CAS-ual Fridays Challenge #22–Feeling Loopy!

Hola Kids!

So sorry that I haven’t been posting too much since last week.  We’ve been babysitting our grandson, who is a very busy toddler.  Creative time is at a minimum as it’s all I can do to keep up with him all day!!  As much as I adore him, there’s a reason why 52 year old women were not meant to have babies.  Oh my goodness, am I tired!  LOL


I am popping in today to share this week’s CAS-ual Fridays Challenge #22, which is called Feeling Loopy.  The challenge for you is to create a clean and simple design that includes a ribbon loop or tab.

Our wonderful sponsor this week is the Ribbon Carousel, who very generously provided each of the Girl Fridays with some DEE-LISH Halloween themed ribbons.  Oh my, are they yummy!!  I believe that Ribbon Carousel has provided a wonderful prize to this week’s TGIF winner, so please be sure and pop over to the CAS-ual Fridays Challenge Blog to see what it is – and check out the awesomeness that the other Girl Fridays created for your viewing pleasure!  Thank you, Ribbon Carousel!!


I tend to take a very literal approach to challenges, and this one is no exception.  LOL  As soon as I saw the title of the challenge, this fun little cocktail stamp popped into my head – perfect, right?!  I, myself, am a lightweight when it comes to alcoholic beverages, so it doesn’t take much to get me “loopy”.  And the yummo-licious purple satin ribbon went perfectly with my fun cocktails, don’t you think?

That’s it for me today, friends.  Thanks so much for stopping by to visit me here.  Hope you have a fantastic weekend!!

P.S.  You DO know that tomorrow is World Card Making Day, right?!  I have a fun little project that I'll be posting tomorrow to celebrate the day and will be participating in the Paper Crafts Magazine WCMD Blog Hop.  How about you?  Do you have any fun plans for WCMD?

CAS-ual Fridays #21–Mostly Monochromatic!

Hello My Paper Crafting Peeps!

I’m back again today to share the next CAS-ual Fridays Challenge, and boy, oh boy is it a goodie!!  This week you are challenged to create a clean and simple design using at least three monochromatic shades of the color of your choice PLUS chocolate brown.

This week’s amazing sponsor is Stampotique Originals – and by original I mean FREAKIN’ INCREDIBLE! - and they very generously shared images with each of the Girl Fridays to create projects to inspire all of you.  How nice was that?!!  Thank you Stampotique Originals – your images were amazing to work with!  Stampotique Originals has also provided a wonderful prize package for this week’s TGIF winner, but you’ll have to head over to the CAS-ual Fridays Challenge Blog in order to find out what it is.

This is what I came up with for the challenge, and I have to say I am super happy with the end result.  I got to work with a gorgeous wood-mounted rubber stamp that stamped like buttah!  The image I used was called Branch (#2008).  I stamped it three times in VersaMark onto three different shades of green textured cardstock, and heat embossed each image using Chocolate ZING Embossing Powder.  I placed each image behind the negative squares that were created using a die from PTI.  The sentiment was also stamped with VersaMark and heat embossed with the same embossing powder.  I love how earthy this turned out – a look that I’m not usually drawn to.  Love those yummy greens against that chocolate brown card base, don’t you?

PRODUCTS USED:

STAMPS:  Branch (Stampotique Originals), sentiment (PTI)
INK:  VersaMark (Tsukineko)
PAPER:  Hillary, Parakeet, Limeade and Pinecone textured CS (Bazzill Basics Paper)
ACCESSORIES:  Chocolate Embossing Powder (ZING/American Crafts), Stampin’ Dimensionals (Stampin’ Up!), ribbon and die (PTI)

Thanks so much for stopping by today.  Have a great weekend!

Winners, Winners, Chicken Dinners!

 

Hi Friends!

 

Please forgive me for posting this late.  I’ve just spent the last few days with my father-in-law, who passed away in his sleep early this morning.  He was an amazing man, who treated me as if I was his own, and we will miss him desperately.  But we’re so happy that he’s no longer suffering.

 

Here are the two winners of the Paper Smooches stamp sets:

Congratulations, Lori and Hope!!  I’ll email you to let you know you’ve won, and arrange for the mailing of your Paper Smooches stamp sets!

 

Thank you all for the wonderful and amazing comments that you left.  You have no idea how much your kind words and encouragement have meant to me, especially in the last few days.  I appreciate you all more than you know.

Hugs!

Thrilled and Humbled!

Hola Peeps!!
*PLEASE READ ALL THE WAY TO THE BOTTOM – THERE’S BLOG CANDY TO BE WON!!
Oh my goodness!!  This has been such an amazing year for me in terms of my creative life.  I had my first card picked up for Paper Crafts Magazine, I made my first magazine cover (Card Ideas for Paper Crafters), and I was one of the 15 Stamping Royalty winners – all of these things were mind blowing experiences, and events that I’ll never, ever forget.


If you’re a regular visitor here, you also know that I am a GINORMOUS fan of the Moxie Fab World blog and play along with Cath’s challenges on a regular basis.  I also follow the blog every single day because Cath has her finger on the pulse of all things trendy . . . when Cath speaks trends, paper crafters listen!!  Right?!  Needless to say, I was absolutely floored when I received an email from Cath Edvalson several weeks ago, asking if she could feature me as the Moxie Fabber of the Week.   And, of course, my answer was, “Ummmmm . . . DUH!!”  Well, I don’t think those were the exact words that I used, but something to that effect – you get the picture, right?!  Cath picks someone every Monday to feature, and so far each and every person that she’s chosen has been an absolute gem.  I feel honored and humbled to be included among them, and am so flattered that Cath thinks I am moxie fab enough to name me the Moxie Fabber of the Week this week.  Are you kidding me?!!

So, if you’re here because of the Moxie Fab World blog – welcome!!  If you’re a regular visitor – are you not shocked right along with me?!  I mean, come on!!  I’m just a little ole’ card maker who loves to stamp.  Thank you, Cath, from the bottom of my heart.  I know I’ve told you this before, but you’ve been instrumental in influencing the stamper/card maker that I’ve become.  I adore your challenges, I so admire your writing skills, and I am in awe of your ability to educate us on the trends and minute by minute goings on in the paper crafting world.  You’ve inspired me to think outside my proverbial box and gave me the courage to step out there and try new things. I cannot thank you enough, and am absolutely thrilled to bits that you’ve chosen me this week.

For those that came for some card inspiration, I have two Paper Smooches samples that I haven’t shared with you yet.  The first one features the new September release called Perpetual Bliss.  I combined stamps from Perpetual Bliss and Alphadots to create the sentiment.  Love that about Paper Smooches, don’t you?!

The second sample features images from Sunny Side Up.  Dee-LISH, right?!
****************************************************************
BLOG CANDY:  So, when Kim Hughes (the genius behind Paper Smooches and my sweet, sweet friend) was here visiting me a couple of weeks ago, she left behind two “extra” stamp sets and told me that I could give them away to two of my readers.  How sweet is that?!!  So I will choose two winners from the comments left here on today’s post.  (I’ll announce the two winners on Wednesday, September 21st here on my blog).  You can get extra chances to win if:

• You pop on over to the Moxie Fab World blog and leave some love for Cath.  After all, the love should be a two way street, right?!
• You drop by the Paper Smooches blog and/or Facebook page and leave some love for my Kim.  She really is a doll, and I know you’ll love her and Paper Smooches as much as I do.

You don’t have to do all those things to win – the last two are totally optional.  But I know both Cath and Kim will appreciate it if you do.  Just sayin’ . . .

If you’ve made it to the end, you’re a saint!!  Thanks so much for stopping by today, and for sharing this wonderful experience with me.  I hope your day is as Moxie Fab as mine has been!!

Let’s Hang Out!

Wow!

 

Three posts in 24 hours – that HAS to be some kind of a record for me!  LOL

 

I’m popping in really quick to share my last Paper Smooches sample that I made for my oh so amazingly fun time as Heather’s “fill in” for the month.  Thank you, Heather, for letting me steal your seat for a few weeks, and a huge thank you to Kim, who took an enormous risk by letting me try to fill Heather’s super talented shoes for a bit.  I’ve had a blast and am ever so grateful for the opportunity to play with you fun ladies!!

This sample features images from both Halloweenies (isn’t that such an hysterical name?!) and Sunny Side Up (the cloud).  The sentiment is from Hang Ups.  Once again, images from multiple sets build on each other to make a cohesive story.  That’s BRILLIANT, don’t you think?!!  I think if you pop on over to the Paper Smooches blog, Kim has a delicious sample from Laurie that I’m sure will knock your socks off!

 

BLOG CANDY ALERT:  So just in case you missed it, I’m still giving away two Paper Smooches stamp sets to two lucky commenters on my Moxie Fabber of the Week post, that you can find HERE.  I’ll choose a winner on Wednesday and post it on Thursday.

 

Okay, friends, thanks again for stopping by today.  I’ll be back on Thursday with the Paper Smooches winner!

Moxie Fab Shaped Card Sketch Challenge!

Hello Sweet Friends!

 

First, thank you all so much for your amazingly kind comments yesterday for my Moxie Fabber of the Week feature.  I am ever so grateful for the time you took to read it and to stop by and leave me some love.  Your words touched me to the core.  Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

I’m popping in really quick tonight because I have had the Moxie Fab Sketch Challenges on my “to do” list for what seems like weeks now.  Since I got kicked out of my craft room (my grandson is sleeping in there now until their new house is built) a couple of weeks ago, it’s been so hard to create.  But I really wanted to play along with several of them, and only had time to create for one of them.  I chose the shaped card sketch.  Here’s what I came up with.

 

I looked at the sketch and saw a spider web . . . is that weird?!  LOL  That’s one of the things that I truly love about a sketch challenge.  I love to look at a sketch and see what else I see besides the obvious applications.  I got out my trusty Silhouette and sized the spider web cut file, and then created a card template by duplicating and welding the image.  The size of the card is 4.25” x 4.25”.  If you want more information about the details of the card, please feel free to email me.

 

In the meantime, I’m out for the night.  My daughter and I are headed out of town for a couple of days to spend some time with my father-in-law, who is very ill right now.  If you’re the praying type, we can use all the prayer warriors that are available and willing.  Thanks in advance!  Thanks also for popping in again today.

CAS-ual Fridays Challenge #22–Mini Cards!

Hola Peeps!

 

Welp, you’ve done it again, people – you all blew us away with your beautiful fall paper piecing projects.  Oh my!!  It’s so much fun to see how you all interpret these challenges – so much amazing innovation and thinking outside the box!

 

This week’s CAS-ual Fridays challenge will no doubt bring out some delicious designs, as well.  To play with us this week, you’ll need to create a clean and simple mini card (or cards) design that’s 4” x 4” or smaller.  Fun, right?!!

This week’s sponsor is AnnabelleStamps.com, a super fun online Australian stamp company.  I believe that AnnabelleStamps.com has provided a yummo-licious prize package 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.  While you’re there, be sure and check out all the other fantasmic inspiration from the other Girl Fridays.

This challenge was so much fun for me!  I had recently purchased the most delicious Mehndi-type stamps from Impress Rubber Stamps.  Then I came across this photo on Pinterest (click on the photo to be taken to the original post).  My mind exploded!!  Amazing, right?!  So I chose some of my fave colored cardstock and coordinated some bright colored embossing powder and away I went!  The sentiments are from a couple of the Mat Stack sets.  This card set was super easy, and came together instantly – it’s so nice to have card sets like this around for those times when you just want to send a cute little note along with a gift.

PRODUCTS USED:

STAMPS:  Doodle Ornate (Impress Rubber Stamps), Mat Stack 1, Mat Stack 3 and Mat Stack 4 (PTI)
INK:  VersaMark and Onyx Black VersaFine (Tsukineko)
PAPER:  Blue Raspberry, Sour Apple, Razzleberry and Orange Fizz CS (French Poptone)
ACCESSORIES:  Apricot, Cricket and Aqua Embossing Powder (Zing/American Crafts), Black self-adhesive rhinestones (Kaiser Craft)

I so hope that you’ll play along with us this week!  I can’t wait to see what you all come up with!  Thanks so much for stopping by today – your sweet words mean the world to me!

You Make My Life Brighter!

 

Hi Friends!!

 

I had a super fun but busy weekend!  How about you?!!  We had another amazing sunny weekend, but those warm Indian Summer days are going to become fewer and farther between now . . . fall is definitely in the air here in Seattle.  Must be almost time to head back down to the desert!  LOL

 

I wanted share another of the samples that I made for this month’s Paper Smooches September releases.  Today’s sample features the light bulb image from Perpetual Bliss.  When I saw it, I thought it would be fun to use a lamp as a background.  So I got out my handy dandy Silhouette to die cut the lamp out of some Echo Park stripes and polka dots.  I then stamped the light bulb image and heat embossed it with some yummo-licious Zing Embossing Powder.  The sentiment is from Giddy Bugs and was stamped and heat embossed with some black EP.  Fun, right?!

PRODUCTS USED:

STAMPS:  Perpetual Bliss and Giddy Bugs (Paper Smooches)
INK:  VersaMark (Tsukineko)
PAPER:  Ultra Smooth Solar White CS (Neenah Classic), Metropolitan Stripes and Dots (Echo Park), Vellum (PTI)
ACCESSORIES:  Rouge and Black Embossing Powder (Zing/American Crafts), Red Grosgrain Ribbon (Stampin’ Up!), Lamp die cut (Silhouette Studio), Stampin’ Dimensionals (Stampin’ Up!), Text Impression Plate (PTI)

That’s it for me today, sweet friends.  When Kim was here visiting a couple of weeks ago, she was kind enough to leave two extra sets of her delicious stamps that she said I could share with you all.  How nice is that?!!  I’m hatching a plan to give them away, and will have the details of that giveaway in the next few days.  I hope you’ll stop by again soon.

CAS-ual Fridays Challenge #19–Falling to Pieces

Hi Friends!!

Holy schnikeys!!  You all knocked our socks off with your designs for last week’s CAS-ual Fridays Challenge!!  Wowzers!!  We’ve got another great challenge for you, and it’s a really timely one, so I hope you enjoy it!
This week’s challenge is to create a CLEAN AND SIMPLE DESIGN, using a fall theme and including paper piecing!  Fun, right?!

This week’s sponsor is Scraperfect, and I believe that they have offered up a wonderful prize for this week’s TGIF Winner.  Thank you, Scraperfect!!  While you’re there, you should totally check out the deliciousness that the other Girl Fridays have created to inspire you.  Oh, and please leave some love for this week’s guest designer – Stacy Rodriguez – she’s created a super yummy project for you!  Welcome, Stacy!!


Fall always reminds me of back to school.  My kids are long grown up and past that back to school age, but it’s still something that I can remember like it was yesterday . . . both for me and my kids.  I remember those brand new boxes of crayons, peechees, newly sharpened pencils, and the books.  Oh my, the books!!  I also remember riding the bus to school, and seeing the school buses in the neighborhood this time of year makes all those old memories come flooding back.  Ohhh to be young again.  Just kidding!  LOL

PRODUCTS USED:
STAMPS:  Brilliant! Clear Stamps and Notebook Paper Cling - Oxford (Hero Arts/Basic Grey), Halloweenies (Paper Smooches)
INK:  VersaMark and Onyx Black VersaFine (Tsukineko)
PAPER:  Wild Cherry CS (FRENCH POPTONE), Ultra Smooth Solar White CS (Neenah Classic Crest), Yellow Polka Dot DP (Memory Box)
ACCESSORIES:  ABC Impression Plate and Notebook Die (PTI), Royal Satin Ribbon (Midori), White Embossing Powder (Zing/American Crafts), Stampin’ Dimensionals (Stampin’ Up!), Corner Chomper (We R Memory Keepers)

Thanks so much for stopping by today!  You have no idea how much your sweet comments mean to me.  Have a great weekend!

Welcome Baby!

Happy Tuesday, Friends!

Phew!  What a wacky busy weekend, we had!!  Our oldest daughter and her family are moving in with us for the next five and half months on Wednesday, so we’ve been making some preparations for that to happen.  We are so excited to have them here, but especially thrilled to have our little bug here 24/7 – I’m a happy gramma!!

I also wanted to share another one of the samples that I made for the September Paper Smooches release.  This one features the umbrella from the Sunny Side Up set.  The sentiment is from A Little Lovin’.  Cute, right?!

I’m having so much fun with this month’s Paper Smooches releases . . . seriously, you MUST include them in your collection – and then you can have as much fun as I am!  LOL

Thanks so much for stopping by today.  I’ll be back just as soon as I get my family settled  - I promise!

CAS-ual Fridays Challenge #18–What’s Black, White and Read All Over?

Hola Crafty Peeps!

It’s time once again for another CAS-ual Fridays Challenge!  Did you know that September 8th is International Literacy Day?  Well, in honor of that day, this week’s challenge is to create a CLEAN AND SIMPLE design based on a book, and use the colors Black, White and Red ONLY!  How fun is that?!!  You can use a children’s book, fiction, non-fiction, the phone book (good one, right?!) – whatever your little heart desires!!

This week’s sponsor is Paper and Such, and they’ve provided an amazing prize for this week’s TGIF Club Winner, but you know the drill – you’ll have to stop on over at the CAS-ual Fridays Challenge Blog!  Oh, and while you’re there, please be sure and check out the amazing eye candy that the other Girl Fridays have for you there!!


I love to read.  I especially love to read biographies.  And I always have a stack of books on my night stand that I intend to read . . . some day.  LOL  But I have such a hard time sitting down and reading an entire book from beginning to end.  One of the books on my nightstand that I haven’t even opened up yet is “The Help.”  I’ve seen the movie previews, want to see the movie desperately, and really want to read the book before I see the movie.  Somehow, I highly doubt that that’s going to happen!  LOL  But that doesn’t mean that I can’t be inspired by the cover, right?!  When I saw this cover, my heart skipped a beat . . . I had recently purchased a download from the Silhouette Studio for the cutest park bench.  Perfect!!

PRODUCTS USED:
STAMPS:  PTI
INK:  TSUKINEKO (Onyx Black VersaFine and VersaMark)
PAPER:  NEENAH CLASSIC CREST (Ultra Smooth Solar White CS), FRENCH POPTONE (Wild Cherry and Black Licorice CS)
ACCESSORIES:  THE TWINERY (Charcoal Baker’s Twine), TAYLORED EXPRESSIONS (Birds & Branch Die), PTI (Woodgrain Impression Plate), ZING/AMERICAN CRAFTS (Rouge Embossing Powder), STAMPIN’ UP! (Stampin’ Dimensionals), SILHOUETTE STUDIO (Heart Park Bench SVG file)

ETA:  I'll also be submitting this for this week's CARDS Magazine Gallery Challenge - Wood Grain.

That’s it for me today, folks.  As always, I so appreciate the time you take to stop by each day, and really appreciate your kind words and comments.  Have a great day!