Creations of a Spare Time Stamper

SOS Challenge #39 - Metal Mania!

2012-02-14T06:00:00.000-05:00

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!! This week over at Shopping our Stash (SOS) we are celebrating Metal Mania! For our 39th challenge we are asking you to dig deep into your stash and put those great metal items to use on your creations! You can use brads, clips, snaps, eyelets or any other metal item you can think of. You should see what amazing cards the DT came up with this week! Here's my card using this super cute digi image from our sponsor Dilly Bean Stamps called "Potted Daisies".

I used some metal brads for the centre of each daisy (ran out of pink so had to use up some yellow too) and a metal sentiment from Making Memories which I've had since I started cardmaking many years ago. The image was coloured with copics and paired with this super fun cute paper by Echo Park that my wonderful DT Leader Carla sent me. Thanks Carla, loved using this bright, fun coloured paper!

Can't wait to see how you use your metal items this week over at SOS!

Critter Sketch Challenge #102 - Party Animal

2012-02-13T06:00:00.000-05:00

It's time for another Critter Sketch Challenge & #102 is another fabulous sketch:

Here's my take on the sketch:

I used this super cute digi image "Buddy's Balloon" available from our monthly sponsor Stamp & Create. I coloured the image with copics and then paired it with some fabulous leftover scrap paper from Imaginisce (not sure of the line name). Even the chipboard sentiment was from a set by Imaginisce that matched the paper line. I thought it fit this image perfectly! This was a super easy, fun sketch to follow and we hope to see you playing along with us again this week :)

SOS Challenge #38 - Valentines Creations

2012-02-07T06:00:00.000-05:00

Over at Shopping our Stash Challenge Blog it's our 38th Challenge and being that it's February we are asking to see your Valentines Creations: something with a heart, lace or even just use a Meljen's image and you can play along! I managed to make a Valentines Day card using a heart which was also a Meljen Design's Image called Stitched Swirls Heart.

I coloured the image with copics and cut out and paired with some scraps from my paper bin which I believe are from a Bo Bunny line. The pearls are also the last of black ones in my stash. Wow, I just realized I've been making ALOT of pink cards lately! Hmmm maybe next week I'll make something with a different colour combo for a change :)

Critter Sketch Challenge #101 - Photo Inspiration Challenge

2012-02-06T06:00:00.000-05:00

So did you have fun playing along with us for our 100th Challenge & Blog Hop over at Critter Sketch Challenge Blog last week? I can't believe we've hit our 101th Challenge! This week we are having a photo inspiration challenge and this is the fabulous photo to inspire you:

Here's my creation for this week:

This month we are being sponsored by Stamp & Create and I used this super cute Stamping Bella image called Mismatch Ketto available from their store. This is one of my most favourite of the Ketto images!! I coloured the image with copics and then cut out using my spellbinder nestabilities. I used some paper from my scrap bin and some leftover flowers I had. I added some stickles for some sparkle and some pearls to complete. I love all this purple!! Hope to see you joining us for this weeks challenge.

SOS Challenge #37 - People who Need People

2012-01-31T06:00:00.000-05:00

If you are looking for the Critter Sketch 100 Challenge Blog Hop Celebration please scroll down or click HERE!

If you are here to find out what the weekly challenge over at Shopping our Stash (SOS) is this week, well the theme is "People who need People". That's right, show us your creations with people (kids, adults...doesn't matter as long as it's a person & not an animal, etc). We are being sponsored by Bugaboo Stamps and there's a great prize up for grabs.

For my card I used The Greeting Farm's Princess Anya and made this super simple card using up scraps from my bin and some rhinestone stars I've had FOREVER!!

Pretty in Pink, right? I coloured her with copics and outlined her with my spica gitter pens. Don't you just love her pink eyeliner? It's a super easy challenge this week so I hope you'll play along with us.

Critter Sketch - 100th Challenge Blog Hop Celebration!!

2012-01-30T06:00:00.003-05:00

Can you believe it? Over at Critter Sketch Challenge Blog we are celebrating our 100th Challenge & we decided to have a super fun blog hop to celebrate. We have some wonderful sponsors along the way helping us celebrate so you don't want to miss out as we are showcasing some of their images in each of our creations. If you haven't started at the beginning you need to head over to Justyna's blog to begin. If you hopped along from Lisa's Blog you are in the right place as I'm the last stop on your hop!! The blog hop will run for a full week (ending February 5th) so you have plenty of time to play along for your chance to win 3 prizes from our blog hop sponsors. In order to participate you have to comment on each post along your hop, complete a project using the following sketch & upload it to the Critter Sketch Blog.

Here's the sketch:

For my card I was able to use an image from our sponsor:

Meljen's Designs

This image is called "Eskimo Kisses". Isn't it so cute?

As soon as I saw the image I knew I wanted to make a blue & white card & I had the perfect paper in my scrap bin. I coloured the image with copics and added tons of glitter to the trim on the jacket. The snowflake brads, white ribbon, chipboard sentiment & pearls were added to complete it.

I hope you will celebrate this milestone of our 100th Challenge with us all over at Critter Sketch Challenge blog and also celebrate the fabulous lineup of sponsors we have each month. Thanks for hopping along to my blog and in case you got lost here is the blog hop list for you:

Justyna

Darsie

Vicky

Jacqui

Robin

Moira

Lacey

Jenn Zeeb

Lisa

Crystal (that's me)

PS: Don't forget to enter your creations using our sketch back over at the Critter Sketch Challenge Blog. You have until February 5th :)

Don't Forget!! Blog Hop Celebration Tomorrow!

2012-01-29T20:20:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow is our 100th Challenge & Blog Hop Celebration over at Critter Sketch Challenge Blog.
I hope you pop by to visit and play along :)

SOS Challenge #36 - Winter Blues

2012-01-24T06:00:00.002-05:00

Oh boy....after the last week of weather we had here in BC I think this week's Shopping Our Stash Challenge #36 has the perfect title "Winter Blues". I definitely have them and can't wait for spring!! But seriously our theme is super simple this week: Shop your stash and pull out items that are BLUE! You can have other colors, just be sure to use any shade of BLUE as the primary focus. Easy, right?

I used all scraps from my scrap bin and this is almost the last of my scraps from this Kaisercraft line which I absolutely love and wish I had more of. I used one of my spellbinder dies that I've had for a few months now and hadn't used yet and centered my sentiment on top of it. The digi sentiment is from a Gratitude Set I got from Whimsy Stamps. It's a great set of digi sentiments that I know I'll use often. I coloured all of my pearls blue to match with my copic markers & used Tim Holtz Distress Ink in Stormy Sky to ink around the sentiment and add some colour to my scrap of lace. The flower is one I had left in a package from Petaloo. Super simple this week and NO colouring which made me happy only because it was a hectic week and I had no time to colour. So will you be playing along with our Winter Blues Challenge this week? I sure hope so as the rest of the design team have some beautiful creations to inspire you!

SOS Challenge #35 - Across the Border

2012-01-17T06:00:00.001-05:00

Ohhhh what a day! We finally got snow here in beautiful BC today and it was so bad that I got stuck dropping off my son at daycare and couldn't get home. Luckily it's a friend that watches Ty so I'm having a sleepover tonight as my car is still stuck in a snowbank. More snow is expected tonight.....YUCK! Can you tell I'm not a big fan of winter? Anyways, it is time for our 35th Challenge over at Shopping our Stash (SOS) and we are calling it "Across the Border" which means we would like to pull those border punches out of your stash & use them or create your own border on your card. For my card this week I pulled out a border & corner punch set from Martha Stewart that I've had FOREVER and finally used it:

I used up some of my Bo Bunny scraps I had leftover from the card I posted yesterday and paired it with this super cute Sugar Nellie image "Luvvie". I used a sentiment stamp that I picked up from the $1 bin at Michaels last year and added a puffy sticker heart, some prima flowers & pearl brads to complete. Perfect card for Valentine's Day.

I'm entering this card into the following challenges:

Pollycraft Monday Challenge - Challenge 123 Bingo ( I used flowers, punches & pearls)

Mark's Finest Papers - Challenge 90 use a border punch

Critter Sketch Challenge #98 - Sketch Time

2012-01-16T06:00:00.001-05:00

I love sketch challenges & this week we have a fun sketch for you to play with over at Critter Sketch Challenge Blog. It's our 98th challenge & I hope you will find time to play along. Here's the sketch:

I was in a Valentine's Day mood this week so this is what I came up with:

I coloured this super cute Magnolia "Tilda Holding Hearts" image with copics & paired it with some Bo Bunny paper. I added some red puffy heart stickers covered with glitter & some ribbon from my scrap drawer to complete. I even used my copic airbrush to airbrush the background behind this sweet image. Unfortunately I used up all my canned air so will have to go pick some more up soon.

Our sponsor this month over at Critter Sketch is:

Robyn's Fetish

Be sure to play along this month for your chance to win some fabulous images from the Robyn's Fetish Store!

Don't forget to join us at the end of the month for our Birthday Blog Hop Celebration:

SOS Challenge #34 All that Sparkles, Glitter & Shines

2012-01-10T21:43:00.000-05:00

OK, so with everything going on with me lately I CLEARLY do not know what day it is! I just realized I had scheduled my blog post for the wrong day so here I am revising it and posting it now. Better late than never, right?

Over at Shopping our Stash Challenge Blog we have a fun challenge for you this week. Challenge 34: Show us something that Sparkles, has glitter & shines and/or use a Dilly Beans image on your creation. Who doesn't love bling?

Here's my card this week using Dilly Bean's image Queen of Hearts:

I coloured the image with copics and then added tons of cotton candy stickles to her dress. I added even more glitter her crown using my spica glitter pens. The best use of my stash this week were these puffy, sparkly heart stickers which I have a whole bunch of. The paper is from a Bo Bunny line (you know I love me some Bo Bunny)!

This image is so perfect for Valentine's Day. Dilly Beans Stamps is our sponsor this week so be sure to play along for your chance to win 5 digi images from Megan's site!

The rest of the DT has some amazing inspiration for you this week so be sure to check them out here!

Hopefully I''ll remember to post on time next week :)

Welcome Baby! One Crazy Stamper Guest DT Post

2012-01-07T06:00:00.003-05:00

This is the second card I made as a January Guest DT Member for One Crazy Stamper! This was such a fun card to make and the Penny Black "Baby Hammock" image was super easy to colour with my copic markers:

I love the paper line that I chose to use with this card but can't recall the manufacturer because it was all in my scrap pile! I used my swiss dots cuttlebug embossing folder & my spellbinder circle & circle scallop nesties to cut out the image. Of course this wouldn't be complete without a bit of sparkle so I added some cotton candy stickles to the little butterfly. The welcome baby sentiment is a stamp by Whipper Snapper.

This is the first baby card I've made in quite some time & I just fell in love with it.

I will be entering my card into the following challenges:

Ruby's Rainbow Challenge #19 - Baby/Child

Simon Says Stamp - Something New (new baby)

PS - Don't forget to play along with the challenge over at the One Crazy Stamper Blog! The theme this month is Red, White & one other colour (your choice). You can see my previous entry here and if you play along you have a chance to win this stamp set:

Thank you to the OCS team for having me join you this month! It was so much fun!

SOS Challenge #33 - Challenge Rewind

2012-01-03T06:00:00.001-05:00

This week over at Shopping our Stash Challenge Blog we are having our 33rd Challenge. It's a challenge rewind meaning you can pick any SOS challenge from the last year and do it again (or use a Meljen's Image - our sponsor this week)! I chose to use Challenge #26 - Never been inked mostly because I wanted to use this fabulous MFT image that I've had for quite awhile and never used & because I thought it would be perfect for a New Year's card:

I coloured the image with copics and then added some glossy accents to her glass to make is shine. The paper is from my DCWV Bella paper pad scraps and I stamped my sentiment on a piece of chipboard and added some pearls to complete. Nice, clean & simple just the way I like it.

I can't wait to see what challenge you pick to play with from the many we've had this past year!

Critter Sketch Challenge - Celebrate!

2012-01-02T06:00:00.000-05:00

We are having a celebration over at Critter Sketch Challenge Blog this week! That's right....we want to see your cards or projects that display a celebration. It can be a birthday, new years project, new baby, marriage or job. There are so many ways to display a celebration & we can't wait to see what you come up with! For my card I chose to make a birthday card for my son who turns 12 on January 1st (yep he's a New Year's baby)!

I coloured these super cute Stampendous Monkey's with copics and paired them with ribbon & papers from my scraps bin. I tell you I'm on a roll using up my scraps lately and that makes me very happy! I also added two large rhinestone brads to complete it.

Our sponsor this month over at Critter Sketch is Robyn's Fetish so be sure to play along for your chance to win a fabulous prize from them!

January 2012 Guest Design Team Post - Tilda in Red & White (and a hint of green)

2012-01-01T06:00:00.001-05:00

Happy New Year! I have been waiting for this day to arrive for weeks now so that I could post my very first creation as the January 2012 guest design team member for One Crazy Stamper!! I was super excited to get picked to be a GDT member for this month. Once Crazy Stamper is an amazing store that carries many of my favourite items for cardmaking/scrapbooking such as embellishments, spellbinders, copics and some of the many fabulous stamps from lines such as Magnolia, MFT, Stamping Bella, Kraftin Kimmies & so many more! Not only that they are also a Canadian Company :)

For my card today I've played along with the current challenge over at the One Crazy Stamper Blog for the month of January which is: Red, White & one other colour. I chose a hint of green for my one other colour (flower leaves, and the butterflies):

This is the first time I have inked up this Magnolia image and it was so much fun to colour! The supplies I used on my card are as follows:

Copic Express it Cardstock

Magnolia Stamp - Tilda with Hawaii Flower

Copics (R27, R29, R22, R24, R02, E00, E11, E37, E35, E33, YG11 & T1)

Liquid Applique - White

Stickles (icicle)

Ranger Distress Ink (barn door)

Sizzix Embossing Folder

Score-tape

Spellbinders (oval & scallop oval)

Miscellaneous (flower & pearl)

The DP was from my scrap bin & the cardstock was Bazill.

Be sure to check back in the next few weeks for my second GDT spot for One Crazy Stamper! I hope you will play along with the Red/White & one other colour challenge this month :)

Critter Sketch Challenge - Design Team Call

2011-12-31T14:06:00.000-05:00

We are looking for a few new design team members over at Critter Sketch Challenge Blog:

Please email Melanie at melaniebitting@gmail.com

if you are interested in joining our team.

SOS Challenge #32 - Tie it Up!

2011-12-27T06:00:00.000-05:00

For Shopping our Stash Challenge #32 we are asking you to "Tie it Up". We want to pull ribbon, rick rack, or twine from your stash and use it on your project. Another option if you want to play along is just use an image from our sponsor this week Bugaboo Stamps! I managed to use two ribbons from my stash for my project paired with this fabulous image from Bugaboo called " Make it Snappy - Happy Birthday". I coloured the image with copics and paired it with paper from Imaginisce's Birthday Bash Collection:

I love this fun image & can see me using this over & over again for birthday cards. I hope you'll have time to play along with us during the holidays & hope you all had a wonderful Christmas with family & friends. I know I sure did!

SOS Challenge #31 - Soft as a Snowflake!

2011-12-20T06:00:00.000-05:00

For Shopping our Stash (SOS) Challenge #31 we've called it "Soft as a Snowflake". We would love to see:

you dig out the Flower Soft, felt, snowflake stamps, papers, bubble stickers, puffy embellishments, flocking, fun flock, fabric flowers,..as long as it has something "soft" on it and/or an element of snow (snowmen, snowflakes, snowy scenes) - it works! OR use a Day for Daisies image!

The best thing about our challenges is that there are plenty of options to play along. I used an an image from our Sponsor "A Day for Daisies" called Christmas Pixie 2. I coloured her with copics and then added some polar white flower soft to her scarf & boots and added a felt snowflake which I airbrushed with my copics to match.

The snowflake was a SU one that I've had in my stash for ages. I actually have plenty more in white, red & blue! I'm glad I'm finally making a dent in my polar white flower soft. I've had it since last year and managed to use it on a few cards this holiday season!

I hope you'll play along with us this week but know that with the holidays some things are more important than crafting time. I hope you all have a fabulous Christmas with your family & friends!

SOS Challenge #30 - Tag it Krafty

2011-12-13T06:00:00.000-05:00

I was happy to start working on this weeks challenge over at Shopping our Stash! Challenge 30 is called "Tag it Krafty":

"use kraft cardstock somewhere on your project OR incorporate a tag element on your project, or make a tag of any kind! OR use a Dilly Beans image!"

I was glad to add another tag to my Christmas Stash & was able to use up tons of scrap kraft cardstock and basic grey paper to do it. I even inked up some canvas ribbon (which I have alot of) to match:

I even used this cute little Dilly Beans (our sponsor for this week) #177 Snowman Image which I coloured with copics. You may have noticed this is the second time I've used this image...he's just so darn cute & I love anything that has to do with snowmen! I hope you'll play along with us this week!

Critter Sketch Challenge #94 - A Sketch

2011-12-12T06:00:00.000-05:00

I love sketch challenges & that's exactly what we have for you for Critter Sketch Challenge #93:

I used the sketch created by our own Melanie and made this card using an image by Whipper Snapper Designs called "Potted Kitty". I coloured the image with copics and embossed the two panels behind the image with my cuttlebug embossing folder. I added a prima flower, rhinestone & ribbon to top it off.

I was going to use some images from our sponsor this month:

Stamp Fairy

but things have been so hectic around here that I totally forgot and then thought if I did email I may not get them in time. Their images are so adorable that I actually purchased three to use in a later challenge. I picked a couple from this super cute teddy line Barry Birthday and another called Molly Fairy! I hope you'll join us again this week for your chance to win our monthly prize from Stamp Fairy!

SOS Challenge #29 - Light and/or White

2011-12-06T06:00:00.002-05:00

These past few weeks have been so crazy that I haven't had much time to do anything crafty until this past weekend! For SOS Challenge #29 we are asking you to create something:

Light and/or white or Meljens - use something from your stash that represents light- candle, fireplace, stars, Christmas lights, or decorate a candle, make a lantern, etc, or make a project that is mostly white OR Use a Meljens Image!

I decided that I would like to make a mostly white project and made this little gift box. The box is actually a wooden box that I picked up from a garage sale and I painted it white with my Making Memories scrapbook paint. It was so old and dried up that I had to add some water and mix it up so I could use it :)
I pulled out a few of my cuttlebug embossing folders that are neglected way too often and embossed some white cardstock and sprayed with some Pearl Shimmer Mist. It's hard to tell from the photo but it really shimmers:

I added some tulle that has a hint of gold in it that I stole from my friends stash (don't worry she said I could). I had this awesome wooden snowflake that I painted white ages ago so I decided to glue it up with my essential glue pad & added tons of glitter. It is so much prettier in real life! I think I will use it to hold some note cards or gift cards for Christmas this year.

Now our challenge this week over at SOS (Shopping our Stash) has lots of options so I expect to see you playing along. I look forward to your creations each week for tons of inspiration! We also have a fabulous sponsor this week: Meljen's Designs & they have the cutest images and some really great Christmas ones for all your projects too!

I'm entering my gift box into the following challenges:

Craft Your Passion Challenge #87 - Anything Goes & Glitter
The Pink Elephant TPE128 - Snowflakes & Sparkle
Dream Valley #21 - Sparkle
Charisma Cardz Challenge #47 - Seeing Spots (I'm hoping my embossed spots count)

SOS Challenge #28 - Use a Digi or Sentiment OR Recycle Something

2011-11-29T06:00:00.000-05:00

This week over at Shopping our Stash (SOS) we have a fairly simple challenge for you! For Challenge 28 we are asking you to use a digi image or sentiment or RECYCLE something for your creation. We are being sponsored once again by Bugaboo Stamps & they have the super cutest images which we were lucky enough to get to use. As soon as I saw the image "Make it Snappy - Merry Christmoose" I knew I wanted it so I could make a Christmas card for my 5 year old nephew Mason. Ever since he was born he has had this little blue moose and will not go to bed unless he has blue moose with him. This image totally reminded me of him:

I coloured the image with copics and then used some of my Making Memories paper scraps from previous cards. I even used some Studio G sparkle writers that I got last Christmas and never used for the sparkly ornaments. Because this card is for a 5 year old I didn't embellish it and kept it fairly simple. I know he'll love it because it will remind him his blue moose :)

I hope you play along with us this week!

Critter Sketch Challenge #92 - Digital Delights Week

2011-11-28T06:00:00.002-05:00

It's Digital Delights Week over at Critter Sketch this week and we would like you to show us your creations using any Digital Delights image or digital paper for our 92nd challenge. For my card this week I used a digital image from this Window Background Set:

I paired it with some BG paper and used liquid applique on the snow. The ribbon is also a scrap piece I had on hand.

I hope you will play along with us this week and show us your creations using a digital stamp or digi paper from Digital Delights.

Paper Sundaes Challenge #97 - Winter Wonderland

2011-11-27T06:00:00.002-05:00

It's Sunday which means time for another Paper Sundaes Challenge. For Challenge #97 the theme is "Winter Wonderland" so we would like to see your winter themed cards! Our sponsor for the week is Michelle's Scrapbooking & More so if you play along you have a chance to win a gift certificate from their store! So here's my card this week:

For my winter themed card I decided I wanted to use softer colours. I coloured my MFT Pure Innocence image "Flurry of Love" with copics and then cut out and mounted on some bazill cardstock. I used my Sizzix Snowflake embossing folder to emboss the background panel and then used my MFT die-namic scallop border for the bottom. I added some ribbon and a little punched snowflake. The sentiment which I thought fit perfectly is from a Kraftin Kimmies sentiment sent. I even coloured my white pearls to match with my copics. The snow was done using white liquid applique. Love that stuff!

I'm a little sad today as this is my last card as DT member for Paper Sundaes :( I have been with them since and the beginning and after 97 challenges I needed to take a break so decided to step down. I've had so much fun with all the fabulous girls on the team and want to thank Shana & Christine for having me on the team. They truly are wonderful DT leaders and it was a pleasure to be a part of their team for so long!
Thank you ladies!

I will be entering my card into the following challenges:

Crazy 4 Challenges C4C115 - Make a Card or Project with Snow on it.
Party Time Tuesdays PTT #43 - Snow us What you Got

SOS Christmas Countdown Challenge

2011-11-22T06:00:00.000-05:00

Over at Shopping our Stash (SOS) this week we are having a Christmas Countdown Challenge! I personally am not counting down and in no way want to know how many days left until Christmas or I'll go into full panic mode (yes this means you Karen....I don't want to know)!! However, over at SOS we
would love to see any of your Christmas creations this week and don't forget to use your stash! Just think, if you do you will have plenty of room for more supplies in time for Christmas. For my card this week I pulled an image from my stash that I had coloured when I first got my copics years ago. It is by Whipper Snapper called "A Snowman's Best Friend".

I paired it with some scraps I had left over (believe it's from a Making Memories line) and kept it simple by only adding a sentiment from a Kraftin Kimmies sentiment set that I really need to use more! There are tons of sentiments in the set and I think I've only ever used two!

Can't wait to see what kind of Christmas creation you will show us over at Shopping our Stash this week.

Paper Sundaes Challenge - Beautiful Bows!

2011-11-20T06:00:00.000-05:00

Happy Sundae! Our challenge this week over at Paper Sundaes is Beautiful Bows! That's right show us your beautiful bows this week and I personally would love to know how you do your bows. Do you use the bow easy? That's what I used on my project this week. I decided to make a little gift card set for a friend for Christmas:

I have had this little box that I've been wanting to alter for a while so I covered it with some yummy papers from my DCVW paper pad "Bella Armoire". I love the elegance of this paper, it so pretty. I covered the box and added some gemstones and lace around the top and used some beautiful silk ribbon and tied a bow with my bow easy. I used my scallop square nesties to cut out some glitter cardstock and added the "for you" sentiment from a retired set by Hero Arts Clear Design "Letter Y". For the notecards I used the same sentiment and added some ribbon, flowers & black glitter brads. I'll be making more cards for this set but this week was kind of crazy for me as my son has been back and forth to the doctors as we thought he had broken his foot but turns out that he only broke his toe which is definitely better than the whole foot. Now I have to spend the next few weeks trying to get him to take it easy on it. WISH ME LUCK BECAUSE I'M SURE GOING TO NEED IT!

We're being sponsored by Simon Says Stamp this week so be sure to play along and show us your beautiful bows for a chance to win a gift certificate to their store!

My project will be entered into the following challenge:

Totally Papercrafts Friday Challenge #93 - Black & White

SOS Challenge #26 - Never been Inked and/or Neutrals

2011-11-15T06:00:00.001-05:00

It's time for Shopping our Stash Challenge #26 and our theme this week is: Never Been Inked and/or Neutral colours. Never been inked should be super easy since we all have stamps that haven't seen ink, don't we :) I was going to go neutral but this cute little image #177 Snowman from our sponsor this week Dilly Bean Stamps just needed a little pop of colour!

I decided to make a cute little tag that I can add to my Christmas Baking tins! I have a feeling I will be making a bunch more of these this year. I coloured the image with copics and then used my nesties to cut out the circle and the scallop circle background. I added some glossy accents to the buttons and added some of my Polar White Flower Soft since I've had since last Christmas and think I've only used once before. It was nice to put it to good use and it looks so soft and fluffy!! Be sure to check out the rest of the fabulous DT creations using Dilly Bean images & play along in our Never Been Inked and/or Neutral Challenge as I'm always looking forward to new inspiration your creations provide each week.

I'll be entering this tag into the following challenge:
Bows & Berries Challenge #14 - Tags

Critter Sketch Challenge - Monochrome

2011-11-14T06:00:00.000-05:00

Over at the Critter Sketch Challenge Blog our current challenge is to create something monochrome (using different shades of one colour). I'm still fighting a cold and felt horrible for the past little while so I made sure I kept my card nice and simple with very little colouring. I was even able to use up some scraps from my scrap bin and made this small card that will be able to hold a gift card:

I used different shades of blue on my card and even coloured my pearls with copics to match & dyed my canvas ribbon with Tim Holtz Distress ink. Quick and simple and I love all the blue! I hope you will play along with us this week in our monochrome challenge! Our sponsor for the month of November is Digital Delights by Louby Loo and you have a chance to win 5 digital images if you play along.

Paper Sundaes Challenge #95 - Use a Digi

2011-11-13T06:00:00.001-05:00

Paper Sundaes Challenge #95 this week is super easy so I hope you'll play along!! All you have to do this week to enter our challenge is to use a digital image or element on your creation. Super easy right? We are being sponsored by Pink Cat Studio this week and our DT was lucky enough to be able to use our choice of digi this week. I chose this super cute image "Friendly Snowman". Anyone who knows me knows that I LOVE anything to do with Snowmen :)

This image was so much fun to colour with my copics & I paired it with this fabulous paper I've been hoarding from Making Memories. I decided to fold the red & green paper below the image for some texture and added a few buttons (some to hide some inky stamping errors....shhhhhh!!). I even popped the image square up with 3 layers of pop-up dots to add some dimension and the sentiment was from an old SU set. I have a feeling I'll be making a few more of these to add to my Christmas card collection.

I will be entering my card into the following challenges:

Paper Pretties Wednesday Challenge PWC179 - Buttons

Digital Tuesday #136 - Anything Goes (use a digi)

Top Tip Tuesday Challenge #59- Anything Goes (Christmas related)

Christmas Stamping All Year Long - Never Seen Ink (this digi was new and first time I've inked it)

SOS Challenge #25 - Use Rub-ons, Chipboard or Stickers

2011-11-08T06:00:00.000-05:00

I've been having a rough week so I'm keeping this post short and sweet for now! I'm fighting a cold and feel absolutely horrible! My son has been sharing his cold with me AGAIN :)

For our challenge #25 over at SOS (Shopping our Stash) we're asking you to dig into your supplies and make us something using stickers, rub-ons or Chipboard. I don't have many stickers since it's something I don't use a lot of but I had some Stampin Up Christmas sentiments so I used one of those on my card.

I also used a felt snowflake and rhinestone brad from my stash and did some paper piercing on my green strip of paper. The background was stamped with watermark ink for a subtle effect. This was a simple card that I'll easily be able to re-create if I leave all my Christmas cards to the last minute again. I hope you will dig deep into your stash this week and show us how you use your stickers, rub-ons or chipboard!

Paper Sundaes Challenge #94 - Let's see those Rectangular Creations!

2011-11-06T06:00:00.000-05:00

Ooooh we are getting closer to our 100th challenge over at Paper Sundaes. My how time flies when you are having fun! This week for Challenge #94 - Let's see Some Rectangular Creations. We have another fabulous sponsor this week (and one of my favourites) Tickled Pink Stamps! Our DT was lucky enough to play with some of their images & I chose to use Party Pinkette Coraline:

I coloured her with copics and added some sparkle to her shoes & headband with my spica glitter pens. The DP I used was from Imaginisce Birthday Bash Collection and the chipboard embellishments I added were from the same line. Isn't she adorable? I'll definitely be using her again along with my other favourite Lil Pinkette Coraline which is also perfect for those birthday cards!

You can play along with the Tickled Pink Challenge's here.

I'm entering this into the following challenges:

Tickled Pink Challenge #44 - Anything Goes!

SOS Challenge #24 - Sports or Western Theme

2011-11-01T06:00:00.000-04:00

Wow, this week was a tough one for me for the Challenge #24 over at Shopping our Stash (SOS) Challenge Blog! You would think that with having a son I would have more sport or western themed items in my stash but no......so I stretched a little bit and chose fishing as my sport and used this super adorable Hanglar Stanglar image I got from a friend ages ago.

I was able to use up some paper from my scrap stash & some little star buttons I've had kicking around for quite some time. This image reminds me so much of my son when he's fishing at our family cabin! Except usually he has a bucket full of fish, starfish, crabs whatever he can scrounge up :)

I hope you'll join us this week over at SOS!! Can't wait to see how creative you are with our Western/Sports theme this week.

Critter Sketch Challenge - Just Because

2011-10-31T06:00:00.002-04:00

Over at Critter Sketch Challenge Blog this week we have a sketch challenge for you. Here is the sketch we would like you to use:

Here's my take on the sketch:

I realized afterwards that the yellow strip was a bit too low but you still get the idea! I used Magnolia's Tilda w/ Sunflower image because I had her already coloured and just ran out of time this week. The flower is one I picked up from Michaels and is by Recollections. I also added some pearls that I coloured with my copics to match.

Our sponsor for the month of October is Inky Impressions!

Paper Sundaes Challenge #93 - Create a Bookmark

2011-10-30T06:00:00.000-04:00

We have a fun challenge for you this week over at Paper Sundaes! It's our 93rd challenge & I can't believe we are almost at 100 challenges! This week we want to see your bookmark or corner bookmark creations and we have another fabulous sponsor this week, Sugar Nellie. You can find all of their amazing stamps over at Funky Kits. I used an image from the Simply Sassy line called Luv a Latte:

I coloured her with copics and paired her with some Bo Bunny Paper scraps I had in my scrap bin. I typed up the sentiment/saying on my computer. Bookmarks make a great gift for the book lover on your Christmas list. Be sure to check out the Paper Sundaes Blog to see all the fabulous bookmarks by the other Sundae Girls if you need some inspiration!

SOS Challenge #23 Halloween or Fall Colours

2011-10-25T06:00:00.000-04:00

I'm so excited about this week's challenge over at Shopping our Stash Challenge Blog! This week we are being sponsored by:

Bugaboo Stamps

They have the cutest images and our DT was lucky enough to get to choose one to play with. I chose to use "Halloween Skelekinz Pumpkin 2" for my card. The theme this week over at SOS was "Halloween or Fall Colours" so I chose to make one last Halloween card using this fun image:

I coloured her with copics and then distressed with black memento ink around the edges. Even though the image was new to me I did manage to use a whole bunch of stuff from my stash:

The Trick or Treat sentiment is actually some fabric tape by Cloud 9 Design & I cut the words out individually and applied. I also used the Black/Orange Ribbon which I got last Halloween and the ribbon slider with the bat on it (by Making Memories) I've had since I started by blog ages ago now. I was even able to use up some scrap DP from a paper pad by Cloud 9 Design also.

I can't wait to take my son trick or treating this year. It will most likely be his last as he is almost 12 and getting a little old for it I think. Can't wait to raid his treat bag one last time for all my favourite goodies :)

Hope to see you using your stash & playing along with us this week over at SOS!

Paper Sundaes Sundae Bar is NOW OPEN!!

2011-10-23T06:00:00.002-04:00

I love it when we have the Sundae Bar Challenges over at Paper Sundaes because you can pick a few of your favourite toppings from the options listed and have fun! For this weeks Challenge the Sundae toppings for you to choose from are: Black, Distressing, Flowers & Sparkle. I managed to use black, sparkle & a bit of distressing on the outer edges of the card.

I coloured the image "Edward" by the Greeting Farm with copic markers and then added some shimmerz to his face because we all know that Edward sparkles in the sunlight :)

I made this card for a friend of mine who is Twilight OBSESSED!

I also used some sparkly black paper for the background and paired all this up with paper from my Bella Armoire Stack of paper from DCWV. I added a couple of sparkly black brads to complete. We are being sponsored this week by Stamp & Create and they have a gift certificate up for grabs to one lucky participant!

SOS Challenge #22 - A Photo to Inspire You!!

2011-10-18T06:00:00.000-04:00

I love that Carla our fearless leader over at Shopping our Stash loves Halloween!! We are having so many fun challenges over there right now. This week we have a fabulous photo to inspire you:

We would love to see any creation you come up with using the above photo for your inspiration! For me it was easy to choose!! One of the oldest stamps sets I have is by Sugar Nellie called Skull Boyz which I ordered when I bought by very first Sugar Nellie stamp "Daisy" so that my son would have some cool stamps to play with. That was quite a while ago now and this is the first time any stamps from this set have ever seen ink....GASP....I know....BUT that is why it's called Shopping Our Stash RIGHT?? Here's my card:

I coloured the image with copics and my son helped me pick out colours for my card. Don't you just love his pink teeth? Can't wait to see what inspires you this week. Look forward to seeing you over at SOS.

Critter Sketch - Colour Combo Challenge

2011-10-17T06:00:00.000-04:00

This week over at the Critter Sketch Challenge Blog we are having a Colour Combo Challenge! We want to see your creations using the following colours: Pink, Green & Black, easy right? Here's my card using the Stamping Bella image called "Rose Bouquet":

I coloured the image with copics and then paired it with these papers from Kaisercrafts "Sublime" Collection. I added some black pearls to the corner to complete it. I hope you will play along with us this week. We are being sponsored by Inky Impressions all month but you have to play along if you want to win an image from their store.

Paper Sundaes Challenge #91 - Halloween or Fall

2011-10-16T06:00:00.000-04:00

For Paper Sundaes Challenge #91 we would love to see either your Halloween or Fall Creations. We are sponsored by Simon Says Stamp this week which means there will be a $15 gift certificate up for grabs for one lucky participant! I decided to make a Halloween card:

I used this digital image by Tickled Pink Stamps called Lil Haunts Witch Lylah. I coloured the image with copics and then used Tim Holtz Ink to distress around the edges. The paper was from my scrap pile and the orange strip in the background was stamped with the spiderweb stamp in the set "All Hallow's Eve" by Inkadinkadoo.

I don't have alot of Halloween images or stamps but hope to get more as these cards are so much fun to make. Hope to see your Halloween or Fall Creations over at Paper Sundaes this week!

Christmas Card Head Start - Sugar Nellie Angel Wishes

2011-10-13T22:19:00.000-04:00

I've been meaning to start my Christmas Cards for so long and I may have a couple on hand but definitely need to make more as I know Christmas will be here before we know it!! I specifically made this card based on the current challenge (#69) over at The Sugar Bowl using Gayle's Sketch:

Here's my card:

I used Sugar Nellie's Angel Wishes stamp that a friend picked up for me last time he went home to visit family in Scotland. The image was coloured with copics and I kept it simple with no embellishments except for some glitter on her little wand. The beautiful paper is from a 6x6 Basic Grey Jovial paper pad & I so wish I had bought more of it because I love it so much! The sentiment stamp is from a Hero Arts set I have. Now I just have to get cracking on making some more :)

I will also be entering this into ABC Christmas Challenge U - for Unused Stash. This is my first time this stamp has seen ink and I've had it for many months :)

SOS Challenge #21 - Trick or Treat Card

2011-10-11T06:00:00.000-04:00

My goodness I can't believe how fast this year has gone and that Halloween is just around the corner! Before you know it Christmas will be here. At Shopping our Stash this week, Challenge 21 is called "Boo Are You?" We want to see either a spooky card or a black/orange colour combo (or both if you want)! For my card I went with the black/orange combo and was able to use some paper I've had in my stash for quite a while:

The bat paper is from my Cloud 9 Design paper pack and the black/orange polka dot ribbon was some that I picked up from Michael's last Halloween. Even the chipboard photo frame by Creative Imaginations has been in my stock pile for quite some time. Feels so good to use up the stash!!! I have to admit however that the "Trick or Treat" stamp is from an Inkadinkadoo "All Hallow's Eve" set that I got recently with a Michaels gift card I won on a blog hop. There are some great stamps in this set so hopefully I will get motivated to use them in more Halloween creations this month.

Can't wait to see your spooky or black/orange creations for our challenge this week and if you need any inspiration be sure to check out the other SOS girls creations as they are amazing!

Paper Sundaes Challenge #90 - Favourite Color Combo

2011-10-09T06:00:00.002-04:00

I love the challenge over at Paper Sundaes this week because the theme for our 90th Challenge is "Favourite Colour Combo". My favourite colour combo right now is pink & brown so that's what I used on my card:

I coloured this fabulous image by Sugar Nellie called "Fairy Tale" that a wonderful friend picked up for me the last time he went home to Scotland. Isn't she beautiful? All paper I used was from my favourite paper manufacturer Bo Bunny. I cut the image out with my circle spellbinder dies and mounted on a scallop circle. I added some liquid applique to the scallops for a bit of dimension. I was also finally able to use my new MFT dies "Pretty Posies" for my flower & I added a pearl centre.

Our sponsor for this week's challenge is Letraset home to the fabulous Promarkers! Be sure to play along for your chance to win a fabulous prize!

I'll be entering my card into the following challenges:

Fairy Fun Friday #63 - Cute & Girly
Dare to be Sassy Thursday #93 - Think Pink
Cutie Pie Challenge #2 Bingo - I chose the last line: Flower/punch outs (hoping my flower dies count) & ribbon

First Annual Link Up for Pink - Something pink to promote breast cancer awareness!!

SOS Challenge #20 - Thank You or Thanksgiving Card

2011-10-04T06:00:00.000-04:00

WOW, I can't believe we are on our 20th Challenge over at Shopping our Stash Challenge Blog. Time sure flies when you are having fun! I love this week's theme: Create a Thank You or a Thanksgiving Card. I decided to make another Thank You card which I've been doing alot lately. That's OK as I don't think you can ever have too many of those on hand. Here's my card:

This card came together really quickly (which I'm thrilled about as I just returned from a weekend away at the cabin & am lost in mountains of laundry)!! I used paper from the DCWV Bella Armoire Paper Pad and inked the edges with white ink. I decided that I'd use a small "Thank You" embossing folder I've had for years and never used and added some of my favourite hoarded Making Memories ribbon & a flower by Recollections from my stash! Pretty easy and came together in like 10 minutes! I think I have to make more cards with NO COLOURING :)

I can't wait to see your Thank you or Thanksgiving creations this week! Be sure to enter our challenge over at SOS Challenge Blog!

Critter Sketch Challenge #85 - Sketch Time

2011-10-03T06:00:00.000-04:00

It's Critter Sketch Challenge #85 and this week we have a fabulous sketch which Melanie whipped up for us. It's a great sketch and was fun to work with:

Here's my take on it using this super cute Whipper Snapper Image which was coloured with copics:

I used up a bunch of my scraps on this card which I always try to do before I cut into a new piece. I added some flowers and some suede ribbon to complete it. I hope you'll play along with us this week and be sure to check out the Critter Sketch Blog to see our new DT member's creations. Great inspiration for you this week.

Inky Impressions is our sponsor this month so play along for your chance to win a great prize!

Paper Sundaes Challenge #89 - Let's see some Layers

2011-10-02T06:00:00.001-04:00

It's time for Paper Sundaes Challenge #89 and this week we want to see SOME LAYERS!! We have a wonderful sponsor this week Lili of the Valley so play along for your chance to win a fabulous prize!
For my card I used the Lili of the Valley Christmas Teddy Image "Big Star".

I have quite a few layers of paper on my card! This fab DP is from my Basic Grey Jovial paper pad. I inked the edges with Tim Holtz distress ink and the main image was coloured with copic markers. I added some glitter to the big star this little cutie is holding and some pointsettias with pearl centers. Last but not least to add some texture I used my snow marker on his little Santa hat!

I will be entering this into the following challenges:

Cupcake Craft Challenge #161 - Don't go down to the woods today (use bear as main image)

Crafty Purple Frog - Lots of Layers

Simon Says Stamp - Anything Goes

SOS Challenge #19 - One Colour Plus Black & White

2011-09-27T06:00:00.000-04:00

I absolutely love my card this week even though I nearly messed up the challenge theme over at Shopping our Stash (SOS). The theme is "One Colour plus Black & White" however I had written down in my calendar "white & one other colour" and totally missed the BLACK!! Oooops :) Didn't realize it until I went to post my card on the DT blog so after two minor additions, here's my card:

Can you tell my little black pearls were added afterwards?? Oh well I had the best of intentions and still made it work so I'm quite happy with it. This card was super easy to make & one that I'll definitely replicate! I used leftover plain white cardstock and embossed it with a cuttlebug embossing folder. Next I added Tim Holtz Distress ink in Spun Sugar directly from the pad to the paper for the background and mounted it on pink cardstock. I added a Prima flower that has been sitting in my stash for well over a year and stamped the work Thanks using a sentiment from an Amy R sentiment set I have. The pink ribbon is also some leftover ribbon that I couldn't bear to part with and fit perfectly with this card.

Super easy right? So now you will have to play along in our SOS Challenge #19 - One color plus black and white (skin tones and hair colors okay)!! PS - Don't forget the black like I originally did :)

Critter Sketch #83 - A Recipe

2011-09-19T06:00:00.000-04:00

I'm loving that our sponsor for the month over at Critter Sketch Challenge Blog is the fabulous Stamp & Create because I got to use one of their fairy images "Nichola". I love their Wags n' Whiskers line of fairies...they are definitely some of my favourite images to play with. For Challenge #83 this week we would like you to use the following recipe:

1 image

2 Design Paper

3 embellishments

1 sentiment

Here's my card:

I coloured the image with copics and then decided I wanted to play along with Challenge #70 over at Sketch N Stash - which is Free Choice Sketch (choose one of the sketches from their catalogue and play along). I chose to use Sketch #7:

I used a sentiment I had on hand and coloured my pearls with copics to match. Isn't she pretty? I hope you will play along with us over at Critter Sketch this week...can't wait to see what you cook up with our recipe challenge :)

Paper Sundaes Challenge #87 - Felt

2011-09-18T06:00:00.000-04:00

Happy Sundae!! I could not wait for this weekend to arrive as this week just seemed extra long, you know? Well it's Sunday so that means it's time for Paper Sundaes Challenge $87 and this week the Sundae Girls would love to see you use felt on your creations. We are being sponsored by the fabulous Simon Says Stamp so be sure to play along to win a gift certificate to their store! For my card this week I was so happy that I finally used my CC Designs Darby & Penelope stamp that I've had for ages. I've been wanting to use this image to make a card for a friend of mine for so long:

I coloured the image with copics to match my Kaisercraft DP (all from scraps - YAY ME) and then used Sketch 119 over at Sweet Sketch Challenge Blog as my inspiration:

For my felt element I layered some felt flowers by SU and then used brads for the centers. The sentiment is from an Amy R Friendship set. I will also be entering my card into the current challenge #182 over at Cute Card Thursday which is Anything Goes.

SOS Challenge #17 - Shabby Chic, Distressed or Vintage

2011-09-13T06:00:00.000-04:00

I am a huge fan of the Shabby Chic, Distressed and Vintage themes however I LOVE to look at other peoples creations and not make one of my own! This theme absolutely terrifies me more than any other!! BUT.....the theme this week for Challenge #17 over at Shopping our Stash (SOS) is Shabby Chic, Distressed or Vintage so I participated of course but kept it very simple:

I used some leftover scraps from my last post to make this somewhat vintage, distressed card. The paper is from Bo Bunny's Timepiece collection and the flourish stamp behind the flower is from a SU set that I own and have rarely used (how's that for using my stash?). I distressed the lace with Tim Holtz distress ink & airbrushed my flower by Recollections with copics to match a little bit better. I also coloured the pearls with copics to match. I swear I will never, ever buy any other pearls than white as I just love that I can use copics to colour them to match any project I'm working on.

Well I hope you play along with this week over at SOS so I can look at your fabulous Shabby Chic, vintage or Distressed creations and hopefully get over my fear of this theme :) The other DT girls have some fabulous creations to share with you too!

Paper Sundaes Challenge #86 - Finishing Touches

2011-09-11T06:00:00.001-04:00

Hope everyone has had a fabulous week! Mine has been super crazy with back to school preparations and last minute school clothes shopping for my son that I couldn't wait for this weekend to arrive. Now it's almost Sunday (I'm typing up my post early) and I wish the weekend was even longer! There is never enough hours in a day to get everything I need to done! I just got back from a wonderful family dinner and I ate way too much food but it was a fabulous day with family and the weather was fantastic too.

Well enough about me!! It's time for another Paper Sundaes Challenge #86 which we are calling "Finishing Touches" which means we would like to see you decorate the inside of your card! Our sponsor is the fabulous MFT (My Favorite Things) Stamps this week and they have the most adorable stamps & fabulous dies called Die-namics which are really fabulous. I have a bunch I'm waiting for to be delivered and would be stalking the mailman if I could!! For my card this week I decided I wanted to do something different so I created a tri-fold pocket card from these instructions I found over at SCS.
Here's the outside:

And the inside:

I really enjoyed making this card! Not only did I use this super cute Pure Innocence Stamp called "Flower Girl" Now this sweet little girl was supposed to be holding a flower but I had a little cutting accident so now she doesn't :(

I used some of my favorite design paper from Bo Bunny's Timepiece collection for this card and even did some paper piecing of her outfit. I coloured the rest of the image with copics which are also available over at MFT. I used up some flowers I had on hand and the two larger ones were airbrushed with copics to match a little bit better. I added some pearl flourishes and the sentiment from the same set to complete. I'm definitely making more of these tri-fold pocket cards in the near future as it was really easy!

I hope you'll play along with us this week over at Paper Sundaes as there are some beautiful DT creations this week for inspiration plus a fabulous prize from MFT for one lucky winner! I also can't wait to see how you decorate the inside of your cards too :)

I will be entering my card into the following challenges:

Truly Scrumptious - Decorate the Inside

Allsorts - Flowers & Swirls

Simon Says Stamp - Multi-fold cards (I'm hoping my Tri-Fold Pocket card counts)

SOS Challenge #16 - Birds, Bugs or Beasts

2011-09-06T06:00:00.001-04:00

It's time for our 16th Challenge over at Shopping our Stash (SOS) Challenge Blog and being that the theme this week is: BIRDS, BUGS OR BEASTS I was able to use up this Whipper Snapper image "Caught a Bug" I've had in my collection for quite some time now.

Isn't he so cute? I guess as cute as nasty virus type bugs could be!! I coloured the image with copics and then added glossy accents to the jar. I was able to use up some Basic Grey DP scraps from my scrap bin for the card base and printed the sentiment out on my computer. The ribbon was also from my stash and the pearls were coloured with copics to match. I love that you are able to colour them to match with copic markers, it's so perfect when you don't have the right colour to match :)

Anyways I hope nobody I know gets sick but if they do I'll be able to add this little mini card to a bunch of flowers and hopefully brighten their day! I hope you'll play along with our challenge this week! Remember you don't have to use all three items on the list (Birds, Bugs or Beasts) for your creation unless of course you want to! Have fun......

Critter Sketch Challenge #81 - Anything but a card

2011-09-05T06:00:00.000-04:00

It's time for Critter Sketch Challenge #81 and this month we are being sponsored by Stamp & Create which is a store that I LOVE!! They really do carry such a wide variety of stamps, embellishments, paper & so much more. For our challenge this week the DT was asked to create anything but a card.....Hmmmm so I created a box to hold all my cards:

I used paper from Kaisercraft to decorate my box along with these fabulous flowers, pearl flourishes and an image by The Greeting Farm's Miss Anya Dressy set. I figured that since I wasn't making a card I should make something to hold some of the many cards I've got piled on my desk :) I'm thinking this would be a great gift to give away full of cards for someone to use as needed! Can't wait to see your Anything but a card creation!

Paper Sundaes Challenge #85 - Lisa's Sketch

2011-09-04T06:00:00.005-04:00

I'm typing up my post and scheduling it early because I'm headed down to the cabin for the long weekend WOOHOO!! Can't wait!! After the last few weeks I've had I'm looking forward to getting away and relaxing. Maybe this time I'll remember my camera so I can post a few pictures when I get back.

It's time for our 85th Challenge over at Paper Sundaes and this week we have a fabulous sketch by our Sundae Girl DT member Lisa. I love this sketch:

And here's my take on it using this super cute image "Wally" from our sponsor this week Paper Make-up Stamps:

I coloured the image with copics and then paired it with this super cute paper sent to me from my SOS DT leader Carla. Love this paper, it's so pretty! The sentiment comes with the Wally image. I hope you will play along with us this week :) Don't forget to check out the super cute stamps over at PMS, they have the cutest fairies, kid-friendly monsters and wonderful sentiments too!

SOS Challenge #15 - Sassy, Snarky & LOL

2011-08-30T06:00:00.001-04:00

OK so I was a little out of my comfort zone with the latest challenge #15 over at Shopping our Stash which is: SASSY, SNARKY & LOL. Don't get me wrong I LOVE these type of cards but I just didn't have any images or couldn't thing of anything to fit the bill with this one. Thankfully Carla came to my rescue and sent me this image by Art Impressions called "Madge".

I coloured her with copics and then went searching on the computer for a fun sentiment and found "Therapy has taught me that it's all YOUR fault" from this site on Etsy. I thought it would be perfect for an I'm sorry card (in a snarky way) so that's what's on the inside.

Hhhhmmmmm now who could I give it to without them taking it the wrong way :) I'll have to hold on to it for the right occasion! I can't wait to see what you create for us over at SOS, I think I definitely need some more tips on these types of cards LOL!!

Paper Sundaes Challenge #84 - Celebrating Magnolia!

2011-08-28T06:00:00.001-04:00

It's time for Paper Sundaes Challenge #84 and it's another challenge which I absolutely love! We are celebrating our Maggies this week.....Magnolia Stamps that is!! Did you know that our fabulous sponsor Stamp & Create is now carrying Magnolia stamps in their store? You can check them all out HERE.
To help celebrate all of our Sundae Girls are using Magnolia stamps on their creations this week. I used this sweet Magnolia stamp "Tilda with Big Ribbon".

I coloured her with copics and then cut out and arranged my card using Bo Bunny Papers. I added this Princess sticker which I've had in my collection for awhile and some prima flowers. I also distressed a paper doily with Tim Holtz distress ink in Spun Sugar to match. A super sweet card which I'll most likely hold on to and give to my niece Katelyn at some point.

I will be entering my card into the following challenges:

Card Making Mama's - Pink

Truly Scrumptious - Rocked up Pink

Sweet Stampin - Strawberry, Chocolate & Cream

SOS Challenge #14 Red, Ribbon & Roses

2011-08-23T06:00:00.000-04:00

I had so much fun with Challenge #14 over at Shopping our Stash this week. The theme is Red, Ribbon, Roses (create something with any or all of these items). I managed to use all 3 but the ribbon is very hard to see (peeking out at the bottom of the image. I kind of covered it up with everything but it is there LOL!!

I think I had so much fun with this because I LOVE to colour these sweet little Tilda images by Magnolia and who doesn't love RED, RIBBON & ROSES? The rose I used was from my stash and it was nice to finally use it. It was a Prima flower I bought a long time ago when I was vacationing with my best friend and family up in Westbank BC. The paper I used was all from Stampin Up and the sentiment was from a Pure Innocence set that I had on hand.

I hope you'll play along with us at Shopping our Stash this week. Remember you can use any OR all of the items listed this week. Have fun!!

Christmas Penguin

2011-08-22T23:10:00.000-04:00

I've had this cute little gift card made up for a little while now using the image "Penguin Home" digital stamp by The Stamping Boutique.

I coloured the image with copics and then added some texture with my snow marker. The felt snowflake is one I've had in my stash for a while now & I think it's from Stampin Up. I love this image but really need to work on my colouring of white images. If anyone has any pointers on colouring in white would love to hear them!

Ooooh Christmas/Winter will be here before we know it!

Critter Sketch Challenge #79 - It's Sketch Time!

2011-08-22T06:00:00.001-04:00

Time for another Critter Sketch Challenge & we have a fabulous sketch to play with this week. It's a fun one so I hope you'll play along with us:

Our sponsor this month over at Critter Sketch is Jen's Digi Stamps and we got some fabulous images to play with all perfect for back to school. I chose to use the image "Zak - Reading". I really wanted to use the image "Teacher with Apple & Chalkboard" to create a back to school card but I wanted to make it for my son so I used the super cute Zak image and then drew the chalkboard in behind the image. All paper for my card was from a fabulous paper pack called "Grade School" by DCWV. I printed the back to school sentiment on my computer using the font Schoolhouse.

I added some star buttons from my stash to complete. I think it turned out just perfectly & I know my son will like it :) Can't wait to see what you come up with using this fabulous sketch!

Paper Sundaes Challege #83 - Time for a Sundae Bar!!

2011-08-21T06:00:00.001-04:00

I love it when the challenge over at Paper Sundaes is the Sundae Bar, allowing us to choose from a variety of toppings for our cards. The Sundae Bar this week includes: Buttons, Banners, Twine or the Colour Green. You must use at least 2 of the toppings to play along!! For my card I chose two toppings: Buttons & Green:

I used DP from Basic Grey's Capella line and sponged a piece of chipboard using Tim Holtz Distressing Ink in Bundled Sage & Forest Moss. I added some buttons from my stash & the sentiment is from an Amy R sentiment set. I stamped it in Black Memento ink & then used clear embossing powder on top.
Simon Says Stamp is our sponsor this week so be sure to play along for your chance to win a gift certificate to their store! Happy Sundae!!

Happy Birthday with TSB

2011-08-16T23:51:00.000-04:00

I recently made this card for my nephew Jordan's Birthday using the balloon image from The Stamping Boutiques Birthday Set:

I coloured the image with copics and used DP from my DCWV "Grade School" Paper Pad. The Happy Birthday sentiment was taken from the TSB Image "Princess Jennifer Latte - Happy Birthday to Me".
This image is so perfect for birthdays and I know I'll be using it tons more to make up some quick Birthday cards.

You are the Weakest Link - SOS Challenge #13

2011-08-16T06:00:00.004-04:00

OMG as soon as I read the title of our next challenge (#13) over at Shopping our Stash (SOS): The Weakest Link all I could think about was that game show that used to be on TV and the mean & nasty host of the show. Does anyone else remember that? For our challenge this week we want to see your weakest link meaning:

"Do you have the best intentions of not buying anything new but seem to always "fall" for a certain company release or item? Maybe you just have to have the Basic Grey paper pads or new Magnolia stamps, or maybe just can't resist buying a certain color supplies, or have to have more Wild Orchid Craft flowers ? Whatever it is, please use that and tells us what is your weakest link!"

My weakest link by far is Bo Bunny Paper.....I am always drawn to it & LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it!! I always buy multiple sheets & if I could afford to would buy every single line that came out. But being as we are trying to Shop our Stash I'm TRYING to use up what I have first. The Design Paper I used for my card is all from the Timepiece collection and if you look back in my blog you will see that I've used it in the past :)

I have much more of this DP so you will see it again!! I coloured this sweet little image that I received in a swap ages ago which is from the Lily & Billy Sweethearts collection from Pink Cat Studios. I figured it would make a super cute anniversary card or a card for a newly engaged couple! I am also newly addicted to liquid applique which I used on the edges of my scallop circle. I only have white, brown & black but if I can find it in other colours I just may not be able to control myself!! I hope you will play along with us this week so I can see what your weakest link is too!!

Paper Sundaes Challenge #82 - Just Say Hi!

2011-08-14T06:00:00.003-04:00

I stayed up way to late and should have done up my post earlier so I apologize beforehand if nothing makes sense & there are tons of spelling errors :)
It's time for another Paper Sundaes Challenge & it's a fun one "Just Say Hi"! We want to see your creations using this theme for the week and we have the fabulous Pink Cat Studios as our sponsor so you'll want to play along for your chance to win a great prize! For my card this week I pulled out an older image from the "Lily & Billy Sweethearts" Rubber Stamp set & coloured the image with my Prismacolours! It has been quite awhile since I used them so it was nice to pull them out again and give my copics a rest.

I used bits and pieces of scrap design paper for my card & the sentiment was typed up on my computer. I did use my copics to airbrush my flowers to match and even coloured my pearls with them too. I love that you can do that :)
Anyway's I'm off to bed to get my beauty rest!! Don't forget there's still time to enter our DT call over at Paper Sundaes. You can find all the details on how to enter HERE!

Critter Sketch DT Call

2011-08-13T03:08:00.000-04:00

Would you like to be a part of our Design Team over at Critter Sketch? If so, there is a DT call on now and you can check out all of the details on the Critter Sketch Blog! The term will run from October 3, 2011-January 30, 2012.

We hope you will apply to be apart of our design team!!

SOS Challenge #12 - Dogs, Digis or Denim

2011-08-09T06:00:00.000-04:00

I was so happy to hear that for our 12th Challenge over at Shopping Our Stash (SOS) we can use one or all 3 of the following for our cards: Dogs, Digis or Denim!! I had this super cute Whipper Snapper Designs stamp called "Sweet Sniffs of Spring" that I had never inked up before and couldn't wait to use it for this challenge!

I coloured him with copics and used DP from a paper pad I've had for years. I used some cute little paw print clips to hold the image in place, added some ric rac and a prima flower for my embellishments. The "Hello" sentiment is from an Amy R sentiment set I have. It sure is nice to be using papers, embellishments and stamps from my stash instead of rushing out to buy something new to play with. I hope you will join us and use up some of your stash too :)

I See a Birthday Coming......

2011-08-08T06:00:00.000-04:00

It's time for another challenge over at Critter Sketch this week and I have to admit that it was a tough one for me!! This week the theme for Challenge #77 is Carnival. Totally fun theme but I literally have no carnival images, paper or anything. So I put on my thinking cap & poured over all of my images from swaps, stamps I own and found an image of a fortune teller from Stamping Bella called "Predictabella" that I thought might kinda work. Sometimes they have fortune tellers at carnivals, right?

I coloured the image with copics and then added some glossy accents to the crystal ball. All paper is from scraps which I've happily been using alot of lately. I can't wait to see what you come up with for our Carnival theme this week.

We have a fabulous new sponsor this month: JEN'S DIGI STAMPS.

I will be entering my card into the following challenges:

Birthday Sundaes Challenge 21- Use a Birthday Sentiment
Craft Your Days Away Challenge 26 - Birthday Celebrations

Paper Sundaes Challenge #81 - Sketch Time!!

2011-08-07T06:00:00.001-04:00

I missed the last few weeks of challenges over at Paper Sundaes so it was nice to get back into my routine!! I missed my Sunday postings! I love the sketch that our very own Alica came up with for Paper Sundaes Challenge #81 and couldn't wait to use it. I especially LOVE that Tickled Pink Stamps is our sponsor this week as they are one of my very favourites at the moment and couldn't wait to play with one of their images!! Here's the sketch:

Here's my take on it using Tickled Pink's Lil Pinkette's Coraline

Isn't she cute? I coloured her with my copics and cut her out with nesties. I had a little cutting accident so that is why the sentiment is higher than it should be from the sketch. Oh well.....these things happen!!
I added some glitter to the cupcake for some sparkle. The polka dot DP is by Bo Bunny & the brown Happy Birthday DP is by Imaginisce. I sure wish I had bought more!! I hope you'll join us for our sketch challenge this week!!

I will be entering my card into the following challenges:
Stamp Something - Use a Digi
Party Time Tuesdays - It's all about Birthdays

Did you also know that Paper Sundaes is having a Design Team Call? If you'd love to be a part of this fun, friendly DT check out the details HERE!!

That's What Friends Are For!!

2011-08-02T06:00:00.000-04:00

I was definitely a little skeptical with this week's challenge over at Shopping our Stash (SOS). It's Challenge #11 and we called it "Vellum, Violet & Violins" which according to our fearless leader means:

"uncover your vellum paper, embelishments, or use the color violet or a floral image, or use something music related- think music notes, sheet music backgrounds, song lyrics, etc"

Being as I haven't really used vellum much in the past I was a little freaked out by it. I originally wanted to emboss it but only had one piece and didn't want to mess it up LOL! I went with printing part of the song lyrics to Dionne Warwicks "That's what friends are for" song on vellum.

I did find out that apparently you need a special adhesive to use with vellum. DEFINITELY noted for future vellum projects!! I used some paper that I had on hand from My Mind's Eye and added some of my flowers from Wild Orchid Crafts & Recollections and some punched out butterflies spritzed with Glimmer Mist. Definitely a simple card but just perfect for a good friend :)

I hope you will play along with us this week. REMEMBER.....you don't have to use all three options you can just pick one & play along if you like. It's that easy!

Sweet Baby Card

2011-07-27T21:32:00.000-04:00

I love this sweet little image called "Noah's Ark" by The Stamping Boutique. It remind me of sweet little things like babies so I decided to make a CAS baby card. I coloured the image with copics and paired it with some papers from my scrap pile. Boy is sure feels good to be using my scraps :)

I had this glittery yellow button that I've been wanting to use for a while and added a rub-on sentiment from Making Memories. It was a quick and easy card to make and now I have a baby card on hand. Now I just have to know someone having a baby, LOL. This may be in my stash for a little while longer :)

SOS Challenge #10 - Buttons, Blooms & Bananas

2011-07-26T06:00:00.001-04:00

It's time for our 10th Challenge over at SOS (Shopping our Stash)!! This week we want to see Buttons, Blooms or Bananas:

Let's gather up those odd buttons and blooms that have been waiting to be called into service! Do you have a button jar full of old or mismatched buttons or scads of paper flowers? How about coming up with a new way to use your buttons or blooms? If that doesn't do the trick for you, how about digging out any vegetable and/or fruit themed stamps, papers or embellies?

I went with Buttons & Blooms for my card and was able to use up some scraps & some felt flowers & buttons by Making Memories that I've had for quite some time. I do have to confess that I used a new digi image from Arty Pants Digital Stamps for the sentiment though! I LOVE this digi set too!!

The only thing was that I was wanting to distress the die cut with more red but the ink kept smudging so I left it. I think I needed to let the ink dry a bit longer. I'm just too impatient LOL!! Be sure to check out SOS and play along with us this week :)

Got Snow?

2011-07-25T23:36:00.000-04:00

OK so we aren't having much of a summer weather-wise here in Beautiful BC Canada so I figured I would make a winter card featuring this cute little image called "Chubby Snowman" from The Stamping Boutique.

I coloured him with copic markers and then used my snow marker to add a little bit of texture on his little hat and for the snow. I paired it up with paper from Fancy Pants Designs, added a couple of snowflakes using a Martha Stewart Punch and the Got Snow? sentiment is from another set I have which I think is a Kraftin Kimmies set. I love snowmen and this one is no exception he's just too cute!!

Critter Sketch Challenge #75 - Sketch Time

2011-07-25T06:00:00.001-04:00

It's time for another challenge over a Critter Sketch Challenge Blog and Challenge #75 is a sketch by our very own April:

Here's my take on it (I rotated the sketch):

I used some of my Bo Bunny Papers & my favourite colour PURPLE!! I coloured one of my favourite Sweet Pea images called "Time Flies" with copics and you can find her over at Stamp & Create our sponsor this month! I also added some purple flowers and purple glittery brads and cut a tag out using one of my Cuttlebug dies. The "Thanks" sentiment is a Making Memories rub-on that I've had for awhile.

I hope you'll check out Critter Sketch Blog & play along with our sketch this week!

Oh Baby!

2011-07-25T00:33:00.000-04:00

It's been awhile for me posting for The Stamping Boutique. This month has been a little crazy but I do have 4 projects on the go so you'll see some from me this next week. The first card I've been working on is using a Princess Jennifer Latte image by TSB called "Latte's for Two".

I coloured the image with copics and then cut out with one of my nestie dies. I paired it with this paper I've had for a while in my scrap bin and the sentiment is one that I picked up from Michaels $1.00 bargain bin. I actually stamped it with versamark watermark ink but it wasn't showing up too well so I added some clear embossing powder and heated it to make it stand out a little more.

I really need to do more embossing, I love the look of it and then maybe my embossing supplies won't feel so neglected :)

SOS Challenge #9 - Technique Turn Back

2011-07-19T06:00:00.000-04:00

Boy was I super excited when I found out about Challenge #9 at SOS (Shopping our Stash) Challenge Blog! It's called Technique Turn Back:

Challenge 9- July 19 Technique Turn back- do you have some supplies gathering dust for a special technique that you haven't used in awhile (or ever)? Perhaps some Dreamweaver stencils, quilling, alcohol inks, shaving cream backgrounds, brayer techniques, melted crayon backgrounds, microfine glitter and scor-tape, even coloring with a different medium than you usually use? Dust off those supplies and create something new! You aren't limited to those suggestions, but be sure to tell us what technique you are using.

I was excited because not only did I know which technique I was going to use but also because I couldn't wait to see what the other girls would come up with. They had some great ideas & I can't wait to try out some new techniques. For my card I decided to use the technique called "Glitter Masking with Outline Stickers" & HERE is the link to the tutorial I used.

The tutorial was really easy to follow & I've had the outline stickers for quite some time now as well as the glitter so it was nice to finally use them up. The hardest part of the whole thing was deciding which colours to put in each section! I really love the way it turned out & I kept the card fairly simple just pairing up with my Bo Bunny paper & adding a few sparkly rhinestone brads. I will definitely be doing more of these.

I will be entering my card into the following challenges:

PaperPlay Challenge Week 28 - Things w/ Wings

C.R.A.F.T. Challenge #111 - Butterflies

Sew Many Cards Challenge #60 - Glitter

Little Claires Challenge #11 - Things w/ Wings

I hope you'll play along with us at Shopping our Stash this week so I can learn a few techniques to try!

Paper Sundaes Challenge #78 - Christmas in July

2011-07-17T06:00:00.000-04:00

It's Christmas in July over at Paper Sundaes this week for our 78th Challenge! I love Christmas in July challenges because it means one less card I'm rushing to make when I leave it to the last second come the holiday season! This week we are being sponsored by our monthly sponsor Simon Says Stamp so be sure to play along for your chance to win a gift certificate to their store!

I coloured my Magnolia - Tilda Santa's Little Helper image with copics and then paired her up with papers from my Basic Grey Jovial 6x6 paper pad. I cut out the main image & the sentiment using Nestabilities Labels 4 dies and the Merry Christmas sentiment is from a Hero Arts set called "Holiday Cheer Messages". The felt pointsettias are also by Hero Arts and I distressed the edges of the image with Tim Holtz distress inks.

Now that I've started on Christmas cards all I can think about is Christmas baking YUM :)

SOS Challenge #8 Out with the old OR In with the New

2011-07-12T06:00:00.000-04:00

It's time for another fun Challenge over at Shopping our Stash Challenge Blog! For our 7th Challenge we've called it "Out with the Old - In with the New which means we want to see you:

Use your paper and/or embellishments that you have "saved" because it was special or find your oldest designer paper and use it OR break out your newest items and use them! Be sure to tell us what you are using in your post!

Sounds easy & fun, right? I mean who doesn't hoard their favourite line of DP or embellishments because they are just too pretty to use or because you are waiting for the perfect moment to use them. Well NOW IS THAT TIME!! If you saw my post on Sunday and saw the gardening journal I made you would know that I hoard tons of stuff and am finally letting loose and using it :)

For my card today I used some DP by Dream Street (Wonderland-Let it Snow line) that I've had for awhile.

I don't know what it is but I tend to hold on to Christmas paper and not use it. This pretty snowflake paper is one I've been holding onto for so long. I thought it worked perfectly with this super cute Magnolia "Snowman with Snowflake" image that I've had coloured for quite some time and never made into a card. I used some Snow Marker to add texture to the little guys hat, snowflake and snowbank and added a rhinestone in the snowflake centre for a little bling!

Now all I want to do is make Christmas cards or at least cute little cards with snowmen on them!! Can't wait to see what you come up with and what your favourite embellishments, papers etc to save are!

Critter Sketch Challenge #73 - A Sketch

2011-07-11T06:00:00.001-04:00

It's time for our 37th Challenge over at Critter Sketch Challenge Blog & this week it's a fabulous sketch by our very own Melanie Newby:

Here's my card:

I used this image I coloured with copic markers by Stamping Bella called "Cosmobella" which is available over at Stamp & Create who is our sponsor for the month of July over at Critter Sketch. I love this store because they carry so many great lines of stamps as well as many other supplies, embellishments etc. Be sure to check them out! For my card I used DP from Basic Grey's Lemonade collection & Bazill Cardstock. I used one of my souffle pens to add some shine to her martini & added some misc ribbon & a Making Memories sentiment I've had for ages.

Can't wait to see what you come up with using our sketch :)

Find Your Happy Place to Plant & Bloom

2011-07-10T14:41:00.001-04:00

I purchased this fabulous digi image by Michelle Perkett Studios ages ago because I love the sentiment and think the image is fantastic!! At the time I purchased it I always new I wanted to use it for a gardening journal or journal of some sort so when I saw that the challenge over at the Michelle Perkett Challenge Blog was "Anything but a Card" I jumped at the chance to make my journal:

I used a blank journal that I had picked up in a bargain bin at Michaels awhile back and thought that the image would work perfectly with the Basic Grey Green at Heart design paper I've been hoarding. I don't know why I do that.....I mean I bought it to use it, right?? I mean WHO DOES THAT??? I can't be the only one :)

I coloured this fantastic image called "Mary, Mary" with copics and then added some Making Memories Buttons and binder clips to use as page markers. The pretty flower is by Petaloo. I think this will make the perfect gift for a gardener I know :)

Will also be entering in the following challenges:
-Phindy's Place Challenge #63 Buttons
-Charisma Cardz Challenge 27 - All about Flowers
-Paper Take Weekly - Anything goes with option of buttons

Enjoy the rest of your weekend. I'm just getting over the flu and still don't feel 100% so I'm off to go back to bed for awhile. Check back tomorrow for the latest Critter Sketch Challenge!

Paper Sundaes Challenge #77 Paper Piecing

2011-07-10T06:00:00.002-04:00

It feels like forever since I've posted, it's been a crazy couple of weeks for me. This won't be a super long post as I've got the flu and feel horrible so I'm headed back to bed shortly. I love our Paper Sundaes Challenge #77 theme of paper piecing and I love using this technique on Heather Ellis images!! I seriously want all of her images, they are just too darn cute. Heather Ellis also happens to be our sponsor this week over at Paper Sundaes so be sure to play along for your chance to win a fabulous prize!!

Here's my card for this week:

I used a digi image Pure Innocence #23, not sure if it has another name but that is how it is listed on the Etsy site! I coloured the image with copics and then paper pieced her dress using the Bo Bunny polka dotted paper to match the background. I'm not sure the manufacturer of the flower DP since I pulled it from my scrap pile. I used a SU photo corner punch, ribbon & pearls to complete it.

Be sure to check out Paper Sundaes as the Sundae Girls have some fabulous paper pieced creations for you!!

TSB - A Note of Thanks

2011-06-29T22:49:00.000-04:00

I've had this TSB (The Stamping Boutique) digi image "Plant" for awhile now and finally got a chance to use it as I wanted to make another Thank you card to have on hand.

I coloured the image with copics and then cut out with nesties. All DP was from Basic Grey's Lemonade collection. I love this line due to all the fabulous colours! I added some ribbon, buttons and liquid applique (love this stuff) around the image and the sentiment was one from a Hero Arts "From the Heart Greetings" set. The border punch used on the bottom is a SU punch.

I was inspired to make my card based on the pinks, cream/white with a hint of green in the following photo over at Papercraft Star and will be entering it into their current photo inspiration challenge:

I will also be entering it into Crafty Creation's Challenge #125 to create a Thank You card.

Remember if you create a card/project using an image from The Stamping Boutique you can enter it into our monthly contest in order to win FREE TSB images!

MORE EXCITING NEWS!!! TSB IS HAVING A BLOG HOP THIS WEEKEND SO BE SURE TO CHECK IT OUT HERE!

SOS Challenge #6 - Scrap Attack

2011-06-28T06:00:00.000-04:00

I love that I'm a part of the design team with the talented girls over at SOS (Shopping our Stash) Challenge Blog. I'm amazed at all the inspiration I get from seeing what everyone come up with each week using their stash of supplies. This week's challenge "Scrap Attack" is a fantastic one:

Use only scraps for your project - (card base or similiar "base" ok to use new) but use some of the scraps- paper, ribbons, the odd single embellishment, etc OR recycle something- redo a former card, use something that was intended for a different purpose- ribbon from a package, coffee cup sleeve, corrugated paper, button from a shirt, etc.

This should be easy, right?? I know I have an accordion file full of scrap papers so I'm sure you do to!

Here's my card for this week:

I managed to use scraps from Basic Grey's Green at Heart line, Bo Bunny's Vicki B paper pad & I think the other one is from My Minds Eye and is probably one of my oldest scraps. The ribbon was from a drawer full of little cut scraps of ribbon that I've been hanging on to. Even this image was one I got in a swap so long ago and hadn't had a chance to colour so it was nice to finally use it!

I can't wait to see what you come up with using your scraps!

Critter Sketch Challenge #71 - A Recipe!!

2011-06-27T06:00:00.000-04:00

This week over at Critter Sketch it's one of my favourite type of challenges, a Recipe Challenge! That's right....we want to see the following:

2 different colours of cardstock
1 prima or paper flower
1 image
1 sentiment

That is pretty easy so I expect you to play along!! I used a Gorguss Girl image "Just a Girl" for my card. I had this image coloured for awhile so it was nice to finally use on a card. I used pink & blue cardstock, a small paper flower in her hair and added a "Miss You" sentiment to complete. I added a couple of extras (ribbon & pearls) too!

Our sponsor this month is StampFairy.com and if you play along you have a chance to win a $9.00 gift certificate to their store! I can't wait to see what you come up with!

Have a great week everyone! It's only a 4 day week here in Canada and I'm going away for awhile after that so here's hoping the week passes quickly :)

Paper Sundaes Challenge #75 Sundae Bar

2011-06-26T06:00:00.001-04:00

We've opened up the Sundae Bar again over at Paper Sundaes for Challenge #75. This week we would like to see you create something using 2 or more of the following: Gems, Purple (my favourite colour), Paper Piercing or Wings. Sounds fun, right? For my card I used Purple & lots of it, wings (on my image) and one gem (in the centre of the flower).

I used one of my favourite fairy images called "Angelica" from the Wags & Whiskers Fairy Line over at Stamp & Create who also happens to be our sponsor for this week. This store is amazing, and carries so many great lines you'll be sure to find something you ~~want~~ NEED!!

I coloured my image with copics, added some sparkle using my spica pens & paired up with DP from Bo Bunny. I can't wait to see what you come up with using our fabulous Sundae Bar toppings!

Got Sunshine??

2011-06-22T22:18:00.000-04:00

So I honestly think I made this card for myself.....things haven't been going the greatest lately so I made this and will leave it on my crafting table so I have something bright & cheery to look at and make me smile. I love this fabulous digi "Sunshine" sentiment made by Tracey from The Stamping Boutique and wanted to use it as the main focus of my card:

Something cute, quick & simple which is perfect to have on hand. Did you know that we have alot of new digi images over at TSB? You can check them all out in our What's New section!!

SOS Challenge #5 - Tools of the Trade

2011-06-21T06:00:00.002-04:00

I can't believe it's already our 5th challenge over at Shopping our Stash Challenge (SOS) Blog! We've had so many fun challenges already and I'm using up so many of my neglected supplies which I LOVE!!
This week our challenge is called TOOLS OF THE TRADE:

Use some of those tools we bought but don't use often.. could be your eyelet setter, circle cutter, decorative scissors, fastenator, tiny attacher, cropodile or maybe you have an embossing folder that has not yet been used or has been neglected- use it and post what you used in your blog post.

I use my Cuttlebug often to cut Nesties and use it to emboss on occasion but my go-to embossing folder always seems to be my swiss dots one & I have tons that I don't EVER use (I KNOW....shame on me, LOL)!! I needed to make a card for my Dad for Father's Day and he's not really a card kind of guy so I kept it really simple:

I used my neglected star embossing folder to create this background and then distressed with Tim Holtz Walnut Stain distress ink. I added some Tim Holtz Chipboard letters that I distressed with the same ink & added some chocolate brown pearls in the top corner. I can't wait to see what you come up with when you play along this week!! Isn't it great we are all using our neglected supplies?

My card will be entered into the following challenges:

Little Red Wagon #85 - For Dad

Craft Us Crazy Challenge #10 - Father's Day/Masculine

Do You Stack Up (DYSU) Challenge #24 - Use a Star

Paper Sundaes Challenge #74 - Easel Card

2011-06-19T06:00:00.002-04:00

Happy Sundae!! I had so much fun making my card for Paper Sundaes Challenge #74 - Easel Cards! I made a circle easel card for the first time ever and it was so much fun! I will definitely be making these again.

I cut the base out of Bazill Cardstock using my Scallop Nesties and put the card together. All DP was by Bo Bunny and the copic coloured image is Tilda with Balloon by Magnolia. I added some glossy accents to her balloon after colouring it with my spica glitter pen but the sparkle doesn't show up too well in my photo. I added some liquid applique to the scallops, added some pink ribbon & pink flowers to complete the top portion. For the bottom I added some different pink ribbon, a Happy Birthday sentiment stamped on some chipboard and some pearl brads holding it together. I will probably give this to by best friend for her birthday in August if she doesn't see it on my blog before then :)

I hope you will play along with us this week and show us your easel cards for your chance to win a gift certificate from our monthly sponsor Simon Says Stamp!

My card will be entered into the following challenges:
Simon Says Stamp - Let's Play Bingo (I used Flowers, brads, sentiment but realized it will also fit the shape, ribbon & sentiment line too!
Your Next Stamp Challenge #44 - Seeing Shapes (Shaped Cards)

SOS Challenge #4 - Stampin Up Silver Snowflakes

2011-06-14T06:00:00.000-04:00

It's time for another challenge over at Shopping our Stash (SOS) and our 4th challenge is titled appropriately SOS!! This means we would like to see the following:

Any combination or one of the follow categories:

S- any products from companies that start with S - Stampin' Up, Stampavie, SEI, etc.
O-ocean or nautical, seashore, underwater creatures, etc.
S-things that start with an S like seashells, silver, seam binding ribbon, scoring, silly, stripes, seagulls stitching, etc.

For my card this week I kept it all really simple and I think this is the first time in well over a year that I didn't have an image I had to colour on my card!

I know it's a Christmas card & it's only June but I need to get a head start & it fit this challenge for me :)

I started with white Stampin Up cardstock that I received in a swap from a friend that had embossed snowflakes on it. The embossing folder is a Stampin up folder. I then sponged silver ink over the whole card and added some silver rhinestone brads. The sentiment "Season's Greetings" is from the SU set called Many Merry Messages. I hope that is enough things that start with the letter "S". This was super easy to make and I think may be my Christmas card for this year!!

I hope you'll play along with us over SOS this week and see what other SOS themed projects the DT came up with!!

Critter Sketch Challenge #69 I Love Chocolate!!

2011-06-13T06:00:00.000-04:00

For Critter Sketch Challenge #69 the theme is I Love Chocolate (use the colour brown) and we are being sponsored by Stamp Fairy! I used one of the fabulous freebies from their website here called Oscar for my card!

I coloured the image with copics and used up some scrap paper from my scrap bin so I'm not sure of the manufacturer. The flower brads I've had for quite a while and never used but the colours worked perfect for this card. The sentiment is from another stamp set and the ribbon is also some scraps left over! I've decided that he is a cute little chocolate bear :)

Hope you play along and have fun with our I love Chocolate (use the colour brown) challenge this week!!

Paper Sundaes Challenge #73 Girly Girl

2011-06-12T06:00:00.001-04:00

Happy Sundae!! For Paper Sundaes Challenge #73 this week we are asking you to show us your girly girl cards! Our sponsor this week is My Favorite Things (MFT) and they carry such adorable images perfect for girly girl cards! I used a stamp by Pure Innocence from the Because You're Special set available at MFT & a fabulous lacy die-namics die also from MFT:

I coloured her with copics & all paper is from my Bo Bunny Vicki Pad except for the polka dot paper which is by Bo Bunny but is called Tutu Dot. I cut the sentiment out from the DP as well and added this cute little flower button which I've had for a while. I love these sweet little images and want to get all of them now :)

I hope you'll play along with our Girly Girl challenge this week!!

Bright & Cheery Thank You!!

2011-06-08T23:51:00.000-04:00

It's been a really long week for me & it's only Wednesday so I decided to make something bright and cheery to brighten my mood. I used this digi image called "Coeopsis" from The Stamping Boutique to make my card:

I figure you can never have too many Thank You cards on hand. This image was coloured with copics and I used cardstock & DP from my neverending scrap pile. The Thanks sentiment stamps was picked up from Michaels $1 stamp bin quite some time ago. The button has also been in my stash for a very long time. I have so many buttons & really need to start using them more.

I'm off to make lunches for tomorrow and head to bed! Here's hoping the rest of this week goes by quickly :)

SOS Challenge #3 - UFO Sightings!!

2011-06-07T06:00:00.002-04:00

I LOVE the title for our Challenge #3 over at Shopping Our Stash (SOS) Challenge Blog!! We've called it UFO (Unfinished Objects) Sightings from Area 51 AKA your craft room!! That's right.....we want you to dig deep and pull out those unfinished projects and get them done!! Now when I first heard about this challenge I thought....WOW I don't have any unfinished projects but then Carla, our fabulous leader said what about images you pulled out and haven't coloured or images that were coloured that you hadn't made anything with? That's when the big lightbulb came on :) I have a box full of images I coloured over a year and a half ago when I first got my copics and was in a mad colouring craze but wasn't really making things. I pulled out this super cute Whipper Snapper image called "Baseball Brandon" and made this super sweet card for my son Tyler:

The other great thing about this card was I used all scraps (paper is an old Daisy Buckets Designs) and embellishments from my stash! WOO HOO!! Super simple card and super cute too! I can't wait to see your unfinished projects this week so be sure to play along with us in the Shopping Your Stash Challenge! Our design team has some pretty fabulous projects to show you this week too!

I will be entering my card into the following challenge:

Fussy & Fancy Friday - Card for a Man or Boy

Paper Sundaes Challenge #72 - Let's Get Sentimental!!

2011-06-05T06:00:00.005-04:00

Happy Sundae!! I love Sunday because it means its time for another challenge over at Paper Sundaes! This week we have a fabulous sponsor Whiff of Joy and our challenge theme is "Let's get Sentimental"! Super easy, right? All you need to do is make a card/creation and add a sentiment or make the sentiment the focal point on your card. Since Whiff of Joy is our sponsor I decided to break my promise on not purchasing any new stamps/supplies for awhile and purchased this cute digital image called "Prima Ballerina Nora". I love that Whiff of Joy now has Digi images, it was something new I learned and they only cost 2,50 Euro!

Isn't Nora so adorable? She was coloured with my copics of course & cut out using some of my nestie dies that I don't think I've ever used!! I'm on a big "using my scraps" kick since I have tons and I think it is from a My Minds Eye Totally Girl paper pad. I distressed the edges with burnt umber ink and added two strips of ribbon also from my scraps, a few brads (which of course I couldn't centre if my life depended on it) and this fabulous sentiment which I found as part of a set called I Hope You Dance over at Create with TLC. They have some great sentiments and images listed there!

I will be entering my card into the following challenges:

Card Making Mama's - Use your scraps (my entry #2)

Stamp Something - Use digi image (both the main image & sentiment are digi)

Simply Scrapping Ribbon & Lace - Marie Antoinette

2011-06-04T11:54:00.000-04:00

The Stamping Boutique is sponsoring a challenge over at Simply Scrapping Crafts and the Challenge is ribbon and/or lace. I decided to colour up the new TSB image called Marie Antoinette. There is alot more detail on the image but I just wanted Marie for my card so I cut her out once she was coloured with copics. Isn't she just beautiful? She would be perfect for vintage cards too!

I used this fabulous paper from my Bo Bunny Gabrielle Paper pad and added some dew drops, a velvet ribbon and some lace (which I airbrushed with my copics to mats), a flower by recollections and a corner die from Sizzix. Definitely a fun card to make! If you make any creations using TSB images don't forget to enter it in the monthly contest here for your chance to win some free images! Did you also know that TSB now has it's own challenges? You can check them out here!

The Stamping Boutique One Stop Blog Hop

2011-06-04T11:25:00.001-04:00

Happy Saturday! Today The Stamping Boutique is having a One Stop Blog Hop! Be sure to hop on over here and check it out, it's only one stop and there are lovely creations to be seen!

SOS Challenge #2 - Oldies But Goodies

2011-05-31T06:00:00.001-04:00

It's time for our 2nd Challenge over at Shopping our Stash Weekly Challenge Blog and this week it's another fun challenge titled "Oldies but Goodies". We are asking you to dig deep into your stash and find the oldest stamp or digi that you have or your oldest supplies and show us what you come up with using them! As soon as I heard about this challenge I knew right away which stamp I would use. It's an old (dated 1993) PSX stamp called Vine & Rose Heart. I actually used it on my wedding invitations back in 1999. Sadly my marriage only lasted 10 years but I still have the stamp because I love it. The funny thing is I haven't used it since then so I'm really digging deep into my stash! Here's my card using it:

I also used scraps from my scrap bin on this card (sorry don't recall manufacturer) plus some ribbon and pearls from my stash! No new supplies used.....how's that for shopping my stash? I hope you will play along with us this week I'd love to see what oldies but goodies you have in your collection! Be sure to check out SOS to see the other creations by our talented design team.

I will be entering my card into the following challenges:

Card Makin Mommma's Challenge #21 - Use your scraps

Sew Many Cards - Circles

My Mum's Craft Stop Challenges #7 - Fave Colours (pink & brown....I love them)

Critter Sketch Challenge #71 - A Sketch by April Lower

2011-05-30T06:00:00.001-04:00

It's time for another challenge over at The Critter Sketch Challenge Blog #71 - and it's a sketch by our very own April Lower!

The twist is to add some bling!! I used the sketch as inspiration for my card and since I used all Glitter Paper that is my added bling:

The image is from our monthly sponsor Wags n' Whiskers and is called Magical Friends.
It was coloured with copics and I added cotton candy stickles to her wings and shoes. I hope you will play along with our sketch this week. Looking forward to see what you come up with :)

Paper Sundaes Challenge #71 - Vintage/Shabby Chic

2011-05-29T06:00:00.006-04:00

I'm so excited about this weeks Paper Sundaes Challenge #71 - Vintage/Shabby Chic!! Normally I absolutely dread vintage challenges and steer far, far away from them but not this week! I was determined to ROCK this challenge & I totally think I did. I studied the cards made by the awesome DT over at Tickled Pink Stamps (our sponsor this week) because they rock vintage like nobody I've ever seen and got to work. You can check our their work over at the Tickled Pink Challenge Blog. It took me forever to make this but I love it:

The fabulous image by Tickled Pink Stamps is called 30's Lylah, isn't she just gorgeous? I coloured her with copics and added glossy accents to her eyes to make them shine. All paper used on my card was by Bo Bunny, except for the flourish & leaf dies which were by K&Company which were distressed with Tim Holtz Distress inks. The flowers are by Petaloo but the cream colour one was also distressed with TH ink. All the butterflies and the border punch were from Martha Stewart punches. The clock was cut from the Bo Bunny Paper as well and I used Tim Holtz Crackle medium on it. I have 3 different ribbons as well and some sewing and folded and distressed paper but there are so many layers I'm not sure if you can see it. I think I should have entered it in some kind of PILE IT ON Challenge :)

I'm so in love with Vintage now!!

I will be entering my card into the following challenges:

Tickled Pink Challenge #21 - Use 3 (or More DP) I think I've got that one covered LOL

Craft Your Passion Challenge #59 - Let it All Hang Out (have something hanging over the edge)

House of Gilli Challenge - Flowers

Truly Scrumptious Challenge #57 - Anything Goes

Going Grey with Scrap Creations - Use at least 3 DP

Wags n' Whiskers - Stitching

Desert Islands Crafts Challenge #8 - Use 3 or more items from the itinerary (I chose pattern paper, ribbon, image, punch/die cut & flowers)

Be sure to check out the other Sundae Girls creations over at Paper Sundaes and play along for your chance to win a fabulous prize from Tickled Pink Stamps!

To Cheer You

2011-05-28T00:33:00.000-04:00

I'm so glad this week is finally over and it's the weekend!! Even though it was a short week for us here in Canada due to Victoria Day it felt extra long to me. I needed something bright and cheery to make me smile so I decided to make a card with this fabulous whimsical image from The Stamping Boutique called "Dilly-Dally". How can you not be happy when colouring a fun image like this one?

The image was coloured with copics and then mounted on top of a nesties lacey squares die. I added a couple of brads and a sentiment I've had for ages and kept it simple. I LOVE this image!! You still have time to enter the Monthly Challenge over at The Stamping Boutique Challenge Blog for your chance to win some free TSB images!!

Shopping Our Stash (SOS) Challenge #1 Ribbon Rewind!!

2011-05-24T06:00:00.000-04:00

I'm super excited because today is the day that Shopping our Stash (SOS) Challenge Blog celebrates our first ever challenge!!! Now the whole idea behind our blog is to use items from your stash of supplies!! I LOVE this because it means I'm using stuff I already have rather than rushing out to buy more stuff that I don't really need. For Challenge #1 we are calling it Ribbon Rewind and we would like you to pull out your oldest ribbon, or use the colour of ribbon you have the most of or even show us a new technique that you wouldn't normally use for your ribbon. Sounds fun right? For my card I attempted to make a ribbon blossom from this SCS tutorial using some of my ribbon stash in pinks & browns (all old and colours I have the most of).

I used 4 different ribbons for my flower! The paper I used for my card is by Bo Bunny and the large flower I added is by Prima. I coloured my Magnolia Birthday Tilda image with copics and then cut out using my nesties. Other supplies used: Fiskars Border punch, Magnolia Happy Birthday Sentiment.

Be sure to check out the SOS Challenge Blog to see the other DT creations they are FABULOUS!! There are all kinds of different projects, not just cards!! There is also a fabulous link under our RESOURCES tab for you to get some ideas on how to use your ribbon. I hope you will play along with us this week and a big THANK YOU to all the participants in our Show Us Your Stash 2 week Open House Kick-off!! It was great to see your crafting spaces!!

Delight in Spring - TSB

2011-05-23T13:34:00.000-04:00

Oh how I wish spring would arrive and bring with it some nice warm weather for a change!! We had two really nice days of sun and then back to rain!! I guess that is a normal spring for us here in BC but it seems like forever since I've seen the sun for more than a day or two :(

I coloured up this image by The Stamping Boutique called Picket Fence because it reminds me of Spring and brought a touch of spring into my day!! I love all the flowers and those little butterflies!!

I kept everything fairly simple and just coloured this amazing digi with copics, added some ribbon & a Making Memories Ribbon charm I've had for a REALLY long time!

I hope you are enjoying beautiful spring-like weather and if you are PLEASE send some of it my way :)

The Stamping Boutique (TSB) I was featured!!!

2011-05-23T13:08:00.000-04:00

I'm so excited to announce that I was featured in the The Stamping Boutique's most recent newsletter issue! Did you know that you get a free image in every issue of the TSB newsletter? All you need to do is sign up and once a month you get your newsletter & a free image. How great is that? This month the free image was Emo Quote and I made this card using it:

Now I know when you hear the word Emo you think dark colours but I wanted to lighten it up! I used lighter copic colours paired with paper from Bo Bunny and added some flowers by Mulberry Street and some pearls. Cute right?

To sign up for the newsletter you need to go HERE!! Don't miss out on the next one. You can hear about all the upcoming TSB events, learn new tips/tricks and don't forget your free image in every issue!!