Bling Bet Bounce

Welcome to the Bling Bet Bounce!! For this month's My Favorite Things release, we are having TWO hops!! One is this one, obviously, so if you are just not seeing this, head on over to Kim's Blog to get the party started!! You back from Jen's blog? GOOD!! Okay, before I get into the gory details, here is what you need to know about the release!!

My Favorite Things (http://www.mftstamps.com/) is having a New Release Cocktail Party on Wednesday, February 4th from 9-10 p.m. EST. This month there are THREE new sets being released including a Who's that Girl set that is GOING DIGITAL!Head over to the MFT forum on http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/ to find out all the details and to find out how YOU can be the next MFT Guest Designer. We hope to see you there on Wednesday night.

Alright, now onto my projects....I don't know about you all, but I LOVE it when people LOVE what I do, kwim? I love it when my family opens my cards and gifts and ooh and ahh over how cool they are and how talented I am....seriously, I think we all need a little reassurance. For my sister's last birthday, I made her a personalized notebook...I don't if she likes it, I don't know if she uses it, but I KNOW she thought it looked cool. She called me not to long ago and told me that my nieces friend, who is appropriately named Jessica(awesome name), is in LOVE with the notebook I had made for my sister. She kept hinting that she wanted one, so my sister asked if I would make one for her for her birthday that is coming up soon. She goes by Jess, so when I saw the Bling Bet being released this month, I KNEW I wanted to use it!! I stamped the letters with Chocolate Chip ink and then added some Icicle Stickles to the holes. Be sure when you use the stickles with this alphabet, which was specifically made so that you could do whatever you want in the holes(in fact, I think Kim will have an awesome tip sheet available the night it is released), you don't squeeze to hard-a little goes a LONG way!! I took my composition notebook and covered it with some 3 Bugs in a Rug Cocoa collection paper. I added some yummy ribbon, a tag that came with the kit, some buttons from SU and a punched butterfly(Martha Stewart). I REALLY hope she likes it!!

For this next project, I wanted to show how it could be incorporated into a card, so I stamped the letters in Versamark and heat embossed them with Black EP. I then cut them out and colored the holes in with my Kiwi Kiss reinker and a blender pen. This card is VERY simple, but I LOVE the colors and you GOTTA love that ribbon!! The black is got AMAZING texture to it, it is from May Arts(thanks AGAIN Julie!!) The Kiwi Ribbon, buttons and paper are from SU. I scalloped the edge with my SU scalloped edge punch. The big button has white taffeta from SU through it and the two smaller have black brads. Like I said, super simple, but I am LOVING it!!

So, you ready to see some more EYE CANDY??? I thought so, BOUNCE on over to JOANNE'S blog for the next stop!! Thanks and have a great day, see you tonight(technically tomorrow night right now, but you get the idea) for the MFT release hop...I am a hopping/bouncing fool!!hehe

MFTeasers Start Today!!

I am SO EXCITED about this months MFT release....truly!! We are releasing one of the CUTEST Stephanie Fizer sets EVER!! Since I will, from this point on, mainly be working(during release time, don't worry I still love them all) with the Stephanie Fizer and Annie LaPoint images, you are gonna see a LOT of these little cuties!! Here are all the gory details about the release!!

My Favorite Things (http://www.mftstamps.com/) is having a New Release Cocktail Party on Wednesday, February 4th from 9-10 p.m. EST. This month there are THREE new sets being released including a Who's that Girl set that is GOING DIGITAL!Head over to the MFT forum on http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/ to find out all the details and to find out how YOU can be the next MFT Guest Designer. We hope to see you there on Wednesday night.

Okay, now onto my card!! This was the first card that I made with this set,Tea For Two, and I was trying for a more "vintage-y"(totally not a word, but I am using it) feel. I used some K&Co. paper from the Classic K Margo pack. I used two different pieces of it and connected them with some Cream grosgrain ribbon and some cream organdy ribbon. My image was stamped four times...twice on watercolor paper and once on each different DP. I colored the first mouse and cut him out, as well as cutting out different parts of the cup from the DP. I paper pieced the cup and then layered the mouse to give him some dimension. He was colored with my SU reinkers then cut out and layered using my circle nesties. I used tag punches for my sentiment and did a lot of piercing. The buttons, which I sewed to the paper using linen thread, are from the Making Memories Blossoms and Buttons pack. The other ribbon on this card is some retired Cranberry Crisp stitched ribbon. The only colored card stock I used on this card was Cranberry Crisp and Confetti Cream. Well, that is it for me for now, hopefully I will be back later, but Jared is here and his third tooth is breaking through..yayyy. NOT!! If not, I will be back at 11pm CST for a sneak peek at the one other set, and some FUN!! Thanks for looking!!

FS104 BevR

So, before tonight, I had NEVER seen Bev's gallery, but now that I have I am TOTALLY going to stalk her...in a good way of course!! SERIOUSLY AWESOME!! Her coloring is AMAZING, and she adds just the right touches to every card she makes..seriously gorgeous!! Anyway, as soon as I saw THIS card, I knew I wanted to CASE it. I used a different image and paper along with adding some layers and dimension, but it is pretty close if you ask me. Since I don't have a sewing machine, I just pierced a border. I was going to faux stitch it, but my white gel pen has seen better days, so that was out. I stamped my main image(Precious Moments by Sarah Kay) on Gina K. White 120lb card stock with Memento Tuxedo Black ink. I colored it in with my copics and then cut it out with my Oval Nesties. I had to cut off the little chicken at the bottom, so I stamped him separately and cut him out. I layered the main image with Pink Pirouette. All the DP came from the Basic Grey Bittersweet pack as well as the buttons. I added some Close to Cocoa grosgrain to the buttons so they wouldn't be nekkid. My sentiment is from the SU Best Yet set and was stamped with Close to Cocoa ink then punched out with my SU punches. Is it wrong to LOVE your own cards, cause seriously, LOVE THIS ONE!! Hopefully, you all do to!! That is it for me, I am BEAT, my stamp room looks like a tornado hit it, and I need to get to bed!! Thanks for looking have a great day!!

Oh my HECK!!

So, I wanted to play in today's Inspiration Challenge, but when I tried to go to the website provided, it wasn't working. That forced me to have to be inspired by the provided pictures...which isn't a bad thing, but still. I was gonna do the deer, but I though that wasn't CHALLENGING enough, so I chose to do this one here. Only problem...I looked at it a few(like 12) hours ago...so, I guess I didn't quite remember what I had seen, hehe!! This is what I saw in my head, so I guess that is good..but it is a TINY BIT TOO BRIGHT for my taste. After seeking the VERY honest opinion of my girl Jodi, she said it is AWFULLY BRIGHT but in a good way and to post it...so I am. Forgive me if you need your sunglasses to view, LOL!! I used my Spring Ephemerals and Many Sentiments by Flourishes. I stamped my image( I think it is the Forget Me Not) in Kiwi Kiss, Tangerine Tango and Pacific Point. I added some K&Co. pearls and my sentiment tag. The white ribbon is from My Little Ribbon Shop(SO YUMMY and I LOVE that it is SHINY on one side..makes me giddy)... all the other is from SU. I attached it using some spiral clips. The DP is from the Kiwi Kiss patterns DSP and the base is Gina K. White. Okay, you can take off you sunglasses and move on...thanks for looking, LOL!!

Cupcake Sketches

Here are a couple of the cards that I made for the Taylored Expressions Cupcake sketch challenge. They were celebrating having one year of sketches, so I decided to play along...of course, there were nine of them, yikes!! This first card I made using the SU Bella Blossoms set. I cut my white layer out of PTI white with my Circle Nestabilities. The DP is from the Raspberry Tart pack. The image was stamped with Rose Red ink. My Rose Red layer was run through the Cuttlebug with my Swiss Dots folder. I stamped the sentiment with Kiwi Kiss and punched it out with my Word window punch. This card was made for Monika's sketch.

For this second card, I used my Teacup Daisies image from Stampin Bella. I have had this FOREVER and it hasn't seen ink yet. Since my goal this year is to use what I have(and I never said a thing about not buying more, I just need to use what I have too, hehe), I tried to find an image I could use for this card. I had this piece of DP for ever, and I loved the colors, so I decided to use it with this card. It is from SEI and I paired it with Groovy Guava, Wild Wasabi and Ruby Red. Along with the SEI DSP, I used some Wild Wasabi DSP. I colored my image with my Copic markers and paired it with some YUMMY white satin ribbon that I got from My Little Ribbon Shop. I did some piercing, added some Bella Baubbles and embossed the white layer with my Swiss Dots folder. The sentiment is from the Whipper Snapper set, Posies For You. This card used Jami Sibley's sketch.

Well, that is it for now...more tomorrow!!

We Have A Winner!

So, I wanted to start this post out by saying that if I could give each and everyone of you a prize, I TOTALLY would!! All of your kind words and encouragement mean the world to me...you ALL are the reason I continue to do this...that and I am TOTALLY obsessed,LOL!! I also had to laugh at some of the comments about the snow...yes, I am aware that it is MUCH worse some places...but seriously my Mom lives in KY and STILL doesn't have power. She and her boyfriend are using their fireplace and kerosene heaters to keep warm, grilling out and cooking hot dogs on the fire and going to the YMCA and restaurants that have power to eat and bathe. We have ALL tried to get them to come stay with us or even in my Mom's old house in Carmi, and they say no. My mom even went as far as to say that it was fun, kinda like camping......see where I get it, she is NUTSO!!! ROFL!! But seriously....I draw the line at cold...can you imagine how cold the toilet seat would be...what a wake up call, hehehe!!
Okay, enough blabber...here are our winners!! The winner of the NESTABILITIES is

LorieR said...
First of all....your blog TOTALLY ROCKS! Since discovering it, my cardmaking has definitely stepped up a notch. So, thank you for your inspiration. I appreciate your work. Secondly, your blog candy ROCKS TOO!! Thanks for the chance. I'd be humbled to get a package of any sort from you.
January 28, 2009 7:08 PM

Wahooo Lorie!! I can't wait to hear from you!!

And the winner of the Basic Grey paper and buttons(so yummy IMHO) is:

Amy Johnson said...
Congratulations on your one year blog anniversary. Thanks for the chance to win blog candy.
January 29, 2009 8:34 AM

Yayy Amy!!! I always love when you leave me comments, and I am so happy that this one paid off for you!!
Winners have three days to contact me, and if they don't then I will redraw!!

That is it for me now...I am off to see what the Inspiration challenge and SFYTT are for this week!! Thanks for stopping by!!

Happy BLOGAVERSARY to ME!!

THIS CANDY IS CLOSED!! I am currently working on cutting out the comments and picking a winner....be back soon!!


So, today is my ONE year blogaversary!! It is amazing to me that I have been doing this for an entire year. I can remember the night that I set up my blog...I stayed up til 3am just GIDDY with excitement from finally taking the plunge. I have to admit, life was a TINY bit easier before the blog, but I wouldn't trade it in or give it up for the world!! I just love sharing my life, my art, and my time with all of you wonderful people!! To say thanks, I am having a giveaway, or rather TWO giveaways. Here is what you will win, but first, a funny story. So, HERE is why you need to read all the fine print before haphazardly buying things you know nothing about!! I decided that I DESPERATELY needed the Petite Scalloped Circle Nesties. I have the Standard, but something about the cute little scallops CALLED to me. So, I went to Cut At Home, 40% coupon in one hand, debit card in the other...and I bought the set of 4, and there in lies your problem...the set has the petite scallops, but also the standard Circles-which I already got with my standard scalloped circles. So, I found myself with an extra set of the standard circles...which is kind of a bonus for all of you since I am now GIVING them away!! So, First Prize gets their very own set of Standard Large and Small Circle Nesties. Second Prize will receive a 6x6 Bittersweet paper pack from Basic Grey along with the matching buttons. Sound good?? Well, all you have to do is leave a comment on this post, which I will leave at the top of my blog until 10amCST on Saturday, January 31st when I will pick a winner. Nope, you don't have to do anything fancy, just leave a comment and you could win!! If you want to be entered in just one specific drawing...for instance, you already have the circles, but would LOVE the paper, include that in your comment and I will only enter you in the one drawing, kay!!

NOTE THEY ARE PICTURED TOGETHER, BUT THEY ARE SEPARATE PRIZES!!

Also, here are some pictures of the first REAL snow we have gotten all year. Can you tell I am not going ANYWHERE today?? And yes, I live across from a cemetery, but I swear, there is a road in between my yard and it, it is just BURIED!!

My New Favorite Sophia

So, I know I say this every time a new Sophia comes out, but seriously, how can you NOT love this one??? This is the full card that I PEEKED during our Paper Pretties Anniversary blog hop. This is Sophia Ballerina, and she is the Stamp of the Month for March. If you sign up for the SOTMC by February 28th at midnight, you will get this stamp sent out to you in March, otherwise, you have to wait until her official release in April...what does that mean, that means you need to get signed up and QUICK!! We previewed her a little early as part of our 2yr anniversary, but honestly, it was a good thing...I don't know if I could have held out much longer!! She was stamped on Gina K. white and then colored with my Copics. The image was cut out with my Oval Nesties and Cuttlebug. I layered her with Pink Pirouette and Bravo Burgundy. For the background, I used a piece of Pink Pirouette DSP which I stamped the SU French Script on in Bravo Burgundy. The ribbon is from May Arts, except the white which is from SU. I did my sentiment with my Large oval punch and tag punches. Lots of piercing, sponging, and some embossing and it was done!! I LOVE this card...it makes me wish I had learned to dance, how about you?? That is it for me now...have a great day!!

Dear Friend

I slept in this morning(don't you just love that) so I am NOT tired tonight..which is really bad because I have to be up at 6am...yikes!! I am going to force myself to go to bed as soon as I post my card for the LSC..I SWEAR!! I decided before I went off to bed to check the Limited Supplies Challenge on SCS. The challenge was to make a clean and simple card...yikes!! So, I am not sure that this card is the conventional version of clean and simple...but for me, it TOTALLY is. I stamped my Bella Blossoms flower twice, once with Pink Pirouette and once with Riding Hood Red. I cut out the whole Riding Hood Red flower and glued it onto my Whisper White base that I had stamped the whole flower in Kiwi Kiss on. I then cut out the center two layers of the flower, but I cut them separately to make the illusion of two layers, but really I only stamped it once. The edges were lightly sponged with RHR ink and then glued on. On the card base, I cut the front a little short and added a strip of RHR that I had used my scalloped edge punch on. I then stamped my sentiment and pierced around it. To finish the card, I added a piece of RHR striped ribbon. See, I told you...easy for me, LOL!! Have a great day!! I will be back with a Prettie Post in the morning!!

Ways To Relax...

Wow, you ladies are SERIOUS about your blog candy, LOL!! I am THRILLED at the response and the responses, I {heart} you all too!! So, I am not much of a drinker, but when I saw today's Ways To Use It challenge, I dug around til I found some alcohol related stamps so that I could participate. The challenge was to use anything alcohol related...we all know I am not a technique-y sorta girl(even though I own all the stuff to be one), so I decided this super cute wine glass and bottle from the My Favorite Things set, Time for the Bubbly. I am really trying to get all the Taylored Expression Cupcake sketches done(there were 9 of them), and after this card, I have one left. This sketch was provided by former Prettie Guest, Stephanie Hargis. When I saw that she had provided a sketch, I knew I had to play along!! I stamped my images with Memento Tuxedo Black ink and colored them in with my markers. I then added Crystal Effects to make them shiny. The bottle was cut out separately, and the glass was punched(along with it's layers) with my SU circle punches. The colors on this are Bravo Burgundy and Pink Pirouette. I paired them with some Parisian Summer DSP and Gina K. White. The top layer was run through my Cuttlebug with the Textile folder and then connected the layers with some YUMMY Pink May Arts ribbon that my girl Julie hooked me(back) up with!! The sentiment was punched with my Word Window punch and I added a silver brad...cause it looked lonely. Steph's sketch was pretty simple, so I tried to keep my card simple....I think I did it!! That is it for me now, off to make the final card from the sketches...it is still boggling my mind, but I am running out of time..yikes!! I know you are thinking....this is only the second card we have seen from the sketches...and you would be right. I will post them on my blog here and there(on days when I don't feel like stamping, LOL)!! Thanks for stopping by, have a great day!!