CIC208 Stampotique

I hope this week's Cupcake Inspirations CIC208 photo doesn't make anyone go off their diets.   This cupcake looks like one you can find in any bakery or maybe even your local supermarket.  I'm just about ready to jump in my car and throw caution to the wind to get my hands on one of these.  Thankfully I'm already in my pajamas and I'm too lazy to get dressed just to get some cake. 

This week we're sponsored by Stampotique Originals.  I've long been a fan of this company.  They've got some of the most fun stamps around.  Before my last move I had a few Daniel Torrente stamps but now I cannot find them.   Hopefully, they'll turn up soon. 

For this card I choose to use "Nerd Cat" and the sentiment "Happy Unbirthday".  Since I used the colors for my inspiration this week I used pinks and browns for both the coloring of the image and for the papers.  But this image could be used for a masculine card too.  If you have a cat or your recipient has a cat you can color the cat accordingly and the glasses and shirt can be done in masculine colors or even paper pieced.  This sentiment is just plain old fun.  I love it.

You should visit the Cupcake Inspirations challenge blog to get some more inspiration and see what the other sweeties have made then get busy and make a card for our challenge.  Who knows?  Maybe you'll be the winner.




Here's the deets:
stamps - Stampotique "Nerd Cat" (4001) and "Happy Unbirthday" (3036)
ink - Memento "Tuxedo Black"
paper - My Favorite Things "Hot Fudge" card stock; Bazzill "Blossom" card stock; S.E.I. "Chocalat" assorted paper pack
miscellaneous - copics; ribbon; baker's twine; cat charm; Spellbinder's "Circle" and "Inverted Scalloped Circle" dies; bling; Stampin' Up border punch and "Modern Label" punch; Machine stitching

Here's the challenges:
Cupcake Inspirations CIC208 - photo
Sweet Stampin' - Anything  but Birthday
Sister Act #4 - Anything Goes
Crafty Ribbon #14 - Anything Goes with Ribbon
Simon Says - Anything Goes
Crafty Creations #214 - Pink plus one
Partytime Tuesday #117 Tic, Tac, Toe (ribbon, twine, die cuts)

Thanks for stopping by, come back again.

Heart Throb

A heartfelt thanks is the theme for Challenge #7 at Pile It On.   Our sponsor is Stampotique.  I chose to use Heart Throb for my card.  He reminds me of a boy that was in my grammar school, Jeffrey R.  I wonder what ever became of him... but I digress...
In case you can't tell the open scallop border is cut from felt.  I can't believe how perfect a match it is for the card stock.  That card stock is embossed with hearts, which don't show up very well either. 

don't forget the inside - more oppurtunity for ripping

A little ripping and tearing always warms my heart and looks good with the image.  Embellies down to a minimum to make it masculine and it's a done deal.


Here's the deets:
Stamp - Heart Throb #6057
ink - Memento "Tuxedo Black" and Ranger "Scattered Straw"
paper - Best Occasion cs for base and mat; Bazzill "earth tone' pack and "pinecone" cs; Provo Craft "Heritage Music Score" dp
miscellaneous - copics; felt; twine; heart embossing folder; MFT open scallop die-namic; brown bic pen

Here's the challenges:
Pile It On #7 - Heart Felt Thanks
Card Positioning System - 5th Anniversary Day 11 sketch
Totally Gorjuss #118 - Luvre!
Sugar Creek Hollow - Masculine Valentine
Fussy and Fancy #56- With All My Heart
Card Making Mamas #38 - Valentine
Paper Play week 6- Love Letters
2 Sister #78 - I Heart You
Allsorts #141 - Free and Easy February
CES #72 - Lots of Layers (3 or more)
Fabulous Friday- the word "Love" (this has got me singing the Beatles "the Word" from Rubber Soul)
Crafty Catz #119 - Valentine's
Crafty Ann #58 - Love is in the Air
the Color Throwdown #178 - Summer Sun, Early Espresso, Cajun Craze, Very Vanilla
Partytime Tuesday PTT#54 - Valentine
Tuesday Throwdown #84 - Be My Valentine
Crafting For All Seasons #20- Love is in the Air
Crafts and Me #68 - Use a New Image
Fab 'n' Funky  #107 - Love is in the Air
For Fun - Put a Little Love in Your Heart
Sisterhood of Crafters - Valentine's
Truly Scrumptious - #73 Love and Hearts
Simon Says - Love is in the Air
4 Crafty Chicks - Love is in the Air
Delightful - Love
Do You Stack Up #58 - Love
Papertake Weekly - Anything Goes with optional Heart/Love
Going Grey - Valentines

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you'll come back again and that you'll play along with us at Pile It On.  See you there.

Homecoming Dance

can you read the banner - it says "fall fling"

Do you swap?  If you're interested there's a forum on Splitcoast Stampers there's a forum for swaps.  This card is for Kate (celestial-stamper) annual Halloween swap.  This particular swap is closed, the cards are due any day now but Kate's usually got some swap going and there's usually a fun thread of yakking to follow with some fun trivia type quizzes. 

It was difficult to decide between a cutesy or a dark motif, and as you can see the dark side won out.  It's hard to see the dp on the card face since the image and embellies cover so much of it but in the pic of the inside you can see the graveyard easier. 

It struck me that these kiddies are all dressed up for a dance which put me in mind of a "fall fling".  So hopefully you're getting the idea that the graveyard is all tricked out for dance.



These kiddies (I think they're adorable, does that make me weird?) are Bowtie and Mink.  They're Daniel Torrence images.  When I colored them I used some pale greens, lavenders and grey on the face of Bowtie.  He doesn't strike me as the type to have a peaches and cream complexion.



 On the other hand Mink is partial to pink so there's just a very slight undertone of green which barely shows except on her eyelids where I used a darker shade because Mink thinks that the green eyeshadow really plays up her hair.  I think she's right

. 
Mink wore her best skirt for the dance.  It's purple, her second favorite color, which goes so well with her favorite pink.  The skirt has lots of bling on it, because the fall fling is a semi-formal dance.

The banners are dressed up with red stickles in the hopes of looking like blood and there's a spider hanging of the banner just because.  I couldn't resist adding the cockroach ribbon once again - just because.

don't forget the inside

Here's the deets:
stamps - Stampotique Daniel Torrence "Bowtie" and "Mink"; Taylored Expressions "Pennat a la Carte"; Crafty Secrets (spider web) "Halloween Fun"  unknown alphabet stamps for banner
ink - Memento "Tuxedo Black"; Studio G red, green and lavender for banner
paper - Recollections Neutrals card base; Bazzil "tangelo" cs; Moxxie "Midnight Dreary - Tomb It May Concern" dp
miscellaneous - copics, Taylored Expressions tiny twinkles and pennant die; twine, ribbon, stickles; stapler; EK Success "Graveyard" border punch

Here's the challenges:
Creatalicious #26 - Anything Goes
Really Reasonable Ribbon - #32 - Autumn theme (cockroach ribbon)
Catch the Bug - Let's Create a Scene
CES #5 - Embellish Me More (at least three different types)
Corrosive #133 - punches and/or dies
Sew Many #68 - Halloween
Fab 'N' Funky #90 - bingo (embellie, ribbon and die cut)

Reality TV

Do you watch reality TV shows? It's my dirty little secret that I watch Project Runway and America's Next Top Model regularly and sort of like them. I will watch a little bit of some of the other shows but I'm not a big fan of the Housewives or the Jersey Shore or Survivor. And as much as I like ANTM I would like it better if the models would just shut up. They annoy me. Most of them are not very bright and I cannot stand how ignorant they sound and I really can't stand how mean they are. On the other hand I love seeing the clothes they wear and the make up and different sets. It's the art of it I like. Which is probably why I like Project Runway. I admire the talent they have but when they start thrashing each other I don't like it.
On the other hand when you wander around the paper crafting blog world when you read comments they are always kind and positive. Don't we all appreciate the positive feedback. I know I do and I want you all to know that I appreciate it when you take the time to leave me a comment.
And there's something for everybody out there. How about these quirky images by Daniel Torrente. While they are not pretty and sweet in the conventional sense they are pretty and sweet in an offbeat quirky way. I love them, I wish I had a lot more space and money so that I could have all his designs. I'll settle for a couple for now. I think this one is "Prom Queen". She's totally chic with that head purse, I'd have used it. My daughter likes them too. So I'm going to give this card to her.
On Monday I made my visit to Haunted Design House blog to see what Barb was up to. Always something on the dark side there, but not totally grotesque. This week the Macabre Monday Challenge #031 is Perilous Princess which just begged for me to finally ink up this stamp. Then I saw a sheet of these little blingy Jolee tiaras for sale and picked them up to add to the princess look and doesn't she look fab in it. I had planned on using pink for her outfit and dirtying it up, cause I really think this gal's favorite color is pink, but of course she has to make it shabby to fit her style. I saw that the Scrapmaster's Paradise color challenge #40 this week were Chocolate Chip, Pretty in Pink and Really Rust so that worked out well for me, after I used my pink copic for her clothes I got out an orangey one for the rust and used it for highlighting. I found some rust colored flowers and smudged them up with Memento Rich Cocoa ink and sewed the pink button on it with twine. I had a piece of SU Pretty in Pink ribbon that was stitched together so I pulled it apart to get that thready ragged look and smudged some brown ink on that too. The image was stamped on white card stock but I spent about a half hour pouncing Ranger Frayed Burlap on it and then I switched to Spiced Marmalade and Peeled Paint.
I often think the pictures don't do the cards justice and that is the case with this card but I think you can get a good idea of what it looks like. Which makes me realize that you all probably have many of the same issues with your cards.
There's one more challenge I can use this in but it may be closed already. The Stamp Something Challenge this week is distressed something. So between all the pouncing and shredding of edges I think I got that covered.
What's amazing to me is that I haven't made anything Springy or Eastery this week yet, maybe tomorrow, cause there's so many challenges with that theme.
Thanks again for visiting, come back again. Your comments make my day.

The Wonder Years

Teenagers, can't live with them, can't kill them. They are the wonder years, not like that sweet little sit-com from years gone by. These are the years you wonder what the heck was I thinking when I thought I wanted kids. If you listen hard enough every morning as you step into the shower you can hear the sighs of hundreds of mothers who just realized they made it through another night. Then they think about how it was just a few years ago when they would have paid good money for the privledge of getting into the shower alone and now you have to pay good money to do anything with your teenager anywhere nearby. Mostly they'd be happy if they could go with your wallet and you stay home, but then who'd drive?

And yes I have a lot of nerve, if my mother were around to see this she'd be grinning from ear to ear, payback are a you know what. My mom got a run for it from me so I guess I deserve what I'm getting, still doesn't seem right. Why don't I have one of those golden girls who never get into trouble, never talk back or under their breath, like the clothes I pick, and are on the honor role. Hahahahahahaha.......that child is like the loch ness monster, the New Jersey Devil and other urban legends. I comfort myself by thinking that at least my child can think for herself. I hope I didn't hear you guffaw.

This card is all about Teenage Angst. That's the theme over at Haunted House Designs Macabre Monday Challenge #28. I haven't had a chance to play over there in ages but I stop by to check the goings on. I just cracked up when I read that challenge. This stamp is a Daniel Torrente image and I just love it, and all of his images. Hey, I never said I was tightly wrapped. I like the quirky stuff. I knew I'd be using this image for my card but when I saw the Cute Card Thursday Challenge 102 - Lucky Green I thought that would be perfect, I was going to give the young lady a greenish tint for her skin anyway, I think Barb did that too, Hmmm, what's the green skin thing about, I don't know why I wanted to do it, it just seemed like the right thing to do.

I chose the Basic Grey Origins dp for contrast, it's so sweet with those little flowers. the card stock is Wausau, they gave packages of it to attendees at the CKC in Valley Forge, it's nice paper but I've never seen it for sale anywhere. I distressed the edges and sponged them with Ranger Vintage Photo, Peeled Paint and Antique Green. The ribbon is from the My Favorite Things Halloween pack and matches the card stock beautifully, it didn't come smudgy, I used the Ranger Ink on it. The spider charm is by Tokens, the pin is from Close to My Heart and lastly, there are green Dew Drops .

As the school's secretary tells me "take a deep breath and repeat after me, children are a joy forever".

Thanks for visiting, I hope you' ll come back again.