Hip Hop Winner & a New Nesting Doll project

I have a couple of things to share with you today! First up... the winner of my Unity Blog Candy is:

Kelly Braund said...

So cute! I'd love to know where you got your sticky back canvas, I've been searching and haven't found any, thanks!

August 27, 2009 8:08 PM

Please e-mail me for deets! (julie_stamps@hotmail.com)

And... to answer your question, I like to shop at Ellen Hutson's store. :)

Recently, I had a request from an Etsy customer for some custom Matryoshka doll invites for her daughter's 1st birthday. This was such a fun project & it made me wish I had a little girl of my own to give a 'nesting doll' themed party! :)

I used some of my Hero Arts doll images along with some BG June Bug paper. The sentiment is by Kim Hughes. I masked the doll's belly & stamped a strawberry image inside (from Papertrey Ink's Vintage Picnic set).

And... here is the inside, along with the coordinating envelope. Fun stuff!

I had a few supplies left over, so I decided to make another card for my stash. This time, I used a little Basic Grey bling for her belly & changed up the sentiment a bit. I just LOVE these colors together!


Here's a close up of my nesting doll in all her glory:


Thanks for visiting!!! :)

Thanks for Being You!

Wow! It's been one of those weeks! Monday snuck up on me and I just realized that I needed to work on my card for this week's sketch from 2 Sketches 4 You! This week, Kazan came up with this fun sketch:


And... here's what I came up with:

I LOVE Kim Hughes' latest set called Forest Friendzy! Aren't these images adorable?!? Make sure to check out all of the designer's cards! I can't wait to see what they came up with! And... I'd love for you to join in the fun and try the sketch out for yourself! There are always goodies to be won on the 2S4Y site! :)

It's Been a 'Gorjuss' Day!!!

Hey guys! :) Wow! It has been a GORGEOUS day here in the midwest! The temp's in the 70's and it feels so good to have the windows open! We needed some fresh air desperately! So... I got a lot of Spring cleaning done and then made some time to play with one of my new obsessions -- the Gorjuss Girls collection by Sugar Nellie. These images are just so sweet! I just want to keep stamping and never stop!

This fab layout comes from Jen del Muro's Sketch For You To Try. I just got a box of goodies from CARDS magazine and wanted to try out some of the papers and embellishments. The paper is all from S.E.I.'s Oasis collection. Aren't the colors fun?!? And... the ribbon is from the same company (Alpine Frost collection).

The word bubble and sentiment are all by Kim Hughes.

Hope you're having a great weekend!!! Thanks for stopping by! :)

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

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)

Just For Fun

Hey everyone! I wasn't sure if today's post would make it to my blog or not! My internet service keeps going in and out (mostly out)... but is scheduled to be fixed SOON! Yeah! :)

I'm super excited today because a group of my favorite stamping friends have started a monthly "get-together" --- a Just For Fun (JFF) Challenge! Each month, one of the girls sends out some fun patterned paper to each of us... and another girl selects a stamp for us to use. Since the paper/stamps are selected on the down low, it's fun to see what kind of combination we end up with. And.... I can't WAIT to see everyone's different versions. :)

This month, Carole sent us this fun heart print paper from American Crafts to use. I've been dying to get my hands on this Whiff of Joy image too (Willow with Hot Chocolate) so this was a great excuse to finally take the plunge and buy it. :)

I've been saving this pair of brown corduroy pants that my son use to wear (the snap broke) & wanted to try to cut it out with my Nestabilities dies. I tried over and over and couldn't get it to cut... but it did leave a nice smashed outline - so I trimmed it with my scissors & it worked just fine. I love putting fabric on my cards. It's a cheap, unique way to add texture! :)

The sentiment is from Kim Hughes' Hugs & Kisses set. I thought it was made for this image and paper combo! :)

I colored Willow with my go-to tool (Copics). I have a cool tip for you Copic lovers! If you have a bottle of Copic Blending Solution (the stuff that goes inside of the 0 Blending Pen), try dipping a tiny paint brush in it and using it to highlight your colored images. It's easier to control than the Blending Pen and you can customize how much blending solution you want to add.

To get a little more texture, try dipping a small gauze into the blending solution and dabbing onto your colored project. The first thing I colored on my image was Willow's green sweater. If you look closely, you can see the texture this technique produced. I would recommed not coloring anything else on your project until you're finished with the gauze/solution because it's easy to make everything surrounding it textured too.



Thanks for joining me for my first JFF Challenge! Make sure you check out the other girls' blogs to see what they came up with!!! :)



Carole Burrage

Michele Boyer

Alli Miles

Lori Craig



SUPPLIES:

Stamps:

- Willow with Hot Chocolate (Whiff of Joy)

- Hugs & Kisses (Cornish Heritage Farms)

Ink:

- Timber Brown Stazon, Onyx Black Versafine (Tsukineko)

Cardstock:

- Coredinations

- Spring Willow Medium, Suede Brown Dark, Simply Smooth White (Prism)

Printed Paper:

- "Hey There" Everyday Line (American Crafts)

Accessories:

- Copic Markers

- brads: Aged Copped Hodge Podge Hardware (SU)

- Heart XL Ghost Shape (Heidi Swapp)

- Aqua satin ribbon (Michaels)

- Creative Cafe green felt ribbon

- Stardust Gelly Roll pen (Sakura)

- Oval Nestabilities dies (Spellbinders)
- Corduroy

Tools:

- Sewing machine

Let's Party!

I am in LOVE with these images from The Greeting Farm (formerly Pink Poison)! I really wanted to try them out and noticed that there are digital images available for sale too. So... I took the plunge and ordered this one - called Dorothy Anya. I was a little nervous about trying it with my Copics, but it works PERFECTLY!!! No smearing at all! I printed them out on my favorite white CS (Papertrey Ink's Stamper's Select) and they look JUST like I stamped them!

So.... here is my first attempt at Anya:

I wanted to make her more multi-purpose, so I covered her gingham gown with sparkly, pink paper -- perfect for a party dress! Then, I added a strip of black organdy that I gathered and adhered to the bottom of her skirt. The little cupcake image is from Kim Hughes' Tag! You're It set. (Told you that set was super versatile!) The sentiment is from Kim's Bithday Bash set.

My cousin, Addy, just turned 4 years old this weekend and I wanted to make her a little Anya card that looked like her. It's hard to believe that 4 years have passed since she was born! Addy has Down Syndrome and a congenital heart defect that is inoperable. When she was first born, everyone was praying for her to make it through her first few months. And... now here we are, 4 years later -- with a beautiful, smart little girl - full of life! She's such a doll! :)

(The patterned paper is by Sassafras Lass & I just blanket stitched around the edges with embroidery floss.)

Thanks for coming to my blog! What do you think about these little Anya images? Cute, huh!?! :) Take a chance and try out digital. It's super fun!

Sugared Springtime

I just got this new paper from Cosmo Cricket (Hey Sugar line) and fell in love with the funky design and fun colors! I have several of Rachelle Anne Miller's images and thought they would look cute paired together.
I paper pieced her hat and dress (the solid red paper is on the back side of the printed paper) and colored her with Copics. To add a little shimmer, I dotted the flowers and butterfly with Stickles. The card just looked a little bare, so I added home-made flowers using buttons and embroidery floss. (Tip: punch the holes for the stem and leaves before you thread the floss through. It makes it super easy!)

The sentiment is by Kim Hughes (by CHF) and is part of her set, "Tag, You're It!". I LOVE this set! It's full of all of those sentiments that you reach for every day. I just snipped the corners and tucked it under my main panel to create a little tab.

Hope you likey! :)

Stamps: Lilly Springtime by Rachelle Anne Miller (Stampavie); sentiment: Tag! You're it! (Cornish Heritage Farms)

Ink: Pitch Black Adirondack (Ranger); Rich Cocoa & Cantaloupe Memento (Tsukineko)

Cardstock: Suede Brown Dark & Island Mist Medium (Prism); Vintage Cream (Papertrey Ink)

Printed Paper: Hey Sugar: Be Mine (Cosmo Cricket)

Accessories:
- Copic Markers
- Prima Flowers
- Brad (Target Scrapbooking line)
- Small Corner Rounder (EK Success)
- Buttons
- Green embroidery floss
- Stickles Glitter glue (Ranger)

Hoo Hoo Hoo

Ahh! I've never been so happy to be HOME! :) It took me 6 hrs. to drive home today after work due to an ice storm that hit the midwest. Bleck! Every muscle in my body is sore. It was pretty tense to say the least. But... now I'm here -- and on vacation for over a week!!! Heaven!

I wanted to share a card I made for the latest Moxie Fab World Challenge! The challenge was to make a holiday card/tag with a 'woodsy' theme. I've had this Imaginisce dotted owl sticker for months and thought he'd look pretty spiffy decked out with a Kim Hughes Santa hat. :)

I don't know if anyone has a stamp with this sentiment... but if not, it needs to be made. ;) I used little alphabet rub-ons for the top portion and applied them directly onto my twill. (The twill is suppose to look like a scarf.)

The holly and sentiment are also Kim Hughes images by CHF. I stamped the holly and then drew a line to give the owl something to perch on.

If I don't see you before Christmas, I hope you all have a WONDERFUL holiday! I've got some super fun Christmas gifts that I need to blog... but I don't want to give away any surprises in case my family's peeking. :)

Change is in the Air... Some News to Share

I can't believe it's already the middle of December! Change is definitely in the air. With the end of the year upon us, I've made some big changes in my role as a designer. I've had a great year and have met so many wonderful people along the way. However, as of today, I am no longer designing for CHF. I have to admit, at first the thought of change scared me like crazy... but now, I am completely at peace with everything and excited to see what my future holds. I am a firm believer that when one door closes, another one opens. And... I can't wait to see what's beyond that door! :)

So... what does that mean to you? Well... you'll probably be seeing a lot more variety in my design work. I feel like a kid in a candy store, salivating at all of the designs and products out there in the world of paper crafting. Of course, you'll also see some of my favorite CHF images and sentiments popping up here and there too. I'm a lifetime addict of Kim Hughes' images, and I'm sure I'll be jumping on each and every new release.

This all came at a perfect time in my life. I've always wanted this craft to become more than a hobby for me... and I want to keep working toward that goal. I'm ecstatic to have my holiday FREE of any obligations (at least in this department) so that I can just enjoy my family! I'm so happy to have to opportunity to focus on my family and just be a mom for a little while.

I wanted to leave you today with a fun little card I made for Taylor's Cupcake Challenge. These Rachelle Anne Miller images are too cute... and I love Kim Hughes' sentiment paired with it!

And... here is a close-up of my iced-over pond. I used Ranger's Glossy Accents to give it a glossy look, and added Stickles here and there for a little glitz.

Stamps: "Skating" by Rachelle Anne Miller for Stampavie; sentiment "Heart Warmers" by Kim Hughes for CHF

Paper: "Snowed In" by My Mind's Eye

Ribbon: Papertrey Ink

Other: Martha Stewart snowflake punch, Ranger's Glossy Accents, Copic Markers, Basic Grey Wassail brad

Raspberries & Rabbits

Tuesday (Dec. 9th) is release day for the Hey Chickie set from Cornish Heritage Farms!!! So... I wanted to give you another peek at one of the sentiments in the set. They work perfectly with the Sweet Spring set that was released last week!

I've been saving this old pair of jeans in hopes of giving it new life one day. (My son wears out the knees of his pants so quickly & I hated to throw them away.) I ran a square of it through my Cuttlebug using a Nestability die & it worked PERFECTLY! I'm seeing denim in the future of a lot of projects.

SUPPLIES:
Stamps: (all by CHF)
- (rabbit) Sweet Spring set (the Kim Hughes line) (released December 4th)
- (sentiment) Hey Chickie set - (releasing December 9th)

Ink:
- Onyx Black Versafine (Tsukineko)
- Warm Red chalk ink (Colorsnap)

Cardstock:
- Chartreuse (Archivers)
- Blush Red Dark (Prism)

Printed Paper:
- Sonoma: Verano Ave. (Scenic Route)

Accessories:
- Markers (Copic)
- Nestabilities Dies (Spellbinders)
- Red Gingham Ribbon (May Arts)
- Wide twill (Stampin' Up!)
- Eyelets (We R Memory Keepers)

Ready to See Some NEW Stamps!?!

Yeah! It's finally release day for the New Kim Hughes stamps from CHF!!! You are going to LOVE these sets!!!

First up... Number Fun!

And here is the set Sweet Spring! I know it's early for Easter, but so many of these images can be used year round! Keep reading to see some samples. :)


And... my new staple -- Playful Alphabet!!!

Have I mentioned that I LOVE this new alpha set? :) See how cool it is to be able to say ANYTHING you want to on your cards or scrapbook pages?

Stamps: (all by Cornish Heritage Farms - the Kim Hughes line)
- Playful Alphabet
- Tag! You're it (smile)
- Let's Get Stuffed (acorn)
- Baked With Love (heart)


Ink:
- Onyx Black Versafine (Tsukineko)
- Red & Brown chalk inks (Color Snap)
- Summer Sky, Dandelion Memento inks (Tsukineko)


Cardstock:
- Intense Yellow, Blush Red Dark (Prism)
- Light blue (Bazzill)


Accessories:
- All Fall ribbon (Fancy Pants)
- Christmas Red Stickles (Ranger)
- Wassail brads (Basic Grey)


Tools:
- Paper piercing tools

And... here is one of the little guys from the Sweet Spring set. Who can resist this sweet little face!?!

Stamps: (all by Cornish Heritage Farms)
- Sweet Spring, Number Fun, & U R A Hoot (the Kim Hughes line)

Ink:
- Onyx Black Versafine (Tsukineko)

Cardstock:
- Twilight Dark (Prism)

Printed Paper:
- Hometown: Depot Park; Weathervane: Cosy Home (October Afternoon)

Accessories:
- White Fun Flock (Stampendous)
- Square Fragment (Tim Holtz)
- White polka dot ribbon
- Button (Basic Grey)

Tools:
- Sewing Machine

And... finally, here is another card made with the Sweet Spring set. I used my Prismacolor pencils to add subtle color to my egg. Super simple card! :)

Stamps:
- Sweet Spring (the Kim Hughes line) by CHF

Ink:
- Sepia Archival inkpad (Ranger)
- Old Paper Distress Inkpad (Ranger

Cardstock:
- Spring Willow Medium (Prism)

Printed Paper:
- Sonoma: Grove Street (Scenic Route)

Accessories:
- Prismacolor pencils & Gamisol
- Cornice Edge Punch (Martha Stewart Crafts)
- Ivory satin ribbon
- Prima flowers

Tools:
- Sewing Machine