So Long!

So Long!  That's the theme over at the CAS-ual Fridays Challenge blog this week!  We are wrapping up this term and lots of folks moving on to some other awesomeness!  We are saying so long and creating long cards at the same time!  We want to see you creating EXTRA LONG cards this week!



I pulled out some of the new dies from CAS-ual Fridays Stamps along with a pretty sentiment from Paper Smooches and a fun stencil to bring together my long card.  I colored the triangles with colored pencils to create my own background and I really like the way that turned out!



Be sure to head on over to the CAS-ual Fridays blog to check out the great designs the girls came up with to inspire you for this challenge and then link up YOUR card!  I can't wait to check them out!

*CAS-ual Fridays HEART BOARD Fri-Dies *Paper Smooches SCRIPTY SAYINGS Clear Stamps Kim Hughes *The Crafter's Workshop MINI TRI MOSAIC 6 x 6 Template *Prismacolor PREMIER COLORED PENCILS 48 Set Lot *Crafter's Companion 50 PACK ULTRA SMOOTH PREMIUM WHITE CARDSTOCK 752252 *Sizzix BIG SHOT MACHINE Powder Blue & Teal 657900 *My Mind's Eye ANTIQUE Enamel Dots Lost & Found Record It LF4048 *DCWV Cardstock 12 x 12 GLITZY GLITTER Paper Stack Printed Matstack PS-005-00260 *DCWV Cardstock 6 x 6 GLITZY GLITTER Paper Stack Printed Matstack MS-019-00052 *Martha Stewart SCORING BOARD Score Craft Tool 42-05002

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Hello!

And.... one more from the WCMD pile!  I really hope you guys don't mind me sharing these.  I just really loved them, so I was excited to show them off!  YAY!  Today's was in the Hello category.  I had so much fun with this one!  The icons are simply squares of white cardstock and I used colored pencils to draw and color each one by hand.  I LOVE how they turned out!  I picked my favorite apps, of course!  LOL!



YAY!!!  I {heart} it.  This card is just so much fun!  The iPhone die is a Kelly Purkey one from Simon Says Stamp and it is AWESOME!!!!  (You can find it in the links below.)  I made a shaker with it and tossed in some shiny sequins and the icon squares.  I pretty much love that.  The speech bubble stamp and die are both from The Stamps of Life.



Yup.  I totally left that photo full size.  Why?  'Cause I LOVE the icons and I want you to SEE them!!!  LOL!  I just had a lot of fun doing them.  That's all, really.

And, with that, my friends, I wish you a HAPPY!!!

*RESERVE Kelly Purkey Wafer Thin Dies PHONE SET SMNS-011	TSOL Talk Bubble Dies	TSOL Talk4phone Stamps	*Simple Stories LIFE 6 x 6 Sn@p Paper Pad 2801
*Fancy Pants 6 x 6 TREND SETTER Paper Pad 1882	*BRILLIANCE Archival Pigment Ink Pad ROCKET RED	*Crafter's Companion 50 PACK ULTRA SMOOTH PREMIUM WHITE CARDSTOCK 752252	*Prismacolor PREMIER COLORED PENCILS 48 Set Lot
*Kelly Purkey KPSQ08 METALLIC SILVER SEQUINS	*PRE-ORDER Lawn Fawn INTO THE WOODS Lawn Ornaments MIXED SEQUINS	*Teresa Collins Enamel Dots HE SAID Pack of 48 HSS121	*Teresa Collins Enamel Dots SHE SAID Pack of 48 HSS161
*Sizzix BIG SHOT MACHINE Powder Blue & Teal 657900	*EK Success 1/16"" SQUARES 3-D Foam Dots Adhesive SPAF-THS

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A Bit of Magic is in the Air!

Hello!  Whew!  That was a LOT of posts yesterday!  Thank you so much to those of you who took the time to look at each one!  I so appreciate you guys!  Today is Day TWO of the Newton's Nook September release and we have another super fun set for you!  Do you believe in magic?  *wink*wink*



This set is called Magical Dreams and you can see all of the images over on the Newton's Nook Blog.  I just LOVE this dragon!  I had fun using colored pencils to bring him to life!  A gold marker allowed me to draw an interesting line for him to 'sit on' while keeping my design nice and simple.



AND... you can win this super adorable set!

Would you like to win Magical Dreams?
This set will be given away to Two lucky winners!

Here's how to win:

1. Comment on Newton's Nook Design blog: http://www.newtonsnookblog.com. One Winner will be randomly chosen from the comments on the September release posts.

2. Comment on the Design Team Member and Guest blogs (see list below)! One winner will be chosen at random from the collective blogs in the September release blog hop. Make sure to check out each of their blogs and comment for your chance to win. You will not know which blog has been chosen so the more you comment on the better your chances are of winning! You have until Thursday, September 12th at 9 pm Central Standard Time to comment -- winners will be announced on the blog post on Friday, September 13th.

Make sure you check out all the blogs participating in the Launch Party below to enter:

Tessa Wise

Jocelyn Olson

Samantha Mann

Emily Leiphart

Jennifer Ingle

Happy Hopping!

Have a Happy!

Mousy Christmas!

I am LOVING that Stampendous! is now working with the designer of the House Mouse series!  These stamps are SO adorable!  I'm not a big coloring girl, but these ones make me want to at least try!  LOL!  I created this fun card using the super cute Gifts To Tie Cling stamp.  LOVE IT!



I colored the image with colored pencils.  I really love using metallic pencils for a softer gold tone!  It looks so pretty on the gifts!  I stamped the sentiment with Tsukineko's Delicata gold ink.  As you know, I love that stuff.  Like... super lots of love that stuff.  For reals.



A few rhinestones added a bit of extra holiday elegance to the design. I like them.  They make me smile.  I like things that make me smile.

I hope you have a super spectacular day!  Tomorrow I have... wait for it... THREE fun posts for you, so be sure to check them ALL out because it's gonna ROCK, dude!  For reals.  Rock.  Just sayin'.

Have a Happy!

Colored Pencils Can Offer Brilliant Colors, too!

So, here's the thing... you want to add bold, vibrant color to your cards, but you don't have a degree in coloring from the Alcohol Marker Institute of America? Yeah, me, neither. I totally get it. All that numbering and blending and ... whew! It gets a bit daunting! So, while I do use my Spectrum Noir markers, I have actually found that I can get those same bold, vibrant looks using colored pencils and, personally, I find them a lot easier to work with than markers. Let me show you...


Yup. Totally did that with colored pencils. Prismacolors, to be precise. For reals. I wouldn't lie about something like this, folks. This is serious stuff! HA! And the best part is... all I did was choose three colored pencil colors and worked my way from the outside in. You could do it from the inside out, if you prefer... I just knew what I wanted on the outside first, so I started there. This girl... not so much a 'planner'. Just sayin'. LOL! I did apply mineral spirits with a tortillion after coloring to bolden up those colors and give the full vibrancy. It also helps blend them even more, although, good colored pencils tend to blend well just while you use them, so that's handy, too.


As for WHAT to color? Well, that parts easy! Just pick out some GORGEOUS stamps like these fabulous Sheena Douglas images from Crafter's Companion! I used Sheena's Through the Rain and Flower Power sets for this card. You can actually get a good deal on both if you choose them for this bundle offer. Just sayin'.

So... if you are not the coloring type and part of that is due to a dreadful phobia of fancy markers... I hope you will give Prismacolors a try. I think you might find them a lot easier and totally fun! Oh...and the results are pretty cool, too. Just sayin'.

May Arts & CardMaker Blog Hop Time! (Giveaway!)

Welcome to the May Arts/CardMaker blog hop! We are so excited to be joining up with the CardMaker team to show off some GREAT card inspiration using fabulous May Arts Ribbon! If you came from Monica's blog you are well on your way! If not, you may want to jump on back to the May Arts blog for the full hop list so you can start at the beginning!


I pulled out some fun Paper Smooches stamps and three of my FAVORITE May Arts ribbon products for my card! I used the natural Burlap String (which, I honestly don't know if I could live without.. just sayin'.), the brown solid/diagonal stripes (a total staple), and a new favorite of mine, the white paper cord! I colored my image with Prismacolor pencils to give it that nice, aged look.


Be sure to comment on all of the blogs along the way! One lucky hopper is going to win FOUR spools of ribbon - Winner's Choice!!! That means you could even choose from the BRAND NEW CHA RELEASES! Woot! Woot!

The next stop on the hop is Miss Karen Baker! Check it!

Jingle Out!

Crafty Shelf - The Craft's Meow CUTENESS!

This is my second post of the day! Please check out my itty bitty card in the post below, as well!

Here we are again, with Day TWO of the January release from The Craft's Meow! YAY! Today's stamp set is so much fun! My card gives you a peek at it, but you will totally have to visit the blog to check out what all of the designers have created because there is SO MUCH fun stuff in this stamp set! LOVE!!!


Umm... yup. LOVING that little jar of spoolies! Such amazing cuteness!


I kept this one simple. I stamped in Tuxedo Black Momento ink and then colored with Prismacolor colored pencils. A couple of rounded corners and a pen stitched border seemed like a great way to finish it out!

So... Liking what you see so far? WELLLL.... head on over to the The Craft's Meow blog and check out the rest of the cards AND don't forget to leave a comment on their blog for a chance to win this set for free!

I hope you have a super fabulous Friday!!!

Jingle Out!

Simon Says Dream Big!

Do you remember back to school time when YOU were the one going back to school? I loved it! I still like to buy a pack or two of crayons every year. There is just nothing better than the sweet smell of a brand new box of Crayolas! Of course, I hate actually using them because I love the pure, beautiful untouched molded shape of them! LOL! Back to school time is a time full of dreams and new beginnings! It's all just so excited!

Well, enough of all that sappiness...seriously...it's getting sticky in here! HA! The new Simon Says Stamp Challenge for this week is all about Back to School! And the Design Team members have pulled out some fun Sizzix goodies to use for this great challenge!


I created this fun card using watercolor paper so I could get a nice, deep, beautiful impression from the Sizzix Rustic Trellis Ink-Its die. This is a letterpress style die, so you can use it plain, as I've done here, or add ink to it for a colored impression! I love it! I used the Hero Arts/Studio Calico Calico Borders set for the alphabet stamp and added just a pop of color with PrismaColor pencils! The fabulous globe is from the Hero Arts/Studio Calico Wonderful World set and the Dream Big sentiment comes from the Heyday Sentiments set.


Don't forget to link up a card to this week's challenge! You could win a $50 voucher to the Simon Says Stamp Superstore! FOR REALS!

And...if I can take a moment to gush, I have to tell you about a toy I got a few weeks ago that I am head over heels in LOVE with now! The Corner Chomper.

I know...you think I'm crazy, but seriously, you guys. This thing ROCKS! It is a super strong corner rounder with both a 1/4 in. size and a traditional 1/2 in. size. It goes through any and all paper and can chomp chipboard, too! I LOVE IT!!!! I used it on this card and it cleanly and easily went through two layers of watercolor paper at once! My old corner rounder would have struggled with ONE layer of watercolor paper because it's so thick! So...if you happen to like to round corners, I HIGHLY recommend this amazing tool! For reals. Just say'n.

Jingle Out.


You can find the products I used on my card at the links below!

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