Friday, July 31, 2009

Stamp of the Month - Clear and Simple Stamps

This is my 2nd post of the day, scroll down to see my My Time to Create Sketch Challenge card.


It's August 1st and that means it's time for another SUPER deal on the Stamp of the Month from Clear and Simple Stamps!! This month's SOTM is A+ Darling! Use the code DTBlog809 to get $1 off at checkout!!

Also available today is this month’s Copic Trio Bundle, Red 2, which includes R20, R24, and R29 — perfect for coloring all those Teacher's Apples! You can purchase the Stamp of the Month along with the Copic Trio Bundle which includes the set of 3 Red 2 Copic Sketch markers for a total of $26 (a savings of $4!!).

And we have another fabulous Template for you to play along with this month - the Apple Basket Template!! I absolutely LOVE this basket! It was really pretty easy to make and I can tell you I'll be making a few of these to take to Dean's preschool teachers as little "Back to School" gifts next week. The baskets are perfectly sized to hold a single large apple, but it's lots of fun to fill them with other Teacher goodies, like I've done:

I used two of the upcoming New Release sets on my little project - Teacher and abc...123 (avail Aug 15) - these 2 sets coordinate perfectly with A+ Darling (avail now) to make the most adorable teacher gifts and back to school cards and gifts!! I created a cute little covered post-it notepad (instruction HERE) and added some basic #2 pencils to the basket along with a stamped tag.

And see that cute little wooden handle that fits the Apple Basket Template perfectly? The handles are now available in the CSS store for purchase as well!!

Be sure to head on over to the other Clear and Simple DT blogs to see all the other fabulous Apple Baskets!!

Here’s where you can find them:

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

Materials Used:
Stamps: Teacher, abc...123 (Clear and Simple Stamps)
Paper: Riding Hood Red, Chocolate Chip, Kraft, Bashful Blue, Whisper White CS (SU)
Ink: Momento Tuxedo Black (Tsukineko); Riding Hood Red (SU)
Accessories: Apple Basket Template; Chocolate Chip ribbon; Wooden Basket Handle; Long Rectangle Nestabilities dies (Spellbinders)

My Time to Sketch Challenge

Well, it's Saturday and time for another My Time to Create Challenge for all of you - this week it's another of Lauren's AWESOME sketches!! It's going to be a very busy day on the ole blog today with this being the first of 3 posts, so stay tuned for more goodies and a couple of very special Sneak Peeks!! For now, on to the Sketch...

I have a confession to make. I have this weird thing about right angles and I NEVER (and I mean NEVER) play along in sketch challenges that involve skewed or tilted panels. I know, I warned you it was weird!! I love what others do with those off-set panels, but I just can't seem to make them work. So I don't even try! I was so pressed for time this week that I finally gave up and just made a few Creative Alterations to the sketch and made all my panels "line up" to right angles! Check it out:

I think it works. What do you think? I used some new (to me) printed digi papers from the Sunshiny Day Paper Pack by Corina Nelson along with the "smile" sentiment from Verve's All About You set. I also used my Sizzix Butterfly die (one of my faves!!) and Chocolate Chip, Kraft (surprise surprise) CS and Whisper White textured CS.

Be sure to head on over to the other My Time to Create DT blogs to see what this sketch is SUPPOSED to look like!!
And if you'd like to play along, just head on over to Lauren's blog and link up your creation to her post from today so we can all check out what you make with the sketch!!

Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Clean & Simple My Cute Stamps

Hey there! It's Wednesday so I have another cute little card to share with you using products from ABC Toys and Crafts! Today I created this quick and easy little notecard (3.5 x 5 inches) using the Hello Doodle stamp set from My Cute Stamps. It's one of my favorite sets from them and I'm having so much fun whipping up these cute little cards!!

I used a Kraft base and added a piece of Plum Pudding Bitty Box DP (PTI), with the bottom corners of both rounded (I love that look!). I added some Ripe Avocado ribbon (PTI) and stamped the "hello" in Fresh Snow ink (PTI) directly on the Plum paper. I stamped one of the larger flowers from the stamp set in Plum Pudding Ink along with both of the leaves in Ripe Avocado ink on white cardstock, then used my Cutter-bee Precision Cut Scissors (LOVE these!!) to cut them out. I popped them up with 3-d Adhesive for some added depth. Seriously, this card took about 10 minutes start to finish - it's taking me longer to publish this post than it did to make that card!!!

And don't forget, there are a few days left in the ABC Toys and Crafts July Sale with almost all items in the store marked down 10% off. There are also lots of new items in stock, including new My Cute Stamps and a whole new line of Martha Stewart punches!! The sale ends July 31, so don't miss out!!

Sunday, July 26, 2009

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun

Here we are..time to vote in Round 2 of Battle of the Creative Teams. First of all, THANK YOU to everyone who voted for the Libby Lou Crew last week - we're in the top 3 after the First Round!! WOOO HOOOO!!

So anyway, I'm back to beg for votes again this week. Please go HERE and vote for Libby Lou Crew right away! Voting closes at 11:59 pm (EDT) Tuesday.

The challenge this week was for the team to somehow use a common Musical Theme as inspiration for a layout or project. Our team decided to use 80's Music as our Inspiration and each chose a different popular 80's song to work with, somehow incorporating the song title into our project. I specifically chose to use Girls Just Wanna Have Fun by Cyndi Lauper. I recreated the Cosmopolitan Gift I made for New Year's, this time using a straight 80's theme. The idea is that this would be a gift for a "Girl's Night Out".

The gift contains all of the ingredients necessary (in individual test tubes) to mix up a (strong) Cosmopolitan!!

Digital Supplies:
Bamboozled by Libby Weifenbach and ChereKaye (Libby's portion only)
Alphas from Beauty School Dropout by Libby Weifenbach
Skidamarink by Libby Weifenbach and Cherekaye (Libby's portion only)
DJB Poppyseed font by Darcy Baldwin
All available at Sweet Shoppe Designs.

Physical Supplies:
Cardstock
Test Tubes (from floral dept of craft store)
Ribbon, silver cording
Trio of Tags Spellbinders die
Pom Pom trim

So whaddya think? Cute, yeah? So please please please go vote for us HERE. And Remember, vote for Libby Lou Crew!!!

THANK YOU!!

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Color Throwdown Challenge #52

ETA: this is my 2nd post today, scroll down for my ABC Toys and Crafts project.

I'm super excited to be participating in my first ever Color Throwdown!! Not only is my good friend Tammy Hershberger on the DT for this fabulous challenge group, but this week Clear and Simple Stamps is sponsoring the challenge!!

The challenge this week is to create a project using: Perfect Plum, Certainly Celery and Chocolate Chip (or your closest match). Link your project to The Color Throwdown blog, and they will select a winner to receive Clear and Simple Stamp's newly released SUNSHINE stamp set and mini pack of ribbon!!

For my project, I needed to create a quick and easy card set for my Mom (she loves to have these on hand), so I pulled out some Hawaii Papaya DP from Stampin' Up (I think I cheated a little as it's mostly Old Olive, but there's definitely some lighter shades of Certainly Celery peeking through in there too!!), Plum Pudding CS (PTI) and textured Chocolate Chip CS along with some whisper white for accent (SU). I paired this paper combo with a few of my favorite CSS sentiments from the Live Life stamp set. I stamped the sentiments in Versafine Vintage Sepia and cut them into strips, mounting them on dimensionals and then mounting the entire paper panel on dimensions for even more depth. I added a cute little folded Plum Pudding ribbon scrap and Spring Moss button (PTI), rounded the bottom corners and they were done!! I literally had 3 cards done in less than 20 minutes!! Here they are (hint - click on the photo to view them larger):

So head on over to the Color Throwdown blog and play along. You can also check out what my fellow CSS DT members have done with these colors (their blogs are linked in my sidebar). Can't wait to see what you all do with these fun colors!!

Stamps meet scrapbook page

Well, it's Wednesday and that means I have another fun little project to share featuring products from ABC Toys and Crafts! This past weekend I started putting together a little 6x6 "Celebrations" Mini Album and the first page I did was a birthday page!.

I just LOVE this picture of my son Dean on his first birthday! He HATED that party hat!! I actually just finished a digi page for his large 12x12 album using this same photo and the Title / Journaling on the page read "It's my Party...I'll cry if I want to" (I'll share that layout with you soon!). He has never liked hats and to this day doesn't like anything on his head. I like to think it's because he doesn't want to hide that fabulous head of blond locks from the ladies!!Anyway, I used 2 different stamp sets on this page. See that cute little date stamp? That's from the KI Memories Calendar Icons stamp set - PERFECT for scrapbooking! The set comes with 38 stamps that can be mixed and matched to create date stamps, reminders, there's a calendar square thing, etc etc etc - the possibilities are endless!! I also used the balloon and gift stamp from the Birthday Numbers set from My Cute Stamps. And you can't really see it in the picture, but that Baja Breeze panel is scored to give it a little more interest on the left side of the layout. Here's a closer look (sorry for the blown-out photos):
You can be watching for more 6x6 album pages from me in the future featuring that awesome date stamp! I just love it!!

**Just a reminder - everything in the ABC Toys & Crafts store is on sale for 10% Off through July 31st!! AND Shipping is FREE for orders over $70!!

What's in it?
Stamps: Calendar Icons (KI Memories); Birthday Numbers (My Cute Stamps)
Paper: Brilliant Blue, Whisper White, Baja Breeze CS (SU); Surprise DP (Scenic Route)
Ink: Momento Tuxedo Black (Tsukineko); Fresh Snow (PTI)
Accessories: Scor-pal, 3-d adhesive


Verve Project Parade

Have you had a chance to check out the Divine Details the Verve Divas are sharing with you during this month's Project Parade over on the Verve Blog? Today is my turn to post and I've shared a little secret look into my design process. Head on over to the Verve Blog and check it out. Here's a peek at the card I created for the post:

And the best part? You can play along for a chance to win some Verve goodies just for making a project or card that shows us your Divine Details. Verve Stamps are not required, but if you've got 'em we love to see 'em! Then just add a link to your creation to the Mr. Linky form in this post before 8PM Mountain on Saturday, August 1. Two lucky participants will win a stamp set of their choice from the Verve Store.

Monday, July 20, 2009

Battle of the Creative Teams - Please Vote for Us!

So Round 1 of Battle of the Creative Teams over at Digi Scrap Addicts is finished and the voting has started. Please go HERE and vote for "Libby Lou Crew"!!! :-)

I am participating in this Super Cool 4-week digi contest with 4 other girls from Libby Weifenbach's Creative Team. AND - I'm one of only a few (2 I think) Hybrid Artists in the contest. The first round was really tough as a hybrid artist. The challenge this first week was to make a white space (or negative space) layout. The team layouts must have a common color scheme and as a bonus, the team was to try to come up with a common overall theme. Our team's overall theme was "family" and here's the color scheme we decided to work with (plus a Kraft / corkboard color):
So, white space on a hybrid project?? crap. Here's what I ended up creating (and I have to say I'm SO STOKED with how this turned out):

It's a Family Message Center - a place for the Tapler Family to stick all those important message and reminders about upcoming events and other family "stuff" - making it easier for us to squeeze it that all-important "together" quality time!!

I started with a white 12x12 Scrapbook page shadow box frame, removing the glass. I added a piece of 12x12 corkboard, which is what I used as my "white space". I altered both the outside of the frame and the inside with printed digi papers. I printed out several digi embellishments from 2 of my fave Libby kits - Top of the World and Porkchops & Applesauce, cut them out and attached them in layered clusters around a recent family photo in the bottom right corner. In the top left corner, I used one of the alphas from Top of the World, overlapping the letters slightly, to form "family", then typed out "time" using the font DJB Brittany by Darcy Baldwin. I added some more of the cool swirly things and it was pretty much done!! It was a lot of work, but I do think it fit the challenge requirements quite nicely and I'm so happy with how it turned out!!

So anyway, here's where I really beg for your votes!! PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE go vote for us!! The winners will all receive a $10 gift certificate to EACH of the participating designers' digi stores!! (and you'll see when you click on the link that there are A LOT of really fab designers with teams participating!!). I'm no big thing AT ALL in the digi world, so I'm really relying on all my "paper friends" to come out and vote for me!! So head on over to THIS PAGE and remember to select "Libby Lou Crew" and submit your vote!! (hurry! Polls close Tuesday night).

THANK YOU so much!!! You guys rock!!

Sunday, July 19, 2009

Viva La Verve

It's been awhile since I played along with the super fun Viva La Verve sketches over in the Verve Forum, but I had some time today. We've all had the sickies around here the past several days and I finally came out of my cave this afternoon and got a few things done. Thought I'd post these before I head back under the covers!!
I used some cheerful printed digi papers from the Always and Forever kit by Christy Lyle (Sweet Shoppe) on both cards - they printed up so yummy!!

This first one is for Viva La Verve July Week #3 (VLVJUL03) with a twist to use scored lines. You can't tell it in the photo (I'm still having camera issues), but that light pink panel has a grid pattern scored on it!!

Stamps: Beautiful Kindness (Verve)
Paper: printed digi paper from Always and Forever by Christy Lyle (Sweet Shoppe); Chocolate Chip CS (SU)
Ink: Versafine Vintage Sepia (Tsukineko)
Accessories: Square nestabilities (Spellbinders); Chocolate Chip ribbon (SU)

This 2nd card is for Viva La Verve July Week #4 (VLVJUL04) with a twist to use some vellum on your card. The small butterfly layer is vellum!

Stamps: Filigree Fantasy (Verve)
Paper: printed digi paper from Always and Forever by Christy Lyle (Sweet Shoppe); Chocolate Chip CS (SU)
Ink: Versafine Vintage Sepia (Tsukineko)
Accessories: Circle Nestabilities (Spellbinders); Butterflies Die (Sizzix); Pearls (Kaiser Craft); Chocolate Chip ribbon (SU)

Well, that's it for now! I'll be back later today with a special post sharing my entry and begging for all of your votes in a big digital contest I'm participating in for the next 4 weeks!! I'm super excited about my project and can't wait to show it off!

Friday, July 17, 2009

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:

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

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!

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

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!!!

Monday, July 13, 2009

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!!

Sunday, July 12, 2009

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).

Saturday, July 11, 2009

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.

Friday, July 10, 2009

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:
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!!

Thursday, July 9, 2009

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

Wednesday, July 8, 2009

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!

Tuesday, July 7, 2009

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!

Monday, July 6, 2009

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)!!

Thursday, July 2, 2009

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)!!