Sunday, May 31, 2009

Elegant Warm Wishes

I caught this week's CAS challenge on Splitcoast earlier this evening and since my hubby went to a movie, I thought I'd give it a whirl. :) It feels good to get a head start on my week.

This week's challenge is to choose a beach towel or tote from Lands' End for inspiration. I chose this towel, which is called Lime Green Stripe Hibiscus. I loved all those different shades of green! It reminded of my cruise to the Bahamas MANY years ago.

I chose to use my Beautiful Borders stamp set, and used my Garden Green, Glorious Green and Taken with Teal markers to color the image. After stamping it onto my Whisper White card, I added a little paper piercing, some gorgeous White Organza ribbon, and a few half-back pearls from the Pretties Kit. I think this would be a lovely card for a summer wedding! I really like the simplicity of this card and had lots of fun with the challenge.

I had a great time stamping yesterday afternoon with my Creative Consortium friends. I've been working on some flip books for my kids, but have yet to complete one. Once I have one done, I'll be sure to share. Have a great Monday!

Stamps: Beautiful Borders
Paper: Whisper White
Ink: Garden Green, Glorious Green, Taken with Teal markers
Accessories: Mat Pack, paper piercer, White Organza ribbon, Pretties Kit

Saturday, May 30, 2009

Blog Candy Winner

Thanks again to everyone who stopped by yesterday. You all are so nice! I truly appreciate all of your kind comments. And on to our winner...


Comment #7 was left by momsforest! Congratulations! Please e-mail me with your full name and address and I will send off your new goodies next week.

I hope you all have a fabulous weekend. We are putting together a swing set for the kids today and tomorrow I will get to stamp the afternoon away with my Creative Consortium friends. Can't wait! I'm sure I will have some fun, new creations to share with you next week. See you then! :)

Friday, May 29, 2009

A Little Bit O' Mojo + Blog Candy!

It's been a LONG time since I've played along with the Mojo Monday madness, and I decided that I needed to play along this week. You can view the original Mojo Monday sketch here. My card is perfect for Friday, don't you think? :)
Sometimes I do these Mojo sketches and I just get overwhelmed, but I am really happy with how this turned out. I like the retro feel to this card, thanks to the Kiwi Kiss designer paper. I wish I had a stamp that said something like, "Shaken, not stirred." :) I think this would also make a fun "girls' night out" invite. I don't think I've ever even had a martini, but love this card all the same!

Today is my final blog candy give-away for my blogoversary, which I've been celebrating all month long. I have had so much fun with this and I have absolutely LOVED reading all of your comments. Today you have a chance to win the Make it Count stamp set (10 stamps!) and a spool of Certainly Celery poly-twill ribbon. Wahoo!

Just leave me a little comment on this post and I will draw one random winner using Random.org at 8 a.m. on Saturday morning (I'm REALLY hoping I get a chance to sleep in!). Remember - if you leave an "anonymous" post, please leave your first name and last initial somewhere in your comment. I love hearing from you all and wish you luck!

Stamps: Cheers to You, Fundamental Phrases
Paper: Whisper White, Basic Black, Kiwi Kiss textured cs, Kiwi Kiss dsp
Ink: Black Staz-On, Real Red marker, Old Olive marker
Accessories: 1 3/4" circle punch, Coluzzle, 1/4" circle punch, Real Red brads, Basic Black grosgrain ribbon

Thursday, May 28, 2009

Living life...at the beach.

I decided to tackle two challenges with this card. The layout comes from Karen Giron's Sweet Sunday Sketch #19 and the color combo is this week's color challenge on Splitcoast: Bashful Blue, So Saffron and Pumpkin Pie.

This is such a fun color combination for "summery" cards. I am so glad that I have some of my Washington Apple dsp left, because it fits perfectly with the color challenge. I also wanted to do something with those super cute flip-flops (I can never bring myself to call them thongs - hee hee) from Holiday Blitz, and I thought they would fit well with this week's Sweet Sunday Sketch. All in all, a pretty quick card to put together!

OK, so tomorrow is the LAST blog candy giveaway! Can you believe it? I'll be posting a project and a picture of the goodies that will be going home to one lucky winner. Be sure to stop by tomorrow and leave me a comment for a chance to win!

Stamps: Holiday Blitz, Full of Life, Polka Dot
Paper: So Saffron, Pumpkin Pie, Whisper White, Washington Apple dsp
Ink: So Saffron, Pumpkin Pie, Bashful Blue
Accessories: So Saffron striped grosgrain ribbon, Pumpkin Pie grosgrain ribbon

Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Simple Thanks

Just a quick little post today... I wanted to make a card using the Fall to Layout #43 from Clean & Simple Stamping. I really liked the look of the layout and it's a little different from my usual style.
There are so many possibilities with this layout and it's a great way to use up some scraps. I feel so green! :)

Stamps: Best Wishes & More, Thank You Kindly
Paper: Sahara Sand, Whisper White, To the Nines dsp
Ink: Chocolate Chip
Accessories: Mat Pack, paper piercer, Clips Assortment, Metal Edge Tags, Sage Shadow grosgrain ribbon

Monday, May 25, 2009

A Tri-Shutter Birthday Card

Happy Memorial Day!

I made this card for my honey's birthday, which was last Saturday. We don't usually exchange gifts, so I like to go all out for his birthday cards. I saw this card as part of last week's Try a New Technique Challenge on Splitcoast. These tri-shutter cards look really complicated, so I was a little nervous to try it, but they are deceptively easy to make. You can view a tutorial by Bonnie Szwalkiewicz here.

Here is a top view of the card. I love how all those panels fold in and out.

I got to use my Score-Pal on this project and it came in very handy. I received one for my birthday from my wonderful stamping friends in the Creative Consortium, but haven't used it much. I was glad that I could put it to good use!

I used my Big, Bold Birthday stamp set and cut out each of the pieces of the cupcake and the candles, mounting them on the mid-left inner panel. I added a couple of stars, which I double punched with the Star punch and the Large Star punch. A little tip - first, punch out the small star out of your piece of scrap and then punch the larger star, creating a frame. Much easier than trying to do it the other way around! I sponged a little bit of Kiwi Kiss ink around the edges of the stars, giving them a little more dimension.

I stamped the sentiment repeated in Pacific Point ink, using my Stamp-A-Ma-Jig for perfect placement. I finished the card off with some Kiwi Kiss striped grosgrain ribbon and Jumbo Eyelets. I absolutely love the finished product, and Davin really liked it, too! :)

Stamps: Big, Bold Birthday
Paper: Kiwi Kiss textured cs, Very Vanilla, Muirfield dsp
Ink: Pacific Point, Kiwi Kiss
Accessories: Score-Pal, 3/4" circle punch, Jumbo Eyelets, Crop-A-Dile, Kiwi Kiss striped grosgrain ribbon

Saturday, May 23, 2009

Winner from Week 4

And the winner is...

...Natalie!

Congratulations, Natalie! E-mail me with your full name and address and I will get your goodies shipped off to you next week.

Thanks again to all of you who played along yesterday. I hope you have a wonderful weekend! One more give-away coming next Friday, so don't forget to stop by.

Friday, May 22, 2009

May Blog Candy - Week 4

Happy Friday! Ready for another give-away? This week I will be sending one lucky winner this Punches Three stamp set and SU! note paper holder decorated with the lovely Raspberry Tart dsp.

OK, so you know the drill by now. Leave a comment for me on this post and I will choose a winner using Random.org on Saturday morning at 7 a.m. Good luck! :)

Have a safe and happy Memorial Day weekend!

Thursday, May 21, 2009

Pretty Lil' Boxes

I love the Matchbox die - I just do! There are so many fun things to make with it and I wish that I had more time to play around with it.
The weather has been beautiful the last couple of days and I've been spending every free moment outside working in the garden and playing with my kids. I did get a chance to put these little treat boxes together for my friends in a local MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) group. We had our end of the year celebration on Tuesday night and I brought these along to share. I got the idea for these lil' cuties from Shelli's blog. Shelli's boxes were much more elegant, but I was working under a time crunch, so I kept mine pretty simple. I also had a chance to use up some of my Delicate Dots dsp from Sale-A-Bration.

Well, there are two more give-aways left for my blogoversary celebration. Tomorrow I will have a picture for you of the goodies I am giving away, but I'm going to keep it a secret until then...hee hee. :) Stop by tomorrow and leave a comment for a chance to win some free goodies!

Monday, May 18, 2009

Black & White & One Bold Bright

What a fun (and challenging!) Clean & Simple challenge on SCS this week - Black & White & One Bold Bright! I found it challenging because there were so many possibilities. I wasn't sure where to start - with color choice or stamp set? I had several ideas and finally went with Real Red and the Cute & Curly stamp set.

This is one of my all-time favorite color combinations, and these were actually the colors of my wedding (almost 11 years ago!). I also decided to use my Top Note die to create the card base. I simply folded my Real Red card in half and placed the fold just under the perforated line at one end of the die. I then cut another Top Note out of Whisper White cs and trimmed along the perforated line. I felt like it needed just a bit of texture, so I ran the Whisper White cs through the Big Shot one more time, using one of the Stampin' Up! Background I Texturz Plates. The picture doesn't really pick up the depth of the texture, so trust me, it is really sweet. :) I finished the card off by using the Curly Label punch and the Trio Flower punch, and added some Real Red grosgrain ribbon with just a touch of gingham. This may be one of my favorite CAS cards to date!

Stamps: Cute & Curly
Paper: Real Red, Whisper White
Ink: Basic Black
Accessories: Top Note die, Big Shot, Stampin' Up! Background I Texturz Plates, Curly Label punch, Trio Flower punch, Vintage Brads, Real Red wide grosgrain ribbon, black and white gingham ribbon

Sweet Sunday Sketch #18

I can't believe that it's Monday and I actually have this week's Sweet Sunday Sketch completed already! That's right - I actually had a little time to stamp yesterday and I put this card together for this week's sketch.

This was a fun sketch to work with - I especially like the unique look of the diagonal layer. Always fun to try something different... I also wanted to try out my new Stars #2 die for the Big Shot. I used some of my Kiwi Kiss textured cardstock and some of my Hawaiian Papaya dsp stash. I think I'll send this to my nephew for his 7th birthday next month!

Stamps: On Your Birthday
Paper: Kiwi Kiss, Chocolate Chip, Whisper White, Hawaiian Papaya dsp (retired)
Ink: Chocolate Chip
Accessories: Round Tab punch, Stars #2 die, Big Shot, Mat Pack, paper piercer, Slot punch, Chocolate Chip double-stitched grosgrain ribbon

Saturday, May 16, 2009

Winner for Week 3

Wow! What a turnout this week! Thank you for all of your kind comments - I love hearing from you and I appreciate your compliments more than you know. You made my day! :)

This week's winner is...

...Becky R.! Congratulations, Becky - e-mail me with your address and I'll send off your goodies next week. Stop by next Friday for another chance to win some freebies and have fabulous weekend!

Friday, May 15, 2009

May Blog Candy - Week 3


Welcome to Week 3 of my blogoversary give-away! I don't know about you, but I am SO glad it is Friday! As you can see, this week I am giving away the Live Like You Mean It stamp set and the Patterns Pack II 6x6 designer paper (colors include Regal Rose, Apricot Appeal, Brocade Blue, Basic Gray, and Garden Green, 60 sheets total).

To be eligible to win, all you have to do is leave me a little comment on this post and I will draw a random winner on Saturday morning at 7am. Be sure to leave your first name and last initial somewhere in your comment if you choose an "anonymous" identity and only one comment per person, please. :) Thanks for stopping by and good luck!

Thursday, May 14, 2009

Hoot, Hoot, Hooray!

Today's card was inspired by Fall to Layout #41 from the Clean & Simple Stamping blog. I love these little owls - aren't they too stinkin' cute? :) I think this would make an excellent masculine birthday card.

I decided to do something fun on the inside of the card, too. Makes it even more special! It was actually pretty easy to stack up the owls. I just eye-balled it, no SAMJ required.


So, are you wondering what tomorrow's giveaway will be? The winner of tomorrow's blog candy giveaway will receive the Live Like You Mean It stamp set and the Patterns Pack II 6x6 designer paper (colors include Regal Rose, Apricot Appeal, Brocade Blue, Basic Gray, and Garden Green). Be sure to stop by and leave a comment and you'll have a chance to win!

Have a super Thursday!

Stamps: Owl Together Now
Paper: Close to Cocoa, Chocolate Chip, Kiwi Kiss, Whisper White
Ink: Black Staz-On, Really Rust, Close to Cocoa, Creamy Caramel, Kiwi Kiss
Accessories: 1" circle punch, 1 1/4" circle punch, 1 3/8" circle punch, Scallop Edge punch, Mat Pack, paper piercer, Chocolate Chip wide grosgrain ribbon

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Sweet Sunday Sketch #17

I didn't get a chance to play along with Karen's challenge last week, so I'm glad to be back in the game. :) You can view this week's sketch challenge here.

I've been home all day today with a sick kiddo, plus it's rainy and gloomy outside. Both of my children are napping and I'm enjoying the beauty of silence. It's all about the little things!

I decide to pull out my Wonderful You stamp set, which I haven't used in....hmmmm...not sure how long. I'm glad that I could ink it up and help my little stamps feel useful.

I'll be back tomorrow with another card and more info about Friday's blog candy giveaway. Have a great day!

Stamps: Wonderful You, Pocket Silhouettes
Paper: Sahara Sand, Very Vanilla, Chocolate Chip, To the Nines dsp
Ink: Sage Shadow, Chocolate Chip
Accessories: Mat Pack, paper piercer, Small Oval punch, 1/4" circle punch, Vintage Brads, Chocolate Chip wide grosgrain ribbon

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Rock-n-Roll Flowers

OK, this has to be fast because I have to get my kids ready for preschool - yikes! I made this card for 2 challenges, this week's CAS challenge, which is to use the "Rock-n-Roll" technique, and today's color challenge on Splitcoast - Only Orange, Summer Sun, and Kiwi Kiss. Love it! :)

Stamps: Best Wishes & More
Paper: Whisper White, Summer Sun, Kiwi Kiss
Ink: Summer Sun, Only Orange
Accessories: Mat Pack, paper piercer, Tangerine Tango striped grosgrain ribbon

Monday, May 11, 2009

Simply Beautiful


I know, I know, it's not a card, but it's still something pretty to brighten your Monday! I'm really happy with this picture - it's one that I took while out in the yard with my kids. Once I dumped the pics on the computer, I started looking through the pictures from the day and I just stopped and said, "Oh!" Isn't God's creation a beautiful thing?

I've been a little under the weather, so I haven't been too motivated to stamp. Monday means lots of fun new challenges from various web sites and blogs, so I'm hoping to have something new for you tomorrow. Have a great day! :)

Saturday, May 9, 2009

Winner from Week 2

The random number chosen this week is 10, and the 10th comment was left by Gerise!

Congratulations to Gerise and thanks to all of you for stopping by yesterday. Have a super weekend!

Friday, May 8, 2009

Goody Bag

Don't you love this little purse? It's actually a nugget box made with the Matchbox Die for the Big Shot disguised as a purse...and it has chocolate inside! Does it get any better than that? What a perfect little treat for Mother's Day. :)

I saw this purse on Amanda Coughlin's blog and knew I had to make one.
Here you can see the yummy treats inside!

I'd like to make one of these for my mom for Mother's Day, but she doesn't eat many sweets since she is diabetic. I think I'll make a little set of coordinating notecards to fit inside.

And don't forget, today is BLOG CANDY day! Leave a comment on this post to enter my drawing for this week. For more information about what I am giving away, click here. I will be choosing one winner at 6:30a.m. Saturday morning using Random. org. Good luck!

Stamps: None
Paper: Almost Amethyst, So Saffron, Tea Party dsp
Ink: Almost Amethyst
Accessories: Matchbox Die, Big Shot, 1/2" circle punch, Flower Designer Brads, silver brads, So Saffron striped grosgrain ribbon, Mat Pack, paper piercer, Hershey Nuggets

Thursday, May 7, 2009

Blog Candy - Week 2

Are you ready for my blog candy give-away tomorrow? These are the goodies I'll be giving away!

This week's winner will receive the Note of Thanks Mini Note Kit and a spool of So Saffron 5/8" grosgrain ribbon (10 yards). The mini note kit comes with 2 images (double mounted), a Chocolate Chip Classic Stampin' Spot and 4 Whisper White Gift Notes and Envelopes. You'll have everything you need to make a batch of cute lil' thank you notes!

Stop by tomorrow and leave me a comment (make sure your name and last initial are in the comment somewhere if you choose an "anonymous" identity) to be entered in the drawing. Only one comment per person, please. :) I'll be randomly choosing one winner on Saturday morning at 6:30a.m. using Random.org. Good luck! Oh, and you'll want to stop by anyway, since I have something super cute to share. See you tomorrow!

Wednesday, May 6, 2009

Clean and Simple Sketch

This this week's CAS challenge on Splitcoast is a sketch - yippee! There were so many possibilities with this sketch and I had several ideas. I had a hard time decided which idea to pick, so I may even make more than one card with this challenge. To see the original sketch, click here.

This came together pretty quickly - the hardest part was deciding which circle to put where in the pattern. I absolutely LOVE this To the Nines textured dsp - it is so classy and perfect for masculine cards.

Don't forget about my blog candy giveaway on Friday! Stop by and leave a comment for a chance to win some more stamping goodies. :)

Stamps
: Celebrate Everything
Paper: Chocolate Chip, Sahara Sand, To the Nines textured dsp
Ink: Chocolate Chip
Accessories: 1" circle punch, Star punch, Chocolate Chip Corduroy Buttons, hemp twine, Vintage Brads

Tuesday, May 5, 2009

...And Many Mower!

Isn't this a great birthday card for a guy? This was made using the set ...And Many Mower from the Occasions Mini, and is perfect for masculine birthday cards and Father's Day.

I love the blades of grass I made using my snips - too fun! My DH does all of the mowing in our family, and Saturday marked the maiden voyage of the riding mower for the 2009 season. My kids were SO excited - they get to take turns riding with Daddy and being his mowing helper. This is my son - can you see how tickled he is?


Stamps: ...And Many Mower, Itty Bitty Backgrounds
Paper: Sahara Sand, Real Red, Basic black, Whisper White, Old Olive
Ink: Black Staz-On, Real Red, Real Red marker, Sahara Sand marker
Accessories: black and white gingham ribbon

Monday, May 4, 2009

Treat Yourself!

We made this card at Saturday's Stamp-A-Stack - does it look familiar? I used the same layout on my Just Ducky card, which I posted last Friday.

I think this is a perfect "girly" birthday card, or for anyone who like cupcakes! I love adding glitter to the cupcake's frosting swirl. Looks good enough to eat!

Stamps: Wagon Full of Fun, Polka Dot
Paper: Regal Rose, Whisper White
Ink: Basic Black, Regal Rose, Pretty in Pink marker, So Saffron marker, Regal Rose marker
Accessories: Scallop Edge punch, Mat Pack, paper piercer, Pretty in Pink grosgrain ribbon

Saturday, May 2, 2009

Paper, Paper, Paper... Free Paper!

May in National Scrapbooking Month and Stampin' Up! has some special offers for you!

1. Paper Promotion: Buy ANY 3 packs of designer series paper or 12"x12" textured cardstock and get one pack FREE!

2. Jumble Alphabet Sneak Peek: Buy the brand-new Jumble Alphabet stamp set at 20 percent off!
115199 Jumble Alphabet stamp set
Regular Price: 43.95
Promotion Price:$35.16


3. Scrapbooking Starter Kit promotion: Start your own Stampin' Up! business for as little as $75!
The Scrapbooking Starter Kit contains the following:
Item Code Description Retail Value
113510 Schoolbook Serif Alphabet stamp set* $42.95
113059 Simply Scrappin' Petal Party $19.95
108697 Earth Elements Assorted textured card stock (12" x 12") $11.95
105240 Whisper White Craft Stampin' Pad $7.50
*Substitutable for any stamp set up to $43.95 value.

Please note: Each of the products listed above may be substituted for like items. Please see the Scrapbooking Starter Kit Order Form for details.The Scrapbooking Starter Kit also contains all the business supplies contained in the standard Starter Kit:
Getting Started DVD
Getting Started Guide
Guest Invitation Postcard (100)
Idea Book & Catalog (8)
Occasions Mini Catalog (8)
To My Hostess Envelope (10)
Recruit Folders (5)
Recruit Brochures (20)
Hostess Brochure (20)
Hostess Benefits Form (10)
Customer Order Form (50)

Other demo benefits: amazing discounts, downline meetings, seeing the new stuff first, access to demo-only projects on the Stampin' Up! website, just to name a few! Want to know more? Contact me!

You can even place your order on-line, anytime, at my demo website! Happy shopping! :)

And the winner is...



Comment #11 was left by Amy Hayes:
I love your card. I am a huge fan of the duck also and the wagon in that set. I still need to get that set. Thanks for the chance to win and happy blogoversary!

Congratulations, Amy! E-mail me (see link to the right) with your address and I'll get your items shipped off to you on Monday.

Thanks so much to everyone who stopped by yesterday! Be sure to stop by again next week on Friday for another giveaway. Have a great Saturday - I'm off to my Stamp-A-Stack. :)

Friday, May 1, 2009

Just Ducky

I love this cute little duck from the Wagon Full of Fun set! And this color combination (So Saffron and Tangerine Tango) just makes you happy, right?

This is a simple card, but there's a lot to say about the little details. Here you can see how I popped up the wing, to add a little dimension to the image.


Don't forget to leave a comment today for my blog candy give-away in honor of my blogoversary! I will draw one winner using Random.org tomorrow morning at 7am. The winner will receive a Congrats stamp set (from SAB 2009) and a pack of the Delicate Dots designer series paper. Good luck!

Stamps: Wagon Full of Fun
Paper: So Saffron, Whisper White, Tangerine Tango, Washington Apple dsp
Ink: Black Staz-On, So Saffron, Tangerine Tango
Accessories: Aqua Painter, 1/4" circle punch, silver brads, Tangerine Tango striped grosgrain ribbon, Mat Pack, paper piercer