Happy Winter!

Remember this set from Paper Pretties? It was one of Paper Pretties' first releases and still one of my favorites! It's called Snowflake Kisses and it's going to be re-released in rubber tomorrow night, December 1st, at our Prettie Pajama Party! It starts at 7pm EST. We hope you'll join us for chatting, challenges and lots of fun!

If you're interested in being our next Cutie Pie, the deadline for your entries is tonight! Tonight is also the deadline to sign up for the Stamp of the Month Club to receive Sending You Love, Sophia before it is officially released in January.

Thanks for stopping by today! Hope you've had a wonderful holiday weekend. . .and I hope to see you at the Prettie Pajama Party tomorrow night! SUPPLIES USED: Stamps- Snowflake Kisses (Paper Pretties); Paper- Pink Pirouette, Baja Breeze, Basic Black (SU); Ink- Baja Breeze (SU), Tuxedo Black (Tsukineko); Accessories- white polka dot organdy ribbon (May Arts), blender pen, Stampin' Write markers (SU); Finished card measures 5.5"x4.25"

Gourmet Hot Cocoa

Here's a quick little gift I made using the JustRite Baking Stamp Ensemble. I made a little matchbook that holds one package of LandOLakes Gourmet Hot Cocoa. You can find tons of JustRite products at Stamper's Dream. In fact, a select number of JustRite products are 50% off through tomorrow, November 30, while supplies last. Head on over and check it out! Thanks for stopping by today! Hope you're having a wonderful shopping weekend! SUPPLIES USED: Stamps- Baking Stamp Ensemble (JustRite); Paper- Dark Chocolate (PTI), cream (The Paper Company); Accessories- organdy ribbon (Darice), Copic markers, Swiss Dots Cuttlebug folder (Provocraft)

From Our House

I have always wanted to make one of these Free Standing Pop Up cards, but never got around to it. I finally made myself complete one and I just love them! They are much simpler than they look! I used the Home Sweet Home set from Taylored Expressions. I thought the Gingerbread House would be perfect for this. I "sugared" all of the candy on the house with either Christmas Red Stickles or Stardust Stickles. The "icing" along the roof is Liquid Pearls in White Opal. The house looks edible in real life! LOL If you'd like to win a Taylored Expressions set, visit my sweet friends Sharon and Lori to see how!

There are some great deals happening at Taylored Expressions this weekend! Free Shipping with orders over $40 and the JustRite BOGO!!! Both run through Sunday night 11/30/08. The Top Chef contest entry deadline is 12/12. We'd LOVE to see your fabulous creations! Thanks for stopping by today! SUPPLIES USED: Stamps- Home Sweet Home (Taylored Expressions); Paper- Pure Poppy (PTI), white (Georgia-Pacific); Ink- Tuxedo Black (Tsukineko); Accessories- Copic markers, Label dies (Spellbinders), ribbon from Christmas Key Ingredients (Taylored Expressions); Christmas Red and Stardust Stickles, Liquid Pearls in White Opal.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I hope that you enjoy your day with family and friends. I love Thanksgiving. It's one of those days when I'm able to sit back and think about all of the things I'm so thankful for. Many blessings to you! May you have safe travels and full bellies! :)

Thank you for stopping by today! SUPPLIES USED: Stamps- Sweets For the Sweet, Falling For You (Paper Pretties); Paper- white (Georgia-Pacific), Dark Chocolate (PTI); Ink- Tuxedo Black (Tsukineko); Accessories- Copic markers, wide gold grosgrain (Darice); Finished card measures 5.5"x4.25"

Prettie Wednesday

Two weeks ago, Jessie challenged us to use pearls on a project. I think pearls look so elegant and I love them with organdy ribbon or the like. I decided to put my pearl in the center of a bow. I used the Simply Special set from Paper Pretties. This card is on its way to Jodi. Be sure and check out what the other Pretties Girls came up with for this challenge!

Don't forget about the Cutie Pie Contest!!How would you like to be Paper Pretties Cutie Pie? All you have to do is make a card using your Paper Pretties stamps and upload it to the Cutie Pie Contest gallery on the Paper Pretties forum, and Christie will choose a winner from the entries. Besides being able to call yourself a Cutie Pie, you will also win the entire release!! You have until November 30th at 8pmCDT to get your entries in!! Good luck!!

On Monday December 1st, Paper Pretties will be having their monthly Stampin In Your Jammies party!! The party starts at 6pm CDT (7pm EST). We will be issuing a challenge every hour so be sure to come and play along!! Besides the challenges, chatter, and all around fun, we will also be releasing Trim the Tree to the public as well as re-releasing Snowflake Kisses in rubber. Hope to see you there!! Don't forget that you have until November 30th at midnight to get signed up for the Stamp of the Month Club and get the Sending You Love Sophia stamp before it is officially released in January. Thanks for stopping by today and have a great day! SUPPLIES USED: Stamps- Simply Special (Paper Pretties); Paper - Luxury Stack (DCWV); Ink- Tuxedo Black (Tsukineko); Accessories- Copic markers, organdy ribbon (Darice), pearl brad (Darice), Labels One Nestabilities (Spellbinders); Finished card measures 5.5"x4.25"

Be Inspired #33

I love the Inspiration picture for today. It's so calm and cozy. . .I'd love to hang out there! I used the colors and the bordering foliage to come up with my card. I used the Ornamental Christmas set from Verve Stamps. I love how you can "personalize" your ornament with this set.

Make sure you stop by and see what Beate, Danielle Lounds, Dawn McVey, Jennifer Buck, Silke Ledlow and Susan Roberts have come up with for today. I can't wait to see! Thanks for stopping by and have a great day! SUPPLIES USED: Stamps- Ornamental Christmas (Verve Stamps); Paper- Dark Chocolate (PTI), white (Georgia-Pacific); Ink- Summer Sunrise, Ripe Avocado(PTI) Burnt Umber (Palette), Kiwi Kiss (SU); Accessories- scallop border punch, wide Chocolate Chip grosgrain, Dazzling Diamonds glitter (SU); Finished card measures 4.25" square

TLC196

This is for today's Technique Lover's Challenge on SCS, to make a pop up gift card. I've always wanted to make one of these, but never got around to it. It was so very easy to make. . .you should really give it a try if you haven't already. I may actually make a bunch of these for Christmas. I used the Changito Cocoa stamp from Stampendous. You can find it at Stamper's Dream.

Speaking of Stamper's Dream, there is a holiday sale going on NOW through November 30th! ALL Holiday stamps are on sale for 15% off!!! All you have to do is enter the coupon code HOLIDAYS on the checkout page to apply the discount! So head on over and check it out! Thanks for stopping by today and have a great day! SUPPLIES USED: Stamps- Changito Cocoa (Stampendous); Paper- DCWV; Ink- Tuxedo Black (Tsukineko); Accessories- Copic markers, Celery wide grosgrain (SU); Finished card measures 4.25" square

Beate Weekend Sketch #67

Another Friday and time for another of Beate's Weekend Sketch Challenges! I'm not thrilled with my card today. It all came together very easily, but you know how sometimes you just don't "feel" it? I just wasn't feeling it. Maybe it's the plain, simple colors. . I don't know. In any case, it's still a simple card I can send to someone. :)

Be sure and see what Beate, Cambria, Jenn,Lori, MaryJo and Sharon have come up with today! I always love seeing their creations! Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful weekend! SUPPLIES USED: Stamps- Stem Silhouettes (SU); Paper- Prints DS, Tangerine Tango (SU), white (Georgia-Pacific), green (The Paper Company); Ink- Tangerine Tango (SU); Accessories- circle punch, Dew Drop (The Robin's Nest), paper piercer, Old Olive marker, polka dot organdy ribbon (Darice); Finished card measures 4.25"x5.5"

Hello Pumpkin!

If you haven't been visiting the Verve Blog, this month's Project Parade was to make Anything But a Card! If you need some ideas for Anything But a Card, you might want to check out the blog! My next favorite thing to make other than cards is little treat boxes. I love to fill them with either candy or little notecards. They're just so little and cute. . .how could they not make a person smile? I made this box using the Hello Pumpkin set from Verve Stamps. I added a panel using the Pumpkin Harvest Cuttlebug folder and finished with some Liquid Pearls as a border. I filled the box with my favorite. . .Caramel Kisses.

You can participate in all of the fun! Check out this post on the Verve Blog to find out how! Thanks for stopping by! SUPPLIES USED: Stamps- Hello Pumpkin (Verve Stamps); Paper- Really Rust (SU), Dark Chocolate (PTI), white (Georgia-Pacific); Ink- Rich Cocoa (Tsukineko); Accessories- Copic markers, Liquid Pearls in Platinum, cream organdy ribbon (Darice), Pumpkin Harvest Cuttlebug folder (Provocraft); Finished box measures 3" square

Fall With a View

It's time for another Dreamy Challenge! This month's challenge was to make a Fall card and to use a window somehow in your card. It could be a stamped window, a punched window. . .any kind of window. I had to use my newly acquired Nestabilities Labels One for my window. I layered the window using River Rock cardstock and Apple Cider Designer Series paper. I colored the flower stamp with markers, spritzed it with water and stamped it on the inside of the card. I stamped the greeting from Expressions by Inkadinkado over the flower. For finishing touches, I tied organdy ribbon around the right side of the frame and added a scalloped border along the bottom. You can see what the rest of the Dream Team came up with for this challenge:

Denise

Cindy

Kimberly

Michelle

Tosha

You can participate too! Just make a Fall card with a window and link it to the comments section of Michelle's blog, and if you upload to Splitcoaststampers , just use keyword SDDC2. To make this challenge even sweeter, Michelle has some awesome Dream Treats which she will be giving to a winner chosen at random. Good luck and we can't wait to see your Fall With a View creations! SUPPLIES USED: Stamps- Coneflower (Paper Inspirations), Expressions (Inkadinkado); Paper- Apple Cider DS, River Rock (SU), olive (Paper Company); Ink- Burnt Umber (Palette); Accessories- Really Rust, Old Olive, Chocolate Chip markers (SU); Martha Stewart border punch, Nestabilities Labels One (Spellbinders), rust organdy ribbon (Darice); Finished card measures 4.25" square

Come Let Us Adore Him

At our last Prettie Pajama Party, one of the challenges was to make a card with nothing round. If there was something round in the image, that was okay, but not in the layout or embellishments. I used the Worship the King set from Paper Pretties. I colored with Copic markers and kept everyting square, rectangular or diamond shaped.

If you haven't stopped by Paper Pretties in a while, you might want to stop by and check out the huge sale in the Boutique! Thanks for stopping by! SUPPLIES USED: Stamps- Worship the King (Paper Pretties); Paper- white (Georgia-Pacific); Accessories- Scor-Pal, diamond brads, Copic markers; Finished card measures 5.5"x4.25"

Prettie Wednesday

Two weeks ago, I challenged the Prettie Girls to make an interactive card. It didn't matter what kind, just as long as something moved. I haven't made a spinner card in ages, so I thought I'd use my adorable little chick from One of Those Days. I thought the spinning out of control would be appropriate. LOL Don't we all have those days? This is on its way to Jackie Pedro. I hope she's not having one of those days!

Don't forget to check out the huge sale that's going on in the Pretties Boutique! Lots of 75% off merchandise! Be sure and check out the interactive cards that the rest of the Prettie Girls have created. I can't wait to see! Thanks for stopping by and have a great day! SUPPLIES USED: Stamps- One of Those Days (Paper Pretties); Paper- DCWV; Ink- Tuxedo Black (Tsukineko); Accessories- Copic markers, Key Tag punch, wide Chocolate Chip grosgrain (SU); Finished card measures 4.25"x5.5"

Be Inspired #32

I just LOVED Beate's Inspiration Piece for today. I just love the clean and neat look of that room. . .love it! I decided to use the Who's That E-Girl set from My Favorite Things. I just got it and I just love it! It's perfect for this cyber stamping world of ours! :) I chose to use Pumpkin Pie and Baja Breeze. The ribbon is a little piece I had left in my stash from Beate a long while ago.

Be sure to stop by and see what Beate, Danielle Lounds, Dawn McVey, Jennifer Buck, Silke Ledlow and Susan Roberts have created. I'm sure they will be just gorgeous. Thanks for stopping by today and have a wonderful day! SUPPLIES USED: Stamps- Who's That E-Girl (MFT); Paper- Baja Breeze, Pumpkin Pie (SU), white (Georgia-Pacific); Ink- Onyx Black (Tsukineko); Accessories- Copic markers, ribbon (May Arts), scallop border punch, horizontal slot punch (SU); Finished card measures 5.5"x4.25"

Happiness Always

I haven't done any of the challenges over at Splitcoast in a while, so I thought I'd head over there today and check out the Try a New Technique Challenge, to make a Triangle Fold Medallion. I had never done one of these before. It took me a little while to figure out how to attach the pieces together, but once I figured it out, it was simple. Anything's easy when you know how to do it, right? LOL I used the Berry Bliss Designer Series paper and some Liquid Pearls in Platinum. It felt good to do one of the challenges again. I'm hoping to get back to them on a more regular basis. Thanks for stopping by today and have a great day! SUPPLIES USED: Stamps- Happiness Always (SU); Paper- Berry Bliss DS(SU), Dark Chocolate (PTI); Ink- Burnt Umber (Palette); Accessories- rhinestone brad (Darice), paper piercer, wide Chocolate Chip grograin (SU), Liquid Pearls in Platinum; Finished card measures 5.5"x4.25"

Happy Birthday, Jillian!

It's time for a virtual birthday party to celebrate Jillian's Birthday! If you haven't yet visited the Paper Clip, start there to fully enjoy Jillian's party!

I was supposed to bring the decorations. I thought PINK would be great for a Prettie Birthday Party! I thought the polka dots and flower would be lots of fun. Happy Birthday, Jillian! I hope you're having a great day! We love you!

Why don't you mingle a bit at the party until finally sending Jillian some birthday love? Head on over to Danielle to see what she's brought to the party! Thanks for coming to our virtual birthday party. . .we're so happy you're here!

Sketch For You To Try

This is for Jen's Sketch For You To Try today. It's been a while since I've been able to play along with Jen's sketches. I got this set, Eric and Chrissy Go Prehistoric over at All That Scraps a while ago, but haven't used it much. I just thought it was adorable! I just love this sentiment for the "sorry I forgot" kind of cards I might need to send! LOL Too funny.

Well, today is a rainy day in Pittsburgh and I'm kind of moving slow. Hopefully I'll pick things up a bit soon because there's a lot of house things to do! Hope you're having a wonderful weekend! Thanks for stopping by! SUPPLIES USED: Stamps- Eric and Chrissy Go Prehistoric (CC Designs); Paper- DCWV; Ink- Tuxedo Black (Tsukineko); Accessories- Copic markers, 1 1/4" and 1 3/8" circle punches (SU), jute; Finished card measures 5.5"x4.25"

Have You Heard?

There's a new stamp company in town! My sweet friend Cambria Turnbow and Joy Kennedy have started a stamp company all their own! They have some ADORABLE stamps! Head on over to Our Craft Lounge and check it out. . .and congratulate them on such an exciting endeavor! I'm so happy for them and wish them the best! Yay!

Beate Weekend Sketch #66

Boy is November just flying by! Before I know it, Christmas will be here! But for now, it's Friday and it's time for Beate's Weekend Sketch Challenge! I used the Season's Sweetings set from Taylored Expressions for my card. To get just the tree image, I omitted the Cuppie with the ladder when I inked up the image. I wanted to the card to be all about trees with the background paper! :)

Be sure to stop and see what Beate, Cambria, Jenn,Lori, MaryJo and Sharon have come up with for this fabulous sketch. I can't wait to go and see! Thanks for stopping by today and have a wonderful weekend! SUPPLIES USED: Stamps- Season's Sweetings (Taylored Expressions); Ink- Tuxedo Black (Tsukineko); Paper- Solar White (Neena); Christmas Key Ingredients (Taylored Expressions); Accessories- ribbon and Fire Engine Red glitter from Christmas Key Ingredients (Taylored Expressions), Copic markers, rhinestone brads (Darice); Finished card measures 5.5"x4.25"

Happy Birthday, Isaac!

I can't believe that today my baby is ONE! This was such a fast year. I know it all goes fast, but Isaac's first year seemed to go much faster than both Savannah and Arwen's. Maybe it's because I'm busier with all three of them than I was with

just one or two. It is never a dull moment with the three of them, I know that! :) We celebrated Isaac's birthday last night at my parents'. He had a great time. . .especially devouring his cupcake! I decided to make these little monster cupcakes that I saw here. I thought they were adorable. Of course, mine didn't turn out as cute and furry as the ones I found, but Isaac liked them just the same. . .and so did his sisters! Happy Birthday, my little man! I love you bunches and bunches!

From the Kitchen Of

Here's a little something that would make a great everyday gift. It's simple, small and inexpensive, but perfect for letting someone know that you're thinking of them. I created a little tea bag holder in which I placed some Friendship Tea. I used the JustRite Kitchen Of border and the Times New Roman letter from the original C45 Mongram Stamper kit. You can find these and many other JustRite products at Stamper's Dream.

In support of Laurie, who was originally supposed to post today, the whole Dream Team is posting in her place today as she is taking care of her daughter right now. Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers!

Be sure and stop by to see what Michelle, Cindy ,Denise, Kimberly, Tosha and Carolyn have created for today! I know you're just going to love all of their creations! SUPPLIES USED: Stamps- From the Kitchen Of border, Times New Roman alphabet (JustRite); Paper- Pumpkin Pie (SU), olive, celery (The Paper Company), patterned (Memory Box); Ink- Pumpkin Pie, Old Olive (SU); Accessories- scallop circle punch, wide Celery grosgrain, 1 1/4" circle punch (SU); Finished card measures 3.25" square.

Prettie Gatefold

At our last Prettie Pajama Party, one of the challenges was to create a gatefold card. I decided to use the Nativity set from Paper Pretties to create a "manger". The sentiment is from Worship the King. I used the Distressed Stripes Cuttlebug folder to give the "doors of the manger" a little more aging. Inside, I added a little raffia for straw.

Don't forget to check out Paper Pretties' new blog if you haven't already. Thanks for stopping by today and have a great day! SUPPLIES USED: Stamps- Nativity, Worship the King (Paper Pretties); Paper- Kraft, Dark Chocolate (PTI); Accessories- Copic markers, raffia, craft knife; Finished card measures 4.25" square.

Prettie Wednesday

Two weeks ago, Julie challenged us to make a one layer card with scoring as an accent or embellishment. I used my Look Out World stamp set from Paper Pretties and scored a grade school "manuscript" along the left edge as my accent. I thought it would go well with the school theme of this stamp set. This little number is off to Jillian. I hope she likes it! Be sure and check out what the rest of the Prettie Girls came up with for this challenge! I can't wait to see. :)

Did you know that Paper Pretties has a new blog now? Yep! You can check out all of the news over at the Paper Clip! You can keep up to date on all of the happenings at Paper Pretties! Jodi did a fabulous job on the first newsletter! Head on over and check it out! Thanks for stopping by today! Have a wonderful day! SUPPLIES USED: Stamps- Look Out World (Paper Pretties); Paper- white (Georgia-Pacific); Ink- Tuxedo Black (Tsukineko); Accessories- Copic markers, Scor-Pal; Finished card measures 5.5"x4.25"

Be Inspired #31

I thought that today's inspiration piece from Beate was just ADORABLE! Who wouldn't LOVE a mobile like that in their baby's room? So, so cute! As soon as I saw the picture, the birds reminded me of the Anniversary Birds set from Verve. I stamped and paper pieced the bird on Tangerine Tango and Baja Breeze cardstock. The sentiment is from the Family Phrases set from Verve. The layout is a bit different, but I took it right from the inspiration piece.



Make sure you stop and see what Beate, Danielle Lounds, Dawn McVey, Jennifer Buck, Silke Ledlow and Susan Roberts have created. I know they will all be just fabulous! Thanks for stopping by! Hope you're having a great day! SUPPLIES USED: Stamps- Anniversary Birds, Family Phrases (Verve Stamps); Paper- Pink Pirouette, Soft Sky, Pacific Point, Baja Breeze, Tangerine Tango (SU); Ink- Onyx Black (Versafine), Baja Breeze (SU); Accessories- Scor-Pal, polka dot ribbon (May Arts); Finished card measures 5.5"x4.25"

My Little Bugs

As you might know, this week is Just Rite Week at Stamper's Dream. Yesterday, Michelle and Denise posted a couple of beautiful projects! Be sure and check them out if you missed them! Today, Kimberly and I have projects for you! I made My Little Bug Box. I had this little favor tin just sitting around collecting dust, so I thought I'd put it to use! I used my 1 3/8" circle punch to create my "scrapbook". I used the Just Rite Curlz Monogram Stamper Kit for the borders and sentiments. The bug stamps are from the Flutterfly Friends set by Stampendous, which can also be found at Stamper's Dream. I attached my circles to a piece of wide Regal Rose grosgrain. The images are colored with Stampin' Up markers. The neat thing about this little project is that you can make your scrapbook as long as you like. . .or at least as many circles as will fit in the tin. :) It's just a cute little keepsake to carry in your purse or in your car when you just want to see those special little faces!

If you haven't visited Michelle's blog and entered to win her Dreamy Treats. . .make sure you do that! Don't forget to visit Kimberly today and see what beautiful project she has to show you! Here's the schedule for the rest of the week:

Wednesday - Tosha and Amy

Thursday - This was Laurie's day to post, but since she's been away taking care of Ali, the entire Dream Team decided to pitch in and post for her!

Friday - Carolyn and Cindy

Thanks for stopping by! SUPPLIES USED: Stamps- Curlz Monogram Stamper Kit (Just Rite), Flutterfly Friends (Stampendous); Paper- white (Georgia-Pacific); Ink- Regal Rose, Basic Black (SU); Accessories- Stampin' Up markers, wide Regal Rose grosgrain (SU), favor tin

Verve Release Day!

Today you can get Verve's newest releases! There are SIX new sets and THREE new Plain Janes! Here's a card I made using Poinsettia Christmas and a coordinating retired set from last year, Seasonal Circles. I used the Verve Holiday Sketch Blitz #4 for my layout. Don't forget to check out the Verve gallery for some great eye candy!

This is also Just Rite Week at Stamper's Dream. The Dream Team will be posting creations throughout the week and Michelle is giving away some awesome treats! Be sure and stop by her blog to see how you can win! Here's the schedule of who's posting this week so you can stop by and see their creations!

Monday - Denise and Michelle
Tuesday - Kimberly and Me
Wednesday - Tosha and Amy
Thursday - This was Laurie's day to post, but since she's been away taking care of Ali, the entire Dream Team decided to pitch in and post for her!
Friday - Carolyn and Cindy

SUPPLIES USED: Stamps- Poinsettia Christmas, Seasonal Circles (Verve Stamps); Paper: Bella Rose, Red Riding Hood (SU); Ink- Kiwi Kiss, Red Riding Hood (SU), Rich Cocoa (Tsukineko); Accessories- satin ribbon (SU), branch punch (Martha Stewart), brads (Making Memories); Finished card measures 5.5"x4.25"

Be Still

Here is a little peek of one of the Plain Janes that Verve will be releasing tomorrow at the release party, Psalm 46:10. I don't have a lot of religious sentiments, so I just LOVE the Plain Janes that Verve carries. I used the Bird Call Cuttlebug folder. I thought it would be perfect with the sentiment. I used the Vintage Values technique to give it that vintage look. . .I think it's my new favorite technique. You can see sneak peeks of the other two Plain Janes today on the Verve blog!

We hope to see you at the release party tomorrow night at 8pm EST! Don't forget that you have until midnight tonight to submit all of your entries for the Holiday Release Sketch Blitz! Thanks for stopping by and have a great weekend! SUPPLIES USED: Stamps- Psalm 46:10 (Verve Stamps); Paper- Kraft (PTI), Basic Black (SU); Ink- Onyx Black (Versafine), Creamy Caramel, Chocolate Chip (SU); Accessories- Bird Call Cuttlebug folder (Provocraft), black organdy ribbon (Darice); Finished card measures 5.5"x4.25"

Beate Weekend Sketch #65

I really can't believe it's Friday already! It seems like I JUST posted last week's sketch challenge! LOL For this sketch I decided to use the Season's Sweetings and Home Sweet Home sets from Taylored Expressions, along with the delicious Christmas Key Ingredients. The rhinestone snowflake can also be found at Taylored Expressions. Don't you just love these little cuppies? I think they're adorable.



Be sure to stop and see what Beate, Cambria, Jenn,Lori, MaryJo and Sharon have come up with for this fabulous sketch. Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful weekend! SUPPLIES USED: Stamps- Season's Sweetings, Home Sweet Home (Taylored Expressions); Paper- Christmas Key Ingredients (Taylored Expressions), cream; Ink- Rich Cocoa (Tsukineko), Bashful Blue (SU); Accessories- Copic markers, Snowflake Crystal (Zva Creative), Threading Water punch (Fiskars), Coluzzle; Finished card measures 4.25"x5.5"

Snow Wonderful and Snowflake Splendor

Have you been checking out the Verve blog for sneak peeks of the upcoming release? Today you can see sneak peeks of the two snow sets, Snow Wonderful and Snowflake Splendor. I used Snowflake Splendor for my candle wrap and card here. I LOVE the mix of dainty snowflakes and elegant sentiments in this set. I'm not sure if you can see in the picture, but I layered the big snowflake on the card. I stamped the next smallest snowflake in Soft Sky over the big snowflake. I LOVE that you can easily layer the snowflakes to get a "fuller" snowflake.

There's a Holiday Release Sketch Blitz going on in the Verve Forum at SCS. If you LOVE sketches, then you'll love this challenge! Check out this post for all of the details and prize description! Finally, don't forget about the actual release on Sunday night, November 9th at 8pm EST. We hope to see you there! SUPPLIES USED: Stamps- Snowflake Splendor (Verve Stamps); Paper- Night Shimmer cardstock (PTI), white (Georgia-Pacific), Soft Sky (SU); Ink- Whisper White Craft, Night of Navy, Soft Sky, Pacific Point (SU); Accessories- gemstones, large oval punch (SU), paper piercer, white organdy ribbon (Darice); Finished card measures 5.5"x4.25"

Gift Tag

One of the challenges the other night at the Prettie Pajama Party was to make a gift tag. I thought this would make an adorable little tag for a baby gift. The little baby Jesus is from the Nativity set from Paper Pretties. If you haven't seen all of the new release sets at Paper Pretties, go check them out! They are adorable! I used my Koh-I-Noor colored pencils from the cruise to color this in. I lined the image with gold glitter glue and added some gold ribbon. . .pretty simple. Thanks for stopping by today and have a great day! SUPPLIES USED: Stamps- Nativity (Paper Pretties); Paper- Pure Poppy (PTI), gold (unknown); Accessories- Koh-i-nor colored pencils, large oval punch (SU), gold glitter glue, gold ribbon (PTI);

Prettie Wednesday

Two weeks ago, Jackie Pedro challenged us to score! I always LOVE the look of scoring, but it's not something I always think about doing on my cards. I decided to create a diamond pattern on the cardstock. After I did that, I sprayed the piece with Gold Shimmer and then added gold glitter glue in the center of the diamonds. This card is on its way to Julie. (Sorry, Julie, I went a little overboard with the gold glitter glue. . .I guess I was just in that kind of mood! LOL Make sure you put on your sunglasses before you open the card!) I couldn't resist all of the gold with Angel Wings Sophia.

Today is my turn to issue a challenge to the Prettie Girls. My challenge is to make an interactive card. . .something on the card has to move. It can be a whole image, a piece of an image. . . just as long as something moves! Have fun!

On another note, the sneak peeks have started on the Verve blog! If you're interested in seeing what new sets are being released this Sunday, hop on over and check out the Verve blog! Thanks for stopping by and have a great day! SUPPLIES USED: Stamps- Angel Wings Sophia (Paper Pretties); Paper- white (Georgia-Pacific), gold (DCWV); Ink- Tuxedo Black (Tsukineko); Accessories- Copic markers, gold glitter glue, white organdy ribbon (Darice), Scor-Pal; Finished card measures 5.5"x4.25"

Be Inspired #30

What a fun inspiration piece from Beate this week! (the bag is from Belle Bags as shown on http://www.shysiren.com/) I thought I had patterned paper that would work, but I couldn't find it, so I had to punch circles of different sizes out of different colored cardstocks. I used the Margaritas clear stamp set from Impression Obsession. You can find this set at Stamper's Dream. After I placed all of the punched circles, I stamped the sentiment on the Pacific Point cardstock. Kind of wild and funky, huh? :)



Make sure you visit Beate, Danielle Lounds, Dawn McVey, Jennifer Buck, Silke Ledlow and Susan Roberts to see what fabulous things they've created! Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful day! SUPPLIES USED: Stamps- Margaritas (Impression Obsession); Paper- Pacific Point, Wild Wasabi, So Saffron, Basic Black (SU); Ink- Tuxedo Black (Tsukineko); Accessories- Copic markers, Celery wide grosgrain (SU), Stardust Stickles, Mega Circle punch (Marvy Uchida), 1 3/8" and 1 1/4" circle punches (SU); Finished card measures 5.5"x4.25"

Holiday Blitz Tutorial

Want to make beautiful ornaments for your Christmas tree this year? Check out the tutorial I wrote for these Poinsettia Ornaments. I saw flowers made this way somewhere (can't remember where), so when Beate asked me to write a tutorial for the Holiday Blitz this year (thanks, Beate!) I thought using the flower idea and making poinsettias would be perfect. They really look beautiful with lights shining from behind. . .so imagine how they'd look on your lighted Christmas tree! Follow the link to check out the tutorial! Thanks for stopping by!

Stamp and Cruise

I finally was able to sort through my pictures and resize them to post here so you can all see what I did for the week I was gone! I had such a wonderful time on the cruise. I was REALLY homesick for my kids, but still had a fabulous time meeting all of these wonderful people, stamping my heart out and visiting some new exotic places!

This first picture was one of the many ice and fruit sculptures we saw all week. This was set up as we walked into the Windjammer Cafe for our lunch right after boarding the cruise ship.

The next picture is of Alma, Gina, Kim and myself. They were so kind to invite me out for a drink one night. I had a great time and really enjoyed getting to know them.

One of the very first things we had to do once on the cruise ship was have our lifejacket drill! Here's a picture of Julie and Amber. It was pretty funny seeing a room full of people in life jackets!

It was such a pleasure to meet Char and Wendy on the cruise! The group of friends they were with were a lot of fun and had us laughing most of the time!

This is our dinner crew. We had such a blast with Kris and Luann every night. Getting to hear the exciting excursions they took daily and their experiences in their stamping classes. Our waiter, Vivek, was such a joy. He was absolutely adorable in every way and made our dinners so enjoyable.

We had a lot of fun with Tolga too! He was our head waiter. I think he received a lot of cards that we stamped during the week. Kim made him a "special" card that made all of the rest of us laugh!

Meeting Em for the first time was a real treat. She is such a superstar and I just loved getting to know her!

Gina was a lot of fun too! She had SO MUCH energy and just never stopped. You would never know that she barely slept! LOL She is such a warm person and I really enjoyed getting to spend time with her.

Nichole was such a sweetheart. She is every bit the sweet, beautiful person she portrays on her blog. It was a real thrill to finally meet her.

Nicky is an absolute baby doll! She is so sweet and so very talented. I really enjoyed spending time with Nicky and getting to know her. It's just impossible not to give her a hug every time you see her!

I had such a great time meeting Amber. She is a friend of Julie's who says she isn't a stamper (she fooled us) LOL. I knew Julie through blogging and Paper Pretties and had talked to her a few times before going on the cruise. So, when she said she was bringing a friend with her, I was a little nervous. Being in close quarters for 7 days with someone you've never met can be scary. We had THE BEST time. I felt like I had known Amber and Julie all my life. They made the cruise (and my missing my babies) the best time EVER. I wish they didn't live so far away from me! I miss you guys!

The three of us didn't know what to do being able to dress up each night and not have kids pulling on us and getting their sticky fingers all over our outfits! LOL And for me, wearing something that didn't have to be breastfeeding friendly was a real treat!

Here's a picture of Julie and I in front of the boat in Jamaica. The weather was absolutely beautiful!

Here's a picture of the theater from the next deck up. We went to see the shows, which were great, but they really made me miss my days of performing. . .especially on the cruise ship.

Here's a picture of Wendy, Rhonda and Brenda on our last night of the cruise. They were so much fun and such a riot! It was great meeting you girls!

I almost forgot about this picture of my roomies and I on the beach in Labadee, Haiti. What a beautiful beach and a spectacular view of the ship in the background.

Last, but not least, here's a picture of my sweet daughters. I brought them each back a shirt from Haiti and they just HAD to put them on right then. I had to snap a picture because they were so excited to put them on. My homecoming wasn't the homecoming I expected, unfortunately. I missed my kids SO MUCH. When they picked me up at the airport, I opened the van door to Arwen passed out sleeping and Isaac really irritable. He didn't want to look at me, and that absolutely broke my heart. My husband said he had been irritable all day, but I really think he was mad at me for leaving him for a week. I tried to wean him before I left, but it didn't go too well, so he was forced to drink from sippy cups all week while I was gone. Savannah was so sweet and was standing in the van holding the book she had made for me while I was gone. She flipped through each page to show me the pictures she had drawn and colored of me on the boat! I just started to cry! It was so absolutely sweet. When Arwen woke up, she was VERY excited to see me too! She couldn't stop hugging me and wanted to be by my side always. It took Isaac 2 days to "forgive" me. He's back to normal now, but it still breaks my heart to think about his first reaction when he saw me. My sweet little man.

I hope you enjoyed seeing my pictures! Thanks for stopping by and I hope you're having a great day!