Clear and Simple Stamps Stamp of the Month

Here we are, December 1st, and that means it's time to introduce another fabulous Stamp of the Month and free Template from Clear and Simple Stamps!! This month's SOTM is the super fun Cup of Cocoa:

For the month of December, use Use the discount code DTBlog1209 at checkout to save $1 on the SOTM. Each month a trio set of Copic Markers has been paired with the SOTM for $26. You will receive a fabulous stamp set and three Copic Markers - a main color, a highlight and a shadow. This is an economical and fun way to build your inventory of CSS and Copics all at the same time! (Save an extra dollar using the SOTM discount code supplied above and you will be able to purchase the bundle for $25.) This month CSS is featuring the Copic Trio Earth 6 (E71, E74, E79).

And now for MY favorite part - the SOTM template!! Sue has created Cup of Cocoa template for us to play with again this month!! Download your copy of the FREE template HERE. And take a look at my Cup of Cocoa creation:

I made this fun little hybrid gifty using a Kraft CS base and some printed digi papers from the Freezin' Season kit by Melissa Bennett (Sweet Shoppe) . I layered both of the label images from the Cup of Cocoa stamp set, the solid image stamped in So Saffron ink and the outline image stamped in Momento Rich Cocoa. The sentiment, "wishing you a cup full of cheer", was also stamped in Momento Rich Cocoa. I then cut out the label and popped it up on dimensionals on the front of my little cocoa mug. I added a little tag to the handle with the stamped "for the love of chocolate". Here's a closer look at that stamped label and tag:

Once it was finished I filled the cup with a little cellophane bag of hot cocoa mix tied with some So Saffron ribbon and added a few See's peppermint candies (which are AWESOME melted and stirred into a steaming cup of cocoa - my favorite treat when we go backpacking in Haleakala Crater!)

Head on over to the other CSS DT blogs to see what they've done with the SOTM Cup of Cocoa set and template!!

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

Sweet Sunday Sketch #46

Sunday again already? Well, you know what that means...another super fun Sweet Sunday Sketch from Karen Giron!! I'm enjoying the last few days of my 5-day weekend, so I'm going to keep this super short and sweet!

Take a look at this week's sketch:And here's my sample, which was very heavily inspired by THIS monochromatic goodness created by my fellow Verve Diva Jackie Pedro using the same new release Verve set, Thankful Accents (isn't this such an AMAZING look!?!?) - and BONUS - Thankful Accents is currently discounted in the Verve Store along with some of the other New Release sets!!

What's in it:

Stamps: Thankful Accents (Verve)
Paper: Pure Poppy CS & DP (PTI); Whisper White CS (SU)
Ink: Pure Poppy (PTI)
Accessories: Circle Nestabilities (Spellbinders); Swiss Dots embossing folder (Cuttlebug); Dimensionals (SU)

Be sure to stop by the other Sweet Sunday Stampers' blogs to see what they've done with the sketch:

• Karen Motz
• Laura Frederickson
  
• Lynn Put
• Nancy Riley
• Sarah-Jane Kale
• Vicki Burdick

Then make your own creation using the sketch as inspiration and head on over to Karen's Post and use Mr. Linky to share it with the rest of us!!

Thankful Hearts Blog Hop

It's new release time at Verve and we're topping off our Thankful Hearts Blog Party with a blog hop featuring three new sets that just released, all focused on thankfulness. If you've been hopping and arrived from Charmaine's blog (link to the person above you on the list), then you're right where you should be. If you've just happened by, then you'll want to hop on over to Poetic Artistry to start from the beginning!

And to make this hop even sweeter, we've got a special treat hidden along the way for one lucky commenter. So if you see something that makes you smile, be sure to give a little shout-out in the comments for a chance to win our entire release!

My project today features my favorite set from this release, Thankful Accents. I altered a small clear paint pail to create a simple little hostess gift to have on hand for all those upcoming Holiday Parties we'll be attending soon!

I used the soothing color combo of Kraft (Surprise!! LOL), So Saffron, Very Vanilla and PTI's Ocean Tides.
I filled the paint pail with some See's chocolates and it's ready to be given a small token of appreciation to the hostess of the next Holiday Party we attend!
My favorite part of this project? That fantastic stamped circle thing!! I already have a long mental list of future uses for that thing!! :-)

Thanks for hopping by! Next up on the hop is AMBER!!

Taylored Expressions Black Friday Blog Hop

I'm so excited to be participating in an Extra Special Black Friday Blog Hop courtesy of Taylored Expressions!! If you just stumbled across my blog, be sure to check out the entire list of Hop participants at the end of this post (believe me, it'll be worth the effort!!).

Taylor challenged a group of stampers (including little 'ole me - I'm soooo honored to be included in this amazing group of talent!!) to decorate the TE Perfect Package to hold a set of cards or use it to wrap a gift we'll be giving this season!

I created a Hybrid Holiday Gift box to hold a pair of Gnome Name Bubble Bars for my Mom from my favorite Organic Bath store, Lush. (If you're not familiar with Lush, check it out - they're AWESOME - and all of their products are 100% vegetarian and 60% organic and never tested on animals). Here's a look at the box:I used the Wings of Joy stamp set, colored with Copics, to create the focal image on the box top and added some red pom-pom fringe around the edge.
The DP is printed digi paper from the Checkin It Twice digi kit by Dani Mogstad (Sweet Shoppe).
You can see that I decorated the inside of the box as well, added some recycled filler, and simply laid my bubble bars directly inside the box. A ribbon tab makes it easy for my Mom to open it up this Christmas and the bars are all ready to be enjoyed!! (and this way, I can easily sneak a smell of those yummy bars anytime I want between now and then since the box is held closed with a magnet!!).

So what do you think? Want some more fun ideas for these super versatile Perfect Packages? Here's a list of all of the participants in our Black Friday Blog Hop:
Alex Maldonado
Amy Rohl
Beate Johns
Bev Gerard
Charmaine Ikach
Cindy Haffner
Debbie Olson
Donna Baker
Jami Sibley
Jen del Muro
Jen Tapler (that's me!)
Jenn Balcer
Jennifer Buck
Jessica Diedrich
Joan Ervin
Joanne Basile
Linda Duke
Lori Craig
Rose Anne Reynolds
Sankari Wegman
Sharon Harnist
Sherry Cheever
Taylor VanBruggen

And in case you needed another excuse to do some shopping today...

In honor of Black Friday and Cyber Monday (the two biggest shopping days of the year!), Taylored Expressions is offering 15% off everything in the store! Just use the promotional code TEBlackFriday upon checkout to receive the discount. You don't want to miss up to 50% off all JustRite products, Buy 2 Get 1 Free on Tiny Twinkles, and the new TE Shirts & Aprons!

Raspberry Suite Color Challenge #19

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!! I'm sitting here completely STUFFED and suddenly realized I never got around to posting my Raspberry Suite Color Challenge Card, so thought I'd quickly share that with you before the deadline tomorrow!! I'll keep this short and sweet so I can get back my family time today!!

You can find the challenge details over on Dawn's Post. The challenge was to use Raspberry, Light Aqua, Moss, Lavendar and Chocolate. I stayed somewhat within the challenge guidelines except for the light aqua - I couldn't find anything that I thought qualifed as "light aqua", so I substituted SU's tempting turquoise, which I felt still worked well with the other colors and could actually be seen in the inspiration photo if you look closely! ;-) So here's my card (sorry the photo is kinda washed out, I had to take the pic after dark and this is the best I could do!):I used PTI's Dark Chocolate, Spring Moss, Raspberry Fizz, and White CS in addition to the SU Tempting Turquoise CS. I cheated a little because this card is actually a CASE of myself. you can see my original card HERE using Karen Giron's Sweet Sunday Sketch #29. (still one of my all-time favorite go-to sketches!!). I used PTI's Everyday Button Bits with Raspberry Fizz and Lavendar Moon buttons. I also used Polka Dot Basics II, stamped in Fresh Snow Ink - another of my favorite looks - on this card.

Well, that's it for me! I hope you all had a fabulous Turkey Day!! I'll be back tomorrow (actually SEVERAL TIMES tomorrow) with lots of fun things to share, including a few Blog Hops and a new release from Verve!!

Sweet Sunday Sketch #45

ETA: Sorry this is late - I actually had it all done ahead of time and scheduled to publish, but stupid Blogger rebelled on my AGAIN!! arrrgh! Is anyone else still having this trouble with Blogger? I'm seriously considering moving my blog...

Happy Sunday! It's time for another Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge from the fabulous Karen Giron! I absolutely LOVE this week's sketch and actually came up with TWO cards, but one of them got snatched up last minute for a super secret surprise publication coming up soon (you'll just have to be patient on that one, I don't even really know the details yet, but it sounds exciting - and that's all I can tell you!!!).

Anyway, here's a look at this week's sketch:
And here's my hybrid sample using the Holly Jolly stamp set by Clear and Simple Stamps and printed digi papers from the brand new Jolly Folly kit by Fee Jardine (Sweet Shoppe). Even those ornaments are printed digi embellishments cut out and popped up on dimensionals!! Cool, huh?
Be sure to stop by the other Sweet Sunday Stampers' blogs to see what they've done with the sketch:

• Karen Motz
• Laura Frederickson
  
• Lynn Put
• Nancy Riley
• Sarah-Jane Kale'
• Vicki Burdick

Then make your own creation using the sketch as inspiration and head on over to Karen's Post and use Mr. Linky to share it with the rest of us!!

Home for the Holidays Verve Project Parade

It's my turn to share a fun Holiday themed Verve Project for the Project Parade going on over on the Verve Blog!! Head on over for a detailed look at the hybrid Holiday Mini Album I created using the Christmas in the Air and Holly Jolly Verve Stamp sets and the Merry and Bright digi kit by Zoe Pearn (Sweet Shoppe Designs)!!

We'd love for you to play along with us and show us your homemade goodies for the upcoming giving season! Verve stamps are not required, but if you've got 'em, why not show 'em a little love? ;)

And, as with all of our project parades, we've got prizes! To enter, just link up your Home for the Holidays creation to the Mr. Linky widget on THIS post before midnight MST on Thursday, November 26. One lucky stamper will win a $30 gift certificate to the Verve Store. And for another chance to win, be sure to give the Divas a little shout out in the comments as they parade their fabulous creations inspired by this month's theme. One lucky commenter during the course of the parade (Nov 11 - 25) will win their choice of any Verve set.

Clear and Simple Stamps Winter Days Release

*This is my 2nd post of the day. Scroll down to see my Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge Post*

It's that time again - Time for another Clear and Simple Stamps Release!!

The Winter Days Collection
is now available!

Peaceful Pines / Winter / New Year
Winter Sentiments / Ski Darling / Hockey

This month I played with the New Year stamp set and had so much fun looking forward to and creating projects with not just a New Year, but a new DECADE in mind (how crazy is that!?!?)! Take a look at this fun card:

Using a Kraft CS base, I stamped the large New Year sentiment in Kiwi Kiss ink on Whisper White CS. I had fun using some printed digi paper from the Wild and Craz-He kit by Traci Reed (Sweet Shoppe Designs) and adding some white Thickers number (American Crafts) along with some old Kiwi Kiss ribbon (SU).

Be sure to stop by the other CSS DT blogs to see what the other girls have done with this release:

• Beth Matson
• Kim Howard
• Lori Tecler
• Maria Levine
• Neva McMullen
• Robyn Weatherspoon
• Simone Pursiful
  
• Sue Berker

Sweet Sunday #44

Wow - Sunday again already?? You know what that means - time for another Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge over on Karen's blog. I'm a much happier stamper this week without any blasted tilted panels in the sketch!! LOL! Take a look:

And here's my hybrid sample (flipped horizontally - because it worked better with the way the sentiment was situated):
I used some super yummy new printed digi papers from the Mistletoe Magic kit by Dani Mogstad (Sweet Shoppe Designs). I used a Chocolate Chip CS base, stitching some digi paper directly to the base. I stamped the sentiment and two of the snowflake outline images from Verve's Christmas in the Air in Momento Rich Cocoa on some of the printed digi paper. I cut out the snowflakes and added glitter to the edges and buttons to the centers. The sentiment panel and snowflakes are popped up on varying depths of dimensionals.

Be sure to stop by the other Sweet Sunday Stampers' blogs to see what they've done with the sketch:

• Karen Motz
• Laura Frederickson
  
• Lynn Put
• Nancy Riley
• Sarah-Jane Kale'
• Vicki Burdick

Then make your own creation using the sketch as inspiration and head on over to Karen's Post and use Mr. Linky to share it with the rest of us!!

So have you noticed that I've been a major blog slacker lately? I don't know what is up with me, but I've just had the blogging and posting blahs. Do you ever feel like that? I've been creating up a storm, but just can't seem to get motivated to POST it. Sorry about that! I promise to start sharing more regularly. Actually, I probably HAVE to or my DTs are going to start firing me!! LOL! :-) Really, I'm pretty sure I know what the problem is (are) - lots of stuff going on, unrelated to stamping. Don't worry, everything's fine. Just super busy with family stuff and dealing with what seems like crisis after crisis (everyone being sick and then sick again, my car dying, computer and internet issues, out of town guests, Joel traveling, my Dad rapidly deteriorating in the late stages of Alzheimer's, etc etc etc) - when it rains, it pours huh? I think {hope} things are starting to settle down. And I have about a gazillion Christmas and Hanukkah gifts I need to be making - so I should have LOTS to share!!

Sweet {Monday} Sunday #43

Ok, first of all, I promise I wasn't just mad at Karen for those darn tilted panels this week - my modem suddenly died Saturday night (conveniently just as I was complaining ONCE AGAIN about said tilted panels TO that crazy sketch artist Karen herself on facebook - LOL) before I had a chance to publish my blog post...so this is a little late...{but I will say it serves Karen right for forcing those crazy things on me yet again...I mean COME ON...a girl can only take so much!!! LOL}. So anyway, I had to run and pick up a new modem today and was able to get it all installed and up and running after work this evening.

Anyway, here it is - a little late, but it's done - my post for Karen's Sweet Sunday Sketch #43 - and yep - she's forced tilted panels on us again. {sigh}. hee hee. I actually forced myself to stick to the sketch this week. Here's a look at that sketch:And here's a look at my card (tilted panels and all!!):

I used some fun new printed digi papers from the Fra-gee-lay kit by Libby Weifenbach and Tracey Howard (Sweet Shoppe). I absolutely LOVE the papers in this kit and can promise you'll be seeing lots more of them on holiday projects in the upcoming weeks around here!! The ornaments are from the new Holly Jolly set from Verve, stamped in Versafine Black Onyx directly onto printed digi paper and the sentiment is from Ornamental Christmas.

If you haven't already done so, be sure to stop by the other Sweet Sunday Stampers' blogs to see what they've done with the sketch:

• Karen Motz
• Lynn Put
• Nancy Riley
• Sarah-Jane Kale'
• Vicki Burdick

Then make your own creation using the sketch as inspiration and head on over to Karen's Post and use Mr. Linky to share it with the rest of us!!

I'm WAAAAY behind on blogging - Joel returned from his week in New Jersey visiting the Grandparents yesterday - it was a good visit, but I think he almost froze to death. It's been like a REALLY long time since either of us experienced anything close to winter and even though I think technically it's not really full-blown winter there yet, it's definitely NOT Maui weather!! But anyway, it often seems like I do pretty much everything around here and Joel's just here for the fun stuff. Nothing like a week of being a single Mom to remind me that nope, he must actually contribute more than I thought because man, when he's not here I don't have time to do CRAP!! I mean seriously - I normally do something crafty almost every day and I think I only stamped or did a digi layout for about an hour TOTAL the entire time he was gone!! The rest of the time was spent just on full-time MOM duty. And I had to COOK. ick. In case you didn't know - I don't cook. Joel does 99.9% of all of our cooking. Ok, maybe I didn't actually cook last week, but I had to actually load Dean in the carseat like every SINGLE evening and then sit there for 5 minutes and make a decision about what we wanted to eat and then drive to Taco Bell or McDonald's or Panda Express or wherever. What a PITA!! So yeah, I kinda missed Joel and it's good to have him home!!! :-) Hopefully I'll get caught up on my blogging this week!