My Time to Create Inspiration Challenge

Happy Saturday! Time for another My Time to Create challenge and this week Lauren has a super fun Inspiration photo for you to use. Check it out:I just love all those fun colors and patterns! Take a look at my creation:

I had just received an order of new Cosmo Cricket goodies and the colors in that patterned paper reminded me of the inspiration photo (even though mine is a little more red than pink, but oh well!), so I started with that piece of Cosmo Cricket Early Bird DP. Next I knew I wanted to use my Background Basics: Retro stamp set from PTI on some Ripe Avocado (PTI) CS to replicate that funky green & white pattern. To add some vertical striped element to the card, I used my new Scor-Pal (from Clear and Simple Stamps) to create some embossed vertical stripes on a piece of Baja Breeze CS. I added a layered and crumpled paper flower (inspired by Dawn McVey), using my Slice to cut out the flower shapes in various sizes. You can't really see it in the photo, but each of the flowers has a tone-on-tone background stamped onto the CS from Polka Dot Basics, Background Basics: Retro, and Background Basics: Text. Finally, I stamped the "Friend" sentiment from the Friends til the End stamp set. (all stamps on this card are from Papertrey Ink).

Want to play along? Use the photo as inspiration for your project, then head on over to Lauren's blog and post a link to your project using Mr. Linky! Be sure to check out what the other My Time to Create DT girls came up with:

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

Papercraft Planet / Bombshell Stamps Challenge

OK, we have a really fun challenge for you today over at Papercraft Planet -- it's an inspiration challenge, sponsored by Bombshell Stamps. To play along, simply pick something that you think is "the bomb" and make something!

Post your project in the Paper Craft Planet photo gallery, and use the tag "PCPBOMB". (Here is a tutorial on adding pictures to the gallery, if you need it.) Shannon, at Bombshell Stamps has generously offered TWO stamps sets as a prize -- Pinstriping and Speed Shop.

For my card I made this fun Birthday card for my best guy friend, Mark, who's birthday is coming up next month (I'm pretty sure Mark doesn't read this blog, so I think I'm safe!!). Basically Mark is "the bomb"!! We've been friends for YEARS and he's one of the things I miss most about Oklahoma! We've had some crazy fun times together - from our days working together for Health South in OKC to winning front row Aerosmith tickets on the radio (long story, but Mark had to pretend to be Joel and play the "Bedlam Boob" game live on the radio for that one...let's just say that's the one and ONLY time Joel ever thanked a dude for pretending to feel up his girlfriend in front of thousands of people!!! LOL) to teaching Mark to surf his first trip to Maui just a few months after I moved here. Basically, he's the best guy friend a girl could ask for!! Here's Mark (or as Dean calls him "Uncle Marker") at the Ulupalakua General Store on his last trip out to Maui in January:
And here's his birthday card using Retro Cowgirls. I colored the cowgirl with my Prismacolor pencils and Odorless Mineral Spirits.

Check out what the other Papercraft Planet Super Novas came up with:

Adela Rossol

Lynn Mercurio

Melanie Muechinger

Kim Burmeister

Wendy Price

Diana Gibbs

Erika Martin

Lori Tecler

Jessica Fick

Sankari Wegman

Susanna Boyd

Now, it's your turn! Take the challenge and let's see what you make!

Clear and Simple Stamps July Release

Note: this is my 2nd post today, please scroll down for a look at my previous post - a fun ABC Toys and Crafts project!


The Summertime Collection has arrived at the Clear and Simple Stamps store!!

Want it all? Click here to order the entire collection in one single click - a package valued at $150, including all {10} newly released stamp sets.

______________________________

Summer / Sunshine / Summer Sand / Together
In Bloom / Traveller / Tennis / MVP / Deep Dive

CSS Signature Set
Tennis Darling

Here's another fun hybrid card I created using 2 of the new release sets - Summer and Sunshine:

Stamps: Summer, Sunshine (CSS)
Paper: Whisper White CS (SU); Pure Poppy CS (PTI); printed digi paper from Funny Sunny kit by Sarah Jones (the Digichick)
Ink: Pure Poppy (PTI); Pumpkin Pie (SU)
Accessories: ribbon

And guess what!?!? In addition to the new Summertime stamp collection, CSS has also added the NEW Pastel Copic Sketch Markers to the store as well! That's right {12} brand spanking new colors. They can be purchased individually or as a complete 12 piece set. Click here to add these new Copics to your collection today.

And here's a little peek at what the CSS Design Team has done with the New Release (you can check out all of their individual blogs by clicking on their links in my sidebar):

Slice meets My Cute Stamps

Hi there! Have I mentioned lately how much fun I'm having with my new Slice machine? And get this - the Slice is on sale right now for an unbeatable price along with EVERYTHING else in the ABC Toys and Crafts store!! Check out the Slice and all of the Slice design cards and accessories HERE. So I thought I'd share another fun and simple creation using my Slice...

This card seriously took me a whole 10 minutes to throw together! I used some of the new In Color papers & ribbon from Stampin' Up and the Slice Basics 2 Design Card (also on sale!!) to cut out the flower and leaf. I added a large silver brad to the center and popped the whole thing up on 3-d adhesive for depth. The whimsical "hello" sentiment is from my fave My Cute Stamps set (currently 15% off in the ABC store through July 18!!) - Hello Doodle. I stamped the "hello" in Versamark ink and heat embossed with Detail White embossing powder. A simple white scalloped border finished up the bright and cheerful card!

So that's it. Head on over to ABC Toys & Crafts and take advantage of their amazing sale now through July 18th - EVERYTHING in the store is at least 15% off and they have a fabulous selection of Slice products AND My Cute Stamps!!!

Sweet Sunday #26

Hi there! I finally had a chance to play around with Karen Giron's Sweet Sunday Sketch again this week. Her sketches are always so much fun!! I had some fun new digi papers I was dying to print out and play with and this sketch was the perfect opportunity to do that!! I used Sarah Jones' new Pish Posh paper pack from the Digichick (FYI - the link to Sarah's kit isn't working, so I'll come back in and edit with the link soon, but believe me, this is a SUPER cool paper pack!!) along with Verve's Because of You set. Here ya go - sorry the photo is so blown out. I'm having major issues with my SUPPOSED to be "good camera", to the point that I think I'm going to have to take it somewhere and have it looked at. I so can NOT afford a new dSLR right now but the scrapper in me doesn't know how to function without one!!!

Stamps: Because of You (Verve)
Paper: Chocolate Chip, So Saffron CS (SU); printed digi paper from Pish Posh by Sarah Jones (the digichick)
Ink: Versafine Vintage Sepia (Tsukineko)
Accessories: Chocolate Chip ribbon & cordoruy brads)

So what do ya think? I'm thinking it looks pretty fall-ish and I might have to use those papers again on some fall cards in a few months!!

In Bloom

Thought I'd quickly share another Sneak Peek at the new In Bloom stamp set, available Wednesday from Clear and Simple Stamps!! I kept this one really simple and it came together very quickly using one of my "go to" card layouts!! It's hard to tell in the photo, but the 3 flowers are popped up on dimensionals to give the card more depth. Stop by the Clear and Simple design blog (as well as the other DT member blogs listed in my sidebar) for more of the July Release Sneak Peeks!!

Stamps: In Bloom (avail 7/15 from Clear and Simple)
Paper: Soft Suede textured CS, Dusty Durango textured CS, So Saffron textured CS, Whisper White CS (SU)
Ink: Momento Rich Cocoa (Tsukineko); Versamark
Accessories: hemp twine; scallop border punch (SU); pearl accents; white EP.

That's it for now! Have a Happy Monday!!

Win $1000 at the CuttlebugSpot.com!!

I have just discovered that The Cuttlebug Spot is having a contest - "The Journey to 1,000"! They are trying to reach 1,000 followers by the end of July and need your help. To enter all you have to do is go to their site, sign up as follower and complete a few easy steps and you could win a $1,000 gift certificate to Custom Crops (www.CustomCrops.com)! GO NOW and check it out at www.TheCuttlebugSpot.com

A late SFYTT and a last minute MoJo

I'm a little late posting both of these cards, but better late than never, right!?!? So I'll get right to it.

This first card uses Jen del Muro's Sketch for You to Try from LAST week. I used the Up, Up and Away set paired with a sentiment from Wishful Elegance (both from Verve Stamps) and some of my favorite (old) SU DP - Maine Blueberry. I'm going to sure miss some of the old DP - I'm not too crazy about many of the new paper packs in the new catalog, so my fingers are crossed for some yummy stuff in the minis this year since we won't have a new catty for a whole year!! In the meantime, I'm glad I stockpiled some of my old faves!! I'm wondering if it has to do with the fact that Kristina Werner is no longer at SU? I have a feeling a lot of my faves were designed by her, but who knows.

Stamps: Up, Up and Away; Wishful Elegance (Verve)
Paper: Kraft, Night of Navy, Whisper White CS; Maine Blueberry DP (SU)
Ink: Night of Navy (SU)
Accessories: Old Olive ribbon, Kraft corduroy brads (SU)

This next card uses this past MoJo Monday sketch, which I flipped horizontally - it just worked better with that flower image from Miracles Blossom that I wanted to use. (P.S. - It's a MoJo Contest week - so you still have a few hours to get your card uploaded to the MoJo Monday blog for a chance to win some Verve goodies!!!)

Stamps: Miracles Blossom (Verve)
Paper: Kraft, Night of Navy, Old Olive, Whisper White CS; Maine Blueberry DP (SU)
Ink: Night of Navy, Old Olive, Bashful Blue (SU)
Accessories: Circle Nestabilities (Spellbinders); Swiss Dots cuttlebug folder

That's it! Today is Joel's birthday - he's a whole 27 years old!! We had a fun little get together last night and watched the UFC fights on Joel's new ginormous (in my opinion) TV (his birthday present). One of Joel's college wrestling teammates from the Univ of Oklahoma was fighting (Matt Grice if you're into that sort of thing), but unfortunately he was one of the undercards and his fight didn't get aired on the pay-per-view, so we didn't get to see him (and he lost, so...). But it was still a fun night and some good fights (I can even admit that and I do NOT get into the fights AT ALL). I have to say I'm SO GLAD Joel is not doing that. So many of his college wrestling teammates are fighting in the MMAs now. It was hard enough watching Joel WRESTLE, I can't imagine him fighting. I know he'd be great at it, (he's wrestled and beat several of the top MMA guys in his wrestling career) but I'm glad he hasn't shown an interest (mostly because I think his days of working out that hard and cutting weight are over!!! LOL).

Anyway, Dean's spending the night at my parents' tomorrow night so we'll go out to dinner to "officially" celebrate his b-day then. Joel's going to see the movie Bruno by himself for a little "Joel Time" while Dean naps this afternoon (and I craft), then we're all going to attempt to take Dean to see his first in-the-theater movie, "Up", this evening. I've heard such wonderful things and my fingers are crossed we don't throw away a bucket of money and have to leave 15 minutes into it!! Any suggestions for taking a SUPER active 2.5 year old to a movie for the first time? He does well watching movies at home, but he just doesn't like to sit still for that long (he can make it through an entire movie at home, but usually needs to move around - from the couch to the floor to the chair to standing, etc - but he does pay attention the whole time - he's just not STILL for that long).

Surprise!! It's a Verve Baby Shower Hop...

There’s a new little baby Diva almost here and today we’re celebrating with a suprise shower hop! So come along with us and do the hop, hop, hop to help celebrate the arrival of Charmaine’s new little oodabug! This shindig started at the Verve Stamps blog, so if you’ve just happened along, be sure to hop on over there to start from the beginning!

One of the things I remember from when Dean was a fresh newborn was the constant need to jot down little notes - feeding times and which boob was last, diaper counts, things I wanted to remember for his baby book, who had stopped by for a visit, etc etc etc. And all us Mom's know that the brain isn't exactly working all that well after giving birth (I actually read somewhere that a woman loses like a million brain cells during pregnancy and birth...I'm pretty sure I still haven't regenerated those).

So anyway, I decided to use Verve's Practically Perfect stamp set and make Charmaine a little notepad she can keep handy by her bed or in the baby's room or next to the rocking chair or wherever it's convenient to help her keep track of all those little things. Of course, I needed to make a card and pen to match!!

To create the notepad cover (I used a 6x4 inch "scratch pad" from Office Max) I cut a 6x8 7/8 inch piece of cardstock and scored along the long side at 4 1/4 and 4 5/8. I decorated the front, then used scor-tape to adhere the notepad to the inside. SOOOO simple!! Here's a different view so you can actually see that it is a notepad cover thingie:

Stamps: Practically Perfect (Verve)
Paper: Going Grey, Basic Grey CS (SU); Lemon Tart (PTI); Baby Hickory Dickory DP (American Crafts)
Ink: Versamark
Accessories: Ribbon (PTI); Button (Basic Grey); Swiss Dots Cuttlebug folder; hemp twine; RSVP pen; 6x4 Scratch Pad; Corner Rounder

Thanks for stopping by! Now hop on over to Susan's blog for some more cuddly goodness.

My Time Color Challenge

It's Saturday!! Time for another My Time to Create Challenge!! This week it's another Color Challenge and Lauren's come up with some really fun and funky colors for you to play with!! Take a look:

I was a little intimidated at first, I'll admit it! For one, I normally don't use that bright of a pink and I sure as heck don't normally mix it up with orange!! But I'm really pleased with my finished card!! Here it is:

Stamps: Kindred Spirits, Fluttering By (Verve)
Paper: Kraft, Chocolate Chip, Melon Mambo, Pumpkin Pie CS; Pumpkin Pie DP (SU0
Ink: Melon Mambo, Chocolate Chip (SU)
Accessories: Butterfly Sizzix die, chipboard; button (Basic Grey); Chocolate Chip ribbon, Scallop Border punch, Word Window Punch (SU)

And here's a little sneak peek at what all the other My Time to Create girls came up with:

Head on over to their individual blogs to see their projects in full:

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

If you'd like to play along, just create your own card or project using the colors in the inspiration photo, then head on over to Lauren's Blog and link us up to your post using Mr. Linky! Can't wait to see what you do with the combo!!

I'll be back in a few hours with a very special Baby project to share....something you do NOT want to miss, so be sure and check back in a bit!!

Clear and Simple Sneak Peek

Hi there! I wanted to quickly share a few more Clear and Simple Stamps July Release Sneak Peeks today. These summery stamp sets are so much fun!! This particular Set, In Bloom, will be available for purchase July 15 (don't worry, I'll remind you!!).

Stamps: In Bloom (Clear and Simple)
Paper: Kraft CS (SU); Pure Luxury white CS (Gina K); Woodland DP (DCWV)
Ink: Momento Rich Cocoa (Tsukineko); Copic Markers (B000, B72, G20, YG23, R29, Y14, N1)
Accessories: Circle Nestabilities, Trio of Tags dies (Spellbinders); White Satin Ribbon, Baja Breeze Corduroy Brads (SU)

I combined 2 of the new sets, Summer and Summer Sand, to create this fun hybrid card. The beach balls were paper pieced using several of the solid digi papers from the Fun in the Sun digi collab from Sweet Shoppe Designs:

Stamps: Summer, Summer Sand (Clear and Simple)
Paper: Kraft CS (SU); printed digi papers from Fun in the Sun collab (Sweet Shoppe Designs)
Ink: Momento Tuxedo Black (Tsukineko)
Accessories: Old Olive ribbon (SU); buttons (Basic Grey); hemp twine

Feel Better Soon

Just a quick post tonight before I head to bed. The in-laws are on a plane headed home to Kansas and the house sure seems quiet!!

Anyway, on to my card....this is one I somehow forgot to share last month. I used the Viva la Verve June week 4 sketch on this one with the new Feel Better Plain Jane from Verve and just love how it turned out!! You'll also recognize my fave digi paper on there again - from Top of the World by Libby Weifenbach (Sweet Shoppe Designs). The large flower is a printed digi embellishment from the same kit. I added some large chocolate chip brads and chocolate chip ribbon and called it done!! Super quick and easy!

Stamps: Feel Better Plain Jane (Verve)
Paper: Old Olive textured CS, Chocolate Chip CS, Very Vanilla CS (SU); printed digi paper from Top of the World by Libby Weifenbach
Ink: Momento Rich Cocoa (Tsukineko)
Accessories: Circle nestabilities (Spellbinders); Chocolate Chip ribbon & brads (SU)

That's it for me! I have a few things to share with you this weekend, so I'll see you then!

Mahalo for stopping by!

Happy Anniversary Libby!

I have a special project to share with you today - a little hybrid gift I made for one of the digital designers I create for, Libby Weifenbach, to help her celebrate her 1-year anniversary at Sweet Shoppe Designs! We all know that the standard Anniversary gift is a bouquet of flowers, right? Well check this out:

I used Libby's new Porkchops and Applesauce digi kit and my brand-new Slice Digital Cutter from ABC Toys and Crafts on this project. I used the Slice Basics 2 Design Card (currently 15% off at ABC!!) to cut out 2 different sizes of flowers in varying solid and patterned papers from the digi kit. I layered the flowers and threw in a few of Libby's digital flowers (cut out with my hobby blade), using a dried branch cut from a dead branch from a tree in our yard to stick them into some floral foam. I shoved the foam into a cute little metal pail, added some Kraft colored "filler" and called it good. I added some large brads, buttons and hemp twine to the flower centers for a little extra depth and dimension.

I have to say that I'm so happy with my Slice machine!! I've played with it a few times now and it's just so convenient! I love that it's small and light-weight and cordless - so I can just grab it from the cabinet above my work area, turn it on, insert a design card and start cutting in minutes!! So far I have just 2 design cards in addition to the one it came with - Basics 2 and Back to School. I'm sure you'll be seeing me incorporate more and more of this new tool in my projects, so keep your eye out!!

And as a reminder, ABC Toys and Crafts still has just about everything in the store (including Slice Design Cards!!!) marked down 15% off!!! Head on over and check out all the cool things you can cut out with a Slice!

Sizzle and Pop

It's Take the Challenge Tuesday at Clear and Simple Stamps!! It's July - the height of the summer season here in the US - and it's time for a little sizzle & pop. This month's challenge is to make something using bold fun colors like bright orange, yellow and red and to add something that "pops" to your card, LO or project.

Join us over at the Clear and Simple Stamps Group on Papercraft Planet to play along in the Sizzle and Pop Challenge. Use the tag TTC07 when uploading your photos to PCP.

Here's a look at what I came up with:
Stamps: Summer (Clear and Simple)
Paper: Kraft, So Saffron, Whisper White CS, Real Red textured CS (SU); North Shore DP (Scenic Route); Tangerine Dots DP (Scrapbook Walls by Chatterbox)
Ink: Real Red, So Saffron, Pumpkin Pie (SU); Versafine Black Onyx (Tsukineko)
Accessories: Gingham ribbon (from sewing shop); circle nestabilities (Spellbinders); Top Note Die (Sizzix)

That adorable Popsicle stamp I used? It's part of the Stamp of the Month bundle that is currently on sale (through the end of July) for only $26 and includes the Summer stamp set and 3 Copic Sketch Markers!!

Head on over to the Clear and Simple DT blogs (linked in my sidebar) to see the other "Sizzlin" creations!!

I'll be back tomorrow with a peek at a project I created with my newest toy (a Slice digital cutter)!!

Hello

I'm so excited to announce that I'll be designing for the fun store ABC Toys and Crafts for the next several months! If you haven't had a chance to check them out, now is a perfect time to head on over to the store because now through July 18, everything in the store is 15% OFF!!! They have a great selection of stamps (including the super popular My Cute Stamps line!!), punches, Nestabilities, etc.

Today I'm sharing my first official ABCDT project with you and I'm absolutely LOVING it!! I used the adorable Hello Doodle set by My Cute Stamps on this quick little notecard:

Recipe:
Stamps: Hello Doodle (My Cute Stamps)
Paper: Kraft, Whisper White CS, Pacific Point textured CS (SU); So Saffron DP (SU)
Ink: Riding Hood Red, Kiwi Kiss, Pacific Point (SU)
Accessories: Corner Rounder, White satin ribbon, 3-d adhesive

Don't you just LOVE that whimsical doodled flower and "hello" sentiment? I can promise you'll be seeing more of that set from me in the future!

Well, it's Aloha Friday here on Maui and I'm headed over to my good friend Sarah's house for a fun-filled day of stamping with her and her mom, Leslie! You have no idea how excited I am about that!! I'm taking my new Slice machine for us all to play with, so be sure to stop by later this weekend and I'll show you what we come up with!!

I hope each of you has a Happy and safe 4th of July!! We're headed Upcountry to the big parade in Makawao Saturday morning, then will probably just chill the rest of the day. Maybe stop by some friends' for a cookout in the evening, but with Dean being so young yet, we don't really get too into the fireworks. I'm sure the rest of the neighborhood with have plenty for us to check out. Besides, on New Year's Eve the neighbors felt sorry for Dean that we didn't have any fireworks, so they brought us a giant handful of sparklers (despite my protests that Dean was WAY too young to be holding a flaming-spark-shooting-stick from his hand)!!