FINALLY - Some *Free* Crafting Time! :)

Happy Thursday everyone!

Anyone want some white stuff?  I know I shouldn't be complaining because we desperately need some moisture but I just HATE the mud and yuck that goes along with the melting snow...  I'll get over it but I cannot WAIT for the sun to come back out.  :)

I haven't had much crafting "free" time lately - between DT cards and work and trying to keep everyone fed and clothed and my trip, this is the first time in a LONG time I have had time to to a CURRENT challenge!  And, OH, how I've missed them...  :) 

I found the Play Date Cafe's new color combo and LOVED the soft, soothing, BOY colors and KNEW what stamp I was going to use - another one of Totally Stampalicious's new releases!  I paired it with a new-to-me challenge, a sketch from CCEE Stampers, and got to work!

Recipe - Stamps: Sean Bugaboo Brat, Stella Birthday (Totally Stampalicious)  Ink: Versafine Onyx Black, Baja Breeze, Bashful Blue  Paper: Bashful Blue, Baja Breeze, SU! DP, Very Vanilla  Accessories: Curved Rectangles Nestabilities, hodgepodge hardware, paper piercer, grosgrain ribbon, Copics, sponge dauber, clear embossing powder

I'm going to try and knock another one out before I have to head off to work - the kids have requested meatloaf for supper so I need to get that ready for them to put in the oven later.  :)  Enjoy your Thursday - thanks for stopping in!

My Europe Pics

Hey everyone!

I have uploaded some of my pics to Flickr for y'all to peruse.  I didn't label them all and MANY of them are architecture (boring for some, not for me...) so view at your own risk.  :)  You will also see that I have a fascination with lanterns, lamp posts and chandeliers...

Here's the link - have fun!  Let me know if it doesn't work...

Flowers Feed the Soul - PPC #10

Hello again!

It's time for another Picture Perfect Creations Color Combo and this week's combination screams S-P-R-I-N-G:

Y'all know how much I like to combine challenges so I found Sketch Saturday's newest and got to work:

I was in town on Friday waiting for my DH to get out of surgery (a little shoulder operation - he's good, no problem...) and my PIC, Lori, called to say that she and our friend, Leanne, were at the LSS if I wanted to join them.  Ummm...DUH!  LOL  Of course I stopped in!  I *did* have two of the boys with me so I couldn't stay long, but I did manage to buy some stuff'n'things...including the stamps I used for this card:

Recipe - Stamps: Mouse on Orange Daisy (Stampavie, Tina Wenke), From the Garden (Flourishes)  Paper: Certainly Celery, Bordering Blue, Whisper White, Crushed Curry, SU! DP (retired)  Ink: Versafine Onyx Black  Accessories: Nestabilities, oval punch, brads, hodgepodge hardware, paper flowers, Copics, paper piercer, clear embossing powder

Now make sure you stop in and see what the rest of the PPC-Creators team has done with these colors:

Allison Barroll

Lori Turner

Nicole Anderson

Sandy Tran

Trish Radacs

Jackie Weeks

Tamie Camp

Debbie Marcinkiewicz

Paula McClane

Enjoy the rest of your day, see you next week and don't forget to SMILE!

It's All Good at The Shabby Tea Room

Welcome to another fabulous week at The Shabby Tea Room - can you believe it's the end of April already?  This week's challenge is brought to you by Audrey and it is a color challenge inspired by this picture:

Don't you love all of the colors and patterns in these quilts?  I paired my colors - Old Olive, Very Vanilla, Ruby Red, Kraft and a chambray blue - with Taylor's sketch from a few weeks ago:

To create this:

Recipe - Stamp: It's All Good (Daisy Bucket Designs)  Ink: Old Olive  Paper: Assorted SU! DP, unknown DP, Very Vanilla, unknown chambray blue cardstock, Ruby Red  Accessories: Paper piercer, adhesive pearls, Very Vanilla satin ribbon, Kraft taffeta ribbon, jumbo eyelet, hemp twine, corner punch, button

Now go and see what the rest of the Shabby Tea Room design team has come up with for this challenge:

Debbie Marcinkiewicz - {TSTR Creator} - Simple Treasures

Audrey Pettit - Audrey Pettit's Weblog

Jill Hillard - Jill's Card Creations

Nicole Segnere - My Craft Room Creations 

Enjoy the rest of your day - thanks for stopping by!

Act 27 - Is Spring Here Yet?

Can I just say how much I {heart} these colors???  Stacey put together a BE-A-YOO-TI-FUL combo for us all this week at the Curtain Call - take a look:

I found this sketch a few weeks ago over at Papertake Weekly and knew it would work perfectly for the image I wanted to use...another new stamp from Stamping Bella.  She is soooo cute!

Stamps: CherryBlossom Bittybloom (Stamping Bella), Whimsical Words (SU!)  Paper: Certainly Celery, Melon Mambo, Pink Pirouette, Whisper White, SU! designer paper  Ink: Melon Mambo, Versafine Onyx Black, Pink Pirouette  Accessories: Nestabilities (Labels Five), Perfect Polka Dots EF, sponge dauber, organza ribbon, button, hemp twine, Copics, adhesive rhinestones

I love these little Bittyblooms - can you say freakin' adorable?  I want them ALL!  LOL  I had fun coloring this image but I really need to expand my Copic collection.  My PIC, Lori, and I are taking an Intro to Copics class at our LSS next Thursday so hopefully we'll get some tips and pointers that we can use to make it a bit easier.  :)

Please take a few minutes to go and see what the rest of the Curtain Call Crew has done with these lovely colors:

Amy White at Devlinwhite Designs
Andrea Roose at Andrea's Scrap- und Stampel Blog
Iwona Palamountain (Chupa) at Random Acts of Creativity
Julie Smith at Paper and Such
Marisa Ritzen at Rosemary Reflections
Shelley Germann at Stampin' Garden
Sue Kohler at My Inner Reflection
Stacey Schafer at Stacey's Stamping Stage

Thanks for stopping by - enjoy your day!  See you tomorrow with another Shabby Tea Room challenge.  :)

Totally Stampalicious Bugaboo Blog Hop - FUN!

WOOHOO - you made it!  Thanks for joining us for all of the fun and festivities that go along with a new release... and what a great release it is!

I am honored that the girls over at Totally Stampalicious chose me to help them out as a guest designer for the next couple of months 'cause these new images are right up my alley and TOTALLY adorable!  As most of you may have heard, Totally Stampalicious has teamed up with Jodie Mackrell of Bugaboo Stamps.  We are thrilled to be taking some of our favorite Bugaboo critters, kids and characters and turning them into RUBBAH!!! (Well...photopolymer, actually, but you know what we mean)! We have also added a few fun sentiments to the main images that we think you're going to love!!!  Just to keep you on the up and up, please know that if you are interested in the Digi Images, they are only available at Bugaboo Stamps and are NOT part of the Totally Stampalicious Digi Promotion.

Alrighty, after clearing my bleary, sleep-deprived eyes I sat down and decided to use the digi stamps of Desiree and Sean for my card as well as one of the sentiments from Desiree's set.  I combined Arielle's Colour Q challenge and rotated Papertake Weekly's sketch 90* to create:

Aren't they SUPER-CUTE?  There are EIGHT brand new stamps sets to share with you this release and they will be available at 10PM EST at the Totally Stampalicious Store!!

You should have arrived here from Laurie's blog but in case you didn't, here's the official Blog Hop order:

Totally Stampalicious

Stacy-Twinshappy

Vicki-Summerthyme Studio

Joycelyn-Stamps 'n' Coffee

Patricia-Stamping with Kokirose

Becky-Stampin' For Fun

Laurie-On the Bright Side

Melissa-My Paper Obsession

Lynnor-Just Add Glitter

Monique-For the Love of Paper

Cindy-Cindy Haffner's Corner

Make sure you visit everyone's blogs because TS is offering up THREE prizes that will be drawn randomly from all the Blog Hop-ees so be sure to visit everyone and leave a comment for your chance to win!  The prizes are as follows:

1st - $25 Stampalicious Gift Certificate

2nd - 2 Bugaboo Stamp Sets of Choice

3rd - 1 Bugaboo Stamp Set of Choice

The Blog Hop will end at 9PM EST Friday and the winners will be announced Sunday Night!  Happy hopping and enjoy all of the eye candy.  :)

The Shabby Tea Room Goes Sketchy!

Hey there everyone!

Thanks for stopping in for our sixth Shabby Tea Room challenge - can you believe we're up to six already?  Wow.  We couldn't do it without all of you and your support and participation so THANK YOU!

This week is a sketch challenge from our fearless leader, Debbie.  She has given us this sketch for inspiration:

I must admit that my interpretation was *very* loosely based on this sketch... I used two horizontal panels at the top and bottom but moved the central image over a bit and added some ribbon:

The stamp is a new one I got from Stamping Bella: "Izzie Has a Daisy"...so super-cute!  I paper-pieced her skirt and colored the rest with my Copics.  The designer paper is from another new Basic Grey paper pad, Kioshi.  I paired it with Stampin' Up's Sage Shadow, More Mustard, and Perfect Plum.  I found the plum satin ribbon in my stash - I forgot I even had it but I'm sure glad I came across it!  :)

As you are reading this, my dear son and I are enjoying our final couple of days in Europe - today's schedule sees us traveling from Florence to Rome where we will visit St. Francis' Basilica, the Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain, the Pantheon and Piazza Navona.  Tomorrow is another jam-packed day at the Vatican museums, Sistine Chapel, St. Peter's Basilica, the Colosseum, Piazza Venezia and the Forum before heading home on Wednesday.

Don't forget to stop by the homes of the other very talented design team members to see how they did with Debbie's sketch:

Debbie Marcinkiewicz - {TSTR Creator} - Simple Treasures

Audrey Pettit - Audrey Pettit's Weblog

Jill Hillard - Jill's Card Creations

Nicole Segnere - My Craft Room Creations 

Thanks for stopping in - see you in a few days!  :)

Act 26 - A Little Bit Retro...

Happy Sunday!!!

It's time for another Curtain Call but I thought I'd give you a quick update on my whereabouts.  Today we are in Florence, Italy - Palazzo Vecchio, Piazza della Signorina, Chiesa di Santa Croce, Ponte Vecchio, Duomo, Gates of Paradise, Giotto's Bell Tower and Dante's house are on the schedule for today capped off with an Italian pizza dinner...yummers!  We've been in London and Paris over the last week and I can't wait to get home and share my experience with you all.  :)

Enough about me - we've got a Curtain Call to do!  Here are the colors for this week:

 

Don't you just LOVE THEM??  The inspiration pic took me back to the 70's...isn't it great?  I discovered I don't have any Going Gray cardstock so I had to use something that was *close.*  I'm not going to order any either since it's not one of the colors sticking around...*sniff*  I have mixed feelings about the whole Stampin' Up! color renovation ~ change is good, right? 

I didn't have much time to put this card together so it is VERY simple (at least for me)!  One stamp, some punching, some embossing and that's about it...

Stamps: Vintage Labels  Paper: Crushed Curry, Basic Gray, Whisper White, light gray CS  Ink: Basic Gray  Accessories: Nestabilities (Labels Eleven), oval punch, paper piercer, Basic Gray satin ribbon, adhesive pearls, scallop edge border punch, button, silver cord, paisley embossing folder, Sizzix Perfect Polka Dots EF 

Don't forget to stop and see what the rest of the Curtain Call Crew have created with these fabulous colors:

Amy White at Devlinwhite Designs
Andrea Roose at Andrea's Scrap- und Stampel Blog
Iwona Palamountain (Chupa) at Random Acts of Creativity
Julie Smith at Paper and Such
Marisa Ritzen at Rosemary Reflections
Shelley Germann at Stampin' Garden
Sue Kohler at My Inner Reflection
Stacey Schafer at Stacey's Stamping Stage

See you tomorrow for another Shabby Tea Room challenge!

My First PPC as a PPC Creator!

OK - so I *thought* I wouldn't be able to get started with my newest design team over at Picture Perfect Creations until after I got back... but I found some time on Sunday while I was waiting for my laundry to dry and got 'er done.  :)  We're going to have so much fun!

Here's Megan's latest combination:

LOVE these colors!  I immediately thought of another one of my new Kraftin' Kimmie stamps and got to work.  I also used this week's sketch from Friday Sketchers:

Ain't she adorable???

Stamps: Charlotte - Moonlight Whispers (Kraftin' Kimmie), Teeny Tiny Wishes (SU!)  Paper: Whisper White, Bashful Blue, Pumpkin Pie, Melon Mambo, Garden Green  Ink: Garden Green, Versafine Onyx Black  Accessories: Paper piercer, adhesive pearls, Copics, embossing folders, corner rounder, ribbon, felt flower, button, hemp twine


Make sure you stop in and take a peek at what the other PPC Creators have created - I know I can't wait to see their creativity!
 

Allison Barroll

Lori Turner

Nicole Anderson

Sandy Tran

Trish Radacs

Jackie Weeks

Tamie Camp

Debbie Marcinkiewicz

Paula McClane

OK - now I'm really done.  :)  I hope you can all find some time to play with us this week - Happy Crafting!

It's Hip To Be Square at The Shabby Tea Room!

Here we are - time for another fabulous challenge over at The Shabby Tea Room!  This week's challenge comes from the amazing Nicole Segnere: "It's Hip To Be Square - a project with anything square...the more the better!" Here's the inspiration picture:

I *had* to use some of my new "Green at Heart" Basic Grey paper for this project.  I just love these colors - so rich and warm.  I used my 1" square punch to punch the nine little squares and then layered them onto an Old Olive and then a Rich Razzleberry layer.  I stitched around them before layering it onto another print from the BG pack and RR and the Pumpkin Pie card base.

This card came together pretty quickly which was good because I am frantically trying to get everything in place so I am ready to leave on Monday night - actually that's tonight!!!  I scheduled this post a week ago while trying to complete DT projects for the two weeks I am gone.  I hope I can get it all finished!

Please remember to stop by and see what the rest of the Shabby Tea Room's Design Team has come up with for this week's challenge:

Debbie Marcinkiewicz - {TSTR Creator} - Simple Treasures

Audrey Pettit - Audrey Pettit's Weblog

Jill Hillard - Jill's Card Creations

Nicole Segnere - My Craft Room Creations

That'll be it for me - enjoy your week!

Curtain Call - Act 25

Yep, it's that time again!  Stacey gave us another group of Bold Brights to work with this time - I won't be able to refer to these colors as the Bold Brights for much longer...*sniffle*  As much as I have complained about this group of colors, I really am going to miss having some of these colors in my stash:

I have been extremely busy the last couple of weeks trying to get everything and every*one* organized for our trip - we leave tomorrow ACK - so I enlisted the help of my partner-in-crime, Lori, for some help with this card.  She made all the decisions with this one so I didn't have to think at all!  LOL

Stamps: Drucilla (Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps), Beauty of Nature (Little Paper Shop)  Paper: Pixie Pink, Yo Yo Yellow, Green Galore, SU! DP, Whisper White  Ink: Versafine Onyx Black, Desert Sand (CTMH)  Accessories: Copics, SU! markers, Nestabilities (Labels Eleven), sponge dauber, circle punches, scallop punch, adhesive pearls, grosgrain ribbon, scallop trim punch, paper piercer, dimensionals

Isn't she adorable in a creepy, cuddly sort of way?  *giggle*  I just love these images from Kraftin' Kimmie and can't wait to order more...

Take a few minutes to stop in and see what the rest of the Curtain Call Crew have made for you today - I'm sure they are amazing, as usual!

Amy White at Devlinwhite Designs
Andrea Roose at Andrea's Scrap- und Stampel Blog
Iwona Palamountain (Chupa) at Random Acts of Creativity
Julie Smith at Paper and Such
Marisa Ritzen at Rosemary Reflections
Shelley Germann at Stampin' Garden
Sue Kohler at My Inner Reflection
Stacey Schafer at Stacey's Stamping Stage

I will be back tomorrow with a new Shabby Tea Room Challenge and then I have scheduled my posts for the Curtain Call and Shabby Tea Room next week while I am gone.  Hopefully when I get back I will be able to get back into everyone else's challenges...

Enjoy the next couple of weeks!  See you when I get back - I'm sure I'll have LOTS to share with y'all!

I've Got Some Great News!!

I am so excited!  First let me apologize for being absent the last week or so - between work and organizing for this trip, I haven't had much time to *fun* craft... just enough time to get my DT submissions done and scheduled before I leave.  :)

But, now for the FUN news - I have been asked to join Megan and nine other very crafty ladies over at the Picture Perfect Creations Color Challenge as a member of the design team!!!  AND, to make it even better, three of my stampy, crafty friends were *also* chosen: Lori, Tamie, and Debbie!!!  I am so excited and thrilled but a little disappointed that I won't be able to *really* join them all until after I get back!  So much to do, so little time.  :)

So, thank you if you've been checking my blog over the last week only to find NOTHING new.   Make sure you stop by tomorrow for a new Curtain Call Color Challenge - Stacey picked some really wild colors this time around!

See you tomorrow!

TSTR #4's Hostess With the Mostess - ME!! :)

Hello everyone! 

Welcome to another fabulous installment of The Shabby Tea Room's weekly challenge!  This week's challenge is my brain-child ~ "Embrace the White" ~ something I am NOT very good at.  As you will see from my sample, it's *still* something I need to work on.  I have such a hard time letting the white (color or space) be the star - I guess I love my colors!  :)  Maybe I'll take another stab at it this week with y'all.

I hardly ever make long, narrow cards so when Sarah created a Mojo Monday sketch a couple of weeks ago, I thought I'd take a stab at it:

And this is The Shabby Tea Room inspiration picture - it's so pretty and clean:

I used Tangerine Tango in a card the other day and realized how much I enjoyed this color when it was in the "In Colors" collection but I don't get the chance to use it very often anymore.  *sniff*  So, taking my inspiration from the dark shade of orange in the pear, here's what I came up with:

I got to use my new Verve stamps again - lucky me! This set is called Beautiful Kindness -ain't it purdy?  I'm not sure Julee can create icky stamps!  LOL

So, you've seen what I've done with this color challenge, now it's your turn.  All you need to do is make a card or other project where you "Embrace the White" - use mostly white and your choice of one other color (does not necessarily have to be in the inspiration picture).  Make sure you stop back at The Shabby Tea Room to link us all back to your project because one lucky crafter is going to be the winner of this little grab bag of goodies:

Don't forget to stop over at the other Shabby Tea Room's Special Friend Blend Gourmet Designers blogs to see what they've done to "Embrace the White:"

Debbie Marcinkiewicz - {TSTR Creator} - Simple Treasures
Audrey Pettit - Audrey Pettit's Weblog
Jill Hillard - Jill's Card Creations
Nicole Segnere - My Craft Room Creations 

Thanks for clicking in - see you later!

Just For You - Curtain Call #24

Happy Easter everyone and welcome to another Curtain Call!  This week's colors *really* gave me trouble - I guess that's why it's called a *challenge*, right?  ;)

Isn't that little eggie-tree cute?  I really do like the colors but just couldn't put them together to make them work.  Or maybe it was because I've used a LOT of these particular colors lately....?  Whatever the reason was, I had to file one card under "G" before I settled for this one:

No sketch challenge, just me trying to get it done as quickly and simply as possible.  I recently got this cool stamp set from Verve - Petals and Stems - kind of like "Build-a-Flower."  The petals, stems and flower centres are all separate so you can mix and match as needed.  There are also a couple cute, little butterflies in the set...  :)

I sure hope the rest of the Crew had an easier time with these colors than I did - make sure you stop in to give them some love:

Amy White at Devlinwhite Designs
Andrea Roose at Andrea's Scrap- und Stampel Blog
Iwona Palamountain (Chupa) at Random Acts of Creativity
Julie Smith at Paper and Such
Marisa Ritzen at Rosemary Reflections
Shelley Germann at Stampin' Garden
Sue Kohler at My Inner Reflection
Stacey Schafer at Stacey's Stamping Stage

I've been trying to get everything in "order" around here before my eldest and I leave for Europe on the 12th - London, Paris, Florence and Rome over the course of 10 days - so please accept my apologies for the short post. 

Enjoy the rest of your Easter weekend - enjoy your family and the time spent together!  See you next week.  :)