Tuesday Morning Sketches

Good morning! It's Tuesday, so that means another sketch from Melissa at the Tuesday Morning Sketches blog. This week our sponsor is Robyn's Fetish; the image I'm using today is called "Franny da Kitty".

I thought it might be fun to paper piece Franny, so I paper pieced the kitty and then paper pieced her ears, nose, and heart. I colored the small pieces with a marker, cut them out and adhered them to Franny. All the panels were cut with Nestabilities and then mounted with the large scallop dies. The card is embellished simply with ribbon and paw print brads. My daughter thought the brads didn't go...she suggested I put them on Franny's paws.... Hmmm, not sure where she gets some of her ideas, but I think maybe it was just her ornery streak coming out!

Image: Robyn's Fetish
Ink: SU! Positively Pink and Brocade Blue Markers
Paper: G.P. 110, SU! Bashful Blue, PTI Dark Chocolate, Bo Bunny DP
Embellies: SU! Chocolate Grosgrain Ribbon, Paw Print Brads (my stash)
Extras: Spellbinder's Nestabilities, EK Success 3D Dots

Thanks for stopping by; I hope you'll head over to the Tuesday Morning Sketches blog to view the DT's samples. I'd love to see you play along too!

Angela

Sneak Peek

Good Monday morning! I don't have a card to share with you today, but I do have a sneak peek of a special project I am working on. I hope to complete it on Wednesday, and I will show the finished project.

I will be back tomorrow with a card for Tuesday Morning Sketches; see you then!

Have a great day!

Angela

Bellarific Friday: Your Best Work!!!

Good morning! This week our challenge at Blogabella was "your best work", so I decided to go with one of the new stamps I received last week "Ilovetoshopabella". At first I was going to go with a Christmas theme, but opted for autumn when I found these pretty papers in my stash.

Bella is colored with Prismas; I did go out of my comfort zone here and shaded around her with a fuschia color. As I was coloring, it looked really dark, but you can barely see it in the photo. I guess I will have to apply a bit more color next time.... The flower is 4 punched flowers combined. I crumpled and sprayed the plaid layers and then rolled them around a pencil to give the petals some lift and dimension. The center is a Bella Dot and the leaf is a scrap of ribbon.

I used Jen del Muro's SFYTT, but I flipped it and switched sides for the embellies.

Image: Stamping Bella
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black
Paper: PTI Stamper's Selcet and Dark Chocolate, SU! River Rock, All My Memories DP
Embellies: Ribbon (my stash), Bella Dots in "Chocolate", Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist in "Vanilla Breeze"
Extras: Prismas/Crayolas/Goo Gone, EK Success Retro Flower Punches, Spellbinder's Nestabilities

Today is the last day for submitting a card for the chance to be the next Bella Babe. You had to submit a card to Blogabella all 4 Fridays of this month; the winner will be picked in September. There were a LOT of participants!

Thanks for stopping by today; enjoy your day!

Angela

CAS Neopolitan Chicks

Good morning! What's up? Today I have a clean and simple card to share with you; I sent one of these to my Secret Sister in her reveal package earlier this week.

I tend to be a fan of "chicks" in general, and these DeNami chicks are no exception.... I love their tiny size and they are a bit whimsical too! I thought of neopolitan ice cream right away when I saw the 3 chicks. They were super easy to color with my Crayolas and the card went together quickly too. I stamped a row of the chicks and scored a couple of lines for a bit of definition. The image panel is cut with Nestabilities and popped up with foam tape. The sentiment is from Hero Arts. I think this card is truly clean and simple with all the white space.

Image: DeNami

Sentiment: Hero Arts

Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black

Paper: PTI Stamper's Select, SU! Pink Passion

Extras: Crayola Colored Pencils, Scor-Pal, Spellbinder's Nestabilities, Foam Tape

Thanks for stopping by today! I'll be back tomorrow with a card for Bellarific Friday.... Have a good one!

Angela

Tuesday Morning Sketches

Good morning! It's time for another sketch from Melissa over at Tuesday Morning Sketches. Our sponsor this week is Bella Digi Studio, and the image I'm using is called "My New Coat". Isn't she pretty? I decided since she had earmuffs, that I would make a winter card. It was fun to get out the snowflakes and glitter them up!

The Image is colored with Prismas; the coat actually has a slight pattern. It's a bit hard to see in the photo, but I thought it was neat. The image is cut out with a Spellbinder's die, then I applied some very subtle glitter to the coat cuffs, boot cuffs, and earmuffs; I used Martha Stewart's Crystal Fine Glitter. I ended up having to flip the sketch and since I didn't have a lot of room, I embellished it simply with a snowflake using 3 different Spellbinder's dies. The white layers are coated with Barbara Trombley's Art Glitter in "Angel Dust" and the layers are held together with a Making Memories brad.

Image: Bella Digi Studio

Paper: G.P. 110, PTI Stamper's Select, SU! Soft Suede, Carolee's Creations DP

Embellies: Martha Stewart Crystal Fine Glitter, Barbara Trombley's Art Glitter, Making Memories Brad

Extras: Prismas/Goo Gone, Spellbinder's Nestabilities and Snowflake Dies

Be sure to stop by the Tuesday Morning Sketches blog to view the DT's cards. This week is the judged challenge, so be sure to play along for the chance to win a prize...see you there!

Thanks for stopping by this morning. Life has been a bit crazy with lots of commitments to fulfill. In addition, I am making a Christmas tree for a fundraising event; I will post pictures to my blog when I am finished.

Have a great day!

Angela

Bellarific Friday: Sketch Challenge

Good morning! Our challenge this week on Blogabella was a sketch. My order arrived yesterday and I was planning to use the new Little Peeps Flower Vase, but the stamp was too big.... It was 10:30 and I had already cut the card base and layers...I was too tired to start over! Note to self: plan ahead! Look at the size of the stamp first! The list could go on and on.... I have a stamping friend who is having a birthday, so I went with a birthday theme instead.

I used the October Afternoon Thrift Shop DP. I really like the text one.... BEE-day HUGGABUGG is colored with pencils and glittered up. I did a bit of sponging on the image panel to "age" it a bit like the paper. I used some layered felt and a button for embellishment...not sure, maybe I should have went with a smaller flower?

Stamp: Stamping Bella

Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, SU! Creamy Caramel

Paper: PTI Vintage Cream and Aqua Mist, SU! Basic Black, October Afternoon "Thrift Shop" DP

Embellies: Black Grosgrain Ribbon, PTI and MFT Felt, PTI Button and Button Twine, Barbara Trombley's Art Glitter "Angel Dust"

Extras: Prismas/Crayolas/Goo Gone, Spellbinders Nestabilities, PTI Flower Die

Thanks for stopping by today! Have a good one!

Angela

Baby Emerson

Hello! A friend of mine asked me to make a card for her new neice, Emerson. She likes the names spelled with beads, so I just duplicated a card I had made before. I just switched out the ribbon for some beads. I hope she likes the quirky color combo!

Image/Sentiment: Verve "Practically Perfect"
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black
Paper: PTI Stamper's Select, SU! Pretty in Pink, Pumpkin Pie, My Mind's Eye DP
Embellies: Beads from Hobby Lobby, Barbara Trombley's Art Glitter in "Pink Smoothie"
Extras: Crayolas/Goo Gone, Spellbinder's Nestabilities, DMC Floss, EK Success 3D Dots

Speaking of babies.... Do any of you know of any good babysitting books? Since DD is 12, she would like to start babysitting. A friend from work just had her second baby and she is interested in a sitter. Her kids are 3 months and 1 1/2 years! Wow, she is a busy mom for sure!

Thanks for stopping by today!

Angela

SC294: I {heart} school

Hello and happy Wednesday! I took the time to play the SCS sketch challenge today; the sketch was perfect for one of the new Pink Cat Studio digi images Melissa just released. I thought they were just the cutest, and it was my luck that she was offering a special bundle! Woot woot! Or, maybe I should say "Hoot, hoot!"....

I made the card a bit bigger than the sketch, while keeping the interior layers about the same size. I just couldn't bear to cover up this lovely shimmer paper! Unfortunately I wasn't able to capture the shimmer in the photo. The red panel is Cuttlebugged with the "numbers" folder, while Hootie Owl is colored with Crayolas. The card is embellished simply with grosgrain ribbon and a coordinating "softie" button.

Image: Pink Cat Studio Digi Stamp
Paper: G.P. 110, SU! Summer Sun, Real Red, Basic Black, KI Memories DP
Embellies: Wrights Black Grosgrain Ribbon, KI Memories "Softie" Button
Extras: Crayolas/Goo Gone, Cuttlebug/Numbers Embossing Folder, DMC Floss, EK Success 3D Dots

I guess we are all about back-to-school right now. DD is loving it, while DS is not so impressed. He did come home with "war paint" on his face today. He corrected me when I said "Indian"; he said Native American. I had no idea that I was being politically incorrect.... I did learn a bit about the colors though: red = war, black = death, white = peace, blue = sad/depression, green = earth, and I can't remember what yellow signifies. Anyway, he doesn't know why he can't have summer vacation all year.... I am trying to get back in the routine of laying clothes out at night, etc. It just seems to make everything go so much smoother in the a.m.

Thanks for stopping by today! Enjoy your evening!

Angela

Tuesday Morning Sketches

Good morning! It's time for another challenge from Melissa at the Tuesday Morning Sketches blog. This week it's actually a folding technique, the diagonol double pocket card. You can find a tutorial here on SCS. Our sponsor is Paper Pretties, who just had a grand reopening sale and released a bunch of new sets last week.

I was really surprised at how easy it was to make the card. I did use a piece of typing paper for my first try.... I found that it was a bit harder to use DP, since it was a bit thicker. You also need to be a bit more careful if using a pattern like stripes. Mine is the first version shown on the tutorial; when I tried to make the second version (which opens up), I didn't have as much luck. I will have to sit down and try it again....

Image: Paper Pretties Digital Stamp
Paper: PTI Lemon Tart and Dark Chocolate, Heidi Grace Designs DP
Embellies: PTI Lemon Tart Satin Ribbon, Glitteries Lemon Glitter
Extras: Crayolas/Goo Gone, Spellbinder's Nestabilities, DMC Floss, Crop-A-Dile II

This was a fun card to make, and the folding went quickly! I think it would be fun to include a gift card in one of the pockets too....

Hop on over to the Tuesday Morning Sketches blog to view the DT's samples; hopefully you can play along!

Thanks for stopping by; have a great day!

Angela

Pure Innocence Birthday Card and Gift Box

Hello! Did you enjoy your weekend? This is our last "free" weekend; school starts tomorrow for DD and Tuesday for DS. Where did the summer go? We had a busy, fun-packed day which included celebrating my Mom's 65th birthday. This is the card and gift box I made for her. The box is 1" deep and is lined with warm and natural batting. I really like making these little boxes; they are simple and it's fun to personalize them too. My Mom had seen one I made not too long ago and made a big fuss over it, so I knew I needed to make one for her.

Here's a closer shot of the card. (The quality of the pictures isn't very good; they were taken in the breezeway and the lighting wasn't the best.) I used Jen del Muro's SFYTT and a Pure Innocence image that I hadn't had the chance to ink up yet. The little gal is colored with Prismas and I paper pieced her dress. I really had fun with the crown; it is cut out and has 2 coats of the "Antique Linen" Distress Stickles. It has a great textured finish. I embellished the card simply with buttons and a fun "garment pin" from Making Memories Vintage Findings. I am liking the quirky combo of the rose and orange....

Here's a close-up to show the crown and fun pin. I was going for a shabby-chic look here, but I still can't seem to master it.... Even though I am pleased with this card, it is frustrating!

Image: MFT Pure Innocence "Birthday Princess"
Ink: Palette Burnt Umber, SU! Close to Cocoa Marker
Paper: PTI Vintage Cream and Dark Chocolate, K & Company DP
Embellies: Buttons (my stash), Distress Stickles in "Antique Linen", Making Memories Vintage Findings "Garment Pin"
Extras: Prismas/Goo Gone, Spellbinder's Nestabilities, Scor-Pal, QuicKutz "Blossom" Alphabet. DMC Floss, EK Success 3D Dots

Thanks for stopping by today; enjoy the coming week!

Angela

Bellarific Friday: Bling

Good morning! This week the challenge on Blogabella is bling. Great challenge; I love the stuff! DD says I went overboard, but I was having a good time.... I'm disappointed in the photo; the crystals have a yellowish cast. In real life, they are are clear and look lovely.

I used a layout I saw on Kathleen's blog, Will Stamp for Wine; Kathleen makes the prettiest cards! I thought the layout was interesting and would showcase the cake well; I like the elegance of the monochromatic pink, gray and white. The cake is colored with Prismas and I did use glitter on the "beaded" icing; although it's hard to see in the photo.

Image: Stamping Bella

Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black

Paper: PTI Stamper's Select, SU! Basic Gray, SU! Pink Pirouette DP

Embellies: White Satin Ribbon (my stash), Doodlebug Glitter, Swarovski Flatback Crystals

Extras: Spellbinder's Nestabilities, EK Success 3D Dots

You can see more bling-y goodies on Blogabella. Em is looking for a new Bella Babe and the current DT will be picking the new member based on the cards entered this month. I know it's a longshot, but "nothing ventured, nothing gained". I really, really want to be a Bella Babe so wish me luck!

Thanks for stopping by today! I hope you enjoy your day!

Angela

Tuesday Morning Sketches

Good morning! It's time for another sketch challenge from Melissa over at Tuesday Morning Sketches. Our sponsor this week is Deedee's Digis. The image I'm using today is called "Caity Caterpiller". Doesn't she just have the flirtiest eyes? I love those lashes!

I love this DP from My Mind's Eye; it has the nicest texture, like cardstock. I've paired it with SU! Almost Amethyst (retired) and Real Red. It's kind of a funky combo, but I like it. Caity is colored with Prismas to match.

Image: Deedee's Digis "Caity Caterpiller"
Paper: G.P. 110, SU! Almost Amethyst and Real Red, My Mind's Eye DP
Embellies: SU! Real Red Grosgrain Ribbon, Me and My Big Ideas Rhinestones
Extras: Prismas/Crayolas/Goo Gone, Spellbinder's Nestabilities, EK Success 3D Dots

I have a question I am hoping someone can answer.... When printing digi images, I use the G.P. 110 because it is a bit lighter weight. Thicker cardstocks won't feed into my printer. Does anybody have a solution for this? What do you use?

I hope you'll hop on over to the Tuesday Morning Sketch blog to see the DT's samples. Better yet, why don't you play along?!

I'm a wee bit late with my blog post today; I'm a bit tired. We went to the Mall of America yesterday, to celebrate DD's 12th birthday. We had a great time, but that place can really wear you out.... It is huge! We were on all 4 floors. The kids spent most of their time at the amuesement park with DH and I was able to spend a huge chunk of time at Archiver's. By myself.... Uninterrupted! I was able to find some goodies. I havn't even unpacked the sacks yet, but that will have to wait. I work the next four days.

Thanks for stopping by today; I hope you have a great day!

Angela

Stampendous Saturday Sketch Challenge

Hello and happy Saturday! I'm so glad I made the time to play the Stampendous Saturday Sketch Challenge; I really needed a bit of therapeautic recreation to rejuvinate after the work week. I'm wondering...what do you like to do to rejuvinate? Please comment and tell me about it!

This week the challenge was to make a winter or Christmas card; I was delighted, as I love to make holiday cards! I choose "Shopper Chick" because she is fun to color and the packages look great with a bit of glitter on them. (My Stampendous addiction all started with the Calendar Chicks. I saw them and fell in love! Next I discovered Fluffles, Changito, and the Bees.... I love them all, but Changito is my very favorite! The images make me happy; some of them even make me laugh!) I chose to embellish the card sparingly; I really like the DP and didn't want to cover up the Christmas words. The iridescent ribbon mimics the glitter I applied to the packages. The card is 5 1/2 inches square.

Image: Stampendous "Shopper Chick"

Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black

Paper: PTI Stamper's Select, SU! Garden Green, KI Memories DP

Embellies: Barbara Trombley's Art Glitter in "Polar Bear", Iridescent Ribbon (my stash)

Extras: Prismas/Crayolas/Goo Gone, EK Success 3D Dots

Thanks for stopping by today! I hope you enjoy your weekend and have a bit of time to get crafty!

Angela

Bellarific Friday: Paper Piecing

Good morning! I'm so glad Friday is here.... What a week it has been! I'm looking forward to maybe sleeping in tomorrow.... How about you?

The challenge this week at Blogabella was to paper piece; I love paper piecing! I have paper pieced this little cutie's jammies before. It was easy to do, it just takes a bit of patience with the cutting. I combined this challenge with last Saturday's SFYTT.

I started out making the boy card, and as I was making it I thought it would be fun to use the same layout and make it a bit more girly. I just made a few changes:

1. Cream card base instead of Kraft

2. Delicate scallops

3. Satin ribbon instead of twill

4. Bow instead of Bella dots

The images are colored with pencils before adhering the jammies, then I popped the image panel up for a bit of dimension.

Image: Stamping Bella

Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, SU! Black Marker

Paper: PTI Vintage Cream and Dark Chocolate, October Afternoon "Fly a Kite" DP

Embellies: PTI Dark Chocolate Twill, PTI Dark Chocolate Satin Ribbon, Bella Dots, PTI Button

Extras: Prismas/Crayolas/Goo Gone, Spellbinder's Nestabilities, MFT Die-namics, EK Success 3D Dots

I have a little tip to show you regarding paper piecing. I always try to use my supplies wisely, so I stamp the image on the background piece of DP, being careful to stamp it where it will be covered with layers. This way I don't have to use extra paper for the piecing. Maybe you already do this, but I thought I would pass it along.

This is what my card looks like before I add the layers. It looks a bit strange, but you can't see the "hole" when the card is finished.

If you leave a comment on the Blogabella post, you may be lucky enough to win some Bella Bucks, or better yet, play along for a chance to win even more Bella Bucks!

Thanks for stopping by! I hope you have a great day!

Angela

Tuesday Morning Sketches Challenge

Good morning! It's time for another sketch from Melissa at the Tuesday Morning Sketches blog. Our sponsor this week is Lexi's Doodles and the image I'm using today is "Butterscotch Cupcake Fairy". As soon as I saw her, I knew she was the one...I couldn't wait to glitter up her wings and who doesn't love a cupcake with fudge icing piled high?!

When I chose the image, I really wasn't keeping the sketch in mind.... I had to figure out how I was going to make her work; I finally decided to cut her out. I was thinking she would be easy to cut out, but it ended up taking me a good 20 minutes! Note to self: Things always take longer than you think!

I included a close-up of her face and wings so you could see a bit more detail. Isn't her face pretty? Also, I colored the wings with a bit of pink and orange and blended it into the white before adding the glitter. They are really pretty in real life!

Image: Lexi's Doodles

Sentiment: SU! "So Very"

Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, SU! Black Marker

Paper: G.P. 110, PTI Vintage Cream and Dark Chocolate, SU! Pumpkin Pie, My Mind's Eye DP

Embellies: Barbara Trombley's Art Glitter in "Angel Dust", Swarovski Flatback Crystals in "AB"

Extras: Prismas/Crayolas/Goo Gone, Spellbinder's Nestabilities

You can check out the Design Teams' creations at the Tuesday Morning Sketches blog; links to the individual blogs are in my sidebar. I hope you will play along with us this week!

Thanks for stopping by; have a great week!

Angela

Good morning! Welcome to the Anni-VERVE-sary Blog Hop! (The blog hop starts officially at 9 a.m. Central, but I posted a bit early because I had to work.) Verve turns three today and we’re celebrating with a hop, hop, hop! If you've already been hopping along, you arrived here from Terri's blog. If not, head on over to Julee's blog for all the info on how to win prizes (after all, what's a party without presents?), and to start hopping from the beginning. If there's a hiccup along the hop, you can always head to the Master Hop List to get the full list of links.

I went for a clean and simple look today, since I wanted to keep the focus on the sentiment and the beautiful DP. The Serenity Prayer, from Verve's "Serenity" set, has long been a favorite of mine and I paired it with some papers from the "Lush" collection by My Mind's Eye. The card is embellished simply with cream trim and Swarovski flatback crystals.

Sentiment: Verve "Serenity" Set

Ink: Palette Burnt Umber

Paper: PTI Vintage Cream and Dark Chocolate, My Mind's Eye "Lush" Collection

Embellies: Swarovski Flatback Crystals in "Smokey Topaz", Cream Trim (my stash)

Extras: Spellbinder's Nestabilities, EK Success 3D Dots

Thanks for hopping by! Now it's time to hop on over to Angela's Blog, for a little more Verve-y goodness.

Angela