GROSGRAIN MINI STORE OPENING NOVEMBER 6!!!!! AND BIG PREVIEW GIVEAWAY!!!!

GROSGRAIN MINI STORE OPENING NOVEMBER 6!!!!! AND BIG PREVIEW GIVEAWAY!!!!

My google reader led me to this blog this morning and now after seeing it, I know I'm in BIG trouble with a little girl who loves skirts and dresses. This new store she is opening could mean $$$$ spent on my little stinker. Can't wait to see what she offers!

Technostamper's Monday Lunchtime Sketch Challenge

Easy sketch? I thought so! As soon as I saw what Mary Jo had in store for us this week, I went to work. I already had everything in my head on how I wanted to do it. I love when that happens for me!

It did help that I was working with one of the color challenges posted this week at All That Scraps Design Team Challenge (Bravo Burgundy, Sahara Sand and Old Olive).

Make sure to join in on the sketch challenge and post your creation to Mary Jo's original post or to SCS with keyword TSSC41. Would love to see your creation!

Card Details:
Stamp Sets: Ahoy Matey by Kim Hughes for Cornish Heritage Farms, Best Mates by Pink Poison
Cardstock: Papertrey Ink Stamper's Select White Cardstock, SU! Sahara Sand, Old Olive and Bravo Burgundy
Inks: Bravo Burgundy, Old Olive, Sahara Sand, Versafine Onyx Black
Accessories: Circle Nestabilities

STEP AWAY FROM THE VERSAFINE ONYX BLACK STAMP PAD!!!!

I come downstairs tonight to my daughter with BLACK hands, black fingerprints all over my walls, doors, door jams, desk and last but not least my WHITE Honda Accord. Yes, she had went outside and crawled over it, all across the hood, on the roof, off the back.

Not only that but she also ransacked my desk and ruined some cards I was working on last night. I'm praying I have the materials to make some more of the same cards as it was a swap I was doing.

I tell you, the supervision in the father department is zilch some days! Not every day, but some days it sure is and the last time she got ahold of something it was black marker that she drew all over our WHITE fridge and WHITE pantry door and boldly boasted how she had drawn squares on the door. Hubby said he didn't have the heart to tell her they were really rectangles.

Some days I think she should be on a leash in the backyard, she's in to anything and everything and still bouncing off the walls at 10:30 p.m. at night.

Oh, did I mention, she's not even 3 yet!!!!! I'm in so much trouble!!!! My mother told me that it's payback from my childhood. I only hope my youngest doesn't follow in all of her footsteps as right now I feel like this is a very tempermental age.

Want to share any stories with me to give me a good laugh, make me feel like I'm not alone? (I know I'm not!)

ETA: I was so irritated with my husband for letting her get in to my stamp stuff in the basement that I didn't even think to break out the camera and went immediately for the Stampin' Mist (thank God almost everything came off).

Mermaid Anya & Bloggers Challenge 70

Yeah! My new Pink Poison stamps arrived yesterday and I got to work on stamping! I had to make a little gift holder for a party Tristan is going to today and also it's Friday (okay, 1 day late) for Blogger's Challenge. This was for a pre-order so they will not be available until Nov. 1rst but you can see some sneaks at Marie's blog.

I came across this template from Andrea Walford and thought it would make a perfect little jewelry holder which is what I needed. This was so easy to make although the cover with acetate was a little more difficult as it was hard for me to see the score lines, but overall, I ended up making 2 quick ones (one I will share later). I also added a little bellyband with some ribbon to it. The box was made using some of my new Granola Basic Grey paper. We also got her a little coin purse which I wanted to put the jewelry in in the box but it was to big

I used a simple layout for the birthday card with Mermaid Anya. I colored her using my refills & Aquapainter as well as my colored pencils. I accented her hair with some silver stickles. I also added some primas with silver brads and rhinestone. I layered my Basic Grey Granola paper (which I thought this sheet looked like shells) on Regal Rose and Vintage Violet.

Sorry for the horrible lighting in the pictures, it's been dreary and rainy here but is supposed to be a lot nicer today (hope so, we are headed to football in a few minutes).

Best Mates

I got a little creative energy this week so I broke out one of
my new favorites- Best Mates by Pink Poison . I had colored the images to match the unknown patterned paper that my friend left over here for me. I love these colors together!!!

I typed the sentiment on the first card and it reads "Friends are a diamond in the rough" with CK Sloppy Font and I used my new scallop punch along with some Kaiser Scrapbook Rhinestones that I bought at Great Scraps when I was up in MD.

This first card is using an old sketch from Unity Stamp Company (USC6).

Believe it or not I also already completed my sketch challenge for Technostamper's Monday Lunchtime Sketch Challenge so be on the lookout for that on Monday!

Simple and Easy

I printed this paper out as soon as Anna had posted it, cut it and then just had it laying here. I'm not thrilled with what I did with it and wish I would have stuck with my original color scheme but wanted to try something different. Oh well, we can't LOVE everything we make, can we?

I combined the Anna Wight designed paper with Elzybell's Sketch #2. I took a spin on my color wheel and decided on Cameo Coral, Apricot Appeal and Tempting Turqoise. I pulled out one of my very few Christmas stamps that I still have, Festive Four and just colored it in with coordinating colors. I added some dew drops on to my Marvy Uchida punched corners.

I'll definitely have to print some of this paper and try my hand at another design. Guess I was tired and just not feeling it when I was finished.

Thanks for checking it out!

Technostamper's Monday Lunchtime Sketch Challenge #40

This week's sketch from Technostamper's Monday Lunchtime Sketch Challenge was a tricky one for me. I'm so used to doing squares/rectangles evenly and so to do this one cockeyed was HARD!!! I did manage though and was pleased with how both of them turned out. I know!!!! I did 2!!!!!!

This card was done using my new set Upsy Daisy and Best Yet. I colored my image with my markers (Old Olive, Really Rust and Tangerine Tango) using my aquapainters and then squirted a little water on it using my new mini mister from Ranger (love this!). I had run my old olive through the Argyle cuttlebug and then daubed some chocolate chip over it. I mounted it on chocolate chip cardstock and then confetti cream. Loved this effect of the watercoloring although I think I need to mist a little further away from it next time.

This next card is using a ETA: Sorry, Inky Antics (not Lockhart) stamp that I won guessing Jane's baby pool. It's called Enjoying Good Things (10764J) and I had fun with some new Crate Paper-Water Lilies from the Mia Collection that I bought on a little shopping trip while I was in MD and went to a stamp store (The Queen's Ink) and a scrapbook store which I can't remember the name of. I got to visit with some friends, Leigh and Toni, laughed hard and ate some yummy crabcakes!

On the inside of my card it says "hot stuff" which is an inside joke in the office with a couple girls. The little question on the front I did in Word.

Join in the fun this week and post to Mary's Jo's post or SCS with keyword TSSC40. Can't wait to see what you all come up with!

I've been tagged

So I've been tagged by Michelle.
Here's how it works...

1. Link to your tagger and list these rules on your blog.
2. Answer the five sets of five (these are easy)
3. Tag 5 people in the last section by leaving their names as well as links to their blog.
4. Let them know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

Here are the 5 sets of five...

Things you love...

1. My family
2. stamping
3. shopping
4. tennis
5. babies


Things you don't love...

1. rude people
2. stinky people (and pants LOL!)
3. my weight
4. how much daycare cost!
5. not enough time in the day

Songs on your iPod/Playlist
1. Hallow Man by REM
2. Halloween Head by Ryan Adams
3. Cheeseburger in Paradise- Jimmy Buffett
4. There Goes My Girl- Tom Petty
5. Loosen Up My Buttons- Pussycat Dolls

Favorite Foods/Drinks

1. sushi
2. pepsi
3. canadian bacon and mushroom pizza
4. Chocolate Eclair Cake
5. prime rib

People you are tagging...

Everyone who is reading this!

Color Inspiration Challenge: KWernerDesign #25

I was thrilled to see this challenge from Kristina Werner this week...love the colors of it!!! It didn't come easy to me to do this card as I had started with another image in mind but it didn't fit with the size of card I was working on.

All in all, after it's all said and done, I'm thrilled with how it turned out and so excited as one of the projects I want to work on is in the back of my head and I'm feeling the energy to stamp.

I used one of the new sets I got called Floral Fantastical by Unity Stamp Co. along with one of Papertrey Ink's Mixed Messages sentiment. I cuttlebugged my certainly celery cardstock with the Floral Fantasy Folder. I got the idea to use ribbon as the body of the butterfly so after coloring my butterfly with my aquapainters and inks, I cut two little holes with my cutting blade in the top and bottom and thread through a piece of grosgrain ribbon dyed in ballet blue ink. I love how it turned out and it has a bit of dimension. I added a ton of bling (Brads, rhinestones, pearl brad).

I used the layout for this card from the CTMH Autumn/Winter 2008 catalog, p. 38, I love the 3 cards on the top of that page.

Here is a close up of the butterfly wings.

Hope you enjoy and check back tomorrow for the Blogger's Challenge.

Bloggers Challenge #68: Inspiration Piece

This weeks blogger's challenge was to use the inspiration piece above to create our card. As soon as I saw it I knew I wanted to use my new sets Ahoy Matey (another of my Kim Hughes favorite...and I bought 2 others as well as her cute Mocha Chica Paper Pack) and Best Mates . I'm in love with both of these illustrators and their creative stamps...so cute!!!

I based my card off one of Taylored Expressions Cupcake Challenge #31 which can be seen here.

I used the exact colors in the picture, Basic Black, Real Red and Papertrey Ink's Stampers Select White. I used the Versafine Onyx Black ink and my real red reinker with the Aquapainter. I have been using my Janome sewing machine a bit more and LOVED seeing samples with the curvy sewing and thought that would be perfect for this card. I used some basic black brads along with my oval punches for the sentiment. I colored my ribbon with a black permanent marker as that seemed a little sharper than my SU! marker did and hoping the smell of it doesn't knock someone over ;-)

Please check out the other Blogger's Challenge girls here to see their fabulous creations, they never cease to amaze me with how different everyone's creations are.

Little C's is having a SALE!!!

Jen is having a sale, make sure to click on the banner above to check out all the goodies she has. Spread the word and post on her blog and she'll enter you into a drawing for a goody bag to die for. I've bought from Jen before, she's got great service, prices, and lots to choose from. Make sure to check out her new apparel which is super cool!!!

What are you waiting for? Go shop!

Technostamper's Monday Lunchtime Sketch Challenge #38

I'm a bit late today for Mary Jo's Monday Lunchtime Sketch Challenge but at least I got it completed!!! This was a nice and easy sketch but like Charlotte I feel like something is missing from my card but I wasn't sure where to add on so not to take away from the focal image.

I got this set from Target, it has 30+ images and I got it for $19.99 after reading Lauren Meader's blog and seeing her beautiful creation with this set, I had to look for it. I found the last one at my Target and snatched it up. I already have a creation stirring in my head on a Halloween project with this set, featuring my little Cinderella.

Make sure to check out all the other participants of Mary Jo's blog by checking out her link above and join in the fun by posting a link to your creation to either Mary Jo's post or to SCS with keyword TSSC38.

Card Details:
Stamps: Disney
Cardstock: Fabriano Medioevalis, Kaleidoscope "me & Dad" Paisley/Periwinkle patterned paper, lavendar lace and cool carribean
Inks: Lavendar Lace, Cool Carribean, Versafine Onyx Black
Accessories: Aquapainter, dimensionals

Blogger's Challenge #67

This week our bloggers challenge was to use the theme "Falling into you" Love/Anniversary. I hadn't used my Cute Curls set by Kim Hughes so I thought this card would be perfect for the theme this week. I just placed another order for some more Kim Hughes sets from Cornish Heritage Farms, I LOVE her sets!!!

I used Beate's weekend Sketch Challenge #59 for the layout on this card.

Please make sure to check out all the blogger's participating this week by clicking on the Blogger's Challenge logo to the right ------------------------------------------------->

Card details:
Stamp Set: Cute Curls (Kim Hughes for Cornish Heritage Farms)
Cardstock: Papertrey White, Basic Black, Old Olive, Rose Red
Inks: Versafine Onyx Black, Old Olive, Rose Red
Accessories: Scallop punch, circle punch

Thought I would share a picture of the family in our Bronco's getup before one of Tristan's football games. I was thankful to have this picture to show as I lost my camera at the game (my Canon Digital Rebel) and was fortunate that some kind soul turned it in to the county parks and rec the following Monday. It was not a fun weekend knowing that I had left it on the bleachers and that someone could have walked off with it. But, like I said, there was someone out there looking out for it and honest enough to turn it in.

Have a great weekend!