Stamper's Dream Blog Hop

I'm excited to be participating in the first-ever Stamper's Dream blog hop! Today, the Dream Team is featuring the newest JustRite images. If you're already hopping with us, then hopefully, you arrived here from Denise Marzec. If you happened to stop by, you'll find the beginning of the hop HERE with Tosha Leyendekker. Michelle has hidden some blog candy on one of the blogs, so be sure to leave lots of love for a chance to win! She'll be announcing the winner on Wednesday.

Just in case you hit a bump anywhere along the way, here's the blog hop order:

Tosh
Michelle
Denise
Amy (you're here)
Silke
Carolyn
Laurie

After the hop, be sure to visit the Stamper's Dream store for a fabulous One-Day Sale! You'll find sweet, sweet discounts on the Life Stories paper collections by My Mind's Eye, JustRite square stamps, Spellbinders dies, Whiff of Joy stamps, Prism card stock, and much, much more. All discounted products can be found under Sales & Specials.

For today's project I was inspired by the "Sending You A Bucket of Kisses" sentiment in JustRite's new Loving Thoughts set. I made a Valentine's candy holder by turning a Holly Berry House Allegany Bell upside down. [ETA: Oh my goodness, some of you have given me more credit than is due! Turning the bell upside down is an idea included in the instruction sheet for assembling these bells. Thanks to Holly Berry House for this wonderful alternative use!] I stamped on watercolor paper and watercolored with Tombow Markers. When assembled, the inside of the bell{basket} does show some seams where the five pieces are joined. To cover those up and pretty it up a bit, I adhered some lace trim inside the basket rim. The base of the basket is a Blossom Nestabilities die-cut.



The dowel rod is secured to the inside of the basket with a *very* generous pool of hot glue. From the top of the dowel, I tied a bow from some beautiful May Arts pink silk ribbon, then hung the tag made with the JustRite sentiment.



Here's a coordinating card:



I used three bell sections, another sentiment from JustRite's Loving Thoughts set, and a Spellbinders Lattice Borderabilities die-cut as the primary elements. The base and rectangular layers are made from watercolor paper and Prismatics Blush Red dark card stock (my absolute favorite red!).

Your next stop on the hop is the amazingly talented Silke Ledlow! Enjoy!

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

My Favorite Things January Blog Hop

Tonight's the night that My Favorite Things releases its new January stamps and celebrates with a New Release Blog Hop. If you've arrived here from Jessie's blog, you're in the right place. If you just happened by, you can get all caught up starting HERE with Kim.

Before I get to my project, I want to let you know about an exciting new MFT program - the Cherry on Top reward. This reward is for our most loyal MFT fans! When you purchase 7 full-sized stamp sets ($15.95 or $17.95 price point), on top of earning the Triple Scoop set of the month, you’ll also choose ANY set on the site for FREE. Simply add the Cherry on Top product to your cart and specify the set of your choice in the comments section of your order. Two $9 sets count as one full-sized set, so you can mix and match sets of different price points to reach your desired reward level. If your Cherry on Top reward set is out of stock at the time your order is filled, you will be sent a gift code for the amount of the set you chose WITH your order. This may be redeemed at any time and will not expire. How's that for a sweet deal?!

So, on to my Movie Night project. I have to let you know I had something totally different planned for tonight -- different stamp set, different everything, but, while grocery shopping earlier this week, I saw this "movie night" gift item in a clearance bin next to the check-out aisle. I took one look at it and thought, "surely this is meant to be!" and, of course, brought it home with me. Here's a look at its humble beginnings:



And here it is dressed in its new outfit:



I first covered the box and the labels on the gift items with different designer papers, then added the words "movie" and "night" along the top and bottom using MFT's Alpha Dots set, and last created a focal point label from a cluster of the smaller images in the brand-new Chick Flick set.

I also made a coordinating card using the main image from Chick Flick and a couple of sentiments. On the outside I modified the "Rated BFF" sentiment by stamping only the word "rated" and then replacing "BFF" with Alpha Dot letters:



And on the inside, I included the sweet sentiment, "I give our friendship two thumbs up," but replaced the word "two" with the number 2 from the brand-new Bling 'Bers, because I could not wait one more second to use those awesome numbers :) I can't help it!! I've been wanting this set ever since Bling 'Bet came out last year!



Thanks so much for stopping by. Your next stop on the hop tonight is the sweet and super talented Christina! Enjoy the rest of the hop!




Stamps: Chick Flick, Alpha Dots, Bling 'Bet, Bling 'Bers (My Favorite Things)
Paper: MFT Perfect Paper Panels, Stampin' Up Whisper White card stock, Papertrey Plum Pudding card stock, DCWV Sorbet designer paper pad
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Papertrey Plum Pudding, Stampin' Up More Mustard, So Saffron, Pumpkin Pie, and Rich Razzleberry
Accessories: Copic markers, May Arts burlap string, foam adhesive dots, Martha Stewart border punch, Spellbinders circle, scalloped circle, and labels 5 nestabilities, Papertrey ribbon, Making Memories button, sewing machine, MFT Spring Glittered Garnish, paper piercer
Card Size: 5" square

Skipping Stones Design Blog Hop

Greetings and welcome to the first-ever Skipping Stones Design blog hop. If you're not already familiar with Skipping Stones Design, you'll definitely want to spend a few minutes hopping today. I can positively, without a doubt, guarantee this will be a bright spot in your day! After you've finished the hop, you can stop by the store to see the full range of stamp sets they offer. Good, good, good stuff - lots of deliciously laugh-out-loud funny sets! I triple dog dare you to keep a straight face :) Enjoy a 25% discount today (Tuesday) and tomorrow only. (Use coupon code 25off.)

So, back to the hop ... did you get to my blog by way of Angela Thomas? If so, you're in the right place. If not, Angela is the first stop. Along the way, the Skipping Stones Design team (aka Stamp Tramps) and their guests (including me!) will be giving you a taste of SSD. There is blog candy along the way, too, and some of it is hidden, so be sure to leave lots of love at all of the stops. The winners will be announced this Friday, January 8, on the Skipping Stones site.

One of the regular features over at SSD is a Tuesday sketch challenge. Each month, they have a Guest Sketch Designer who provides the weekly sketches, and guess what? I'm the lucky Guest Sketch Designer for January! I'm so excited! Today's card is my sample for my first sketch. Tune in each Tuesday both here and at SSD for a new sketch, my sample, and samples from the Stamp Tramps. We will be thrilled to have you play along!



I stamped one of the bra images from Funny Bras Volume #1 twice in Stampin' Up's Rich Razzleberry onto ivory card stock, trimmed one out, and popped it up on the other. The patterned papers are Bo-Bunny, and the card stock colors are a mixture of Stampin' Up's Rich Razzleberry and Pumpkin Pie and Papertrey's Berry Sorbet. I chose to interpret the square and circle on my sketch as a square with a circle cut-out. I enhanced the vertical panel with a double ribbon treatment and a button tied off with some burlap string. Such a girlie card in girlie colors wouldn't be complete without a little bling. Corner rhinestones are by Kaiser Craft. Oh, and this one's big ... I'd say almost a 5"x7" card.

Thanks so much for stopping by today. Your next stop on the hop is the amazing Kim Teasdale. I know I can't wait to see what kind of drool-worthy gorgeousness she's posting today!

Also, just a reminder that My Favorite Things is on Day Four of the MFTeasers leading up to tomorrow's big release. For links to all of today's teasers, visit Kim's blog!

Hugs and happy hopping,

MFTeaser: Whee!

Welcome to Day Three of this month's MFTeasers. Today, we're showing peeks of the five new Pure Innocence sets that My Favorite Things will be releasing this Wednesday, and they are ADORABLE! The one that I chose to use first, Start Each Day With "Whee!", has the sweetest story behind it. The set was Kim's husband's idea, and it's based on a ritual he shares with their youngest daughter, Emma. In case you didn't catch it over on Kim's blog a few days ago, you can read about it HERE. How sweet is that??

I based my layout on Mercy's Tuesday Sketch Challenge #54 from last week. The papers are from the Farm Fresh line by October Afternoon. I sewed around the perimeter of each pattern, then gently curled the scallops to help enhance the cascading ruffle look. Coloring is done with Copic markers and Prismacolor pencils. I included the sentiment on the inside, along with some floral accents that I trimmed out of one of the Farm Fresh patterns.



Remember to check Kim's blog for a full list of designers who are posting teasers today. Prepare to fall in love with these new Pure Innocence sets!

Thanks for visiting!




Stamps: Start Your Day With "Whee!" (My Favorite Things)
Paper: Papertrey Dark Chocolate, Vintage Cream, October Afternoon "Farm Fresh" dp collection
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Stampin' Up So Saffron, Ranger Vintage Photo Distress Ink
Accessories: Copic markers, Prismacolor pencils, Spellbinders oval and scalloped oval Nestabilities, sewing machine, SU twill, Making Memories and Papertrey buttons, EK Success border punch, foam tape

MFTeasers Day Two: Who's That Chocoholic?

It's the second day of MFTeasers, and today it's all about chocolate, chocolate, and more chocolate. Who's That Chocoholic? and Clearly Sentimental About Chocolate are perfect for chocolate lovers everywhere. That's everyone, right?

The sentiments in these sets are fantastic! I can assure you a box of chocolates would not last long in my house, so the "Here today ... Gone today" sentiment in Who's That Chocoholic? was the first one I reached for. I carried the "indulge" mindset to the inside with another sentiment, "A little too much chocolate is just about right," which is from Clearly Sentimental About Chocolate.



I can't wait to see all the other creations with these sets! For a full list of links to all of today's teasers, visit Kim's blog after 11 am EST. Teasers will continue each day through Wednesday, then on Wednesday night we'll have our monthly release party in the My Favorite Things Forum on SCS at 8 pm EST, followed by our 10 PM EST Wednesday night blog hop, which begins on Kim's blog. All the new sets will be available in the MFT store at 10 pm EST, too. You'll find everything in the Brand Spankin' New category.

Thanks for stopping by!

Oh, and by the way, I forgot to mention last weekend that the Sketch For You To Try crew is taking January off, while both Jen and Kelly welcome their new little bundles of joy. We'll be returning in February.





Stamps: Who's That Chocoholic?, Clearly Sentimental About Chocolate (My Favorite Things)
Paper: Papertrey Terra Cotta Tile, MFT Perfect Paper Panels, DCWV Sorbet dp
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Versafine Onyx Black, Ranger Vintage Photo Distress Ink
Accessories: Copic markers, Prismacolor pencils, Spellbinders Labels 4 Nestabilities and Scalloped Border Piercabilities, Martha Stewart scalloped border punch, Making Memories buttons, May Arts burlap string, Papertrey ribbon, sewing machine, foam tape
Size: 5 1/4" square

MFTeaser Day One: Thinking of Hoo

Today begins a five-day-long series of teasers for all the new stamp sets coming from My Favorite Things next Wednesday, January 6. Be sure to check out Kim's blog at 11 am EST each day from today through Wednesday so you don't miss a single peek.

One of the sets we're peeking today is Thinking of Hoo, a set that was part of a recent MFT Kit, and is now going to be re-released on its own. I have loved this cute, little owl from the minute I first saw him, so I couldn't wait to finally get him inky. I colored the image with Copic markers, trimmed him out, and gave him a sky background from the new Love Me Do collection by My Mind's Eye. The super bright colors are perfect for this little guy! The pretty scalloped card base is one of the Fossil Note Cards available from MFT, and the red polka dot ribbon is part of the Polka Dot Perfection Ribbon Nest.

Remember to head over to Kim's for links to all the other designers who are posting today! Enjoy!

Thanks for visiting,



Stamps: Thinking of Hoo (My Favorite Things)
Paper: MFT Perfect Paper Panels, MFT Fossil Note Cards, Papertrey Kraft, Stampin' Up Real Red, My Mind's Eye Love Me Do
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, SU Real Red
Accessories: Copic markers, paper piercer, MFT Polka Dot Perfection Ribbon Nest, Making Memories button, May Arts burlap string, sewing machine, foam tape