Sweet Pea

It's Monday...back to work after a great Spring Break! The only good thing about going back is that it is closer to the end of the school year! Counting down to June!

I went to a baby shower for a cousin in my hubby's family and needed a card. I used some inspiration from Papertrey Ink's gallery for this one.I used Papertrey Ink's Baby Button Bits. I went to PTI's gallery to get some ideas on how to use buttons with this sweet pea image. I think it was Lisa Johnson's card that gave me the idea to cut out the middle of the pea for the buttons to nestle in. I stamped the image in certainly celery on vintage cream then used a knife to cut out the middle part. I mounted it onto a piece of celery cardstock and added the buttons. The paper is Making Memories (don't know the name of it) and the ribbon is PTI's spring rain. Cute little card! I didn't know what to put in that upper corner...I just added more buttons. Is that overkill? I kind of like it!

Have a great week and thanks for stopping in today!

Recipe
Stamps: Baby Button Bits (PTI)
Paper: Vintage cream, certainly celery, Making Memories dp
Ink: Certainly celery
Accessories: Nesties, buttons, spring rain swiss dot ribbon, floss, dimensionals

Violets

Happy Sunday! My mother-in-law's birthday was Thursday, and we got together for dinner on Friday. I wanted to make a special card for her, so I pulled out the Violets set from Flourishes. I used about 10 copic markers (or more) on this, and I didn't write them down! I cut and embossed the image with a nestie, then swirled some Antique Linen ink on it while still in the die. I also dirtied up the orchid paper (from SU...don't remember the name...maybe Tea Party?) with the Antique Linen ink to make it look more vintage. I used this fancy tag for the first time! I think it's perfect on this card. The border punch was a birthday gift from my friend Cheryl Rowley. Thanks Cheryl! I thought it needed something on the other side of the border, so I added the pearls. As I look at this card, I'm thinking that it is so much prettier in person. Funny how they photograph sometimes!

Thanks for stopping in today. Don't forget about the Paper Makeup Stamps Earth Day sale. Katie has put quite a few stamps on sale. You can see the original post here of what's on sale. See you soon!

Just Us Girls - Template Challenge

Happy Saturday everyone! I'm here today with a challenge from Just Us Girls. We have a template challenge this week sponsored once again by My Time Made Easy.Lauren has a new template for us to peak for you. It's called Pucker Up and it will be available on May 1st. Cute template that's super easy to create!Isn't this another great one? I just love how the sides are curved inward! Amazing what you can do with paper! It opens from either side with a tab closure. (I didn't take a picture of it opened...bummer.) The top and bottom are taped shut. And this little box is so roomy! I love how it's sort of puffed out in the middle! Here's a side view.Cool, huh? The base of the box is SU's Melon Mambo. It matched nicely with this dp I just got at my LSS this week. It's from My Mind's Eye. Lovely paper. The sentiment is from Paper Makeup Stamps and is stamped in Chocolate Chip ink. I cut and embossed it with a nestie, then swirled some Bermuda Bay ink around it. The ribbon is Bermuda Bay also. The flowers are Primas and the button from Papertrey Ink. Wouldn't it be nice to pack some flower seeds inside and give this as a gift to that green-thumb gardener friend?

The Just Us Girls team has some great versions of this template to share with you. I want to thank Sue Lelli for being our Featured Stamper this month. This is her last week, and she has done a fabulous job for us! Thanks Sue! Here are links to the team's personal blogs so you can visit and leave some love.

Pam Imholz

Alicia Weiman

Dana Gustafson

Maria Levine

Mona Pendleton
Sue Lelli, April Featured Designer

Stop by the JUGs blog and link your creation there. You don't have to use a MTME template to enter. You can use any template or design you created to enter. There will be a random winner of a MTME template...you can't win if you don't enter! Hope to see you there! Thanks for stopping by and enjoy your weekend!

Recipe

Stamps: Sentiment from Paper Makeup Stamps

Paper: Melon mambo, vintage cream, My Mind's Eye dp

Ink: Chocolate chip, bermuda bay

Accesories: Nesties, bermuda bay ribbon, primas, PTI button, crochet thread, dimensionals, Cricut, SCAL

Makeup 4 the Weekend Challenge

Happy Friday everyone! Wow! Where did the week go? My spring break is almost over!

I have a great Paper Makeup Stamps challenge for you today given to us by DT member Amber Kroening. She wants us to use the colors of the rainbow in our cards....red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple. Pretty tall order, but if you have the right dp, anything is possible! Here's mine. I used this great sketch from Taylored Expressions (from last week). These great images are from the Raindrops and Rainbows set. To get all my colors in (except maybe the purple!), I used Basic Grey's Lime Rickey. The top is from the same pack and was great for the "sky". The clouds are on dimensionals and the "raindrops" are Rain Dots from Cloud 9 Designs.


Loved this challenge! Why don't you give it a try? Go to the PMS blog for the details and to link your project to the challenge. Thanks for stopping by! See you tomorrow for the JUGs template challenge!


Recipe
Stamps: Raindrops and Rainbows (PMS)
Paper: Neenah white, riding hood red, Lime Rickey (Basic Grey)
Ink: Memento tuxedo black, copic markers
Accessories: Nesties, SU border punch, Swiss Dots embossing folder, rain dots, dimensionals

Happy Earth Day!

Hi everyone! Today is April 22 and it's Earth Day! We've been doing so much to make our world a greener place, and Paper Makeup Stamps is getting the word out with a celebration sale! PMS has several images, sentiments, and wordart that are perfect for this celebration, and these stamps are on sale! You can go to the PMS blog to see which ones are at the sale price.

I have two to share with you today. I used Willow Tree and Green is the New Black sentiment. I love this willow tree! I stamped it in chocolate chip then colored the leaves in certainly celery. Very easy and quick to do. I swirled some sahara sand around the image while still in the die.

I used the SCS sketch from this week. I must say I was a little liberal with the sketch. That horizontal piece was just too big for my layout, so I just used the old olive ribbon in its place. The dp is from SU's retired Spring Break (appropriate for this time of year)!

Stop by the PMS blog to see which stamps PMS has on sale and you can also connect to the blogs of other PMS DT members to see what they have done with these "green" stamps! Thanks for stopping by today! I'll be back tomorrow with a Makeup 4 the Weekend challenge, so I hope to see you then!

Recipe
Stamps: Willow Tree and sentiment (PMS)
Paper: PTI vintage cream, old olive, Spring Break dp (SU)
Ink: Chocolate chip, certainly celery, sahara sand
Accessories: Nesties, old olive taffeta ribbon, chocolate pearls, dimensionals

Just Us Girls - A Color Challenge

Hi all! It seems like ages ago that I posted, but it was only Tuesday. I've started Spring break today, and I'm a happy girl! One week to do as I please! You may see more of me this week! ;-)

Today I have color challenge from Just Us Girls that Maria came up with. It's a great one too!

Such a pretty combination, don't you think? So Spring! I used all the colors in my card.

I started with this paper from Doodlebug Designs and toned it down a little with some distress ink. The lavendar pieces are from Basic Grey Kioshi paper pack. The sentiment, from Paper Makeup Stamps, was stamped in chocolate chip and cut and embossed with a nestie. I sponged some green ink on it while it was still in the die. This was all mounted on a piece of barely banana. I tied some pink satin ribbon around it and added a prima rose at the knot. I added two more on the other side for balance and more dimension. I also punched a MS punch for the piece on top. I've seen this done a lot and decided to give it a try on my card. Like it! This was all mounted on a piece of pink pirourette base.

The sketch is from the Very Vintage sketch challenge at SCS. I thought I'd play since my JUGs friend, Mona, is now a Dirty Girl on SCS!

I also used this week's PMS challenge issued by my PMS DT friend, Tina. She challenged us to use 5 embellishments on our card. I checked with her and this qualifies! I used the punch, the ribbon, and 3 flowers....5 embellishments!

We'd love for you to join both challenges. You can find the JUGs challenge here and the PMS challenge here. Thanks for stopping in today and enjoy your weekend! I'm off to a little weekend getaway with the girls! Time for some fun and dancing! See you soon!
Recipe
Stamps: Wordart by Paper Makeup Stamps
Paper: Vintage Cream (PTI), barely banana, pink pirouette, Kioshi (Basic Grey), Doodlebug Designs dp
Ink: Chocolate chip, distress ink
Accessories: Nesties, satin ribbon, Prina roses, dimensionals, MS punch

Never Trust a Skinny Cook!

"Never Trust a Skinny Cook"! Don't you just love that sentiment? It just cracks me up!

Today I'm reviewing the new April release from Paper Makeup Stamps called Tina's Kitchen.
The apron is from Tina's Kitchen and is actually two stamps. You can mix and match the different apron pieces to get different styles of apron. I stamped it (using a stamp-a-ma-jig) right onto the dp called Nana's Kitchen from DCWV. I cut it out and glued it onto a piece of groovy guava cut and embossed with a nestie. This sketch screamed to be stitched, but the dp was too thick for my machine, and the needle kept coming unthreaded!

I used the sketch from Taylored Expressions for my layout, but turned it on its side.

Katie and Christi have some great creations for you to see on the PMS blog using Tina's Kitchen and another great set called Guilty Pleasures, so hop over there to take a peek. Thanks for stopping in today!

Recipe
Stamps: Tina's Kitchen and Guilty Pleasures (PMS)
Paper: Neenah white, groovy guava, Nana's kitchen (DCWV)
Ink: Memento tuxedo black
Accessories: Nesties, stamp-a-ma-jig, buttons, thread, groovy guava stitched ribbon, dimensionas

Makeup 4 the Weekend - Template Challenge

Hi everyone! I LOVE my templates! When I first saw them being sold, I thought "why would anyone want these?" Well, I'm eating my words, because I really love them! So I thought that it would be a great challenge for our Paper Makeup Stamps weekly Makeup 4 the Weekend challenge.

I also LOVE the new corset set called Oo La La just released on Wednesday which also is sold in a digital format. So I decided to use that for my template challenge.

I thought this template from My Time Made Easy called In a Pinch sort of mimiced the cinched waist of the corset. The dp is an old Basic Grey piece (I don't remember the name), and I matched up copic colors to color the image. I also wanted lacy ribbon around the cinched part of the template, so off I went to JoAnn's to find some (I cannot believe I did not have any in my drawers of ribbon!). I found this great ribbon that has elastic in the middle, so it hugged the template really nicely. I tied it in a nice bow in the back (I forgot to take a picture of that). I added a pink silk flower and my favorite sentiment from the set. I used a nestie to cut out the sentiment, swirled some ink on it, and inserted an eyelet. When was the last time you used an eyelet? It's been a long time for me!

Do you feel like trying one? We are giving away one My Time Made Easy template to a random winner, so why not enter in our challenge? There are so many out there that you can purchase for as little at $5 and there are some that are free! Can't get any better than that! Now head on over to the PMS blog to see Christi's project and links to all the other DT projects. You can link your project there as well.

Can't wait to see what you create! Thanks for stopping by and have a GREAT weekend! My 18th anniversary is Sunday, so hubby and I have a nice day planned! See you later!

Recipe
Stamps: Oo La La (PMS)
Paper: PTI white, regal rose, Basic Grey dp
Ink: Memento tuxedo black, copic markers
Accessories: Nesties, In a Pinch template (MTME), lace ribbon, silk flower, eyelet, star dust stickles, dimensionals

PMS Blog Hop and Release Day!

***Some have asked for my Grandmother's cheesecake recipe I spoke about in this post. I'll post it tomorrow for any of you that are interested! Thanks for asking!***

Happy Hump Day! We're halfway there and we have another reason to celebrate today...we are sneaking our last day of Paper Makeup Stamps new release in a blog hop, and tonight they will all be available for purchase! Have you been enjoying the last three days of PMS sneaks? Today we have more! If you've come from Tina's amazing blog, you are on the right track. If not, head on over to the PMS blog and start hopping from there because this is almost the last stop on the hop and you missed so much!

I have something from the really great set called Guilty Pleasures. When I saw it, I knew immediately what I was going to do.

I love these criss cross cards (instructions here on SCS) for recipes. Have you ever gone to a party with a great dish and everyone asks for the recipe? Well, how about making something like this to give as part of the gift?

My recipe card, when I finish it, will be the recipe for my Grandmother's cheesecake. She only made this cheesecake at Christmas and Easter, and it is my absolute favorite dessert! I call it an old fashioned cheesecake because it's made with yeast and it just has that old fashioned feel to it. Since my grandmother passed away, I've been making it. I just made it for Easter, and luckily have some left, which you see in the picture.

Back to the card. The bowl image from the set reminded me of the bowl and spoon my Grandma used to use to mix the dough (I use my Kitchen Aid mixer...much easier!). I colored it with copics, and the spoon is colored with a silver Spica glitter pen.
The sentiment is also from this fab set. I'm sure you've seen the rest of this set used by the DT on the hop...I LOVE that wine image! And the sentiments from this set are great...did you like the "This is how I roll" sentiment? LOL!!

OK, I've blabbed enough!

Don't forget about the Release Party tonight at 8:00 pm CST in the PMS forum. They are always a lot of fun! We'd love to see some new faces!

My letter for you before you go is "E". Collect the letters to get a code you can use to get 15% off the entire release! Now on to your last stop...Randee. She always has some fabulous creations to share! Thanks for stopping in today!

Recipe
Stamps: Guilty Pleasures (PMS)
Paper: PTI white and Bitty Dot Basics, black, gingham dp unknown
Ink: Memento tuxedo black, sahara sand
Copic Markers: R29, 39, 59; E-50, 51, 53; W-1, 7
Accessories: Nesties, Spica glitter pen, PTI twill ribbon, black brad, dimensionals, corner rounder

Oo La La - PMS Sneak Peek Day 2

Happy Monday everyone! I have another Paper Makeup Stamps sneak peek to share with you today with a set I'm really loving! It's called Oo La La and it's got three different corsets (yes corsets) in it with a bunch of fun sentiments to go with it! Here's mine.When I started thinking about what I wanted to do with this, I started thinking vintage (who wears these things nowadays....wait....I don't want to know!). Anyway, I stamped the image in Memento rich cocoa on a scrap, pulled out some E-copics and started playing. Well, I liked what I had done, so I cut and embossed it with a nestie. I found this old dp from Provo Craft that I got at a scrapbook store eons ago and stamped a script stamp from Hero Arts in creamy caramel over it. I like it. Then I had a heck of a time trying to embellish it. I pulled out some SU hodge podge hardware that doesn't get enough use. I was sort of going for the garter look with the hardware and satin ribbon! I mounted it on more mustard, punched the sides with a MS punch, and added the Kaiser pearls. It's much more colorful IRL. Hope you like it.

The girls have really done a fabulous job with sneaking this set. Head on over to the PMS blog to see the other images and sentiments in the sets! You can also have a chance at winning the entire April release by commenting on the PMS blog! Don't forget our release party on Wednesday at 8:00 CST pm in the PMS forum! Lots of fun to be had! We'll also have a PMS blog hop on Wednesday all day.

Thanks for stopping by today!
Recipe
Stamps: Oo La La (PMS)
Paper: PMS vintage cream, more mustard, dp by Provo Craft
Ink: Memento rich cocoa
Copic Markers: E33, 50, 51, 53
Accessories: Nesties, HPH, satin ribbon, star dust stickles, Kaiser pearls, MS punch, dimensionals

Happy Easter and PMS Sneaks Begin!

Happy Easter to everyone who celebrates this holiday! I'm hosting a brunch at my house for my family, then it's off to my in-laws to celebrate with them. These are some flowers I purchased for my mom, my aunt (who is coming to my house today), my MIL, my SIL and me! The bunny is for my nephews (there's another one not in the picture). I added the bows to the flower pots to make them more festive.

Now on to the Paper Makeup Stamps Aprl sneak peeks. Today we are sneaking three new fairies and some other new things. I have Danni Fairy to share with you today. This fairy is named after our own Danni Bindel who loves butterflies. She even has her own challenge blog called Flutter By Wednesday where you have to use a butterfly, fairy, or angel on your project. There are two butterflies also being released that will be sold as a pair. You'll find peeks of those on the PMS blog, along with the other fairies.

I colored Danni with copic markers and was rushing. So guess what happened? I dropped a marker on my almost completed image! See that small butterfly popped up by her hand? I added that to cover up the spot! I was lucky! The larger butterfly by her other hand on top is part of this stamp. I cut one out and popped it up as well. All the butterflies are covered with star dust stickles, as are the wings on Danni. The sentiment is also new this month.

So are you curious about the other fairies the PMS DT have to share? You can check them out at the PMS blog. I'll be back tomorrow with another sneak peek, so be sure to come back and check it out. The new releases will be available on Wednesday, April 7. We'll also have a release party in the evening at 8:00 CST in the PMS forum. Hope to see you there! Thanks for stopping in today and enjoy your day!

Recipe
Stamps: Danni Fairy and sentiment (PMS)
Paper: PTI white, baja breeze, A Walk in the Park (SU dp)
Ink: Memento tuxedo black, baja breeze, copic markers
Accessories: Nesties, silver pearls, star dust stickles, baja breeze ribbon, dimensionals

Just Us Girls - Sketch Challenge #27

Hi everyone! Are you getting ready for your Easter celebration or just getting ready to enjoy your weekend? I know I am with the very warm temperature here in Buffalo. Everyone and their brother was out today in their shorts and sandals! The pedicure chairs were hot today!

I'm back with another Just Us Girls post today. These are my favorite challenges - the sketch challenge! Kristin has a great one today.
Lovely sketch, isn't it? I love the scallop treatment on the bottom. I changed mine up a bit.I still have the scallop, but I doubled it up and put it on a base instead of making it a free-standing scallop bottom. I think it still qualifies, right?

I was surfing around last week and found this digi at Sassy Cheryl's. It's called Funky Bunny and I just thought it was so cute! I colored it with copics and added some Liquid Applique to its tail. Before I heat set it, I sprinkled some super fine glitter on it. I also added star dust stickles to the dots on the ribbon. The base of the card is So Saffron, as is the ribbon. The image and mat were cut with nesties. I love that mat shape because you can put a round image within it.

So do you like the sketch? Wanna play? Need some inspiration? Well stop by the JUGs blog and the DTs individual blogs for more inspiration.

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

Sue Lelli, April Featured Designer

We are also welcoming Sue Lelli as our April Featured Designer today! So happy to have her join us! So stop by the JUGs blog and play along!

I'd also like to bid a fond farewell to our JUGs girl, Tracey Cuccia. She has decided to step down because she's a little bit on overload with a full-time job, a fabulous family, and other DT work. I'm sad she is leaving our JUGs team, but happy that she will have more time with her family. I'm happy to call her my friend! Best wishes, girlfriend!

Now for some housekeeping: Don't forget about the little give away I have going on here until Tuesday. Make sure you check it out. Also, tomorrow begins the first day of peeks for the Paper Makeup Stamps April release, so make sure you stop by again tomorrow and thanks for stopping in today!

No April Fool's - I Love PMS!

Happy April Fool's Day! What I have to share today is no April Fool's joke...I really do love PMS!! And not THAT PMS...Paper Makeup Stamps!

Welcome to the 1st anniversary of some of the PMS DT! That's right...it's been one year since myself, Dawn Mercedes, Tina Hale, Tangii Crain, and Lisa McKinney have been on the PMS DT! So we are celebrating PMS and Katie Cotton (owner) with a hop! If you've come here from Dawn's blog, you are on the right track. If not, go back to the PMS blog and see what's cookin' over there.

Tina approached us with this fab idea, and wanted us to say what PMS means to us. Well for me it means fun and friendship (with a business thrown in there!). I have met so many great girls in this last year and have had so much fun doing it! It's amazing how we can call each other friends and yet we've actually never met (or even spoken on the phone for that matter!).

Katie has been a great "boss lady", and I have found a bond with her because of our procrastination habit. It always seems that we are trying to beat each other to see who can do something last...first! Make sense? I've been trying to get better at that, and I know Katie has too! So I'm featuring this card that I did a while ago that has been on my desk as a reminder of my procrastination. I think it's fitting for this post, and one that I think Katie will appreciate.

See what I mean? This is so true for me! In fact, as I write this at almost 9:00 pm, I'm supposed to be finishing my report cards, which are due in exactly 12 hours! Last minute indeed!

I posted this card originally here back in July when it was released. It's a digi image for only $1.50 that you can get here. The snail is also from PMS here.

Edited to add (at the last minute, of course!): I saw Dawn is offering a giveaway on her blog, and I thought that was a great idea! If you leave a comment, I will offer the above sentiment and snail (and maybe something else thrown in) to a random winner. Just leave a comment telling me if you are a last minute person or not, and you could win! I'll randomly choose the winner on Tuesday, April 6 at the close of the day and announce it on Wednesday, April 7!

So in closing I want to say thanks to my new friends and thanks to Katie for asking to me to be on the PMS DT and now on the Senior DT! Lovin' every minute of it and looking forward to more fun! Now hop on over to Tangii's blog to see what PMS means to her!

Thanks for stopping in today! I hope you don't get fooled too much today! ;-)