Any Birdy Home?

Happy Sunday! It's snowing here in Buffalo, NY, but I'm thinking Spring today! I love birdhouses, so when Kristin from Artful INKables sent me this set to work with, I was delighted!This is from the February release and it's called Any Birdy Home? There are three lovely birdhouses in this set that are a nice size, two sentiments, two flowers and a leaf. They are a nice rubber and stamp very nicely.

I decided to use the Color Throwdown colors of brown, pink, and olive. My olive is SU's Kiwi Kiss. It matched my dp from Urban Garden. The pink is Pink Pirouette. I seem to be working with all retired colors! The sketch is from SCS. I just thought it looked interesting and I flipped it to accommodate my image. It's hard to see, but the white mat and the pink and green pieces are all sponged with Close to Cocoa ink. The background of the main image was also swirled with some Close to Cocoa ink while still in the die. I LOVE this ribbon. It's not wired, but it bends really nicely into any shape you want. It's from American Crafts and I got it a while ago probably from AC Moore. I finally used my Bow Easy to make the bow, too!

Well that's it for today. I'm at a baby shower for my dh's cousin's daughter, so no stamping for me this afternoon! :-(

The Think INK Tuesday challenge over on the AI blog is still going on until tomorrow. The challenge is to make something naughty or nice. Mine is obviously nice! You could win a grab bag of AI stamps for entering. Check it out here.

Thanks for stopping in today! Enjoy your Sunday, and have a great week!

Recipe
Stamps: Any Birdy Home? (AI)
Paper: Neenah white, chocolate chip, pink pirouette, Urban Garden dp
Ink: Memento tuxedo black, close to cocoa
Copic Markers: RV0000, 000, 10,21, 23; YG0000, 95, 97; E18, 37; W-3
Accessories: Nesties, tag die, diamond CB folder, ribbon, star dust stickles, Kaiser pearls, dimensionals

Just Us Girls - Template Challenge

Hi everyone! Happy Saturday! I'm excited to bring this template challenge to you today from Just Us Girls.Our template challenges are being sponsored by My Time Made Easy. Lauren Meader has expanded her line of Cute Critters and I have two new ones to show you that will be available on Monday, March 1. Here are the Bouncing Bunny and Cute Lil' Chick making their debut.These little critters just make me smile! :-) I used the Under Cover template as the base for these and used the SCAL (Sure Cuts A Lot) software and my Cricut Expression to cut them out. The pieces of the bunny and chick are cut files also cut with the Cricut using SCAL. I used copic markers to color in the face of the chick and the nose of the bunny. I sponged the edges of the critters with Close to Cocoa on the bunny and barely banana on the chick. I liked the depth of color this technique gave me. I don't know if you can see it, but I used pink chalk to highlight the bunny's ears and cheeks. I used Basic Grey papers for the bellies on both....Bittersweet on the bunny and Lemonade on the chick. I added the flowers, coordinating ribbon to hold the box together, and the cotton for the bunny's tail! And the Under Cover box is big enough to hold some really great goodies, too! Adorable, right? You should see what the JUGS DT has created! They have done some very clever things with these critters! Stop by the JUGs blog to see all of them. You can also stop by the blogs of each of the DT members. We are saying goodbye to our February Guest Designer, Iwona Palamountain, also. She has done a fabulous job with us, so please make sure you stop by her blog to give her some love.

Kristin Bueter
Pam Imholz
Alicia Weiman
Dana Gustafson
Maria Levine
Mona Pendleton
Tracey Cuccia
Iwona Palamountain (February Guest Designer)

If you'd like to play along, you can use ANY template or design of your own. Just stop by the JUGs blog to get the details! Lauren is giving away a template of your choice by a random drawing if you participate in the JUGs template challenge!

You've read about the SCAL (Sure Cuts A Lot) software I've used on this project. Canda, from Canda Craft, is offering a 10% discount at her store for my readers. Here's the information if you are interested in a discount:

Coupon code: JUGS315

Expiration Date: 3/15/10

Discount: 10% off ENTIRE purchase
http://www.candacraft.com

Thanks for stopping by today and for your kind comments. They are truly appreciated!

Makeup 4 the Weekend Challenge

Happy Friday everyone! I'm here with a Makeup for the Weekend challenge from Paper Makeup Stamps. This week Lisa McKinney is hosting and she chose an inspiration challenge. Look at the fantastic picture she chose for inspiration.I am a very literal person...even with sketches, so I naturally went literal with this picture and created this card.I'm not sure I like my brayering. I should have used glossy cardstock...I know that works much better, but I forgot and just used regular cardstock. I brayered Cool Caribbean ink (retired SU) using a piece of ripped paper to keep the white on the bottom. (I tried to soften the white/blue edge with more caribbean ink by using a dauber. Not sure I like that either!) I punched a 1" circle for the sun and placed that on the cardstock while I brayered the caribbean ink. Then to get the yellow, I used the negative piece from the circle punch, placed it around the opening and inked that with barely banana. I like the effect of the white around the edges. I used Friendly Flowers for the flowers/vines and the sentiment is from Birthday Cheer. The butterflies were created with a Martha Stewart punch using Basic Grey's June Bug dp. There are crystals on each butterfly and star dust stickles on the flowers. I used my new grass border punch that I just purchased on my shopping trip last weekend with my friend Cheryl. Oh, and I sewed around the edges! I'm real happy with that! LOL!!

So what do you think? I'd love to hear from you. I like the outcome. I actually made this on Monday and thought of changing it all week, but left it alone...I had more DT work to do and other things going on this week after work! No time to play around! Check out the details for this challenge on the PMS blog. You can link up your creation on Mr. Linky there for us to see!

Thanks for stopping in and I hope you have a great weekend! I know I so look forward to mine! See you tomorrow for a My Time Made Easy template challenge from Just Us Girls! You won't want to miss that!

Recipe
Stamps: Dream Big, Birthday Cheer (PMS)Paper: Neenah white, summer sun, garden green, June Bug (Basic Grey)
Ink: Barely banana, garden green, cool caribbean
SU Markers: Real red, baroque burgundy, garden green, summer sun, really rust
Accessories: MS butterfly and grass punches, 1" circle punch, crystals, star dust stickles, brayer, sewing machine

Mr. & Mrs. Whooty Love Owl

Hi all! I have something really cute to share with you today. I met with my friend Cheryl Rowley on Friday for some stamp shopping and I wanted to give her a little present (she always gives me something she's handmade...so sweet!). I knew her sister collects owls, so I decided to make two cute critters from My Time Made Easy. Here is Mr. & Mrs. Whooty Love Owl. I used the cut file from MTME called Whooty Love Owl and the Undercover template. I used my Cricut Expression and SCAL software (I'll get to that later) to cut the boxes and the all parts of the owls with the exception of the eyes and the bellies. I used the PDF files for those and traced the bellies on the Shutterfly digital paper. These were so fun to make! It was a little confusing to figure out all the pieces and the coordinating colors I was going to use, but once I got that out of the way and created the first one, the second one went together in no time! The one thing I added after I took the picture was regal rose and chocolate chip ribbon around each box. It looked so cute with the ribbon! Inside one of the boxes were some stamps I had for Cheryl. Lauren Meader has a couple on her blog that are adorable! On one, she used the Heart Stealer Raccoon cut files to create a skunk! So clever and cute!

Now I have a special offer for you. I was approached by Canda of Canda Craft to offer my readers a 10% discount on their entire purchase at her store. This is where I got my SCAL software (Sure Cuts A Lot). It's a software you load onto your computer that will work with your Cricut and any .svg files. My Time Made Easy sells all their templates and cut files in the .svg format. The SCAL and Cricut do all the cutting work for you! That's what I used when I cut out my Undercover box and the owl pieces for my project above. It's an amazing software! There are also many .svg files out there in the www (some free!) that you can download and cut (just do a google search)! The SCAL software also has many of its own shapes and such that you can use, as well. I haven't played with all the bells and whistles yet (I've only had it for about 2 months), but I've seen what it can do and I'm impressed! Lauren Meader has a tutorial here on her blog that you can view for more information.

So if you are interested, here is the information you'll need for the discount.

Coupon Code: JUGS315
Expiration Date: 3/15/10
Discount: 10% off ENTIRE purchase

http://www.candacraft.com

Long post, huh? I hope you visit Canda Craft and see if there is anything you can use with the discount! She has more items in her store that are stamping related, so take a peak! Thanks for stopping by and enjoy your week!

Artful INKables Think Ink Tuesday Challenge

It's time for another Think Ink Tuesday challenge from Artful INKables. They have an interesting challenge going on...make a naughty or nice card. We just had a release and one of the new sets is called Sexy and Sweet. So I decided to use that set and make somewhat of a naughty card.So what do you think? Naughty enough? I think this cat is pretty sexy! There are a bunch of suggestive sentiments that go along with this set, but they are a little too racey for me! LOL! I felt pretty comfortable with this one!

I saw Karen Giron's Sweet Sunday sketch today and was very intrigued by it! I just had to use this sketch today. I figured out that all I had to use were five 1" strips of dp. I used SU's retired Autumn Vine (of which I have 3 packs!). These were mounted on a piece of chocolate chip cardstock and then tied with So Saffron grosgrain ribbon. This was then all mounted on a So Saffron card base.

If you'd like to enter our Naughty or Nice challenge, head on over to the Artful INKables blog to check out the details. You could win a grab bag of stamps from Artul INKables! Thanks for stopping by today! Have a great week!

Recipe
Stamps: Sweet and Sexy (AI)
Paper: PTI white, chocolate chip, so saffron, Autumn Vine dp
Ink: Memento tuxedo black and rich cocoa, so saffron
Copic Markers: YR14, 23, 24; Y21; E99; B00; W-3
Accessories: Nesties, so saffron grosgrain ribbon, pearls, star dust stickles, dimensionals

Just Us Girls - A Color Challenge

Saturday...my favorite day of the week! The beginning of the weekend and time for another Just Us Girls challenge. This week is a color challenge, and Maria has a lovely one for us today.When Maria first told us her colors, she said, "ivory, chocolate, and coral with a touch of raspberry" I thought it sounded like it would make a great drink! :-) But instead of making a great drink, I made this card. I thought the colors had a sort of vintage feel, so I picked up this Crafty Secrets set called Sweet Kids. I looked through my dp and chose SU's Raspberry Tart. It had the coral and raspberry colors I needed in it. I used this week's Mojo Monday sketch and was on my way. I also used this lucious chocolate satin ribbon from SU (retired). (I don't like the way my card photographed. I don't know why I couldn't capture the colors better!)

If you want more inspiration, go to the JUGs blog. The girls really have some fabulous designs for you! You can also visit their personal blogs here:

Kristin Bueter

Pam Imholz

Alicia Weiman

Dana Gustafson

Maria Levine

Mona Pendleton

Tracey Cuccia

Iwona Palamountain (February Guest Designer)

Thanks for stopping in today. Have a great a weekend!

Recipe

Stamps: Sweet Kids (Crafty Secrets), Background Basics Text Style (PTI), Inkadinkadoo sentiment

Paper: PTI vintage creme, chocolate chip, Raspberry Tart (SU)

Ink: Memento tuxedo black, chocolate chip

Copic Markers: E00, 02, 08, 11, 15, 21, 53; R0000, 20, 21, 22; RV13,14; YG0000, 91; W-3

Accessories: Nesties, pearls, satin ribbon, start dust stickles, scallop border punch, dimensionals

Makeup 4 the Weekend Challenge - Paper Makeup Stamps

Paper Makeup Stamps has a new challenge for you today and it's one of my favorites...a sketch challenge. Gabby Arriaza came up with this fabulous sketch that I have to admit gave me a few fits! I sort of had to case Gabby's card because all the layers were throwing me off! It's nice to see a sketch in action...I think it relieves some of the stress!

I chose this beautiful fairy named Rose (for the obvious reasons). (She's also available in digi format here if you like digis.) She's colored in the Color Throwdown colors of light green (river rock) and rust, and the third CTD color is burgundy...can you see it in there? The rose is a burgundy color! That is the only way I could work it into my card! I also added a burgundy flower when I took my picture! I hope that counts CTD girls!

The dp is SU's retired Apple Cider. I'm on my way to keeping my New Year's resolution of using up that old dp! It was perfect for this challenge...well, except for the burgundy! The ribbon is river rock and I swirled some river rock ink around the image, the sentiment and the white lacy piece. I'm very happy with this card. I made it a Thank You card because I need to send out a thank you to a very nice friend. The sentiment is from Everyday Thanks.

If you'd like to participate in this challenge, you can get all the information from the PMS blog. You can also post the direct link to your creation there. You don't have to use PMS stamps, but if you have them, why not? There are some great ones out there, too! Thanks for stopping in today. Have a great weekend!
Recipe
Stamps: Rose Fairy, Everyday Thanks (PMS)
Paper: PTI white, river rock, really rust, Apple Cider dp (SU)
Ink: Memento tuxedo black, river rock,
Copic Markers: E00, 02, 08, 11, 15, 97; YG0000, 91, 95: RV09, 17, 19; R32; W-3
Accessories: Nesties, oval punches, MS lace punch, river rock ribbon, star dust stickles, dimensionals

Artful INKables Blog Hop and Release Day!

Hi everyone! Happy President's Day! Hope you are enjoying your day off (if you are lucky enough to have the day off)! I'm home for the whole week! I so need it!

Well, today is the Artful INKables release of three new sets and a new mini set, which is something new for AI. I'm the last stop on the hop, so you should have seen some great examples of the new sets! You should have come here from the super talented Sherry's blog. If not, head on over to the AI blog so you don't miss out on the entire hop!

I'm sharing a card using my favorite set of the new release called "Any Birdy Home?" I adore birdhouses, so when Kristin showed us the sets, I knew I had to have this one!

I couldn't decide which of the three birdhouses in this set to use because they are all so cute! I decided on this one because it fit the sketch I wanted to use! I started with this great Basic Grey paper, Marrakech, and paired it with SU's retired Good Morning Sunshine dp and Pacific Point cardstock. Such pretty colors, don't you think?

I hope you enjoyed our hop today! Now hop over to the AI store and take a look at the entire sets...it's quite a release. Something for everyone!

Thanks for stopping in and hopping with us! Have a great day!
Recipe
Stamps: Any Birdy Home? (AI)
Paper: PTI white, pacific point, Marrakech (BG) and Good Morning Sunshine (SU)
Ink: Memento tuxedo black, sahara sand
Copic Markers: YG95, 97; Y17, 18, 38; B0000, 12, 16, 24; E18, 31, 35, 37, 39; W-3
Accessories: Nesties, oval punches, scallop border punch, star dust stickles, dimensionals

My PMS Secret Admirer

Happy Valentine's Day everyone! The DT members from Paper Makeup Stamps had a Valentine Secret Admirer gift exchange and I was lucky enough to have Danni Bindel receive my name for her secret admirer. I received my gift earlier in the week and can finally reveal it to you today. Here's the sweet present I received from Danni. Look at those beautiful cards and even a matching tag/bookmark! I love buttons and ribbons and she sent bunches of those. She even sent a little Memento ink pad in Tuxedo Black...my fav! And most of the little things were packed inside that cute little bag she made with the snail! So cute! Oh, and the Reese's? There WERE two packages of them, but I told you I got this package earlier in the week and who could wait to eat them? Certainly not me!!!! After this picture was taken, I ripped into this package as well! LOL!!!

Thanks so much Danni! I loved my Valentine gift package!

Rethinking My 1st PMS Card

Paper Makeup Stamps is celebrating their 1st birthday all month, and one of the things they are showcasing on the PMS blog is the DT's first PMS card, then a remake of it. We are sort of casing ourselves! The stamps that drew me to PMS was their Beautiful Day Fairies, illustrated by Diem Pascarella. They are just so beautiful and I ordered the first four that were released in their first release immediately. Chelly with Lucky Clover was the first card I created with these fairies. She's also available in digi format here if you like digi images. Here's my original card. This was done before I attended the Copic certification class and before I had all the colors I have now. I think this is one of the cards I submitted to Katie for the DT call. I'm happy she liked it and chose me to be on her DT!


Now here is today's remake of this card. I think I like it much better!I like to think my coloring is better on this one! I changed it up a bit using a new Martha Stewart punch in place of the ribbon. I think it sort of looks like Irish lace. The pretty dp is from SU's All Flock Together (I think that's the name!). I cut and embossed the main image with a rectangle nestie and swirled some Sahara Sand ink around it while still in the die, something I really enjoy doing lately. In place of the crystal butterfly, I used My Time Made Easy's butterfly from All a Flutter set (which also comes in digi format). The sentiment is from PMS set Fairy Sentiments (kind of crooked now that I look at it). I added some crystal clovers in the corners (too much? hmmmm....).

The bell in the photo is one I purchased on my trip to Ireland in 1994. I just loved that trip...the country is so beautiful and the people are so friendly! I have very fond memories of that trip!

Thanks for stopping by and taking a look at my PMS journey. It's a fun place to work! Have a great day!

Just Us Girls Technique Challenge

Happy Saturday everyone! Are you getting ready for Valentine's Day tomorrow? I have something that may get you jump-started.

The Just Us Girls challenge this week is a technique challenge, and I am hosting it. I chose the split negative technique. I've never tried that, and Splitcoaststampers and Gina K have great tutorials to follow. It was actually very easy to do. And I got to pull out the old embossing powder and Versamark. They have been collecting dust in my stamp room! So here is what I came up with.In order for this technique to work well, you need a chunky stamp...one with a lot of surface area that's rubber. This stamp is an older one from My Favorite Things called Boho Blossoms. I pretty much followed Gina K's tutorial. The red base of my card was stamped with a text stamp in Versamark and embossed in white embossing powder. I ran the other white piece through the Swirls embossing folder. I tied that velvet heart button onto the bow with floss. Embossing powder, no dp, no copics...takes me back to my beginning days of stamping!

I hope you play our challenge and take a look at what the girls have done. You can see their creations on the JUGs blog. You can stop by their blogs, too.

Kristin Bueter
Pam Imholz
Alicia Weiman
Dana Gustafson
Maria Levine
Mona Pendleton
Tracey Cuccia
Iwona Palamountain (February Guest Designer)

Thanks for stopping in today! Hope you have a great Valentine's Day!

I Get by with a Little Help from My Friends....

I just love that Beatles song! It's perfect for this post too!

One of our Paper Makeup Stamps DT members is going through a rough time right now, and Katie Cotton, owner of PMS, has gone charitable once again. She is offering a new digital image and two new sentiments the proceeds of which will go to our DT member, Gabby Arriaza. Gabby is a sweet, rocking girl (just check out her blog and you'll see what I mean!), so Katie had a Moody Girl created for her called Moody for Rock.I love the Moody Girls! This one is no different! I don't think I did her justice, as I had to do this really quickly last night. I tried to find a rockin' dp, and went with these from Dressed Up by DCWV. I pulled the colors from the dp to color the image. You can't tell from the photo, but the entire guitar is covered in Crystal Effects.

You can read more about this image on the PMS blog. The image can be found at Paper Makeup Stamps for $3.00. I hope you can help out our friend! (Sorry for the short post....it's late!)

Thanks for stopping in today. Have a wonderful Wednesday!

Artful INKables Think Ink Tuesday Challenge #13

I have another sketch challenge for you today. This one is from Artful INKables. Kristin came up with this great sketch.I used this sketch to do another Valentine's Card. I don't think I've ever made as many Valentine cards as I have this year! I'll have enough for next year! Here's my card.I used Love Ya Lots again. I really like this set. I used SU's Bella Rose and punched the bottom with a Martha Stewart heart punch. The image was colored with copic markers. I added a heart charm from Artful INKables on the Riding Hood Red taffeta ribbon. The edges of the images were sponged with Pink Pirouette ink. I also used deckle decorative scissors for the pink pice instead of tearing. I haven't used those in a really long time. Perfect for this sketch. Pretty simple card, but it took a long time to get it right for some reason!

You can find the challenge on the Artful INKables blog. Link your direct post to Mr. Linky to possibly win a grab bag of stamps from AI. Thanks for stopping in today! Happy Super Bowl Sunday!

Just Us Girls #19 - A Sketch Challenge

Thank goodness it's Saturday! I've been looking forward to the weekend! But it's going to be busy with a Super Bowl Party at my house!

Just Us Girls is hosting a sketch challenge this week created by the very talented Tracey.I love sketches so this challenge is right up my alley! Here is my interpretation.I was at my LSS this week and picked up this little girl from the Pure Innocence line from My Favorite Things. Sharon, the owner, just returned from CHA and said she bought whatever was left at the show. I just loved this girl on the swing! While I was there I picked up a new pack of Basic Grey paper, Nook and Pantry. I know I said no more paper, but I couldn't resist! I also used my new SU punch...free from the Saleabration promotion. The sentiment is from PTI's Star Prints. I just love all the sentiments in that one and the fonts! I sponged around the sentiment in light pink, although it's difficult to see. I also sponged some light blue ink on the main image for the sky...also difficult to see.

If you go to the JUGs blog you'll see more amazing creations from the girls using this sketch. Here are links to their personal blogs. And since this is the first challenge of the month, we have a new guest designer, (Iwona Palamountain aka Chupa). Make sure you stop by their blogs!

Pam Imholz
Alicia Weiman
Dana Gustafson
Maria Levine
Mona Pendleton
Tracey Cuccia

Iwona Palamountain

We hope you can play our challenge! Have a great weekend!

Paper Makeup Stamps Birthday Bash Blog Hop!

Welcome to Paper Makeup Stamps 1st Birthday! We are celebrating this event with a blog hop. So, if you came here from the Delightful Danni's blog, you are on the right track. If you just stopped in here, please go to the PMS blog and start there. You will get some important information that you won't want to pass up!

We were asked to choose our favorite PMS stamp to use for this hop. Yesterday there was a flurry of confusion over which was our favorite stamps...they are all fab, right? I went with not necessarily my favorite, but with one that I thought fit this occasion. I chose Katie the Makeup Fairy (anyone who knows me knows I LOVE these Beautiful Day Fairies...it's what drew me to PMS in the first place). This fairy was created for Katie Cotton, owner of PMS. In addition to being a crafter, business woman, mom, and wife, she is a makeup artist and the sweetest young thing! She is also fun, talented, fair, understanding, and charitable. I can honestly say that I am thrilled to be on her design team and especially proud to be on her Senior team and call her friend. So it is with great pleasure that I share my Katie the Makeup Fairy card. I started with the PMS colors of pink and gray. Both the papers are from a SU hostess pack. The design on the pink dp sort of reminded me of the PMS swirls. I colored Katie accordingly. The "Happy Birthday" sentiment is from the newest release called Birthday Cheer. It's a horizontally positioned stamp, but I wanted it vertical, so I just stamped it twice masking off one word each time. I used my stamp-a-ma-jig to get the placement just right. The "Paper Makeup Stamps" stamp is from the Made With Love set. I really like the way this came out! Perfect for the occasion. I placed two pink primas of different sizes together and placed a knotted piece of basic gray taffeta ribbon in the center and added the silver pearls below the flower. I followed the sketch from my friend Diane from Paper Cookies.


Oh, and the cupcake? It was gone right after the picture was taken and it was DE-LISH! The frosting was raspberry flavor! Happy Birthday PMS! Oh, and Happy Birthday to Gabby, PMS DT member, too!

Now if you've been following, you should have been collecting letters. My letter for you is "Y". It's time now for you to hop on over to the Terrifically Talented Tangii's blog! Don't forget to join us tonight at 8:00 pm CST for the PMS party in the PMS forum. And check the PMS blog all month for special events going on! You won't want to miss all the fun and giveaways!

Thanks for stopping by and enjoy the rest of your hop!