Happy Leap Day!

After some thought, I came up with a silly leap day card to commemorate today.

It uses this week's ColourQ and Sweet Sunday sketch challenges.

It is an interactive view master card, and they are "leap-frogging". Get it? Haha!

Stamps: Gnome Sweet Gnome, Netting BG; Paper: Baja Breeze, Kiwi Kiss, Whisper White, Urban Garden DSP; Ink: Baja Breeze, Kiwi Kiss, Basic Gray, Cajun Craze, Black Stazon; Accessories: Silver mini brad, 3/4" Circle punch, Scallop Trim edge punch, MS fence punch, Aquapainter, Little Leaves die, 3" Circle die, Scallop Circle #2 die, Big Shot, Sewing machine, Thread, Dimensionals.

Thanks for stopping by!

Tess is Getting Twisted

Time for another Twisted Swap with the CNY Ladies. This time, Tess is hoofing it, walking the streets trying to drum up some business. She's such a hard worker!

My color spritzer got a work out on this card. I spritzed the grass with Old Olive, while the street was first sponged with Whisper White, then spritzed with Early Espresso and Basic Gray, then I splashed a mixture of water and Whisper White reinker on it. This is done by flicking a loaded aquapainter at the paper, while also making a huge mess of my desk. :/

Tess has a ton of paper piecing going on.

Stamps: Tote-ally Tess; Paper: Old Olive, Crumb Cake, Sahara Sand, Whisper White, Basic Black, Welcome Neighbor DSP; Ink: Early Espresso, Black Stazon, Whisper White, Copics markers; Accessories: White baker's twine, Scallop Edge border punch, Printer.

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Rapunzel, Rapunzel, Let Down Your Hair!

Today I'll do a quick follow-up on the Rapunzel tower I created for the Stampin' Addicts 3rd Annual Birthday Blog Hop.

The braid is made of Daffodil Delight taffeta ribbon and tied with white baker's twine, dyed with Perfect Plum reinker. Well Worn DSP seemed like a good choice for a old stone tower look, and I added some Little Leaves at the bottom to be like bushes. The window box detail was created with punched flowers and leaves... here's a close up.

I followed the template I found here.

Paper: Perfect Plum, Daffodil Delight, Old Olive, Pumpkin Pie, Early Espresso, Very Vanilla, Well Worn DSP; Ink: Perfect Plum reinker; Accessories: Daffodil Delight taffeta ribbon, White baker's twine, Rhinestone Jewels, Itty Bitty punch pack, 1/2" Circle punch, Decorative Label punch, Craft knife, Square Lattice embossing folder, Little Leaves die, Petal Cone die, Big Shot, Toothpick.

Thanks for stopping by!

Stampin' Addicts 3rd Annual Birthday Blog Hop

Welcome to Stampin' Addicts 3rd Annual Birthday Blog Hop! Grab a cup of coffee, sit back, and enjoy a tour of party ideas and themes to help celebrate our birthday. If you have been following the blog hop in order, you have just come from Sara's blog featuring a monkey-themed birthday party. Weren't her projects fun?

My daughter is planning on having a Rapunzel party for her birthday in April... at least that's the plan for this week. I thought I'd get a head start with a few preparations while also celebrating Stampin' Addicts birthday. And Stampin' Up is now offering a 30-day trial of its My Digital Studio Express software. To help illustrate the software's capabilities, my projects have a heavy MDS component to them.

Here is the hybrid invitation postcard, created with My Digital Studio and embellished with a Rapunzel braid made out of ribbon and baker's twine.

Paper: Perfect Plum, Whisper White; Ink: Perfect Plum reinker; Accessories: Daffodil Delight grosgrain ribbon, White baker's twine; MDS Elements: My Sweet Pea DSP, Various punch shapes; Color Palette: So Saffron, Pumpkin Pie, Perfect Plum, Old Olive, Sahara Sand.

In the entire party layout photo, you can see the decoration banner hanging on the background wall. The pennants were die-cut with the Perfect Pennant die, while the suns were created with the help of MDS.

Paper: Perfect Plum, Whisper White; Accessories: White grosgrain ribbon, Perfect Pennants die, Big Shot, Flirtatious designer fabric, Sweet Stitches designer fabric; MDS Elements: Calendar Basics Kit stamp brush set; Color Palette: So Saffron, Perfect Plum.

Here is a close up of the cupcake picks and party favors. I imported Rapunzel clip art into MDS, sized them to fit into a 1-1/4" circle punch, and printed them out.

Paper: Perfect Plum, Daffodil Delight, Whisper White; Ink: Perfect Plum reinker; Accessories: Daffodil Delight taffeta ribbon, White baker's twine, 1-1/4" Circle punch, 1-3/8" Circle punch, Scallop Circle punch, 1x8" Cello bags, Tooth picks, Dimensionals.

And finally, you have to go big with the table center art, a Rapunzel tower with her braid hanging down.

Paper: Perfect Plum, Daffodil Delight, Old Olive, Pumpkin Pie, Early Espresso, Very Vanilla, Well Worn DSP; Ink: Perfect Plum reinker; Accessories: Daffodil Delight taffeta ribbon, White baker's twine, Rhinestone Jewels, Itty Bitty punch pack, 1/2" Circle punch, Decorative Label punch, Craft knife, Square Lattice embossing folder, Little Leaves die, Petal Cone die, Big Shot, Toothpick.

If you aren't yet a member of Stampin' Addicts, you can sign up here. Make sure you check out the next stop to see what Tanya put together for a girls' night party. I know we could all use a night to kick back once in a while! She's made some amazing projects.










The complete blog hop listing:

1) Yapha -- Baby Shower
2) Kim (s1itcher46) -- Sesame Street Birthday Party
3) Sara (lilyinkpad) -- Monkey Birthday Party
4) Heidi (hlw966) -- Rapunzel Birthday Party
5) Tanya (tanya27) -- Girls' Night
6) Lisa Y. (genesis) -- Bridal Shower
7) Katherine -- Cocktail Party
8) Holly (catrules) -- Bon Voyage Party
9) Rhonda (rhondag) -- Customer Appreciation Tea
10) Betty (kittystamp) -- Easter
11) Krystal (skdeleeuw) -- 4th of July Party

Thanks for stopping by!

FM47 Well Worn Kisses

Time for another Friday Mashup challenge. I'm posting a little early, because Stampin' Addicts is having a blog hop tomorrow. Come back tomorrow to check that out!

So here is the "Mashup" Challenge :

1. Make a project using the "Kissing Technique".
2. Or Make a "Round" project.
3. Or "Mash it Up" and create a "Round project featuring the Kissing Technique".
   

I started by inking up my skater stamp with Basic Black ink and my Extreme Elements stamp with Not Quite Navy. I then kissed them together for a nice textured look. The brick background was created by making my own homemade brick stamp with spare rubber.

Well Worn + Extreme Skateboard = good masculine card. This card uses Mojo Monday #228 layout.

Stamps: Extreme Skateboard, Extreme Elements, Brick BG; Paper: Not Quite Navy, Cajun Craze, River Rock, Early Espresso, Very Vanilla, Well Worn DSP; Ink: Cajun Craze, Not Quite Navy, Basic Black; Accessories: Silver brads, Labels Collection framelits, 3" Circle die, Scallop Circle #2 die, Big Shot.

Thanks for stopping by!

SUOC39 Peekaboo Slider Happy Birthday

Welcome to the next challenge at Stampin' Up Only Challenges. Today we are focusing on birthdays. I'm feeling impatient today... not a good sign in the stamping room! But I wanted to play with some new goodies that came in the mail, so press on!

I used the Peekaboo Slider template from Melanie's blog to make this card. Here it is closed.

And here it is with the slider pulled up. A cute little interactive card! Thanks, Mel, for the free template!

Stamps: Apothecary Art, Loving Thoughts; Paper: Lucky Limeade, Pool Party, Very Vanilla, Everyday Enchantment DSP; Ink: Lucky Limeade, Pool Party, Marina Mist, River Rock, Early Espresso, Black Stazon; Accessories: Pearl Jewels, Lucky Limeade ruffled ribbon, Dotted Scalloped Ribbon border punch, Aquapainter, Sponge, Craft knife, Labels Collection framelits, Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder, Big Shot.

Thanks for stopping by!

Scrappy Monday: More Digital Challenges

Well, now that I am home, my computer is behaving better. Afraid of the "company computer guy", is it? I put together another page this weekend for a digital scrapbooking challenge DGC09, Picture Placement. This challenge was all about fitting lots of pictures into one page, something I find myself doing a lot.

This page is a CASE of Barb Dean's page on mydigitalstudio.net.

MDS Elements: Play Date Quick Accents, Embellishments, DSP; Color Palette: So Saffron, Old Olive, So Saffron, Chocolate Chip; Font: Calvin & Hobbs.

This one is challenge DGC010, Focal Photo Elements. Grab some details out of a photo and blow them up, draw focus to them, etc.

This page uses Splitcoaststampers sketch SBSC77, and I tried to use the papers and stamps that come with My Digital Studio Express. I was prepping for my MDS Overview class tomorrow, and totally unexpected, I caught up on my Project 52 pages. Wow!

MDS Elements: Sweet Details stamp brush set, Sweet Details DSP, Play Date DSP; Color Palette: So Saffron, Baja Breeze, Pear Pizzazz, Chocolate Chip; Font: CK Alis Handwriting.

And just when I thought I was done, one more. This was a timed one, so it didn't take too long, DGC012, Moment in Time. Run around the house and take photos of what everyone is doing at that moment in time, then take 30 minutes to scrap it. This was fun!

Papa biking on his trainer, Mama on the computer, Little Missy biking around the house, pets sleeping. Just another day here... :) This page uses sketch SBSC225.

MDS Elements: Texture stamp brush set, Downtown Grunge kit, First Edition DSP; Color Palette: Crumb Cake, Soft Suede, Basic Black, Very Vanilla; Font: CK Alis Handwriting.

2012 Project 52 totals: Week 8, pages 9.

Thanks for stopping by!

FM46 I'm Not Old, I'm Vintage!

Welcome to this week's Friday Mashup. Before we to it, don't forget the Fan Favorite challenge. YOU may be the host of our next Fan Favorite challenge. Write up your idea for a Mashup challenge on your blog and link to the Friday Mashup page by February 22. You can also email this information. The fans will then vote for the top three ideas February 23 - 29 and finally vote on the winning challenge on starting March 1.

On to the challenge -

So here is the "Mashup" Challenge :

1. Make a project using the "Sketch".
2. Or Make a "Shabby Chic / Vintage" project.
3. Or "Mash it Up" and create a "Shabby Chic/Vintage project using the Sketch".

I haven't felt very vintage-y lately, so I pulled up a past project that caught my eye for some help, a really cool box by Sharon Wheet.

Here is some close-up of the details.

I really love the sentiments in the Loving Thoughts stamp set! Perfect for an abstract project like this.

Stamps: Clearly For You, Charming, Vintage Labels, Loving Thoughts; Paper: Soft Suede, Crumb Cake, Very Vanilla, First Edition DSP; Ink: Crumb Cake, Sahara Sand, River Rock, Going Gray, Soft Suede; Accessories: Pearl jewels, Circle punches, Sponge, Vintage Wallpaper embossing folder, Beautiful Wings embosslit, Floral Fusion die, Petal Cone die, Big Shot.

Thanks for stopping by!

Poppin' Poppies

I enjoyed the poppies card I made for VSN last weekend so much, I gave it another go with a recent Clean&Simple layout.

This one also uses the reinker spreader technique. I like this one even better! :)

Stamps: Fabulous Florets, Field Flowers; Paper: Lucky Limeade, Very Vanilla, Shimmery White, First Edition DSP; Ink: Lucky Limeade, Black Stazon, Poppy Parade reinker; Accessories: Modern Label punch, Water spritzer, Aquapainter, Sewing machine, Thread, Dimensionals.

Thanks for stopping by!

Playing Along With VSN

Morning All! I came home from Florida this past weekend, and I played along with the Virtual Stamp Night (VSN) on Splitcoaststampers, in an effort to get over my stamping funk. I can't say it really worked completely, but I did find it cathartic to pull out some older stamps and play with them, just because.

Here's what I made. My theme seemed to be my new favorite color, Poppy Parade. You can find the supplies details on my Splitcoaststampers gallery.

What Came First?

All the Twists and Turns of Spring:
3-D Flowers (CASE of Heather Klump):

Poppin' Posies:

Tulip Tones:

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Happy Valentine's Day!!

Valentine's Day is exciting for any school-age girl. Remember picking out your Valentine's, writing you classmate's name on each one? And what fun to go through your own box of Valentine's when you got home from school that day!

This is the project Little Missy picked out for her friends, a decorated box of conversation hearts.

I helped with the gluing, and she did the stamping herself.

Stamps: Something to Celebrate; Paper: Pretty in Pink, Melon Mambo, Riding Hood Red, Whisper White, Love Impressions DSP; Ink: Cherry Cobbler, Basic Black marker; Accessories: Owl Builder punch, Scallop Circle punch, Heart-to-Heart punch.

Little Missy had originally chosen her "Bob the Builder" stamp set... here is the original project I had planned to suggest to her, but it just wouldn't fit on the conversation heart box.

Stamps: I Dig You, Itty Bitty Backgrounds; Paper: Pretty in Pink, Cherry Cobbler, Regal Rose, Crumb Cake, Soft Suede, Very Vanilla, Whisper White, Everyday Elegance DSP; Ink: Poppy Parade, Riding Hood Red, Marina Mist, Soft Suede, Basic Black; Accessories: Cupcake Builder punch, Sponge, Brayer, Snow Burst embossing folder, Petal Cone die, Big Shot.

And Little Missy making her own Valentine's Day cookies...

Thanks for stopping by!

Scrappy Monday: More Digital Challenges

While my computer is still intermittently working, I tried digital scrapbooking challenge DGC07, Make It Your Own. There is a double-page layout done by Jenn Picard who's colors were just so yummy. Unfortunately she didn't post this one to Splitcoaststampers, so here's a link to her blog post.

MDS Elements: Big Bold Birthday, Fabulous Phrases, Schoolbook Serif Alphabet, Sunny Day Border, My Sweet Pea DSP; Color Palette: So Saffron, Old Olive, Pumpkin Pie, Early Espresso.

This one is challenge DGC08, Add Journaling TO Someone. I'm usually not much of a journaler, but this one is easy... I probably should write more things to my daughter.

MDS Elements: Play Date DSP; Color Palette: So Saffron, Real Red, Early Espresso, Whisper White; Font: Digs My Hart.

2012 Project 52 totals: Week 7, pages 6.

Thanks for stopping by!

FM45 Baby Penguins... Cute but Ruthless!

Here is today's Friday Mashup challenge, penguins. I'm going to be late with mine. I'm traveling back from Florida today, and my stamps came one day too late for me to bring them with me. I'll bang something out when I get home... stay tuned.

So here is the "Mashup" Challenge :

1. Make a project using the "Spotlighting Technique".
2. Or Make a project featuring "Penguins".
3. Or "Mash it Up" and create a project featuring "Penguins using the Spotlighting Technique".

*Here is a tutorial on the Spotlighting & Reverse Spotlighting Technique.

So I'm getting around to this on Saturday morning, or is it afternoon? It is still morning if I haven't had lunch yet, right?

I decided to mash it up in my own way... I know this isn't exactly reverse spotlighting, but this is always what I think of when I hear the technique name.

I brayered the background and sponged the ice hills and water. And I used Crystal Effects to give the water some shine.

My cat is sticking to me like glue. I'm getting cat hugs as I type. I guess she missed me the past week. As soon as I put this card down, she stepped in the wet Crystal Effects. *sigh*

Stamps: Zoo Review; Paper: Basic Black, Whisper White; Ink: Marina Mist, Sahara Sand, Basic Black, Pumpkin Pie marker; Accessories: Crystal Effects, Silver brads, Sponges, Brayer, Circle punches, Dimensionals, Post-It Notes.

And it is time for the Fan Favorite again! YOU may be the host of our next Fan Favorite challenge. Write up your idea for a Mashup challenge on your blog and link to the Friday Mashup page by February 22. You can also email this information. The fans will then vote for the top three ideas February 23 - 29 and finally vote on the winning challenge on starting March 1.

Thanks for stopping by!

Technique Tuesday on Thursday: Shaker Frames

Recently I made a Shaker Frame card for a blog challenge. Some of the ladies wanted to give it a try, so this was our advanced technique at our recent Technique Class. The little branches from Branch Out are quite the bugger to line up, so I switched to Season of Friendship instead.

This was really a group effort to follow the step-by-step instructions. I'll repeat the steps here:

• Stamp images on two pieces of card stock. Punch out a circle from top piece, and decorate both pieces of cardstock with sponging or coloring you may need.
• If you are matting your main (top) panel, attach now and punch circle again.
• After aligning carefully to duplicate (bottom) panel, trace the the circle with a pencil on the bottom piece for alignment. Attach either a Shaker Frame or foam tape to the bottom piece, around the pencil mark. Without removing the liner on the Shaker Frame, add a very small amount of shaker material, such as mica flakes or Buffalo Snow.
• Attach acetate to the backside of the top piece, remove the Shaker Frame liner, and carefully attach the top piece to the bottom/Shaker Frame, making sure it aligns properly.
• For a simpler raised-circle version, stamp and decorate the main panel. Stamp a second image, punch out with a smaller circle in a highlighted area of the image and again with a larger circle. Attach acetate to the backside to the card stock ring. Attach the Shaker Frame to the main image, fill with shaker material, and cover with the card stock ring.

We did a different image for the technique card, this cute little snowman.

Don't you love his little scarf? His belly is filled with Dazzling Diamonds glitter.

Stamps: Season of Friendship, Button Buddies; Paper: Marina Mist, Not Quite Navy, Crumb Cake, Whisper White Paisley Prints DSP; Ink: Bashful Blue, Cherry Cobbler, Early Espresso, Basic Black; Accessories: Real Red taffeta ribbon, Dazzling Diamonds, Silver brads, Shaker Frames, Acetate Sheets, Mica Flakes, Circle punches, Post-It Notes, Northern Flurry embossing folder, Snow Burst embossing folder, Circle die, Big Shot, Dimensionals.

Thanks for stopping by!

Sharing a Little More Love...

I was inspired by the photos on the Friday Mashup to create another project. I picked the challenge, so of course I would love the photos.

The two right photos inspired me to create a warm and yummy scene. Yes, I should be packing for my trip while I write this, but I also need a b-day card... What's a girl to do when creativity strikes? Ask hubby to whip up some Sweet Pressed shortbread cookies, of course!

I used Mojo Monday sketch #226. Here's a link to the instructions for making the wax paper wrapping.

Stamps: Morning Cup; Paper: Cherry Cobbler, Blushing Bride, Whisper White; Ink: Blushing Bride, Early Espresso, Blushing Bride marker, Pear Pizzazz marker, Soft Suede marker; Accessories: Cherry Cobbler baker's twine, White baker's twine, Owl punch, Heart-to-Heart punch, Dotted Scalloped Ribbon border punch, Neutrals watercolor wonder crayons, Aquapainter, Sponge, Vintage Wallpaper embossing folder, Scallop Square die, Big Shot, Sweet Pressed cookie stamps, Tissue paper, Wax paper, Dimensionals.

Thanks for stopping by!

SUOC38 Two's Company

Today's challenge at Stampin' Up Only challenges is to pick two colors (plus neutrals) to create a Valentine's Day project. In the process of putting together my club projects, and trying to hit some of the fun accessories in the Occasions mini, my two colors were chosen for me.

The background is smooched with Blushing Bride Smooch Spritz, and the trees have little dots of Cherry Cobbler Dazzling Details. Other fun new things we got to try with this card are Hearts Collection framelits, Adorning Accents embossing folders, Twitterpated buttons, and pleated satin ribbon.

My husband was manning the "smooching station" while I was busy with the Big Shot and framelits. It was funny to tell my club ladies to go in the garage to "smooch" with my husband - LOL!

Stamps: Take It To Heart, Holidays & Wishes; Paper: Blushing Bride, Cherry Cobbler, Whisper White; Ink: Black Stazon; Accessories: White baker's twine, Blushing Bride pleated satin ribbon, Blushing Bride smooch spritz, Cherry Cobbler dazzling details, Twitterpated buttons, Adorning Accents embossing folder, Hearts Collection framelits, Petal Cone die, Big Shot, Dimensionals.

Thanks for stopping by!