INSPIRATION CHALLENGE ...

I made this for the Inspiration Challenge. Thanks Anne, aka Itsapassion, for asking me to make a sample for today's challenge.At first I was having a loss of mojo, then I decided to go with the journal in the upper right hand corner seen here. I was inspired by the flower and the bands of color. I think the Hawaiian Papaya dsp matches the colors perfectly along with the Botanical Dreams by Asela Hopkins for GinaK Designs.Come on along and play, I'd love to see what these journals inspire you to create!

Additional Info
Stamps: Botanical Dreams by GinaK Designs
Paper: chocolate chip, whisper white, Hawaiian Papaya dsp
Ink: jet black stazon; for watercoloring: old olive, tangerine tango
Accessories: HPH, ribbon, oval punch, scallop punch, black maker

FRIDAY SAS

Yesterday I was supposed to be getting ready for today's Stamp-A-Stack, instead I spent my morning dancing around and emailing everyone I know to tell them that GinaK featured one of my cards on her blog! Let me just get it out in the open that I am a huge GinaK fan and stalk her around the web on a regular basis.. whether SCS, PCP, or her blog, or her design team members blogs. So, obviously, I am incredibly flattered... did you check out the other featured stampers blogs - holy moly. How did I end up with that awesome crowd! Speechless! After dancing around until I was out of breath (about 10 seconds) and cruisin' the web (all morning), I had a picnic lunch with my son on a blanket in the den (which is really special because food is not to leave the kitchen at our house), then we took a nap. So, I stayed up late last night and worked on these cards and got everything ready for today's SAS. I really love how they turned out. The two using the Love You Much Set were cased from SCS (I'll have to come back and credit the creators later).
Thanks for looking!
P.S. My wonderfully talented friend Anne, aka Itsapassion, is hostessing the Saturday Inspiration Challenge over on Split Coast Stampers tomorrow. She asked me to make a sample to share when she posts... so be sure to check out the challenge tomorrow and play along. I would love to see what you create....

RISE N' SHINE

I just got my fancy, rustic rooster in the mail today.. I knew he was coming and that he would probably work out for today's sketch challenge. I just love him! I also decided that I would use some scraps that were left over from some other cards which I never put away..

Thanks for looking!

Additional Info
Stamps: rustic rooster
Paper: basic black, whisper white, SU! dsp
Ink: stazon, for watercoloring: kiwi kiss, basic brown, riding hood red, summer sun, pacific point, wild wasabi
Accessories: ticket corner punch, slot punch, black gingham ribbon, brads, circle punches, black stampin' write marker, aqua painter

BACK TO THE FRONT DOUBLEDOG DARE CHALLENGE...

I made this card for today's color challenge. I love baja breeze and pacific point! I also tried my hand at the pleating - uugh! I just cannot do it. I've tried before, but it just is not my thing.

This week is my turn to host the Doubledog Dare Challenge that I do with a couple of SCS friends. I challenged them to use a stamp that you would typically use on the back of your card on the front. So, I used one of my SU! cardback stamps and turned it into the flower pot.

If you are intrigued and think you are up for the challenge, then I Doubledog Dare YOU to make a card for this challenge, then simply load it to your gallery and put DDC as a keyword. I'd love to see what you typically put on the back of your card.... Come on and play with us... you have all week...

Thanks for looking and have a great day!

Additional Info
Stamps: It's A Stretch, Cardback
Paper: whisper white, pacific point, dsp
Ink: baja breeze, pacific point, garden green, kiwi kiss
Accessories: brad, punches

SULD CARD CANDY SWAP

Once a month I meet with all of my sidelines and my upline. We call oursleves the "Little Debbies" (Debbie is our upline) or SULD. Tonight we are meeting and usually we swap, chit chat, have a make n' take, and tonight Debbie will share what she learned while at Leadership and show us all of her new, cool, SU! stuff that she has ordered (basically the entire catalog). Then we get all hyped up and excited and go tell everyone we know. So, this is the Card Candy that I made for the swap. I used the Bitty Birthday set. It is perfect for ANY kind of birthday card... even masculine (check out THIS post). It is inside of a little purse I made that you can see on THIS post.

We woke up to snow flurries today, but I think they have stopped.... I hope we get enough to at least cover the ground..

Thanks for looking.

BIG THANK YOU TO QUEEN KAT!!!

Not only did Vicki, owner of Queen Kat Designs, ask me to be one of her Royal Stamping Maids... and hey, that's the kind of maidwork I'm talking about! But.... she also fixed my blog header!! I am so excited and thankful! I hated that old one that was up there! Just look at it.. nice and plain and black.. I think I will leave it this way for a while...

Thank you so much Vicki.. you ARE the QUEEN KAT!

MASCULINE BITTY BIRTHDAY

I am so excited to see Vicky as the FS today! Congrats Vicky!I decided to case her card titled Mag's BD card seen here.

I kept her original design the same and changed:

1. the colors
2. the stamp set
3. added some layers

This is for my DH, whose birthday is on Tuesday. Masculine cards are THE hardest for me to make. I think this is still masculine even though is does have ribbon (which usually screams girl)...I took a couple of photos of this, so you could see all of the details. Thanks for looking!

Additional Info
Stamps: bitty birthday wonderful words (inside)
Paper: basic black, whisper white, brown, dsp from SU! prints pack
Ink: stazon
Accessories: brads, oval punches, SU! marker, double-stiched grosgrain ribbon
Techniques: paper piecing

LANG INSPIRED CATTY CASE

I made this for a couple of challenges (lately, it seems the only way I can keep up *rolling eyes*).. Anyway, I just LOVE Lang Calendars and have the Coffee calendar by Dan Di Paolo hanging in my kitchen. I used the colors to inspire me for the Doubledog Dare Challenge given by Michelle (sf9erfan) to case a card from the catty. I couldn't find my old catty, so I chose to case a card found on pg 111 of the new catty (I've had my nose buried in it since it came in the mail last week.) This is also for Friday's LSC given by Dawn, to use a black base. I love using black on cards, so I just couldn't pass it up! Thanks for looking!

Additional Info
Stamps: boho backgrounds
Paper: basic black, real red, brown, whisper white, robinhood red dsp
Ink: basic brown, stazon
Accessories: buttons, ribbon, brads, paper piercer
Techniques: paper piercing

CARD CANDY PURSE

I am participating in a card candy swap with the Little Debbies on Monday. This is the little purse that will hold the candy and is a special sneak peek for Jamie and Cindy... (2 SULDs who live out of the area and won't be at the meeting). ....but girls, you will have to wait until Monday to see the candy inside! Isn't this little purse the cutest! I first noticed one made by Carolina over at Papercraft Planet. She was nice enough to share her tutorial with me, you can see it HERE. Oh.. and this is my dining room, where I have been stamping because it is waaay to cold in the basement...brrrrr... So, looks like I have some cleaning up to do today. Why the big mess? Well, yesterday I spent the greater part of the day working on guest design team work for Queen Kat designs.... my projects will be revealed in February, so be sure to check back here and on the QKD Blog for the first reveal!!! I think you're going to LOVE it!


Additional Info
Stamps: none
Paper: whisper white, ridinghood red dsp,
Ink: ridinghood red, stazon
Accessories: ribbon, brad

VALENTINE FLOWER POT SUCKER

I made this for today's WT Challenge - to use patterned paper. I have been wanting to make one of these cute little flower pot suckers since I saw them around the gallery last summer. This will be the Valentine that I make for my kids to give their classmates. They are fairly simple to make, and I think they can be easily mass produced. I used two different pieces of patterned paper called Berry Sweet by K&Company. I followed the flower pot directions from Dawn Olchefske's blog. Instead of using a puched out flower, I made a scalloped flower from dsp using directions I found on Chat's blog. I bought the Valentine suckers at the Dollar Tree - sweet!Thanks for looking!

Additional Info
Stamps: none
Paper: Berry Sweet by K&Company
Ink: none
Accessories: Berry Sweet 3-d sticker by K&Company, scallop edge punch, brads, circle punch, floss

BUTTERFLY AWARD....

I am proud to annouce I am the recipient of the Butterfly Award. Now what is so special about this award, is not the award in itself (although it is way cool).. but, that it was given to me by Betty Wright, Stamping to the Wright (who was given the award from Amy Sheffer, Pickled Paper Designs, another stamping Rock Star.) I just love Betty Wright. I have stalked her gallery since I first joined SCS a little over a year ago. I have admired her style and cased several of her cards. Not only is she an amazing stamper, she is kind, willing to share and encourages others. Thanks for the award Betty, I can't believe you look at my blog and I am honored to be in such company!

In the spirit of Blog Awards.... I extend this Butterfly Award to the following...

1. Chat - Me, My Stamps, & I - not only do I love her cards... I enjoy her blogtunes...


2. Anne Harada - Everlasting Ink - aka Itsapassion... she is SO much fun to stamp with.. I just love her stuff, her energy, and her comments...


3. Allison - Embellished Paper - Those Canadians Rock!


4. Shelli Gardner - SoShelli - Was having a blah day... maybe this will encourage her! Besides, isnt' Stampin' UP! and rubber synonomous?! And who isn't glad that she decided to start that small, little company in her livingroom!!!


5. Kristina Werner - KWerner Design Blog - Her blog really is about the coolest blog I know! She had me at MACM!!


6. Heather Nichols - Pinefeather - Pine is Here - I love the diversity of her crafting.. I never leave her blog without being inspired!


7. GinaK - A Day in the Life - Besides loving her style of stamps, she is about one of the most generous people I know - always giving away stuff!!


8. Tenia Nelson - Jazzy Paper Designs - She is everywhere.... SCS, bloggin, PCP..... and she always leaves encouraging comments.... and I love her jazzy blog music also! She has already been given this award.. but, I can send it to her again, right?


9. Cindy Motherway - This is My Story - Mothermark - Who doesn't love Cindy's stories and the way she brings humor into everything! She makes me laugh.. and I love to laugh! And maybe I should include her 'Photographer', cause without him, we wouldn't get to see her fabulous creations.


10. Nicole Verkooijen - High Hopes Design Diva - I mean really, have you seen her stuff! I am so grateful she also offers her blog in English - hooray! I want to color like she does when I grow up!

So.. I hope you have/take the time to check out these ladies blogs, they are incredibly talented, not to mention their blogs are pretty cool. Thanks to these ladies, among many others, who inspire me in my hobby! Smoochies!

.....

These are just a couple of cards that I made this past weekend, and am now getting around to blogging. The red bird card is for SCS BRAKs that I send out once a month. So, I made about 12 of these. The other is a card that I made with a Thomas Kincaid image sent to me by Julia aka Artystamper. A fun, fun image for those of us who love to color!

Thanks for looking!

YOU'RE INVITED!...

To participate in the Doubledog Dare Challenges!

Our Doubledog Dare challenge this week was hosted by Charlene aka LilLuvsStampin! She dared us to make a card using punches, at least one background stamp, and NO DP!! The Doubledog Dares are now open to ANYONE!! We would LOVE to see your interpretation of our challenges!! Whenever you see any of the cards posted, the challenge info will be in the recipe of the card. Feel free to jump in and make a card for the Doubledog Dare Gallery. There's no time limit, just be sure to use "DDC" as one of your keywords when you upload to SCS so we can check out your work! (Click on the DDC link to see all the cards in the DDC gallery).

Additional Info
Stamps: serene spring, simply said
Paper: whisper white, real red, pink pirouette
Ink: stazon
Accessories: in-colors, aqua painter, colored pencil, goo-gone, ribbon, scallop punch
Techniques: faux mosaic

RAKS...

Here are a few RAKS I recieved over Christmas and for my birthday. I haven't had a chance to photograph all of them, but I hope I will get to it soon. Thanks to everyone who send me wonderful handmade Christmas cards and birthday cards. We always display our cards in the breakfast nook. They really made my day special! I cherish each and every one.

IT'S THAT TIME OF YEAR!! WOOHOO!

My daughter, Allison, is a Girl Scout. We are officially selling the cookies starting today! Let us know if you would like to purchase some. We are also offering "Cookies for Troops", you can buy a box for the Troops and we will mail them! You know you can't resist these yummy cookies!

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