8/30/11

Hello, Cupcake!


Hello friends - I am DELIGHTED to report this week is going much, much better - let's hope it stays that way!  We are still having lots and lots of football practice so I'm gone from our home approximately 13 hours non-stop...INSANE and really interferes with my crafty time.  LOL  AND for some reason the kids think they need to eat!  :D

Our daughter that just started middle school made the volleyball team - yeah, her first game is this week, we're very excited...but that's ANOTHER night away from home..and yes, our son has football practice the same night, so we'll be split!  CAHHHH-RAZY I'm tellin' ya.

I made a birthday card using Jen's Sketch For You To Try (August); I got it in just under the wire - whoop!  This adorable cupcake image is from The Stamping Boutique - adorable digi images, absolutely adorable!  Doesn't that frosting look dee-lish?  It's Espresso Dimensional Pearls - always looks sooooo good...but please, don't go licking the screen!  HA!

Anyway, pretty straightforward stamping, layering, lots of dies and super fun colors!  DP is by MME, gosh I am so in love with their paper!  Lots of patterns too huh?  And L@@K; isn't this picture of the card and envie so cute?  That's the flap of the envie - cupcake image is from Papertreyink...adorable!
Thanks for stopping by; hope you have a great week!




... licking the frosting ...
Hugs,



WHAT'S IT TAKE?
Stamps: PTI Anniversary set, The Stamping Boutique Cupcake
Papers: PTI Hibiscus Burst, Simply Chartreuse, PTI White, DP by MME
Accessories: nesties, Copics, PTI felt, Espresso Dimensional Pearls, Ranger Enamel Accents-White





8/28/11

Repeat Impressions SOTW - Nubble Light

I am SOOOOOO READY for Monday! Bet that's the first time you've read that huh? If last week was bad...the weekend gave it a run for its money and was just as bad.  :(

So once again; super quick post.

This week at The House That Stamps Built we're sharing the Stamp of the Week - Nubble Light.  You can purchase this same image for 50% off this week only, so be sure to stop by The House That Stamps Built to get all the deets.

I used the spotlight technique for this card; I wanted to make the house and lighthouse really 'pop' from the image.  I don't use this technique often, but always like it!

Thanks for stopping by, don't forget to hop over to The House That Stamps Built to check out the great deal AND see all the other amazing creations by the Rock Stars!

... hoping my light can shine this week ...


Hugs, M.

WHAT'S IT TAKE?
Stamps: Repeat Impressions Nubble Light
Papers:  PTI Dark Chocolate, Blueberry Sky, Kraft
Ink:  Memento Rich Cocoa
Accessories: copics, water color pencils, odorless mineral spirits, SU! ticket corner punch

8/27/11

Cupcake Inspriations #125 - Stamp Fairy

No words for the week I've had - none! We spent 4.5 hours at the football fields today in 100+ temperatures on top of being sick yesterday and this morning - no words friends, no words.

Therefore I'll leave you with lots of pictures!  Pictures are good when there are no words!  :D



Cupcake Inspirations is sponsored by Stamp Fairy - you can get all the deets HERE and then join the fun!

...calorie free sweet treats...

Hugs, ~M.


WHAT'S IT TAKE?
Stamps: PTI Tiny Tags, Repeat Impressions Tulip Bouquet 
Papers: PTI Aqua Mist and Orange Zest, DP by MME, GKD Ivory
Ink:  Memento Rich Cocoa, VersaMagic ? - orange-y color   :D
Accessories:  Copics,PTI buttons, PTI tiny tags and scalloped die, ,crinkle ribbon, chocolate baker's twine, chocolate twine, Janome Sew Mini, Spica glitter pen

8/24/11

Breast Wishes!

A friend requested a b-day card for her sister - only request?  Hot pink and animal print.  Well, I "tried" to fulfill that wish - LOL - AND have some fun at the same time.  This card came together really quick and has amazing dimension and texture - faux fur for the zebra stripes, so cool IRL!!

The layout is The Sweet Stop #122 - fabby layout! It made pulling this card together a breeze!  I stamped the "bra" on the backside of the zebra paper and cut it out; then I stamped just the bow part on some pink paper, added white polka dots, cut out and adhered to the bra - cute, huh?  I love it!

I embossed the black layer with a quilt-like embossing folder; added a doodle border around the bra and the white dots were created with Copic's Opaque White and a toothpick.

As you can see, the front says "Breast Wishes" and the inside says "For a Happy Birthday"! The stamp set is from Skipping Stones Design - a very funny stamp set; it really does need to see ink more often.  :D

Hope the recipient enjoys!  Have a great week and thanks for popping in!

... how to say bra in German: holdzemfrumfloppen ...

Hugs, ~M.




WHAT'S IT TAKE?
Stamps: Skipping Stones Designs Bras Volume 2
Papers: PTI True Black, Hibiscus Burst, GKD White, Misc. zebra DP
Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black
Accessories:  Copics,black/white twine, PTI Hibiscus Burst Saddle Stitch Ribbon and button

8/23/11

Repeat Impressions What If? Wednesday

Hello friends; happy Hump Day! Let me just say, school has started for our 3 kids and it is kicking my butt....they seem to be doing much better than me.  LOL  I now leave home at 7:15 a.m. and return at 8:20 p.m., except for Wednesday's; our only night we don't have practice/games, etc.  Yes, you read those times correct, seriously cutting in to my creative time!

Anywho, you didn't come here to read me whining now did you? Yeah, you'd probably like to offer me some "cheese" with that "whine" eh?  :D  Glad I'm not a drinkin' girl!

OK, on to this weeks challenge:

The Rock Stars are back with another What If? Wednesday over at The House That Stamps Built; Wendy offered up another fabulous sketch this week, you can go fancy schmancy or take it the CAS route...and don't forget, there is a $25 gift certificate up for grabs, so be sure to play along!

I used one of my "go to" stamps - Tulip Bouquet - you can never go wrong with this image! A fun, unusual color combo and DP, some scrumptious ribbon and voila, a quick and simple card!

Hope you'll check out what the other Rock Stars have created and then play along!

... keeping my nose above the water and breathing deep ...


Hugs, ~M.


WHAT'S IT TAKE?
Stamps: Repeat Impressions Tulip Bouquet
Papers: PTI Dark Chocolate, Sweet Blush, Pure Poppy, DP by MME
Ink:  Memento Rich Cocoa, VersaMagic Sweet Pea
Accessories:  Copics, Nesties, MFT Stamps ribbon

8/20/11

Cupcake Inspriations #124 - Praire Fairy

It's time for another amazing Cupcake Inspirations challenge! Beautiful inspiration photo!

This week we are sponsored by Prairie Fairy; lots of fabby images - take a peek and then stop this week and play along with us.  One person will win their choice of 5 individual images!


I went with flowers for my card - big flowers, mega dimension (Beautiful Blooms II).  :D  Each layer was embossed with white embossing detail powder and mounted with a thick dimenesional - can you tell from the side view?  The sentiment is from Verve Visual.  The layout is last week's Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge #130, you can see it HERE.


AND the beautiful Cupcake Inspiration picture!

Go ahead; take some inspiration from those beautiful cupcakes and join in the fun!

...calorie free sweet treats...

Hugs, ~M.


WHAT'S IT TAKE?
Stamps: PTI Beautiful Blooms, Verve Visiaul

Papers: PTI Lemon Tart, Hibiscus Burst, Rustic White, Spring Moss
Ink:  VersaMagic Tea Leaves, SU! Craft White, PTI Hibiscus Burst
Accessories:  Copics, nesties, white embossing powder, PTI scallop die, corner rounder







8/16/11

Forever in our Hearts

A very dear friend contacted me about making a card for her daughter whose dear friend lost her father.  Loss is so hard and the girl is young.  :( 

But the request was for lime green and pink - I don't have a "true" lime green, but I thought these colors would work and the little girl as well as the recipient would like it.  As you can see, I carried the "heart" theme throughout the card as we will always treasure our loved ones within our hearts!

The layout is from The Sweet Stop (#121); I took a bit of liberty with the layout, but it's a good one!

I combined several dies and punches; DP is from MME.  :D  No surprise on that DP, eh?  LOL  Some scrumptious MFT lace and a cute little flower and button finish it off.

I included a glimpse into the inside of the card and the sentiment.  Both the outside and inside sentiments are from Verve Visual's Forever in our Hearts stamp set.

TFL; hope you have a great day!

...forever in our hearts...


Hugs, M.


WHAT'S IT TAKE?
Stamps: Verve Visual Love Notes and Forever in our Hearts
Papers:  GKD white, PTI Simply Chartreuse and Berry Sorbet
Ink:  PTI Berry Sorbet, Dark Chocolate and Simply Chartreuse
Accessories: PTI doily die and floral die, MS border punch, Verve Visual Jotted Heart Die, MFT lace, distressing tool, dotted embossing folder




8/14/11

Repeat Impressions SOTW - Blueberry Cluster

Happy, happy Monday, I have just returned from a girls weekend away - OH MY, what fun we had...unbelievably fun!  AND I'm off work today so we can fit in lots of doctor's appointments before the little ones head back to school on Wednesday.  The highlight today will be our youngest daughter getting her braces off - CANNOT wait to see her beautiful smile...without braces!  I'll post pix!  :D

This week at The House That Stamps Built we're sharing the Stamp of the Week - Blueberry Cluster.  You can purchase this same image for 50% off this week only, so be sure to stop by The House That Stamps Built to get all the deets.

Sorry for the dark pictures; I wanted to try to capture the one-layer white card with lots of deep purples - seriously, don't those blueberries look good enough to eat?  YUM-MO! I added an adorable sentiment with this image and stapled on some scrumptious ribbon.  And instead of using my typical "black" ink to stamp the image, I used Momento London Fog for a softer image. Easy peasy!

Thanks for stopping by, don't forget to hop over to The House That Stamps Built to check out the great deal AND see all the other amazing creations by the Rock Stars!


...scrumptious blueberries....

Hugs, M.


WHAT'S IT TAKE?
Stamps: Repeat Impressions Blueberry Cluster
Papers:  GKD 120 lb. white, PTI Royal Velvet
Ink:  Memento London Fog
Accessories: nesties, PTI saddle stitch ribbon, Copics

8/13/11

Cupcake Inspriations #123 - Mo Manning

Complete card including belly band
It's time for another amazing Cupcake Inspirations challenge! And I really loved this one - maybe because I seriously considered licking my screen for the frosting of the inspiration photo - HA!!!

This week we are sponsored by Mo Manning Digital Images; if you've been around stamping long and peeked into the digital world, then you KNOW Mo has some of THE. BEST. DIGITAL. IMAGES. EVAH!!!!  AND she has been so kind as to donate 4 - $10 gift certificates, so everyone should join this challenge!

I decided to try Christina's fun fold card which you can see HERE.  Gosh; I just love her card and couldn't wait to give it a whirl.  So there are several pictures, I'll give you just a few tid bits and then all the pictures!  :D

I used Mo's digi image "Big Shoes" and tie it into a little girl playing dress up.  I created the inside sentiment on the computer and printed it onto GKD 80 lb. card stock.  The crayons and little bus on the inside as well as the DP are from Imaginesce. I added some glitter to the crayons - seriously, what girl wouldn't want crayons WITH glitter (hopefully you can see from the close up picture!  I darkened the photo which contains the 2nd generation school bus.  Love the belly band - what a super fun fold card; you'll see more of these in the future!!

Belly band off, gate fold open


Little girl panel folded down to show the inside.


AND the amazing Cupcake Inspiration picture!



Go ahead; take some inspiration from that amazing cupcake (don't lick your screen tho) and join in the fun!

...calorie free sweet treats...

Hugs, ~M.


WHAT'S IT TAKE?
Stamps: Mo Manning Digi Image Big Shoes

Papers: PTI Aqua Mist, Pure Poppy, DP by Imaginesce
Ink:  VersaMagic Wheat, Memento Tuxedo Black
Accessories:  Copics, nesties, Spica glitter pens







8/12/11

Pretty Quiet in my Blog World

Hello friends - it's been pretty quiet on the ole blog-o this week...and it will be next week too!  I'm preparing for a GIRLS JUST WANT TO HAVE FUN trip - leave today and returning next week - PAR-TAY!

Free Smiley Courtesy of www.millan.net

I have a couple cards that should post while I'm away; in the meantime, I"ll see you on the flip side!

Free Smiley Courtesy of www.millan.net

...girlsjustwanttohavefun...

Hugs, ~M.

8/9/11

Repeat Impressions What If? Wednesday

Hello friends; happy Hump Day!

The Rock Stars are back with another What If? Wednesday over at The House That Stamps Built; Wendy offered up another great sketch this week and there is a $25 gift certificate up for grabs, so be sure to play along!

I LOVE these frogs and haven't used them in FOREVER; but just couldn't resist playing with this super fun image and great, happy colors!!  Nothing fancy just stamping, some distressing, some sewing, a crocheted flower, button and some twine - simple, yet fun!

Hope you'll check out what the other Rock Stars have created and then play along!

...as always...no tidy whities in THIS house ...


Hugs, ~M.


WHAT'S IT TAKE?
Stamps: Repeat Impressions Frogs
Papers: PTI Hibiscus Burst, Simply Chartreuse, DP by MME, GKD white
Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black
Accessories:  Copics, Janome Sew Mini, PTI button, crocheted flower, misc. twine

8/7/11

Cupcake Inspriations #122 - DRS Designs

It's time for another amazing Cupcake Inspirations challenge!

This week we are sponsored by DRS Designs; super cute products, hop over and check them out!  AND one lucky participant will win a $10 gift certificate, better join the fun!!

AND the amazing Cupcake Inspiration picture!


I decided to use the flip flop image (as several other designers did); they are just perfect for the image! BUT I have anther image from DRS Designs that I cannot wait to color!

The layout is Viva la Verve August, week 2 - super sweet layout  Easy layout that you can dress up, or dress down!  The papers are from MME (**shock I know**); I would buy every single one of their 6x6 paper pads, I love their papers.

Anyway, the rest is straight-forward stamping and layering, nothing too fancy. I did add some white gel dots to a few of the flowers and each flower center was made with Butterscotch dimensional pearls. And we can't forget the little hand-drawn doodle border I created around the flip flops.  :D

Go ahead; take some inspiration from those elegant cupcakes and join in the fun!

...calorie free sweet treats...

Hugs, ~M.


WHAT'S IT TAKE?
Stamps: DRS Designs Flip Flops

Papers: PTI Hawaiian Shores, Dark Chocolate, DP by MME
Ink:  PTI Dark Chocolate (inside)
Accessories:  Copics, nesties, white gel pen, butterscotch dimensional pearls, EK Success border punch, Janome Sew Mini







8/1/11

TLT Fave Stamp

Hello friends; how are you?  It's time for another TLT challenge - it's been a MONTH, can you believe it?

I am passionate about Queenie-poo's Shoes 'n Bags stamps, you can see all the various stamps HERE.  In fact, if you'd like to know HOW much I like them you can see other cards I made with stamps from within this set:

Birthday Backpack
Hey Dude
Beach Babe
Orange Backpack
Sexy!
Summer Flip Flops

AND these images were just released at the end of April - HA, I use them quite often wouldn't you agree?  So it was an easy choice today when I needed to pick my fave stamp to use - ANYTHING from the Shoes 'n Bags category and I was good to go.

I love this shape card; but I must remember to use a smaller size die - I don't have an envie this card will fit in - LOL!!

I cut the notebook die and then stamped notebook paper (very, very light) before stamping my main image.  I colored it with Copics and then added some BV000 - I've been watching Debbie Olson add shading using BV01 typically so I thought I would give it a try....I used it in the corners of the bag and around the tie-on; can you tell?  What do you think?

I finished the card with some twill ribbon, a tag which says "Life's a Beach!" tied on with some crinkled ribbon.  Oh yes, I added some microbeads to the flip flops - pur-dy huh?  :D  LOVE them so much; I was so jealous of Queenie-poo always having microbeads but now I have some.  Nana poo-poo!  LOL

Hope you'll check out the challenge and then join the fun!

...life's a beach!...
Hugs, ~M.


WHAT'S IT TAKE?
Stamps:  Ladybug Crafts Ink Shoes 'n Bags
Papers:  GKD Cream, DP by MME, PTI Kraft and Aqua Mist
Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black, Versamagic Wheat, Chamomile Tea Dye Ink
Accessories:  Copics, nestie, PTI dies, twill ribbon, crinkle ribbon