Bright and Happy Friday!

Yes.  It's Friday.  Yes.  I feel the need to announce that because I am SO happy about it.  Just sayin'.  AND...it's a rainy Friday here in Mass, but that doesn't mean it can't be a bright and happy day, nonetheless!  So, here is my card for today!



Bright and Happy!  BRIGHT AND HAPPY!  Bright and Happy!!!!!!!!  Yup.  I'm totally feelin' it today.  Actually, I did yoga for the first time in like months this morning, and I had totally forgotten how AMAZING it makes me feel!  I've been working out and stuff, but it's not the same.  The yoga extends to mind, body, and soul and MAN do I feel good today!  REALLY Really good.  For reals, folks.  For reals.



I made this Bright and Happy card with Tami Mayberry's Lighthearted Wishes stamp set!  LOVE this set!  (I think I've said that before...like lots....but...the thing is.... it's totally and completely and utterly true, so I'm saying it again.  Just sayin'.  Again.  HAHAHA!)  I paper pieced the little lamp with Crate Paper papers and added a strip of Queen & Company washi tape and May Arts burlap string to accent it.  I like the pop of color it's got got going on there with the lamp.  I also coated the base of the colored lamp with Glossy Accents.  FUN stuff, folks.  Fun stuff.  For reals, though.  It's fun.

K.  SOOooooo...as you can see I'm already pretty hyper due to that yoga session this morning, AND.. the cupcake truck is going to be around the area of my office today so I'm TOTALLY going to be hitting that sucker up for some afternoon sugar!  It oughtta be a FUN day!  Just sayin'.

K.  That's all.  I'll stop rambling now.  Have a super fantastically wonderfully spectacular Friday, friends!!!!

Thinking of you on a Global Scale {Tami Mayberry Blog Hop!}

Tami Mayberry has just released a brand new stamp set for Gina K. Designs called Take Note!  This is SUCH a fun set!  It's great for card makers, but SO FABULOUS for scrapbookers, too!  I can TOTALLY see this set as being a PERFECT Project Life tool!  I had some fun with this great set creating this card!



I particularly love that the frame and the paper lines are two different stamps!  There is SO much flexibility with that!  I also brought in the sentiment from the AWESOME Lighthearted Wishes set for this one!  The globe is October Afternoon (Boarding Pass collection) and I love that I was able to stamp that cute arrow directly on the chipboard cutout!  SO FUN!



This was a fun little card to put together.  I have a feeling I'm going to be pulling out these neat paper sheet stamps a lot...they are so easy to use (particularly if you order the clear set) and you can do SO MUCH with them!  I have more ideas spinning, so stay tuned!  :)

Here is a look at the entire set! I'm telling you..it's a great one!

Here is the full list of designers in today's hop!  Don't forget to check them out!

Jamie Cripps

Regina Hardy

Jennifer Ingle (That's me!)

Ceal Pritchett

Lalo Ik

Donna Bowman

Have an awesome day!!!

Jingle OUT!

Simon Says: Oh, Snap!

It's ANYTHING GOES time over at the Simon Says Stamp Challenge Blog! Yup! That means you can link up ANY card you create for a chance to win the fabulous $50 voucher to Simon Says Stamp! The design team members are using some fun October Afternoon products in our projects this time around!

I pulled out the October Afternoon Boarding Pass Chip & Stick pack for my fun card today! I also used some of the brand new Kelly Purkey stamps!!!


I punched the edges of my black panel with the EK Success Binding Edge border punch and mounted the camera with a few gem stones right onto it.


A bit of May Arts twine finished it off! Nice and simple, and totally cute!

Be sure to head on over to the Simon Says Stamp Challenge blog to check out what the other girls have created AND to link up your card for a chance to win!

You can find the items I used for my card in the links below! :) Happy Shopping!

InLinkz.com

He's Supposed to be a Grumpy Spider

***Pssst! This is my second post of the day! Don't forget to check out my gear card below!***



...but I just see ADORABLENESS!!! Just sayin'. It's time for another super fun Design Team Challenge over at Gourmet Rubber Stamps and we are all playing with ORANGE!!! I kinda seriously love orange, so I was kinda seriously super excited about this challenge. For reals, though. LOVE it!

Sooo...what does that have to do with adorable grumpy spiders? I'm getting there, I promise!


THAT'S WHAT!!!! Isn't he the CUTEST??? I hate spiders. Completely and utterly hate them. Except for this one. I love him. He is too cute to hate. {HEART!!!} He is called Grumpy Spider and I also used the wonderful Happy Halloween sentiment stamp. These are new stamps that are available as singles and will also be a part of the awesome Diners set being released in just a few days! YAY!


Seriously, though. Could he BE any cuter? I don't think so. *giggle*giggle* I just wuv him! HA! The patterned paper he is sitting on is from the Echo Park Chillingsworth Manor collection (awesomeness in a 6x6 paper pad...for reals) and the twine is from May Arts. See what I did there...I used twine as the piece of web that he is hanging from...see that.... AAAaaaah! I slay me with the cuteness. HAHAHAHA! Kidding... sort of. I mean, it is pretty cute. Just sayin'.

WELL....that's that. SO...if you want to see more orange fabulousness (and I mean SUPER FABULOUSNESS this time around folks) be sure to visit the Gourmet Rubber Stamps blog to check out what the other DT folks have created! They kinda went all creative nutsy and stuff so you won't want to miss these!

Jingle Out!

My Final Card as Sweet 'n Sassy Guest Designer!

Wow! September has FLOWN by! Today I have posted my final card as the September guest designer over at Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps! I decided to create a birthday card using the awesome gear stamp from the Timeless Classic stamp set. I love this set! I have used it several times and the results always make me happy!


I combined the great gear image with some really cool brads from Eyelet Outlet. I used the clock parts brad and two of the wing brads to create the perfect embellishment for this card!


I have really enjoyed my time as Guest Designer over at Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps! I hope you have enjoyed the cards I have shared for them, as well!

Jingle Out!

Tombstone Time!

No, not the movie, although, I do love that movie! It's a good one! Just sayin'. Retro Cafe Art Gallery hosted a super fun Halloween Tombstone swap and was MORE than excited to participate!  We each created four tombstones and sent them in for swapping!  I haven't received the return swap yet, as the due date was only Saturday, but I wanted to share the four tombstones that I created with you today!  These were SO stinking much fun to create!

I started with the Masonite Gothic Tombstone ATC Bases.  I covered each one with a different embossing enamel from Stampendous!  I love how the backgrounds look covered with the embossing enamel!


For this White Owl Tombstone ATC I covered the background with Stardust Embossing Enamel.  I love how it glitters behind the white owl!  The owl is from the Owl Paper Cuts collection.  I also embossed cross from the Cross Cut Outs in Masonite with Aged Gold Embossing Enamel.  I added a few gem stones and a bit of May Arts Burlap string to finish it off.


For this one I covered the background with a HEAVY coat of the Aged Black Embossing Enamel. I used the masonite skull and crossbones cut-out and the Spider Web cut-outs, both covered with the Aged Silver enamel.


For this Brown Owl ATC I used the owl cut-outs, once again and combined it with a patchy layer of Aged Black Embossing Enamel. This allowed some masonite to show through and gave it a lot of texture.


And this is the last of the four. I used the Moth Paper Cuts for this one and the background is covered with Aged Gold Embossing Enamel. Again, I used a spotty application for this one to create more texture.

So...there are my four Halloween Tombstone ATC's. I kinda LOVE how they turned out. Just sayin'. LOL! I hope you enjoy them! I'd love to hear your comments! It seems when I share non-card projects you get quiet out there! *wink*wink*

Jingle Out!

Everyday is an Adventure When You Are an Artiste!

Guess what I got???!!!!  The new Artiste Cricut Cartridge from Close To My Heart!!!!  I know.  Super excited about it.  Did you see what I did with the title, there....  used the sentiment on my card and the name of the cartridge.  Yup.  Totally did that.  Just sayin'.  HAHAHA!

Well, obviously it's Friday, which may have been easily assessed by my far-too-jubilant mood.  I'm pretty happy about that, though.  Not gonna lie!  AND...tomorrow is another fun day out and about with The Hubbums, so THAT makes me super happy because those are always the very best days!

Now...let's discuss this Artiste Cartridge.  First of all, it's completely and totally awesome!  I purchased it from Miriam Prantner, a WONDERFUL CTMH consultant.  AND...she is offering an awesome deal that I totally need to tell you about.  But first, check it!



How much do I LOVE these stamps and the cuts from the cartridge that go with them!  Just LOOK at that perfect little speech bubble combo!!!  *LOVE!!!*  AND...this cartridge has a ton of awesome 3-D stuff like boxes and envelopes, and amazing overall adorableness!!!!



So.  Here's the thing.  The Artiste Cartridge comes with THREE coordinating D-sized stamp sets AND three coordinating chipboard shapes sheets.  BUT...the stamp set I used here is NOT one of those sets!   Whatever shall you do?????  WELL....it just so happens that if you place your CTMH order before the end of September, you get an additional DOUBLE sized stamp set celebrating National Stamping month for only $5!!!  Your order must be at least $35, but that's easy!  AND...if you buy the Artiste cartridge from Miriam, she is offering you that extra set at NO COST TO YOU!  Yup.  She's giving it to you FOR FREE with your Artiste purchase!  AWESOME DEAL!  In order to take advantage of that, you have to email Miriam with your order at mprantner@gmail.com.

Seriously.  I LOVE my Art Philosophy Cartridge (the first one from CTMH) and now Artiste is taking a strong place right beside that one as my favorite!  These are the single most useful cartridges I have ever purchased for my Cricut!  They ROCK! AND...even better, when you purchase CTMH products you are supporting a family. And that's always awesome. Just sayin'.

Happy Friday, folks!!!

Donkeys and Elephants and Such

Have you ever wondered where in the WORLD the animal symbols for the United States political parties came from?  Well, here's a shocker for you, they came from a cartoonist.  Thomas Nast, to be precise.  It was a bit of an evolution, but, he was the first to use the elephant and the donkey to represent Republicans and Democrats, respectively.  To read more on that, you can check out this link.  It's pretty interesting, actually...if you are into that sort of thing.

Why am I talking about elephants and donkeys and such today?  Well....that would be because Gourmet Rubber Stamps has come out with a fun line of political stamps!  You can find them all in the Singles section in the store!  There are six of them, total - "Vote", "Proud to be an American", the donkey, the elephant, "Democrat", and "Republican".  And they are WAY FUN!  (If you don't live in the United States, I'm sorry...I don't think they have a Labor Party stamp.  LOL!)



Yes...I picked that one.  LOL!  But...like I said, they have them all, so you can get whichever ones suit your needs!  These would also be SUPER fun for mock elections at school if you are a teacher!!!  What a great way to make fun political buttons for a 'fake' election!  (Or for the real one, for that matter!  HA!)



I embossed the image with clear embossing enamel on a nice dark blue cardstock from Stampin' Up!  I love the way that turned out!  And it was actually an accident!  LOL!  I thought I had picked up the white and I had actually grabbed the clear!  LOVE when that happens!  HAHA!  The twine is from May Arts and the ribbon is just a bit I had in my stash.  PERFECT for this card!  LOVE!

Now, I don't want you all running away thinking I'm going to become a political blogger, I'm not.  I promise! ;)  It's all about cards here, folks!  Cards and other stuff I make at random.  Because that's what I do.  I make stuff.

Have a happy day!!!

Simon Says: Emboss It!

Heat or dry, we are totally cool with either one. Just sayin'.

It's time for another fun challenge from the Simon Says Stamp Challenge Blog! This time we are embossing! You can heat emboss or dry emboss! It's totally up to you! AND...the design team is playing with some super fabulous products from Stampendous!, so that makes it even EXTRA fun!


For my card I pulled out a newer Stampendous! stamp that I just LOVE! It's the Life is Art stamp. Such an awesome sentiment! I also used a variety of Stampendous! embossing enamels including some found in the Scenic Selection Embossing kit.


To achieve that cool painted look with embossing enamel I applied embossing ink straight from the dauber to the card and then covered with the embossing powder. I love how neat this looks! The washi tape finished the card off nicely!

One lucky challenge participant will win a $50 Gift Voucher to the Simon Says Stamp Superstore!!!

AND...you can get even more bang for your card making time (hmm...doesn't quite have the same ring as 'buck'. Oh, well. Just sayin'.) because Stampendous! is also hosting an embossing challenge this month! SO...here's the deal..make a card using embossing and link it up to both the Simon Says Stamp Challenge blog AND the Stampendous! blog for two chances to win!

Here are the links to the products used to create this card!

InLinkz.com

Pumpkins, Scissors, and Lace (WOYWW)

Hmm...it appears that is what is on my workspace this morning. Pumpkins, scissors, and lace...I can see at least three, but I know there is at least one more pair of scissors buried there, a couple of punches are obviously sitting about, as well. Oooo! I spy the new spider web washi tape that I'm looking forward to using! AND...see that Scor Buddy on the left? Yeah, well, I've actually had that thing for like a year or something like that and guess what? IT HAS A MAGNET that holds brads and pins and stuff! Guess when I discovered that little tid bit?

Last night.

For reals. Not even joking! HAHAHA! I just got the full size Scor-Pal and noticed a note about the magnet on that one and went to check my little Scor-Buddy and look at that! There it was! LOL! So...that's my desk. And my story for today. Happy Wednesday, folks! For more fabulous WOYWW posts, check out Julia's blog!


Jingle Out!

The Year's Last, Loveliest Smile

As I excitedly grabbed the last bag of pumpkin spice bagels off the shelf at the grocery store yesterday, it hit me. Fall is truly here! Of course, the cool crisp New England mornings and the fact that I have a light weight sweater on today were also a pretty strong tip off. Just sayin'. Alas, with that we say goodbye to summer and welcome in the beauty of this season of change! For today's card I decided to celebrate that transition using the beautiful Autumn Leaves Clear Stamp Set from Sweet n' Sassy Stamps as I am guest designing for them this month!


I stamped the leaves on the background and embossed them with gold enamel from Stampendous!. I stamped the sentiment on a simple banner and added just a touch of coordinating washi tape and some gorgeous burlap string from May Arts - a fall crafting essential!


Have you begun your fall crafting? If not, pull on some comfy crafting clothes, pour yourself a hot cup of spice tea or yummy cider or pumpkin spice coffee and grab a handful of candy corn because it's time to stamp some leaves and stuff! Just sayin'!

Happy Fall, friends!

Skeletons, Ghosts, and Bats! Oh, MY!

In case you haven't yet noticed, I am a BIG fan of Halloween and Halloween crafting and art are some of my favorite projects to dive into! I just love it all! So much fun! And SO much CANDY!!!! YAY! I'm a big fan of candy, too. Just sayin'.

I have another fun Halloween card to share with you today using the fabulous Echo Park Chillingsworth Manor collection! I TOTALLY {heart} this collection! Just love it! I have strong urge to hoard it, but I'm fighting that because it's always more fun to use stuff when you still love it!!


I stamped the haunted house from the Gourmet Rubber Stamps Ghostly Greetings Appetizer set! LOVE IT!!!

Those adorable brads are from the Halloween Mix set from Eyelet Outlet! SO CUTE! I also used the corner brads for this card. The ribbon is a gorgeous sheer black from May Arts.


We had a super fun weekend! Yesterday we attended the StArt on the Street festival in Worcester and it was FABULOUS! The weather could not have been better and we walked and walked, so we got lots of great exercise, too! This is a quick instagram shot of the goodies we brought home with us! I'll likely be doing reviews on the individual pieces so you can check out their shops online, too!


I hope you had a wonderful weekend! Happy Monday! Have some candy corn!!!

Jingle Out.