A Trio in Pink

Hello! I can't believe today is Thursday already -- the weeks just seem to fly by! I want to take a few minutes to share these cards with you. I made them as part of a Pink Ribbon Basket that my friend Traci and I are donating to our school's big fundraiser. One of our teachers is battling breast cancer, so we thought it would be an appropriate basket to donate. There are twelve cards total in the set -- four of each design. I wanted to keep with the "pink ribbon" theme but also make them appropriate for any occasion, so I didn't use a stamp set designed strictly for breast cancer. Instead, I used two sets by Cornish Heritage Farms: Silhouette Blooms I (from The Kim Hughes Collection) and Essential Expressions Classic (from Mona Lisa Moments). Each card has a different sentiment on it, stamped in Walnut Stain Distress Ink. The photos don't do them justice -- the light colors really got washed out when I photographed them! They're prettier IRL -- I promise! ;)

I used some of the same elements on all the cards in order to unify the set: Pretty in Pink cardstock, scalloped edges, pink dotted ribbon, and floral images. I pulled the colors from the BasicGrey Romani papers. Since it's an auction item, and I don't know who the recipient will be, I didn't want to over-embellish the cards, but I wanted to make them interesting. I added some piercing to the scallops and sponging to the white panels, and the focal panels are mounted on dimensionals. The set will be boxed in a clear box from Papertrey Ink, and it will go into the basket with all the other "pink" items! Actually, I'd better get started on that now -- we need to get the basket wrapped and ready for display! Thanks for stopping by today -- have a fantastic day! :)

Stamps: Silhouette Blooms I, Essential Expressions Classic (Cornish Heritage Farms) Ink: Pretty in Pink, Pumpkin Pie, Apricot Appeal (SU!); Walnut Stain Distress Ink (Ranger) Cardstock: Pretty in Pink, Pumpkin Pie, Whisper White (SU!) Paper: Romani (BasicGrey) Other: Corner Rounder, 1/8" handheld circle punch, paper piercing tool & mat, Pretty in Pink marker, Gable Green marker, Stamping Sponge, Stampin' Dimensionals (SU!); Giga Scalloped Circle Punch, Mega Circle Punch, Giga Scalloped Oval Punch, Mega Oval Punch (Marvy Uchida); Cupcake Sugar Coated brads (Doodlebug Designs); pink dotted organdy ribbon (May Arts)

A Challenge Card and a New Look!

Hello! I gave my blog a facelift -- did you see my new banner? It's "me", definitely! :) Our friend Ray made it for me. Thank you, Ray!!! He and his wife Katie are incredibly talented -- Ray is an amazing artist, and Katie does beautiful floral designs. You can see some of her work HERE (her site and blog are also on my sidebar).



Here is a card for today's Color Challenge (Basic Black, River Rock, and Whisper White). The layout is Beate's Weekend Sketch #36. It's a pretty simple design, perfect for a wedding or anniversary. The paper is from SU!'s Apple Cider, and I embossed the white panel with my Cuttlebug and Spots & Dots embossing folder. I paper pieced the cake with the paper, and I watercolored the pedestal with an Aquapainter and River Rock ink. I HAD to add some red Stickles to the heart atop the cake!



That's about it! I have a project I need to finish by Friday, so I guess I need to get to work on it! With any luck, I'll be able to share it with you tomorrow, but it depends on how many interruptions I get in the next 24 hours! Thanks so much for visiting my blog -- have a fantastic day! :)


All supplies Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted.
Stamps: Year After Year, Hugs & Wishes Ink: Basic Black, River Rock Cardstock: Basic Black, River Rock, Whisper White Paper: Apple Cider Other: Vintage Brads, Aquapainter, Stamping Sponge, Stampin' Dimensionals, Corner Rounder, ribbon (May Arts), Cuttlebug and Spots & Dots embossing folder (Provo Craft), Christmas Red Stickles (Ranger)

Bella Birthday

Happy Monday! Here's a card I made for today's Technique Challenge -- using mixed patterns of paper (two or more). I pulled out some Piggy Tales Ba Ba Black Sheep paper and thought it would make a fun birthday card. Cakeabella is colored with Copics, and her apron is paper pieced. I added some red Stickles and some white Liquid Applique to the cake. There are Sugarcoated Brads through the Prima flowers, and the two-tone pink ribbon is from May Arts.

I hope the recipient likes it -- I had fun making it! Thanks for visiting -- I'll be back with more tomorrow! Have a great day! :)

Stamps: Cakeabella and sentiment (Stamping Bella) Ink: Brilliance Graphite Black, Basic Black Cardstock: red and apple textured cardstock (Bazzill), Whisper White (SU!) Paper: Ba Ba Black Sheep (Piggy Tales) Other: Copic Markers, two-tone textured ribbon (May Arts), Got Flowers (Prima), Limeade Sugarcoated Brads (Doodlebug Designs), Christmas Red Stickles (Ranger), Liquid Applique, sponge, dimensionals

A Silhouette Hello

Hi, everyone! I hope your weekend has been great so far! We're enjoying a leisurely Sunday at home -- that doesn't happen for us very often! I got to spend a little time cutting up some new rubber from Cornish Heritage Farms. I really think there's something therapeutic about trimming a new set of stamps -- does anyone else feel that way?!? This set is Silhouette Blooms I, from The Kim Hughes Collection. As soon as I finished trimming it I wanted to ink it up right away. I picked up a scrap of paper (from the Kaleidoscope 12x12 pack by My Mind's Eye), and I built the card around it. I don't think this is my usual style or colors at all, but I do like it! I stamped the sentiment and one of the flower images on the paper in Basic Gray ink, stamping off a few times also, and I stamped the other image on the oval in Taken With Teal and Basic Gray. I sponged around the oval with Taken With Teal, and I pierced the scallops. The ribbon is Basic Grey taffeta and retired SU! velvet. The panels are mounted on dimensionals.

That's about it! I'm planning to play some more with this set and the others I received in my order from CHF, so I'll have more to share this week! Thanks for stopping by! :)

Stamps: Silhouette Blooms I (CHF) Ink: Basic Gray, Taken With Teal (SU!) Cardstock: Basic Gray, Barely Banana, Whisper White (SU!) Paper: Kaleidoscope (My Mind's Eye) Other: Giga Scalloped Oval Punch, Mega Oval Punch (Marvy Uchida), velvet ribbon, Basic Gray taffeta ribbon, paper piercing tool, handheld rectangle punch, dimensionals, sponge

My First Window Card!

Happy Friday, everyone!

Today all of my kids are at home AGAIN -- snow and ice came through overnight AGAIN -- is it spring yet?!? Chris took our SUV to work, so I'm pretty much stuck here. Maybe some of that laundry will get done...

Anyway, here's the card I did for yesterday's Ways to Use It Challenge at SCS. Believe it or not, this was the first time I'd done any type of window on a card. When I was cleaning and purging last weekend, I found some transparency sheets in a box of office supplies, so I guess the time was right!



Here's how I created the card. I attached the patterned paper to the card front, and I attached a piece of Whisper White cardstock to the inside of the card. I then opened the card and placed it face-up on a cutting mat. I cut a circle (about 2 1/4") out of the cardfront using a Fiskars Circle Cutter (my Marvy punch wouldn't reach to the center of the card). Then I cut the same size circle from a piece of Lavender Lace cardstock and put the cardstock aside. I adjusted the circle size on the cutter and cut a slightly larger circle from the transparency sheet. Before attaching the transparency, I closed the card and stamped the pot of flowers (from Baskets of Happiness by Gina K. Designs) through front circle onto the white cardstock. I then used a Quickie Glue Pen to adhere the transparency to the card front over the center circle. Then I went back to the Lavender Lace cardstock. I used Scalloped Frames and Doodles to stamp the doodles around the cut-out circle in White Craft ink. When the ink was dry, I took a Marvy Giga Scalloped Circle Punch and punched around the stamped doodles, giving me a scalloped frame for my window. I attached it over the transparency on the card front.

Are you still with me? Now for the fun stuff...

I took the word "smile" from the Eastern Elegance rubons and applied it to the transparency, so it is visible over the pot when the card is closed. Then I opened the card and colored the image with Copics. I added some Stardust Stickles to the flower centers, and I stamped the sentiment in Basic Black ink below the pot, so it is visible only when the card is open. I tied some white organdy ribbon around the bottom of the card to finish it.

Whew! This really was fun, and I love the way it turned out! I see more window cards in my future -- I don't know what took me so long! Thank you so much for stopping by, and I hope you have a great day planned -- stay warm, everyone! :)

Stamps: Baskets of Happiness, Scalloped Frames & Doodles (Gina K. Designs) Ink: Basic Black, White Craft, Brilliance Graphite Black Cardstock: Barely Banana, Whisper White, Lavender Lace (SU!) Paper: Posies Glitter Pack (DCWV) Other: Copic Markers, Circle Cutter (Fiskars), Giga Scalloped Circle Punch (Marvy Uchida), Eastern Elegance rubons (SU!), Stardust Stickles (Ranger), white organdy ribbon

Hey Chick!

Hello! Here's a card I did for the Sketch Challenge at SCS and also for Celebrate MFT Day. I looooove this set -- is this bunny cute or what? It's perfect paired with the Two Scoops paper. The background stamp is Pretty Petals, which is becoming one of my favorites.

I colored the images with Copics, and I sponged Soft Sky around them. The panels are popped up on dimensionals. A simple sketch, nothing too complicated, but I love how it turned out!

I'm hoping this spring-like card will chase the cold temperatures away! It's 8 degrees F as I type this! brrrrrr....... Have a fantastic day -- thanks so much for visiting today! :)

Stamps: Eggstra Special (My Favorite Things), Pretty Petals (SU!) Ink: Basic Black, Soft Sky, So Saffron, Brilliance Graphite Black Cardstock: Barely Banana, Wild Wasabi, Whisper White Paper: Two Scoops (BasicGrey) Other: Copic Markers, Two Scoops buttons, Wild Wasabi stitched grosgrain, stamping sponge, stampin' dimensionals

How Sweet It Is!

Hi there! I hope you are well! We woke to two inches of snow and school delays, but ALL the kids went back today! No more sick ones!! YAY!

Have you been to Splitcoaststampers today? Did you see today's Wednesday Tutorial? Do you recognize the tutorial author?? It's ME!!! Beate saw my hanging treat box here on my blog, and she asked me if I'd write up the tutorial for SCS!!! How could I say no to her?!? Can you tell I'm just a little excited?!? Breathe...

I do have a card to share today. Yesterday I was visiting Tricia Traxler's blog, Simply Stamping, and she had a challenge to use polka dots. Since I am trying to use some of my neglected supplies, I pulled out some retired Au Chocolat paper and paired it with Gina K.'s Stamps for a Cause set, How Sweet It Is. $7 from each set sold goes to help those who live with Diabetes. Gina is truly one of the most generous people in the stamping world!

The ribbon (from my friend Traci) pulled the card together for me. I colored the image with Copics and added some sparkle to the cherry with some Xmas Red Stickles. I didn't have brown brads, so I made my own "sugar coated" ones: while holding them with tweezers, I tapped them onto Chocolate Chip Craft ink, dipped them in Iridescent Ice EP, then used a heat tool to set it. I made the scalloped edge on the dotted paper by removing the paper guide from my corner rounder. I rounded the ends of the sentiment panel with the corner rounder as well.

That's about it! Thank you so much for visiting today -- I hope your day is a great one!! :)

Stamps: How Sweet It Is! (Gina K. Designs) Ink: Basic Brown, Chocolate Chip Classic, Chocolate Chip Craft (SU!) Cardstock: Chocolate Chip, Pretty in Pink, Very Vanilla (SU!) Paper: Au Chocolat (SU!) Other: Copic markers, Marvy Giga Scalloped Circle punch and Mega Circle Punch, brads, Iridescent Ice EP, heat tool, Xmas Red Stickles, ribbon, corner rounder, stamping sponge, stampin' dimensionals

A Gift for Baby

Hello! I have a baby boy gift I want to share with you. This is a frame and card I made for my neighbor. When I was trying to decide on paper to use, I realized that Cutie Pie would be perfect. I had never really thought about it as "boy" paper, but it has a nautical look to it, don't you think? I paired it with the chipboard stars on the frame, and I really love it! The frame is an unfinished wood frame I purchased at Michaels for about $2. Altering frames is becoming one of my favorite things to do -- just apply paper, sand the edges, and embellish!

Here's a closeup of the card. Year After Year and Holidays and Wishes are stamp sets that have been way too neglected, but they're so perfect for those "occasion cards," and the images are fun for coloring or paper piecing. Here I watercolored the elephant with an Aquapainter and inks. I am loving the new SU! striped grosgrain -- it ties so nicely and feels so soft. It's lots of fun to work with!

Here's a closeup of the frame detail. Curvy Verses is another set I dusted off for this project, and I'm making a mental note to use it more often! Here's a challenge to you as well: use those stamp sets, paper, and supplies that need a little attention -- it may get those creative juices flowing in a whole new direction! That's it for me today. I still have two kids home sick, and this morning it hit my husband, too -- looks like I'm the only one left!!! I REALLY want spring to get here fast so I can open my windows and air out the house!!! Thanks for stopping by today -- I hope your day is a good one! :)

(All supplies Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted)

Stamps: Curvy Verses, Year After Year, Holidays and Wishes Ink: Basic Black, Bashful Blue, Certainly Celery, Purely Pomegranate Cardstock: Bashful Blue, Certainly Celery, Whisper White Paper: Cutie Pie Other: On Board Accents, sanding block, Giga Scalloped Square Punch (Marvy Uchida), Bashful Blue striped grosgrain, Certainly Celery grosgrain, Soft Subtles brads, Aquapainter, 1/4" circle punch, stamping sponge, stampin' dimensionals

Cupcake Birthday

Happy Monday! Well, at least I hope it's a happy one! Our week isn't off to the best start. I have two sick kids (one started vomiting at midnight, the other at 8am), so I wanted to sneak in this post while both of them are sleeping! The other two kids had this "bug" last week, so now we'll just hope that Chris and I can dodge the bullet!

I wanted to share this Bella card with you. I just got her last week from Stamping Bella, and I couldn't wait to ink her up! This was a fun card to make -- I really need to get my Bellas out more often!! :) I'll just leave you with the supplies -- if you have any questions, just ask! I'm off to check on my sick ones -- have a great day!

Stamps: Cuppacakeabella and sentiment (Stamping Bella) Ink: Brilliance Graphite Black, SU! Regal Rose Cardstock: Regal Rose, So Saffron, Whisper White (SU!) Paper: DCWV Other: Copic Markers, Primas, Rich Regals Brads, Bazzill white brad, Cotton Candy Stickles, Candy Cane Stickles, corner rounder, paper piercing tool, stamping sponge, dimensionals

Getting Organized

Hello! I hope your weekend is great so far! I've spent a good amount of time cleaning and organizing our downstairs office/stamping room. What started as just cleaning off my messy table snowballed into some much-needed and long overdue organizing and purging!!!! During the process I uncovered some alterables I'd picked up along the way -- they were begging for some attention! So, as a reward for a job well done, I got busy altering them! :)

The first item is a 9x6 inch clipboard. It was part of a 3-pack I purchased at Staples several months ago. I turned it into a "to do list" holder, so I can keep better track of my projects and deadlines. I covered the clipboard and the chipboard "t" with SU! Bali Breeze paper. Then I stamped over it using Baroque Motifs and Simple Type Alphabet (retired). I had grosgrain ribbon and Primas that matched perfectly, so I used them for embellishments. The clipboard is now hanging on the wall above my table, so I can't escape the list!

I picked up these packs of magnetic clips at the Target $1 Spot, and I knew exactly what I wanted to do with them. I covered them with Cosmo Cricket Wonderland paper, which coordinates perfectly with my kitchen. Then I used sets from Papertrey Ink to monogram them for Kyle, Megan, Anna and Caroline. Now their important papers and invitations look great on the side of our refrigerator! Good-bye ugly magnets (more purging)! :)

Now that the office is clean and my juices are flowing, I have lots of ideas swimming in my head! That means I'll have more to share -- I hope you'll stop back! Thank you so much for visiting my blog -- I appreciate it SO much! Enjoy the rest of your weekend!! :)

Supplies for clipboard:

Stamps: Baroque Motifs, Simple Type Alphabet (SU!) Ink: Tempting Turquoise (SU!) Paper: Bali Breeze (SU!) Other: On Board Simon Lower (SU!), sanding block, flowers (Prima), Old Olive, Tempting Turquoise and Pumpkin Pie grosgrain ribbon (SU!)

Supplies for magnets:

Stamps: Trajan Monogram, Borders & Corners Monogram Edition (Papertrey Ink) Ink: Chocolate Chip, Always Artichoke, So Saffron (SU!) Paper: Wonderland (Cosmo Cricket) Other: sanding block, Scallop Circle Punch, 1 3/8" Circle Punch, paper piercing tool, stamping sponge

I Have Some Cleaning to Do... And Some Fun News to Share

THIS is what my table looks like right now after all my Valentine crafting. No joke. Looking at it, I'm not even sure how I finished my last project -- there's no room at all. I need to clean this up before I can do any more stamping, so I don't have a project to share today. Maybe, if I'm lucky, there will be something tomorrow. I DO have some fun news to share, though...

Nancy Panko awarded me this Excellent Blog award. Check out her blog, Fancy Nancy Loves 2 Stamp -- she has some fantastic projects there!! Thanks for the award, Nancy -- I'm honored! :) I can't possibly nominate just a few bloggers to receive this award, because I'm inspired by so many ladies every day! I'll just nominate my entire blogroll -- you all are amazing!! :)

In other news... yesterday I received a complimentary copy of the Take Ten Spring 2008 issue, which means I had something published!!!! I didn't even know I had anything in this issue, so it was definitely a happy surprise! I have two cards in there -- on pages 30 and 60. They are cards I had submitted for their "variations on a theme", so they have the same layout and stamp sets. They decided to break up the pair and use them separately -- okay by me!! *big grin*

Gotta go get a start on that table -- thanks for checking in! Happy Friday -- have a great weekend!!

Chipboard Valentine Card & Frame

Happy Valentines Day, everyone! I wanted to show you the Valentine I made for my husband. It's a card that opens into a frame so he can keep it on his desk at work. I knew I wanted to use this sentiment from the retired SU! set Sage Advice. That set is still one of my favorites -- the quotes and the font are wonderful! The photo I used is one that was taken several years ago at my brother-in-law's house. My hair was shorter, and we were younger, but it's one of my favorite photos of Chris and me! :)

For this project I got out my much-neglected chipboard and had lots of fun with it! I used 4" chipboard coasters and SU! On Board chipboard. The coasters are held together with 5/8" Chocolate Chip grosgrain tied through SU! Jumbo Eyelets. I used a Crop-a-dile to set the eyelets. The paper is Cosmo Cricket Hey Sugar (I *love* that paper), and the cardstock around the photo is SU! Regal Rose and Chocolate Chip.

I adhered the paper to the chipboard and sanded the edges with a sanding block. I used Everyday Flexible Phrases on the chipboard "v", and I embellished with somedotted May Arts ribbon and half-pearls from the SU! Pretties Kit. To add some subtle color to the black & white photo, I simply colored over our sweaters with Prismacolor Pencils. I also added a little light pink to my cheeks, but it doesn't show up that well in the photo. I had seen Dawn Lusk do coloring on this photo in the Cornish Heritage Farms gallery, and I thought it was such a cool detail! She used Copics on hers, but I thought I'd try it with the pencils. Thanks for the idea, Dawn!

I am so happy with how this turned out!! I hope he'll love it as much! :) We don't have anything big planned for tonight -- we're going to get some carry-out and watch LOST downstairs after the kids are in bed. We try to have a "basement date" at least once a week -- sometimes it's the only time we have a chance to catch up with each other! With four children and a crazy schedule, we have to do the best we can! ;) I hope you have a great night -- thanks for stopping by!

Valentines for the Classroom

Whew! I finally finished the Valentines for school! Caroline needed treats for her preschool class, so this is what I made for her. I wanted to do something that was cute but easily mass-produced, and the images from Hugs and Kisses (from the Kim Hughes Collection by Cornish Heritage Farms)were just what I needed! The bags are small cellophane bags from SU!. Cardstock is Pixie Pink, Real Red, and Whisper White. Ink is Pixie Pink, Real Red, and White Craft. I used a corner rounder on the toppers. The dots on the scallops were done with a Marvy white gel pen.

I apologize for the terrible photos -- it's been dreary all day, and I think my camera needs new batteries!!! :(

A few weeks ago I saw this post on Cammie's Blog, and I knew I wanted to make this bottle. I just loved the look of all those m&m's inside! :) For this project I used stamps from Gina K. Designs. The solid heart is from the Stamps for a Cause set Love You to Pieces, and the sentiment on the lid is from Punchy Words. The large heart was a perfect stamp to use for today's Wednesday Tutorial on SCS -- Faux Shaving Cream. I used Pixie Pink and Real Red ink. Cardstock is Real Red and Whisper White. The paper band around the bottle is BasicGrey Romani.

This gift is going to Megan's teacher, who also is a family friend. She's a huge Starbuck's fan, so it's only appropriate that her Valentine treat should come in a Frappaccino bottle! ;)

Valentine projects are always fun to make, but I think I'm ready for some spring projects now! What do you think? Thanks for visiting today -- have a fantastic day!! :)

An Inspired Valentine

Hi there!

I hope you're having a good day! We had snow and ice overnight, so all four of my kids were off school today. They have had friends in the house for most of the day (I counted nine children at one point), but right now they've all gone somewhere else to play and the house is quiet!! Aaaaahhhh.....

So, now I can show you the Valentine card I made today. I really like it! Since it's so monochromatic, I made sure I added interest by using a lot of texture and dimension. I used the SU! background stamp Tres Chic to stamp on the BasicGrey Two Scoops paper with White Craft ink. Then I heat embossed it with white embossing powder and punched out the hearts with a Marvy Mega Heart punch. I mounted the first heart directly to the Cuttlebugged panel (SU! Kraft), then I attached the second heart over it with dimensionals to separate them and add more dimension. I zig zag stitched around the Two Scoops cupid patterned paper, and I used the same paper to punch out a photo corner. I tied some SU! Kraft taffeta ribbon through a Two Scoops button, then I placed it over the photo corner. The sentiment is stamped in Ruby Red on Whisper White cardstock. I added brads to the ovals and mounted them on dimensionals. I sponged around the Kraft panel with White Craft ink, and I sponged around the small oval with Pretty in Pink.

Now, here is the inspiration for my Valentine card. I received this gorgeous Valentine from Pat Swift yesterday!! I just love the colors and the hearts! It was such a sweet surprise -- thank you SO much, Pat! :)

That's all for today -- I'll be back with more Valentine fun tomorrow! Thanks for stopping by today -- have a great day! :)

RAK from Speedystamper

Happy Sunday!

I wanted to take a minute to share this RAK I received this week -- I realized I hadn't posted it yet! It came from Kay Kalthoff, aka Speedystamper on SCS. She used some of my favorite colors and paper, and I love her layout. It was a wonderful surprise to receive such happy mail! Thanks, Kay! :)

Just a reminder -- the new C.C. Designs set Monkey Love and three new backgrounds are now available at All That Scraps!

That's it for now! I have a few more Valentine projects to share with you this week, so I hope you'll stop back! Have a wonderful day! :)

Just Hanging Around

Happy Friday! Here's another peek at the Itzie Inkies Set Monkey Love by C.C. Designs -- it will be released at All That Scraps tomorrow (Saturday) night at 10 pm. This is the other monkey in the set -- I just love how he's hanging from the branch! I stamped the image and sentiment in Basic Black ink, then I watercolored with an Aquapainter and inks. His cheeks were colored with a Prismacolor pencil. To make the leaves, I stamped the heart from Love Ya Much upside-down with Old Olive Ink. I also used Old Olive to sponge around the edge of the circle. I added dots to the scallops with a white gel pen, then finished the card with Old Olive ribbon and brads.

We have a busy weekend ahead -- Kyle is in the next round of his basketball tournament tomorrow, and I have lots on my "to do list" that I need to get finished! Hopefully I'll sneak away for a little stamping, too! Thanks for visiting -- have a great night and a fantastic weekend! :)

Stamps: Monkey Love, Love Ya Much (C.C. Designs) Ink: Basic Black, Close to Cocoa, Old Olive, So Saffron (SU!) Cardstock: Regal Rose, Old Olive, Whisper White (SU!) Paper: Petals & Paisley (SU!) Other: Mega Circle Punch & Giga Scalloped Circle Punch (Marvy Uchida); Old Olive 5/8" grosgrain ribbon (SU!); Earth Elements brads (SU!); white gel pen (Marvy); Aquapainter, stamping sponge, stampin' dimensionals (SU!)

Wanna Monkey Around?

Okay, is this little monkey cute or what?!? He is part of the new Itzie Inkies set Monkey Love, which will be released by C.C. Designs this Saturday at 10 pm. There will also be three new backgrounds released -- hearts, plaid, and polka dots! Here I used the hearts background. The image and sentiment are stamped in Basic Black ink, and I colored the monkey with Prismacolor Pencils blended with Turpenoid. I added Sakura clear Gloss Glaze Pen to his eyes, nose and mouth. I used a corner rounder on the image panel, bottom corners, and to make the scallops.

Now, let me show you my happy accident! I used the corner rounder on the image panel, then had a senior moment and clipped the same corner again (I'm over 40 -- those things happen quite often now). What I got was this cool decorative corner! I think I'll be using that little trick again! :) The sentiment is layered on circles and an oval, and I added some brads for more interest. Some of my favorite Chocolate Chip grosgrain finishes the card.

I hope you'll come back tomorrow to see the other monkey in the set -- he's just "hanging around" waiting to meet you! ;) Also, stop by the new All That Scraps Blog -- check out the first post to see how you can win a Marvy punch! Thanks for stopping by -- have a fantastic day!

Stamps: Monkey Love (C.C Designs) Ink: Basic Black, Regal Rose (SU!) Cardstock: Regal Rose, Chocolate Chip, Whisper White (SU!) Paper: Hey Sugar (Cosmo Cricket) Other: Prismacolor Pencils, Turpenoid & blending stumps, lg oval punch, circle punches, corner rounder, Rich Regals brads, Chocolate Chip 5/8" grosgrain, sponge, dimensionals

Hanging Treat Box

I have had this idea in my head for a while now, and I finally had a chance to work it out today! It's a hanging treat pocket, perfect for that Valentine wine and chocolate! :) Here's the step-by-step:

Start with a 5 1/2" x 11" piece of cardstock. Turn it sideways and score at 4" and 4 1/2".

Then turn it lengthwise and score at 1/2", 1", 4 1/2", and 5".

I drew over the score lines with a Sharpie so you can see them better -- no need to do this on your project! ;)

Cut away sections of cardstock as shown here.

Then cut a slit on both sides as shown here, so the squares become small tabs.

If you fold at the score lines it should look like this!

Round the corners of the long back panel.

Then punch out a circle so it can slip over a bottle. Here I used a 1 3/8" circle punch.

Fold up and attach with Sticky Strip or other strong adhesive.

Embellish as desired. If you want to you can stamp on the cardstock before assembling the pocket. Here I used Cosmo Cricket Hey Sugar paper for the front panel and the scallop around the hole. To create the scallop, I punched out a 1 3/8" circle, then punched around that circle with a Scalloped Circle punch (SU!). The images are from Love Ya Much by C.C. Designs. I colored the birds with Copics. I used a Mega Circle Punch and Giga Scalloped Circle Punch (Marvy Uchida), then I pierced the scallops. I punched two openings with a SU! handheld rectangle punch, then tied on some SU! Kraft taffeta ribbon.

Other ways to use the pocket:

*Cut the front and back panels shorter, then fill with "drinks on the go" packets and place over a water bottle.

*Make the hole larger and place over a doorknob. What a great way to surprise a neighbor or friend! Perfect for those Halloween "Boo" treats, too!

* Fill with cocoa, candy bars, whatever!!

That's it -- pretty simple! Try one! If you make a treat pocket for yourself, link back here so I can see it! :) Thanks so much for visiting -- have a fantastic day!

Workshop Cards

Hello! Sorry I haven't been posting regularly -- It seems there's always something interrupting my stamping time lately!! I did a workshop last night for my friend Ann (Ann Wittmer on SCS), so I had been doing some preparation over the last couple days. Since I'm a hobby demo, I don't do many workshops, but I do one for Ann each year during Sale-A-Bration time. Ann is my friend who invited me to a SU! workshop in 2001 and began my love affair with rubber and ink. Needless to say, things haven't been the same since! Thanks, Ann! :)

I think it's good that I do at least one workshop a year, because it's a great re-charger for me. It's so much fun to see people get excited about stamp sets, colors, papers and techniques, and that gets me excited, too! Here are a couple of cards from last night's workshop. I simplified them just a bit for the demo, but what you see is basically the same. I used a SAB set (Friendship Blooms) new papers (Bali Breeze and Berry Bliss), and a new set (One of a Kind). These cards were simple but fun to make -- a great way to get back to basics!

I'll have some Valentine projects for you in the next couple days, and I'll also have some new C.C. Designs to show you! I hope you'll stop back -- thanks for coming by today! :)

All Supplies Stampin' Up!

Card 1

Stamps: Friendship Blooms Ink: Taken With Teal, Old Olive Cardstock: Pumpkin Pie, Purely Pomegranate, Whisper White Paper: Bali Breeze Other: Pumpkin Pie grosgrain, 1/8" handheld punch, paper piercing tool

Card 2

Stamps: One of a Kind Ink: Close to Cocoa, Purely Pomegranate, Pretty in Pink Cardstock: Close to Cocoa, Purely Pomegranate, Whisper White Paper: Berry Bliss Other: Purely Pomegranate stitched grosgrain, Blender Pen, lg oval punch, corner rounder, stamping sponge, dimensionals

No Stamping Required!

Happy Saturday!

It's Februray, and that means it's Sale-A-Bration time at Stampin' Up!. I decided to showcase one of the SAB sets on this card. It's not a stamp set, but a set of rub-ons called Love & Happiness. There is no stamping on this card -- there's no ink at all! There are four sheets of rub-ons in the set -- the same images in four colors: black, brown, white, and olive. I used the olive and white images on this card. I added some felt flowers from Flower Fusion. In real life they are the same color as the olive cardstock and ribbon, but for some reason I could NOT get it to photograph correctly! UGH! The layout for the card is Jen del Muro's Sketch for You to Try. It's different than the layouts I typically use, and that's why I love it!

That's all I have for today. We're headed to the Freshman Regional Basketball Tournament to watch Kyle and his team play -- let's hope for a victory! Have a great day and a fantastic weekend -- thanks for visiting! :)

All products Stampin' Up!

Rub-ons: Love & Happiness Cardstock: Soft Sky, Old Olive, Whisper White Paper: Fall Flowers Other: Flower Fusion, Vintage Brad, 5/8" Old Olive grosgrain ribbon, Horizontal Slot Punch, paper piercing tool, dimensionals