10/31/14

Crafts 4 Eternity - Tags or Tickets

Hi friends - happy Friday AND Happy Halloween! Any big plans for Halloween, for you or your little ones? We have a high school football game, so we won't be home.
From Millan.Net
BUT beyond Halloween, it's time for another fab recipe from Crafts 4 Eternity - tags or tickets! We want to see any project which has at least one ticket or one tag; one lucky participant will win 3 digital images from Crafty Sentiments Designs.

I went with a large tag from Memory Box and some fun, bright colors (Razzle Berry, Jellybean, and Lemon Drop from MFT Stamps). I stamped all the images in Unicorn White, then stamped the images again in these various colors offset slightly. I used a white gel pen to highlight the outline of the greenery and the edges of the flowers that were stamped in the Unicorn White as well as some dots randomly on the tag.


I then embossed a piece of MFT's Razzle Berry with a floral/bird embossing folder, cut a few scallop strips from MFT's Razzle Berry, Lemon Drop and PTI's Dark Chocolate. I also stamped those scallops with MFT's Linen background stamp. I tied on a big white organza bow and added a piece o the large tag.

Thanks for popping in; hope you have time to join this great recipe challenge, we always love seeing your creations. Have a GREAT weekend!!

Hugs,

WHAT'S IT TAKE?
Stamps: MFT Linen background stamp, Verve Visual Bloom and Grown and Kind Words
Papers: PTI Kraft and Dark Chocolate, MFT Lemon Drop, Jellybean and Razzle Berry
Ink: Versamark, MFT Hot Fudge, Razzle Berry, Lemon Drop, Jellybean
Accessories: white gel pen, Memory Box Distress Tag, organza ribbon, PTI small scallop die

Challenges:

10/29/14

57 days? SAY WHAT?!?

It's true my friends - only 57 days till Christmas...I think I have 2 gifts bought to date.
From Millan.Net

How how about you? How many have you purchased?

Well my card this week for Prickley Pear Stamps makes me think of CHRISTMAS...although we've been enjoying some summer temperatures this past week - think 90 degrees! But alas, Christmas will be here soon and I need to get a few cards ready to go! I used this adorable snowman (Walter) from Prickley Pear and added a little birdie to his hand! The layout is Karen'ts Sweet Sunday Sketch #242 (layout below).

Some pretty paper, embossing, and lots of glossy accents finish this little guy off. I added a big ole button, some twine and decorated the inside too; stamped that little snowman with MFT's Kraft ink.

inside



Thanks for stopping by; hope you have a GREAT hump day and we'll see you again soon!

Hugs,


WHAT'S IT TAKE?
Stamps: Prickley Pear Stamps Snowman and Papertrey Ink Little Bitty Bird
Papers: Copic XPress It, PTI Dark Chocolate and Rustic White,DP By MME
Ink: VersaFine Black, MFT Kraft and Hot Fudge Hybrid Ink
Accessories: clear Wink of Stella, glossy accents, MFT Blueprints, white gel pen, Copics, snowflake embossing folder, misc. button, Lil Inkers flag die

Challenges:

  SSSC242

10/27/14

2 Cute Ink - Apple Time

Hi friends - I hope you've had a great weekend! Our was...interesting. Let's just leave it at that. LOL

Welcome back to another super fun post and image from 2 Cute InkHeidi has the most adorable apple image - not just for Halloween - it can be used for anything; cover it in sprinkles, color it to match an apple pie, etc. - you name it. But I wanted to try this amazing recipe I found HERE; Heidi's apple spurred me on to do just that using a Halloween theme - as if the apples were dipped in caramel. Yeah, caramel and apples - you had me at YUM!!

I printed the images and cut them out with MFT's Blueprint Tags, then colored with Copics. I cut a black piece for the back side of the tag - to hide all that coloring; and of course, another spot to decorate! :D I added glossy accents to the top of the apple and a few sprinkles on each tag.
green apple and dipping 'sauce'

5 little tags

back of tags




I kept the tags pretty simple, adding googly eyes for fun. :D I sadly could not find any 1/2 pint jars, but these little containers worked just fine; wrapped it all up in some pretty packaging and ta-da, a tasty little treat for my coworkers. LOVE the heath bits on top of the layers of cream cheese and caramel - tasty!!

Thanks for popping in; be sure to check out what the rest of the design team has created!

Hugs,


WHAT'S IT TAKE?
Stamps: 2 Cute Ink Dipped Apple
Papers: Neenah 80 lb. white, DP by MME
Ink: NONE
Accessories: twine, MFT Bueprint Tags 1, Sharpie for doodling, googly eyes, cellophone bags from Wal-Mart

Challenges:
  Crafts Galore Encore Challenge Blog - Something Scary or Something Sweet
  Dream Valley - Halloween
  Creative Knockouts - Halloween
  Cure Card Thursday - Trick or Treat
  Creative Corner Challenges - Halloween
  Delicious Doodles - Halloween
  Craft for the Craic - suitable for a child
  Wags 'n Whiskers - Stripes (bag AND back of tags)
  Kitty Bee Designs - Aloha Friday Challenge, Halloweeen
  Pumpkin Spice - Harvest or Halloween

10/23/14

Top 15 Things Your Middle School Kid Wishes You Knew

This is completely non-crafty related! :D

Last night at parent/teacher conferences, the Communications teacher shared this article with us. The students (8th grade) were asked to read it, then star which items they wanted us to know about them, which items were most important.

I found the entire article A-M-A-Z-I-N-G...hope you'll take a few minutes to read!

by Rachel Vail, author of Unfriended

1. Respect me. I'm my own person, not just your kid. Sometimes I might have opinions that differ from yours. Sometimes I just want to be your baby. Respect me either way.

2. I still want to have fun with you, and feel like home is safe and happy. Smile at me.

3. I need to make some of my own choices, and maybe some of my own mistakes. Don't do my work for me or get me out of every jam. You don't need to be better than me at everything. Don't condescend; you don't need to impart your elderly wisdom on me if I have a problem. Please wait for me to ask for your help. If I don't ask for it, I might want to work it out for myself. Let me rant without offering advice. Sometimes that's all I really need, just to talk my way through something and for you to just listen to me.

4. Sometimes I'm going to be moody and annoyed and frustrated. You need to just let that happen (though you shouldn't let me be rude to you; that's weird and embarrassing). It might just be a mood or something might be going on that I'm not ready to talk about yet. If you hang around doing stuff near me and don't interrupt or try to solve it as soon as I start, I might feel comfortable talking with you about things.

5. Trust that I'll do my work. If I don't, you can help me manage my time, but wait until I'm not taking care of responsibilities to think I can't. Don't just assume I can't handle responsibility because of my age. Believe in me.

6. It feels really good when you ask me to teach you about what I'm learning or what I'm good at. You don't have to be awesome at computer programming to let me teach you some cool stuff, for instance. I have to be a beginner constantly. Show me it's OK to stay relaxed and present when you are struggling to learn something.

7. I don't like the drama either, and it surprises me as much as it does you. You think it's rough having this alien lunatic in your house? Try having it in your body, and you can't even get away.

8. If you don't like my friends, it feels like you don't trust my judgment or like I am stupid about choosing friends. Or both. Ask me what I like about them, or what we have fun doing together, or just to tell you about a new friend. Stay open-minded. Still, if you think my friends are being bad to me, I need you on my side that much more.

9. Sometimes I am completely overwhelmed and need to zone out for a while. I am not becoming a slug and will not stay in my room staring at a screen for the rest of my life. Maybe just for the rest of the afternoon.

10. I will fight you every step of the way if you make me do stuff I don't want to do (get some exercise, do my homework, write a thank-you note, practice piano, apologize to my sister, take a shower, wear deodorant... so many things), but you should probably make me do them anyway. I know I will feel better if I sweat and shower each day, and develop my study skills, and show up tomorrow prepared, and, and, and. I know! But please don't overwhelm me. I might not be able to do what I should right away. I might need reminders, later, which will annoy me completely. Remind me anyway.

11. Explain why I'm being criticized or punished. It feels scary if I don't understand anything beyond that you are mad at me. And sometimes what I need more than a scolding is a hug or a cuddle. Especially when I am more porcupine than puppy.

12. I need to have private jokes with my friends and not explain them to you. It's how we bond. You don't need to be involved in every aspect of my life to still be loved and needed by me.

13. If my social life gets to be too much, I may need you to force a little vacation from it on me. But most of time what I need is to work through how to navigate life online and with peers. Now is my chance to learn how to deal, with your help. Just shutting it down keeps me from learning how to build my life online with scaffolding provided by you. Stay calm and cool, let me explain what's going on, and talk things through with me. Ask more, tell less.

14. Especially if I've been feeling stressed, maybe you could just hang out with me. Go to the park or get an ice cream or have a catch, whatever; it feels good to just do something together without discussing or solving or teaching anything.

15. I like it when you think I'm funny. Or interesting. Or awesome. I actually do care what you think about me. Please find something specific you actually like about me because sometimes I can't find anything in myself to like at all. I might roll my eyes, but your words and judgments do matter to me, and I will remember them, the good and the bad. I will keep them with me like treasures even when I lose my keys and wallet and ID. Which I probably will. More than once. Sorry.

And bonus extra important thing you should know: The fact that my opinions on this and anything else might change tomorrow does not mean I don't feel them fiercely today. Keep up. I love you. Remind me you still love me, too.

10/22/14

Prickley Pear Stamps - Black Eye Susan * 3

Hi friends - welcome back to another little creation for Prickley Pear Stamps! This time I'm using one of their red rubber images - Black Eye Susan...and to spice up my life...and yours (HA!), I used it 3 times in different color combos. These cards are completely CAS (clean and simple) yet so sparkly IRL!

So grab a cuppa and settle in for picture overload!
From Millan.Net
Have you seen Jennifer's YouTube videos of coloring with sparkle? You can find it HERE and I followed right along with these cards. I used water color paper, distress markers and a clear Wink of Stella pen for coloring the flowers, highlighting around the image and word as well as creating the border around the main panel. I hope you can see the sparkle in this gorgeous image!!

I added distress marker directly to the edge of the main panel which is popped up on dimensionals; then a fine line underneath the main panel and color washed it out to the edges with the clear Wink of Stella.







Hugs,


WHAT'S IT TAKE?
Stamps: Prickley Pear Stamps Black Eye Susan and Verve Visual Because of You
Papers: Strathmore water color paper
Ink: VersaFine Black 
Accessories: clear Wink of Stella, MME enamel accents, washi tape, Distress Markers

Challenges:

10/17/14

Crafts for Eternity - Creepy Crawlers

Or nah.... :D

LOL, that "or nah" is so my youngest teenager daughter! This week at Crafts 4 Eternity, we want to see your Creepy Crawlers (images that is)!! Go ahead and show us any type insect or bug - worms, butterfly, ants, etc. I used the PRETTY insect to play along this week!

Just for joining the fun, one person will win 4 free images from Sassy Studio Designs!

This adorable dotty butterfly is from Prickley Pear Stamps; I stamped and embossed the image 3 times. I created an ombre background with Spun Sugar and Picked Raspberries distress inks; the middle and bottom pink are both Picked Raspberries, I just used a heavier application at the very bottom.



I added a trail for each butterfly and glossy accents to each circle as well as glossy accents for the embellishments randomly placed on the card - simple, yet fun. I added a strip of black card stock on the right embossed with MFT's On the Diagonal Background.

Thanks for popping in; hope you have a GREAT weekend!!

Hugs,

WHAT'S IT TAKE?
Stamps: MFT On the Diagonal Background, Prickley Pear Stamps Butterflies 2
Papers: PTI Raspberry Fizz and True Black, Tim Holtz water color paper
Ink: VersaFine Black, Spun Sugar and Picked Raspberries Distress Inks,, VersaMark
Accessories: glossy accents, Copic Multi-liner, clear embossing powder

Challenges:
  Papertake Weekly Challenge - Super Fly
  Emerald Faeries Challenge Blog - Things with Wings

10/15/14

Prickley Pear Stamps - Butterflies 2

Hi friends! I'm back with 2 CAS cards today for Prickley Pear - LOVE these bright colors with the striking black and white...and a little gray thrown in there!

These butterflies are from the Butterflies 2 set; seriously, such gorgeous, gorgeous images! You can see all the Prickley Pear images HERE. I die cut and embossed each butterfly and colored them with just 2 Copics. To the polka dot butterfly I added glossy accents to each solid circle; both butterflies were given a coat of clear Wink of Stella - love me some Wink of Stella! ;) Their antennae were coated with black Wink of Stella. I added a solid black butterfly underneath to help them "pop" and only attached them together at their body.






The rest is simple card stock, designer paper, some dainty embossing, a gray circle and that's it - clean, simple, yet striking. Be sure to check out all the Prickley Pear images here and have a GREAT week!

Hugs,

WHAT'S IT TAKE?
Stamps: Prickley Pear Butterflies 2
Papers: Misc. White, PTI True Black, Raspberry Fizz and Hawaiian Shores, DP by MME
Ink: VersaFine Black, MFT Black Licorice
Accessories: clear embossing powder, clear and black Wink of Stella glitter, MFT Stitched Circles, Mama Elephant Femme Frames, Prickley Pear butterfly die, embossing folder

Challenges:

10/13/14

2 Cute Ink - Hello Princess

Hi friends! Welcome back to a new digi reveal for 2 Cute Ink; this adorable little princess! You can see all the creations with this adorable image at 2 Cute Ink's Challenge Blog.

Did anyone else take the Online Copic Class over the last couple of weeks? I did and decided to 'try' channeling Kathy Racoosin by tracing the image after I finished coloring AND adding some extra accents (lace along the bottom, extra line at the base of the dress AND some black dots extending up at the loops of the dress...go ahead and check out all the other design team samples, then you'll notice the extra touches. I did have an issue with my black Copic multi-liner smearing when I added clear Wink of Stella so to fix that? Yeah, I added white polka dots to her dress!  :D



Our daughter plays volleyball and each game, a girl brings new ribbons for them to wear in their hair - this pink ribbon is left over from when she provided ribbon to the girls - it was a perfect, sparkly match for the card. Layout is Karen's Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge #239 (turned vertically).

Thanks for stopping by; hope you have a GREAT week!

 Hugs,

WHAT'S IT TAKE?
Stamps: 2 Cute Ink Princess
Papers: MFT Whip Cream, DP by Echo Park
Ink: None!
Accessories: white gel pen, clear Wink of Stella, MFT Blueprints, misc. ribbon, misc. button, black/white twine, glossy accents

Challenges:
 SSSC239

10/9/14

Prickley Pear Stamps

Hi friends! This month I'm guest designing for Prickley Pear and boy do I have some goodies to show you!

This first card is totally CAS allowing the stamps, the die and some fabby designer paper do all the work! I created a starry (or snowy) sky; a small hill of snow and 5 little trees nestled in the snow. All of the trees were cut with the Prickley Pear (PP) Christmas Tree die and then a couple were stamped with different images from the Christmas Trees 2 clear stamp set.

They have some of the most adorable images AND lots and lots of matching dies, be sure to check all their fun goodies out HERE.


Card w/Envie

I added some pearls (originally white, colored red with Copics) to the one tree which is popped up on dimensionals, a red sentiment and base card finish it all off.

Thanks for stopping by; I can't wait to show you more goodies this month! Have a great week!

Hugs,

WHAT'S IT TAKE?
Stamps: Prickley Pear Christmas Trees 2
Papers: Misc. White, PTI Pure Poppy, DP by MME
Ink: MFT Electric Red, Tumbled Glass and Faded Jeans Distress Inks
Accessories: pearls, Copics, Prickley Pear Christmas Tree die, white gel pen

Challenges:

10/3/14

Crafts 4 Eternity - 3 of the same letter

The computer and I are NOT friends today. UGH... :(

BUT I'm finally back with a super fun recipe from Crafts 4 Eternity - we want to see you use 3 of the same starting with the same first letter - whew, THAT'S a mouthful! :D So you know, buttons, bunting, brads, or purple, paint, paper - easy and fun, hope you will join us. One lucky participant will win 3 free images from Michele at Crafts 4 Eternity!

I was working on bonus points here - I have 5 items starting with the same letter - stitching, sequins, shadow stamping, stripes AND spots - WOW, who would have known! :D The shadow stamping is a technique from Julia Stanton which you can see HERE. The glossy accents actually caused a bit of warping on my vellum but I made do and still think it's a bright, fun card.

I also, like Julia, created a pocket with the tag from MFT and put some sequins inside as well as sprinkles on the cupcake, The "HI" is from MFT's Blueprints #7. I added a wooden heart colored with Copics and then a a heavy layer of glossy accents. And again, just like Julia, I added glossy accents as part of the frosting of the cupcake - too cute; love catching small ideas like that. I never think of them myself! O.O



Thanks for popping in; hope you will join us this week at Crafts 4 Eternity. Have a GREAT weekend!

Hugs,

WHAT'S IT TAKE?
Stamps: MFT It's a Cupcake Kind of Day and Hello Cupcake
Papers: MFT Whip Cream, DP by MME
Ink: VersaFine Black, MFT Berrylicious (envelope)
Accessories: glossy accents, sequins, MFT Tag Builder Blueprints, MFT Blueprints #7, wood heart, Copics, Janome Sew Mini

Challenges: