Thursday, December 31, 2009

Happy New Year

Just a quick post to wish you all the best of everything in the New Year.
At the moment my laptop is refusing to operate so it may be a little while before I can get some cards posted. I'm hoping it's fixable otherwise I'll be figuring out how to get more computer time on everyone else's computers and how to get my photos onto those same computers.
Oh well, it's always something and my philosophy is to be grateful I have all these options instead of bemoaning the loss of possessions.
So with the little time I have I would like to go visit some of my favorite places to visit.
Again - Happy New Year, Good Health, then wealth to you and all of yours.
PS - Click on the pink ribbon, good health an' all.

Monday, December 14, 2009

A Lotta Snow Challenges


I haven't had the time to participate in many challenges the last couple weeks and probably won't have the time for many this week either. Like everyone else I have a ton of things to get done for the holidays. One of the things I wanted to do was make a card for my buddy Phyllis. She is a jewelry maker and has a great appreciation for handcrafted goods so I know she'll enjoy getting this card.
I didn't have a lot of ideas when I sat down to make the card, just that I would use the stamp set "Shine Bright" from the Cat's Pajamas and the dp from Close to My Heart "Aspen". With not much else to work with I decided to see if there were any challenges that I could work on. Since I could work winter and snow into the card I hit the motherload. Here's all the challenges that I found:
1.) The Cat's Pajamas, TCPTUES88 "Let's Make a Wintry Card"
2.) The Sweetest Thing, Sweet Sunday Sketch #48
3.) Crazy for Challenges, C4C15 Theme Snowmen and/or Snowflakes
4.) Allsorts Challenge 31, "Pearls and Swirls"
5.) Our Creative Corner, the holidays are here create a card or project with a holiday theme, Christmas or Hannukah (how many spellings are there for this holiday?)
6.) Stamp Something, theme Winter Wonderland
7.) Paper Cutz Challenge #21, make something using a snowman or snowflake
8.) If the Shoe Fits, Fashionista Friday #14, Let It Snow
The paper I chose has snowflakes on it but because it's tan they are hard to see. I used a gelly roll pen to highlight the snowflakes and draw some swirls but it's very difficult to see in the picture. The silver snowflakes are a ribbon and the tan ones are the scraps from the EK Success border punch used on the DCWV cs. The tiny blue pearls in the centers of the snowflakes are from Recollections. The image and sentiment were stamped with SU Bordering Blue and embossed with SU clear powder.
Thanks for stopping by during this very busy season.

Monday, December 7, 2009

The New MFT Challenge


What do we do now that the "So You Think You Can Stamp" Challenges are over? Kim, the fabulous owner of My Favorite Things came up with the Wednesday Stamp Club. Kim said her idea would do three things: 1) Give us a reason to hang out and stamp together. 2) Create something beautiful, useful and (sometimes) outside of the A2 sized box. 3) Help us Learn. Grow. Know. with MFT!

Since stamping is my favorite thing to do and chatting with the MFT junkies in the SCS forum is so great fun - so I'm in. The next best thing about Wednesday Stamp Club is that there will be a weekly challenge. This week Kim posted a inspiration challenge with two of her own creations. If you click here you can read Kim's post and see one of her creations and get a link to the other.


For the challenge I was inspired to make a gift. I melted down some chocolate pieces and poured it into some old Jello Jiggler cutters I've had hanging around. I also picked up some new cookie cutters to make some more. I think it will be really cute to give these with some play dough, so that when the candy is eaten the kid who gets it will have something to do with the cookie cutters. I used a bag I've had on hand but now MFT is selling bags with gusseted bottoms which will work much better for this project. I just wanted to use up some of what I have on hand first.

Here's the deets: for the tag, MFT Pure Innocence "Snow Day" was stamped in Memento Tuxedo Black on an MFT Perfect Panel, colored with copics and her hat and coat were paper pieced with Imaginisce "Polar Expressions, Twinkle Toes" dp. Her eyes, the heart on her coat and her hat's pompoms are stickles. The snow has been frosted with Glitzy Glitter from the The Cat's Pajamas. The gold ribbon is from MFT. The border punches are EK Success "Snowflake", Martha Stewart Lattice, and Fiskar's "Give It A Swirl". The tag holder punch is from SU. I have no idea where that miniature gingerbread cookie cutter comes from, I got it with a bunch of stuff from E-Bay many years ago and I have lots more of them.
Thanks for stopping by and please click on the pink ribbon before you leave.

Wednesday, December 2, 2009

Stop Here for the MFT Blog Hop



Can you see me jumping up and down with excitement, flagging you down to stop here for the MFT Blog Hop. Let me tell you that this is just the most fun I've had in years. Thank you Kim, for asking me to be a Guest Designer for December. This is the best Christmas present ever.
If you got here from Christina's blog you're in the right place. If you just happened upon my post then you should go to Kim's Blog to start the hop and follow the links to every stop. There's blog candy hidden somewhere along the hop. All you have to do to win it is leave a comment on the blog where it's hidden, so leave a comment at each stop, that way you're sure to be in the drawing. The winner will be receive a $1o gift voucher for My Favorite Things.

I forgot to post this card made with the "Love Machine" stamp set, so I'm sharing that with you now. The cute Cosmo Cricket "Cogsmo Mr. Roboto" double sided paper is so perfect for this card. He's stamped in Memento Tuxedo Black on a MFT Perfect Panel paper and he's colored with copics. The red mat is card stock from MFT. That little heart on his chest is a Hero Arts Pearl and there are Dew Drops in the corners. The layout is MFT sketch #73 (Cindy, Bonnie, Frances - are you taking note!?). There were 100 sketch challenges at My Favorite Things and you can find all the sketches HERE.



Hop, Hop, Hop. Here's my Truffles Flopsey project. It was really simple to make. I found these Oreo cookie sticks at the store (no, not the dollar store this time) and thought they would be a good present for my darling daughter. She's dying to get her hands on them, she may have to fight me for them.


I used one full sheet of the Bubblegum card stock from MFT to make the box. Four cookie packages are a perfect fit to a box made out of the one sheet, no trimming it down, just a couple snips to make corner folds, and a little bit of red tape to hold it together, if you want directions leave me a comment and I'll measure it up and write something up for you.


Using a piece of Reminisce "Be Mine Hearts" paper I made a belly band to hold the box closed. The band has white card stock trim made with the Martha Stewart "Lacey Hearts" border punch. Then a Truffles Flopsey is popped up on the band with dimensionals. He was stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black and colored with copics. The oval and scalloped oval were punched with Spellbinder's Nestibilities. Remember this Flopsey piece because you can re-use him on my next project. After you open the box and eat the cookies you can pop him off the belly band and recycle him.


My last project is a cover for a tissue box. I saw these done up in Christmas paper and thought wow, that looks cool and I bet I can do something like that. I sat down with a ruler and a sheet of red MFT card stock and played around for awhile. I measured the top of the box (it was about 4-1/2") and added two inches for the drop. I made two of them, one for the top (cut an oval out of that) and one for the bottom. I measured the middle pieces and taped together two pieces to go around the box. For the top and bottom I used the SU scalloped eyelet punch on white card stock for trim and then ran ribbon around to cover the edge. In the front I put a bow to hang a decorative panel. I chose the Pure Innocence "Presents for You" stamp for this panel. She's stamped in Memento Tuxedo balck on an MFT Perfect Panel and colored with copics. The mat is MFT Bubblegun card stock. In this close up photo you can see that I pierced the oval twice so that some floss could be threaded through it. The floss is run through the bow on the box and tied on top of a heart button. You can use any color cardstock to go with any holiday or color scheme, you can use any stamp. You can use paper with a design or you can stamp on it to make your own design. The love machine would be adorable in a little boy's room, and you can recycle the Flopsey from the belly band and put it on the box. The possibities are limitless. And best of all, it's quick, easy and inexpensive to make and give as a gift.

I've kept you here long enough. I really don't want to let you go, I love having you visit, so stop by whenever you have time. Don't forget to leave some love before you go.



From here you are going to the uber talented Cindy Haffner's blog. She's always got something spectacular to show you.



Thanks everyone, especially Kim for making this happen, and all my MFT junkie friends for all your love and support. I love you all.

How'd They Get My Picture?


Welcome to the last day of sneak peeks of the December release from My Favorite Things stamps. Today's sneak peek is of the "Maid for WTG" stamp set. When I first saw this stamp I cracked up and had to call the hubster to see how we were pictured in the stamp. It may look like I'm drinking a glass of wine but that's Diet Pepsi. The only thing missing in this pic is the kitty kat climbing on my keyboard. Oh, and sadly this couple is a little (okay, a lot) younger and well maybe a little (give me a break already, a lot) thinner than we are but that is us. We are a modern couple, my husband does all sorts of housework and I don't. Works for me. You're probably more interested in the details of this card than my life style so let me fill you in on the deets: the image and the sentiment are stamped in Memento Tuxedo Black on an MFT Perfect Paper Panel and then colored with copics and paper pieced. The dp is from the MFT Spring Collection and the pink "Bubblegum" card stock is also from MFT. The punch is Martha Stewart "Lacey Hearts" and the bling between the hearts and in the corners if from Heidi Swapp. The big old brad in the middle of the flower is from Making Memories. The layout is MFT sketch #63, there's a master list of the first 100 MFT sketch challenges. That's a great resource and one of my "go to" spots. Frances Bryne and Cindy Haffner are the talent behind the sketches and I have to tip my markers to them for the work that went into them, and it's no secret that I am on a mission to finish the 100 sketches so guys, another one down. I should have finished them months ago, but sometimes I do stuff besides blogging and stamping, not often or much but sometimes.
To see more sneak peeks head on over to Kim's blog and at 11 AM she'll have links to all the blogs with a teaser posted.
I'm having so much fun I'm sad to see this come to an end. The good news is that tonight you will be able to purchase all of the great stamps you've been ogling for the last few days. It all starts with the release party on the MFT forum on Splitcoast Stampers. If you've never been to a release party you have got to go and be ready for the fun to fly at you fast and furiously. There will be lots of fun chat, posts of cards or projects created with the new stamps and prizes. Yes that's right prizes and MFT prizes are the best. Also, the winner of the December Guest Designer Challenge to get Krafty will be announced, you can view the gallery of entries by clicking here. There are some absolutely fabulous cards and projects there so the judges ,Kathy and Bar, have their work cut out for them. (Psst Kathy, Psst Bar - pick me, pick me, please, please, please). The party starts at 8:00 PM EST. The stamps will go live at 10:00 PM. If your a TLCer, and every self respecting MFT junkie is a TLC (or on the way to becoming one) then you can shop an hour earlier. If you're new to MFT shopping don't worry about all these letters, you just have to wait till 10 PM and with your first purchase you're on your way to becoming a junkie, just like me.
One of the other fun things that come with releases are blog hops. Because I am one of this month's guest designers this blog will be a stop along the hop, that's the most exciting thing that has ever happened in this blog. So go to release party and then head on over to Kim's blog for the hop.

Tuesday, December 1, 2009

Another Dollar Well Spent

Here's another sneakie peek for all you MFT junkies. This time I am showcasing another of the Pure Innocence stamps "Fairy Girl" as well as the much anticpated "Alpha Dots" set that was designed by my favorite stamp company owner, Kim, from My Favorite Things. Job well done Kim!

I swear I spend more than a buck on stuff, really, I really do. I just don't have any reason to show any of that stuff to you guys. So here's one of my recent favorite purchases from the $1 bin at the big old craft store. It's a recipe box and because it has strawberries on it, it's actually something I could use for my "berry special friend", Aguas, (all our gifts to each other are strawberry related) but I had something else in mind for this box.

I decided to make a new home for all my MFT Pure Innocence stamps. Since the lid is attached I especially liked that it was made with a nice paper that didn't need to be covered which made this a pretty simple project. Just a few simple measurements, cut and fold, lay down some red tape and voila, the bottom portion of the box is transformed.


The paper was picked for two reasons. I was looking for something that went with the stripes on top and something that could also be used for paper piecing PI's dress. The other side of this paper, "Twitterpated" by Imaginisce has a cute little mushroom pattern which would work well with the "Fairly Girl" stamp.

So here's the rest of the deets. PI is stamped in Memento Tuxedo Black, the dress is paper pieced and colored with copics, the wings, dots on the mushrooms, hearts and pompoms on the shoes are highlighted with stickles. Abig 'ole bling which is no longer identifiable was used for the wand. The name was stamped with VersaMagic "Aloe Vera" and the edge of the oval was inked with it. The image is popped up on dimensionals. Because the name is so long it was necessary to overlap the letters. It's matted with some green cs and popped up on dimensionals. I have plans to make another box like this for a little girl for a Christmas present and since her name will fit the letters will be punched and then mounted on the lid. For the Christmas present I am going to use the polar bear from the "Cool Yule" set and I found some adorable Arctic animals to put inside it. Oh, and by the way, the Arctic animals cost more than a buck.

This sort of box could be used for a gift for anyone, there are so many things that will fit inside it.

For some more inspiration and sneak peeks visit Kim's blog. At 11 AM she'll post the links to all the people who have something to show you.

Pure Innocence Heart Stripes



I had a little time on my hands tonight and wanted to enter a few challenges and use another of the new Pure Innocence stamps that were sneaked this morning. This one is "Heart Stripes". Cutey, isn't she? Well you can pick her up on Wednesday night when My Favorite Things has its December release.

I love every single stamp set that is in this release and am so glad that I was asked to be a guest DT. I have been having so much fun using them. If you want to see some more examples of the sets being released head on over to Kim's blog. At 11 AM each morning she's posting links to all the sneaks being made that day.

The first challenge I wanted to do was the Color Throwdown #70. I wanted to do it because for me it was a real challenge to combine Dusty Durango, Elegant Eggplant and Old Olive. This is not a combo I would ever come up with on my own so I got to stretch and grow a little and actually liked the way it turned out. I used the Sweet Sunday sketch #46, now that was much easier to do than combining the colors. The last challenge is the Crazy for Challenges week 13 challenge to Get Punchy, for that I used the Martha Stewart Lacey Heart border punch on the olive cs.

Here are the rest of the deets: The card's base is SU Dusty Durango, the dp is from Imaginisce.

The image (oh cute is she?) is stamped in Memento Tuxedo Black and colored with copics (stripes are olive and purple in case you can't tell), there are stickle highlights on her buttons and barette and hearts on the pockets. Her jumper is paper pieced with a scrap of SU Kiwi Kiss paper. The corners are orange Candy Dots. I took the ribbon from my stash as well as the heart button it on the bow.

Thank you all for stopping and looking. Don't forget to visit Kim's blog to get links to all the other sneak peeks.
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