Banana Split Sunday!

It's great to be back after a week in California! CHA was amazing, and I arrived home exhilarated and exhausted all at the same time! I don't think I have ever been so tired!

New paper crafting and stamping products should be hitting the stores any minute and I can hardly wait to create with them, but as much as new *toys* might be *all that* they are not what made CHA the best week ever! The special thing about CHA is meeting friends and enjoying spending time with people who share your passion. I met so many of my long-time idols and beloved online friends...what a great week! I've never seen so much creativity and talent under one roof! If you're on Facebook you've probably been seeing lots of pictures...cameras were everywhere! I'm grateful for that, because I get so caught up in the moment I forget to grab mine!

Being so exhausted is a no go for the Mojo, but I still wanted to play this week's Banana Split Sunday challenge, which is to include hearts somewhere in the design. I had several scraps of Sugar Rush on my table (along with a huge heap of other stuff that I left in a CHA hurry), so I started there...the set I used for last week's challenge (Gunther's Greetings) includes a little heart, so I stamped several and cut them out to make a bouquet to add to the design of the printed paper. I added a few little dots with a white gel pen just for fun. The sentiment, perfect with these elements, is from the 2RB set, Quotes. For a romantic finish I added a big red bow embellished with buttons, including another heart.

Be sure to check out the Banana Blog for more inspiration! I hope to see you again soon!

What a Friend!

I love it when things just *come together* (are you singin' Beatles/John Lennon right now? LOL)! That is what happened while I was making this card!

I love music, so anytime I see music paper that I like, I buy it and stash it for future use. When Korin invited me to design using Melody of Love from Sweet 'n Sassy's January release, I knew there were plenty of designer paper choices already available to go with it. When I got ready to stamp, I just went to the file and pulled the one that best matched the other designer print I wanted to use. Love these vintage, golden colors!

As I was poised to cut, I looked down at the papers and stamps in my hand...a beautiful bird on the vintage print, the notes to What a Friend We Have in Jesus, and the sentiment, "Sing unto the Lord, all the earth!" I couldn't have chosen it better if I had done it deliberately and with much forethought. It was as if God had placed these particular design elements lovingly into my hands. I love those little "God Things" when they happen, and if you watch for them, you'll notice that they actually happen quite frequently! I do believe that God must smile down on us as we are happily creative, in His image.

Hope you're having a blessed day! My friend Latisha and I are enjoying our last day in California before making our way back home tomorrow, exhausted and happy after a week at CHA! Can't wait to share all the excitement with you, so I hope you'll come back soon!

Another birthday cupcake!

Here's another very quick, easy and eye-catching hybrid card using digital brushes from the {stamps} of Life. This one was fun! Well, they all are, but some are more fun than others! ;)

I *stamped* the brushes for each word on an individual layer in Photoshop Elements, which allows you to slide and flip things around until you find a look you like. For the cupcake, I used selections to add the different colors to each part of the image, using a gradient fill for the cupcake liner.

I love the boldness of the red and chocolate together. This gorgeous gingham ribbon adds flair to the simple design. I hope you like it!

Banana Split Sunday!

This week's Banana Split Sunday challenge is *Behind the Scenes* (a stamped background)! I must confess that I was stamping this card the day before leaving for CHA, so I stamped the foreground and used a piece of left-over designer paper *sky* for the rest, just to save time. There were a-million-and-one things to do that day, so I had to stream-line!

Love this cute furry friend and all the coordinating sentiments in Jami's set, Gunther's Greetings. I colored him with Copics, paper-pieced his scarf using a bit of Basic Grey Boxer designer paper, and placed him in a very simple scene with a paw-print stamped background and a nesties circle sun-shaped sentiment. The edges of the paper were given a quick sponging with Tim Holtz distress ink just to add a bit of dimension.

Hopefully this quick creation will bring a ray of sunshine to a friend when they're having a blue day.

Sunday blessings!

Make a Wish!

I thankfully have a little stash of cards that I made for the {stamps} of Life that I have not yet shared on my blog, so I will be sharing them with you throughout the week. I made them for the release at the beginning of the month (which means I'll have to scramble for the next release upon our return from CHA!).

How about a cupcake? When I first saw this Nook and Pantry paper I thought of sprinkles, so I just had to use it for the icing on this clear stamp from HappyBday2You, our featured January set. I used a Copic marker to shade a few pleats onto the cupcake liner, and to add a bit of variation in color to the candle flame. The rest is all traditional stamping and paper piecing. The little candle pick (you know those little things you stick in the icing to hold a candle...what are they called?!) is a flower from a new special release, Hello2You.

{mwah}

I'm back today with a finish for this week's OCL Spotlight Set of the Week, Hearts & Hugs. Today's card features CutCardStock burgundy card stock and Basic Grey Bittersweet designer paper in a graphic layout using several sizes of circle nestabilities. I kept trying to add embellishments but finally decided to keep it ultra simple and use only a few strategically placed pink pearls.

If you'd like to see more of the designs featured this week using Hearts & Hugs, visit the OCL blog!

We're on our way!

Today is Thursday, which means that Latisha and I are California bound, on our way to CHA! GIRL-TIME! This is gonna be such a fun trip! I thought that it would be appropriate to post something feminine, frilly, and flirty in honor of the occasion, especially since it goes along with this month's Dirty Dozen gallery theme!

This card is a very simple hybrid design. The sentiment was printed on white card stock using digital brushes from the {stamps} of Life. A strip of stitched Sugar Rush designer paper, a layered flower, some beautiful ribbon, and a lacy edge punch dress it up in classic fashion.

I have a few posts scheduled between now and Wednesday when we return. I am going to try to figure out how to blog from my Black Jack so that we can hopefully share some pictures while we're there. I am looking forward to meeting so many of you who are my online friends, and to sharing with all of you some of the paper-crafting goodness that will be coming our way in the next few months!

Luv U!

Here's another Hearts & Hugs Valentine that--with a change of designer papers and colors--could very well be an everyday greeting. Luv U is something you can never sincerely say too often!

Sassafras Lass' Lots of Luck patterned paper has an interesting zig-zag border along one edge, so I cut it off and used it as an intersecting design element. The silk flower ties the colors of the hearts and the border together and echoes the zig-zag edges...the stamped and Copic-colored line art reflects the shapes of the design within the patterned paper. I used the brown striped side of a second Sassafras print, Girl's Best Friend, as a mat for the busier pattern. The folds of white satin ribbon appear to thread through the flower to the sentiment, but the Luv U is actually stamped on white card stock.

Hope you're having a great Wednesday! One more sleep (if I can actually manage to tonight! I might be too excited!) and we'll be off to CHA!

You Old Dinosaur!

The {stamps} of Life design team was issued a challenge to *Mix it Up!* In other words, we were to use both digital and traditional stamping in our designs. What a really FUN challenge this was!

I used digital brushes to print a sentiment on the center of a rectangle of white card stock, then framed it with a row of traditionally stamped candles, strips of Basic Grey designer paper and a medallion, the center of which is simply a circle of matching designer print cut out and embossed with nesties. Altogether it makes a funny pun of a greeting!

I remember being 5 years old and thinking my mom was so old she was close to death...and she was only 35! LOL! My, how perspectives do change!

I don't suppose I would be brave enough to give this card to anyone *really* old! It will make a fun masculine birthday tease for just the right person! I do have one old dinosaur in mind! ;)

Here are the links to the designers sharing projects with you today (a few may have later posts)!

• Jeanne
• Jennifer
• Joana
• Vicki
• Stephanie

eta: Here's a link to a previous TSOL challenge card that fits today's challenge also!

ihp DT Challenge!

It's the first i {heart} papers design team challenge of the year, and we thought it would be fun to see what we each would do with a 4 x 6 CD case.

Have y'all been watching the weather?! I know that it's been really cold in lots of places, but there has been a spree of much colder than usual temperatures for Florida. It was in the low 20's each morning for the better part of a week, and the chill provided the inspiration for my calendar for the month of January. I chose a soft blue designer print from Colorful Christmas as a background of snowy winter sky for an icy bird bath. This sentiment seemed exceptionally appropriate! Torn paper edges build a fluffy snowbank at the bottom, and the candy cane grosgrain just makes it fun! These colors have been one of my favorite combos this winter.

Here's the February page with some of my new favorite paper, Basic Grey Sugar Rush! I adore this paper! I stamped a fun Valentine image from Our Craft Lounge's Wanted set and colored it with Copics. The wee heart reminder on the 14th is from Sweet on You (does your beloved need reminding? LOL!). The sentiment is stamped on a Fancy Tag and sponged lightly to emphasize the details of the pressure embossing. I finished with a teeny tiny bow.

On the back of each calendar page, there is a space for each date to write birthdays, anniversaries, or other occasions that are important to remember.

I'm trying to keep these relatively flat, so the layouts are fairly clean and simple. I did bling 'em up with a bit of atyou Spica sparkle, but that is practically impossible to catch on camera.

I will be adding pages to my calendar as the year progresses...I love the idea of doing it a little at a time as the months fly by! It will be cool to see the trends of the papercraft industry for 2010!

Here are the links for our ihp designers! Enjoy your visit to their blogs!

• Carolyn
• Cathleen
• Gretchen
• Kate
• Kendra
• Lori
• Lynn
• Megan
• Merry
• Tracy

OCL Spotlight Set of the Week

Each week the Our Craft Lounge girls take turns spotlighting a certain set on the OCL blog, and this week is my turn to spotlight OCL's Hearts and Hugs, just in time to get something ready for your sweetheart for Valentine's Day!

Hearts & Hugs is a fun mix of solid and line art stamps that are perfect for the chocolate fanatic in your life! If your beloved is like mine, he's a no-frills kinda guy who would not want some frilly, sappy Valentine! I chose some non-traditional colors and kept things simple. This will be right up his alley! He'll love it even more if there's chocolate involved!

My card features the striped side of GCD Studios' Bit-o-Honey, a linen textured two-sided designer paper. I sewed a wide strip of vertical stripes onto some Bravo Burgundy card stock, then topped it with a very narrow bit of stripe horizontally. The Cameo Coral card stock underneath is edged with a row of scalloped piercing made with the Ecstacy small borders template and piercing tool. I tied some ivory ribbon around the center panel, added a pearl-embellished heart, and stamped the sentiment directly onto the Barely Banana card base.

Tomorrow our i {heart} papers design team is sharing this month's design team challenge. I hope you'll come back for another visit, because I'll be featuring some other fun OCL sets in my project! There'll be more with Hearts & Hugs later this week.

Enjoy your Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday!

Banana Split Sunday!

This week's Banana Split Sunday challenge is a color challenge: blue, silver, and white. I remembered this quote from our very first Quotes set, so that got the creative ball rolling.

The beautiful textured midnight blue and shimmery silver card stock is from CutCardStock. It matches this scrap of Basic Grey designer paper perfectly. I used my labels 4 nestabilities to cut a shape from white card stock, then faintly inked it, still in the die, with Basic Gray and Bashful Blue inks using a stipple brush. The sentiment was stamped with Versamark and embossed in silver. I had this strip of butterflies lace, once white and now silver from a spritz with some glimmer mist, from which I trimmed one single butterfly to attach to the sentiment panel. A few tiny navy pearls make him "original." I love the sheen of the sheer striped ribbon against the shimmery card stock. These colors and textures make even the simplest layout seem elegant.

As you can see, when this photo was taken I had not yet *dressed* the inside...I was in a race to get a picture in some sunlight before the rains arrived. I don't always decorate the inside of my card, but especially when the card base is dark card stock, I do like to. Weather permitting, I'll take a picture of the inside also.

I hope you'll play along with our challenge! The Banana Blog is the place to start!

LAD February Mix Preview!

I am so excited to be able to share a sneak peek of the Lizzie Anne Designs' February Mix, Singing in the Rain! The images are soooo adorable and I know you're gonna love it!

My card for today uses Basic Grey Origins designer papers and some gorgeous sunshine yellow silk ribbon! I colored the little watering can with Copic markers and added a teeny green pearl flower center.

Be sure to visit the other Lizzie Anne Designs dt members' blogs (on the sidebar to the right)...they've got some gorgeous stuff to share with you!

eta: My card fits perfectly for the debut challenge on a brand new challenge blog, Raise the Bar! I'm debuting this brand new LAD set and using some new Basic Grey paper too!

In a Pickle?

Here's another cute image from Lizzie Anne Designs' new set, In the Kitchen. I was drawn to this image when I first saw the set because Matthew LOVES pickles! Quick and easy to color using Copic markers!

I'll be back in a bit with a preview from the upcoming February Monthly Mix. Guess what the name of it is! Singin' in the Rain! You gotta know I love that! ;)

Centerstage Spotlight Blog Hop

It's GinaK CenterStage Spotlight Design Team's Inspiration blog hop, and what a fun inspiration photo it was! Just take a look at this delicious, gorgeous cookie bouquet that we sent to Design Team Coordinator Jessica Fick (more pictures here)!

For many of us, Rupa's newly released Warm and Wonderful was the first thing that came to mind, so I wouldn't be surprised if you see a lot of it as you make your way along! The mittens, of course, are the obvious similarity...I was drawn to the rich greens in the photo, so I grabbed the Pure Luxury card stock and some designer paper, the Memento ink and Copic markers and got to *work* ;) .

My nesties hearts worked wonderfully with this sweet sentiment, and the punched snowflake and heart-shaped button were the perfect embellishments to tie the design together. A little Tim Holtz distress ink gave more warmth to the edges of the papers and card stock. If you look closely you'll see that there are faint snowflakes stamped on the kraft card base.

I hope you have enjoyed your visit and that you'll come back again! And now, here are the rest of the hop's participating designers:

Jessica Fick
Betty Neville
Jen Charboneau
Joan Ervin
Vicki Dutcher
Lori McAree
Cheri Weston
Melissa Cash
Carla Suto
Giovana Smith,
JenMarie Taylor
Sue Morris
Carolina Buchting
Sharri Seffens
Brenda Turner
Kay Simmons
Peggy Wainman
Sue Van deVusse
Shannon Bracken
Tina Gilliland
Deb Felts <---you're here
Jennie Harper
Geri Utterback
Selma Stevenson
Melissa Shultz
Linda Payne
Joy Hadden
Karen Knegten
Melanie Muenchinger
Nina Brackett

Everyone's projects will be added to the StampTV gallery and Idea Center over the next few days. You can search for them by using this tag: cssjf4

Cut it Out!

This darling little toaster is an image from one of Lizzie Anne's newest Little Bits stamp sets, In the Kitchen! I just LOVE this set, which contains about 20 images! Today's SCS CAS challenge, *Cut it Out!* provided the perfect motivation for a super quick card. Of course, after I cut it out, I had to pop it up! (I know, I'm full of corny puns lately, aren't I! But they're so hard to resist!)

Lizzie Anne's recent release also included a new type of stamp set. Sixlets are meant to be a step in between our Simply Singles stamps and our Little Bits stamp sets. Each Sixlets stamp set has (you guessed it) six stamps. Sixlets are also unique because they utilize the same packaging that we are currently using for our Monthly Mix stamp sets. We will be posting a PDF file of the cover design with each product that you are welcome to print out for FREE. The stamps come in a simple envelope, and if you would like to purchase a storage case you may do so for an extra $1.00. This saves money on packaging so that we may offer you these stamp sets at a great price... $11.99 per set (only $2 per stamp!)

Think ROUND!

It's the first Banana Split Sunday challenge of the year, and the theme is to *think ROUND!* I thought about doing a round card but then I changed my mind! This layout is very angular...I decided to go in circles in every other way but that one! The Basic Grey designer papers are two prints made up of all ROUND elements, the embellishments are ROUND, the wheels on Jack's skateboard are ROUND and the sentiment is about the world going ROUND! Are you dizzy yet?!

It is finally warming up and I'm glad! The church's heat pump couldn't keep up with our Florida morning temps of low 20's, and the pipes there froze, so it was COLD even inside until aROUND 10:30 ;) (I know, couldn't resist!)...finally it began to thaw out and we had water and plumbing!

Hope to see you aROUND again soon!

CAS CPS with TSOL

This week The {Stamps} of Life is sponsoring Card Positioning Systems...I really love having a sketch as a starting point since I'm layout challenged, and this one was a fun one for a fast and easy CAS hybrid card. I'm having a lot of fun playing with Photoshop Elements (thanks Vicki!) and the digital brush counterparts for TSOL stamps. The brushes and layers make a collage-style sentiment simple to do (here's another very similar card from the same stamping session!). Usually I add a layer for each element so that I can reposition, rotate, drag and drop it where I want it to go. Here I added a basic shape to go along with the theme, accentuating the vertical lines of this layout. Drop-shadowing makes the lettering look a little more dressed up without cluttering the clean graphic lines. These colors are unisex, and with this sentiment, this card is very versatile! Do you think the flower makes it too girlie for a guy?! I had to restrain myself from adding some stickles or other bling as it was! ;)

The weather here in Florida had us all looking up yesterday morning! We thought we just *might* get a flake or two of snow, but it didn't happen, at least not here on Fleming Island. Ironically, it was a bit more likely to snow just a bit further south of us! This morning the forecast is for a near record-setting low of 22 degrees! Brrrr!

Hope you have a fabulous, warm, blessed Sunday!

Happy Birthday Cambria!

Happy Birthday, my friend! I hope you have a wonderful day! Special friends, fun places, and great memories are what I wish for you! May all your wishes come true! (Y'all go leave her a little love!) ;)

About Cami's card...this little pixie is from Our Craft Lounge's set Fairy Dust Is a Must, available at i {heart} papers. Isn't she adorable?! I colored her with Copics (hey girls, LOVE my new 0000 markers! Thank you!), cut and embossed the image with oval nestabilities. LOVE this Basic Grey Sugar Rush! You can barely see the sentiment sticking up from behind that gorgeous silk ribbon. I tucked a flower behind it and topped it with a pretty pink button. Love how the Zva swirlies look like an extension right from her little fairy dust wand!

We'll really celebrate your birthday when we get to CHA! Can't wait!

Skipping Stones Designs Blog Hop!

Welcome to the Skipping Stones Design Blog Hop! Today's hop features cards created by the Skipping Stones Design Team and I'm excited to be one of quite a few friends who've been invited to play along! You may have arrived here from Kandi's...if not, then go to the beginning and follow along until you are here again! I promise, you don't want to miss a single stop! Along the way, the Skipping Stones Design Team (aka the Stamp Tramps) will have blog candy for you to enter. As an added bonus, there will also be 4 stamp sets (new stamp sets not yet released) hidden along the hop, but we’re not telling you where, so be sure to leave some love as you hop!!! Make sure you leave comments on every post so you have a chance to win!! The winners will be announced on Friday, January 8th, at Skipping Stones Design.

There are so many cute stamp sets at SSD that choosing only one for today's card was a bit of a challenge, but I finally decided upon Funny Bras Vol. 1 because I thought it would make some great cards for my Bible study girls. Seems like someone is always having a mammogram and a fun, girlie card will definitely make getting the squeeze a little less painful! ;) When the results come back normal, all the girls wanna shout Bravisimo! We joyfully and enthusiastically cheer each other along! Thankfully, it has not been often that we also have shared the sorrow of negative results, but we rally together closer than ever under those circumstances. What an amazing group of women!

Since I had already had to make a difficult choice regarding stamp sets, I decided NOT to make a choice at all when it came to using my favorite prints from this yummy new Basic Grey Sugar Rush. I just grabbed 4 sheets that had harmonizing colors and got to work using this week's MOJO sketch as a starting point. My card turned out a bit busier than most, but I still like it!

To give the bra a little full-figure contour, I shaded its curves with Copic markers (C0, C1 and C3). I ran the same marker colors along the long edges of the mats to give a little more depth and tie the design together. I love the way the picot-edged ribbon (very old retired SU) and the periwinkle velvet and woven ribbon accents add to the lingerie feel.

Your next stop for the hop is my dear, talented friend and design team mate, Holly McMillen! I'm sure she'll knock your blog-hoppin' socks off!

Thanks for stopping by! Hope you have yourself a merry Little Christmas (we celebrate Epiphany on January 6th, aka Little Christmas)...stop back by tomorrow to share some decadent King Cake!

TSoL DT Challenge

The DT girls at The {Stamps} of Life decided to throw out a challenge to each other.

Please feel free to play along with us!

If you are playing along with The {Stamps} of Life stamps or digital images please upload to the gallery on the site HERE with the keyword TSOLD01. Hint, hint.... we look through the gallery regularly for new guest designers. Oh! Did I mention that there are a couple freebie digital images on the site?! You can find them HERE.

Please link to one of our blogs so we can see your stuff!

Our challenge: Glitter & Shine (TSOLD01)
Our DT players:

• Jeanne Streiff
• Joana Studer
• Laura Williams
• Vicki Garrett

My card is a combination of digital and clear stamp sentiments and images framed with a profusion of self-adhesive rhinestones. Makes me think of the glittering lights of Broadway or Las Vegas! ;) Digital brushes make it easy to resize words and images to fit together for a fun focal image...you can draw attention to the word of your choice using a bright color and larger size.

Looking forward to seeing your sparkly shiny creations soon! Grab your SoL stamps and get to work!

Call Me!

Here's a card using some scraps of paper from another project in fun sherbet colors. Isn't that ribbon so yummy?! The phone is one of my favorite images from the Lizzie Anne Designs January Mix, From the Heart, colored with Copic markers in pretty shades of pink. Gotta love that blingy button! Because of those BoBunny polkadots this card qualifies for the Crazy4Challenges C4C18 this week!

I love staying in touch with my friends! There's nothin' like a good girl chat! ;) Looking forward to some real time face-to-face at CHA soon!

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year! We're celebrating with champagne and sparkling grape juice ;) as we welcome 2010! It's definitely party time!

One of my resolutions this year is to use more of my STASH...this card would probably win an award when it comes to using something that has been around forEVAH! When I first started scrapbooking (Matthew was a wee baby) my mom found a bunch of paper on sale at her local Michael's, and she bought lots of different prints and sent them to me. It's been tucked away in a file folder all this time (yep, he's nearly 16 now!) and little by little I am finding an occasion to use some of it. It is ironic that when I first saw these balloons, this paper was the first thing I thought of! This particular print is timeless...some of the others, not so much!

Two-step stamping using the Stamps of Life set HappyBday2You makes this card a real quickie! I stamped the balloon outlines in Memento Tuxedo Black on a scrap of white paper, then filled in the colors with the companion solid stamp in yellow, orange and green. I cut them out and after stamping their strings, popped them up on dimensionals, adding a stamped sentiment to the opposite corner. I didn't even think about these buttons until I had already finished putting the card together, so it was a nice surprise that they matched so perfectly. Since it still felt like it needed a little something, I tied on a tiny bow with some shiny white satin.

Although this set is designed for birthday cards, it is certainly versatile enough to be used for other occasions! The images are perfect, no matter your age! Check out The Stamps of Life gallery to see more HappyBday2You cards created by our talented design team!