TMS#74

Good morning! This will be our last challenge of the year from Melissa at the Tuesday Morning Sketches blog. Our sponsor this week is Soft Pencil...aren't these sailors adorable?

This card is pretty straight forward: the image is colored with pencils and the sailor's eyes are dotted with a black gel pen. The DP is by My Mind's Eye. I added some red brads for interest and scored a few lines with my Scor-Pal to add a bit of texture to the card base. The image panel is popped up.

Image: Soft Pencil Digital Stamp
Ink: Sakura Black Gel Pen
Paper: G.P. 110, PTI Hawaiian Shores, SU! Ruby Red, My Mind's Eye DP
Embellies: Spare Parts Brads
Extras: Prismas/Crayolas/Goo Gone, Spellbinder's Nestabilities, Scor-Pal, EK Success 3D Dots

I can't wait to hop on over to the Tuesday Morning Sketches blog to check out the rest of the DT's creations! Please join us and give this week's sketch a try!

Thanks for stopping by!

Angela

A Christmas Thank You....

Good morning friends! Well, here we are...the big day has come and gone. I hope you all had a wonderful, safe holiday with your loved ones. I don't know about the rest of you, but now I can relax a bit and just enjoy Christmas break with the kids.... It's nice that the hustle and bustle is over....

I wanted to share the card my 10 year old son made for me last night after we got home. He worked on this for a loooong time! This morning he showed me 6 "re-do" cards too! I was very touched that he spent the time and this is so very special to me; it will go into my box of treasures. Just wanted to share some Christmas cheer through the eyes of a child....

Today I am cleaning up my craft area. It makes me a bit sad to be putting all of the beautiful Christmas papers away; I have decided that I will try to make a couple Christmas cards each month though. I know of some people who do this and then they have a nice collection by the time the next Christmas rolls around. I guess it is time to go to work on the Valentine's! I looove pink!

Holiday blessings to you! Thank you for stopping by!

Angela

TMS#73: Embellish It!

Good Tuesday morning! Melissa at the Tuesday Morning Sketches blog has another challenge for us...this time no sketch, the challenge is embellishing! Specifically, use your favorite DP and add embellishments in a non-traditional way. Sounds fun, right?! Our sponsor this week is Paper Maniac and the prize is a $20 gift certificate!

One of my favorite Christmas DPs is last year's line from Making Memories; I was lucky enough to find more this year. My non-traditional embellishing would be the buttons used as tree ornaments. Funny thing is...there is no stamping on this card!

Paper: PTI Vintage Cream and True Black, SU! Cranberry Crisp, Making Memories DP
Embellies: Assorted Buttons (Foof-a-la, PTI), Black Grosgrain Ribbon (my stash)
Extras: Spellbinder's Nestabilities, Tim Holtz Embossing Folder, PTI Tree Die/True Black Felt, MFT Green Felt, DMC Floss

If you hop on over to the Tuesday Morning Sketches blog, you can see what the rest of the DT came up with. I would also like to see your efforts, so please play along and show us your creativity!

Thanks for stopping by today!

Angela

Merry Christmas to All!

Good Monday morning; I hope you had a great weekend! I am slowly plugging away at all the things that need to be done before Christmas...time is running out! One of the things that I didn't get done this year is mailing Christmas cards...that is pretty sad coming from a cardmaker! I stive to be like Martha and I always seem to fall short; maybe I need "staff"!

Friday night there was a wonderful package waiting for me when I got home from work. It was the "reveal" from the Secret Sister swap. My Secret Sister was no surprise to me, since I hosted this round, but the package sure was. What a wonderful assortment of goodies! A package like that can only be chosen by another stamper....

I have all the goodies layed out in my work area, and they distracted me this morning. Instead of working on my list, I "had" to dig in and make a card. I figure I was able to satisfy my urge to create and also to wish my blogging friends a "Merry Christmas"!

Sentiment: PTI Communique Curves
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black
Paper: SU! So Saffron, Basic Grey "Jovial" Collection
Embellies: Hero Arts Poinsettia, Me & My Big Ideas Rhinestones
Extras: Scor-Pal, Spellbinder's Nestabilities, PTI Dressform Die/True Black Felt

Friends and fellow bloggers, this one is dedicated to you! May you have the merriest of holiday seasons and a happy, healthy new year!

Thanks for stopping by; enjoy your day!

Angela

A Little "This and That"....

Good Saturday morning! I have some cute packaging to share today...no stamping involved! We found these cute tins at Hobby Lobby and I had the idea of embellishing the handles with ribbon. My daughter had wanted to make some fun tags as well, but that didn't get done. So much to do, so little time....

The assorted ribbons are cut in 4 inch lengths and simply tied on the handle. Super easy and quick to do and it really makes the tin special! First we layed out an assortent of ribbons that matched the tin, next we cut the ribbons and layed them in a pleasing pattern, she tied them on and trimmed the stray threads, last she distributed the ribbons evenly on the handle. I found that the red and white wide grosgrain ribbons needed to be cut at 5 inches, the 4 inch lengths looked too short in comparison to the other ribbons. I was really surprised to find how much ribbon it took....about 60 pieces, so a bit over 20 yards total!

Inside the tin is some green shread and assorted items that young girls like: cute Christmas socks, scented lotion and super sparkly nail polish! She even baked some cookies to include...all by herself! My baby is growing up! That's the third time in a week that she made cookies! I pretty much just let her go to it and stayed out of the way.... Not always easy for a Mom to do...or is that just me?!

I hope you have a wonderful weekend! Thanks for stopping by!

Angela

TMS#72: I'm Dreaming of a PINK Christmas!

Good Tuesday morning! It's time for another fun sketch from Melissa over at Tuesday Morning Sketches. Our sponsor this week is Deedee's Digis. I just knew I had to have this flamingo when I saw the image...I love the idea of a pink Christmas card!

First of all, I flipped the sketch so I could make the image work. The flamingo is colored with pencils and accented with lots of sparkle; the DP shimmers and I also added some rhinestones, so this one is really blinged out! Woo Hoo! Pink and bling...just what I love!

Image/Sentiment: Deedee's Digis Digital Stamp

Paper: G.P. 110, PTI Stamper's Select, SU! Passion Pink, KI Memories DP

Embellies: Kaiser Rhinestones, Barbara Trombley's Art Glitter in "Polar Bear"

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

This week will be a judged challenge so I hope you will hop on over to the Tuesday Morning Sketch blog for some inspiration and then play along with us! You never know, you could be the next lucky winner!

Thanks for stopping by today; have a good one!

Angela

Happy Mail!!!

Hello! How has your weekend been? Hopefully relaxing.... We had some winter weather, so we have been indoors doing holiday baking and wrapping...good times! We went from rain on Friday, which melted all the snow, to a LOT of snow. Winter is here!

I received a fun package, from a stamping friend, in the mail yesterday. What fun it was to get a surprise! I decided to take some pictures. The first is all the goodies, second is a close-up of the packaging (more to come on that), the third is some flower dies, and the fourth are some mini Magnolia images. Wow, how cool and fun is that?!

The second picture shows a close-up of a fancy box, which was full of Hanglar and Stanglar images. The image is colored so prettily and there is plenty of shimmer and sparkle! It's really neat packaging...the band slides off to reveal a smaller circle which has a message written on it. The gatefold opens to reveal an oval window and you can see the top image through it. I am realizing now that I should have taken a picture of the inside too, since it's decorated with a coordinating striped DP. It is so cool! And PINK! My favorite color!

Thank you, my friend!

Okay, that's it for me today. I was really hoping to play along with the Mojo Monday sketch, but I am running out of time. Anyone else have that problem?

Thanks for stopping by; enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Angela

"O Christmas Tree"

Good Saturday morning! I was blurfing this morning and came across this pretty card by Amy Rohl; I liked it so much I decided to CASE it.

I wanted to use the PTI tree die, so I hunted for some paper to match the green felt I had on hand. Then I remembered this fun fabric I bought a couple of months ago...I had to have it when I saw the sheet music pattern! How fun! It's cut with a Spellbinder's die. The card came together pretty quickly since none of the layers are matted. I don't know about you, but it takes me quite a bit of time to get the layers even.... If they're not even, it drives me nuts! A little OCD rearing it's ugly head, I guess! Anyone else have this problem? I distressed the edges of the DP with white ink, ran the scarlet panel through the Cuttlebug and tied the buttons with some floss. Pretty quick and easy once everything was picked out.

Ink: Color Box Frost White
Paper: PTI Fine Linen and Scarlet Jewel, Bo Bunny DP
Embellies: PTI Buttons, DMC Floss, PTI Fine Linen Satin Ribbon
Extras: Cuttlebug Embossing Folder, Spellbinder's Die, PTI Tree Die, Fabric, Felt from MFT

Tips and Tricks:
I ironed some fusible web to the fabric before cutting it with the die. I think adding a bit more "body" to the thin fabric helped to achieve a clean cut. I then cut another circle from white CS and fused it to the back of the fabric, so it was opaque. It was really pretty easy to do, so I think I will be trying it again.

Thanks for stopping by today! I hope you have a great weekend! We are planning a family outing to finish up the shopping and have lunch; then back home to put up the tree, wrap, and bake Christmas goodies!

Angela

TMS#71

Good morning! Melissa from Tuesday Morning Sketches has another fun sketch for us this week; I like the different shape.... Our sponsor this week is Prairie Fairy Designs.

My image is called "Holly Fairy" and she is colored with pencils and accented with glitter. It's a bit hard to see in the photo, but her dress is a very pale pink and her wings have a bit of pink as well. I made a frame out of 2 Spellbinder's dies and put the image behind it. I did a bit of fussy cutting around the parts that would have been hidden, so I could pull them to the front of the frame. The card is embellished simply with some fancy brads. I contemplated using ribbon, but didn't want to distract from the delicate DP and image.

Image: Prairie Fairy Designs Digital Image

Paper: G.P. 110, PTI Fine Linen, SU! Cranberry Crisp, Imaginisce DP

Embellies: Karen Foster Brads, Barbara Trombley's Art Gliter in "Polar Bear"

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

Thanks for stopping by today; I hope you will head over to the Tuesday Morning Sketches blog to see what the rest of the design team has made for your viewing pleasure.

Angela

Pure Innocence Birthday Card and Box

Hello! Hope your weekend is going well! I was unexpectedly put on call today; I'm crossing my fingers that the phone doesn't ring.... We are having a winter festival in our town today, so there are lots of fun things to do. Later today they are having the "Polar Bear Dip" where you can watch the brave take a dip in the lake for charity. It's fun event; sometimes the groups of dippers have a theme. One year some were dressed up like characters from the Wizard of Oz.

I thought I should put my time to good use and finish up a card my Mother asked me to make for her friend's birthday. It's a lot like the one I made for her birthday; I just changed up the layout and DP. I really like the Pure Innocence images; they are just so sweet...and fun to paper piece too!

Image: MFT Pure Innocence "Birthday Princess"

Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black

Paper: PTI Vintage Cream and Dark Chocolate, My Mind's Eye DP

Embellies: Cream Organza Ribbon, PTI Dark Chocolate Twill, PTI Buttons, DMC Floss, Ranger Distress Stickles in "Antique Linen"

Extras: Prismas/Crayolas/Goo Gone, Spellbinder's Nestabilities, Scor-Pal, QuicKutz Blossom Alphabet, EK Success 3D Dots

I made a quick box to present the card it, using my Scor-Pal. The inside is lined with some Warm and Natural batting to cushion the card. This one is going all the way to Washington DC.

Thanks for stopping by today; enjoy the remainder of your weekend!

Angela

SC309: Changito "Two-Fister"

Hello; happy Wednesday! I always look forward to the Wednesday sketch challenge on SCS and this week the sketch did not disappoint! These tilted panels are really fun and I've been seeing a lot of them around lately.

My buddy Changito couldn't decide what flavor hot cocoa to drink, Vanilla Caramel or Irish Cream, so he had one of each! Great choice I think!

Changito is colored with pencils and his jammies are paper pieced. I embellished the card simply with some Spellbinder's snowflakes. I like them glittered up and stacked on one another. The gem in the middle is a Martha Stewart sticker (sticker? yes, that's what the package said!) After I was done, I thought it was missing something so I added some chocolate twill which seemed to be what it needed.

Image: Stampendous "Changito Coffee"

Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Sakura Black Gel Pen

Paper: PTI Vintage Cream and Dark Chocolate, Imaginisce DP

Embellies: PTI Dark Chocolate Twill, Barbara Trombley's Art Glitter in "Polar Bear", Martha Stewart Sticker

Extras: Prismas/Crayolas/Goo Gone, Spellbinder's Snowflake Dies, EK Success 3D Dots

Thanks for stopping by today. I hope you are staying warm; we have got snow on the ground here! Brrr!

Angela

How cool is this?!

My friend Amy, of The Stamping Tree, has given me a blog award! I must say I am honored and excited! In order to accept this award, I need to follow some rules:

1. Thank and link the person who awarded you.
2. Share 8 things about yourself
3. Pay forward to 8 bloggers you discovered
4. Contact the 8 bloggers to tell them about the award

So, 8 things about myself: (This is hard....)

1. I have been blogging for almost a year.

2. I have an interest in scrapbooking, but havn't dived in yet. The thought of filling a whole page and cutting pictures is pretty scary to me!

3. Some of you may know...that I love Changito the monkey! He always puts a smile on my face and I love to color him. This may be because I call my kids my monkeys.

4. I would really like to improve/expand my coloring skills; I am in awe of those who can color well.
5. I grew up on a farm and love animals. We have 2 sister kitties (Tavi and Caramel) and a cute Teddy Bear hamster (Puffy). (I really never thought I would call a hamster cute....)

6. I am a former cosmetologist, currently a nurse, and it's been my dream to go to law school.

7. I love to bake and in the winter I love to use the Crock Pot for cooking soups.

8. Other hobbies I enjoy, besides papercrafts, are reading, jewelry making, and sewing.

8 bloggers I nominate to get this award:

1. Chrissy: cmh designs
2. Donelda: Wiggy's World
3. Imke: Crafting Creations By Imke

4. Jackie: Paper Moments
5. Jessica: Jess' Obsession

6. Kathleen: Will Stamp For Wine

7. Larissa: Car-D-elicious
8. Melissa: Stamp It, Scrap It, Share It

Thank you to Amy, for nominating me; this was fun! I hope you will take some time to check out the above links and leave a little love.

Angela

TMS#70

Good morning! It's time for another sketch from Melissa at the Tuesday Morning Sketches blog. Our sponsor this week is Pixie Petals, which is an Etsy shop. I had some fun ribbon and crochet flowers to work with, so "thank you" to Pixie Petals!

I actually have 2 cards for you today, because I messed up on the sketch.... Imagine my surprise when Melissa emailed me to tell me I used the wrong sketch! Oops!

The first card actually follows the sketch. Changito is colored with pencils and the card is embellished with a LOT of glitter. It really sparkles! For the ribbon, I adhered the white grosgrain first and then used a strip of the red line tape on top so I could add a bit more texture to the green ribbon. I just scrunched it up and pressed it down.

Image: Stampendous "Changito Snow Play" Clear Set

Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black

Paper: PTI Stamper's Select and New Leaf, Fancy Pants Designs DP

Embellies: Green Ribbon from Pixie Petals, White Grosgrain Ribbon, Barbara Trombley's Art Glitter in "Polar Bear"

Extras: Prismas/Crayolas/Goo Gone, Spellbinder's Nestabilities and Snowflakes Dies, QuicKutz "Frankie" Alphabet/Handtool, Red Line Tape, EK Success 3D Dots

For the second card, I used Fluffles, who is also colored with pencils and accented with glitter. The DP on this one is really pretty; the holly is flocked and the stripes are accented with glitter. I used the green ribbon and layered a button on top of the red flower. The ribbon has just a bit of silver glitter and I really like the way it crinkles

Image: Stampendous "Fluffles Stocking"

Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black

Paper: PTI Stamper's Select and New Leaf, Doodlebug DP

Embellies: Green Ribbon and Red Crochet Flower from Pixie Petals, PTI Button, Barbara Trombley's Art Glitter in "Polar Bear"

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

I can't wait to see what the rest of the DT has come up with using Melissa's sketch. I had a hard time with it because there were a lot of elements.... Anyway, check them out and leave them a little love and encouragement! I hope you can find the time to play along with us this week, too....

Thanks for stopping by today; have a good one!

Angela

CAS95: A Few of My Favorite Things

Good Monday morning! What a great start to the week it was to get to play the SCS CAS challenge. Today it was flowers (which I love!) and I decided to add a few more of my favorite things.... Basic Grey paper, felt, the new PTI die, and Swarovskis! Really, it doesn't get much better that this!

I am enamored of this new PTI die...I don't know why, but it speaks to me! Today I used black felt. In fact, I ran all of my dies through the Cuttlebug at once. This was a really quick card: I scored a few lines, diecut some pieces, stamped a sentment and glued it all together...voila'! I plan to make some more of these to add to my basket.

Sentiment: PTI "Scattered Showers"
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black
Paper: SU! River Rock, Basic Grey Stella Ruby
Embellies: Swarovski Flatback Crystal in "Black Diamond", Handmade Flower
Extras: Scor-Pal, Spellbinder's Nestabilities, PTI Dressform Die/True Black Felt, MFT Die-namics Rolled Flower Die/Felt, The Cat's Pajamas CutUp Flower Buttons Die (leaf)/MFT Felt

That's it for today; I'll be back tomorrow with another challenge from Tuesday Morning Sketches....

Have a great day!

Angela

Hope you're feeling better....

Hello! How was your turkey day? I hope you were able to spend it with family and/or friends. I unexpectedly got the day off; of course, I was on call so I just toted my work clothes with me in case I had to make a quick change. Luckily enough, I wasn't called in!

I took a tote bag of books/magazines with me to read. Most of the family likes to watch sports, but myself...not so much.... So I reread an old Paper Crafts publication. I came across this cute card, and thought it would be fun to CASE. I switched the cloud from paper to felt and put my sentiment across the bottom. I am loving the cheerful rainbow...especially after the cold weather we are having! I plan to make some more of these to fill my card basket for family and friends.

Sentiment: Papertrey Ink "Everyday Button Bits"
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black
Paper: SU! Cool Caribbean, Bazzill Bling
Embellie: Robin's Nest Dew Drops
Extras: MFT Die-namics Cloud Die, White Felt

I am wondering if any of you braved the crowds and shopped the Black Friday sales? DD talked me into it and I will say we had a good time. We got up at 3:45 and arrived at our first store just minutes after 5:00; we then found out they had opened at 3:00! I was amazed at the amount of people out and about! Wow! I had no idea! We spent the majority of our time in a department store, but we made quick stops at a lot of places. We were able to get gifts for DH, both kids (that was tricky, since DD was with me!), 2 Grandmas, 1 Grandpa, and 3 of DD's friends. All in all the day was a success and we finished it with lunch at our favorite deli before coming home to crash. DS couldn't believe we spent 8 hours shopping! The time went fast and we were lucky to have encountered nice shoppers/clerks along the way. I don't know about you, but I have heard the stories....

All right, that's it for me today! Thanks for stopping by; I hope you're having a super day!

Angela

Happy Thanksgiving!

Good morning and "Happy Thanksgiving"! It's hard to believe the holiday season is here...where did the year go? Today I have SCS sketch challenge #308 featuring a little elf, just in case you are going to brave "Black Friday" tomorrow and need a little shopping inspiration!

When I was looking through my stamps I came across this cute little elf and decided to run with it. The DP was already on my table, so that was an easy choice. I had completed the card and was disappointed because it was missing somthing.... That's when I had the idea to take off the lower right jingle bell and add a snowflake. I think it was just the right touch, as it had looked bare before. The snowflake is 3 different Spellbinder's dies, layered together. The middle layer has the same glitter on it that I applied to the elf's fur trim. I like the sparkle! I found the jingle bell brads at Hobby Lobby last summer; I thought they were kind of fun!

Image: Stampendous "Elf Wishes" Clear Set

Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black

Paper: PTI Stamper's Select and Smokey Shadow, SU! Wild Wasabi, Fancy Pants Designs DP

Embellies: Spare Parts Jingle Bell Brads, Barbara Trombley's Art Glitter in "Polar Bear"

Extras: Prismas/Goo Gone, Spellbinder's Snowflake Dies, EK Success 3D Dots

Thanks for stopping by today! I hope you have a wonderful, safe holiday, and that you are able to spend it with family or friends!

Angela

Tuesday Morning Sketches #69

Happy Tuesday! It's time for another sketch from Melissa at the Tuesday Morning Sketches blog. Our sponsor this week is Doodle Pantry and I had these adorable Christmas ants to work with...love them! There were actually 2 different images; in the other, the ants were eating Santas cookies. Can't wait to use that one too!

I did flip the sketch for this card. Isn't that one of the fun things about sketches? You flip them and it opens up a new perspective and possibilities! The image is colored with pencils and I paper pieced the bulb. I did a bit of sponging about the image panel and the DP, just to tie in the gray. The sentiment is also from Doodle Pantry; I attached it using a jump ring. I finished the card off with some sparkly Bella Dots.

Image/Sentiment: Doodle Pantry Digital

Ink: PTI Smokey Shadow

Paper: G.P. 110, SU! Melon Mambo, PTI Smokey Shadow, Fancy Pants Designs DP

Embellies: Gray Grosgrain Ribbon, Bella Dots

Extras: Jump Ring, EK Success 3D Dots

I hope you will head on over to the Tuesday Morning Sketches blog to check out the DT's fun creations. Better yet...play along with us!

Thanks for stopping by today; I hope your day is a good one!

Angela

Mojo Monday #165

Hello! How is your weekend going? Mine seems to be going too fast. How about you?

I really wanted to make a card today, but found I had absolutely no mojo. I checked out the gallery at SCS and did a little blurfing; I finally found some inspiration when I saw the Mojo Monday sketch. I found even more inspiration when the postman came.... I had been waiting for a package from PTI and it arrived today! Yay! I was waiting for Dawn Mc Vey's dress form die especially; I loved it the minute I saw it....

The whole vintage, shabby-chic style has really been catching my eye lately. I received a package, from a stamping buddy, in the mail recently. It had some beautiful papers, gorgeous Tim Holtz buttons, crochet lace and a darling stamp. I was mesmerized. Then a couple of days ago I saw a sneak peek at the new SU! Occasions Mini; it's full of wonderful stuff. It seems this style is all around me and I'm trying to figure out how to make it work, because it's not really my style.... It's out of my comfort zone.... Today's card was a step in the right direction I think; I'm not there yet, but I'm getting closer.

The sketch was a fun one; I did make my interior panel a bit smaller just to show off the fun DP on the cardbase. The DP is all from an October Afternoon pad called "The Thrift Shop". All other supplies are PTI. The only thing stamped on this card is the sentiment. I had a lot of fun just playing around with the buttons and ribbons, trying to come up with just the right "look". I ended up leaving the ribbon off and opted for a rickrack border. I also cut 2 of the dress form die, just to make it a bit sturdier, since I wanted to pop it up.

Sentiment: PTI Signature Series: Dress Form
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black
Paper: PTI Simply Chartreause and True Black, October Afternoon DP
Embellies: PTI Buttons
Extras: PTI Dress Form and Rickrack Dies, DMC Floss, Spellbinder's Nestabilities, EK Success 3D Dots, Glue Dots

Thanks for stopping by! I hope you are enjoying your weekend and are taking some time to get crafty...whatever your style may be!

Angela

Tuesday Morning Sketches #68: Cupcake Challenge

Mmmm! Did someone say cupcakes?! What a fun challenge Melissa has cooked up for us this week! You can make a cupcake shaped card, or decorated cupcakes or whatever funky and fun cupcake-related thing you can think of. Our sponsor this week is Sparkle Creations and the prize will be the stamp "Cupcake Ruby". This week is a judged challenge, so get busy and show us your best work!

I thought of making decorated cupcakes, but I already did that. Next I thought of making a cupcake box, but I realized that I would have to bake some cupcakes to fill it. That really isn't a problem aside from the fact that I have a hard time staying out of any goodies in the house! Am I alone here? Does anybody else have that problem? I decided to make cards using one of my favorite sets..."Crazy Cupcakes". It is like Mr. Potato Head! You stamp the cupcake and then add the "parts"...how fun is that?!

Once I finally decided to make a card, I thought it would be fun to use the same layout and stamps to create cards for both a girl and a boy. I used last week's sketch from the SCS sketch challenge. The cupcakes are colored with pencils and the girl's card is embellished with glitter, while both cards have their headgear popped up for some dimension. I have left the insides blank, so I can just add the appropriate greeting when I use the cards.

Stamps: Stampendous "Crazy Cupcakes" Clear Set

Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Sakura Black Gel Pen

Paper: PTI Vintage Cream, Kraft, and Ripe Avocado, SU! Pretty In Pink, My Mind's Eye DP

Embellie: Barbara Trombley's Art Glitter in "Angel Dust"

Extras: Prismas/Goo Gone, Spellbinder's Nestablities, EK Success 3D Dots

I hope you will hop on over to the Tuesday Morning Sketches blog to see what the rest of the DT has created.... I am excited to check it out too! Don't forget to play along!

I also want to welcome Pam, who is a new follower! (My SCS friend and fellow blogger Imke does this and I think it's neat!)

Thanks for stopping by today! Have a great day!

Angela

"I Even Love The Box"

Good morning! It's Bellarific Friday! The challenge this week was Christmas, and I paired this challenge with Mercy's Tuesday Sketch Challenge #99. I was lucky enough to receive this Mo Manning stamp from my Secret Sister...isn't he adorable?! I tell you, she spoils me!

The image is colored with pencils and I used a red marker on the tag. The green bow is covered with Crystal Effects and the hat is highlighted with glitter, but it's hard to see that in the picture. I like Mercy's simple layout to keep the focus on the image. For embellishment I used a button and some ribbon. The organdy ribbon is gathered with thread and adhered with glue dots, with the black ribbon adhered over the top. To gather the ribbon, I used a running stitch down the middle and just pulled the thread until it looked "right".

The DP is from Making Memories. I bought some last year and only had a tiny piece left. I was lucky enough to find more this year, so I replenished my stash. I really like the vivid colors, patterns and distressing.

Image: Mo Manning for Stamping Bella "I Even Love The Box"
Ink: Momento Tuxedo Black, SU! Ruby Red Marker
Paper: PTI Vintage Cream and True Black, SU! Cherry Cobbler, Making Memories DP
Embellies: PTI Black Button, Cream Organza Ribbon, SU! Black Grosgrain Ribbon, Barbara Trombley's Art Glitter in "Polar Bear", SU! Crystal Effects
Extras: Prismas/Goo Gone, Spellbinder's Nestabilites, DMC Floss

Check out the other entries for Bellarific Friday here on Blogabella...it just might get you in the Christmas spirit!

Thanks for stopping by; have a great day!

Angela

CAS Lucky Star

Hello! I'm back with a clean and simple card today. This is a variation of one I saw on SCS some time ago. I have made some with a different sentiment and a heart, but thought I would try something else just for fun.

The sentiment is stamped on vellum, the vellum is mounted on white CS and then the star is slipped between the layers and held in place with a touch of glue. If you cut the vellum just a bit wider on the sides, you can turn the ends under and hold the panel in place with a touch of glue on the back; this way the front is free of glue. I used 3 self-adhesive rhinestones for embellishing.

Sentiment: SU! Define Your Life

Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black

Paper: PTI Stamper's Select and True Black, The Paper Studio Vellum

Embellie: Me And My Big Ideas Rhinestones

Extra: EK Success Star Punch

Tips and Tricks:

I you are impatient (like me!), use your heat gun to "set" the ink on the vellum. I stamped a bunch of sentiments and as I was putting the card together, realized I had smudged the ink (my messy fingers should have been my first clue!)

Thanks for stopping by today!

Angela

SC306: Man Card

Hello and happy Wednesday! Yay, Wednesday means it's time for another sketch challenge over at SCS! I received an awesome card kit, from my Secret Sister, that was full of manly stuff. What a challenge for me...I decided I should dig right in!

The bear is colored with pencils and I used a black gel pen to accent his nose. The image is diecut with Nestabilities and layered. I used a single corduroy brad for embellishment.

Image: SU!

Ink: Sakura Black Gel Pen

Paper: SU! Sahara Sand, Chocolate Chip, and Sage Shadow, SU! DP

Embellie: SU! Corduroy Brad

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

Now that I've got my feet wet, I can't wait to dig in and make some more man cards!

Thanks for stopping by today!

Angela

Tuesday Morning Sketches #67

Good morning! Melissa has another sketch for us over at the Tuesday Morning Sketches blog. Our sponsor this week is Tiffany's Doodles; you can check out the online store here.

I thought the sketch this week was a fun one; I chose to flip it. I colored my image with pencils and paper pieced her dress. Since I had used a lot of scallops, I embellished the card simply with 2 buttons stacked upon each other and tied with twine. The crown is embellished with Distress Stickles for a subtle sparkle.

Image: MFT Pure Innocence "Something Special Just For You"
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Sakura Black Gel Pen
Paper: PTI Stamper's Select, Fine Linen and Dark Chocolate, K & Company DP
Embellies: PTI Buttons, PTI Button Twine, Ranger Distress Stickles in "Antique Linen"
Extras: Prismas/Crayolas/Goo Gone, Spellbinder's Nestabilities

I hope you will check out the rest of the DT's creations and play along with us this week. I would love to see what YOU come up with!

Thanks for stopping by; have a good one!

Angela

CAS92: Grateful For You, Friend

Good morning! I always wonder how Monday gets here so fast?! I checked out the clean and simple challenge on SCS before I went to bed last night; I had to sleep on it, since it's not a combo I would have thought of. I think it's really pretty though!

I stamped my images on DP with Crumb Cake ink; I like how it's so soft and muted. I chose organdy ribbon and a muted white button for embellishing. It's a bit hard to see in the photo, but "grateful for you" is stamped over the friend. This card was quick and easy; good for large batches.

Images/Sentiments: PTI Friends 'Til The End
Ink: SU! Crumb Cake, Palette New Canvas
Paper: PTI Kraft, SU! DP
Embellies: SU! White Organdy Ribbon, PTI Button
Extras: Tim Holtz Piercing Ruler, Thread

I hope your week has gotten off to a good start! Thanks for stopping by!

Angela

MOJO163: Let's mix it up!

Hello! How has your weekend been? It seems they fly by way too fast.... I just finished the Mojo Monday sketch. It was a pretty simple one this week; I like that you can really showcase your DP.

I used one of the MFT a'la modes; I think she's really cute and the image went so well with the baking themed paper that I found on my last excursion into a scrapbooking store. The image is colored with pencils and cut with Spellbinder's dies. I used some grosgrain ribbon and a charm from my stash to finish the card.

Image/Sentiment: MFT "What's Cooking?"

Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black

Paper: PTI Stamper's Select, Fine Linen, and Pure Poppy, Little Yellow Bicycle DP

Embellies: PTI Fine Linen Grosgrain Ribbon, SU! Red Grosgrain Ribbon, Karen Foster Charm

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

I had a question regarding how I cut my 1/8" layers. I just use my Cutterpede cutter by EK Success; I have both the large and the small. I like them the best of the cutters I have tried. While on the topic of layers, I did notice that according to the angle in which you shoot your picture, the layers can look distorted. Has anyone else noticed this? If so, do you do anything to remedy it?

Thanks for stopping by! Enjoy the rest of your evening....

Angela

SC305: Changito Baker

Good morning! I always look forward to the SCS Wednesday sketch challenge, so I was eager to play this morning. I decided to go with an old favorite...Changito! The little guy just makes me happy!

The image is colored with pencils. I usually use a different color of brown for Changito, but matched him up with the Soft Suede cardstock today. I embellished the card simply with a charm and a bit of ribbon. Usually the inside of my cards are left blank, but I finished it off with a sentiment and a strip of DP. This one will be perfect for the stash, since I have a tween girl. I think she will like it.

Image/Sentiment: Stampendous "Changito Baker" Clear Set

Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black

Paper: PTI Stamper's Select, SU! Soft Suede and Pink Pirouette, Doodlebug DP

Embellies: SU! Pink Grosgrain Ribbon, Sulyn Industries Charm

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

Thanks for stopping by today; I hope your day is a good one!

Angela

Good Tuesday morning! It's time for another sketch from Melissa at the Tuesday Morning Sketches blog. Our sponsor this week is Tiddly Inks! Yay! I love Tiddly Inks images! Here is a link to their challenge blog, and here is a link to the online store. If you are unfamiliar with the images, check them out....

With the turn of the weather, I enjoy making cards with snowmen or snowflakes on them, so I chose this cute little guy. I think he's sipping a cup of hot cocoa (with marshmallows); that's just what I like to do to warm up on a cold day! The image is colored with pencils before lightly spraying it with some Iridescent Gold Glimmer Mist. The snowflakes were also sprayed, before embellishing them with gold brads.

Image: Tiddly Inks Digital Stamp

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

Embellies: Glimmer Mist in Iridescent Gold, Spare Parts Brads,

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

I can't wait to see what the rest of the DT has made this week! I hope to see you play along too!

Have a great day!

Angela

I've Been Bitten By The Stamping Bug!

Hello! Are you enjoying your Sunday? I sure am! I took some time to play along with Jen del Muro's Sketch For You To Try. You can check it out here if you'd like to.

I was looking through my paper to find something that had 3 coordinating patterns and came up with this DP from Crate Paper. It is really nice stuff! It is double-sided and CS weight. As I was making the card though, I had second thoughts.... I had one of those moments where I wondered, "What could I have been thinking?" It is pretty busy and there's a lot going on! I kept going though, because I hate to waste good paper! I do like how it turned out when I finished it though....

The image is colored with pencils and the wings have a coating of Art Glitter...they really sparkle! Rather than introduce yet another paper to the lineup, I chose to use vellum for the bottom panel. I like the way it looks; it mutes the DP just a bit. I used Bella Dots to cover the glue.

Image: Stamping Bella
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Sakura Black Gel Pen
Paper: PTI Stamper's Select, Dark Chocolate and Simply Chartreuse, Crate Paper DP, The Paper Studio Vellum
Embellies: Barbara Trombley's Art Glitter in "Polar Bear", PTI Dark Chocolate Twill, Bella Dots
Extras: Prismas/Crayolas/Goo Gone, Spellbinder's Nestabilities, EK Success 3D Dots

Thanks for stopping by today; enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Angela

Bellarific Friday: Sketch Challenge

Good morning! Yay, it's Friday! Friday also means another challenge for Bellarific Friday; this week it was a sketch...my very favorite kind!

I decided to do 1 more Halloween card since I love making them so much! This was a simple sketch; I like that it left the door open for embellishing. I used glitter, Bella Dots and felt clouds. The image was colored with pencils before glittering up Stella's crown and wand, and the ghost's face. The bat is punched out of Doodlebug Sugar Coated CS with a Martha Stewart punch.

Image: Stamping Bella

Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Sakura Black Gel Pen

Paper: PTI Vintage Cream, SU! Tangerine Tango and Basic Black, My Mind's Eye DP

Embellies: Bella Dots, Doodlebug Glitter, PTI True Black Felt

Extras: Prismas/Crayolas/Goo Gone, MFT Die-namics Cloud Dies, Martha Stewart Bat Punch, EK Success 3D Dots

I can't wait to hop over to Blogabella to see the DT's cards and the rest of the other entries! Next week the challenge is 1-2-3: 1 image, 2 DP, 3 embellishments...sounds fun!

Have a great day; thanks for stopping by!

Angela

SC304: Changito Cocoa

Hello! I have had a great day today...just being lazy! I was cleaning my stamp area and found this Changito stamp; I had already printed this week's sketch and I thought the two would be perfect together. I guess I got sidetracked from cleaning.... Sometimes R&R is just more important!

Changito is colored with pencils and his eyes are dotted with a black gel pen. His jammies are paper pieced; other than that, I really didn't embellish the card. It is a simple sketch with lots of possibilities...I'm thinking I will use it again.

Image: Stampendous
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Sakura Black Gel Pen
Paper: PTI Vintage Cream, SU! Soft Suede and Pumpkin Pie, Frances Meyer DP
Extras: Prismas/Crayolas/Goo Gone, Cuttlebug Embossing Folder (Forest Branches), Spellbinder's Nestabilities, EK Success 3D Dots

Thanks for stopping by today; I hope your day has been a good one!

Angela

TMS#65

Hello! Melissa, from the Tuesday Morning Sketches blog, has another sketch for us this week. Our sponsor, for this challenge, is Prairie Fairy Designs; Roberta has some really cute images.

I did have to adjust the layout a bit, since my image was rectangular. I flipped the sketch and altered the placement of the ribbon embellishment. It was fun to make a winter themed card; I just love snowflakes!

I added some shading to the image with gray pencils and a bit of blue and gray to the snow. Next, I cut the image and sponged the edges before putting the "puzzle" back together. I layered a couple of snowflakes cut with a Martha Stewart punch and embellished it with a Bella Dot.

Image: Prairie Fairy Designs Digital Stamp

Ink: SU! Going Gray

Paper: G.P. 110, SU! Baja Breeze, PTI Smokey Shadow, and Kelly Panacci DP

Embellies: Offray Gray Grosgrain Ribbon, Bella Dot

Extras: Prismas/Goo Gone, Martha Stewart Snowflake Punch, EK Success 3D Dots

I hope you will head on over to the Tuesday Morning Sketches blog to see what the rest of the Design Team has come up with. Maybe you will play along with us this week too!

Thanks for stopping by; have a good one!

Angela

CAS90: Pumpkin Chick

Good Monday morning! I hope you all had a great weekend!

I thought I would take a quick peek at the Clean and Simple Challenge over at SCS; I decided I had to play along since the challenge was to use gingham or checks. I thought for sure that there was some black/orange gingham ribbon in the stash, but I came up empty. I made my own by coloring the ribbon with a SU! marker. Although my fingers are a lovely shade of orange, it was pretty simple and worked like a charm.

This card was super fast and easy. The chick is colored with pencils, accented with glitter, and cut out with Nestabilities. I scored a couple of lines on the cardbase, added the ribbon, tied it off with floss, and added the image panel. Voila'!

Image: Stampendous "Chick or Treat"

Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, SU! Orange Marker

Paper: PTI Stamper's Select and True Black, SU! Tangerine Tango

Embellies: Doodlebug Glitter, Ribbon fx Black Gingham Ribbon, DMC Black Floss

Extras: Prismas/Crayolas/Goo Gone, Scor-Pal, Spellbinder's Nestabilities, EK Success 3D Dots

Thanks for stopping by today; I hope your week is off to a great start!

Angela

SC 303: Hiya Gorgeous

Hello and happy Wednesday! I made the time to participate in the SCS sketch challenge today; it felt so good to sit and make a card just for fun!

I am also entering this card in the Really Reasonable Ribbon challenge #10, which was to make a Halloween card or gift packaging using ribbon.

I was out of town last weekend and had the opportunity to shop at three scrapbook stores; I found this paper and web ribbon, so I thought I would put them to good use. Have you ever heard of the girls' paperie? I think they must be fairly new. Anyway, they really have some pretty papers and embellishments.

I used a digital image from Pink Cat Studio; the sentiment is rubber. The image is colored with pencils and accented with a black gel pen. I used some black Bella Dots for embellishing, to mimic the dotted DP. I discovered that I could create a "photo corner" effect, which I thought was kind of fun.

Image: Pink Cat Studio Digi "Itty Bitty Betty Broom Ride"
Sentiment: Pink Cat Studio "Kiki Kitty Stamps" Set
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Sakura Black Gel Pen
Paper: G.P. 110, SU! Tangerine Tango, PTI True Black, The Girls' Paperie DP
Embellies: Black Web Ribbon (unknown source), Bella Dots
Extras: Prismas/Crayolas/Goo Gone, Spellbinder's Nestabilities, EK Success 3D Dots

I wanted to show you my first version of the card, too. I was done, but I was thinking it a bit bland. I really wasn't sure what else to do so I went ahead and photographed it. All of the sudden it occured to me that the white sentiment panel stuck out like a sore thumb. I got out my scalpel and did a bit of "surgery" to unglue the frog's leg from the white panel. I was amazed at the difference the addition of the orange sentiment panel made. After adding the orange panel, I was finally happy with the finished card.

Thanks for stopping by today!

Angela

TMS#64 (A New Trick, Too!)

Good morning! It's Tuesday so that means we have another fun sketch to work with from Melissa over at Tuesday Morning Sketches. This week our sponsor is Bee Crafty and Merrigan sent me this fun image called "Whimsical Girl Heart Garden". I just love her heart-shaped flowers!



The image is colored with pencils and I dotted her eye with a black gel pen. Her outfit is paper pieced and I finished off the image panel with some glittery Bella Dots. I realized after I glued the DP down that I had planned to round the corners like the sketch.... Shoot! I really don't know where my crafty mojo has gone! It seems to have deserted me.... I am really hoping it makes a comeback this week, since I have some days off; I really miss putzing around at my craft table!



Image: Bee Crafty Digital Image

Ink: Sakura Black Gel Pen

Paper: PTI Stamper's Select, SU! Rose Red, Basic Grey "Euphoria" Collection

Embellies: Wright's White Grosgrain Ribbon, Bella Dots

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



Tips and Tricks:

I had to photograph this card late last night and I have a dark kitchen---black cupboards and cherry colored walls. Even with over 900 watts of light, pictures look dark. I found, that if I put my Ott light close to my card, I was able to get much truer color in the photo. I usually try to take photos outside, but I think this will be a good option if that isn't possible. If you have one, give it a try.



I hope you will head on over to the Tuesday Morning Sketches blog to check out the design teams' cards. Hopefully you will play along too!



Thanks for stopping by today; have a great week!



Angela

PTI Swap Card: Joyeux Noel

Hello! One of the things on my "to do" list was to finish up my PTI swap cards and get them in the mail...today! I CASE'd a card of Nichole Heady's from the last PTI release; I did change it a wee bit though.

The dove is one of the dies from the last release, and the felt is PTI Ocean Tides. I love the quality of the felt; it is very plush and cuts so nicely. I used some Swarovski flatback crystals to add a touch of sparkle.

Stamps: PTI Turning A New Leaf and Peace Be Still

Ink: SU! Certainly Celery, PTI Ocean Tides and Smokey Shadow

Paper: PTI Stamper's Select, SU! Certainly Celery

Embellies: PTI Ocean Tides Felt, Swarovski Flatback Crystals

Extra: PTI Dove Die, SU! Crystal Effects

I'm excited to get my swap return from the PTI swap; they always rock!

Thanks for stopping by!

Angela

TMS#62: "Trick or treat, smell my feet, give me something good to eat!"

Hello there! I havn't posted since last week's TMS challenge...I just came off a 6/7 day stretch, had out of state company for the weekend and started a 4/5 day stretch today. So, I am really looking forward to some more crafty time!

Okay, back to TMS! This week the fun theme is "Trick or treat, smell my feet, give me something good to eat!" Do any of you remember saying that when you were a child?! This week the challenge is all about packaging and our sponsor is Deedee's Digis. The set I am working with here is called "Batty Boo"; I love the fun sayings!

I had a lot of fun ideas but not the time to execute them, so I decided to go for some cupcakes. These are Malted Milk Cupcakes and are supposed to have crushed Whoppers on top, but the only Whoppers I could find were peanut butter or strawberry.... Neither sounded good, so I decided some orange edible glitter would be festive! DH brought up the point that I could have saved a lot of time and bought some cupcakes.... Now, where is the fun in that?!

I printed the sentiments, die cut them with Nestabilities and layered them with a scalloped border. Next I adhered the toothpick and followed that with another scalloped layer so they would look nice from the back side. For the tag, I colored the image with pencils and accented it with glitter before die cutting it and layering it. I punched a hole and used embroidery floss to hang it with. I placed the cupcakes on a small black frisbee that I found in the Target Dollar Spot and tied the wrap with some Halloween ribbon. Voila! Easy (and yummy!) Halloween treats to hand out to friends or neighbors!

Image/Sentiments: Deedee's Digis

Paper: G.P. 110, SU! Pumpkin Pie and Basic Black

Embellies: Doodlebug Glitter, Black/Orange Grosgrain Ribbon (my stash)

Extras: Prismas/Crayolas/Goo Gone, Spellbinder's Nestabilities, DMC Floss, Frisbee, Plastic Wrap, Toothpicks

Thanks for stopping by today! I hope you will head on over to the Tuesday Morning Sketches blog to check out the rest of the DT's goodies...I know I'm really excited to see what they have all come up with!

Angela