FM26 Fan Favorite

Today's the day for one of the most fun things on a challenge blog, the Fan Favorite! Fans submitted their favorite challenge, and Lisa Runyon won the voting with this little goodie -

So here is the "Mashup" Challenge :

1. Make a "Fall themed" Project.
2. Or Make a Project that uses "Brads".
3. Or "Mash it Up" and create a "Fall themed project using Brads".

Well, I've had a bit of fall color and leaf overload all at once, and there are these zinnias out in the garden teasing me. DH googled it and told me they can be summer or fall flowers, so here you go! Here's some clippings from the garden.

The colors were pretty darn close to Poppy Parade and Melon Mambo. Here's my attempt at copying nature.

I also used this month's sketch from Splitcoaststampers' Creative Crew.

Paper: Poppy Parade, Melon Mambo, Daffodil Delight, Garden Green, River Rock, Early Espresso, Paisley Petals DSP; Ink: Garden Green, Chocolate Chip, Whisper White craft; Accessories: Sponges, Vintage brads, Early Espresso quilted satin ribbon, Hodgepodge Hardware ribbon slide, Daisies #2 die, Leaves #2 die, Texturz Plate Kit #4, Big Shot, Sewing machine, Thread, Dimensionals.

Thanks for stopping by!

Technique Tuesday: Coloring with Bleach

Recently we had another technique class, and for our basic technique, we did some coloring with bleach. Here is the seasonal card we made. You may recognize it from my Convention swaps.

And I turned the swap into a coordinating technique page. The 6 x 6" page is mounted on Elegant Eggplant.

Stamps: House of Haunts, Wonderfully Worn BG; Paper: Concord Crush, Lucky Limeade, More Mustard, Basic Gray, Basic Black; Ink: Concord Crush, Black Stazon; Accessories: Bleach, Blender pen, Silver brads, Black grosgrain ribbon, Decorative Label punch, Spider Web embossing folder, Big Shot.

Thanks for stopping by!

FM25 Sketch It Square & Manly

The challenge this week at the Friday Mashup is to (1) create a square card with provided sketch, (2) create a masculine card, or (3) mash it up.

I haven't had a chance to play with my hostess set Faith in Nature. With some dirtied up colors, I think this set definitely passes as masculine.

This set also lends itself to cleaner cards, perfect for a shoebox project. How fortuitous... or was it planned, hmmm... since this card served double duty as the challenge card and my Utica shoebox swap project a couple weeks ago.

Stamps: Faith in Nature; Paper: Old Olive, So Saffron, Lucky Limeade, Early Espresso, Very Vanilla, Le Jardin DSP, Brocade Background DSP; Ink: So Saffron, More Mustard, Old Olive, Soft Suede, Crumb Cake, Black Stazon, Soft Suede marker; Accessories: Aquapainter, Color Spritzer Tool, Sponge, Chocolate Chip grosgrain ribbon, Circle Scissors Plus, Little Leaves die, Circles #2 die, Big Shot.

Thanks for stopping by!

CAS Gently Falling

I needed a quick and easy card for an evening shoebox swap. A clean and simple (CAS) card is the way to go, and anyway, I love them!

While surfing around challenge blogs, I saw a beautiful card by Susan Carlson. CASE-o-rama! I hope the ladies don't mind the absence of ribbon and doo-dads. I also totally love white-on-white. Sarah Wills does this really well, but anyway, the card...

Gotta do some stamping on the envelope too, right?

Stamps: Gently Falling, Curly Cute; Paper: Whisper White; Ink: Old Olive, More Mustard, Cajun Craze, Cherry Cobbler, Soft Suede, Soft Suede marker; Accessories: Dimensionals.

Thanks for stopping by!

SUOC28 Celebrate Fall

Morning, All! Today's challenge at Stampin' Up Only Challenges is to create an autumn-themed project using gold, orange, and brown colors.

These colors remind me of our annual pumpkin picking playdate we do with our local moms' group, always on a warm, sunny fall day. Here's Little Missy and me a couple years ago.

And I love the pics of her jumping on this old mattress. Who doesn't want to roll in the hay?

I colored the wheat image from Always Thankful with More Mustard and browns. I then went back and highlighted with Peach Parfait and Pumpkin Pie to give the image a warmer glow. I thought I would add a string of pennants, such as what you might find at the roadside farm stand.

The antique brad is holding down my cheater bow.

Stamps: Always Thankful, Something to Celebrate; Paper: Crumb Cake, Very Vanilla, Spice Cake DSP, Paisley Petals DSP; Ink: More Mustard, Peach Parfait, Soft Suede, Crumb Cake, Early Espresso, Black Stazon, Soft Suede marker; Accessories: Petite Pennant punch, Early Espresso quilted satin ribbon, Antique brad, Aquapainter, Color Spritzer tool, Sewing machine, Thread, Dimensionals.

Thanks for stopping by!

FM24 Autumn Colors

Good morning, Everyone! The feeling of fall is starting to creep into the air here in New York. The leaves were even starting to change while we were on summer vacation in Canada about a week ago. Time to start preparing for one of my favorite times of year!

Today on the "Mashup" Challenge:

1. Create a project with an "Autumn" theme.
2. Or Create a project using shades of "Yellow & Orange".
3. Or "Mash it Up" and create a "Autumn project using shades of Yellow & Orange".

Here I tried to incorporate several different shades of yellow and orange, and I used the Clean & Simple sketch FTL155.

I'm a big fan of stamping these leaves from this Day of Gratitude set in various colors and cutting them out. They work with nearly any layout.

Stamps: Day of Gratitude, Thank You Kindly; Paper: Tangerine Tango, Dusty Durango, Very Vanilla, Raspberry Lemonade DSP; Ink: More Musard, Crushed Curry, Cajun Craze.

Thanks for stopping by!

Spice Cake Suite

I'm in love with this Spice Cake Suite. I love every project I see, especially those with a little splash of Pool Party color. Love, love! Here's a first pass of my own.

I used this week's sketch from Stamping 411.

This card was heavily influenced by Tessa Wise.

Stamps: Gently Falling; Paper: Pool Party, Crumb Cake, Early Espresso, Very Vanilla, Spice Cake DSP; Ink: More Mustard, Cajun Craze, Early Espresso, Crumb Cake; Accessories: Early Espresso Baker's Twine, Circle Scissors Plus, Circles #2 die, Big Shot, Dimensionals.

Thanks for stopping by!

For the Domestic Goddess...

I've been wanting to play along with this month's Creative Crew challenges on Splitcoast. For the non-demos out there, I'm playing along with the catalog-focus challenge, create a home & hearth kind of project using the Domestic Goddess suite. This is my first pass at this yummy suite.

I was trying to figure out what kind of sentiment to put on this card. Thinking of you? To a hostess, "Thanks for a wonderful dinner! You clean house beautifully!" What kind of message are you sending with an ironing board? Thanks for ironing my shirt this morning? I asked hubby, and his response, "Dude, you look like sh**." LOL! He's always good for a laugh. Well, anyway, I love the gingham background stamp in this set and also love the color combo. So whatever!

Stamps: House & Home; Paper: Pool Party, Calypso Coral, Crumb Cake, Basic Gray, Whisper White, Domestic Goddess DSP; Ink: Pool Party, Calypso Coral; Accessories: Itty Bitty punch pack, Scallop Edge punch, Itty Bitty button, 3-1/2 Circle die, Big Shot, Sewing machine, Thread.

Thanks for stopping by!

Canadian Nature

Well, you've heard the trials and tribulations of the Year of the Mouse. But there are also many opportunities to observe nature in Canada from a little more comfortable distance.

We set up a hummingbird feeder just outside the sun room window where the craft table sits. Very sunny and peaceful! I so wish it was my year round craft room!!

Some friends hiding between and under the rocks at the pier.

I found these frogs to have curious camouflage, with their green heads to stick out of the water, while their brown legs stay in the water.

These guys were hiding under some driftwood on the beach.

And more types of animals just laying around sleeping. Life is tough!

Little Missy and I would go for a walk every day, just to see what kind of different nature we could see. One day we checked out the local boat launch. Hmmm, that's an odd spot to park your boat!

And here the dog is tolerating my daughter for the moment.

I've got some good artsy photos of my daughter I'm saving for scrapbook pages, so I expect you'll be seeing a little more of this trip in the future. Thanks for stopping by!

FM23 Itching to be Stitching

It's my turn for fun! Today's my first day playing challenge hostess over at Friday Mashup. If you've been around my blog, you know I love to stitch on my projects. The real pull-out-my-sewing-machine kind of stitching. I don't actually sew fabric, just paper. Just easier, I think. So why not start with that challenge?

So, here's the "Mash Up!" challenge:
1. Create a project with "Stitching or Faux Stitching".
2. Or Create a project for "Back To School or a Teacher Gift".
3. Or "Mash it Up!" and create a "Back To School Project with Stitching"!

It is definitely ok to faux stitch! And my daughter started school a couple days ago, so I have back-to-school projects on my mind.

I started off making a card, but I thought the scene was adorable enough to make it a little more long lasting by turning it into a piece of home decor.


The school shingles were sponged strips of Cherry Cobbler cardstock. The windows, door, and sign were created with My Digital Studio. The apple tree really makes the scene. I tea-dyed my ribbon to match the vanilla color of the Newsprint DSP.

I was inspired by a link of a super cute back-to-school card by Jenn Biederman, sent to me by a fellow stamper.

Stamps: Season of Friendship; Paper: Cherry Cobbler, Old Olive, Soft Suede, Whisper White, Old Olive DSP, Newsprint DSP; Ink: Cherry Cobbler, Soft Suede; Accessories: Sponge, Real Red buttons, Linen thread, Mistletoe ribbon, My Digital Studio, Sewing machine, Thread, Tea.

Don't forget about the Fan Favorite challenge! There is a poll for the top 3 fan-submitted challenges on the Friday Mashup page margin. Vote for your favorite one, and we'll be doing that challenge at the end of September. Play along! Thanks for stopping by!

Twisting in Utica, S'moring in Canada

The time is near for the Utica shoebox swap, and those crazy ladies really love to get twisted. The twisted swap, that is.

My card features some Rated G humor, and my daughter really loved it. It kinda looks like Canada, where we were vacationing earlier this week.

I've always thought this bear was strange with his arms up, and in the catalog the spray can is pointed towards him. Well, what'cha gonna think?

Can't wait to see what the others ladies have come up with!

Stamps: Under the Stars, Pines; Paper: Close to Cocoa, Creamy Caramel, Going Gray, Bashful Blue, Early Espresso, Whisper White, various retired DSP for grass; Ink: Marina Mist, Always Artichoke, Early Espresso, Early Espresso marker; Accessories: Brayer, Square Lattice embossing folder, non-SU cloud die, Scallop Oval Frame die, Big Shot.

Well, one of the fun images from the Under the Stars stamp set is the s'mores image. Which reminds me that while we sat around eating s'mores (or as Little Missy says, s'moring) at our beach campfire, we were batting around some other twisted ideas. I'll have to share them later when they come to fruition. Here's one s'moring vacation shot. Ok, it's really hot dogs, but trust me, there were s'mores later.

And another colder, campfire and s'moring day. I read next to the fire while man fished.

But notice the important detail of this photo.

And that's why cargo pants have leg pockets, so I'm told. It seemed like more fodder for the twisted category. Thanks for stopping by!

PCS Sneak Peek and the Year of the Mouse

Morning Everyone, Today I have my sneak peek from the upcoming September issue of Paper Crafters Sampler to share. The theme for this month is back-to-school, entitled Backpacks and Bookmarks. The ladies have created some really adorable projects this month!

Since I many times craft with Little Missy in mind, I created a cute interactive project for any preschooler or early elementary schooler. And Little Missy couldn't wait to get her hands on it!

Make sure to stop by Paper Crafters Sampler to sign up for this month's issue. Please use code PCSHB.

As you may have guessed, we made it back from vacation in the backwoods of Canada. Each year it is getting harder and harder to go without internet. And every year, there is a bumper crop of some animal or insect when we are up there. This year was the Year of the Mouse.

Within the first day, we realized there was a nest of mice in the stove pipe. Here is the pipe removed, and many of them came to the hole to curiously look out. We gave them notice as we would be using the stove fairly soon.

It wasn't long before I really regretted not bringing my cat. They were having a party every night while we were sleeping. These guys are soooo noisy! One night I hear noises near me. I switch on the light and see the window curtain nearby move as one falls to the floor, while the one across the room is running the length of the curtain rod. You couldn't get any sleep with the fear of them running next to or landing on your head.

The next night, we locked ourselves onto the sun porch, where they didn't seem to have access. We had been chased out of our own cabin! We left the dog to fend them off and sleep with plenty of space on the beds inside. It wasn't long before she was begging to come to the sun porch as well. It still wasn't nice to have them running along the window, just on the other side of where you slept, but at least they weren't on your head.

Here you can see not one, not two, but three mice fell into a bucket overnight meant to catch a dripping sink drain.

These three were released outside. And here is one on the other side of the screen, trying to break back in!

Two sleeps before coming home, and yet another mouse was caught in the bucket. He was shivering and could hardly squeek. My daughter brought him back to life with some cupping and some love.

Oh field mice, aren't they cute? You want to come stay with us at the cabin, don't you??? LOL! I'll bring you more snippets of our vacation in upcoming posts. Thanks for stopping by!

SUOC27 Ribbons and Bows

Today's challenge at Stampin' Up Only Challenges is to create a project with one of the new ribbons from the 2011-2012 Idea Book & Catalog or the brand new 2011 Holiday mini catalog. Time to play with some new supplies! The goal here is to try to make the ribbon one of the main focuses of the card.

I found this challenge to be, well, quite challenging. Although I buy lots of ribbon, I don't tend to use it for anything but an accessory. After some thought, here's what I came up with, in time for apple picking season.

Given my druthers, I would much rather use an accordion flower or even a fabric yo-yo here, but since the challenge is suppose to challenge us, stretch us to try new things, I attempted some ribbon rosettes here by using a running stitch along one edge of the ribbon and gathering.

Stamps: Season of Friendship, Warm Words; Paper: Lucky Limeade, Cherry Cobbler, Bashful Blue, Early Espresso, Very Vanilla, Paisley Petals DSP; Ink: Lucky Limeade, Early Espresso; Accessories: Lucky Limeade ruffled ribbon, Sponge, Crystal Effects, Itty Bitty punch pack, Dotted Scallop Ribbon Border punch, Decorative Label punch, Square Lattice embossing folder, Oval Scallop Frame die, Big Shot, Sewing machine, Needle, Thread.

Let's see what ideas you have for using the new ribbon. Thanks for stopping by!

FM22 Behind Door #...

Morning Everyone! Today's challenge at the Friday Mashup is to create a gatefold card, create a card that uses numbers, or mash it up.

Again I grabbed my new favorite set Field Flowers for the starting point for this card.

For the gatefold part, I created a fence by punching my cardstock with the Scallop Edge Border punch and using my lovely Simply Scored scoring tool. Does the stamped numbers look like a house number placard on the fence? I hope so.

I have a fun fold on the inside too for the greeting.

Stamps: Field Flowers, Alphabet & Numbers, Sanded BG; Paper: Soft Suede, Lucky Limeade, Peach Parfait, Crumb Cake, Naturals White; Ink: Soft Suede, Early Espresso, Peach Parfait, Calypso Coral, Lucky Limeade; Accessories: Gold brads, White baker's twine, 1/2" Circle punch, Scallop Edge Border punch, Simple Scored scoring tool, Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder, Big Shot, Sewing machine, Thread, Dimensionals.

Thanks for stopping by!