Holiday Cookies in a Jar

Continuing in the gift spirit of my craftiness of late, I finished one of my "gifts in a jar" projects. This project ties in with the My Favorite Things Stamp Club Challenge over on Splitcoaststampers. Being the requirement is to use MFT stamps, I pulled out my Winter Blast set. I came up with the idea to do Snowball Cookies as it would go well with the little penguins in the set who are playing in the snow. I also used the snowflake stamp that comes with the little penguins to provide custom patterned paper like I did for my last project. I hope the person that receives this likes it!

Thanks for stopping by!

DETAILS:

Paper - Solid Blue by K&Co, Solid Black by DCWV

Stamps - Penguins, Snowflake and Seasons Greetings from MFT Winter Blast, Scalloped Border from MFT Punch A Bunch

Extras - Border Punch by EK Success, Ink by Color Box, Ribbon from Target, Jar from Michaels, Recipe from here

Warm Winter Wishes Box

In keeping with my Christmas gifts, which I really need to get a move on, here is another little cupcake box transformed with Waltzingmouse Stamps. I have been meaning to have another excuse to bring Sewing Box Christmas out again and here it is! I used the various snowflakes that are found in the set for this one. I followed the Card Patterns sketch for inspiration. And because I couldn't find just the right patterned paper in my stash, I decided to make my own and I absolutely love how it turned out, just by using two of the smaller snowflakes from the set. I hope you agree. :) This box also follows the SPCC #27 color challenge.

DETAILS:

Paper - Solid light blue by K & Co, Solid Kraft and White by Wausau Papers, Solid darker blue by DCWV

Stamps - Waltzingmouse Sewing Box Christmas, Ink by Color Box, Embossing Powder by Stampendous

Other - Box from Joanns, Border Punch by EK Success, Fiskers circle cutter

A Little Sweet Cocoa

Just a little fun card with the Sweet N Sassy "Sweet Cocoa" digital stamp. I thought he was too cute to pass up and in the process of finishing and sending out cards, cuteness always helps! :) I even tried an easel card this time around. It was pretty easy when it came down to it and here I thought they were so hard.

I've also entered this card into the Caardvarks Digital Challenge. Be sure to check out their Hero Arts Digital Kit Showcase throughout the week!

DETAILS:

Paper - Solids by Wausau Papers, Printed by K & Co.

Image - "Sweet Cocoa" by SNSS (Digital Stamp), Colored pencils

Embellishments - Ribbon by Craft Elements/Joanns, Sentiment by Studio G, Ink by Studio G, Buttons from stash, Cord from stash, Easel Card Template from here

Holiday Treat Box

Happy Wednesday! The week is about half over, although I know a lot of my Midwest friends are enjoying a snow day today. I do find that I'm missing having snow a little bit. It doesn't quite feel like Christmas is upon us as much when you are here in California, although we are getting a bit of cold weather.

I was able to still work on my running plan, now doing the Gateway to 8k, yesterday. It felt good to get back on track to running...never thought I would be saying that! I don't think I ever posted about DH and I's first 5K. We signed up for the Clinton, Iowa Symphony of Lights 5K over Thanksgiving as we were visiting my parents for the holiday. The park that it takes place at is just about half a mile north of my parents' farm. I made it through by running the entire 3 miles! It was good to have my DH there to coach me through the course. I think he had fun doing it too. :) Here's a picture of us right before we walked up to the race:

It was a little colder during the 5K than what I was used to here, but I'm proud of us for both doing a 5K successfully!

Anyway, enough about the Midwest....on to this post's project, right?

So this project is one of the gifty ones I'm doing this Christmas as presents. I was at Joann's the other day and of course went to the clearance aisle to see what I could find. This is what I found:

This little find was only 97 cents! I knew for 97 cents that I could figure out something. And I sure did...here's the final result:

For this project I proceeded to take the little box apart in its three pieces, recovered them with Bazzill swiss dot paper, and then reassembled. Once the box was all put back together I needed a design and for that I consulted some of my favorite sketch blogs and decided to use the Mojo Monday sketch as my inspiration. The sketch looked super fun to use. I even got to use the deer from the Stampin Up Sleigh Full of Toys set I had recently purchased. I thought they made a nice focal point.

So I plan to put a little something in each box for the recipient, but then what to do with it later? It's my hope that those that get these little boxes might use them for something special. I thought I might try it out as a little candy box during the photo shoot. Don't you think it's cute?

I have a few more of these to make, but now that I've successfully done this one they should be easier the next time around. I hope you enjoyed your visit! Thanks for stopping by!

DETAILS:

Paper - Solid swiss dot by Bazzill, Patterned paper by K & Co

Stamp - Reindeer from Sleigh Full of Toys by Stampin Up, Cocoa ink by Color Box

Embellishments - White ribbon from stash, Brown ribbon by Craft Essentials, Red bling from Michaels, Sketch inspired by Mojo Monday #116, Cupcake box from Joann's

Happy Holidays Cardinal

The ladies at the Cuttlebug Challenge Blogspot are such enablers! I feel in love with their projects when they previewed the new Home Shopping Network exclusive Cuttlebug embossing folders a while back. Of course, then I had to get a set myself! I was really into the flurries folder, and plan to use it for our Christmas cards yet, but I thought I would try out some of the others too.

The card I made for this post uses the cardinal embossing folder. I love how this folder is a scene in itself. I decided to emboss the cardinal on dark brown and then proceeded to use embossing powder to add color to various areas. I did some of the same technique to the ornaments, which are yet another folder from the HSN set. I embossed an entire sheet of the ornaments and them carefully cut out two of them, adding some silver embossing for their accents (my "bling" for the challenge).

I think this card is very peaceful. I plan to give it to someone really special this holiday season. :)

Thanks for stopping by!

DETAILS:

Paper - Kraft and Dark Brown solids by Wausau Papers, Blue/Red solids by DCWV

Embossing - Cardinal and Ornaments Cuttlebug embossing folders from HSN exclusive, Embossing powders by A La Mode

Stamp - Recollections "Happy Holidays", Ink by Color Box (Cocoa)

Robot Birthday

I'm finding these little robots quite fun to play with when I have a guy birthday card to make. I pulled them out once again for this little card based off the Card Positioning Systems sketch 145. We'll be heading off to his birthday party here this afternoon. I hope he likes it.

DETAILS:

Paper - DCWV Solids

Image - Stamp by Recollections "My Little Robot", Embossing Powder by A La Mode, Coloring with colored pencils

Extras - Brads from stash, Edge Cutter Scissors from stash, Cuttlebug Embossing Plate "Happy Birthday", Star die-cut with Silhouette

Swapping Sistahs! Part 2

It's the beginning of the month once again and that means my friends and I are posting our latest card swap projects! This time the crafty kit was provided by me, showcasing glitter, pink, and blue. I found the polka dot paper in a random run at Ross (I have lots of it now) and wanted to see what these ladies could come up with it.

Here's the full kit:

And here's my creation:

I needed some crafty mojo last night when I was working on it (yes, I waited until last night...such a slacker!) so I headed over to Tuesday Morning Sketches for a sketch inspiration. I then also remembered that I had this cute little girl image from Melissa of TMS from a previous prize. I thought I would try my hand at coloring a bit. It's just Crayola colored pencils in my stash...no fancy Copics. I think she turned out pretty cute though. I was able to use all three papers, the metal embellishment and one of the ribbons, although I decided to turn it blue so it stood out more.

Be sure to check out the other's creations! One of them I got to see firsthand since it came to me in the mail.... :)

Belinda

Ren-Yi

Stephanie

Thanks for stopping by!

DETAILS:

Paper - Pink Striped by Quick Quotes, Polka Dot by Making Memories (Animal Crackers), Blue Swiss Dot by Bazzill

Ribbon - Martha Stewart Thank You Ribbon (altered from pink to blue)

Extras - Flower Embellishment by Making Memories, Image from RAK, Colored with colored pencils, Dimensionals on circle area, Sketch by Tuesday Morning Sketches #22

Tuesday Morning Sketches

Entry for the Tuesday Morning Sketches. This was a 15 min card as I was coming in under the wire for submitting an entry. :) I give my DH credit for helping me pick out the ribbon, which was the last embellishment I needed.

Recipe card with 3 designer papers, a flourish (my sentiment), and two embellishments.

DETAILS:

Paper - Designer paper by K & Co.

Embellishments - 3D Ribbons from stash, Bling from Michaels, Ribbon from stash

Extras - Cuttlebug embossing folder Ornaments, Stamp by Recollections, Ink by Color Box

Sleigh Full of Toys

I couldn't resist getting the Stampin Up set Sleigh Full of Toys on eBay the other day. I plan to use the reindeer in that set for another project. I found that the penguin (yes, more penguins) and the sleigh were actually quite cute too once I got the set in my hands. I decided the sleigh would be perfect for my card using Get Sketchy's Sketch 15 (with bonus of paper piecing) and again the SPCC #24 Color Combo.

So I made a little fun winter scene for my card. The little penguin is helping Santa fill up his sleigh by tossing presents. His pile is getting quite precarious don't you think? And can you believe all those presents are paper pieced? Yes, I'm crazy...but it was kinda fun. Armed with my trusty little Fiskers cutter makes things much easier!

I hope you enjoy and thanks for coming by to visit!

EDIT: And just so DH is happy, I wanted to let you know that he helped out with my final touches to this card and helped (with yes or no answers) on various things I wanted to try with it. Eventually we both just liked it as this simple little scene. I hope you agree! :) He was the one that wanted the flying package. Hee hee!

DETAILS:

Paper - Green, Red, Blue patterned paper (presents) by K & Company, Blue Swiss Dot by Bazzill, Solid Red by DCWV, Solid White by Wausau Papers (free form tearing)

Stamps - Sleigh Full of Toys by Stampin Up

Ink - Color Box (black)

Embossing Powder - A La Mode (black)

Techniques - Get Sketchy #15 Sketch, SPCC #24 Color Combo (blue, green, red), free form tearing to create snow slope, paper piecing presents/sleigh, embossing

Winter Blast Penguins!

Sorry for the lack of posts lately. Life has gotten in the way a little bit. We recently celebrated DH's birthday on Monday which involved home cooking and a full house. You can definitely tell we have single guys in our group of friends...they were most excited for the home cooked meal of lasagna. Silly boys! DH on the other hand says he's old cause he's a married man in a group of bachelors, but I think he appreciates coming home to a cooked meal most nights. ;)

I got back into making a few cards now though. I wanted to especially do the challenges up at Card Positioning Systems and SPCC. This card combines both! I went with the printed paper, eventually decided it was time to play with my MFT Winter Blast set and made sure a little red was in the finished product. I think it turned out pretty cute if I do say so myself. I hope you agree! Thanks for stopping by and be sure to check the links to enter yourself!

DETAILS:

Paper - Patterned Paper by K & Co, Swiss Dot Green by Bazzil, Solids from stash

Stamps - My Favorite Things Winter Blast

Ribbon - Snowflake Red from Michaels

Extras - EK Border Punch, Distressing around main patterned paper panel, Dimensionals used on sentiment, Ink by Color Box, Embossing Powder by A La Mode, Sketch from CPS Challenge 142, Color Combo from SPCC #24 (Bashful Blue, Certainly Celery, Real Red)

Card Kit Swap Craftiness

So three friends and myself decided to add a little more fun to our crafty lives by starting this little card kit swap. One person makes a little kit of stuff that can be used for a card (or two) and we all see what we come up with by posting our creations to our blogs around the same time. A little blog hop of friends if you will. :)

So our first card kit was designed by Belinda with some yummy Cosmo Cricket paper, square brads in yellow and green, some navy blue ribbon, and a star die cut. Here's my creation:

I am afraid that I couldn't get the star or the ribbon to fit in my design once I came up with something close to this. Maybe I'll make another card with the scraps yet for those. I did like the patterned flower paper and decided to cut out three of them...adds a little dimension. And I cut that scalloped edge twice, once from the patterned paper and once after I strengthened it with some cardstock behind it. I'm crazy! But it's the first scalloped edge I've really done and I think it turned out cute. Finally, the sentiment is American Crafts Purkey letter rub-ons.

Now, be sure to visit the other girls in our little hop (links below and on the sidebar)! I'm excited to see what they create too! And next month it's my kit's turn!

Belinda

Ren-Yi

Stephanie

Thanks for stopping by!

New Look

Decided to play around with my blog's template today. I wanted the ability to add in a few more badges and needed another column to my blog template design.

You'll see a new one from WaltzingMouse Stamps. I highly recommend them! Also, MFT Stamps. I'm addicted to their Who's That Girl? line. They have some new ones that just came out this past week that are very cute too.

Hope you like the new design!

Wonderful Crafty Day!

Ah! This day is awesome!

I first started the day by finishing up my MFT Guest Designer challenge entry, which you can see here. I love how it turned out and I think that my friend will really enjoy it. It was my biggest project yet besides putting together entire scrapbooks. All of the entries for the designer spot are awesome. Who knew you could do so much with white as the main color?

Then, I found out from Sheetload of Cards that I was the runner up in their monthly challenge! WHOO HOO! I entered this card into the challenge. It was the first one that I did the purple on. (I'm noticing a trend....but don't worry, I ran out of that ribbon now...lol!)

THEN, I just noticed I made the Top 5 at SPCC for challenge #21! YAY! For this one I did the wine packaging and I think it's the post with the most comments. Thank you for all the love! My DH said that he thought it was a winner when I finished that project. :)

So that's all the crafty goodness for today. I did just get back from a continuous 20 min run. I'm so proud that I can do that. I am literally running the couch to 5k running plan...I've NEVER run before. It feels good to work out! DH and I will be doing our first 5k when we go home to Iowa for Thanksgiving. I'm looking forward to it!

What a great day! And yesterday was good too with new stamps arriving from Eclectic Paperie (highly recommend) and a win on Tuesday Morning Sketches for DH's Halloween treatbox!

On cloud nine.....

MFT Guest Designer Challenge - White!

The ladies at My Favorite Things Stamps are looking for lots of white in their monthly guest designer challenge this month. When I think of white, I think of weddings (being a newlywed since July). I have seen a few projects using MFT's Going to the Chapel stamp set and I had to have one of my own. When I found one, I also found the Behind the Scenes set and decided for this project I would pair up the flower background stamp with a little wedding fun.

If you look closely, there's embossing ALL over the place on this project! It took awhile to do but I think the result is very nice. I hope you agree. :) I embossed the flower background stamp on white cut for the panels of my little circle box (from Michaels). Recycled ribbon from a wedding gift (Bed Bath & Beyond wraps things very beautifully) serves to cover the edges of this box and gave me the inspiration for the accent color for this set.

I then thought that a paper bow was in order. I found this great tutorial by Nathalia Castellon yesterday during some blog hopping and wanted to so try it out. I modified my purple paper with even more white embossing with the flower background stamp. I tried a bow with slightly thinner paper loops, but this resulted in more layers.  Such a simple way to create something personal!

Finally, a gift set is not complete without a little card. Now I finally used the Going to the Chapel stamp set by MFT to put the cute little bride and my favorite sentiment on a little 3x3 card.

I plan to give this set to a good friend for her bridal shower coming up soon. Thanks to the MFT ladies for inspiring me to go outside of my comfort zone and use white (and being ahead in being ready for the shower!). I hope you enjoy my entry!

DETAILS:

Paper - Solid White by Paper Reflections, Solid Purple by Bazzil

Stamps - My Favorite Things (Going to the Chapel and Behind the Scenes)

Extras - Box from Michaels, Ribbon trim (recycled), Bow Tutorial by Nathalia Castellon, Embossing Powder by A La Mode, Brillance White Ink, Color Box Black Ink

Something a little different for SPCC #21

Thought I would make something a little different for SPCC #21, using Burgundy, Ruby Red, and Caramel. I wanted to use my little tree from Waltzingmouse Stamps' Sewing Box Christmas too. I got the inspiration for this wine bottle packaging from the Michael's holiday craft guide I received the last time I visited. The idea seemed simple enough and I think it jazzes up a wine bottle for a host quite nicely for the holiday season.

Thanks for stopping by!

DETAILS:

Paper - Kraft solid by Wausau Paper

Stamp - Sewing Box Christmas Tree, Star and "Merry Christmas" sentiment by Waltzingmouse Stamps

Extras - Burgundy and Red buttons from stash, Ink by Colorbox (Cocoa), Embossing Powder by A La Mode, Corner Punch by Fiskers, Circle Cutter by Fiskers

My favorites...

This card was a surprise to make really. I just went with the flow on this one and things just seemed to come together really well. I started out with wanting to do the Cuttlebug Challenge Blog Favorites challenge #55 with my favorite MFT stamp "Baby It's Cold Outside" (digital even). Then, I saw that the Sheetload of Cards October sketch would work for the MFT stamp quite nicely. Then, I had read the Moxie Fab World blog this morning and I think that's why everything turned plum purple! Purple is my favorite color, so I don't mind that it took over this card. ;) I also got to try out my scarf technique again with the braided thread borders that have been in my stash, in of course, purple. I also love how I was able to use ribbon saved from a Bed, Bath & Beyond wedding gift we had gotten back in July. I knew I would have a use for this pretty ribbon!

Enjoy! And thanks for stopping by!

DETAILS:

Paper - Bazzil and ColorBok

Image - Stamp by MFT (Baby It's Cold Outside Digital), Scarf made with Thread Border in stash, Paper Piecing with ColorBok and Paper Reflections paper, Sky colored with colored pencil

Embellishments - Snowflake Brads by Creative Impressions, Jewel Brads by Recollections, Snowflake Lace Paper in stash, Dry Embellishing with Cuttlebug (Dot Border Folder), Ribbon is recycled from gift, Sentiment is Handwritten in White Gel Pen

A pleasant surprise...

Checked my various card blogs this morning and was pleasantly surprised to find myself in the Top 5 of Tuesday Morning Sketches' Sketch 16 challenge results! WHOO HOO!

Big THANK YOU to Melissa and Tuesday Morning Sketches!

SPCC Color Combo #20

Here's one of those cards that I said would have a chance to appear that included either monsters or robots (with the influence of dear DH). I had a bday card to get out the door today before it becomes too late and thought the SPCC color combo #20 would do the trick. As you might guess this is one of those "guy" cards...keeping it simple with the decorating and embellishments. I let the little robot be the center of attention this time in his cheery yellow. Got to try out my new Cuttlebug too. (I was bad and got it before DH had the chance to get it for me for the holidays.)

Thanks for stopping by!

DETAILS:

Paper - Paper Reflections

Embossing Details - Happy Birthday Plate by Cricut for Cuttlebug

Stamp - Recollections

Ink - Color Box

Embossing Powder - A La Mode

Winter fun with MFT Stamps - Tuesday Morning Sketch 16

I just recently got into My Favorite Things Stamps. My friend always had such cool cards from the Who's That Girl? line. While I recently got my first set of actual MFT stamps the other day, I first tried out WTG with this Baby It's Cold Outside digi stamp. This was my first digi stamp project too. (Lots of firsts, but I'm always up for new challenges.) To add to that, I wanted to incorporate fabric after finding some really cute little patterns at the craft stores.

So, for just this card alone....First time using a digi stamp, First time using MFT WTG images, First time using fabric, First time creating a full image for a card, First time creating a buttony bow. Whew!

The image itself took me a few print out tries and about 2 hours to do as I tried a few different things. The scarf was the easiest part and I feel that is the most awesome. It's just braided border lines in 3's to fill the scarf. I love how it looks like a knitted scarf!

Then the image kinda sat for a while, but yesterday I found a perfect card sketch for my creation over at Tuesday Morning Sketches. I love this layout (Tuesday Morning Sketches #16) and think it works great for a big square image like the WTG images usually are. I loved that the sketch had the dangling aspect already incorporated in it and instantly knew I wanted to do either mittens or snowflakes. I had these snowflake brads in my stash that I modified to dangle and it was a great compliment to the buttony bow that I learned from Joanne B's tutorial (go check it out here).

So there you have it! Thanks for stopping by!

DETAILS:

Paper - Kraft and Brown Solids from Wausau Paper, Printed Browns by K & Company

Ribbon - Michaels

Snowflake Brads - Creative Impressions (modified to be able to dangle)

Button - Joann's

Image - Baby It's Cold Outside - Who's That Girl? Digi Stamp from My Favorite Things, Fabric scraps from Joann's, Glitter for snow from A La Mode, Scarf made with Threaded Border Lines (stash), Various paper piecing for gloves, shoes, skirt, carrot nose, stick arms

SSS26: Sketch with a Spin at Sweet N Sassy Stamps

Sometimes you're just instantly inspired by a sketch. This happens to be one of those times. I know the sketch is super simple, but it was just what I was looking for in my next card. I then read the details about this sketch and Sweet N Sassy Stamps additionally added the challenge of recycling. "Ok, I can do that..."

Easier said than done but looking through my stash I found this cute little snowman Christmas card I got a year ago from a dear friend. Using my trusty circle cutter he became my base for which the rest of the card developed around. I also used the little green checkered ribbon in a new way for me, but the ribbon has been in my stash FOREVER! (So I think it counts too.)

I finished the card off with sentiments from Waltzingmouse Stamps. I really think this card turned out sweet, and to think, that now from something old comes a brand new Christmas card! Now do I give this card to my friend this year for Christmas? Ha ha!

DETAILS:

Image - Recycled Christmas card

Paper - Kraft and Khaki by Wausau Paper

Stamps - Waltzingmouse Stamps (Sewing Box Christmas)

Other - Ribbon by Unknown, Brads by Joanns, Distress Tool used around image

2 Sketches 4 You: Kazan's Sketch 37

As I'll be heading out of town tomorrow I wanted to make sure to post my card made from Kazan's Sketch 37 from 2 Sketches 4 You. I got out my new Waltzingmouse Stamps once again for this card. I love this little snowflake!

Thanks for stopping by!

Oh, and please go by my friend Belinda's blog for a chance at blog candy for a good cause. :)

DETAILS:

Paper - Striped Brown by Quick Quotes, Solid Blue Textured Cardstock by Paper Reflections

Ribbon - Target

Stamps - Snowflake from Sewing Christmas by Waltzingmouse Stamps, "Let It Snow" by Penny Black

Other - Chipboard from BigLots, Embossing powder by A La Mode, 3M dimensionals

2 Sketches 4 You: Laura's Sketch 36 & SPCC: Color Combo #18

Getting this one in under the wire! I saw this sketch on 2 Sketches 4 You and had to try it out with SPCC's Color Combo #18.

DH wanted there to be more monsters and robots in my cards so stay tuned for more! I do think these little monsters from Recollections are pretty cute, I must admit.

Thanks for stopping by!

DETAILS:

Paper - Dusty Orange by Paper Studio, Neptune Blue Swiss by Bazzil, Brown Textured from stash

Stamps - Recollections My Little Monsters, Studio G "Hello"

Other - Wavy cuts by Scissors in stash, Ink by ColorBox, Embossing Powder by A La Mode

SPCC WCMD #3 - WaltzingMouse Stocking

Hey, look at that...I'm back! I know there was a bit of a hiatus on my part for the last week. The job searching finally started to take over on my time and I needed to do that instead of scrap or make cards. Two interviews later and I'm hoping there's good news coming, but for now I'm playing the waiting game.

As it's Friday, I thought I would have a little fun and come back to my craft table. Helped by the fact that I received my Waltzingmouse Stamp set - Sewing Box Christmas in the mail yesterday and really wanted to do some stamping! Claire at Waltzingmouse is really amazing and I was sold on this set after seeing her sneak peek (and inspiration for this particular card) of this set. It just came out a little over a week ago! I love the little stitching around all the stamp images!

I used the SPCC World Card Making Day Color Combo #3 for this card of Kraft, Soft Suede, and Really Red. For this card my Soft Suede and Really Red are done in felt. A tricky little fabric to work with I will admit but it does seem like a cozy little stocking, doesn't it? The sentiment comes with the set. I just put three of the words together. I love how versatile these stamps are and you can bet that more cards this holiday season will be made with them!

Thanks for stopping by!

DETAILS:

Stamps - Waltzingmouse Stamps - Sewing Box Christmas

Paper - Kraft by Wausau Paper

Ink - Studio G

Other - Felt from Joann's

Get Sketchy #7: Baby Congrats

A friend of mine doesn't know she's getting this little card, but she recently let everyone know that she was pregnant. I thought it only fitting to send a little card her way.

I followed the Get Sketchy #7 sketch for this card.

DETAILS:

Paper - Solids from Die Cuts With A View, Swiss Dot Green by Bazzil Basics

Ribbon - "Congratulations" by Martha Stewart

Flowers - Prima

Brads - Joann's

Shape - Baby Carriage from Quickutz Silhouette library

I'm Seeing Green!

I couldn't help but make another card tonight. I know, you'd think after 7 cards in as many days for the Caardvarks Sketchfest I would want a break but I just had to get one more done for some great challenges that I recently found. I was able to combine a few into one card.

First there's the reason for the green-ness of this card. That is for Waltzing Mouse Stamps by Claire Brennan. Just a few days ago came across her blog and stamp store from a link from my fellow stamping friend Belinda. I am quite impressed by her stamps, especially the new ones she'll be launching on Tuesday! She definitely knows how to make her stamps versatile! Claire, your stamps are awesome! I'll definitely be checking out Waltzing Mouse Stamps more often. :)

Unfortunately I don't own any Waltzing Mouse Stamps at the moment, so my favorite stamps are from Studio G. Yes, they are the $1 stamps, but I have found this little set very versatile (coincidence, I think not...I like versatility in my stamps) and love the little background stamp and this butterfly. I used both in recent challenges here and here. What better way to combine the two than with this card!

Next, Our Creative Corner (OCC) came up with a challenge this week for making monochromatic cards. They could be any color, just once you picked that color, you were limited in only using shades of that color. In keeping with the Waltzing Mouse challenge, I just extended it for OCC's challenge by keeping my entire card green! The design team examples were amazing! Such inspiration! I did find that doing all one color is quite fun.

Finally, the Stamp Something Challenge Blog (another new find on my part of blogs I'll be following) has the challenge to "do something with your favorite sketch or layout." This sketch by Heidi Van Laar has to be my favorite and one that I did here for the Caardvarks Sketchfest. I also had done something similar here (card #3) awhile back. I just love the three panels!

Here's the sketch:

So, whew! I think that's it. A lot packed into one little card! Thanks for stopping by!

DETAILS:

Layout - Sketch by Heidi Van Laar

Paper - Die Cuts With A View Solids, Pattern Paper for Butterflies from K&Company, Custom printed paper with Studio G Stamp

Stamps - Studio G Bohemian

Alphas - Paper Studio

Ribbon - Target

Embossing Powder - A La Mode - Clear

Caardvarks: Sketchfest Saturday - Final Sketch!

Final day of the Caardvarks Sketchfest! Can hardly believe that I've done 7 cards in as many days. The sketches were all by Heidi Van Laar and she's definitely made me go beyond my comfort zone in a few of these to test my card making skills. It's all been in fun though and I really enjoyed the week...thank you to Caardvarks and Heidi!

My dear husband gave me the idea for this little card today to end my Sketchfest experience by saying I should make a Halloween card, so that's what got made. I didn't put up much of a fight because I wanted to try out the black/purple combination I've seen from other blogs and I had some cute Halloween ribbon that I recently got at Target. (I swear the $1 bin ribbons just keep jumping into my basket every time I go by!)

Took one of my Michaels $1 stamps by Recollections and modified it a bit with the leaves to make it a bit more 3D and found the little ghost on one of my printed papers. They both got popped up with foam squares. Doubled up my Target ribbons too. Aren't the little stars cute?

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for the wonderful comments! Congrats to all Sketchfest participants that made it through the week!

DETAILS:

Paper - Patterned Purple by K&Company, Black Scalloped Edge Cardstock by Paper Studio, Ghost from Unknown Patterned Paper

Stamps - "Happy Halloween" by Studio G, Pumpkin by Recollections

Ribbons - Target

Other - Black Embossing Powder used on Pumpkin, Circle cut out by Fiskers Circle Cutter

Caardvarks: Sketchfest Friday

Day 6! I really love this sketch for today's Caardvarks Sketchfest! I thought I would revisit a technique I have used before by making panels from one of my linear type stamps from Hero Arts. And while I understand I'm in a slight rut with brown backgrounds for my last 3 cards, this time I did it on purpose to do the really pretty pink and brown combination...I hadn't done this color combination in a long time and had an itch to do it. :)

Thanks for stopping by!

DETAILS:

Paper - Solids by Paper Studio, Brown Striped by Quick Quotes

Ribbon - Friendship Lines by KI

Stamps - Flower Swirl by Hero Arts, "Hello Friend" by Studio G

Caardvarks: Sketchfest Thursday

Hanging in there in the Caardvarks Sketchfest? We're on day 5!

Here's my take on the sketch for Sketchfest Thursday. I'm a little later than usual with my card post but I did have fun making it. I used inspiration from the design team and used a big flower as my side focal point. Then I had a heck of a time trying to figure out what to do with the group of three. Finally it came down to just smaller flowers! Yay! See, simple! Now how come it took me like 3 hours to come up with that? :)

Like that ribbon I used? Yea, it was originally a light tan and I could barely read the "Happy Birthday." Add some darker marker to it and "tada" now the text pops! I'm so happy that that part worked out easily.

Alright, it's late...enough of my rambles. Good luck to all the other participants and thanks all for your lovely comments!

DETAILS:

Paper - Flowers cut from Colorbok 12x12 sheets, Dot paper by K & Company

Ribbon - "Happy Birthday" by Martha Stewart

Button - Dress it Up

Caardvarks: Sketchfest Wednesday

And on to Day 4 of the Caardvarks Sketchfest! I pretty much kept to the sketch as is this time. I liked the idea of layering 3 papers in the bottom corner...fun sketch! I had a heck of a time getting three yellow papers from my stash to play nicely together though and instead introduced the greens. I think it worked out well in the end.

The dinner party last night went well. We had 4 guests, yummy taco soup, and even yummier margaritas! The place did get clean, and to prove it, I'm including a picture of my crafty area! (Course after making this card things moved around again, but you get the idea) This area sits behind our couch, which serves to divide the living room and my craft area. It's what you do when you live in a little place! We have another bedroom that is empty now that I could move it to but DH and I have found we can socialize more in this arrangement...and he can usually help with creative input for which I'm grateful! Just that it comes with a bit more pressure to keep it clean. :)

Now on to the card!

DETAILS:

Paper - Insert Paperned Paper by W R Memory Keepers, Background Patterned Paper by Unknown, Solid Yellow by Paper Studio

Alpha Rub-Ons - American Crafts

Caardvarks: Sketchfest Tuesday

Day 3....

Here's my entry for Caardvark's Sketch for Tuesday. I moved the sketch to its side. First this card was going to be all purple, then I liked the polka dot piece and then blue and green came into the mix. Isn't it interesting how that happens? I did get to use some Thickers that I had been hoarding for a bit though. :)

Now off to clean this house! We're having company tonight for taco soup and I swear that the place only really gets clean when there is the incentive that people will be seeing it. haha!

Thank you to all that comment....I will try and make my rounds for comments after dinner hopefully. Good luck to all Sketchfest participants!

DETAILS:

Paper - Colorbok Cardstock with Punchouts

Alphas - American Crafts Thickers

Embellishments - Making Memories

Caardvarks: Sketchfest Monday

Day 2 of the Caardvarks Sketchfest!

I went with my new butterfly stamp on this round's card. I also tried a new technique for me of paper piecing each butterfly's wings. I think I'm just liking this Fiskers cutting tool too much. I then went with a brown card design to finish the sketch...just felt right to do I guess. I am happy to have used these chipboard alphas from Colorbok as they have been in my stash for awhile now.

Thanks for stopping by! Good luck to all of the other Sketchfest participants!

DETAILS:

Paper - K & Company for patterned paper, Paper Reflections for white and brown

Ribbon - Target

Stamp - Studio G

Alphas - Colorbok

Other - Distress Tool used around butterfly panel

Sweet Stop: SSS22

I was directed to The Sweet Stop blog by my friend the other day. I noticed that they were having a "Sketch with a Spin." Before the challenge post went out I instantly thought of pinwheels from the word "spin". Knew I didn't have to incorporate that into the sketch at all and found out that the "spin" was that there was a color combo specified to go along with the sketch. Well, I still had the pinwheel thing going in my mind so ta-da! there's a pinwheel on my card! It moves too! (you have to help it, but it does move)

Anyway, I also got to use this cute little background stamp from Studio G (yes, more $1 stamps!) that I got the other day. I think it turned out super cute. So anyway, I had pinwheels on the brain with this card....

Hope you enjoy and thanks for stopping by!

DETAILS:

Paper - All from Paper Reflections

Stamp - Border Flower/Line Stamp from Studio G

Pinwheel Template - Template from Heather Bailey

Embellishments - Buttons from Dress It Up, Brads from Making Memories

Pals Paper Arts PPA8: KISS Challenge

Over at Pals Paper Arts they are having a KISS challenge (Keep It Simple, Sweetie). I thought instantly of these little stamps that I got in the Michael's and Target $1 bins. I enjoy getting a lot of stamps for so little! While the card is simple, it took a steady hand to get that little leaf cut out....but not too shabby for my first attempt with just a little Fiskers blade! (After doing the spider for this card, I couldn't bare being so restricted with scissors as my only way to cut out cute little stamped designs.) After that was done, the card assembly was very simple. I hope you enjoy and thanks for stopping by!

DETAILS

Paper - Orange by Bazzil Basics, Rusty Red by Paper Reflections

Stamps - "Falling For You" and leaf trail line by Studio G, Leaf from Target

Other - Gold and Black inks by Studio G, Clear embossing powder by A La Mode

Caardvarks: Sketchfest Sunday

So the ladies at Caardvarks are offering quite a challenge this week...7 sketches in as many days! Today marks the first sketch and I will admit that the oval definitely threw me off for a good part of the day before I could really get into the groove of being crafty. My Quickutz Silhouette helped with that part and then I was free to be a bit more creative. Not that anything wanted to cooperate exactly but I am pleased with the final result. I plan to give this card to my dear friend that was my Maid of Honor. We live way too far apart now, but I think she'll like getting something fun like this in the mail. :)


Now to see what comes next tomorrow!

DETAILS:

Paper - Patterned Green from K & Company, Tan from Paper Reflections, Swiss Dot Green from Bazzil Basics

Stamp - Little Chick and "Hello Friend" from Studio G

Embellishents - Ribbon from Target, Green Flourish by Making Memories, Flower from Prima Flowers, Brad from JoAnn's Essentials

SPCC #14 Top 5!

WHOO HOO! I was pleasantly surprised to visit the SPCC blog today and found my little hot cocoa card I made for SPCC #14 featured as one of the Top 5! Thank you to the SPCC Divas for choosing my card! I feel so special. I added my Top 5 button on my sidebar. If you're interested in color combos be sure to check out the SPCC.

On cloud nine...

SPCC Color Combo #15 & 2 Sketches 4 You Sketch #35

I was busy again last night making another card! This time I made a Halloween card with my new goodies I got at Joann's (I just love that $1 bin!). I've also been blog hopping a lot lately and saw so many new techniques that I want to try. So for this card I combined the SPCC #15 color combo of rust, black, and white and the 2S4Y Sketch #35 for my layout (just flipped), adding techniques of distressing the black and creating my own "designer" paper by stamping and embossing the candy corn on the rust paper. I even cut out that little spider! I had a lot of fun making this card and I hope that you enjoy it too.

Thanks for stopping by!

DETAILS:

Paper - Paper Reflections Rust Orange, Black, White

Stamps - Spider by Recollections, "Happy Halloween" and Candy Corn by Studio G

Ink - Black Ink by Studio G, Embossing Powder Clear by A La Mode

Embellishments - Flowers by Making Memories, Card Holder by Joann's, Ribbon from Target, Distress Tool used on Black

Get Sketchy #5: New Home Card

I needed a card for my aunt since she just bought a new house and moved last weekend. Thought it would be a nice thing to do so that she gets mail at her new place, and from California too! With that in mind, I found this cute little house sketch after just doing a Google search and went from there. I used the Get Sketchy #5 challenge sketch as the card layout inspiration. This card is also my first attempt at using my new Fiskers Circle Cutter...I did alright with it, but definitely need some practice!

Enjoy and thanks for stopping by!

Showing the inside, where I put the other panel of the sketch, where some of it is seen when the card is shown but the continuation is inside.

DETAILS:
Paper - K & Company, House found on Internet and colored with colored pencils
Flowers - Prima Flowers
Brads - Recollections and Making Memories
Stamp - "Thinking of You" by Studio G
Ribbon - "Guy Lines" by KI

Back to Scrappin'

The whole purpose of this blog was to be a place to share my scrapbook pages, life, and other randomness. It seems that the randomness, while still crafty, took over for quite some time and today I'm finally getting back to the scrapping that is the spotlight of this blog. Due to some not so subtle hints from DH I am finally starting my 2009 scrapbook. Our first adventure was to Chicago right after the holidays in January but before DH (at that time FI) was to head back to California after spending the holidays with my family. Since he had a flight out of Midway we figured a fun weekend in Chicago was in order. The highlight of the trip and of course this page was seeing the show "Jersey Boys." If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend it..."Wicked" first, but "Jersey Boys" a close second.

DETAILS:

Paper - All from Paper Reflections

Title - Font from daFont.com "Ballpark Weiner," Die-cut by Quickutz Silhouette

Embellishments - Cuttlebug/Sizzix Dot Border, Prima Flowers, Recollections Brads, Fiskers Flower Punch