The Best Day Ever

I put together today's card for this week's Mojo Monday sketch challenge (#157). I stamped the frame from Verve's Framed Wishes onto designer paper with VersaMark ink, clear embossed, then used the emboss resist technique to reveal the stamped frame. The inks I used for the emboss resist were Ranger Pumice Stone and Walnut Stain Distress Inks. I love the way Julee used an accordian-fold medallion for the circle element on her sketch sample, so I did the same. I topped it with a Melissa Frances glittery heart and a sentiment flag. One vertical border is punched with a Martha Stewart Optic Dots punch, and the other was cut with pinking shears. The bow was made from some super gorgeous crinkled seam binding that was a gift from Julee (thanks again, Julee!).

I really, really, really {heart} this sketch:

Wishing YOU, my friends, the Best Day Ever - today and every day!

Love and hugs,





Stamps: Framed Wishes (Verve Stamps)
Paper: Papertrey Dark Chocolate and Aqua Mist, Prima Fairy Flora designer paper
Ink: Ranger Pumice Stone, Vintage Photo, Walnut Stain Distress Iks
Accessories: Melissa Frances glittered chipboard heart, Prima mini roses, Cotton Candy Stickles, distressing tool, crinkled seam binding, Martha Stewart Optic Dots border punch, pinking shears, needle and brown thread, Dew Drops
Size: 4 1/4" x 5 1/2" (A2)

One Groooooovy Gal

I'm loving the new A La Modes line of cling rubber stamps at My Favorite Things. (And did I spy a *new* Christmas one in my jaunt through blogland this morning? Yay!!) This one is Groovy Girl. How about that oversize peace sign she's carrying and the flower garland she's wearing? Cute! I did my coloring with Copics and Prismacolor pencils. All of the designer papers are from Crate Paper's new Restoration line.

Thank you for the sweet comments yesterday about the missing mojo. I love all the support in this papercrafting community! Some of you asked to see pictures of Rocki, our new kitten. I thought you might chuckle over her making a toy out of the ribbon/cord accent on yesterday's card.

Have at it, sweet girl. I didn't like that card anyway! :P

Here's another one that shows more of her. She isn't what I would necessarily call a "pretty" cat, but she won us over with her sweet personality and her willingness to tolerate all of our crazy chaos :) Our family is evenly divided over changing her name to Roxi to make her name more feminine. (Rocki, even with an "i" on the end, still seems like a boy cat's name) What do you think?

So glad you paid a visit today. Hope your day is blessed!



Stamps: Groovy Girl A La Modes (My Favorite Things)
Paper: MFT Perfect Paper Panels, Crate Paper Restoration dp
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Stampin' Up So Saffron, Ranger Old Paper, Vintage Photo, Walnut Stain, and Pumice Stone Distress inks
Accessories: Copic markers, Prismacolor pencils/blending stump/Gamsol, Spellbinders Mega Curved Rectangles Nestabilities, sewing machine, foam adhesive, 5/8" lightweight ivory twill, Papertrey button
Size: 4 1/4" x 5 1/2" (A2)

Real Flowers Birthday

Can I just first say that my mojo is G-O-N-E, gone! I think I left it at the animal shelter last weekend when I finalized kitten adoption paperwork, because ever since we brought sweet Rocki home, I've wanted to do little else but cuddle with her! Good times! Except for this morning at 4 am, when the meowing began in earnest. Thus (in part) the delay in my post today. Just didn't have time get this photographed between oversleeping and rushing off to back-to-back football games. I feel like I'm letting y'all down double today!

Today's card is my sample for Jen's Sketch For You To Try. The flowers are from Hero Arts' Real Flowers set. I stamped them onto Prism Simply Smooth White in various VersaMagic inks. The fun die-cut frame is the Frame Back Ornate #6 by Sizzix. Patterned paper scraps are from Prima's new Fairy Flora 6x6 pad. The tag holds the sentiment "Celebrate Your Day" from Flourishes' Fanciful Flourishes set.

Here's the sketch:

And here's the rest of the gang with more sketch inspiration:

Jen del Muro with guest designer, Tori Wild
Amber Hight
Amy Rohl
Carole Burrage
Jenn Diercks
Jodi Collins
Kelly Lunceford
Leigh O'Brien
Megan Lock
Sonja Christoph
Susan Liles

Another look in different lighting:

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Skipping Stones Blog Bounce!

Today, I'm joining Skipping Stones Design for it's first annual "Blogs 4 Boobies" blog bounce/hop! This is the second day of a two-day hop, so be sure to go to Skipping Stones Design to check out yesterday's post for even more cards, projects and fun! I have a lot of info to share about the fundraiser part of this hop, so let's get started.

There are three ways that you can be a part of the event:

1. Go Shopping!
For every stamp set that you purchase between September 15 and September 23, SSD will donate $2 to the Komen Foundation. Stamping and shopping that you can feel good about! Skipping Stones Design is celebrating "Blogs 4 Boobies" with the release of two new stamp sets as well: Bras Volume #2, a follow-up to the best-selling Bras Volume #1, and a beautifully illustrated Christmas set called Wise Men.

2. Bid on Blog Bounce Cards/Projects!
EVERY card/project along the "Blogs 4 Boobies" bounce is up for auction. You'll find detailed bidding instructions at the end of this post. The auctions close September 23 at 8 pm Mountain Time. All projects will go to the highest bidders, and all proceeds will go to the Komen Foundation.

3. Spread the Word!

Help us spread the word about "Blogs 4 Boobies"! The more people that know, the more money we can raise, so tell all your friends!

For today's card, I chose to work with Healing Wings, one of my very favorite SSD stamps. Since this is a blog hop, you should have come from Sharon Harnist's blog, PaperFections. When you're finished here, you'll visit Jennifer Buck at The Buck Stamps Here. If there is a break along the way or you just need to make your way to the beginning, you'll find the entire blog bounce list below. Enjoy the designs and remember to make a bid or two! This is a great opportunity to take home cards or projects made by some of your favorite designers and fight the war against breast cancer at the same time!

Here's the full line-up for today:
Kim Hughes
Kandi Phillips
Sharon Harnist
Amy Sheffer (you're here)
Jennifer Buck
Amy Tsuruta
Tammie Beaton
Rae Ann Barthel
Wendy Jordan
Sarah Martina Parker
Lea Lawson
Teri Anderson
Deb Felts

Kimberly Crawford
Gladys Chia
Jen del Muro
Maile Belles

How to place a bid

1. Find the comment section of the blog that shows the "Blogs 4 boobies" card or project that you want to buy.
*Please note you may only bid on the card/project shown in the specific "blogs 4 boobies" post.*
Any bids not placed on the correct post will be considered invalid.

2. In the comment section, fill in the dollar and cents amount of what you are willing to pay for the card/project. A starting bid of $5 or more is recommended. Remember, your bid includes shipping as well as the card/project. One hundred percent of your bid will go to the Susan G. Komen Foundation.

3. Next to your bid, please type in your email address. During a silent auction bidders sign their name next to their bid. Typing your email address is the electronic equivalent of signing your bid. Also it will help the blogger contact you if you are the highest bidder.

4. Watch and wait. Once you have entered your bid/comment sit back and wait. If someone out bids you then you may bid again. Bidding will continue until 8:00 p.m. Mountain Time September 23rd.

* Please note that participating stampers/bloggers will re-post their Blogs 4 Boobies card/project on September 23. When the blogger re-posts the project, the bidding will continue on the NEWEST post in that comment section. The winner of the auction will be the highest bid (that includes an email address) at the close of the silent auction.

Things to keep in mind:

Near the end of the bidding you may not see bids as they come in. Some blogs have a comment feature where the blogger must approve comments before they are published. So bid high. You might have the highest bid that is published, but someone might have outbid you in an unpublished comment/bid.

The blogger/designer will declare who has won the silent auction. Skipping Stones Design will send you an invoice for your donation/bid ammount. Please pay that invoice as soon as possible, so the designer can get your card/project in the mail to you.

Good luck! And don't forget to visit the next stop on the hop -- Jennifer Buck!

JustRite 12 Weeks of Christmas Blog Hop #2

Today The Dream Team from Stamper's Dream is joining JustRite Stampers for their newest Wednesday feature, 12 Weeks of Christmas Blog Hops. Every Wednesday until Thanksgiving some of your favorite designers will be joining some of the JustRite design team for a series of Christmas blog hops, showcasing the JustRite Christmas Collection of stamps. This is Week 2, but you can catch up on Week 1 HERE. And going forward, be sure to mark your calendars for Wednesdays at 9am Central for great Christmas gift, card and project ideas, starting at the JustRite Inspiration blog.

I've been itching to ink up one of the cuddly, adorable snowmen from the Groovy Snowmen set. This one was stamped in Versafine Onyx Black ink onto watercolor paper, then watercolored with Tombow Markers and a water brush. For the sentiment accent, I stamped the "Let It Snow" border from Holiday Cheer and sandwiched it between a button and a Heidi Swapp ghost snowflake. I accented the main image and the ghost snowflake with various Stickles (Stardust, Frosted Lace, and Christmas Red). The papers are from my current holiday fave -- Holly Jolly by My Mind's Eye. JustRite stamps and accessories, as well as many of the other supplies I've used, are available at Stamper's Dream.

Please visit these designers' blogs to see what fabulous Christmas projects they have for you on the hop today!

JustRite Inspiration Blog
Michelle Rodgers
Amy Sheffer
Heidi Blankenship

Christina Fischer

Kazan Clark
Tosha Leyendekker
Laurie Schmidlin
Sankari Wegman
Cindy Lawrence
Kellie Fortin
Denise Marzec
Stephanie Kraft
Karen Giron
Kathy Jones
Leslie Miller
Carolyn King

Angela Barkhouse
Michele Kovack


Thanks so much for stopping by!

Woohooo!!!!!

Okay, maybe I should tone down my excitement just a little bit, but today is a big day! It's my littlest one's first day of preschool this year. With my middle child in first grade this year, both of the older two are now in school a full day, which means (here's the *real* reason for my excitement) I get the whole FOUR HOURS of preschool to myself! As in alone! Alone - in my house without having to lock myself in a bathroom or something! I'm a little giddy for sure!

I haven't stamped in a few days due to a busy weekend with football, family, and birthday celebrations (thanks so much for all the happy birthday wishes!), but I do have something I made a while back with one of Verve's newest sets - Love Story. I wanted something soft, romantic, and a little bit shabby, but also simple and uncluttered. Here's what I came up with:

The beautiful frame around the sentiment, as well as the sentiment, are both part of Love Story. The glittery heart is by Melissa Frances. I topped it with a pearl swirly flourish that just about goes unnoticed in the photograph, but adds a really nice touch in real life and two rolled flowers. Some pleated thick ivory satin ribbon and some ivory trim finish off the bottom.

I'd love to chitchat a bit more, but I have only an hour of solitude left and two blog hops later this week. I'm off to stamp something!

Hugs,

42 {Rocks}!

Today's Sketch For You To Try is sponsored by The Stamping Boutique. One lucky sketch participant will win three digi images of her choice! Hope you'll play along!

Here's the sketch:

I've used a fun, cool digi image - Madyson - to make a birthday card for my younger sister (by three minutes, hehe.) Today is our day!! Here's the finished inside:

Some card particulars:

• Printed on Neenah Classic Crest Solar White with an HP inkjet printer (had some noticeable bleeding on the black hair, by the way)
• Colored with Copics and Prismacolors
• Designer paper from Cosmo Cricket's Pixie-licious Mini Deck
• Embossing done with Rays and Retro Circles Texture Fades embossing folder by Tim Holtz
• lots of hand-stitching and distressing
• the numbers on the inside are vinyl Thickers by American Crafts and the brackets and letters for {rocks} are Boho Chic Tiny Alphas by Making Memories

Be sure to visit my fellow SFYTT sisters for more sketchy yumminess:

Jen del Muro with guest designer, Tori Wild
Amber Hight
Amy Rohl
Carole Burrage
Jenn Diercks
Jodi Collins
Kelly Lunceford
Leigh O'Brien
Megan Lock
Sonja Christoph
Susan Liles

To play along, link up your creation to Jen's blog and remember to use keyword SFYTT in online galleries.

Thanks for visiting, and have a wonderful weekend. I hope we can all spend some time today remembering the 9/11 victims and heroes as well.



Stamps: Madyson (digital image by The Stamping Boutique)
Paper: Neenah Classic Crest Solar White, Papertrey Kraft, Cosmo Cricket Pixie-licious Mini Deck
Ink: Stampin' Up White craft ink
Accessories: Copic markers, Prismacolor pencils/Gamsol/blending stumps, Stampin' Up star, circle, and spiral punches, 5/8" natural twill, Making Memories and Papertrey buttons, May Arts burlap string, needle and thread, Tim Holtz Rays & Retro Circles Texture Fades embossing folder, Papertrey steel border die, distressing tool, American Crafts Thickers, Making Memories Boho Chic Tiny Alphas, paper piercer
Size: 4 1/4" x 5 1/2" (A2)