Paper Chase

Sending You...

2012-01-31T00:01:00.002-05:00

When I read why moxie fabulicious Cath couldn't make it to CHA this year, I really felt for her and when I saw a blog hop for her, well I had to jump on board.

Having tendonitis myself and nerve damage in my right arm, I understand what it's like to want to do the things you've always done and physically can't do it.

So, for Cath, here's a little hug with a fold in the middle...

Have a wonderful day and to see the list of participants, go to Virginia's blog.

Stamps: Sweet Victoria (sweet stamp shop), Big & Bold Wishes (Papertrey Ink)

Sweet goodbye

2012-01-28T11:53:00.000-05:00

This is my last post as a Sweet Stamp Shop DT member. It's been great to be part of the inaugural design team and I can't wait to see where Nicole takes Sweet Stamp Shop in the future--it can only get more fabulous!

I used Sweet Tooth for my card today with some spring colors. Is it spring yet?? Even though we've had a mild winter, I'm ready for t-shirts and flip flops. The gumball machine in this set is just perfect and is very much loved by my girls!

Keep an eye on the Sweet Stamp Shop blog for tons of inspiration and in case you haven't done so already...'like' Sweet Stamp Shop on Facebook!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Need to venti?

2012-01-21T17:41:00.001-05:00

I was inspired by the current SPARKS challenge to ink up my Hot Concoctions set from Paper Smooches that has been sitting in a drawer since I bought it.

Here's the inspiration photo:

I was inspired by the polka dots, the green, the texture, the letters on the pillows and the bold pop of red.

I embossed the card base with polka dots (which aren't showing so well in the photo) and to represent the texture I stamped on canvas. I also loosely used a Designer Draft as inspiration for my layout.

Thanks for stopping by!

The core of it.

2012-01-19T08:00:00.001-05:00

I've got a

card to share today using The 'Core' of it.

This is a really cute apple set with a lovely font mix for the sentiments--that combination of handwritten and typed text I love! I used the small apple and covered up the 'made by' text.

Visit the Sweet Stamp Shop blog for daily inspiration!

25 years I've waited for this day...

2012-01-15T12:29:00.000-05:00

My older sister is 50 today. When she turned 25, I remember looking at her and saying, "You're a quarter of a century!" Back then, I couldn't imagine being 25. It was positively ancient. LOL Now she's 50 and I've waited 25 years to tell her she's now HALF a century old. I looked up some sayings online for turning 50 and used a couple of them on this card. The card will be accompanied by a bottle of prune juice. :)

I made the text big so she can see it. LOL

2012-01-11T08:00:00.009-05:00

Sorry for the delay! Blogger did not post my scheduled post and then my post went up and the text was out of order. Very strange!

Today is release day and Nicole is offering a sweet deal. Buy one new release and get the other new release at 40% off!

Use code Jan40 at checkout.

If you arrived from Aga's blog then you are on the right path.

If you need to start at the beginning of the hop, the hop list is on the Sweet Stamp Shop blog.

My card today uses the bold woodgrain set appropriately named Against the Grain. I used the small woodgrain circles to make this simple yet colorful card.

Sweet Stamp Shop will be giving away one of each new release and here is what you need to do to enter:

Comment along on the blog hop with *original* comments... no copying and pasting!

If you do Facebook, be sure to 'like' us on facebook and follow the Sweet Stamp Shop blog. Also, take a moment while your hopping to follow our designers blogs. (they're pretty amazing... you'll want to!)

Bonus Entry: Share our give-a-way and new release blog hop with your friends on facebook, your blog, or just maybe in an email... let us know you did so on our facebok wall... and presto, another entry!

Next up is the fabulous, Nicole!

P.S. Don't forget to apply for the Sweet Stamp Shop design team. The call ends January 17th!

Sweet Stamp Shop New Release Blog Hop!

2012-01-10T08:00:00.003-05:00

Welcome to day 1 of the new release blog hop!

If you arrived from Aga's blog then you are on the right path. If you need to start at the beginning of the hop, the hop list is on the Sweet Stamp Shop blog.

I'm sharing a card today using the soon to be release set called Sentimental Birds. This is a set that can be used as a focal point or a background. I love stamping on pattern paper and the image I used from the set worked perfectly.

Sweet Stamp Shop is having a design team call! See all the details on the Sweet Stamp Shop Blog and don't wait, the dt call ends January 17th!

Sweet Stamp Shop will be giving away one of each new release and here is what you need to do to enter:
Comment along on the blog hop with *original* comments... no copying and pasting!

If you do Facebook, be sure to 'like' us on facebook and follow the Sweet Stamp Shop blog. Also, take a moment while your hopping to follow our designers blogs. (they're pretty amazing... you'll want to!)

Bonus EntryShare our give-a-way and new release blog hop with your friends on facebook, your blog, or just maybe in an email... let us know you did so on our facebook wall... and presto, another entry!

The new sets will be shown in their entirety on January 11th and the sets will be for sale at that time and... there will be a coupon code so check back tomorrow!

Next up is the fabulous, Nicole!

2012-01-09T09:00:00.002-05:00

Good Morning! I have a Sweet Stamp Shop card to share with you today but first wanted to let you know about a great opportunity. Sweet Stamp Shop is holding a DT call! Go HERE for all the details but don't wait, the deadline to apply is January 17th!

My card for today uses the Furry Friends Forever set.

I chose not to color my little squirrel and simply stamped him in brown chalk ink. I stamped some acorns in versamark on the hot pink strip and added a sweet sentiment. Furry Friends Forever is a darling mini set.

Did you know Sweet Stamp Shop is on Facebook? Go here to 'like' Sweet Stamp Shop on Facebook and watch for special deals!

Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful day!

Cutting SVG files with your Silhouette machine

2012-01-05T20:53:00.002-05:00

I took this file as an SVG and cut it with my Silhouette. I went a step further by modifying and welding the skull I drew for this card on it and it cut great. I didn't like how the tic marks stood out and will delete those next time--this cut file didn't really need them as it's easy to see where to fold.

We had a Monster High themed New Year's Eve party. My girls loved it and I'm pretty sure nobody else had a party quite like ours.

I wanted to do a post for those of us who used to be Cricut/SCAL users but have jumped on the Silhouette bandwagon--I LOVE my Silhouette! I have gobs of SVG files and wanted to show you how to turn your SVG's into DXF files and cut them with your Silhouette machine.

Does this work with every SVG file? I don't know. So far it's worked for the few files I've tried it with but you could run into some issues with a file that has quite a few tic marks for scoring--not sure how that would turn out since since a tic mark has to be drawn as a teeny tiny rectangle for SCAL to cut it.

First, you need to download Inkscape. It's free and you can download it here.

1. Open your SVG file in Inkscape. Go to File>Open and choose the file you want to open--make sure the file type is changed to all file types or you will be searching for Inkscape files to open.

2. Once your SVG file is open, go to File>Save as and save as a dxf. (Desktop Plotting Cutter (R13) *.dxf) If a box pops up click OK.

3. Open the latest version of the Silhouette Software and go to File>Open. Make sure the file type is set to AutoCAD Interchange File (*.dxf)

You can also do a PDF this way but instead of File>Open in Inkscape you would choose File>Import and then choose your PDF File. Once you get it saved as a .dxf and open in Silhouette Studio, you should be able to mess around with line settings and make some score and some cut, etc.

If you have questions, please e-mail me at annie21211(at)yahoo(dot)com and I'll do my best to help!

Year in Review

2011-12-29T21:34:00.000-05:00

I saw this on Julie's blog and had to participate. Karin is hosting a Year in Review blog hop, so run on over and link up your year in review.

Here are 12 of my favorites from the last year:

My goal for 2012 is to find a better balance with work/home/hobbies/friends--in no particular order.

Returning to work full time after 8 years off has made me appreciate the time I spend with my kids and the years I spent home with them.

Saturday is a glorious occasion and not just another day--I live for the weekend!

Time itself is different for me now. It's precious and I want to make sure I spend it wisely.

My perspective has changed and I realized I placed importance on things that are really not important.

I'm happy to be here to usher in 2012.

Merry Christmas

2011-12-24T12:03:00.000-05:00

A quick post to show you a quick card I made using the cute little gnome from Sweet Stamp Shop.

I love the gnome as Santa--I've been seeing that idea everywhere lately! Sorry for the poor lighting, I'm missing a lamp at the moment.

Have a wonderful holiday!

Scootin' by with a Hello

2011-12-15T08:00:00.054-05:00

I've got a

card for you today using the super cool Scootin' By set.

Sometimes--ok, often!--I don't want to color an image or even paper piece it.

This pattern paper my friend, Alyssa, sent me was perfect for my scooter card. I stamped the image in bold black on a subtle piece of pattern paper--the scooter gets to shine that way. I was so happy to find the perfect shade of embroidery floss in my stash from my friend, Julie, to add a finishing touch.

Thanks for dropping by during this busy holiday season. If you find yourself on Facebook, stop by the Sweet Stamp Shop wall and say hello! For more inspiration, visit the Sweet Stamp Shop blog.

Have a great day!

Steal of the Day!

2011-12-09T08:00:00.001-05:00

Sweet Stamp Shop has teamed up with Scrapbook Steals for an awesome deal today only! The deal begins at 9am MST...check it out here.

One of the sets in the super fabulous steal is Gnomies! I love Gnomies. It's one of my favorite stamp sets along with Scootin' By--love that scooter and the size of the scooter is perfect! Not too big and not too small.

And to sweeten this Scrapbook Steal for you, there's a stamp set included that hasn't been released yet! You can be one of the first to own it before it officially releases!

Visit the Sweet Stamp Shop store to see all the stamp designs available and stop by our Facebook wall and say hello!

Hello, beautiful!

2011-12-07T10:00:00.050-05:00

Good Morning! I have a

card to show you today.

Hello, Beautiful is a set that I adored at first sight. The images are darling, especially the super cute nail polish bottles. One of my girls is obsessed with nail polish and spa days and needless to say, she loves this set. For the hairspray, I cut a triangle shape out of a Scor Sheet and adhered it to the card. I then just poured lines of glitter on top and carefully poured off the excess. Super easy and not as messy as I anticipated.

Thanks for stopping by! Check out the Sweet Stamp Shop blog for more inspiration and if you find yourself on Facebook, drop by Sweet Stamp Shop and say hello...Nicole likes to throw some deals on Facebook and you won't want to miss out!

2011-12-02T07:55:00.000-05:00

Welcome to the 3rd and final day of the

new release blog hop! If you arrived from Aga's blog then you are on the right path.

Today has gone to the dogs...but not in a bad way. Buddy Bee is a set sure to please any dog lover. I made a tag for a small bag of treats that would be perfect to give to someone who has a new addition to their family. This little puppy was super easy to paper piece.

We will be giving away one of each of the stamp sets and here is what you need to do to enter:

Comment along on the blog hop with *original* comments... no copying and pasting!

Be sure to 'like' us on facebook and follow the Sweet Stamp Shop blog. Also, take a moment while your hopping to follow our designers blogs. (they're pretty amazing... you'll want to!)

Bonus Entry

Share our give-a-way and new release blog hop with your friends on facebook, your blog, or just maybe in an email... let us know you did so on our facebook wall... and presto, another entry!

- New Release Sale -

All the sets are now available! The new release deal will be
25% off any set of your choice... including new releases and old! Coupon Code: NRD25. Sale runs through Sunday!

Next up is the fabulous, Nicole!

Here's the list of hoppers in case you need to start at the beginning:

Sweet Stamp Shop http://sweetstampshop.blogspot.com/

Julie Ranae http://juliesopenwindow.blogspot.com/

Savannah O'Gwynn http://savannahland2.blogspot.com/

Lindsay Amrhein http://lindsayamrhein.blogspot.com/

Donna Mikasa http://3umbrellas.blogspot.com/

Geny Cassady http://gencass.blogspot.com/

Aga http://justmadefrompaper.blogspot.com/

Leigh Ann Baird http://www.stampingwithannieb.blogspot.com/

Nicole Rixon http://www.onesweetromance.com/

Sweet Stamp Shop new release blog hop-Day 2

2011-12-01T10:00:00.003-05:00

Welcome to Day 2 of the

new release blog hop! If you arrived from Aga's blog then you are on the right path.

Today we are showcasing Spectacle! A cute set for your inner geek. My spectacles are shiny and glittery in person but my camera and lighting failed to capture that. Love the font on the sentiment!

We will be giving away one of each of the stamp sets and here is what you need to do to enter:

Comment along on the blog hop with *original* comments... no copying and pasting!

Be sure to 'like' us on facebook and follow the Sweet Stamp Shop blog. Also, take a moment while your hopping to follow our designers blogs. (they're pretty amazing... you'll want to!)

Bonus Entry

Share our give-a-way and new release blog hop with your friends on facebook, your blog, or just maybe in an email... let us know you did so on our facebook wall... and presto, another entry!

- New Release Sale -

We'll be showing the sets in their entirety on Friday Dec. 2nd and the sets will be for sale at that time. The new release deal will be
25% off any set of your choice... including new releases and old! Coupon Code: NRD25

Next up is the fabulous, Nicole!

Here's the list of hoppers in case you need to start at the beginning:

Sweet Stamp Shop http://sweetstampshop.blogspot.com/

Julie Ranae http://juliesopenwindow.blogspot.com/

Savannah O'Gwynn http://savannahland2.blogspot.com/

Donna Mikasa http://3umbrellas.blogspot.com/

Geny Cassady http://gencass.blogspot.com/

Aga http://justmadefrompaper.blogspot.com/

Leigh Ann Baird http://www.stampingwithannieb.blogspot.com/

Nicole Rixon http://www.onesweetromance.com/

Lindsay Amrhein http://lindsayamrhein.blogspot.com/

Sweet Stamp Shop new release blog hop- Day 1

2011-11-30T08:00:00.001-05:00

Can you believe it's time for another

new release blog hop?! If you arrived from Aga's blog then you are on the right path.

We are showing peeks of a new set releasing on Dec 2nd called Sweet Victoria This set is very romantic and beautiful and elegant. I went with a clean vintage look for my card today. Isn't that cameo gorgeous!

Publish Post

We will be giving away one of each of the stamp sets and here is what you need to do to enter:

Comment along on the blog hop with *original* comments... no copying and pasting!

If you do Facebook, be sure to 'like' us on facebook and follow the Sweet Stamp Shop blog. Also, take a moment while your hopping to follow our designers blogs. (they're pretty amazing... you'll want to!)

Bonus Entry

Share our give-a-way and new release blog hop with your friends on facebook, your blog, or just maybe in an email... let us know you did so on our facebook wall... and presto, another entry!

- New Release Sale -

We'll be showing the sets in their entirety on Friday Dec. 2nd and the sets will be for sale at that time. The new release deal will be...
25% off any set of your choice... including new releases and old! Coupon Code: NRD25

Next up is the fabulous, Nicole!

Here's the list of hoppers in case you need to start at the beginning:

Sweet Stamp Shop http://sweetstampshop.blogspot.com/

Julie Ranae http://juliesopenwindow.blogspot.com/

Savannah O'Gwynn http://savannahland2.blogspot.com/

Lindsay Amrhein http://lindsayamrhein.blogspot.com/

Aga http://justmadefrompaper.blogspot.com/

Leigh Ann Baird http://www.stampingwithannieb.blogspot.com/

Nicole Rixon http://www.onesweetromance.com/

Donna Mikasa http://3umbrellas.blogspot.com/

Geny Cassady http://gencass.blogspot.com/

Scootin' by with a card

2011-11-25T10:00:00.002-05:00

I am still stuffed from Thanksgiving dinner! My sister and I did the bulk of the cooking this year to give my Mom a break. Working full time and trying to clean house and cook a big meal is tough. My baby turned 8 yesterday and we had a little celebration for her as well.

Here's my card for today using Scootin' By (one of my favs!) from

I love the little scooter and decided to only show the back end of the scooter and go with the I miss you sentiment. This card reminds me of my sisters and how I don't get to see either of them very much these days. Seems like we are always just missing each other.

Let me tell you about something you shouldn't miss...

Sweet Stamp Shop is having a sweet Black Friday Sale--35% off the entire store and if you enter the code FREESH you will get free shipping on top of that!

Owl you doin'?

2011-11-06T08:00:00.000-05:00

I'm so busy it's crazy but I wanted to share this gift bag I made using Melvin & Vernie from

and encourage you to take a moment (myself included) to let those you care about know you care. A small gesture, like a little gift bag left on your friend's porch, is not small at all. It's huge.

Our lives are busier than ever but a little something out of the blue from a friend you've been missing really makes your day. I know this because I'm lucky to have made some wonderful friends through this hobby who are so kind and generous. Alyssa Scritchfield (a World Card Making Day winner by the way so run over to her blog and give her a big congrats!) sent me a package recently that made me so happy I cried. An ugly cry too. I've been super stressed lately and busy and to get a surprise like that, well, I'm getting all misty eyed just writing about it. All right, fine, I'm crying my eyes out again just thinking of it. It wasn't what was in the box, it was the thought behind it and it was massively thoughtful. Alyssa, thank you isn't strong enough and once again, I'm asking you to move to the south. You'd like it here, seriously. You get used to the humidity and the mosquitoes and I have never once had chiggers.

My friend Julie Elak sent me a wonderful treat not too long ago that was so sweet and really lifted my spirits. Once again, it wasn't the gift, but the thought. Julie, my daughter tried to take it all but I wouldn't let her have it. Bwahaha! Thank you so much and I miss you!

Have a wonderful Sunday!

Check out all the Melvin & Vernie stamps in the Sweet Stamp Shop!
Check out Sweet Stamp Shop on Facebook!

2011-11-02T08:00:00.000-04:00

Welcome to Day 3 of the

blog hop to celebrate the release of 3 new sets!

If you came from Aga's blog then you are hopping in the right order!

Today we're sharing our creations with Sweet Alpha Doodles. An alphabet set with some sweet and whimisical frames. I used one of the small frames to make this colorful background and one of the other frames in the set as a focal point for my sentiment.

The sentiment is from the Furry Friends Forever.

This set will be available in the Sweet Stamp Shop on Thursday but you can win it by :

1. Comment on each Blog and be sure to follow each designers blog *and* the SSS blog.

(we'll only pull a name of people that follow *everyone*)

2. Extra entry: Share on Facebook! Make sure to comment on our wall and let us know that you shared!

Next up is the fabulous, Nicole!

Here's the list of hoppers in case you need to start at the beginning:

Sweet Stamp Shop http://sweetstampshop.blogspot.com/

Julie Ranae http://juliesopenwindow.blogspot.com/

Savannah O'Gwynn http://savannahland2.blogspot.com/

Lindsay Amrhein http://lindsayamrhein.blogspot.com/

Donna Mikasa http://3umbrellas.blogspot.com/

Geny Cassady http://gencass.blogspot.com/

Aga http://justmadefrompaper.blogspot.com/

Leigh Ann Baird http://www.stampingwithannieb.blogspot.com/

Nicole Rixon http://www.onesweetromance.com/

Sweet Stamp Shop Blog Hop Day 2

2011-11-01T08:00:00.000-04:00

Welcome to Day 2 of the

blog hop to celebrate the upcoming release of 3 new sets!

If you came from Aga's blog then you are hopping in the right order!

Today we're sharing our creations with Sports Fever. A sports set geared for girls with some cool sentiments. Girls totally rule!

This set will be available in the Sweet Stamp Shop on Thursday but you can win it by :

1. Comment on each Blog and be sure to follow each designers blog *and* the SSS blog.

(we'll only pull a name of people that follow *everyone*)

2. Extra entry: Share on Facebook! Make sure to comment on our wall and let us know that you shared!

***********

Next up is the fabulous, Nicole!

Here's the list of hoppers in case you need to start at the beginning:

Sweet Stamp Shop http://sweetstampshop.blogspot.com/

Julie Ranae http://juliesopenwindow.blogspot.com/

Savannah O'Gwynn http://savannahland2.blogspot.com/

Lindsay Amrhein http://lindsayamrhein.blogspot.com/

Donna Mikasa http://3umbrellas.blogspot.com/

Geny Cassady http://gencass.blogspot.com/

Aga http://justmadefrompaper.blogspot.com/

Leigh Ann Baird http://www.stampingwithannieb.blogspot.com/

Nicole Rixon http://www.onesweetromance.com/

Sweet Stamp Shop blog hop - Day 1

2011-10-31T08:00:00.000-04:00

Welcome to Day 1 of the

blog hop to celebrate the upcoming release of 3 new sets!

If you came from Aga's blog then you are hopping in the right order!

Today we're sharing our creations with Furry Friends Forever. A darling set with some really cute critters in it.

This set will be available in the Sweet Stamp Shop on Thursday but you can win it by :

1. Comment on each Blog and be sure to follow each designers blog *and* the SSS blog.

(we'll only pull a name of people that follow *everyone*)

2. Extra entry: Share on Facebook! Make sure to comment on our wall and let us know that you shared!

************

I wanted to use the funky pattern paper my most awesome friend, Alyssa, sent me along with a box of goodies that had me bawling until my face puffed up and my head hurt. I used a well loved, simple layout to go with the bold colors. Isn't that little critter the cutest?!

Next up is the fabulous, Nicole!

Here's the list of hoppers in case you need to start at the beginning:

Sweet Stamp Shop http://sweetstampshop.blogspot.com/

Julie Ranae http://juliesopenwindow.blogspot.com/

Savannah O'Gwynn http://savannahland2.blogspot.com/

Lindsay Amrhein http://lindsayamrhein.blogspot.com/

Donna Mikasa http://3umbrellas.blogspot.com/

Geny Cassady http://gencass.blogspot.com/

Aga http://justmadefrompaper.blogspot.com/

Leigh Ann Baird http://www.stampingwithannieb.blogspot.com/

Nicole Rixon http://www.onesweetromance.com/

Whooo's Hungry

2011-10-30T08:00:00.000-04:00

I've got a

project for you today! Halloween is tomorrow and before we know it, Thanksgiving will be upon us.

I love placecards and so do my kids. It tickles them to see a little card with their name on sitting by their plate. I have placecards for Easter and Halloween and now I have some for Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving Owl-fits is perfect for placecards. There are so many cute images in this set like turkey drumsticks.. I'd love some turkey right now. And pie. I love pie.

Check out the Sweet Stamp Shop blog for loads of inspiration from the Sweet Tooth Girls and don't forget to visit the Sweet Stamp Shop!

Visit Sweet Stamp Shop on Facebook!

Holiday Fun

2011-10-27T10:00:00.000-04:00

My card reminds me of Target and I love Target, especially at Christmas, so that's a good thing. I am so ready for cooler weather and all that goes with it. My kids are making their Christmas Lists or Cristmis List as my 7yo spells it. She thinks it's free if it's on her list--isn't that sweet.

My card is not warped in person :)

I used the whimsical trees image from Tree Traditions to make this (easy to mass produce) card. You should put this set on your early Christmas list because it's full of cute images. I LOVE the car!

Check out the Sweet Stamp Shop blog for more inspiration from the design team and don't forget to check out what's new in the Sweet Stamp Shop store!

Sweet Stamp Shop is on Facebook-drop by and say hello!

Melvin Halloween style

2011-10-18T10:00:00.000-04:00

I've got a Sweet Stamp Shop project today using Melvin from Hal'Owl'een Outfits. I put Melvin in a coffin shaped card because there is no place more appropriate for a vampire than a coffin.

For tons more inspiration, check out the Sweet Stamp Shop Blog!

Have a wonderful day!

spooky spiders

2011-10-15T12:43:00.000-04:00

The current CAS-ual Friday challenge is to create a Halloween project with no orange. None. Not a speck. Here's my card using the spider and web from PTI's 2009 Halloween Tags and the sentiment comes from Prickley Pear . The layout comes from a sketch in Card Ideas for Paper Crafters and the twine is from The Twinery.

Have a wonderful day!

Operation Julie's Smile blog hop

2011-10-07T08:00:00.000-04:00

I am so glad that you joined us on this amazing blog hop for Operation Julie’s Smile. If you came here from Lindsay's blog then you are in the right spot. If not, you may want to start from the beginning at the Sweet Stamp Shop’s blog and take your time. You have ALL WEEKEND to hop with us and win prizes!

The creative blogging community is coming together this weekend to help one of our friends, Julie Ranae. You may know her as the Design Team Coordinator for many wonderful companies from bakers twine, die cuts, rubber stamps and more. What many people don’t know about Julie Ranae is that she has had some pretty major dental surgeries in her lifetime due to medication she had to take as a child. It was in her plans to think about having all of her teeth replaced at some point in the next 5 years, a decision that was pretty easy to plan out. But then it happened…she chipped her front teeth on a weekend a month ago. The dentist told her there was no way to save them & that it was his recommendation that she give in and have them all her teeth removed soon, but for that day, they needed to get her front teeth done so her gums could begin to heal. He said he would 'work out payments with her to have ALL this work done...but when she called to make her appt for the first step of impressions, they told her the amount of money that was needed and that the 'payments' applied only to the two teeth that were extracted that day. Her husband Paul was with her & that too, was his understanding as well. So this is how she has found herself in this situation…Needing at least $4000 to get started and another $3000 to finish the process…a total of $7000.

Nicole Rixon, owner of Sweet Stamp Shop put together this benefit after finding out about this situation and before Julie Ranae knew it, it took flight! Because she is an event organizer by trade, Nicole has taken on the job of organizing all of the blogs in this hop as her way of ‘working overtime’ for what she needs, the same as if she were able to work overtime at an outside job to pay for the work to be done.

It is the goal of all of these generous friends & sponsors to help make this situation more do-able for our friend so that she can share a brand new smile with all of us soon.

I'm sharing a card today that I sent a very dear friend for her birthday using the super cute scooter from Scootin' By...

If there is anything you can do to help with a financial donation, there is a donation button ready for you to click on my sidebar. Any amount is appreciated and ALL DONATIONS will be eligible for prizes from our sponsor pool of over $2500.

I hope you enjoyed your stop here on the hop! The next stop is Aga’s blog. Make sure you leave a comment here before you go so that you can have a chance at the amazing prizes up for grabs and if you can, please make a donation so we can help bring back a new smile for our friend.

Cool weather means hot cocoa

2011-10-06T10:00:00.000-04:00

It's day 4 of the

new release blog hop!

You're probably cold from leaving the warmth of Geny's blog so I'll warm you up with a hot cocoa project.

Using the new release, Tree Traditions, I decorated a pocket that is the perfect size for a cocoa pouch.

It's hard to see but there are glitter strips along the bottom.

This is a cute, inexpensive project when you want to give someone a little something. This would also be super cute with a small peppermint stick tied on the top.

Nicole has a great sale in honor of release day, check it out:

Buy any 3 of the new sets and you'll get any one set for free.
(Code: 3FREE )

OR
Buy 1 or 2 sets and get 15% off (code: OCT15)

Because of Operation Julie's Smile we're extending our
sale through the week... So, these prices will be good through
Thursday Oct. 13th. But, get the new one's while you can...
we're bound to run out!

Also don't forget that you have through the weekend
to hop through each release and leave comments for
your chance to win one of 4 new sets!

Bonus Entry: If you share each different release with your friends and
let us know that you did on our facebook wall... you'll be entered
twice!

Head on over to Savannah's blog and she what she's got going on today...bet it's awesome!

Here's the hop order today so you don't miss a stop!

Sweet Stamp Shop Blog

Aga
Lindsay

Julie Ranae

Nicole
Geny

Leigh Ann
Savannah

I am so ready for turkey

2011-10-05T10:00:00.000-04:00

It's day 3 of the

blog hop celebrating the upcoming release of 4 new stamp sets! Did you gobble up some inspiration from Nicole before heading my way? If so, I bet you are stuffed! :)

Today we're focusing on Thanksgiving Owl'fits. Melvin and Vernie are back and all dressed up for Thanksgiving. There are some really cute elements to this set and I love the font combinations.

Here's my card with Vernie:

Next up is the fabulous Lindsay!

You can win this set by visiting and commenting on each blog in the hop!

In case you didn't start at the beginning, here's the blog hop order today:

Sweet Stamp Shop Blog

Savannah

Julie

Aga

Geny

Nicole
Leigh Ann

Lindsay

It's a busy week on my blog. I'll be back tomorrow with the final hop celebrating the last set to release this week. It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

I'll be hopping on Friday too for Operation Julie's Smile, so don't forget to stop back by and see what's what.

Have a good one!

Mmmmmm, extra butter

2011-10-04T10:00:00.000-04:00

Welcome to day 2 of the Sweet Stamp Shop new release blog hop! Thanks for popping in on me from Nicole's fabulous blog...it was hard to leave wasn't it?!

Whenever my husband and I get a date night, we almost always see a movie. Using the soon to be released Watching TV set, I created a simple invitation that can be given to a spouse, a friend or a child to plan a movie night.

Want to win this set?

Simply visit all the blogs in the hop and leave a comment.

Just so you don't miss a spot, here are places you'll want to visit:

Sweet Stamp Shop Blog
Lindsay
Julie Ranae
Savannah
Aga
Geny
Nicole
Leigh Ann --that's me!

Have a great day and I'll see you back here tomorrow for a peek at another fun set releasing soon!

Blog hopping.... Hal'owl'een style!

2011-10-03T10:00:00.000-04:00

Welcome to the Sweet Stamp Shop blog hop celebrating the upcoming release! If you've arrived here from the Sweet Stamp Shop Blog then you are haunting the right trail.

Today we're strutting our stuff using Hal'owl'een Outfits. Melvin and Vernie are all dressed up for halloween and ready to trick or treat. I just LOVE the sentiment in this set!

Hey, want to win this stamp set? Simply visit each blog on the hop and leave a comment--it's that easy!

Next up on the hop is the amazing Lindsay!

If you find yourself lost on the boo trail, here are the places to haunt:

Sweet Stamp Shop blog

Leigh Ann - that's me!

We'll be hopping again tomorrow to show off another set that is releasing on Thursday.

Have a wonderful Monday!

World Card Making Day!

2011-10-01T10:35:00.003-04:00

Card making rocks!

In honor of World Card Making Day, I am sharing a card I made with a sketch from Card Ideas for Paper Crafters--you can buy digital issues now! I used the totally awesome So 80's set from Wplus9. I am so stuck on this color scheme for this set. I've got to branch out a little and use some 80's colors.

I have so little time to create right now due to my new job but I hope to visit all my favorite blogs soon and ooh and aah over your fabulous creations!

Welcome Gnome

2011-09-27T06:00:00.000-04:00

I love my card that's on the Sweet Stamp Shop Blog today. It pushes all the right buttons for me. The yellow door, the little cluster of shrooms, the cute little dude peeking out, the simple design. It's ok to love your own card, right?!

I'm still loving the Gnomies set. I cut the keyhole and grass border with a Silhouette file and just hand cut the little sign.

I drew the door shaped card and the file is free and available HERE.

Have a wonderful day!

A monster card, of sorts

2011-09-26T07:23:00.002-04:00

Hi all! I have started back to work full-time so I'm trying to figure out how to balance work, life and my google reader.
My daughter was invited to a birthday party and the birthday girl loves Monster High. I got a notion to make a card to go with the Monster High gift we bought for her.

The banner is from the Silhouette store and the sentiment is from Scootin' By (Sweet Stamp Shop). I wanted the sentiment embossed in white but it didn't work out so well so I ended up just stamping it in white ink. I hope the birthday girl loves it!

Birthday Blog Hop!

2011-09-15T00:01:00.000-04:00

If you've partied your way here from Aga's blog, then you are hopping in the right direction!

In honor of Nicole's Dad Patrick, Sweet Stamp Shop is having a Birthday Blog Hop. Since we're having a party of sorts, you get a little treat. How about...

FREE SHIPPING from 9/15 - 9/18 (no code needed. US & Canada only)

AND

20% off TOTAL order from 9/15 - 9/18 (Use Code: DAD20)

I had Melvin hold a Happy Birthday sign with some balloons behind his back. The sentiment and balloons are from Scootin' By and the size of the images in that set work well with Melvin & Vernie.

Melvin & Vernie

Prepare to be WOW'd because next up on the party line is Geny Cassidy!

*****
How would you like a little taste of something *sweet* to add to your stamp collection? Leave a comment
on my blog and all the blogs on the hop (there are only 9 total) and we will draw the names of 2 lucky winners
for ONE STAMP SET OF YOUR CHOICE!

In case you've stumbled on this hop and want to start at the beginning, here's the info for you:

Have a wonderful day!

Covered Tissue Box

2011-09-14T00:01:00.000-04:00

Good Morning! I have a back to school project for you that would be great for a teacher gift or for your little student to keep on her desk at home. I decorated this box for my tweenager to keep on her desk in her room.

Using the tree image from Go Green (My Cute Stamps), I stamped it all around the box in Memento Bamboo Leaves ink. To make my focal point, I cut out a white circle using Nestabilities and stamped the top portion of the tree in Memento Tuxedo Black ink and colored with copics. I then stamped the tree trunk, colored it, cut it out and adhered it on the front of the box. I added the circle tree top by adhering with foam tape for dimension.

I made the top of the box blue for the sky and used an Oval Nestabilitie to cut the hole so the tissue can be pulled out. I added a decorative edge using the Martha Stewart Simple Scallop edge punch. I then added a few buttons on the bottom for some color and a splash of yellow in the top corner for some sunshine.

Link up your Back to School project for a chance to win a prize from the ABC Toys and Crafts store where everything is 10% off every day and most clear stamps ship free in the US!

Have a wonderful Wednesday!

Best Gnomies

2011-09-12T06:00:00.000-04:00

I've got a card today using Gnomies. The peek of this set is what drew me into Sweet Stamp Shop in the beginning. Three cute little gnomes, some adorable mushrooms and the coolest little patch of grass are just a few of the images in this set.

I went with a CAS design (my fav!) and stamped the gnome in red ink. Sometimes, I just don't want to color or I need a quick card and stamping my image in colored ink is what I usually do in those situations.

Check out all the cute stamps in the shop and then head over to the Sweet Stamp Shop blog for loads of inspiration.

Have a wonderful day!

Bag Tag

2011-09-11T06:00:00.000-04:00

It's challenge time at ABC Toys and Crafts! The design team took the summer off and now we're back with 2 new designers and a fitting challenge for this time of year. It's Back to School time!

I made this cute bag tag for my youngest daughter using the super cute set called Sending Smiles by Hero Arts. I have a stash of those little plastic holders people use for name tags-- you can use them with a lanyard or you can pin them on. I like to use these for bag tags for my girls.

I opened a document sized 2.5 x 3.5 and added my text. After I printed it out, I stamped my girl image in Memento Tuxedo Black ink and colored with copics. I then added some bling to the flowers in her hair, added some ribbon and it's done.

Check out the ABC Toys and Crafts blog for all the details on how you could win a prize from the ABC store.

All items in the store are 10% off everyday and clear stamps ship free in the US!

This is a judged challenge, so show us what you've got!

Have a good one!

Crafty kid gift

2011-09-09T14:58:00.000-04:00

My daughter needed a gift for a friend and I had no idea what to buy. My daughter loves getting into my stamping stuff, so I decided to put together a little stamping kit for the birthday girl.

I had to foam tape the banner on the front.

The kit includes 4 stamps, 5 ink pads, 10 pre-cut/folded cards that coordinate with the pattern paper, 10 envelopes, glue stick, 6x6 sheets of pattern paper, buttons, twine, bling, baby wipes and some pre-cut pieces like circles, squares, rectangles, etc. My daughter really loved this kit so I hope that means her friend will love it too.

Have an awesome weekend!

Pencil project and free cut file

2011-09-07T08:11:00.003-04:00

I have a post over on the ABC DT blog today with a project inspired by a sketch in the Paper Crafts Go To Sketches issue.

You can also snag a free SVG or GSD file in that post.

Have a great day!

Wish Big

2011-09-03T21:18:00.000-04:00

I CASE'd this card from the awesome Erin Lincoln. I switched the colors and sentiment but otherwise, this card is all her idea. This is the first time I've inked up this Mendhi Medallion set and gosh, it's pretty. I needed a quick card for a shoebox swap I'm attending tomorrow afternoon and this one fit the bill perfectly. I cut the card down to 4" wide so that it will still fit in a standard envelope with the scallop thingy sticking out.

FREE SHIPPING this weekend at Sweet Stamp Shop! Use code: FREESHIP

Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies: From Papertrey Ink- Mendhi Medallions, Big & Bold Wishes, Kraft and Vintage Cream cardstock, Vintage Cream ink, Pure Poppy button. Cherry Cobbler cardstock (SU!), twine from The Twinery.

Play Date Cafe #97

2011-09-02T14:50:00.000-04:00

I love the inspiration photo for The Play Date Cafe's challenge this week. When I saw the photo, I saw a dress so I made a simple interpretation of a black dress with white flowers and a pop of red at the waist. I originally made a white version with black flowers and while pretty, the black dress is so much more eye catching.

I used textured black cardstock to add some, well, texture. A little tie of ribbon at the waist and some black bling in the flower centers (hard to see in the pic) and you've got an elegant little black dress card.

click for a better view

Below are the files if you want to make your own dress card. Please see my terms of use here.

Dress Me Up card SVG

Dress Me Up card GSD

Dress Me Up card PDF

FREE SHIPPING this weekend at Sweet Stamp Shop! Use code: FREESHIP

Have a good one!

Scooter Birthday- Pinterest inspired

2011-09-02T07:35:00.000-04:00

Good Friday morning to you! I've got a card for you today that uses the super cute Scootin' By set from Sweet Stamp Shop.

I love the chalkstock I've been seeing around blogland and I wanted to do something chalkboard-ish. Since I have no chalkstock, I used black cardstock and stamped my image with Vintage Cream ink to acheive a similar look. I love the little puffs coming from the back of the scooter!

Have you been sucked in by Pinterest yet? Pinterest is a fabulous source of inspiration and a way to visually bookmark ideas. The card I'm showing you today was inspired by this pin I came across:

Photo credit

**********

Just a reminder that the Sweet Stamp Shop coupon code is ending today. Use code HBN27 to receive 27% off your Sweet Stamp Shop order in honor of Nicole's 27th birthday.

Take a bite out of life

2011-08-30T14:36:00.001-04:00

I've been working my way through my Sweet Stamp Shop sets and made this card using the very cool set called The 'Core' of it. The sentiments in this set are so different from anything else I have in looks (cool font mix!) and words.

click for clearer view

I pulled out some old October Afternoon paper that I still love and did a diagonal background just to do something different. I colored the apple flesh with copics E50, E51.

Today is Nicole's 27th birthday and she's offering up a 27% discount on your Sweet Stamp Shop purchases through September 2nd. Use code HBN27 at checkout and tell all your stamping friends so nobody misses out on this fab deal!

Wish you were here

2011-08-27T20:25:00.001-04:00

I did a challenge. Hooray!

The CAS-ual Friday challenge this week is to use stickers-- or rub ons if you don't have stickers. I have no stickers so I pulled out a rub-on from the Margarita line by American Crafts and built a card around it. I won the Margarita line from the American Crafts blog--they are a very generous company. My girls and I were digging in the box like fiends when it arrived.

click for a larger view

I cut the postage stamp looking frame with my Silhouette machine--love that machine!

Thanks for stopping by and enjoy your weekend!

Sweet Girl

2011-08-26T07:00:00.001-04:00

Good morning! I'm sharing a card I have on the Sweet Stamp Shop blog today. I used the appropriately named set Sweet Tooth. I love the candy image in this set and it's great for Halloween or Christmas and perfect to use on a card for someone sweet.

Have a wonderful day!

Peace Owl

2011-08-19T09:11:00.001-04:00

I put this in my daughter's lunch box today. I put it in a vellum envelope and wrote 'Look whooo's joining you for lunch. Hope it's owl right.' Corny but she'll enjoy it and she loves peace signs.

You can snag the free template for this card from my free templates and tutorials page.

I've put my Twitter feed on the sidebar of my blog and will be updating it regularly with sale and promotion information. This hobby can get quite expensive and a sale is always worth tweeting about.

I also started an Etsy shop to sell some of my creations.
Peace out.

Check out my Stamps for Sale page.

Cool Scoops

2011-08-18T16:19:00.001-04:00

This card is available in my Etsy Shop

I used Deconstructed Sketch 15 and the super cute set Cool Scoop from Sweet Stamp Shop. The scoops look like watermelon sorbet, which sounds really good right now.

Supplies: Cardstock from Papertrey Ink. Pattern paper from Echo Park. Ribbon from SU. Nestabilities. Twine from The Twinery. All ink is Memento.

Owl shaped cards

2011-08-16T13:17:00.005-04:00

Avery and Lincoln (my niece and nephew) are turning 1 and my SIL is giving them an owl themed birthday party this weekend. The little owl invitations my SIL bought were so cute and sparked an idea for me. I decided to draw up an owl shape and turn it into a card. I customized each owl to suit the birthday girl and boy. The designs are simple but they still took me a long time to complete and then I had to go and draw eyelashes and wings and that took more time. Both kids are 100% worth it.

Lincoln's owl is totally him--cute with big blue eyes. Avery's owl is pretty in pink and, just like Avery, she has beautiful light blue eyes and always wears some type of adorable hair accesory.

click for a better view

I'm sharing my files with you in case you get an urge to make an owl shaped card. I do ask that you read the terms of use included with the files.

Annie's Owl card GSD
Annie's Owl card SVG
Annie's Owl card PDF

There are no instructions but it's pretty easy to put together and fits in a standard A2 size envelope.

I made the back this way so that I didn't have to deal with the card folding at the ears of the owl. This way, the front shape remains exactly as I designed it.

When you go to add the back part of the card to the decorated front, line up the bottom(the feet) and the front and back will match up perfectly. I used scor-tape to adhere the back piece.

I also designed a mat for the inside in case you want to use a dark card base like I did.

Have a wonderful day!

Super Summer Sleepover & back to school project

2011-08-16T08:00:00.013-04:00

My 10yo daughter and the girls in her class planned a summer sleepover at the end of the school year (May 2011). I offered to host it at our house because I was temporarily insane. It was never a good time to do it but we had to get it done before the school started so we did it on Aug. 5th...3 days before the first day of the new school year.

I wanted to make each girl a little something but even a little something can get expensive when you have 10 girls to do for. I decided to go with an old favorite. The altered composition book. I drew a shape similar to the one of the front of the book so I could get my Silhouette machine to do the cutting for me--that was a lifesaver. Even though the design is very simple, having to do each piece x 10 took a chunk out of my evening.

Click for a larger view

I failed to get a pic of the books with the decorative paper clips mentioned
in the cost breakdown.

Composition Book Label SVG

Composition Book Label GSD

Cost breakdown (some figures are approximate):

Pink Notebooks: $4 for 10= .40 each

Pens: $5 for 10 = .50 each

Paperclips: $1.50 for 10= .15 each

Cardstock & Pattern paper = .30 each

Button & Twine = .10 each

Total of $ 1.45 each notebook

Here are a few pics of the event:

I had 2 tables set up like this in the kitchen. It was all cheap but shiny. Girls like shiny.

The feeding frenzy. I fed them junk and told their parents
it might be a good idea to give them a vitamin.

One of the party guests getting her pic made with a photo prop.

Mani, pedi and make up in the kitchen. I'm getting my toes done.
I was told I looked like I would have purple toes.

The girls attempting to settle down for the night. They didn't settle down. At all.
Even when I told them I was 'oldish' and needed rest.

We also had Karaoke, Just Dance on the Wii, pillow fighting, celebrity charades and a tiny amount of drama. All in all, it was a good night.

Will I do it again?

NO.

Probably not.

Well, maybe. I do like to plan parties...

No, definitely not.

Eh, as Justin Bieber says...never say never.

CAS-ual Friday challenge 15

2011-08-15T07:36:00.013-04:00

I am cursed with a weak immune system and have been out of commission this past week with a rotten illness. We had a massive super summer sleepover at my house (I'll have pics up tomorrow) and I got sick shortly thereafter. Ugh.

Anyway, I saw the CAS-ual Friday challenge this week is a sketch and since I love sketches, here's my super CAS card using the cute Hello, Beautiful stamp set from Sweet Stamp Shop.

Thanks for stopping by! Oh, I have some wonderful stamps that need a new home. I have too many stamps and not enough time. Check them out on my stamps for sale page.

Supplies not mentioned: Pattern paper is American Crafts, Rose Bud ink by Memento, Twine is from The Twinery, cardstock is Papertrey Ink.

Ready for something sweet?

2011-08-05T06:30:00.000-04:00

Welcome!

If you did not arrive here today from the fabulous blog of Laura O’Donnell then it’s your lucky day! You have stumbled upon a stamper’s dream…a chance at free stamps, coupon codes and loads of inspiration!

Today is the BIG day! All 8 stamp sets are available for purchase from Sweet Stamp Shop! In honor of this occasion, the design team and some very special guests are showing off their sweet creations!

I made a little something with a super cute set called Sweet Tooth. I poked my head out of my CAS box and went a little layered on this card. I wanted the gumball machine to have a bit of an aged look so I colored it with a light gray and then colored over the gray with pink.

I want to make sure you have all the hop details, so …

*Certain blogs on this hop contain coupon codes and you don’t want to miss those! Coupon codes are valid Aug 5th-8th, 2011.

* Prizes will be awarded to random commenters chosen from random blogs so your greatest chance of winning is to comment on each blog in the hop.

*You have until Monday to enter via comments and winners will be announced on Wednesday.

******

Next up ------------> Geny Cassady!

******

Want the latest Sweet Stamp Shop news? Join us:

YouTube http://www.youtube.com/user/SweetStampShop

Twitter https://twitter.com/?lang=en&logged_out=1#!/SweetStampShop

Facebook http://www.facebook.com/pages/Sweet-Stamp-Shop/103860436374745

Flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/sweetstampshop/

A few more hours...

2011-08-04T22:20:00.003-04:00

until the most awesome Grand Opening blog hop! Come back in the morning with your coffee and make sure your commenting fingers are all stretched out and ready!

Stamps for sale

2011-08-01T19:37:00.000-04:00

I've got some stamps for sale.

Click here to go to my stamps for sale page.

Today is sweet!

2011-08-01T10:43:00.001-04:00

I have some exciting news I've been holding on to and today I can spill my guts!

I'm a Sweet Tooth girl!

Check out all the details HERE!

Stamp set is Old School Rock that is coming soon from Sweet Stamp Shop!

Stamp-a-faire pics

2011-07-26T13:02:00.000-04:00

KAREN LAZAR--if you happen to read this... I enjoyed sharing a table with you and I'm so glad my mini van had room for one more so you could join us for dinner. I felt so bad that I didn't get to say goodbye to you at the end of the night. I hope you made it home ok and your parents didn't ground you for staying out so late! HA HA

Here are some pics from my Papertrey Ink Stamp-a-Faire trip. I will have more pics in my Flickr gallery if they would ever finish uploading. I took way too many pictures.
The goody bag was so cool. The bag alone was awesome and it contained 3 stamp sets (Forest Friends, Forest Friends Sentiments and Iconic Images), 2 pattern paper packs, coasters, buttons, a PTI notepad, some glittery brads, uh and other things that I can't recall at the moment. The goody bag was not a disappointment at all.

Seeing the DT's work in person was crazy fabulous. Their work looks amazing in pictures but in real life I was blown away.

I met lots of wonderful people that I recognize from blogland (Dana Grothaus, Regan D'Agostino, Christina Maclaren, Amber Daigre) and many from the PTI forum. Some I recognized right away and others I recognized their names and avatar pics. Meeting the DT was another wonderful part of the trip. It was an amazing time!

My name tag

My goody bag and my seat at the Tokyo table

My goody bag

a view of the room

My view from Michelle Wooderson's make & take.

My view from Pine's make & take

Michelle Wooderson's morning make & take. I used the NEW aqua mist ink on this card.

Each make & take station had one of these.

Ideas using the new Simple Sunflower set you got with a $100 purchase at the event. I was told this set would be available for purchase in August.

There were a few of these displays at the event.

I have got to make a card like this!

When these ladies lined up for a photo, the cameras started flashing like crazy. It was nuts and yes, I was one of the crazy camera people!

Someday all my photos will finish uploading and my suitcase will un-pack itself. It's nice to be home.

New stamps!

2011-07-22T06:00:00.012-04:00

I'm off to Ohio for Papertrey Ink's Stamp-a-faire...yes, I'm bragging :) I'll take lots of pics and share them with you.

Before I head north, I thought I'd mention a new stamp company that's giving away stamps. I came across this company through Nicole Rixon's blog--she's the creator of this new line. I liked Nicole's designs with Market Street Stamps and when she mentioned on her blog that she was starting her own stamp line and the word 'gnomes' popped up somewhere...well, she had me at gnomes.

All you need to do is :

*Follow the Sweet Stamp Shop blog

*Leave a comment on each post

*If you are on Facebook, the LIKE Sweet Stamp Shop

(there's a like button in the upper right hand corner of the Sweet Stamp Shop blog)

*Find Sweet Stamp Shop on Twitter if you twitter

*****

I'll make it easy for you with links:

http://sweetstampshop.blogspot.com/2011/07/melvin-loves-vernie.html

http://sweetstampshop.blogspot.com/2011/07/hello-beautiful.html

http://sweetstampshop.blogspot.com/2011/07/core-of-it.html

http://sweetstampshop.blogspot.com/2011/07/for-love-of-gnomes.html

Well, I've done my good deed of the day. Enjoy your weekend!

Monster Birthday

2011-07-20T06:00:00.001-04:00

I’m so happy to be guest designing for The Paper Variety’s challenge today! The challenge is to create a paper project using a grid pattern or using every color of the rainbow.

I went with the grid option and made the background of my card in a classic tic tac toe like grid using pattern paper. The inspiration for the layout of my card actually came from a scrapbook sketch but I can’t recall where I came across it.

Check out all the challenge details, and see how the amazing design team interpreted this challenge, on The Paper Variety blog!

Thanks for visiting! I’m off later this week to attend the Papertrey Ink Stamp-a-faire! Nothing I love better than a goody bag, some Starbucks and hopefully a trip to Archivers!

*****

Supplies: Monster Fun (Hero Arts), Pattern paper (Pebbles & Echo Park), Cardstock (Papertrey Ink), Memento Tuxedo Black ink, SU! Cherry Cobbler ink

Dresser re-do & a cake (not stamping related)

2011-07-11T21:17:00.001-04:00

I've been reading some home improvement blogs, and cooking blogs, lately and with some inspiration from my friend Julie, I decided to actually re-do my daughter's dresser instead of just talking about it.

We bought this dresser several years ago and painted it white and bought some knobs for it. We had no idea what we were doing and the paint job wasn't very good and we didn't seal it and I chose crappy knobs. We sanded, pulled out the wood filler for some spots, sanded again and spray painted it with Krylon paint in Ocean Blue Breeze (I think that's the right name). We didn't prime because it had been primed before. It took 3 cans of spray paint to do the dresser and 4 drawers and that's applying 2 coats. We also spray painted 2 coats of clear sealer on it. I went with a satin finish on this because I like some gloss but not too much. I got the paint & sealer at Wal-Mart.

Before pics:

side of dresser

drawer fronts

After:

The after picture is terrible, but in person, this dresser looks like a new piece. My daughter adores it. My next decorating project is to frame the mirror in my daughter's bathroom.

*****

I also tackled my first ice cream cake for hubby's birthday. It was good but it's HUGE and I made a gigantic mess. I made my favorite chocolate cake recipe (Martha Stewart's One bowl chocolate cupcakes) and frosted this cake with fresh whipped cream that I sweetened with confectioner's sugar and a splash of vanilla. I also stablized the whip cream with un-flavored gelatin but I don't know if it was needed or not since I froze it. I add the gelatin when I'm decorating with whipped cream because it won't run after it sits and it's firmer to work with when piping. I added hot fudge between the layers and on the top of the cake after I finished frosting it. I formed the ice cream layer by putting plastic wrap inside my cake pan, spooning in softened ice cream, cover in plastic wrap and freeze until hard.

If you read all this, bless you! LOL I'm heading to a water park with the kids tomorrow and then I'll have a lull and can get caught up on my favorite blogs.

Temping with the Girl Fridays!

2011-07-08T08:55:00.003-04:00

I am over the moon excited to be temping today over on the CAS-ual Friday blog. The challenge this week is to put a CAS spin on shaped cards. The sponsor this week is the fabulous Paper Smooches and I used the Flower Pot shaped card for my project today.

When thinking about what I was going to make with this shaped card, I kept coming back to Tole Painting and decided to do a simple, little folky scene with the FOLK-al Points stamp set.

Check out all the details here and you'll be amazed at what the design team made this week. I hope you'll give this challenge a try!

Christmas in July

2011-07-07T12:23:00.001-04:00

My mojo has been hiding under a literal mountain of laundry and I've had a rotten ear ache for about a week. The Dr. took care of my ear this morning and I've almost got all that laundry done. I hate laundry. You think you are caught up and then another pile appears. grrr We have a big laundry room and I discovered we have a utility sink and a really nice floor in there. :)

I was inspired to make something today and wanted to use a new set from Paper Smooches (Santa Paws).

I'm entering this card in The Paper Variety's current challenge.

Pattern paper is Echo Park (For the Record). Thanks for stopping by and have a great Thursday!

You Rock

2011-07-01T09:43:00.000-04:00

I made this 3x3 grungy man card for today's CAS-ual Friday challenge. This is a nice size card to slip into your man's (or son) suitcase, briefcase or just leave on his dashboard so he has a nice surprise when he gets in the car to go to work.

Sentiment is from Paper Smooches (Sentiment Sampler) and all the rest are from Wplus9 (So 80's).

Surf & Turf

2011-06-28T05:00:00.010-04:00

Used the new Surf & Turf set from Paper Smooches. The wave shapes were cut with my Silhouette. The rope looking twine is from May Arts.

I'm working on cleaning up my google reader by organizing it a bit better and it's a horrible task. My reader is such a jumble that I'm overlooking some blogs that I love because they are getting lost in the mess. Anybody have any good tips?

ABC Toys and Crafts is looking for 1 or 2 DT members. Go here to see the info--it's on the right sidebar.

Sweet

2011-06-27T11:08:00.001-04:00

I inked up my new Paper Smooches set called Sugar Rush to make this simple, summer-y card. It hasn't offically released yet, but I get them early because I'm a member of the PS club.

Colorful hello

2011-06-18T11:56:00.005-04:00

What is up with blogger and blurry pics?! My pic was clear until I put it in my blog post.

I made this card for 2 challenges, The Play Date Cafe and CAS-ual Friday. I love the colors and thought the 2 challenges went perfectly together for me. The sentiment is from the Word Up set from Paper Smooches.

Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful weekend!

Crafty thanks

2011-06-15T10:20:00.001-04:00

I had the idea for this card for awhile now and planned on making it for the Moxie Fab I’m Sew Excited challenge but just hadn’t got around to it yet. I saw this week’s Tuesday Trigger: Rainbow Bright and, well, I decided to pull the trigger and get this card finished and entered in both challenges before it’s too late. Here’s the inspiration photo for this week’s Tuesday Trigger:

And here’s my card:I cut the shaped card with my Silhouette machine, stamped it with a woodgrain stamp (Hero Arts) and wrapped some ribbon around it. The ribbon is from American Crafts and Making Memories and the sentiment is from the Studio Style set from Papertrey Ink.

The best thing about this card is that the recipient can pull the ribbon off the card and use it.

Thanks for stopping by!

Cheers

2011-06-13T21:51:00.001-04:00

Getting together with some stamping buddies Tuesday evening and this is the card I’m bringing for everyone to make. I hope they like it. I also hope the burn blister I got making the medallion flower thingy with the glue gun is gone soon. yikes.

Have a great day!

Stamps: Sentiment (Paper Smooches) Paper: Beautiful Blooms pattern paper, cardstock, button (Papertrey Ink) Accessories: Silhouette machine, bling, white gel pen.

another congrats card

2011-06-11T11:00:00.002-04:00

My hubby needed a congrats card today to take to an event so I made this one for him. I used pattern paper and embellishments from American Crafts, sentiment from Paper Smooches, ribbon & cardstock from Papertrey Ink, Ink is Versamagic Wheat.

I told hubby to grab a bottle of wine out of the pantry to take with his card and it's homemade wine with no label, so I threw some stuff on it to coordinate with the card.

Enjoy your weekend!

CFC #6

2011-06-10T14:34:00.000-04:00

I've been super busy lately and my google reader is overflowing, but I will sit down soon with a latte and visit all my neglected friends.

I managed to make a card this afternoon for the CAS-ual Friday challenge and chose to use the bottom row of buttons, flowers & twine on the tic tac toe board.

Stamps: Delicate Blossoms (Hero Arts), Sentiment Sampler (Paper Smooches)

Pattern Paper: Playground collection (Echo Park)

Ink: SU! Apricot Appeal, Memento Tuxedo Black

Acccessories: Yellow twine (?), buttons from Papertrey Ink

Time to celebrate

2011-06-02T17:57:00.000-04:00

Click for a better view

Supplies: Cuckoo stamp set by Hero Arts, pattern paper is Echo Park, cardstock is Papertrey Ink, Memento Tuxedo Black ink, copic markers.

Rockin’ Birthday

2011-05-27T20:40:00.002-04:00

My daughter has a party to attend tomorrow and I made a card that is super simple in design but took me a little bit to color in. I debated spending time and copic ink coloring a card for a 10 year old girl who will probably just toss it, but I wanted to do something cool for her. I laid out the design in PSE since I was using a digi image and then added the sentiment. I printed it, colored it, scored it and called it done.

I also made her a Justin Bieber bottlecap necklace with a couple of charms. She likes peace signs so I added a peace charm and a charm with 3 hearts…peace, love and Justin Bieber.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Digi image is from KennyKdownloads

Challenge card

2011-05-25T20:35:00.001-04:00

I dislike posting multiple times in one day, but I need to get this card entered in a challenge that closes this evening. I normally don't do too many challenges let alone combine a few, but I am entering this card in the following 3 challenges:

Lawnscaping: Polka Dots

CAS-ual Friday # 3: Bring the Bling

Papercrafts Color Inspiration #5 (orange, pink, white, black)

Stamps used: PTI's Polka Dot basics, Lawn Fawn's Just my Type

Keep Cool & Konnichiwa

2011-05-25T09:54:00.000-04:00

Click here to see my Paper Smooches post

I saw an idea like this on a decorating blog and decided it would be a fantastic summer gift. I made this project for a friend of my daughter's who spends all summer in another state with her Dad and doesn't get to hang with her school chums. She's a sweet kid and is very much missed during the summer.

I used Lawn Fawn's Swimsuit Season that Julie sent me for Christmas last year. Isn't she so stinkin' sweet!? Pattern paper is Echo Park. I must tell you that it was hard to tie this tag on this big ol' heavy bag of popsicles. I had to tie the ribbon under the plastic tag that came on the popsicle bag because the tag wanted to slide off when I tied it above the plastic tag.

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My next card uses the adorable Konnichiwa stamp set from My Cute Stamps and some Basic Grey Kioshi paper. I blogged about this card here if you want more details.

Paper Smooches

2011-05-25T00:01:00.005-04:00

This is my last post as Guest Designer for Paper Smooches. *sniff sniff* It's been a thrill to be part of Paper Smooches this month and I look forward to the awesome inspiration the next Guest Designer brings.

I have 2 cards today and both use Chubby Chums and Hang Ups which are 2 of the new releases for May. The June release is coming up fast and being a PS Club member means I get the new releases before the official release day---like up to a week early!

The sentiment 'Hang in there' sparked the idea for this card and I sketched out this little scene. Imagine a cat who so quietly climbs a tree and puts himself out on a limb for the reward of a juicy bird that's hanging out at the bird feeder only to watch the bird fly off just when it was in his grasp. So, I suppose the moral of this story is sometimes we go for it and don't get it, so hang in there because it will be ok. I cut out the cat's eyes (ugh, that sounds terrible! LOL) and re-positioned them so he appears to be watching the bird.

This next card is one of my faves just because that puppy is so darn cute and I love the colors. This card would be cute to send to a friend you don't see often enough and let them know you would like to get together.

Thanks for stopping by my neglected blog. I have been sick and having some allergy issues which sucks the life right out of me--luckily I made all my Paper Smooches card earlier this month. Also, my kids are now out for summer and we'll be on the go doing fun summer stuff very soon. Alyssa, I'll be texting you soon from the pool complaining about the heat! LOL

Pocket full of flowers

2011-05-19T21:32:00.000-04:00

My inspiration for this card came from the uber-talented Erin Lincoln. When I saw her card it was just the idea I needed to use up some of my pretty Making Memories flowers and since I've been sick, the mojo has been non-existent. I went with a white pocket because 1) I love white and 2) I kept thinking of my daughter's white pants with pink stitching and resisted the urge to do a blue denim pocket. The green flowers came from here and I cut the petals of a solid green flower to make the leaves.

The pocket was cut with my Silhouette. I took my paper piercer to the dashed lines that made up that little swirly design in the center of the pocket so you could actually see the design. Pattern paper strip is from American Crafts and the ribbon is from Michael's.

I hope you are inspired to do something involving flowers and if you do get crafty, why not link up your creation for the April showers bring May flowers challenge on the ABC DT challenge blog. You could win some shopping money to spend in the ABC Toys and Crafts store.

Paper Smooches!

2011-05-18T03:00:00.001-04:00

It's Wednesday so that means it's time for some Paper Smooches! I used the adorable cow image from Chubby Chums on both cards today.

This card is the first card I made when I got the Chubby Chums set. I was thinking polaroid picture when I made it and drew up a polaroid frame on the computer and cut it with my silhouette machine.

My second card uses Chubby Chums, Hang Ups and Spiffy Scooters. I live in a rural area and it's not un-common to drive past a cow field with power lines running through it. I'm sure that's a common sight in many rural areas. When I saw the power pole stamp in Hang Ups I immediately thought of a cow field. I used the cloud stamp from Spiffy Scooters, stamped it in white ink and then cut it out and edged it in more white ink and used it for my sentiment. I cut the sun with my Silhouette machine.

Don't forget to check out the Paper Smooches blog for more inspiration! Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful Wednesday!

Wish for happiness

2011-05-17T08:52:00.001-04:00

This post should have went up last week but I got super busy and then blogger went down and then I got sick. So, here it is. I still feel terrible. I have a post scheduled to go up tomorrow for my Paper Smooches Guest Designer spot but I'll be absent from blogland for another few days until I can sit and type without breaking into a sweat.

sorry for the blurry photo. I think I need to get my eyes checked.

Used a set from My Cute Stamps (Elegant Birdcages) that I got from ABC Toys and Crafts (free shipping on clear stamps in the US and they are discounted 10%!!). Check out the new stuff for May: Hero Arts+ Basic Grey = really cute stamps! You can win some shopping money in the ABC Toys and Crafts store by playing in the current "April showers bring May flowers" challenge.

Perky Plants

2011-05-11T04:00:00.000-04:00

It’s Paper Smooches time and this week I have 2 cards to show you using a super cute set appropriately named Perky Plants.

Both cards use pattern paper from American Crafts and the film strip was cut using my Silhouette machine—LOVE my Silhouette! Check out all the new Paper Smooches stuff this month here and for more Paper Smooches inspiration, check out the blog.

Hey, speaking of flowers…don’t forget about the ABC DT Challenge “April showers bring May flowers” and link up your floral creation HERE for a chance to win!

Have a great day!

Old School Cool

2011-05-06T10:04:00.001-04:00

Today is the start of the new CAS-ual Fridays challenge blog and it's all about text!

This challenge was just what I needed to pull out a cool stamp set I have never used from Heidi Grace/Cloud 9 Design. My card was inspired by this card I found on Etsy.

Click on the photo for a better view

I created the shaped text in Photoshop Elements and printed it out. I then stamped my typewriter image in red pigment ink, added a bit of twine, rounded some corners and my CAS card is complete and didn't take long to make.

Have a wonderful Mother's Day weekend!

You inspire me

2011-05-05T04:00:00.012-04:00

It could be a Mother's Day card. Mothers are inspirational.

Link up your floral creations on the ABC DT Challenge blog and you could win some stamp money! ABC Toys and Crafts sells all kinds of stamps at a discount and shipping is FREE on clear stamps in the USA. Check it out:

Supply List: White cardstock and pattern paper (Papertrey Ink), EK Success zig zag border punch, Delicate Blossoms stamp set (Hero Arts), Memento Tuxedo Black ink, Copic markers.

Woohooo!

2011-05-04T04:00:00.012-04:00

It's my first post as the May Guest Designer for Paper Smooches! I've already made like 6 cards, and will probably add to that number, but I'm going to have to reign in my excitment and spread out the cards over the next month.

Today, I have a card to show you using the adorable Chubby Chums stamp set.

This set is really cute and, for those that don't color, the images are a nice size to paper piece and they have some sentiments to go with them. The branch the owl is sitting on is from another new release for May called Hang Ups.

Thanks for stopping by today and I hope you have a wonderful Wednesday!

Supplies: Pattern paper from American Crafts, cardstock in Smoky Shadow, white and rasperry fizz (Papertrey Ink), Hawaiian Shores ribbon (Papertrey Ink), EK Success scalloped scallop edge punch, Memento Tuxedo Black ink, Colorbox chalk ink in Charcoal, Versamark ink, White embossing powder.

April showers bring May Flowers

2011-05-01T10:34:00.002-04:00

It’s time for a challenge on the ABC DT challenge blog and this month it’s all about flowers.

I stamped the flower image from Layered Flowers (Hero Arts) in a soft grey ink on some Echo Park pattern paper for my background. I then flipped the pattern paper over and stamped on the pink gingham side in Memento Tuxedo Black ink to make my bold focal point.

Link up your floral creations for a chance to win up to $25 to spend in the ABC Toys and Crafts store. You can find all the details on the ABC DT Challenge blog.

Other supplies: White cardstock & Ocean Tides ribbon (Papertrey Ink). The green cardstock is ?- –I made this card a month ago and can’t remember. Memento Bamboo Leaves ink.

Spring Smiles

2011-04-28T09:13:00.001-04:00

I've got a spring card for you today using a Hero Arts set called Sending Smiles. I used lots of Memento Ink on this card: Tuxedo Black, Rose Bud and Bamboo Leaves.

The card base is some new Hero Hues pattern paper that I won from Hero Arts (still excited about that!) and it's actually 8.5 x 11 cardstock. I expected thin paper but it's sturdy cardstock that is fabulous for a card base and it's white on the inside. I also have 3 new Hero Arts stamp sets that haven't seen ink yet. I really want to play with them but I've been too busy.

Oh, and I am super excited about this:

Have a great day!

Mother's Day card

2011-04-26T15:40:00.000-04:00

I found out about the Die Cut Diva's challenge site on Jess's blog and since I love my new Silhouette machine, and I have a mother, I thought I'd participate in the Mother's Day Challenge. I made this card using a file I purchased from the Silhouette store. My Mom loves her garden so I'm sure she'll love this flower pot card.

Have a good one!

Happy Spring

2011-04-20T08:20:00.000-04:00

I made this spring card using a set called Sending Smiles by Hero Arts. I stamped the image in Memento Rose Bud ink and computer generated the sentiment. The ribbon is from Michael's and the pattern paper is American Crafts.

The ABC DT Easter Card challenge is still going on so link up your Easter card for a chance to win!