Pretties Wednesday: Feeling a Little Frosty

Hello my crafty readers. I'm really excited to share my project today and it is entirely appropriate for the current cold weather outside! This week Jackie issued the Pretties Wednesday challenge and it is to alter something! I decided to alter a paper mache box that I have had in my stash for a while and use one of the soon to be released Paper Pretties stamps sets: Warm Winter Wishes. I thought this little box would be perfect to hold a bunch of different hot chocolate mixes. I must by psychic because I made this project a few days ago when it was much warmer outside but now there is a definite chill to the air. Definitely perfect weather for some hot cocoa like the kind I put in this box. Hmmm... wonder if anyone would notice if one of the mixes went missing?! Hee hee!

I'm excited to see what the rest of the Prettie Girls altered this week for the hop today. Yes, every week we do a little blog hop and the next stop is the fabulous Charmaine! The hop started at Christie's so if you missed a couple of stops before visiting my blog you will want to start there first.

A few quick details: I colored the image with Copic markers and then trimmed with paper snips. Next I coated the whole image with VersaMark and then heat embossed with Crystal Clear embossing powder. For the main background I cut a square of brown felt to the same sized as the base piece of designer paper. I took a pair of pinking shears I have for cutting fabric and pinked the very edges of the felt. This way the designer paper below would peek through. I machine stitched the edges with white thread and added some jumbo brads to each corner! I did the same for the layer immediately beneat the main image. To finish I cut a sentiment and used a small corner rounded on the edges to round them. The sentiment is from another of the stamp sets releaseing on October 1st!

PWC71 Challenge Details: Alter something someway somehow!

How to Enter: alter something and use any Paper Pretties stamp set(s) you have while doing so. Upload the altered item to the Paper Pretties gallery. Please include it in the Weekly Challenges category and use keyword PWC71.

Deadline: 6PM (EST) on Tuesday, October 6th.

Prize: $15.00 coupon to the Paper Pretties Boutique.

Recipe:

Stamps: Warm Winter Wishes (Paper Pretties). Paper: Kraft, PTI Select White, Parisian Breeze Specialty designer. Ink: Black, Copic markers, VersaMark. Other: Crystal Clear embossing powder, brown felt, pinking shears, sewing machine and white thread, vintage brads, Very Vanilla 5/16" brads, small corner rounder, ruffled suede ribbon (May Arts), dimesionals, paper mache box (Wal-Mart).

A Quilter's Book

I must say that I am really {loving} these quilter block stamps by Anna. They are perfect not only as a focal point but also to create fabulous backgrounds! :)

For this project I used five of the blocks to create a pattern on a piece of Spring Rain cardstock by stamping in white craft ink and then heat embossing with Winter White embossing powder. I stamped a couple of extra blocks using Rich Cocoa Memento Ink and then colored with Copic markers. Added a bit of bling to the blocks with Dazzling Diamonds Glitter, a crystal and a DecoColor silver pen.

I created a title for the book using various diferent Thickers (awesome dimensionals letter stickers by American Crafts).

To finish the book I added a bit of ribbon, stamped a sentiment, sponged a bunch of edges with Creamy Caramel ink and assembled. I think this was a huge improvement on how the notebook originally looked! :)

Recipe:
Stamps: Winter Quilt and Homespun Quilt Anna Wight cling sets (Whipper Snapper Designs). Paper: Spring Rain, Pure Poppy, White (PTI), Chocolate Chip, Pacifiic Blue (SU!), 2008 Bitty Dot Basics designer (PTI). Ink: White Craft, Creamy Caramel Classic, Rich Cocoa Memento. Other: Winter White embossing powder, 4mm clear Swarovski crystals, blue satin ribbon (May Arts), Dazzling Diamonds glitter, Shoe Box white glitter Thickers, Rockabye white Thickers, Subway white Thickers (American Crafts), $1 book (Michaels), silver fine line DecoColor pen (Marvy Uchida).

Frosty Fun

Have you been enjoying the Prettie Peeks over the last few days? I hope so! I'm back with another peek today and this time I used the fun Frosty stamp set!

The release deets: The party will take place on October 1st at 8 pm EST. Be sure to join us in the Paper Pretties forum for a bit of chatting and maybe a prize or two! We'll be releasing 9 new images for immediate purchase and giving you a sneak peek of the new Stamp of the Month!

Recipe:
Stamps: Frosty (Paper Pretties). Paper: Tempting Turquoise (SU!), Ripe Avocado and White (PTI), Colorful Christmas designer (My Mind's Eye). Ink: black, Copic markers. Other: Dazzling Diamonds glitter, Raspberry Fizz polka dot ribbon, dimensionals.

A Prettie Peek

Hello my crafting friends (and well anyone else who likes to pop in and see what I am working on),

Paper Pretties is gearing up for the next release and it is a fun one! There will be nine new images released and the next Stamp of the Month will also be revealed. And guess what? One of the images being released called Season of Joy was illustrated by little ole me! Of course I had to use it for my very first peek! :) What do you think? Is the birdhouse with lights darling or what?

Quick card notes: I colored the image with Copic markers and then added a bit of Angel Wings Shimmerz to the snow. I also coated the lights with a bit of glitter via a Clear Copic atYou Spica pen.


One last note... various different team members will be sharing sneak peeks every day until the reveal on October 1st. You can find links to their blogs on my sidebar to the right. :) For today Christie and Charmaine have posted some uber cute creations!

Recipe:
Stamps: Season of Joy (Paper Pretties). Paper: Buckaroo Blue (SU!), Ocean Tides and White (PTI), Jolly by Golly Mini Deck designer (Cosmo Cricket). Ink: black, Copic markers. Other: Angel Wings Shimmerz, Copic atYou Clear spica pen, sewing machine, white thread, 5/16" cream brads, ribbon (May Arts), Button Latte designer button, white floss (DMC).

Wishing upon a star!

Hello my crafty friends!

I'm back with another card I made using one of the newly released Anna Wight cling sets: Spirit of Christmas. This set is so country sewin' fab that I just had to pair it with some buttons and sewing. I even took country look a bit further by repurposing a piece of corrugated cardboard. Of course I then threw a wrench into the mix and added a TON of color and a bit of sparkle. LOL! We'll just call this style "Country meets Copic markers!" :)

Here is a closeup of the sweet fairy. Look at all of the stitches on her dress and clothing... so fabulous I could just swoon! :)

Recipe:
Stamps: Spirit of Christmas Anna Wight cling set (Whipper Snapper). Paper: Bashful Blue, Melon Mambo, Kiwi Kiss, PTI Select White, Colorful Christmas Frosty Pines designer (My Mind's Eye). Ink: Close to Cocoa Classic, Memento Tuxedo Black, Copic markers, clear, green and pink Copic AtYou Spica pens. Other: corrugated cardboard, sewing machine, white thread, Large Zots (Therm O Web), buttons (PTI), white floss (DMC), Melon Mambo dotted ribbon, distressing tool.

Pretties Wednesday: Blog Hopping with Fun Foam!

Hi peeps - I'm popping in with my Pretties Wednesday challenge sample. Last week Christie challenged everyone to use fun foam on a card. We thought the challenge was so much fun that we have extended it another week. That's right, the deadline has been extended until next Tuesday. Which is great because if you needed a bit of inspiration first (or an idea as to what fun foam is) you can take a peek at the design team's samples today! :)

For my card I used a sheet of pink Fun Foam and die cut it with the Top Note BigZ die. It then made a really fun frame for Ballerina Sophia.

Oh... and we are blog hopping again today. The next hop is the fabulous Charmaine! The hop started at Christie's so if you missed a couple of stops you will want to start there first.


This week's challenge details: Make a card/project that uses fun foam somehow someway.

How to Enter: make a card that meets the above challenge requirement and uses any Paper Pretties stamp set(s) you have. Upload the card to the Paper Pretties gallery. Please include it in the Weekly Challenges category and use keyword PWC70.

Deadline: 6PM (EST) on Tuesday, September 29th.

Prize: $15.00 coupon to the Paper Pretties Boutique.

Recipe:
Stamps: Sophia Ballerina (Paper Pretties).
Paper: Purpe Poppy, white (PTI), Pink Pirouette, Colorful Christmas designer (My Mind's Eye).
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Copic markers.
Other: oval punch, Top Note BigZ die, Scalloped oval and oval Nestabilities (Spellbinders), Crystal Effects, Dazzling Diamonds Glitter, pink fun foam, button and jute (PTI), Riding Hood Red/Very Vanilla Taffeta ribbon, dimensionals.

Stitches of fun!

Hey crafty peeps! I have some exciting news to share. A few weeks ago Anna Wight asked me if I would be interested in being one of the featured designers for September/October. As a huge fan of Whipper Snapper Designs and Anna I couldn't agree fast enough! LOL! Needless to say I was quite happy and even happier when I received some of the fabulous new stamps to play with! This bright and cheery card is one of the first projects I made. And ohh... I have been a busy stamper bee and will have lots to share with you!

Quick card notes: I used a sewing machine to add a bit of stitching. The quilt squares where stamped in black, colored with Copic markers and then cut out. The bottom two were adhered directly to the Kraft cardstock mat while the top three where popped up with dimensionals. The finished card size is 5" x 5".

For more inspiration check out the rest of the designers for September/October (I've already taken a peek and all I can say is "WOWSA!"):

Jeanie Witmer
SCS Gallery: Jeanie_Witmer
Blog: thespottedchick.blogspot.com

Katarina (Kathy) Menzies
SCS Gallery: katarinam
Blog: thecreataholic.blogspot.com

Kelly Bee
SCS Gallery: kellybee
Blog: kelly.studiobeemusic.com

Stephanie Kraft
SCS Gallery: booga3
Blog: handkraftedbystephanie.blogspot.com

and Anna Wight
SCS Gallery: sweetmissdaisy
Blog: sweetmissdaisy.typepad.com

Card Recipe:
Stamps: Homespun Quilt (Anna Wight Cling set from Whipper Snapper Designs)
Paper: Kraft, Not Quite Navy, PTI Select White, Early Bird (Cosmo Cricket)
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Copic markers
Accessories: Soft Suede Polka Dot ribbon, jute and button (PTI), sewing machine and white thread, dimensionals

Halloween Pumpkin-y Fun!

Happily I found a bit of time while waiting for supper to bake last night to make a card! I'm really into Halloween images this year and have been wanting to ink up again the Halloween Set from Whipper Snapper Designs (illustrated by Anna Wight)!

This time I stamped the pumpkins three times on River Rock cardstock overlapping the images. I then stamped them again 3 more times on PTI Select white, colored and then cut out. However before adhering them over the first set of pumpkins I had to stamp a sentiment and add a bit of a distressed look by overstamping the River Rock cardstock with a background stamp. Sweet huh? I did do a bit of coloring on the RR cardstock... just the stems, leaves and an outline of the pumpkin. This way I didn't have to trim the leaves and stems (that would not have been fun!).


When adding the colored pumpkins I popped the middle ones up with a couple of dimensionals. To finish the card I added some incredibly fun black pom pom trim (LOVE IT SO MUCH!) and attached a ribbon and button with a bit of jute.

So what do you think? Is it a keeper? :)

Recipe:
Stamps: Halloween Fun and Spooky Expressions Anna Wight Cling sets (Whipper Snapper Designs), Sanded background stamp. Paper: River Rock, Basic Black, Aways Artichoke, PTI Select White, Boo to You! Spooky Stripes designer (My Mind's Eye). Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Copic markers, Kiwi Kiss Classic. Other: black pompom trim (Recollections), black satin ribbon (May Arts), jute (PTI), mat pack, paper piercer, dimensionals, button.

Prettie Wednesday Blog Hop: Inspired!

Hello my crafty peeps! I'm still alive! I know I haven't been posting much lately but that is because I am super busy at work which means I have limited crafting time. Say it with me... "RATS!" LOL! However I do have a fun card to share with you today for the Pretties Wednesday Blog Hop! Hopefully you came here from Jules blog, if not the hop started with Christie!

Last week Charmaine challenged the Prettie Girls and all of you to make a card using a picture of a lovely set of bedding as your inspiration (can be seen HERE). I thought the colors from the piece would be perfect for a fall themed card using one of the latest Paper Pretties releases: Season of Thanksgiving. Hmmm... I think I kept this card pretty simple although I did up the oomph factor by adding some machine zigzag stitching, a it of ribbon and a few brads.

Now that you have checked out my card you can hop on over to Charmaine... the next stop on the blog hop! :) Or you might want to keep reading for details on the this week's challenge!

This week's challenge details:

Challenge: Make a card/project that uses fun foam somehow someway.*

How to Enter: make a card that meets the above challenge requirement and uses any Paper Pretties stamp set(s) you have. Upload the card to the Paper Pretties gallery. Please include it in the Weekly Challenges category and use keyword PWC70.

Deadline: 6PM (EST) on Tuesday, September 22nd.

Prize: $15.00 coupon to the Paper Pretties Boutique.

*If you are wondering what fun foam is it is sheet of foam about an 1/8" thick sold in many different colors. You can also purchase it precut in various shapes. It can be found pretty much wherever kids crafting/art supplies are sold. I bought a bunch at Michael's... way more than I need but the colors were all so fun! ;)

Card Recipe:

Stamps: Season of Thanksgiving (Paper Pretties). Paper: Baja Breeze, Chocolate Chip, PTI Select White, Autmun Paper Pack (Recollections). Ink: black, Copic markers. Other: Pacific Point striped ribbon, mat pack, paper piercer, dimensionals, corner rounder, Chit Chat rubons, metallic brads (Recollections).

Ribbit (Frog for "How you doing?")

I made this Froggy Journal a couple of weeks ago for the Paper Pretties Release party. I couldn't resist using the frog (a lot!) from the new set Pulling For You. I'll admit it - I think frogs are COOL! :)

The journal is a notebook I picked up from Michael's craft store. It actually had a quite pretty drawing of several flowers on the front but I was in the mood for frogs so the flowers had to go! First step in decorating the book was stamping and coloring with Copic markers four little froggies. Next I punched them out with a 1 3/8" circle punch. For the final touch I coated the frogs with a bit of Crystal Effects.

I then picked out some pretty designer paper and a few matching accents. I didn't have a perfect match for the journal title so I took some naked chipboard letters and sprayed with Patina Glimmer Mist. The result was the right color AND they sparkle (bonus!). At this point all that was left was assembly... a bit of super sticky tape and a bunch of dimensionals and I was done!

Relatively easy project and now all I need to do is find it a new home. :)

Recipe:

Stamps: Pulling For You (Paper Pretties). Paper: Soft Suede, Baja Breeze, PTI Select White, Carolyn Gavin Greenhouse designer (K&Company). Inks: black, Copic markers. Other: 1 3/8" circle punch, saddle stitch ribbon (PTI), silver brads, 1/4" circle punch, dimensionals, Crystal Effects, Glimmer Mist (Tattered Angels), chipboard letters (Heidi Swapp), notebook (Michaels), heat tool.

Pretties Wednesday Challenge Hop

Hi Prettie Fans,

I'm back this Wednesday with my take on last week's sketch challenge. The Prettie Girls are also hopping today so hopefully you came here from Jules blog, if not the hop started with Christie!

For my card I pulled out the Home Sweet Home stamp set and some sophisticated gold embossed designer paper from SEI and made this chocolate-y card! I kept the coloring muted. Hmmm... I could probably even send this card to a guy, although I did make the curtains pink. :D

Next stop in the blog hop is the fabulous Charmaine!!!

In case you lose your place, we are hopping in the following order:
Christie Ortman
Julie Masse
Danielle Lounds (that's me!)
Charmaine Ikach
Jana Weaver
Jackie Rakoski
Christi Thorsen
Frances Byrne

The next challenge was issued by Charmaine and it is this fabulous inspiration piece. Hmmm... how will it inspire you? I'm thinking I will hve to incorporate some of those colors!

Challenge details:

How to Enter: make a card using the provided inspiration piece and any Paper Pretties stamp set(s) you have. Upload the card to the Paper Pretties gallery. Please include it in the Weekly Challenges category and use keyword PWC69.

Deadline: 6PM (EST) on Tuesday, September 15th.

Prize: $15.00 coupon to the Paper Pretties Boutique.

Card Recipe:
Stamps: Home Sweet Home (Paper Pretties). Paper: Chocolate Chip, Sahara Sand, PTI Select White, designer (SEI). Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Copic markers. Other: gold brads, 1/4" circle punch, word window punch, mat pack, paper piercer, brown ribbon (May Arts), dimensionals.

A Sweet Harvest

Hello crafty peeps! I'm finally back with another crafty creation. I took the weekend off to visit some friends and family over the long weekend. It was fabulous but now I'm home again and back to work! :)

I made another one of the double decker boxes - Halloween style this time! I did take pictures during the process so hopefully I will be able to post a quick tutorial soon for those of you who have been asking how to make one of these yourselves!

To decorate the box I used the fabulous Vintage Picnic stamp set from PaperTreyInk and some delicous ribbon and orange rhinestones. Yum! And speaking on that note... all the box needs is a bit of chocolate and it will be ready for giving! :)

Recipe:
Stamps: Vintage Picnic. Paper: Spooked Stripes designer (My Mind's Eye), Tangerine Tango, Basic Black, More Mustard, PTI Select White. Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Copic markers. Other: black satin ribbon (May Arts), yellow grosgrain (SU!), word window punch, adhesive rhinestones (Me & My Big Ideas), mat pack, paper piercer, dimensionals.

Jeepers... Halloween is Just Around the Corner!

Which means I am in the mood to make Halloween cards! :) For this one I used a stamp I bought a couple of years ago from a set called Fall Festival by Paper Salon. I stamped it in white craft ink, coated with white embossing powder from SU! and heat set. I do think I need a different embossing powder though, one that is a bit finer and good for detailed images. Any suggestions? :)

Recipe:
Stamps: Fall Festival (Paper Salon), Spooky Expressions Anna Wight Cling set (Whipper Snapper Designs). Ink: Whte Craft, Memento Tuxedo Black. Paper: various colors, PTI Select White, The Spider Web Pumpkin Patch designer (My Mind's Eye). Other: black medium brads (American Crafts), White embossing powder, ribbon (May Arts), Circle and Petite Scalloped Circle Nestabilities (Spellbinders), mat pack, paper piercer, dimensionals.

Pretties Wednesday: Part Duex!

Hello Prettie Fans! We have some exciting news for you this week. We've decided to combine the fun Pretties Wednesday Design Team challenges with the weekly customer challenges we have issued in the past. This way you can play along with the Prettie Girls!

Challenges will be issued on Wednesdays and you will have one week to enter the contest! The following Wednesday the Prettie Girls will reveal their takes on the challenge! To make the challenges even more fun one winner will be selected from the participants and will receive a $15.00 coupon to the Paper Pretties Boutique!

Also, following the end of the challenge the winner will be announced on the Paper Clip. Woo hoo! We are very excited about these changes and are looking forward to seeing all of your fun creations! :)

This weeks challene details:

How to Enter: make a card using the provided sketch (the orange one above) and any Paper Pretties stamp set(s) you have. Upload the card to the Paper Pretties gallery. Please include it in the Weekly Challenges category and use keyword PWC68.

Deadline: midnight on Wednesday, September 9th.

Prize: $15.00 coupon to the Paper Pretties Boutique.

Pretties Wednesday: Heartfully Happy

Two weeks ago Jules challenged us to make a card using her provided sketch - a FABULOUS sketch I must say! :)

I decided to use the next SOTM image Always in My Heart Sophia from Paper Pretties (available Oct. 1st) and some fun *Christmas* paper from My Mind's Eye. I love this paper! It is even perfect for a non-wintery card!

I did take a bit of liberty with the sketch and switched the sentiment and image locations. I just couldn't chop off Sophia's legs... not this time! The tights are just too cute not to show every pixel of! :)

Sophia was colored with Copic markers and then cut out. I used Nesties to cut out the sentiment layer and the pink scalloped mat. I added evently spaced piercing along the upper left edge and added a brad to every single hole. I don't normally go crazy with brads but I think it really worked on this card!

The finished card is 5" x 5" and the inside of it is blank. I always seem to lose my stamping mojo when it comes time to doing the inside of the card so about 95% of the time I just leave it blank! :) Do you decorate the insides of your cards or not? I'm really curious to know what all of you think on the subject!

Recipe:

Stamps: Always in My Heart Sophia (Paper Pretties - available Oct. 1st). Paper: various colors, PTI Select White, Colorful Christmas "Bright Stripes" designer (My Mind's Eye). Ink: black, Copic markers. Other: silver brads, dimensionals, grosgrain ribbon, Scalloped Scallop Border Punch (EK Success), Circle and Petite Scalloped Circle Nestabilities (Spellbinders).

Paper Pretties Sneak Peek - Day 3

Okay, so the project I'm sharing today does use an image you've seen before but today it will be officially released! The stamp? Story Time Sophia, a bookworm after my own heart! And what better use for her then adding a bit of fun and whimsy to a book! I decorated a 5" x 7" journal from Michaels (gotta love the $1 bins) adding lots of pink and just a touch or two or three of bling. I'm thinking my neice would love this project! What do you think? :)

Release info: Today Paper Pretties will be having their monthly Stampin In Your Jammies party! The party starts at 8pm EST and will last until 10pm. We will be having three challenges, so be sure to come and play along! Besides the challenges, chatter, and all around fun, we will also be releasing 5 new sets, including Story Time Sophia. Hope to see you at the party Tuesday night. :)

To see more sneak peeks check out the rest of the Prettie Girls:
Charmaine Ikach
Christi Thorsen
Christie Ortman
Frances Byrne
Jackie Rakoski
Jana Weaver
Julie Masse

Recipe:
Stamps: Story Time Sophia (Paper Pretties). Paper: Melon Mambo, Pretty in Pink, PTI Select White, Razzleberry designer. Ink: black, Copic markers. Other: Hibiscus Burst saddle stitch ribbon (PTI), Rockabye Thickers (American Crafts), adhesive rhinestone strips (Heidi Swapp), Oval and Scalloped Oval Nestabilities (Spellbinders), mat pack, paper piercer, dimensionals, word window punch (SU!).