Winner, Winner! Chicken Dinner!

First of all, I want to send a BIG thank you out to all of you who have been so supportive and sweet to me!  You still have a little time left (midnight tonight!) to comment on my Mystery Blog Hop post below, so make sure to check that out to become eligible to win Paper Crafts' HUGE give-away!  In the meantime, I have a winner for my Unity Hip Hop post from Thursday!!!

 Patience said...

Seeing all the cards with the July kit is making me wish mine would get here already! :)

July 15, 2010 11:31 AM

Yippee!  Patience, please e-mail Jimmi with your contact info (full name, address, & what set you won)!  jimmi.mayo@gmail.com

And... I also wanted to share a couple of cards that were featured on the Paper Crafts Connection Blog!

This is one of my favorite cards of all time.  :)  I just LOVE these stamps by My Cute Stamps.

And here's another using stickers from October Afternoon.

Thanks again for coming to visit!  I hope you have a great week!

Little Red Jiffy Challenge

Sorry for the long-time-no-post. I've been working behind the scenes... so there are many things to come! :) My kids were on Spring Break last week & my days have been full.

BUT... today, I have a Jiffy Challenge card to share with you. If you're new to my blog, a group of my friends & I get together once a month to create a card using the same stamps & paper -- Just For Fun (which we've turned into the acronym, "JiFFy"). No one knows what the combination of products will be until it arrives in our mailbox. This month... the paper & image worked PERFECTLY together! Yippee!!!

I got to be the 'stamp' girl this month & picked one of my favorite sets from My Cute Stamps - "Picnic With Little Red"! Carole was the "paper picker" and chose this fun, double-sided yummy paper from Jillibean Soup called "Brown Rice" from the Old World Cabbage Stew Collection.

This card came together lickity split. I just love it when it works that way. :) Make sure to check out the other girls' cards using the same basic supplies. It's always fun to see everyone's style come through. :)

• Alli Miles
• Carole Burrage
• Kim Hughes
• Lori Craig
• Michele Boyer

Enjoying the Last of Summer Break

The countdown is on & school will be in session soon (should I pretend to be even a teensy bit sad about this?)! LOL! So... I thought I'd make a fun, summery card for the occasion.

The popsicle image is from My Cute Stamp's Sweet Kawaii set. I stamped it once onto my sticker (from the June Bug Collection by Basic Grey) and then again onto orange June Bug paper. I gave it a bit of dimension with a pop dot and covered the cold treat with Ranger's Glossy Accents. The numbered paper is from the Cherry Hill Collection by October Afternoon. I spelled out my sentiment using the same June Bug sticker sheet & added dots to the side with some Kaiser pearls. The green ribbon is from Sharon's Ribbon Store & is made by May Arts.

And... here's my popsicle up close and personal. Makes you want to just take a bite! :)

I'm Still Addicted....

Still addicted to nesting dolls, that is. I just can't get enough of them! So... when I discovered the Mumma Bushka paper line by Kaiser Craft, I knew I HAD to have it! It's so fun and full of color... and works perfectly with my Matryoshka stamps by My Cute Stamps!

This first card was really fun to make. The layout is based off of this week's CPS sketch.


And... here is another card using similar supplies. The white layer is textured vellum by Papertrey ink. I love the subtle canvas feel that it has to it. The ribbon from the tag is from Fancy Pants. I wanted a trail of bling on my card, but didn't have anything that was the perfect size. So... I cut up one of my Prima crystal frames and pieced bits of it here and there and came up with just what I needed!

And... below is my last card. I made a paper ruffled edge using a strip of October Afternoon Road Map paper. I usually cut about twice the length of my card, spritz the paper with a little water, and then gather it together. I stitched it in place and then hid the edges with ribbon.

I used a piece of denim and cut it using my Cuttlebug and flower die to make a custom embellishment. Then... I just layered a button and a Jenni Bowlin pearl flower on top & tucked a piece of ribbon behind to create 'leaves'. The sentiment is from the Matryoshka stamp set & if you look closely, you can see a folk flower from the same set stamped behind the words.

Thanks for visiting! I've got another post all ready to go for Hip Hop on Thursday morning... so I hope to see you soon! :)

A Couple More....

A Hello! Me again! :) This is post #3 for today, so feel free to scroll down to see more!

Here is a card I made using My Cute Stamps' Little Forest Friends set. I used a layout based off of CPS's sketch last week. (One of those things that I wanted to get to a week ago and just couldn't find the time.) :) I decided to leave it without a sentiment so that I could customize it for any occasion. The paper is from Cosmo Cricket (Early Bird & Girl Friday lines).

This little card just makes me smile. :) The stamps are from My Cute Stamps' Cheer Up set. This set is SO cute & I love it because the expressions are separate images, so you can customize it to fit any mood. It has a Japanese Kawaii feel to it, I think. And... the set is only $7.99! I don't get commission off of anything I post on my blog --- I just want to pass on a good deal when I see one! :)

The cloudy paper is called 'Jet Lag' by Bella Blvd. & the yellow chipboard frame is from Sassafras (First Place Chipboard).

Monday, Monday....

Good morning!!! It's 9:00 am where I am right now and I've had SUCH a productive morning so far! My bff & I decided.... after trying on swimsuits and summer clothes... that we were going to start an exercise routine. I haven't officially exercised since high school (Yes. I know that is terrible. Don't kill me!), so I'm a little rusty. But, this morning, we got up at 6 am (I should say I got up at 6. Her alarm clock didn't go off.) & walked for 2.5 miles. It felt so good to use these tired muscles! I've GOT to get myself in shape ASAP! Trying on swimwear is a GREAT motivational tool, I have to say! ;)

After that, I came home... made some oatmeal.... and cleaned out the fridge. I made a couple of cards that I've never photographed, so... here's some crafty goodness for you:

Here's a quick little card I made at the last minute for my friend's little boy using My Cute Stamps' Birthday Numbers set. The balloons are embossed in white & the birthday cake was colored with Copics. My 3 year old informed me that I HAD to use this paper (Cosmo Cricket's Snorkel line)... so that was my starting point for the design. I just zipped around the edges with some green thread to tie the colors in together.

And... here's a close-up of my cake, all shiny from adding Glossy Accents.

I just LOVE this little hedgehog from My Cute Stamps' Little Forest Friends! All of the images in this set are adorable. Hmm... maybe I should get this set a little more inky today???

I stamped the little critter on scrap paper and added ivory Flower Soft to her back. Then, I used my Copic Airbrush to magically turn it brown. (This technique is great when you don't have many colors of Flower Soft or Fun Flock!)

Papers are from MM Passport line, Pink Paislee's 'Enchanting' line, & Sassafras' Woodland Whimsy line.

For Your Little Night Owl

This is a card I made using the Night Owl set by My Cute Stamps. This CUTE set is jammed packed with 20 adorable images (and it's only $12.99!). I promise... I'm not making any commission off of these stamps. I just had to tell you the price because I think it's a steal! :)


The card was actually pretty simple to make. (1 stamp set, kraft paper from PTI, green textured CS from American Crafts, markers, ribbon & stitching) I mostly paper pieced everything so that it would stand out from the background. The wood grain paper is from Basic Grey (Eva - "Lavish"). I gathered a strip of white eyelet lace and adhered it between my card layers for a feminine touch.

Isn't this little owl the cutest?!? I remember those days when my babies wanted to stay awake all night & sleep during the day (only imagine it all blue instead of pink). I have to say, it's nice to sleep at night. :) Although, we've had some pretty long nights lately. Both of my boys had respiratory infections & then gave it to me. And then... my youngest got a stomach virus... and passed it on to me. I haven't been well in over 2 weeks... and it's getting pretty old. I'm praying my stomach will settle down before I have to go back to work tomorrow. Ugggg!!!

Matryoshka Carry-All

I'm super excited today because I want to share a little project that I've been working on! As I mentioned before, I found the company 'My Cute Stamps' when I was on a search for more Matryoshka doll images. As soon as I saw the set... I knew it was exactly what I had been looking for. There are so many CUTE images & sentiments... and the entire set is only $7.99! Yes! I kid you not! LOL! The stamps are clear and made of really high quality material. If you're use to stamping with clear images from companies like PTI, I think you'll find these stamps to be very comparable.

I started by printing off Lauren Meader's 'From the Desk of' template (My Timeless Templates) and doubling it to make a wide carry-all. One side holds a note pad, Post-it pad, & magnet set... and the other holds a set of 3 coordinating cards & envelopes.

I added a chipboard handle, securing it with a couple of brads. This YUMMY folk paper is by Pink Paislee ("beautiful" - Captivating line).


Aren't these girls CUTE?!?


This is the altered notebook and Post-it pad I made. (above)


And... here is the back of the carry-all, holding a few little cards I made.


Here's a close up of the tag I clipped on. I LOVE the Scandinavian folk bird image in the set!


Here is a little magnet box that I made by altering a nugget tin. I adhered clear marbles (found in the floral section of your local craft store) to my stamped images using Glossy Accents & then adhered magnets to the back.

The large paper clip above can be used as a bookmark or magnet. (I found a box of these clips at Walmart in the office supply area.) I just tied on a few buttons and secured everything with a little more Glossy Accents.

And now... onto the cards. I just got some of the BEST ribbon from Sharon Johnson's Stamp Simply Ribbon Store! If you love ribbon, you really should take a look! Yum-O! (The layout for this card comes from my buddy Lori's Weekend Sketch #77.)


I made this one using some of Sharon's ribbon & a page from an old Dictionary. The scalloped edge on top is embroidered.

And... here is my last card. I really loved the combo of papers & the soft colors. :) (Paper: blue- K & Company's Amy Butler Lotus Tea Box; yellow- Scenic Route Laurel, River Walk) (The layout for this card came from my buddy Carole's TCP Tuesday #55 Sketch Challenge.)

Exciting News!

Good morning everyone! :) I am super excited to share my newest crafting venture! I am part of the first design team for My Cute Stamps!!! I found out about this company when I was on the search for Matryoshka doll stamps. (They have THE cutest nesting doll stamps!!!) And... as I was looking around the online shop, I couldn't believe I'd never heard of this company before! They definitely named their stamp line correctly... because their stamps are SO CUTE! A few weeks later, they posted a DT call & I jumped on the opportunity! I can't wait to get to 'work' and show you some of these fresh, new, SUPER trendy images!

Here is a card I made a couple of weeks ago using My Cute Stamps' Sweet Kawaii set. (The 7 piece set is only $7.99, btw!!!) I LOVE the Japanese Kawaii-style images. There's just something about those faces that I can't resist!


And yes, that is yet another piece of denim from my son's worn out jeans popping through the window on my card front. :) The little piece of pumpkin pie is covered in a Clear Candy Sticker by A Muse. The sentiment is by Kim Hughes & the orange paper is from the Marrakech line by Basic Grey.

Thanks for coming to visit and sharing in my happy news! :)