PWC5: Don't hoard the chocolate!

What's worse than hoarding your chocolate? How about your stamping supplies?! Uh huh... just go ahead and admit it. I know that you have some fun or pretty or really really cool item that you bought and love but are biting your fingernails at the idea of using! So for this week's Prettie Challenge I am going to challenge you to use at least one item on a card or box or tin that you have been hoarding! And after making your beautiful creation make sure to upload it to the gallery over at Paper Pretties to be entered into the weekly contest (there is a special Weekly Challenges category and use the PWC5 keyword). Can't wait to see what you make!

Notes on my card: I'm using two items that I have been hoarding. The first are some detailed jumbo brads from SU!'s Stylized Silver Hodgepodge Hardware and the second is some pretty S.E.I. designer paper from the Madera Island line (I bought a kit of the whole line I loved it so much - now I just need to use it more often!). I also used the new Off to School Sophia stamp from Paper Pretties. This set will be the first released in the new Paper Pretties Stamp of the Month Club.

All images copyright Paper Pretties. Stamps: Off to School Sophia. Paper: Old Olive, Chocolate Chip, So Saffron, Georgia Pacific white, Medera Island designer (SEI). Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Copic markers (E00, E33, E39, W2, T5, R32, YG95, BV02, V17), Copic clear spica pen. Other: shimmery ribbon (American Crafts), 1/2" circle punch, Stylized Silver Hodgepodge hardware, dimensionals.

Oh and that chocolate that you have been hoarding... have a piece or two while making your project. :)

Pretties Wednesday: Turkeys dancing among the flowers

Two weeks ago Charmaine challenged the Prettie Girls to make a bookmark... yup one of those things that you use when you actually have time to read! :) Maybe one of these months I will get to that stack of books that I have sitting on a shelf giving me a guilt trip for neglecting them. :)

I decided to take the whimsical approach to my bookmark and used the Turkey stamp from the Falling for You set (MFT Stamps). The turkeys are dancing in a field of flowers, or more appropriately shaking their booties for all they are worth... he he he. As you may notice I didn't stick to a natural color scheme either when using my Copic markers... but then I think they are more fun this way. Gobble gobble!

Quick notes: I glued two thin bookmarks together since they were a bit thin. I then cut Sugared designer paper to size (6" x 2"), paper pierced the edges and adhered to the bookmark. I stamped a sentiment on the bottom portion of a Pretty in Pink scrap of paper and hand wrote the "book!". There is a similar piece on the back that I wrote "Party on turkeys!". A couple brads, lots of ribbon and the turkeys were added to spruce up the bookmark. There is also a third turkey on the back. :)

Hopefully Jillian the future recipient of this bookmark will enjoy it! If you want to see more bookmarks check out the rest of the Prettie Girl blogs (list over there on the right).

Stamps: Falling for You (MFT Stamps), Cute Converse (retired). Paper: Pretty in Pink, Georgia Pacific, Sugared designer (Basic Grey). Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, various Copic markers, Copic Spica markers (clear, silver), black marker. Other: Rich Regal brads, mat pack, paper piercer, slot punch, cardboard bookmarks (not sure of source), twill ribbon (Taylored Expressions), dimensionals.

Would the real BIC15 please step forward!

Let's see if I can post the correct Be Inspired Sample this time! :)

This cool inspiration piece that Beate found is a dress from J.C. Crew... very metallic and scallop-y. Those were the first things that caught my eye and I decided to use those themes in my card. And of course paper piercing but that is an addiction that I just can't help!

Quick notes: Little chipboard hearts were inked with the Essential Glue Pad (makes them very sticky) and then gilding leaf was applied to each heart, rubbing the excess off with my fingers. This was a bit messy but I love the final result... super shiny glitzy hearts! :)

I then used the Nestabilities to cut out a rectangle and emboss it (and added some paper piercing with my handy mat pack and paper piercer). I matted this layer on a slightly larger scalloped rectangle but not before I added a bit of ribbon and adhered the hearts with dimensionals. The rest is pretty simple and the finished card size is 4 1/4" x 4 1/4". Hope it was worth the wait! :)

All images copyright Stampin' Up!. Stamps: One Smart Cookie. Paper: Basic Black, River Rock, Bordering Blue. Ink: Black StazOn. Other: On Board Simon Upper chipboard, Brialliant Gold GildenGlitz (USArtQuest), River Rock double-stitched ribbon, mat pack, paper piercer, Large Rectangle Nestabilities (regular and scalloped), 1/4" circle punch, black brads, dimensionals, Tsukineko Essential glue pad.

BIC15: Cool Blues and Chicken or Two

***Oops... I did the wrong challenge! My bad. :) Must have been all of those paint fumes from painting my entry way this weekend. Anyways, check back later tonight for the correct Be Inspired Challenge entry. Sorry!

In the meantime don't forget to check out the rest of samples by the uber-talented Inspiration Team: Jennifer, Susan, Silke, and Charmaine. Dawn is on vacation in Europe (so jealous) this week so no sample from her. :) Have a great day everyone!

*** Edited to remove original pictures and instructions.

Thanks a Dozen

I thought I would post something a bit different from a card... indeed, a cute little explosion box that I made for the Paper Pretties box challenge from last week. Of course I don't have any directions written up for folding the bottom and lid but here is a link to an explosion box on SCS. I folded my lid a little differently and the box is slightly larger but other than that the two are the same pattern. :)

Box notes: The box is an 8 1/4" x 8 1/4" piece of Ruby Red cardstock, scored on each side at 2 3/4". So the same as the SCS directions just a tad larger. On each side of the box bottom I adhered 3 half pearls from the SU! Pretties Kit using Crystal Effects as a glue.

Lid notes: The lid is made from Urban Couture Brocade designer paper by Basic Grey. This paper pretty much determined the color scheme for the project. A 2 1/2" square of Ruby Red cardstock was sponged with Close to Cocoa ink and paper pierced before adhering to the top of the lid.

Lid Decoration Notes: A 1" circle of Cameo coral was paper pierced and again sponged with the Close to Cocoa ink. Next a white flower from the SU! Pretties Kit was airbrused with a couple of Copic markers (RV11 and E33 I think). This is reason #5 for loving the Copics! It was incredibly fast to color the flower and it dried instantly... woo hoo! Next I layered the Cameo Coral circle on top of the flower, punched a hole with the Crop-a-dile and set an Antique Brass jumbo eyelet through both layers. I then stamped a sentiment on Georgia Pacific paper, punched out with the Word Window punch and tied it onto the flower with some linen thread (loop through the eyelet). Dimensionals were then placed on the back of the flower center and the piece added to the box top.

Side notes: Each side has a different image adhered to it from the Sweets for the Sweet stamp set (I LUV this set btw). I colored the images with Copic markers and punched out with a 1 1/4" circle punch. I then sponged the edges with Close to Cocoa classic ink and paper pierced each circle. I then layered the images on 1 3/8" circles of Ruby Red cardstock. Can you believe that Ruby Red used to be one of my least favorite colors? I actually used to dislike all of the Earth Element colors except the browns but apparently I have moved into my Earthy stage of stamping. :) Oh, the Ruby Red circles were also sponged with Close to Cocoa. The circles are adhered to the lid only... not to the box base.

So what do you think? Will this little box make someone very happy?

All images copyright Paper Pretties. Stamps: Sweets for the Sweets. Paper: Ruby Red, Cameo Coral, Georgia Pacific white, Urban Couture Brocade (Basic Grey). Ink: Close to Cocoa Classic, Copic markers (E00, E33, E57, RV10, RV11, W2, T3, T5). Other: half pearls, white flower (SU! pretties kit), 1 1/4 circle punch, 1 3/8 circle punch, 1 circle punch, antique brass jumbo eyelet, crop-a-dile, mat pack, paper piercer, word window punch, linen thread, dimensionals, sponge.

Ever have one of those days?

I made this card for the button challenge that was issued during the Paper Pretties Pajama party last Thursday. You may be wondering why the chick was colored pink. Well... (sorry mom, I have to tell)... a couple of years ago my mom had a little problem while dying her hair. Oh yeah, she turned it pink!!! Heh heh... so I made this card with her in mind thinking it would be funny to write on the inside "but at least your hair's not pink!". Can you tell that I'm a bad daughter?! :)

All images copyright Paper Pretties. Stamps: One of Those Days. Paper: Pixie Pink, Pretty in Pink, Old Olive, Close to Cocoa, Georgia Pacific white, Sugared designer (Basic Grey). Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Copic Markers (Colorless Blender, E33, W2, YR16, R32, R83, R43), mat pack, paper piercer, Prima flowers, red buttons, Old Olive poly-twill ribbon, dimensionals, glue dots.

Paper Pretties Release

And what are you doing?! I'm currently over at Paper Pretties playing in the forums... we're having a Pajama Party to celebrate the release of three new sets including this cute set debuting Cooper. Ain't he just the cutest?! Well, I gotta skedaddle and get back to the party (which you can join) but I'll leave you with a few more comments on the card. Later!

Quick notes: Cooper was stamped in Memento Tuxedo Black on Georgia Pacific White and colored with Copic markers. I added a bit of ground under his left foot. I sponged a bit of Chocolate Chip Classic ink on the various layers to give the card a bit of a distressed look... Cooper likes to play in the dirt, so much so that the lunch box is filled with his creepy crawlies rather than a PB&J sandwich. And you just know what he is going to do with them... poor Sophia! :) Oh, back to the card... finished size is 4 1/4" x 4 1/4" with the sentiment overhanging the one side a bit.

All images copyright Paper Pretties. Stamps: Look Out World. Paper: Certainly Celery, Chocolate Chip, Bashful Blue, Georgia Pacific white, Well Worn Dragonflies designer (Paper Loft). Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Chocolate Chip Classic, Copic Markers (T3, T5, W2, E00, E55, E57, G21, B91). Other: large oval punch, mat pack, paper piercer, Chocolate Chip wide grosgrain ribbon, vintage brads, dimensionals, sponge.

Pretties Wednesday

Two weeks ago Julie challenged the Prettie Girls to Be Inspired. To use a favorite blog or website to inspire your project... he he... apparently I spend a lot of time checking out what other stampers are doing because stamping blogs were at the top of my list of most visited sites. :) So I went with a favorite which is Beate and her wonderful Sketch Challenges, in particular this one. Can't wait to see what the other ladies came up with!

Other notes: Finished card size is 4 1/4" x 4 1/4" although the scalloped circle overhangs the one side a bit. Couple was stamped on Georgia Pacific white cardstock, colored with Copic markers and cut out/embossed with Nestabilities.

All images copyright Paper Pretties. Stamps: Sealed with a Kiss. Paper: Basic Gray, Purely Pomegranate, Pretty in Pink, Georgia Pacific white, Rose Red Designer. Ink: Memento, Copic markers (will update later with specific colors). Other: pink brads (Queen & Co.), Raspberry Twill Ribbon (Taylored Expressions), Petite Small Scalloped Circle and Small Circle Nestabilities, mat pack, paper piercer, dimensionals.

A Pretty Party:
Please join the Prettie Girls on Thursday May 22nd at 8:00 EST in the Paper Pretties forum as we release another 3 new stamp sets! As usual, Charmaine will be hosting the PJ party and issuing hourly challenges for everyone to participate in. It's a great time, so please join us for fun, chatter, stamping, prizes and more!

Also, for those of you who order the new stamps during the release party you will receive a 25% off coupon for you next order! Wowsa - that's a deal! :)

BIC14: Flowers and Fun

Another Tuesday another Be Inspired Challenge and Beate picked a doozy of a challenge this week. There is so much fun stuff going on in this piece it was difficult to settle on just one theme! To start off I picked the color combo: Certainly Celery, Pumpkin Pie, So Saffron, Brocade Blue and Whisper White. I also decided that the card must include big bold flowers and a few circles. :)

I can't wait to see what the rest of the Inspiration Team made with this very colorful challenge. And if you are like me and would like to see more beautiful cards here are links to their blogs: Jennifer, Susan, Silke, Dawn and Charmaine.

All images copyright Stampin' Up!. Stamps: Big Flowers, One Smart Cookie, So Swirly jumbo wheel. Paper: Certainly Celery, Pumpkin Pie, So Saffron, Whisper White. Ink: Brocade Blue Classic, Memento Tuxedo Black, Pumpkin Pie Classic. Other: Old Olive wide grosgrain ribbon, Certainly Celery brads, 1 3/8" circle punch, Cuttlebug Swiss Dots embossing folder and machine, dimensionals, sponge, mat pack, paper piercer.

Just Because I Can't Resist Blue!

When all else fails go with the tried and true... in this case I used blue (my favorite color). This is another card that the ladies who attended my Technique Class had the opportunity to make. :)

Quick notes: the Waxed Paper Resist technique was used for the blue/white background pieces. Those rectangles and two Bashful Blue ones were layered on Kraft cardstock before adding ribbon and brads. This piece was then mounted on a Kraft card base.

Next two hearts from the Just Celebrate set where stamped on Whisper White cardstock, colored with markers and trimmed. The matching sentiment was stamped on Kraft paper and punched out with the Word Window punch. Next a piece of Brocade Blue cardstock was cut to size and the edges paper pierced. The sentiment was adhered with SNAIL to this piece and the hearts with dimensionals. The whole she-bang was then affixed to the card base with more dimenionals.

All images copyright Stampin' Up!. Stamps: Just Celebrate. Paper: Kraft, Bashful Blue, Brocade Blue, Glossy White, Whisper White. Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Bashful Blue Classic, Bashful Blue marker, Brocade Blue marker. Other: word window punch, Bashful Blue striped ribbon, silver brads, mat pack, paper piercer, dimensionals, brayer.

Embrace a bit of Faux Silk

I started the day off with teaching a Technique Class for a couple of my stamping buddies this morning/early afternoon. And this yellow and green card was one of the projects. Yes, I have another one to share but I must take a picture first. :)

Quick notes: The background was created using the Faux Silk technique and the Embrace Life stamp set. I love this technique - it just adds a touch of silky sophistication. A lot of paper piercing was added and I gave my punches a bit of a workout. I'm liking the final result, hopefully it will make someone happy on their birthday (although I think it is a bit too feminine to send to my brother for his bday which is tomorrow!).

All images copyright Stampin' Up!. Stamps: Circle of Friendship, Itty Bitty Backgrounds, Embrace Life. Paper: So Saffron, Mellow Moss, Old Olive, Whisper White, tissue. Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Old Olive Classic, Mellow MossClassic, Mellow Moss marker, white gel pen. Other: Old Olive poly-twill ribbon, Stylized Silver Hodgepodge Hardware, silver jumbo eyelet (American Crafts), silver brads, scalloped circle punch, 1 3/8" circle punch, 1 1/4" cirlce punch, mat pack, paper piercer, dimensionals, Zyron sticker machine.

In other business: I wanted to thank all of the lovely ladies who have sent me little awards or tagged me over the last month and a half. I appreciated every single one of them and they brightened many a day when I received one. I've just been bad about participating in passing them on to others... I get a bit of a mental block when it comes time to pick recipients as I want to give them to everyone! So I'm going to bail on that part of the game but wanted to take a moment to thank each of the talented ladies who sent me on.

Jana Weaver with the 7 Random Things Tag Game
I love checking out her blog - her cards are always so fresh and fun!

My seven random things: 1.) I don't like tomatoes or bananas (yurk!), 2.) Blue is my favorite color, 3.) I love to read but rarely have time for it anymore, 4.) I knit - been working on the same afghan for a year now but it is getting close to completed, 5.) I joined a Kickball League which is turning out to be a ton of fun, 6.) I {heart} yoga and am in withdrawals this week because the teacher is on vacation and 7.) I'm putting in hardwood flooring in my house just so it will be easier to clean up kitty presents. Although it will look nice too - the flooring NOT the hairballs!

Christy Ortman with the Arte y Pico award
Owner of Paper Pretties and all around awesome card maker. She works, she runs a stamp company and still has time to make beautiful cards - how does she do it? :)

Becky Roberts with another Arte y Pico award
If you feel the need to drool, check out Becky's blog. She's been posting some amazingly beautiful cards using my new favorite SU! stamp set Bloomin' Beautiful... oops I need to go get a Kleenex to wipe off my keyboard!

Lisz Martz with my last and final Arte y Pico award
Lisa is Queen of the ControlFreaks swap group. I'm hoping to get to meet her while at SU! convention this summer. :)

Hopefully I didn't miss anyone! Sometimes I miss an email or two when rescuing them from the clutches of my Spam box. So, I apologize if I didn't respond to your tag or email!

Chocolate and Strawberries

Or maybe Neapolitan ice cream... yum... this card reminds me of so many yummy treats! :)

Really quick notes: Sophia was stamped and colored with Copic markers. I then masked her and airbrushed the around her with a yellow marker. I used the Nestabilities dies to cut out the image and a scalloped mat. I think the rest should be self-explanatory but if not drop me a note and I'll do my best to answer your question. :)


Stamps: Cuddle Me (Paper Pretties), Sassy Circles (Paper Pretties), Solitude wheel. Paper: Close to Cocoa, Creamy Caramel, Pretty in Pink, Regal Rose, Georgia Pacific white. Ink: Creamy Caramel, Pretty in Pink, Memento Tuxedo Black, Copic markers. Other: Regal Rose wide grosgrain ribbon, pink striped ribbon (May Arts), Nestabilities Rectangles and Classic Scalloped Rectangles, mat pack, paper piercer, 1 1/4" circle punch, 1 3/8" circle punch, dimensionals, Copic airbrush.

In other news: I've posted another challenge to the Paper Pretties forum... this time you need to make a project (card, frame, gift box...) using chipboard. I'm not even limiting you to a card and I can't wait to see what you make! What?! You don't own any chipboard? Well, Paper Pretties is having a special on all of their chipboard!! Yay!

Paper Pretties Wednesday

Two weeks ago Christie challenged the Prettie Girls to use acetate and of course I had to make a shaker card. I just love shaker cards, although they can be a pain in the patootie especially when the beads are not cooperating... hello static!!!

If the color combo looks a bit familiar, well it just might be since it is a Color Challenge that Kristina Werner posted last week (check it out here). The combo is: Pumpkin Pie, Brilliant Blue, Bashful Blue and White. Although I did add Kraft to the mix because I wanted to leave the chipboard "m" natural rather than painting it. Yeah, sometimes I am lazy like that. :)

Other notes: I cut an opening in a square of Brilliant Blue cardstock (measure twice cut once) and did the same for the Bashful Blue piece but a bit smaller. After which I paper pierced the outside edge and the inside edge of the bottom. The Bashful Blue was a bit... well... bright so I airbrushed it with a blue Copic marker (love the airbrush tool). These layers were adhered together to create a blue frame.

Next I adhered a layer of acetate to the back of the frame and then on the front of that I glued a Rusty Pickle chipboard letter "m". Then I flipped the piece over and built a wall with strips of foam tape (don't leave any openings or the beads will escape), added some blue micro beads and shut the box shut with a piece of Georgia Pacific white cardstock. I then wrapped a piece of dotted orange ribbon around the box and knotted. Following that up with stamping the sentiment on the top of the box. I added a couple of Prima flowers to the lower left corner and then layered the whole piece on Pumpkin Pie and finally onto the Kraft card base (4 1/4" x 4 1/4").

To finish I stamped the woman from Made with Love on Georgia Pacific white cardstock and colored with Copics. Next I punched out part of her with an 1 3/8" circle punch and adhered to the card front with dimensionals.

All images copyright Paper Pretties. Stamps: Made with Love. Paper: Kraft, Pumpkin Pie, Brilliant Blue, Bashful Blue, Georgia Pacific white. Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Copic markers (B23, B41, YR68, Y38, YR24, E39, E00, W2 and W4). Other: Acetate, Airbrush gun, mat pack, paper piercer, 1 3/8" circle punch, Rusty Pickle chipboard, orange dotted ribbon (American Crafts), Painterly Petals flowers (Prima), gold brads, blue micro beads, dimensionals.

BIC13: Keeping your cool

After checking out this week's Be Inspired Challenge posted by Beate I knew I wanted to create a calm and soothing card. That bedding is just so peaceful... I could snuggle there for a good day or two. :) From the picture I also picked out Close to Cocoa, Basic Grey and white. I used a bit of artistic license and decided to add a bit of blue!

I can't wait to see what the rest of the Inspiration Team made. Oh, you would like to know too? Well here are links to their blogs for your viewing pleasure: Jennifer, Susan, Silke, Dawn and Charmaine.

Quick notes: Main image was stamped in Memento Tuxedo Black ink and colored with Copic markers (B41, B95, T1, T3, T5, YG67 and BG72). A bit of sparkle was added to the flower centers with a Copic Silver Spica pen. It was then cut out with the Nestabilities circle die and embossed before layering on a scalloped circle of Basic Grey which was cut out with a Petite Scalloped Circle die.

Next a sentiment was stamped on Bashful Blue cardstock and punched out with the small oval punch. This punch works perfectly with the small oval name plates that are included in the Stylized Silver Hodgepodge hardware. The sentiment was adhered to the main image over top of which the name plate was added (a little glue and a brad were used to tack in place. A small piece of Basic Gray Taffeta Ribbon was knotted through the right hole.

For the next layer I airbrused a piece of Georgia Pacific white with one of the blue Copic markers (the white was just too stark and needed to be softened a bit). And guess what? I really really like using the airbrushing tool! The edges were paper pierced and then the piece was layered on Basic Gray. A bit of ribbon was added before affixing to a 4 1/4" x 4 1/4" Close to Cocoa cardbase. To finish the main image was adhered to the airbrushed layer with dimensionals, making sure to use one behind the right side of the sentiment so it stays put.

All images copyright Stampin' Up!. Stamps: Bloom, Cute Converse (retired). Paper: Close to Cocoa, Basic Gray, Bashful Blue, Georgia Pacific white. Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Copic markers (B41, B95, T1, T3, T5, YG67, BG72) and silver Spica pen. Other: Stylized Silver Hodgepodge Hardware, Basic Gray Taffeta ribbon, Chocolate Chip wide satin ribbon (retired), Nestabilities Petite Scalloped and Classic Circle dies, mat pack, paper piercer, dimensionals, Copic Airbrush tool, small oval punch.

One of the Good Ones

This card is actually using one of the first images that I colored with Copic markers (yes, I'm loving them) while practicing. The finished result was just too pretty to throw away so I had to make a card with it! I used Beate's Weekend Sketch Challenge #46 for the layout. Enjoy!

Super quick notes: Main image was stamped in Memento Tuxedo Black on Georgia Pacific white cardstock and colored with various Copic markers before layering on Basic Gray. Next a piece of Bashful Blue cardstock was wheeled with the It's Beautiful jumbo wheel in the same color. Faux stitching was added to the edges and more Bashful Blue was sponged onto the edges before layering on more Basic Gray, adding three brads and adhering to the cardbase that had been randomly stamped with the circles from the Sprinkles set in Pretty in Pink Classic ink. Next a sentiment was stamped on Regal Rose, cut out, faux stitched, sponged with the same color and finally adhered to the card with dimensionals. Finished card size is 9" x 3 3/4".

All images copyright Stampin' Up!. Stamps: Time for You, Smarty Pants, Sprinkles, It's Beautiful jumbo wheel. Paper: Pretty in Pink, Basic Gray, Bashful Blue, Regal Rose, Georgia Pacific white. Ink: Pretty in Pink Classic, Bashful Blue Classic, Regal Rose Classic, Memento Tuxedo Black, Copic markers, white gel pen. Other: mat pack, paper piercer, sponge, dimensionals, silver brads.

SC175: Happy Trails

I decided to make a card for last week's Sketch Challenge on SplitCoast - what a fun layout this time! And a fun sketch really needs a fun image so I pulled out the Ride 'em Cowgirl set from My Favorite Things and went to work. Enjoy!

Quick notes:
Half circles - emboss a quarter sheet of Brocade Blue cardstock with the Floral Fantasy embossing folder. From this sheet cut two half circles using the Coluzzle cutting system and the circle template. Next sponge the edges of both with Always Artichoke classic ink, paper pierce and add stitches with a white gel pen. Finally punch a bunch of 3/4" circles from designer paper and adhere them to the half circles to create a scalloped edge.

Main image - stamp the cowgirl from Ride 'em Cowgirl and color with Copic markers, adding a touch of glitter with the Clear Spica pen. Cut out image and layer on Always Artichoke cardstock. Then stamp the cactus and badge on another piece of white cardstock, color and cut out. Adhere to cowgirl image with dimensionals and highlight with Clear Spica pen.

Card base - cut a piece of 4 1/4" x 11" Always Artichoke cardstock and fold in half for the cardbase. Next cut a piece of Bashful Blue cardstock to 4 1/8" x 5 3/8", sponge the edges with Bashful Blue Classic ink and paper pierce the top and bottom. Wrap a piece of Old Olive poly-twill ribbon around this piece, looping ends though a ribbon slider from the Stylized Silver Hodgepodge Hardware set before knotting. Adhere to cardbase. Finish card by adding half circles and the main image (use dimensionals for main image).

All images copyright MFT. Stamps: Ride 'em Cowgirl. Paper: Always Artichoke, Bashful Blue, Brocade Blue, Georgia Pacific white, Archaic 6" x 6" pad (Basic Grey). Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Copic markers, Copic Clear Spica pen, Always Artichoke Classic, Bashful Blue Classic, white gel pen. Other: Coluzzle cutting system and circle template, mat pack, paper piercer, 3/4" circle punch, Old Olive poly-twill ribbon, Stylized Silver Hodgepodge hardware, dimensionals, sponge, Floral Fantasy Cuttlebug embossing folder.

Paper Pretties Thrusday... A Bit Late

Oops! I've been super busy the last couple days with my mom visiting and all. She arrived Thursday and then we spent the entire day yesterday at the Great Lakes Mega Meet (aka scrapping convention). So what did I do? Took a couple of classes (one of which I skipped and just grabbed the kit), met up with some friends, ate bad expo food and cropped the night away. I also spent too much money (my mom's a huge enabler) but it was a blast. Me thinks I will be there next year although I should probably avoid Spellbinder's booth! :) Yeah, resistance is futile and now I too also own a couple sets of Nestabilities... he he he.

On to the much overdo card: Image was stamped in Memento Tuxedo Black ink on Georgia Pacific cardstock and colored with Copic markers. Two strips of Ginger Blossom designer paper were adhered to a piece of Cameo coral cardstock. A piece of ribbon was wrapped around the layers and tacked in place with mono glue (the dry tape runner type) before permanently affixing the ends together with a red brad. This piece was then matted on Real Red and adhered to a Pretty in Pink cardbase. The main image was affixed with dimensionals. Finished card size is 4 1/4" x 4 1/4" and the main color combo is: Pretty in Pink, Real Red and Cameo Coral. Perfect for Mother's Day! :)

All images copyright Paper Pretties. Stamps: Made with Love. Paper: Pretty in Pink, Cameo, Coral, Real Red, Ginger Blossom Designer, Georgia Pacific White. Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Copic markers. Other: word window punch, Very Vanilla Taffeta ribbon, dimensionals, Bold Brights brads.

Pretties Wednesday

A couple weeks ago I challenged the Prettie Girls to make a masculine card and well, today is the day to reveal those cards. I made my card and it is masculine, however I wouldn't give it to a family member and I sure wouldn't give it to some random dude that I work with. He he... this card will have to be saved for a "special" guy. :) Can't wait to see what the rest of the Prettie Girls made! Also, if you played along leave a comment on this post with a link to your card because I would love to see all of your masculine creations!

Quick notes: again I used Copics to color the main image (gotta get my money's worth ya know what I mean). The patterned paper is from the 6" x 6" Archaic pad by Basic Grey. The "Oh Baby!" sentiment is from the MFT Twisted Sentiments set. I hand wrote the "you rock my world" with a black pen. The Old Olive Poly-Twill ribbon is from SU!'s Occasion Mini (I love this stuff and wish there were more colors of it). The purple layer is Vintage Violet cardstock (retired - I hoard this paper and will be very sad on the day I run out of it!) stamped with Sassy Circles in VersaMark. Add a bit of paper piercing, brads and some black matting and adhere everything to a Creamy Caramel card base to finish.

All images copyright Paper Pretties and MFT. Stamps: Wade E. Bug, Sassy Circles, Twisted Sentiments (MFT). Paper: Creamy Caramel, Basic Black, Vintage Violet, Georgia Pacific white, Archaic by Basic Grey. Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black Dew Drop, VersaMark, Copics. Other: Rich Regal brads, mat pack, paper piercer, Old Olive poly-twill ribbon, dimensionals.

In other news I've signed up to attend the big Stampin' Up! convention this summer. Woo hoo! Can't wait to attend and meet everyone including my swapping friends and readers! I'll also be attending the CHA show in Chicago the same month... he he... think I will get my fill of crafty conventions this summer? I think not!!! :)

BIC12: Brilliant Tangerine

Beate came up with another brilliant inspiration piece for the Be Inspired Challenge. This one is a Tangerine Courtyard Print from Coldwater Creek. Isn't it pretty?

So what did I pick from the inspiration piece? Well I started off with a layout. I like the wall on the left side with the potted tree so I duplicated that on my card with a strip of red and Chocolate Chip satin ribbon. Then for the right side I added a pretty scene... in this case a little bench with a red birdie. The final result doesn't look much like the inspiration piece but that is how things go sometimes. :)

Quick notes: main image was stamped in Memento Tuxedo Black ink on Georgia Pacific white cardstock and then colored with Copics. Yes, I heart my Copics. For the background a piece of Real Red cardstock was adhered to the left side of a Sahara Sand mat and Always Artichoke Prints designer was added to the right. The edges were paper pierced and wide satin Chocolate Chip ribbon was knotted around the piece. Then the layers were assembled together on a 5" x 5" Chocolate Chip card base.

Don't forget to check out all of the other wonderful samples by the rest of the inspiration team: Jennifer, Susan, Silke, Dawn and Charmaine.

All images copyright Stampin' Up!. Stamps: Time For You, Smarty Pants. Paper: Chocolate Chip, Sahara Sand, Real Red, Georgia Pacific white, Always Artichoke Prints designer. Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black Dew Drop, Copics. Other: Chocolate Chip wide satin ribbon, dimensionals, mat pack, paper piercer.

When scratching is appropriate...

When you have made a Scratch & Sniff card that is! You can commence with the scratching and no one will look at you funny! Well, as long as you limit the scratching to the card that is. :) And this card, appropriately enough, smells like oranges.

Quick notes: the card base is a 4 1/4" x 8 1/2" piece of Pretty in Pink folder in half. Stamp the citrus slice from Tart and Tangy in Only Orange ink. Stamp a second time directly on top of the first image in VersaMark, coat with a smelly mixture of Kool-Aid and clear embossing powder and heat set.

All images Copyright Stampin' Up!. Stamps: Tart and Tangy, One Smart Cookie. Paper: Pretty in Pink, Pumpkin Pie, Whisper White, Bali Breeze Designer. Ink: Only Orange, Memento Tuxedo Black Dew Drop, VersaMark. Other: mat pack, paper piercer, Very Vanilla Taffeta, Crystal Clear embossing powder, orange Kool-aid mix (sugarless powder), gold brads, dimensionals, heat tool.

Fun New Toys

I feel like I am a little kid again. All I want to do is color! With my new Copic markers that is. :) They finally arrived on Thursday night and since then I have been practicing by coloring oodles of pictures. And guess what? I LOVE them. All of them except I'm not so sure about the colorless blender pen as that seems to be too juicy and causes my images to feather but I'll figure that one out too. :)

FYI - I picked up one of the new Memento Dew Drops in Tuxedo Black from AllThatScraps to stamp the images in and it is fantastic! No heat setting needed and the lines do not smudge at all when coloring. Also, the ink is water based and cleans up very easily... just a couple swipes and the stamp is clean. Gotta love that too! :)

My first card posted using the Copics is a shameless "kiss-up-to-my-father" card. I'm trying to bribe him to come visit and install hardwood flooring in my house. He he he. For the layout I used the cool sketch posted on the Great Swap Girls blog which you can see here.

Notes: image was colored with various Copic markers (sorry I didn't keep track of the colors). The Sahara Sand background was stamped with sanded in Close to Cocoa Classic ink. If I had to do it all over again I would use So Saffron for that background layer... the Sahara Sand is just kind of blah. The sentiment "everybody's favorite" is from the retired set Cute Converse and I added the "dad" with a black pen. Think my dad will say yes after receiving this card? I'm thinking so, especially if I throw in a bunch of home cooked meals. :)

All images copyright Stampin' Up!. Stamps: For Father, Cute Converse (retired), Sanded Background. Paper: Real Red, Sahara Sand, Close to Cocoa, Not Quite Navy, Georgia Pacific white paper, Sentimental Journey Designer (retired). Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black Dew Drop, Copic markers, black pen, Close to Cocoa Classic. Other: Apricot Appeal grosgrain ribbon, 1 3/8" circle punch, 1 1/4" circle punch, mat pack, paper pierce, bold bright brads, dimensionals.

Spring Cleaning the Craft Room

Today I decided to procrastinate the cleaning of my house by rearranging my craft room. I've now reversed my tables and moved a bookcase... the room was quite a disaster zone at one point but now I have it looking a bit better. However during the process I realized that I really really need to go through my stuff and do some pruning. Yikes, do I have a lot of miscellaneous crapola in there! A lot of which I never use and probably never will yet I seem to have difficulty parting with it.

Once the organizing was done I did take some time to make this pretty Friend Card (because I still wasn't in the mood to clean). I even dug into my stash of Thickers and chipboard and really splurged on the card.

Quick notes: Start with a Pretty in Pink card base. Cut a slightly smaller Old Olive mat (4 1/8" x 5 3/8") and stamp with friend/bug image from A Little Bit of Happiness in Close to Cocoa Classic ink, sponge the same color on the edges. Adhere a strip of Close to Cocoa Prints designer paper to the top (sponge with Close to Cocoa ink first) and add a strip of ribbon from the Sherbet Originals. Adhere to card base.

Stamp butterflies from Sprinkles set on chipboard star and sponge edges with Close to Cocoa Classic ink. With the Crop-a-dile punch a hole in the middle of the star and set a jumbo eyelet. Insert crystal brad through eyelet and fasten. Adhere the star to the card base with dimensionals.

To finish the card apply Pink Giggles Foam Thickers by American Crafts across the Old Olive panel to spell the word "friend".

All images copyright Stampin' Up!. Stamps: A Little Bit of Happiness (hostess set), Sprinkles. Paper: Pretty in Pink, Old Olive, Close to Cocoa Prints designer. Ink: Close to Cocoa Classic. Other: On Board Simon Upper chipboard star, Antique Brass jumbo eyelets, sponge, Making Memories square crystal brad, Sherbet ribbon originals, Pink Giggles Thickers (American Crafts), dimensionals, Crop-a-dile.

Sweet Sophia is Back!

I couldn't resist using another one of the Sophia stamps from Paper Pretties to make this card. I'm liking it. Again I was inspired by the colors of the designer paper and choose a combo of: Sahara Sand, Elegant Eggplant, Perfect Plum and a touch of Chocolate Chip. Whenever I am feeling a bit stumped for a color scheme I tend to grab a piece of designer paper and let it be my muse. :)

This is also my sample card for the latest challenge that has been posted to the Paper Pretties forum (just click on challenges to play along). I thought to switch things up a bit and did a layout challenge (to the right). You will have to let me know what you think about the matting of the oval image on a square.

Quick notes: Sophia was stamped on watercolor paper and colored with classic inks and an Aqua Painter. Her feet were masked and then a ground was stamped in Sahara Sand Classic ink with an oval stamp from the Sassy Circles set.

***In other news... I need to take a moment and wish Christie from Paper Pretties a huge HAPPY BIRTHDAY. Yippee! Woo hoo! Have a great fun day Christie! ... and yes the card will be in the mail soon. :)

All images copyright Paper Pretties. Stamps: Cuddle Me, Sassy Circles. Paper: Sahara Sand, Chocolate Chip, Elegant Eggplant, Perfect Plum, watercolor, Whimsical Ladies designer (Daisy Bucket Designs). Ink: Palette Hybrid Noir, Sahara Sand Classic, Perfect Plum Classic, Close to Cocoa Classic, Blush Blossom marker, Creamy Caramel Classic, Elegant Eggplant Classic, Regal Rose Classic. Other: small corner rounder, Very Vanilla Taffeta, word window punch, vintage brads, Coluzzle and oval template, mat pack, paper piercer, dimensionals, Aqua Painter.