Mother's Day

Yes, Mother's Day is quickly approaching...I'll have cards made for everyone else's mother except mine and my mother-in-law - YIKES; I'm going to be in so much trouble.

:D

I made this one for a friend's grandma that loves red; I accented with brown and ivory, embossing the ivory mat with Stylized Flowers embossing folder and then gently sponging SU! Close to Cocoa over the embossed image to give it a bit of pop and then sponged all the edges with more Close to Cocoa.

I used Verve's "Because of You" set for the flower in the corner of the main panel; I stamped it 3 times so I could layer the image and give it lots of dimension. It's really hard to see in the picture, but I colored all the edges of the flower in the final layer with a Clear Spica Glitter pen...great sparkle IRL. The "Grandma" sentiment is also from the same Verve set; but the other sentiment, "It's so comforting to know that you're always there." comes from PTI's "Mother" stamp set.

I added some incredible red twill tape which I bought online from Etsy, a couple brown & pure poppy buttons as the final touch. I hope someone's Grandma really likes it!

Thanks for stopping by; it's always great when you visit! Have a great week! Hugs, ~M.

Random Fact: On the new hundred dollar bill the time on the clock tower of Independence Hall is 4:10.



WHAT'S IT TAKE?
Stamps: Verve Visual's Because of You and PTI's Mother
Papers: GKD 80 lb. cream, SU! Real Red, PTI Dark Chocolate
Ink: Memento Rich Cocoa, Copics
Accessories: red twill tape, buttons, clear spica glitter pen

Rebecca by RI

So...here it is - my FIRST design team project for Repeat Impressions; sweet, adorable Rebecca. She's offered as the Stamp of the Week...if you're a blog subscriber (The House That Stamps Built) you can purchase her at 50% off...but you have to be a blog subscriber. W@@T, W@@T - who doesn't love a sale and isn't she beautiful? And don't forget, Repeat Impressions offers you the chance to purchase stamps the way YOU want - mounted or unmounted!

Seriously, after stamping her I could have left her just as she was, she's that pretty! But you know me, couldn't leave well enough alone so I colored her up a bit with my Copic markers. My green on the apron just did not match my DP at all; but I've learned so much from watching others with Copics - I pulled out a warm gray (W1) and colored over the green; it warmed it up and made it a fabulous match!

The ivory crocheted ribbon is from No Time To Stamp and added a nice soft vintage feel. I stamped Rebecca in Memento Rich Cocoa on a rectangle nestability; before removing the nestability I sponged the edges with PTI's Vintage Cream and VersaMagic's Sage. The base is PTI's Cream card stock and then the rest of the card is all mounted on GKD's 80 lb. Cream card stock which was also sponged the same as the nestability; then I adhered the top layer to the base with dimensionals. Rebecca is also mounted on a scalloped nestability and mounted with dimensionals. Two beautiful buttons - green & yellow tied with hemp were the final touch.

You won't want to miss what the rest of the DT has to show you - they will knock your socks off; be sure to drop by and leave them some love!


Ayana Posadas
Dana Joy
Lynette Neus
Joy Hadden
Julie Smith
Michele Greenwood - that's me!!
Darsie Rose Bruno
Harriet Skelly

Robin Kirkpatrick

And to find out more how you can purchase Rebecca at 50% off, visit The House That Stamps Built; we'll be offering weekly specials, so you don't want to miss the fun!

Thanks for stopping by; let me know what you think of Rebecca by clicking one of the boxes below or leaving a comment. Have a fabulous week! Hugs, ~M.



WHAT'S IT TAKE?
Stamps: Repeat Impressions Rebecca
Papers: PTI Cream & Lemon Tart, GKD 80 lb. Cream, Basic Grey DP, MME's Quit Contrary,
Ink: Memento Rich Cocoa, VersaMagic Sage, PTI Vintage Cream
Accessories: nestabilities, ivory crocheted ribbon
Copics: E00, 0, Y21, W1, YG00, YG03, YG63, YG11, YG67, YR24

Happy Birthday Little Mermaid

I have a dear friend who wanted a mermaid card for her daughter - her daughter just loves mermaids AND she loves pink, purple and blue. How did I do using those colors? LOL What a great and fun image to color. The mermaid is a digital stamp from Michelle Perkett (she has some super images, be sure to check them out in her Etsy store); isn't she adorable? I printed her MULTIPLE times so I could do lots of layering and coloring, look at that amazing dimension!

I used Taylor's sketch #109; what a fun, fun sketch; can't wait to use it again. I, once again, didn't want to be left behind in the newest trends (I am so not a trendy chick truly); but alas, I used some cardboard as the sand; I edged it with Scattered Straw Distress Ink & SU! Close to Cocoa; I also sponged with Scattered Straw just above where the sand would be when adhered to the white card stock.

The birthday girl is such a girly girl, so I made sure to include lots of sparkly bubbles on the mermaid, sparkly Encore purple ink, purple gems and the envelope has an extra sparkly butterfly & birthday sentiment. I hope she loves it!

And I hope YOU had a great weekend. We have another busy week lined up, but I wouldn't have it any other way. Thanks for stopping by; I really do appreciate your visit! Hugs, ~M.

Fun Fact - Cleopatra married two of her brothers. (really? that's just WRONG!!!)



WHAT'S IT TAKE?
Stamps: Digital Image by XXXX, Mussel Shell by Repeat Impressions
Papers: PTI Kraft & Hibiscus Burst, Neenah Solar White, Basic Grey,
Ink: SU! Close to Cocoa, Scattered Straw Distressed Ink, Encore Purple, PTI Hibiscus Burst
Accessories: Copics, nestabilities, cardboard, sponging, purple gems

New Friends - New Creations

I started a new job in January and I'm slowly introducing these new chicks (also known as co-workers) to my cards. I'm a sly one ya know!!

One of our main chickadees is selling her house; she and her hubby have worked so hard to get it ready for market (gosh, sounds like we're taking farm animals to market - ewwwww)...anyway, I digress... They have officially listed their house and each time they have a showing, she bakes fresh cookies for the stalkers, I mean lookers, to eat. Isn't that the sweetest thing?

She wanted a little card to welcome them, tell them to have a cookie AND let them know if they have children, they are welcome to play with the toys. Hmph...she's nicer than me; I'd leave them a note asking them to haul off some of the toys!

Anyway, I wanted to make an easel card cuz everyone I know has already made one...but me! Alas, I have conquered the easel card...I think it's cute! This one is 4 1/4" x 4 1/4"; lots of chocolate, a touch of red and some cream. Those are the main colors throughout her house and I love working with them so this was a really fun creation! Nothing fancy, lots of paper, layering, and sponging. The 1st picture shows the card open; the 2nd picture shows it closed.

Now see that beautiful Pure Poppy saddle stitch ribbon? You KNOW those stitches on the ribbon are pure white right? Not mine, I colored those white stitches with a light cream Copic and voila it matches perfectly - oh how I love my Copics.

I typed the sentiment on my computer and printed it in brown ink; then cut and matted with nestabilities. For the inside, I used the same papers and a punch by EK Success - the strip across the bottom looked so empty, but I didn't want to take away from the message the guests should be reading, so I added 3 Lush brown gems - simple, yet striking. BUT in looking at the card as I write the post, I think I should have moved the gems to the left side for the triangle effect - yes?

Thanks for stopping by; hope you're having a GREAT week! The weekend is almost here; our Saturday is PACKED with baseball and a basketball tournament, but Sunday is wide open (that means momma gets a nap - WHEE!).

See you soon; hugs, ~M.

Fun Fact: Licking a stamp leads to the consumption of 1/10 of a calorie.



WHAT'S IT TAKE?
Stamps: NONE
Papers: PTI Pure Poppy, Dark Chocolate, Chocolate Remix DP, GKD Cream
Ink: SU! Close to Cocoa for sponging
Accessories: Lush brown gems, Pure Poppy saddle stitch ribbon, Copics, nestabilities

The Big Reveal!

I am so very excited today to announce I have been accepted to my very first design team - W@@T, W@@T!!! EEEEEeeekkk...my picture is even over there - oh my!!!

I'll be working with Repeat Impressions and I can not wait; Wendy (the owner) is going to be a blast! So jump on board and check out the announcement at:

The House That Stamps Built (GREAT story behind this name - amazing) and while you're at it, hop on over to their store and see what YOU might need for your stamping collection:

Repeat Impressions

And while you're there, check out the other incredibly talented team members I'll be working with:

Ayana Posadas
Dana Joy
Darsie Bruno
Harriet Skelly
Joy Hadden
Julie Smith
Lynette Neus
Makiko Jones
Robin Kirkpatrick

Stick around, the fun is just beginning!

Hugs, ~M.

Hit with a Pitch - WARNING GRAPHIC!

Our son played in a baseball tournament this past weekend and was hit above the eye with a pitch; I won't give you all the details but to say - I'm traumatized! He's doing great; no concussion, he's very blessed...as are we!

I've made a slideshow of our pictures to date...enjoy but please know these pictures are graphic (no blood, just lots of swelling and bruising)!

Thanks for stopping by; take care! ~M.

CAS Mother's Day

I am really enjoying these layouts from the Clean & Simple blog; here's another one I did - FTL 85. I'm still enjoying several of my new PTI goodies and this time I played with both black & Hawaiian Shores felt to make some fabby flowers; I cut the edges off that flowed over the card - I liked them overflowing, but I also liked this look (and it needs to fit into the envelope - HA!)! My card is 7.25" by 3.5" inch; love the size, had tons of fun with it.

I used cardstock for the panel on the left-hand side but really felt it needed something else - I could just not make it work but I loved when I pulled out this beautiful black silky ribbon from My Favorite Things; the shine and edging is just gorgeous; so I joined the newest trend and made a ruffly strip; ***LOVE*** how it turned out - really hard to photograph though. The verse is from Verve Visual's "Because of You"; LOVE what it says! The inside is a simple Happy Mother's Day in black, but I added some swirly brackets in Hawaiian Shore from PTI's 2nd anniversary stamp set (not sold); I stamped it once right side up and then once upside down; since the stamps are clear, it's easy-peasy to line them up! I added lots of glitter using a clear Spica glitter pen to the brackets, but you can't see that in the photo. :( Great IRL though!!

I added MME's Lush black and some miscellaneous turquoise gems to the flowers. I love the way PTI's dies work - they are amazing - these flowers are from Beautiful Blooms II; I used all 3 sizes for the various flowers.

Thanks for stopping by; I'm going to have some MEGA EXCITING news late Wednesday afternoon or Thursday morning; I hope you'll stop back by! Have a great week; hugs, ~M.



WHAT'S IT TAKE?
Stamps: Verve Visual's Because of You , PTI's 2nd anniversary stamp set
Papers: PTI Hawaiian Shore & Black, GKD White
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, PTI Hawaiian Shore
Accessories: Lush Black Gems, Misc. Turquoise Gems, Beautiful Blooms II floral dies, Spica clear glitter pen, MS punch, My Favorite Things ribbon

L@@K!! WOOT, WOOT!

I am SO EXCITED; I have so much respect for Becky. Click HERE, see that little birdie card and my name - that's mine!

Sure 'nuff; I was chosen as one of the top 3 submissions. Oh did, I mention I'm excited?

Becky just introduced her very own stamping line through Papertreyink called Studio 64 - very whimsical & fun! She's an amazing artist, an amazing singer and an incredible mother; I love following her blog.

Thanks for allowing me to share my excitement with you...did I mention I'm ***REALLY*** excited?

Hugs, ~M.

Harold & Cake

Have you met Harold? Oh my, isn't he the cutest little dragon? I love him! I purchased him at DigiStamp Boutique when I also purchased the little Easter chick used HERE. I paired him with some of my favorite Basic Grey paper, Granola - it's my favorite 'go to' paper for boys/men! He's here to wish YOU a happy birthday with a dee-lish cupcake. Yum, yum!

I added some hemp and actually tied it together behind the colored image of Harold which was mounted with dimensionals. Simple, straightforward stamping - does that make this another CAS (clean & simple); if so, that makes 3 in a row! WOOT, WOOT for me; I always struggle with simple!

I colored Harold with Copics adding the ground he's standing on. The blue is rather bright in my pictures (sorry!), but it is much closer to matching the base cardstock IRL. I edged in the lines around the main image. Thanks for looking; hope you're having a great week! Hugs, ~M.



WHAT'S IT TAKE?
Stamps: Harold & Cake by DigiStamp Boutique
Paper: SU! blue, Basic Grey Granola DP, PTI Smokey Shadow
Ink: Printer. :D
Accessories: hemp, Copics

Clean & Simple Stamping - FTL 84

I found THIS blog through someone else (can't remember who) and love the layouts they provide - Clean & Simple Stamping. I used the FTL 84 layout and made this card; I used more new treasures from PTI - one being the new Hawaiian Shore paper. I used Hibiscus Burst and GKD White cardstock to accent the card. I loved the stitching from THIS card so I used it again; even my 12 year old likes it!

The floral image is from PTI's Beautiful Blooms II; I used the medium sized image inked in Hibiscus Burst and then rock and rolled in Raspberry Fizz. I outlined the image in C01 to give it a bit of pop off the white background. The floral image is mounted with dimensionals and a blue-ish button is added to the center.

Thanks for stopping by; hope you have a GREAT week!! Hugs, ~M.



WHAT'S IT TAKE?
Stamps: PTI Beautiful Blooms II, Mother & Polka Dot Basics
Papers: PTI Hawaiian Shores, Hibiscus Burst & GKD 80 lb. White
Ink: PTI Hibiscus Burst & Raspberry Fizz
Accessories: nesties, EK Success Punch, PTI ric rac die
Copics: C01:

Compose a Card #7

Hi friends!

Becky released her 7th Compose a Card challenge last week; you can see the deets HERE. I have to say, I really enjoy her challenges, you have creative freedom...within some guidelines - LOL!

I really liked the little birdy and large polka dots from her inspiration picture so those are the things I gravitated towards. My little birdy is from Imaginese, an older image called "Chick". The chick actually has legs, but my version needed to sit on this swirly rub-on branch, so I omitted the legs when inking her up. I stamped her twice, mounting the 2nd image with dimensionals.

The large polka dots were stamped with PTI's Vintage Cream...I used a few more new PTI products - can anyone spot them? PTI always makes me go cha-ching!!!

The black wool felt is actually from Wal-Mart and is self-sticking - oh yeah, love that. I bought a basic color pack which contains black, white, 2 shades of brown and a dark chocolate, should be lots of fun to play with!

Isn't that ric rac inside the card FUN? Just love it!!! I added piercing around the edge of the card and edged everything with Chai tea dye ink. The bird's flower and the flower of the rub-on both have rhinestones added for some fun bling. The button is tied off with some black hemp. Below are the Copic colors I used for coloring the bird.

Thanks for looking; hope you've had a great weekend! Hugs, ~M.

Fun Fact: 1 in 5,000 north Atlantic lobsters are born bright blue. (really??)



WHAT'S IT TAKE?
Stamps: Imaginese Chick, PTI's 2nd Anniversary Edition (Sending You A Happy Hello - inside the card)
Papers: PTI Vintage Cream, Spring Rain, Summer Sunrise
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black
Accessories: paper piercing, PTI dies (ric rac, Beautiful Blooms II #3), sponging, rhinestones, rub-ons, black spica glitter pen, white gel pen
Copics: Y17, Y38, B21, B34, B41, Colorless Blender