressed edges.

Thanks for visiting!




Stamps: Sweet Treats, Love Notes
Paper: Papertrey Rustic White card stock, Stampin' Up ivory card stock, We R Memory Keepers Merry January designer paper
Ink: Versafine Onyx Black, Ranger Antique Linen, Old Paper and Brushed Corduroy Distress Inks, Papertrey Aqua Mist
Accessories: Spellbinders Labels Fourteen Nestabilities die, Copic markers, Kaiser black adhesive pearls, crinkled seam binding, Papertrey button and twine, Maya Road trinket pins, lace trim (source unknown), Stampin' Up Top Note die, Martha Stewart Quilted border punch, distressing too
Size: 4 1/2" x 6"

Thursday, January 13, 2011

JustRite Week: Day Four


Welcome to the final day of JustRite Week at Stamper's Dream! Hope you've enjoyed the Dream Team's JustRite creations this week!

Today I'm sharing a shabby collage-style card featuring a floral image from Mother Nature's Gfits and a sentiment from Fancy Nested Frames. The flower is colored with Copic markers, trimmed out and layered three times for dimension. The collage grouping includes scraps from Pink Paislee's Sweetness 6x6 paper pad, some torn cardboard, a butterfly punched from a book page, bits of trim, and a random sprinkling of bling. At the top and bottom of the narrow blue vertical strip are decorative pieces that have been die-cut with one of the dies from JustRite's Nested Frame Custom Die set.

Here's a detail shot of the layered flower:



Be sure to hop around for more JustRite projects. The Dream Team is AMAZING!


Michelle
Christina
Lea
Kim
Tosh

Thanks so much for visiting!

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

JustRite Week: Day Three



Welcome to Day 3 of JustRite Week at Stamper's Dream! Today, I'm sharing a sympathy card that I made using a new set called You Inspire Me. I started with one of the ornate frames, stamped it in Brushed Corduroy, then die-cut it with a Spellbinders Labels Five die. On top of that I added a circle frame, also from You Inspire Me, stamped in Walnut Stain and die-cut with a Spellbinders Classic Circle die. And last, I added a sentiment flag. Since I needed a sympathy card, I picked out the "With Sympathy" sentiment from Fancy Tags. Love how easy it is to mix and match JustRite sets!

For the embellishment cluster, I used some rich brown satin ribbon, two flowers, pearl hat pins, and some Webster's Pages netting (fun stuff!):



My layout is based on Karen Giron's Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge, #99:




Be sure to check out the rest of today's JustRite Week designs!

Michelle
Teresa
Tosh
Lea
Christina


Thanks so much for visiting!

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Skipping Stones New Release & New Sketch!

Hi everyone, not only is today Skipping Stones Sketch Tuesday, but it's also release day! To celebrate the two amazing new sets, Heartsong and Purse Birthday, the SSD design team and guests have put together a blog hop. If you've just happened upon my blog today, you'll want to go back one stop to the beginning at Skipping Stones Design. And then, when you're finished here, you'll head to Wendy Jordan next. (I'll link to her again at the end. And, just in case any of the blog hop links are broken, the full designer line-up is posted at Skipping Stones Design, too.)

As the Skipping Stones Design guest sketch designer for January, I'm excited to bring you the second of my four sketches for the month, but first, a big thanks to all who played along this past week. The entries were fantastic! I can't wait to see what you come up with this week!! To play along, just link up your creation to the SSD58 sketch post on the Skipping Stones Design blog. One lucky winner will receive a free stamp set or half off any stamp set in the store!

Ready for the sketch?



And here's my sample, using the new Heartsong, which I absolutely LOVE! The music theme is fantastic and the style of illustration is just perfect for the vintage, shabby, rustic look I love so much!


I stamped the two butterflies onto one of Basic Grey's Curio patterns, then trimmed them out. The different card layers are also made of various Curio patterns. For some fun texture, I used a Pink Paislee Artisan Element behind the sentiment. The sentiment is done in three layers, all die-cut with Spellbinders dies -- in back, a Labels Fourteen, in the middle, a tag from Fancy Tags (which I shortened), and in front, a Petite Oval. Along the bottom are some Kaiser Craft adhesive pearls in Pewter.



That's it for me! Don't forget to head over to Wendy Jordan's blog next! And when you're finished hopping be sure to head back to Skipping Stones Design to take advantage of their "buy three, get one free" sale!

Thanks for stopping by!


Monday, January 10, 2011

JustRite Week at Stamper's Dream - Day One!


It's Day One of a new JustRite Week at Stamper's Dream! We're featuring the latest JustRite stamps, including Valentine's, beautiful new florals, and even clear stamps, along with custom Spellbinders dies to coordinate with JustRite's rectangular Nested sentiments and Nested frames lines. Can't wait for you to see what the Dream Team has cooked up for the week! Here's the schedule:

Monday - Michelle , Cindy , Mariana, and me

Tuesday - Michelle , Cindy , Kim , Tosh , Teresa

Wednesday - Michelle , Teresa , Tosh , Lea, Christina

Thursday - Michelle , Christina , Lea, Kim , and me


I'm featuring a cling set called Ellie Time, which includes adorable Ellie, a whole bunch of different things that Ellie can hold, and three super cute sentiments. My Ellie is colored with Copic markers, then trimmed out. I borrowed an old layout from my archives and created a fun outdoor scene for Ellie using different papers from My Mind's Eye Tickled Pink and True Blue 6x6 pads. The sun and felt grass are done with My Favorite Things Die-namics dies, and the scallops are done with a Spellbinders border die. The sentiment is punched with a notebook border then clipped on with a mini binder clip. Finishing details include stitched borders, some yellow baker's twine, and a clear button topping the stacked sun.

Thanks so much for visiting! I'm looking forward to a stamp-filled week!

Saturday, January 8, 2011

Skipping Stones Gray Hares Winner!

I forgot to announce the Skipping Stones Design giveaway winner yesterday -- sorry!

Blogger Marthamh2 said...
I love the new "Hare" stamp set. It really pertains to my friends and me (gray Hair). Thanks for the chance to win.
January 5, 2011 5:16 AM

Martha, the gray hair is beginning to pertain to my friends and me, too - LOL! Please email me with your address so I can get your stamp sent!!