Hey Punkin!

 

Hi Peeps!

 

Oh my goodness, I had the most delicious weekend ever!!  Lots of stamping with great friends, laughing with new friends, eating, stamping and laughing some more.  Heaven, I tell ya!!  I so hope that your weekend was just as fabulous as mine was.

 

I thought I’d pop in to share another of the samples that I made for the Paper Smooches September 1st release (remember, I’m filling in for Heather Pulvrenti this month?)  Kim is featuring this over at the Paper Smooches blog today, along with an amazing beauty from Laurie Schmidlin.  Oh my goo’ness!!! (said in my  best Shirley Temple impersonation – yes, I’m multi-talented.  LOL)  The pumpkin image is from the new Halloweenies set, and I created the sentiment using Boob Tubes and Alphadots.

PRODUCTS USED:

STAMPS: Halloweenies, Boob Tubes and Alphadots (Paper Smooches)
INK:  Onyx Black VersaFine and VersaMark (Tsukineko)
PAPER:  Polka Dots and Gingham (Memory Box), Kraft CS (PTI)
ACCESSORIES:  Circle Nestabilities (Spellbinders), Ribbon (PTI), Broken Fence Punch (Martha Stewart), Black Zing Embossing Powder, Double Bubble Border Punch (Fiskars), Corner Chomper (We R Memory Keepers), Stampin’ Dimensionals (Stampin’ Up!)

Halloweenies and two other fabulous new Paper Smooches stamp sets will be available for sale on September 1st!!  I know you’ll enjoy them as much as I do!

 

Thanks so much for stopping by today.  I have lots of goodies to share with you all since I spent the entire weekend stamping.  Hope you’ll stop by again real soon!

Paper Smooches Winner Announced!!

How fun was that August Paper Smooches blog hop?!!  I know I enjoyed it, and I hope that you all did, too!!  Remember that the new sets are available for sale on September 1st.

 

I’m popping in really quick to announce who the winner is of the Perpetual Bliss set is.  And the winner is #96:

 

luvhymns has left a new comment on your post "August Paper Smooches Pep Rally Hop!!":
Love the LONGGGGGGG cord on the phone. I remember when! I posted Paper smooches on my FB. I get so much laughter from Kim's take on every day items. So much fun packed into all of her stamps! Great job on the card!

 

Congratulations luvhymns!! Please email me (garkarlon@comcast.net) with your mailing information so we can get your stamps right out to you!

Thanks so much to everyone who hopped, Facebooked, tweeted or blogged. We hope to see you next month!

CAS-ual Fridays Challenge #17–Stuck on You!

Hola Peeps!

 

Happy Friday to you – I hope this finds you all enjoying some beautiful weather!  I know here in Seattle, we’ve finally gotten our summer.  Let’s hope that it sticks around for a while, shall we?!  LOL

I’m back today to share the latest CAS-ual Fridays Challenge, which is to create a clean and simple card and use stickers in your design.

This week’s sponsor is, of course, the premier sticker maker in the crafting world – SRM Stickers.  They VERY generously provided each of the Girl Fridays with an incredible selection of stickers to work with, and boy did I have fun with them!!  They’ve also offered up an extremely generous prize to this week’s TGIF winner, but you’ll have to head on over to the CAS-ual Fridays Challenge Blog to find out what it is.  Thank you SRM Stickers!!

As I said above, I really had fun with these stickers, although I really need to work on my placement technique.  It stresses me out to no end that the HO HO HO isn’t centered.  Guess I’d better double up on my meds today.  LOL  I played with a sheet of Christmas stickers that had so many fun sentiments and images to choose from, many in two or three different colors!  Whoa!  I love to have options, don’t you?!  I used the HO HO HO and the Santa Clause Is Coming to Town stickers form the sheet.  Fun, right?!

 

That’s it for me today folks.  I have some super sweet friends in town visiting me this weekend, and boy do we have some amazing crafty plans ahead of us.  I hope to get lots and lots of stamping done while they’re here.  Woohoo!!   I hope your weekend is filled with crafty goodness, too!!

August Paper Smooches Pep Rally Hop!!

It's Pep Rally week and I am here today to share a sampling of the Paper Smooches September stamp release with you!  The rhree NEW clear stamp sets will be available to purchase on September 1st.  You will find them HERE.  Follow the Paper Smooches blog for more sneak peeks.
To add extra fun to our blog hop...we are offering up a prize!  Just leave a comment on any of the five design team blogs listed below for your chance to win one of the three new September stamp sets!  (you do not need to comment on all blogs to qualify)  You have until midnight MT on Friday, August 26th to leave a comment.  Please check all five blogs on Saturday, August 27th to see if you are one of the five lucky winners.
Kim was kind enough to ask me to fill in for Heather this month while she spends time getting her daughter ready to start school.  Heather will be back for the next Paper Smooches blog hop on Sept. 22.

• Heidi Van Laar
• Karolyn Loncon<---------- That’s me!
• Kryssi Ng
• Laurie Schmidlin
• Teri Anderson

To increase your chances of winning:
1. leave a comment on this blog post
2. tell us that you Facebooked about our blog hop
3. tell us that you Tweeted about our blog hop
4. tell us that you posted on your blog about our blog hop
(which means that you have up to four chances to win on each blog)

I used Perpetual Bliss for my project. How freakin’ cute is that vintage telephone image?  Be still my heart!!  I stamped the image with Versamark and heat embossed it with black EP.  I cut the telephone cord with my Silhouette and I printed the vintage phone book (found the image on Google images) onto vellum – how weird is it that I don’t have a telephone book at my house?!  LOL

I’ll be back on Saturday with the name of the winner!  Good luck hoppers!!

CAS-ual Fridays Challenge #16–Embossing!

 

Hola Peeps!

 

Did you miss me?!  LOL  I bombarded you with projects last week, and then kinda disappeared for a few days.  Sorry about that.  I’ve been super busy getting daughter #2 off on her way to a one year internship, babysitting my sweet little bug as often as daughter #1 will let me, and preparing for a visit with a couple of my stamping buds next week.  I hope to get caught up on more challenge cards in the next few days, and will share with you just as soon as I do!

In the meantime, I’m back to share this week’s CAS-ual Fridays Challenge, in the hopes that you’ll join us!  This week’s challenge is to create a CLEAN AND SIMPLE project and include embossing – wet or dry – in your design.  Fun, right?!

This week’s sponsor is one of my absolute faves – The Stamps of Life.  I adore these stamps and have quite a few sets in my collection, but was thrilled to pieces when Stephanie Barnard, the brilliant mind behind The Stamps of Life, provided a stamp set for each of the Girl Fridays to use for this week’s challenge.  She has also offered up a very generous prize for this week’s TGIF winner, but you’ll have to pop on over to the CAS-ual Fridays Challenge Blog to find out what it is – be sure and check out the eye candy provided by the other Girl Fridays while you’re there.  Thank you Stamps of Life!!

 

Oh my gosh, these stamps are so much fun to work with.  I was lucky enough to get the Friends4Ever stamp set.  The images stamped like a dream and sparked boatloads of mojo as soon as I opened up the package.  As for the challenge, I dry embossed the card base with a PTI Impression plate, after I stamped the large vines.  I then heat embossed the smaller vine images with white EP.

PRODUCTS USED:

STAMPS:  Friends4Ever (The Stamps of Life)
INK:  Lichen Pigment Ink (A Muse Studio), VersaMark and Onyx Black VersaFine Dye Ink (Tsukineko)
PAPER:  Solar White Ultra Smooth CS (Neenah Classic Crest), Orange Zest and Spring Moss CS (Papertrey Ink), Sno Cone CS (French Poptone)
ACCESSORIES:  Canvas Impression Plate, Buttons, and White Satin Ribbon (Papertrey Ink), Stampin’ Dimensionals (Stampin’ Up!), White Embossing Powder (Zing/American Crafts), White Embroidery Floss

I so hope you’ll join in on all the fun this week – we’d love to have you!!  Thanks so much for stopping by today.  I am so appreciative of your kind words and visits.  Have a great weekend!

CAS-ual Fridays Challenge #15 – Sketch

 

Hi Peeps!

I’m back today to share the latest CAS-ual Fridays Challenge with you!  Hopefully you’re having as much fun with these challenges as I am!  This week we have a super fun sketch to inspire your creative juices.

Our sponsor this week is Clear Dollar Stamps and they’ve provided a wonderful prize for the TGIF Winner, but you’ll have to hop on over to the CAS-ual Fridays Challenge Blog to find out what that prize is!  Thank you Clear Dollar Stamps!

 

I had a blast with this sketch (remember THIS card?), and plan to keep it in my arsenal of go-to sketches whenever I get into a creative funk.  Sketches are usually my first source of inspiration when I’m stuck, and the Clean & Simple Stamping Blog is a wonderful site for clean and simple sketch designs.  This is sort of a re-do of THIS card – I was determined to make it work in a way that I was happy with, and this project, when finished, made me pretty happy.  I used the bajeebers out of my A Muse Stamp Positioning tool (sadly, it’s no longer available) for this one, as I had to stamp the main image four different times – once on the card base, and then again on the other three CS panels, so that the card base image would line up with the color blocking image.

PRODUCTS USED:

STAMPS:  IMPRESS RUBBER STAMPS (Doodle Ornate), A MUSE ART STAMPS (Many Thanks)
INK:  PAPERTREY INK (Fresh Snow Pigment Ink), A  MUSE STUDIO (Fern Pigment Ink)
PAPER:  NEENAH CLASSIC CREST (Solar White Ultra Smooth CS), PAPERTREY INK (Raspberry Fizz, Simply Chartreuse, and Hibiscus Burst CS), FRENCH POPTONE (Pink Bubblegum CS)
ACCESSORIES:  SCOR-TAPE (ScorPal), STAMPIN’ UP! (Dazzling Diamonds Glitter and Stampin’ Dimensionals), ZING/AMERICAN CRAFTS (Clear Embossing Powder)

That’s all for me today, kids!  Thanks so much for stopping by!  I hope you’ll join us in this week’s CAS-ual Fridays Challenge!  Have a great day!

CARDS Gallery Challenge–Happy Birthday!

Hi Kids!

Can you believe I’ve posted so many days in a row?!!  This is kinda fun . . . I gotta remember to do this more often.  LOL  So, today I wanted to share with you the card that I made for the current CARDS Gallery Challenge, which is to create a birthday card.  Easy, right?!

I’ve actually had this idea in my head ever since some new PTI stuff arrived at my doorstep a few weeks ago.  I love their dies – so fun and super versatile.  So many of them mix and match together to create some really great embellishments.  I used the Take Three die to create the openings on the card base for the gifts.  Then I embossed the woodgrain onto the card base using an impression plate.  Then I used the ribbon/bow from the Make A Wish Collection dies.  Assembling it all was super easy!  I just created a panel for the inside of the card, and adhered three strips of polka dot paper so that each color peeked through each opening – I adhered the polka dot panel to the inside of the card using pop dots to give the gifts some dimension.  The ribbons/bows are attached to the card front with a glue pen.  The sentiment was stamped with VersaMark and then heat embossed with navy embossing powder.  Easy peasy!!

PRODUCTS USED:
STAMPS:  PAPERTREY INK (Make A Wish)
INK:  TSUKINEKO (VersaMark)
PAPER:  NEENAH CLASSIC CREST (Solar White Ultra Smooth CS), PAPERTREY INK (Simply Chartreuse, Enchanted Evening and Hawaiian Shores CS), ECHO PARK (Dots & Stripes Metropolitan Collection)
ACCESSORIES:  PAPERTREY INK (Take Three Die, Make A Wish Collection Die, and Woodgrain Impression Plate), SAKURA (Quickie Glue Pen), ZING/AMERICAN CRAFTS (Denim Embossing Powder), STAMPIN’ UP! (Stampin’ Dimensionals)

Okay, that’s it for today!  Thanks so much for stopping by!

Pucker Up! – PDCC93

Hola Gal Pals!


I’m back with another challenge card – I told you I had a goooood crafting weekend, right?!  And I’ve seriously been having a blast!  Today, I’m sharing a project that I made for the current Play Date Café Color Challenge.  This is only the second time that I’ve played with this challenge . . . it’s a fun one, for sure!  Check out those yummy colors – delicious, right?!  In addition to the colors, I was inspired by the citrus picture in the collage.  My final inspiration came from the sketch challenge over at Denami Designs, even though my card doesn’t qualify (I didn’t use any Denami Design images because I don’t own any – gotta do something about that!)

PRODUCTS USED:
STAMPS:  IMPRESS RUBBER STAMPS (Lemon Slice), PAPER SMOOCHES (Fruitastic), PAPERTREY INK (Polka Dot Basics)
INK:  TSUKINEKO (VersaMark)
PAPER:  STAMPIN’ UP! (Regal Rose CS), FRENCH POPTONE (Wild Cherry CS), NEENAH CLASSIC CREST (Solar White Ultra Smooth CS)
ACCESSORIES:  WE R MEMORY KEEPERS (Corner Chomper), ZING/AMERICAN CRAFTS (Rouge and Cricket Embossing Powder), DIVINE TWINE (Green Apple Baker’s Twine), PAPERTREY INK (Hibiscus Burst Button and Linen Impression Plate), STAMPIN’ UP! (Stampin’ Dimensionals), GLUE DOTS (Craft Glue Dots)

That’s it for me today, friends!  Believe it or not, I have another challenge card to share with you tomorrow, so stay tuned!  Thanks so much for stopping by!

Wish Big Tuesday Trigger

 

Happy Monday, Chicas!

I told you I got quite a few challenge cards done this weekend, so I’m back again to share another one.  This is for the Moxie Fab World Tuesday Trigger.  I haven’t played that challenge in a long time, but have been wanting to.  So when I saw Cath’s trigger for this week, I knew exactly what I wanted to do.  The pattern of the quilt reminded me of the quatrefoil pattern that I am obsessed with lately!!  In fact, when we get back to AZ, I plan to stencil that pattern on one of my walls in what will become my new craft room (former guest bedroom).  I can’t wait!  When I pulled colors from the afghan, the teal, lavender and gray spoke to me.  I never would have paired those colors together, but my daughter was in a wedding on Saturday, and that’s what the bride’s colors were.  I really, really like it!!

PRODUCTS USED:

STAMPS:  PAPERTREY INK (Big & Bold Wishes)
INK:  FRESH INK (Slate Pigment Ink)
PAPER:  PAPERTREY INK (Hawaiian Shores CS), NEENAH CLASSIC CREST (Solar White Ultra Smooth CS)
ACCESSORIES:  LIFESTYLE CRAFTS (Trellis Cutting Die), PAPERTREY INK (Plum Pudding Satin Ribbon), SAKURA (Quickie Glue Pen), ME & MY BIG IDEAS (Self-Adhesive Rhinestones)

I have a couple more challenge cards that I created last weekend, and am actually on a creating roll so I may just keep on going!  LOL  So I’ll definitely be back with more to share very soon!  Thanks for stopping by!

Moxie Fab Fanatical About Botanical!

 

Happy Sunday, Chickies!!

 

How has your weekend been going?  I’ve had a really nice weekend so far, and got caught up on several challenges that I’ve been meaning to play with for a while now.

 

So today’s project was inspired by the current Moxie Fab World Fanatical for Botanical Challenge.  Now, I should start by saying that botanical, as described by Cath in the challenge, is not my typical style.  The botanical samples that I’ve seen out there in blog land, though beautiful, are loaded with images and layers, lace and butterflies, just to name a few.  I feel like my style has evolved into a very clean and simple look – it’s what makes me happy.  So, I did me – in a graphic yet botanical way.

I rooted through all of my stamps and felt like the skies opened up and the angels started singing when I came across one of the sets that I won for Stamping Royalty – Botanicals from Gina K. Stamps.  Perfect!!  I stamped the image multiple times in PTI Fresh Snow and Fresh Ink Provincial Gray – both pigment inks to get better coverage.  The sentiment is from PTI’s Year of Flowers: Sweet Peas, and is stamped in Onyx Black VersaFine Dye Ink.  The gray satin ribbon is from my stash.  Clean, simple, and graphic.  I’m extremely happy with how this turned out.  I love the contrast of the white and light gray on that delicious chartreuse panel, and how it all pops off the black card base.  I hope it’s botanical enough for Cath’s liking.

 

That’s it for me today, kids.  Thanks so much for stopping by!  I’ll be back soon with more challenge cards!

CAS-ual Fridays Challenge #14–Glitzy Glue Dots!

Hola Peeps!

 

First, thank you all for your very kind words and comments on my last post.  I am over the moon thrilled to pieces, but am also so very thankful that you all have shared that experience with me.  Your words meant the world to me – thank you ever so much!

I’m here today to share this week’s CAS-ual Fridays challenge with you all!!  And boy, are you gonna love it!!  The challenge this week is to create a clean and simple project and use glue dots and glitter as your focus of the design.  So fun, right?!

Naturally, this week’s sponsor is Glue Dots, and they not only shared some of their amazing products with the Girl Fridays to use, but they’re also providing an incredibly generous prize to the T.G.I.F. winner of this challenge.  Check out the prize, as well as some additional inspiration from the other Girl Fridays by hopping over to the CAS-ual Fridays Challenge Blog.  Thank you, Glue Dots!

 

Here is what I came up with for the challenge.  I stamped the Too Many Martini’s background using VersaMark onto some aqua cardstock, tilting the background at an angle so as to give the look of driving rain (something I see a lot of here in Seattle ).  I adhered some Mini Glue Dots to each of the “raindrops” and then sprinkled each with some Dazzling Diamonds glitter.  SOOPER EASY!!

You can’t see them, but I used the Pop Up Glue Dots to adhere the umbrella to the card base, and a Craft Glue Dot to adhere the button to the twine.  Glue Dots are my fave go-to adhesive when it comes to adhering embellishments and such to my projects.  They’re super easy to use, and you get a ton of product in every package!!

I wanted to show you a close up of a fun new impression plate that I just picked up from Taylored Expressions.  Oh my, right?!  Check out those yummy embossed clouds – LOVE!!  You’ll be seeing more of that baby in the very near future, for sure!

PRODUCTS USED:

STAMPS:  MARKET STREET STAMPS (Too Many Martinis Background), PAPERTREY INK (Scattered Showers)
INK:  FRESH INK (Pool and Mango Pigment Ink), TSUKINEKO (VersaMark)
PAPER:  FRENCH POPTONE (Sno Cone and Lemon Drop CS), NEENAH CLASSIC CREST (Solar White Ultra Smooth CS)
ACCESSORIES:  GLUE DOTS (Mini, Craft and Pop Up Glue Dots), THE TWINERY (Caribbean and Lemondrop Baker’s Twine), PAPERTREY INK (Scattered Showers Die and Hawaiian Shores Button), FISKARS (Apron Lace Border Punch), STAMPIN’ UP! (Dazzling Diamonds Glitter), TAYLORED EXPRESSIONS (Clouds Impression Plate)

 

That’s it for me, kids.  Thanks so much for stopping by today – you all make my heart smile with your sweet comments.  I hope to be back some time this weekend to share a project for a challenge or two that I’ve been working on!  Have a great weekend!

I’M A COVER GIRL!!

Hello Chickies!!

I’ve been keeping a secret for quite a while now, and I can finally share it with you all!  I was lucky enough to have two cards picked up for publication in what used to be called “Go To Sketches for Card Makers Two” and is now called “Card Ideas for Paper Crafters.”  And as if that wasn’t thrilling enough (especially since it was my first time being published by Paper Crafts Magazine), I got a follow up email from Susan Opel, Creative Editor of Paper Crafts Magazine, indicating that one of the two cards they chose would be on the cover of the magazine.  Are you kidding me?!!  My card is the one on the bottom – yep, a cityscape!  LOL  You all know I loves me some cityscapes!!  I don’t yet have a copy of that baby in my hot little hands, but I’m hoping it arrives any day now.  Until then, I’ll be stalking my mail lady . . . she’d better watch out!  LOL  I believe that Card Ideas for Paper Crafters goes on sale in stores August 9th (in case you want to get a copy for yourself ) – woohoo!!

I also had a couple of cards published in July’s issue of CARDS Magazine as well as the CREATE: Stamping issue.  The first two pics above were in CARDS, and the second two were in CREATE: Stamping.  There’s nothing like seeing your work in print . . . takes my breath away every single time.

 

Thank you for letting me brag on myself a little bit.  I hope the rest of this week continues to be great for y’all!  I think summer has finally arrived here in Seattle, so that makes me happy.  It’s Seafair Weekend – big tradition in Seattle!  We’ll be celebrating at a friend’s lake house on Saturday, watching the rooster tails of the hydroplanes and oohing and ahhhing over the Blue Angels’ stunts.  There’s nothing like Seafair in Seattle, especially when it’s sunny!!  Thanks so much for stopping by today!!

Let Your Dreams Set Sail!

Happy Tuesday, Friends!


I’m popping in really quick, taking a break from crafting and commenting.  I wanted to share a card that I created last week.  I can’t decide if I’m happy with it or not.  Those waves look funny to me . . . don’t you think?  It’s a bit busier than I like these days, too, but it is what it is.  In the interest of being real here, I need to show the good with the bad, right?!  LOL

PRODUCTS USED:
STAMPS:  UNITY STAMP COMPANY (boat - Life Is A Beautiful Ride), PAPERTREY INK (sentiment - Out to Sea)
INK:  TSUKINKEO (VersaMark and Onyx Black VersaFine Dye Ink)
PAPER:  FRENCH POPTONE (Sno Cone CS), NEENAH CLASSIC CREST (Solar White Ultra Smooth CS), BAZZILL (random blues from my scrap stash), PAPERTREY INK (Bitty Dots DP)
ACCESSORIES:  PAPERTREY INK (Enchanted Evening Button and Pure Poppy Grosgrain Ribbon), ZING/AMERICAN CRAFTS (White Embossing Powder), TAYLORED EXPRESSIONS (Clouds Impression Plate), White Embroidery Floss, STAMPIN’ UP! (Stampin’ Dimensionals), LYRA (Colored Pencils), GAMSOL, QUICKUTZ (Wave Dies), THE CATS PAJAMAS (Wave Die)

I’d better get back to my crafting and commenting.  I hope you have a great day, and will pop in again real soon!