Moxie Fab–Gray Is the New Black!!

Happy Monday, friends!!

How was your weekend?  Mine was great – we saw “The Dilemma” at the movies on Saturday (super cute and funny!), and I went to a friend’s book reading and signing yesterday (really interesting).  The rest of the weekend was spent doing laundry – hubby was running outta undies!  LOL



So I’m here today to share a couple of cards that I made in response to the latest Moxie Fab World Challenge – Grey Is the New Black.  I sooo agree with that statement and was giddy with the ideas that flowed from my teeny tiny brain!

CARD NO. 1:

For my first card, I was most inspired by the above photo – isn’t it delicious?!  Seriously, those colors just spoke to me.  And here is how I translated the inspiration:

What do you think?!  It’s not as graphic as the inspiration photo, but I feel like it still has a graphic feeling to it with all the “white” space and the architectural chair.  The chair image and sentiment are from a new Hero Arts clear set called “Wish You Were Here” and the damask image is from a Stampabilities cling set that I picked up at Hobby Lobby called “Flourishes.”  The card base is Papertrey Ink’s Smokey Shadow, and the damask is stamped using my new fave-a-lave inks, Fresh Ink Provincial Gray.  The chair image was stamped using Versamark and heat embossed using Zing’s Apricot Embossing Powder (LOVE!); the sentiment was heat embossed using Zing’s White EP.  The ribbon is SU’s Pumpkin Pie 5/8” Satin Ribbon, and the rhinestones are also from SU.  I'll also be submitting this for the Splitcoast Stampers' Clean and Simple Challenge (CAS103), which is to use a flourish in your design.

CARD NO. 2:

My second card for the challenge was inspired by a CD cover that I saw when I was in Starbucks over the holidays.  When I got home that day, I looked the CD up on iTunes and burned the image into my brain.  Since then, I’ve completely forgotten the name of the CD or the band that recorded it!  Ugh!!  Getting old really sucks!!  But I can tell you that image was still etched in my brain when Cath posed this challenge, and I knew I had to attempt to translate the image in my brain into a project for the challenge.

ETA:  I figured out the name of the CD that I had seen (Hallelujah!)  So, I've added a thumbnail of the CD cover that was my inspiration for Card No. 2!!

The main image, “Cityscape” from Penny Black, was stamped three times onto two different shades of Bazzill CS using Fresh Ink’s Paper White ink and then cut out.  The pink reminds me of twilight, doesn’t it you?  The sentiment is from the My Cute Stamps clear set called “Celebrate” – it was stamped in Versamark and heat embossed with Zing White EP.  The ribbon is PTI’s Hibiscus Burst Satin Ribbon, and the rhinestones are from SU.

Thanks, once again to Cath, for another Moxie Fabulous challenge – I adore her challenges and can’t wait for the next one!!  Thank you also for stopping by today.  Have a great day!

Let It Snow–New ABC DT Challenge!!

I’m dropping by today to share the project that I created for the December ABC Toys & Crafts challenge, which is to create a project USING NON-TRADITIONAL CHRISTMAS COLORS – so no red and green allowed!

STAMPS:  Let It Snow (My Cute Stamps) (Currently Out of Stock)
INK: Grape Jelly,  Summer Sky and Summer Sky(Memento)
PAPER:  Savanna Limba CS (LCI)
ACCESSORIES: Citron Green Gemstones  (Hero Arts), Light Blue Gemstones  (Hero Arts), Purple Gemstones  (Hero Arts)

Let It Snow VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

This card came together super fast and easily, and I’ve decided that it may be in the running for this year’s Loncon family holiday cards.  That is if I actually send some out this year . . . that’s still undecided.  LOL  I stamped several of the snowflake images using three different colors of ink onto the wood grain embossed cardstock (super yummy stuff!)  All of the images are from the Let It Snow set from My Cute Stamps.  I then added gemstones to jazz things up a bit.  Easy peasy!!

I hope my card inspires you, because we’d be thrilled to pieces if you’d play along with us!!  Here are a few of the rules for our challenge:

• The challenge, rules and the InLinkz widget where you can upload your projects is located at the new ABC TOYS & CRAFTS CHALLENGE BLOG.
  
• This month’s challenge will last for two weeks and you can enter as many times as you like.  However, your project must follow all the rules and include NON-TRADITIONAL CHRISTMAS COLORS in order to qualify for the prize.  This challenge ends on December 18th at midnight (CST).  The winner will be announced on Thursday, December 23rd.
  
• The challenge will now be JUDGED rather than using the Random.org selection process.  We want to see your best work!!
  
• The winner will receive a $20 store credit to ABC Toys & Crafts.
  
• The winner will earn an additional $5 store credit (that’s a total of $25 store credit!) if they’re DISPLAYING our CHALLENGE BLINKIE (you’ll find the HTML code for our Blinkie on our side bar).

Are you ready to play along with us?!!  Well then click on the blinkie below, and that will take you directly to the new ABC Toys & Crafts Challenge Blog, where you’ll find the current challenge, the InLinkz widget for uploading your projects, as well as more sweet inspiration from the rest of the ABC Toys & Crafts design team.



That’s it for me today, peeps!  Believe it or not, I’ll be back tomorrow with another sample for the challenge.  Hope you’ll stop by to see me then!  Have a great day!

Happy Birthday – Inspiration Challenge!

Hola Peeps!

I hope you had as wonderful a weekend as I did.  I got to spend all day Saturday stamping, so that made me feel as though I was in heaven.  Also, the sun was out all day on Saturday, too – I had the windows open in my craft room.  Mmmmm . . . fall in the Northwest is always so glorious!!  Sadly we were back to usual rainy nastiness on Sunday.  Boooo!  LOL


\
So, my sweet friends on the ABC Toys & Crafts Design Team have cooked up a fun little challenge for you all.  It’s this amazing photo collage – isn’t it awesome?!!  The colors and content just took my breath away!!  This is what I came up with:


Fun, huh?  I never have enough birthday cards, so that was a no brainer.  And I love, love, love these colors.  They just make me swoon.  The cake image is from a sweet set from My Cute Stamps called Tea Party.  The sentiment is from the Hero Arts clear set called Big Hugs.  I also love the doily effect that the new Lacey Circle Nestabilities create – awesome, right?!!

STAMPS:  Tea Party (My Cute Stamps), Big Hugs (Hero Arts), Stitched Pinwheel Background (A Muse Artstamps)
INK:  Lady Bug, Rose Bud and Tuxedo Black Ink (Memento)
PAPER:  White CS (Neenah), Hibiscus Burst and Pure Poppy CS (Papertrey Ink), Bitty Dot DP (Papertrey Ink)
ACCESSORIES:  Lacey Circle Nestabilities (Spellbinders), Classic Circle Nestabilities (Spellbinders), Copic Markers, 3D Dots (EK Success), Doily Tag (Martha Stewart Crafts), Quickie Glue Pen, Dazzling Diamonds (Stampin’ Up!), Corner Chomper (We R Memory Keepers), Button (PTI), Baker's Twine (Divine Twine), Glue Dots

View Full Album

We’d all love for you to play along with us!  All you have to do is get your inspiration from the above photo collage – the colors, the content, really anything at all!  Then add your creation to Mr. Linky located HERE on the ABC Toys & Crafts Design Team Blog.  You have until Saturday, October 2nd at midnight (CST).



You still have a few more days to get in on the 20% Off Your Entire Order deal, as well as get a chance to win my enormous basket full of blog candy (pictured in my upper right hand sidebar)!  Just click on the blinkie and place an order, using the indicated discount code, between now and September 30th.  There are so many goodies to be found there, so what the heck are you waiting for?!!  Now get!!  LOL

That’s it for me today, folks.  Thanks so much for stopping by.  I so appreciate the time you spend here, and hope that you’ll come by often.  Have a great day!

Boo!

Happy Saturday, Friends!

Just popping in really quick to share another Halloween card with you today.  I really love Halloween in terms of card making.  The images and fun spirit just make me smile.  Dressing my kids up was probably the most fun ever for me, though!!  Good times, good times.  LOL



So, I decided I wanted to do a spinner card – I love fun moving techniques, don’t you?  The card base is 5” x 5”.  I cut the circle (through the two layers of cardstock and the one layer of DP – all at the same time!) using my Classic Circle Nestabilities and my Cuttlebug.  I stitched the orange panel and designer paper together with my sewing machine.  The clear beading wire is taped on the back of the designer paper panel.  I then stamped the ghost from the Ooga Booga stamp set from My Cute Stamps twice.  I cut them out, ran them through my Xyron Sticker Maker and stuck them together, encasing the beading wire between the two images.  I then punched out four bats using my Martha Stewart Bat Punch, ran them through my Sticker Maker again, and attached them to the bead wire as I did with the ghosts.  I love how they look like they’re really flying!!  The Boo sentiment was from the Happy Halloween clear set from Hero Arts – this set has just about every single sentiment you could ever imagine needing for Halloween projects.  It’s a must have for every collection IMHO.  So fun, huh?!!

STAMPS:  Ooga Booga (My Cute Stamps), Happy Halloween (Hero Arts)
INK:  Tuxedo Black (Memento), Fresh Snow (Papertrey Ink)
PAPER:  Orange Zest (Papertrey Ink), Black Licorice (Poptone), Halloween Prints DP (Papertrey Ink)
ACCESSORIES:  Classic Circle Nestabilities (Spellbinders), Sticker Maker (Xyron), Bat Punch (Martha Stewart Crafts), Clear Bead Wire, Satin Ribbon (Stampin’ Up!), Janome Sew Mini

View Full Album

That’s it for me today.  I hope you enjoy the rest of your Saturday.  Thanks so much for stopping by today – it warms my little heart that you take the time to stop in.

U R Far Out!

Hey Kids!

How’s everyone doing on this fine Tuesday?  Well, I hope!!  I’m spending the day with my grandson, so I’m as happy a pig in slop!  LOL



I have a couple of fun cards to share with you today – it’s ABC Toys & Crafts Tuesday!!  Woot!! Woot!!  I used a My Cute Stamps set called Spaceships & Robots.  I hadn’t inked this stamp set up until today, and I had so much fun playing with it that I made TWO cards!  LOL  I actually made this first card at a super fun crop that I attended when I was in AZ – fun times with sweet friends.  The best, right?  I stamped the robot and space ship images in Versamark, and heat embossed them.  I love the effect that heat embossing has on these fun images, don’t you?



The second card was also made to share with you, but it also fulfills a couple of challenges that I came across.  I was inspired by a sketch challenge that I found at Cards & Things Challenges, and by a fun little challenge that my stamping friend, Paula (mrslaird on SCS), posed for a Virtual Home Town Tour that a  bunch of us former VSN Hostesses are doing.  Paula’s home town is Houston, TX, so of course I had to do a card for NASA - “Houston, we have a problem . . . .”  LOL  I’m not sure what I’ll do with these two fun cards, but I’m pretty happy with how they turned out.

SUPPLIES USED:  Spaceships & Robots (My Cute Stamps)
INK:  Versamark (Tsukineko), Enchanted Evening (Papertrey Ink)
PAPER:  White CS (Neenah), Orange CS, Bella Blvd. DP, My Mind’s Eye DP
ACCESSORIES:  Cricket, White, and Denim Embossing Powder (Zing/American Crafts), 3D-Dots (EK Success), Corner Rounder (EK Success), Buttons, Scrapper’s Floss (Karen Foster), Glue Dots, Self-Adhesive Rhinestones (Hero Arts), Scalloped Circle Chain Edger Punch (EK Success)

View Full Album

So, guess what?!!  All of the My Cute Stamps are on sale this week (now through August 7th) at ABC Toys & Crafts.  Sa-WEET!!



Be sure and check out what all the other ABC Toys & Crafts DT have created for you all each day this week.

Thanks so much for stopping by today.  I have a few more cards to share with you tomorrow, so I hope you’ll drop by again!

May Your Dreams Take Flight!

Happy Tuesday!

Hope this finds you all relaxed and rested after a wonderful Memorial Day Weekend.  We had a fun but very busy weekend, and I now need a vacation from my vacation!  LOL  All in all we had a great time with the family though.  How about you?

The ABC Toys & Crafts Design Team is participating in another monthly challenge, and we’d be over the moon thrilled to death if you’d play along with us.  This month, Sandy has created a fabulous sketch as a jumping off point.  I found it to be very inspiring.  I just had to pull out my “Ashley’s Blossoms” by My Cute Stamps.  I love the idea of stamping directly onto the designer paper, so I did.  First, I stamped the bird, and then I stamped the cage over the top of that.  I feel like it gives the bird some dimension, don’t you?

STAMPS:  Ashley’s Blossoms (My Cute Stamps), May Your Dreams Take Flight (A Muse)
INK:  Tuxedo Black (Memento), Bahama Blue (Memento)
PAPER:  Black Licorice CS (Poptone), Sweet Blush CS (PTI), Life’s Portrait DP (Webster’s Pages)
ACCESSORIES:  Janome Sew Mini, Sweet Blush and True Black Buttons (PTI), Self-Adhesive Pearls Medium (Hero Arts), Self-Adhesive Pearls Small (Hero Arts), Self-Adhesive Pearls Medium (Hero Arts), Organdy Ribbon (May Arts), Scrapper’s Floss (Karen Foster)

View Full Album

If you want to play along with us, Julie is offering a $20 store credit to a random participant.  You can get all the details of the challenge right HERE.  My favorite challenges are sketch challenges because I find it fascinating how others interpret the sketch.  You really should give it a go!!



That’s it for me today.  I’ve got buckets of laundry to do, so I’d probably better get started.  Have a great day and thanks for stopping by!

Thanks for the Baby Gift!

Hi Chickies!

Happy Tuesday to you!!  I had such a wonderful weekend.  As you know, my grandson was born on Friday, and we got to spend quite a bit of time with him.  I know I’m prejudiced, but he is pretty much the cutest baby I’ve ever seen!  We also celebrated my daughter, Amy’s, graduation from college this weekend.  Plus, we had the added bonus of Mother’s Day in the mix, too!  I hope your weekend was as special as mine was.

It’s ABC Toys & Crafts Tuesday at my blog today.  And this week, the Design Team is showcasing one of the many wonderful stamp lines that ABCT&C carries – My Cute Stamps!  You may recall that this line is one of my all time favorite stamp companies.  The images just make me smile, and the quality of the stamps is outstanding!!  I used two different My Cute Stamps sets – Little Forest Friends and Night Owl.  Both of these sets have darling images, and make adorable baby cards!!  I used my Square Classic and Scalloped Nestabilities to cut out the image panel, and my Copic Markers to color the owl’s face.  My daughter has received so many wonderful baby gifts, so I’m sure she’ll be able to put this card to use.

This card is also being submitted for several challenges:
Crazy 4 Challenges - (make a boy card)
Embellish Magazine - (color/dimension challenge)
Caardvarks – (sketch challenge)
CARDS Magazine Blog Challenge - (use product that’s at least a year old)

STAMPS:  Little Forest Friends (My Cute Stamps), Night Owl (My Cute Stamps), Clouds Background (Hero Arts)
INK:  Aqua Mist Pigment Ink (PTI), Rich Cocoa (Memento)
PAPER:  Kraft CS (PTI), All Inclusive DP (Bella Blvd.), White CS (Neenah), Aqua Mist CS (PTI)
ACCESSORIES:  Orange Zest Satin Ribbon (PTI), 1/8” White Satin Ribbon (PTI), 3D Dots (EK Success), Spring Moss Button (PTI), Glue Dot, Embossed Scallop Border Punch (EK Success), Copic Markers, Square Classic and Scalloped Nestabilities (Spellbinders), Cuttlebug, Xyron Sticker Maker

View Full Album

If you love these stamps, you can get them from ABC Toys & Crafts – and you can get 15% off the price of any My Cute Stamps if you use Discount Code MCS1510 when you check out.  Isn’t that great?!!

That’s it for me today.  I’m off to help my daughter with the baby today.  Just can’t get enough of that sweet little man.  Thanks for stopping by – have a great day!

I’m Baaacckk!!

Hi Peeps!

I feel like it’s been forever since I’ve had a stamp in my hand.  That little last minute trip to Phoenix sure put a crimp in my crafty life.  But all’s well that ends well.  Hubby’s eyes are healing fabulously (thanks to all who prayed – it worked!!), and will be completely healed within the next two weeks.  Isn’t that amazing?!!  And after 1600+ miles and 28 hours on the road, we are now safe and sound at home in Washington.  AND all was accomplished BEFORE the arrival of baby Brecken and youngest DD’s graduation.  Woohoo!!

Needless to say, I haven’t been able to stamp since I got home, but luckily I did a little stamping before I left.  This is a card that I put together for my friend Terri’s birthday that’s coming up this weekend.  It features one of the My Cute Stamps sets that I hadn’t inked up before – it’s called Tea Party Girl.  And boy was it FUN!!  Isn’t that cake super cute?!!  My mind was going a million miles a minute with more ideas for this darling set.  Can’t wait to get a chance to get back in my stamp room and go to town with it!  The sentiment is from a Hero Arts Clear Set called Birthday Messages.
STAMPS:  Tea Party Girl (My Cute Stamps), Birthday Messages (Hero Arts), Merry & Bright (PTI), Merry & Bright Additions (PTI)
INK:  Summer Sky (Memento), New Sprout (Memento), and Angel Pink
(Memento), Tuxedo Black (Memento)
PAPER:  Spring Rain CS (Papertrey Ink), White CS (Neenah), Eggdrop Soup DP (Jillibean Soup)
ACCESSORIES:  Copic Markers, Janome Sew Mini, 3D Dots (EK Success), Embossed Scallop Border Punch (EK Success), Spring Rain Twill (PTI), Quickie Glue Pen, Dazzling Diamonds Glitter

View Full Album

All of the above products can be found at ABC Toys & Crafts.

That’s it for me today.  I hope to be back later this week with something new to share with you.  In the meantime, thanks so much for stopping by today!

A New Challenge – It’s a Recipe!!

Hi Peeps!
How was your weekend?  Mine was fabulous, really.  Nothing super exciting . . . just nice and relaxing.  I wanted to pop in and let you know that the ABC Toys & Crafts Design team is participating in a little challenge, and we wanted to make sure that you all knew that we’d love for you to play along with us!  It’s a fun one – a recipe!  We were challenged to use the following recipe on a card or project:

1 Punch
2 Stamps
3 Embellishments

Fun, huh?

Of course, I had to bring out my all time fave My Cute Stamps set – Elegant Birds.  Love, love, love those images.  I stamped the bird cage onto cream cardstock and cut it out using my Labels 10 Nestabilities (Spellbinders).  I colored the image with my Copics, and shaded around the image (while still inside the Nestie) with chalk ink and a dobber.  The rest is pretty self-explanatory.  Here’s proof that I met the challenge:

1 Punch – Pinking Scallop Border Punch (Martha Stewart Crafts)
2 Stamps – Elegant Birds (My Cute Stamps) and Floral Frenzy (Papertrey Ink)
3 Embellishments  - Hibiscus Burst Satin Ribbon (PTI), Buttons (PTI), and Scrapper’s Floss (Karen Foster)

We so would love it if you played along with us!!  And there’s a prize!!

All of the details of the challenge, as well as Mr. Linky (where you should add a direct link to your project), can be found on the ABC TOYS & CRAFTS DESIGN BLOG.  You have until Friday, April 30th, to enter your project!!  This project also qualifies for the Curtain Call Color Challenge:  Act 27 - fun!!
Thanks for stopping by today!  I so appreciate it!

Birthday Wishes - Caardvarks Inspiration Challenge!

Happy Tuesday!

I hope you enjoyed your weekend as much as I did.  I crafted in my jammies for four days!  Finally decided that I should take a shower, get dressed and make the bed yesterday.  Is that bad?!!  LOL  Hubby comes home today, so my jammie crafting is done for a while.  But it sure was fun while it lasted!  All I gotta say is "Thank God for Papa John's Pizza delivery!"  It's probably a good thing that hubby comes home today . . . if I kept eating pizza for too much longer, I probably wouldn't fit into anything but my jammies.  That's bad!  LOL

I wanted to share a card that I made for the current Caardvarks inspiration challenge.  The challenge is to create a card based on this picture.  The creative juices were flowing like crazy the minute I laid eyes on that photo. Isn't it sweet?  Of course, I had to get out my most favorite My Cute Stamps set of the moment - Elegant Birds.  Can I just tell you how much I love this stamp set?  The images are so clean and intricate and they stamp like a dream!  I stamped the bird cage onto pattern paper with Versamark and then heat embossed with white embossing powder.  The butterflies were punched using the Three Butterfly Punch, adhered with 3-D Dots, and embellished with self-adhesive pearls.  I think there's still time to submit something for the Caardvarks challenge if you want to play along.  I'm also submitting this for the Moxie Fab World Tuesday Trigger - Lovely On The Green.  All of the highlighted products can be found at ABC Toys & Crafts by clicking on the blinkie below!

STAMPS: Elegant Birds (My Cute Stamps), Simple Little Things (PTI)
INK: Versamark (Tsukineko), Tuxedo Black (Memento)
PAPER: Spring Moss CS (PTI), Vintage Cream CS (PTI), Vintage Moon DP (Pink Paislee) ACCESSORIES: Self-Adhesive Pearls (Hero Arts), Three Butterfly Punch (Martha Stewart), White Embossing Powder (Zing/American Crafts), Upper Crest Border Punch (Fiskars), Retro Diamonds Embossing Folder (QuicKutz), Cuttlebug, 3-D Dots (EK Success)



Thanks for stopping by today!  I'll have more crafty goodness to share with you this week - hope you'll come back to see!

Happy Bird-Day!!

Hi Chickies!

I'm back today with a sweet little card featuring some of my newest goodies that Julie from ABC Toys & Crafts sent me.  And are they ever delicious!!  When I saw these new My Cute Stamps - Elegant Bird Cages, I knew that they would be mine . . . they inspired me from the minute I laid eyes on them.  I have so many more fun ideas in my head for these stamps, so I hope you won't mind if they appear a few more times here on my blog.  Of course, they couldn't have been more perfect for the 6" x 6" mini pad of Basic Grey Porcelain paper that arrived in the same box as my stamps this month.  The colors in this paper just make me smile.  I also created this card for the latest challenge on the CARDS blog - to use acrylic in your creations.  I stamped the bird cage using Staz-On Jet Black onto a piece of acrylic cardstock.  I stamped it a second time onto a coordinating piece of the Porcelain DP, and cut out the two strips on the bird cage, adhering them with adhesive.  I colored in the scallops and a few of the dots with a white paint pen that I had in my stash.  I then stamped that sweet little birdie onto the same coordinating DP and cut her out.  I thought she looked cute standing outside the cage - she's a rebel like me.  LOL  I matted the image using my Labels Four Nestabilities (green panel) and Labels Nine Nestabilities (white panel), and ran the white panel through my Cuttlebug using my Swiss Dots Embossing folder.  A little lace, a little ribbon, and voila - you've got yourself a sweet little bird-day card!  Isn't it tweet?!!

STAMPS:  Elegant Bird Cages (My Cute Stamps), Victorian Diamond Background (Rubbernecker), Tweet (Pink Cat Studios)
INK:  Jet Black Staz-On (Tsukineko), Hibiscus Burst Pigment Ink (PTI)
PAPER:  Hibiscus Burst CS (PTI), White CS (Neenah), Spring Moss CS (PTI), Porcelain DP (Basic Grey), Acrylic Cardstock
ACCESSORIES:  Labels Four Nestabilities (Spellbinders), Labels Nine Nestabilities (Spellbinders), Lace, Spring Moss Polka Dot Satin Ribbon (PTI), White Paint Pen, 3-D Dots Strips (EK Success), Embossed Scallop Border Punch (EK Success)

 

 

Before I go, I wanted to remind you again that ABC Toys & Crafts is offering a 20% discount on your entire order for any orders over $65 - just use discount code FEBLOVE (offer expires Feb. 28th).  That's it for me today.  Hubby and I are feeling a bit under the weather, so I think I'll go take a nap.  Thanks so much for stopping by!