Happy Birthday, Dad!!

Hello friends! I'd like to wish my Dad a Happy, Happy Birthday today! I wanted to make him a clean and simple card, so I started out with Mercy's Tuesday Sketch #58, which was perfect for what I had in mind. I used the Papertrey Ink set, Through the Trees. I embossed the tree scene with white detail embossing powder onto Kraft cardstock, then I added the 2 blue birdies. I added some silk ribbon and punched a border. I hope he likes it!

Normally I don't get long-winded on my posts, so feel free to skip this as I am rambling... I thought I'd share the funny story about this card (at least it's funny to me)... So, I made this card for my dad, then I typed up my blog post, added the links, etc. and decided to post it on his actual birthday (today). I left the card on my desk so that I would remember to photograph it. One morning I realize that I must mail the card today so it will get to him in time. So, I fluff up the bow one last time (am I the only one who does this? I think not) and put it in an envelope. After dropping the card in our outgoing mail slot (we have group mailboxes in our neighborhood instead of a mailbox in front of each house), I come inside and start going through my scheduled posts and wonder why this one is just saved as a draft and not scheduled. I take a look at it and... uh oh, there is no photo... no problem, right? I just need to add it from my computer... Then the light goes on... I never photographed it! I peek outside to the mailboxes (I can see them from my craft room) and contemplate trying to retrieve my card from the outgoing box. I decide against it -- hey, even though it isn't in a marked USPS mailbox, it's probably still illegal to take mail out of the box... even if it is yours. I can just see my SIL, Mary, cringing as she is reading this (she is a Postmaster in MN). Can you see the headlines, "Crazy woman arrested for retrieving card from mailbox so that she can photograph it for her blog!!" OK, maybe not headlines, but you get the idea. Being the obsessive (?) person that I am, instead I opted to just re-create it... And, as Sabrina is so fond of saying... THE END!

Thanks so much for stopping by today!

Supplies ~
Stamps: Through the Trees (Papertrey Ink)
Paper: Enchanted Evening, Kraft (Papertrey Ink)
Ink: Versamark watermark (Tsukineko), Enchanted Evening (Papertrey Ink)
Accessories: Pinking Scallop border punch (Martha Stewart), Round-it-All (Zutter), White embossing powder, Silk ribbon (Creative Impressions), Foam tape.

Birthday Wishes

Good morning! Happy Saturday!! My stash of birthdy cards is pretty low, and I am in need of several birthday cards (5 within a matter of 5 days!)... This card is for a dear sweet friend of mine who celebrates her birthday next week. I used Amber's final Viva La Verve sketch for January, VLVJanWeek4. I chose the trio of flowers as my inspiration photo.

I stamped the large flower from Verve's Love's Flower onto my Island Mist panel, sprinkled on some clear embossing powder and heat embossed them. The sentiment is from Wishing You. I rounded the corners to soften the edges of the card a bit and finished with some pearls, ribbon and stitching.

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Supplies ~
Stamps: Love's Flower, Wishing You (Verve)
Paper: Dark Chocolate, Vintage Cream (Papertrey Ink); Island Mist Medium (Prism), Organic by Jen Allyson (My Mind's Eye)
Ink: Dark Chocolate (Papertrey Ink), Versamagic Wheat (Tsukineko)
Accessories: Labels Five Nestabilities (Spellbinders), Swiss Dots embossing folder (Provo Craft), Scalloped Scallop border punch (EK Success), Round-it-All (Zutter), Clear embossing powder, Pearls (Kaisercraft), Ribbon, Foam tape, Thread, Sewing machine.

fabulous {just the way you are}

Good morning! Happy Friday! I'm still loving all the new Verve stamps from the latest release. I'm back with another Viva La Verve! At Home with Verve, January week 3. Below is the inspiration piece and Amber's fabulous sketch:



I loved the little squares lined up side by side, so I pulled out Accent Notes and stamped one of the cool flourish frames a couple of times, punched out squares and added a Prima rhinestone blossom in the middle of each. The sentiment is from Love's Flower.

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Supplies ~
Stamps: Accent Notes, Love's Flower (Verve)
Paper: Dark Chocolate, Spring Moss, Vintage Cream CS, Turning a New Leaf (all Papertrey Ink)
Ink: Dark Chocolate (Papertrey Ink), Versamagic Wheat (Tsukineko)
Accessories: Swiss Dots embossing folder (Provo Craft), Square punches (EK Success), Scalloped corner rounder (Marvy), Rhinestone blossoms (Prima), Twill ribbon, Foam tape.

Live, Love, Laugh

Hello friends! I hope you're having a great week! I have a little gift set to show you today.

First off, I used Lauren's My Time Made Easy template, In a Pinch, to create a little gift box. I made this for the JUGS17 template challenge. I used Kraft cardstock for my base and decorated the sides with paper from Carina Gardner's Affectionate digital paper collection by Design House Digital. It is loaded with fun Valentine's prints in pinks and green. I used the JustRite sentiment from Romantic Sentiments, "Live more Laugh often, Love much".

Once I made the box, I decided to make a matching card. The card is pretty similar to the front panel of the box. For both, I used the latest sketch from 2 Sketches 4 You, Laura's Sketch #44. I used the same sentiment, but this time I cut it out in a square instead of a heart. Both projects have a decorative punched border, ric rac, stitching and some Dew Drops as a final finishing touch.

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Supplies ~
Stamps: Loving Thoughts (JustRite)
Paper: Kraft, Pure Poppy, Select White (Papertrey Ink); Affectionate by Carina Gardner (Design House Digital)
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black (Tsukineko)
Accessories: Square, Scalloped Square, Heart and Scalloped Heart Nestabilities (Spellbinders); Pinking Scallop border punch (Martha Stewart), Dew Drops (Robin's Nest), Ric Rac, Ribbon, Heart Trinket Pin (Maya Road), In a Pinch template (MTME), Foam tape, Thread, Sewing machine.

TSC Wednesday!

Good morning! It's time for TSC {The Scrapbooking Cottage} Wednesday. Stacy and I are featuring Basic Grey Sugar Rush this week. My patterned papers are from the Sugar Rush 6x6 pad. I used Karen's Sweet Sunday Sketch #53 for my layout.

My image is Lockhart's Cupcake with Sprinkles, which I colored with Copic markers. For more cupcake goodness, I added a strip punched from my MS Cupcakes edger punch.

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Supplies ~
Stamps: Cupcake with Sprinkles, Sprinkled with Love (Lockhart)
Paper: Spring Iris (CTMH), Classic Crest Solar White (Neenah), Sugar Rush (Basic Grey)
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black (Tsukineko)
Accessories: Circle and Scalloped Circle Nestabilities (Spellbinders), Cupcakes edger punch (Martha Stewart), Markers (Copic), Star Dust Stickles (Ranger), Ribbon (CTMH), Paper piercer, Foam tape, Thread, Sewing machine.

JustRite Be Squared!

Hello friends! JustRite Stampers recently started Friday challenges, so I thought I'd play along. The challenge this week is to Be Squared. Dan (my DH) and I will celebrate our 10-year-anniversary in less than 2 weeks, so I made this card for him. It's 5" x 5" and is full of assorted squares. For the sentiment, I used the Loving Thoughts Centers and my scroll frame is from the Decorative 2" Square Monogram kit.

With the exception of the Vintage Cream and Dark Chocolate cardstock, all of my papers come from the Help Haiti Collaborative Collection by Designer Digitals. 100% of the proceeds from the sale of the kit are being donated to Mercy Corps for relief efforts in Haiti. Several of the layers are popped for dimension.

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Supplies ~
Stamps: Loving Thoughts Centers 1 5/8", Decorative 2" Square Monogram kit (JustRite)
Paper: Dark Chocolate, Vintage Cream CS (Papertrey Ink); Help Haiti Collaborative Collection (Designer Digitals)
Ink: Dark Chocolate (Papertrey Ink), Versamagic Wheat (Tsukineko)
Accessories: Square and Labels One Nestabilities (Spellbinders), Square punches (EK Success), Pearls (Basic Grey), Ribbon (May Arts), Foam tape, Thread, Sewing machine.

You've Stolen My Heart

Hello! Happy Monday! I can't believe it's the last week in January... already this year is flying by! I'm back with more Verve! I made this card for Viva La Verve! At Home with Verve, January week 2. This was the inspiration piece and a here's a look at Amber's sketch.

I was drawn to the colors of the wall and rug and chose some Basic Grey Granola patterned paper which was perfect with its yellows, greens and dark brown. The little monkey image is from one of Verve's newest sets, Love Monkey. I paper-pieced his belly and added a rhinestone heart to emphasize the sentiment, "You've Stolen My Heart". I embossed the New Leaf panel with Retro Diamonds, added some stitching and some dark brown ribbon.

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Supplies ~
Stamps: Love Monkey (Verve)
Paper: Dark Chocolate, New Leaf, Vintage Cream CS (Papertrey Ink); Granola (Basic Grey)
Ink: Versafine Vintage Sepia, Versamagic Wheat (Tsukineko)
Accessories: Labels Nestabilities (Spellbinders), Retro Diamonds embossing folder (Quickutz), Apron Lace border punch (Fiskars), Heart Rhinestone (Martha Stewart), Ribbon, Foam tape, Thread, Sewing machine.

Love's Flower

Hello! I hope your weekend is going well! With this particular card, I started out with no plan except that I wanted to use this John Lennon quote from Verve's Love Flower. My card turned out nothing like I had thought it would, but sometimes that's ok I guess! I wanted to keep everything simple so the paper and the quote were front and center.. I can't seem to stop using this patterned paper, which is more of Jen Allyson's Smitten Sugar and the quote says "Love is the flower you've got to let grow".

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Supplies ~
Stamps: Love's Flower (Verve)
Cardstock: Dark Chocolate, Select White (Papertrey Ink); Baby Pink (CTMH)
Patterned Paper: Smitten Sugar by Jen Allyson (Design House Digital)
Ink: Versafine Vintage Sepia, Versamagic Wheat (Tsukineko)
Accessories: Labels Five Nestabilities (Spellbinders), 1/2" Round-it-All (Zutter), Markers (Copic), Pearls (Queen & Co), Foam tape, Thread, Sewing machine.

The Best Kisses are Chocolate

Hello! I used the latest Splitcoast sketch, SC264, for my WTG (Who's That Girl) card! The image and sentiment are from Who's that Chocoholic by My Favorite Things (note: I tried to find a direct link, but I couldn't find it, so I think the set might be out of stock right now). Doesn't that yummy box of chocolates just make you want to dive right in?! Dark chocolate would be my preference.. LOL!

I paper-pieced her dress with patterned paper from Smitten Sugar by Jen Allyson, then I colored the rest of the image with Copic markers. I embossed the strip of Vanilla Cream cardstock with my Love Language embossing folder, and I was going to add some ribbon and a bow, but I decided that would cover up the embossed hearts, so I kept it simple and left it as is.

I hope you are having a great weekend! Thanks so much for stopping by!

Supplies ~
Stamps: Who's that Chocoholic (My Favorite Things)
Cardstock: Kraft, Scarlett Jewel, Vintage Cream (Papertrey Ink)
Patterned Paper: Smitten Sugar by Jen Allyson (Design House Digital)
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Versafine Onyx Black (Tsukineko)
Accessories: Scalloped Rectangle Nestabilities (Spellbinders), Love Language embossing folder (Provo Craft), Traditional Scallop border punch (Martha Stewart), Markers (Copic), Foam tape.

Feel Better

Hello! Stacy and I were supposed to be on our way to CHA by now, but we had some tornado warnings that affected our travel.. we are both bummed, but better safe than sorry... Sabrina has been sick this week, and it's been raining a lot, so I chose this image to make her a card to cheer her up. I used CPS sketch 150 for my layout. The image is from the My Favorite Things Pure Innocence collection and is called My Umbrella (note: this particular image appeart to be out of stock right now). Isn't that just the sweetest image? I paper-pieced her raincoat and umbrella and colored the rest with Copic markers. I used some sunny MME patterned paper that I thought would brighten her day!

Thanks so much for stopping by! Have a great weekend!

Supplies ~
Stamps: My Umbrella (My Favorite Things)
Cardstock: Pure Poppy, Select White (Papertrey Ink)
Patterned Paper: Love Me Do (My Mind's Eye)
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Versafine Onyx Black (Tsukineko)
Accessories: Rectangle Nestabilities (Spellbinders), Hugs and Kisses border punch (Martha Stewart), Markers (Copic), Paper piercer, Foam tape.

Just Us Girls Mojo Valentine

Good morning! For my card today, I combined the Mojo Monday #122 sketch and the color challenge from JUGS16 (Burgundy, Blush, Vanilla and Gray). I just couldn't wait to ink up my new Verve, so I stamped the Be Mine Plain Jane with Versafine Onyx Black and colored the hearts with Copic markers. I'm a big fan of all of Jen Allyson's My Mind's Eye designer paper (especially Be-loved!). I was excited to get one of her Valentine's releases in digi form so I would never run out of it! These are the Smitten Sugar digital paper collection.

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Supplies ~
Stamps: Be Mine Plain Jane (Verve)
Cardstock: Smokey Shadow, Vintage Cream (Papertrey Ink)
Patterned Paper: Smitten Sugar by Jen Allyson (Design House Digital)
Ink: Versafine Onyx Black, Versamagic Wheat (Tsukineko)
Accessories: Petite Oval and Scalloped Petite Oval Nestabilities (Spellbinders), Ribbon, Heart Rhinestones (Martha Stewart); Heart push pin (Maya Road), Foam tape, Thread, Sewing machine.

TSC Wednesday... Sprinkled with Love

Good morning! Welcome to TSC {The Scrapbooking Cottage} Wednesday! Today, Stacy and I are featuring Love Window, another of the "Window" series by Lockhart Stamps. My layout is from Mercy's Tuesday Sketch Challenge, MTSC57.

I started with some MME Be-Loved patterned paper as my color inspiration. I decided to make this a little more rustic, so I used Kraft cardstock, natural twill and twine for embellishments.

Be sure to visit Stacy for some inspiration and also to see what her weekly special is!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Supplies ~
Stamps: Love Window, Sprinkled with Love (Lockhart Stamps)
Cardstock: Kraft, Vintage Cream (Papertrey Ink)
Patterned Paper: Be-Loved (My Mind's Eye)
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black (Tsukineko), Chamomile Tea Dye (Papertrey Ink)
Accessories: Rectangle Nestabilities (Spellbinders), Looped Hearts border punch (Martha Stewart), 1/2" Round-it-All (Zutter), Markers (Copic), Star Dust Stickles (Ranger), Natural twill, Button (Papertrey Ink), Twine (May Arts), Foam tape, Thread, Sewing machine.

Christmas Card Challenge Week #7

Good morning! I hope you all are doing well! We had a busy 3-day weekend, so I didn't get to do any stamping... Our weather went from warm to rainy and a little chilly (for AZ), and Sabrina ended up catching a cold. I'm going to keep this short and sweet since she is at home sick today...

I had a chance to play in Sparkle's Christmas Card Challenge Week #7, which is a sketch challenge (yea!). I used one of my favorite Taylored Expressions Cuppie images from Season's Sweetings. I colored my plain chipboard snowflake and the "cherry" atop Cuppie with my R89 Copic marker.

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Supplies ~
Stamps: Season's Sweetings (Taylored Expressions)
Cardstock: Vintage Cream (Papertrey Ink)
Patterned Paper: Mistletoe (Making Memories)
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black (Tsukineko)
Accessories: Square Nestabilities (Spellbinders), Scalloped scallop border punch (EK Success), Markers (Copic), Chipboard snowflake (Maya Road), Rhinestones, Foam tape, Thread, Sewing machine.

A Gift from the Heart

Good morning! I finished these projects just in the nick of time yesterday. They are my final 2 projects for the Verve release week challenges. My card is for VSJan10E, Tosh's (Get in Shape challenge to make any size card except the standard A2). Mine is a 5" square card and I used CPS sketch #149. I kept my card clean and simple to show off the beautiful texture of my white card base. It's called Ruche, and it is described as a  mulberry and cardstock hybrid... I love it! I wasn't exactly sure how well it would take ink, but I was pleasantly surprised that I could stamp my sentiment onto it without any problems. See below for a closer look (you can also click on the photo to enlarge). The sentiment is Verve's Grateful Heart plain jane (single stamp).

My second project is for Sankari's challenge, VSJan10B, which is a 3D challenge to make a Valentine's treat box. I made a Labels 8 box using the above mentioned Tosh's fabulous tutorial here. I finished my box off very simply with a sentiment from Verve's Thankful Hearts.

I put a little bracelet with heart charm inside for my DD, Sabrina. Here's a peek at the inside:

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Card Supplies ~
Stamps: Grateful Heart Plain Jane (Verve)
Cardstock: Pure Poppy, Select White (Papertrey Ink); Black (Bazzill), White Crepe Ruche
Patterned Paper: Ka-Zoo (K & Company)
Ink: Versafine Onyx Black (Tsukineko)
Accessories: Deckled Rectangle Nestabilities (Spellbinders), Rhinestones (A Muse), Ribbon, Foam tape.

Box Supplies ~
Stamps: Thankful Hearts (Verve)
Cardstock: Pure Poppy, Select White (Papertrey Ink); White Crepe Ruche
Patterned Paper: Ka-Zoo (K & Company)
Ink: Versafine Onyx Black (Tsukineko)
Accessories: Labels 8 Nestabilities, Fancy Tags (Spellbinders), Slot punch (SU!), Rhinestones (Kaisercraft), Ribbon, Red line tape, Foam tape.

Forever in Our Hearts

Good morning... Sympathy cards are never easy for me to make, and I never seem to have any in my stash. We lost a very good friend last week, and I've been procrastinating but I finally set aside the time to make a couple of cards to send to his family... Louie, we miss you tremendously, and you will be forever in our hearts.

My "go to" set for sympathy cards is Verve's Forever in Our Hearts. For my first card, the colors may seem a little odd for a sympathy card, but hopefully I've toned it down enough. I used Turquoise, Smokey Shadow and True Black from Amber's color challenge, VSJan10C. I ran my patterned paper (from The Mariposa Stack by DCWV -- I love it as it is full of gorgeous butterfly patters!) and the strip of Smokey Shadow through my Cuttlebug using the Script Texture embossing folder. I also used Julee's latest Mojo Monday Sketch #121. I finished off my card with a Prima flower and some stitching (real and faux, using my paper piercer).

For my second card, I used Teresa's wonderful sketch, VSJan10D. I used The Mariposa Stack again and this time I chose a butterfly print and a coordinating fleur de lis pattern. I added some ribbon and a bow to this one. If you look closely just above the bow, you'll see a Heidi Swapp acetate butterfly with some pearls I added for the body (as always, you can click on any photo to enlarge). Once again, I added more stitching to finish this one off.

Thanks so much for stopping by! I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Card 1 Supplies ~
Stamps: Forever in Our Hearts (Verve)
Cardstock: Select White, Smokey Shadow, True Black (Papertrey Ink)
Patterned Paper: The Mariposa Stack (DCWV)
Ink: Versafine Onyx Black (Tsukineko)
Accessories: Script Texture embossing folder, Traditional Scallop border punch (Martha Stewart), Flower (Prima), Pearl (Queen & Co), Paper piercer, Thread, Sewing machine.

Card 2 Supplies ~
Stamps: Forever in Our Hearts (Verve)
Cardstock: Smokey Shadow, Vintage Cream (Papertrey Ink)
Patterned Paper: The Mariposa Stack (DCWV)

Ink: Versafine Onyx Black (Tsukineko)
Accessories: Long Rectangle and Scalloped Long Rectangle Nestabilities (Spellbinders), Traditional Scallop border punch (Martha Stewart), Acetate butterfly (Heidi Swapp), Pearls (Kaisercraft), Paper piercer, Foam tape, Thread, Sewing machine.

You're Still the One

Hello! I have a simple Valentine card to show you today... I made this for one of the Verve release week challenges, VSJAN10A. It is a supply challenge to use chipboard. I used Karen's Sweet Sunday Sketch #51 for my layout. The two hearts on the right and left were plain chipboard which I sprayed with Coffee Shop Glimmer Mist for a subtle shimmer. The center hearts were cut out with my heart Nestabilities. I sponged the smaller heart then I stamped the sentiment from Verve's Feeling Groovy then I popped that heart up with some foam tape.

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Supplies ~
Stamps:  Feeling Groovy (Verve)
Cardstock: Dark Chocolate, Kraft, Vintage Cream (Papertrey Ink)
Patterned Paper: Bittersweet (Basic Grey)
Ink: Versafine Vintage Sepia (Tsukineko), Hibiscus Burst (Papertrey Ink)
Accessories: Heart and Scalloped Heart Nestabilities (Spellbinders), Heart chipboard and Heart trinket pin (Maya Road), Coffee Shop Glimmer Mist (Tattered Angels), Ribbon, Brads (Basic Grey), Foam tape, Thread, Sewing machine.

TSC Wednesday... Have a Sweet Birthday!

Good morning! Welcome to TSC {The Scrapbooking Cottage} Wednesday! Stacy and I are featuring some of the newest stamp releases from Pink Cat Studio.

I stamped Lily Valentine Ballerina and colored her with Copics. For some bling, I added some Star Dust Stickles to her dress and the hearts in her hair and Cotton Candy Stickles to the word Sweet. I also added some Liquid Glass to the lollipop so it would shine as all sticky, yummy lollipops do! I used Mercy's Tuesday Sketch Challenge #56 for my layout. My patterned paper is from the new Imaginisce Lucy Bird line. It is full of some of my favorite things ~ flowers, butterflies and glitter!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Supplies ~
Stamps: Lily Valentine Ballerina, Sentiment from Pixies Make a Cupcake (Pink Cat Studio)
Cardstock: Classic Crest Solar White (Neenah), Razzleberry Light, Island Mist Medium (Prism)
Patterned Paper: Lucy Bird (Imaginisce)
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black (Tsukineko)
Accessories: Square Nestabilities (Spellbinders), Slot punch (SU!), Markers (Copic), Star Dust and Cotton Candy Stickles (Ranger), Liquid Glass (CTMH), Silk ribbon (Creative Impressions), Brads, Foam tape, Thread, Sewing machine.

Wishing Two People One Wonderful Life

Good morning! My niece, Evie, just got engaged, and we are super excited for her and JR! I thought I'd make them a special engagement gift. I just love the aqua and reds from Sweet Shoppe's Cloud 9 digi pack, so I decided to use it again!

Evie loves butterflies, so I had planned on making a butterfly-themed gift set using one of Lauren's new My Time Made Easy stamps and template in the shape of a butterfly, but when I went to cut out the butterfly with my Wishblade, I discovered that I needed a new cutting mat, so I decided to save project that for another time. Instead I chose to use her Shutt-erfly template, which was easy enough to cut out by hand (I just printed the PDF file and cut out the template with my paper cutter and scissors).

The top of the box folds in and creates a butterfly (or petal) shape. Normally, this would be how you would open the box, but clever Lauren had showed a project here where she cut the box and made the top part into a lid. I decided to do this with my box so that I could add a 3-D flower on the top and have it not be disturbed! Mona always makes the most gorgeous flower embellishments, so I decided to try making one myself. I cut several sizes of flowers, spritzed them with water, crumpled them and stacked them on top of each other. I added a crochet flower and pearl brad to fasten all the layers together, then I spritzed it all with Iridescent Pearl Glimmer Mist for a touch of shimmer. Here's a close-up:

I used the MS Looped Hearts border punch and added some stitching to make a belly band for the box. Finally, I will fill the box with some special goodies that I hope they will like!

I kept my card fairly simple as well. I used Mojo Monday sketch #117 from last year for my layout. I duplicated the belly band strip that I used on the box and used it as a layer on my card so that it would all match. The sentiment is from JustRite Romantic Sentiments and the doodled circular frame is from Verve's Thankful Accents.

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Supplies ~
Stamps: Romantic Sentiments (JustRite), Thankful Accents (Verve)
Cardstock: Aqua Mist, Select White (Papertrey Ink)
Patterned Paper: Cloud 9 (Sweet Shoppe Designs)
Ink: Versafine Onyx Black, Versamark Watermark (Tsukineko)
Accessories: Circle, Scalloped Circle and Blossom Nestabilities (Spellbinders); Looped Hearts border punch (Martha Stewart), Circle punches (EK Success), Embossing powder, Taylor's Tiny Twinkles (Taylored Expressions), Iridescent Pearl Glimmer Mist (Tattered Angels), Crochet flower (homemade), Pearl brad, Foam tape, Thread, Sewing machine.

True Friend

Hello! I hope you're enjoying your weekend! I am finally making the switch to Valentine's, so just a warning as you may be seeing a lot of hearts around here for the next several weeks! I used the Mojo Monday #120 sketch for my layout. I'm also playing along with JUGS15, hosted by the fabulously talented and sweet, Mona! This week is a technique challenge and the challenge is to use stitching on your project.. right up my alley!

I am loving the pink, red and aqua colors together! All of my papers (except the Kraft) are from the Cloud 9 digi kit by Sweet Shoppe Designs that was just released today! I added both machine stitching and faux stitching using my paper piercer. The sentiment is from Verve's Hundred Hearts. See that adorable border punch? It's one of the new ones from Martha Stewart.. called Looped Hearts.

Thanks so much for stopping by! Hope you have a fabulous weekend!

Supplies ~
Stamps: Hundred Hearts (Verve)
Cardstock: Kraft (Papertrey Ink)
Patterned Paper: Cloud 9 (Sweet Shoppe Designs)
Ink: Versafine Onyx Black, Versamagic Wheat (Tsukineko); L'Amour Red (Palette)
Accessories: Petite Oval and Scalloped Petite Oval Nestabilities (Spellbinders), Looped Hearts border punch (Martha Stewart), Rhinestones (Kaisercraft), Mini Rhinestones (Amuse), Paper piercer, Ribbon, Foam tape, Thread, Sewing machine.

Make the Most of Yourself

Hello! Today's card uses Amber's first Viva La Verve sketch of the year, VLVJan{10}01. Instead of having a twist each week, the theme is At Home with Verve and each month of the year will focus on a different room. For January, we are walking through Foyers and Entryways. We had 3 inspiration photos to choose from and I chose the Sunflower Foyer (photo below).

We lost a dear friend a couple of days ago, so it's been a tough week. I'm so glad it's almost the weekend. I really needed to make something bright and cheerful, so I the sunflowers as inspiration. I did some googling and found that "the sunflower has recently been adopted as a symbol of happiness, strength, a love of the sun & sunlight and because it is said to always turn its face to the sun it is considered by some to be a symbol of faith". I couldn't think of anything better to draw inspiration from at a time like this. I chose some happy patterned paper, both by October Afternoon ~ Farm Fresh (polka dot) and Report Card (floral). The Ralph Waldo Emerson quote is from Verve's Seeing Stars. I added some stitching, flower brads and a handmade crochet flower w/ pearl brad center.

Thanks so much for stopping by! I hope you have a fabulous weekend!

Supplies ~
Stamps: Seeing Stars (Verve)
Cardstock: Summer Sunrise, Vintage Cream (Papertrey Ink)
Patterned Paper: Farm Fresh, Report Card 8x8 paper pads (October Afternoon)
Ink: Versafine Onyx Black (Tsukineko), Summer Sunrise (Papertrey Ink)
Accessories: Labels Three Nestabilities (Spellbinders), Brads (Making Memories), Crochet flower (handmade by me), Pearl Brad, Foam tape, Thread, Sewing machine.

True Love Stories

Good morning! Yesterday was my DH, Dan's birthday, and I showed you the card that I made Sabrina to give to her Daddy. Today I'm showing the card that I gave him. I used Mercy's Tuesday Sketch Challenge #55 and kept my card fairly clean and not too frilly (not counting the silk ribbon, which I just couldn't resist adding!).

For my "image" I used one of the cut-outs from the My Mind's Eye Be Loved collection. I stamped the frame around it using Very Vintage Labels No. 5 from Waltingmouse Stamps, then I used my Labels Five Nestabilities to cut it out. I added Star Dust stickles to the hearts and a couple of rhinestones for a little bling.

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Supplies ~
Stamps: Very Vintage Labels No. 5 (Waltzingmouse Stamps)
Cardstock: Juniper (CTMH), Vintage Cream (Papertrey Ink)
Patterned Paper: Be Loved (My Mind's Eye)
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black (Tsukineko)
Accessories: Labels Five Nestabilities (Spellbinders), Apron Lace border punch (Fiskars), Rhinestones, Star Dust Stickles (Ranger), Silk ribbon (May Ars), Foam tape, Thread, Sewing machine.

TSC Wednesday... and Happy Birthday, Dan!

Good morning! It's time for the first TSC {The Scrapbooking Cottage} Wednesday of 2010! Today, Stacy and I are featuring the new Bo Bunny Love Bandit line. Be sure to check it her inspirational creation as well as to see all the great new products in the store... HERE!

It's also my DH, Dan's birthday today (Happy Birthday, Sweetie!!), so I made this card for Sabrina to give to her Daddy. I used Just Us Girl's Challenge #14 which is this fun sketch. First I chose a couple of the fun Love Bandit patterned papers and that were cute, but not too girly, then I decided there was no way that the card was going to be masculine, so I stopped trying!

For my image, I used Lily & Billy Sweethearts and colored Lily to look like Sabrina, holding a glittered "Luv You" sign. I added a strip of lace handmade by my SIL, Mary (Dan's sister)! I've been hoarding these for a little while, but I thought that she wouldn't mind seeing me use one every now and again!! Finally, I added some crazy stitching around the base ~ I love the look, but my machine always jams when I do that (it's like it's telling me that I'm not supposed to sew like that!).

I hope you're having a great week! Thanks so much for stopping by!

Supplies ~
Stamps: Lily & Billy Sweethearts (Pink Cat Studio)
Cardstock: Maraschino (Bazzill), Classic Crest Solar White (Neenah)
Patterned Paper: Love Bandit (Bo Bunny)
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Versamagic Wheat (Tsukineko)
Accessories: Rectangle and Scalloped Rectangle Nestabilities (Spellbinders), Mini Hearts border punch (Martha Stewart), Markers (Copic), Star Dust Stickles (Ranger), Crochet lace, Epoxy heart stickers, Foam tape, Thread, Sewing machine.

smile & laugh

Good morning! I still had my Making Memories Sabrina goodies out from making my easel card calendar yesterday, so I decided to make a card with some of the scraps. I used Taylored Expressions Sketch #96 for my layout. When choosing my image, I decided to use one of the cuties from the Pure Innocence line by My Favorite Things. This one is called Flower Girl... is she not just the cutest? Of course, I colored her with brown hair since she reminds me of my Sabrina.

I know I went a little layer crazy with my card, but I just couldn't stop myself! My blush background is embossed with tiny hearts. The button brads and rub-on sentiment are part of the coordinating line of products.

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Supplies ~
Stamps: Flower Girl (My Favorite Things)
Cardstock: Blush (CTMH), True Black, Vintage Cream (Papertrey Ink)
Patterned Paper: Sabrina (Making Memories)
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Versamagic Wheat (Tsukineko)
Accessories: Rectangle and Circle Nestabilities (Spellbinders), Love Language embossing folder (Provo Craft), Eyelet Lace border punch (Martha Stewart), Markers (Copic), Button brads and rub-on sentiment (Making Memories), Foam tape, Thread, Sewing machine.

Easel Card Calendar

Hello! Over the weekend, I finished backing up all of my 2009 photos to my external hard drives. Throughout the year, I took around 6,000 photos {yes, I take a lot of photos}. This is one of my favorite ones of Sabrina, taken a few days after Christmas. It just makes me smile! I loved it so much that I decided to make something for my desk to display the photo. So, my project for today is an easel card calendar. I purchased my calendar from Impress Rubber Stamps here {note that mine are the large size which are temporarily sold out}.

I converted my photo to black and white and pulled out some coordinating products from the Making Memories Sabrina line {which just had to purchase ~ not only for the name but because they were all adorable!} earlier last year. There is no stamping on this project, but I love the girly end result!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Supplies ~
Cardstock: Blush (CTMH), True Black, Vintage Cream (Papertrey Ink)
Patterned Paper: Sabrina (Making Memories)
Accessories: Rectangle Nestabilities (Spellbinders), Eyelet Lace border punch (Martha Stewart), Button, Button brads, Ribbon, Flower (Making Memories); Velvet flower (Maya Road), Waxy Flax, Foam tape, Thread, Sewing machine.

Vintage Merry Christmas

Good morning! Today I'm playing along with Sparkle's 2010 Christmas Card Challenge #5. Her challenge is to use any kind of buttons on your card. I also used Julee's latest Mojo Monday sketch #119. I pulled out one of neglected stamp sets from Waltzingmouse that I just love ~ does that ever happen to you? ~ you're so excited about a particular stamp set, so you order it, patiently wait for it to arrive, then somehow you don't have a chance to ink it up?!

Anywho, I stamped the largest snowflake from Very Vintage Christmas using Vintage Cream ink onto Vintage Cream cardstock, then I embossed it again with my Cuttlebug Snowflake embossing folder. The sentiment is also from the same set. Finally, I inked the edges and added some stitching to finish it off.

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Supplies ~
Stamps: Very Vintage Christmas (Waltzingmouse Stamps)
Cardstock: True Black, Vintage Cream (Papertrey Ink)
Patterned Paper: Good Cheer (October Afternoon)
Ink: Versafine Onyx Black, Versamagic Wheat (Tsukineko)
Accessories: Circle, Rectangle, Scalloped Rectangle and Blossom Two Nestabilities (Spellbinders); Snowflake embossing folder (Provo Craft), Flowers (Making Memories), Button (Papertrey Ink), Twine (May Arts), Foam tape, Thread, Sewing machine.

More Winter Mittens Thanks

Hello all! I hope you are enjoying your weekend! I am finishing up on thank you cards this weekend. I have quite a few to make, but I didn't want to make the same design, so I just made a few of each. Here are a couple of variations on my pink/brown thank you cards. Once again, I used Verve's Winter Mittens digi. The thanks sentiment is from Celebration of Thanks. I kept these versions fairly simple and limited the layers and bulky embellishments so I can send them out with one stamp.

The first version is a tent topper card, and the second one is 4.25" x 4.25". In both cases, I colored the mittens pink and brown and finished off th snowflakes with Star Dust stickles. I popped the images with foam tape and added a little stitching.

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Supplies ~
Stamps: Winter Mittens Digi, Celebration of Thanks (Verve)
Cardstock: Classic Crest Solar White (Neenah), Dark Chocolate (Papertrey Ink), Chablis (Bazzill)
Patterned Paper: Snow & Cedar (Poppy Stamps)
Ink: Memento Rich Cocoa (Tsukineko)
Accessories: Square, Circle and Scalloped Circle Nestabilities (Spellbinders), Apron Lace border punch (Fiskars), Star Dust Stickles (Ranger), Ribbon, Foam tape, Thread, Sewing machine.

Make the Everyday Magical

Happy New Year!!! Have you made any resolutions for 2010? I'm not usually one for making a lot of resolutions at the beginning of a new year, but I've realized that as I get older, it seems like each year is going by quicker and quicker. I obviously can't slow down time, but I can take the time to live each day to the fullest and to enjoy the little things. So, this year, I'm going to try to follow Sabrina's lead and to "make the everyday magical".

I used Mercy's Tuesday Sketch Challenge #54 for my layout and the November Unity Kit of the Month, Simply Magical. After stamping and die cutting my image, I sprayed it with Iridescent Gold Glimmer Mist so that it sparkles and shines in real life!

I hope you have a wonderful and magical day and all the best in 2010! Thanks so much for stopping by!

Supplies ~
Stamps: November '09 Kit of the Month (Unity)
Cardstock: Vintage Cream (Papertrey Ink), Juniper (CTMH)
Patterned Paper: be loved (My Mind's Eye)
Ink: Memento Rich Cocoa (Tsukineko)
Accessories: Oval and Scalloped Oval Nestabilities (Spellbinders), Scallop Diamond border punch (EK Success), Iridescent Gold Glimmer Mist (Tattered Angels), Foam tape, Thread, Sewing machine.