So glad it's Saturday!

Good morning! It's the next-to-last morning of the Week of Peeks at 2RedBananas. Today Maraya, Jeanette, Jami and I are sneak peeking adorable sets called Louie and Louie Too! These two sets will be favorites for our family! With a husband named Patrick and a son Matthew Patrick, celebrating St. Patrick's Day is a must, and this cute little leprechaun is a fun way to start! I'm happy that *for once* I'm actually ahead of schedule with a card...and it's not even March *yet!*

I stamped Louie in Memento Tuxedo Black ink, then colored him with prismas and baby oil. (It works best to start with the highlight color behind the image and then work your way forward). I gave his gold a bit of At You Spica sparkle. The sentiment was inked with marker (these words are actually in the center of a clover leaf) and stamped onto the corner of the designer paper. I added a layered knot and some Basic Grey buttons as accents.

I have had to laugh this week! All my friends who work outside the home roll their eyes when I say I'm busy and working deadlines...I'm *only* a SAHM but I think my schedule this week rivaled any one of my working counterparts! I am SO glad it's Saturday! Finally there is no play practice to chauffeur to, no music lessons, no volunteer responsibilities, nowhere to be...I'm ready to stay in pj's all morning! I hope you have a happy Saturday!

SNS Release Party Challenge!

The Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps release party is well under way...10:30 pm EST is my time to host a challenge, and I have decided to ask you to create a card using a fancy fold.

My card was inspired by a card made by SNS design team-mate Jeanette Comerford...I just loved the way this was more of an album than a mere card, so I wanted to try one.

If you visited my blog this morning then you recognize this image paired with this paper...I just LOVE these colors and thought that these harmonizing prints would work great for this kind of multi-faceted card. Purple is a traditional color for Easter so it works well with this beautiful lily. I wanted to add the keys for symbolism...Christ holds the keys to death and Hades and Easter is all about His victory over death...

I started with an 11-inch square of paper and scored it into equal quarters (5.5 inches), then cut pieces out of the top left and bottom left squares to make the flap and pocket. One of the score lines must be cut to allow the pocket flap to fold...so you can see that even though this card looks impressive, it really isn't complicated at all.

This project could be adapted for so many things! We've both shown it with a pocket for bookmarks, but you could put gift cards, a CD, or a few pictures...the options are endless! It's got lots of spots for images and sentiments too. It works best if you plan ahead as you work so that when you attach your hardware the brad ends, etc., are hidden behind the layers once the card is constructed. To put a CD into the pocket, widen the brad placement or choose an alternate construction so that the pocket width will freely accomodate the disc.

I hope I've inspired you to try a fancy fold and really put your stamps to use embellishing your card. Upload your creations to SCS using keyword SNSFC22709...you have one week to complete the challenge. A prize winner will be randomly chosen from the participants on the morning of Saturday, March 7th.

Sneak Peeks!

The end of the month is always busy with releases, so I have two posts for today!

Sweet 'n Sassy blog hoppers...the NEXT post, just a short scroll from here...is for you!

Those of you who are here for the 2RedBananas Week of Peeks will get your first look at a new set called Caring Critters! Jami, Maraya, and Wendy have some great creations for you! I'll be back tomorrow with a look at another new release, so stay tuned!

Dizzy!

Hi Sweet 'n Sassy stampers! Welcome to my blog! It's the last stop of the day before you head back to the store blog to finish up! I hope you've been enjoying yourself!

I wanted to showcase a card using Sweet 'n Sassy's new Easter lily, so I visited American Meadows to find an example of a rubrum lily to use as a model for coloring. These are my favorites! Just look at how gorgeous these flowers are in real life! This particular variety is called Dizzy because of the vibrant contrast of the colors of its petals. Not only is it beautiful to look at, but it is also highly fragrant. Such a striking beauty!

I got some rich pinks and violets in my Copic marker pack from class last weekend, so I really wanted to color with them and try my hand at blending, but I discovered that the paper I have is too soft, so that even Memento ink bleeds when the alcohol-based color is applied . Back to the more familiar technique of prismas and baby oil for now (I'll be ordering some Neenah from Korin ASAP)! I used several shades of prismas from soft pink to fuschia to burgundy to mimic the petals. How do you think I did? Once my SNS Copic Club order arrives and I've got some suitable paper, I'll have to try again with the markers and do a comparison!

I wanted my card to be dainty and elegant, so I ran a piece of Core-dinations card stock through my cuttlebug and sanded it to show the soft pink color underneath. I love how rich and yet subtle it turned out. With the small pattern of the Basic Grey designer print and the detail of the dry embossing, this card didn't need much embellishing. For a bit of sparkle, I colored the center of the bloom and the veins of the petals with my clear At You Spica pen. The tips of the stamen were colored with my new gold Spica to look like glistening pollen. After stamping a Happy Mother's Day sentiment from the set on a piece of green card stock and fiddling with it for half an hour trying to find a good place for it, I decided to stamp the sentiment inside instead, and added a sheer ribbon and stick pen to the card front for some interest.

I hope you have enjoyed your stay here! I'd love it if you'd make it a regular stop! For now, head back to the Sweet 'n Sassy blog, but don't forget the release party tonight! It starts at 9 on the Sweet 'n Sassy Forum, and I'll warn you...come prepared! Visit the bathroom at the last minute before you sign on, and have some refreshments at the ready! Once the party starts you won't want to miss a minute! You might even want to have a kleenex handy, because you might just laugh until you cry (or worse, which is why the first instruction is so important)! I hope to see you there!

Just Ducky!

Hello friends! I'm excited to show you another adorable 2RedBananas set today! I just love this cute little fella from Abbey Westemeyer's new set, Just Ducky...he makes me smile because puddles are like a boy magnet no matter how old my Matthew is! Gotta love it!

To me, this little guy just screams Spring! I wanted to stamp him in bright fun colors, so I grabbed for my baby oil and prismas in rainbow colors after stamping him in Memento tuxedo black. I went over the umbrella, raindrops and puddle with a Copic At You Spica glitter pen. (I got a new packet of markers this weekend at the Copic certification class, and learned that At You Spica translated from Japanese into English means something like, *WOW, stars!* In the close-up shot you can see why!)

The designer paper I used is the flip side of Imaginisce's Hot Chicks...the yellow of the print matches the duck almost perfectly. I popped a couple of bright orange buttons on top of some spring green flowers and gave them little knots of yellow crinkle ribbon. I love the contrast of the pale and bright against the real red card base. I hope you like it too! Be sure to check out the preview that Jeanette made on the 2RedBananas blog, and Wendy's too! It's kinda funny...this set has several images but we all chose the same one!

I'd like to say thanks to all of you who were praying for me and my Spellbinders' submission! I am sad that I didn't make the final cut, but as I said before, I am thrilled to have made the top 24 and my prayer was that what was best for me would be what would happen. So I'm taking a deep breath and believing that this year will still be filled with good things and lots of fun opportunities! Hugs to my friend Kelly who also waited and didn't get a call, and congrats to Karen! We're so proud of you!

So great to be home!

Words can't even express how phenomenal this weekend was! The Copic class was excellent (I learned SO much!) but the best part was that I got to meet so many wonderful people! They all probably wished they could have avoided me like the plague since I was still fighting a terrible cold, but they were very kind and gracious and were even brave enough to hug my neck! I hope and pray none of you get sick!

It is so strange how you can be gone only a few days and feel like you were gone for ages! I came home to an inbox piled with messages and a very long list of facebook notifications! It will take me a little while to catch up! I'm looking forward to getting to do a little stamping this afternoon...I just peeked at today's SCS sketch and it looks like a portrait flip of the landscape-oriented St. Patrick's Day card I made last week for i {heart} papers. I hopefully will get to play when I get home from Bible study. I am also hoping for a Spellbinders' call today! I can't wait to see who makes the team! Kelly and Karen, are you on pins and needles too?! I had planned to share my Spellbinders' submission with you today, but I have decided to submit it for a publication call, so I'm gonna have to keep it under wraps for a bit.

Today is the beginning of the Sweet 'n Sassy Blog Hop, so as you are leaving, head over to the SNS blog to get started! There are great new things happening, so don't miss all the great inspiration and exciting news!

Hello stampers! Happy Monday! As you read this post, I am in Pensacola at Copic Marker Certification! I'm so excited to get to see my friends Faith, Pinky and Theresa again, and to meet Dee, Bev, and lots of other stampers! I'm sure we'll be having a blast together!

I am thrilled to show you my very first design for 2RedBananas! Wait til you see all the fabulous sets in this month's release! I'm glad they told me which set they wanted me to preview first...otherwise I would have had a terrible time deciding! You gotta visit what's new at 2 Red Bananas to check them all out!

This beautiful image is from a set called Wrapped in His Love (#3903) which was illustrated by my friend, Jami Bova. When I first saw it I knew I wanted to make a sort of shabby chic old-fashioned card...I hope you like how it turned out! I used markers directly to the stamp to color the flowers, leaves, and branches, stamped the sentiment, and then applied several layers of clear embossing powder over the entire thing. A few minutes in the freezer and a little twisting/bending and it cracks for a nice crackled enamel look. I used October Afternoon's Rain Boots designer papers, a scrap of old crocheted trim laced with crinkle ribbon, and a bow-trimmed prima to embellish. Everything was heavily distressed to give it that age-yellowed, vintage look.

One thing I did accomplish this week was to stamp my card for Spellbinders' final...please whisper a prayer for me and wish me luck! Wednesday is the day the finalists will be invited to join the 2009 Design Team. I'm hoping I'll be one of those to receive a phone call! I'm cheering for Karen and Kelly too!

I'm also excited to tell you that the card workshop that we held Saturday morning at our church was a genuine success! Finally what I've been hoping for and dreaming of (for over a year!) has become a reality! Six women gathered to stamp together, address envelopes and pray over our creations. We made 64 cards in just under 3 hours! Of course, by most card-makers' standards they were very simple, but we were extremely excited over what we accomplished and are filled with eager anticipation to hear the response of the recipients when those first cards hit their mailboxes!

Woohooo!

Did you see that my friend and 2RedBananas illustrator/DT-mate Jami Bova is today's SCS Featured Stamper! Congrats to Jami for an honor well-deserved!

2RB will be releasing new stamps very soon, so don't miss this Week of Peeks! Stay tuned!

Catching Up!

Hello friends! It's been a crazy week at the Felts'! All three of us have had varying degrees of the ugly cold that seems to be everywhere! It slowed our entire household down to a crawl and really put a hurt on my creativity!

One thing I did accomplish this week was to stamp my card for Spellbinders' final...please whisper a prayer for me and wish me luck! Wednesday is the day the finalists will be invited to join the 2009 Design Team. I'm hoping I'll be one of those to receive a phone call! I'm cheering for Karen and Kelly too! Can't show you my card yet...it is made with a yet-to-be-released stamp set!

I'm also excited to tell you that the card workshop that we held Saturday morning at our church was a genuine success! Finally what I've been hoping for and dreaming of (for over a year!) has become a reality! Six women gathered to stamp together, address envelopes and pray over our creations. We made 64 cards in just under 3 hours! Of course, by most card-makers' standards they were very simple, but we were extremely excited over what we accomplished and are filled with eager anticipation to hear the response of the recipients when those first cards hit their mailboxes!

Triple Challenge

I am still struggling with this awful cold and haven't felt like stamping much lately so I have missed a lot of this week's challenges. I thought I'd try a combo card today with a new set, Luck of the Irish, I got from i {heart} papers. This green striped paper (Outdoor Stripes, from Stamping Station) qualifies for both WT206 and LSC 208. I kept the layers minimal as the limited supplies challenge required, and embellished only with ribbon and a single button, which also qualifies for Jen's new Clean and Simple challenge.

Color Dare!

My friend Riley has recently started hosting a Color Dare...when she put forth a call for designers I was really hoping to make her team. A weekly color challenge that I could know about in advance seemed like a great fit for me...I've wanted to begin to post a few cards on my other blog, The Daily Dare, and her challenge is just perfect! I am so delighted to be serving on Riley's team along with two very talented designers, Stephanie Castro and Mandy Sarver. Riley is a fabulous stamper in her own right and I know the four of us are gonna have a great time together!

For our first challenge, the colors are Bordering Blue, Brilliant Blue, Gable Green, Sahara Sand, and Close to Cocoa. I knew immediately that I would use SU's set A Friend for All Seasons. It is one of my recent favorites. I also used Pocket Silhouettes to add some plants and flowers to the base of the tree trunk. These bright, springy colors were fun to work with! Head over to Riley's blog to see what she, Stephanie and Mandy came up with!

Happy to be HOME!

Hello! We *just* got back from a whirlwind trip to Lake Junaluska, North Carolina! We took 3 vehicles full of teens from our church along with four adults...an 8+ hour adventure each way for the Winter Thaw Retreat. I actually took a big batch of stamps to trim, which helped the trip up pass a little faster!

The highlight of our trip was the day the kids spent skiing at Cataloochee. They had a blast! For many of them it was their first time seeing snow! The snow they skied on was actually man-made, but God showered a nice little flurry of flakes on us the last night we were there, which was actually an answer to a prayer! We were delighted!

Here is a picture of Matthew and his friend Jordan (not his girlfriend, just a girl friend!) just as they had finished their Saturday morning ski school! Smiles of triumph! LOL!

You can tell that we are not experts at the chilly NC mornings...this picture was taken hastily just after breakfast this morning immediately before piling into the van for the trip home. Brrrrr!

Many of the kids had been sick before leaving and we were worried they might not be able to travel...I came down with the same yucky cold the morning we left, and ended up having NO voice the entire trip! I actually sound a bit better today than yesterday, and I am SO thrilled to be home...back in sunny Florida and in my own warm bed! I missed my computer terribly (I actually sneaked a couple of peeks at my blog comments while we were there, but had no email access!). Hoping to feel better and to get onto some stamping tomorrow morning!

SNS Design Team Round-up

The Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps Design Team has been busy creating some fabulous designs to share with you using stamps from the upcoming release at the end of this month, and familiar favorites also! We share *behind the scenes* until it's time to begin sneak peeks with all of you, and I could hardly wait for today so you could see all the amazing creations our girls have come up with!

My card is made with the set, I'd Pick You, using colors from SCS CC205, "Perfect Pink Kiwis." This sweet Easter image was stamped with hybrid ink and then colored with prismas and baby oil. The papers I used are from a 6 x 6 pad of Basic Grey Paper (new designs just came in!), perfect for card-making!

While this image looks just fine colored using this method, it would be better than ever colored with Copic markers. Did you know that Sweet 'n Sassy has a Copic Club? I can't wait for my markers to arrive! The current clubs are already started, but new clubs will begin soon, so you will want to sign up to make sure you get a slot (or two!)! The prices are great and there are two options...one for beginners and one for someone familiar with the markers who would prefer to choose their own color palette. I am thrilled that Korin decided to host a club right at the time that I am slated to go for Copic certification! I am really looking forward to going, because I will get to see some of my online stamping friends...some I've met before and some I'll meet for the first time! We're gonna have such a great time!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Are you planning something romantic tonight to celebrate? I hope that you will get to spend some special time with those you love...how important it is that we take the time to tell and show what we feel!

Valentine's Day is a special day to me for more than one reason! It was my due-date when I was pregnant with Matthew! We were so very excited for him to arrive...it's hard to believe he'll be fifteen years old in a few more days!

I think it is appropriate to use an i {heart} papers stamp set today! Not long ago I made a card with a similarly shaped heart motif on it. The idea was inspired by some decorative wood Christmas decorations that I've had for ages. I liked the heart's squared-off edges so much that I decided to CASE myself! Today's card uses the Cuttlebug's Swiss Dots embossing folder and some sponging to bring some subtle color (Blush Blossom) to the white cardstock in the background. The designer paper is forever old, and provides a terrific splash of traditional red to an otherwise muted yet dramatic color scheme. I stamped the small heart image from Hero Arts' Many Hearts on a piece of heart-shaped cardstock, then again on a scrap to cut out and pop up. In the close-up you can see the sparkle that a Spica glitter pen adds to the design. All the edges are inked lightly and distressed heavily. I just love that look.

Have a wonderful Valentine's Day...remember how special your loved ones are, and that you are special too! And don't forget to check out the i {heart} papers ads at Split Coast Stampers! Sale is on through Sunday!

Not Quite for the Holidays Anymore!

At times I really enjoy making fancy cards, but sometimes I just want something relatively clean and simple that is quick and easy to make, where the image gets the focus and there's no fuss! That's what today's card is. Very often for cards like this I will use a familiar simple layout too...in this instance I based my card loosely on SCS SC186.

Kate at i {heart} papers challenged our design team to use some Christmas designer paper to make a birthday or Valentine's Day card. I bought a lot of the different Wassail prints back in December and have quite a few scraps left. I thought this Winterberry print would work perfectly for this challenge so long as I kept the scale small enough to cover up the snowflakes. What do you think?! Did I pull it off successfully?

I love this potted hearts plant from the Hero Arts set, Many Hearts. It is a great Valentine image that works well for every-day too. I stamped it in Palette Noir ink on the solid side of a scrap of Snowdust paper, then colored it using prismas and baby oil. I have a 42-color set and had to layer in the colors to get the green I wanted. A band of May Arts ribbon covered up those Christmas snowflakes, and I laid in a few red Kaiser pearls to dress up the corners of the mat, cut from the flip side of the Winterberry.

It was actually kinda fun to use Christmas colors in the hopes that this card would not look like Christmas at all! I'm dedicating this card to my brother Jerry whose birthday is December 22, and to all of the other close-to-a-holiday birthday babies whose celebrations get lost in the shuffle, including my fellow ihp DT mates Cathleen (Christmas Day!) and Kendra (New Year's Eve!)!

Kate just started running some i {heart} papers ads over at Split Coast Stampers, so keep an eye out for them. Be sure to take advantage of the 10% off sale happening all weekend long! You have to spy the ad to grab the discount code, which is valid through Sunday. Have fun!

No Coincidence!

Do you ever get the feeling that some things were just *meant* to be? I no longer believe in coincidence...I believe God's hand is in everything. It is no coincidence that out here in the great big World Wide Web I would *stumble* upon someone who has roots that go back to the very same area where I grew up, a teeny tiny town in Louisiana! How cool is that?!

Well, one thing led to another, and this brings me to some more news I'm so very excited to share with you! I've been invited to guest design for 2RedBananas! These amazing girls have asked me to join their team for the months of March and April!

Visit the 2RedBananas blog to read more, and then be sure to visit the 2RedBananas online store. They have some terrific stamps, including House Mouse and some recently released sets illustrated by my friend, Jami Bova, aka Sgt Stamper, and another new artist, Abbey Westemeyer. I can't wait to show you these adorable stamps!

Life is a Gift!

I just love this sentiment in the new Treehouse Stamps set, Butterfly Kisses. With all that has been happening lately, I definitely am feeling that life IS a gift! Everything has been so wonderful since the end of October! I have loved every minute of my design team experience with these 3 wonderful teams that I am stamping for, and there are other opportunities on the horizon, so I am feeling quite blessed! And very extremely grateful!

Today's card is made with some glittery paper from DCWV glitter pack. I love these fun girlie colors! I stamped the butterflies with corresponding inks and blinged all their dots. I wanted it to have a light, airy, care-free mood to go along with this great sentiment. I hope you like it!

Faith is...

I really LOVE the book of Hebrews! I took a Precept Bible study on Hebrews years ago, and it became one of my very favorite books of the Bible. I was so excited to see that Ashley from Treehouse Stamps had decided to include the first verse from Hebrews 11 in this beautiful set, Count Your Blessings. This is the introduction to what is often called the parade of faith.

I love the symbolism and colors of the liturgical calendar, so I was happy that today's color challenge would allow me to use this beautiful Basic Grey Eva designer paper which features the deep purple typically associated with Easter. Purple is the color of royalty...that was because the dye came from murax, tiny creatures of the sea that were difficult to harvest, so only the very wealthiest were able to afford it. If you've read anything at all about the stench of the city of Tyre, that reference was regarding murax and the process of producing the dye for such beautiful purple fabric.

I stamped the cross on white cardstock, then sponged in Pink Pirouette, and Lovely Lilac before lining the edges with a gold gel pen. A few punched ferns (MS punch), sheer ribbon and a lovely lily-shaped prima were the finishing touches.

These stamps will be released this weekend! Stay tuned for more sneak peeks, and be sure to visit my Treehouse DT-mates' blogs too!

News!

I have been working on cards for some up-coming design team requirements, so nothing to show you YET! I do have some news though, that I'm very excited to share!

First, I have been blessed with a beautiful blog award from Cassie! Thank you so much! It is a privilege and an honor! I am humbled, and am so very grateful! There are sooo many awesome blogs out there that it is nearly impossible for me to choose among them to pass this along!

AND my other news!!!!---I have been chosen for the Spellbinders' Top 24! I am so *beyond* excited to have been selected to compete in the final phase of selection for their 2009 design team.

I prayed long and hard before submitting for this team because it is a big commitment. Finally I got to the point where I felt I should submit my best and let God take care of the rest. I submitted my projects with two hours left until the deadline.

Today, after receiving the news, my prayer is the same! If I make it, so be it. If not, Amen to that too! Please whisper a prayer for me! I believe that all creativity comes from God and I pray that He'll use me for His glory, come what may!

To make it even sweeter...my friends Karen and Kelly both made the top 24 also! I'm so excited that we could all end up on a team together!

Bananas about You!

I love it so much when a card just comes together! It doesn't happen very often for me...usually I labor over my cards, but this one was one of those fun easy stamping sessions that really makes you wanna keep going! And you know what? As soon as I make this post I'm gonna go right back up there and hope that the mojo is still flowing!

Today's Inspiration Challenge is what got me going...I saw this funky monkey plate at Hunky Dory Home and decided I had to use my Changito sets (the monkey and dos) from i {heart} papers. I used burnt umber Palette Ink to stamp my images and sentiment, then colored everything with prismas and baby oil. I love the highlights and shadows that result. The striped DP is Puppy Tails from SEI, and the gorgeous faux suede ribbon is by May Arts.

The sketch that I used for my card is Monday's Mojo Sketch #72. This card also qualifies for Cinema Saturday's Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon Challenge to use a bit of red in your card. I put only a few little splashes of red here and there because the designer paper had a very narrow red stripe. I (for once!) am very pleased with how this card came out...I think it might even work as a Valentine!

Limited Supplies Challenge

Today's LSC was the kind I like! I love when it is limited stamps and NOT limited embellies! The challenge to use a sentiment stamp only was right up my alley! I immediately knew exactly what stamp I wanted to use. Deciding which paper took me a little longer!

This designer paper is a scrap of Crate Paper that I've had for quite a while. I just love the soft colors and thought it would work well for the feeling I wanted to evoke. For my layout I used this CPS sketch.

I inked the edges of the bottom layers with corresponding colors, then inked the edges of the diagonal layer and two small rectangles with white craft ink. The edges were either pierced or dotted (these dots always make me think of Faith!) The sentiment, Treehouse Stamps' Live Life Passionately, was stamped in Bordering Blue and the edges inked with the same. All edges were distressed. I inked the blue flower with white craft ink before layering the other flowers over it and adding a yellow brad which was also toned down with white craft ink. A spiral clip and fibers were the finishing touch. I hope you like it!

Sweet Hearts

I missed yesterday's sketch challenge, so I combined it with today's WT challenge, to layer embellishments. The bonus for me is that it also qualifies for Chrissy's Belli Challenge this week, to use hearts.

This Basic Grey Bittersweet 6 x 6 paper is so gorgeous! Every print in the pack is yum! I used my nesties to cut a scalloped mat for the focal image, a fun swirly cup of hearts from Impression Obsession's Sweet Hearts, which was stamped with Palette Burnt Umber ink and colored with prismas and baby oil. Then I punched some leaves with Martha Stewart fern punch to layer with a Heidi Swapp flower (why do pinks and reds freak my camera out?! It actually matches IRL.)

On top of the flower I layered an acrylic heart which was tied with pink taffeta ribbon...the heart was part of a fabulous stash of paper-crafting tools, papers and trinkets that my mom gave me for Christmas. I dangled a lock from the bow as I tied it, then dangled the key from some ribbon on the opposite side of the image. I used a clear Spica glitter pen to give the hearts and cup a little sparkle...so pretty and feminine!

Late Combo Card

This week's TLC looked SO interesting! I really wanted to try it, but sometimes it takes a while to get my groove going and by then we're out and about for play practice, etc. I didn't get to try it Monday, so I decided to combine it with the Color Challenge. Tuesdays are my longest, busiest day (who says SAHMs stay at home?!) so I finally finished it this afternoon. It always makes me sad to submit late, but I guess better late than never! The person who receives this won't care that it didn't make the deadline! ;)

This technique is really not as hard as it looks, especially if you have a nice sturdy see through ruler to use for marking your window. You lightly pencil it in (whatever size you want) and then mark again ~1/8"-1/4" inside (depends how deep you want it to be...not *too* deep or it is hard to mail). Then you trim diagonally from corner to corner with your paper cutter or craft knife. This forms triangular shaped tabs. The outer marks are folded into mountain folds, the inner into valley folds to make the window, and a piece of cardstock just barely smaller than the original window dimensions fits inside. I stamped my image on a piece of vanilla that was about 1/4" smaller so that the Cameo Coral mat shows from underneath. The teapot (from Sweet 'n Sassy's Warm Up) is paper pieced from the same Basic Grey Boxer 6 x 6 pad as the mat around the window, and then shaded with copics and its stripes, handle and knob colored with a Cameo Coral marker.

All the edges of the card were inked with Tim Holtz Distress Ink in Tea Dye. I used a nesties label die to cut the sentiment. Some pretty primas give some balance to the colors, and a few dewdrops and some paper piercing accent the frame.

A Gift Set

Last week's TLC was so much fun that I kinda got stuck on it! I had this little brie cheese box that I decided to alter...it was so much fun! I used stamps from i {heart} papers. I was actually kinda surprised when I was finished at how Mary Engelbreit it looks! I think it's kinda cute though, even if it is sorta busy! I decided it HAD to have a card to go with it, so I made that too.

First I painted the top and bottom of the box (right over the labels) and sides of the lid with charcoal acrylic paint (not the papercrafting kind, just regular old acrylic). The sides and inside of the bottom were painted with Pretty Pink. I pleated several strips of polkadot paper and machine-stitched a bit from the edge just to make them easier to handle, then glued them as a skirt on the lid and covered the stitching with pink grosgrain ribbon. Then I used my coluzzle to cut layers for the lid from a 12 x 12 sheet of Basic Grey Urban Prairie paper, and one for the bottom from the polkadot too. I kept the stamped sentiment very simple because of the busy-ness of this paper. It's from a Hero Arts set called Many Hearts. A few punched hearts with sponged edges and a big pink bow finished it off.

The image for the card is from the Impression Obsessions set, Sweet Hearts. I used my nesties to mat it to try to set it apart from the patterned paper. I am kinda wishing I had made this a square card to give it a little more *white* space, but it is what it is!

I hope you like my little gift set! Altering things is one of my favorites!

CPS Sketch

Today's CPS Sketch is sponsored by Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps. The simplicity of this sketch makes it the perfect layout to feature a gorgeous designer paper, so I chose this sheet from the Basic Grey Urban Prairie 6 x 6 pack. I layered it on black cardstock and machine-stitched the edges, then stamped the sentiment from the set, A True Friend, at the bottom. I criss-crossed some wide black organza ribbon, then threaded the ends of another piece through two pretty primas where the ribbons intersect. To me, this is simple stamping at its best...lots of impact for a small time investment! I hope my friend Sharon is proud of me! LOL!

The sketch also happens to be the Monday SNS Challenge on the Sweet 'n Sassy blog. If you choose to play along you could win the set, Floral Flourishes! Be sure to post your link to your project on the SNS and CPS blogs! If you upload to a public gallery, use keyword SNSMC12.