Stampendous! & Clear Scraps Blog Hop Time!!!

Yes, today I have a super fun blog hop for you!  The Stampendous! team and the Clear Scraps team have come together to show you some awesome projects using some awesome products!  And...not only that, but we have some AWESOME prizes for you!  Head on over to the Stampendous! blog for the full details!

I had a ton of fun creating my project for this hop! I used one of the fabulous acrylic albums from Clear Scarps and stamped on it with a soon-to-be-released Stampendous! stamp called Halloween Magic! What I love is that this totally isn't a Halloween project! She is a super versatile stamp and SO FABULOUS!




SO FUN! I stamped her with StazOn ink by Tsukineko and colored her with...wait for it..Sharpies. LOL! Her hat is heat embossed with Stampendous Aged Rose Embossing Enamel and I added lots of fun glitter and Mica Fragments, as well!





The Webster's Pages Girl Land Collection Kit made it easy to put together papers and embellishments! Now...I don't want to keep you because you are TOTALLY going to want to see the rest of the projects! Here's the full hop list!


Stampendous Impressions

Clear Scraps

Jennifer Dove Bonner

Taylor Usry

Cyndi Bundy

Kristine Reynolds

Steph Lee (Arty Carty)

Pam Hornschu

Janelle Stollfus

Suzanne Czosek

April Derrick

Wendy Jordan

Lynn Mercurio

Wendy Price

Melinda Gleissner

Jennifer Ingle

Susie Moore

Krissy Fossmeyer

Tenia Nelson
Leadonna Kimmel

Friday. A day to Smile!

Well, here we are.  Paper Crafts Gallery Idol results day.  The FINAL results.  Yup.  As of noon my time today we will know who has won and it will all be over.  Let me tell you, seriously, you guys...this has been AMAZING!  I have been overwhelmed to the point of tears with your support!  HAPPY tears, that is!  LOL!  You guys have got me through this, not only with your votes, but also with your sweet words of encouragement all along the way!  We totally did this together and I wish I could send you all flowers!  LOL!  You deserve them!  Or chocolate, or...well, something!  HA!  So, in honor of the contest, I thought it would be fitting to post an encouragement card today.  You know...go out the way it all started!




Things I love about this card:
#1.  I made it JUST FOR FUN!
#2.  The colors make me WAYYYY HAPPY!!!!!
#3.  It says exactly what it needs to say.

Today is a day to smile!  Win or not, I already feel as though I have won by making it all the way to the Top 5.  I have wonderful new friendships with the other 19 girls that were in this competition because of this, I have closer relationships with a lot of you, and I'm getting a whole bunch of prizes!  HAHAHA!  So, it's really that simple.  I'm TOTALLY SMILING today!  Just say'n.




I used Frames in the House from Unity Stamp Co. for this card.  I love that set!  The pretty tapes are Love My Tapes and the rhinestones are Queen and Company.  The cardstock is Stampin' Up! and the inks are CTMH (love how they match so well even though they are totally different manufacturers!  YAY!)

So, tell me...what are YOU smiling about today?  In case you don't have anything yet...I'll leave you with one of my Laffy Taffy jokes from last night.  Because those are the BESTEST JOKES IN THE WORLD.  Just say'n.

So...How do you count cows?



....wait for it...


...With a COWculator!  HAHAHAHA!!!!!

Have a happy day!

Jingle Out!

Want A Hug? How About 8 at Once?

My dear friend, Taylor, has put together a fabulous new sketch challenge over on the Gourmet Rubber Stamps blog today!  I simply HAD to play along!

I used the super adorable Merry Marine set for my card!  Don't you just want to hug that stinking cute octopus?  HA!  I paper pieced him and added some super fun eye brads from the Eyelet Outlet!  LOVE THOSE!

And...I have a friend who needs a hug this week, so I think I will send this one off to her!  As for YOU, well, you know what you should do...head on over to Gourmet Rubber Stamps and make an awesome card using this sketch below and show it off!!!!  We love to see your stuff!

Jingle Out!

Stampendous! and Clear Scraps Together? SURE!

Just a quick LAST reminder!  The voting ends at 2pm Eastern Time today!  This is it, folks, the LAST day I will be asking for your votes!  LOL!  I know you have got to be a little tired of it by now!  I can't thank you all enough for the incredible show of support!  I have the besetest  friends EVER!!!!  Thank you!!!!  (Oh!  And if you haven't seen the video, check out my original Round 5 post!  It's fun!)






Now, onto the fun for today!  Stampendous! and Clear Scraps have come together for an awesome collaboration!

Today I have a fun card to share with you and on Saturday we will have a BIG blog hop and I have an album to share with you then!  LOTS of fun stuff!!!!






For my card I stamped the Peacock Feather image in VersaMark and then chalked the image in a variety of colors.  I was surprised at how well this worked on the acrylic!  On the front of the card, I stamped the sentiment and the Feather Points image on the front of the card with StazOn Opaque White.  HUGE thanks to Tsukineko for providing the inks for this project! They are fabulous!






I love how stamping on the different layers creates depth on the card!  So fun!  I attached the front pieces to the back with washi tape and added a few pearls to embellish!






Now, be sure to leave a comment because Stampendous! and Clear Scraps have GREAT prizes for you!

Prize Package includes (we have 3 to give away):
2 – Send It Clear Cards (no choice of style)  - http://www.clearscraps.com/category_s/69.htm
1 - Sassy Mixable 8 X 8 Album - http://www.clearscraps.com/product_p/csmxsassy.htm
1  - additional Clear Scraps product (varies)
3 – Tsukineko Sponge Daubers - http://www.tsukineko.com/store/cart.php?m=product_detail&skip=&p=3236
1 – pkg Imagine Crafts Ink Blushers - http://www.tsukineko.com/new.php
1 – colored StazOn ink pad (no color choice) - http://www.tsukineko.com/store/cart.php?m=product_list&c=25
1 – opaque StazOn ink pad (no color choice) - http://www.tsukineko.com/store/cart.php?m=product_list&c=25
A selection of Stampendous Cling Rubber, Perfectly Clear Stamps and Class A’Peel Stickers (selection varies)


And here is how you can win:

• Comment on the Stampendous!  blog - all week  -  we'll choose one winner from the Mon - Fri Comments
• Check out Stampendous! on Facebook! We'll keep our ClearScraps collaboration posts at the top. Click SHARE and share them on your wall. We'll draw a winner from all the folks who SHARE our posts this week (through Saturday's hop)
• Comment on the Blog Hop!  Saturday will be our big Blog Hop - comment on the blogs and we'll enter you once for each comment!

Here are the other links to visit today! 

Stampendous Impressions – http://www.stampendousblog.wordpress.com/

Clear Scraps http://clearscraps.typepad.com/

Wendy Price - http://paperinkandsmiles.blogspot.com/

Rita http://letsembellish.blogspot.com/

Melinda Gleissner - http://mynoteworthycards.blogspot.com/

Jennifer Ingle (Jingle) - http://justjingle.blogspot.com/

Taylor Usry - http://taylorusry.blogspot.com/

Jingle out!

WOYWW and a Video of my Gear Card

***This is my third post for today. To see my Alley Way sneak (it's pretty darned cute! Just say'n.) check out this post, to see my Simon Says Challenge, scroll down one.***




Wow! It's Wednesday and it is a BUSY one! LOL! First of all, today is the last FULL day (voting closes at noon mountain time tomorrow) for you to vote for the FINAL round of Gallery Idol! I would LOVE your votes! Many of you asked for a video of the card in motion, so I have included that here as well as adding it to the original post!




I simply went back and forth because I was balancing the camera, holding the card steady, and moving the gears all at once...all while trying to not make you sea sick! LOL! You can see how cute the flickering candles look, though! I love it! Hee-hee!

As for my workspace, well, this was, as you know, the final Gallery Idol card.... so.... it had to be done, my friends. It HAD to be done.



I KNOW? RIGHT! It's craziness! CRAZINESS, I tell you!!! LOL! I had to clean it off, though. I'm strongly considering a rather substantial purge, actually...I need to cut down on 'stuff!' but I'm not good at it, so I'm not sure how to force myself to do it! LOL! I think I want to narrow it down to like 2/3 of what I currently have. Just the thought scares the crud out of me! LOL!

Well, that's my workspace for today, nice and clean! YAY! Honestly, it felt SO good, but it was like going through a scrapbook of the past month! LOL! I kept finding bits and bobs and thinking, "oh....that was from that fun card...." LOL! It was quite the adventure!

Thanks for stopping by and thanks to ALL who have and are voting! Remember, your spouse can vote, your kids can vote, your grandparents can vote, your dog can even vote! HAHAHA! (Just kidding...sort of. HA!) No, for reals, though, you guys...the outpouring of support for this competition has been amazing and I so could not have made it this far without you! Thank you all SO MUCH!

Jingle Out!

For more workspace madness, check out Julia's blog!

Simon Says Stamp Challenge: Olympic/Patriotic Inspiration!

***Just a quick note: If you haven't already, I would SO appreciate your vote for Paper Crafts Gallery Idol! Click on the widget below to vote! Thank you SO MUCH for your support!***




We have a brand new challenge for you over at the Simon Says Stamp Challenge Blog!

We are creating cards this week with the Summer Olympics in mind! The challenge is to create a project a sporty or a Patriotic theme! YAY! Of course, there is a fabulous prize being offered by Simon Says Stamp, so you will want to join in the fun!!!





I created this fun patriotic card using the fabulous Seeing Spots Cuttlebug folder and the Hero Arts Hooray stamp set for Studio Calico. I LOVE these stamps!





One winner will receive a $50 voucher to Simon Says Stamp!

So head on over to the Simon Says Challenge Blog and link up YOUR sporty or patriotic card!

Snake, Rattle, and Roll! Behind the Alley Way Preview Day 2

It's DAY 2 of the sneak peeks for the brand new July sets from The Alley Way Stamps! I have a super fun card to share with you today! This one uses the brand new Tropic Topic set and it's WAY FUN!!!



ACK! Cuteness! I know, some of you probably aren't terribly fond of snakes, but for REALS, you guys? How could you not love those sweet little eyes! The brads are from the Eyelet Outlet and way fun! I paper pieced the snake from the Tropic Topic set with Echo Park papers and then stamped the sentiment below. LOVE!



I am linking this cutie up to the Paper Piecing challenge over at Less is More! YAY!

Don't forget to head on over to the Alley Way Stamps blog to check out the sneaks the other girls have created! It's CUTENESS!!!

Please remember to vote for my card in the Paper Crafts Gallery Idol Competition, as well, if you haven't already! Thank you SO MUCH for your support!!!

Good Times!

That's what I've been having my friends! Good Times! Seriously, though, this whole Gallery Idol thing has been amazing! If you haven't seen the post with my working gear card, check out the links in the notes above! You won't want to miss this! To vote, click on the widget below or on the top right of my blog (if you are in a reader you will need to click through to see it). Your support has been overwhelming! I can't thank you all enough!



NOW...onto that Good Times card! We have a brand new sketch challenge up for you over at Skipping Stones Design! We are also featuring the Margarita Birthday set, which just so happens to be wicked crazy fun. Just say'n.



YAY for Margaritas and awesome 70's colors! LOL! Seriously, I don't know how I landed on green and woodgrain, but I'm not gonna lie...I kinda love it! HA!



The tape is from Love My Tapes and the twine is from both The Twinery and Whisker Graphics. I hope you head on over to Skipping Stones and check out what the rest of the team has created!

Don't forget to vote!

Jingle!

Behind the Alley Blog Hop Time!!!

Please see my Gallery Idol post below!  Here is the widget to vote!  Thank you SO MUCH for your support!





We are kicking off the July release with the Behind the Alley Blog Hop! Over the next four days the Design Team from The Alley Way will be showcasing some super cute sneak peeks of the new stamps AND you will have a chance to WIN FREE STAMPS! How could that possibly be bad? I mean, really???!!!!

Today I have a super fun card that I created using the brand new Fa-La-La set!




I had some fun using the stamps to create my letters! A bit of glitter adds the perfect sparkle!

Now onto what you REALLY want to know...How do you WIN? Your next stop on the hop is Laurel! Be sure to leave a comment!!!

Who doesn't love free stamps?? Here are some things you can do for a chance to win one of the new sets. THREE people will win! 

1-Comment on The Alley Way Stamps Blog  

2-Comment on the DT girls blogs (below)

3-Comment on the taws posts for the next 4 weekdays

4-Post about it on facebook or your blog

5-Like The Alley Way Stamps on Facebook

( you can pick and choose which ones you want to do.. but the more you comment the better chance you have to win)   You have until June 30th to leave comments.

HERE ARE THE DT BLOGS TO VISIT

• Alison 
• Annette 
• Arielle
• Barb 
• Danielle
• Jingle
• Laurel 
• Lyndal
• Marcy Schwarz

I am linking my card to the All That Glitters challenge at Hooded on Craft Challenges, the Anything Goes With Sentiment Challenge at Paper Playtime and the Red, White, and ? challenge at Totally Stampalicious.

Gearing Up for Gallery Idol Round 5!

Wow! I'm honestly still in shock to be posting this card today! LOL! I simply cannot thank you all enough for the incredible, amazing support you have provided. There is going to be a giveaway after all of this insanity is done, that is for sure! You have all been so encouraging, supportive, and just pretty much awesome. Just say'n. K. Enough gushing, let's get on to the card!!! YAY!!!!



This week for Paper Crafts Gallery Idol Round 5 (The FINAL ROUND!!!) we had to create interactive birthday cards. What a fun challenge! I decided to create some fun gears for my card that really work!




You can see the card has four gears on it...they created with layers of paper that I cut with Sally the Cricut! I cut a few different shapes and then altered them to turn them into gears. I colored the top layers with markers and accented them with Tim Holtz gears. Making Memories brads secure the gears in place and allow them to move freely, as well!




You can see the tiny little crank on the bottom gear in this photo. That is a brad with a strip of paper wrapped around it and covered with embossing enamel. You can also see how the gears fit into one another in this shot! It's SO FUN!!!!




The candles are paper pieced onto the thought bubble and then I cut out the flames so the twine covered gear beneath it could be seen. As you crank the gears, the flames flickr with yellow, orange, and red twine! SO FUN!




This little man is paper pieced! He is SUCH A CUTE LITTLE BOY!!! ACK! I just love him! Just say'n. I used papers from Echo Park, Pink Paislee, and October Afternoon along with a couple of Tombow markers to make him come to life. The ruler paper is from My Mind's Eye. All of the stamps used on this card are Stampendous! I use the adorable Gears Kiddo set, the Guys and Gears set, and the Party Invite set!




Here you can see, again, how the gears work with one another. You can also see the twine gear beneath the thought bubble!

Seriously, though, you guys...this card was SO MUCH FUN to create! It was a lot of trial and error to get it to work, but now that I see it done and working, it is just too cool! Just a really fun card! I hope that you love it and I would be honored to have your vote! Click on the widget at the top or bottom of this post or at the top right of my blog to head on over to vote. If you have voted previously, simply login with your username and password, if you are voting for the first time, please register and confirm your registration via the email they send you and then vote! Thank you SO MUCH!!!! You guys got me this far, now let's see what happens next!!!! Thank you!

ETA: Here is a video of the gears moving. I've added this after several requests, however, my videography skills are lacking (is that even a word??? LOL!) so I just went back and forth with the gears to show you the motion, as I had to balance the camera, hold the card in place, and move the gears all while attempting to not make you sea sick! LOL! You can see the cute flicker, though, and it's SUPER FUN! Just say'n.






Jingle Out!

Fireworks, Flowers - they are pretty much the same thing, right?

We have a brand new challenge for you up over at Gourmet Rubber Stamps! This is a SUPER fun one, too!!! The challenge is to use a stamp in a way it was not originally intended! YAY! FUN!!!! You KNOW you want to try this challenge! It's the kind of thing you see other people doing all the time and then you think to yourself, "MAN! That was a good idea! Why didn't I think of that?" Well, now it's YOUR TURN to think of that!



For my card I decided to pull out the Happy Independence set and the Bloom and Grow set from Gourmet Rubber Stamps. I used the fireworks as the flowers in my jar! They were the perfect size and I simply colored them with watercolor crayons, spritzed them with water, and stamped them onto my card! A bit of shimmering splatter made for a fun background. I coated the jar with liquid glass, too!



It was kind of funny, actually...I had a hard time with this challenge. I found that odd, considering I regularly use stamps in odd ways, but for some reason when someone told me to do it - it became difficult! LOL! But, it was super fun to start combing through my images and finding fun new ways to use them! I hope you play along!

This is my first of two posts today. At 2pm Eastern Time you will see my FINAL card for the Paper Crafts Gallery Idol competition!!! This is the last round! I'm so excited! Don't forget to check back for that one!

Easy, Breezy Summer Days with Stampendous!

Okay...ummm...so....WOW!!! I was absolutely THRILLED and super excited to see the Paper Crafts Gallery Idol Top 5 announced early this morning! I cannot thank you all enough for your amazing support! This is it, folks! The last round! On Monday I will show you my final card for the competition and ask for your votes this one last time! I am still in shock that my name is up there! This is all because of each and every one of you and I simply cannot thank you all to the extent to which it is deserved! You are amazing! Thank you! I am beyond honored at this point!


Well, here in New England it's been quite SUMMERY the last few days. If, of course, by 'summery' you mean a million gagillion degrees outside and hazy and humid! Yup! I kinda love it! Nope. I'm not even being sarcastic on that one! LOL! I love warm weather. Even 90+ degree hot weather with lots and lots 'o humidity. I just would rather be warm than cold any day! Actually, my A.C. doesn't work in my car right now and I drive a fifty mile commute and I've even been handling THAT like a charm!

So..what does this have to do with anything, well, the Stampendous! Challenge this month is all about SUMMER! We want to see your spectacular summer creations! AND...if you link up your creation, you could win some spectacular Stampendous! goodness! *sigh* I {heart} spectacular Stampendous! goodness. Just say'n.



*Sigh* Easy, Breezy, summer days! That's how this card makes me feel! YAY! Less 95 degrees and humid, more 75-80, clear, and dry! Oh, how I love days like that!

I used the Frilly Bird Cage stamp along with the vines from the Encouraging Words Perfectly Clear Stamp Set. The cages are embossed in white and a pretty teal embossing enamel. I did the vines with the wonderful Crystal Embossing enamel. I LOVE how it shimmers! To finish the card off, I stamped the simple sentiment from the Happy Messages set! YAY!



Well, I will be spending the day preparing to be a bridesmaid in a friend's wedding this afternoon. Yup...long, formal gown in purple...'cause that's what brides do to people! LOL! And...the good news is...It's only supposed to be 90ish or so today, and, I'm not sure, but I'm fairly confident that the church is not air conditioned. Awesome. LOL! The good news is that I lover both of them to death and I'm wicked excited for them AND the reception is gonna ROCK!!! We are going to have so much fun! YAY for friends getting married!!!! Okay...see you all later....

...Jingle Out!

Can you eat birthday cupcakes on a bicycle built for two?

Just a quick note: Voting for Paper Crafts Gallery Idol Round 4 ends today at noon Mountain Time! Click on the widget at the top right of my blog to vote if you haven't already! Thank you all SO VERY much for your support!!! You guys are amazing! Just say'n.

Now...onto those cupcakes and such! So...I'm curious...do you think it's possible? Surely it is. I mean, one could find a way to eat cupcakes ANYWHERE, right? Right. K. Glad we got that settled.



So.... why are we talking about cupcakes? Because of this fun PINK cardness, that's why! Tami Mayberry is hosting a super fun challenge over at Stamp TV! We are playing with PINK! And not just any pinks, nope. BRIGHT PINK! You don't have to use Gina K. stamps to win a prize, but if you do, you get put into the drawing twice! You should probably check it out. Just say'n.



The stamps on this card are all from Tami Mayberry's Ticket Trio set. This set comes in clear OR red rubber! You pick! YAY! I heat embossed the cupcakes with Stampendous! White Embossing Enamel. I love that stuff. Just say'n. The hollyhock cardstock and ink are both CTMH.

As for a bicycle built for two, well...



Yup. I've totally got that! YAY! This one is made with the fabulous Sealed With a Kiss set from Gourmet Rubber Stamps! I am head over heels in LOVE with this stamp set. Just say'n. I combined the bicycle with the frame from the OH-SO-CUTE Cupcakes and Candles set! I LOVE IT! The burlap string is from May Arts! For a nice detail shot of this one, check out the Gourmet Rubber Stamps blog!

I am also entering my bicycle built for two card in the CPS Sketch challenge! YAY!

So...that's all for today. I have a busy weekend ahead, as I'm a bridesmaid tomorrow...this is the first time I've ever been one and I've quite assuredly discovered that I am TOO OLD for this stuff! LOL! No, I'm looking forward to it...it will be fun! Oh...and I have a story for you.... that will come later next week sometime. Once I get over the sheer and utter embarrassment of it all! HA!

Jingle Out!

Guitars Really Are Beautiful!

I just want to take a moment to thank all those who have voted in Round 4 of Paper Crafts Gallery Idol and encourage you to head on over and vote now if you haven't already! Today is the last FULL day to vote! EVERY SINGLE VOTE counts!!! Thank you SO MUCH for your support!





Well, you may have noticed a fun new blinkie in my sidebar! I'm excited to be joining the Simon Says Challenge Blog Design Team! Today we have a BRAND NEW challenge for you and it's a fun one! We want you to create ANYTHING BUT A CARD! It's easy! Simply make something...ANYTHING...just not a card, of course, and link it up over on the challenge blog! You could win an AWESOME prize just for giving it a shot!!!

Here is what I have created for this challenge!







This is actually what I gave to my Daddy for Father's Day! He loves guitars...he plays, he's in a band, and he simply appreciates the beauty of the instrument. I created this for him to hang in his office at his school!







A closer look shows you some of the goodies I used to create this fun frame! I began with a fabulous stamp from Stampendous! I used the Stampendous! Cling Music Score stamp for the background. I love this stamp! I layered papers from the Echo Park This & That Collection, and accented with burlap string and woven burlap from May Arts. A couple of fabulous trinket pins from Maya Road finished it off wonderfully! You can also see a bit of woodgrain washi tape tucked in with the papers that I inked with tea dye and frayed burlap distress inks! Love distress inks!







By participating in this challenge you have the chance to win a $50 Gift Voucher to Simon Says Stamp!  YUP!  Pretty fabulous!!!!

AND...that's not ALL that Simon Says Stamp has to offer right now! There is a FABULOUS blog hop for you to check out, too!

A FABULOUS Blog Hop to celebrate the launch on the new Simon Says Stamp Exclusives Dies starts today!  You will need to hop over to the Simon Says Stamp Blogto join in the FUN !! LOTS of fabulous prizes on offer !

Love Hurts {WOYWW}

I want to begin by thanking you all so much for your votes so far for Paper Crafts Gallery Idol Round 4! If you haven't yet voted, please use the widget below (click through if you are in a reader) or to the right to cast your vote! You guys have got me this far and I know we can take this to the next round! Thank you SO much for your support!

It's time to show off my workspace for WOYWW! This is going to be astonishing...it's a mess! HA! Yes, I know...not so astonishing! LOL! Actually, it's not as bad as it could be, or as bad as it was, so I guess there's something there, right? LOL!



Kind of a strange angle today, but I was going for something a bit different, so...there you have it! HA! As for what you see there, well, I have a lot of ink pads out..that's strange because that is something I usually put away each time. You also see several toilet paper tubes...I was keeping those in case they asked us to use something strange for Gallery Idol. Well, they did, and I didn't use them! LOL! I may still do some stamping with them, though. We shall see. Lots of adhesives. I was working on cards last night when the tape on my ATG broke and I was too lazy to fix it so I just pulled out the Glue Glider Pro. LOL! The Xyron X is often out, as I use it for my paper piecing! YAY! I also have an ATC to share with you today...



Yup...kind of a 'dark' one this time around, but a bit tongue-in-cheek, as well. I used the wicked cool Coffee Break Designs anatomical heart stamp from Retro Cafe Art Gallery! LOVE this stamp! I pooled Crimson Twinkly H2O's in the center and used a straw to blow the shimmering paint out over the heart. The shell casings are also from Retro Cafe Art Gallery! The stickers are Cosmo Cricket. I just love how powerful the use of color and contrast can be!



Thank you for stopping by today and thank you, again, for your awesome support and for your votes in the Gallery Idol contest! It's all so very exciting! Just say'n.

Jingle Out.

A High Flying Happy Birthday!

Before we get started I just want to remind you that Round 4 of Gallery Idol has begun! You can vote using the widget below (click through to see it!) or the widget at the top right of my blog. For more pictures and explanation of my card, click on the link above directing you to the card! It's a fun one!!! YAY!!!!



Well, it's Tuesday and that means it's time for a brand new Skipping Stones Design sketch challenge! Did you know that you can win free stamps with each of our weekly challenges? Yup! You don't even have to have SSD stamps to play! Simply create a card based on the sketch and link it up over at Skipping Stones and one random winner each week gets FREE STAMPS! It's pretty fabulous! Just say'n. Here's my card for this week!



I saw a hot air balloon on my way to work yesterday! It was gorgeous! It was pink and white ans so pretty! This card, on the other hand, well, I'll be honest, it's one of those ones I just don't love...I keep questioning it. *sigh* I guess we all have those sometimes. I do love those hot air balloons, though! They make me super happy!!!



I actually got to use three different sets on this card, and I love that, too! I love that they can mix and match so well! I used the Uplifting Set, the Gettin' Old Birthday set (sentiment), and the butterflies and dandelion flyaways from the Dandelion Dreams set!

K, so now that I'm talking about it, I don't hate it as much! LOL! It really is a fun card, so I guess I will go with that! Now...head on over to Skipping Stones and check out what the other girls have created! But don't forget to vote first!!! Your support has got me this far and I can't thank you all ENOUGH! You guys are AMAZING!!!!

Jingle Out!

You're Sharp! Paper Crafts Gallery Idol Round 4

Wow! Here it is! Time to show you my card for Paper Crafts Gallery Idol Round 4! I cannot thank you all enough for the votes that have brought me this far! I am now in the Top 10 and would love your votes to push me into the Top 5 with this round! This week's challenge was to create a card using household items.

Click the widget below to vote!  THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!!!! SO exciting!!!! (If you are reading this in a Reader, please click through to see the widget!  thanks!)





Well, I am a former teacher and my husband is a current teacher. That means we have LOTS of pencils and paperclips around our house. LOTS. As in...you cannot enter a room without running into such things. Just say'n. SO...I decided to put those things to use for my card today!





EEEK! This card was SO STINKING MUCH FUN TO CREATE!!!





I began by creating my own patterned paper for my card. I hand drew the blue and red lines to create notebook paper using PrismaColor colored pencils. I punched the edge with an EK Success punch to get the fun notebook look. This is mounted on a grey cardstock base. The title, well, that, my friends, is a very special SNEAK PEAK at some new alphabet stamps soon to be released by The Alley Way Stamps! The font was just perfect for the theme of my card! I love it!





The star is scribble sketched with a PrismaColor graphite pencil and then a fun stripey paperclip is added to the corner! YAY!





And then there are the pencils! Yup! They are each cut to the exact same size and then lined up on the card. I used a crazy super sticky tape made by Scotch to adhere them. I sharpened the one and flipped it the opposite direction from the others and then tied with with a bit of fabulous baker's twine from May Arts.

I hope you love this card as much as I do! I really feel like it is totally me and I had SUCH a blast creating it! The Hubbums was a great help on this one, too!!! I love that he has supported me so much through this! He's pretty much awesome. Just say'n. You will find the widget to vote at the top and bottom of this post as well as in the sidebar. If yo have already registered, you will not need to do so again, simply login with your username and password. Thank you ALL so VERY much for your incredible support! I have the bestest friends in the world! You guys are AMAZING!!! Thank you!!!!

Jingle Out!

May Arts Graphic 45 Blog Hop - Curiosity, indeed!

I'd love your votes for Gallery Idol Round Four!  See the post above for more details!  Click the widget below to VOTE!  Thank you SO MUCH for your support!




Graphic 45 and May Arts have come together once again for an amazing week of blog hopping goodness! Today is the first day of the hop, and MAN, are you guys going to love this stuff! Be sure to visit the May Arts blog each day this week for the links for that day AND chances to win great prizes!

I got to use the fabulous Old Curiosity Shop Collection from Graphic 45. I paired it with the fabulous Black Sheer/Nylon Edge ribbon and beautiful crochet lace from May Arts! The rest of my supplies were mostly bits and pieces from around my studio!



I began by first layering the Grapic 45 papers inside the Tim Holtz boxes.




The next step was to add the Graphic 45 stickers in a few of the boxes. I brushed the back with cornstarch and adhered them with foam tape for dimension. I love that the postage stickers have stamps for places in Massachusetts! WAY FUN BONUS!!!!




I then added bits of lace inside a few of the boxes and adhered chipboard pieces around the outside of the box.




I wrapped the sheer ribbon around the box entirely and secured with tape. I then added a layered bow with a chipboard accent (tied on with May Arts Burlap String) to the top of the box.




Finally, it is time to fill the box with trinkets and goodies! This is the best part! My spiderwebs, Glass bottle and the Charlotte doll head are from Retro Cafe Art Gallery. The metal clothespin is Graphic 45, and the other bits and bobs are pretty much random things I found around my studio. Yup. I officially have weird stuff. I sculpted that little monster head toward the bottom ages ago and never added it to a doll, so I figured he was just about perfect for this project!













I hope you have enjoyed my tutorial! Don't forget to check out the other great Graphic 45 and May Arts posts today!


Alberto Juárez :
Gloria Stengel
Nicole Eccles
Jingle
Charlene

I'll be back later today with my Gallery Idol Round 4 Card! I can't WAIT to share it with all of you!