Play Date Cafe Challenge PDCC27

I'm excited to be spending another week as a Guest Designer over at the Play Date Cafe this week. The girls were all so welcoming and it was so fun to play along and get to know this talented group of ladies better! The team has another really fun inspiration photo for you to play along with again, check it out:


Now I have to admit, I waited until the VERY last minute to get started on this card (and probably drove Julie and the rest of the team crazy while I was at it!) and then sat here and stared at some blue, green and cream cardstock and had NOTHING for like 3 hours. I knew I wanted to use my much-neglected Bird Watching stamp set from PTI, but it took me forever to come up with this:


Initially I didn't want to use more of that awesome Scenic Route DP because I had already used it on a really cool project (which I can't show you for a few more days), but I'm telling you nothing else I tried was doing it for me. I just kept going back to that Sumner collection from Scenic Route. It was just too perfect for this challenge. So I caved. And my regular blog readers will just have to deal with seeing it on multiple posts this week!! LOL. I cheated a bit with the colors and couldn't resist adding in some Chocolate Chip for a darker accent - creative license and all that! I also used an old SFYTT sketch by Jen del Muro, one that is quickly becoming one of my favorite go-to sketches. I colored the bird houses with Copics and added a scalloped border edge to finish it up.

Be sure to stop by the Play Date Cafe blog to play along with this fun challenge - there's an awesome Designer Paper Grab Bag prize up for grabs for one lucky participant. And while you're there, check out what the regular Design Team has created for this challenge - you won't be disappointed!!

OBW, TESC, ETC

OK, so I know I JUST posted a card with these fun November '09 Collection papers, but once I got to playing with them I couldn't seem to stop!!! And I'm waaaay late on getting a couple of important birthday cards in the mail. And Taylor's Sketch Challenge #109 was just begging me to be played with. So there you have it. Take a look at this one:


I won't spoil the surprise and tell you who this card is for. We'll just hope that she only actually visits my blog once a week {wink}.

Seriously though, aren't those papers AWESOME? I also used Crystal's Journaling Snippets to create that fun custom sentiment. Well, guess what!?!? Today is your lucky day my friends. They are part of the One Buck Wednesday sale at JessicaSprague.com!! That means that TODAY ONLY (until midnight EST Wednesday, April 28) you can pick up both of these items for ONLY $1.00!! Crazy, huh? Here's a peek at the previews of both items:

November 2009 Paper Collection:

November 2009 Collection: Journaling Snippets:

And just for fun, here's another simple card I created using both One Buck Wednesday sale items (and some chocolate pom-pom trim from my stash):

Get Sketchy!

I'm barely getting this in just before the deadline, so I'll keep it short and sweet. I've actually never played along with any of the Moxie Fab World challenges before, even though I'm a regular reader of Cath's fun blog. But when I saw her Get Sketchy Challenge to use Kim Kesti's sketch from the Go To Sketches issue of PaperCrafts, that little "talk bubble" thing-a-ma-jig got my creative juices flowing. Here's a look at the sketch:
And here's what I came up with (I decided to Get Hybrid-y):


So I realize that owls are like, soooo last fall...but seriously - do those little guys ever really go out of style? I mean really - isn't that just the cutest thing you've ever seen!?!? See, I had just finished re-organizing lots of my digi goodies on the new computer and knew I needed to get some use out of these old faves by Crystal Wilkerson, and it turned out they were PERFECT for this sketch!! Everything on this card (other than the Kraft cardstock and the machine stitching) is printed digital goodness from Crystal's November 2009 Collection, available at JessicaSprague.com.

That plaid paper is from the November 2009 Paper Pack:
That woodgrain paper is some bonus paper from November's {Eye Candy} Elements Pack:
The talk bubble and word art is from the November Collection Word Art & Labels Collab Kit:And finally, that ADORABLE owl digi "sticker"? It's from the November 2009 Happy Little Owls Rub-Ons and Stickers:

So that's it from me tonight!! Joel and I have the house to ourselves as Dean is spending the night with TuTu (my Mom), so I'm spending the evening in my craft room catching up on some Young and Restless - man, what the heck is UP with this Sarah chick? Just when we have a nice peaceful 5 years or so without Sheila - BAM! she's back. (well, sorta).

Sweet Sunday Sketch #66

Here we are again - Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge time - and this week it's 3 of the Sweet Sunday Stampers' birthday!! Be sure to stop by and wish Karen, Sarah and Vicki a Happy {belated} Birthday - all 3 of them celebrated their birthday yesterday, April 24. Isn't that crazy!?!?

I went hybrid again this week with this spring-y card:

I used Verve's Big Wish stamp set for the sentiment - one of the best and most versatile birthday sets in my stash!! All of the printed papers and embellishments are printed digi goodies from the new Spring Fling and Spring Fling Blooms kits by Zoe Pearn (Sweet Shoppe). - and yes, it's the SAME Zoe Pearn who designs all those fabulous My Mind's Eye paper packs so many of you use so much. (hint - you can actually purchase most of those same kits in digi form for WAAAAAY cheaper from the Sweet Shoppe and print them over and over again as many times as you want and NEVER run out of your favorite papers. I'm just sayin'...).

And here's a look at the sketch:

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

• Karen Motz
• Karen Giron
  
• Laura Fredrickson
• Lynn Put
• Sarah-Jane Kale'
• Vicki Burdick
• Nancy Riley
• Joanne Basile
  

Then play along with us and post your own creation using InLinkz over on today's post on Karen's Blog!

Oh, and HAPPY {belated} BIRTHDAY GIRLS!! ;-)

Blessings - Verve Spotlight and SFYTT

Tonight's the Night!! The Verve Beach Party Release Party starts at 9 PM Eastern time - it's going to be a BLAST, so be sure to stop in and see all the fantastic projects the Verve Divas have created and chat with us for awhile. There's still a little time left to pop over to the Verve Blog and leave some comments on the New Release Spotlight posts this week for a chance to win some of the new stamp sets and you have a couple more hours to play along with the Beach Party Release Challenges too for even more chances to win!!

I have one final Sneak Peek to share with you today before the fun begins, and I used one of fellow Verve Diva Jen del Muro's Sketch for You to Try sketches from a few weeks ago on this one:

I used the amazing new set Blessings on this card, which is full of heartwarming sentiments that are perfect for creating wedding, sympathy, thinking of you and any card where you want the recipient to feel truly showered with love and blessings. You can see more peeks of this set HERE on the Verve Blog.

I was also inspired by Jen's recent use of cork and added a cork butterfly to my card - I just love that finishing detail along with the folded ribbon and large scalloped border! The printed paper is from Scenic Route and of course I couldn't resist my favorite cardstock combo of Kraft, Chocolate Chip and Very Vanilla!!

Well, that's it from me today. See you in the Release Party tonight!

Happy {late} Earth Day!

ETA: I had this scheduled to post early this morning and stupid blogger seems to be boycotting my scheduled posts once again. AAARRGGHHH!! Anyone else having this problem today?

Happy Earth Day!! In honor of Mother Earth's special day, Clear and Simple Stamps is releasing a very special line of papers - the Kraft Like a Rockstar Designer Mix!! You all know me and my Kraft...I'm sooo excited about this new line!! Check out this image for a peek at the new papers:

The mix contains 12 sheets (2 each of 6 colors) of Krafty cardstock. In addition to the new paper, CSS has designed a full line of coordinating goodies to match the Kraft Like a Rockstar Green, including buttons, ribbon, cardstock and hybrid ink. Check it all out in the CSS Store.

Now, because I'm so lame and can't seem to keep my assignments straight these days I totally goofed and don't have an Earth Day project to share with you today. But several of the other CSS DT girls have created some SUPER fun Earth Day inspired goodness, so be sure to stop by their blogs to check everything out:

• Beth Matson
• Kim Howard
• Lori Tecler
• Robyn Weatherspoon
• Sarah Martina Parker
• Simone Pursiful
• Sue Berker

I do however have another quick little hybrid card to share using April's SOTM, Rock-a-Bye:

This is a loose interpretation of Jen del Muro's latest Sketch for You to Try from a few weeks ago. And I used some awesome new printed digi papers from the Tori's Room paper pack by Crystal Wilkerson, which coordinates with the larger Room Collection. I stamped the solid rocking horse image in Sage Shadow ink (SU) on Very Vanilla cardsock, then stamped the outline rocking horse image in Chocolate Chip ink (SU) over the top - I just love this look! I added a stamped sentiment inside the stamped flourishy frame thing, and used the CSS Label 1 die to cut it out. Finally, I added some dark chocolate pom-pom trim as a finishing touch!

Play Date Cafe Challenge and another Verve Peek

I'm super excited to be playing along as a Guest Designer this week over on a fun Challenge Blog, the Play Date Cafe. If you haven't played along with these fabulous girls, you HAVE to stop by and check out their fun challenges!! This week's challenge is sponsored by Mod Podge Rocks and has a fabulous Mod Podge-i-rific prize for one lucky participant. The challenge this week is to use the following "Color Story" as inspiration for your own project, then head on over to the Play Date Cafe blog and post a link to your design for a chance to win the prize!!


Isn't that fun!?!? I was mostly inspired by those awesome colors, which were right up my alley! And they were the PERFECT combination to use with the new Verve set, Happy Days (releasing Friday night), which was Spotlighted over on the Verve Blog yesterday. Check it out:


I used some really fun printed digi paper from the new Mani-Pedi paper pack by Bella Gypsy Designs (Elemental Scraps), which just happened to match the Play Date Cafe Color Story PERFECTLY! I stamped the cool swirly circle frame thing from Happy Days and combined a few of the sentiments to create a fun retro-ish Father's Day card! Inspired by the necklaces in the challenge image, I added some hemp twine to finish it off.

To see more of Happy Days, head on over to THIS POST to see what the Verve Divas have done with the set. And don't forget to check out the other Sneak Peeks going on this week on the Verve Blog and then join us Friday Night at 9 PM Eastern for our Beach Party Release Party!!

And be sure to head on over to the Play Date Cafe to see what their regular DT has done with the Color Story - you won't be disappointed!!

Verve Beach Party!!

Today is the first day of the Verve Beach Party Release Spotlights!! Head on over to the Verve Blog to see some sneak peeks at the first of several new Verve Stamps!! I'm sharing 2 creations with you today...


This first card uses the new Relax stamp set, a FABULOUS new beach / tropical set of 19 stamps that is sure to fill a big void in your stamp collection!! I used Kraft and Chocolate Chip CS along with printed digi papers from the Color me Crazy kit by Melissa Bennett (Sweet Shoppe). I finished it up with some messy stitching. Isn't it fun!?
In addition to the New Release Spotlights going on over on the Verve Blog this week, Julee has cooked up a whole group of Beach Party Release Week Challenges for even more chances to win Verve prizes!! My next card is specifically for the Color Challenge.


I used the new Hibiscus Plain Jane (in addition to a sentiment from an as-yet-to-be-peeked new release, so shhhh!!) on my card along with retired DP from Scenic Route. I stamped the hibiscus image (isn't is YUMMY!?!?) 3 times and colored with Copics to match the color challenge and my printed papers, then cut them out and popped them up on dimensionals. I added some stitching and my sentiment and this simple Mother's Day card was done!!

Don't forget to join us for our Beach Party Release Party Friday night at 9 PM Eastern!! See you there!! Aloha!

Sweet Sunday Sketch #65

Wow! I've been a terrible blogger. I've had an awful week with major caregiver issues concerning my Dad causing an insane amount of stress for my family - and several days off of work for me to deal with helping my Mom take him to doctor's appointments, go to Care Plan meetings, etc. I'll spare you all the details, but it's so frustrating to feel like you finally have everything in place and things are going to work out and then BAM! everything feels like it's crumbling apart again. On top of all of this, I have been sick for a few weeks now with what started out as just a little cold that turned into a full-blown major sinus infection earlier this week along with chest congestion and a gnarly case of laryngitis that has left me with almost no voice at all (I'm sure Joel is secretly loving that! ha!) and to top it all off the worst case of PINK EYE, of all things, I've ever seen! What the eff? (pardon my fake bad language, but it's just been one of those weeks! LOL). I'm sure all of the stress didn't help.

So anyway, I'm behind on EVERYTHING - I haven't been able to stamp or craft all week and I didn't think I was going to get to play along with Karen's Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge this week. But I was in serious need of a little Stamp Therapy this afternoon and even though my MoJo seems to be hiding wherever my immune system ran off to, I did manage to whip something up with this week's sketch:


I used the super adorable Rock-a-Bye set from Clear and Simple Stamps to create this little 3.5 x 5 inch baby card - the perfect size to slip a little gift card into or to attach to the front of a small baby shower gift!


Card Details:
Stamps: Rock-a-Bye (CSS)
Paper: Kraft Like a Rock Star, Simply Blue-tiful, Dish all the Dirt Brown, On the Catwalk Cream Cardstock (CSS)
Ink: A Blanc Check (CSS); Chocolate Chip (SU)
Accessories: Hobby knife; Hemp Twine; Simply Blue-tiful Button (CSS)

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

• Karen Motz
• Karen Giron
  
• Laura Fredrickson
• Lynn Put
• Sarah-Jane Kale'
• Vicki Burdick
• Nancy Riley
• Joanne Basile
  

Then play along with us and post your own creation using InLinkz over on today's post on Karen's Blog!

Sweet Sunday Sketch #64

Ok, ok. I know this is super late. But I DO have some good news!! I FINALLY got my new computer!! I'm still figuring stuff out and trying to get files transferred from the old computer. (I have 115 GB worth of photos and digital scrapbooking supplies to transfer - ugh! - so it's taking FOREVER). But anyway, it's just been one of those crazy busy weekends and on top of everything, my internet service has been spotty. Seems to be working now (finally), so I'm hopping on to *try* to get this posted while I can!! :-)

Karen has another fun Sweet Sunday Sketch for us to play with this week. Take a look:


I'm going to be needing several Teacher thank-you cards soon as the school year will be winding down and there are multiple teachers and helpers to thank at Dean's preschool. So I thought I'd get a headstart with this fun hybrid card:


I used the Teacher stamp set from Clear and Simple Stamps along with printed digi papers from the new She'll be Apples by Fee Jardine (Sweet Shoppe). I tried to get all fancy with that sentiment strip by curving it to give it some dimension, but I think it kind of backfired on me - I don't like the way it looks at all, but oh well! Too late now! ha!

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

• Karen Motz
  
• Laura Fredrickson
• Lynn Put
• Sarah-Jane Kale'
• Vicki Burdick
• Nancy Riley
• Joanne Basile
  

Then play along with us and post your own creation using InLinkz over on today's post on Karen's Blog!

Thanks for being patient with me this week! (again).

Caardvarks and CSS

Exciting news! Clear and Simple stamps is sponsoring Caardvarks again in April!! We're doing a dual Blog Hop with both Design Teams, along with a regular card challenge. The challenge card winner, along with three random blog hop winners, will receive a $25 gift certificate to CSS. Pretty cool, huh?

The challenge theme is BABY, which goes perfectly with CSS' newest SOTM release, Rock-a-bye, which you can get for a $1 discount using the code CSS0410. But since the USPS is STILL holding my DT package hostage somewhere I went with my old favorite baby standby, Little One to create this quick and easy card using one of the best baby sentiments out there and some super cute baby themed papers from the Ducks in a Row paper pack from October Afternoon. I added some buttons from CSS's new-ish line of notions and some zig-zag stitching with my sewing machine and called it good. Here are all of the details:
Stamps: Little One (CSS) Paper: Kraft Like a Rockstar, A Blanc Check (CSS); Ducks in a Row DP (October Afternoon) Ink: Versafine Vintage Sepia (Tsukineko) Accessories: Scallop border punch (SU); Zig-zag stitching; I'm a Princess Pink buttons, On the Catwalk Cream buttons, Simply Blue-tiful buttons (CSS)

So, hop on down the list and leave comments on all the posts to be eligible to win the prize. Complete List of Blog Hop Participants is below. You have until midnight (PST) April 17 to complete the hop and enter your challenge card. Once you've completed the hop, return to Caardvarks and leave a comment that you've finished!! Good luck!!

Blog Hop:

Caardvarks

Clear and Simple Stamps Blog

Jenyfur Pohl

Lori Tecler

Heidi VanLaar

Beth Matson

Tanis Giesbrecht

Sarah Martina

Kim Howard

Ashley Newell

Savitri Wilder

Kelly Rasmussen

Sue-Ann Tibly

Amy Crockett

Sue Berker

Michelle Giraud

Robyn Weatherspoon

Lucy Beel

Jen Tapler

Eva Doblias

Simone Pursiful

Peet Roeven

Return to Caardvarks to leave a comment that you've completed the hop

Sweet Sunday Sketch #63

Hey there Sweet Stampers! And Happy Easter to those of you who celebrate. We recognized the Jewish Passover earlier in the week and will be recognizing Easter today with a visit from the Easter Bunny and several egg hunts! And of course, since it's Sunday, it's time for another Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge and Karen has come up with another fun one this week!! Check it out:


I went all-hybrid this time- there's absolutely NO stamping on my card. But I did play with my new SU Sizzix dies (Simple Alphabet):


I used a Kraft cardstock base and lots of fun printed digi papers from the new A Perfect Day kit by Traci Reed and Scrapkitchen Designs (Sweet Shoppe). I use the alphabet die to cut the letters to spell "aloha" out of chipboard and then digi paper and then glued them together. The little flower embellishment (which I took the creative liberty to move to the top of the circle) is a printed digi embellishment from the A Perfect Day kit as well. Overall, a SUPER quick and easy springtime card!

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

• Karen Motz
  
• Laura Fredrickson
• Lynn Put
• Sarah-Jane Kale'
• Vicki Burdick
• Nancy Riley
• And we're super excited that Joanne Basile has agreed to join us permanently!
  

Then play along with us and post your own creation using InLinkz over on today's post on Karen's Blog!

Thanks for stopping by and have a fantastic Sunday!!