Happy Birthday Tulips

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

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

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

Hey Baby

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

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

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

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

Sweet Sunday Sketch #37 goes hybrid

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

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

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

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

SASI Friday Friend

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

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

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

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

Happy Halloween

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

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

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

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

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

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

Verve Release Party Recap

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

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

Ok, on to the cards...

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

Mahalo for stopping by!!
-Jen

Sweet Sunday Sketch #36

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

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

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

Karen Motz

Laura Fredrickson

Lynn Put

Nancy Riley

Sarah-Jane Kale

Vicki Burdick

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

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

Harvest Blessings

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

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

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

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

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

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

See you at the party!!

Hybrid Love Ya

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

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

Well, that's it for today!!

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

Verve Sneak Peek - Wishing You

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

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

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

CSS Playtime Collection Release!!

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

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

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

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

NEW Backgrounds
Dots and Lines

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

______________________________

NEW Alphabets
Alpha Modern
Bitty Alpha Modern

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

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

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

______________________________

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

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

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

Sweet Sunday Sketch #35

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

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

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

Scrappy Sunday 9/13/09

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

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

Anyway, here is this week's sketch:

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

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

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

More Baby Cards

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

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

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

Jeepers Creepers Printable Halloween Treats

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

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

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

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

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

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

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