Midnight "Scramper"

CSAYL Update

2012-01-28T14:35:00.000-08:00

If you're a CSAYL fan then you'll want to hop on over and check out the latest announcement over on the challenge blog.

As for the Midnight Scramper blog, I'm going to take a much needed break for a bit. I love this hobby so so much, but some health issues have absolutely killed my mojo for the moment. I need to focus on getting me better, and spending as many of my "good days" with my family right now as possible.

I'm not sure when I'll be back to posting on a regular schedule, but hopefully I'll be able to pop in every once in a while and share a little something with you.

Hugs,

Wow - it's been awhile

2012-01-11T09:34:00.000-08:00

Hi there!

I know, I know....it's been awhile.

The kids just got back in school from their Winter break. Between the holidays, entertaining two munchkins for almost three weeks, and taking charge of some health problems, my time in the craft room has been non existent. Oh, and did I mention that we're house shopping too?!

I just wanted to pop in quick today and let you know that I'll be continuing my CSAYL 2012 design team call through the end of this week. If you're interested, please send me an email by THIS Sunday. Just include a link to your blog and a sentence or two about yourself. Send it to bruckler at comcast dot net. I've had fun looking through all of the applications so far and checking our all of your blogs. There sure is a lot of talented stampers out there!

I'll be contacting new team members next week!

Thanks,

Nurse Nora

2011-12-19T09:17:00.000-08:00

A little birdie told me that my mother-in-law is secretly hoping to get a pack of cards from me for Christmas. I was totally flattered and decided to whip up a batch just for her. Here's one that I came up with using a sweet image by CC Designs, called "Nurse Nora".

I love red, white and black together and that color combo was perfect for this image.

I used a glitter pen on her angel wings and then outlined the whole image with a pale blue Copic to make it *pop*.

When I was finished with this card, it was missing something, so I grabbed my favorite sharp implement, poked away, and drew in a quick cross stitch pattern with a black marker.

Voila! The perfect finishing touch!

Only six more days until Christmas!

I hope you're all enjoying this time of year with your families and friends.

Hugs,

One card, three looks

2011-12-06T12:59:00.000-08:00

While perusing the latest SU catalog, I came across a sample on page 142 using a set called "Circle Circus". I loved the simple layout and decided to "case" it, adding my own twist. Here's my version using Bermuda Bay, Melon Mambo, So Saffron and Kiwi Kiss...

I added a few jewels and some faux stitching with a white pen.

Then I decided to try the same look with another color combo...

Black, Riding Hood Red, More Mustard.

And I couldn't resist trying one more combo...

Elegant Eggplant, Old Olive, Perfect Plum and Pacific Point.

Instead of jewels, I added a couple of green pearls to finish this one off. I love how each card is the same, but the different color combos give each one a completely different feel. Thanks for stopping by today!

Peppermint Twist

2011-11-30T14:36:00.000-08:00

Happy Wednesday crafty people!

Today is challenge day over at the Inky Impressions Challenge Blog and this will be my last project as an Inky team member. The challenge today is called "Peppermint Twist" and we want to see how you interpret it onto your holiday card or project.

Got any red and white striped twine?

Cute candy embellishments?

How about a fun candy cane image?

I decided to use some cute candy themed patterned paper and make a 4" x 4" gift card holder.

Here's a peek at the inside...

The best part about this project is that it's QUICK and EASY.

(My two favorite words when it comes to crafting)

You can get three of these babies out of one 12" square of cardstock!

Here's how to make one...

Cut cardstock to 4" x 12" and score at 4" and 8".

This will leave you with three 4" sections.

Next, score the middle section diagonally, starting from the top left corner and ending at the bottom right corner.

Fold on the middle score line and this is what you'll have.

Next, fold over the right section as shown and adhere.

Then fold up the bottom square behind the diagonal fold.

Ta-Da!

Now you have a pocket.

Adhere where needed, being sure to leave room in the pocket for your gift card. Then embellish your little heart out and make someones day!

Pink Cat Digital Release Day!

2011-11-24T00:01:00.000-08:00

Black Friday already, can you believe it?

Instead of stressing out with all of the crazies at the stores today, I'll be in my purple room stamping the day away. Today Pink Cat Studio has a bunch of new digis available, and each one is cuter than the last! Oh, and Melissa is doing another 50% off sale!

All of these cuties that are being released today are included in sale!

I'm really excited to share all of my samples with you, and I hope they inspire you to get some of these new digis and make something cute today!

First up is our ol' pal Blobby...

I couldn't resist....I had to cover him with yellow velvet flock.

Now he's super soft and fuzzy - as every Blobby should be.

Check out the new version of Lily!

She's all grown up!

I used an x-acto to cut a house shape out of Cherry Cobbler cardstock and then pierced around the border.

After adding some faux stitching with a white pen, I popped it up with dimensionals and finished it off with some twine.

Don't celebrate Christmas?

No worries, Melissa has you covered!

Check out this Hanukkah cutie!

I used some leftover alphabet stickers and chipboard and kept this one super simple.

More cuties...

Adorable, no?

After I had my card put together with my fave color combo, I sprayed it with Frost Shimmer Spritz.

I popped up parts of the image with dimensionals and added mini pearls to the hats.

Even though this next image was created with the holidays in mind, I used it for another occasion.

I originally made this card without a sentiment, but then needed a pet sympathy card for a loved one.

I added a quick rub-on sentiment and then popped it in the mail.

Still with me?

This is the last one - promise!

Oh my gosh, I just love this image. SO cute!

It's hard to tell from the photo, but I added pink velvet flock to the ear muffs and popped them up with dimensionals. The sentiment was cut from some patterned paper and embellished with a few jewels.

Okay, that's it for me today!

Thanks for taking the time to stop by and peek at my samples. Be sure to hop on over to PCS and get yourself some of these fun digis! There's also a link over on the "new digi" page to a cute freebie!

So you don't have to share

2011-11-18T00:01:00.000-08:00

While all you procrastinators are scrambling to get your Christmas cards done, I'll be relaxing in the tub with a glass of champagne! Hee hee!

Well, today is the last challenge of the year for CSAYL and although I'll miss my fabulous team, I'm so glad to have all of my holiday goodies FINISHED. Kenny K is sponsoring us this week and there are 5 free digis up for grabs to 3 lucky winners !

Our challenge this week is to use the following photo from Pinterest as inspiration...

Here's what I came up with using a brand new image called "Girl Gift"...

I used Pear Pizazz cardstock for the base and lots and lots of glitter on the main image.

I thought this sentiment by SU matched the Kenny K image perfectly.

You can check out all of the new Christmas images by Kenny K right here. If you'd like to play along with us, hop on over to the CSAYL challenge blog for all the juicy details and samples from the rest of my fabulous team.

Never Seen Ink

2011-11-11T00:10:00.000-08:00

Only two challenges left until CSAYL is done for the year!

Our challenge this week is "Never Seen Ink" - use an image, old or new, that's never seen ink.

I got this cute image by Whiff of Joy as a gift last holiday season. It's been sitting in a little pile of other neglected stamps on my workshop floor for 11 months. This challenge finally got me to bust open the package, trim that rubber and ink it up!

And boy am I glad - these guys are uber cute!!

I decided to go with a favorite color combo of mine - Bermuda Bay, Cherry Cobbler and White.

I cut the main image with a Nestability and then added glitter to the edge. Then I embellished my little heart out with jewels and wood snowflakes that jumped in my basket at Cost Plus.

Thanks so much for stopping by today. I hope you'll hop on over to CSAYL and play along with us this week!

How to make a quilted background

2011-11-07T17:46:00.000-08:00

I recently posted this card for a Pink Cat Studio release.

When I was figuring out how I wanted to design the card, I knew that I wanted a simple layout and a white background. I was totally inspired by a photo of a wedding cake in a magazine that had a a quilted design rolled onto the fondant. It was so pretty and I thought I'd try to recreate it on paper.

I can't believe that I got it totally centered on the first try! Don't you just love happy accidents?!

Here's a quick peek at how I did it...

First, I cut my cardstock to 4.25" x 11", scored it down the middle. (I always have the folded score line at the top of my cards). Then I placed the bottom left of my card front into the 2.50" notch on my Scor-Pal and placed the other corner at the 5.50" mark on the right side of the Scor-Pal. Starting at the 2.50" notch, I scored every half inch to the right and then to the left.

Clear as mud?

Then I turned the cardstock clockwise so the bottom right of the card front was at the 9.50" notch and the other corner was at 5.50" on the left side of the Scor-Pal. Then I scored again every half inch.

This is what you'll have!

Perfectly centered perfection - love it!

I decided to add some teeny tiny pearls for a bit of dimension at the points where the scor marks intersected.

Hope you're inspired to give it a try!

Thanks for hoppin' by today.

What's YOUR Favorite Sketch?

2011-11-04T00:00:00.000-07:00

Can you believe that there are only 49 more days until Christmas?! Thanks to CSAYL, I've got all my cards and packaging done, how about you??

This week CSAYL is being sponsored by Pink Cat Studio and the challenge is to "use your favorite sketch". It doesn't get any easier than that!

Here's what I came up with...

I really love holiday cards with non-traditional color schemes, so that's what inspired this. The sketch I used for my layout is by Mojo Monday.

This sweet image is called "Lily and Tweet in Presents" and you can get it over at PCS today for 50% off! The bright patterned papers are by My Minds Eye and Imaginisce and really made everything *pop*. I can't wait to give this to a munchkin on my "nice" list!

We've only got three challenges left at CSAYL for this year. I'd love for you to hop on over and play along with us. Lots of free PCS digis are up for grabs!

Pink Cat Digital Release Day, a huge sale AND a freebie!! Oh my!

2011-11-02T22:58:00.000-07:00

SO many fun things from the Pink Kitty today!

Every single fantabulous digital image is 50% off from now until Saturday! Even the giant monster mega packs are 50% off!!

AND,

Check out all of these fun new images being released today...

And yes....these babies are included in the sale too.

Adorable, no?

I love every single one of them!

This is "Itty Bitty Betty Native American" and she is just too cute for words.

Seriously....I'm speechless.

And this is "Itty Bitty Betty Pilgrim"...

I covered her hat and apron with white glitter because even pilgrims need to feel glamorous sometimes.

Now what are you waiting for?!
Hop on over to the Pink Cat Studio shop and take advantage of their incredible sale! Don't forget that many of the digis are also available pre-colored (talk about a time saver!).

And as an added bonus, you can download this FREE DIGI just for visiting the PCS shop today! No purchase necessary. Just click here. It's available in black and white and pre-colored!

Have you ever heard so much good news in one post?!

Have a wonderful Thursday - hugs.

Inky Challenge

2011-11-02T16:17:00.000-07:00

In addition to day 2 of the Inky Impressions blog hop, today is also challenge day! This week we worked with an inspiration photo of fall leaves and this is what I came up with...

I used some fall papers by Imaginisce a sentiment by Inky Impressions.

I finished it off with some tiny leaves and a couple of Inky Dinky Drops.

Hop on over to the challenge blog for all the details and to play along with us.

Inky Impressions Snow Much Fun Blog Hop - Day 2

2011-11-02T00:00:00.000-07:00

Hello again Inky fans! If you came here from Michelle's blog, then you're right on track. If not, and you'd like to play along for your chance to win a $25 gift certificate to Inky Impressions, you can start right here.

It's day two of the blog hop and and this sweet new digital image is called "Marisa's Sleigh Ride".

I decided it was time to thin out the ol' scrap bin, so I used some patterned scraps and made a holiday gift tag. I never seem to have enough during the crazy holiday season.

Marisa is absolutely adorable, no?

Your next stop on the hop is......Lora!

Here's the link list, just in case...

Inky Impressions Challenge Blog

Not enough Inky for ya?
Hop on over to the Challenge Blog and check out the new challenge and all the juicy details.

Inky Impressions Snow Much Fun Blog Hop - Day 1

2011-11-01T05:00:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the Inky Impressions blog hop! We're very excited to show you some fabulous new designs for Winter. I hope you're having fun hopping around the DT's blogs and getting inspiration.

If you've come here from Lora's blog, then you are in the right place. If you're just starting out and you'd like to play along for your chance to win a $25 Inky gift certificate, pop on over to the beginning of the hop for all the juicy details.

For my card today, I used a new digital image called "MaMaw Skiing".

I used "frosted lace" Stickles and glitter for the snow.

Then I finished it off with a sentiment and a fun little winter charm.

*Sentiment reads - "If a snowflake fell every time I thought of you...We'd really have a white Christmas"

Your next stop on the hop is.....Michelle!

Here's a complete list of the hop participants:

Inky Impressions Challenge Blog - home

Jenn

Angelica

Cheryl

Tanya

Joey

Carrie

Jackie

Lora

MacKenzie (you are here)

Michelle

Don't forget to come back tomorrow for DAY 2!

Jingle All the Way

2011-10-28T08:49:00.000-07:00

Only 4 challenges left this year for Christmas Stampin All Year Long!

This week we're being sponsored by "Creations by AR", a company with amazing templates and lots of other little goodies.

Here's what I came up with using a template called "Haute Tote"...

My mother-in-law is a designer handbag junkie, so her Christmas gift will be going in here.

The challenge over at CSAYL this week is to use jingle bells on your holiday project, so I added mini jingle bells to the handles of my tote.

I finished it off with some bright green jewel trim and ivory bows.

Hop on over to the CSAYL challenge blog for the challenge details and inspiration from the dt!

Have a great Friday!

SPAR-KA-LAY!!

2011-10-22T10:34:00.000-07:00

Christmas Stampin' All Year Long has teamed up with Bugaboo this week and there's a $21 gift certificate up for grabs! The challenge this week is "SPAR-KA-LAY". That means we want you to bling the heck out of your holiday card or project! Glitter, Stickles, jewels - whatever you have that sparkles - use LOTS of it!

Here's my SPAR-KA-LAY project using an adorable Bugaboo image called "Ava Christmas Candy Cane".

I picked up some red glitter cardstock at the Sacramento Scrapbook Expo yesterday and used that on the background.

Then I used Doodlebug Sugar Coating on my main image and finished it off with some glittery wood snowflakes that jumped into my basket at Cost Plus last week.

Quickie post for me today. I've gotta get back to my sick munchkin. Hop on over to the CSAYL challenge blog to see all of the inspiration from the dt this week and then leave us a link to your "SPAR-KA-LAY" creation!

Yahoo! Pink Cat Digi Release Day!

2011-10-20T00:00:00.000-07:00

It feels like so long since I've said that!

After a mini break to work on the amazing new PCS digital designer program, Pink Cat Studio is back with some brand new digis for Christmas!

Feast your eyes on the cuteness...

And for today only, the gingerbread man image is FREE with any purchase! But first, I'd like to introduce you to "Cool Santa on Skateboard".

I used a layout that I saw in a stamp catalog and "pimped" Santa out with a gold pen. Check out the gold Elvis sunglasses and matching gold belt buckle.

Even added a little to his skateboard - couldn't resist.

Next up is "Christmas Frogs on Candy"...

Adorable, no?

I just love these guys.

*I'll share a quick tutorial on the quilted background soon

And this is the "Gingerbread Tower"...

These cuties can be yours for FREE today or they will be available for purchase starting tomorrow.

My last sample today features "Itty Bitty Betty Angel".

I decided to re-purpose a clear acetate box from my stash into a fun gift box that will be perfect for a little girl on my holiday list.

I added lots of pink pearls, jewels and glitter for some holiday sparkle.

A girl can never have too much sparkle, ya know?

Be sure to hop on over to the PCS digi store to check out all of the cuteness that's available! And don't forget that you can purchase PCS digis as a plain image OR already colored in! Such a great idea and a huge time saver. Thanks so much for stopping by my little corner of the world today. See you tomorrow!

It's Pumpkin Time

2011-10-19T04:00:00.000-07:00

It's Inky Challenge time again and this week we're going Trick-Or-Treating. We want you to make a Halloween card and utilize the colors orange and black. Here's what I came up with using the "Lili's Pumpkin" image.

I stamped the sentiment in white ink, punched it with an small oval and added a silver pumpkin charm. I glued some orange cardstock to the back of the charm so the jack-o-lantern details would *pop*.

The layout was inspired by this sketch and the patterns that I picked were inspired by the "Spooky Hues" challenge at Papertake Weekly. To ground the main image, I drew in some fall colored grass and sponged on some clouds in the background.

I finished it all off with some clear Inky Dinky Drops.

Hop on over to the Inky Challenge Blog to play along with us and get all of the juicy details!

Tomorrow is a new day

2011-10-16T19:24:00.001-07:00

Well, Jen did it again.

She posted another sketch that was just too FABULOUS to resist!

Here's what I whipped up...

This little bundle of cuteness is from The Greeting Farm.

Adorable, no?

I finally busted into my new "Fine and Dandy" paper pack by My Mind's Eye - so many great patterns and colors.

Before I assembled my card, I added some espresso twine to the edges of my yellow patterned paper. Everyone seems to be using twine these days, and I was starting to feel left out, so I ordered LOTS.

After I paper pieced the laundry pile and hair band on the main image, I added tiny wooden clothespins to the top corner.

And finished it off with a rub on sentiment and a tiny metal hanger.

If your mojo's lost or you just need some great inspiration, hop on over to Decontructing Jen for AMAZING sketches and samples! Thanks for poppin' by today.

Happy Monday!

Seeing Spots

2011-10-14T00:15:00.000-07:00

Friday is finally here and I've got a new challenge posted over at the Christmas Stampin' All Year Long blog! This week I want to see spots. You can stamp your spots, doodle your spots, emboss your spots or rub em' on. Whatever blows your hair back! If you've got spots, we want to see em!

Paper Makeup Stamps will be giving a $15 store credit to our winner!

Here's what I came up with using a PMS digital sentiment...

I just ADORE this color combo.

(Bermuda Bay, Real Red, Black and White)

I used a background stamp from SU on the card base and some of my favorite polka dot ribbon. Then I finished it off with clear jewels and a spritz of shimmer spray. The layout was inspired by this sketch and I'm really happy with how came out. Not to shabby for a 10 minute card!

Hop on over to the CSAYL blog to play along with us!

Inky Inspiration

2011-10-12T00:01:00.000-07:00

Today I have a quick and easy project to share with you. Quick and easy projects are the best! And they definitely come in handy when I need to make goodies for my kiddos and their 54 classmates.

Here's a Halloween / Fall inspired candy holder.

I used some patterned paper scraps with Fall colors and then added Lili to the front. Then I wrapped some striped twine around a few times to finish it off.

There are so many great challenges this week will Fall inspiration. You should definitely check them out and play along!

The Crafters Cafe - "brown, yellow, orange"

Cupcake Craft - "Halloween"

Creative Stamp Friends - "Autumn Colors"

Hooked on Crafts - "anything but a card"

The Pink Elephant - photo inspiration

The Ribbon Reel - photo inspiration

Bows and Berries - photo inspiration

If you use the following dimensions, you'll be able to get 4 of these babies out of one sheet of 8 1/2" 11" cardstock!

Cut a strip of cardstock to 2" x 10 1/4".

Score at 4" and fold.

Easy-Peasy!

If you wanted to put in something larger, like a candy bar, just increase the 2" width.

Be sure to hop on over to the Inky Impressions store and check out all of the cute images and great embellishments available. You can also check out the Inky Inspiration and Inky Challenge blogs for all sorts of eye candy! Thanks for visiting today.

Hugs

Christmas Stampin' All Year Long

2011-10-07T00:10:00.000-07:00

Pink Cat Studio is sponsoring our challenge this week over at CSAYL! If you haven't heard the fun new announcement from PCS, click here to read all about it.

So, let's get to the new challenge, shall we?

This week our challenge is called "Purple Passion" and we want to see a holiday card or project with purple on it. Here's what I came up with using a one of a kind digital image that I created with the new PCS designer program.

This image of Lily decorating the tree with her bird and kitty friends was SO much fun to make!

I used some glittery dimensional stickers to cover all of the ornaments and then colored the stars with a glitter pen. The more sparkly the better!

Be sure to hop on over to the CSAYL challenge blog to see what PCS images the rest of the team created. And be sure to leave us a link to your purple creation so you can have a chance to win 5 FREE DIGIS from Pink Cat Studio!

Have you always wanted to be a digi designer?!

2011-10-06T03:00:00.000-07:00

It's a good thing that I get to FINALLY share this with you because I was ready to explode!
The brand spankin' new Digi Designer Program from Pink Cat Studio launched TODAY!!

Melissa created a super fun new program where YOU can design your very own digi! And the best part? It's SO simple to use! In fact, my eight year old daughter and I got to be a guinea pigs for it. So, if we can do it, anyone can do it. There are literally hundreds of combinations of characters and accessories possible. SO FUN! (If you want to check out what my munchkin did with the program, you can check out her blog here - she'd be thrilled to get a few visitors)

Each of the design team members got to design their own digi to play with today. And, if you really really like any of our designs, you can purchase them in the digi designer shop! I decided to go with a Halloween theme and came up with this...

Here's Lily all set to go trick-or-treating with her frog and bunny friends.

I put lots of purple glitter on her fairy wings and drew in a sidewalk with my Copics (tutorial here). I just love the frog with bunny ears.

I used a sketch from deconstructing jen for my layout and added some faux stitching along the sides.

All of the cute embellishments are from K & Company - love em'!

I'm sure you're anxious to start designing some of your own images, so hop on over and give it a go!

Ready to get Inky....and pinky?

2011-10-05T06:00:00.000-07:00

Hi Inky fans!

It's time for another challenge over at the Inky Challenge Blog.

This time we want you to show your support and we want you to do it with PINK. Our challenge is themed around breast cancer awareness and a monochromatic color scheme. You can use a boy image and deck him all out in hues of bubble gum, or if you have the Lili's Awareness Ribbon image, you can use her.

Here's what I came up with using sweet Lili and Karen's Sunday Sketch...

Did you know that a portion of the proceeds from the sale of this image are donated to the National Breast Cancer Foundation and the American Diabetes Association? Love that.

I used a very pink pattern by Bo Bunny and paired it with some pink glitter cardstock. Then I paper pieced her outfit and surrounded her with Inky Dinky Drops and clear jewels.

We'd love for you to show your support and play along with us.

Hop on over to the Inky Challenge Blog for some dt inspiration all of the juicy details!

And if you're feeling really inspired, here are more cancer awareness challenges going on this week.

Happy Stampin'!

Christmas Stampin All Year Long

2011-09-30T06:59:00.000-07:00

Happy Friday!

I've got a brand new challenge posted over at the CSAYL challenge blog and I'd love for you to play along with us. A free template from Perfect Presentation is up for grabs!!

Hop on over and check out the details and great samples from the design team.

HUGE news from the Pink Kitty!

2011-09-29T00:15:00.000-07:00

Have I ever mentioned that Melissa, over at Pink Cat Studio is a GENIUS?! I absolutely love that girl - such a smart cookie.

I know you've all missed PCS while they were on a mini break for summer, but now they're back and better than ever! The new digital designing program that she came up with was SOOOOOOOO worth the wait!! (Is my enthusiasm coming across??)

It will be releasing next Thursday Oct. 6th.

All of the DT gals designed their very own digi and will be showing them to you along with sample cards on release day. Our designs will also be available in the PCS store so if you really like them you can own them too. Ehem....mine came out pretty cute if I do say so myself. I can't wait to share it with you!

We'd love your help in spreading the word about the new Digi Stamp Designer. There is a blinkie at the top of the PCS blog. If you post the blinkie on your blog then you will be entered into our contest to win a credit to make your own digi stamp for free! From everyone who participates, Melissa will randomly pick 3 winners.

To enter the contest, post a comment on this PCS blog post to let Melissa know you have posted the blinkie on your blog. This contest will close Wed. Oct. 5th at 5pm EST. The winners will be announced on Thurs. Oct. 6th.
Good Luck!

Ribbon Awareness Girl

2011-09-28T08:53:00.000-07:00

My friend just had surgery for colon cancer and I wanted to pop a card in the mail for her. Just a little something to let her know that she was in my thoughts.

This image by Inky Impressions was absolutely perfect. It's called "Lili's Awareness Ribbon" and you can find her right here. A portion of the proceeds go to the American Breast Cancer Association and the American Diabetes Association - very cool.

I used a sketch from Create with Connie and Mary for my layout and embellished with some blue rhinestone brads from Inky Impressions. I paper pieced her overalls with a fun striped pattern for the challenge over at Splitcoast, and drew in some concrete and grass to ground the image.

I colored the ribbon light blue, because that's the "color" for colon cancer awareness. I found a great website that lists all of the different ribbon colors and meanings.

Here's a peek at the inside.

I just used scraps left over from the front of my card and stamped the same image in a pale blue color.

I put together a quick photo tutorial on how I drew in my concrete. Hopefully you'll find it helpful and give it a try.

First, I took a Copic multiliner with a very fine tip and drew in a solid line.

This will be the "top" of the concrete.

These are the three colors I always use for this technique.

Next, I took my darkest color (C7) and drew in a small shadow under her feet.

Then I filled in with my medium color (C5).

Then, I took my lightest color (C3) and filled in the rest using small circular strokes.

I also decided to draw in some grass and flowers.

If you'd like to see my tutorial for that, click here.

Hope that all made sense! If you give it a try, share a link to your project - I'd love to see it!

Thanks for poppin' by today. And don't forget, you can always check out the Inky Impressions blog for daily inspiration.

Keepin' it Clean and Simple

2011-09-23T00:01:00.000-07:00

I've always been a "more is more" kind of crafter, so the 'Clean and Simple' challenge at CSAYL this week was really a challenge. Wanna know the funny part? I'm the one who comes up with the challenges! It's all about stepping out of that comfort zone. Here's what I came up with...

We're being sponsored by Karber Digital Images and this little guy is appropriately named "Rudolph". He's cute cute cute.

I added brown glitter to his antlers and that little belly of his was just begging for some white velvet flock.

I'll be giving away two free digis to one of our participants, so hop on over to the CSAYL challenge blog and leave us your link!

Inky Challenge Time!

2011-09-21T00:00:00.000-07:00

Hey Inky fans!

Today is challenge day over at the Inky Impressions Challenge Blog.

The challenge this week is to make a shaped card.

Here's what I came up with...

Shaped cards are a bit out of my comfort zone, so I decided to go with a circle. The card measures 5 1/2" and the patterned papers are by DCWV.

This little cutie is called "Pirate Christopher" and he was part of the new release at Inky Impressions. You can check out all of the new "Christopher" stamps right here. I wanted to make a ship wheel for the focal point of my card, so I grabbed a few punches and put one together. Then I added a rub-on sentiment and eye patch to finish it all off.

Here's how I made the wheel...

I used the SU word window punch, a circle Nestability, and kraft cardstock.

I punched out 7 word windows and the circle.

Then I inked the edges with Creamy Caramel ink and stamped on a wood grain pattern.

Once I had it put together, I added a 1 3/8" circle to the middle so I could add the sentiment.

Easy-Peasy!

Inspired to play along?

Hop on over to the challenge blog to see all of the dt samples and the details of the challenge.

Thanks for stopping by!

I'd also like to enter this card into the following challenges:

Top Tip Tuesday - For the Kids

Cards for Men - Anything but Square

A Creepy Creation

2011-09-19T16:33:00.000-07:00

One of my absolute favorite people in the whole wide world, just so happens to be a zombie lover. And it just so happens that she celebrated her birthday last week. Here's the card I made for her...

Eeek! Isn't it fun?!

The BEST thing about this hobby is being able to make someone a personalized card that just perfectly suits them! Love love love it.

This is "Zelda the Zombie" by Kraftin Kimmie. I colored her in with Copics and then drew in a sidewalk underneath her. You can check out a tutorial on how I did the concrete right here.

I added some sparkly die cuts, lots of jewels and a sentiment to finish it off.

Here's a peek at the inside...

What fun cards have you made lately??

Christmas Stampin All Year Long

2011-09-16T00:10:00.000-07:00

Today is challenge day over at CSAYL and this week we're teaming up with Bugaboo Digi Stamps for a group post. The challenge this week is to create a holiday card or project inspired by this photo.

*photo credit - Pinterest

I used an adorable image called "Ava Christmas - Sitter" for my card.

Isn't she cute?

The inspiration photo was so pretty, but that big red velvet ribbon really caught my eye. One of my favorite things about the Christmas season is all of the beautiful ribbons and packaging. So that's what inspired my card.

I started by printing her out twice.

I colored one image with Copics and then covered the other image with red velvet flock.

Here she is in soft fluffy flock.

(I ended up just using the hat on my card)

And here's Ava all put together. I popped up her velvet hat with dimensionals and embellished it with a glitter pen.

Every holiday card needs a little sparkle, but I didn't have any red jewels on hand,

so I grabbed a red Copic and made my own.

We've got loads of inspiration today from the CSAYL team and the Bugaboo team. Be sure to check them out and then leave us a link over at CSAYL to your project.

Inky Inspiration

2011-09-15T00:10:00.000-07:00

Today I'd like to introduce you to Nicholas.

He's part of the Inky Impressions family and you can find him right here.

This image was SO much fun to color. Nicholas is such a cutie!

After I colored his chameleon friend, I had to add some clear glaze over him to look shiny and more "lizardy".

And then I added a googly eye - couldn't resist.

Not only does Inky Impressions have great images to play with, they also have incredible embellishments. One of my favorites are the Inky Dinky Drops. The clear ones are great because you can leave them clear OR color them with Copics to match any project.

I used a sketch from CPS for my layout and papers from the "Wander" collection by BasicGrey for the "Spots and Stripes" challenge over at Crafty Sentiments. The sentiment and charm are both from Inky and work great with this Nicholas image. The charm was inspired by the "Things with Wings" challenge over at Papertake Weekly.

Here's a peek at the inside...

I rarely finish the inside of my cards, but now I'm determined to start doing it on every single one. It makes a card look so much more finished. And it's actually really simple to do. When I was done with the front of my card, I had a small pile of paper scraps. I just cut them to size and then used a neutral color to stamp the same image that I had on the front of the card. Easy - peasy!

If you'd like to see a quick tutorial on how I colored the grass, hop on over to the Inky Inspiration Blog and check it out!

Something for the boys

2011-09-12T00:00:00.000-07:00

Even though I have a son, I never seem to have enough boy cards on hand. Ribbon, glitter, jewels and all of that girly stuff is SO much fun to play with, and seems to end up on every card that I do!

Today I was determined to make a BOY card with none of that foo-foo stuff on it.

This image by Paper Makeup Stamps is called "Me and Pops" - love it!

The papers are from the "Wander" collection by BasicGrey and the rub-on sentiment is by Stampin Up.

I added a couple of lime green glitter brads. I know, I know....I couldn't help it. But I think they work. Also added a couple different colors of faux stitching.

I used this sketch by Deconstructing Jen for my layout. You should really check out her blog - great sketches! I rarely have time to play during the current challenges, but I print out LOTS of sketches to save for later. In fact, I have an entire 3-ring binder just for sketches. When I need a little inspiration I reach for my sketch binder to get the mojo-a-flowin'!

Works every time!

Thanks to those of you who popped in today. Have a fantastic week!

I'll be back on Thursday with a fun card and tutorial for Inky Impressions.

PS - For those of you who have asked, Pink Cat Studio has been taking a mini break over the summer. They'll be back in the next month or so with cute new goodies!

Teacher's Pet

2011-09-09T00:10:00.000-07:00

I've got a new challenge posted over at Christmas Stampin All Year Long today! This week we're going to focus on some very special people - TEACHERS.

Teachers hold a very special place in my heart and my family has been blessed by several over the years. Anyone who can be in a room with 30 kids all day and be passionate about what they're doing is a saint in my book!

So, this week I want you to be "Teacher's Pet" - make a holiday card or project for a teacher. Use school supplies, school themed stamps - whatever blows your hair back! Show me what you've got!

Here's what I came up with...

Does anyone else LOVE the MFT "a la amodes" as much as I do? For this card, I used an image and sentiment from the "You Rule" set. To give it a bit of a holiday feel, I stamped a present onto the binder paper image before I popped it up. The fun school themed papers are by Crate Paper.

If you'd like to join us this week and have a chance to be a guest designer for CSAYL, leave your link over on the challenge post.
Thanks for poppin' by today!

Inky Wednesday

2011-09-07T11:31:00.000-07:00

Hey stampers!

Thought I'd pop in today to share some fun news with you. I was recently invited to join the design team over at Inky Impressions! You can check out their shop right here - oh my gosh.....CUTE stuff!! I'll be designing with them for the rest of this year and will have something "Inky" to share with you on my blog each Wednesday. In addition to posting on my blog, I will also be a contributor to the Inky Impressions Inspirational Blog.

My card for today uses a fun image called "Sammy Making Snow Angels".

I used the color challenge over at the Inky Impression Challenge Blog as inspiration.

I was also inspired by the Crazy Amigo sewing challenge and the charming challenge over at the Creative Craft Challenge blog.

Here's a close up of Sammy having fun in his glitter snow patch.

I added a bit of faux stitching around the border and finished it all off with some wide ribbon and a snowflake charm. This gorgeous charm comes in a set of five that you can find right here.

Here's a peek at the inside.

The sentiment reads, "If a snowflake fell everythime I thought of you...We'd really have a white Christmas". Isn't that a great sentiment? I love it!

You can check out all of the great sentiments available from Inky Impressions right here.

Thanks so much for stopping by today!

FIVE FREE DIGIS!

2011-09-02T00:10:00.000-07:00

Have I ever told you about my "thing" for Billy?

He's my favorite character from Pink Cat Studio and just melts my heart for some reason.

PCS is sponsoring our new challenge over at Christmas Stampin' All Year Long this week. Our challenge is to use some kind of funky, cool fold. I'm calling it "Fancy Shmancy" and you can check out all of the team samples as well as links to some great tutorials right here.

I decide use my cute "Billy Rides a Polar Bear" image and make a side-step card. I embellished the right side with some torn white paper, felt snowflakes and trees cut with a Sizzix.

If you'd like to play along with us this week and have a chance to win ANY 5 Pink Cat digis, hop on over to CSAYL and link up your "Fancy Shmancy" creation!

Got Mono?

2011-08-26T01:00:00.000-07:00

This week over at Christmas Stampin' All Year Long, we've got a monochromatic challenge. Are you game? You can check out all of the details on the CSAYL blog.

I decided to use Baha Breeze for my cute little holiday creation.

I used a white 5 1/4" square for my card base and "Ski Bunny Trevor" as my main image.

I kept the embellishments clean and simple, and finished it all off with some piercing around the edges.

I'd love for you to play along with us this week!

Sweet Summertime

2011-08-23T03:43:00.000-07:00

It's a miracle!

I'm here today and I DON'T have a Christmas card to share!

After a long Summer vacation entertaining the kiddos, they are back in school.

I used some of my new found free time to hop on over to the local scrapbook store, and stumbled upon this ADORABLE patterned paper by Little Yellow Bicycle. It's part of the "Sweet Summertime" collection.

Of course I had to pair it up with this Greeting Farm cutie from the Creeper Kit. The TGF Farm Fresh Challenge Blog is running a challenge called "Button it Up", so I paper pieced her hat and added a little green button. And would you believe that I actually had ribbon with lemon slices on it?! Who knew?! I love discovering things in my stash!

That's it for me today.

I'm off to hang out with the 3rd graders :-)

Easy Candy Wrap

2011-08-19T01:00:00.000-07:00

It's challenge day once again over at Christmas Stampin' All Year Long! We're being sponsored by Perfect Presentation this week and I've got a template to give away to a lucky winner!

Our challenge this week is "Non-Traditional".

Red and Green for holiday projects? Been there, done that.

Let's think out of the box this week and use some non-traditional colors on our holiday cards and projects!

No red or green allowed!

Here's what I came up with using a template called "Easy Candy Wrap".

I decided to go with a Perfect Plum / Marina Mist color combo.

I added white ribbon to each end...

and finished it off with fun embellishment and cardstock sentiment.

Once I had the template cut out and scored, this baby took a mere 5 minutes to put together!

Easy-Peasy - love these templates!! I hope you'll join us this week. Hop on over to CSAYL for all of the juicy details!

Sweet Inspiration

2011-08-12T00:15:00.000-07:00

I just posted a new challenge over at Christmas Stampin' All Year Long. This week I have an inspiration photo to get those creative juices-a-flowin'! I stumbled upon this beauty while stalking one of my favorite food blogs - Bakerella.

I was inspired by the theme and colors and came up with this little number...

I love non-traditional holiday colors, and this double-sided patterned paper by My Mind's Eye was perfect. The image is by DeNami Design and the sentiment is by My Favorite Things.

I added this fun embellishment for a little dimension,

and did some faux stitching in white and brown.

I also used a glitter pen on the tables to add a bit of sparkle.

I hope you're inspired to play along with us this week.

Be sure to check out all of the details on the CSAYL blog!

Have a super weekend.

Gimme the Bird

2011-08-05T00:00:00.000-07:00

August already - can you believe it?!

I've got a new challenge posted over at CSAYL today and I'd love for you to play along. Five, count em', FIVE free digis from Pink Cat Studio are up for grabs!

Here's my take on the "Gimme the Bird" challenge.

I used my favorite PCS image called "Birds Make a Christmas Cupcake". A cupcake, cute birds, snowflake sprinkles - how can you go wrong?!

Here's a detail shot...

I added a few pearls and lots of Stickles for some holiday sparkle.

Be sure to hop on over to the CSAYL blog for the challenge details and lots of beautiful samples by the design team. Have a great weekend!

The Whole Sha-Bang!

2011-07-29T02:23:00.000-07:00

How's your summer going?

My kiddos are definitely keeping me busy, but we're having a great time!

Just wanted to pop in today to announce the new challenge over at Christmas Stampin' All Year Long. This week we're being sponsored by

I have quickly fallen in love with Perfect Presentation. The owner, Leigh Ann, is such a wonderful gal and her templates are fantastic, affordable and easy to use. Be sure to hop on over to the shop and check em' all out when you can.

Our challenge this week is a big one.
Only for the serious crafters.

This week I want the Whole Sha-Bang!
I want to see it all!
A package, a matching card AND a gift tag!
Here's the gift set I came up with using a template called "Able Gable".

With three sheets of Kiwi Kiss cardstock and one sheet of patterned paper by My Mind's Eye, I had this whole set done in under an hour!

I used one of my favorite Stampin Up sentiments on the front of the box and embellished with lots of orange jewels.

Instead of adding patterned paper to the top of the box, I just scored at every 1/4" inch.

For the card, I cut my papers with a slight curve, added a sentiment, and finished if off with some faux stitching. By keeping the layout super simple and the stamping to a minimum, this was a 10 minute card that could easily be mass produced.

For the gift tag, I did a similar layout as my card and added a felt snowflake and big eyelet to the top. Don't you just love when things are matchy-matchy?!

Thanks for stopping by today!

If you'd like to play along with the new challenge, be sure to hop on over to the CSAYL blog for all of the details. Have a great weekend!

Hugs,

Happy Birthday Amber Ink!

2011-07-22T00:00:00.000-07:00

Amber Ink just turned 1!

If you haven't checked out their store before, hop on over for a visit. They have a variety of digi stamps, clear stamps and digi papers to chose from.

And the best part?

Amber Ink is sponsoring our new challenge over at CSAYL today!
The new challenge is "All about You" - create a holiday themed card or project using your favorite color.

Here's what I came up with using my favorite color, purple.

This image is from a set called "You're the Perfect Package". I absolutely love this set! It comes with loads of great images to play with.

I had fun putting together the tiny packages and adding the bows. I even added a bow to her head for a little fun.

I'd love for you to check out what the rest of the CSAYL team did this week. Hop on over to the challenge blog for a bit of inspiration and the challenge details.

Feeling Sketchy

2011-07-15T00:00:00.000-07:00

It's time for another challenge over at Christmas Stampin All Year Long!

This week I was feelin' a little sketchy, so I doodled up a little something for us to play with.

Here's my take on it...

I used my favorite image from SU's "Winter Post" set. I have NO idea why, but I just can't seem to get enough of this skating couple for some reason. (?)

I stamped the image with Sahara Sand ink and kept the rest of the colors clean and simple with a combo of Kraft and Very Vanilla. I threw in a bit of gold cording and some pearls to finish it off.

I hope you'll play along with us this week. There's a guest dt spot up for grabs! For more inspiration, check out what the rest of the design team did with the sketch by clicking here.

Have a great weekend :-)

Something for teacher

2011-07-10T22:07:00.000-07:00

MFT posted a new sketch challenge and I snuck in a little "me time" to play along.

This cute teacher image is from the "You Rule " set in the a' la mode collection by My Favorite Things. All of the cute papers are from the "School Spirit" collection by Crate Paper and the chipboard embellishment is by American Crafts.

School starts in 37 days and I aways like to have a little something for "Meet the Teacher Day". Even though I always have all summer to prep, it still sneaks up on me every year!

Heavy Metal Holiday

2011-07-07T23:02:00.000-07:00

Hold on to your Christmas stockings, because CSAYL has a new sponsor today!

Digi and rubber stamps from KennyK are a fun and edgy way to add the perfect dose of attitude and style to all of your creations! Kenny and Elena were generous enough to donate digi images this week to three, count em' THREE, lucky winners!! First place will get their choice of 3, Second place will get their choice of 2 and Third place will get their choice of 1!

This week we're going "Heavy Metal".

I want all you rockin' ladies to bust out that metal hardware and use it on your holiday card or project. Metal frames, tags, brads, eyelets, pins - whatever floats your boat!

Here's what I came up with...

This uber-adorable image is called "Xmas Shopping" and I just love her!

She was so much fun to color with my Copics. I popped up a few parts of the image with dimensionals for some added layers and *pop*.

Check out that little pearl earring - love it!

For the "Heavy Metal" part, I used silver brads to frame the main image and a mini library clip on the sentiment. Be sure to check out KennyK's FAB shop and then hop on over to the CSAYL blog to play along with us!

After I did this card, I did some perusing around the web and found some new challenges that I could enter with my card. Holy-Moly! There are a bunch of really great challenge sites out there! I've never done this before, but what the heck, here goes....
Art Impressions Stamps - use something from your stash (brads and clip)
AUD Sentiments Challenge - use at least 2 words
Craft Us Crazy - Christmas in July
Moving Along with the Times - Christmas in July
ABC Christmas - No designer paper
The House that Stamps Built - Christmas in July
The Little Red Wagon - Christmas in July
The Paper Shelter - Lots of dots
OWH Stars and Stamps - Christmas in July
The Paper Variety - Christmas in July

Wednesday Stamp Club with MFT

2011-07-04T17:38:00.000-07:00

My Favorite Things posted another fabulous sketch challenge and I actually got to play along! It's a miracle. Entertaining 2 kids all summer can really cut into a gals stamping time!

Here's my take on it, using their "Miss You A Latte" set.

I cut a strip of flowers with a decorative border punch and separated them with scissors. Then I adhered three of them behind the main image.

I stamped the sentiment with white ink and embellished the top strip with some green dimensional stickers that are super sparkly. I finished off the card with some faux stitching along all four sides.

That's it for me today.

The munchkins and I are off to the Farmer's Market!

Christmas Stampin' All Year Long

2011-07-01T00:00:00.000-07:00

Another Friday and another challenge over at CSAYL!

This week our challenge is called "She's Krafty". The requirement is to use kraft cardstock as the main cardstock color on your holiday card or project.

Our sponsor this week is Pink Cat Studio and I used one of their free sentiments for my card.

I picked up these cute cupcake embellishments and I've been dying to use them. When I saw this PCS sentiment, I knew they would work perfect together.

We've got two guest designers joining us today and lots of inspiration from the CSAYL team. Hop on over to the challenge blog to check it out and play along!

Fit For a Knit Wit

2011-06-24T00:01:00.000-07:00

It's challenge day over at Christmas Stampin All Year Long and this week I have an inspiration photo.

Well??

Are you inspired yet?

I saw this photo on the JoAnns website and couldn't resist.

Here's what I came up with using the inspiration photo quite literally...

Now I know this doesn't look like your traditional holiday card, but it's going to be perfect for a certain yarn lover that I know.

When in doubt?

Jewels, jewels, jewels.

Here's a peek at the inside...

Ta-Da!

I added a gift card holder to the inside.

Now all I need to do is grab a gift card to her favorite knitting supply store and stash it away for 27 more weeks!

Hop on over to CSAYL and join in on the fun!

Pink Cat Digital Release Day!

2011-06-23T00:00:00.000-07:00

Any cat lovers out there?

Holy-Moly....check out the new release from Pink Cat Studio!

Ahhh....so many cute kitties and so little time!

I was hoping to have more than one sample for you today, but a kidney infection pretty much made me useless all week. Oh....and did I mention that I've had three kidney stones in the last five days?!

That's gotta be some kind of record, no? Geez, how much can a girl take?! Okay, I'm all done complaining now :-)

Check out this cutie!!

This is "Retro Kitty" and she's fabulous!

I popped up her glasses and clothes with dimensionals and added all kinds of sparkly goodness. The sentiment is from the Lily & Billy Accessory set and could be used for a variety of occasions.

Oh, and did I mention that you can get this cutie for FREE today with any purchase from PCS?

Hop on over to the digi shop and check it out!

She's out of your league

2011-06-22T11:35:00.000-07:00

Well, the kids are definitely keeping me busy this summer, but I had to sneak in some much needed "me time"! I just got this beauty from The Greeting Farm and have been dying to ink her up. To get a little inspiration, I decided to play along with a couple of challenges on this one.

Farm Fresh Challenge Blog - "Get Sentimental"

The Deconstructed Sketch - current sketch #6 (love it!)

The black card base is a 5.25" square and the patterned paper is by Creative Imaginations.

After I adhered the patterned paper, I wrapped some gold cord around the card front.

Then I added these fun green glitter leaves by Jolee's. They're super SPAR-KA-LAY and remind me of seaweed. To finish it off, I added a sentiment from the TGF Creeper Set.

Since the Farm Fresh Challenge involved a sentiment, I tried to be clever. I was thinking, leagues of water, out of your league......get it?

A little mermaid humor....

Thanks bunches for stopping by today!

I'll be back tomorrow with a HUGE digi release from Pink Cat Studio!

Black, White and ??

2011-06-17T00:00:00.000-07:00

I'm in love with

and they're our sponsor this week over at CSAYL! Perfect Presentation has a line of amazing templates available in a variety of formats, that are so fun and easy to use. You can check them all out right here.

For my project this week, I used a template called "Able Gable".

The challenge for this week over at CSAYL is "Black, White and ??" - create a holiday project using black, white and ONLY one other color of your choice. I decided to use Bermuda Bay as my color. I just love how it looks with the black and white.

After I cut out my template, I stamped it with a flourish pattern in black ink. Then I used an oval punch to add some color to the handles and white ribbon to finish it off.

I hope you'll play along with us this week. You can check out all of the details at the challenge site.

For a POPular teacher

2011-06-14T19:24:00.000-07:00

Even though the school year is over for us, I wanted to share one last project I did for Teacher Appreciation Week. My daughters teacher is a bit of a popcorn nut. Everyday when the kids came in from recess or lunch, the room smelled like hot buttery goodness. During the school year, I came in a couple of times and made fresh homemade popcorn for the class and her teacher absolutely loved it. So when TA Week finally rolled around, our family knew exactly what to get for her. We picked up her very own popcorn popper and all the yummy fixins to go along with it. My daughter said it wouldn't be complete without a popcorn card to go along with it...

My daughter drew out how she wanted it to look and I winged it from there.

I started with a 5.5" x 4.25" card with a vertical fold and removed about an inch and a half from the top, as shown.

Then I used a decorative border punch along both top edges.

As you can see above, I couldn't quite get all the way to the left edge with my border punch.

Then I added some 3/4" white stripes.

I was planning on just punching out different size circles for the popcorn, but then remembered that I had these cloud dies from PaperTrey Ink. I thought they could pass as popcorn.

I inked around the edges with So Saffron ink and then layered them onto my card.

Then my daughter decorated the front with a couple of ticket stubs and alphabet Thickers. She wrote "Just thought I would pop in to say hi!".

I hope you're all enjoying your week. Be sure to join us over at CSAYL for our fun new challenge!

Babes In Toyland

2011-06-10T00:01:00.000-07:00

Are you all enjoying Summer vacation so far? The kiddos and I have been keeping very busy and have a whole list of fun things to do before school starts in August.

Today I've got a brand new challenge posted over at the CSAYL blog. Be sure to hop on over to check out all of the samples from the design team. The challenge this week is "Babes In Toyland" - make a holiday card for a munchkin who's on your "nice list".

Here's what I came up with...

This is Jack from The Greeting Farm - love him!

The sentiment is from the "Got Treats" set by SU.

I added some silver eyelets for fun....and because I have about 300 of them.

That's it for me today.

I'll be back next week with another fun project I made for teacher appreciation week.

Have a fab weekend!

Christmas Stampin' All Year Long

2011-06-03T00:01:00.000-07:00

It's the first Friday of Summer vacation and I'm soooo looking forward to sleeping in! It's also challenge day over at CSAYL and our fabulous sponsor this week is none other than PINK CAT STUDIO. There are 5 free digis up for grabs, so be sure to play along!

Our challenge this week is called "A Little Something From Me to You".

Create a gift card holder.

You can make up your own design or use a favorite tutorial.

Here's what I came up with using an image called "Lily and Tweet in Presents".

The finished project measures 5" x 5" and only took minutes to make.

Start with a 10" square of cardstock and score at 2 1/2" and 7 1/2". Then rotate ninety degrees and score again at the same measurements.

Cut off the four corners and pre-fold on your score lines.

Without using any adhesive,

fold down the top section as shown.

Then repeat with the right side.

And the bottom.

And finally the left side.

To hold your packet closed, fold the top part of the left panel underneath the first fold that you made.

Clear as mud?

Then decorate each section with a 2" square of patterned paper.

When you open all of the folds, the inside will measure just under a 5" square. This leaves loads of room to decorate your little heart out and insert a gift card. Thanks for stopping by (sometimes I wonder if anyone ever does). Be sure to hop on over to the CSAYL blog to see some awesome samples from the dt and our guest designer!

Pink Cat Digital Release Day

2011-06-02T00:01:00.000-07:00

The circus is coming to town and it's gonna be a HOOT!

Ack! Aren't these the best images ever?!

As a collector of all things owl-ish, I was instantly in love with these little guys. And they've almost gotten me over my life long fear of clowns.

I've been wanting to try a side-step card for some time now, and this was the perfect opportunity.

I used this tutorial along with my scor-pal and it couldn't have been easier!

Don't you just love quick tutorials that make you look like a card making genius?

The orange and circus patterned panels are from a boy themed slab by DCWV. Those little owls peeking out from the bottom of the pants just crack me up - too cute!

To keep the star theme going, I punched out three of them for the front panel and added some jewels.

Check out the PCS digi store to get your hands on these cuties! Did you know that you can now purchase PCS digis that are already colored in? Too cool, huh?

Oh, and don't forget, with ANY purchase today, you'll get a super cute FREEBIE that coordinates with todays release!

To Die For

2011-05-27T00:01:00.000-07:00

Ahhhhh....my last Friday alone until the new school year starts!

Today is also challenge day over at CSAYL and this week the challenge is "To Die For". Use a die cut as your main image. It can be from a Sizzix, a piece of chipboard, pre-printed ones....whatever makes you happy! I recently picked up a scrapbook page kit that came with the most adorable holiday die cuts by My Minds Eye.

I love me some die cuts, especially cute matchy-matchy ones like these. Add some jewels, a couple of glitter swirly things and 10 minutes later you've got a card. The only thing I hate about pre-printed die cuts are those little paper nubby things that stay attached after you've punched it out.

You know what I mean...

Seriously....they make me crazy, and I can never quite get them off with scissors.

When I put this card together yesterday, I decided to try a little something, and what do you know? It worked like a charm!

I have a sanding block that looks like a jumbo nail file. It was one of those free gift thingys that got put in a drawer and never used. I unwrapped it, and gently went around the edges a couple of times.

Bye-bye paper nubbys!

Ok kids, that's it for me today. I can't let my last Friday of freedom go to waste! Hop on over to the CSAYL challenge blog and give our "to die for" challenge a go!

Cool Cats from the Pink Cat!

2011-05-26T00:00:00.000-07:00

After a mini-break, Pink Cat Studio is back today with a brand new digi release that is absolutely purrr-fect!

Check out this sophisticated little puss...

This image is purrr-fect for Father's Day!

Adorable, no?

Speaking of adorable...

It doesn't get much more adorable than a pile of kittens.

This image is FREE today with any purchase from the digi store!

Check out this cool cat...

You can hop on over to the PCS blog to see more samples with the new images. And when you're ready, pop on over to the digi store for some instant gratification and a FREEBIE!

Teacher Appreciation Gift

2011-05-25T00:01:00.000-07:00

Today I wanted to share another project I made for school last week. Each year I decorate something like a backpack and this year was no different.

I came across this photo album at JoAnn's for 99 cents and knew exactly what I wanted to do.

After a few quick measurements, I added cardstock to the front and back covers.

Then I added some pockets with dimensionals, a couple of snaps and drew on some white stitching.

I finished it off with some celery ribbon straps. This was SO simple to do, but looks like it took a lot longer - 20 minutes tops!

Now for the inside....

There are 30 students in my sons class, so coming up with a gift that they can all be a part of can be tricky at times.

This year, I printed out 30 pages with a sentence started on each one. They measured 4" x 6", so I was able to get 2 out of each sheet of cardstock. Then I had each student finish the sentence and sign their name.

I used scraps of school themed patterned paper, stickers and chipboard to embellish each page. In the last sleeve of the album, I added a photo of the class. The kids really enjoyed giving this to their teacher and had fun reading what everyone else wrote. And the teacher LOVED it!

Can't beat a 99 cent investment!

Here are some other samples of adorable backpack projects that I found online:
Backpack gift boxes by Stampin Mommy of 4
Book bag made out of Uno cards by Room Mom 101
and this mini backpack album by Deena that inspired my project.

Thanks for poppin' by today!

I'll be back tomorrow with a new release from Pink Cat Studio.

Christmas Stampin' All Year Long

2011-05-20T00:00:00.000-07:00

Poppin' in today to let you know about the new challenge I posted over at CSAYL. This week the challenge is to be "Very Vintage". When I think vintage, I think cream cardstock, inked edges, sentiments that look hand-written and muted images.

Here's what I came up with...

The image is from an MFT set called "Candy Cane Kisses". I decided to not color it in, which was hard for a Copic junkie like myself, but I love how it turned out.

I hope you'll play along with us this week.
The winner will get to join the CSAYL team as a guest designer in June!

Pink Cat Rubber Release Day

2011-05-19T00:00:00.000-07:00

Don't you love the smell of fresh rubbah?

Here are some uber-cute mini rubber sets that were digis in their former life.

Here are some of the projects that I made when these cuties were first released in digi format.

Thanks bunches for poppin' over today.
Click here, for a worldwide list of PCS retailers!
I'll see you tomorrow with a brand new challenge from CSAYL.

Dinner Day

2011-05-18T00:01:00.000-07:00

Teacher Appreciation week is in full swing and yesterday was "Lunch or Dinner Day". Each class could either bring lunch to school or provide dinner for the teachers. I decided to go the gift card route, so she could have a dinner date with her hubby. This is how the gift card came...

It's no fun for a crafty girl to hand someone an envelope with a gift card in it, so I decided to make a quick and easy 4" box.

Here's how...

Cut cardstock to 6" x 11".

Score on the long side at 1", 5", 6" and 10".

Flip and score on the 6" side at 1" and 5".

Cut tabs as shown above, place adhesive on tabs and assemble.
Easy-Peasy!

I decided to decorate the front of the box exactly like the restaurant logo. Then I cut some letters with my Cricut and spelled out her name.

Here's a pick of the two together.

The box is on the top left and the gift card is on the bottom right.

Thanks for stopping by!

I'll be back tomorrow with a new rubber release from Pink Cat Studio!

Fit for a Coke addict

2011-05-16T00:00:00.000-07:00

Today is the first day of Teacher Appreciation week at our school. Today is "Starbucks Day", which would make me giddy, but my sons teacher is NOT a fan. She's a Diet Coke gal herself. I've never seen someone drink so much diet soda. Seriously.....she's a fiend!

While all of the other teachers are getting personalized drinks in cute green and white cups, I didn't have the heart to just hand her one of these...

I had to zoosh it up a bit!

I used a great image by My Favorite Things and a cute sentiment by Stampin Up.

This teacher image is from the a'la mode set called "You Rule".

I cut out the sentiment with a Nestability and added a couple of cute patterns from the "School Spirit" collection by Crate Paper.

Then I finished off the top with alphabet ribbon. I really hope this makes her day. As for my day....I'm off to teach 30 fourth graders how to weave.

Have you made anything for Teacher Appreciation Week?

I'd LOVE to see it!

Leave a link so we can all check it out!

Christmas Stampin' All Year Long

2011-05-13T10:18:00.000-07:00

It's challenge day over at CSAYL and we have a brand new sponsor this week!

Sew Many Cards and Digital Stamps provided our cute images this week. Hop on over to their shop and check it out when you have a chance.

Our challenge this week is....
You've got me in stitches!

Use stitching on your holiday card. Faux or real, whatever floats your boat.

Here's what I came up with...

This image is called "Halen in Mitten" and only costs $1!

Pretty cute.

The great thing about SMC images is that most of them already have faux stitching on them! I paper pieced the mitten with two different patterns by My Minds Eye and then stitched on two buttons.

I hope you'll play along with us this week. Sew Many Cards has generously donated a choice of 5 digis to our winner!
Happy Stampin!

Paper Sundaes Guest Designer!

2011-05-08T15:43:00.000-07:00

Today I'm lucky enough to play with the talented gals over at the Paper Sundaes Challenge Blog! Thanks girls for having me!

They have a FANTASTIC challenge starting today called "Magical and Mythical Creations". Great challenge, no? Oh, and one more little tidbit for ya - Pink Cat Studio is their sponsor this week! Five, count em', five digis are up for grabs to one lucky participant!

Here's my "Magical" little creation...

This image is SO cute and just perfect for the Paper Sundaes challenge, if I say so myself. The image is called "bunny fairy" and can be found right here. What could be more magical than a bunny fairy?! Oh, and did you know that all of the PCS sentiments are FREE downloads?

Be sure to hop on over to the Paper Sundaes challenge blog to see what the uber-talented design team made and to leave a link to your magical creation!

Christmas Stampin All Year Long

2011-05-06T11:23:00.000-07:00

So, who's ready for the next challenge over at CSAYL?

We've got a great sponsor this week and 5 FREE DIGIS from Pink Cat Studio are up for grabs!

This week I want you to make us laugh!

Make a Christmas card and use the funniest sentiment that you've got! Cute, silly, offensive - whatever floats your boat! Stamp it out and make us giggle!

Here's what I came up with using an image from the Lily and Billy Winter set.

I picked up the funny sentiment at a stamp expo several years ago.

That's it for me today - I'm exhausted and looking forward to the weekend!
Stop by the CSAYL blog and play along with us.

Winter Fairy

2011-05-03T00:00:00.000-07:00

I needed a special card for a very special person in my life and here's what came up with.

This sexy little fairy is a digital image from The Greeting Farm called "Winter Fairy". Instead of Winter colors, I decided to go with bright Spring colors. I used several patterns from BasicGrey and lots of glittery flowers from K & Company.

After this little hottie was all colored in, I used a glitter pen and outlined her wings. Is there anything better than a glitter pen??

And as usual, I finished it off with a rub-on sentiment.

Hope you're having a great week!

I'll be back on Friday with a new challenge from CSAYL. Don't forget that there's still time to play along with our current challenge!

Cheeky Chat

2011-05-02T00:00:00.000-07:00

Have you checked out the challenges over at the new Farm Fresh Challenge Blog? Great stuff people - check it out! I just got this little beauty in the mail and had to ink her up right away!

She's called "Cheeky Chat" and is seriously cute, no?

This week one of the challenges over at Farm Fresh was to "case" this card. I haven't played along with this type of challenge before, but had fun with it. I peeked at some of the other entries and it's amazing to see how many different interpretations there are of the sample card.

I used some bright fun patterns from the "Sweet" collection by DCWV and finished it off with a rub-on sentiment.

Thanks for poppin' by today. Have a happy Monday!

Christmas Stampin' All Year Long

2011-04-29T00:00:00.000-07:00

Just poppin' in quick today to let you know about the new challenge over at CSAYL. You have no excuse to not play this week, because the challenge is as easy as they come.

Use your favorite holiday image!

My favorite images change like the weather. Different everyday. Today this is my favorite, because I just got it in the mail. Don't you just love to ink up some rubbah for the first time?!

This is "Candy Cane Kisses" from the al a mode collection at My Favorite Things.

The gift box patterned paper is by Doodlebug and the pink pattern is by Bo Bunny. And those sparkly, swirly things? They jumped in my cart yesterday when I was at Target - couldn't resist.

Stop by the challenge blog and play along with us. Have a happy Friday!

Pink Cat Digital Release Day!

2011-04-28T00:01:00.000-07:00

Spring has sprung at the Pink Kitty!

I just adore this image of Itty Bitty Betty in the flower patch.

I colored some of the flowers turquoise, covered some with glitter and left the rest white.

Then I embellished with purple jewels and a couple of mini paper bees that I picked up on my Japan trip last summer.

I thought this image of Billy would be perfect for a get well card.

I used a sketch drawn by the uber-talented Rachel for the clean and simple layout.

No PCS release would be complete without Miss Lily.

I decorated this pink gift bag for a lucky Spring birthday girl.

And here she is again, in black and white.

Once again, I colored some of the flowers, added glitter and left some white. I used a fun sketch for the layout and finished it off with some flowers that I colored with Copics.

I hope you enjoyed peeking at my samples today. I sure had fun making them! If you're ready to make some Spring cuteness of your own, head on over to the PCS digi store - oh and don't forget about the FREEBIE good for today only!

She totally rocks

2011-04-25T13:35:00.000-07:00

My son asked me to make a rock star card, for him to give to his sister for her birthday. Rockstar Anya from The Greeting Farm was the perfect choice.

Her party colors were purple and turquoise, and so was her homemade electric guitar cake. Of course, I had to use the same colors for her card.

Matchy-matchy = happy MacKenzie.

The base of this card is a 5 1/2" square and the layout is Jen's April SFYTT. We decorated mini water bottles for her party with Rockstar Anya images that my daughter colored. And we used the same image for her thank you cards. The birthday girl was thrilled because she got to keep this one!

Hope you're all having a fantastic Monday!

Christmas Stampin' All Year Long

2011-04-22T00:01:00.000-07:00

Hello to all of my fabulous readers! Where the heck have I been? Well...between not feeling so hot, having the kiddos out of school this week, hosting my daughters birthday party, and being knee deep in the middle of a kitchen remodel....need I say more?!

I'm SO happy that Friday is finally here and I have a new challenge posted over on the CSAYL blog. I'd love for you to play along this week!

Our sponsor this week is...

A Perfect Presentation offers fantastic templates in a variety of formats, that are easy to use and make a perfect presentation every time! The design team and I have fallen in love with these products and I know you will too. Leigh Ann, the owner, has generously offered a template of choice to our winner this week!

And the best part?

Leigh Ann has two FREE pdf templates for you to download and play with for our challenge! Hop on over to the challenge blog for the links.

Let's get to it, shall we?
Our challenge this week is a warm and fuzzy one. Who doesn't like warm and fuzzy?!

Use felt on your holiday card or package this week.

Here's what I came up with using a great template from PP called "It's A Keeper".

Has anyone else seen these JUMBO marshmallows?! I saw them at the store and couldn't resist. Seriously, I can only fit ONE in the palm of my hand - genius! The kids and I like to dip marshmallows in chocolate and add sprinkles for a super easy and tasty treat.

I added an insert to the box to hold my tasty little treat.

Then I finished it off with a cute sentiment and some red pearls.

Where is the felt, you ask?

I decorated the back of the box with a self-adhesive felt border. If you're up for the challenge and want to play along, leave a link over at the CSAYL blog for your chance to win a template of your choice!

Christmas Stampin' All Year Long!

2011-04-15T00:00:00.000-07:00

The new challenge today over at CSAYL is to put down those Copics and watercolor your image instead. I think some of my design team members may have shed a tear or two. Putting down those markers seemed to be a true challenge for many of us! But hey, that's why we call it a challenge, right?

Our generous sponsor this week is InStyle Stamps and they have offered 4 digis to the winner!

My preferred method of water coloring is to use my Stampin Up ink pads and an aqua-painter.

I squeeze the ink pads while the lid is closed and then slide em' open. Then I just dip the tip of the aqua-painter into the ink on the lid.

I used an image called "Mr. Ludwig".

Here's a close up of my frosty little friend.

I'd love for you to play along with us! Only 36 more weeks until Christmas - yes, I counted. Just think, 1 card a week for 36 weeks and you'll be all set! Have a fantastic weekend and be sure to leave a link to your project over at the CSAYL blog.

Pink Cat Digital Release Day

2011-04-14T00:01:00.000-07:00

Well, it doesn't get much cuter than fairies...

Up until today, these cuties were only available in rubber. But now all you digi lovers can order them and have instant gratification! PLUS....you'll get a Fairy Lily image for FREE with any purchase today only!

My baby girl turns 8 years old today. I guess she's not a baby anymore, but all you mommy's out there get it. One of her favorite memories was being in the "Frog Class" for her first year of school. I became dear friends with her teacher, so froggies have a special place in our heart.

Here's the birthday card I made for my favorite birthday girl.

Here's a close up of the cute froggie fairy.

I colored his wings pale blue and then covered them with some Doodlebug Sugar Coating.

I even finished the inside too!

Two cards in a row - look out, I'm on a roll people!

Be sure to hop on over to the PCS blog and check out all of the cute samples that Melissa has to share with you. Then click on over to the PCS digi store to purchase your images and claim your FREEBIE!

InStyle Color Challenge

2011-04-13T07:13:00.000-07:00

I've been busy working on my daughter's birthday party, so I've been MIA this week. I just wanted to pop in today to post the new color challenge over at InStyle Stamps.

This month they're going to spice it up and not only give the winner a digi or 2 but also a goodie bag filled with Basic Grey papers, Copics and some Glitter pens!!!

The deadline to enter is May 10th by 11:59 pm PST. All you have to do is use the color palette above and create away. If you have an InStyle image, why not flaunt it? :)

I'll be back tomorrow with a 'magical' new release!

Organic is the New Sexy

2011-04-11T00:01:00.000-07:00

I finally had a chance to play with Jen's latest SFYTT. I think this is my first one of the year! Can you believe that we're already half way through April?

I busted out my "WTG Goes Green" set by My Favorite Things and came up with this...

The patterns are from BasicGrey's "Green At Heart" collection.

I paper pieced the shopping bags with the same pattern that I used on the background and then paper pieced her pants with some textured cardstock. Then I popped up the front bag with dimensionals and drew in a path for her to walk on.

And in an effort to be a little more thorough with my cards, I finished the inside as well. It really completes the card and doesn't take any time at all. I just used a border punch and the scraps that were left over from the front of the card. Easy-peasy!

Good luck with the sketch if you give it a try. I'll definitely be using it again. Be sure to check out my new challenge over at CSAYL. The winner gets to be a guest designer next month!

Midnight "Scramper"

CSAYL Update

Wow - it's been awhile

Nurse Nora

One card, three looks

Peppermint Twist

Pink Cat Digital Release Day!

So you don't have to share

Never Seen Ink

How to make a quilted background

What's YOUR Favorite Sketch?

Pink Cat Digital Release Day, a huge sale AND a freebie!! Oh my!

Inky Challenge

Inky Impressions Snow Much Fun Blog Hop - Day 2

Inky Impressions Snow Much Fun Blog Hop - Day 1

Jingle All the Way

SPAR-KA-LAY!!

Yahoo! Pink Cat Digi Release Day!

It's Pumpkin Time

Tomorrow is a new day

Seeing Spots

Inky Inspiration

Christmas Stampin' All Year Long

Have you always wanted to be a digi designer?!

Ready to get Inky....and pinky?

Christmas Stampin All Year Long

HUGE news from the Pink Kitty!

Ribbon Awareness Girl

Keepin' it Clean and Simple

Inky Challenge Time!

A Creepy Creation

Christmas Stampin All Year Long

Inky Inspiration

Something for the boys

Teacher's Pet

Inky Wednesday

FIVE FREE DIGIS!

Got Mono?

Sweet Summertime

Easy Candy Wrap

Sweet Inspiration

Gimme the Bird

The Whole Sha-Bang!

Happy Birthday Amber Ink!

Feeling Sketchy

Something for teacher

Heavy Metal Holiday

Wednesday Stamp Club with MFT

Christmas Stampin' All Year Long

Fit For a Knit Wit

Pink Cat Digital Release Day!

She's out of your league

Black, White and ??

For a *POP*ular teacher

Babes In Toyland

Christmas Stampin' All Year Long

Pink Cat Digital Release Day

To Die For

Cool Cats from the Pink Cat!

Teacher Appreciation Gift

Christmas Stampin' All Year Long

Pink Cat Rubber Release Day

Dinner Day

Fit for a Coke addict

Christmas Stampin' All Year Long

Paper Sundaes Guest Designer!

Christmas Stampin All Year Long

Winter Fairy

Cheeky Chat

Christmas Stampin' All Year Long

Pink Cat Digital Release Day!

She totally rocks

Christmas Stampin' All Year Long

Christmas Stampin' All Year Long!

Pink Cat Digital Release Day

InStyle Color Challenge

Organic is the New Sexy

For a POPular teacher