Prettie Wednesday-Plaid

So, I REALLY needed to make this a Christmas card, but I have NO PLAID Christmas paper....go figure. Two weeks ago, our girl Jackie R. challenged us to make a card using plaid. I searched through my entire paper stash and this is it.....hmmm(me thinks I need more plaid, hehe). I used this super cute paper from My Mind's Eye, and paired it with my One of Those Days set from Paper Pretties. This card was super fast and super simple. Card base is 51/2sq., used some We R Memory Keepers hardware, the sentiment from Look Out World, and some white organdy....finito!! The image was paper pieced and colored with my SU markers. The colors on this card are Pumpkin Pie and Cool Caribbean. That is it for me now...I need to get on the road to get to my sisters, should be fun since it is below freezing here and the roads are as slick as you know what...wish me luck(I HATE WINTER)!! This weeks challenger is the ever talented Jackie P(strappystamper). Be sure to check her, as well as my other Pretties out to see what they have been up to. And as always, if you wanna play along, and we SURE hope you do, just upload a card to your blog or gallery and leave a link here so that we can check it out!! Thanks and have a great day!!

Julie Masse
Charmaine Ikach
Jillian Winters
Danielle Lounds
Jodi Collins
Jackie Rakoski
Jackie Pedro
Jessica Diedrich

Oh Boy...

Well, in THEORY, I LOVE this color combo...in actuality, it tried to KILL ME!!! Seriously, if you could see my work table and my trash can you would probably laugh, a lot!! In the end...still not EXACTLY what I wanted, but I still love it..and I can add it to my DONE pile, so WAHOO for me!! This is gonna be short and sweet, mostly cause it was super simple(once I got it all done, LOL). I used the SU set, Big On Christmas, which was colored with my SU markers, re-inkers and a blender pen. I added some glitter with the Sakura Stardust Glitter pen, and some silver gel pen to the top of the ornament. The colors are from the challenge(Not Quite Navy, Basic Grey, Kiwi Kiss, Baja Breeze) and the DP is from the Urban Garden pack from SU. The background was embossed with my Argyle folder and Cuttlebug. The ribbons are all from SU as well as the brads. The spiral clips are from Spare Parts. Well...gotta run! Those presents won't wrap themselves!!

Prettie Tuesday

ETA: OMGOSH - have you been over to see the December Issue of Sheetload of Cards? It is extra special (IMHO). Paper Pretties is the proud sponsor of the December Issue and I have to say the girls over there did a beautiful job with the Christmas stamps - WOW! If you haven't seen it yet you can check it out HERE.


My nephew is teething, my Christmas cards are STILL not done, I haven't wrapped a present yet..........awww, STRESS, I LIVE for it!! Anywho, here is a new card for you to oogle, LOL!! I made it for the last Paper Pretties release party using the set Snowflake Kisses. The challenge was to make a card using the faux tearing technique...well, I totally screwed up the technique, but I LOVE my card. I used Bordering Blue ink and this fabulous tutorial to make the faux tearing panel. The snowflakes and sentiment were stamped with Night of Navy and then I added some crystal BLING to the centers(from Mark Richards). After THAT was done, I colored the whole thing with December Sky Shimmerz...YUMMY!! It is SOOO super sparkly!! The mittens were done the same way and then cut out. I added some ribbon, brads, and the white panel was run through my Cuttlebug with the Snowflakes folder.

Well, that is it for me now...I am off to TRY to get some more done on something...anything...

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!!

Can't Sleep...

so I might as well stamp!! I have NO CLUE why I am still up, and I am pretty certain that 7am is gonna come at the same time no matter how long I sleep....awesome(not). I decided that I would go ahead and do a card for the Inspiration challenge on SCS, even though I REALLY need to be cleaning, or sleeping, or SOMETHING else...oh well-that's the story behind all stampers, right? Since I REALLY need to get to bed, I am gonna make this short and sweet. I chose this picture as my inspiration...honestly, I didn't end up where I originally intended, but the tree is still there, LOL!! I stamped the tree from Season of Friendship with Versamark and then embossed it with Sterling Silver EP. The snowflakes were stamped with Night of Navy, Bashful Blue, and Encore Silver. I then sponged the edges, added some glitter(which you can't really see in the picture), and then sponged the edges with Night of Navy ink. The ribbon is some retired Navy organdy and the snowflake is one of my Walmart finds. The sentiment is from Circle of Friendship and it is layered with NoN and BB, as well as some silver from the DCWV Metallic stack. The base is the same colors, but the Whisper White was run through my Cuttlebug with the snowflakes folder. I did add some wide Bashful Blue ribbon to the bottom too. At the base of the tree, I added a small strip of liquid applique to make it look like snow. Overall, I am pleased with this card...what do you think? Thanks for stopping by and have a great day!!

Some RAK's

So, yesterday all of a sudden it hit me that it is the 11th....may not mean much since you all know that I am VERY aware of how close it is to Christmas, but to me, it was EYE OPENING.....the new DD gallery opens in 4 days!!! FOUR DAYS PEOPLE!!!ACKKKK!!! I have been so Christmas card focused that I TOTALLY forgot that it was almost the fifteenth...so believe me when I tell you, I have been stamping..you just can't see it yet!! So for today(until I get home tonight from my sister's) I will have to leave you with cards by other people, LOL!! This first one was sent to me by my super sweet SBFF Jodi(kharmagirl). She is so SUPER talented and I love everything she does, so I was THRILLED to have this gorgeous baby land on my doorstep!! Thanks Jodi, you know you I luv ya!!

This next card was made by the SUPER talented Julie Lacey(juliemlacey). She has a PHENOMENAL gallery and a super cool blog...check her out!! I had left some comments on her blog and on SCS and she sent me this card to thank me...isn't that the SWEETEST!! I love it Julie, so thanks!! Upon receiving it though, I realized that I HAVE to have this Bella...oiy!!

Well, that is it for me now...I am off to watch my nephew!! Thanks for stopping by and I swear, LATE tonight, I will have some eye candy for you!!

Prettie Wednesday- Color Challenge

Two weeks ago, my BSF Jodi(kharmagirl), challenged the Prettie Girls to make a card using Real Red, Baja Breeze and Chocolate Chip. I don't usually wait until the last minute to make my card for the Wednesday challenge, especially since we have two weeks notice, but I have been so busy lately it almost slipped my mind!! I decided that I would just play in the morning, but then I saw the SCS sketch challenge, and I knew what I wanted to do. Jared was really restless today, and didn't sleep much at all. Finally, he started to get VERY cranky so I decided to sit with him and hold him while he slept- I know that it is bad, but he really was miserable!! Well, anyway, I feel asleep too, and woke up almost two hours later...YIKES!! So needless to say, I am not exactly tired yet. I used my Snowflake Kisses set from Paper Pretties as well as Jodi's Color Challenge and the SCS sketch challenge. The main images were stamped on Gina K. pure luxury cardstock and colored in with my SU markers, re inkers, and a blender pen. I then layered them on some circles punched out with my SU circle punches. The DP is from the Ski Slope DSP and the ribbons are from SU also. The Baja Breeze layer was run through my Cuttlebug with the Snowflakes folder and then I took my White Stazon ink pad and rubbed it on the embossed parts. I added a few brads, some piercing, and then I did a sentiment pennant and it was done. I keep seeing Anna Wight's gorgeous pennants, so I just had to try one. Not sure I like the placement, but I do like the idea of it!! Well, that is it for me now...again. I am off to bed, thanks for stopping by!! Be sure to blurf around and check out what the other DT members have been up too!!

Julie Masse

Charmaine Ikach

Jillian Winters

Danielle Lounds

Jodi Collins

Jackie Rakoski

Jackie Pedro

Jessica Diedrich

My Second Tutorial- WUW!!

It is What's Up Wednesday over at My Favorite Things so be sure to check out all the specials and sales that Kim has cooked up for you!! If you aren't signed up for the MFT newsletter, you should be, so go now( scroll down to the bottom on the right)!! This weeks tutorial is on how to make an easy peasy gift card holder...so be sure to check that out and let me know what you think!! Here is a look at the finished project...SUPAH cute right!! The main image is from the MFT Window Shopping set, and the sentiment is from the Essential Sentiments. Also, the snowflake that I stamped with Real Red on the tag part is from the Baby It's Cold set. I used Real Red, Wild Wasabi and Pretty in Pink along with my DCWV Christmas paper. The buttons are from Walmart, and all my ribbons are from SU EXCEPT the red polka dot..not sure who sent that to me, but it it YUMMY. I colored my main image with SU markers, except for the wall and her dress which were paper pieced. For more details on how I made this...check out my tutorial and be sure to look around the forum for all the What's Up Wednesday sales and specials, not to mention the WUW challenge!!That's all for me for now...back to my christmas cards!! Thanks for stopping by and have a great day!!

BTW- if you get a chance, my pal Susie(susiestampalot) is haveing a GINORMOUS blog candy giveaway, so be sure to go get signed up!!

More Christmas Cards

So, I am really making some headway on my Christmas cards, but I am no where near done yet...yikes!! Hopefully, you aren't sick of seeing Christmas cards yet!! For this card, or cards, I decided to use Julee Tilman's Mojo Monday sketch from yesterday. I was going to use the super cute snowmen, but I wanted to do something a little more elegant, so this is what I came up with...pretty huh!!! I used the Verve Stamps set, Poinsettia Christmas. I stamped the poinsettias with Black Stazon on Very Vanilla, and colored them in using my Riding Hood Red reinker and a blender pen. I then cut them out and added three of them to my long panel, the center one is up on a pop dot. I then layered them with PTI Spring Moss, SU Kiwi Kiss and Riding Hood Red. The centers were colored in with my gold gel pen. I the DP is from Webster's Pages(Winter Wonderland Collection- Candy Cane) and was on sale in the Paper Prettie's Store. It is no longer available, but there are still some fabulous things there to look at, and it is still marked down 75%!! It was layered with a piece of Riding Hood Red, which I used my SU scalloped edge punch on. The ribbon is retired SU Gold Organdy..yummy stuff!! I embossed my Vanilla layer with my Cuttlebug and Textile folder AFTER I stamped my sentiment in Black. I did some piercing and then added a few gold brads and it was done. The card in the back was my first version, but I couldn't decide which one I liked better, so I decided I would let YOU all see both, and you can tell me which one YOU like better!! That is it for me now...thanks for stopping by and have a great day!!

Gliding By

Today's color challenge over at SCS is a GORGEOUS combo, Taken With Teal, Baja Breeze and Riding Hood Red, but when I first saw it, I was scared. I think anything with Taken with Teal scares me though- which SORT OF explains why I am still using the very first package of CS I bought of that color....back in 2002/3!!! No lie, it still has the old order number on it, LOL!!! I used the January Stamp of the Month from Paper Pretties. This stamp is called Gliding By and will be sent out to our SOTMC subscribers at the beginning of January. If you aren't already a subscriber, whatcha waiting for??? Not only are the images TOTALLY adorable, it is reasonably priced, easy to do, and you get your stamps a MONTH BEFORE THEY ARE RELEASED TO THE PUBLIC...wahooo!! I love that!! You have until December 31st at midnight to get signed up and receive this super cute stamp before it is released to the public...and don't forget to tell them I sent you!! Anywho, I stamped my image with Black Stazon on some Gina K. pure luxury white card stock(the 80 not the 120). I then used my SU markers, re-inkers, and blender pens to colored her in. After outlining her with my Prismacolor Cool Grey 20%marker, I added some glitter to all the Baja Breeze parts as well as her trail using my Sakura Stardust Glitter pen. The blades on the skates were colored with my Silver gel pen that I got at Target. I added some piercing, matching ribbons(all from SU), a spiral clip, and I also used some YUMMY paper from the Ski Slope DSP. The sentiment was cut into a skinny little strip and then I used my SU Word Window punch to round out the corners. Since I am still DESPERATELY working on my Christmas cards, I think I will add this one to the pile, may even have to make a few more!! That is it for me now...thanks for stopping by and have a great day!!