A Gift For Coffee Lovers

Good morning!  Can I just tell you how much fun it is to have both of my boys home with me?  I love having days off from work. (Hopefully I'll still be saying the same thing later in the summer.)  ;)  We've had such a nice day so far... eating some yummy, made-from-scratch breakfast, watching a couple of cute cartoons together, playing Sorry (my oldest's favorite board game) -- And now, my boys are building Legos while I sort through totes of clothes.  That's one really great thing about having 2 boys.  Between my oldest son's out grown clothes & those from other family members... I don't think I'm ever going to have to buy my youngest son anything for years!

So... onto something crafty!  Have you seen the latest challenge on the Moxie Fab World blog?!?  It's called Fun With Fabric & there are LOTS of cool fabric projects linked to inspire you.  I love incorporating fabric in my projects & today I have something that I made with felt.

My charge nurse at work knows how much I love coffee & buys me a "Friday Treat" from the hospital coffee shop when we've had a tough week.  I usually try to sneak some $$$ into her office, but she finds me out more often than not.  So... I wanted to make her a little something to say 'thank you.

I've been oogling these cute coffee sleeves on Etsy and wanted to try one out for myself.  I buy my felt from Heather Bailey's shop (she has the softest, most colorful felt that I've found!).  I die cut some decorative pieces from a couple of Papertrey Ink dies and then hand-cut some flowers and leaves and stitched everything together.  The crochet flower was from My Mind's Eye.

I think my sleeve turned out kind of cute, but I wanted a card to go along with it... so I just hand-cut a coffee mug shape out of kraft paper and added a stamped sentiment (from MFT).  The card is two pieces.  The piece with the handle is the back and the front was the same shape, minus the handle.  The top of the mug is adhered together and the coffee sleeve just slides right onto the front of the card.  (sorry if this is confusing)  In lieu of an envelope, I slipped my coffee giftie into a little glassine bag and hand delivered it.

Well.... I need to scoot!  My youngest has decided to try on almost every piece of clothing that I've folded while I've been typing my blog post.  ;)  Hope you all have a great day!

You Rock My Socks!

Hey there!  Today is Jiffy day -- the day that my crafty buddies get together and make a card using the same basic supplies!  

 

Today we're using stamps from MFT's Pure Innocence collection.  This stamp is called 'Tweeny Teen - Rock On' and I think it ROCKS!  How cute is that little girl sitting there jamming to her I-Tunes?!?  I LOVE it! :)  I added some black Liquid Applique to her headset and added a little heat to get them to puff up.

The cute red floral paper is by My Mind's Eye - So Sophie "In Love" Petite Red Floral Paper.  Say that three times fast!  Wow!  Lori sent us the scrumptious paper & Kim sent us the awesome stamped images.  :)

Make sure to check out the other girls' blogs today to see what they came up with!  Lori will be playing later in the week... so keep your eyes peeled for that too.  :)

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

The 'Jiffy' Girls are at it Again!

Happy Monday everyone! Today's Jiffy Challenge was not much of a challenge at all. When you've got such CUTE products to work with... it all just comes together easily. :) Just to re-cap... JiFFy stands for "Just For Fun". Each month, one girl sends everyone patterned paper & anther girl chooses a stamp. Then... we all make something using the same product and see what everyone comes up with.

This month, Michele chose THE cutest image from My Favorite Things. (This little sweetie is from the Snow Day set in the new Pure Innocence collection.) And... to make it even sweeter, Kim from MFT sent each of us a set of our own! Thank you Kim!!!! :)

Lori chose some paper from Cosmo Cricket's Nutmeg line (a collection that I've been DYING to get my hands on)..... so that was just icing on the cake!

Here's the card I came up with, using the latest sketch from CPS:

I added sparkly glitter accents (although you'd have to click on the pic to get it enlarged enough to tell)... and added a heart from one of Kim Hughes' sets to the sentiment.

Make sure to check out the other FABULOUS girls' projects! I can't wait to see them myself! :)

Alli Miles
Carole Burrage
Lori Craig
Kim Hughes
& Michele Boyer

Birthdays Rock!

This image comes from one of my favorite MFT stamp sets - The Poppies! I won this set from Jody Morrow a few weeks ago and just about popped my gourd! I was SO ecstatic because I wanted it so bad but put it on the back burner until I had some extra $$$. :) See how God works? He even hooks me up with fun stamps! ;)


I colored the image in with Copics and paired it with Basic Grey's June Bug paper & some Prima crystals. The layout is from the SCS sketch challenge today.

Better Late Than Never!

I am playing catch-up and will have several posts for your viewing pleasure today. ;) I THOUGHT today was the 29th... and well... after getting to work yesterday, I realized that my mental calendar was a little wonky. :) So... even though all of the other girls posted their JiFFy post yesterday, I'm bringing in the caboose today. If you're new to my blog, a group of my stamping buddies & I get together once a month Just For Fun (hence the term 'JiFFy') and create a project using the same stamps & paper.

This month, Kim sent us a package of the CUTEST paper (Crate Paper's 'Little Sprout') & paired it with Carole's pick - MFT's Cuddle Up Carter. The Carter images are based off of Carole's son, who happens to have Cerebral Palsy. You can read Carole's wonderful blog entry to learn more about Carter and his diagnosis here. Kim, the owner of MFT, is generously donating $2 from the sale of each Cuddle Up Carter set to the Europed's organization !

Here is my little carter, all dressed in his jammies and slippers. I think keep this card on hand for when one of my little guys gets a frog in their throat. :) I traced the blanket image onto green felt and stitched it in place.

Make sure to check out the other Jiffy Girls' challenge cards (unless you already did that YESTERDAY). ;) I can't wait to take a look myself! (I didn't want to peek until my card was finished.) Have a good one!!!

Lori Craig, Alli Miles, Carole Burrage, Kim Hughes and Michele Boyer

Retail Therapy!

Well... it's Monday! And you know what that means! (Besides having to go back to work. Bleck!) There's a new sketch posted on the 2 Sketches 4 You blog!!! This week, it was Kazan's turn to sketch it out!


I was SUPER excited to open up my box and see who our newest sponsor was this week! We got to play with some great Teresa Collins paper with our new mini Scor-it!!!! How cool is that?!? I can't wait for you to see what the other girls came up with!

I've never used a Scor-it board before, but it really makes a great impression. I think it would be perfect for when I like to use the embossed score lines as part of my design. I chose the cute pink Teresa Collins Crush folder as my main piece for my project. (I sealed the sides so that I could fit a little gift card inside.) Fun, huh? :)

I finally found a store that had these Miss Anya stamps in stock. I think they are sooo cute and really fun to color! I've been hoarding these little Amy Butler purse embellishment stickers for awhile too and was glad I broke into them. :)

Stamps:
- Miss Anya (the Greeting Farm)
- Say Charge (MFT)
Ink:
- Tuxedo Black Memento (Tsukineko)
- Snow Cap inkpad (Papertrey Ink)
Cardstock:
- PTI
Printed Paper:
- "Crush" Noteworthy (Teresa Collins)
Accessories:
- Amy Butler Sola Purses (K & Co.)
- Plastic Flowers Love (Heidi Grace Designs)
- Copic black multi-liner
- Copic Markers
- Black Diamond Stickles (Ranger)
- Long Rectangle Nestabilities die (Spellbinders)
Tools:
- Sewing machine without thread

Be there or Be SQUARE!

This week's Bloggers Challenge was to make a card ANY shape other than a rectangle. Well... I know I didn't really think too far out of the box with a square card... but it worked for a project I needed to make. One of the dr's at work is so generous and sponsors all of the nurses in the Race for The Cure breast cancer walk that's coming in April. We wanted to get him a gift and send a card, so I made a card (and needed one big enough for all of our signatures)

I wanted to use my MFT set In the Pink... but wanted to make sure it still looked appropriate to send to a 'guy'. It couldn't be all pink and frilly... if you know what I mean. :) I stamped an envelope to match.

Make sure to click on the "Bloggers Challenge" icon on my sidebar to see what the other bloggers came up with!

Supplies:

Stamps:

- MFT in the Pink

- Papertrey Ink Spiral Blossoms

Paper:

- DP by Scenic Route

- Silver Fleck CS by Prism

- Black & Sahara Sand CS by SU

Accessories:

- 'bling' for dotting the 'I' in the sentiment

- Copic Markers

Punny Farm

Have you guys seen the new set Punny Farm by My Favorite Things? I knew I HAD to have it! It's full of the cutest farm animals, sentiments, and more. I made this card for today's SCS Sketch Challenge. (printed paper by My Minds Eye)

For those of you who don't know, I have a TERRIBLE fear of mice (which is great, considering I live in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by corn fields). I thought this sentiment by Papertrey Ink went perfectly with this card. :)

Retail Therapy

Whoo Hoo! I was just browsing my favorite blogs (through Google Reader) and found out that I won this week's Mojo Monday contest on Julee Tilman's blog - Poetic Artistry!!! I am SO excited because she has several new clear stamp sets just released today and I get to pick one of the new sentiment stamps for my very own. :) These are awesome because they fit perfectly inside of the Word Window Punch by SU. And now that they're clear, they're even easier to use. No more Stamp-a-ma-jig needed. Yeah! So... want to see my winning card? :)


During MFT's release party, Cammie issued a challenge to make an ATC (artist trading card) and turn it into a full sized card. I've never made one of these little guys before, but I had a lot of fun with it. I always love starting with a good sketch, and Julee's site is perfect for that! I believe an ATC is 2.5" x 3.5" (I checked before I made my card and now can't remember for sure). I used one of my MFT sets (Say Charge) and colored the image in with Copics (what else?!?) :) Then, to fill up the extra space, I embossed circles using my Crop-a-dile (pressing into my paper as if setting a large eyelet) --- and then piercing holes in each embossed area. I stamped the image a second time onto scrap CS, colored, and cut out. Then, I added a dimensional to the bottom of a couple of bags and a glue dot on the top portion. When you layer it onto the original stamped image, it gives the bag a lot of dimension. I like how it is adhered flat at the top and then widens towards the bottom.

Above is my finished card. I thought this stamp set would make a perfect gift card holder! You just untie the ribbon and reveal the gift card hidden inside.

Hope everyone is having a great Monday! I know I am! Yeah! :)

Yummy Christmas Colors!

Today's color challenge on Splitcoast was to use Pretty in Pink, Wild Wasabi, & White. I LOVE this color combo for Christmas! What a great idea! Today is also Celebrate MFT day... so I pulled out my most recent stamps from my Paper Pretties subscription (www.paperpretties.net) and also used the latest MFT sketch. Happy MFT day!!! :)
*
This is my newest paper addiction - K&Co's Peppermint Twist collection. I used it to paper piece her jacket too. I colored the image in with Copics and added sparkle with some Iridescent Ice EP. I used just a tiny bit of Liquid applique to the top of her boots.
*
For the sentiment, I just inked half at a time and positioned it where I wanted it to go. I love how clear stamps allow you to do things like this with ease!

**************************************
Stamps: Baby It's Cold Outside (MFT)
Paper: Pretty in Pink, Wild Wasabi, Shimmery White, K&Co. Peppermint Twist DP
Ink: Graphite Black & Pearlescent Chocolate (Brilliance Pads)
Accessories: Martha Stewart snowflake punch, SU large oval punch, Making Memories snowflake & gemstone brad, pink grosgrain, liquid applique, II EP, Copics, Dimensionals

Inspired to Fight for a Cure!

This week's Bloggers Challenge was to be INSPIRED! (and then create something, of course!) I found these yummy Pink Peanut M&M's and the gears started turning. And.. this week's Color Challenge at SCS was to use pink in your project. How perfect!

I bought these cut little tins from Papertrey Ink last month and they were just crying out to be altered! For the lid, I stamped an image from MFT's Think Pink set onto Shimmery White CS. I colored the image in with Copics and used a clear Copic Spica to add even more sparkle to the girls' tops.

The printed paper around the base of the tin is by Basic Grey (Phoebe Collection). I just adhered it with Sticky Strip. The ribbon is beautiful two-toned pink satin that I found at WAL-MART! Can you believe that? I love finding great things that are super cheap!

I stamped "Believe" all across the bottom of the tin (sentiment included in the Think Pink set). I stamped another image onto a "Shrinky Dink" sheet (What ARE these things called? I can't remember for the life of me!), heated, and then added a little color.

I think I might send this to a friend. Hopefully it will bring a little cheer. Everyone loves chocolate, right? Make sure you check out all of the other Bloggers projects to see what inspired them!

*A portion of the proceeds of every Think Pink set goes to help fight breast cancer!

Chocolates Are a Girl's Best Friend

Last night we had Stampin In Your Jammies (SIYJ) again at Paper Pretties. If you've never heard of SIYJ, basically it's a virtual stamp night for subscribers to the Paper Pretties kits. We do this once a month and have 60 minutes to complete each challenge (we have 3 challenges). Then, the votes are cast and prizes are given away for each category! It's always a lot of fun and the design team gets to play along and hang out with everybody.


Which reminds me of some MORE BIG NEWS!!! We've added a new 'Pretty Girl' (I think that's our new slogan! He He) to our Design Team --- Alli Miles!!!! I just LOVE Alli's creations, and I've been an avid stalker to her blog for a long time now! If you love Alli's work too, go over to her blog and send your congrats!

The card above was the one I created for the sketch challenge last night. I wanted to use my new MFT set (How Sweet it is) but needed a little something to fill up the 'space'. Then I had a light bulb moment!!! I got out my other MFT set (Let's Hear it for the Boy) and started playing. I wanted to use the TV, but it was facing the opposite direction. So... I stamped it on velum, colored it with Copics and carefully cut it out. Then I just flipped it over! Voila! :)

I also used the frame from the Boys set. I added the sentiment, and some other details. I drew the rug on the floor and colored it in.

The sentiment is from the Sweet set. It originally reads "Sisters and Chocolate Make Life Bearable" -- so I just colored the parts that I wanted with a SU marker and added the letter "s" to chocolate with the fine-tip. It makes this sentiment much more versatile.

ALL OF MY FAVORITE THINGS NEW SETS ARE NOW IN PAPER PRETTIES CORNER STORE!
~click HERE to enter store~
And, as always, Paper Pretties Subscribers Get an ADDITIONAL 10% off of EVERYTHING in the store!

Paper: K & Co Girl Scout Line

I'm Craving Chocolate!

Don't forget about my blog candy (post below)! I'm giving away 2 stamp sets!!!

Today's SCS Ways to Use it Challenge was called "Food, Glorious Food". The challenge was to find way's to use food in your projects. Well... chocolate is a food group, right?

This is MFT's soon-to-be-released stamp set called 'How Sweet'. This is the set that came in my September Paper Pretties kit! I LOVE getting sets in the mail that aren't even available to the 'general public'. How fun is that!?! If you aren't a subscriber to PP yet but are 'craving' this set, you can purchase it at PP's Corner Store in October! Better yet... go subscribe today! You're going to LOVE next month's set too! ;)

This 'window' bag is from Papertrey Ink... as well as the stamp set 'Holiday Treats'. I think this is going to be a well-used stamp set! I stamped the 'Fresh Baked' image with Burgundy ink and then added the chocolate chip image (from the MFT set) to the center. I repeatedly stamped the chocolate chip background stamp (MFT) onto the bag to create a pattern. Sorry! This pic would look so much better if the bag actually 'contained' some cookies... but I ran out of time! :)

Here is the card I made to coordinate with the bag of cookies. This sketch is for Julee's Mojo Monday Sketch Challenge. The patterned paper is from Basic Grey's Recess line. I love the rich colors! I added a sentiment by using my Karen Foster Snap Stamps to spell out "you're" and then added just the 'Sweet' portion of the MFT sentiment (using a burgundy SU marker). Finally, I added a chocolate chip to the top corner where the slit punch was used.

Are you craving chocolate now too?

You Brighten My Day!.... a sneak peek!

So... what do you think about this sneak peek from My Favorite Things? This set is called By the Seashore and will not be available for purchase until November! But... GUESS WHAT?!? If you subscribe to Paper Pretties Premier or Petite Package before October, this set will be included in your first kit! (If you sign up for the MFT option) Tell them that Julie Campbell sent you! ;)

If you ever have any questions about Paper Pretties, just drop me a line and I would be happy to help you out! I love opening my mailbox and finding a package from PP! It's just like Christmas! (Speaking of Christmas, you could hint to your family that a subscription would make a really fun gift!)

Now... back to this card! I stamped my image with Brilliance Black ink (This is my ultimate favorite ink to use with Copics! No smearing or bleeding... even without heat setting my image!) I usually use Papertrey Ink's white CS, or SU's Confetti or Naturals CS. I used Copics to add color... and Prismacolor Pencils to add fine detail. (I used Prismacolors and Mineral Spirits to color the sea shells) To create faux stitching, I used a white Souffle pen (I love how opaque it looks on dark colors!). *** Prismacolor Pencils are now on sale at the Paper Pretties Corner Store!

The sentiment is from Verve Visual. I love how it fits perfectly inside of SU's Word Window Punch!

Did you notice something new on my pic? I just received some new watermarks from Dina at Mama Dini's Digi-Sig Diner!!! She is unbelievable quick and super reasonable! You'll have to check her site out!

Here's the info I have on the pretty plaid paper I used:
Paper: Kate Teague 'hey paul' (www.fontwerks.com) hf-740