bird-day

Oh yes, more turquoise! :) My favorite shade is coming from the Deep Lagoon ink pad from Clearsnap. Going to need to stock up on refills! :)

Are you stamped out yet? :) How inspiring has this past week been with the celebrating of the Stamp It! special issue with Paper Crafts magazine? What an amazing week!! No, amazing cannot even begin to cover what this past week has meant to me. Wildest dreams come true!! Thank you for all your wonderful comments, encouragements, and emails!! I am in awe!!

In case you missed it here is a re-cap:

Moxie Fab World Blog Hop Contest

Moxie Fab World Olympics of Stamping Challenge

Paper Crafts Stamping Royalty Contest

Paper Crafts Designer Spotlight Stamp It!

Moxie Fab World

Paper Crafts Connection

thanks for stopping by!!

Supplies: Stamps (Stampendous-Feather Points, Bird-Day, Bold Cage), Ink (Clearsnap Colorbox Deep Lagoon), Cardstock (Papertrey Ink-Kraft), Twill tape (May Arts)

Hey, for those of you who have asked, I finally found an online store with all the Colorbox Chalk inks AND the fabulous stylus tool with white foam tips!! I cannot live without those tips for inking my edges. Check out Nona Designs. I am heading there myself!!

The Olympics of Stamping

Stamp It! oh how I love this issue! :) Last year this issue was my first publication with Paper Crafts, with three cards! And to have 12 in this one now?! Amazing!

I am a stamper at heart. I love to stamp. I love everything to do with stamping! What I love about this special Paper Crafts issue is, I see all these stamps I have, but am amazed at how all the designers use them differently. SO cool. This is one issue that I grab over and over again when I need inspiration.

Ok, you are here for the prizes :), so this is what you need to do: Visit all of these fabulous (oh my gosh LOOK at those names) blogs and see what they created, especially for today. Leave a comment at each blog and someone will have a chance to win 12 sets of stamps from My Cute Stamps! You have until Sunday, February 28 to leave comments on the blogs.

Moxie Fab World

Betsy Veldman

Dawn McVey

Debbie Olson

Julia Stainton

Kimberly Crawford You are here!

Latisha Yoast

Lisa Johnson

Maile Belles

Sarah Martina Parker

Teri Anderson

Tina Fussell

My card for today uses a new stamp from Stampendous called, Poppy Scene. Love the rustic feel and the possibilities with this line of images.

There is one tip I wanted to point out when you are coloring images with Copic markers, or any markers for that matter. Images that are farther away, or images that are in the “back” of the stamp should get less contrast and should also be grey their tone. Notice how that helps the front flowers pop a little more? Now, I don’t have tons of markers, so I fake it. I use a W3 to color over the top. Try it sometime and let me know how it works.

And now that you are totally inspired to stamp from all the blogs :), did you see the challenge at Moxie Fab World? The challenge is called, “The Olympics of Stamping” in which you can submit stamped cards in the following themes: Birthday, Thank You, Thinking of You/Hello, Love, and Season’s Greetings. You have until Monday, March 8 to get your projects linked up with Mr. Linky. The winners will be announced on Wednesday, March 10.

The best part is, enter those fabulous creations for the challenge in the Paper Crafts Magazine Stamping Royalty contest going on now. For all the details click HERE. There are great prizes up for grabs, the chance to have your work published in the magazine, and a chance to get your name on the designer list for exclusive calls! Now that is a ton of winning and stamping!! Gotta love it! :)

thanks for stopping by! Whew! :)

Just A Note: Stamps (Stampendous (Poppy Scene), Cardstock (Neenah-Solar White) (Papertrey Ink-Kraft), Patterned paper (October Afternoon Thrift Shop-Complete Set, Needs Paint), Ink (Tsukineko Memento-Tuxedo Black) (Stewart Superior Palette-Dark Brown) (Clearsnap Colorbox Chalk-Creamy Brown), Copics

thank you

SORRY! This project has been removed for publication. It will appear in the August 2010 issue of CARDS magazine!

Well, I just cannot thank you enough for all your sweet comments and kind words at the Paper Crafts Connection blog yesterday!! WOW! Its such an unbelievable thing to have happen!! Thank you from the bottom of my heart!!

This my new favorite color! Pantone named turquoise the color of 2010 and I couldn’t be happier! :) I pulled all these elements out of my stash and they worked beautifully together-yay! The peacock is a metallic sticker that I placed onto cardstock and carefully cut out. And the sentiment is from a wedding stamp set, but it topped this card off perfectly. Don’t forget to check all those stamp sets for images that you can use all the time! :)

Tomorrow there are very fun things happening on the Moxie Fab Blog and here! :) Check back tomorrow because you know there will be prizes!!! :)

Happy Birthday to my mother-in-law today!!!!!!!! :)

thanks for stopping by!

Supplies: Stamps (Stampendous-Wedding Words ), Sticker (Stampendous-Peacock Plumes Class a Peel), Cardstock (Papertrey Ink-Vintage Cream), Patterned paper (October Afternoon Fly A Kite-Sprinklers), Ink (Clearsnap Colorbox Deep Lagoon), Trim (Cosmo Cricket-Lil Man)

Stamp It! and Paper Crafts Connection

Yes, still talking about Stamp It and I will be all week! :) I am sorry, it can’t be helped. I get excited about something and well, I can’t stop talking about it. Imagine my poor hubby, he has to live with me, you can just keep scrolling! LOL! :)

I still cannot believe the surreal-ness of my life in the past year. Who could have ever imagined the following would happen? Kelly Smith from Paper Crafts says to me at CHA, “I have something to tell you. We are going to make you our designer spotlight for the Stamp It issue.” Really? Me? Me? Are you sure? Of course, I was trying to be all calm and mature about it. Susan Opel saw right through it, and told me it was okay to scream and jump up and down. I am still jumping up and down! And let me just say, telling this story all nonchalantly, is not really how it is. Can you believe I was talking to these people? At CHA? And they know who I am? Never in my wildest dreams did I even think these things!

Enough yammering, here is the link to Paper Crafts Connection where you can read even more of my ramblings in the Designer Spotlight. :) AND Flourishes was generous in donating 3 Cherries and Peaches stamp sets to give away!! Stop on over and leave a comment and you will have a chance to win!!

And, what you really came here for, a card. I cannot get enough of the darling Pure Innocence images from My Favorite Things. Add in some new October Afternoon papers and you get a happy stamping girl. :) Mostly because I have unpacked my stamping things, set up my space, and gotten some of my mojo back. We are getting settled into our new life in Cedar Rapids and looking forward to many new adventures. My hubby had a good first week of work and we found the grocery store and Target. :) Thanks for all the prayers and your support-I could feel them all!!!

thanks for stopping by!

Supplies: Stamps (My Favorite Things-Pure Innocence), Cardstock (Neenah Solar White), Patterned paper (October Afternoon Thrift Store-Collectors Item, Near Mint), Ink (Tsukineko Memento-Tuxedo Black), Gem (Hero Arts), Border Punch (Fiskars-Apron Lace), Spellbinders die templates-Rectangles Large, Copics

you made my day

This is a scheduled post.

For this CHA project, I used the newest Pendant from Spellbinders™ called, Fair Isle. After cutting and embossing, I rubbed ink over the raised areas. Pearls were added to the open corners of the image. I added two Labels 12 shapes, one from patterned paper and one with a sentiment stamped onto it. A stamped and cut out leaf image was foam mounted to the top. I love this! Doesn’t it feel like a breezy day in Mexico? Oooh, the beach, that sounds good about now! :)

thanks for stopping by!

Supplies: Spellbinders (Fair Isle Pendant, Labels 12), Stamps (Hero Arts, Papertrey Ink), Cardstock (Papertrey Ink-Kraft, Rustic White), Patterned paper (My Mind’s Eye), Ink (Palette-Plum Pudding, Fresh Snow, Landscape), Pearls (Creative Impression), Box (Taylored Expressions)

Fresh Fruit

This is a scheduled post.

Here is a peek at another new set from Stampendous called, Fresh Fruit (Perfectly Clear, Fresh Fruit SSC1061). It will be available soon, check your local store!

This card was also on display at CHA-W in Anaheim.

Giving you a little close-up shot of the Glossy Accents I added to the fruit. I wanted to give it a juicy look.

There is a darling pear image in this set, a strawberry, a watermelon slice, a lemon, cherries, and cute stems. Lots of coloring fun!

Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies: Stamps (Stampendous), Cardstock (Neenah Solar White, Bazzill), Ink (Tsukineko Memento Tuxedo Black), Ribbon (Creative Impressions), Copics, Spellbinders (Classic Rectangles Large, Classic Scalloped Rectangles Large), Fiskars Border Punch (Apron Lace), Buttons (Papertrey Ink), Twine (May Arts), Glossy Accents (Ranger)

apple picking

This is a scheduled post.

Another Spellbinders™ CHA project. This is a layout of us picking apples from our tree in our “old” backyard. That is one of many things we will miss about our “old” house.

To create the apple background, I placed the Nested Apples die underneath a piece of Core’dinations cardstock. I then sanded over the die, to bring out the core color. Pretty fun technique, huh? Give it a try! :)

thanks for stopping by!

Supplies: Spellbinders (Nested Apples, Labels 12), Patterned paper (Cosmo Cricket Mr. Campy), Cardstock (Core’dinations), Letter stickers (Making Memories)

its all worth it

This is a scheduled post.

Another CHA project for Spellbinders™. For this card, I used the new Impressabilities™ called, Flower Silhouette. I placed it down on a piece of cardstock. Then I “stamped” down an ink pad over the top. I forget to use my Impressabilities™ as a stencil. I want to try this again, with different colors of ink. Oh, I just got another cool idea in my head to try with this…stay tuned. :) I added pearls to the center of the flowers, a couple of butterfly rub ons, and a border, trimmed to size, from Big Scalloped Border Grand.

Please keep my hubby in your prayers today. He starts his new job. Thanks and thanks for stopping by!

Supplies: Spellbinders (Flower Silhouette Impressabilities, Big Scalloped Border Grand), Patterned paper (Chatterbox-Fabulous), Sticker and Rub ons (Chatterbox), Pearls (Hero Arts), Ink (Clearsnap Colorbox Chalk Sour Apple), Cardstock (Core’dinations)

Happy Valentine’s Day

Sorry! This project has been removed for publication in the January 2010 issue of CardMaker magazine.

Hee hee! Did you have a good Valentine’s Day? We did. Over boxes, unpacking, and pizza!! Maybe not romantic, but there was no where else I would rather be than with my husband and son!!

We are here in Cedar Rapids. The townhouse is small, but very adequate. We are mostly unpacked and have a few things left to clear out. This morning hubby went off to his first day at his new job. After 13 years in one place, this will be a change!! Keep him in your prayers today, please!

Most of my posts will continue to be scheduled, at least for the rest of this week. I am wading through emails now, so if something needs my attention, please send it my way again.

thanks for continuing to stop by!! ((HUGS))

Supplies: Stamps (Papertrey Ink-Heart Prints), Patterned paper (Graphic 45), Cardstock (Papertrey Ink-Pure Poppy), Ink (Colorbox Chalk Creamy Brown) (Memento Tuxedo Black), Lace (Making Memories), Punch (EK Success Medium and XL Heart)

apple garland

This is a scheduled post.

This apple garland is a project from the Spellbinders™ booth at CHA-W. I love how it turned out!!

I started out by die cutting thin muslin with my Nested Apples die templates. I then stamped different background images onto the muslin with Palette ink. Keep in mind that you will want to cut out enough apples for a front and back. AND stamp the front and back of each apple, so they match together for stitching. :) Live and learn. :)

The apples were stitched together by hand, roughly, to keep a very country look. I stuffed each of them with cotton and finalized the stitching. I used a Crop O Dile to punch holes to run the ribbon through. Then I tied buttons to each ribbon with twine. This one apple got a tag attached to it.

thanks for stopping by!

Supplies: Spellbinders (Nested Apples, Label Trio), Stamps (Hero Arts-Four Leaf Grid, Modern Lines, Raindrop Background), Ink (Palette Landscape), Ribbon (American Crafts), Buttons (Fancy Pants), Twine (May Arts)

ScrapCessories

This is a scheduled post.

You know how you see a product and go, oh, I NEED that! (So, yes I have a small issue with being organized and loving all things involving organization…) But when I saw the Bottle Caddy from Scrapcessories at CHA, I flipped with excitement!! I saw instant possibilities for all my new Stampendous embossing powders. (and trust me, when you see the new Painting with Powder technique, you will be buying more powders!)

Look at how perfectly they fit in the case!! YAY! I also love the way the tray is angled, making it easy to see the jars and reach them. This is also just the perfect size to sit on my desk, without taking up too much room.

The Bottle Caddy also holds Stickles and other small bottles-you could mix and match SO easily!!

And the last feature I wanted to point out is the lid. It slides on the top and “locks” into place. This is going to be very valuable for me because in our temporary townhouse, my stamping room will be in the living room. Do you think I will need to keep the cat or the little man out of things more? :)

Stop on over to their website and see WHERE you can buy this and other products and sign up for their email newsletter because I know for a fact that there are some more great organization products coming before too long! They might be involving other products near and dear to my heart. :)

ETA: Oooh!! Look HERE! Scrapbook.com has all their products!!!

thanks Scrapcessories!! and thanks for stopping by!

Egg-Cellent

This is a scheduled post.

Here is a layout that was at CHA-W in the Spellbinders booth.

The top and bottom border were made from the newest Spellbinders™ Borderabilities® called, Big Scalloped Border Grand. I die cut/ embossed a piece of striped patterned paper, but I kept the left-over piece and adhered it to the top. This works because I cut a 2” x 12” piece of paper. The edges were perfect and ready to use. I love the look and will be using that idea again!!

The other new die set I used is called, Easter Fun. This is a limited edition set, so get it as soon as you can. I used the egg with legs. We like to call him, Eggbert. :)

I love how seriously my little man takes his work! LOL! Doesn’t it crack you up? LOL! There really was NO pun intended there!

Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies: Spellbinders (Big Scalloped Border Grand, Easter Fun), Patterned paper (Fancy Pants), Cardstock (Papertrey Ink Stamper’s Select White), Ink (Clearsnap Colorbox Chalk Bisque), Letter stickers (Thickers)

you color my world

This is a scheduled post.

Ever since I saw the sentiment, “you color my world” in the Tiny Valentine set from Papertrey Ink, I KNEW I wanted to make heart shaped color crayons.

The other nice thing about this project is, no candy. They get enough and my little man really doesn’t like it. But he does like to color and is fascinated with his new crayons. :)

I started off with a card base measuring 4.25 x 4.25”. Then die cut the base with a Spellbinders™ die template. (Classic Scalloped Squares Large). After that, I made a window using Scalloped Hearts. Polka dots were stamped and embossed onto the front. Then I scored the bottom, about one half inch long. Tie through some ribbon, add a Label Trio tag with the sentiment, and you have a darling, easy Valentine.

I attached the heart crayon to the back of the pouch with a thick foam dot. It held well, but the crayon released easily.

Here is how I made the crayons:

Yes, I would normally use old and broken crayons for this project, but when I tried to explain to the little man what I was going to do with his crayons, he wouldn’t hear of it. No worries, I went into my supply stash. During school supply time, crayons go on sale cheap. I always buy several boxes and put them aside.

You can see that I started to peel away all the paper. Bad choice. So, I grabbed my X-ACTO Gripster knife and cut away the paper instead. Insert the blade in at an angle. Cut into the paper on the side that is underneath.

You can see how much easier that came off. It didn’t work perfectly every time, but 8 out of 10 worked perfectly.

I broke up the crayons and dispersed them into each heart shape. I put them in the oven at 250 degrees. Put a cookie sheet underneath the silicon pan, because when the crayons melt, they turn to liquid and you don’t want it to spill. They took about 10-12 minutes to melt. Keep a close eye on them. I left them in the mold for about 2 hours. They set up perfectly!

Let me know if you try these. I would love to see what creative packaging you come up with!!

thanks for stopping by!

Supplies: Stamps (Papertrey Ink-Tiny Valentine, Polka Dot Basics), Cardstock (Papertrey Ink-Pure Poppy, Stamper’s Select White), Ink (Versamark Watermark), Embossing Powder (Stampendous-White Detail), Ribbon (Papertrey Ink-Fresh Snow Grosgrain), Spellbinders die templates (Classic Scalloped Squares Large, Scalloped Hearts, Label Trio)

A Knight and A Princess

This is a scheduled post.

I am in love with these darling knight and princess images from Stampendous. They remind me of one of my favorite childhood books, "The Duchess Bakes a Cake" by Virginia Kahl. My grandma used to read me that story all the time and to this day I enjoy it!

This card was on display at CHA-W in Anaheim in January and in the newest catalog. What a thrill!! You know that Stampendous was how I was introduced to stamping, so to have my work in their booth and catalog, is so completely amazing to me!!

Images: Good Knight Kiss, Love Conquers All

Images: Knight Calvary

These have all been colored in with Copics. I used C1, C3, C5, C7 for his armor. I am finding it helpful to see my images photographed, after they have been colored. I get a better idea of how I am blending, be it good or bad. Feedback makes us better. :)

Images: Knight Shield, Knight in Shining Armor

All of these images are wood mounted red rubber, BUT there is a new add-on set in clear images…just what I wanted-a castle wall, tower, dragon, and a once upon a time sentiment. :) It will be available soon and I will make you a card with it soon, too! ;)

Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies: Stamps (Stampendous), Cardstock (Bazzill, Neenah Solar White), Ribbon (Creative Impressions), Stickers (Stampendous), Ink (Tsukineko Memento Tuxedo Black) (Palette Belle Rose), Spellbinders (Classic Rectangles Large, Classic Scalloped Rectangles Large)

Flourishes Blog Team

This is a scheduled post and they will be for awhile now. We are starting the real packing and getting ready to move to Cedar Rapids, IA. We leave exactly one week from today. I am so filled with sadness and excitement and fear, I don't know which way to turn. Please keep us in your prayers for safe travel and for heartaches.

I will have email access, but forgive me if I do not get back to you right away.

___________________________________________________________________

There is a time when all good things must come to an end. And now it is time for me to end my stint on the Friends of Flourishes blog team. Working for Flourishes has been amazing! I cannot say enough about the kindness, generosity, and thoughtfulness of the women that run Flourishes!! I will forever be a fan of their beautiful images!! I thought it would be nice to share some of my favorite projects from the past with you. I also linked you back to the original posts, so you can see any of the tutorials for the projects.

Strawberries as seen in this post HERE

All that Glitters as seen in this post HERE

Butterfly Moments as seen in this post HERE

Chairs for You as seen in this post HERE

Peaches and Cherries as seen in this post HERE

Butterfly Moments as seen in this post HERE

Lilac as seen in this post HERE and at Moxie Fab World HERE

Home Tweet Home as seen in this post HERE

Winter Bouquet as seen in this post HERE

DIY Topiary as seen in this post HERE

thanks for stopping by!

This is a scheduled post.