Bittersweet

Ahh! I'm thrilled that Saturday is FINALLY here! I've had such a busy week and there's still so much left to do. But... being at home feels so good. I love my job, but commuting 2 hours a day and getting up before 5 am is a killer! If there's anyone out there who want to hire me to work from home in the paper crafting industry... my number is 555-####. ;) Ahhhh! Wouldn't that be awesome? :) We can all dream, can't we?

I can't believe that March is right around the corner! Yesterday, my final article posted to Craft Critique. It's bittersweet because I know it will free up more time for me to venture into new areas in the craft world... but it's always hard to close doors too. I really have enjoyed my year with CC and have loved writing for them! My last article was a review on the 'Rock-a-Block' stamp mounting system by Crafter's Companion. For those of you who are stampers, I'd love for you to check it out!

This is the card that I made to illustrate my article. I just got some new Marrakech Basic Grey paper and am in LOVE! The colors and patterns are so warm and had a great 'country' feel to me. Check out the quilt-pattern paper! Ah! I LOVE it! I've been dying to use this farmhouse image from PTI's Boards & Beams set. I just coudn't get a crisp stamped image from it, no matter how hard I tried. If you ever have this problem with some of your images - you need to read my article! ;)


The flower embellishment at the top was made by running a scrap of brown corduroy through my Cuttlebug using one of my floral dies. If you ever want to die cut fabric (cotton, denim, corduroy, etc.) --- USE A CUTTLEBUG! Even though my Wizard has a lot of pressure, it won't cut through fabric. I kept my Cuttlebug just for that purpose. It cuts it like buttah! I'm going to have to pick up some cute fabrics soon to use for homemade embellishments. Hmm..... :)

Thanks so much for coming to visit my blog! :)

Stamps:
- Boards & Beams set (Papertrey Ink)
Paper:
- Marrakech collection (Basic Grey)
Ink:
- Walnut Stain Distress Inkpad (Ranger)
- Onyx Black Versafine inkpad; Rich Cocoa & Potter's Clay Memento inkpads (Tsukineko)
Cardstock:
- Suede Brown Dark (Prism)
Accessories:
- Oval Nestabilities die (Spellbinders)
- Red Gelly Roll pen (Sakura)
- Marrakech brad (Basic Grey)
- 2x6 Flower Cuttlebug Die (Provo Craft)
- brown corduroy fabric
- brown fine-tipped marker
- Copic markers
- White gel pen (Ranger)
Tools:
- Paper piercing tools

In a Jiffy....

Wow! I can't believe an entire month has passed since my last Just For Fun challenge with my girls Alli, Carole, Lori, & Michele! Someone decided that we should be called "Jiffy" girls (sounds catchier than 'JFF')... and it seems to have stuck. So... once a month, I'll be posting a Jiffy project. Basically, one of the girls picks a stamp... and one of us picks out the paper. We mail it out and have a surprise combo of fun new goodies.

This month, Emily (THE Bella, herself) surprised us all by sending Alli's stamp selection - Bluebell Bittybloom! (Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!) I think this is one of the cutest stamps I've seen in a long time. I colored her in using my Copics... but she's a perfect image for paper piecing too. I can't wait to see how the other girls decked her out!
This month... I chose this fun, girly paper from Cosmo Cricket. ("Saturday" from the Girl Friday collection) My main image sits on a dark brown piece of felt that was sewn in place.
Make sure to click on the links above to see what the other girls came up with! :)

Stamps:
- Bluebell Bittybloom (Stamping Bella)
- (sentiment) Green Thumb (Papertrey Ink)

Ink:
- Onyx Black Versafine (Tsukineko)
- Walnut Stain Distress Ink (Ranger)

Cardstock:
- Birchtone Dark (Prism)
- Vintage Cream (Papertrey Ink)

Printed Paper:
- "Saturday" Girl Friday (Cosmo Cricket)
- "Lovey Dovey" (back side) Splendid (Fancy Pants)

Accessories:
- Buttons (Basic Grey)
- Markers (Copic)
- brown felt
- Vintage Hip Trims (Making Memories)
- Floss (to thread buttons)

Tools:
- Sewing Machine
- Oval Nestability Die (Spellbinders)

Coffee on the Brain

As I'm sitting here getting ready to write my next post, I realized that this is the second 'coffee' themed card I've made in a row. And... I just looked over to see my ginormous latte that I made this morning sitting on my desk... glaring at me. I always do my blurfing in the morning (blog surfing) over a cup and noticed that Elzybell's has a new coffee release. I'm surrounded! Yikes! :)

Well... happy Monday again! Today's 2 Sketches 4 You layout comes from Laura!

This week, we have another awesome sponsor!!! Creative Cuts & More sent us a few goodies to try out! Their store is packed full of die-cut boxes, cards, and embellishments! I decided to try out one of their Antique Elegance frames & Gate Fold Crescent acetate cards.

Having most of my card pre-cut made this a breeze to whip together! Instead of using the belly band that came with the acetate card, I used a couple of Basic Grey magnets for my closure. The striped paper is by Scenic Route (Laurel Collection).

Isn't this coffee cup image adorable? It's part of the Confection Affection line that I found at Eclectic Paperie. All of the images are really cute! (She's colored in with a few Copic markers.)


Alright. I think I've tempted you enough. :) Now... go get a cuppa and join in on the sketch! It's a great way to start the week!

Caffeine High

Hi. My name is Julie and I am a coffee-holic. I have a serious addiction to the stuff. I started drinking it on a daily basis after my second son was born and I think it might have saved my life. Motherhood can be extremely tiring... and I found out that caffeine gives me just enough of a boost to keep a few brain cells functioning. I'm really glad that it's not illegal. I could be in a world of hurt.

When I was browsing through the Starving Artistamps website, my eyes spied this wired little creature... and I became instantly drawn to him. I think we have a lot in common. :) I look a lot like this most mornings:
This weekend was VSN (Virtual Stamp Night) over at Splitcoast. I wanted to make about 20 cards and just lock myself in my craft room all weekend... but - 2 kids and a tornado-hit house made me re-prioritize. (I did get to spend part of the weekend with my best friend shopping at some thrift stores... and that was almost as fun as making 20 cards.) I did manage to sneak in a few minutes to whip up one card for VSN though! This challenge was called "New Love" & we had to craft using ONLY new supplies. (ones that we've had for less than 2 months) AND... each card can only take us 45 minutes or less to create!

I used some of my new Snorkel paper from Cosmo Cricket... my new bright orange Flower Soft... some new Claudine Hellmuth paint... and Zot (my coffee-loving creature). The layout is based on the NEWest CPS Sketch #104.
Here's a close up of my little Copic-colored critter. The paint worked great as an adhesive for my Flower Soft!

Make sure you check back in Monday morning for my next 2 Sketches 4 You project!!! :)

Water You Up To?

I thought I'd play along with this week's CPS sketch using some of Kim Hughes' fun, summery images! I don't know about you, but I'm ready for some warm weather! I used my new Cosmo Cricket paper, cutting one of the circles from the Snorkel line to create a sunset.

This card is packed full of dimension! (Here's a side view.) I stamped the fish 3 times (once directly on the striped paper, once on a scrap of red paper, and then again on some yellow paper)... cut out each segment... and paper pieced to create a colorful critter.

SUPPLIES:
Stamps: Ocean Friends (the Kim Hughes Line by CHF)
Ink: Onyx Black Versafine inkpad (Tsukineko)
Cardstock: (Papertrey Ink)
Printed Paper: Snorkel & Lil' Man lines (Cosmo Cricket)
Accessories: White gel pen (Ranger)

1 of a Kind

I just couldn't resist this cute paper by Sassafras Lass! I love the expression of the little creatures... and the one lowly blue bird who stands out among the crowd. I really wanted to dress up this unique little guy to make him stand out even more. I've had these fun googly eyes that I bought at my local craft store and was super excited that they fit perfectly! Then, I punched a small hole and slid a tiny blue feather in place.
I wanted to make a cool sentiment that really popped. So... I grabbed one of the 1 - 1/2" wooden discs that I had left over from one of my craft classes and inked the edges. Then, I topped it with a scrap of blue patterned paper. The #1 comes from Kim Hughes' Number Fun set. I stamped the words "one of a" using Papertrey Ink's Simple Alphabet.


I just had to show you a close up of this little guy. Isn't he just THE cutest! LOL!

SUPPLIES:
Stamps:
- Simple Alphabet (Papertrey Ink)
- Number Fun; Playful Alphabet (the Kim Hughes line by Cornish Heritage Farms)

Ink:
- Dark Brown ColorBox Chalk inkpad by ClearSnap

Cardstock:
- Suede Brown Dark (Prism)
- Jack O Lantern (Memory Box)

Printed Paper:
- Filagree: Paper Potpourri Swimming Pool Boutique Assortment (Doodlebug Design Inc.)
- Wednesday: (back side) Girl Friday (Cosmo Cricket)
- Chirp Chirp: Serendipity Hog Heaven (Sassafras Lass)

Accessories:
- 1.5" wooden disc (craft supply)
- blue feather (craft supply)
- googly eyes (craft supply)
- Threading Water punch (Fiskars)
- Turquoise marker (Copic)

Monday, Monday!!!

I always need something to motivate me in the mornings to wake up. Sometimes it's something big and exciting... but usually it's something small. My conversation in my head usually goes something like this... "Ooh! If you wake up now, you can try that new shampoo you bought yesterday." It's dumb, but it usually works. BUT... now - I have a lot of motivation on Monday mornings because that's the day when 2 Sketches 4 You posts a new sketch and inspiration from my fellow designers. :) Besides the main sketch, a DT member will also post a bonus sketch of their own. I guess I drew the short straw, because I got to be the first to come up with a sketch. ;) Please be kind. I've never drawn up an "official sketch" before.


And... here is my card:

I've had this Spring Trees set on my desk for a couple of weeks and finally got a chance to ink it up. AND... my Jenni Bowlin Farmer's Wife goodies arrived, so I had to pair Kim & Jenni again. (I introduced them a few posts back) ;)

I wish my photo was a little better. I am SO ready for some sunshine around here! If you look closely at the top right corner, you'll see a little denim tag that I made using my son's worn-out jeans. The tree tops were paper pieced using the cover of my 4x4 Jenni Bowlin paper pack. (See below) They were just the right size!


The main purple panel that frames my tree trio is one of the Farmer's Wife Journaling cards. I use to despise the color purple... but this shade is really growing on me. :)

I hope you play along with me with the sketch! Make sure to go to the 2S4Y blog today and see the main sketch, along with all of the DT's beautiful cards!

Have a great Monday!!! :)

Smooches!!!

Happy Valentines Day! I wanted to share a card I made using one of the Greeting Farm's digital images. I really love digital! I always print them out on Papertrey Ink's white cardstock and color the images with my Copic markers. The ink NEVER smears! You should try it out sometime! :)

SUPPLIES:
- Pretty Head Lily digital image by the Greeting Farm
- CS: Papertrey Ink, Prism
- "Smooches" sentiment by Kim Hughes for CHF
- Cosmo Cricket paper
- Fancy Pants scalloped border rub-on
- Making Memories ribbon
- Copic Markers
- Buttons

You Spin Me Round

Just a quick post tonight! I'm super tired and work is calling my name at 5 am. Blucky! This is my card for CPS's Sketch #102. Have I mentioned that I love a good sketch? ;) I wanted to play with some of my Lil' Man paper from Cosmo Cricket. This card was inspired my my boys who were running around my legs and asking me 10,000 questions while I was attempting to make a quick card. LOL! Multi-tasking at it's finest. And... I had to take the pic at night, so the color is a little off. Just use your imagination. ;)

SUPPLIES:
Stamps:
- Round & Round We Go (Cornish Heritage Farms)

Ink:
- Timber Brown StazOn; Versamark inkpad (Tsukineko)
- Fresh Snow Perfect Match inkpad (Papertrey Ink)

Cardstock:
- Blush Red Dark; White (Prism)
- Aqua Mist (Papertrey Ink)

Patterned Paper:
- "Silly Sam" (both sides) Lil' Man (Cosmo Cricket)

Accessories:
- Jack's World Blackboard Chipboard (Cosmo Cricket)
- Circle Nestablities Die (Spellbinders)
- Ambrosia buttons (Basic Grey)
- White embroidery floss
- Altered Orange Studio paint by Claudine Hellmuth (Ranger)
- Detailed White EP (Stampendous)
- Silly Stitches In Stichez piercing template (Bazzill)
- Inkssentials White Opaque pen (Ranger)

Tools:
- Paper Piercing tools (Bazzill)

Eye Candy for Blog Candy

How's that for a title? :) Today is my first official week as a 2 Sketches 4 You Design Team member & we're starting off with something SWEET! Introducing.... Eye Candy for Blog Candy!!!

Sakura of America has generously donated a lot of goodies for us to give out as blog candy this week! All you need to do for your chance to win this yummy blog candy is... post a picture of your very own Eye Candy on your blog with a link & leave a comment on THIS post, letting us know that you played along. (For example, your Eye Candy could be your husband, boyfriend, significant other, yada yada yada.) As we count down to Valentine's day, a random winner will be chosen each day! Find all of the official details HERE.

So are you ready to see my hotties? I'm a pretty lucky girl because I have THREE men in my life!



This week's 2S4Y sketch comes from Laura! If you've never visited this sketch site, you really need to take a look. Last week, we had over a hundred and thirty participants! WOWZA! See! I'm not the only one who thinks this site rocks! :)


And... here is my card! I think these "people" icons are HOT right now! I found this Sandylion paper the other day at my not-so-local scrapbook store & paired it with a chipboard shape that I covered with Core'dinations cardstock. The sentiment is a mixture of letters from Papertrey Ink & a sentiment by Kim Hughes.I hope you find some free time to play along with the sketch this week! It's a great way to meet new crafters and blog hop. AND.... there's a great prize for one of our participants!!! Please drop me a line if you join in!!!

Supplies:
Stamps:
- Simple Alphabet (Papertrey Ink)
- Little Gal (Cornish Heritage Farms)

Ink:
- Tuxedo Black Memento inkpad (Tsukineko)
- Plum Pudding Perfect Match inkpad (Papertrey Ink)

Cardstock:
- Core'dinations CS
- Ripe Avocado & True Black Perfect Match CS (Papertrey Ink)

Patterned Paper:
- "Sophisticated" (back side) Splendid Collection (Fancy Pants)
- "People Pattern" Kelly Panacci Inc. (Sandylion Sticker Designs)

Accessories:
- Black Atyou Glitter pen (Copic)
- People Chipboard Keychain set (Maya Road)
- Ripe Avocado Saddle Stitch Ribbon (Papertrey Ink)

My Girls! -- Kim & Jenni :)

This is the card I made for CPS's sketch #100. I love CPS's sketches & this week was really inspiring because 2 cards will be chosen for publication to CardMaker's magazine AND will get a copy of the newest Card Maker's Sketch Book (which I want REALLY bad!). :) Sweet, huh?

So... I decided to bring together two of my favorite artists! -- Jenni Bowlin, meet Kim Hughes. ;)

Isn't this paper delicious? Mmmm! Hope you like (and hope CardMaker likes too)! ;)

Supplies:
Stamps:
- Making the Grade (the Kim Hughes line) by CHF

Ink:
- Pure Poppy Perfect Match inkpad (PTI)
- Tuxedo Black Memento inkpad (Tsukineko)

Cardstock:
- Pure Poppy & True Black Perfect Match CS (PTI)

Printed Paper:
- (cream) "Sophisticated" (back side) Splendid Collection (Fancy Pants)
- "Black Micro Dot"& "Grandma's Apron" by Jenni Bowlin
- "Vintage Red Line 4"x 4" sheets by Jenni Bowlin

Accessories:
- Brown/Beige gingham (Jo-Ann Craft Essentials)
- Plain Stars Chipboard (Scenic Route)
- Pitch Black Paint Dabber (Ranger)
- Red Gelly Roll pen (Sakura)
- Black Diamond Stickles (Ranger)
- red button
- paper punch (office supply)

Something Sweet for My Honey

I've been crafty today. So, basically that means that my poor house is a complete disaster. Ah. Maybe tomorrow. :) But... you're probably not coming to visit my blog to see how clean my house is. So... would you like to see some more sweet Sugar Nellie images? :) They're having a challenge going on right now to make Valentine or "love" projects. You should go check it out! I decided to use another Leanne Ellis image. I chopped all of my hair off today in front of the bathroom mirror... and I think we look a lot alike (except I don't do bangs). :) Another thing I did when I should have been cleaning. I made this card for my hubby, but he usually doesn't "ooh" and "ahhh" over cards, so I might just give it to him and take it back later. ;)

The paper is a journaling card by Webster's Pages. Yummy, huh? I stamped one of Kim Hughes' sentiments below. Oh! And... I made this Prima flower bundle all shimmery with Shimmers glitter. I've never used it before, but it's pretty cool stuff. You just paint it on wherever you want something sparkly. I added a bit to her dress details and a bit in her hair.

You are in my Prayers

Yeah! Happy Friday! :) I wanted to share a sympathy card that I made for one of my friends a few weeks ago. I am completely addicted to Sugar Nellie's stamps -- especially those by Leanne Ellis! The designs are just so fresh and versatile! :)
I paired this image with some gorgeous Webster's Pages paper. The ribbon (I believe) is May Arts. ??? Anyone know? It's double sided stitched satin. Mmmm! The sentiment is by Unity Stamps. I added bits of sparkle to the flowers with cranberry colored Stickles.

Hope you have a great weekend!!!

SUPPLIES:
Stamps: -- Simply Said (Unity); True Love (Sugar Nellie)
CS: Prism
Paper: "Hello! Beautiful" Journaling cards by Webster's Pages
Dies: Spellbinders
Ribbon: May Arts?
Markers: Copic

Thank You SEW Much!!!

Wow! Thank you all so much for all of your sweet comments! You made my day! :) This is the sketch of the week from 2 Sketches 4 You! I'd love for you to play along too! And... one participant will win some fun goodies from Sakura!!!

Here's Kazan's #19 sketch:


And here's my card:


I've had these bright pink rub-ons by Hambly and really wanted to try them out. And... I've been hoarding this paper by October Afternoon & finally found a good reason to cut into it. Don't you just love newsprint??? The sentiment is from Gina K's Many Happy Returns set. This set just rocks and that's all there is to it.

Supplies:
Rubber Stamps:
- (sentiment) Many Happy Returns (Gina K Designs)

Ink:
- Onyx Black Versafine inkpad (Tsukineko)

Cardstock:
- True Black CS (Papertrey Ink)

Printed Paper:
- "Lockwood Lane" (back side) Laurel (Scenic Route)
- "Norm's News" Hometown Collection (October Afternoon)
- "Houndstooth" (back side) Poolside collection (Making Memories)

Accessories:
- Pink Silhouettes Rub-ons (Hambly Screen Prints)
- White Organdy ribbon (Stampin' Up!)
- Harvest pins (Fancy Pants)

Tools:
- Paper punch (office supply)
- Sewing machine and white thread

A Fun New Gig!

Do you remember me telling you about a great sketch blog called 2 Sketches 4 You? I'm super excited because I was asked to join them as a DT member for the Spring! You can read all about it HERE! :) They have a weekly sketch challenge (and prizes too!!!). You really should check them out! I can't wait to work on the next sketch! :)

Primitive Thanks

I love anything Primitive! There's just something about that style that just draws me in. Maybe it's the history... the handiwork... the simplicity??? Anywhoo... there's a rug that I've seen in a catalog that I just LOVE... but can't afford to splurge right now. So, I decided to do the next best thing! --- stamp it! :)

I found this great crow image in Unity's September Kit of the Month. It has a really subtle texture that I love! To make the sides of my "rug", I punched out several pieces of CS with my Word Window punch and inked them to add "age". Then, I used a red marker to add my centers. I love how Primitive pieces are never "perfect". (That's why Primitive works so well in my house! The kids bang it up and it looks even better! LOL!) I added some 'imperfect' faux stitching to finish off the rug edges.


Aren't these flowers by Maya Road fun?!? I love how some scrapbooking products are made from fabrics and textiles now!


I hope you have a great start to your week! I've got some fun news to share with you soon! :)

Supplies:
Rubber Stamps: (Unity Stamp Co.)
- (bird) September Kit
- (sentiment) Thanks To You set

Ink:
- Old Paper Distress inkpad (Ranger)
- Onyx Black Versafine inkpad (Tsukineko)
- Warm Red ColorBox Chalk ink (Clearsnap)

Cardstock:
- green CS (Core'dinations)
- Black CS (Prism)
- Confetti White CS (Stampin' Up!)

Printed Paper:
- "Hot Tomato" Times Nouveau Collection (Graphic 45)

Accessories:
- gold felt
- Jigsaw Flourish Chipboard (Making Memories)
- red & black markers; black Multi-liner pen (Copic)
- Textured Knit Blossoms (Maya Road)
- Ambrosia button (Basic Grey)
- green embroidery floss

Tools:
- Word Window Punch (Stampin' Up!)