Prettie Wednesday

Today is Wednesday, and time for another Prettie Girls Challenge! Two weeks ago, Joanne challenged us to "Scare" ourselves. We were supposed to use something on our card that scares us. . .either paper that isn't our "norm" or a stamp set that we've never used, etc. For me, it's chipboard and flourishes. I don't know why, but I never use chipboard and flourishes just never look right to me when I use them. So, I used both on this card. I'm still not sure I really like the card, but at least I used two things that scare me! :) Head on over and check out what scares the other Prettie Girls, Alli, Christie, Jillian, Joanne, Julie C., Julie M., and Kristine. Today is Christie's turn to issue a new challenge! Why don't you play along and see what she has in store? Thanks for stopping by! SUPPLIES USED: Stamps- True Friend, Priceless (SU); Paper- Apple Cider DS, Wild Wasabi (SU), Chocolate (DCWV); Ink- Chocolate Chip, Really Rust (SU); Accessories- Blossoms & Basics On Board (SU), double stitched ribbon in Wild Wasabi, Martha Steward Brownstone glitter, paper piercer, Making Memories brads.

Halloween Treats

This is just a little something that I sent with Savannah to preschool today. This little project was shown to us at Stampin' Up's Louisville Regionals back in September and I thought it was SO CUTE and very simple! As a matter of fact, this whole thing took me 1/2 hour to finish! How's that for fast? All I did was stamp the Batty For You images on Whisper White cardstock (and used a black marker to add color), then used the 1 1/4", 1 3/8" and scallop circle punch with white, black, olive and orange cardstock. I assembled the circles and then stuck them to the Tootsie Pops with dimensionals. Had the basket been a little bigger, I would have added shredded fill or something like that. Since there were enough Tootsie Pops in the basket to fill it, I didn't need any extra fill. Savannah was so excited to take this to school. Thanks for stopping by today! SUPPLIES USED: Stamps- Batty For You (SU); Paper- Whisper White (SU), black, orange, olive (DCWV); Ink- Basic Black, Pumpkin Pie, Old Olive (SU); Accessories- 1 1/4", 1 3/8", scallop circle punches, black marker, dimensionals.

Cracked Stems

This is for today's Try a New Technique Challenge at SCS, Cracked Glass. I love the way this technique looks. It worked well for me this time. Sometimes it doesn't work as well. I think it's because the cardstock I sometimes use is too thick, so it doesn't allow a "cracking" as much as a "bending" if that makes sense. I used Stem Silhouettes for this card and some Basic Grey patterned paper. I thought the velvet ribbon would go well with the Fall feel of the card.

Well, exactly 2 weeks from tomorrow, I will have a new little bundle in my arms! I can't believe it's this close. I have "to do" lists everywhere in my home. There are so many things I'd like to do or have finished before the baby comes. I don't know if I'll get to all of them, but if I do, it would make the weeks AFTER baby a lot more relaxed! :) So, I'm going to go try and cross a few things off my list! Thanks for stopping by today! SUPPLIES USED: Stamps- Stem Silhouettes (SU); Paper- gold, olive, chocolate (DCWV), patterned paper (Basic Grey), Pearlized Cream cardstock (Paper Accents); Ink- Chocolate Chip, Old Olive, Ballet Blue (SU); Accessories- paper piercer, ticket corner punch, photo corner punch, olive velvet ribbon, clear embossing powder, brads (Making Memories).

Inspiration Challenge

This was for yesterday's Inspiration Challenge on SCS. It was a fun challenge because I don't usually do "vintage" style cards. I'm not sure that my card turned out as vintage looking as the art print, but it definitely made me use different colors than I normally would have used for this image. I kind of like the mummy and ghost with the creamy caramel shading rather than a light blue like I probably would have used.

We had a great time yesterday at BOTH parties that we ended up going to. I don't have any pictures to share(at least not yet), but Savannah was a princess (we had planned on Cinderella, but she wanted to wear a different costume), I was her pumpkin coach dressed in a pumpkin lawn bag, Arwen was one of Cinderella's little mouse friends and my husband was the coach driver dressed in his "period" outfit. Hopefully I'll get some pictures that I can share with you! Have a great day and thanks for stopping by! SUPPLIES USED: Stamps- Just Flying By (SU); Ink- Palette in Noir, Creamy Caramel, Ruby Red, Garden Green, Basic Black, Going Grey, More Mustard, Bordering Blue (SU); Paper- Pearlized Cream (Paper Accents), tan, black, mustard, red (DCWV); Accessories- olive velvet ribbon, paper piercer, blender pen, Coluzzle circle template.

Christie's Challenge

Christie at Paper Pretties challenged the Prettie Girls this month. She sent us each a HUGE ring to create something with. It couldn't be for storage of ribbon or cardstock, but something you could give as a gift or decoration. When I received my ring, the only thing that came to mind was a key ring. So, I decided to go with that and make the "Keys To My Heart". I had this big wooden key (meant for hanging keys on), so I traced it on some chipboard and made my keys. I filled each key with a picture and a word or name that labels a piece of my heart. Any journaling will go on the back of the keys. I'm so glad Christie challenged us to do this because now I have a sort of scrapbook!

Thanks for visiting today! Hopefully I'll be able to stamp a bit. We have a Halloween party to go to tonight, so I'm distracted with last minute costume details! Have a safe weekend! SUPPLIES USED: Stamps- Spunky Alphabet (SU); Paper- Cutie Pie DS, Wild Wasabi, So Saffron, Purely Pomegranate (SU); Ink- Basic Black (SU) Accessories- giant ring, various ribbon.

Another Tag!

I was tagged a couple of weeks ago by Sherrie at Card Creme. I forgot all about it until now!

So here are the questions/answers:

1. if you could have 100.00 worth of scrapbook paper or assorted embellishments, which would you choose? I would have to say scrapbook paper. . .I can't seem to resist paper!

2. If you had to choose between using only stamps or rubons, which would you choose? Definitely STAMPS!

3. If you knew how to do both awesome cards and layouts but could only do one for a whole year...which would you do? My first answer would be cards because I LOVE making them, but I have to say layouts because I am TERRIBLY behind in my scrapbooking!

4. Would you rather own a scrapbooking store or have your own scrapping room at home...(can't have both he he he)I think I'd have to go with my own scrapping room at home. As nice as a scrapbooking store would be. . .there's the paperwork of running a store that would go with it! I'd rather have that time to create!

5. And last but not least, what is your CURRENT cardmaking or scrapping style....I have no idea! I don't know what my "style" is at all. I know what I like ("Cutesy"), but is that a style?

An Award!

A couple of weeks ago, I was nominated by Abi at Musings from Tenerife for the "You Make Me Smile Award". Thank you, Abi! I'm so glad that I could make you smile! I'm supposed to nominate 10 people who make me smile. Hmmmm. . .there are so many people who make me smile in a day and a lot of them don't have blogs to "tag". All of YOU who visit make me smile daily with your sweet comments and support! So, if you're reading this post, know that YOU MAKE ME SMILE!

Tagged!

I have been tagged a few times lately and have been very bad about keeping up with it. Here's one tag, and I'll have to find the others and post later! :)


I was tagged the other day by Julie at Stampin With Julie!! So here goes:

1. Link to the person that tagged you and post the rules on your blog. You all know how much I LOVE Julie and love to visit her blog. If you haven't by now, you should go check it out!
2. Share 7 random and/or weird facts about yourself (on your blog, we all want to know them).


1. I am the oldest of 6 children. . .my parents were each one of 10 children, so I come from a very large family!
2. Charmaine is actually my middle name. Patricia, which is my first name is a family name and my mother didn't think Charmaine Patricia sounded right. . .so I've always been called Charmaine.
3. My nickname, given to me by my grandma before I was born, is Charlie.
4. When I was little I dreamed of being a ballerina. Everything started off so well with dance lessons and performances and then I turned 16 and developed breasts and hips. . .so musical theater was the next best thing! :)
5. I did not get married until I was 29.
6. When a friend approached me the first time about stamping, my response was "oh no, not me. I don't do crafts!" Now she is my upline! LOL
7. When I drive in the car, I rarely EVER listen to music or the radio. I think it's because it's the only peace and quiet I get in a day!

Happy Mail!

Look at this GORGEOUS card I got from Donna Baker at Serenity in Stamping! Not only is the card just gorgeous, but it had goodies inside! Donna sent this to me as a congratulations for being chosen for design teams. . .how absolutely sweet of her! She sent some adorable House Mouse images and embellishments inside! I cannot wait to use these images. . .they are so cute! Thank you, Donna, for being so thoughtful! You really brightened my rainy day! Go check out Donna's blog and see her other wonderful creations! She even posted a card recently using that adorable House Mouse Gingerbread House image. . .it's adorable!

Beate Weekend Sketch Challenge #25

Another Friday, and another wonderful Sketch Challenge from Beate! This sketch called for a Z-fold card. You can't really tell by the photo, but the left panel (polka dot panel) actually folds back to meet the fold of the card. When you pull the card open, the card would stretch to 11", with the focal image filling the left half of the inside of the card. Does that make sense? In order to keep the card closed, I mounted the sentiment on dimensionals and tucked the corner of the focal image behind the sentiment.

The inspiration for this card came from the fact that we JUST bought a minivan ! I've had this Minivanabella stamp for a while, but never used it. I thought now would be the perfect opportunity since this will be ME in a few weeks! :) (okay, maybe not with that svelte outfit and figure, but a girl can dream, right?) So head on over and see what awesome creations Beate, Jenn, Laurie, Lori, Mary Jo and Sharon have cooked up! I'm on my way now! Thanks for visiting and Happy Friday! SUPPLIES USED: Stamps- Minivanabella (Stamping Bella), sentiment (Studio G clear stamp set); Paper- Nana's Kids, brown, gray, yellow (DCWV), Pearlized White cardstock (Paper Accents); Ink- Basic Gray, Bashful Blue, So Saffron, Really Rust, Chocolate Chip, Basic Black, Bordering Blue (Stampin' Up); Accessories- polka dot organdy ribbon from Doodliedoo, 1 1/4" and 1 3/8" circle punches, paper piercer, Aquapainter, blender pen, Making Memories brads.

Basic Pomegranates

This was for this week's Color Challenge on SCS, Basic Pomegranates. . .to use Basic Gray, Purely Pomegranate and Soft Sky. I thought this was a striking color combination and not something I would normally put together! I used my Cute Curls set from Cornish Heritage Farms. I made a staff out of the one swirly line stamp and used the music note for the tune of "Happy Birthday". I had to fill in the music note and add or take away the flag in order for the rhythm to be correct. . . one of the downfalls of being married to a Professor of Music--it drove him nuts! :) He gave up trying when some of the flags didn't totally come off. I know that most of you would probably never notice, but for those of you who are musically inclined, hopefully you will find this amusing! :) Thanks for stopping by! SUPPLIES USED: Stamps- Cute Curls (Cornish Heritage Farms); Paper- Basic Gray, Soft Sky, Purely Pomegranate (SU); Ink- Basic Black, Purely Pomegranate, Soft Sky (SU); Accessories- double stitched ribbon in Purely Pomegranate, 1 1/4" and 1 3/8" circle punches (SU), bling, Cuttlebug Swirls folder.

Happy Halloween Hoorah!

For those of you who are on the fence about getting a Copic Color Club or Nestabilities Now Club subscription over at Paper Pretties. . .or ANY new subscription, for that matter, check out their Happy Halloween Hoorah! To celebrate Halloween Paper Pretties is offering to waive the membership fee ($7.50) for anyone who subscribes to a Paper Pretties Package between October 25th and 31st. So, head on over and check it out!

Prettie Challenge

Remember how I told you that the Paper Pretties Design Team issues challenges to each other each week? Well, this was the challenge I issued 2 weeks ago. . .to use the Bouncing Brayer Technique. This card was really very simple. I just bounced the brayer on my Whisper White cardstock, stamped snowflakes in Craft White ink over top, then added some Stickles. The snowman was stamped on a scrap piece of paper, colored, cut out and mounted behind the "snow bank". The "snow bank" was made by tearing a piece of Whisper White cardstock, running it through the Xyron upside down and then dunking it in glitter. Finally, the sentiment is from the Papertrey Ink Holiday Treats set. I'm very excited to see what the other Prettie Girls: Alli, Christie, Jillian, Joanne, Julie C., Julie M., and Kristine have come up with! I got an ADORABLE card in the mail from Julie Campbell! :) That's what I LOVE about these challenges. . .you actually get one of them in the mail! This week, Julie Masse will be issuing the challenge, so please be sure to check it out and play along! Thanks for stopping by! SUPPLIES USED: Stamps- Merry & Bright (SU), Holiday Treats (Papertrey Ink); Paper- Whisper White (SU), black, blue (DCWV); Ink- Basic Black (SU), Blue Breeze Kaleidacolor; Accessories- blender pen, brayer, Stardust Stickles, glitter, Xyron, organdy ribbon.

Peek a Boo!

This was for yesterday's Try a New Technique Challenge on SCS, to make one of QBee's Peek a Boo Boxes. I have never made one of these before, but I will definitely be making more! They are just darling and so easy to make! Follow the link above for directions on how to make them! I used the Baby It's Cold Outside set from My Favorite Things, only available right now through the November Paper Pretties subscription boxes. I'm really loving this set. . .can you tell? The snowman is colored used Soft Sky ink and an Aquapainter. The rest is colored with VersaMagic Aspen Mist and Ocean Depth and a blender pen. Hope you like it! SUPPLIES USED: Stamps- Baby It's Cold Outside (My Favorite Things); Ink- Soft Sky, Craft White (SU), Aspen Mist, Ocean Depth (VersaMagic); Paper- Soft Sky (SU), Pearlized White (Paper Accents) available from Verve Visual; Accessories- acetate, rhinestone brads paper piercer, Quickie glue pen, glitter, bling, organdy ribbon (Darice).

FS37 TruCarMa

This was for yesterday's Featured Stamper Challenge on SCS, to CASE TruCarMa. If you haven't seen Carole's gallery, it is a MUST SEE! She has so many wonderful creations in there! I finally chose to CASE this card. As much as I LOVE those Doodle Factory images, I don't have any. (gasp!) So, I changed the stamp set and the colors of Carole's card to make mine. I used my new Piece of Cake stamp set from Papertrey Ink. Thanks for stopping by today! Hope your week is off to a great start!

For those of you who may be interested in getting Copic Markers in a way that's easier on your wallet, don't forget to check out Paper Pretties new Copic Color Club Subscription box! The subscriptions are starting now and the colors that you'll receive in each box are meant to build upon each other, so you'll want to start from the beginning! Be sure and check it out if you're interested! SUPPLIES USED: Stamps- Piece of Cake (Papertrey Ink); Paper- Certainly Celery, Bashful Blue (SU), pink, patterned paper (DCWV), Paper Accents Pearlized White cardstock (Verve Visual); Ink- VersaMagic in Pixie Pink, Aloe Vera and Sea Breeze; Accessories- Giga scallop circle punch, Mega circle punch, paper piercer, 1 3/8" circle punch, Quickie Glue pen, glitter, organdy ribbon (Darice).

Happy Mail!

I have been very behind lately in posting some wonderful mail that I've received! This first card I received from Bev Breisinger at Country Frog Creations. Isn't that mummy the cutest? Bev sent this card to me as a congratulations for being asked to be on a design team. Wasn't that so sweet of her? Thank you so much, Bev! You REALLY made my day! I really appreciate your thoughtfulness!



The next card I received was from "my little sis" Jami Speidel at Crazy Daisy Creations. Jami and I "met" back when we both started our blogs. She is just the sweetest and really does feel like a little sister to me. :) She sent me this ADORABLE card along with this stamp set just because it reminded her of me. How sweet is that? Of course you KNOW I LOVE this set! Thank you, Jami, for being so thoughtful! You're the best!



The last thing I received was this precious baby gift from Melissa at Simply Pink. I commented on one of her posts a little while ago and didn't realize that it made me eligible for a "Pay It Forward" treat! I thought that was so neat, but I NEVER expected such a wonderful gift! Look at that adorable card, too! It matches the gift perfectly! Thank you so much, Melissa! I will definitely post pictures of the baby with this outfit on! :) This was so sweet of you!



Now, the second part of the "Pay It Forward" thing is, that I agreed to "Pay It Forward" as well. So, for the first three people who comment on this post, if they agree to "Pay It Forward" themselves, I'll send them a little "gift" in the mail. How does that sound? I'll contact those first three people via email, so please be sure to leave an email address in your post! Thanks for playing along!

Quick and Elegant

This was for yesterday's Limited Supplies Challenge on SCS, Quick and Elegant. This was a great challenge for me because I've needed some cards lately on the more elegant side and quick is ALWAYS good! :) When I first saw the Stem Silhouettes set, I wasn't real impressed with it. When it was one of the sets Stampin' Up offered at a discount a little while ago, I thought I'd give it a try. After all, who can refuse discounted stamps? I LOVE this set! I use it A LOT too! I just love how delicate it is, and I don't have many (if any) delicate stamps. I usually go for the bold images or the line art. Anytime I use this set, I end up loving the finished card. Plus, it's very easy to create a quick card with this stamp set. The sentiment is from my rarely used Fancy Flexible Phrases set. I thought it worked perfectly for this card. The most time consuming part of this card was running the focal pieces through my Cuttlebug with my Nestabilities. That didn't take very long at all. I'll have to make a bunch of these cards with different sentiments from the Fancy Flexible Phrases set. I'm sure I'll be able to use them! Hope you're having a great weekend! SUPPLIES USED: Stamps- Stem Silhouettes, Fancy Flexible Phrases; Paper- Paper Accents Pearlized White Cardstock (Verve Visual), Regal Rose (SU); Ink- Regal Rose, Chocolate Chip (SU); Accessories- Organdy ribbon (Darice), paper piercer, Nestabilities rectangle dies, Cuttlebug, Quickie glue pen, glitter.

Beate's Weekend Sketch Challenge #24

This is for Beate's Weekend Sketch Challenge. I LOVE the sketch and I decided to look for a stamp set that I haven't used in a long time. I got this MSE set a long while ago because I loved it, but I just couldn't seem to make the images work to my liking. So, it's been on the shelf since. I think it's because the images are made up of words rather than a solid image. I chose the lighthouse from the set and used the starfish for the background for a nautical theme. I thought the jumbo brads worked well for this, as did the hemp. I'm still having a difficult time with this set, but maybe if I just work with it more, I'll start having an easier time. Be sure and check out what Beate, Jenn, Laurie, Lori, Mary Jo and Sharon have created! I'm sure they will be more than inspiring! Thanks for stopping by! Happy Friday!SUPPLIES USED: Stamps- By the Sea Sentiments (MSE!); Paper- Brocade Blue, Whisper White (SU), patterned paper (DCWV); Ink- Whisper White Craft ink, Night of Navy (SU); Accessories- hemp, jumbo eyelets (SU), paper piercer, clear embossing powder.

Pink

This was for this week's Color Challenge on SCS, to use pink in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. I used a combination of Regal Rose, Purely Pomegranate and Rose Red. . .at least I think that's the color within the Palette O'Prints papers. The layout comes from Julee's Mojo Monday challenge. I used the Winter Wonder set from Verve Visual. I really think the pink snowflakes are cool! The center square was run through the Xyron machine upside down so the front was sticky, then dunked in glitter and bling was added. The Purely Pomegranate "half circle" was added on the right hand side of the card because somehow I smudged black ink over there and didn't have time to start the card over, so I covered it up! Shhhhh! :) This card is VERY sparkly in real life. Thanks for visiting! SUPPLIES USED: Stamps- Winter Wonder (Verve Visual); Paper- Purely Pomegranate, Palette O'Prints, Regal Rose; Ink- Purely Pomegranate, Versamark; Accessories- scallop circle punch, 1 1/4" and 1 3/8" circle punches, double stitched ribbon in Purely Pomegranate, bling from Walmart, Dazzling Diamonds glitter.

You Warm My Heart

This was for Monday's Try a New Technique Challenge on SCS, Treat Sliders. This is the first time I've tried this and it is SO simple and makes such a nice little gift pack! I'll definitely be making more of these. For those of you who have never seen one of these, this particular one has a bag of microwave popcorn inside. The ribbon holds the bag inside since both ends of the "packaging" are open. If you untie the bow and pull the ribbon, the bag of popcorn will come out of the slider. Follow the link above and you'll find the directions of how to make this fun and easy project!

I used the Baby It's Cold Outside set from My Favorite Things, which is ONLY available right now in the November Paper Pretties subscription boxes. I am really loving this set! It's just so cute! Thanks for visiting today! SUPPLIES USED: Stamps- Baby It's Cold Outside (My Favorite Things); Paper- All Dressed Up Stack (DCWV), Purely Pomegranate, Blue Bayou, Whisper White (Stampin' UP); Ink- Purely Pomegranate, Basic Gray (Stampin' Up), Ocean Depth (VersaMagic); Accessories- bling, blender pen, white organdy ribbon (Darice).

Challenges

One of the many "perks" of being on the Paper Pretties Design Team (for me, anyway) is that we do weekly challenges! If you've visited my blog for any length of time, you know I LOVE challenges! :) The fun thing about these challenges is that we mail them to another design team member when we've completed them! So, not only do you get your creative juices flowing, but you get some happy mail too! This card was for a Color Challenge that Alli issued. It was to use Chocolate Chip, Close to Cocoa, Soft Sky and Very Vanilla. These colors are so yummy together, don't you think? Well, this is the card I came up with. I'm looking forward to seeing what the other Prettie Girls Alli, Christie, Jillian, Joanne, Julie C., Julie M., and Kristine have created. Today is Joanne's turn to issue a challenge. If you're up to it, why don't you play along? SUPPLIES USED: Stamps- Stem Silhouettes (Stampin' Up); Ink- Chocolate Chip, Soft Sky (Stampin' Up); Paper- Chocolate (DCWV), Whisper White, Soft Sky (Stampin' Up), Basic Grey Phresh & Phunky Collection; Accessories- jumbo circle punch, Mega scallop circle punch, cream organdy ribbon (Darice), ticket corner punch, slit punch.

FS36 StamperTammy

This was for this week's Featured Stamper Challenge on SCS, to CASE StamperTammy! I just loved looking through her gallery. She has a lot of beautiful creations in there! I chose to CASE this card. I changed the colors and the stamp set for my version. If you haven't visited StamperTammy's gallery, you really should. . .you'll love it!

I used the Cute Curls set and Vases set by Cornish Heritage Farms. Now you see why I HAD to have the Cute Curls set! :) Aside from the adorable font, I just couldn't resist that ladybug! I actually won the Vases set through the scavenger hunt that took place right before the release of the Kim Hughes line. I think I'm really going to like that set too.

Thanks for stopping by today! Hope your week is off to a good start! SUPPLIES USED: Stamps- Cute Curls, Vases (Cornish Heritage Farms, Kim Hughes Collection); Ink- Basic Black, Bordering Blue, Purely Pomegranate (Stampin' Up); Paper- Purely Pomegranate, Purely Pomegranate Prints Designer Series, Wild Wasabi, Whisper White (Stampin' Up); Accessories- spiral border punch, small and large oval punches, photo corner punch, rhinestone brad, blender pen.

Baby, It's Cold Outside

Are you a big fan of My Favorite Things stamps? What about being able to get stamps before anyone else? This card features the Baby, It's Cold Outside set from My Favorite Things and right now, you can ONLY get it in the Paper Pretties November subscription boxes. Are you interested? Head on over to Paper Pretties and become a member! You'll LOVE receiving the card class packages every month along with a pre-released stamp set!

For this card, I stamped the focal image on Whisper White cardstock and used a blender pen with Ruby Red, Old Olive, Basic Gray and Chocolate Chip ink pads. The snow was "glittered" using my Quickie Glue pen and Dazzling Diamonds glitter. The snowman's hat is cut out and mounted on a dimensional. As a finishing touch, I added red grosgrain and white polka dot organdy ribbon as well as framing the focal image with paper piercings.

Remember, you can ONLY get this set right now in the November subscription boxes at Paper Pretties! You won't even find it on the My Favorite Things website. Thanks for stopping by and have a GREAT day! SUPPLIES USED: Stamps- Baby It's Cold Outside (My Favorite Things); Ink- Chocolate Chip, Ruby Red, Basic Gray, Old Olive, Basic Black, Craft White (Stampin' Up); Paper- Whisper White (Stampin' UP), Red, Olive, Chocolate (DCWV); Accessories- paper piercer, red grosgrain, white polka dot organdy, blender pen, glitter, Quickie Glue pen.

Enabler ALERT!!!!

Have you wanted to purchase Copic markers or Nestabilities dies but haven't taken the plunge because of the cost? Well, I have a deal that's just for you! Christie Ortman, owner of Paper Pretties is offering two new subscription boxes . . .the Copic Color Club and the Nestabilities Now Club! The subscriptions work the same as for the card class packages but all you will receive is either the Copics or the Nestabilities. Each month, you will receive 6 Copic Sketch markers or 1 set of Nestabilities. The cost for the Copic Color Club is $36.00 per month (shipping included). The cost for the Nestabilities Now Club is $30.00 per month(shipping included). PLEASE NOTE TAXES WHERE APPLICABLE WILL BE ADDED TO THE TOTAL.
As an added bonus, each month in the Members Only Gallery, one of our very talented design team members will post a project using the Copics and the Nestabilities to inspire you. You will, of course, receive all of the other member's benefits as well!

- 10% discount at the Corner Store- Access to the Members Only card gallery (some fabulous card ideas!)
- Membership to the Paper Pretties Yahoo group
- An invitation to "Stampin' In Your Jammies"
- our monthly virtual stamp night- Weekly and Monthly contests, specials and giveaways!!
- Exclusive news & sales available only to Pretties members
- And of course the wonderful monthly items delivered right to your door!!!

In addition, if you are already a member of Paper Pretties receiving a card class subscription, we will ship the packages together to save you on shipping (6.00).

Now, does that sound like a deal? Head on over to Paper Pretties and sign up! Don't forget to tell Christie who sent you! :)

Welcome, Joanne!

Please help me welcome Joanne Basile to the Paper Pretties Design Team! Joanne is a wonderful talent and I'm so happy to be working with her! If you haven't seen Joanne's work, check out her blog, Just a Little Something. You will LOVE her creations! While you're there, give her a BIG Congrats and say hello! Yay, Joanne!

The Kitchen Sink

I was playing with my new Kitchen Sink Stamps set, 3 Step Daisy. I really love how you can create such depth and dimension because of the 3 step process. I can't wait to try different color combinations. I added some Martha Stewart Brownstone glitter in the centers of the flowers for some sparkle. Next I pulled out my spritzer tool to speckle the background a bit. I had a very short amount of time to make this card, so it's pretty simple. It is nice to know I can create something with this stamp set in less than 10 minutes though! It will come in handy for those spur of the moment gift sets that are always needed! :) As always, thanks for stopping by! SUPPLIES USED: Stamps- 3 Step Daisy (Kitchen Sink Stamps); Ink- Red Brick, Pumpkin Pie, Gingerbread, Hint of Pesto, Jumbo Java, Tea Leaves (VersaMagic); Paper- Whisper White (Stampin' Up), Olive, Rust, Chocolate (DCWV); Accessories- Rust Organdy ribbon (Darice), Brownstone glitter (Martha Stewart), spritzer, Old Olive, Chocolate Chip and Ruby Red markers (Stampin Up).

Bling!

This was for this week's Ways To Use It Challenge on SCS, BLING! and for the Sketch Challenge. The Ways To Use It Challenge was to use anything sparkly on your card and "glam it up." I used the Winter Wonder set from Verve Visual's latest release! I just love all of the different snowflakes in different sizes in this set. The fonts are so classy too. If you haven't checked out the new sets, go and do that. . .you won't believe the price!

I stamped the snowflakes in Taken With Teal ink on patterned paper from the DCWV All Dressed Up Stack. I overstamped some of them with Craft White. I added Icicle Stickles on top of the snowflakes for sparkle. For the focal piece, I stamped the sentiment in Taken With Teal 3 times without reinking. I stamped some snowflakes on that piece with the Tsukineko glue pad and sprinkles Dazzling Diamonds glitter over that. As a finishing touch, I paper pierced the inside edge of the card. Thanks for stopping by today! Hope you have a wonderful weekend! SUPPLIES USED: Stamps- Winter Wonder (Verve Visual); Ink- Taken With Teal, Craft White (Stampin' UP!), glue pad (Tsukineko); Paper- All Dressed Up Stack (DCWV), Basic Black, Taken With Teal, Whisper White (Stampin' UP!); Accessories- polka dot organdy ribbon (unknown), paper piercer, Icicle Stickles.

Beate's Weekend Sketch Challenge #23

Another Friday and another wonderful Sketch Challenge by Beate! The sketch was very simple, so I thought these new stamps of mine from Cornish Heritage Farms Kim Hughes Collection would be perfect for a simple layout. I LOVE these stamps, but they are a very different style for me. If any of you have seen the whole set, you probably know which image made me HAVE TO HAVE this set! :) I started this card 5 different times and just couldn't get it right. I'm still not completely happy with it, but I think it's because it is so different from what I usually do. I finally had to leave it or start a card with a completely different stamp set. Being a little short on time, I decided to leave it. I can't wait to see what Beate, Jenn, Laurie, Lori and Sharon have come up with! I'm sure I will LOVE them all! Thanks for stopping by! SUPPLIES USED: Stamps- Cute Curls (Cornish Heritage Farms); Paper- Pherris Wheel and Hang Ten (Basic Grey Aged&Confused Phresh&Phunky), white (Papertrey Ink), Wild Wasabi (Stampin' Up!), navy (DCWV); Ink- Palette in Noir, Wild Wasabi, Blue Bayou (Stampin' Up!); Accessories- paper piercer, double stitched ribbon in River Rock and Wild Wasabi, aquapainter, horizontal slot punch, Night of Navy marker, bling from Walmart.

Basic Rocks

This was for this week's Color Challenge on SCS,

Basic Rocks, to use Basic Gray, Basic Black and River Rock. At first I thought this color combo was a little bland, but when I actually started putting the card together, I realized it was a really classy, elegant combo! It could work well for masculine cards too! I stamped the leaves on the Basic Gray cardstock with Alabaster Chalk ink. The leaves on the River Rock piece are stamped in Basic Gray and River Rock and then glitter is added on top of the Basic Gray leaves. The thin strip of Basic Gray happened because once I stamped the sentiment, it needed something to give it focus. It was floating too much. I added the thin strip of cardstock to give some separation, then I decided to try paper piercing for some dimension. I really like how it turned out. Thanks for stopping by today! I hope the weather's not as chilly for you as it is for us today! :) SUPPLIES USED: Stamps- Stem Silhouettes; Ink- Basic Gray, River Rock, Basic Black, Alabaster Chalk ink; Paper- Basic Gray, River Rock, Basic Black; Accessories- gray grosgrain ribbon, double stitched ribbon in River Rock, Making Memories brads, Quickie glue pen, glitter, paper piercer.

From Julee!

Look at this GORGEOUS card I received from Julee at Poetic Artistry! This was for winning one of her Mojo Monday Challenges. She sent me this gorgeous card along with this adorable stamp set! I saw this card on Julee's blog when she posted it and I thought it was gorgeous then, but photos DO NOT CAPTURE how gorgeous this card is in real life! The pearlized cardstock along with the coloring and the Diamond Stickles have to be experienced in person to really appreciate them! Thank you so much, Julee! What a wonderful surprise to get in the mail! You made my day!

More Big News!

Have you ever thought about your life and thought "Is this REALLY happening" because it seems too good to be true? That is where I am right now. I was thinking back to when I first started this blog. I didn't really have an interest in starting a blog, but my husband kept urging me to do it. I didn't know why anyone would want to read "my" blog. My husband said "who cares if anyone reads it. . .it will give you motivation to stamp and something that you do for YOU." I am SO glad I took his advice, because he was right! (Thanks, Honey!!!!) It gave me a motivation to stamp every day and have something to share. The best part about it (that I never anticipated) was all of the WONDERFUL people I would meet through this venture! I have formed so many friendships that I truly value. I don't think you all realize how much your daily comments, emails and even visits make my every day! You motivate me to create and share. Because of you, I ask myself "is this really happening to ME?" One of the first people I "met" when starting this blog was Julee Tilman, of Poetic Artistry. I visited her blog faithfully (I was in awe of her talent and gorgeous projects that she posted daily), and when I finally decided to take the plunge, I emailed her to ask her a few questions about starting a blog. She was such a sweetheart and answered every question. She visited my blog and commented every day. She has no idea how much it meant to me that she showed THAT kind of support. I mean, she had her own successful blog and created the most amazing things! The fact that she took time to visit my blog just blew me away. As some of you know, Julee started her own stamp company, Verve Visual. I was so HAPPY and EXCITED for her in her new venture and couldn't wait to get each stamp set that she designed! I just LOVE them all! Needless to say, I was extremely flattered and completely honored when Julee asked me to join her Verve Visual Design Team! It is just a dream come true! I am so excited to be a part of her already fabulous team! If you've never visited Verve Visual, you have to check out Julee's wonderful stamp sets and the gorgeous samples by the Design Team in the gallery! In fact, today is Verve Visual's newest release! Wait until you see the Winter Wonder and Seasonal Circles stamp sets! You won't believe the price! Go check it out! And THANK YOU, for letting me share my wonderful news with you! HUGS!

To See Or Not To See. . .

. . .that was the Try a New Technique Challenge on SCS yesterday, to make an acetate card. This is the first acetate card I've made. I've always liked them when I've seen them, but never got around to actually making one. This was a lot of fun. I used the See You Around jumbo wheel with StazOn Cotton White on the transparency, and I have to say it was difficult to keep the wheel from sliding rather than rolling. Next time I try an acetate card, I will definitely use a stamp rather than a wheel. I added some Waterfall Stickles and bling from Walmart on the acetate to add some "bubbly" fun. The focal image is colored with Blue Bayou, Soft Sky and River Rock with an Aquapainter. The other difficult thing about this card was photographing it. It's hard to get good lighting without creating a glare! Hope your day is off to a great start! Thanks for stopping by! SUPPLIES USED: Stamps- Silly Sealife, See You Around jumbo wheel; Ink- Blue Bayou, Soft Sky, River Rock, Regal Rose, StazOn Cotton White; Paper- Blue Bayou, River Rock, Whisper White, transparency; Accessories- Waterfall Stickles, bling from Walmart, paper piercer, Aquapainter, organdy ribbon by Darice.

FS35 How Sweet It Is

This was for yesterday's Featured Stamper Challenge on SCS, to CASE SweetMissDaisy. If you haven't ever checked out Anna's gallery, it is a MUST! She creates some of the most beautiful cards. Her coloring is absolutely amazing! I chose to CASE this card of Anna's. I changed the stamps and the colors. . .but I kept the bags! LOL I really love to paper piece. I don't do it a lot, but when I do I usually always like the results and it saves you from coloring! :) Besides, I think it's a really neat effect when the "shirt" or something in the focal image matches the background paper. Thanks for stopping by today and I hope you're having a wonderful day! SUPPLIES USED: Stamps- Teddybella, sentiment by A Muse; Paper- Certainly Celery, Whisper White, DCWV pink and patterned paper; Ink- Palette in Noir, Certainly Celery, Creamy Caramel, Bordering Blue; Accessories- paper piercer, blender pen, Apricot Appeal and Blush Blossom markers, polka dot organdy ribbon from Doodliedoo.

Stamping in Your Jammies!

Since joining the Design Team for Paper Pretties, I've gradually learned some of the other benefits of being a member of Paper Pretties! One of them is the monthly Stamping in Your Jammies event! It's just like Virtual Stamp Night at Splitcoaststampers, but it only lasts one night for three hours AND you have to complete and upload each challenge in the hour time limit given. There are winners chosen for each challenge and prizes given! It's A LOT of fun and if you don't have a huge chunk of time to play, you can just do the challenges that you have time for! If that sounds like fun to you, check out becoming a member! The last Stamping in Your Jammies was the first I participated in, and I had A LOT of fun! It was over before I knew it! The first card was for the color challenge. Oh, and I forgot to mention that you're limited to stamp images that have been featured in one of the Paper Pretties subscription boxes. So, if you're wondering why all three of my cards are Jammybella. . .that's why! :) The second card was for the Marble Challenge. I didn't have any marbles (you know, with little ones around), so I had to use Yogos fruit snacks in my plastic box with the reinkers! It worked rather well! :) The third card was for the sketch challenge. Thanks for visiting today and have a wonderful Sunday! SUPPLIES USED: Stamps- Jammybella, Studio G clear stamps, So Many Sayings; Paper- Kraft, Whisper White, DCWV aqua, Groovy Guava, Wild Wasabi, Glossy White, Certainly Celery, Basic Black; Ink- Palette in Noir, Certainly Celery, Bashful Blue, Sahara Sand, Tempting Turquoise, Groovy Guava, Wild Wasabi, Chocolate Chip, Bordering Blue; Accessories- paper piercer, Certainly Celery marker, blender pen, prima flower, rhinestone brad, white and guava grosgrain ribbon, small and large oval punches, ticket corner punch, photo corner punch, horizontal slot punch, Groovy Guava and Wild Wasabi reinkers.

Reminder!

THIS weekend (Today, October 6-Monday, October 8) Christie Ortman, owner of Paper Pretties, is offering you a 25% discount on one regularly priced item in the store in honor of Canadian Thanksgiving! Paper Pretties members will receive 35% off because, as members, they are already entitled to receive 10% off all of their purchases through the store. So, head on over and check it out!

Also, if you have ever subscribed to any kind of "scrapbook in a box" type of thing and loved it, you will DEFINITELY love Paper Pretties! They are the "card kit in a box"! You can subscribe to have an entire kit complete with stamps, paper, and embellishments arrive at your door every month! What's even more exciting is that some of the stamps can ONLY be obtained through the subscription boxes! Interested? Go check out the subscription details!

Family

This was for this week's Ways To Use It Challenge on Splitcoast, to use twill tape on your card. I never use twill and I don't know why. I have a lot of the really wide twill left since I never use it, so this was the perfect opportunity to use it! I stamped the leaf from Autumn Fest on the twill in Old Olive, Really Rust and River Rock. You can't really see it too much since there's not much of twill showing. I thought this sentiment would work well with the "seasonal" theme of the card since I don't have any "fall" sentiments. I think I may actually make up a bunch of these cards. I've been meaning to send recent pictures of the girls to family, but haven't gotten around to making cards to put them in! I just finished Savannah's thank yous for her birthday gifts yesterday. . .that is so unlike me. I usually have the thank you in the mail within a couple of days. This time it took a week! I better get moving before the baby comes! Yikes! Thanks for stopping by! SUPPLIES USED: Stamps- Autumn Fest, That's Nice; Paper- Really Rust, Very Vanilla, DCWV Olive, Chocolate; Ink- Really Rust, Old Olive, Chocolate Chip; Accessories- paper piercer, Chocolate Chip marker, twill tape, hemp twine, Making Memories brads, sponge.

New Bella!

If you LOVE the Bella stamps, you'll just LOVE Snowbunnybella! She is just the CUTEST! What's even cooler is that she's the Featured Stamp in the December Card Boxes from Paper Pretties! So, are you thinking about giving a subscription a try? Head on over to Paper Pretties and check out the subscription details!

BIG NEWS!!

I have just been busting at the seams trying to keep this news a secret, but now it's official! I'm a Prettie Girl! When Christie Ortman, owner of Paper Pretties, sent me an email asking me to join the team, I was in shock! I am so very excited and extremely honored to work with Christie and the other Prettie Girls Julie Campbell, Julie Masse, Alli Miles, Kristine Reynolds and Jillian Winters! What a dream! Will somebody pinch me please!? :) A big THANK YOU to Christie and the Prettie Girls for welcoming me so warmly! I am really looking forward to working with all of you! A BIG thanks, too, to all of my readers who have supported me through visiting my blog and encouraging me with your sweet comments! I really do appreciate you!

Beate's Weekend Sketch Challenge #22

I started Beate's sketch with the stamp set. . .my newest stamp set. I chose "fall" colors and thought the Apple Cider Designer paper would work well. The acorns are inked up in Really Rust, "rocked 'n rolled" in Close to Cocoa, tops colored with a Chocolate Chip marker, cut out and mounted on dimensionals. The only thing I didn't have that I would have liked for this card is a "fall" sentiment like "Falling For You" or "Fall Y'All". I finally settled on using this sentiment from Papertrey Ink's Green Thumb stamp set. The leaves ended up looking kind of plain, so I added the piercings around them.

I thought it gave it a little depth. I wasn't sure about the striped paper, but it's growing on me! I'm excited to see what beautiful creations Beate, Jenn, Laurie, Lori and Sharon have in store for us! How about you? SUPPLIES USED: Stamps- Autumn Fest, Green Thumb (Papertrey Ink); Paper- Apple Cider DS, Very Vanilla, Chocolate Chip; Ink- Really Rust, Wild Wasabi, River Rock, Chocolate Chip; Accessories- paper piercer, Chocolate Chip marker, double stitched ribbon in Wild Wasabi, Coluzzle Circle template.

SALE!

Have you ever visited Paper Pretties? If you haven't, THIS weekend (Saturday, October 6-Monday, October 8) should be your first visit! Why, you ask? Christie Ortman, owner of Paper Pretties, is offering you a 25% discount on one regularly priced item in the store in honor of Canadian Thanksgiving! Paper Pretties members will receive 35% off because, as members, they are already entitled to receive 10% off all of their purchases through the store. So, head on over and check it out! If you have ever subscribed to any kind of "scrapbook in a box" type of thing and loved it, you will DEFINITELY love Paper Pretties! They are the "card kit in a box"! You can subscribe to have an entire kit complete with stamps, paper, and embellishments arrive at your door every month! What's even more exciting is that some of the stamps can ONLY be obtained through the subscription boxes! Interested? Go check out Paper Pretties!

Chocolate Bayou Sketch

I have been running behind on my challenges, so I thought I'd combine this week's Color Challenge and Sketch Challenge on SCS. I flipped the sketch challenge to fit the image I wanted to use. I just got these Stem Silhouettes through the last promotion by Stampin' UP! I am just loving this set too! I'm so glad I decided to get it! I wasn't going to sponge around the flowers on the main image, but I got a smudge of ink on the paper, so I HAD to! I really do love these colors together, and the sketch fit this image perfectly. Don't you just love when cards come together quickly? I know I do! Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful day! SUPPLIES USED: Stamps- Stem Silhouettes; Paper- Chocolate Chip, Blue Bayou, River Rock, Whisper White; Ink- Chocolate Chip, Blue Bayou; Accessories- paper piercer, Chocolate Chip marker, double stitched ribbon in Blue Bayou.

Think Fast!

This was for Monday's Try a New Technique Challenge on SCS, Think Fast. The challenge was to take a card that was already in your gallery and only change the stamp set to make a different card. This was a very neat challenge. I think it's so neat how the "same" card can look totally different when you use a different image. My original card has more of a "cute" feel, while I think the card I made for this challenge has a little bit of an "oriental flair". What do you think? Give this challenge a try with one of your own cards. I think you'll really like the results! Thanks for stopping by! SUPPLIES USED: Stamps- Stem Silhouettes; Paper- Basic Grey Scarlet Letter, Whisper White, Basic Black; Ink- Ruby Red, Old Olive, Basic Black; Accessories- paper piercer, white gel pen, May Arts ribbon, 1 1/4" and 1 3/8" circle punches, sponge.

Happy Happy Mail!

I have received the BEST mail lately and haven't posted it! Shame on me! This first card came from Julie Desper at Need to Stamp. As much as I don't want to see summer go, this card REALLY got me in the mood for Fall. I just LOVE the sponging and the colors that Julie used. Check out Julie's blog to see her other adorable creations! Thanks, Julie, for making me smile!

The second card is from Kelley Herrick at Kelley's Craft Corner. Kelley wrote in the card that she wasn't too thrilled about his card, but I LOVE it! How happy and colorful! It really made me smile when I opened it! You can see more of Kelley's creations on her blog. . .you'll love them! Thank you so much, Kelley!

The third card I received is from Barb Kaszuba at Barb's Card Creations. Is this not the most adorable little baby card? I LOVE that little train! Barb sent this card to welcome our newest addition, a little boy, coming November 13. What a sweet, sweet card. Thank you so much for thinking of us, Barb. I LOVE your card! Head on over to Barb's blog to see what other adorable things she's created.