Happy Birthday, Savannah!

I can't believe that 4 years ago today, my baby was born! It seems as though it was just yesterday that I had her. . .and now I'm weeks away from having my third! Where does the time go? Today I'm going to take Savannah and Arwen to Idlewild Park for "Hallow-Boo"! She just LOVES it at Idlewild and we went to their "Hallow-Boo" last year and she had a blast. They have Storybook Forest, and at Hallow-Boo the kids get to trick or treat through Storybook Forest. She doesn't know that she's going yet, so it will be a huge surprise! I'll have to post some pics later tonight! Happy Birthday, my little Sweet Pea! I love you!

Mojo Monday Week #4

This is for Julee's Mojo Monday Challenge over at Poetic Artistry. I just love these challenges that Julee posts. I didn't get a chance to do last week's, so I REALLY wanted to do this one! I haven't used my Rubber Romance stamps in a while and since I needed a larger image to fit the space on the sketch, I thought I'd use this one. I added some pearl brads I found at my local craft store and the sentiment is from a Studio G clear stamp set. I also used the Sliders Cuttlebug die. Head on over to Julee's blog and try the Mojo Challenge yourself! Thanks for visiting! SUPPLIES USED: Stamps- Melanie (Rubber Romance), sentiment (Studio G); Ink- Palette in Noir, Bashful Blue, Creamy Caramel, VersaMagic in Aegean Blue; Paper- Basic Grey Hang 10 line in Pipeline and Stoked, DCWV dark blue, light blue, chocolate; Accessories- Aquapainter, Blush Blossom, Chocolate Chip markers, Cuttlebug Sliders die, scallop circle punch, organdy ribbon, pearl brads (Darice), paper piercer.

Halloween Makeover

This was for yesterday's Limited Supplies Challenge on SCS, Halloween Makeover. . .to use Halloween stamps to make a non-Halloween card. This was fun! Since this stamp from Michael's was sitting on my stamp table, I decided to use it. Right away I thought of the Green Thumb set by Papertrey Ink for the sentiment! I thought the retro color scheme would work well too.

Thanks for stopping by today! Hope you have a wonderful weekend! SUPPLIES USED: Stamps- Michael's $1 stamp, sentiment from Green Thumb (Papertrey Ink); Paper- Wild Wasabi, Groovy Guava, Whisper White, DCWV chocolate; Ink- Palette in Noir, Wild Wasabi, Groovy Guava, Creamy Caramel; Accessories- Making Memories brads, double stitched ribbon in Wild Wasabi, glitter glue, blender pen.

Beate's Weekend Sketch Challenge: File Folder

This is for Beate's newest Weekend Sketch Challenge. It was to make a file folder card. Believe it or not, I have never made one of these before! I have the Coluzzle File Folder template, but have only ever used it for a file folder scrapbook I made a while ago. It worked perfectly for this challenge. I decided to make a baby announcement since I'll be needed one of those VERY soon! :) I thought the Wild About You stamp set went well with this patterned paper from the DCWV Nana's KIDS Stack. I punched the elephant out with a Jumbo circle punch and attached just the top of it with dimensionals to the inside card so that the elephant would show on the outside and sit in the curve of the file folder.

It also holds the inside card nicely in place until it's pulled out. The inside card is where all the "stats" will go along with a little picture of our newest addition. I'm very excited to see what Beate, Jenn, Laurie, Lori and Sharon have created! Beate also created a tutorial for these! Let's go check out their blogs! SUPPLIES USED: Stamps- Wild About You, So Many Sayings, Bundle of Joy; Ink- Chocolate Chip, Wild Wasabi, Basic Black; Paper- Wild Wasabi, River Rock, Close To Cocoa, DCWV chocolate, Nana's KIDS Stack; Accessories- Jumbo circle punch, Coluzzle File Folder template, 1" and 1 1/4" circle punches, Making Memories brads, Wild Wasabi double stitched ribbon, slit punch, Chocolate Chip marker.

Savannah's Favors

As promised, here are the favors I made for Savannah to take with her to preschool today. They didn't turn out exactly how I envisioned, but I think the kids with love them. In the October (I believe) issue of Papercrafts Magazine, I saw how one of the designers gave out a card for Halloween with a cookie cutter attached, and a play dough recipe on one side and sugar cookie recipe on the other. I thought it was an adorable idea. I decided to take it a step further. I made these 2-5-7-10 boxes and filled them with the dry ingredients to make the play dough. I wanted to put the recipe on the front, which is why I'm not so crazy with how they turned out. I couldn't really "decorate" the front of the box much because the recipe took up too much space. I tried to make it smaller, but I didn't want the parents to have to dig out a magnifying glass to read it! :) The stamps are from a Studio G $1 clear set that I found at Michael's. I thought it was perfect for kids. The colored cupcakes have "glitter frosting". . .don't know if the picture shows that. Hopefully the kids (and their parents) will love these. I tried the recipe beforehand and it DOES work! The original recipe called for double the amount of everything but the Kool Aid mix, but it made a HUGE batch of play dough, and I couldn't fit THAT much of the dry ingredients in the box so I had to cut the recipe in half. Thanks for visiting today! I'll let you know how the kids liked them! SUPPLIES USED: Stamps- Studio G clear stamp set; Paper- The Paper Company; Ink- VersaMagic in Pink Petunia, Tempting Turquoise, Yo Yo Yellow, Palette in Noir; Accessories- Regal Rose, Yo Yo Yellow, Tempting Turquoise and Barely Banana markers, organdy ribbon, Quickie Glue pen, glitter, hole punch, 1 1/4" and 1 3/8" circle punches.

Happy Mail!

I received this WONDERFUL RAK from Shannon at Hoppy Creations! A little while ago, she commented on a card I made and LOVED the ribbon on the card. I sent her some of the ribbon as a surprise, and THIS is what she sent me as a thank you! I couldn't believe it! What an absolute sweetie! The card is just precious, and that ribbon is gorgeous! I LOVE those earth tones! Thank you so much, Shannon! You totally made my day! Check out Shannon's other wonderful creations on her blog!

Sweet Julie

Look at this awesome RAK I got from my sweet, sweet friend Julie at Stampin' With Julie! Is that penguin card not the cutest? As if that wasn't enough, she sent me that CUTE CUTE stamp set! It's by Autumn Leaves and is called Mini Bugs. I just LOVE it. . .and look at all of those ladybugs! :) I was so excited when I opened this package. What a great surprise! Thank you so much Julie! You are the best! I loved this stamp set so much that I HAD to use it yesterday for the Color Challenge on SCS, Mustard Olives. . .to use More Mustard, Old Olive and Bashful Blue. I decided to pull out an old Classy Brass template that I thought would go well with the little ladybugs. I can't even remember the name of this template, and there's no name on the package. The three ladybugs are colored with a More Mustard marker, and the last ladybug is stamped twice--once in black, once in Old Olive and then I cut out the wings and adhered them over the black stamped image. The last touch was the olive velvet ribbon. I didn't want it to cover the sentiment, so I had to use the horizontal slot punch so the ribbon would only go over so far. I think it worked. Well, thanks for stopping by today! I am feverishly working on finishing Savannah's "favors" to take to preschool tomorrow for her birthday. Hopefully I'll be able to share them with you tomorrow! Have a great day! SUPPLIES USED: Stamps- Mini Bugs (Autumn Leaves), Stem Sayings; Ink- Palette in Noir, Old Olive; Paper- DCWV mustard, olive, blue, Whisper White; Accessories- olive velvet ribbon, horizontal slot punch, More Mustard marker, Classy Brass template.

Bye Bye Summer

No, I'm not ready to say goodbye to summer, but that was the Try a New Technique Challenge on SCS yesterday, Bye Bye Summer. . .to make a gel card. I haven't made a gel card in ages, so it was fun to try one out again. This card was really quick too, which was nice. I seem to have less and less time to stamp lately and I don't know why. Maybe because I need to get some other projects done too, so I'm trying to fit everything into the time I DO have. Savannah's 4th birthday is Sunday, but they're celebrating it in preschool on Thursday. I wanted to make some "favors" to send in with her and I haven't even started. Today is the day I hope to do that. Thanks for stopping by today and have a GREAT day! SUPPLIES USED: Stamps- Whale Wishes, Spotted Jumbo wheel; Paper- Blue Bayou, Wild Wasabi, Whisper White; Ink- Blue Bayou, Wild Wasabi; Accessories- black marker, Night of Navy marker, Making Memories brads, Word Window punch, double stitched ribbon in Wild Wasabi and Blue Bayou, Oval Coluzzle, paper piercer.

Splitcoast Western PA Gathering

On Saturday of this past weekend, I had the pleasure of meeting some Splitcoast friends! Phyllis (HUTstamper) organized the event and we all had a GREAT time. The group consisted of BethanyPaull, chickers089, epiphany, GolfCat69, HUTstamper, inkyfingersinpa, M_A_N_D_Y, Nicely Done, seasonalstamper, Sherialane, s_anthony, Vicky Gould and myself, CharmWarm. It was nice to finally put faces with names. I couldn't stay for the whole day, but I had a blast during the time that I was there. What a wonderful bunch of gals! I'm looking forward to the next time!

FS33

This is for today's Featured Stamper Challenge on Splitcoast, to CASE StarofMay. WOW, her gallery is AWESOME! There is such clean, simple, GORGEOUS designs in there. I only had a very short time to stamp this morning before heading out the door, and this was the PERFECT gallery to have to CASE. I chose this beauty of a card. Isn't it just the sweetest? I changed the stamp set and the colors. I was hoping for a sunflower look to the card. The centers of the flowers are Martha Stewart Brownstone glitter. Check out StarofMay's gallery. . .you will fall in love with it! SUPPLIES USED: Stamps- Small Sayings; Paper- DCWV yellow, olive, Close to Cocoa; Ink- Palette in Noir, VersaMagic in Thatched Straw; Accessories- May Arts ribbon, Martha Stewart Brownstone glitter.

Spooky

This was for yesterday's Limited Supplies Challenge on Splitcoast, Limited Layers. It was to use 3 or 4 layers on your card. It was nice to get back to a simple card with a simple layout. I've found myself becoming too obsessed lately with adding "more". The witch shoes stamp was in the Michael's $1 bin. I thought it was adorable. I colored the stockings in with my Prismacolor markers and added some gold glitter glue on the buckles. The sentiment is from Papertrey Ink's Spooky Sweets set. I also used the Cuttlebug Traffic Jam embossing folder on the orange piece of cardstock. All in all, it was a quick card. Gotta love quick cards! Have a great day! SUPPLIES USED: Stamps- Kolette Hall for Studio G, sentiment from Papertrey Ink Spooky Sweets; Paper- DCWV orange, yellow, Wild Wasabi, Whisper White; Ink- Palette in Noir; Accessories- Cuttlebug Traffic Jam embossing folder, ticket corner punch, horizontal slot punch, May Arts ribbon, gold glitter glue, Prismacolor markers.

Beate's Weekend Sketch Challenge #20

Here's my take on Beate's latest Weekend Sketch Challenge. Since I had Garden Whimsy out on my stamp table, that's what I decided to use. I always love to pair this set up with the Cutie Pie Designer Series paper. I just think they are a perfect match. Purely Pomegranate is quickly becoming my newest favorite color. It's such a happy color, and paired with Wild Wasabi. . .I just LOVE it! Give the sketch challenge a try! For more inspiration, check out what Beate, Jenn, Laurie, Lori and Sharon have come up with. I'm sure they're all amazing! SUPPLIES USED: Stamps- Garden Whimsy, Stem Sayings; Paper- Purely Pomegranate, Wild Wasabi, Cutie Pie Designer Series, Whisper White; Ink- Purely Pomegranate, Basic Black; Accessories- ticket corner punch, paper piercer, Making Memories brads, Stardust Stickles, horizontal slot punch, Word Window punch, Purely Pomegranate Satin ribbon.

Basic Gray

This is for today's Ways to Use It Challenge on SCS, to use the color Basic Gray. I don't use this color very often, if at all. I thought the Basic Grey Scarlet Letter patterned paper would go perfectly. . .and it selected the rest of my color combination for me! :) I used the Garden Whimsy butterfly and the sentiment is part of one of the stamps in the Absolutely Fabulous set. I couldn't figure out what to do with the upper part of the card, so I cut a bit off and added the scallop border. It made for a different layout and look to the card. This is a different color combo for me, but I kinda like it! Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful day! SUPPLIES USED: Stamps- Garden Whimsy, Absolutely Fabulous (Stampin' UP); Paper- DCWV gray, olive, red, Basic Grey Scarlet Letter; Ink- Basic Gray, Ruby Red; Accessories- green, red and gray grosgrain, Making Memories brad, 3/4" and 1" circle punches, slit punch, hole punch, Stardust Stickles, paper piercer.

Priceless

Look what I got in my mailbox the other day! How sweet is this? It's from Joanne at Just a Little Something. Joanne found my blog through Beate's. I'm so glad she did, because now I found HER blog! She has some BEAUTIFUL creations over there. You really should check it out! I just loved this card she sent, the colors, the layout. . .everything is just wonderful! Thank you, Joanne, for making my day! I really appreciate it!

Fintastic Friends

This is for today's Sketch Challenge on SCS. What a fun sketch! I don't know why, but lately when I start a card (especially a challenge card), I have the hardest time deciding which stamp set to use. Believe me, I have no shortage of stamp sets! For whatever reason it takes me 10 minutes to decide on what to use! I decided on Whale Wishes because I haven't used it in a little while. That's how I've been deciding on which set to use. . .what hasn't been inked in a while. Have you ever had a slump where none of your stamp sets really talk to you? Nothing motivates you? I think that's where I am right now. I need to freshen my outlook on my stamps!

You can barely see it in the photo, but I used my Spellbinders Nestabilities Square template for the focal image. I cut it out and embossed the edge with the die. It really is a neat and subtle effect. Thanks for stopping by today! SUPPLIES USED: Stamps- Whale Wishes; Paper- Groovy Guava, Whisper White, Certainly Celery, DCWV turquoise, Wild Asparagus pp; Ink- Groovy Guava, Certainly Celery; Accessories- black marker, paper piercer, celery, coral and turquoise grosgrain, small oval punch, Making Memories brads, Nestabilities square die.

Tagged!

I was tagged by Beate with a hilarious little game. Let's see what we come up with!

1. YOUR ROCK STAR NAME: (first pet & current car) -Flower Escape
2.YOUR GANGSTA NAME: (fav ice cream flavor, favorite cookie) Praline Shortbread
3. YOUR “FLY Guy/Girl” NAME: (first initial of first name, first three letters of your last name) P-Ika
4. YOUR DETECTIVE NAME: (favorite color, favorite animal) - Purple Dolphin
5. YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME: (middle name, city where you were born)- Charmaine Pittsburgh
6. YOUR STAR WARS NAME: (the first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 letters of your first) - Ikapa
7. SUPERHERO NAME: (2nd favorite color, favorite drink put “The”) The Chartreuse Pepsi
8. NASCAR NAME: (the first names of your grandfathers)- Joseph Henry
9. STRIPPER NAME : ( the name of your favorite perfume/cologne, favorite candy) Sung Twix
10.WITNESS PROTECTION NAME: (mother’s & father’s middle names ) Patricia Thomas


Interesting, don't you think? Now I'm supposed to tag some people. Let's see:
1. Diane Gilbert
2. Barb
3. Jami
4. Mandey
5. Irene

Have fun, girls!

Ready For Fall

I'm not ready for Fall, but that's the Color Challenge over at Splitcoast today. . .to use Really Rust, River Rock and Chocolate Chip. I'm not quite ready to let go of summer, but I guess it's inevitable. I do love these colors, though! I haven't used my Priceless Classy Brass Template since I got it, so I broke that open for this card.

If you're interested, there is an address within the link of a young girl named Victoria who has cancer. Her teacher has sent out a request to shower her with cards, hopefully at least one from each state. I plan to send a card out today. . .how about you?! Thanks for stopping by! SUPPLIES USED: Stamps- Priceless; Ink- Chocolate Chip, River Rock, Really Rust; Paper- Really Rust, River Rock, DCWV Chocolate; Accessories- Making Memories brads, rust rhinestone brads by Darice, ticket corner punch, slit punch, hole punch, photo corner punch, paper piercer, Chocolate Chip marker, Rust organdy ribbon, Priceless Classy Brass template.

Sweet, Sweet Julee

Look at this absolutely ADORABLE card I found in my mailbox on Saturday! It came from Julee at Poetic Artistry. She is just the SWEETEST! I sent her a little stamp set for her birthday a while ago and she made this card with it and said she never sent it even though she made it as a thank you. I swear she sent me a thank you card for the gift, though! :) I definitely don't mind getting another because EVERYTHING that Julee creates is just gorgeous! Thank you so much, Julee for brightening my day! You are awesome!

Simple Beautiful

This was a simple card I made with the Papertrey Ink set Beautiful Blooms. I wanted to try out my Spellbinders Nestabilities templates. They are VERY cool! I love how they add a little more to a simple card. I always loved the look of wedding cards with that embossed frame, and now I can creat my own! It is a little tough to make the template straight and keep it straight as you put it through the Cuttlebug, but I think it will get easier with practice! I masked off the frame so that all the flowers would be inside the frame.

On another note, I usually try and send in some cards for the Guest Star Stamper Contest at Papertrey Ink. This month, much to my shock, one of the cards I sent in was given an Honorable Mention! I couldn't believe it and am extremely honored! I do have to mention, though, that this card was originally made for a Sketch Challenge over at Splitcoast and that the challenge layout was inspired by a card by TERRORE3. She has a wonderful gallery at Splitcoast with gorgeous creations that you really should check out! Thanks for stopping by! SUPPLIES USED: Stamps- Beautiful Blooms (Papertrey Ink); Paper- Whisper White, Blue Bayou; Ink- VersaMagic in Ocean Depth, and Aspen Mist; Accessories- bling from Walmart, paper piercer, large oval punch, large rectangle Spellbinders Nestabilities die.

Zindorf

Today's Featured Stamper on Splitcoast is Zindorf. WOW, have you seen her galllery? There are so many awesome creations in there. It was very hard to choose which one to CASE. I really loved all the "scene" cards. . .very cool. I finally chose to CASE this beautiful card. I changed the color scheme and a few embellishments to come up with my version. I haven't used the Wet Watercolor Technique too much, so I thought this would be a perfect opportunity. . .and Zindorf did a beautiful job with it! If you get a chance, check out Zindorf's gallery and see what beautiful creations are in it! Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful day! SUPPLIES USED: Stamps- Happy Harmony; Paper- Always Artichoke, Cranberry Crisp, watercolor paper; Accessories- Always Artichoke and Bravo Burgundy markers, Making Memories brads, paper piercer, burgundy grosgrain, glitter.

Retro Inspiration

This is for today's Inspiration Challenge on SCS, Dinnerware, and for the Dirty Lost and Found Sketch Challenge. I LOVE the dishes for the inspiration challenge. They are so COOL! I don't know if those of you who are not Fan Club Members on SCS can view the Dirty Lost and Found Challenge link, but basically they've added even more monthly challenges that go along with the Dirty Dozen gallery. . .kind of like what they did to celebrate the Dirty Dozen this summer. I can never get enough challenges! :)

For this card, I used the True Friend set from the Holiday Mini Catalog as well as Absolutely Fabulous, which has been inked for the first time! YIKES! I loved the colors for the inspiration. This started off my day wonderfully because these colors make me HAPPY! Hope they make you happy as well! SUPPLIES USED: Stamps- True Friend, Absolutely Fabulous; Ink- Palette in Noir; Paper- Taken With Teal, Whisper White, DCWV Black and green; Accessories- small circle punch, jumbo and mega circle punches, 1 1/4" and 1 3/8" circle punches, Making Memories brads, rhinestone brads from Target $1 bin, paper piercer, polka dot organdy ribbon, small and large oval punches.

Happy Happy Mail

Look at this fabulous card I received in the mail! It is SO STINKIN' CUTE! The coloring is just gorgeous! This came from Diane at My Little Stampin' Spot. I saw this slider card on her blog a week ago or so and never imagined it would show up in my mail box! I loved it when it was on her blog, but it's even more beautiful in real life. Thank you, Diane, for this beautiful card! Not only did you make me smile, but you made me say "WOW"! If you haven't yet, check out Diane's blog. She always has wonderful creations!

Beate's Weekend Sketch Challenge #19

What a fun sketch Beate came up with this time. . .although, she always comes up with something good! :) I decided to go with something for Halloween for this sketch. I have LOVED this Home Is Where the Haunt Is set since I bought it a couple of years ago, but I haven't used it very much. It was time to pull it out! I tried to create a sort of "haunted house" scene, but I'm not sure it worked. I think maybe I should have made the "stepping stones" a different color. I don't know. The pillars at the gate are on dimensionals to give the 3D effect that you have to walk through them to get to the house. I don't recommend cutting out the iron gate. . .it was very tedious with the hobby blade. The windows were colored over with a Sakura clear glaze pen. I don't know if you can tell from the picture that they look glassy. I added a "paperclip" with the 1" circle punch and the slit punch in the upper left corner of the card. I needed somewhere to put a little ribbon, and that's what I came up with. I found I kept running out of room on the card. I think next time I'll have to make it a little bigger. :) Check out what Beate, Lori, Jenn and Sharon have created! I'm going to do that now! Thanks for visiting! SUPPLIES USED: Stamps- Home Is Where the Haunt Is; Paper- Halloween Night retired DS paper, DCWV yellow and orange, Whisper White; Ink- Palette in Noir, Craft Whisper White; Accessories- 1" , 1 1/4" and 1 3/8" circle punches, slit punch, ticket corner punch, Making Memories brads, craft knife, paper piercer, Black marker, Sakura clear glaze gel pen.

Round Card Challenge

I didn't get a chance to stamp AT ALL yesterday. I hate when that happens because I find it hard to get back into the swing of things. So for today, I started with the Bonus Sketch Challenge from yesterday on SCS, to make a round card. I decided to give the So Much set another try before I take it off my stamp table. :)

I tried to love it, really I did, but there are so many other sets I love more. . .much more! The brad in the center of the flower came from the Target $1 bin. I added Stardust Stickles to the flower for some sparkle.

Some of you have asked for more information on where I got that stamp set that I used the other day for "my family" card. It is a Fiskars Clear stamp set that I got in a Joann ETC (Experience The Creativity) store, also known as the Mega Joann Fabrics! :) . It's called Happy and You Know It, and it was in the same aisle as the rest of the clear stamps they sell. I don't believe they sell it online. . .I haven't seen it. I also have not been able to find it at Fiskars.com. Hopefully if you're lucky enough to live near a BIG Joann Fabrics, they will have it! Thanks for stopping by! SUPPLIES USED: Stamps- So Much; Paper- Groovy Guava, Taken With Teal, Whisper White, Certainly Celery, Wild Asparagus pp; Ink- Groovy Guava, Taken With Teal, Certainly Celery; Accessories- brad from Target $1 spot, paper piercer, Giga scallop circle punch, Mega circle punch, white gel pen, circle Coluzzle template, polka dot organdy ribbon from Doodliedoo, Stardust Stickles, Aquapainter.

BEATE-ful

Look at this BEAUTIFUL RAK I received from Beate! I just LOVE this card. The colors, the images, the embellishments. . .WOW! When I saw it on her blog, I just couldn't get over how STINKIN' CUTE it was. If you can believe it, it's even cuter in real life! I was having an awful day when it appeared in my mailbox. Thank you SO MUCH, Beate, for making me smile! You are the best!

Pomegranate Artichokes

This was for yesterday's Color Challenge on SCS, Taken With Pomegranate Artichokes. . .to use Taken With Teal, Purely Pomegranate and Always Artichoke. This color combo was very different, but I like it. I never would have put Taken With Teal and Always Artichoke together. This card also qualifies for my challenge to myself. . .to learn to love the So Much set! Unfortunately, I still don't LOVE it, but at least I like it a little more than I did! The polka dot organdy ribbon on this card really isn't this bright. I think the light picked up the "shimmery-ness" of it and made it look more lime. In real life, it does look a little more olive.

We have a busy day today, so I'm trying to rush to get out of the house. I'd really like to stamp before I go, but don't know if that will happen! We'll see! Thanks for stopping by and have a beautiful day! SUPPLIES USED: Stamps- So Much; Paper- Purely Pomegranate, Always Artichoke, Taken With Teal; Ink- Basic Black, Purely Pomegranate, Always Artichoke, Taken With Teal; Accessories- polka dot organdy ribbon from Doodliedoo, Making Memories brads, slit punch, ticket corner punch, circle Coluzzle, paper piercer, Always Artichoke marker, rhinestone brad.

A Little Magic

Yesterday's Try a New Technique Challenge on SCS was Make a Little (Gamsol) Magic. One of my favorite ways to color is with my Prismacolor pencils, gamsol and a stump. I feel like I have so much more control than with watercoloring. Even though I LOVE that technique, I just recently found out (thanks, Donna!) that you shouldn't use Gamsol while pregnant or nursing. It even says it on the bottle! Boy did I feel dumb! I know I've used it while pregnant or nursing before, not even "thinking" it was a chemical. Thank goodness it isn't something I use every day or even very often. All this to say that I read you could use baby oil to get the same effect. That's what I used for this card. It actually worked very well. . .I was very surprised! I found this adorable little stamp set at Joann's. It's a Fiskar's Clear Set called Happy and You Know It. Each "face" is a separate stamp. It comes with more relatives, siblings, pets, etc. SO CUTE! I couldn't resist. So, here is my first card with it. . .very simple. I would have had to make a bigger card if it were November! :) Thanks for stopping by! SUPPLIES USED: Stamps- Happy and You Know It (Fiskars clear stamp set); Paper- Whisper White, DCWV turquoise, Wild Asparagus pp; Ink- StazOn Jet Black; Accessories- round tab punch, ticket corner punch, horizontal slot punch, Prismacolor pencils, baby oil, stump, Making Memories brads.

So Much Mojo

This is for Julee's Mojo Monday Week 2 Challenge on her blog, Poetic Artistry. She wanted you to use pieces that you never put on cards, but had colored or punched and were just sitting in a box waiting to be used. I had quite a few scallop punched circles in my "scrap bin" that for whatever reason, I decided not to use at the time I punched them out. That decided my color scheme for me since they were Chocolate Chip and Groovy Guava. At Louisville Regionals, we received the So Much stamp set from the Fall-Winter Collection. I was not crazy about this set AT ALL, but I made it my challenge to myself to come home and use it and make myself love it! :) So I used it for this card. One little "trick" we learned at Regionals was to cut on the grooves around a scallop circle to make a flower with petals. I decided to use that with this challenge instead of the usual scallop circle. The Groovy Guava Giga scallop and Chocolate Mega scallop are sliced all the way around to create flowers that I've layered on top of each other. I mounted the scribble flower from the So Much set in the center with a rhinestone brad in the center of that. I also added some glitter on the So Much flower for a little extra sparkle. I certainly don't love this set yet, but I like it better than when I first saw it! :) Thanks for stopping by. Hope your week is off to a great start! SUPPLIES USED: Stamps- So Much; Paper- DCWV patterned paper, chocolate, cream, Groovy Guava; Ink- Groovy Guava, Chocolate Chip; Accessories- rhinestone brad by Darice, paper piercer, Chocolate Chip marker, Giga and Mega scallop circle punches, guava and chocolate grosgrain, glitter.

Happy Mail!

Right before I left for Regionals, I got this adorable card in the mail from Nicole Cooke over at The Stampin' Librarian. I think this is the first time I've visited Nicole's blog, and she's got a lot of great projects posted! Thank you so much, Nicole, for sending me this sweet, sweet card! You really made my day! Check out Nicole's blog. . .you'll be sure to add her to your visiting list! :)

FS31: Maddy Mason

Today's Featured Stamper on SCS is Maddy Mason. She has a wonderful gallery. If you have never visited, click on the link and you'll see some beautiful creations. What's even more special about this Featured Stamper Challenge, is that Maddy is undergoing treatment for Breast Cancer and if you want to send the card that you CASE to Maddy, Beth (MyPrecious) is making that possible. What a special thing to do! I chose to CASE this card of Maddy's. Mine isn't quite as "artistic", but I kept the layout and changed stamps and colors. Maddy's card is a true work of art. It looks like a painting. . .just beautiful! Go check out Maddy's gallery and make her a card if you feel so inclined! I'm sure it will make her day!

As you all know, I attended the Louisville Regionals yesterday. We had a lot of fun and learned some neat things! Once I get all my pics/info organized, I'll share some stuff with you! On our way to Louisville (which is a 6 1/2 -7 hour drive for me) we stopped at an Archiver's. Oh my goodness! I have NEVER been to an Archiver's before and I now envy all of you lucky people who I've seen post that you "went to Archiver's today". Oh to have that store in Pittsburgh! I had to stop myself from buying EVERYTHING that I wanted, but I could not pass this up! They had the Stampendous, Changito the Monkey Clear Stamp set! Can you believe it!!??? I didn't even know it existed. So, of course, I HAD to use it today for the challenge! I LOVE that this set has a vine stamp and a rope stamp, not to mention leaves, ferns, sentiments, 2 monkeys and monkey accessories! So, don't be surprised if you see more cards soon with this set! Thanks for stopping by! SUPPLIES USED: Stamps- Changito the Monkey (Stampendous); Paper- DCWV chocolate, green, Whisper White; Ink- Basic Black, Old Olive, Always Artichoke, More Mustard, Ruby Red, Chocolate Chip; Accessories- oval Coluzzle template, paper piercer, May Arts ribbon, small and large oval punches, blender pen, sponge.

Pockets

This was for this week's Ways To Use It Challenge on SCS, Pockets. The challenge was to incorporate a pocket in your card. I thought I would make a little "peek-a-boo" pocket with half a circle. After I put it all together, I realized that the tab punch I put on the circle that goes into the pocket looks like a hat! Too funny. I don't know if you can see it or not, but underneath the "boo!" in a pale yellow is the jack-o-lantern face from the Spooky Sweets set from Papertrey Ink. Once I looked at the finished card, that tab punch looked like a hat. . .especially with the face on that circle. I wish I could say I did it intentionally, but I didn't. :)

If you're reading this post, please give 3 cheers to my husband who has posted it for me while I'm away! I'll be back from Louisville late tonight and will hopefully have lots of pics to share with you tomorrow! Thanks for visiting! SUPPLIES USED: Stamps- Spooky Sweets (Papertrey Ink); Paper- DCWV orange, green, The Paper Company yellow, Papertrey white cardstock; Ink- VersaMagic in Tea Leaves, Thatched Straw, and Pumpkin Spice, Palette in Noir; Accessories- round tab punch, jumbo circle punch, 1 1/4" and 1 3/8" circle punches, horizontal slot punch, May Arts ribbon, polka dot ribbon from Doodliedoo, paper piercer, black marker, Making Memories brads, Cuttlebug Spots and Dots template.

Beate's Weekend Sketch Challenge #18

This is for Beate's latest Weekend Sketch Challenge! I LOVED this simple layout. The hardest thing was deciding on the stamps! I haven't used my Zoofari in a while, so I thought I'd pull that out. When I was looking through my scrap bin, I found a piece of this glittery-striped paper from the DCWV Glitter Stack. I thought it would go perfectly with the zebra. The paper also took care of deciding the color scheme. I almost didn't add the red, but I was afraid the card would be too bland. The zebra is colored using the Stampin' Write markers in Basic Black and Going Grey. I used the blender pen a little to add some color in the white stripes. I can't wait to see how different everyone's card is! Isn't it amazing how even a simple sketch can look totally different depending on the stamps and papers someone uses? So, check out Beate's blog. I'm sure she has another amazing sample to show you with this sketch! Also check to see what Lori, Jenn and Sharon have come up with. I can't wait to see myself because I'm sure they are all AWESOME! As you're reading this, I'm probably already on my way to Louisville Regionals! I'll share some pics with you when I get back! SUPPLIES USED: Stamps- Zoofari, Wild About You; Paper- DCWV Glitter Stack, red, Whisper White; Ink- Basic Black, Going Grey, Real Red; Accessories- small and large oval punch, paper piercer, Making Memories brads, Mega Scallop circle punch, Jumbo circle punch, blender pen, Aquapainter.

Hi Girl!

This was for yesterday's Sketch Challenge on SCS. I haven't been able to use my Beautiful Blooms set from Papertrey Ink since I got it. I thought I would give it a try with this challenge. These colors are very different for me, but I wanted to try something "fresh, crisp and clean" looking. I usually use my VersaMagic Dewdrop pads with clear stamps, so I went for the Fruit Cocktail set and used Pink Grapefruit, Persimmon and Key Lime. I used Tea Leaves (from a different VersaMagic set) for the darker outlined leaves. I do think this turned out looking like a yummy fruit salad, don't you? :) Thanks for stopping by! SUPPLIES USED: Stamps- Beautiful Blooms (Papertrey Ink); Paper- Papertrey White cardstock, DCWV green, melon; Ink- VersaMagic in Pink Grapefruit, Persimmon, Key Lime and Tea Leaves; Accessories- paper piercer, small and large oval punches, scallop circle punch, Cuttlebug Flowers die, ribbon from Michael's $1 bin, flower brads from Oriental Trading.

First Day of Preschool!

Well, it happened! Savannah went to preschool, had a great time and came home in one piece! :) The teacher asked me to stay a little afterwards to talk about Savannah's allergies, so that really put me at ease. When she said "if snacks come in that don't have a label we won't even chance giving it to Savannah", I breathed a big sigh of relief. Savannah was so funny. As soon as the doors opened, she didn't even look back to say goodbye. . .she was off! When I picked her up, she gave me a sly smile as she was waiting in line for her turn for the teacher to send her off. I tried to ask her questions about her day and what she did. She told me a few things, but for the most part she was more interested in getting home to play with her toys. I can't believe this day has come and gone already! I made it through without a tear! :) I'm so proud of my "big girl".

Groovy Artichokes

This was for yesterday's Color Challenge on SCS, Groovy Artichokes, to use Groovy Guava and Always Artichoke. I really like this color combo! I added some Sahara Sand in there for contrast. The layout came from Julee at Poetic Artistry and her Who's Got Mojo Monday. I got out my Sweet Shapes set because I hadn't used it in a while. When I first got it, a couple of years ago at a Regional Seminar, I used it ALL THE TIME. Then, once newer sets came out, Sweet Shapes got put on the shelf. I forgot how much I love this set!

Speaking of Regional Seminars, I am leaving for the Louisville, KY Regional Seminar on Friday. I'll be going to the Saturday session. I wasn't able to make a regional last year, so I'm excited to be able to go this year. I'm kind of stressing because I haven't even thought of, or made, any swaps! Yikes! I'm going to try to do that today! :) Well, thanks for stopping by! Have a great day! SUPPLIES USED: Stamps- Sweet Shapes; Paper- Groovy Guava, Always Artichoke, Sahara Sand, Whisper White; Ink- Groovy Guava, Always Artichoke; Accessories- dark green grosgrain, paper piercer, Always Artichoke marker, Making Memories brads.

Surprise!

This was for yesterday's Try a New Technique Challenge on SCS, Surprise! It was to make a Surprise Pop Up Card. I have never made one of these before, so it was a very neat challenge for me. Following Beate's Tutorial (link above) made it a breeze! It really was a lot of fun to make. If you haven't ever tried one, give it a go. . .they really are darling cards. I used my Stampendous Bee for this card along with the Apple Cider Designer Series paper. I used a blender pen and ink pads for the coloring. The sentiment is from another one of those See-D's sets I picked up for $1.95. It was the Cute As a Bug set.

I hope all of you had a wonderful weekend! We did. We got to spend a lot of time with family and friends. I have to say, though, I'm really sad to see summer go. :( Savannah starts preschool on Thursday and I'm so excited for her. She really is anxious to go. I can't believe the time has come already. . .didn't I just give birth to her yesterday? LOL Thanks for coming by today. Hope your week is off to a great start! SUPPLIES USED: Stamps- Stampendous Bee Daisy, sentiment from See-D's Cute As a Bug set; Paper- Apple Cider DS, Wild Wasabi, Sahara Sand, DCWV Chocolate; Ink- Chocolate Chip, More Mustard, Really Rust, Wild Wasabi; Accessories- blender pen, grosgrain ribbon, organdy ribbon, horizontal slot punch, paper piercer, Chocolate Chip marker.

Finally Did It!

I finally made one of these ADORABLE books! For a while there, Beate had a new one on her blog each day. Well, when she finally posted a tutorial to show just how easy it is to use the Bind-It-All, I decided I better just do it! You know what, it IS easy! I can't believe I just let my Bind-It-All sit there for as long as I did. Beate is really good at "motivating" you to get moving since she always has TONS of projects going at one time. When she posted those books, I was beginning to feel like a slacker! LOL Anyway, if you have a Bind-It-All that is just sitting there like mine was, check out Beate's tutorial and see just how easy it is to put one of these together! You'll find a new "favorite gift" to give! I know I have! Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful and safe Labor Day! SUPPLIES USED: Stamps- Garden Whimsy, True Friend, Simple Serif Mini Alphabet, Karen Foster Snap Stamps Tiny Casual; Paper- Apple Cider Designer Series, Very Vanilla, Wild Wasabi, Really Rust; Ink- Really Rust, Chocolate Chip, Basic Black; Accessories- Stardust Stickles, small oval punch, Making Memories brads, round tab punch, horizontal slot punch, rust organdy ribbon, Bind-It-All, cardboard.

FS30

This is for today's Featured Stamper Challenge on SCS, to CASE Heather A.K.A. Inglishrea. I have never visited her gallery before and I just LOVED everything in it! That's definitely one of the things I love most about the Featured Stamper Challenge. . .I get to see galleries that I might have missed otherwise. I chose to CASE this card of Heather's. I don't have that Christmas set, though, so I substituted Garden Whimsy for the focal image, and Edgy Eloquence for the sentiment. The colors are also different. I LOVED her layout! As for the butterfly with the Prima on her wing. . .I blotched the wing with some Chocolate Chip ink and had to hide it or stamp and cut all over again! I didn't think the prima looked too bad. :) Head on over to SCS and check out Heather's gallery! You will love her creations! SUPPLIES USED: Stamps- Garden Whimsy, Edgy Eloquence; Paper- Close to Cocoa, Very Vanilla, Pretty in Pink, DCWV Chocolate, Amy Butler Sola Collection; Ink- Chocolate Chip, Pretty in Pink; Accessories- ticket corner punch, Making Memories brads, grosgrain ribbon, Prima flower, Stardust Stickles.

Shannan's Carpe Diem Contest

Shannan over at Pink Tulle with Feathers was holding a Carpe Diem contest. The challenge was to use a stamp or stamps in a way that they weren't intended or designed. I totally missed the deadline for the contest because I just couldn't get my act together, but I wanted to do the challenge anyway. Here is what I came up with. The birdie is from the Heidi Grace Tags and Words clear stamp set, and the "feathers" are from Fancy Florals stamp set by Verve Visual. I took two different size flower stamps from Fancy Florals and cut them apart to make feathers for a sort of peacock. Do you think it worked? I paper-pieced the body of the bird with SU Palette O'Prints. The layout it pretty simple, but I wanted to make it colorful to go with the Verve Visual sentiment. Hope this card brightens your day! SUPPLIES USED: Stamps- bird (Heidi Grace Designs), Fancy Florals and Thoughtful Phrases (Verve Visual); Paper- Palette O'Prints, Blue Bayou, So Saffron, Whisper White; Ink- Basic Black, Purely Pomegranate, Blue Bayou, So Saffron; Accessories- rhinestone brads, ticket corner punch, Simple Circles brass template, Word Window punch, paper piercer, Black marker, May Arts ribbon, horizontal slot punch, Stardust Stickles.