Swimsuit Tilda

Hey everybody! I apologize for the lack of posting. I have been creating and my Google Reader is plum full of wonderful blogs that I greatly enjoy reading, but when it came to my blog I just lost interest. I'm still not entirely back into it, but I figured I could at least post my cards and their recipes even if I don't have much else to say. The card I have to share for this post I am entering in Cute Card Thursday's Challenge #74 - Lazy Days! All supplies used are listed below. I think this is one of my favorites cards I have created to date. I hope to start on some Christmas cards soon. Thanks for stopping by! :)

Recipe:
Stamps: Magnolia (Summer kit)
Ink: Staz-On Jet Black
Cardstock: PTI Summer Sunrise
Paper: MM Chloe's Closet
Accessories: Prismacolor Pencils, blending stumps, odorless mineral spirits, Stickles, dew drops, Nestabilities

Birthday Snake

Hi everyone! Hope your weekend is going good so far. I'm back with another card to share. This one is a first for me - it is a card intended for a male! This stamp and the patterned papers really made it easy to achieve. I think it'd be cute for a little boy's birthday. The card follows five challenges:

Simon Says Stamp: One For The Boys
Flourishes Timeless Tuesday #15: Happy Birthday
Stamp Simply #87: Male
Papertake Weekly: Animal Antics
High Hopes Stamps #30: One For The Boys

The stamp is from High Hopes Rubber Stamps. I love his name - Neil Diamondback! How clever. He is colored with Prismacolor pencils and I heat embossed his fangs and rattler. The cardstock is by Papertrey Ink and the patterned paper is Basic Grey. It's a pretty simple card all in all. The full recipe is below. I will be back in a couple of days with another post. I have some mini Thank You cards to share. Thanks for stopping by! Have a fabulous day!

Recipe:
Stamps: High Hopes Rubber Stamps (Neil Diamondback) & My Favorite Stamps (You Take The Cake)
Ink: Staz-On (Jet Black)
Cardstock: Papertrey Ink (Kraft)
Patterned Paper: Basic Grey (Archaic)
Accessories: Prismacolor pencils, odorless mineral spirits, blending stumps, Versamarker, heat gun, clear embossing powder, Nestabilities

Together Forever

Happy Saturday! The weather here in Virginia is beautiful. The sun is shining and there is a slight breeze in the air. I have to work this evening, but only for a few hours. Today's card follows, believe it or not, five challenges. The layout is based on Mojo Monday's Week 85 Sketch. The High Hopes Challenge, #29, this week is heat embossing. I don't believe you can tell in the picture below, but I used a Versamarker, some clear embossing powder, and my heat gun to emboss the heart. Over at Cafe Mojo, the challenge is to use stamps - easy peasy for me! Challenge #50 over at A Spoonful of Sugar this week is Touchy Feel. I figure the flowers, ribbon and embossed heart takes care of that. And last, but not least - we're asked to use brads or eyelets for challenge #31 at Secret Crafter Saturday Challenge. I realize the owls' colors are a little out there. I had the card all laid out with another image, but when I went to put it together, the image was much too big. Instead of scrapping the whole card/idea - I figured these cute owls would work. I like their uniqueness. The complete recipe for the card is below. I haven't finished the inside so I only have a picture of the front to share today. Thanks for stopping by! Hope you have a fabulous day.
Recipe:
Stamps: High Hopes (Love Birds), Papertrey Ink (Everyday Classics)
Ink: Staz-On, Studio G (Blue - inked image/sentiment edges)
Cardstock: DCWV (Summer)
Patterned Paper: DCWV (Summer)
Accessories: Prima flowers, brads, Nestabilities, Prismacolor pencils, blending stumps, odorless mineral spirits, Versamarker, heat gun, clear embossing powder

Spring has arrived!

Happy 1st day of Spring everyone! I love Spring. It's my favorite season - all of its new life and beauty. Unfortunately, the weather today isn't very Spring-like. It's in the low 50s and the wind is blowing. Did you guys check out Papertrey Ink's new release this past Sunday? Wow - as I always say when I see the new goodies! I loved each new stamp set and the new perfect match color? A gorgeous Hibiscus pink! I hope my order comes tomorrow. I want to play this weekend. I got the new Wishing You and Mother sets. Guidelines Two and Life sold out incredibly quick. And on to a completely different subject - who else is excited for the TWILIGHT DVD release! Woo hoo! I can't wait. I won't make it to a midnight release party, but I hope to get to Target tomorrow before they sell out. Anyway, on to the card I have to share. It is the complete opposite of Spring. Now I ask - who's ready for Christmas? Or should I say Chrismoose? I kid. I kid.
I used a sketch for this card and for the life of me can't remember which challenge it was for. I made the card almost 2 weeks ago. That's how long since I've made anything actually. Maybe with some warmer weather I'll get in the mood to sit down and create. I'm trying to clean up and better organize my space. I have some stamps I want to sell so I need to sit down and make a list and take pictures of it all. Ok - back to the card..

The stamp, titled Merry Chrismoose, is from Stampendous. I heat embossed it and then colored it with my Prismacolor pencils and odorless mineral spirits. Added some Diamond Stickles to the snow and tassles of his scarf. I finally broke out my K&Company Peppermint Twist stack. I thought the ornament design was fitting for the image. The red/pink paper is the other side. I dry embossed the blue cardstock with the Cuttlebug folder - Snowflakes. The Poinsetta flower and leaf are from Prima and I used alcohol-ink dyed Skittles/Dew Drops as another embellishment.

Hopefully I'll have something to share within the next few days. I think the new PTI sets will give me some inspiration. I need to work on my Mother's Day card and both sets will work perfect. I hope you all have a beautiful weekend. Ciao! :)

Easter Eggs

Happy Tuesday! We had a beautiful weekend here in VA. The weather was in the high 70s. Today is a little cooler with an expected high of 61 and it's supposed to keep decreasing with each day till we get to the 40s for the weekend. I'm so ready for Spring.
I go back and forth with this card. I like it and then I don't. I didn't follow any sketch or challenge; just winged it as I went. The four egg stamps are from a package of Studio G. I believe Series 29, but I'm not 100% sure. I got them at ACMoore. The cardstock and patterend paper are both from DCWV 2008 Spring line. The flowers are Primas and the brads came with an order from My Favorite Things. And of course, my go-to embellishment - dew drops/skittles.
Any suggestions for a place to buy pre-scored 5.5 inch squared or 6 inch suqared cards, preferably in white? I have looked at my M's, J's, and ACM, but other than scalloped edged card blanks, I've had no luck. Thanks in advance. And with that, I'm off. Have a great day! :)

Warm & Cozy

Happy Hump Day! I hope you all are warm and cozy, especially if you're on the east coast. We were in the path of the big snow storm. We only get a decent accumulation if it comes from the south. The mountains always seem to block it coming from the west. We got around 3.5 inches. It sure was pretty coming down. Schools were closed for two days. The card I have to share today, believe it or not, follows five challenges. Yup, five! That's definitely a record for me.


The layout of the card was inspired by Taylored Expressions' Cupcake Challenge #57 sketch. The dry embossing completed Janette's RP Challenge SNSEC22709 and the use of nestabilities worked with Flourishes Newsletter's Timeless Tuesday challenge FTTC5. Since I used Prismacolor pencils and odorless mineral spirits to color my image, stampTV's challenge STVTC3 was completed as well. And finally - the theme of the card. Stamp Something's challenge this week was to make something that reminded us of the cold, winter wind and I think this stamp does just that! Woo - that's a lot, but somehow they all worked. I'm happy with the end result.

This sweet little bird as well as the cute sentiment is from a Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps set titled Cozy Feathered Friends. It's an adorable set and is perfect for the winter season. All of the patterned paper is from DCWV's 2008 Christmas stack. It may be hard to tell from the picture but the blue, embossed paper is from the stack. It has faint snowflakes as a background. It was embossed using my Cuttlebug and their Snowflakes folder. The flowers are from Prima and blue skittles/dew drops were also used as an embellisment. I used Stickles on the birds scarf and stocking cap, which didn't photograph well, and also in the center of the flowers under the skittle/dew drop. I believe that all takes care of the card's recipe and I will end this post with that. Ciao!

Hoo Loves You?

I didn't mean to go this long without posting. It seems every time I sit down to create, everything would go wrong. I swore that this card would be the death of me. I used the High Hopes Challenge #17 sketch for inspiration. It's a simple card, but I think I had to do everything two or three times. I had to take a about three 1 day breaks and just step away. Finally, I got the front looking decent so I began to work on the inside. Well that became a whole other problem. I just couldn't get it to look right. So finally I took the whole card front off and started over with another card blank. The card pictured below is the original. My camera's batteries had died so I didn't get a chance to take a picture of the completed one. Safe to say, after much frustration, I'm overall happy with it. But oy, was it a pain in the making!

The image and sentiment are from H&M Stamps set titled My Favorite Valentine. I colored the image with Prismacolor pencils and inked the edges of the sentiment with Studio G ink. The printed paper is from DCWV's Spring Stack last year. The red cardstock is also from DCWV. I embossed the pink cardstock with the Heart Blocks Cuttlebug embossing folder and then used the Martha Stewart Mini Hearts edge punch on both the top and bottom. Embellishments include Prima flowers, American Crafts ribbon, Stickles, and a Skittle.

I think I'm going to just take a little break from creating, at least till this weekend. Just step away and take a breather. I tried to attempt another card a few days ago and was having the same issues. Nothing going right. I finally just gave up. I need to clean and organize my space anyways. I ordered the February POTM stamps from High Hopes so I look forward to getting those. I don't have any other Easter stamps besides Studio G. It's such a great deal too. I love their adorable images. They just recently released over 70 new stamps so check them out!

I received my first blog award last week from the talented Tammy over at ~Tammy's Place~. Thank you so much! I have it proudly displayed on my sidebar below. Also - be sure to check out all of the fab blog candy that is up for grabs on my sidebars. Lots of fantastic goodies to be won! :) And with that, I will end today's post. I hope you all have a wonderful week. =)

Make A Wish!

This weekend is just about over. It sure flew by. I watched In Bruges, with Colin Farrell, earlier today. Yes - I'm a movie nut. It was good. The ending was pretty surprising. I'd recommend it. I may watch American Gangstar later on. I would like to get them both back in the mail tomorrow. I didn't get a chance to work on anything this weekend as I, once again, ran out of adhesive. I finally caved in and ordered the ATG-50 and 12 rolls of tape. It's expected to arrive tomorrow. Ok, on to what this post was intended for. ;)

I made this card last week for My Favorite Things' sketch challenge MFTSC66. All of the stamps used, both the image and sentiments, are from My Favorite Things' You Take The Cake set. They are were stamped using Brillance black ink and were then heat embossed. I used the Magic Color Pencil Technique once again with my Prismas, OMS, & blending stumps. I would love to try Copics, but they're just not in my budget right now. The gorgeous pattern paper, both outside and in, are from K&Company's Berry Sweet line. I finished it all off with some skittles, Primas, and Stickles as my embellishments.


I'm sitting here watching the Grammy's. Coldplay's performance rocked. They are my all-time favorite band. I've been a fan since Parachutes. They also just won for Song of the Year. Yeah! Well, I think I will bid farewell here. I hope you all have a wonderful week. Hopefully I'll have another post within the next few days. 'Til next time..

Snail & Fluffles - Sketch #37

Good day all. Hope you all are staying warm. It's blowing flurries outside right now. and the highs for the next two days are expected to be low-30s. Brr! Then by Friday the temperatures are supposed to get up to the high 50s. Crazy.
I have a card to share with you all. I used Friday Sketcher's Sketch #37 for my inspiration. It's always helpful for me to have a sketch to work with.

I already had my image, colors, and DP picked out, but just wasn't sure how to put it all together. I thought Sketch #37 really worked well. I had saw a tutorial on heat embossing a few months ago and was intrigued. I know - I'm behind. I had a 50% off coupon for Michael's burning a whole in my wallet so I used it on a heat gun. I love this technique. The stamp I used is called Snail Fluffles. I stamped the image with Brilliance ink and used my Prismacolor pencils, blending stumps, and odorless mineral spirits to color it. The blue cardstock is from DCWV. The DP is from Making Memories's Chloe's Closet collection. I love this stack. The ribbon is from American Crafts. I used Stickles for the center of the flowers and the snail's shell.

Well that's all for me today. I got Brideshead Revisited in the mail today from Netflix so I think I'll pop that in this evening. Ciao!

"Hello Present' - Challenge #33

Happy Saturday! I hope everyone's weekend is going well. It's a dreary and cold day here in Virginia today. I've spent most of today just browsing blogs and watching The Waltons. I have another card to share. I finished this one last night. I used A Spoon Full of Sugar's Challenge #33 sketch for inspiration. The sketch was designed by Nikki. She's extremely talented and I make sure to visit her blog daily. I only wish my coloring was half as good as hers.

I love these little Hedgehogs. Aren't they just the cutest? The stamp is called "Hello Present" and is from Penny Black. The DP is from Making Memories. and cardstock is DCWV. Accessories include Primas, Stickles, and skittles. The image was colored with Prismas, blending stumps and odorless mineral spirits. I want to try water-coloring sometime. I have the SU! markers and watercolor pencils on my ever-growing wishlist.

Anyway, the Ravens @ Titans playoff game is starting so with that I'll bid you all a wonderful evening. Adios!

"Watermelon Bee" SNSSC1209

Happy New Year! Hope everyone is having a great 2009 so far. I began the year with a few stamping/paper-crafting goals and so far I'm failing miserably. One was to buy less and use more. How can one accomplish this with Michael's having a 50% off paper sale? If only they would put out the Martha Stewart and K&Co. Valentine's items. I also had to take advantage of the amazing sale H&M stamps had on the 6th & 7th. They had all of their stamp sets marked $5.00 (or maybe 6) or less. Fantastic deal, right? Who could pass that up? I picked up the adorable My Favorite Valentine set. I can't wait to get it. I really don't have any V-Day style stamps. There have been so many incredibly new releases this past week or so. It's so hard to resist. Another goal was to blog more - at least 3 times a week. Not doing so well with that one either so far.

Anyway, I do have a card to share. I followed Sweet N Sassy Stamps weekly sketch (SNSSC1209) for this one and I'm pretty happy with the finished product. I love this stamp. It's from Stampendous' "Bee Happy Collection" and is called Watermelon Bee. I colored the image using my Prismacolor pencils, odorless mineral spirits, and blending stumps then I cut and layered it with Nestabilities. The printed paper is from DCWV's Summer Stack. I thought it was perfect for this image. I'm not sure what brand the green and deep red cardstock is. I used two of my Christmas presents on this one as well - the Cuttlebug & Scor-Pal. I love them both! I don't know how I paper-crafted without them before. For accessories, I added some Primas and skittles. For the salt, wings, and antennas I added some sparkle with Stickles.

Before I go, I want to mention some blog candy! Michelle over at Stamps, Paper, Scissors, and Donkey Smiles is giving away a great assortment of goodies perfect for any Valentine's Day crafting. So head on over and check out her awesome blog for your chance to win. You have until January 15th. Also, Lim at The Voices in my Head... Lim's blog is sharing some fantastic candy as well. Wow, how kind is she?! I just adore those cute Hanglars. I wish they were available for purchase here in the U.S. So hop on over to her blog to find out how to win, you have until the 24th.

Well, that is it for me today. I hope to spend a lot of time working on some cards tomorrow. There are a few other challenges I want to try before the week is out. Take care everyone!

Hedgehog in Poppy Field

A Scarecrow Thanksgiving

Stamps: Peachy Keen (Happy Scarecrow), Studio G (Series 18)
Ink: Staz-On (Jet Black)
Paper: DCWV, K&Company, Georgia Pacific
Accessories: Prima Flowers, Skittles, Stickles
Technique: Magic Color Pencil Technique aka: Gamsol Magic

A Witchy Trick or Treat

Stamps: Studio G (wood-mounted & Series 18)
Ink: Staz-On Jet Black
Technique: MCPT aka: Gamsol Magic
Paper: K&Company, Georgia Pacific
Embellishments: Primas, Skittles, Stickles

"Fall Is In The Air" - Scarecrow

Stamps: Peachy Keen (Happy Scarecrow), Studio G (Series 18)
Ink: Staz-On (Jet Black)
Technique: MCPT aka: Gamsol Magic
Paper: DCWV, K&Company, Georgia Pacific
Embellishments: Skittles, Stickles, Primas

'Friend' Garden Gossip

Stamps: Penny Black ("Garden Gossip"), Studio G (Series 16/19)
Ink: Staz-On (Jet Black)
Technique: MCPT aka: Gamsol Magic
Paper: DCWV, Provo Craft, Georgia Pacific
Embellishments: Primas, Skittles, Stickles

A Hedgie Thank You

Trick or Treat - House Mouse

Happy Holidays! Christmas Mice

Stamps: Inkadinkado (Mice) & Studio G (Oh What Fun, Snowflakes)
Ink: Staz-On Jet Black
Paper: DCWV, Provo Craft, & Georgia Pacific
Technique: MCPT aka: Gamsol Magic
Embellishments: Stickles

"Hobble & Cuddle" Penny Black Hedgie

Stamp: Penny Black ("Hobble & Cuddle") and Studio G
Paper: DCWV (Printed), Provo Craft (Orange CS), Georgia Pacific (White CS inside)
Technique: Magic Color Pencil Technique aka: Gamsol Magic
Embellishments: Stickles, Skittles, Prima Flowers