One and Done! A fun new feature from Hambo!

Starting tomorrow, Thursdays will be the Hambo "One and Done" day. This will be a silent auction event! Each Thursday, Tim will offer a one-of-a-kind digital drawing. The drawing will be posted in the morning, and as soon as it's posted, the bidding will begin. Bidding starts at 1¢. To bid, you simply enter your bid total in the comments section of that particular blog post. There are no set increments, though each bid must be higher than the one before it. The thing to keep in mind is that this image will only be sold to the winner -- it will not be listed for sale elsewhere (hence the "one and done") -- so if you win it, you can be sure that you'll be the only one using this image in your projects. Copyright for the image follows the same policy as the rest of our digital designs.

Bidding will continue until 10:00 pm (EST). The comments are time-stamped, so when we look back (the next morning), the last comment left at exactly 10:00 pm or before will be the winner, and will pay the price that was bid, via Paypal or money order. If you're unfamiliar with digital images and would like to try them out before you place a bid, you can find links HERE to a couple of free image downloads to experiment with. Please do not bid unless you intend to follow through with payment should you win.

Tune in tomorrow to see the first "One and Done" image up for auction.

Ready to squeal?

That's right kids! It's Hambo challenge time!
Click on the logo below and check out the new Hambo challenge blog. And while you're there, print out the new sketch and play along with us!

What's that? You don't have any Hambo stamps yet?
Here are two free digital downloads to get you started!
Cool Cat and Shell Phone Pig


Here's what I came up with for the sketch challenge this month...
I used one of my favorite Hambo pairings for this:
Lobster #0907 and the matching sentiment #1531.

We had some great entries for our challenge last month but these two really caught my eye:
Vicki and Libby.

Now it's your turn. Click here to go check out the new sketch and find who the winner is from last month.
You can't win if you don't play!

A pampered chef is a happy chef

Do you have a favorite go-to item in your kitchen? For me, it's my Pampered Chef large batter bowl. I've had it for eight years and love love love it. I use it to mix everything, marinade stuff and I've even baked cakes in it.

While I was re-organizing my kitchen cupboards recently, I dropped it and watched it shatter into hundreds of pieces on my kitchen floor. ACK!! After hearing my tragic story, my neighbor and good friend surprised me with a brand new batter bowl! She's had an extra one in her cupboard forever and totally made my day.

Of course I had to run upstairs and whip up a thank you card right away!
Any excuse to get inky right?For this one, I used Bermuda Bay cardstock (YUM!) and patterns from the "Thoroughly Modern" collection. The main image is "Kiss the Cook" Hanna and the sentiment is from SU's "Full of Life".
To pull the card together, I paper pieced Hanna's apron, placed some blue jewels onto the bottom of the main image and added some white organdy ribbon behind the sentiment.

Thanks for stopping by!

Christmas Stampin' All Year Long

Today is Monday and that means challenge day over at the CSAYL blog!
Todays challenge is to:
CREATE A SCENE

Here's what I came up with... The sentiment is from an old SU set called "Polar Pals" and the images on the main panel are from "Cold and Cuddly" in the new winter mini catalog. I just fell in love with this little penguin and decided that I *needed* him for my collection.

I used black for the base and paired it with some Riding Hood Red patterned paper and Baha Breeze. I finished it off with some stickles on the iceberg and brads along the bottom.
I hope you join in and play along with us! I love seeing what you all come up with each week. If you've never played along with us, it's not too late. Our last challenge will be on November 16th, so there's still time to get started.

To check out what the rest of the design team came up with this week and link your creation, click here.

My Timeless Templates

My cabana boy has the day off because I'm home!

Hey kids!
It's Saturday already and that means a new challenge from Lauren and the "My Time to Create" team. This challenge is a GREAT one! Use a My Timeless Template, designed by Lauren herself, and create a package for candy!Here's what I came up with using "From the Desk of"... To make the pops stand up on their own, I used a scrap of thick black cardstock and created an insert. I cut the cardstock to 6 x 5 1/2 inches and scored on the long side at 2" and 4".
Then I folded on the score lines and used my Crop-A-Dile to punch 5 holes for the sticks.


Then I added the pops and filled the bottom with candy corn.
These pops are super easy to make.
Apparently they're delicious too, because they've all disappeared from my workshop!

All you need are lollipop sticks, orange candy melts, large marshmallows and sprinkles. Melt the orange candy melts in the microwave according to the package directions. Push the marshmallows down onto the lollipop sticks and then dip into the candy melts. Before they harden, cover with sprinkles and then place in the refrigerator for about 10 minutes to set.

I hope you're inspired to play along with us! Be sure to check out what the rest of the design team did and upload your creation by going to Lauren's blog.

Thanks for stopping by! I'll be back on Monday and with a new challenge from the CSAYL blog to share with you.
Until then...

This one is for Nana...

My cabana boy scheduled this post for me so I wouldn't get sand in my keyboard.

My Grandma just celebrated her birthday and I wanted to share the card I popped in the mail to her before I left for Hawaii. Nana just loves to get mail, so I wanted to send her something bright and cheerful to make her day. I thought this little cupcake mouse by Whipper Snapper would definitely do the trick.

The patterns are both by Scenic Route, which I paired up with some SU Pink Pirouette.
Hope you're all having a fantastic day!
Hugs,

Hambo Hump Day

My cabana boy scheduled this post for me so I wouldn't have to get off my surfboard.

Hey everyone!
I'm still in Hawaii, and hopefully all of my posts are magically appearing every day like they're supposed to. Thanks so much for stopping by!

Today I wanted to share a quick card I made using a winter image and sentiment by Hambo.
For this one, I used Real Read for the base and a pattern by October Afternoon.
I did a challenge a few weeks ago for the CSAYL blog and just loved the layout and colors, so I used my own card as inspiration for todays card.

How many Christmas cards do you have finished so far?

HOLY CUTENESS!!!

BIG NEWS PEOPLE!!
Pink Cat Studio is opening a brand new digital stamp store! I know! Can you stand it?! A few weeks ago, Melissa contacted me and asked if I'd like to help out with the digital release - silly question right?! The new digi stamps are uber-cute and available exclusively as digital images. For the Grand Opening, Melissa has designed a fun array of Halloween and Christmas themed images. Grab a chair and your favorite drink because I'll be sharing ALL of my samples with you today.

Without further adieu, let me introduce you to some of my new digital friends...

This is Itty Bitty Bobby in his robot costume!
ACK! So cute right?!
As a mother of an 8 year old boy who is obsessed with Opitmus Prime, I totally squealed when I saw$ this image! And the look on my sons face - priceless!
This is Itty Bitty Betty.... OMG - how adorable is she?!
For this image, I decided to make a candy pouch that folds shut.
My daughter can't wait to hand these out to her friends.

I paper pieced Itty Bitty Betty's dress, hat and her little frog friend with some patterned paper by October Afternoon.

The pouch is held shut with a small piece of Velcro under the main image.

Here's what it looks like opened.

And below is a side view.

Okay, on to the next cutie!
Here's Itty Bitty Betty with Yummy Frogs...

ACK! Adorable!
I had lots of fun coloring this one and adding glitter to Betty's hat and cauldron.

Can you possibly stand any more cuteness??
Meet Betty and Bobby on their candy cane slides...

Love them!
I shrunk them down and created a set of Christmas gift tags.

Now I'd like to introduce you to Frank and the Fairy...

This image cracks me up!

How about a little Froggy Fun?I spent alot of time coloring this one, so I kept the rest of the card simple so the image would take center stage. Aren't all of those froggies just too cute?!

Here's Itty Bitty Betty the Ladybug...

I had fun coloring this one too and added LOTS of glitter to the ladybug wings and flower. The sentiment is from the Lily & Billy Accessory set and fit perfectly along the curve of the flower stem.

Next, I'd like you to meet the Scary Siblings...

So cute!
I used rub ons to add the faux stitching and the sentiment.

And finally, I'd like to introduce you to Itty Bitty Bobby in his wizard costume...

The cool thing about digital images is that you can change them up a bit. How could I NOT turn Bobby the wizard into Harry Potter?! I was easily able to add glasses onto him before I printed him out. Then I just used a red pen to add the scar on his forehead.

Now that I've shared all my samples with you, be sure to check out the new digital store by CLICKING HERE. There are even more cuties available that I haven't had a chance to play with yet. Melissa really outdid herself with this release. I was blown away by her images and totally flattered that she asked me to play along. Thanks Melissa!