Happy Birthday Tulips

Hi There!! Quick post today as we once again have the sickies in our house - YUCK!! Flu Season has hit Maui with a vengeance!! It's 11:00 Tuesday night here and my little guy is still awake with a fever and coughing and complaining of a sore throat. I'm so bummed because he's been super excited about his first official Field Trip tomorrow to the Wailea Fire Station with his preschool class (and OK, I'll admit...I was looking forward to checking out some firemen!! LOL) and right now it's looking like we're going to miss it.

I have another quick and easy card to share with you today that I created using my Slice digital cutter from ABC Toys and Crafts:
For this card, I used the Basic 2 Design Card to cut out the 3 Tulip Shapes, then adhered them to a strip of Kraft CS using 3-D adhesive. I added a piece of Chocolate Chip cardstock with a scalloped edge and some Riding Hood ribbon. The sentiment, from the Stamp It: Messages set from Hero Arts was stamped with Versafine Vintage Sepia ink and I was done!! Very simple!!

Also, don't forget there's still time to use the "Friends of Jen" exclusive discount coupon at ABC Toys and Crafts. Enter the code ABC15J to get 15% off your entire order (including all of the products talked about above) now through October 10th!! (you can use the code as many times as you want).

Hey Baby

Ugh. Monday already? Well, in light of that, super quick post before I head to bed tonight (it's still Sunday for me). I wanted to share another fun little baby card I made this month with the Little One stamp set from Clear and Simple Stamps:

I used a Kraft CS base, adding some textured Whisper White CS to the bottom and using my Scallop Border punch across the bottom front. The DP is all from Scenic Route (I'm soooo bummed about the news that Scenic Route is closing it's doors - they are probably my all-time fave paper company!!). The star was cut from both chipboard and DP using my Stars die in my Big Shot (I then used my 2-way glue pen to adhere the DP to the chipboard star die). I added a few Basic Grey buttons and hemp twine directly to the star in coordinating colors.

The "Baby" sentiment was stamped in Fresh Snow ink (PTI) on Kraft CS, then stitched onto the card. I love how the stitching looks on this clean and simple card!!

OK, I'm headed to bed!! Have a great week!
-Jen

Sweet Sunday Sketch #37 goes hybrid

Happy Sunday!! You know what that means...time for another fabulous sketch from Karen. This week Sweet Sunday Sketch #37 is a really fun and versatile sketch. Take a look:

If you'd like to play along, just make a card or project using the sketch and use the Mr. Linky thing on Karen's post to share it with the rest of us!! One lucky winner will be chosen each week to be featured on Karen's blog!!

For my sample this week, I decided to go all hybrid!! There's absolutely NO STAMPING on this card!! And that means it was SUPER easy and fast to make!! I used the You Make My World Go Round digi kit by Lauren Grier and Heather Roselli, which is actually on sale for 30% off along with a ton of other digi goodies right now over at the Sweet Shoppe!! The sentiment was typed with the font DJB Poppyseed prior to printing out the journal tag.
I used Kraft CS for my base, but the striped paper, the wings, the Earth, the heart, the sentiment and even the staple are all digi!! I just printed it all out on some double-sided matte brochure paper (which is about the same weight as cardstock), cut it out like I would regular paper or stamped images, and assembled my card!! I added some old SU felt ribbon for embellishment and I was done!

Be sure to check out what the other Sweet Sunday Stampers have done with the sketch:
so don't forget to stop on by to see:
Karen Motz
Laura Fredrickson
Lynn Put
Nancy Riley
Sarah-Jane Kale'
Vicki Burdick
and of course, Karen Giron herself!!

SASI Friday Friend

I am thrilled to tell you all that I'm the Friday Friend over on the Stamp a Sweet Impression Blog today!! Head on over there to read my little interview.

For my featured card, I used Taylor's Cupcake Sketch #84, flipping it upside down and adding a sentiment strip to the bottom. Take a look:

Here's what's in it:
The image and sentiment are from the The Places You'll Go stamp set from Taylored Expressions, stamped with Momento Rich Cocoa ink and colored with Copics. All other supplies (Paper and buttons) are from the Places You'll Go Key Ingredients kit, also from Taylored Expressions.

Ok, we're headed out the door soon - Dean is starting back up in Gymnastics today at Valley Isle Gymnastics and I'm super excited for him to have an outlet for all that endless supply of energy!! He attended VIG's Baby class when he was a year old and we LOVED it.

Happy Halloween

It's Wednesday for most of you, so that means it's time for my weekly ABC Toys and Crafts Project!! I was a total slacker last week and didn't get to share my project with you then due to internet issues on Wednesday. So I planned to share it over the weekend, but if you read my last blog post, well, you understand why that didn't happen...LOL. Such is life.

Anyway, today I have a quick and easy Halloween card to show you using a cute little Inkadinkado stamp, Happy Halloween, which I partially colored with Copic Markers.

I distressed the edges of the pumpkin pie cardstock main background before sewing it to the black card base with some sloppy stitching. The polka dot DP is printed digi paper from Spooktacular kit by Melissa Bennett (Sweet Shoppe). I popped both the DP panel and the sentiment panel up on varying layers of 3-D Adhesive for lots of depth and added some purple ribbon (PTI) as a finishing touch.

This little card would be so easy to mass produce for kids' classmates or multiple family members or even to stick into neighborhood treat bags!!

I'll be sharing more fun Halloween ideas with you in the coming weeks, some of which use my newest Slice Design Card, Spellbound.

Also, don't forget to use the "Friends of Jen" exclusive discount coupon yet at ABC Toys and Crafts. Enter the code ABC15J to get 15% off your entire order (including all of the products talked about above) now through October 10th!! (you can use the code as many times as you want).

Verve Release Party Recap

Well, how was it? I am SO bummed that I completely missed the Verve Release Party on Friday. I haven't missed a Verve Party in over a year!! I'll spare you ALL the gruesome details, but a few hours before the party started I was suddenly hit with a VERY nasty stomach bug and spent the rest of the day either puking my guts up or asleep on the bathroom floor. For a minute I had flashbacks to my college days...but quickly snapped back to reality when I remembered this was so NOT brought on by a long night of drinking and debauchery!!! (hey, it was college, give me a break). Further reminder that this wasn't college anymore came when my 2-yr-old woke up early from his nap and stood in the bathroom doorway staring at me for 10 minutes, then says sweetly "Mommy? You throw up?" - only 24 short hours before HE started puking his guts up all over everything in sight. - And what is it that makes it completely impossible for a 2-yr-old to barf into a small trash can you're holding RIGHT in front of his face - instead hurling on every other clean surface in sight, including your 4th change of clothes of the night (the previous 3 changes being necessary because of earlier toddler pukage), completely missing said trash can?? Anyway, needless to say it was NOT a good weekend in the Tapler house! So today, Tuesday, I'm finally crawling out of this cave of sickness and feeling like we're all getting back to normal. Somehow my husband managed to escape without even a moment of nausea. He has managed to bypass BOTH of the stomach viruses Dean has brought home and passed on to me in the last 2 years. It must have to do with the fact that wrestlers are essentially the human equivalent of a petri dish and by the time one makes it to the collegiate level of wrestling, he has probably built up some kind of freakish superhuman immunity to most normal viruses. That's my theory anyway.

But I digress...I'm really here to share a few of my Verve creations with you that I wasn't able to share at the Verve party (man, did you guys get more than you bargained for today!! LOL). If you were like me and missed all of the Verve Festivities, don't worry!! Julee has some FABULOUS deals going on right now - lots of stamps are ON SALE through the end of September and she has another great deal on the entire New Release Bundle!! Or, purchase the individual sets from the New Release HERE.

Ok, on to the cards...

This one uses one of my fave sets from this release, Starstruck, combined with some printed digi papers from the Dude kit by Fee Jardine (Sweet Shoppe Designs):
And I just LOVE this simple card. I used some nicely textured paper from the DCWV Green Stack and stitched on a narrow strip of Chocolate Chip. The sentiment from Happiness Found was stamped onto Kraft CS in Momento Rich Cocoa and I stamped one of the little Maple Leaves from the same set in Vintage Cream (PTI) ink, cut it out and popped it up on dimensionals, and that was it!! Soooo easy!! Take a look:
And finally, this card uses the MoJo Monday Sketch #104 (yeah, I'm a week behind) and the new Harvest Blessings stamp set:
So there you have it. A look at 3 of the cards I created with some of the new Verve sets. I have lots more to show you in the next few weeks with this fabulous release, so stay tuned!!

Mahalo for stopping by!!
-Jen

Sweet Sunday Sketch #36

It's Sunday for most of you (still Saturday here on Maui!! hee hee) and that means it's time for another fabulous Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge courtesy of the amazing Karen Giron! I was super excited when Karen asked me to join her Sweet Sunday Stampers group to create samples each week using her Sketches!! To celebrate the start of the Sweet Sunday Stampers group, Karen is offering up some pretty awesome blog candy - simply create your own card using the sketch and then use the Mr. Linky thing on Karen's post to share it with the rest of us - and you'll be entered in the Blog Candy giveaway!!

Here's a look at this week's sketch:Man, Karen was REALLY testing me with this one!! I'll admit that sketch and I did NOT get along this week and I started over on more cards and ended up trashing them than I think I ever have before! I finally buckled down to try to make peace with this sketch and I just gave up!! That darn tilted panel did me in!! So, I made him straight!! I'll show Karen to try to force me to use a tilted panel! ha! Here's my sample (I just realized that I think this is the first Stampin' Up Only card I've made in just about FOREVER):

Now, head on over to the other Sweet Sunday Stampers' blogs and see what they've done with the sketch:

Karen Motz

Laura Fredrickson

Lynn Put

Nancy Riley

Sarah-Jane Kale

Vicki Burdick

And don't forget to finish up over on Karen's post and link us up to your own creation!!

Supplies:
Stamps: Party Hearty (SU)
Paper: Kraft, Whisper White CS (SU)
Ink: Riding Hood Red, Bashful Blue, Old Olive, Night of Navy (SU)
Accessories: Old Olive ribbon, dimensionals (SU); Swiss Dots Cuttlebug Embossing Folder

Harvest Blessings

Tonight's the night!! The Verve Release Party will kick off at 9:00 pm Eastern Time and I hope to see you all there for lots of fun and more peeks at all the fun projects the Divas and I have been working on with the FABULOUS new Verve Stamps!!

I wanted to quickly pop in and share my favorite project I created this release - a little set of stuffed fabric pumpkins and a matching card using the new set Harvest Blessings. Check it out:

I got the pattern and instructions for those adorable pumpkins HERE on the Schlosser Designs blog and they are seriously SO easy (for most people I'm sure), but I am so NOT a "sewer" (is that even a word?). I mean I really REALLY suck. I printed out the pattern in 2 different sizes (full-size for the yellow pumpkin and at 75% for the green one), cut out the fabric, pinned it and started sewing the first section and when I got to the first curve I was in trouble. Fortunately my Mom came to the rescue!! She had already come over to help me (because I really don't know how to sew other than the little bit of stitching you've seen on a few of my cards). When I asked her to come over and "help" me, I was really hoping she'd just sew them for me. But she was being all Mom-ish and forced me to try (even though past attempts at her teaching me to sew should have taught her a lesson - every time she's tried to teach me to sew in the past we end up in a HUGE Mother-Daughter screaming match and usually don't speak for days!!). This time though, she had things to do in a few hours so after much whining from me, she finally just said "oh, get out of the way" and sat down and in about 5 seconds flat had both pumpkins and stems completely sewn up and ready to be stuffed!!! So I started stuffing only to hear her say "what are you doing? That's not even stuffing. That's batting Jen". I was like "well, what do I know? It looks like stuffing. The only fluffy stuff in bags like I've seen you use before that they had was some recycled bamboo stuff and it was $28 a bag. This was only $7/yard, so I went with it". She just laughed, shook her head, said "it will probably work, but it might be lumpy" and walked out. Well, I think the batting worked just fine if I do say so myself!!! But I can pretty much promise this will be the LAST sewing project you see on this blog for about FOREVER!!

I stamped the swirly leaves from the Harvest Blessings set on So Saffron and Old Olive CS, cut them out and added them to the pumpkin tops after tying on some satin ribbon. Then I decided to create a matching card using some of the leftover fabric. I just wrapped some fabric around some scraps of CS and sewed it on!! The sentiment is stamped in Versafine Vintage Sepia Ink on Very Vanilla CS.

I think the whole thing turned out super cute, and I DID hand-sew the stuffing hole on those pumpkins closed all by myself!!! :-)

Ok, so anyway, there's still time to play along with the Verve Release Week Challenges for a chance to win some Verve Goodies. And be sure to head on over to the Verve Blog today to see more Harvest Blessings Sneak Peeks from some of the other Divas!!

See you at the party!!

Hybrid Love Ya

Today I'm sharing a fun and easy Hybrid card using Taylor's Sketch Challenge #79. Really, the card is mostly a CASE of this card by the super talented Stephanie Hargis as I really loved her use of the ribbon, the scalloped circle with the 3 brads, and especially that adorable clip on the image panel!! Thanks for the inspiration Steph! :-)

I used printed digi papers from the Letter Sweater kit by Traci Reed, available at Sweet Shoppe Designs. All of the papers on this card except for the Chocolate Chip base and the circle of Whisper White (where the sentiment is stamped) are printed digi papers from the kit. The main image panel was created using the male and female digi embellishment images from the kit, just resizing them and lining them up next to each other before printing. The "Love Ya" sentiment is stamped from Mod Squad by Papertrey Ink. I added some Chocolate Chip ribbon, some silver brads (they look all wonky in the pic, but IRL they're not - I promise!!), and a Tim Holtz Hinge Clip with some Real Red ribbon tied to it. The main image and the sentiment circle are popped up on varying amounts of dimensionals so there's a lot of depth to the card.

Well, that's it for today!!

Be sure to stop back tomorrow - the Verve Release Party kicks of Friday night at 9:00 PM Eastern and I'll be sharing another Verve Sneak Peek with you before the party!! (you can check out more Sneak Peeks today over on the Verve Blog).

Verve Sneak Peek - Wishing You

Hi! Today is the first day of Sneak Peeks for the September Release for Verve Stamps and the Divas are sharing projects over on the Verve Blog using 2 of the new sets - Swan Song and Wishing You. I have to tell you that both of these sets are amazing, but I am completely in love with Wishing You!! I seriously can't get enough of this fabulous sentiment set of 10 stamps!! Take a look at this cute little notecard in which I paired 2 of the stamps to create a single focal sentiment panel:

Now head on over to the Verve Blog to see what some of the other Divas created with this set as well as Swan Song and for a chance to win some Verve goodies!! Then on Friday (Sept 18), join us in the Verve Forum at 9 PM Eastern Time for our Release Party!!

Oh! I almost forgot...Julee and a few other Divas are hosting some really fun Release Week Challenges over in the Verve Forum for even more chances to win Verve goodies!! Go check them out and play along!!

CSS Playtime Collection Release!!

Today's the Day!! It's officially the day of the release for my all-time FAVORITE release (so far anyway!! LOL) from Clear and Simple Stamps - the Playtime Collection! So many ADORABLE stamps in this release!! Here's just a tiny glimpse at what the CSS DT has been busy working on with these sets:And my personal list of must-haves (meaning my top picks from this release that I can't seem to get enough of on my projects this month):

• Get in Gear - that adorable robot set you've seen me playing with here, here and here
• Dots and Lines - set of 3 (yes THREE) awesome background stamps that I used here, here, here and here
  
• Naptime - absolutely PRECIOUS baby-themed set that I used here and HERE:

Isn't that the cutest little Baby Shower invite? And sooo easy!! I used a Kraft card base along with some printed digi papers from Mommy Modern by MandaBean (Sweet Shoppe), ribbon from PTI and combined the new Naptime stamp set with another of my CSS faves, Little One. Cute, yeah?

And here are some links and more info about the Release and specials:

NEW Backgrounds
Dots and Lines

This set contains three background images: polka dots, a plaid design and solid straight lines. You can build a background, create a border or even use it for journaling.

______________________________

NEW Alphabets
Alpha Modern
Bitty Alpha Modern

(I used Alpha Modern on my Robot Notepad cover HERE)

So what's the difference between Alpha Modern and Bitty Alpha Modern? Both sets are the same clean, modern style alphabet font. Both sets have the full alphabet with common duplicate letters, numbers and punctuations. The difference is in the size.

Alpha Modern is all upper case and larger in size. Bitty Alpha Modern is smaller and has both upper and lowercase letters. You will find that they work well together and add a great personal touch to any paper craft.

______________________________

Want it all?
Click here to order the entire collection in one single click.
This is a package valued at $180, including all
{12} newly released stamp sets.

Be sure to head on over to the other CSS DT blogs to see what the other girls have to share with you using some of the other New Release sets:

• Beth Matson
• Kim Howard
• Lori Tecler
• Maria Levine
• Neva McMullen
• Robyn Weatherspoon
• Sue Berker
• CSS Blog
  

Sweet Sunday Sketch #35

This week Karen has a very special Sweet Sunday sketch for us to play along with - Clear and Simple Stamps is sponsoring the challenge and everyone who participates will be entered to win a CSS stamp of their choice. To be entered, just play along with this week's sketch and post a link on Karen's blog via Mr. Linky.

And, just so you know, it's a SUPER fun sketch!! Take a look for yourself:
Here's a look at what I did with the sketch using the new Get in Gear set by Clear and Simple Stamps:
And that fun paper? It's printed digi paper from the Ooga Booga kit by Scrapkitchen Designs and Tracie Stroud (Sweet Shoppe).

Supplies:
Stamps: Get in Gear (CSS)
Paper: Chocolate Chip, Whisper White CS (SU); printed digi paper from Ooga Booga by Scrapkitchen Designs & Tracie Stroud (Sweet Shoppe)
Ink: Old Olive, More Mustard, Riding Hood Red (SU); Momento Rich Cocoa (Tsukineko)
Accessories: Circle Nestabilities (Spellbinders); Riding Hood Red ribbon (SU); Silver brads

Scrappy Sunday 9/13/09

Happy Sunday!! I thought I'd just pop in quickly and share this week's Scrappy Sunday sketch and my sample layout. You can find these weekly Scrapbook sketch challenge in the Scrappy Sunday Group over on Papercraft Planet every Sunday - I'd love for you to play along!! All forms of scrapbooking - traditional paper, hybrid and digi - are welcome. The sketches are meant to be an inspirational starting point - feel free to rotate or flip the sketch, add layers or embellishments, and pretty it up as much as you'd like with items from your stash to make it work with the photos and stories you're documenting.

And if you're a MAC user, this week Susanna Boyd is offering one lucky participant a prize of a FREE copy of Photoshop Elements for MAC - a perfect opportunity to get started or progress your technical skills in digi scrapping or hybrid if you've been thinking about that. All you have to do to be eligible to win is create a scrapbook page (any size and can be paper, hybrid or digi) using the sketch below and upload it to Papercraft Planet using the tab sb091309 before Midnight central time Saturday Sept 19. Be sure to indicate if you're a MAC user and would like to be entered into the drawing in your description. We'll announce the winner in the Scrappy Sunday group on Sunday, Sept 20. (Here is a tutorial on adding pictures to the PCP gallery, if you need it).

Anyway, here is this week's sketch:

And here's my sample layout using photos taken as we prepared to leave the hospital about a day and a half after my son Dean was born in December 2006. (and yes, I know I look rough!! But hey, I had just given birth about 36 hours prior so give me a break!!! LOL).

Credits:
Chasing Rainbows by Zoe Pearn (Sweet Shoppe Designs)
Cutting Templates - Rounded Corners by Misty Cato (Sweet Shoppe Designs)
Word Art by Ali Edwards (Designer Digitals)

If you do play along this week, be sure to use the tag sb091309 (all lower case) so we can find your layouts to pull into the gallery!

More Baby Cards

In case you couldn't already tell, I'm in love with all of the new Clear and Simple Stamps sets - and Naptime (NEW Release on Sept 15) is no exception. And no, there's no secret pregnancy reasons for that - believe me!! I said I love these stamps, I did NOT say I was crazy!! :-)

So I'm going to share 2 more Baby Cards with you today as everyone is getting geared up for the Playtime Release from Clear and Simple Stamps on Tuesday!! Believe me, you do NOT want to miss this release - so so many fun new sets this month!

I have to admit, this first card is one of my faves that I've made so far with these new sets!! I used the new Dots and Lines background set to stamp the polka dot background onto Baja Breeze CS, then cut it out with the Top Note die. I kept it pretty simple, popping the entire Top Note diecut up on dimensionals and just adding a strip of Chocolate Chip CS on top of a scalloped piece of So Saffron. A few buttons next to the sentiment from Naptime were the finishing touches!This second card uses one of a few little Koala images from the new Naptime set, I colored the image with my Copics and actually used up some papers from my stash (sorry I have NO IDEA who makes these papers, they are soooo old!!).I'll be back Tuesday with all of the Release details and another project or 2 to share!

Jeepers Creepers Printable Halloween Treats

I have been DYING to share this with you all week!! I've teamed up with one of my fave digi designers, Libby Weifenbach, and created a pack of ready-to-print Halloween Hybrid goodies using her latest kit, Jeepers Creepers. I'm so excited to introduce you to the Jeepers Creepers Hybrid Printables kit on sale NOW at Sweet Shoppe Designs!! Here's the preview of our Hybrid Kit:

The kit is regularly priced at only $4.99, but you can get it TODAY ONLY (Saturday, Sept 12) for 20% off, making it only $3.99 for the ENTIRE kit of printables!! You'll receive 2 card fronts, 3 different gift tags, a tall popcorn cup, a short popcorn cup, and a cookie wrap!!

The files come in both png and pdf format - making it easy for papercrafters of just about any hybrid experience to use!! If you're familiar with Photoshop and working in layers you can use the .png files and customize your print-outs a bit. If you don't have photo-editing software installed on your computer, not to worry!! You can use the .pdf files and print directly from Adobe Reader. (and if for some reason you don't have Adobe Reader installed, you can download it for free HERE). I've also included full instructions for printing & assembling (as well as some basic Hybrid Tips) in both a Word and Text document with the download! There's really no need for any digital experience at all to create these hybrid goodies!! Simply download and unzip the files, open up the individual pdf files for each project and hit "print"!! (then of course, cut them out and assemble!! LOL).

Here's a closer look at some of the projects in the kit:Those cute little gift tags are included as individual png files and also as a pdf file of a single sheet of 12 tags (4 of each design), which you can print as many times as you need!!

I'm really so excited about this new adventure and hope you'll all give them a try!! :-) If it's a success, Libby and I plan to create several more hybrid printable kits like this in the future - possibly even on a monthly basis!

One more time, HERE is the link where you can purchase this fun Halloween Printables kit and get a jump-start on your Halloween treats!!

Thanks for humoring me and sharing in my excitement!! :-) (Special thanks to Kelleigh Ratzlaff Designs for commercial use of her Popcorn Cup and Cookie Wrap Templates)

Best Wishes Melanie!!

Tonight I have some bittersweet news to share. One of our Paper Craft Planet Super Novas, Melanie Muenchinger, is leaving the Planet. Melanie has been on the Paper Craft Planet Design team since the ‘Planet launched last year, but with mounting family and designing commitments, she needs to scale back on her other teams to focus on illustrating for Gina K Designs. But since this is not really “goodbye”, the PCP ladies are throwing a little going away "Best Wishes" bash in the form of a blog hop today featuring two sets designed by Melanie: "A Year of Leaves” or “School, Sports, Spirit!". Gina K is sponsoring a challenge this week on Paper Craft Planet with a chance to win one of Melanie’s newest sets! Upload a new project you create with a "Best Wishes" or good luck theme to the PCP gallery by Monday night (Sept 14) 10PM EST, with the tag GKDBW. (Here is a tutorial on adding pictures to the gallery, if you need it.)

A winner will be announced Tuesday, that person will win their choice of “"A Year of Leaves” or "School, Sports,Spirit!”> Hope you will play the challenge!

Here's a look at the card I created for Melanie using A Year of Leaves (which I absolutely LOVE):I stamped one of the many leaves onto a piece of textured green CS from the Green Stack (DCWV) and cut it out. The other patterned papers are also from the same Green Stack. I stamped the "Missing You" sentiment in the bottom right corner and added some Chocolate Chip ribbon. Of course, you know me - I couldn't leave out the Kraft!! The papers I chose to use were pretty busy, so I kept the overall layout design rather simple. I just love how that one single leaf looks popped up on dimensionals! I can see making a whole set of these cards using all the different leaves in Melanie's stamp set.

Melanie - I truly wish you the best of luck and I already miss you!! You know you'll always have a home on the Planet and we all love you!!

Now, head on over to the other Supernova blogs to see what the rest of the team has created in honor of Melanie:

Adela Rossol

Lynn Mercurio

Kim Burmeister

Wendy Price

Tammy Hershberger

Erika Martin

Lori Tecler

Jessica Fick

Sankari Wegman

Susanna Boyd

And finally, Melanie Muenchinger herself!!

And don't forget to check out our challenge gallery for Melanie!

Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge #34

I was so excited to have my good friend Sarah and her Mom Les over for some crafty time on Sunday (seriously love these girls and our craft time!) and we all sat down and played with Karen's Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge #34, which was a really fun sketch again this week! Blogger is acting up on me and I can't get the sketch to load, so just head over to Karen's blog post to check it out for yourself!

And here's my take on it using the Clear and Simple Stamps retro set Little One - such a fun and versatile baby set that coordinates so well with at least a few of the new releases coming out on Sept 15th!! I also used the new Dots and Lines set, which will release Sept 15 - it's quickly becoming one of my most-used CSS stamps!!
Supplies:
Stamps: Little One (Clear and Simple)
Paper: Kraft, Whisper White, Tangerine Tango CS; Bashful Blue DP (SU)
Ink: Chocolate Chip, Certainly Celery markers (SU)
Accessories: Sewing Machine; Certainly Celery Ribbon (SU); buttons (PTI)

While I'm at it, I thought I'd go ahead and share a few other projects I've created using the Little One stamp set...

This one uses an older MoJo Monday sketch that I've had sitting on my desk just waiting for me to play with. It's MoJo Monday #98, an awesome sketch that I'm sure I'll be using again and again. Once again, I paired the Little One "Cute as a button" sentiment with the polka dot background stamp from the new Dots and Lines set that will be avail Sept 15.
Supplies:
Stamps: Little One; Dots and Lines (CSS)
Paper: Kraft, Whisper White, Certainly Celery CS; Delicate Dots DP (SU)
Ink: Fresh Snow (PTI); Versafine Vintage Sepia (Tsukineko)
Accessories: Circle Nestabilities (Spellbinders); buttons (SU, PTI); Certainly Celery ribbon (SU)

And this last one is a super simple baby card with the large sentiment from the Little One set stamped in Momento Rich Cocoa ink on a sentiment panel that was sewn onto the card using a zigzag stitch - very simple embellishment but very effective I think!
Supplies:
Stamps: Little One (CSS)
Paper: Kraft, Very Vanilla CS, Textured Bashful Blue CS (SU); Patterned paper from Scenic Route
Ink: Momento Rich Cocoa (Tsukineko)
Accessories: Scallop border punch, Certainly Celery ribbon (SU); Sewing Machine

So there you have it!! I'll be back on Friday and later this weekend with sneak peeks of some of the New Release sets from Clear and Simple Stamps!! Can't wait for you all to see some of them - too cute!!

Wonderful Day

Happy Wednesday! Wednesdays are definitely a Wonderful day in the Tapler house - at least for me!! Dean goes to preschool, Joel's at work and I'm off work, so it's my day all to myself to spend ensconced in my Craft Room doing whatever I want!! I really think Wednesdays might be my favorite day of the week!! (does that make me a bad mother? LOL).

Anyway, since it's Wednesday, it's time to share another ABC Toys and Crafts Project with you. I have another fun Slice card today and I must say - I LOVE how this turned out!!

The large flower was cut out of Textured Riding Hood Red CS with the Basic 2 Design Card in my Slice Digital Cutter (read to the end of this post to find out how to get these for 15% off!!). I used some 3-D Adhesive to make the flower pop on a So Saffron panel (embossed with my Swiss Dots Cuttlebug folder) matted with Whisper White and added a scalloped border to one edge for interest. The sentiment, "Have a Wonderful Day", is from the Hero Arts Stamp It! Messages set of 4 - I just inked & stamped each word separately (using tape to mask the other words) so I could stamp it in a straight line rather than in a stacked bunch as it is on the stamp. It's stamped in Versafine Vintage Sepia ink.

So have you had a chance to use the "Friends of Jen" exclusive discount coupon yet at ABC Toys and Crafts? Enter the code ABC15J to get 15% off your entire order now through October 10th!! (you can use the code as many times as you want).

Take the Challenge Tuesday - Cover It

This month's Clear and Simple Stamps Take the Challenge Tuesday challenge is to "Cover It". The challenge is to cover some sort of "notebook/pad" - make a post-it holder, cover a composition book or planner, or you can make one of these SUPER easy little notepad covers (instructions at the end of this post):
I bought a bunch of these little 4x6 "Scratch Pads" at OfficeMax a few months ago and have made several cute little custom covers for them recently. I created the one above for my son Dean. He LOVES to pretend like he's making grocery lists and "write" things down on a notepad, so he was very excited to have his own personalized pad!! I used a few of the new September releases from Clear and Simple Stamps on the project - Get in Gear along with my new fave Dots and Lines (a fun background set) and the letters of Dean's name were stamped with Modern Alpha. Get in Gear is available now as the September Stamp of the Month (use discount code DTBlog909 to get $1 off through the end of the month). The other sets will be available Sept 15!

Join us over at the Clear and Simple Stamps Group on PCP to play along in this month's Cover It Challenge

Use the tag TTC09 when loading your projects.

Now head on over to the other CSS DT blogs to see what the other girls have created for the challenge:

• Beth Matson
• Kim Howard
• Lori Tecler
• Maria Levine
• Neva McMullen
• Robyn Weatherspoon
• Sue Berker
• Clear and Simple Blog
  

I'll be sharing more samples from the September Clear and Simple Stamps Release on Thursday, so be sure to stop back by (I promise you don't want to miss these new sets!!)

Instructions for 4x6 Scratch Pad Cover:
- Cut Cardstock to 8 7/8 x 6 inches
- Score at 4 1/4 and 4 5/8 along 8 7/8 inch side
- Use Scor-Tape to adhere Scratch Pad to inside and fold.

Supplies:
Stamps: Get in Gear, Dots and Lines, Modern Alpha (CSS)
Paper: Kraft, Chocolate Chip, Tempting Turquoise, Real Red, So Saffron, Whisper White CS (SU)
Ink: Real Red, So Saffron, Tempting Turquoise (SU); Fresh Snow (PTI)
Accessories: Chocolate Chip ribbon, Large silver brads, dimensionals (SU)

Raspberry Suite Color Challenge #16

I've missed out on several of Dawn McVey's color challenges recently, but when I saw #16 one I knew I just HAD to make time to participate. These colors are right up my alley!!! Check them out:
I also had several PTI sets that I thought I would DIE if I didn't purchase but haven't been able to use as much as I'd like, so this seemed like a good excuse to get them all good and inky!! Personally I think I should get extra credit for the most stamp sets used on a single card EVER (by me anyway!!). I spent some time this weekend doing some organizing in my craft space and have a whole stack of cards to add to my Etsy shop (which has been empty for almost a year because I'm too lazy to deal with it). As I was going through boxes and boxes of cards, I came across one of my favorites and set it aside to be CASE'd. This card is a CASE of myself (although I'm pretty sure the original sketch might have been an old Sketch For You To Try by Jen del Muro). I really like this layout (click on the photo to see it larger):

Supplies:
Stamps: Polka Dot Basics, Damask Designs, Bird Watching Additions, Background Basics: Text Style, Everyday Button Bits (PTI)
Paper: Chocolate Chip, Kraft, Very Vanilla, So Saffron CS (SU)
Ink: So Saffron (SU); Momento Rich Cocoa (Tsukineko); Versafine Vintage Sepia (Tsukineko)
Accessories: Chocolate Chip twill, Scallop border punch (SU); hobby blade; 3-D Adhesive

Mercy's Tuesday Sketch #37

I've been trying for weeks to play along with one of Mercy's Sketch challenges and I finally had a chance this weekend with her Tuesday Sketch #37 - and it was a fun one!!

I have a few things to get posted in the next 24 hours, so I'm going to keep this short and sweet and just get right to the point. Here's the card I came up with:I tried to get all fancy and painted the edges of that Kraft panel, then glitter all around the edge. I was only reminded of why I don't normally work with glitter and don't like to "get all fancy". Some of you out there do both of these things so well and I envy you - all I seem to do is make a big mess and end up with a card that (to me at least) looks like my 2-yr-old was allowed to put the finishing touches on!! LOL. {sigh}. Oh well. Actually, besides the glitter, I'm pretty pleased with how this turned out. Those poinsettias from Verve's Poinsettia Christmas were PERFECT for this sketch and I just love how they look embossed in white on Kraft paper (but really, doesn't EVERYTHING look better on Kraft!?!?).

Supplies:
Stamps: Poinsettia Christmas (Verve)
Paper: Kraft CS (SU); Textured White CS (American Crafts); DP by Scenic Route
Ink: Versamark; white acrylic paint
Accessories: Detail White EP (Stampendous); Circle Nestabilities (Spellbinders); Glitter (Martha Stewart); 3-D Adhesive

My Time Sketch Challenge #35

Happy Saturday and Happy start of a fabulous long weekend (Monday is Labor Day in the US)!! It's time for another one of Lauren's fun My Time Sketch Challenges and I stepped out of my comfort zone this week and actually embraced an off-set / tilted panel!! {gasp!}. I know! Here's a look at this week's sketch:And here's what I came up with:
I used my new Chill-ax set from Taylored Expressions along with some DP from the latest Key Ingredients kit (I'm a subscriber - LOVE getting those kits in the mail each month!!). The image was colored with Copics and the rest is pretty self-explanatory so I'll just leave it at that.

We'd love for you to play along with us this week. Just use the sketch to create your own card or project, then post a link using good 'ole Mr. Linky on Lauren's Blog so we can check it out!

Be sure to stop by the other My Time to Create DT Blogs to see what the other girls have cooked up with this sketch:

• Dana
• Kendra
• Kristin
• Lauren
• Lisa
• MacKenzie
• Maria
• Odette
• Pam
• Tamara
• Tracey

Hybrid Goodies

Thought I'd share a couple of hybrid goodies I've created recently but haven't had a chance to post on the blog.

First up is this SUPER cute Cookie Wrap Template by Kelleigh Ratzlaff that releases today at the Digichick. I made 2 versions of this wrap and they were SOOO easy! Kelleigh's templates come in both a lines-only pdf version (so you can print it out on your cardstock and use your paper supplies) or as a layered psd file so you can use your digi papers in photoshop to design your project. The cookie wraps are designed to fit around a handful of cookies standing upright. You can wrap the cookies in cellophane, put them in a pretty frosted bag like I did or even in a paper sack! I chose to use the lines-only version for both of my Cookie Wraps and they turned out so so cute:

Supplies:

Cookie Wrap Template by Kelleigh Ratzlaff (the Digichick)
Paper: Kraft CS; Metropolis DT (Scenic Route)
Accessories: frosted bag (PTI); chipboard star (Scenic Route); buttons (Basic Grey); hemp twine

And don't limit yourself to cookies with this template - it's perfect for other goodies as well - I wrapped up some Hershey's nuggets here and put them in the frosted bag and it's just as cute as the cookies!!

Supplies:
Cookie Wrap Template by Kelleigh Ratzlaff (the Digichick)
Paper: Kraft CS; printed digi papers from You Don't Know Me by Shawna Clingerman (Sweet Shoppe)
Accessories: frosted bag (PTI); Chocolate Chip ribbon

Next is this altered desk accessories set I created using a new Verve Stamp, some super cheap bare wood desk accessories I picked up at my local craft store, and printed digi papers from the C'est La Vie kit by Zoe Pearn (Sweet Shoppe) (sorry, the Sweet Shoppe store is down right now so I can't post links, but I'll try to come back later and add them if I remember).

I painted the wooden items with white acrylic paint, then covered with my printed digi papers using Mod Podge. For the letter holder (which I'm using to hold card bases on my craft work area) I added some physical embellishments including silk flowers dyed to match the digi papers using Copic markers. I stamped the new To Risk Plain Jane in Versafine Vintage Sepia directly on the printed digi bracketed journal box, cut it out and popped it up on dimensionals. Here's a closer look:

So that's it for my Hybrid Goodness today! It's going to be a busy weekend here on the blog, so be sure to stop back by to see more fun projects from Verve, Clear and Simple Stamps and a few challenge submissions!

-jen

Fishy Fun

Hi! Today I'm sharing another ABC Toys and Crafts project with you - a fun and whimsical little card I created using the Fishy Fun set from My Cute Stamps along with some printed digi papers from the Deep Blue Sea kit by Dani Mogstad (Sweet Shoppe Designs).The layout for the card was inspired by Karen Giron's Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge #31 although I omitted the sentiment. I stamped the crab, fish, seaweed and bubbles in Momento Tuxedo Black ink and colored with my Prismacolor pencils and blended with Odorless Mineral Spirits. This is a fun technique, but one I need to practice! The crab is popped up on 3-d adhesive to give the card a little more depth.

Don't forget, now through Oct 10 you can get 15% off the Fishy Fun stamp set (along with everything else in the ABC Toys and Crafts store) by using this exclusive "Friends of Jen" discount code: ABC15J. (this discount is off the original retail price, so cannot be combined with any current sales). Have fun shopping!!

Get in Gear

ETA: This is my 2nd post of the day, scroll down for my Verve Project Parade post.

It's Sept 1st and that means it's time for another fabulous Stamp of the Month from Clear and Simple Stamps! This month's SOTM is Get in Gear, a super cute Robot themed set with 4 different robots, 15 sentiments and a border stamp - so many possibilities!! You can pick up the Get in Gear set now for $1 off using this special discount code: DTBlog909!

In addition to the SOTM, Clear and Simple Stamps also has another Copic bundle featuring their Copic Trio Blue1. Purchase both the SOTM and the Copic Bundle and save $4, an economical and fun way to build your Copic Marker collection!

And of course, since it's the first of the month, the uber talented Sue Berker has done it again with another ADORABLE template for you to play with this month!! This time it's this fun little robot. Check out the robot I created with Sue's template (which you can download HERE):

I'm also giving you a sneak peek of another fabulous Clear and Simple Stamps new release set - Dots and Lines, which will be available Sept 15 - used to stamp the white lines on the turquoise body of the robot!

Now head on over to the other DT blogs to see what the rest of the girls have done with Sue's template:

• Beth Matson
• Kim Howard
• Lori Tecler
• Maria Levine
• Neva McMullen
• Robyn Weatherspoon
• Sue Berker
• Clear & Simple Stamps Blog
  

Supplies:
Stamps: Get in Gear, Dots and Lines (Clear and Simple)
Paper: Tempting Turquoise, Real Red, So Saffron, Kraft CS (SU)
Ink: Fresh Snow (PTI); Versafine Vintage Sepia (Tsukineko)
Accessories: Screw brads (GinaK); Paper Crimper (Fiskars); Silver Cording (SU)