It's Raining Here In Michigan

This image is so fitting for the weather in Michigan today. We even had thunder today and a power surge. We had our candles out and ready for a power loss. Here is another chick from the new Hey Chicky set. I paired it with an Amuse sentiment. Wouldn't this be adorable to get if you weren't feeling well? You can't really tell from the photo, but I used Crystal Effects to create rain drops and also made a puddle at the chick's feet. I don't know where the patterned paper is from. I'm sorry. It was from some sort of paper stack - my mom shared with me again. And, don't you love those cute little dew drops in the corner??? Bet you thought that I used my Crystal Effects and waited for 2 days for it to dry..NOPE! Robin's Nest Dew Drops...they come like that in a bazillion colors. All you do is add a mini glue dot to the back and PRESTO! Check them out at All That Scraps!

Supplies Used: Certainly Celery cs, ink, 5/8" Grosgrain Ribbon, Regal Rose cs, SW Marker, Pretty in Pink cs, ink, Black Staz On, Versa Mark, So Saffron ink, Pumpkin Pie ink, Aquapainter, Crystal Effects, Clear Robin's Nest Dew Drops, Polka Dot Background Stamp, Simply Said (Stampin' Up!), Hey Chicky set.

Hey Chicky!!

Here is my first Chicky card! Christine debuted the design team members Chicky cards yesterday and I hadn't had a chance to play with them and send her my first sample so you get to see it here first. This set is called Hey Chicky. Cute huh? And I have completely bought into the birdy stamp phase that is going on right now so any new birdies in my collection makes me sing!

I had such fun with this! This whole set is adorable and I hope to get a few more done today. If I haven't told you yet, I love the Summer Picnic designer paper from Stampin' Up. The colors are great and I have always loved blue, red and green together and this paper has lots of that! I used my Stampin Up! inks and an aqua painter to color the image and the slit punch to make the scallop border. Not a fancy card, but fun to make and easy to duplicate! Hint, hint! If you do duplicate it in some way, post your link here so I can take a peek. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery!

Supplies Used: Real Red cs, ink, SW Marker, Certainly Celery cs, ink, Bashful Blue cs, ink, So Saffron SW Marker, Summer Sun Marker, slit punch, Summer Picnic designer paper, Real Red Striped Ribbon, Hey Chicky set.

Its All About the Presents! And Giveaway Link!

This adorable image is one that is in the Its My Birthday Set from C.C. Designs as well as the monkey. I love it! Lulu is one of my favorite "characters" that Christine draws. (I think my favorite is Lucky but Lulu is right up there. Wait till you see the Lucky stamp in this set!) Anyway, another set that will be released Friday morning is "Hey Chicky". If you check out the All That Scraps blog http://atsblog.typepad.com/ats/ you'll see a bunch of samples that the other design team members created (mine aren't on there because I hadn't had a chance to upload and send it to Christine). BUT, the fun part is that she's giving away some fun flock and some glitter flowers just for posting a comment to her entry. So, run on over there and try to get some flock!

Now, back to this card....The color inspiration came from the printed paper. This paper is from the current Stampin Up Occasions Mini Collection catalog. It is called Summer Picnic. That fun ribbon is some that I won at the Birch Run splitcoaststampers event. It works perfectly don't you think? I colored LuLu with ink refills and an aqua painter. Lulu fit perfectly in my Marvy Giga Oval Punch. As for the sentiment....isn't that the cutest?!?!? I used my Stampin' Up! More Mustard brads for accents on the sentiment block and the card was done.

Supplies: Old Olive cs, ink, Bashful Blue cs, ink, Close to Cocoa ink, Chocolate Chip ink, Pumpkin Pie ink, More Mustard brads, wired ribbon, Its My Birthday set.

Sneak Peek!

Here is the first sneak peek from a bunch of new stuff that C.C. Designs is releasing early on Friday morning (12:01 am to be exact!) This is my absolute favorite set of the new designs and may be my favorite C.D. Designs set ever! Isn't this monkey the cutest!?! Both of the printed papers are from All That Scraps and is created by Sassafrass Lass. I used this paper at Valentines Day this year and it is perfect for spring/summer as well. The layout for this card is done for this week's sketch challenge at Splitcoaststampers. I colored this cute little guy with my Stampin' Up! ink and an aquapainter. The cupcake is a separate image in the set that I cut out and used a dimensional so he could be holding it. This set is called It's My Birthday and I am sure you will love it as much as I do! You can purchase this set at All That Scraps http://www.allthatscraps.com/. Did you realize that with orders over $10 you get free shipping?

Supplies Used: Cool Caribbean cs, ink, Sassafrass Lass printed paper, Regal Rose cs, ink, Creamy Caramel ink, Close to Cocoa ink, Chocolate Chip ink, various Stampin Write Markers, Its My Birthday Set (C.C. Designs).

The First Baby Girl

A friend of mine is having her third child and this will be the first girl. She is so excited. Julia Grace isn't due until June but some friends of her's threw her a shower today and I had much fun making her a girly card done in mom's favorite colors of pink and brown. The patterned paper is from Close to My Heart (I know, GASP, I purchased from "the other" company, but a friend had a party and I felt like I had to order something, it is really pretty paper though). The adorable fairy is from Lizzie Anne Designs. I added Stickles because, well....every girl needs some sparkle!

Be sure to check back tomorrow as I'll start sharing some adorable projects with a new set or two from the new releases from C.C. Designs. I have been playing with the new Lucky and

LuLu set...You won't be sorry!

Birthday Invite - First Sleepover!

Our oldest daughter is turning 9 next Saturday. I can't believe she is that old already! Every year since her first birthday we have had a party, except for last year. We usually do parties here at home with streamers, homemade decorations and balloons but last year she chose to have one friend spend the day with her and her daddy going bowling. This year we are having her first sleepover! YIKES! I hope it goes well. Initially I wanted a "sleepover" invitation but I couldn't find exactly what I was looking for. Ever since All In The Family came out, Megan has adored that set so when my friend Lorien (waving hi to her!) said I could borrow it, I knew I'd have to use it on the invites. I used some retired designer series paper from Stampin' Up! on the front and my Marvy Giga Scallop Oval. Very simple card but I really love how it turned out. Very fun yet girly at the same time. We are only inviting 4 girls to stay and in the inside of the card, all along the bottom I stamped different girls in Pretty In Pink ink. Not enough color to scream at you, but just enough to see the girls. I then used a Regal Rose marker and wrote the name of each girl next to the one that represented her. They were in a row straight across the bottom inside of the card. It turned out so cute! There are Cotton Candy Stickles on the dress and party hat of the girl on the front. Be praying for my survival a week from tonight as we have our first sleepover!

Look What I Got!

Christine at All That Scraps is beginning to plan the 1st Birthday of C.C. Designs stamps. It incredible that it is HER birthday but design team members we got an incredible birthday present FROM her! Look at what was waiting for me today!! Can you say background stamps? A new Lucky and Lulu set (special appearance by the monkey and a much needed accessory), some cute chickies, a great set for Father's Day cards and more!!! I can't wait to start playing with these and sneaking you some peaks!!!

Staples?

I don't know, I just can't get into the look of staples. This is another swap for the DKOS swap on Splitcoaststampers. We had to use the st Always (LOVE this set!) and we had to include staples on our card and pop something up. I have never been a real fan of staples so it was really out of the box for me to include them. We also had to use these colors (we could add So Saffron if we wanted to). I made the scallop strip with my slit punch and the bird was done with the Rock and Roll technique. It is a bit difficult to roll the bird when he isn't round, but it worked out fine I think.

I hope you have a wonderful day today! I have some head cold thing that has progressed to my chest and I am coughing like crazy! I HAVE to stamp some birthday invitations for my daughter's first sleep over next week so I'll be busy today!

Supplies Used: Soft Sky cs, ink, Ruby Red cs, ink, Certainly Celery ink , cs, slit punch, staples, dimensionals, Always.

One of a Kind

This little one measures just 4 1/4" x 4 1/4". This was for another Different Kind of Swap over at Splitcoaststampers. We had to use the set One of a Kind and at least one color from the Earth Elements color family. We also had to add some embellishment. For this I stamped the flower in Chocolate Chip and then used my aquapainter to fade out the color. I cut the flower out and lightly tipped the petals up. My sentiment is punched out with the small oval punch from Stampin' Up! and raised on dimensionals. And I love the new Poly Twill Ribbon. It is in the new mini catalog and available in Chocolate Chip and Old Olive. It is so silky feeling and narrow like the gingham ribbon. I hope you have a great day. Things seem to be warming up, a little bit, here in Michigan. I hope springy weather arrives very soon!

Supplies Used: Chocolate Chip cs, ink, Soft Sky cs, ink, Paper Piercer, Small Oval Punch, dimensionals, JoAnn's bling for the center.

Love Pocket Cards!

Here is another sample using So Much. Usually when I sit down to make a card, I gravitate toward just your standard card - it's simple - grab your paper, cut it and fold. Do you do that too? I forget about all the other ways you can make your card. I like making cards that deviate from your traditional card fold, but yet I like simple things...pocket cards are very simple, yet different from the standard card! I used the ribbon to make a center to the flower. After making a hole with my Anywhere Hole Punch from my Crafter's Tool Kit, I knotted my ribbon and pulled the ribbon through so the knot would be the center of the flower. Then I pulled my ribbon ends around the card and adhered under the flap. Really simple but a fun element.

Supplies Used: Groovy Guava cs, ink, Ruby Red cs, ink, Mellow Moss cs, Moss gingham ribbon, Coluzzle,

So Much...Fun!

The set "So Much" was given to all Stampin Up! regional attendees this year. I attended regionals in the fall. I have used this set a few times and I really like it, but sometimes the size of the images makes it hard to work with for cards. It is much better suited for scrapbook pages. One of the ladies on Splitcoaststampers is hostessing a swap using this set since it seems so underused. I signed up for two spots and this is the first sample.

I got the color combo from some designer paper Stampin Up! carried last spring. I also haven't used a button on a project in ages! What is wrong with me? They are such a cute addition and works perfectly in the center of this flower doesn't it?

Supplies Used: Close to Cocoa cs, ink, button, Certainly Celery cs, ink, Prints Designer Paper, Blush Blossom cs, So Much Stamp Set.

Tweet, tweet...

Isn't this bird the sweetest? At the Birch Run weekend someone made a swap with this adorable bird on it, and since I love birds I made sure to find out where this stamp came from. It is from a set made by Heidi Grace and I found out they carry it at JoAnn's. Imagine my excitement when I stopped at JoAnn's on my way home and found it was only $7.99 and was 40% off! I snatched it up quick!

Supplies Used: Kraft cs, Soft Sky cs, ink, Very Vanilla cs, Caramel Gingham Ribbon, Linen Thread, Circle Punches, Ticket Corner Punch, Versa Mark ink, Timber Brown Staz On, Aquapainter, Paper Piercer, Heidi Grace stamp set.

Another Winner

This is the other card that came in 3rd place at the Birch Run stampin festivities this past weekend. The challenge here was to use the microscope slide, the skinny piece of vanilla card stock and the skinny piece of Chocolate Chip card stock. We were able to use any stamp set we wanted to and had to keep in mind that the microscope slide was to be able be removed and used as a gift (such as a magnet or pin). I chose to use Blooming with Love. This set is a new set and I adore it! I love the images and they lend themselves perfectly to water coloring! This is also the first time I have done a card that is tall like this. I usually stay away from shapes other than the traditional card size because I am too cheap to spend extra postage on envelopes! But as I looked at the slide I knew I had to make my card a long card.

Supplies Used: Chocolate Chip cs, ink, Mellow Moss cs, ink, Vanilla cs, Taffeta ribbon, Linen Thread, Circle Punch, Mellow Moss ink, Close to Cocoa ink, Blooming with Love.

Scalloped Flower

Not only are these colors "absolutely fabulous" together, but this flower is so fun to make! I love finding out of the box uses for supplies and this flower done with the scallop punch is one of them! Not only that, it is so simple. On this card I punched a Black and Regal Rose scallop using the Stampin' Up! scallop circle punch. Then I snipped up along each scallop and bent some of the "petals" up. Stack the Rose one on top of the black and then using a scrap of black I punched one of flowers out of the new Bo-Ho Blossoms punch and secured it in the center with a rhinestone brad. Isn't it cute? The swirl and leaves that complete the flower are from the Sale-a-bration set Friendship Blooms. The sentiment is popped up on dimensionals and is from the set Absolutely Fabulous...inside it says "No, seriously you are!"

Supplies Used: Certainly Celery cs, ink, grosgrain ribbon, Basic Black cs, ink, Regal Rose cs, Apricot Appeal cs, Dimensionals, Bo-Ho Blossoms Punch, SU Circle Scallop Punch, Ice Rhinestone Brad, Absolutely Fabulous, Friendship Blooms.

Hello!

A friend of mine placed an order with Amuse right after the Elzybells "Friendship Collection" was released. I have had much restraint and have not placed any orders except with Stampin' Up! but she was sweetheart and let me stamp some images when I saw her last month. This adorable image is "Gossip Girl" and don't you think this paper is a great match? See the blue curlie-q's? I thought it looked like a telephone cord. How many of us even have phone's with cord's anymore?!?!? (Honestly we do have one in our bedroom! At least it isn't rotary!) This paper is made by Sassafrass Lass (Seredipity Blue Boutique Collection - Treasure) and I got it at All That Scraps: http://www.allthatscraps.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=10_376_377

I did this card for another DKOS swap (I told you about those a few months ago). You don't have to be a demo to do those swaps and you get FULL cards back to use so it is fun. Here is the link to this one if you are interested: http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=309685

For this one we had to use an Elzybells stamp, printed paper and it had to be a 4 1/4" square card, use designer paper and an embellishment. I used Night of Navy and Real Red card stock. Throw in some scallops and the SU Circle Scallop Punch and a simple sentiment from the Fundamental Flexible Phrases set and it's done!

Bet You Didn't Know I Had a Sister!

Isn't this card the prettiest?!?! For the SCS stamping event this weekend we were hooked up with secret sisters to send cards to over the last couple months. It just so happened that my little sister found me out right away and we have had fun getting to know one another BEFORE the event! My little sister was Vicki (craftcrazy98) and at the event this weekend she presented me with this beautiful thank you card and a candle holder that she etched using a matching stamp from Friendship Blooms! I ADORE this pretty card and you know what? The only stamping done on this is the polka dotted background, all the rest are rub-ons! I love the colors of this and the layout! I imagine Vicki and I aren't done chatting and I am hoping that she sends me notes in the mail often because she does incredible work! Thanks Vicki!

Birch Run Stamping Weekend

Wheew! I'm home from my weekend of stamping (it wasn't a whole weekend just Friday through Saturday.) I had a great time and can't wait to share some projects with you! Let me start by telling you that this Splitcoaststampers event was held in Birch Run, Michigan and it was just a 25 min drive. Those are the kind of get aways that I like! Very little driving allowing for much more fun at the destination!

Friday night we were able to grab some seats and there was a little time to get to know the people around you and some free stamping time. But the bulk of the evening were the three challenges that three of the organizers prepared for us to work on. For this project we were provided with white as our card base, two images from the set called "Bitty Birthday", the patterned paper seen here (from the new mini catalog), and the ribbon seen here. We were required to use pieces of all the items provided to us but we could also add anything we wanted to. So I set out to make this birthday card using the cake from a hostess set called "Blooming With Happiness" from last year. I did some faux stitching on the patterned paper and used my Canvas background stamp with Soft Sky ink on the Soft Sky panels. I covered the white base with the Chocolate Chip card stock and colored the cake with aqua painters and re-inker. When the coloring was done I added some Stickles to the candle flames and flowers. Finally I added ribbon on the side of the matted image.

I was really proud of this card and was going to present it when I realized that none of the 30 other people who were working on theirs had used an image other than the ones provided! As I read the directions a bit closer I realized that we were required to use a portion of the images provided. I was devastated and had figured I had to rip off my cake and start over but then I got smart! On one of the images in this set has a gift bag on it and a little tag on the bag. To salvage my card I simply colored the tag and cut it out and carefully mounted it's tiny little self to the side of the cake dish! I ended up taking 3rd place with this card out of about 30 samples!

Even though I was totally stressed about my inability to follow directions, I really had fun making it!

I LOVE a Contest!

Did you know that C. C. Designs is getting ready to celebrate a one year anniversary! Run over to Christine's Blog http://ccdesigns.typepad.com/cc_designs/ and read the March 7 entry. I can tell you I have seen a sneak of a couple of the new things and you will love them! Here's an extra incentive.... Enter her contest and link your creation here to this post as well and I'll enter you into a contest of my own for some goodies! My contest ends when her's does...March 20.

FREE Stamps!

Who doesn't love FREE stamps! C.C. Designs will be celebrating it's 1 year anniversary on April 4th! You will not want to miss out on the great things that are in store! To start off, you can win all of April's stamp releases free! Go the the ATS Blog and join in the contest!! More to come soon!

Jami's Bike

Here is the second sample I did for Jami's swap. The top flap on this card flips up and then the bike flap folds down. Here are the instructions for this one:

Your card stock should measure 8 1/2 x 5.

Score your card stock at 3 3/4. When you fold along this score just fold the remaining portion down over your card to make the top flap. Super easy.

Don't you think the ribbon accent is cute?! I love the look of striped ribbon but hate the cost so I just used my 5/8" Chocolate Chip Grosgrain and my pink gingham and layered them on top of one another! The white greeting is heat embossed on the top flap to add to the card as well. That top flap reminds me of an awning when you use the slit punch to make a scalloped edge - again just a little detail to add! The only thing I wish this set had was a cute little flower stamp that could make backgrounds. However, I did find that my Simply Said set had a flower that worked perfectly!

Supplies Used: Chocolate Chip cs, ink, SW Marker, Regal Rose cs, SW Marker, Pretty in Pink cs, SW Marker, gingham ribbon, Versa Mark ink, slit punch, White Embossing Powder, Simply Said, Time for You.

Jami's Ocassions Mini Swap

I always love doing Jami's swaps. Not just because it gives me a chance to play with my stuff, but because the samples I receive back are so great! The quality is really good and it forces you to really do your best. The groups are small enough that you can use embellishments that you might otherwise hoard too! This is the first of my two samples in this swap. Don't you just LOVE these colors? The patterned paper is in the new mini catalog and is called Summer Picnic. I'll be ordering a pack or two of this throughout the order periods (March 1- May 31) I used the set Time for You for both of my cards. You have seen a few samples here on my blog using the bike but for this card I used the bench. I just think it is so sweet and again, reminds me of summer! Today it is 54 degrees here in Michigan - a heat wave! But, I won't get too comfortable because I understand it is supposed to dip to 16 tonight and we will start getting snow which will come and go all week! Hopefully this card brings you some sunshine!

Supplies Used: Certainly Celery cs, SW marker, Real Red cs, So Saffron SW marker, Bashful Blue cs, Creamy Caramel SW marker, Ruby Red brads, Versa Mark ink, Red Gingham Ribbon, Bo Ho Blossoms Punch, 3/4" Circle Punch, Polka Dot background stamp, Time For You.

Another Friendship Blooms

The first month during Sale-a-bration is over now. Just 2 weeks left to earn FREE stuff! For a demo it is the last 2 weeks to use these sets at workshops and share our designs with our customers. Here is another sample made with Friendship Blooms. This one uses the same color combination that I used on the last sample as well. The cute little white flower is a rub-on from the Love and Happiness rub-on's you can get during Sale-a-bration as well. Be sure to check back tomorrow because we've been given the go adhead to post our swaps from Jami's Mini Catalog swap.

Supplies Used: Chocolate Chip cs, ink, Old Olive cs, ink, Regal Rose cs, ink, slit punch, Old Olive brad, circle punches, Friendship Blooms, Love and Happiness rub on's.