All Aboard for the Stampendous! Shaped Cards Challenge!

Yup!  It's Saturday and that means we have more Stampendous! Challenge inspiration for you!  This month we have been having a BLAST with shaped cards and today is no exception!  I had a ton of fun with my card for today!  I used the Railroad Poster stamp (comes in wood or cling and is available at Michael's stores), along with some Tarnished Mica Fragments and fabulous Aged Gold embossing enamel from Stampendous! to create my card.




I cut the ticket shape with the Art Philosophy cartridge on Sally the Cricut. The sentiment is a fabulous stamp from SRM Press!




I love how the aged embossing enamel fit with the image so well! I also brought in some May Arts burlap string and some super fabulous vintage buttons! I love vintage buttons. Just say'n.




The strip of patterned paper is October Afternoon and the tissue tape is from Tim Holtz. I also made use of my Tiny Attacher to add a few little staple accents.




I've got to be honest. I kind of love this card. It's not a style I do all the time, but when I do I always enjoy the process! This one was WAY fun!

Are you ready to see even more shaped inspiration from my teammates? Here is a list of the Stampendous team members and special friends playing along today:

Stampendous! Impressions
Jennifer Ingle (That's me!)
Kristine Reynolds
Lea Kimmel
Melinda Gleissner
Pam Hornschu
Taylor Usry
Wendy Jordan

We want YOU to play along with us!  Just add your direct link to your shaped card or project to the linky tool below my signature (or on the Stampendous blog) no later than April 5, 2012 at 11:00 PM EST.  You do not have to use Stampendous products to play along, but we sure love it when you do!  And as an extra incentive for playing, one lucky person (drawn at random from all the entries) will receive this gorgeous Cling Jumbo Hollyhock Stamp Set:

Due to shipping restrictions, the winner must have a US address.  We hope you get a chance to play along with us - happy crafting!

Seriously...could this bunny be any more adorable? I think not. Just say'n.

No. For reals. Even The Hubbums said that this was a GREAT bunny when I showed him this card. It is just TOO CUTE!!! He comes from the amazingly adorable Spring set from Unity. I love him. Just say'n.



And...even better...this card is made entirely from my scrap bin! Yup! The only 'new' sheet is the card base, and actually, that was even the 'other half' left after making another card! I love using scraps in strips to create a washi tape style look and it was just too perfect to also use a simple scrap to create a loop to balance out the design! I stamped the image on a scrap of white stamping paper that had come from the remains of a piece used in the Grand Calibur and then stamped it again on a scrap of pink to create the pieced heart. YAY! I love using scraps! That's why I'm entering this card in the Paper Scraps Challenge in the Moxie Fab World!



I usually fussy cut around my images, but for this one I decided to go with more of a halo cut so that I could be sure to include the grass and the light outline I had given the bunny. I really like this look...it's different and will only work with some images, but I think it worked out well for this card. It's fun to do things differently sometimes!

Don't forget to check out my other post for today! It's pretty fun!

Thanks for stopping by and don't forget to leave a comment! I do so love your comments! They make my day happy and I rather like being happy. Just say'n.

In other news...we are going to see Chris Botti tonight. I'm kind of looking forward to it! Should be fun! Have any of you seen him live? Well, that's all for today!

Jingle Out!

P.S. I know Blogger is throwing an error for some when you try to comment. If you would like to say something and can't do it here, feel free to leave a comment on my Facebook Page!

I'm Reel Glad! Skipping Stones Design Feature Friday!

I have a fun card to share with you for my turn over at Skipping Stones Design to present the Feature Friday! I pulled out the SUPER FUN Holy Carp set for this one! I paper pieced the image and cut around it to create the circle in the front of the card. I layered the back with patterned paper and mounted part of the sentiment on the inside of the card with some cute twine from The Twinery!



I had SO much fun creating this cute card! The Happy Birthday sentiment is a sticker from SRM Press.



I colored the parts that aren't pieced with Tombow markers. This is really a super fun set for Father's Day, along with lots of other fabulous occasions!

So...yeah...that's that! LOL! I hope you have a super fabulous Friday! I'll be back in a few minutes with another super fun card!

Hello, Ladybug!

Challenges. I want to do more of them. It can be hard to fit them in between DT assignments and everything else, but the truth of the matter is, I love them and I want to do them for ME! So...today, I present to you a challenge card! YAY!

I decided to go with the Take Three Challenge over at Less is More for this one. I love clean and simple cards, you guys know that, and the thought of combining three challenges in ONE clean and simple card is just TOO much fun to pass up! So...here is my card!



ACK! Is that ladybug not just the cutest EVER???? He is a Stampendous! stamp and he comes in both wood and cling! I know the wood is available at Michael's, too, so a great way to use that coupon! The sentiment comes from the fabulous Happy Messages Perfectly Clear Stamp Set (also available at Michael's and online). This is one of my favorite sentiment sets! The fonts are nice, clean, and perfect! I colored him with Tombow markers and added just a touch of extra red by punching circles from a scrap of cardstock and adhering them with my Xyron X.



The three challenges I pulled from LIM are the #47 Just One Word Challenge, the #55 Punches or Die Cuts challenge, and the #56 Don't Scrap It challenge. My one word sentiment, five, simple punched circles, and the scrap used to punch them from came together in a super fun little CAS card! Love that!

I have to tell you...I'm a little surprised that it is only Thursday today. I mean...shouldn't we have hit Friday by now? HA! Oh, well, tomorrow shall come. In the meantime, I think I shall sip my tea and attempt to have a productive day. OH! If you get a chance head on over to the May Arts blog! We have partnered with Sweet Stamp Shop and there are lots of fun projects and giveaways including my own set of three cards! Check them out!

Happy Thursday, folks!

Jingle Out!

Rusty Metal is ALWAYS A Fun Thing to Play With. Just Say'n. {WOYWW}

This is the final week for the Retro Cafe Art sponsorship over at Gingersnap Creations! The challenges are ALL still open, so be sure to check them out because the prizes seriously ROCK!!!! The final challenge is the Color challenge: Rust, Ginger, Copper! They do this one every year and the projects are always fabulous! I decided to step out of the paper arena and pulled out some rusty metal bits I've been collecting from the side of the road and other random places for some time now. I brought them together along with a fabulous Frozen Charlotte doll head and some pretty paper flowers from Retro Cafe Art Gallery!

Meet, Michaela Rose!



I used a cork as the main portion of her body and built that up with the metal spring, a flattened copper fitting, and several other fabulous bits and bobs! She was really quite fun to create! She even has a couple of vintage buttons hiding as her neck!



I particularly love the piece that became her arms. I did ZERO alteration on that piece! It was bent just like that when I found it! TOTALLY perfect for arms! I love it when stuff like that happens! I hope you like Michaela Rose.

As for my desk, well, now that is a tornado of Scrapbook Circle goodness at the moment! The brand new Daydreamer kit is live and available and I've been LOVING IT! OH! You also see my new Tiny Attacher there! I got it for free with an AC Moore rewards certificate combined with a 55% off coupon! Actually, the attacher plus the pack of staples cost me 22 cents after the certificate! HA! I know I'm late to the game on this little tool - I tried to convince myself for over a year that I didn't need it...it's really just a stapler...but, alas, I really do love fancy fun staplers, so...NOW I HAVE ONE!!!! YAY! It will live happily next to my CTMH stapler that rotates to whatever direction I need! SO FUN!



YAY! I love happy paper! Look at all those beautiful bright colors! Oh...in case you are curious, Scrapbook Circle does ship internationally, so if you want to check out the kit you can find it here! For more WOYWW posts check out Julia's fabulous blog!

Jingle out!

A new Sketch Challenge and we are just HOPPY about it! HAHAHA!!!!

It's funny. Just admit it. Okay, maybe not THAT funny, but still! The point remains, however, that today we have a BRAND NEW sketch challenge over at Skipping Stones AND it is a fun one! The sketch really is so easy to use and allows you to totally be creative with it! AND...if you play along and link up your project over at Skipping Stones you could win a FREE set of SSD stamps! TOTALLY cool! Here is the card I created with the sketch for this week:



I'm not really a 'scene stamper' per say, but I have it a shot with this one. I know it isn't a full scene, but it has the flowers and the grass and the clouds and the hoppy bunny and such...that's scene-like, right? Right. K. Thanks. Anyway...it was a challenge for me to do that, but I think it turned out kinda cute in the end!



I used the adorable Grey Hares set for this one! This is a great set because it works for Easter, birthdays, and more! Perfect for spring, that's for sure! AND...it's just flipp'n CUTE!

Speaking of spring...remember how I told you that random bushes in our yard were BURSTING into bloom....well, it was in the teens last night, so that's not happening this week, BUT...the one little bush in the middle of two others that burst into bloom decided to wait until later to bloom, that is, except for this one tiny flower. Just one. All by itself on a great big forsythia bush. It caught me. I love it. It makes me smile. It refused to be photographed. No...for reals. I couldn't get a shot to save my life, but, alas, The Hubbums stepped in and worked some magic and, well, here you go....



A Solitary Smile of Spring

Jingle Out.

Lots of Color with Scrapbook Circle!

It is time to reveal the brand new April kit from Scrapbook Circle!  I am IN.  LOVE.  Just say'n.  We are talking Amy Tangerine from American Crafts, fabulousness from Heidi Swapp's new lines, and touches from Jillibean Soup, too!  HOLY FUN, BATMAN!  Here is one of the first cards I was able to make with the kit!



K.  So, have you seen the Day Glow collection by Heidi Swapp??  Yup.  Totally crazy neon colors and they are SO FUN!  And...even better...they come with a warning on the package...Neon accents should only be used in small quantities!  HA!  I love that there is a warning!  Too funny!  And the Color Magic stickers are SO COOL!  I used distress inks on these to create the sentiment.  LOVE THAT!



I was so excited about this one that I actually bought the add-on kit to go with it!  It comes with a 6x6 Amy Tangerine pad, so that alone pretty much had me sold!  LOL!  The Color Magic banners come in the main kit, and the color magic letters are in the add-on.  BOTH are fabulous kits!!!!  Here are some sneaks of the main kit for you!  It will go live on the Scrapbook Circle site sometime today!  YAY!

Isn't the color just FABULOUS???!!! I think so. I love it! Color is totally fun. Just say'n. Wanna know what else is fun? Having pink hair. I know, because as of yesterday, I actually HAVE pink hair. Yup. Totally. At least that is bound to make Monday a bit more interesting! YAY! I hope you have a super fabulous day!

Jingle Out.

Easter Blessings - Stampendous! Shaped Cards Challenge!

Have you checked out the new challenge with the Stampendous team this month?  Each Saturday in March, we'll be challenging ourselves (and you!) to make a shaped card or project - something other than the traditional square or rectangular card. Doesn't that sound like fun?



Here is the card that I created for this week!




I used Sally the Cricut to cut the shape and the overlay and then stamped in the background and paper pieced the eggs into the nest. I used the fabulous Nest Egg Perfectly Clear Stamp Set! I LOVE this gorgeous stamp set! Perfect for spring! And the sentiment is a fun one from SRM Press. The ribbon is May Arts yumminess! I accented the nest and eggs with the Powder Blue Colored Fragments and some wonderful silver Glass Glitter.






Ready to see even more shaped inspiration from my teammates? Here is a list of the Stampendous team members and special friends playing along today:

Stampendous Impressions

Pam Hornschu

Wendy Jordan

Janelle Stollfus

Tenia Nelson

Wendy Price

Jennifer Ingle

We want YOU to play along with us!  Just add your direct link to your shaped card or project to the linky tool below my signature (or on the Stampendous blog) no later than April 5, 2012 at 11:00 PM EST.  You do not have to use Stampendous products to play along, but we sure love it when you do!  And as an extra incentive for playing, one lucky person (drawn at random from all the entries) will receive this gorgeous Cling Jumbo Hollyhock Stamp Set:

Due to shipping restrictions, the winner must have a US address.  We hope you get a chance to play along with us - happy crafting!

Happy Spring!

Another beautiful day is upon us here in Massachusetts!  We noticed, upon arriving home yesterday, that yet another bush in front of the house burst into bloom over the course of the work day!  That's kind of crazy and way fun, if you ask me...brown in the morning when you leave and then FULL of flowers when you get home! HA!  I hope the cooler temps coming next week don't kill them all!

I received a fun bag of random stamps from Unity yesterday so I decided to use a couple of those for a quick FWF Friday card celebrating Spring!





I used the Happy Spring sentiment from the Spring set.  I just colored the words with watercolor crayons, spritzed them, and then stamped them so I would only have the words and not the frame for this one.  Love that!  The little scene is from ...well, I have no idea what set it is from.  I've searched the site and come up with precisely nothing, so...if you happen to know what set it is from, I'd LOVE to hear it!  LOL!  It's colored with watercolor crayons/pencils and mounted on DCWV chalkboard cardstock die cut with a Spellbinders die.





That gorgeous ribbon is, of course, May Arts.  So...there you have it.  I little card to celebrate spring!  I know some areas aren't seeing the fabulous weather quite yet, but I'm sure you will soon!  It's coming, my friends!  Unless you live in Australia or New Zealand, which I know a couple of you do....I'm sorry to say that you are looking forward to fall/winter.  But..hopefully it's a good one!

I also wanted to mention that I have a fun Home Decor project up on the Scrapbook Circle blog today!  I'd love for you to stop by and check it out!

Jingle Out!

Pretty Flowers Make Me Smile....and Sneeze. Just say'n.

Well, since the weather has taken this beautiful turn it seems that plants are responding quite quickly! We have three forsythia bushes one one side of our carport. They were just twigs as of Tuesday night. Last night, upon arriving home after a dinner out with friends, I saw that two of the three had decided it was time to bloom and suddenly had all kinds of flowers on them! Totally fast and totally random! I also noticed several lovely pink trees throughout the city that have popped into bloom! It's really quite wonderful! Except that I'm allergic to most of the stuff that comes alive this time of year, but so far, so good. I'm okay with that. HA! The card I have to share with you today has pretty flowers just JUMPING off of it!




ACK! So fun! I created this card using the Scrapbook Circle Best. Day. Ever. kit! O.M.G. This kit was so much fun! I was actually surprised, as I wasn't sure about it at first, but once I got my hands on it I LOVED the projects that came out of it!




AND...this one came from a fun sketch over at Scrapbook Circle! You still have time to participate in the Sketch Challenge if you would like! Complete a card by 3/30 and email it to Diana and your card will be featured on the Scrapbook Circle blog! Check it all out here!


QUESTION TIME!

Now I have a question for you guys. Would you prefer I give instructions for my cards here in each post or do you just use them as inspiration to do your own thing? Or...do you not need instructions because really you just keep coming back to see the train wreck? HA!!! I kid, I kid! But, really....would you like to have card instructions? Would that be a useful feature for you? What else would you like to see here on my blog? Really. I'd love to have your opinions! Thanks!

Attention Readers: The Jelly Bean Stash Has Been Replenished. Just say'n. {WOYWW}

*Whew!* I know some of you were worried about that, so I wanted to get that important news bulletin out right away. We simply MUST focus on the most important things sometimes, don't you think? K? K. Thanks. Moving on....

It's What's on Your Workspace Wednesday and I am quite pleased to report that I cleaned up my desk before diving into a couple of last minute Stamping Royalty submissions the other day. Then I messed it all up again. Then I picked it up again. Then I found out last night that I need to have two cards made, supplies listed, and the whole shebang in the mail very quickly, and took out a bunch of stuff again. The following photo is somewhere in the middle of all that. Just say'n.



By 'in the middle' I really mean 'toward the end' of all that. I did actually START the card last night after taking this photo due to a sudden 30 minute (or so) opportunity to craft. Take 'em when you get 'em, right? Right. K. Thanks. Bye.

NOOOOO!!! Not bye, sillies! I have a project to share with you, too, of course!!! As I've mentioned, Retro Cafe Art is sponsoring Gingersnap Creations this month and this week's challenge is pretty fab! You can create ANYTHING inspired by the last century! I decided to go with LATE last century. As in the 1980's-ish. You know, back when TV's were small and consoles and, well, kind of cooler than they are now with their big fancy flatness and such.



I KNOW, RIGHT???!!!! Yup. You can totally get that little tv shrine at Retro Cafe Art. I'll wait. Oh...before you go, you may need to stock up on Stickles, too, because I created the entire test pattern out of fabulous glitter glue. K. Now you can go check it all out. I'll wait. For reals, this time. Just say'n.



Oh! One more thing! Okay...well, two more, actually....you are also going to want the fabulous Tim Holtz beaded chain and jump rings to make your awesome tv into a necklace. K? K. Just say'n.

Other than that, you are pretty much set! I'm going to assume you already have distress ink to color it because you are a cool kid like that.

Soooo....what have YOU been up to? Make anything cool lately? Well, now is the time, my friends! Check out what the Gingers have created inspired by the last century and then create something FABULOUS!!!

K. I'm going to keep eating my jelly beans now. Jelly beans make me happy. And mildly hyper. OH! Nope! It's actually the amazing 80+ degree weather that's making me both happy and hyper!!! LOVING IT!!!!! K. Back to the beans. See you folks later!

Jingle Out.

Plume Portrait - Stampendous! Giveaway and a Fascination With Feathers!

***This is my second post of the day. To check out my Skipping Stones Design sketch challenge card, click HERE! Thanks! ***

Do you love pretty stamps? Well, in that case, I have a giveaway you simply MUST know about! Paper Crafts Magazine is giving away a BEAUTIFUL Plume Portrait stamp from Stampendous! on their Facebook Page! AND...since Stampendous! just so happens to rather like Paper Crafts...and Stampendous! Stamps...and YOU...they are ALSO giving away a few of this stamp over on the Stampendous! blog! Seriously, folks...it doesn't get much better than this...basically, you have a WHOLE bunch of chances to win this STUNNING stamp!!!

What stamp is it? Well, the Plume Portrait stamp, that is!!!



Isn't she just stunning? I love her! I combined her with some fun Stampendous! embossing enamels, a gorgeous peacock feather and some fabulous May Arts ribbon!



So...here's the deal... you need to comment ON the Paper Crafts Magazine Facebook Page post for your chance to win. ALSO...be sure to comment on the Stampendous! blog for another chance to win! Seriously, you guys...this is just pretty much awesome. Just say'n.



AND...I am also entering this one in the Moxie Fab World Fascination with Feathers Challenge! I LOVE this peacock feather!!!

Circles, Circles, Circles! A new Skipping Stones Design sketch and I'm lovin' it!

Hello, my dear friends! I wanted to take a minute to welcome my newest followers! I've noticed a few new faces popping in over the last few weeks and I am so excited that you are here! I do hope you stick around and leave comments and stuff so I can come visit your blogs and such! YAY! And, now I have some fun stuff for today!

We have a brand new sketch over at Skipping Stones Design this week and it is a fun one! I really enjoyed playing with this one! Here is my card!



I used the Grunge and the Garden Kiss stamp sets for the circles and then pulled the sentiment from Sentiment Frames.



We would LOVE to have you play along with us this week! You don't have to use SSD stamps to play in our sketch challenges, just follow the sketch and link it up to the challenge post over on the blog! You could win a free set of stamps, as one random winner is drawn every week!

Come back later today for an EXCITING chance to win a GORGEOUS stamp!!!

Poppin' by to say Hi!

Just a super quick card post for you today! This one is done with The Alley Way Stamps, which, I recently discovered and I LOVE THEM! SUCH cuteness!



This was a submission card that I made awhile ago, and it wasn't chosen, so I get to share it with you!!! YAY! I paper pieced the toaster and added the adorable little heart for just a bit of cuteness! *LOVE!*

I just love the adorable faces you can put on these fun images!!!

Anyway, that's all for today! I hope you have a super fantastic Monday!

Love You More!!!

So, the other day I got a bunch of AWESOME goodies in the mail from My Mind's Eye and I couldn't WAIT to dive into them! Then, just yesterday, I saw that Paige over at the Create Blog is challenging us to create vintage floral inspired cards. So, with that, I decided to use some of the fun goodies to create a Love You More card!



I used the Family Dynamix set from Unity for this one along with a May Arts velvet ric rac and a few pearls from Creative Imaginations. Everything else is My Mind's Eye!



I, my dear friends, am SO excited that today is Friday! We are going to see Recycled Percussion tonight, and that should be way fun and then we have the weekend to ourselves! YAY!!! I hope you have a fabulous weekend planned!



P.S. I'm out of Jelly Beans. That's a little sad, but I'm working through it.

Jingle Out.

The Ides of March Are Upon Us, My Friends

Can I tell you a secret? I'm scared to death of the month of March. I actually DO beware the Ides of March. You see, over the last decade or so...about every other year around the Ides of March I have had a car 'incident' of some kind. Accidents. I hate them. Last year it was a little late...it happened on April 1st instead and was one of the worst ones yet. Oh, yeah...like THAT is much better! HA! Thus, I am always quite aware of the Ides and their arrival. I can almost hear the soothsayer who warned Julius Ceasar offering the same to me. So, I'm not a big fan of March, but I do love the coming of Spring, so I just focus on that part! AND...with that, I have a couple of things to share with you today!



Retro Cafe Art is sponsoring over at Gingersnaps Creations this month and this week's challenge is to use BORDER PUNCHES!!!



I layered several strips of a wide border punched strip across the Masonite ATC Base and then covered the Arch with patterned paper and added that to the base along with another border punched border, some twine to serve as grass, and then the Chocolate Bunny cut out!



The adorable little German Cotton Spun Mushrooms were the PERFECT accent to finish it off! You should check out the challenge! The prize is AWESOME!!!!

AND...I'm also excited to be the Guest Islander (I don't know what they call them, so I'm going with that! HA!) over at Desert Islands Crafts Challenge! Are you familiar with this challenge site? If not you MUST check it out! It is SO much fun! There is an Itinerary created and you create your card based on the items on the Itinerary! It's cute, creative, and super fun! You can check out the Itinerary I created over on the blog. I managed to hit 8 out of the 10 items on my list ALL on one card! LOL! (Don't worry...you only have to hit three!)



ACK!!!! It's an attack of Critter Cuteness!!!!! HAHAHAHA!!!! I crack myself up. I really really do. Just say'n. ANYWAY....it's a super fun itinerary and you totally should participate because all the cool kids are doing it. For reals. HA!



That, and what in the WORLD would posses you to skip out on something that could potentially lead to the co-mingling of gnomes, puppies, and monkeys with mustaches? I mean, REALLY, here people. Just say'n.

SO...yeaaaaah. That's that. Oh...and to the person who asked what color Jelly Bean I would be...the answer is red. Because EVERYBODY loves the red ones! YAY!!!! (If you don't like the red ones, just keep that to yourself so this lovely bubble of mine doesn't burst, K? K. Thanks. Bye now.)

HA!!!!

That's all.

Jingle Out.

A Tweet New Card and WOYWW!

*Ugh!* That has seriously got to be one of the worst puns out there, but alas, I still used it. These things just happen. What do you want me to do about it? I was born this way. HA! Annnnyway..... I DO actually have a super fun card to show you. I got to play with the brand new SUPER CUTE Mini Bird Brads from the Eyelet Outlet, along with the new dies I recently bought for a GREAT deal AND some pretty ribbon from May Arts!



ACK!!! I just love the tiny bird!!!! Seriously. You have no idea how big of a smile those little things can produce until you have held one in your hand. They are SOOO CUTE!!!!!



AND...I have another super cute card going up on the Eyelet Outlet blog today, so you should maybe stop by there to check out THREE super fun cards that I made. Just say'n. I think you will like them. I hope so, anyway, because if you don't I might cry. K. Moving on....

MY DESK IS A MESS!!!!!! Last weekend was submission crunch time. Hmmm...can you tell? HA!



I will have to clean it up before working this coming weekend, but in the meantime, I'll have to deal since my work time during the week is much more limited and I just get straight to it. I do have some shrink plastic circles there that have been stamped and are ready to be shrunk! I haven't made a final decision on what the end product will be quite yet, but it will be done tonight!

You can also see my new Imaginisce Ribbon Cutter. It's kind of neat. Still working with it, but it seems pretty handy. The tissue paper is from the birthday gift I wrapped for my sister. I *might* have bought a bright blue gift bag and fun colored tissue to coordinate with the outfit I wore to her birthday dinner. Maybe. I might have done that. Just say'n. (It was SOOOO CUTE! HA!)

Other than that, there is just a hubbub of insanity! Lots of paper, tools, lists, etc. I love this hobby. I really really really really really love it. I just do.

K. So that's all for today, as I can already feel a horrible case of the rambles starting up. I am TELLING you...it's the jelly beans. I did do a new workout this morning and spent 10 minutes on abs...let's just say I am QUITE aware of each and every one of those ten minutes. That's a good thing, right? Right. K. Thanks. Bye now.

Jingle Out.

For reals this time.

OH! For more WOYWW posts check out Julia's blog! K. Now I'm really leaving. I'm totally out for the day. I promise.