Cupcakes & Muffin

Here's my card for this week's Taylored Expressions Cupcake Challenge! This has been a super fun but crazy week at our house. It started with a sweet email from Taylor letting me know that she'd selected me to be this week's Featured Cupcake Sampler! Wow...what a fun & totally unexpected surprise : ) !! I have more new cupcake stamps, this time from SU (Crazy for Cupcakes), so what a great excuse to ink 'em up!! Later that day, we brought a 4 month old English Bulldog puppy home to be part of our family! (drum roll please....) here she is ~Her name is Muffin & she is a wonderful pup, but... oh my goodness, I'd forgotten how much supervision and time puppies require. With all the puppy fun and excitement, my planned stamping time just didn't happen this week. I sat down and started several projects, but there were just too many distractions from first thing in the morning, to late at night. Two of those projects were today's cards...lots of start and stop and fragmented thoughts... I have to admit, I think that shows in the cards and I was a little diasspointed in how they turned out. I really wanted the feature cupcake card to be extra special :( but I guess it's okay.

GOOD : ) news...I know where you CAN find some spectacular cards...right HERE! Taylor has an awesome sketch for you to try and she & the cupcake crew have created cards that are sure to inspire you!!

Here is another card I did with this week's sketch...using some fun new Hawaiian Papaya DP and less traditional cupcake colors, Chocolate Chip, Kiwi Kiss & Tangerine Tango! For those of you who use Copics, I found that YR18 is a great match for Tangerine Tango (that's the color I used on the candle)...

That's it for me. I hear a little someone shuffling down the hallway...I think it's time for me to sign off and take her for yet another trip outside : ) ! Thanks for stopping by & Have a great weekend!!

Supplies for the first card ~ Stamps: Crazy for Cupcakes (SU) Paper: Chocolate Chip, Pink Pirouette, Riding Hood Red, Bella Rose DP, Prism Bronze Ore Metallic Ink: Palette Noir, Chocolate Chip, Pink Pirouette, White Craft Tools/Accessories: Scallop Edge Punch, Paper snips, Paper piercing tool/mat pack, Photo corner punch, Irridescent Ice EP/Heat tool, Crimper, Large Oval punch, sponge dauber, Riding Hood Red taffeta ribbon, rhinestones, Dimensionals

Supplies for the second card ~ Stamps: Crazy for Cupcakes (SU) Paper: Chocolate Chip, Kiwi Kiss, Tangerine Tango, White, Hawaiian Papaya DP Ink: Palette Noir & Chocolate Chip marker for the doodling Copics: YR18, Y17, YG03 E15, W1 Tools/Accessories: Word Window punch, Large Oval punch, Scallop Edge punch, Copper brad & Cord (SU retired), Dazzling Diamonds glitter, Dimensionals

Splendid Little Give-a-way!

A few more yummy cards to show you from Pink Poison/Splendid Little Stamps! AND, a chance to WIN one of 4 FREE stamp sets to be given away during the month of September! Check out all the details right HERE : ) !!! It's a Splendid Spree Give-a-way! It's easy to enter, so be sure & get your name in that drawing for some splendid little stamps!! Today's cards all feature a stamp set that has been temporarily discontinued, but if you like the set (what's not to like?), just contact Marie at Pink Poison and she'll be sure to let you know when it's available again. I LOVE store bought cake....love it!!! So these images really were especially fun to play with. My first card uses Taylor's Taylored Expressions Cupcake Challenge Sketch (#30) (awesome sketch!!) and Pink Poison's Fancy Cakes set. I used some Prism Silver Metallic Cardstock (if you double click on the photo, you can really get a good look at that metallic cardstock!) and some shiny little Swarovski rhinestones (available at walmart in the bead/craft department) to give it some extra special shimmer and sparkle : ) !

Mmm....what's your favorite flavor of cake? Mine is right here....Chocolate Fudge, preferably with Chocolate filling! Yum!! These next 2 are enclosure sized card (or could be used a place settings...wouldn't that be fun?) ~

Aren't those little forks and spoons just adorable? I picked up this punch, made by All Night Media, when I was in Seattle last Spring. It punches out a tiny little fork, knife and spoon. I used shiny silver cardstock...made 'em look like the real thing! I know it's hard to tell proportion in the photo, but the fork and spoon are about 1" tall.

This last little enclosure card is a white fluffy cake with colorful frosting...that's the beauty of stamps, YOU get to decide what color & flavor the cake is! When my daughters were little, they would have loved this Tempting Turquoise, Lovely Liliac and Green Galore cake at their parties (actually, they probably still would!). For my younger daughter especially, it could never be too bright, too colorful or too glittery, lol!!

Thanks for stopping by : ) ... lots more to show you in the next few days, including that mini gift bag tutorial!!

Supplies for the first card (4" square) ~ Stamps: Fancy Cakes (PP) Paper: Prism Silver Metallics, Pink Passion, White Ink: Palette Noir, Pink Passion Copics: RV00, RV02, RV04, RV10, g14, YG11, Blender Pen Tools/Accessories: CB with Swiss Dots EF, Ticket Corner punch, rhinestones, Dimensionals, Spica clear glitter pen, Sakura Clear glaze pen

Supplies for the second card (4 1/4" square) ~ Stamps: Fancy Cakes (PP) Paper: Real Red, Chocolate Chip, White Ink: Palette Noir, Chocolate Chip Copics: E09, E13, E15, R43, R46, G14, YG11, B00 Tools/Accessories: CB with Round scallop Nesites & Swiss Dot EF, Large oval punch, 1/4" circle punch, Gold brads, Red gingham & White taffeta ribbon, Dimensionals

Supplies for the third card (3" square) ~ Stamps: Fancy Cakes (PP) Paper: Riding Hood Red, Chocolate Chip, White, Bella Rose DP Ink: Palette Noir Copics: E13, E15, E09, E02, R43, R46, R02, G14 Tools/Accessories: Ticket Corner punch, Paper piercing tool, flatware punch (all night media), Sakura clear glaze pen, Spica clear glitter pen, Dimensionals

Supplies for the fourth card (2 1/2 x 3") ~ Stamps: Fancy Cakes (PP) Paper: Riding Hood Red, Chocolate Chip, White, Bella Rose DP Ink: Palette Noir Copics: E13, E15, E09, E02, R43, R46, B00, G14 Tools/Accessories: CB/Scallop Rectale nesties, Paper piercing tool, flatware punch (all night media), Sakura clear glaze pen, Spica clear glitter pen, Dimensionals

Supplies for the fifth card (3 1/2 x 2 1/4") ~ Stamps: Fancy Cakes (PP), Bitty Birthday (sentiment, SU) Paper: Tempting Turquoise, Lovely Lilac, Green Galore, White Ink: Palette Noir, Lovely Lilac Copics: YG06, B02, B05, V04, V06, C1 Tools/Accessories: Scallop Edge punch, 1/4" circle punch, Turquoise brads, Word window punch, rhinestone, Sakura clear glaze pen, Spical clear glitter pen, Paper piercing tool, Dimensionals

Splendid Little Dream Quotes

Good Monday Mornin' to ya : ) !!! A few more cards to show you from another set released this month by Pink Poinson/Splendid Little Stamps! This set is called Dream Quotes and it's a beauty! Inspirational quotes plus wonderful images that perfectly compliment the quotes. This first card was another I did for last week's SCS Sketch Challenge (SC190). I stamped the flowers onto white cardstock, then cut them out with my Paper Snips. Sometimes I'll have people comment about that being a really time consuming process, but it's really not. The key is having the proper scissors. Good paper scissors make cutting out, even intricate designs, a snap...seriously! I used my Sponge dauber to sponge on a bit more Pink Pirouette ink onto the flowers before adding tiny pearls to the centers. The flowers are popped up on Dimensionals.

This next card was the very first card I made, same day the stamps arrived last week : ). It was late and I was tired by the time things settled down around our place and I got the stamps trimmed and ready, but I simply couldn't resist inking 'em up...they were just calling to me!! It's a simple little card, but I like it. Sometimes simple is good. I added a little Dazzling Diamonds glitter to the center of the flowers, just to give them a little subtle shimmer.

That's is for now. Lots more to show you this week. I can't always do this, but will probably be posting almost every day this week...so stay tuned & thanks for stopping by : ) !!!

Supplies for the first card (4 3/4 x 5 1/4") ~ Stamps: Dream Quotes Paper: Pink Pirouette, Basic Black, White, Bella Rose DP Ink: Palette Noir, Pink Pirouette Tools/Accessories: Cuttlebug with Circle/Scallop Nesties, Kaiser self-adhesive pearls, White organdy ribbon, Dimensionals, Paper snips, Sponge dauber

Supplies for the second card (5 x 4 3/4") ~ Stamps: Dream Quotes Paper: White, Black, Pink Pirouette Ink: Palette Noir, Pink Pirouette Tools/Accessories: Stamp-a-majig, Black Gingham ribbon, Dazzling Diamonds, Sakura Quickie glue pen, Black eyelets, Dimensionals

Splendid Little Cupcakes

I've been wanting cupcake stamps for soooo long! I was patient, and it was worth the wait....I got the sweetest cupcake stamps (and sentiments) from Pink Poison, aka Splendid Little Stamps, this week!! This is a brand new stamp company and Marie has designed some amazing stamps sets!! You can see 'em right HERE!! These are deep etched rubber stamps, mounted on cling cushion and arrive ready to be trimmed and used with acrylic blocks. And, here's the best part....they stamp bee-a-utifully!! When Marie emailed me to ask if I might like to do a little card designing, I popped over to her site to check out the stamps and after a few audible gasps of delight, emailed her back with a resounding YES please (and a great big thank you!)!!! I'm excited to be part of the team and look forward to sharing these delightfully fresh & fun stamped images with you!

I used the new SU Sweet Always DP for the first card & did some paper piecing on the cupcake. I used the Taylored Expressions Cupcake Challenge Sketch (#30)! This is a great example of how the right DP can just pull an entire card together! Here's a peek at the inside ~ Here's my cupcake trio card. It's 6 1/2 " tall and 3" wide. I think I may have gotten a little carried away with Dew Drops this week, but they're so fun and fit the cupcake theme perfectly ~

And here is a fun little red & black card, kind of has a nostalgic feel to it, maybe like a 1950's Ice Cream Parlor (is it just me or is anyone else getting hungry?). I apologize, but I didn't keep track of which Copics I used to color these last 2 cards. I will try to be better at noting which colors I've used, I promise : ) ! I'll have more Splendid Little cards to show you over the next few days. Now that you've see a few of the stamps, let me introduce you to the rest of the Splendid Little Design Team ~

Paula Bloom http://prbloom.typepad.com/my_weblog/

Pam Miller http://quietsanity-pammyrn.blogspot.com/

Ana Wohlfahrt http://www.inkastamp.blogspot.com/

Faith Hofrichter http://stampinwithmarkiesmom.blogspot.com/

And here's the brand new Splendid Stamping Blog~ http://splendidstamping.blogspot.com/

Thanks for stopping by...hope you have a splendid little weekend ;)!!

Supplies for the first card (size 5" square) ~ Stamps: Cupcake Set Paper: Chocolate Chip, Regal Rose, White, Sweet Always DP (new from SU) Ink: Chocolate Chip, Pumpkin Pie, Regal Rose Accessories/Tools: Photo corner punch, Crystal Effects (on the cherry), Flame Dew Drops, orange striped ribbon (amuse) Sakura clear glaze pen, Spica clear glitter pen, multi colored sentiment was done with Eclipse masking tape and a Stamp-a-majig, pink rick-rack on the inside, Dimensionals

Supplies for the second card (size 6 1/2 x 3") ~ Stamps: Cupcake Set Paper: White, Regal Rose, Sweet Always DP Ink: Palette Noir, Copic Markers Accessories: Scallop Edge Punch, Flame Dew Drops, Silver Bell Dew Drops, Chunky SU Glitter, Clear Spica glitter pen, 1/4" pumpkin gg ribbon, pink rick-rack, Paper snips for paper piecing, Dimensionals

Supplies for the last card (size 4 3/4" square) ~ Stamps: Cupcake Set Paper: Real Red, Basic Black, White Ink: Palette Noir, Copic Markers Tools/Accessories: Photo Corner punch, CB with Swirls EF, Paper piercing tool/mat pack, Chunky SU glitter, Stamp-a-majig, Black gingham ribbon, Dimensionals

Lions and Angels

Quick post to show you 3 cards I've been working on. I just realized how silly that sounds...this isn't work, this is fun ; ) ! BTW, I was planning on sharing a gift bag tutorial today, but ran into some technical difficulty and will need to re-take a few photos, but I promise, I will share it as soon as possible. My first card was made with Our Daily Bread Design's newly released stamp set, Peace. I really like the contrast of the Copper Prism Metallic cardstock with the Lion image. You can see a little of the rich shimmer in the photo!! I got to do a little coloring with my Copics and used a Sakura White Glaze pen to make the lamb white and give him (her?) a little texture. Here are the Copics I used ~ Here's a fun, funky little card using ODBD's new Angel set. I had my Cuttlebug & Nestabilities out for these cards. Circles & Scalloped Circles everywhere you look, lol! I used some brand spankin' new SU Hawaii Papaya DP...You gotta love this color combo ~ Chocolate Chip, Tangerine Tango & Kiwi Kiss!! Speaking of love, what about that Kiwi Kiss/Vanilla Satin ribbon? And last but not least, here's the card I did for this week's SCS sketch challenge (SC190). Since this is a Christmas card I added some silver accents with Prism Metallic Silver cardstock and "Silver Bells"Dew Drops. I broke into my new pack of SU Holiday Treasure DP and some of the gorgeous new Riding Hood Red Taffeta ribbon. I just popped over to ODBD to grab a few links for this post and noticed Kelley is not only carrying the Scor-Pal (have it, love it!)...but she also has the new Scor-mat that fits neatly inside the Scor-Pal. So, one minute I'm minding my own business, getting a few links, and the next thing you know, I have a Scor-Mat in my shopping cart : ) ! My friend Cami was just telling me how much she loves her Scor-mat, and now, I'll have one of my very own!! Cami, you are SUCH an enabler, and I love ya for it {{hugs}}!

Supplies for the Lion Card ~ (4 1/4 x 4 1/2"): Stamps: Peace (ODBD) Paper: Prism Metallic Copper, White, Almost Artichoke Ink: Almost Artichoke Accessories: Scallop Edge Punch, CB/Nesties, Paper piercing tool/mat pack, artichoke ribbon, mini copper brads, Copics, Sakura White & Clear glaze pens, Spica gold glitter pen, Dimensionals

Supplies for the Second Card ~ (4 1/4" square): Stamps: Angel (ODBD) Paper: Chocolate Chip, Kiwi Kiss, Tanergine Tango, White Ink: Chocolate Chip Accessories: CB/Nesties, Kiwi/Vanilla Satin ribbon, sponge dauber, horizontal slot punch, Dimensionals

Supplies for the Last Card ~ (5" square): Stamps: Angel (ODBD) Paper: Prism Silver Metallic, White, Riding Hood Red, Basic Black, Holiday Treasures Ink: Riding Hood Red, Pallete Noir Accessories: CB/Nesties, Riding Hood Red Taffeta ribbon, Silver Bells Dew Drops, Dimensionals

Thank YOU for stopping by : )

Bella Treats

I've seen these cute little Bag in a Boxes for the past few weeks, but just now got around to making one. I used today's projects as prizes at my workshop Monday (congrats Tonya & welcome Lori!). I found a great tutorial by Paula Goff (Inking Addict) right HERE! Really good directions, easy to follow. She used the 3/16 corner rounder to create the scallops, but I used the new SU Scallop Edge punch and it was even easier. I really like how it came out. That Bella Rose DP just makes everything look so good!! While I had those supplies out, I put together a quick little mini hershey bar treat. This is similar to a tutorial that Beate did for SCS a few months ago on the full size pull treats...you can check it out right HERE! It's the same idea, just smaller, with a few modifications. I was just using up pieces that were left over from the bag project. So there you have it, two fun little projects to try : ) !! Mauna from Ink Paper Scissors gave me this sweet award yesterday! It was an extra nice surprise because it came on my birthday : ) ! I will pass this along later this week. Thanks Mauna, for blessing my day with this special award!!

Thanks for stopping by : ) AND thanks to those of you who are leaving comments for the first time...I LOVE hearing from you!! Coming up later this week...my mini gift bag tutorial, so be sure to stop back by (and say hi!).

Supplies for the bag ~ Stamps: Sock Monkey (sentiment) Paper: Riding Hood Red, Whisper White, Bella Rose DP Ink: Riding Hood Red Tools/Accessories: Round Tab punch, Small and Large Oval punches, Scallop Edge Punch, 5-petal flower punch, 3/4" circle punch, Button (from the Button Bouquet collection), 1/4" pink gg ribbon, Silver eyelet, Cropadile, Sticky Strip

Supplies for the Hershey's treat ~ Stamps: Sock Monkey (sentiment) Paper: Riding Hood Red, Pink Pirouette, Whisper White, Bella Rose DP Ink: Riding Hood Red Tools/Accessories: Boho flowers punch, Scallop Edge punch, 1/4" circle punch, 1/4" pink gg ribbon, Silver eyelet, Cropadile, Sticky Strip

Clean & Simple

This is my card for today's Featured Stamper over at SCS...Jessica (Knightrone)! I had such a fun time looking through her gallery (great cards!!) and finally decided to case THIS one. I used the same stamp set for the image (retired hostess set, Garden Silhouettes), but changed the sentiment (Hugs & Wishes), varied the paper piercing a bit, substituted (flame) dew drops for the brads and used a different color scheme (Regal Rose & Old Olive). I really like clean, crisp, simple cards, and today especially, that's all I wanted to make. Here's a super simple card using the new Dreams du Jour set and the new in-color Baja Breeze~ It looks a little bland/washed out in the photo, but irl, the baja breeze is a beautiful splash of color contrasting the white and black. The paper piercing in the corner and image piece on dimensionals also adds some interest to this simple layout. I know it looks a little boring in the photo, but I wouldn't change a thing...I'm really liking this clean, simple look.

And another card with the Dreams du Jour set, but this time using the new in-colors Tangerine Tango & Kiwi Kiss. Still simple, but I did add a few more details to this one ~ I stamped the flower images and butterfly in Tangerine Tango and cut them out with my paper snips. I colored the leaves and outline with my Blender pen and Tanerine & Kiwi classic inks. I used my favorite new tool, the scallop edge punch, then added some paper piercing, Dazzling Diamonds and an Old Olive Eyelet. Finished it off with some sweet little black gingham ribbon!

I want to thank 3 VERY special ladies for nominating me for awards over the past couple weeks. Life has been a little crazy for us, so stamping and posting has been sporatic. I planned on doing these awards last week and, well, it's Sunday and still haven't done it. Let me at LEAST tell you about these sweet girls and give you the links to their blogs so you can be inspired and amazed! Shauna (Stampingly Yours) & Lori (Stamp Scents) both nominated me for the Brilliant award (thanks girls, you're sooooo sweet!)...I actually already received this, but am honored & blessed to be nominated again. Pauline (Jottings, Blottings on Paper) nominated me for this wonderful blogging friends forever award (thanks Pauline, YOU are such a blessing!) ~

I'll be giving a little thought on who to pass those awards along to....so many great blog and sweet friends...it's always so hard to decide....okay, I just nominate you all : ) ... does that count, lol?

THANKS : ) for stopping...have a GREAT week!

Supplies for the first card (5 x 4 1/4) ~ Stamps: Garden Silhouettes, Hugs & Wishes Paper: White, Regal Rose, Old Olive Ink: Black Stazon, Regal Rose & Old Olive Markers Accessories/Tools: Paper piercing tool/mat pack, Stamp-a-majig, Flame Dew drops, Dazzling Diamonds glitter

Supplies for the second card (5 1/4 x 4 1/4) ~ Stamps: Dreams du Jour Paper: White, Basic Black, Baja Breeze Ink: Black Stazon, Baja Breeze Accessories/Tools: Paper piercing tool, Dazzling Diamonds Glitter, Black Gingham ribbon, Dimensionals

Supplies for the last card (4" square) ~ Stamps: Dreams du Jour Paper: Tangerine Tango, Kiwi Kiss, Basic Black, White Ink: Black Stazon, Tangerine Tango, Kiwi Kiss Accessories/Tools: Blender Pen, Scallop Edge Punch, Paper piercing tool, Old Olive Eyelet & Cropadile, Dazzling Diamonds Glitter, Paper snips, dimensionals, Black gingham ribbon

Hope & Peace

I'm on my way out of town, but did want to give you a quick look at some Our Daily Bread Design projects before I leave. LOTS to show you today! New sets are being released tomorrow, including the two sets I used for today's projects, "Hope" and "Peace on Earth". These are beautiful sets that include wonderful scriptures of hope and peace. There's an "Angel" set being released tomorrow too! These first two cards were both made using Prism Cardstock Pink Pack. You can check out these and the rest of the Prism Cardstock colors right HERE!!My examples give you just a peek at the sets, but I encourage you to visit the ODBD site tomorrow so you can see ALL the scriptures and images AND check out the rest of the design team's projects...the girls have outdone themselves this month, some jaw-dropping projects!! We all used a lot of pink with our projects and focused on breast cancer, but this set is really for anyone facing of one of life's many challenges...I think that probably includes all of us in one way or another. Hope is something we all need! Next is a gift bag I made with some of the DP Kelley is offering to go along with the Hope set. There's also some great little pink ribbon eyelets available! I'll do a tutorial next week and show you how I made the gift bag! Finished size is 3 1/2 x 4 1/2 x 2". Used two 6" squares of DP and my Scor-pal : ) ! The post-it note cover was a variation of one of Leslie Miller's (Running with Scissors) wonderful projects from the past. You can see her tutorial right HERE! I used Kelley's one-sided DP, and made a few minor changes, but Leslie's tutorial is so quick and easy, you'll get the idea! Thanks Leslie : ) !!The pink post-it note is included is the bonus "hope pack" that Kelley is including with orders...be sure to visit ODBD tomorrow (Friday) for details on how you can get one of these FREE hope packs of your own : ) !!!This last card was made with the Peace On Earth set. I love the image of the Lion and the Lamb. The Lion totally reminds me of Aslan, from the Chronicles of Narnia! Lucy always describes him as having a golden mane, so I added some touches of gold with my Spica Gold Glitter pen...couldn't get a photo that really does the image justice, but the face on that Lion is just amazing! Kudos to Kelley's stamp artist for her work on this one. Great artistry!!

And here are the Copics I used to color the image ~Oh-Oh, I'm late...better get you a supply list and hit the road ! Thank you VERY much for stopping by. Hugs & Blessings : ) !!!

Supplies for the Joyful Card~ (finished size 4 1/4 square) Stamps: Hope Paper: Prism Intense Pink, White, Chocolate Chip Ink: Chocolate Chip Tools/Accessories: Prima flowers, Kaiser self adhesive pearls, Photo corner punch, Cuttlebug with Textiles EF, Scallop Edge Punch, Dimensionals

Supplies for the Healer card~ (Finished size is 4 1/4 x 5 1/2) Stamps: Hope Paper: Frosted Pink Prism, White Ink: Pretty in Pink Tools/Accessories: Cuttlebug with Swiss Dot EF and oval/scalloped nesties, Martha Stewart Edge doily edge punch, Pink taffeta Ribbon, Kaiser self-adhesive pearls, Dimensionals

Supplies for the bag & Post-it note cover ~ will list that for you next week with the tutorial

Supplies for the Lion card~ (finshed size is 5 1/2 x 6) Stamps: Peace on Earth Paper: White, Night of Navy, More Mustard Ink: Night of Navy, Brilliance Graphite, Copics Markers Tools/Accessories: Cuttlebug with Textiles EF, Spica gold glitter pen, Sakura Clear & White glaze pens

Inspired Challenges

I'm catching up on challenges and projects! I don't know about you, but life just keeps throwing me curve balls...thank goodness for stamping, it's good therapy : ) !! I made this first card for this week's SCS color challenge... using Elegant Eggplant, Taken with Teal & Old Olive (CC179). I never in a million years would have put these colors together without this challenge. Even at first glance when I saw the challenge description, I was thinking to myself, there's no way. Then I saw that the challenge was based on one of Nancy Riley's (stampinat6213), cards, and if Nancy makes it, well...it's gotta be good! You can see her amazing card right HERE! Thanks for the inspiration Nancy...you're awesome : ) !!!

Speaking of inspiring, this week's SCS feature stamper is Kim Teasdale, and this next card is a case of one of her beautiful cards that you can see right HERE! If you ever want to be inspired and cheered up all at the same time, take a stroll through her gallery at SCS. She makes the sweetest and most beautiful cards, they're just wonderful! I didn't even end up stamping for my card. I had this special new DP on my workbench, from Our Daily Bread Designs (available August 15th), and I just combined that with Kim's beautiful layout. I'm working on some sneak peek ODBD projects to show you tomorrow (for sets being released this Friday!). Be sure to check back tomorrow for more on that. This card is dedicated to my Mom Bonnie, my friend Kim and my birthday buddy Mavis! All three are breast cancer survivors!! Also dedicated to anyone out there who has or is currently facing a battle with cancer! You won't want to miss tomorrow's post...the stamp set hope is just for you : ) !

By the way, my favorite new tool from the new SU catalog is the Scallop Edge Punch! Look back through my projects and you'll see that I've used it on almost every one since pre-ordering in July. This is my top pick for must have tools!! I'll take a photo of it and show you how easy it is to use one day next week!

Supplies for the first card: Stamps: Baroque Motifs Paper: Elegant Eggplant, Taken with Teal, White Ink: Old Olive, Elegant Eggplant Tools/Accessories: Scallope Edge Punch, Small & Large Oval punches, 1/4" square punch, Dimensionals, Kaiser self adhesive teal rhinestones, tiny clear rhinestones

Supplies for the second card: Stamps & Ink: none Paper: Chocolate Chip, White, Survivor DP (ODBD) Tools/Accessories: Scallop Edge Punch, Small oval punch, Word Window Punch, Cuttlebug with Textile EF, Janome Sew Mini, Pink Rhinestones brad & Flowers from the Pretties kit, Kaiser self adhesive pink rhinestones, Dimensionals

Divine Design BVC August

It's the 8th of the month....that means it's time to post our Divine Design Bible Verse Challenge projects. I selected a scripture from Hebrews 12:2(a), "Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him, endured the cross...". I especially love those first few words, Let us fix our eyes on Jesus. When I'm going through a tough time, I have a tendency to fixate on the problem, but this scripture reminds me of the importance of fixing my eyes on Jesus. Not taking a quick look in His direction, but chosing to make him the center of my focused attention. I'm reminded of how Peter was able to walk on water, as long as he kept his eyes fixed on Jesus. When he turned his attention to the waves, his fear and the storm, he began to sink (Matthew 14:22-32). This month, with God's help, as I meditate on and memorize this precious scripture, I hope to become better at fixing my eyes on Jesus!

The other Scripture Chicks are posting their projects today too...here are those links so you can check out some AMAZING project from some AMAZING girls: Lori Craig ~ Make A Difference, Angel Wilde ~ Angelosity, Jami Sibley ~ More isMore , Taylor Van Bruggen ~ Taylored Expression

My divine design card was made with images from 2 of my favorite new stamp sets, Cross of Christ (ODBD), and Pretty Peony (SU). I stamped a frame of Riding Hood Red flowers and Kiwi Kiss leaves around the scripture using the two-step stamping technique. I created the scalloped frame by cutting 4 strips of vanilla cardstock, punching them with the new SU Scallop Edge punch, then adhering them behind the black layer.

While I was playing around with the Pretty Peony set, I also made a couple simple 3" enclosure cards. I painted a thin coat of Crystal Effects onto the petals to make them look shiny ~

I added some touches of Dazzling Diamonds to this one ~Each month I make a Divine Design bookmark for my daughter Megan, along with my card. Usually I post them both on the 8th, but this month, I'll be posting that bookmark at little later...probably next week. If you'd like to join us for the Divine Design challenge, it's easy and all the details are right HERE! And if you upload your projects to the SCS gallery, be sure to use the keyword BVC08.

My daughter Katie's ultrasound was yesterday and I got my first glimpse at her precious little baby GIRL : ) !!! She's gorgeous, even in black & white !!!

Thanks for stopping by...enjoy your day : ) !

Supplies for the first card (finished size 5 1/4" square): Stamps: Cross of Christ (ODBD), Pretty Peony Paper: Riding Hood Red, Basic Black, Pirouette Pink, Kiwi Kiss, Very Vanilla, Bella Rose DP Ink: Brilliance Graphite(EP) Tools/Accessories: Scallop edge punch, Spica Clear Glitter pen, Stamp-a-majig, sheer vanilla ribbon, Dimensionals

Supplies for the second card (finished size 3" square): Stamps: Pretty Peony (SU), All Holidays (SU) Paper: Riding Hood Red, Basic Black, Kiwi Kiss, Whisper White Ink: Stazon Black, Riding Hood Red, Pirouette Pink, Kiwi Kiss Tools/Accessories: Scallop Edge Punch, Small oval punch, Paper piercing tool, Black gingham ribbon, Crystal Effects, Dimensionals

Supplies for the third card (finished size 3" square): Stamps: Pretty Peony (SU), All Holidays (SU) Paper: Kiwi Kiss, Riding Hood Red, Basic Black, Whisper White Ink: Kiwi Kiss, Riding Hood Red, Piroutte Pink Tools/Accessories: Small oval punch, Sponge daubers, Dazzling Diamonds glitter, 2-way glue pen, Dimensionals

Happy Birthday Meg

Today is my daughter Megan's birthday, and this is her birthday card! Nope, she's not 4 years old, she's actually turns 20 today (omg...how could that be possible!). She's working on a masters degree in early childhood education, and I wanted to make a card that reflected that part of her life. I think most of us can remember at least one or two elementry school teachers who were extra special, went that extra mile to make a positive impact on our lives...that's exactly the type of teacher I believe Meg will be. Since I'm on the subject of teachers, let me just take a moment to say thank you to all you teachers out there!! I know it's not an easy job and I wish I could double all your salaries, but for today...I'm just going to shout out a great big THANK YOU! God bless each and every one of you : ) !!!

Okay, so back to my rather non-traditional 20-year old birthday card ~ I have no idea where this sketch came from, I just started laying pieces down and this is how it came out... but I think it's kinda fun and whimsical, don't you? It's what happens when I stamp late, late at night, lol! I stamped the little girl from the All in the Family set with Black Stazon. I colored her dress with a Blender Pen and a little ink in the lid of the Pacific Point ink pad. Her hair is colored with Summer Sun & So Saffron SU markers (it's highlighted just like Meg's) and her cheeks are SU Pretty in Pink marker. The shiny red shoes and flower on her dress are Sakura Red Glitter pen. The sentiment is from A Little Birthday Cheer set. In keeping with my early childhood theme, I stuck with bright primary colors, Real Red, Pacific Point & So Saffron. I was delighted to find some rick rack in my ribbon stash that was just the right color! Woo-hoo for rick rack! Here's the inside of the card and the envelope ~

In the morning, My older daughter, Katie, is having an ob ultrasound, to get a look at my new little grandbaby! She's invited Meg & I to go with her and her husband. I'm sooo excited! We think it's a girl, but we should know tomorrow for sure. Speaking of tomorrow, Friday is August 8th, and you know what that means... I'll be posting my Divine Design project, along with the other Scripture Chicks : ) ... so stay tuned for that!

Supplies for Meg's card ~ Stamps: All In the family, A Little Birthday Cheer Paper: Pacific Point, Real Red, So Saffron, Whisper White Ink: Black Stazon, Pacific Point Tools/Accessories: 1 1/4, 1 3/8" & Scallop Circle punches, Paper piercing tool/mat pack, Blender pens, SU Makers in Pretty in Pink, Summer Sun & So Saffron, Sakura Red Glitter pen, Red Gingham ribbon, Yellow & Red rick rack, polka dot brad (sorry, don't know who makes it), Dimensionals

Thanks for stopping by : ) ! Happy Stamping!!

Scrappy Birthday

Last week's SCS Ways to Use it Challenge was to use up scraps. I knew that was one challenge I'd have to play...I ALWAYS intend on going back and using my scraps, but I have to admit, I'm not always good about doing it. This was just the nudge I needed, plus I had some great stuff in the scrap pile! I also check out the challenge at the Great Swaps Girls, to use 3 kinds of embelishments. How fun is that? So I combined the two challenges and this card is the result. I found these great images in the scrap pile from the All in the Family (girl) and All Holidays (sentiment) stamp sets. In fact, the only thing that didn't come out of the scrap pile was the square scallop piece. For the GSG challenge, my 4 types of embelishments are ~ a flower from the Pretties Kit (sitting in the scrap pile, already tinted pink, what a find!), a close to cocoa button, silver brads and some pink taffeta ribbon. Does Dazzling Diamonds counts as an embelishment? If so, then I used 5 types! Finished size of this card is 4 1/4" square, my favorite : ) !

This is a quick, simple little 3" enclosure card, made for my friend Tonya... Happy, Happy (a little belated) Birthday Tonya : ) ! The butterfly image is from the soon to be released (August 11th!!!) SU set, Dreams Du Jour! I'll have more to show you from that set soon. The sentiment is from the All Holidays set. That's a new set for me and I am sure enjoying it!! Great sentiments for all the holidays...thus the name!

For those of you who love SU stamps and products this is an exciting week! Lots of great things happening. New Catalog coming out on Monday (August 11th)...if you don't have a local demonstrator and would like a catty, just let me know and I'll ship you one (minimal charge, just to cover my cost). Discounts beginning Monday on several of the brand spankin new set!! AND a fantastic opportunity for anyone who'd like to sign up as an SU Demo for only $99 bucks, and that includes great products that YOU get to pick!! If you're like me and you don't like to pay retail (I love, love, love a good bargain) then you might want to consider becoming a demo yourself. You do NOT ever have to hold workshops if you don't want to. You can just enjoy the discounts and extras that the demos enjoy, and just be your own best customer : ) !! I know it sounds too good to be true, but it's really simple and if you're already spending money on paper crafting supplies, chances are, you can save a bundle! You can go to my SU business website beginning Monday (the new specials will be posted then) to learn more about it, or email me ANYTIME you have a question, I'm more than happy to give you honest answers to your questions. I'm not a sales person, but I do love sharing great stuff when I find it...and this opportunity and that new catty are some GREAT stuff : ) !!! My email is youcanstamp@hotmail.com

Supplies for the first card (4 1/4" square): Stamps: All in the Family, All Holiday Paper: Chocolate Chip, Whisper White, Pink Pirouette, Riding Hood Red Ink: Chocolate Chip & Riding Hood Red (with blender pen for her shoes) Tools/Accessories: Square Marvy punch (guess what, SU has a new square scallop punch in the new catty!), Silver brads, Close to cocoa button, Pink taffeta ribbon, Pretties flower (dyed pink pirouette with the classic ink and a dauber), Dazzling Diamonds glitter, Dimensionals, Paper piercing tool

Supplies for the second card (3" square): Stamps: Dreams Du Jour, All Holidays Paper: Whisper White, Pink Pirouette, Riding Hood Red, Bella Rose DP Ink: Riding Hood Red Tools/Accessories: 1 1/4, 1 3/8 & Scallop Circle punches, NEW Scallop Edge punch, Pink taffeta ribbon, Paper piercing tool, Spica clear glitter pen, Sakura clear glaze pen

Coming up this Friday, August 8th...Divine Design!! Until then, thanks so much for stopping by and have a wonderful day : ) !!!

Heard from the Heart

What do you get when you combine friendship and stamping? Wow, that could be answered a hundred ways. I don't know about you, but I've met some of the best friends of my life through stamping (that includes many of you I've met through the blog too)!! Yesterday, a great visit with my friend Nancy Littrell, resulted in both of the cards I'm posting today! Both use some great new SU stamps, inks & papers !! The first card is almost an exact case of Nancy's card, the only change made was to add Dazzling Diamonds glitter. You can see her original card, uploaded to her SCS gallery, right HERE....isn't it stunning? I saw it irl yesterday, and as beautiful as it looks in her gallery, it's even better irl!! She was nice enough to share some great tips on masking & sponging and bascially walked me through each step of recreating her wonderful card. Fun technique, one I will be sure to use again!! Thanks Nance...you're the best!!! We used Pacific Point, Bashful Blue & Pink Pirouette Ink for the sponging, Black Stazon ink for the Trees (Lovely as a Tree), and Pacific Point ink for the sentiment (Heard from the Heart). Cardstock is Whisper White, Pacific Point and Basic Black. We tried out some new Eclipse masking tape that I got recently. Really nice product to use for masking techniques. I got mine at Eclectic Paperie : ) !

I stamped a few extra images from Nancy's Heard From The Heart set and she stamped a few from my Sock Monkey set...hey, our moms taught us well, we LOVE to share : ) ! After she left, I made a card using this week's SCS Sketch Challenge (SC187). The colors are a bit bolder that I'd normally use, and I'm generally just not crazy about the card (does that ever happen to you?)...but I really like the sketch, so I thought I'd show it to ya anyway. This card uses a lot of fun new stuff from the upcoming SU Fall/Winter catalog...won't be long now....release date for that catalog is coming right up on August 11th!! The Pacific Point cardstock, Bella Rose DP, Sock Monkey(heart) & Heard from the Heart Stamp (sentiment) and Pacific Point classic ink pad. I used a silver ribbon pull from the Silver HPH collection, Amuse sheer ribbon & silver Making Memories heart brads. A little Paper piercing finished it off.

More exciting new from SU ~ Soon you will be able to order our products on-line, via the SU website or through my SU Business Website! I'll be sharing more about that in the coming weeks. For many of you who aren't demonstrators and don't have a local demonstrator....this will be a great option!!!

In the past, I usually list all the supplies I used for my projects at the end of each post. Is that helpful to you? If so, I would be more than HAPPY to start doing that again. Just leave a comment and let me know!

Thanks for looking...enjoy your weekend : )