Fragrant Bouquet - Curtain Call Challenge

Hello, friends! I wasn't able to post last week when the current Curtain Call Inspiration Challenge, Bouquet, was unveiled. But I'm here today with a reminder that it's not too late to join the challenge! The deadline to enter is April 25 at 8 am CST.

photo source:  designlovefest.com

We have a new sponsor, Penny Black, for the Curtain Call Inspiration: Bouquet! A randomly selected participant in the Bouquet challenge will have their choice of a Penny Black gift certificate, while the LEAD will be invited as a Guest Designer in a future challenge!

Penny Black generously gave the Curtain Call designers an image of their choice to work with for this challenge. It took me about half a second to pick Fragrant #40-384. 

Isn't it gorgeous? Not to mention perfect for the challenge?

I stamped on watercolor paper and colored with Kuretake Gansai Tambi watercolors. I may have been a tad bit totally intimidated before sitting down to color this, but it ended up coming together very quickly! Now don't look too closely, as there are all sorts of mistakes, but the beauty of watercolor is that it is so very forgiving!

This Fragrant image is a nice, large size, so once you've colored it, there's not a whole lot of room for layers and embellishments (at least not on an A2 card). I trimmed my panel down slightly, matted onto some patterned paper, and then just added a wood veneer sentiment and a sweet linen thread bow.

To link up your creation, visit the Curtain Call Inspiration Challenge: Bouquet post.

For more inspiration today, visit the reminder post.

Thanks for visiting!

Penny Black Guest Designer - Final Day!

Here we are at the end of the line for my guest designer week with Penny Black. Please join me over on the Penny Black blog today for one final project, featuring the gorgeous Cupid's Wish die and a heart-shaped text collage stamp from  So Very Much. Both products are from the new Love & Friendship catalog.

I have thoroughly enjoyed working with the fantastic variety of Penny Black products - stamps, dies, and stencils. It's been such an honor!

Thanks for visiting!

Penny Black Guest Designer - Day Four

This week has flown by! It's already Day Four of my week with Penny Black. Today's card features a super sweet Mimi from the I HEART YOU stamp set in the Love & Friendship catalog.

You can see the full card over on the Penny Black blog!

Thanks for stopping by!

Penny Black Guest Designer - Day Three

It's Day Three of my week as guest designer for Penny Black. Today's cute image is part of the SHARE A HUG stamp set from the new Love & Friendship catalog. 

To see the full card, please visit me on the Penny Black blog.

Thanks for stopping by!

Penny Black Guest Designer - Day Two

Please join me over on the Penny Black blog for my second day as guest designer. 

Today's card features a gorgeous die, ARDOR, along with the new SO VERY MUCH stamp set, all set against a lovely watercolor wash background. 

You can see the rest HERE on the Penny Black blog. Thanks for stopping by!

Love & Friendship Guest Designer with Penny Black

I am so thrilled today to share that I'll be a guest designer with Penny Black all week. Oh my wow! I'm sure I stand with many stampers who can say Penny Black stamps were among the very first in their collections. The lovely floral and nature images were the first to capture my heart, then came the critters, and now Mimi, and dies, and stencils, and more! It is such an honor to be featured on the Penny Black blog this week, and I invite you to join me over there!

I'll be featuring many of the products from Penny Black's newest release, Love and Friendship. Here's a little peek at my project for today:

You can see the rest on the Penny Black blog!

Thanks for sharing in my excitement! Have a fabulous week!

Thinking of You

I planted my vegetable garden about six weeks late this year, so my harvest is also quite late. While I anxiously await the bounty, I'll keep myself entertained with garden-themed stamps! This one is Hello Dear from Penny Black. If mice really did look this sweet and wear overalls, they'd be welcome at my home anytime. The real field mice that we see from time to time .... well, a different story altogether!

Coloring is with Copic markers, papers are from the My Mind's Eye Out of the Blue 6x6 pad. The layout, especially the torn strips, is inspired by the amazing Inge Groot. I've long admired her coloring skills and her savvy with combining color and pattern. I embellished with some Divine Twine, a rolled rose that was made using a My Favorite Things Die-namics die, leaves done with Spellbinders Foliage Shapeabilities dies, and some zigzag stitching.

Wishing you a happy day! Back-to-school clothes shopping is at the top of my to-do list. Better not keep my 7-year-old shopaholic waiting any longer!!

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"

Three Wise Men

Today's card features the amazing To Follow Star image by Penny Black. I stamped in Ranger Walnut Stain Distress Ink onto Neenah Classic Crest Solar White card stock, then die-cut the image into a circle. The two white mats are cut with Spellbinders dies (classic square and Labels Sixteen). To the left and the right of the image, I added white bracket accents using one of the tags from Spellbinders Fancy Tags. The light blue pearls are by Kaisercraft. I added some white trim, aqua satin ribbon, and a Webster's Pages Sparkler, all placed on a background of My Mind's Eye Holly Jolly designer papers.

Thanks for stopping by!

Follow the Star

Don't you love images that just take hold of your spirit the minute you see them? This new Penny Black To Follow Star image did just that for me - as perfect a holiday image as I can imagine! I stamped in Ranger Walnut Stain Distress Ink onto one of the patterns in Holly Jolly by My Mind's Eye, distressed the edges, then created a pretty simple card base out of two other patterns in the Holly Jolly collection. Embellishments include some gathered twill (I hand-basted down the center of the twill, then pulled the ends of the thread - reminds me of sewing lessons my mom gave me when I was a young girl), an accordian-fold medallion, and one of Webster's Pages gorgeous sparklers. Love these sparklers! I think the exact one I used is no longer in the Stamper's Dream store, but it is very similar to these and these. For the sentiment, I stamped the "For Unto Us A Child Is Born" border from JustRite's Holiday Demi Phrases and tucked it behind the medallion.

Thanks for stopping by and sticking with my sporadic blog postings lately. Hope all is well with all of you! I'm looking at a very dreary, rain-filled day - perfect for stamping. And it's a preschool day, too :)

Garden Visit

Happy Friday! If you're a Penny Black fan and haven't checked out the Penny Black Saturday Challenge blog before, be sure to stop by. I've been checking in on their challenges and amazing design team samples for a while now, but this is my first time playing. This week it's a sketch challenge:

The image I used is called Garden Visit, and the sentiment is from Flourishes' Friendly Reminders. Coloring is with Tombow markers and a water brush. The papers are from Kaiser Craft's 6x6 Devonshire collection. The scalloped and beaded border strips along the bottom of the card are die-cuts that are included in the paper pack. Love that! I'm anxiously awaiting a shipment of new Spellbinders dies - hopefully today! In the meantime, I thought I'd try something different with the main image, so I backed it with a paper doily.

I've been messing around in Facebook a little this week and finally claimed ownership of this blog. I must confess to being not all that savvy with FB, and I don't totally understand the whole Networked Blogs thing, but for now, I've added the little widget to the right sidebar, so if that's helpful to you, have at it!

Thanks for stopping by!

Stamps: Garden Visit (Penny Black), Friendly Reminders (Flourishes)
Paper: Neenah Classic Crest Natural White card stock, Strathmore 140-lb cold press watercolor paper, KaiserCraft Devonshire collection
Ink: Versafine Onyx Black, Ranger Vintage Photo Distress Ink
Accessories: clear embossing powder, Tombow markers, water brush, Prismacolor pencils (for grass blades), Spellbinders circle die, Papertrey buttons, 5/8" natural twill, My Favorite Things rolled flower Die-namics die, Sizzix leaf die, pearl flourish (unknown), paper doily, foam adhesive
Size: 5 1/2" square

Shindig

I fell head over heels in love with this Shindig image by Penny Black at CHA back in January. Seriously, how flippin' cute is this? Just look at those sweet expressions! And those eyes? Adorable! I colored with Prismacolor pencils on Neenah Classic Crest Solar White card stock. The sentiment is from on older Impression Obsession set called Mini Messages. The papers are from Pink Paislee's 365 Degrees collection.

Here's a detail shot:

Check out Shindig and other adorable Penny Black stamps at Stamper's Dream. Also be sure to check out the Sales & Specials section. CHA = sale time -- gotta make room for all the new goodies!

Thanks for visiting!



Stamps: Shindig (Penny Black); Mini Messages (Impression Obsession)
Paper: Neenah Classic Crest Solar White, Pink Paislee 365 Degrees
Ink: Versafine Onyx Black, Memento Tuxedo Black, Stampin' Up Soft Sky
Accessories: Prismacolor pencisl, Gamsol, blending stumps, sewing machine, Papertrey ribbon and button, May Arts burlap string, Martha Stewart Optic Dots border punch, Cuttlebug embossing folder, Spellbinders circle die, foam adhesive
Size: 5 1/2" square

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

Have I Toad You Lately

I get such a kick out of this fun frog/toad image from Penny Black called Viva Diva. Here, I've put it together with some new My Mind's Eye Little Boy Blue papers to make a card for my husband. The sentiment on the front is computer-generated. And the inside includes an "i love you" sentiment (I used a sentiment from a Penny Black Valentine set I already had on hand). I stamped in Versafine Onyx Black, clear embossed, and colored with Tombow Markers, then finished it off with a natural 5/8" twill bow, a wooden button, and some Maya Road Scallop Brown Vintage Crochet Trim, all available from Stamper's Dream.

Stamper's Dream has load of new Penny Black images, plus tons of other new products arriving almost daily (Tosh and I were good CHA shopping helpers {wink}). You can find all the new things under New Arrivals.

Here's the inside:





The layout is this week's Sketch For You To Try:



And in case you missed it in my last post, there's LOTS more inspiration this week due to some new faces on the SFYTT team! YAY!!

Jen del Muro with guest designer Angie Tieman
Amber Hight
Amy Rohl
Jenn Diercks
Kelly Lunceford
Leigh O'Brien
Megan Lock
Susan Liles

Thanks for stopping by!

A Piece of My Heart

These lovey-dovey hedgies are part of a Penny Black clear set called Piece of My Heart. Aren't they the sweetest? I did my coloring with Copic markers, added some crystal ultrafine glitter using a quickie glue pen, then sponged around the perimeter (with the Spellbinders Mega Curved Rectangle die in place) with a pale yellow ink before attaching it to a card designed with my beloved "Be-Loved" designer paper collection by My Mind's Eye. The chipboard heart, by Maya Road, has been covered with one of the MME papers, sponged around the perimeter, glitzed up with some Kaiser Craft rhinestones, and then paired with a red button tied with May Arts ivory burlap string. On the inside, I added a second sentiment and a small bit of decoration.



Thanks so much for stopping by! And thank you for the sweet comments on both of the blog hops earlier this week. You gave me something to look forward to in between the fifty-plus trips to the bathroom for potty training - UGH! (He's actually doing really well - go Gabriel!)




Stamps: Piece of My Heart (Penny Black)
Paper: Prismatics Sunflower Medium card stock, Prismatics Blush Red Medium card stock, Papertrey Vintage Cream, My Mind's Eye Be-Loved dp collection
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Ranger Vintage Photo Distress Ink
Accessories: Copic markers, Sakura Quickie Glue Pen, Crystal Ultrafine Transparent Glitter, Spellbinders Mega Curved Rectangle and Classic Circle Nestabilities, Spellbinders Flourish Accent die (inside), EK Success scallop border punch, Papertrey ribbon and buttons, KaiserCraft rhinestones, Maya Road Love mini chipboard set, May Arts ivory burlap string, sewing machine, foam tape
Size: 5 1/2" square

Penny Black Week - Day 5

Happy Friday, friends! Today I get to help conclude Penny Black week at Stamper's Dream. Also posting today are Tosh and Michelle. And in case you missed anything along the way, here are the rest of the week's links:

Monday - Michelle, Denise , and me
Tuesday - Michelle, Becca , Tosh
Wednesday - Michelle, Laurie, Denise
Thursday - Michelle, Laurie, Silke

The stamp I'm featuring is a wood-mount sentiment stamp called Star Noel, and what a gem it is! I've had a hard time putting it down this week! A zillion different ideas have been swimming in my head and filling my idea and inspiration notebook. I'll share two of them:



First is a decorative treat tin. On a recent grocery trip, I picked up a Gooseberry Patch Christmas 2009 idea book. Among many, many, many other inspiring holiday ideas was a project showing this very tin, dressed and filled with Peppermint Bark. I recognized the tin as one in my stash of alterables, and was so inspired I got busy right away making my own version. Here are a few additional shots:





Stamps: Star Noel (Penny Black)
Paper: Prismatics Simply Smooth white cardstock, 7Gypsies Gypsy Market dp (black stripe pattern)
Ink: Versafine Onyx Black, Stampin Up Real Red
Accessories: mini planter tin (Michael's, I think?), Spellbinders Labels 5 Nestabilites, Kaiser black self-adhesive pearls, SU red ribbon and gusseted cello back, Offray narrow black ribbon, Papertrey button, foam adhesive

~ ~ ~

For this next project, I went with a completely different look:



Some beautiful 7Gypsies Gypsy Market papers, my Ranger Distress Inks, and my distressing tool, and I was good to go. It's not a traditional holiday look, but I thought the papers were kind of "We Three Kings"-ish - earthtones for the dusty, arid terrain the kings traveled across, and fancy, elegant patterns for the opulent gifts they carried. Anybody else with me on that, or am I overthinking again? {grin}

Stamps: Star Noel (Penny Black)
Paper: Papertrey Dark Chocolate, Prismatics Simply Smooth Ivory, 7Gypsies Gypsy Market dp
Ink: Ranger Vintage Photo and Walnut Stain Distress
Accessories: Labels 5 Nestabilities, Stampin' Up ribbon and brads, May Arts brown burlap string, distressing tool, foam adhesive

In other Stamper's Dream news, check this out - all JustRite Christmas sets are on sale - 20% off!

Have a great weekend!

Penny Black Week at Stamper's Dream

Penny Black has introduced a wonderful new collection of cling-mount images called the Slapstick Collection, and the Stamper's Dream designers are showcasing them (and other PB images) all week long. Also posting today are Denise Marzec and Michelle Rodgers, and their cards are just sweeter than sweet!

I can remember going caroling as a child every December as part of my piano teacher's Christmas party. We'd sing to the neighborhood, botch a few lyrics (or tunes) here and there, freeze our fannies off (usually), and, of course, head back to her house for hot cocoa and cookies. Fun times! I haven't been caroling or welcomed any carolers in years, so I thought it might be fun to use this adorable Caroling Trio image to make caroling invitations for some friends and neighbors. I stamped the image in Versafine Onyx Black onto watercolor paper, clear embossed, and colored with Tombow markers. I added some perimeter sponging using Stampin' Up's Bashful Blue inkpad and a sponge dauber. The sentiment, "a-caroling we will go," is hand-written with a black pigment pen and cut into a banner. My Mind's Eye's Colorful Christmas paper collection had just the right bright, fun look I was going for, and the 1" teal sheer ribbon by May Arts matched perfectly. Martha Stewart punched snowflakes, silver brads, glitter, and some stitching provide the finishing touches.

[ETA: I was feeling a bit like the farmer's wife when my Spellbinders die cut off the mice tails. To fix that, I stamped the image a second time, cut out the tails, extending on into the body about a 1/2 inch. Then I used a craft knife to make tiny slits on the original image right at the base of the tail. I threaded my new tail sliver through that slit and secured on the back. Even in real life, you almost can't tell they've been added back on.]

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Hugs,