An Apple A Day....

I recently got a request from one of my very best Etsy customers to make a congratulations card for her mister for graduating from medical school.  She wanted something a bit playful, and I happened to remember having this set from Gina K Designs, so I dug him out, and got to work!

It's Dr. Feelgood people, and although he didn't come with the Apple A Day sentiment, I made one on my computer just for her. Sadly, he isn't for sale any longer, but I paired my cute doctor with the Apple Die-namics from My Favorite Things. I used some fun Circus paper from Carta Bella. My cardstock is from MFT(Wild Cherry, Sour Apple, and Black Licorice) and Bazzil(Banana Split). I used some fun May Arts V Striped Black ribbon, twine, spiral clips, and brads. If you know me at all, you know I couldn't finish a card without some buttons...all from MFT in Black Licorice, Wild Cherry, and Lemon Drop.

I already know she has received this, and she is happy with it, so I wanted to go ahead and share it. 

Plus, it's super fun...and I made it, so here it is!!

Thanks for stopping by, have a great day!!

Forgotten Stamp Friday-Week 2

Hey everyone, welcome back to my blog!! You KNOW I love it when you visit, right?? Last week, as some of you might have seen, I started a little "personal" challenge called- Forgotten Stamp Friday!! Basically, I am challenging myself, and YOU, to use some of those poor, dusty, neglected, forgotten stamps from your collection!! I have created my own "keyword", this week's is FSF02. Last week, I had TWO people play along!! I was so EXCITED!! Thanks Dawn and Becca!! The only rule is to use a stamp set that hasn't been used in at least 6 months.

So, for today's card, I used my, The Magic of Christmas, set from Gina K. Designs. I stamped my GORGEOUS image on an MFT Perfect Panel, and then colored it in with my Copics. I then layered it with Baja Breeze, Wild Cherry and Hot Fudge card stock. My DP is from an old SU Christmas Pack(Alpine....I dunno). My sketch was the Mojo Monday sketch from a couple weeks ago. The ribbon I used is from MFT, and the brads are from Michael's.
Well, that is it for me for now!! Thanks for stopping by, and have a great day!! If you decide to play along...and I HOPE you do, either leave me a comment here, or be sure to add the above mentioned keyword so I can find your card in the SCS gallery easily!!

Dirty Dozen- My First DD Card

I am really trying to make an effort to post everyday, but somehow, I forgot to make a card for today. Duuuuh!! I thought, and I thought, and then I remembered.....I have all my Dirty Dozen projects that I can show you when I want to now, so here goes!!

This is actually the first card I made as a DD member. It was for October 2008's "For a Song"(link will only work if you are a Fan Club member, which you SHOULD be!!) gallery.....so I BET you can guess what it is......hehehehe. Oh ya, that's right.....Baby Got BACK!! ROFL!! For my card, I paired my Gina K. hippo(From Just So Hippy by Melanie Muenchinger) with a sentiment from the My Favorite Things Twisted Sentiments set. Cardstock colors are Old Olive, Bashful Blue and Rose Red. My White is Gina K. White, and all my brads and ribbon came from SU. I paper pieced my Hippo using some Rose Red DP from SU, and the other DP is from SU as well.
Well, that is it for me for now...hope you enjoyed it!!

Melanie's Anniversary Hop

Melanie Muenchinger is celebrating two years of blogging and illustrating for Gina K Designs, and today she has invited 25 designers and YOU to join the party! First hop through the following designers' blogs using every set she has created since January 2008, from the first to the 25th! Then go to Melanie's' blog to leave a comment for a chance to win a number of
different prizes! So let's get hopping!

Here we go!

Just So Hippy-Charmaine

Just So Hoppy-Donna

What's in Your Tin 1 & 2-Donna

Hip Hop Accessories-Bee

Jumping for Joy-Barb

Cuddles and Hugs-Jessie-----You are here!!!

Little Tees-Cat

Just So Sporty-Pam

A Year of Flowers-Theresa

Say it with Flowers-Selma

Have a Cookie-Carolina

Tee Talk-Gabby

Hand in Hand-Ally

The Best Things in Life-Shannon, Sankari

A Charmed Life-Cathy

Wee Tees-Libby, Laura Jean

Arranged with Love-Selma

Sporty Accessories-Tina

Inspiration Mosaic-Jennie

School Sports Spirit-Melissa

A Year of Leaves-Geri

Hip to Be Square-Karen

Festive Frame-Linda

Tech Talk- Lee

Finally, Nina and Jessica from the GinaK Senior Design Team have joined in, too!

You can also get in on the hop yourself and increase your chances of
winning a prize by creating your own project with any one of
Melanie's sets and linking it in the Mr. Linky in her post, see full details here.
Hope you can join the fun! Enjoy your first hop of the year!

If you are still here, I thought I would tell you a little bit about my card. I started by stamping my lion image on an MFT Perfect Panel and then colored it in with my Copics. The image was then cut out and layered using my Cuttlebug and Circle Nestabilities. All my ribbons are from SU, and the DP is part of the retired SAB Delicate Dots pack. I added a ton of piercing, a spiral clip with some ribbon, and my sentiment panel. It was made using my SU circle and word window punches.
Okay, now back to the hop!!!

Thinking of You

I wasn't going to do this, but I had absolutely no motivation to stamp today, so I decided that I would show you one of the cards that I made for the Dirty Dozen gallery. If you aren't a fanclub member, the new gallery opened on the 15th and it is well worth the money to join the club and look at these WONDERFUL and TALENTED ladies work. And let's face it, if you use the SCS website even a little you already know that the resources, the forums, and the challenges are worth WAY more than the member fee...so just do it!!
Anywho, after a certain amount of time we are allowed to show our creations on our blogs, and when I decided to do it, I knew this was the first card I wanted to show! I made this card as part of the December Obscure Holidays gallery. My card was for June 12th, which is Red Rose Day...it also happens to be the birthday of my SUPAH cute nephew!! I used the GORGEOUS set from Gina K., A Year Of Flowers. It was designed by my amazingly talented, and fellow Dirty Dozen Alumnist, Melanie Muenchinger. The flowers were all stamped with Stazon and colored with my SU markers....those were pre copic days, lol! I then cut them all out and popped them up. The leaves were made with my Martha Stewart branch punch. I used Chocolate Chip. Old Olive and Real Red. The bottom panel was run through my Cuttlebug with the Argyle folder. The sentiment, from the Gina K. Thinking of You set(Rupa Shevde), was cut out with my Cuttlebug and the label dies from Spellbinders. All my ribbon is from SU, as well as my brads.
Well, that is it for me now! Have a great day!

Saturday's Inspiration

So, I have been TRYING to get organized all day, and I finally threw up my hands and decided to stamp. Of course, this is my third card, the other two you can't see yet, but soon!! Anywho, I decided to participate in the Inspiration Challenge over at SCS. I chose this calendar to be inspired by. For my main image, I used the Gina K. set Home Tweet Home. I stamped my bird on Gina K. white and colored it in with my Copic markers. It was then cut out and layered using my oval nesties. For the base, I used some Washington Apple DSP, Blush Blossom, Bashful Blue, and Gina K. White. I used my SU scalloped edge punch to make the scallops and LOTSA SU ribbons. I also used one of Taylor's Cupcake Challenge sketches(TECC52TV). That is it for me now...I need to unbury my stamp table and get back to work!! Have a great day/night!!

The Celebration Continues....

So we are in Day 5 of my friend Melanie's Blogaversary celebration and I am pretty sure we are having fun, right??!!! That's what I thought!! For today's card, I decided to take a whack at CASEing JulieHRR again. I chose this card of hers and changed the image, colors, eliminated the scallops, and paper....that's it, Yayyy ME!!! I did it, LOL!! I actually think this card is super cute too, which is a change for me. Normally when I make something this under done( as compared to my normal 15 layers and GOBS of embellishments), I am not happy with it, but I think this card is sassy and cute!! I stamped my Hippo from Melanie's Hip Hop Accessories stamp set with Momento Tuxedo Black on Gina K. 120lb white card stock. This stamp set can be bought at Gina K. designs and is SO FUN. It was made to coordinate with her Just So Hippy/Hoppy sets, and it gives you a TON more choices!! Anywho, my Hippo was colored with my SU Going Gray marker and her nails were colored with my Regal Rose marker. I actually stamped the hippo three times, colored all three, then cut out parts of it to give it more dimension. I used my Circle Nestabilities to cut out the white and my Scalloped Circles to cut out the Soft Sky layer. The DP is from My Mind's Eye and it was layered on top of a piece of Soft Sky. The base is Gina K. white also....simple, easy and SUPAH CUTE!!

Well, that is it for me now...my nephew will be back here tomorrow so, FUN FOR ME, LOL!! Also, sneak peeks of the new My Favorite Things releases start tomorrow, so stay tuned..you don't wanna miss them!!

Be sure to blurf around and see what the other designers have created in honor of Melanie's celebration. And don't forget to stop by her blog and see what she is giving away today!!

Barb, Carolina , Donna, Emily, Jessica , Lee, Joanne , Kim, Pam, Theresa , Lori, Erika, and Melanie of course!!

Day 4- Melanie's Blogaversary

So normally, when I see a stamp, I see it for what it is, not what it could be. I have never been one to think "out" of the box, I like the box, the box is just fine with me.....and then this card came to me. It happened by pure accident really!! You see, I got a Gina K. order in today, and all my new goodies were laying on my table staring at me. I had ordered Melanie's new Hand in Hand set and it just so happened to be on top laying upside down, and I thought to myself, why did she draw hands arm wrestling(or wrastlin' as we call it here in good ol' Southern Illinois)?? So, I went to the Gina K. gallery on SCS, no wrastlin' hands...looked at Mel's tip sheet (did you know she has a tip sheet linked in her sidebar for ALL her sets...she is an AWESOME) and she had them going this direction, but it was more for a "We Are the Champions" vibe. Could it be, did I come up with this on my own??? Say it ain't so, I CAN be original, LOL!! BTW, if you have done this already, and you REALLY feel the need to burst my bubble, you can let me know...hehehehe.

Anywho...I decided that I would make this as my DH's Valentine, which makes me WAY ahead of the game this year, hehe!! Now, the good person in me thinks that the good person in you is actually thinking arm wrestle....maybe even thumb wrestle??? Come on people, you know you went there, cause it's where I wanted ya!! ROFL!!! I think DH, seeing as he is in his mid 20's and male, will REALLY appreciate this, how about you??!! Okay, okay, I will stop the blah blah and get to the details!! The main image was stamped on Gina K. Pure Luxury 80lb cardstock and then cut out with my Oval Nestabilities and Cuttlebug. I colored them with my SU markers and added some Crystal Effects to the fingernails(which I drew on, yayy me). The image was layered with Rose Red and Kiwi Kiss. For the base, I used Rose Red and Kiwi Kiss along with some Raspberry Tart DSP. The white layer was run through my Cuttlebug with the Swiss Dots folder. The layers were connected with some Rose Red wide stitched ribbon , as well as some Kiwi Kiss striped ribbon. I then took a chipboard heart from Making Memories and covered it with some more of the Raspberry Tart DSP. The button is from Button Extravaganza and was purchased in a big bag for like $6. It is part of the Vintage Rose bag and they are all GORGEOUS!! For my sentiment, since I didn't have one to say what I wanted(that I could find), was printed off of my computer and added to punched out with my word window punch. I then layered it on top of a Kiwi Kiss oval that had been cut and embossed with my Cuttlebug. I did some piercing, added some brads, a spiral clip with some ribbon, and some lines to indicate motion and it was done!!


Be sure to check out Melanie's blog to see what her CANDY is for today(ETA: Today's prize is sponsered by Scorpal...it is the scor mat and 3rolls of scor tape, wahoo)!! Also, while you are at it, blurf around and check out what these SUPER TALENTED designers have come up with in honor of Melanie's Blogaversary!! Thanks for stopping by and have a great day!!


Carolina , Barb, Donna, Jessica, Julie , Lee, Rose Ann, and of course, Melanie!!!

Melanie's Blogaversary Day Three!!

So, today is day three of Melanie's Blogaversay Celebration and you won't believe the awesome prize she has up for grabs!! Today's giveaway is a HUGE assortment of colored CS from Paper Temptress , she has three packs to give away to different people. She is also offering 25% off the Pop tones assortment all month for everyone! Awesome right!! Be sure to go to Melanie's blog to get entered to win, and check out her color comparisons!!

For my card today, I wanted to use the Jumping For Joy set from Melanie's collection(available at Gina K,). It is one of my favorites, especially this super cute Zebra...I just love how she is kicking up her sassy heels!! I stamped the zebra with Momento Tuxedo Black and gave it a little shadow with my Cool Grey Copic No. 3. I then stamped the sentiment in the bottom corner, added some piercing, and layered it with Almost Amethyst and Kiwi Kiss. The spiral clips came to me from my super sweet secret sister, Jackie Pedro. I added some black and celery grosgrain. The DP is from 3 Bugs in a Rug and is part of their Seeing Stars collection. I added some YUMMY May Arts black ribbon that I won from Julie Lacey's blog candy giveaway(thanks Julie). I was gonna do some piercing, or more embossing, but I liked the way the black and white looked together so I left it. I used this weeks sketch challenge and the Ways To Use it challenge on this card too. I also used the Limited Supplies challenge, now that I think of it....yayyy me!!

Well, that is it for me now!! Be sure to blurf around and check out all the other designers who are helping Melanie out!! Thanks for stopping by and have a great day!!

Melanie Muenchinger, Carolyn, Donna, Jessica, Lee, Michelle, Theresa, Carolina, Joanne , and Gina K!!

It's A Celebration!!

So, if you haven't already heard about Melanie Muenchinger's Blogaversary Extravaganza, where have you been??LOL!!! Here are some details!!

"Please go help Melanie Muenchinger celebrate a year of blogging and stamp designing over at her blog “Hands, Head and Heart”. Melanie and her guest designers will be sharing cards and projects from all her sets released through Gina K Designs this past year and prizes will be up for grabs every day! Sponsors include, Gina K Designs, My Favorite Things, Scor-pal, Paper Temptress, and Melanie herself, who is donating, among other goodies, a brand new box of Copic Ciaos! There will be also be challenges, contests, and a Who’s Who “Where are the Now?” on several of her past contest winners and guest designers! Come join in the fun and help spread the word, see you there!"

Sounds AWESOME right?? I thought so too!! So, if you don't remember, I was one of Melanie's very first Guest Designers, and I am still to this day HONORED to have been given the chance to work with her for an entire month!! Not only that, I got to room with her in Texas when I went there for the Arlington Shoebox Swap, which more fun than you can even imagine...completely exhausting, but fun!!

I made this card awhile back, but I have never shared it here. It is super special to me, so I have no clue why I haven't but never the less, here it is!! This is the card that I made for my sister to send out as her birth announcements. It is pretty simple, but like I said, it was super special to me. I had to go with something simple and easy(because I made 70 of them), so I decided to use Lauren Meader's Baby Onesie tutorial. I used Georgia Pacific White cardstock for the base. I stamped my frog's from Just So Hoppy with Black Stazon ink and then colored them in with my SU markers. After coloring the frogs, I ran the base through my Cuttlebug with the Swiss Dots folder. Using her tutorial, I added the scallops on the neck and legs. The balloons were stamped on Bashful Blue DSP and then cut out and glued on. Easy Peasy right!! After making 70 of these, I now have carpel tunnels and I had to replace my circle punches...nice.

Well, that is it for me now!! Be sure to check out the other designers that are helping out as well as Miss Melanie herself!!

Melanie Muenchinger

Cindy Lawrence

Donna Baker

Now THAT'S a Challenge..

Seriously, have you SEEN the color challenge for today on Splitcoast....crazy!!! I think it is the Handsome Hunter that does it in for me, but since I am a trooper(not really, but let's pretend), I went for it!! Usually I refuse to look at the challenge gallery before I start working...I would hate it if I was ever influenced unknowingly(kwim), but I had to take a peek to see if anyone had even braved this one. Gotta tell ya, the gallery was pretty awesome, so I decided to give it a go!! When I saw the combo this morning, this rose was the first stamp that I thought of and the paper from Parisian Summer(SU) was the second. My flower comes from the Gina K. Designs stamp set, A Year of Flowers. It was designed by my friend Melanie and it is GORGEOUS. I stamped the flower on Gina K. Pure Luxury 120lb card stock with my Memento Tuxedo Black ink pad. I then used my aqua painter and Blah-vo Burgundy re-inker to color it. The leaves were done with my marker....and look weird in this photo...but trust me, they look well blended in person(don't you hate that). I used my Oval Nesties to cut out the oval layers and emboss them. I then stamped the stem directly on the white...all the other pieces were colored and cut out then added on. I did some piercing, added some grosgrain ribbon on a spiral clip and added it to the base. For the base, both DP's are from the Parisian Summer DSP, and I connected them with some Saffron Poly Twill and some retired Hunter Organdy from SU. A few brads, some piercing, and a sentiment punched out with my SU oval punches and it was done!! That is it for me now..gotta get back to the stamp table!!

Thanks for stopping by and have a great day!!

I've Got the Blues....

Not really, but if I don't get the rest of my stuff done, I will soon, LOL!! Today's Limited Supplies Challenge was to make a card where 3/4ths of the card had to be blue and you could only use one non-paper embellishment. I chose brads, although it KILLED me not to put some ribbon on here...if ever a card needed a nice white organdy bow, this here is the card, LOL!! Okay, enough blah blah, onto the details!! The card base is Not Quite Navy which I paired with Baja Breeze(quite possibly my new favorite color) and Gina K. White. The DP is from the Ski Slope pack and the top white panel was run through my Cuttlebug with the argyle folder. I used my scalloped edge punch to create the not so faux ribbon around the middle....it's there, it just doesn't LOOK like ribbon(which is what I REALLY wanted to use). For my main image, I stamped the poinsettia from the Gina K. set, A Year of Flowers, which was designed by my friend Melanie. The sentiment is from her companion set, Say it With Flowers. I used my Cuttlebug and Circle Nesties for the main image layers and my SU circle punched for the sentiment. For the poinsettia, I stamped it three times on Gina K. white and water colored it with my Niji waterbrush and Not Quite Navy ink pad. I then cut out two of the flowers and just the center on the third. I layered them together and then added some silver brads to the center. In the interest of keeping it limited(which is REALLY hard for me to do), I didn't go ahead and do all the piercing that I wanted to do...hmmm, maybe I should do a MORE version of this card??

Anyway, that is it for me now...I am off to my stamp table to finish putting together some more cards and then work on putting the insides in and getting them mailed...fun for me!! Thanks for stopping by and have a great day!!

Joy!!

Well, I am happy to report that the shopping is done, the presents are wrapped, the menu is planned, yayy me!! I am UNHAPPY to report that the Christmas cards still aren't done(I am about halfway, but not close enough), my house is a mess, and I still have some gifts that I really wanted to make. Slowly, but surely, I am getting there...but I swear there is something wrong with me. Is anyone else like this?? Honestly, when I know I have to do something, and I need to do it now, I can NOT for the life of me get motivated....I sat in my chair and watched TV after my nephew left for almost two hours...umm, QUIT WASTING TIME MORON!!! What a dork I am....

Anywho, I made this card for todays Ways to Use It challenge. The challenge was to make something last minute and quick. Now, I know you are looking at this and thinking, how on earth was that quick, and I don't blame you...but seriously, when you KNOW what you want to do, this card took me 20mins start to finish, not bad for me(or anyone I would guess). It is pretty simple once you do it, and since it is full of things that I do all the time, it was pretty simple to throw together...once I got it figured out. On that note, isn't it PRETTY!! I am in LOVE with this deer stamp from Gina K. It is part of the Magic of Christmas set designed by Rupa Shevde...seriously one of the most gorgeous Christmas sets I own. The image was super easy to color too. I used my SU markers and added some highlights with my white gel pen. The necklace(for lack of anything else to call it) was colored Baja Breeze with my blender pen and ink pad. The paper is from the Ski Slope DSP and I paired it with Chocolate Chip, Baja Breeze and Gina K. Pure Luxury White. The snowflakes were punched with my Martha Stewart snowflake punch and then I added some silver SU brads to the centers. Pretty easy huh!! Okay, well, I am off to mass produce about 10 or 15 of these...see you tomorrow!! Thanks for stopping by and for all your support, it means the world to me!!

Have You Heard the News??

This month as a early Christmas present to all the wonderful people who support SCS, the powers that be are opening the December Fan Club Gallery to EVERYONE!! That's right...EVERYONE, so if you have been wondering what all the fuss is about, but haven't joined the fan club yet...NOW is your chance to see why it is so worth it. For those of you that don't know what the Fan Club gallery is, it is basically a big ol' THANK YOU to all of the people that subscribe and support SCS. Here is a little bonus too!!

We're(SCS) also running a special for one week: Give the gift of Splitcoast!!!

If you're looking for a present for a papercrafter in your life that is affordable, supports the site you love, and provides something in return, how about a Fan Club subscription? This week only, purchase a one-year gift subscription (or renew your own) for just $19.95. Subscribe today and you'll get access to past Dirty Dozen galleries as well as next year's.

Now THAT'S a DEAL!! On a side note...if you use SCS as much as I do, and you are as inspired by all the TALENTED and WONDERFUL people who are members of this awesome community....it is the PERFECT way to show your appreciation!!

Anyway, each month, the Design Team picks a FAVORITE card, and this month I picked this card of mine that I am TOTALLY in LUV with!! I made it using the Gina K. set, A Year of Flowers. It was designed by my friend Melanie, and it is truly one of the most GORGEOUS sets I have ever stamped with. I seriously let the flowers do all the work for me. They were stamped with Black Stazon on Gina K's Pure Luxury CS. I used a blender pen and my Riding Hood Red reinker as well as my Ruby Red marker to color my flower....not to sound like a broken record, cause I know people are RAVING about this paper but SERIOUSLY it is AMAZING!! It takes color so well, even with my SU markers. Sometimes when I color, the paper starts to pill up from getting too wet with ink...I am not saying that Gina's won't, but it hasn't for me yet and that in my book gives it an A+!! The DP is from the Ski Slope DSP and the bottom panel was run through my Cuttlebug with the Argyle folder. I stamped my sentiment from the Gina K set Thinking of You(by Rupa Shevde), and then cut it out using my Cuttlebug and tag nesties. I ran a piece of white organdy through it and tied a bow. The sketch for this card is one of Jen del Muro's old Sketch For You to Try's...LOVE IT!! For a little extra ummph, I added some punched branches from my Martha Stewart punch.

Before I leave you with a peek at my card, I wanted to give a shout out to the two newest additions to the dirtpile, mother and daughter duo Dawn Lusk(DawnL) and Amber Hillman(Bambi64)!! It has been a hoot getting to know them and I can't wait to see what they can do!!

Thanks for stopping by!!

Have a Cookie!!

So, when my friend Melanie told me that she was sending me a birthday present...I of course responded with a ....you REALLY don't have to do that. Well, Melanie being who she is, sent it anyway...and now I take it all back!! When I opened up the package, there it was, Melanie's new stamp set, Have a Cookie!! Now, I know I don't get to use her images as often as I would like...life has gotten crazy, but I STILL LOVE everything that she does!! Then, when she contacted me and asked if I would like to post along with the Gina K. team, I of course said YESSSSS!!!! So, here I am, posting with the SUPER talented Gina K. team giving all YOU people out there in blog land a look at not, but 5 images from her soon to be released set!! Melanie has done it again and absolutely PACKED as much stamping goodness onto one sheet of rubber-53 images in all...that's a TON!! I chose to go with a Christmas theme, since it is that time of year and I need to get a MOVE ON!! I stamped the gingerbread, tree, and star images on watercolor paper and colored them in with my SU markers. I then punched them out with my 1 1/4 square punch and layered them with a piece of Creamy Carmel punched out with my scalloped square punch from SU. As soon as I saw these three images, I automatically thought of a recent sketch challenge on SCS, so that is where the layout came from. I stamped my sentiment and framed it with some Stylized Silver Hardware from SU. The big silver brads were a gift from my friend Jackie. I also added some silver spiral clips with white taffeta, red and artichoke grosgrain on them. The satin ribbon around the middle is from a share I did with Jody, and the silver cord is one of the final pieces I have left of the original silver cord from SU. My DP is by Basic Grey and I paired it with Creamy Carmel, Ruby Red, and Always Artichoke. Well, that is it for me now...thanks for stopping by and have a great day!! Be sure to check out all the other designers giving peeks of this SUPER cute set today!!
Carolyn King
Donna Baker
Emily Giovanni
Erika Martin
Jessica Fick
Joanne Basile
Kurtis Amundson
Melanie Muenchinger
Gina K (http://blog.ginakdesigns.com/)
Courtney http://www.createdbycourtney.blogspot.com/

Having A Moment...

Okay, so guess what????? I am today's featured stamper on SCS...WOOHOOO!!! I woke up this morning and got in my email and there was a message from my friend Silke telling me the fabulous news!! Luckily, I have all of you to share my excitement with, because trying to explain to my DH what that meant in our world didn't go over so hot...the most I got out of him was "that was the year I was born"-his reply to when I told him I was FS80 and "so people basically steal your work?"-his response to my explanation of CASEing. Men....don't they know that CASEing someones work is the best form of stamping flattery you can get??? Oh well, back to my card... I used this super cute swimsuit as my inspiration for this card. Yes I realize they don't look a thing alike, but that is why it is an inspiration challenge, right? I started by stamping my tee shirt from Melanie Muenchingers new Little Tees set. I stamped the flowers from the Gina K. set Framed Flowers(by Carolyn King) in Perfect Plum, and then kept stamping till the ink was faded(basically only inked the flowers once). I then took the Mom stamp from Gina's set, Spring Blooms and stamped it in Perfect Plum. The tee was cut out and popped up on a panel of Perfect Plum, Elegant Eggplant and Basic Black. The Plum and the White were run through my Cuttlebug with my script folder and the scalloped circles were also cut with my Cuttlebug. I then used some REALLY OLD SU paper on the bottom and wrapped some black organdy and white taffeta around the middle to hide the seam. I stamped my sentiment from the SU Holidays and Wishes set with Black Stazon on the paper and pierced a line around it. In hindsight, I would have totally left that out, but you know what they say about hind sight...its 20/20. I also pierced and faux stitched a border around the whole card.

Well, that is it for me now!! My nephew will be back for a full week tomorrow, so hopefully he is feeling a lot better so I can spend some time stamping and in the gallery...I got a lot of commenting done in my FS gallery, but got kicked off of SCS, boohoo! Thanks for stopping by and for all the well wishes I have received from all of you...It really means so much to me!! Have a great day!!!

Jared's Announcement

When I saw today's Limited Supplies challenge, I knew it was a sign. I have been promising my sister a sample for my nephew's birth announcements, and when I saw the challenge I knew it was time to finally sit down and make it. I started by cutting my Buckaroo Blue card stock in half long ways. I then scored it at 3in and 8in. I used my new scallop punch from SU to make the scallops on the top flap. Then I punched the holes in the scallops with my 1/16ths handheld punch. The layers are Certainly Celery and Whisper White which I ran through my Cuttlebug with the Swiss Dots folder. Isn't that giraffe the cutest!! It is from Melanie Muenchinger's Just So Hippy set. It was the first set that I bought of hers, and it is still one of my favorites(which I haven't used in forever)!! I colored her in with my SU markers, and then layered it with CC and BB. I added two silver brads to the top of that panel, and I added the two at the three at the bottom BEFORE I glued it down to the flap. The sentiment if from Just So Hoppy, another one of Melanie's sets, and I just love that they go together-ya know what I mean?!! The main image is secured at the bottom of the image so that the top panel tucks behind it to hold it closed. I believe(if I remember correctly) that I used Toy's sketch for today too, so yayyy me!! That is it for me now! Thanks for stopping by and have a great day!!

stamps-Just So Hippy and Hoppy

paper-Buckaroo Blue, Certainly Celery, Whisper White

ink-Black Stazon

tools-circle punches, silver brads, celery and bluebird grosgrain, Swiss Dots folder, Cuttlebug, SU markers

BoooHoooHOOO

Well everyone, it is sad but true...this is my last week as Melanie's guest designer. I know, I am sad too!! hehe..... I made my card using the super cute cuddling lions image from Melanie's new set Cuddles and Hugs. I stamped it on watercolor paper and colored it in with my SU markers. I used a bunch of different ribbons from SU, included my favorite, the retired black organdy. I added three black brads in the top corner and then stamped my sentiment in the bottom corner. To accent the sentiment, I pierced a line underneath of it. The main image was cut out using my circle Nestabilities. Be sure to check out the card that I made for Melanie's blog too!! That is it for me now, I am off to pout about my term being over....Thanks for stopping by and have a great day!! And a great big thanks to Melanie for making me her guest designer!!! Can't wait to see what her new stamp set will be on the 24th, and I can't wait to see what her new guest designer will have in store for us!! Big Hugs Melanie!!

stamps-Cuddles and Hugs

paper-watercolors, So Saffron, Basic Black, Very Vanilla

ink-Black Stazon

tools-SU markers, spiral clip, black brads, ribbon, Cuttlebug and circle Nestabilities

Big KISSSESSSSSS

Hello everyone, welcome to my third week of being a guest designer for the fabulous Melanie Muenchinger!! I am really in love with her stamps, and her new set Cuddles and Hugs is no exception!! I just love all the lovely cuddly images in it, and yes, I am totally including the snakes in that!! Now, as I have said before, snakes and I,well, we don't get along, but I would totally make an exception for these super sweet and cuddly snakes!! The main image was stamped on Whisper White with Black Stazon and colored in using my SU ink pads and aqua painter. The shadow was done with Soft Sky. The layers and image were cut out with my circle Nestabilities. I wanted to try doing a frame of baubbles, like Jen does, so I cut the first layer out a little bigger than the main image panel and attached my Bella Baubles with glue dots. Isn't it cool. I made the scallops with my SU corner rounder(man I can't wait for my punch to get here)and layered it with some DP from the Basic Grey Two Scoops line. The ribbons and brads are from SU and the sentiment was made by using my two oval punches by SU!! That is it for me now!! Thanks for stopping by and have a great day!!
stamps-Cuddles&Hugs
ink-Black Stazon, Blue Bayou, Soft Sky, Wild Wasabi

paper-Whisper White, Blue Bayou, Soft Sky, Wild Wasabi, and Basic Grey Two Scoops

tools-corner rounder, silver brads, baubbles, aqua painter, stitched ribbon, Cuttlebug, circle nesties, oval punches

Purrrrfect Friends

Hello again everyone!! Here I am in my second week of being Melanie's guest designer and I am still IN LOVE with this stamp set!!! I have used all the main images from her new Cuddles and Hugs set now, but I still have a ton of unused sentiments! She really gives you the most for your money!! I used this super cute image of the two kitties holding tails, aren't they sweet!!! I colored them in with my SU markers and aquapainter. I layered them with Close to Cocoa and So Saffron which were both cut out using my Nesties. I wanted it to look like a painting on a wall, so I used some Honey Pie pby Cosmo Cricket paper at the top and then put a piece of Close to Cocoa at the bottom that had been run through my Cuttlebug with the rough stripes folder. I added some silver brads in the corners, at the top, and at the last minute I decided to add some photo corners, which I am still not sure about, but I really love them so I left them! And you all know, I love my ribbon, so I put some on a spiral clip and around the center of the card. That is all for me for now!! Thanks so much for stopping by and a HUGE thanks to you Melanie for making me your Guest Designer, I am still so HONORED!!

Have a great day!!

stamps-Cuddles and Hugs

paper-Close To Cocoa, So Saffron, Very Vanilla, watercolor and Cosmo Cricket Honey Pie

ink-Black Stazon

tools-silver brad, SU markers, photo corners punch, aqua painter, Cuttlebug, nesties, rough stripes folder, spiral clip, all ribbon from SU