Just Us Girls Challenge......JUGS5 20

Hi Girls! First I would like to thank all of you who played along last week with the Just Us Girls 3-D flower challenge & for your AMAZING support of the JUGS site & myself :) There was sooo many BEAUTIFUL creations! I hope you can join us for this week's new challenge! Read on for the details....

Are you ready for a Wild Card Challenge?
This week Kristin is the Hostess & she has challenged us to create a holiday card showcasing a photo for the Just Us Girls 5 Wild Card Challenge with the option to use her EXCLUSIVE Holiday Digital Stamp Set. This week Tammy Hershberger is our "Guest Designer"! Tammy wrote the sentiment "Happy Holidays", then Kristin transformed it into a digital image! Please be sure to visit Tammy's blog, she is a remarkably talented paper crafter & you are sure find some inspiration!

For my project, I showcased Kristin's very own Digital Holiday Lamp Post & 1 of the Greetings on my card. That's right! Kristin designed the stamp set that is featured on my card & is offering it to all participants this week! For complete details, please visit the Just Us Girls challenge site & be sure to visit ALL the DT girls blogs to see how they created their project! Thanks for looking! We look forward to seeing your photos displayed on your cards!


I NEVER created with a digital stamp prior to this card! I was a bit nervous at first but once I dove in, my fear quickly resolved! :) Kristin's Lamp Post image reminds me of the streets lit in the Gas Lamp District in San Diego, CA. I colored in the Lamp Post image using Copic markers. I inked up a sponge dauber with Ranger Antique Photo ink and gently rubbed all the edges for a soft vintagey look. For sketch inspiration, I used this week's Sketch for the SCS Sketch Challenge #251, SC251. For amazing inspiration, be sure to visit the SCS gallery!

From a bird's eye view, you are able to really see the BEAUTIFUL scripty font that Kristin chose to use in her greeting image. I hand stitched every available edge!

I made this card for my DH & on the inside, I included one of MY personal favorite photos from a Christmas past of my step-children printed in black & white, adorned with punched scalloped vintag"ized" photo corners. Sure to bring a smile to his face :)

Ingredients Used: Stamps: What I call "Kristin Bueter's Classic Lamp Post & Holiday Greetings Digital Stamp Set" Paper: SU Kraft, Bravo Burgandy, Naturals Ivory, My Mind's Eye DP Ink: Copics BG93 Green Gray, T5 Toner Gray, R89 Dard Red, 0 Colorless Blender, N7 Neutral Gray, YR21 Cream, W3 Warm Gray, Ranger/Tim Holtz Antique Photo Ink Sprinkles: Spellbinders Labels 1 dies, Making Memories hardware, DMC floss

Read More

Thinking of Friends 30

Hello Girls! It is going to be a BUSY weekend around here! We will be celebrating Halloween on Saturday with some neighborhood Trick-Or-Treaters & on Sunday, my Hubby & I will be shuffling off to the Phoenix Cajun Festival for some YUMMY food :) My DH was raised in Louisiana, so I am sure the food will not stand a chance in comparison to his Momma's Southern Cookin'! His mouth is still a bit sore from having a Wisdom tooth pulled on Monday but I think he can enjoy soft food like Gumbo or Etouffee! :)

In my crafty world, I will be sharing an all NEW Just Us Girls challenge with you. My team mate Kristin will be this week's hostess & she has something special to share with all the players :) I hope you stop by the JUGS site for all the details as well as here, to see what I have made for this week's JUGS Wildcard Challenge. Maybe you will become inspired to play along :) Recently, I have had some dear friends experiencing some difficult times in their lives, so with them in mind, I made these 2 cards to let them each know that they are in my thoughts. For sketch inspiration I used Kazan's AWESOME Sketch #38, 2S4Y38 & Anja's FUN BONUS sketch (from 2S4Y) & for color inspiration, I used this week's BEAUTIFUL colors from Color Throwdown, CTD66 selected by the ever so talented LeAnne:) Also, this week over at Moxie Fab World, Cath has gone Plum Crazy! :) She is challenging us papercrafters to "Capture its depth. Sample its nature. Command its presence. Ensnare its mystery. Quench our desire for plum". If you haven't already, I encourage you all to visit each & every one of these sites for AMAZING inspiration & maybe you will see something that just sparks your creativity & you too will play along! I hope these cards cheer up my friends :) Thanks for looking! Be Sweet!

I think I may have discovered a couple of new fave background stamps! I really love the PTI Polka Dot Basics set :) How can you go wrong with Polka Dots? AND I think this size dot won't make you dizzy! I gave the card an overall vintagey look by inking a sponge dauber with Ranger/Tim Holtz Vintage photo ink then gently rubbing the edges of all the SU Naturals Ivory cs.

This is the 1st time I spritzed the cs with water before crinkling it up & that sure made it a bit easier to crumple! I let it dry overnight though because it was too damp to use. NOTE to self: go easy on the water!

It was like Christmas when the other day when the UPS man delivered a box containing my loooooong awaited for PTI order! I tore into that box 'cause I couldn't wait to get my hands on the new Giga Guide Lines set :) I think that is on the top of my favorite stamp list as well :)

I used the Spellbinders Blossom die for this card as well, but it has a TOTALLY different look when you don't distress it! I wanted it more flat so I could place the sentiment in the center so I just bent up the edges a tad to give the bloom some dimension :) I REALLY need to practice paper stitching with my electric sewing machine-hand stitching is not only time consuming but I find it difficult to pierce all those layers! LOL I sure do like the final result though :)

Ingredients Used: Stamps: SU All Holidays , PTI Giga Guide Lines, Polka Dot Basics, Hero Arts Message Circles Paper: SU Rich Razzleberry, Bordering Blue, Elegant Eggplant, Naturals Ivory Ink: SU Rich Razzleberry, Bordering Blue, Elegant Eggplant & Chocolate Chip Sprinkles: Spellbinders Labels 1 & Blossom dies, Martha Stewart Butterfly punch, Making Memories Hardware, EK Success punch, Cuttlebug EF

Read More

Happy Halloween Witches! 26

Hi Girls! I hope you are having a GREAT week so far! My dear friend Julie whom some of you may recognize from Julie's Open Window has launched a BRAND NEW challenge site called The Play Date Cafe! Julie & her DT will be offering various types of weekly challenges. Please be sure to visit either Julie at the Open Window or The Play Date Cafe for COMPLETE details! A day late & a $ short as the saying goes! I realize I missed the deadline for this week's Play Date Cafe color challenge as my job got in the way of my craftiness! :( I hate when that happens! Regardless of my tardiness, I made my last Halloween card for this season, using the Play Date Cafe colors for color inspiration. I combined several different challenges as well. In no particular order they are as follows: Just Us Girls 3-D flower challenge, JUGS4, :), For sketch inspiration, CPS139 & The Pink Elephant's challenge #38, TPE38, which challenges the crafter to use black, distressing & hardware. If you would like to gaze at some jaw-dropping creations, please be sure to visit each & every site that I have mentioned :) Are you ready for Halloween yet? Be Sweet!

Here is my Happy Halloween Witches card:

I crumpled up the lil' flowers in my hand to give them a vintagey look! Using a sponge dauber inked up with Tim Holtz Antique ink, I smudged the scalloped punch edges for a nice soft distressed look.

The Witch image is coated with Martha Stewart glitter which is really difficult to for me to capture with camera. She really twinkles & shimmers :)

Ingredients Used: Stamps: PTI Spooky Sweets II Paper: Making Memories DP, SU Kraft, Pumpkin Pie, Bravo Burgandy, Naturals Ivory Ink: SU Basic Black, Tim Holtz Antique photo Sprinkles: Spellbinders Scalloped Oval, Oval die & Labels 4 dies, Making Memories hardware, button from stash, PTI twine, EK Success border & flower punches, Martha Stewart glitter

Read More

Vintagey Holiday Creations...October PTI Blog Hop 93

Hello Everyone! It's time for the Annual Papertrey Ink Holiday Blog Hop! This month, Nichole challenged us to show some our best upcoming holiday plans for cards, gifts & wraps! PTI has released soooo many GORGEOUS stamps & templates that are so fun to play with, it was difficult for me to choose which ones to use for my creations for the Holiday Blog Hop. LOL I combined several challenges to use in my blog hop creations-Card #1 & gift bag: 1. Sketch Inspiration comes from The Pink Elephant Challenge #37 2. For BOTH cards Color Inspiration comes from Dawn McVey's RSCC #18, (I don't have PTI New Leaf so I substituted SU Old Olive). I have been lovin' the Old World, vintagey, shabby chic style! I am so looking forward to being inspired for my holiday creating through this blog hop! If you haven't visited any of these sites, be sure to check them out as the DT has AMAZING inspirational samples as well as all the participants! :) Thanks for hoppin' by! Be Sweet!



This is my Poinsettia card & gift bag:
I like these medium size Kraft gift bags as they are the perfect size to hold my gifts. Stamping a gift bag & attaching a tag is a Beautiful way to present a gift, yet quick & easy. :)

Using a sponge dauber inked up with Tim Holtz distressing ink, I smudged the edges of the card & tag giving it an antiquey, vintagey look.I adorned the big tag with the larger Poinsettia & sprigs that I stamped then cut out using the Beautiful PTI Peaceful Poinsettia set & sprigs.

This closeup of the tag really shows the Season's Greetings tag & it's vintagey edges.

I loved Dawn's color combo so much, that I made another gift set :)

I have not mastered my sewing technique on cards yet so, I hand stitched around the square that showcases the ornament.

From this bird's eye view, you can really see all the embossing on the SU Natural Ivory cs & the lil' PTI button on the ornament.

I like to decorate tins & fill with various goodies! :) I made coordinating ornament tags to give as a lil' gift.

Ingredients Used: Stamps: PTI Peaceful Poinsettia, Winter Swirls, Polka Dot Basics, 2008 Holiday Tag Collection, SU Delightful Decorations Paper: PTI Raspberry Fizz, Kraft SU Chocolate Chip, Naturals Ivory, Old Olive Ink: PTI Raspberry Fizz, Tim Holtz Vintage Photo SU Old Olive, Chocolate Chip Sprinkles: PTI buttons & ribbon, Cuttlebug Textile EF, EK Success punch, Spellbinders Labels 4, brads, paper bags & cord from stash, SU punch, Martha Stewart pearls

Read More

Just Us Girls Challenge 4....JUGS4 36

Hi Girls! Are you ready to go 3 Dimensional with Just Us Girls? This week we are presenting you with a 3 Dimensional / Template Challenge & I am the Hostess! We would like to see you add a 3-D flower to your project! For a lil' inspiration, I made a How To Video Tutorial featuring paper tissue flowers that I promised! I can't wait to see what sort of 3-D flower you make!

For my project, I made a paper tissue flower for my card using the Spellbinders Blossom dies.I inked up a sponge dauber with SU Close to Cocoa ink & smudged it around all the edges of all layers to give it a soft appearance.In this close up photo, you can get a better view of the layers & dimension.

Blog Candy? Link your creation up on the JUGS site in the Mr Linky to be entered for a chance to win the decorated tin in the photo below with some of my various homespun fleurettes inside and the opportunity to be the next Chic of the Week!! You can find ALL the inspirational JUGS DT examples, the challenge details & the video over at Just Us Girls. Thanks for stopping by & be sure to visit ALL the DT girls blogs see how they created their project! We look forward to seeing all your flower creations! Be Sweet!

Ingredients Used: Stamps: SU Fancy Flexible Phrases, French Script, PTI Damask Designs, Paper: K&Company DP, SU Kraft, Chocolate Chip, Naturals Ivory, River Rock, generic tissue paper Ink: SU Chocolate Chip, River Rock Sprinkles: Spellbinders Labels 4, Scalloped circle & circle dies, button from stash, Making Memories hardware, Cuttlebug Textile EF, Offray ribbon, SU gold cord

Read More

Vintagey Love 18

Hi Girls! Yeah - It's Friday! Lots of things happening here at Cupcake's this weekend! Tomorrow is the 4th challenge at Just Us Girls & I am the hostess :) I will be sharing my video on how to create a tissue paper flower, so I hope you all check it out & hopefully get inspired to play along! Please be sure to visit both the Just Us Girls site & Cupcake's for ALL the details! Sunday evening beginning 5pm EST, I will be hopping along in the Papertrey Ink Annual Holiday Blog Hop. Don't be shy, stop by ANY time this weekend to see what I have been up to. Thanks for looking! Be Sweet!

April, my son's sweet girlfriend wanted me to make her Mom a Birthday card. Well, when they were visiting the other day, April & I sat down & I taught her how to create her OWN card! Here is April, so proud of her 1st card of many I am sure :) She made her card with so much love & gave it a Vintagey look! April used this gorgeous orange / rust colored K&Company DP for her background.

To make April's BIG blossom, she inked up the SU French Script stamp with SU Close to Cocoa ink & stamped the image on SU Natural Ivory cs. Using the Spellbinders Blossom die she create the blossom. To give it a Vintagey look, she crinkled it up in her hands then fastened it to her card with a pearly brad from my stash. Inking up a PTI Damask Designs image with SU River Rock ink, she stamped her leaves then roughed up the edges with a distressing tool & repeated the crinkle technique :) April did such an amazing job & I am sooo proud of her! I think I have a new stamping partner :)

My dearest husband has to have a tooth pulled on Monday :( YIKES!!! He has a cracked Wisdom tooth that is extremely painful. For sketch inspiration, I used this week's awesome sketch provided by Card Positioning Systems, CPS138.

Here is my Vintagey Love card:

To create this BIG blossom, I inked up the SU French Script stamp with SU Chocolate Chip ink then ripped various size circles. To add a lil' more character to the flower, using a sponge dauber, I sponged a lil' SU Close to Cocoa ink around the edges.

Ingredients Used: Stamps: PTI Damask Designs, SU French Script, Fancy Flexible Phrases, Warmest Regards Paper: K&Company DP, SU Chocolate Chip, Naturals Ivory, Old Olive, Mellow Moss, Kraft, Bravo Burgandy, River Rock Ink: SU Chocolate Chip Sprinkles: PTI buttons, Making Memories hardware, SU copper & gold cord, Offray ribbon, EK Success border & oval punch, Spellbinders Labels 4 die

Read More

Croatian Inspiration 23

Hi Everyone! I am changing gears here & shifting to a Vintagey - Old World Style for this card & then some... I needed some Sympathy cards for a few co-workers who recently experienced the loss of a family member so I pulled out some Vintagey-soft looking K&Company DP. For sketch inspiration, I used Beate's Weekend Sketch Challenge #102, WSC102. If you have never visited Beate's site, you have no idea what you are missing! You really ought to visit her site as she has so much to share! :) I hope you don't mind, I would like to share some pictures that inspired me in making this card. They were taken in Dubrovnik, Croatia which sits the the Adriatic Sea. Dubrovnik was a port call on a cruise that my honey & I took in the summer of '08. There is so much history in Croatia & the city is full of old buildings, beautiful flowers, countryside & very friendly welcoming people. I would love to know if you have ever been to Dubrovnik, Croatia? Be Sweet!

This is Dubrovnik, Croatia. It is surrounded by a massive wall that served to protect the city during war time.

You can see the beautiful flowers in bloom & rustic old buildings.

This picture is from a lil' countryside town on the outskirts of the city.

This is my DH :) We were eating lunch at this lil' restaurant next to the creek that you see up above. The Croatians are very proud of their wine!

Here is my Praying for you card...

To make that BIG pink blossom, I inked up my SU French Script stamp with SU Close to Cocoa ink, stamped it then using the Spellbinders Blossom dies, I ran the stamped paper through my die cut machine. To give them that distressed look, you just put them in the palm of your hand & crinkle them up a lil'! MAGIC!

I rarely use Gold but since the pearl brad is trimmed in gold, I used a few gold brads on the Label as well. I think the gold gives it a fancy / elegant look?. I inked the edges of the Label under the Pink blossom with SU Close to Cocoa.

To create those distressed leaves, I cut them from SU River Rock cs, then inked up my PTI Damask Designs image then stamped the leaves. After stamping, I used a distressing tool to rough up the edges then once again, I crinkled them up in my hands! :) Easy Right? I hope you give it a try!

Ingredients Used: Stamps: SU French Script, PTI Damask Designs Paper: K&Company DP, SU Pink Pirouette, River Rock, Close to Cocoa, Kraft Ink: SU Close to Cocoa Sprinkles: Spellbinders Labels 4 & Blossom nesties, Offray ribbon, brads from stash, PTI buttons

Read More