Cyber Tea Party

I really miss your presence
 I like to hear your views
  I wish that we could visit
 And catch up on the news.
 Since we can't do that often
The one thing I can see,
 Is we can dream together
And have a cup of tea.
 I’ll think of you,
 And you can think of me.

I found this little poem on the web. I think it goes perfectly with this project. I chose the colors from SPCC, and I thought they were so fun! They just looked like a party! So, I thought of a tea party- for grownups- a fancy one. Accessories needed would be fancy shoes and a fancy purse. So Voila! I found a pattern for the shoes here.I used Bazzill CS and paper pieced my pattern. Then I dry embossed the paper in my Cuttlebug with Fiskar's embossing folders. I lined the shoe with DP from DCWV, "The Summer Stack." I added "Got Flowers?" and rhinestones from Queen and Co. For the purse, I dry embossed the paper and added flowers and rhinestones. I added a border using Fiskar's Threading Water punch and ribbon from Hobby Lobby. A fancy party needs a fancy invitation. This one fits inside the purse. The stamp is "Coffee Cafe" from TPC Studio. I printed the wording out on vellum paper and layered it over white CS. A few years ago, I bought matching teacups for my two daughters and myself. I filled each cup with a tea mix and attached a poem similar to the one above. I told them that we should think of each other whenever we drank tea from our matching cups. I think I"ll send the link to this post to each of my daughters, and we can have our cyber tea party on Friday. It will take some arranging because we each live in a different time zone! Lol! I'll have my favorite tea. I've already picked it out! My project fits these challenges: 1. SPCC- color challenge 2. Pile It On- anything round 3. Stamptacular Sunday Challenge- scallops 4. ABC- circles

Got Apples?

I used another Timeless Template for this project: Pack a Picnic. I love it!It is so roomy inside and just perfect to pack many gifts.

The decorative panels are red gingham from The Paper Studio. I attached each panel; front, sides, and top, using the zigzag stitch on my sewing machine. I used one of the Swiss Pixies stamps from C.C. Designs. I filled her little wheelbarrow with apples, stamped apples to make a border around the box, and made apple charms attached to embroidery floss with a stamp from Recollections. I found the stamp in the dollar bin at Michael's. Gotta love a bargain!

I cut a circle out of the gingham, inked it with white ink, and then covered it with a vellum circle before placing pop dots under little Leisel and attaching her to the circle. I cut a circle out of dotted paper from The Paper Patch and accordion folded it to make a flower. I cut another circle out of white CS and fringed it all around to make the center. I then added a Karen Foster rhinestone brad to the center. Smaller rhinestone brads were used to attach the handles. Martha Stewart's Arch Lattice punch was used to make the lacy border under the box lid. Ribbon is from Hobby Lobby. This project fits
these challenges:
1. La-La Land- use stitching
2. ABC Challenge- circles
3. Whimsey- touch of sparkle (rhinestone brads)

Just Splashin' By

I just love Lily at the Beach stamps! Since summer is almost over, I thought I should use them while I can. This card is for the Stamps and Smiles sketch at The Fresh Batch. It is also 3-D so it fits the Stamptacular Sunday Challenge. I used a Fiskar's wave folder in my Cuttlebug and then rubbed white ink over the embossing. Pop dots were placed under Lily and under the Nesties medallion. I added Recollections Flower brads to the four corners. CS is ColorBok. DP is DCWV "The Summer Stack.

What a Week!

I am positively THRILLED! My work has been featured on FOUR blogs! You can check them out! 1. SPCC 2. Whimsey 3. La-La Land Crafts 4. Soft Pencil Digital Stamps

All About Stickers

Mandy's challenge at Limelight Papercrafts was to use this sketch and stickers. I have a huge stash of stickers. I love to use them on scrapbook pages and mini books. I usually don't use them on cards. While searching for the perfect stickers, I found stickers I had forgotten that I had. I came across two sets that I liked for this project. The sentiment is a "Miss Elizabeth" vellum sticker. The flowers are vellum "Romantic Flowers" from EK Success. I used my Cuttlebug and Fiskar's folder to emboss CS that I then cut into circles. I inked around the edges with Hero Arts Silver Soft Shadow ink. I then randomly colored over some of the swirls with watercolor pencils. I added Queen and Co. rhinestones to the center of the flowers and to the top edge of the card. DP is from Hobby Lobby. This card went together fairly quickly. I just love when that happens!

Apple Time!

The color combo at SPCC reminded me of apples. Apples remind me of the beginning of school. When I was a sophomore in high school, I had a dress in that exact shade of green with white polka dots. I didn't have any polka dot paper in that color, so I decided to make my own. I used a hole punch to make the dots and then glued them on. I used Lauren Meader's template "Pretty Petal Pocket" and decided to make a gift basket with a card. I stitched around the decorative panels and the handle. My cute little girl stamp is from Soft Pencil, and the apples are Recollections. Nesties are cut, embossed, punched, and layered. I used pop dots under the green medallion on the basket, and also under the girls and apples on the basket and card. I added "Got FLowers?" with Hero Arts pearls attached to the centers. Button and ribbons are Hobby Lobby. CS is Bazzill.This project also fits these challenges:
1. SPCC- color combo
2. My Time, My Creations, My Stampendence- Back to School Template
3. Whimsey- ribbon
4. Pile It On- Good Things Come in Threes (3 flowers, 3 pearls on basket)
5. La-La Land- "Flower Power" at least one flower on a card

Christmas in August

Another hot, muggy day in the South! On a day like today I'm ready for "Let It Snow!" So bring on Christmas! Four challenges this week had the theme "Christmas in August." I embossed the reindeer with gold embossing powder and stamped Happy Holidays in gold ink. I used Creative Memories cutting system to cut the plain circles, and Nesties to cut and emboss the scalloped circles. Then I punched around the edges with a small hole punch. I used my new MS "Arch Lattice" punch for the side border. Pop dots were adhered under the center medallion and the holly. CS, DP, holly stamp, and ribbon are Hobby Lobby. Remaining stamps are Stampology Rhinestones are Kaiser Scrapbook. The "Christmas in August" challenges are: 1. Our Creative Corner 2. Creative Card Crew 3. Simon Says 4. Dutch Dare 5. Cute Daisy May -Use a "Word" on your card

A Masculine Card

I needed to make a birthday card for my son-in-law. He is a hunter. I don't have any deer stamps, but hunting takes place in the woods, so I used these tree stamps. I used my new MS punch that I just got at Michaels for 50% off. Yay! It is called Checkerboard." I also got the stamp at Michael's in the dollar bin! I placed the border at the top of the card. I couldn't find any suitable buttons. They were either the wrong color, or they just looked too girly, so I made my own. I took some round punch-out chipboard, punched holes in it with my Cropadile, and threaded some ribbon through the holes. Happy birthday, D! CS is Bazzil "Chocolate Truffle." DP is "Metropolitan Palette" by Paper Reflections. Ribbon is from Hobby Lobby. The card fits these challenges: 1. Pile It On- masculine card 2. C.R.A.F.T.- sketch 3. ABC- two buttons

Craving Cupcakes?

Craving cupcakes? I am after the Cupcake Craft Challenge. The theme is something sweet, and what could be sweeter than cupcakes? I used the sketch from Stamps and Smiles for this card. My cyber friend, Lisa, is also starting a new blog with a challenge. The blog is Stampin' Sisters in Christ. The theme is "food." I used ribbon on my card, and that is what Whimsey asked for this week. I found some plain glittered cards in the "Hot Spot" at Archiver's. I cut one of the cards up to make the star, tag, and star charm. The cupcake stamp is from the dollar bin at Michael's. Don't you love a bargain? I paper pieced the cupcake, and made the icing with Fun Flock and MS Glitter. CS is Hobby Lobby, DP is DCWV "The Spring Stack, and ribbon is also Hobby Lobby. Sentiment is Inkadinkado "Birthday Cupcake."

He Loves Me!

I was blog hopping this afternoon and needed a nap. What a workout! When I woke up, Hubby told me that the phone had rung while I was asleep. "It was Archiver's," he said. "Your rotary cutter is in." "Whoo! Hoo!" I exclaimed. "I almost didn't answer the phone." "What?" "I picked up because it was a local number." ("Thank goodness for caller ID", I thought.) "How long will they hold it?" I asked. "Forty-eight hours." "Well, we are going out to eat. Maybe we could swing by and pick it up." "I don't know, I am awfully hungry," he said. Well as you can see in the picture above, I did get my rotary cutter today! Hubby took me to Archiver's. He waited in the car while I ran into the store and paid for my purchase. OK, I did look around for maybe five minutes tops. Promise. After all, he was starving! Nice to know he still loves me after all these years! I'll take a rotary cutter over roses any day!

Live, Laugh, Love

Live, Laugh,Love....one of my favorite sentiments! This my last posting of the day using a Verve sketch. It also fits the Cute Daisy May challenge: Floral Fantasy. I used Bazzill CS and DP is from The Paper Co. I used my Cricut machine to cut and layer the flower on the left. The sentiment from Stampabilities is placed on three embossed Nestie circles which I punched around the edges with a hole punch. I think when they are stacked like this, they look like a flower too. Ribbon is from Hobby Lobby. Pearls are Hero Arts.

That 70's Card

My son said this card looks like a 70's card! How would he know? He wasn't even born then! This is another card using a Verve sketch. It fits the Cute Daisy May Challenge "Floral Fantasy." I used DP from DCWV "The Spring" and "Summer" stacks. CS is Bazzill. Sentiment is Fiskar's "Wishes All Around." I colored "Iced Got Flowers?" with a marker and set Hero Arts pearls in the centers. Nesties were cut, embossed, and punched around the edges. Ribbon is from Hobby Lobby.

Purrfect!

This is another card that I made using a Verve sketch for the release party this week that was posted at SCS. I LOVE cats! Betcha didn't know! lol! It also qualifies for the Whimsey Challenge "Animal Magic," and the ABC Challenge-anything goes with an emphasis on animals. I used Bazzill paper and some Spring paper from my stash that was purchased a while back at Michael's. I used a Cuttlebug embossing folder and Fiskar's wavy scissors. The cat was embossed. I colored my Iced Got Flowers? with a marker and added blue rhinestones. Ribbon is from Hobby Lobby. Stamps are Inkadinkado, "Catitude."

You've Got a Friend in Me!

OK, can you hear that song in your head? What movie is it from? I'll let you know the answer at the end of this post! I LOVE this little digi stamp! I won it last week from Pile It On. It is from Soft Pencil, and it is called, "I Will Keep You Safe, Michi." I think it is adorable. I had to make the little cat a calico, because one of our three cats was a calico, whom by the way was named "Calico" by my then nine year old son. Calico lived to be eighteen years old. She is sadly missed. The "Hello" stamp is SU, and it is from my new cyber friend, Lisa. She is a new DT member for LaLa Land. Check out her site!
I met five challenges with this card this week:
1. Verve Release Party (08-14) sketch (posted on SCS)
2. Pile It On- no patterned paper
3. SPCC - Color Sketch #10
4, Whimsey Stamps- Animal Magic
5. ABC Challenge- Anything Goes with an emphasis on animals
Paper is Bazzill. Pearls are Hero Arts which I colored with a purple marker.
I used Fiskar's Threading Water punch and Nesties Scalloped circles.
Ribbon is from Hobby Lobby.

Trivia Answer: "Toy Story," Did you get it right?

Summer Memories

Stamp Something's Challenge this week is to make something that reminds you of summer. Hubby and I visited some of his childhood friends who live in a rather remote area where there are quite a few wild chickens. We had to stop the car several times on outings to allow chickens to cross the road. My youngest daughter who lives in the NW, has a garden in her front yard with tons of gorgeous flowers. The garden is filled with seasonal flowers, and it is in constant bloom. It is just gorgeous! I never tire of photographing the flowers whenever I visit.
This card also fits Pile It On. The challenge is to use no patterned paper. I embossed my paper to give it some texture. I was lucky enough to win the Pile It On challenge last week and I chose the digi image that I used on my card. It is called "My Tiny friends" and it is from Soft Pencil. Isn't it adorable! Sketch is from Verve.
CS is Bazzill which has been embossed using Cuttlebug and Nestabilities. Flowers are Iced Got Flowers? and rhinestones are from Archiver's.
Challenges met:
1. Verve Release Party (08-14); sketch (posted on SCS)
2.Stamp Something- Summer
3. Pile It On- no patterned paper
4. Cute Daisy May- floral fantasy
5. Whimsey Stamps Challenge- Animal Magic
6. ABC Challenge - anything goes with an emphasis on animals

I Won!

They arrived today! I won the new C.C. Designs stamp set from All That Scraps! Whoo! Hoo! If you are in love with it, you can check out the store and purchase it here.

How Does Your Garden Grow?

Shirley's 2 Girls' Twisted Thursday Challenge was to use polka dots along with a sketch. I used a digi stamp from Shirley' 2 Girls. If you use a heat gun on a digi image before coloring it, then it won't smear. I added vines that I cut using my Cricut "Joys of the Season" cartridge. I added iced "Got Flowers" with pearl centers by Mark Richards. DP is My Mind's Eye. A matchstick was colored with a marker and used as part of the sign. I also used a Nesties "Labels" die. The Belli Challenge, to use wood is still going on, so this card fits that one, too!

Blog Candy!

Steph at "Where'd All My Money Go?" has blog candy to celebrate 25,000 hits! I love the name of her blog! I know where my money goes...to craft stores-real and virtual. Check out her blog. Candy closes August 28.

Animals on Parade

It's another rainy day in the South. What better way to spend a rainy day than to make a card...or take a nap. I'll settle for the card, for now. Ever have one of those days where the vision you have for your card is different than what you finally end up with? Well today was one of those days. I started out by stamping the animals and coloring them in shades of pink, but they just didn't seem to pop. Then I added some Fun Flock and glitter, and now I like it better. This card fits these challenges: 1. Stamps and Smiles- sketch 2. Paper Play- All Animals Great and Small 3. Whimsey- Animals 4. C.R.A.F.T.- 2 buttons, 2 squares, 3 papers DP is Basic Grey and CS is "Pink Armadillo" stack from The Paper Studio. Glitter is Martha Stewart. Buttons are Stemmer, and ribbon is Hobby Lobby. Stamps are Pink Cat Studio.

Yo Ho!

I made this cute little gable box for Project Tuesday over at Stamps and Smiles. Pirates seem to be very big with little boys now. Georgia's grandson and mine both like pirates. I made it in colors suitable for Halloween. Sweet little A. loves "chocky candy so that is what I will use to fill it. My little pirate is Billy from Pink Cat Studio. I stamped him on Basic Grey and colored him with gel pens and Coal Shimmerz. Brown and orange cardstock is Bazzill, and printed map paper is DCWV "Safari Stack." I love the feel of this paper. It is lightly textured and just feels soft! Plus it comes in cool earth tones. I made a charm by layering paper and stamping on both sides with a coordinating stamp. Then I punched a hole and added a keychain. Ribbon tied around the box and the top completes the project. It also fits two challenges! 1. Stamps and Smiles, Project Tuesday- gable box 2. Stamp Something-use a charm

How to Emboss with a Cuttlebug and Nestabilities

My friend, Georgia, asked me to show her how to use a Cuttlebug machine with a Nestabilitie embossing die. Then I thought that there might be other crafters out there in Blogland who would want to know. I had also just cleaned up my crafting spot, and I decided to enjoy a house free from stamping and scrapbooking clutter for a while. (Let's see how long that lasts!) So I thought to myself, "An easy post without a lot of clean up!" So here is a very long step by step guide. I have found that it is best to emboss first and then cut the die shape out. Act I: The cast of characters are: a Cuttlebug machine, Plate A, Plate B and his twin, Plate B, a rubberized embossing pad, a piece of chipboard, and a Nestabilitie die of your choice. I chose a circle scallop pictured further down on this page. Place Plate B on top Plate A. Place the rubberized embossing pad on top of Plate B. I got mine at Archiver's. They come two in a package for about $9.00. I used a 30% off coupon and got it for $6.00. (I don't do retail.) lol The Nestabilitie die has two sides. One side is flat and the other is embossed. Place the cardstock on top of Plate B. Place the Nestie, embossed side down, on top of the cardstock. The flat side is facing up. Cover the cardstock and Nestie with a piece of chipboard. Place the second Plate B on top of the chipboard. Run the stack through the Cuttlebug. After it is run through, take the stack apart. Now that the embossing is done, you are ready to cut. Act II: The cast of characters are: Cuttlebug machine, Plate A, Plate B, Plate C, and the paper that you just embossed plus the same Nestie. Place Plate C on top of Plate A. Place the embossed paper indented side up (also called debossed side.) Place the Nestie embossing side face down on top of the cardstock. It will fit neatly inside of the embossing grooves that were just made. The flat side of the Nestie is face up. Carefully place Plate B on top of the Nestie. Run the stack through the Cuttlebug. I like to run it through once forward, and when it reaches the end, without removing the plates, I run it through again backwards. All you have to do is just turn the handle in the opposite direction. Take the stack apart and remove the die cut. It will look like this. You can use it as is, or you can decorate it. I like to use a small hole punch and punch inside of each scallop. This is what mine looked like when it was finished. Now it is ready to use. I hope this tutorial has been helpful.

La-La Land

A new internet store is opening! It is called La-La Land. It opens on August 12. Read all about it here. If you live near Sunnyvale, CA, you can visit the actual store. There is also blog candy. Click on the link in the sidebar for deets.

Hello, Sunshine

I used Mandy's sketch over at Limelight Papercrafts to decorate this little box that I made. The template was purchased at Papertrey Ink. I am in LOVE with Lily at the Beach stamps and just couldn't resist using the Mermaid stamp again. I used watercolor pencils and a blender pen to color Lily. I paper pieced the lower part of her body, sprayed it with glimmer mist, and then outlined with a glitter gel pen. I embossed the Nestie circles and punched holes around the edges. I used a Fiskars shell punch to make a border around the box lid. Buttons were threaded with embroidery floss and tied in a knot. CS is Bazzill and DP is K&C Co. "Classic K Bailey." Stamps are Pink Cat Studio. Buttons are by "Dress It Up." Rhinestones are Hero Arts, and ribbon is from Hobby Lobby.

A Mermaid's Dream

If you were a mermaid, wouldn't you dream of shoes? And such pretty shoes too! Sparkly, purple flip flops! Just perfect for the beach! Now all she needs are legs! I was inspired by Lisa's challenge to make a "thought balloon" on your card. I have been wanting to use my new Mermaid stamp from the "Lily at the Beach" set by Pink Cat Studio. I started thinking about what a mermaid might dream about and I came up with shoes. I also had these cute little flip flopbuttons from "Dress It Up" that were perfect for this challenge. I cut off the shanks and attached them to the card with Fabri-Tac. I used CS from Color Bok and Bazzill. DP is My Mind's Eye, "The Wild Asparagus" stack. Pearls are Hero Arts. I colored the image with watercolor pencils and gel pens. This card met these challenges: 1. Lisa's Challenge for a Sunday Afternoon- thought balloon 2. Friday Sketchers- Sketch 3. Our Creative Corner- purple 4. Creative Card Crew- under the sea 5. Cupcake Craft Challenge- beach themed project

Necessity = Invention

The front The back Before I tell you about this post I have to tell you what happened yesterday. My hubby planned on playing golf. He left early, and I slept in. I was awakened by terrific thunder and lightning. I quickly scurried around closing windows. (Hubby always opens windows in the morning to save on air conditioning costs in the summer.) I looked out the back door and saw this view of our overflowing creek. I quickly called Hubby on his cell phone. "Where are you? Are you coming home?" Hubby replied that he and his friends were at the clubhouse on the golf course. Ever the optimist, he decided that the storm would just blow over and he would soon be playing golf as planned. Twenty minutes later he called and said that he was on his way home. By now it was raining harder than ever. My original plan was to wait until Hubby came home and make a quick trip out to pick up some yellow checked scrapbook paper for my project which is pictured at the top of this post. When Hubby arrived home he informed me that parts of the nearby town, where I had planned to shop, were flooded. So... no shopping for me. No yellow paper either, and now to the point of this very long post. I had envisioned yellow checked paper for this project, and I was not giving up! I grabbed some white CS, a score mat, a ruler, and a yellow marker and made my own paper! Necessity really is the Mother of Invention. I was also able to qualify this project for eight challenges! Whoo! Hoo! I broke my last week's record! If I count my personal challenge to Georgia, I actually met nine challenges. On our Hobby Hop last week, I challenged Georgia to find something at Jo Ann Fabrics to alter. I chose a wooden birdhouse ($1). I'll have to wait and see what Georgia posts on her blog to see what she chose. Here are the challenges I met: 1. Belli Challenge- something wooden 2. Stamp Something- paper piecing 3. Paper Play- dimension 4. CCEE Stampers- birds and bees 5. Whimsy Stamps- friendship, altered gift item 6. Flourishes Timeless Tuesday- metal 7. A Spoonful of Sugar- floral fantasy 8. Pile It On- three or more flowers I first painted the birdhouse with a coat of yellow acrylic paint. Then I paper pieced my handmade DP and adhered it with Fabri-Tac. I used blue and yellow CS from The Paper Co. for the roof and accent pieces, and Rusty Pickle paper for edging. I used a Nestie to make the doorway, and Cricut "Walk in My Garden" and "Joys of the Season" for greenery. The large sunflowers are "spare Parts" from The Paper Studio. I then sprayed the flowers and greenery with Tattered Angels Pearl Glimmer Mist. I added Fun Flock to the centers of the sunflowers. Bees were a Studio g stamp. I added copper wire and twisted it into antennae. Ribbon is from Hobby Lobby. Pop dots are from my HUGE stash.