The Play Date Cafe Challenge #18...PDCC18 37

Hi there! Thanks to all of you who played along in last week's Play Date Cafe creativity challenge! For this week's challenge at the Play Date Cafe, PDCC18, Julie Ranae chose a beautiful inspirational photo that contain my favorite colors :) These colors are such a breath of fresh spring air!

Here is my card:

Any shade of Aqua is my favorite!


Here are a few details on how I made this card: The Tea label image on top is a stamp that I spotted at my local stamping store several months ago & finally inked it up! LOL The music note piece is a piece of metal from Ten Seconds Studio that I embossed, then sanded to reveal the silver - this stuff is gorgeous & super easy to work with! I inked up one of the Waltzing Mouse Faux Fun lacey looking borders with SU Cool Caribbean then cut it out by hand - Nothing fancy, just a super sharp scissors & steady hand :) I highly recommend not drinking caffeinated tea or coffee prior to cutting!


The whimsical scripty oval comes from the MTME © Flutters & Flowers digi collection. One thing I truly appreciate about the MTME © digi paper - is the ease of printing anytime of the day or night! I added a few punched, embossed, multi-layered posies to finish off my card :)
I hope you can join along with this week's creativity challenge. After you have made your project, please head on over to The Play Date Cafe & link your post to Mr. Linky. Be sure to see what all The Play Date Cafe DT girls have created to share with you for inspiration! Are you drawn in by the color Aqua? Be Sweet!

Sarah Anderson,
Julie Campbell

Julie Ranae

REMEMBER: March 1st is quickly approaching, that means I will be sharing some NEW My Time Made Easy © products :) starting Friday, February 26th with a sneak peek!

Spring has Sprung in my corner of the world :) Speaking of Spring - this is where I will be hanging out in the near future - LOVE those Caribbean waters!!! Photo taken from last trip's hotel view :)
Ingredients Used: Stamps: Waltzing Mouse Faux Fun, Stampington Company Ceylon Tea, Papertrey Ink Tea for Two Paper: My Time Made Easy © Flutters & Flowers collections, Papertrey Ink Aqua Mist, Rustic White, Stampin' Up Basic Gray, Going Gray Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Stampin' Up Cool Caribbean, Basic Grey, Creamy Caramel Sprinkles: Spellbinders Labels 4 & Oval dies, Ten Seconds Studio metal, Cuttlebug embossing folders, EK Success flower punch, Offray ribbon, buttons from stash, Husqvarna sewing machine

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Waltzing Mouse Stamps Very First Blog Hop...Spring theme 61

Hi Everyone! I am very excited to be hopping along with Claire, the talented Owner/Designer of Waltzing Mouse Stamps & many other customers in Waltzing Mouse Stamps very first customer blog hop! Claire challenged us all to create our project featuring a Spring theme! The hop starts at Waltzing Mouse Stamps... If you have not arrived here from: MicheyMoo's please head back to Waltzing Mouse Stamps to stay on the right trail! If you are on track, from here you will hop on over to: Lynne Phellps. Be sure to visit all stops along the hop to see what everyone has created :)




Here is my Easter Blessings card:

With Spring right around the corner, Easter Sunday, blooming Tulips & Daffodils popped into my mind. I used an image from the Waltzing Mouse Very Vintage Labels 4 set to create an ornate frame around the spring flowers. Very Vintage Labels 4 was my very Waltzing Mouse stamp set!!! One of my faves! After inking up the Waltzing Mouse memo/note" image I made a little tag, using one of the smaller Spellbinders Labels 4 die.

From this bird's eye view, you can get a real appreciation for the teensy weensy polka dotted detail in the Waltzing Mouse image :) I colored the flower image using the Copics mentioned below then using a Spellbinders Oval Nestie, cut out the flower image & layered it on the label. After stitching the layers together, I topped off the card with a pretty satin bow, button & butterfly embellishment!

That is all for now - Thanks for looking & I hope to see you along the Hop! I am looking forward to see what everyone has created :)

Ingredients Used: Stamps: Waltzing Mouse Stamps Very Vintage Labels No. 4, Stampin' Up Fancy Flexible Phrases, The Gifts of Spring Paper: K&Company DP, Papertrey Ink Rustic White, Stampin' Up River Rock Ink: Ranger Vintage Photo, Stampin' Up Perfect Plum, Close To Cocoa, Memento Tuxedo Black, Copic Markers: RV11 Pink, Y21 Buttercup Yellow, YG95 Pale Olive, BV11 Soft Violet, YG63 Pea Green, YR21 Cream, 0 Colorless Blender Sprinkles: Spellbinders Labels 4, Oval & Butterfly Nesties, Cuttlebug Flower & Swiss Dots embossing folders, Making Memories hardware, Martha Stewart pearl, button & cord from stash

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Just Us Girls Color Challenge......JUGS21 52

***I have 2 posts today - if you are looking for my Sketch For You To Try post - please continue to scroll down - Thanks!***

Hi Out there! Thanks to all of you who played along with last week's split negative technique challenge. For this week's color challenge, Maria is our wonderful Hostess & has chosen this fabulous photo for color inspiration to paint our palette (stamps) with! Remember, Iwona Palamountain (a.k.a. Chupa) is the JUGS Featured Designer for the month of February & will be joining in on the fun :) Here is my happy birthday card:
I made this birthday card for my Dear sister Tina who will be turning 52 on the 25th of this month :)I made the flourishy background by inking up the Cuttlebug embossing folder using the brayer technique. I like the soft, subtle effect. After cutting the Spellbinders flourish accent pieces that the flower sits on, I distressed it a tad with Ranger vintage photo ink, then applied some Ranger Blush Perfect Pearls. You can't see it so well in the photos, but the Perfect Pearls really adds a beautiful shimmery effect!
Papertrey Ink's Raspberry Fizz cardstock is a loud color to me - I can hear it screaming! YIKES! To tone it down, I rubbed some Ranger vintage photo ink around the edges of that particular layer. I suppose I just prefer a softer, muted color palette as opposed to a bold, loud one. I grew up with 10 siblings, so you can imagine the noise level! Maybe that is why I prefer peace & quiet & soft, subtle colors. Hmm.. :)
I made the multi-layered Coral colored mulberry paper flower using the Spellbinders Dahlia die :)

I hope you can join along with Just Us Girls this week :) For complete details, please visit the Just Us Girls challenge site & be sure to visit ALL the DT girls (found on my side bar) & Chupa to see what they have created!

Once you have your project photographed, be sure to go to Just Us Girls and post a direct link to your creation on our site. If you post your photo in an online gallery, be sure to name it JUGS21.

That's all for now. Thanks for looking at my card & I hope to see what you create using these beautiful colors.

Remember: I will be back today at 10:00 with my post for Sketch For You To Try sketch challenge!

Ingredients: Stamps: Stampendous Dream Text, Papertrey Ink Flower Garden & Damask Designs Paper: Papertrey Ink Rustic White, Dark Chocolate, Raspberry Fizz, Darice Mulberry Ink: Ranger Tim Holtz vintage photo, Stampin' Up Chocolate Chip, Papertrey Ink Vintage Cream, Raspberry Fizz Sprinkles: Spellbinders Labels One, Symbology One & Dahlia dies, Cuttlebug embossing folder, EK Success border punch, Sizzix Sizzlit tag die, Perfect Pearls, Offray ribbon, Husqvarna sewing machine, pearl brad, gold cord, button & clear embossing powder from stash

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Sketch For You To Try...Happy St. Patrick's Day! 27

*** This is 1 0f 2 posts today - if you are looking for my JUGS post - please continue to scroll up - Thanks! :) ***

Hi Everyone! As Jen del Muro's February Guest Designer at iheart2stamp, I am here today to share my sample of this week's Sketch For You To Try. Please be sure to visit Jen's site for complete details, as she is offering a huge prize package to one lucky participant.Here is my take on this week's awesome sketch:I made this Happy St. Patrick's Day card for my son's sweet red headed, Irish girlfriend April :) Here is April in the photo below all dressed up in her Irish dancing outfit - wig & all! When I lived in Buffalo, NY - there was the Annual St. Patty's Day parade & it seemed like the entire city would shut down, all the bars sold GREEN beer & the restaurants served Corned Beef & Cabbage! As the saying goes "Everyone is Irish on St. Patrick's Day!"You can imagine how happy I was to find this sweet Hampton Art "happy St. Patrick's Day" stamp in the $1 bin at my local craft store :) Who doesn't love a bargain?After stamping the 4 leaf clover image & coloring it with the various Copic Markers mentioned below, I cut the out with a super sharp scissors & curled the edges a smidgen for a 3-D effect! I would love to know if you celebrate St. Patrick's Day?

That's all I have for today, I hope you can play along with Jen's fun sketch! Please be sure to visit Jen & the SFYTT DT to see what ALL the girls have created for inspiration: Amy Rohl, Amy Sheffer, Leigh O’Brien, Susan Liles & Kelly Lunceford. Be Sweet!

Ingredients Used: Stamps: Hampton Art sentiment stamp, Stampabilities Shamrock Paper: DCWV DP, Stampin' Up Certainly Celery, Garden Green, Papertrey Ink Rustic White Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Copic Markers: YG 63 Pea Green, YG03 Yellow Green, 0 Colorless Blender Sprinkles: Spellbinders Scalloped Square & Long Scalloped Rectangle dies, Offray ribbon, Cuttlebug Swiss Dots embossing folder, button & twine from stash, Husqvarna sewing machine

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Thanks a Latte.... 103

Hi Everyone! Hope you are all having a great week so far! I have some Super Duper exciting news to share with all of you who don't already know - I was selected as one of the 2010 Spellbinders Design Team Finalists. That means, I advance to the final round for a once in a life time opportunity to be on the 2010 Spellbinders DT! Someone PLEASE pinch me & tell me I am not dreaming??? I am also celebrating the magic # 300 +! Holy Smokes! Thank you all for your support & sweet encouraging comments :)

I made a card for my dear sister, Tina who takes care of my fur babies when I am out of town. For sketch inspiration, I played along with Kazan's fun sketch #45 from 2Sketches4You & for color inspiration, I played along with the embellish magazine pretty color challenge with ribbon. If you would like to see some amazing eye candy, please don't hesitate to visit both of these sites & see what the DT's & players have created!

Here is my Thanks a Latte card:
I am a one cup a day coffee drinker except when Tina comes to visit!!! We always make a 12 cup pot to share :) After our bicycle ride of course!!!
I bought both of these stamps when I was at CHA. They are the first "coffee" inspired stamps that I own. I am always on the look out for new & exciting things :)
Lauren has designed this new fun MTME © stamp set called © Argyle Amazement. It is so much fun & makes for a great background set. Can never have too many of those right? :) If you haven't already, head on over to the MTME store & see for yourself what an Amazing set this really as well as all the other products!I layered the card with a strip of the MTME © digi Shutt-erfly DP (polka dots) along with a piece of embossed SU Tempting Turquoise cs. I have had that Cuttlebug Argyle EF for several years & NEVER used it!!!! Now, paired with MTME © Argyle Amazement stamps, it makes for the "perfect blend"! (giggle-giggle)To make the polka dot hearts, I inked up the Waltzingmouse polka dot heart image with the various inks, then centered a Spellbinders Heart die & ran it through my Sizzix Big Shot Express. Voila!

I am also celebrating the magic # 300! Holy Smokes! Thanks a Latte all for your support & sweet, encouraging comments :) I appreciate each & everyone one of them as they are very heartfelt in this big Blog-osphere! I have a little give away that I would like to share with ONE randomly drawn person. I am not requiring you to become a follower in order to win, all I ask is for you to leave a comment. If you like what you see, please don't be afraid to return :) You have until MIDNIGHT EST, SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 6TH. I will announce the winner in my post on Sunday, February 7th. I would like to get this in the mail Monday morning, so there is time to play with them before Valentine's Day! Please Be Sweet! & only one comment per person will be included. Thanks so much!My give away includes 1 Spellbinders Scalloped Hearts die set, 1 Spellbinders Hearts die set & 1 Cuttlebug Heart EF.

That's all for today! I will be sharing a special MTME © project Thursday, February 4th. Hope to see you then!

Ingredients Used:
Stamps: MTME Argyle Amazement, Waltzingmouse Say It With Style, KB's Cappacino Cup & Thanks A Latte Paper: MTME © Pretty Printables: Shutt-erfly, Making Memories Love Struck DP, SU Pretty In Pink, Tempting Turquoise, Chocolate Chip, Whisper White, OfficeMax Brite White Ink: Ranger Tim Holtz Vintage Photo, SU Chocolate Chip, Pretty In Pink, Tempting Turquoise, Copic Markers: W3 Warm Gray, E31 Brick Beige Sprinkles: Spellbinders Scalloped Circles & Hearts, Circles & Hearts dies, Cuttlebug Swiss Dots & Argyle EF, Offray ribbon, buttons & twine from stash

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Just Us Girls Technique Challenge......JUGS15 58

Hi Friends! Thanks to all of you who played along with the Just Us Girls sketch challenge last week! Lisa's sketch was so incredibly popular :) This week, I am the Hostess for the JUGS15 Technique challenge & I chose to Add stitching to your project! It doesn't matter if you stitch something on your card by hand, faux stitch or put your machine to use! We simply would like to see your creation in stitches! :)

Here is my card:

As you can see, I stitched the entire perimeter of each rectangle :) I was first a "sewer" before I ever dreamed of playing with paper & ink! My dear mom taught me how to sew when I was very young & I was hooked ever since. I used to make all of my daughter's dresses & doll clothes :) I dusted off my sewing machine & gave sewing a try on my cards a few months ago. Now, I can't put it away :) I am so crazy about the new MTME © Pretty Printables: Flutters & Flowers & Fluttering-by digital paper! All the DP that you see here is from those collections!

Here is my Valentine Set:

I loove to give gift sets - so how easy to give a lovely MTME © In A Pinch gift box full of Kisses!

I just had to play along with the embellish magazine's color challenge with Hearts! Doesn't this photo inspiration look soooo YUMMY, bright & cheerful :)

For sketch inspiration, I played along with the girls at Kazan's awesome sketch #43 from 2Sketches4You. That long rectangle right smack dead center, was screaming for heart embellishments :) The text on this paper is so fun & whimsical! Believe it or not, I only used ONE stamp on this card - I think that is a 1st for me! I inked up the sweet MTME © sentiment with SU Basic Black ink & stamped it then, using the smallest beautifully ornate Spellbinders Labels 5 die, I placed it right over the image & cut it out with my Sizzix Big Shot Express machine. Please be sure to visit both of the challenge sites & take a peek at what the DT's & players have created for your viewing pleasure!

The MTME © In A Pinch template is so easy to use & versatile, you can pack it full of virtually any sort of sweet treats for your Valentine! :) All 4 panels make for great space to stitch your favorite DP to :)

I hope you can join along with Just Us Girls this week :) For complete details, please visit the Just Us Girls challenge site & be sure to visit ALL the DT girls & leave them some love:

Pam

Kristin

Dana

Tracey

Maria

Alicia

Gabby

Thanks for looking! I look forward to seeing you add some stitching to your project!

Once you have your creation photographed, be sure to go to Just Us Girls and post a direct link to your project on our Mr. Linky. Thank you so much for taking the time to stop by! Be Sweet!

Ingredients Used:

Template: My Time Made Easy LLC © Pretty Packaging: In A Pinch Stamps: My Time Made Easy LLC © Pretty Impressions: All A Flutter Paper: My Time Made Easy LLC © Pretty Printables: Flutters & Flowers, SU Pretty in Pink, PTI Pure Poppy, Office Max 65 lb digital brightwhite 
Ink: Ranger Tim Holtz Vintage Photo, SU Basic Black Sprinkles: Spellbinders Scalloped Hearts, Hearts & Labels 5 dies, Cuttlebug Heart dies, EK Success border punch, PTI ribbon, buttons & cord from stash, Making Memories hardware

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Shower Me With LOVE! 19

Hi Girls! Another "short" work week for me - YEAH!!! That means more crafty time :) First, I would like to thank the girls at the Embellish Magazine Blog for selecting my Snow Boy Friend card in their Top 6 for the Embellish Snowflakes Color Challenge :) I am doing the Happy Dance!!! Please be sure to visit the Embellish Magazine site & see all the beautiful creations!

This week, I am honored to be the Guest Designer at The Play Date Cafe along side the super talented Julie Ranae & all the girls on The Play Date Cafe's Design Team. This week Sweet Sarah is the Hostess & she has chosen this YUMMY color combination for The Play Date Cafe's Creativity Challenge #10, PDCC10. Sarah was inspired by a necklace that a friend had given her! How sweet is that? Sarah said "In certain lights this necklace is more of an orange with turquoise and brown but during the transition from camera to computer it's become a more dusky pink." Oh thank goodness - I love anything pink ;)

Here is my Shower Me With LOVE card: My interpretation of these colors are SU Tempting Turquoise, Pretty in Pink & Chocolate Chip. The DP that I used to make this card is a retired collection from SU 2006! This was my very first pack of paper that I purchased from SU when my dear friend, Shana introduced me to stamping. I was saving it for a RAINY day! :)

After stamping the PTI flowery Umbrella image, I cut it out & pieced it on the embossed white oval then layered it on several more Scalloped Ovals. I love to layer anything & everything!!!

For sketch inspiration, I played along with this weeks Mercy's fun sketch, MTSC54.

I love this color combination! The pink & blue really show up nicely when layered on the rich chocolatey colored paper. For some great eye catching inspiration please be sure to stop by The Play Date Cafe, the Embellish Magazine & Mercy's site to see what ALL these girls have created!

Do you have any BIG New Year's plans? I would love to hear about them :) It is going to be a busy weekend here at Cupcake's! We have to ring in The New Year on Friday, Saturday is a NEW fun Just Us Girls sketch challenge & Sunday is slated to be THE OFFICIAL RELEASE day for My Time Made Easy LLC! I hope you have time to stop by to see what I have been up to :) Be Sweet!

Ingredients Used:

Stamps: PTI Scattered Showers Paper: SU DP, Pretty In Pink, Tempting Turquoise, Chocolate Chip, Rose Red, Whisper White Ink: SU Pretty In Pink, Chocolate Chip, Ranger Tim Holtz Vintage Photo Sprinkles: Cuttlebug Hearts & Swiss Dots EF & Heart dies, Spellbinders Scalloped Hearts & Ovals, Hearts & Ovals, EK Success punches, buttons & ribbon from stash

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Just Us Girls Template Challenge...JUGS13 37

Hi Girls! I hope you all had a wonderful Holiday celebration :) Thanks to all of you who had the opportunity to play along with last week's color challenge! There were some pretty awesome creations out there to look at! This week, Dana is our lovely Hostess for the Just Us Girls 13 3-D / Template Challenge with the option to use the color BLUE & this week's challenge is sponsored by the very creative & talented Kelleigh Ratzlaff.There will also be blog candy for ONE lucky winner & a special discount available for all participants at the Digi Chick shop. For complete details, please hop over to the Just Us Girls site!











Here is my sample of Kelleigh's fun Take - Out Box template:
The base color of my Take - Out Box is made from Bazzill Guacamole cs. For all 4 sides, I cut panels using SU Chocolate Chip & BoBunny DP then I inked the edges a tad using Ranger Tim Holtz Antique Photo ink. After adhering all layers together, I stitched them on the main box.

To incorporate the color BLUE with my project, I made a few accent flowers using various size EK Success punches & Cuttlebug scalloped flower dies. To add some texture I ran all the flowers through the die cutting machine & then dabbed on a bit of distressing ink.

I made a tag to accompany the easy to make & versatile Take - Out Box template using the Spellbinders Labels 4 dies. I love flourishes!!!! So I inked up a flourish image from the SU Priceless set with SU Wild Wasabi ink & stamped it on the tag. I distressed the edges a bit & "popped" in an XL eyelet using the Crop A Dile II Big Bite.

I hope you can join along with Just Us Girls this week :) For complete details, please visit the Just Us Girls challenge site & be sure to visit ALL the DT girls & Kelleigh's blog to see how they created their project! Thank you Kelleigh for providing Just Us Girls with fantastic templates to play with & Hugs Dana for securing this challenge sponsorship with Kelleigh :) Thanks for looking! We look forward to seeing a variety of wonderfully decorated templates & don't forget to try to use the color BLUE!

Once you have your creation photographed, be sure to go to the Just Us Girls website and post a direct link to your project on our Mr. Linky. Thank you so much for taking the time to stop by! Be Sweet!

Ingredients Used:

Digi Chick Take - Out Box Template

Stamps: SU Priceless Paper: BoBunny DP, Bazzill Guacamole, SU Chocolate Chip, Very Vanilla, Taken With Teal Ink: Ranger Tim Holtz Antique Photo, SU Chocolate Chip, Wild Wasabi Sprinkles: EK Success flower punches, Spellbinders Labels 4 dies, We R On The Net eyelets, Making Memories brads, Offray ribbon, Cuttlebug Textile EF & Scalloped flower dies

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