Organizational Tips and Tricks

Do you have a craft room? Craft space? Craft closet? New ways to organize our supplies are always cropping up and today I am sharing some of my favorite supply organization tips and tricks over on the Bazzill Basics blog!



I can't WAIT for you to see it over there! You won't be able to leave comments on the Bazzill Blog, but it will be posted on the Bazzill Facebook Page sometime today, so feel free to leave comments there and also SHARE with your friends!  

Be Different. Be Beautiful.

Those are the same thing. Just in case that wasn't clear. It was, though, huh? Yeah... it totally was.

In other news: I love flamingos. And I love that they aren't ACTUALLY pink, but they are pink, but they aren't pink. No, for reals. ACTUALLY, they are pink OR Orange-ish. And they are born a light grey color. They eat brine shrimp. LOTS and LOTS of brine shrimp. And blue-green algae that is loaded with beta-carotene. THAT, is what causes the colors. They also eat some mollusks and other crustaceans that contain similar pigments. The pink or the orange tones depend on the specific shrimp and algae types they are eating. AND, because people expect them to be pink, zoos will actually add a color chemical to the flamingo food to maintain that color. It's all in the food, folks. If you change their diet, they wouldn't be pink anymore. You are what you eat!



AND...I even have an ink pad CALLED Flamingo. It's from WPlus9 and it is probably that fabulous pinkish-orange color because it ate a lot of shrimp. And algae. I'm sure of it. I used it for my Flamingo. Then I stamped his legs and beak in Simon Slate ink and layered a WPlu9 tag cut from Bazzill Vellum over him. A bit of May Arts Silver string grounds the tag to the card. The accent stripes are from the Clearly Besotted Diagonal Stripes stamp set. I love those stamps for accenting!



And that sentiment. I love it. I love it a lot. I am different. I like it that way. It works for me. I hope you are different, too.

Wow. You came to see a card and got a science lesson AND a mini motivational speech! Who knew?

Have a Happy, friends!

Because ANYTHING Goes!

If I can incorporate the words 'zap', 'pow', and 'boom' into a card, I pretty much count that as a win from the start. For reals, though. Yes, it's that time, again, folks! It is ANYTHING GOES week over on the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge blog! The Design Team is featuring Avery Elle goodness this week! I am a big fan of Avery Elle stamps. I just love them. I used the Super stamps and dies for my card today.



I stamped the entire scene on the white panel and then stamped and die cut the city, colored with Copics to add some shadowing, and adhered that with foam tape for added dimension and visual interest. I also coated the message bubble with Wink of Stella clear glitter goodness!



Now it's YOUR turn! Create something AWESOME (it has to be NEW) and link it up to the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge blog for your chance to win a $50 Gift Voucher to Simon Says Stamp! Yup. For reals.

Have a Happy!

Because Puppies Make Me Smile

They really do. And I like to smile. And I REALLY love puppies. (And for the record, age does not define a puppy in my world. They are ALL PUPPIES!!!) Even though it makes me a little sad to pull out my puppy stamps, it reminds me of both of my sweet girlies and THAT makes me happy. I recently got these adorable Mama Elephant Playful Pups from Simon Says Stamp and I just love them. The puppies are just so sweet!



I colored that sweet little chubby puppy with my Spectrum Noir pens and stamped and colored the tennis ball, as well. I then added the line for the floor by hand. I really like doing this, as it is never perfectly straight and adds a touch of visual interest to the card whilst grounding the images quite well.



I used some fun washi tape in a few places to accent the card. I love this tape! It's super cuteness! It is made by Little B so it comes in a cute little dispenser thingy, too. I think you can find it at Michael's. A single Spellbinders® sequin finishes it off. Did you know Spellbinders even HAD sequins? They do. And they don't have holes in them. And I LOVE that. Also, the colors are amazing and they come in a wonderful little pot. Seriously. I love them. Lots.

I hope this little puppy has made you smile today! You can find my complete supply list below.

Have a Happy!

Supplies:

Stamps: Mama Elephant Playful Pups

Pens: Spectrum Noir, Sakura Fine Line Micron Pens

Ink: Momento Tuxedo Black

Sequins: Hip Hooray by Spellbinders®

Washi Tape: Little B Designs

This Gold is Distressed!

I mean, it can be tough being a gorgeous gold foil flower. WAIT, nope. Not that kind of distressed. I recently purchased a pot of WOW Heat & Bond powder along with a packet of the Bright Gold foil that goes with it. It arrived. And I, naturally, was scared to death of it.

What? That doesn't happen to you? Oh. Wellll... it happens to me.

HOWEVER, my dear friends, I conquered that fear by carefully reading the directions and choosing the simplest application of the product. This involved using my heat gun and a burnisher (read: teflon bone folder, 'cause that's totatally what I used) to create a distressed gold foil look. The results? Well, I have to say, I kinda really like 'em!



Of course, that AMAZING stamp set from CAS-ual Fridays Stamps did half the work for me. I mean, SERIOUSLY, that flower, you guys?! I so love it. So, lots of love it. I made this card for the CAS-ual Fridays Stamps blog. You should visit that blog from time to time. We make some pretty awesome stuff. For reals, though.



I die cut the flower from the black and layered that over the dark teal cardstock before adhering the stamped, foiled, and die cut flower with foam tape. A bit of gold thread and a few sequins add even more pizzazz to the look. (Pizzazz has LOTS of z's in it. That is a fun word to type. And to say. Go ahead, say it out loud...PIZZAZZ!)

For those of you in the United States, I wish you a Happy Memorial Day weekend! For the rest of you...

Have a Happy!

My Only Sunshine

I have another bright, and cheerful card using the Simon Says Stamp June Card Kit. I haven't actually decided if I like this one or not, hence the wait to share it, but, alas, I don't hate it, so here goes nothing. HA!



I used the adorable stamp set to stamp the suns and gave each of them a slightly different face. I love that fun rainbow washi tape! SO MANY COLORS OF HAPPY! YAY! I then used a sentiment cut from one of the sheets of patterned paper in the kit. Super easy!



Two strips of a fun polka dot patterned paper create the borders. This one really did come together quite quickly and is a very fun card. I think it may be well suited to give to a little. Littles like fun colors. Actually, bigs like fun colors, too, I guess, so you could give it to just about anyone. I'm rambling, aren't I? It happens. Lots.

I hope you have a super fantabulous day, my friends!

Have a Happy!

Because Lots of Colorful Dots!

Woo-hoooo! It's Wednesday. And I have obviously had my iced coffee this morning (peanut butter chocolate flavor today, it's my go-to when I can't decide). We have an exciting new challenge for you up over on the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge! Woot! Woot! This week we are challenging you to STENCIL IT! Yup. We want to see you playing with stencils on your projects this week! You can rock them any way you choose. The Design Team is showcasing The Crafter's Workshop products this week. You don't have to use them to participate, but if you've got some, you may as well!



I used the Mini Dots All Around stencil along with some of the newest Distress Inks to create a super fun background for my card. I love the colors so much!!! I then stamped fussy cut the flowers from the Clearly Besotted Sketched Blooms set and covered them with shimmering, sparkling Wink of Stella GOODNESS! I do so love sparkle. For reals, though.



Yup. Sparkle. I'm a fan. Not gonna even lie.

Now it's YOUR turn! Create something fabulous using a stencil in your design somewhere and somehow. Just make sure it's awesome. Link it up over on the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge blog for your chance to win a $50 Gift Voucher to the Simon Says Stamp Store? WHAT?! Yup. Totally, dude. FIFTY DOLLAR GIFT VOUCHER! You want it. Trust me on this one.

Need some inspiration to get you started? Well head on over and check out what the Design Team created, Yo! (Did I just say 'Yo!'? I did, didn't I. Hmmm... I guess I say that now. Or not. We'll see how this goes.)

Supplies:

Stamps: Clearly Besotted Sketched Blooms

Stencil: The Crafter's Workshop Mini Dots All Around

Ink: Tim Holtz Distress Ink in Mermaid Lagoon, Abandoned Coral, and Cracked Pistachio

Glitter Marker: Wink of Stella Clear

Smile!

I have another card for you today using the Simon Says Stamp June Card Kit. I told you I love this kit, right? 'Cause, you guys...I love this kit. For reals.

Is this card flawless? Nope. Is that okay? Yup. PLUS...the techniques I used actually worked, so I had to share it! HAD TO, my friends.



I used the awesome Smile circle die in the June Card Kit with the super fun striped patterned paper. LOVE the bright colors on this so much! I allowed it to cut through the edges and reassembled the pieces on my card front. I wanted the sentiment on that same strip, but due to the busy background, I felt a bit limited. That's when I had a brilliant idea!



I stamped one of the solid banners from the stamp set in the kit with VersaMark and heat embossed it with white embossing powder. This gave me a solid, neutral surface, without adding any layers or bulk to my card. I then stamped the sentiment over that, again with VersaMark, and heat embossed it with Liquid Platinum embossing powder. The sentiment melted into the original powder, creating an awesome sentiment banner! I was so excited to try this technique that I forgot to treat my surface first, hence the imperfection. But you know what? I love it, nonetheless. Plus, that was my last strip of that paper, so it is what it is. Just keepin' it real here, folks!

Seriously, though... two things I'd like you to take away from this card today. 1. Try new things! You never know...they just may actually WORK! 2. Imperfection is totally okay. For reals. They are handmade cards. And it's just paper and glue. Don't stress.

Have a Happy!

Because A Little Sunshine

You GUYS! Have you SEEN the new Simon Says Stamp Card Kit? The June kit? You guys, for REALS, this thing is so fabulous. It's happy. It is super duper happy. It is just stuffed with wonderful, happy colors and a super happy die and happy stamps and... just ...

happy.

For reals.



ACK! Cute, right? I used the super fun stamp set to stamp the Happy and then embossed it with Ranger Pink Embossing Powder (Which has TOTALLY become a favorite of mine. Seriously. I love it.) after stamping the adorable little sun and his adorable little mouth. I then layered one of the Doodlebug Shape Sprinkles over the sun for a little added flair! SO FUN!

The patterned papers in the kit are fabulous, as well! I used bits of them to accent the top of my card and bring in even more color and then mounted it all in the fabulous Green Leaf cardstock. LOVE IT!



That typewriter look I used for the 'Be' portion of the sentiment is achieved by simply 'bouncing' your stamp just a bit while stamping. It can be pretty tricky to do on purpose, but it's easy peasy to do entirely by accident. *wink* (Hee-hee...See what I did there?) HA! I crack myself up.

Anyway, I highly recommend you run on over to Simon Says Stamp and pick up this kit before it sells out. Because it's awesome. And that's all there is to it.

Have a Happy. For reals, though!

Let the Good Times Roll!

Did you see Friday's Pinkfresh Studio Blog Hop post? Be sure to check it out! First of all because I love that card and I want you to see it, but also because there is a giveaway you will want to win, so....yeah, there's that. *wink*

Today I have another Pinkfresh card to share with you here and on the Pinkfresh Studio blog! I used the same kit I used yesterday to create a totally different design that was so fun to pull together.



My favorite part? That shaker! I created it using packaging from the kit. I mean, for reals, you guys... I HAD to use that awesome vellum envie for something other than storage. I just sprinkled in some of the sequins from the kit and, there you have it! Insta-shaker! Woot!



I also super love these gorgeous layered tags in the kit! I may save one to just be a bookmark I love it so much! I chose to make this one both the sentiment and the focal point on my card. It's full of texture, but a great graphic design, as well. Basically, it's fabulous!

Be sure to check out the May Embellishment kit, you guys! It has awesome stamps designed by Winnie & Walter, a fantastic die designed by Spellbinders, super cute wood veneers, enamel shape and sentiment stickers, and more! You won't want to miss this one!

Have a Happy!

Pinkfresh Studio May Blog Hop and Giveaway!

Hello, and welcome to the Pink Fresh Studio May Embellishment Kit Release blog hop. You may be arriving to my blog from Christin's blog. If you are just finding this fun hop here on my blog and want to see some inspiration from the entire design team, jump on back to the Pink Fresh Studio blog for lots of fun!



I created this super fun card (no, seriously, you guys...I kind of love it) using the stamps (Winnie & Walter), die (Spellbinders), and embellishments in the May kit! It came together so quickly because I had everything I needed right there! Love that!



I won't keep you long, since I know you will want to hop on over to the other posts showcasing this awesome kit, but I DO want to let you know to be sure to head over to the Pinkfresh Studio Facebook page and the Pinkfresh Studio Blog for your chance to win this awesome embellishment kit! Don't forget to leave a comment here, too!

Your next stop on the blog hop is over at Kristen's blog! Enjoy!

Have a Happy!

A Bit of Gold and Shimmer

This gold trend? I love it. I really and truly do. And I'm not even sorry.



I created this card entirely from the Simon Says Stamp May Card Kit, therefore, it came together SUPER DUPER fast because all of the 'stuff' was coordinated for me and all I had to do was design something pretty. Well, THAT is easy enough! Particularly with these awesome papers and stickers and stamps! WHAT?! Yup. For reals, you guys.



The only things I pulled from my studio were the VersaMark and the gold embossing powder and the tiny heart sequin. Because tiny gold heart sequin. LOVE THAT!

I am linking this one up to the Virginia's View Challenge because... layers and dimension, baby!

I am super tired because I got up at 4:50 this morning to go to my Butts&Guts class. I do this every Thursday. I was silly enough to think I would get  used to it. That's not happening. But at least my thighs are beginning to show some sense of shape, so, I guess it's worth it. I have to admit, though... My Zumba and Rythm & Motion classes are much more fun. And don't involve crunches.

For reals, though.

Anyway, that being said, that's a wrap for today.

Have a Happy! (I'm going to have a COFFEE!)

Some Sweet Treats Inspiration

Sweet Treats? I'll take 'em! I'm not even picky, you guys. For reals, though. And the best part about the Sweet Treats today? They are calorie free! Of course, you can't eat them, either, but, you know... up sides, down sides, it's all there, folks. All this to say we have a new challenge for you over on the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge blog and it's a Color Inspiration challenge! We are using the super cute colors in the Sweet Treats collection to inspire us! The design team is also showing off some Simon Says Stamp exclusives this week. Boy is THAT easy to do! So many awesome products!

Aren't those colors just so CUTE?! I love them. Actually, the Audrey Blue and Doll Pink are two of my favorites, so toss in some Mint, Surf Blue, and Cotton Candy and you have nothing but good things happening. And this, my friends, is why I decided to use ALL FIVE of these fabulous colors on my card. Yup. I used five whole colors. I know. Take a moment. I needed one, too.



I masked a line on my white panel and then stamped the heart balloons Lila's Heart stamp set. I layered the colors starting with the lightest tones and working to the darker ones. I then added a strip of mint cardstock with the sentiment from the Hand Lettered Encouragement stamp set embossed in white. I stamped and cut two balloons, tied string to them, and adhered them with foam tape before mounting the panel onto the Doll Pink card base.



Now it's your turn! Create something fabulous inspired by the colors in the Sweet Treats collection and link it up over on the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge Blog! Why would you want to play along? Oh, I don't know... maybe because you could win a $50 Gift Voucher to the Simon Says Stamp STORE?! WHAT?! Yup. You could. So do it. Because I told you to.

Supplies:

Cardstock: Simon Says Stamp Sweet Treats Cardstock Pack
Ink: Simon Says Stamp Sweet Treats Ink Pad Set (also available individually)
Stamps: Simon Says Stamp Lila's Heart, Simon Says Stamp Hand Lettered Encouragement
Sequins: Pretty Pink Posh 4mm Mint

Have a Happy!

Inspired by Adam Lippes Fall 2015

YOU GUYS! I made a card for a challenge. I haven't wanted and/nor had time to do a card for a challenge in a long time. It feels good. I like it better when I feel like me. Anyway, I checked out a few challenges last night as I was about to create and decided on this great inspiration from the Runway Inspired Challenge blog, always one of my favorites!

There were a couple of things in the photo that really caught my eye. First, her belt. Yup. She is wearing a belt. It is the same fabric as the dress, only SHINY! I like shiny. That is likely why it caught my eye. Second, I loved the smooth, seamless white behind her. It really allows her dress to pop! (Dude, I totally just typed poop instead of pop. I caught it, but it was TOO funny to not mention it. For reals, though. HA! I'm five.)



Since I was sort of stuck on the belt, I designed my card based on that. I created a 'belt' on my card! I simply trimmed some black cardstock and then stamped the rose from Winnie & Walter's The Big, The Bold, and The Extras with Versamark. I heat embossed some in pink and some in white (I did that in two steps so I wouldn't contaminate the colors), and then adhered it to my white background with foam tape. The sentiment comes from both the same stamp set and Winnie &Walter's The Big, The Bold, and You set and is stamped in black VersaFine ink for a nice, crisp finish.



I mounted the panel on a black card base for a nice finish. I have to say, this is why I love Runway Inspired challenges. For some reason the collections chosen REALLY inspire me and I always love the results when I play along!

Folks, have a happy!

Easy Chalkboard Place Cards with Spellbinders

Hello, friends! I hope you had a wonderful weekend and I hope those of you in the US enjoyed your Mother's Day weekend! It was a gorgeous weekend here and I was lucky enough to spend LOTS of time outside! Love that!

I have a super fun tutorial over on the Spellbinders® blog to share with you today! I created these fun place cards using a couple of die sets and the popular chalkboard look!



Seriously, you guys. These are SO MUCH FUN to create and they would be perfect for a garden party, wedding, shower, and so much more! Head on over to check them out and let me know what you think!

Have a Happy!

Because: Soft Grey and Pink

Hello, friends! I have a couple of CAS-ual Fridays Stamps cards to share with you today. I was in a very clean and simple kind of mood when I created these, so I chose a color scheme that I knew would be strong enough to carry the design. A beautiful soft grey toned ink and a pretty pink embossing powder turned out to be the perfect fit!



For this pretty Mother's Day card (Have you made one for your Mom, yet?), I stamped the smaller flower from the Mon Ami set repeatedly to create a neat background design. I then stamped and embossed that gorgeous sentiment from Mums the Word over the background in pink so it would stand out nicely.

Pro Tip: Mums the Word is on sale through this weekend for a ridiculously low price. For reals. Ridiculous.



I created a second card using the same color scheme, only this time I used the larger flower stamp from Mon Ami as the background all by itself. I then used a tag die to pop up the area with the embossed sentiment from the all new Lovely Greetings stamp set. This set sold out when we introduced it and she quickly got more in stock, but they are flying, so be sure to grab it while you can! It is SUCH a great stamp set. This card is perfect for those other women in your life who's name might not be 'Mom', but they are still pretty important. For reals, though.

Be sure to head on over to the CAS-ual Fridays Stamps blog for more inspiration!

Have a happy!

A Mother's Love

I have a tutorial post up over on the Bazzill Basics blog showing you how to make a fun Mother's Day card! Be sure to head on over there to check it out!

This Life is Pretty Amazing

Hello, friends! We are getting SENTIMENTAL for the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge this week. We want to see you use sentiments as a design element on your projects this week! The Design Team is using Tim Holtz sentiments on our projects this week. He has some super fun designs to choose from! You don't have to use them to play along, but you are welcome to if you have some!



I SUPER DUPER love this sentiment. For reals, though. AND, I love these birds. Lots. This cards is pretty simple. I stamped, colored (with Spectrum Noir pens, of course), and fussy cut the bird. I stamped and embossed the sentiment and added a border with the Clearly Besotted border stamps (LOVE!), and then simply added the bird with foam tape. Easy, peasy, folks!



You can find my complete supply list below. BUT, before we get there, it's YOUR turn! Create something fabulous using a SENTIMENT as a prominent design element and link it up over on the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge Blog for your chance to win a $50 Gift Voucher to the Simon Says Stamp Store! WHAT?! Totally, you guys. For reals.

Supplies:

Stamps: Tim Holtz Bird Crazy, Tim Holtz Life is Amazing Stamp, Clearly Besotted Diagonal Stripes

Ink: VersaMark, Momento Tuxedo Black, Simon Says Stamp Slate

Pens: Spectrum Noir

Embossing Powder: Ranger Liquid Platinum

Have a Happy!