OTWC #39 and a Thank You!

Happy New Year everyone!  After a very busy holiday, I'm back with
the last Off The Wall Craftiness challenge of 2010!
To celebrate the New Year, look at the colors and inspiration photo below.
They are black, white, and grey/silver.  This weeks sponsor is
Graphic 45 and you must go check out their vintagy products!

I had some very fun birthday wishes yesterday!  Yes, it was my birthday.

My friends put together a mini BIRTHDAY blog hop for me!

So, this card is for Jen, Laurie, Sue Ann, and Barb.

You girls are just the best and are so very special to me!

Please go check out their blogs and see why I am inspired by what THEY do!

Since the season has been super busy, I found myself reaching for some pattern

paper for my card today.  It's old, old, old........from Making Memories but

perfect for the black and white part of the challenge!

The little rolled flower is for Sue Ann.... I did cut this one myself using some
decorative scissors.  Nothing fancy, just freehand and rolled up with
some silvery goodness in the center!  So girls, this card is for you because
it was "So Sweet of You" to think of me on my birthday!!

{So Sweet of You}

All products PTI unless stated.

Stamps:  Signature Greetings

Paper:  Stamper's Select White, True Black, Black and White DP (Making Memories)

Ink:  True Black

Misc:  Silver sating ribbon (M's), Silver Pearls (M's), Mat Stack 4 Die, Foam Tape

Merry Christmas!

Just a quick post today to wish you all a Merry Christmas and holiday season!

I have been busy making my annual "food" goodies:  Oreo Truffles, Peanut Butter Balls,

Frosted Sugar Cookies, and Chocolate Dipped Pretzels.  YUM!!  All of which I love!

As you can see, I had a little help decorating these cookies!

I have soo enjoyed having my dear daughter helping me with these this year.

I have also been in notebook making mode the last couple of days or so

and wanted to share the notebook I made for my son's teacher this year for Christmas.

I used some of my favorite Tinsel and Twig papers from The Girls' Paperie......LOVE

this line of papers.  I'm going to find it hard not to use it but some of the papers can

be used for non-Christmas so you might see them on other cards too!

Don't you love the packaging?  I was inspired by Rhonda's blog here, that I had

to order some of these bags to wrap my notebooks in too!

I am running out of my red grograin ribbon.....{sigh}...because I have bought it in

the past from The Dollar Tree for $1 a roll and yes it matches perfectly to Pure Poppy.

My local store is out of it and while I can order it online, I'm not sure I'd use that much!

I just love all the little details you can put on these notebooks! 

Ah, the row of buttons strung with baker's twine from MS and

the little row of crocheted goodness.

Finally the whole ensemble gift to my son's teacher.  Does this card look familiar?

I posted it a while back and it goes perfectly with my cute notebook.

I have come to realize that the holiday is more about giving (I mean I've always known this

but this year it's really hit home).  So next year, there will be some changes

in our home as far as gifts my children get.  We always adopt

someone that is less fortunate at the holidays but we've decided to take it a step

further and give more next year.  My kids will do fine with this but it may

be a little hard at first when there aren't as many gifts under the tree.

Here's to a wonderful Holiday season and many thanks to you

for visiting my little part of blogland!

{Happy Holidays notebook/packaging}

All supplies PTI unless stated.

Stamps:  Take Note, Friendship Jar Holiday Fillers

Paper:  Fine Linen, Pure Poppy, Rustic White, Tinsel and Twig (The Girls' Paperie)

Ink:  Pure Poppy, Simply Chartreuse, Haystack, Charcoal

Misc:  Baker's Twine (MS), Friendship Jar Label Die, Red Grograin Ribbon (Dollar Tree), Misc. Buttons, Limitless Layers Dies, Crocheted Trim (garage sale), Paper Doily

Just for fun!

I can not wait for the release of the new PTI stamp set.....Little Bitty Bird.

So I found this super cute $1stamp at my LSS the other day to tide me over!!

I paper pieced my birdies, dotted their eyes with my brown marker,

and added a pink gem to their cheeks!  Easy Peasy!



Keepin' it short today.......going to get some goodies made for the holidays! 

Yummy!

{Two Little Love Birds}

Stamps:  Be My Valentine (We R Memory Keepers)

Paper:  Aqua Mist, Dark Chocolate, Stamper's Select White (all PTI)

Ink:  Aqua Mist and Dark Chocolate (all PTI)

Misc:  Dark Chocolate Dots Ribbon (PTI), Pink gems (M's), Foam Tape

OTWC #38

Are you ready for another Off The Wall Craftiness color inspiration?

This week is sponsored by Skipping Stones Design......and they were nice enough to

send us some stamps to use for this challenge!

Check out the colors that Kim put together this week!

For my card, I strayed away from the holiday theme and just took

the colors from this photo.

I used 2 sets from Skipping Stones Design called:

Timeless Textures

and

Dandelion Dreams

There are 3 background stamps in Timeless Textures........I love all of them especially

this musical background.  The music was stamped in charcoal pallette ink

for a softer look to that layer.

I have mentioned how much I love silhouette stamps?  I love how you are able to

stamp your sentiment over them.  I used the sketch from Mojo Monday here and I thought

it was a perfect chance for me to try one of these ribbon flowers.

I sewed a button to the center and placed a pearl in the center of the button.

We would love for you to come link up a card for OTWC challenge this week!

There is a great prize from Skipping Stones Design up for grabs too!

This is the last challenge before Christmas as we will be taking next week off to

celebrate the holidays.

{Happy Birthday}

Stamps:  Dandelion Dreams and Timeless Textures (Skipping Stones Design)

Paper:  Pure Poppy, Raspberry Fizz, Spring Moss, Stamper's Select White (all PTI)

Ink:  Pure Poppy, Spring Moss, True Black, Charcoal (all PTI)

Misc:  Raspberry Fizz Saddle Stitch (PTI), White Satin Ribbon, White Buttons, Pearls (M's), Linen IP (PTI), Corner Rounder (CM)

Another Valentine??

No, I don't have another LOVE card for you today although I have been enjoying making them!

When I saw the current color challenge for Color Throwdown,

I knew I needed to create a holiday card with these colors and get back into the season!

My flowers were die cut on the red cardstock and discarded.  The Joy flower is stamped on

white cardstock behind the red layer.  Fun technique!

The red layer was also ran through my Big Shot with the Linen Impression Plate

for just a little bit of texture but it's hard to see here.

Going to keep this short .........got lots to do today!!!

****I'm sending this over to the Card Creations: Favorite Occasions Week All Occasion Challenge in the Moxie Fab World.  Today is the last day to play along!****

{JOY}

All supplies PTI unless stated.

Stamps:  Signature Series: Flower

Paper:  Kraft, Pure Poppy, Ripe Avocado, Stampers Select White, Dark Chocolate

Ink:  Pure Poppy

Misc:  Signature Series: Flower Die, White Satin Ribbon, Silver Pearls (M's), Upper Crest Border Punch (Fiskars), Linen and Canvas IP

Mojo Monday 168

A quick post here before the link closes!  It's for the Mojo Monday challenge.

I love this sketch.....I've played along with this one before and it's one of my favorites!

And who can pass up a contest?  Go check out the many many beautiful cards!

I recently purchased this wonderful set from Verve........Dream Big.

I love the sentiments in this set.....live, love, laugh....is one of my favorite quotes.

****I'm sending this over to the Card Creations: Favorite Occasions Week Thank You Challenge in the Moxie Fab World

Come along and play!  There is still time!****



Thanks for stopping by tonight!

{Thank You}

Stamps:  Dream Big (Verve)

Paper:  Fine Linen, Dark Chocolate, Ocean Tides, Rustic White (all PTI)

Ink:  Tea Dye Duo, Haystack Palette, Dark Chocolate (all PTI), Ocean Tides color (Versamagic)

Misc:  Fine Linen Buttons (PTI), Button Twine (PTI), Polka Dot Basics IP, Brown Satin Ribbon  and Brown Pearls (M's)

Blog Awards!

I have been blessed with receiving some blog awards from some very talented sweet

bloggers and I wanted to thank each of you:  Laurie, Debby, and Tammy.

I have a minute to respond to the current award from Tammy.......let me just

say that she is such a sweet person.  I have really enjoyed her support as I joined two

design teams alongside her:  Wilson Designs and Off The Wall Craftiness.

Rules that accompany this award:

1. Thank and link back to the person who awarded you this

2. Share 8 things about yourself

3. Pay it forward to bloggers that you have recently discovered

8 things about me:

1.  I am a charge nurse at a large dialysis facility where we take care and provide for around 80 patients a day in our unit and then am in charge of coordinating acute dialysis at both of the hospitals in town.  One of these days I'm going to keep a tally of how many phone calls I get a day!! 

2.  I have been married for almost 15 years and we have 2 wonderful kiddos.  We were blessed to have a boy and a girl.  Wouldn't trade being a mother for anything.  But if you have kids, you know that there are

days that are certainly "trying"!

3.  I started my stamping love by hosting several SU parties at least 8 years ago and dragging my friends into this crazy hobby with me.  It was through these friends that I met a gal and now great friend who introduced me to The Angel Company where I signed on almost immediately after having a party with her. 

4.  I have had several cards years ago published in various publications and was featured in one of the yearly catalogues for The Angel Company as a designer.  Ironically, my friend from The Angel Company that became my upline, kept telling me to send in my cards.  Well, at one of our TAC gatherings she said, "just write the card recipe on the back and I'll submit it."  Thanks to her on a couple of occasions, my cards were published!  Thank you so much Eva for all you've done for me!!!

5.  I am going to be 37, yes 37..........on Dec. 30th.  I am now starting to feel "old"......:)  I realized this when I asked my hair stylist how old she was.  Yep, she could be my daughter if I'd had kids when I was in my teens....YIKES! 

6.  I love LOVE love LOVE garage sales!!  Did I say LOVE?  Yes, sometimes I plan my Fridays around going to garage sales!!  (yes this does mean work sometimes.....lol....sorry Jill!)  I am always looking for a bargain and why pay full price, right?

7.  I enjoy reading..........various authors but it has to be murder/mystery.  I love trying to figure out who

did it.  Some of my favorites:  Erica Spindler, Greg Iles, Catherine Coulter, Lisa Jackson.

8.  I love traveling but then who doesn't?!  We really enjoy going on cruises.......LOVE the food....it is always top notch!!

As far as bloggers I've just recently discovered and enjoy visiting.........(and you will like them too!)

1.  Christina from Sea Glass and Sentiments

     She has a great eye for color and does spectacular things with challenges. 

2.  Lynn from The Mango Boys and Me

     She takes amazing photos and has such a CAS style.

3.  Stephanie from I'd Rather be Stampin'

     She has updated her blog frequently lately with such inspiring little gifts/projects.

I don't know what your weather is like, but here in Kansas it's a whopping 17 degrees and the

wind is blowing so bad that I'm sure the wind chills are below zero.

I'm on call until 2pm and then it's going to be a nice warm afternoon watching Christmas

movies with the kiddos in front of the fireplace.

Maybe I can squeeze in some crafty time on this chilly day too!  :)

OTWC #37

It is time for another Off The Wall Craftiness color challenge!

This is another great color palette in monochromatic colors:

pinks

My card today for this challenge is another "love" card......I know I must

still be in a Valentine groove since the release of the newest stamp set from

Wilson Designs, called Ride Away With Me.  But I do love me some PINK!

I used one of my favorite favorite PTI stamp sets:  Heart Prints.

I have the coordinating punches that make this set so easy to use but I'll

bet PTI will have heart dies that come out soon!

I had such a great time making this card......my 5yr old daughter helped me! 

Well, as much as she could sitting on my lap that is!  I was stumped as to what shade

of pink button to flag the sides when my daughter said, "What about this flower one mommy?"

Oh how sweet that was......she was right as I LOVE the buttons she picked out!

I was going for something much lighter.  :)

This week's sponsor is Just Imagine Crafts and there is a great prize

up for grabs too!

I'm sending this over to Caardvarks for their current challenge of monochromatic cards.

It also looks like it's the last challenge from them too.  Go link up a card!

Thanks so much for visiting my blog and leaving such sweet comments about my cards over

the past week (it's been busy here!).  I know how much time it takes and I appreciate

each and every comment!

{Be Mine}

All supplies PTI unless stated.

Stamps:  Heart Prints

Paper:  Hibiscus Burst, Stamper's Select White, other pink (SU)

Ink:  True Black, Hibiscus Burst, other pink (SU)

Misc:  Doilies (HL), Tin Types Impression Plate, Pinking Hearts Border Punch (MS), Double Ended Banners Die, Heart Punch (EK Success), Misc. pink buttons, White Embroidery Floss (DMC), Foam Tape, White Satin Ribbon, Bow Easy, Corner Rounder (CM)



Wilson Designs: Release Day!

Today is the day......Today is the day!

You get to see the full reveal of the newest stamp set from Wilson Designs.

Just wait till you see all the cute little detail stamps she's included.

We introduce to you......Ride Away With Me

I really really like banners.  So I thought why not incorporate some with this new stamp set!

See what you think.

I did LOTS of cutting on this card.......took me a while but I really like the result.

It's the details sometimes that make a card.  I colored in my tree with copics and cut out.

I love love the little banner of hearts strung around the tree and floating to the sky.

I really like fonts in this set.....just so fun and bold.  Do you see a teeny tiny little birdie

perched in the tree and on the banner?  That little bird is from Snowy Wishes.

My next card (my favorite of the bunch) uses the MAIN image in this set:  the Bicycle Built for Two.

I think my favorite part is the heart-shaped spokes!

In keeping with the banner theme, I strung a hand cut banner from behind my bicycle!

Can you tell that I LOVE baker's twine?  It's from The Twinery.  The best stuff out there.

Thanks Jen for telling me about this stuff and ways to use it!  :)

What about the hearts "spilling" out of the basket?  I had to do some creative masking to

get this look but oh soo worth it!!  And I did a little sponging to get that subtle blue sky....LOVE it!

I might mention that the bottom "border" is actually the negative of the border I used on this card.....

great to use up a scrap of sorts!!

What do you think?  I had a lot of fun designing with this adorable set of

images in Ride Away With Me from Wilson Designs.

Now make sure you comment on all of the Design Team blogs for your chance to win

your own Ride Away With Me stamp set!!

Kim

Jenny

Tenia

Tammy

***I'm sending the second card over to the Card Creations: Favorite Occasions Week Love Challenge in the Moxie Fab World.

Go check out the amazing cards over there that have been submitted!



{Thinking of You}

Stamps:  Ride Away With Me (Wilson Designs)

Paper:  Cardstock (all PTI)

Ink:  Memento Black, Charcoal Pallette

Misc:  Copics, Baker's Twine (The Twinery), Grass Die-namic (MFT), Foam Tape

{Two of a Kind}

Stamps:  Ride Away With Me (Wilson Designs)

Paper:  Cardstock (all PTI)

Ink:  Memento Black, Versamark

Misc:  Baker's Twine (The Twinery), Little Open Scallop Die-namic (MFT), Copics, Nesties

Wilson Designs: Release Day #1

Hello everyone!  Today is the day for some inspiration using the newest set

from Wilson Designs.  Be sure to head over to the website to

see the two fabulous sets already released and while there

check out the gallery!

For my first card, I used some of the smaller stamps to make

this elegant Valentine's Day card.

The stamps were paired with various punches and dies as

well as some simple scoring on the base to finish off this card.

My second card uses some of the background builder stamps as well as the

cute cassette tape stamp (do you remember those days?!).

Kim has included several mini mini phrases to fit inside the cassette...too cute!

I went for a more masculine Valentine's feel for this card.......My hubby certainly remembers

the days of cassette tapes and especially 8-tracks! 

That's all for me today......You will see 2 more cards tomorrow and one that uses the "main" image

in this stamp set.  There have been some very creative guesses so far! 

Make sure to leave a comment on each of the Design Team blogs for a chance

to win this fabulous set.  Thanks for visiting today!

Kim

Jenny

Tenia

Tammy
Michele (Guest Designer)

***Both of these cards are being sent over to the Card Creations: Favorite Occasions Week Love Challenge in the Moxie Fab World
To create a love card but NOT Valentines!

{LOVE}

Stamps:  Wilson Designs

Paper:  Stamper's Select White and Hibiscus Burst (all PTI)

Ink:  True Black and Hibiscus Burst (all PTI)

Misc:  Misc. Circle punch, Mini Pinking Circle Punch (MS), Embossing Folder (Cuttlebug), Hibiscus Burst Buttons, Victorian Lace Border Die (PTI), Silver Pearls (M's), Foam Tape, Scor-Pal

{You Are My Everything}

Stamps:  Wilson Designs

Paper:  Stamper's Select White, Pure Poppy, and Enchanted Evening (all PTI)

Ink:  Versamark, Charcoal Pallette, Pure Poppy (all PTI)

Misc:  White Embossing Powder, Seeing Stars Dies (PTI), Limitless Layers Dies (PTI), Scor-Bug, Foam Tape

Wilson Designs: Sneak Peek!

I am here with a sneak peek of the newest Wilson Designs stamp set that

 will be available for purchase in just a few days!

Kim has just put together a fun mix of stamps this month and I can't

wait to hear what stamps you think are in this set!

Remember to leave a comment on all the DT's blogs for a chance to win

this cute set!  We'll see you back here for some inspiration using this newest set

from Wilson Designs!

Kim

Tenia

Tammy

Jenny

PDCC #58 and Jay Gee's Nook Challenge #2

Hello everyone!  I finally got a chance to play along in another PDCC challenge!

I'm not making Christmas cards this year except for a few people so I am trying to

get a head start on Valentine's Day.

This week's PDCC color inspiration is RED and WHITE.

Perfect.

Edit:  I forgot the other challenge that I'm playing along with is Jay Gee's Nook challenge #2.

What inspired me to use my doily stamp was this inspiration photo! 

I've had this doily stamp for a couple of months and it hasn't seen ink!  Gasp, I know but

I'm sure there are those of you that have stamp sets like this too!

I am noticing now that on both my photos, I have a little white space showing in 2 places.  Oh well.

Some other goodies used were also new.......love that border die from MFT.

I know Sue Ann, another die you MUST have!  LOL

I'd better get busy cooking some Gumbo and Corn Bread muffins

 for my family for dinner.  YUM!! 

Please come back later as I will have a sneak peek of the

 next Wilson Designs stamp set tonight at 11pm CST and the full release starts tomorrow!

 

{Love You Forever}

Stamps:  Tea With Elsie (Kaiser Craft), Heart Prints (PTI)

Paper:  Stamper's Select White and Pure Poppy (both PTI)

Ink:  True Black and Fresh Snow (both PTI)

Misc:  White Satin ribbon, Little Open Scallop Strip Die-namic (MFT, Framed Greetings Die-namic (MFT), Silver Pearls (M's), and Foam Tape