Listen to this...

Valentine Digi download

I made this card awhile ago when I was still on the ATS Design Team.  The image is one of the Digi Downloads that Christine now offers.  What's a Digi Download? It's a "stamp" that you purchase for a small fee, then download to your computer so you can print it out anytime you want.  One of the cool things is you can make the image larger or smaller before you print depending on what you need.  I personally LOVE the idea of digi stamps and I'm planning on getting some more.  And if you make cards in bulk, then it saves SO much time to just print out a bunch of images instead of stamping all of them.  So fun!  Of course, there's no way I'll be giving up on my good ol' rubber stamps anytime soon, but this is something fun to use to change things up! :)

Let me know if you have any questions! Hope you're all having a good weekend!

 

Two cards!

I actually stamped just for fun yesterday! Now that hasn't happened in a loooooong time.  Seems like the only stamping I do these days is for classes.  Anyway, I've had this yummy paper from My Mind's Eye for awhile now and I haven't really used it much so it was very fun to pull it out and play! The first card uses the Glam Girls III set from C.C. Designs and the second card is a quick thank you card that a friend needed (the inside says "thank you"). Aaahh, feels good to be back!

Image - C.C. Designs
Paper - MME (sentiments are from the paper kit); DCWV; CTMH
Accessories - Copic Markers

  

Paper - MME (Tree is from the paper kit); CTMH
Accessories - Scallop oval punch: Marvy; Glitter: Stampendous

         

Rocker chick!

Oh, how I *heart* this card!!  See that rocker glam girl? I've been DYING for her and asked Christine several times to put me out of my misery and make a rocker-chick and she finally did! Yay!  (Now if only Alma would make a Rocker Poochie, but that's another story...hee, hee!)  Anyway, I used some really great pirate paper that I had in my stash to make this card, but I made "rocker-y" instead of "pirate-y" :) The image is colored with Copic makers and I used Stampin-Up! star punches as accents.  So, what do you think?  Don't you just love her?

Images - C.C. Designs; A Muse (sentiment)
Paper - Rusty Pickle; Neenah Crest; DCWV (black cardstock)
Ink - A muse Dy Ink (works GREAT with Copics!)
Accessories - Black glitter: Martha Stewart; Star punches - SU!; Copic markers; Sakura quickie glue pen; Brads - MM; Glitter pen - Silver Spica

New stamp release...

Today is the day that the 3 new AmyR Designs sets are being released by C.C. Designs.  I'm in love with these stamps!  The first two sets are Build a Holiday and Christmas Sentiments which I used on this card and then the set that I used today is Christmas Card Verses.  For my card, I was stuck on a layout so I decided to head over to SCS and check out their Sketch Challenges to see if anything inspired me.  Now, I hardly ever go on SCS except to upload pictures so it was fun to look around and check out all the eye candy!  My card uses the SC198 and I thought it would work well for using this verse as the focal point of my card.  Enjoy!

Sentiment - AmyR Designs
Paper - ProvoCraft Holiday Slab V
Ink: CTMH (Cranberry)
Accessories: Nestabilities; Snowflake punch - Marvy; Glitter - Stampendous ultra fine white; Dew Drops - Robin's Nest; Ribbon - A Muse

AmyR Designs Sneak-Peek!

I'm back from my blogging break to show you a ***sneak-peek*** of some new stamps being released by AmyR Designs at All That Scraps.  I love the concept of Amy's set - it's a bunch of squares, triangles, circles and other shapes that can be used to make LOTS of different things from presents to ornaments to snowmen.  Here I've used one of the squares along with the "ribbon" that's included to make a present.  And did you notice my fave technique?? Yep, the stamps are perfect for paper-piecing!  LOVE it!! 

(The ATS DT has made lots of really cool samples over on the blog so you can go there to see more of the set.)

All images - AmyR Designs
Ink - A Muse pigment ink
Paper - ProvoCraft Holiday Slab
Accessories - Ribbon: Offray; Glitter: Stampendous ultra fine; Sakura Quickie glue pen; Marvy punches

A shower...

No chatter today - gotta tend the to the fam!  Hope you're all having a good Monday!

Images - AmyR Designs (umbrella), A Muse (shower sentiment)
Patterned Paper - either Doodlbug or BoBunny (I think!)
Cardstock - CTMH (Sweet leaf, Blush, White Daisy)
Ink - Versafine, ColorBox
Accessories - Brads: American Crafts; Marvy Punchs; Paper piercer: CTMH

 

Review Preview - Sadie

Isaiah is super sick (I think he might have strep) so this is going to be short and sweet (seems like that's how it's been for me a lot lately.)  Anyway, here's a card using Santa Sadie, one of the new stamps from Stampin' Spot Studio (presented by C.C. Designs.)  Jen Ofiana is the designer of these super cute stamps and she has a great blog so check it out for more info.  Also, the ATS blog will be having a Review Preview today of these stamps as well as the new ones from Cookie Crumb designs (illustrated by Diane Zechman).

All images - C.C. Designs presents Stampin' Spot Studio (except for the candy thought bubble which is C.C. Designs)
Ink - VersaFine (heat set)
Paper - American Crafts; Neenah; DCWV
Accessories - Ribbon: A Muse; 1/16" paper punch - EK Success; Brads - American Crafts; Corner rounding punch - EK Success; Glitter - stampendous; Copic markers

C.C. Designs - New Stamps!

The October stamps from C.C. Designs (and some new designers!) are now available at All That Scraps!  Here's a card using the new Sugarplums Christmas Scene set.  Isn't this tree so cute?  And I really like how big it is so that it can be the focus of a whole card.   

Another short but sweet post.  I'm super busy prepping for my class tonight so I gotta go!  Have a great day!

All images - C.C. Designs
Ink - Adirondack
Paper, ribbon - American Crafts
Accessories - Twinkle Stickers: A Muse; Glitter: Stampendous; Copic Markers; Ribbon slot punch: MM

 

Sneak-Peeks!

The sneak-peeks have started for this month's release over at the All That Scraps blog!  AND they're giving away free stamps!  Head on over and check it out :)

Swell News

Here's another card using Amy Rysavy's new stamp set that she designed called Amy's Boutique and to go with it, Boutique Sentiments.   She did a great job designing these stamps and I think it's so fun that she made them specifically for Paper Piecing (my fave technique!)

I've had this pack of baby boy paper forever and I just love it, even thought I haven't used it in awhile.  If you haven't noticed, I really like to mix different paper patterns on one card. :) 

Hope you're all having a good day! Happy Friday!

All images - AmyR Designs
Paper - Target
Ink - ColorBox
Accessories - Ribbon - SU!; Nestabilities

(The paper looks crooked in the pic but it's actually not in real life.  Also, the lighting is a bit off because I took this late last night.)  :)

 

Monkey Tub

C.C. Designs is releasing a super cute new set tonight called My Rubber Ducky and here is a peek of a few of the images.  I just love this little monkey, he's so cute! The layout for this card is actually one of Jen's sketches from her blog.  Whenever I'm feeling stuck, I always check out her sketches and I feel immediately inspired - she is sooooo talented! 

The bathtub and ducky are paper-pieced and the monkey is colored with Copics.  I highlighted the bubbles with glitter (gotta have glitter!).  This set will be available at All That Scraps tonight at 10 pm Pacific time.

Hope you're all having a good day!  I'm swamped as always :)

All images - C.C. Designs (My Rubber Ducky set)
Paper, Ink - CTMH
Accessories  - Copic Markers; Ribbon - Offray; Glitter - Stampendous; Swiss Dots embossing folder - Cuttlebug

Boo!

Here's a quick little circle shaped card featuring some of the new stamps being released by C.C. Designs on September 9th. 

The head-stone and ghost were stamped, colered and cut-out before I adhered them to the patterned paper.  The 'Boo!' are stickers from Making Memories, paper is DCWV.  Thanks for looking! Feels good to be back in the blogging world :)

A card!

I just rememberd I photographed this card before my camera broke so I have something to show you!  This adorable little dracula bear is from the new stamp set Spooky, Spooky, Spooky being released by C.C. Designs on September 9th.  I actually made several of these for a customer that needed teddy bear Halloween cards.  The images is colored with PrismaColor pencils and the paper is from DCWV.  The bats are a punch from Martha Stewart, as is the "drippy goo" (the orange paper.)

Glad I could finally show you something!

Love this paper...

I got some of this paper from American Crafts and now I've kind of been going crazy with it!

The first card was made using the Olivia's Birdies set from C.C. Designs.  I paper pieced her shirt and then colored the rest in with Copic markers and PrismaColor pencils.  I've been obsessed with my Martha Stewart butterfly punch lately so I had to use it again.

All images - C.C. Designs
Paper - American Crafts, Neenah Crest
Ink - Adirondack
Accessories - Brads: American Crafts; Butterfly punch - MS; Paper piercer - MM; Paper piercing template - SU!

The second card is for a customer that requested some Teddy Bear birthday cards.  I used the Bear Hug's set for this one except the sentiment (C.C. Designs sentiment) and the party hat (A Muse).  The hat is paper pieced to match the rest of the card and the bear is colored in with Copic Markers. 

Images - C.C. Designs; A Muse
Paper - American Crafts, Neenah
Ink - Adironddack
Accessories - Adhesive Sheets: ThermoWeb;  Glitter - Stampendous ultra fine; Butterfly punch - MS; Punches - SU!; Marvy

C.C. Designs Sentiment Notecards

Every Friday, Christine will be doing a focus on a different stamp set that was released that month.  Today I'm showing the sentiments set, again! 

I really don't like to mass-produce cards, but then I always find myself needing an every day card to pop in the mail and I don't have one, so I end up using a store-bought one - ACK! What's wrong with me?!  Anyway, I decided to FORCE myself to make a bunch of one card and since I wanted something quick and easy, I went with notecards.  I knew I had seen some really cute ones on somebody's blog so I went on a hunt and found them on Michelle Wooderson's blog - Mish Mash.  My notecards are completely CASEd from hers.  I, of course, had to go with bright, funky colors, though :)

The notecards measure 5.5" x 4.25" and the strip of paper is 1" x 4".  I used my Nestabilities to cut out the ovals and the butterfly is a Martha Stewart punch (love that thing!)  I used three different sentiments from this set - "Thank you", "Sending you sunshine" and "a hello from me." 

I've already used two of these notecards - I'm so glad I made them!

Be sure to check out the ATS blog for more inspiring creations.

All images - C.C. Designs Sentiments
Paper - CTMH, unknown (don't know about the patterned paper - sorry!)
Ink - VersaFine
Accessories - Nestabilities - Scallop and Standard Oval; Butterfly punch - MS

 

Gettin' Tipsy - Go make a bunch of one card! :)  You'll be very glad you did when you need one in a hurry and you've got a stash of them.  Then, you won't have to buy one like me!

ATS Sketch Challenge

Every Wednesday, there is a design team (DT) challenge at the ATS blog and this week is a sketch challenge from Amy. Here's the sketch-

And here's my card using the Bear Hugs and Sentiments sets.  I love the combo of Kraft paper with pink and white - it's so pretty and sweet.

All images - C.C. Designs
Paper - SU! and CTMH
Ink - CTMH
Accessories - Ribbon: May Arts; Flowers - Prima; Brad - CTMH; PrismaColr pencils; Copic marker

 

C.C Designs Guest Designer

Have you ever thought about designing for a stamp company? Well, here's your chance to give it a shot.  C.C. Designs has just announced a Guest Designer program.  Be sure to check it out!

Another sneak-peek

ETA:  There is a fourth new set from C.C. Designs called Scenery but I haven't had a chance to make a sample for it yet.  Check out the ATS Blog for that one.  It's totally adorable!

C.C. Designs has a new Sentiments set and it is the greatest!! One reason why I really love it?  Because I suggested several of the sentiments and some of them I've been wanting for AGES so I'm thrilled that they are finally stamps!  This set has 31 sentiments in it so there is something for just about every occassion.  I used 'missing you' for this card.

My sample is actually one of several cards that I made for my friend Valerie for her birthday.  I made 8 of the same card and just changed the sentiment.  This is one of my fave gifts to give to people. I mean, who can't use more cards, right? :)

On a happy note, I went to Michael's yesterday and they had the new Martha Stewart Halloween punches! I just got one but there are a WHOLE LOT on my wish list!!  Fun, fun!

All the new C.C. Designs stamps will be available of the All That Scraps website tomorrow night at 10 pm EST.  Be sure to check them out!

Sentiment - C.C. Designs Sentiments
Paper - Doodlebug, SU!
Ink - Adirondack
Accessories: Scallop Blade - Fiskars Rotary Cutter; Ribbon - SU!

Gettin' Tipsy - Make several of the same card for your "stash" and leave the sentiment blank.  When an event or occassion comes up when you need a specific card (i.e. thank you, get well, etc.), all you have to do is stamp the sentiment and you're ready to go!

Olivia's Birdies **Sneak-Peek**

Here's a sneak-peek of my favorite set being released this month by C.C. Designs, it's called Olivia's Birdies and I just love it! The set has a little girl (Olivia) and several birdhouses, birdies and an awesome branch.  ACK!! IT'S SO CUTE!!

When I first saw the set, it reminded me of my grandma's house in Goldendale, WA (where I'm originally from.)  She has a gorgeous garden with lots of wooden birdhouses.  In the winter, it was always so pretty to see the little houses in the trees with snow on them (but no birdies, of course.)  To make my version of that memory, I used a black marker to ink up the branch stamp, omitting the leaves.  The little house is colored with PrismaColor pencils and I purposely shaded it to look a bit distressed, like a real birdhouse would be.  I added some pearl glitter to look like snow and then carefully highlighted it with a blue copic marker.  The sentiment and tiny snowflake are from the Wintertime Fun set. 

Hope you enjoy this little peek of what's to come! Be sure to check out the ATS Blog for more samples and a chance to win some new stamps!

All images: C.C. Designs (Olivia's Birdies and Wintertime Fun)
Adirondack: Pitch Black; ColorBox - Ice Blue (sponged around the birdhouse)
Paper: Close To My Heart, SU!; Neenah Crest - Solar White
Accessories: Hemp - Joann's; Glitter - Stampendous - Ultra fine Pearl; PrismaColor pencils; Sandpaper (for distressing); Copic marker - Cool shadow

Gettin' Tipsy - Try using your stamps in a new way by inking them up with markers instead of regular ink.  You can use different colors on the same stamp, or just ink up part of it like I did with the branch.  Be sure to "huff" on the stamp after you add ink but before you stamp it (like you would if you were trying to see your breath outside or cleaning a pair of glasses), this keeps the ink from drying out.

Bear Hugs

Today starts the sneak-peeks for C.C. Designs latest stamps!  My first sample is from the new set Bear Hugs.  It has some super cute bears and bees in it.  Be sure to check out the ATS Blog for some more peeks! :)

I used just the bees for my card and I colored them with PrismaColor pencils and added glitter to the wings for some extra sparkle!  This layout came together really quickly once I found the patterned paper and ribbon that I wanted to use.  I love it when things work smoothly! Some times I have to work and work on a card and it can be so frustrating! :)

Hope you're all having a good day!  Enjoy the sneak-peeks!

All images: C.C. Designs
Paper: Doodlebug; DCWV; Neenah
Ink: VersaFine - Onyx Black
Accessories: Circle punches - EK Success, Marvy; Scallop circle punch, slit punch - SU!; Ribbon - A Muse; Glitter - Stampendous Ultra fine white; PrismaColor pencils;

Gettin' Tipsy - Use the SU! Slit Punch to make scallops - here's a tutorial. I love this technique!

Swimming fun and Sketch

Hi Everyone! I made this card awhile ago but forgot to post it, so here ya go!  The layout for this one came from one of Jen Del Muro's Sketch For You To Try.  I don't usually do sketch challenges for some reason, but I always like the result when I do.   Hhmmm, maybe I should do them more often ? :) 

Here's the sketch-

And here's my card.  I used the Summertime Fun set from C.C. Designs (I LOVE that set!!)

All images - C.C. Designs
Paper - Bo Bunny, CTMH
Ink - Adirondack
Accessories: Copic Markers; Dew Drops; Circle punches - EK Success and Marvy

Gettin' Tipsy:  Go ahead and try out a different sketch once in awhile.   Besides Jen's blog above, here are a couple of more to try out-
~Splitcoaststampers
-Taylor Van Bruggen
-CPS

Pretty Kitty

Here's my second sample using the Pretty Kitties set from C.C. Designs.  For some reason, I just really like these cats done in pink and black, lol!  This layout is totally different from my normal style but I really like it.  It actually took me a LONG time to come up with this card because I kept moving things around and trying different things and nothing was working.  Finally, I came up with this and I really like how it turned out.  The scallops were made using my slit punch from SU! (love that thing!)

Hope you all had a great weekend! Happy Monday!!

All images: C.C. Designs
Paper: Doodlebug, CTMH
Ink: Adirondack
Accesories: Copic and PrismaColor markers; Circle punches - Marvy, EK Success; Slit punch - SU!; Paper piercer - CTMH

Busy, busy, busy

I've been super busy lately working on DT stuff, as well as getting my first class samples ready (yep, I'll be teaching classes soon, more details to come on that).  I can't show you most of what I've been doing but I can show you this card made from the Pretty Kitties set by C.C. Designs.  For some reason, as soon as I saw this kitty I imagined her in pink so that's what I did! 

Images: C.C. Designs and A Muse (sentiment)
Paper: Neenah Crest solar white; Doodlebug; CTMH
Ink: Adirondack
Accessories: Flower - Prima; Brad - American Crafts; Nestabilities - Scallop and standard oval; Twinkle Stickers - A Muse; Corner rounding punch - SU!; Glitter - Stampendous ultra fine white

Gettin' Tipsy: Try coloring your images a different color than they would normally be in real life.  Obviously there aren't actually pink cats but it sure works for this card!

Monkey havin' fun

As you know, I LOVE monkeys, they've always been my favorite animal and Theo's nickname is "Monkey" so I've been so happy that Christine has been adding these cute little guys to her stamp designs lately.  (Plus, I've been noticing that monkeys have been becoming more and more popular...hhhmmm, I wonder if they'll be the next "in" thing like birds and owls have been?)  Anyway, I love this little guy chillin' in his inner tube.  What a perfect way to spend a summer day, lol!  And you'll notice I used the same polka-dot paper that I'm slightly obsessed with. I can't help it! It's just screams "Use me for summer cards!!" :) 

Hope you all are having a great weekend!  Thanks for stopping by!

All images: C.C. Designs
Paper: Bo Bunny; Su!; CTMH
Ink: Adirondack
Accessories: Copic Markers; Ribbon - May Arts; Circle punches - EK Success and Paper Shapers

 

C.C. Designs new release

C.C. Designs' latest release was on Monday and the stamps are super cute!  I had one sneak-peek here but I totally forgot to post more of them!  So, here's another sample that I made using the Sweet Treats Card Kit.  I just love all the colors and fun accessories in this kit, Christine does such a great job putting them all together!

All images - C.C. Designs
Paper, ribbon, brads, jewel - Sweet Treats Card Kit
Accessories: PrismaColor Pencils; Marvy Tag Punch; Circle Punches - Marvy and Paper Shapers; Nestabilities - Scallop and Standard Square dies

For the first card, I colored the sweet little bear with PrismaColor pencils, cut him out with my square Nestabilities and then mounted him on a scallop square.  The sentiment was punched out with a Super Jumbo (blue) Marvy Tag punch.  (I love punches!)

This next card is my fave!  It all came together really quickly which is always nice! The image is colored PrismaColor pencils, again.  (Love those!)  I think everything else is pretty self-explanatory but feel free to email me with any q's.   

Gettin' Tipsy: Don't be afraid to mix patterned paper together.  The trick is to unify different patterns by using the same color scheme.   

Summer fun!

Here's my first sample from the new Summer Time Fun set from C.C. Designs that will be available on July 7th.  I actually made this card for Isaiah's birthday that was last Sunday.  He had a waterslide party so I knew I wanted to make a card with a water theme and this stamp was perfect!! As I said a couple of days ago, I'm slightly obsessed with this Bo Bunny paper at the moment -- I can't get enough of it!

Lucky is stamped and colored with PrismaColor pencils and his shorts are paper-pieced (of course!)  The waves underneath him were made with a small circle punch.  The rest is pretty self-explanatory but if you've got a question, don't be afraid to ask! :)

Hope you're all having a great LONG weekend! 

All images: C.C. Designs
Paper: Bo Bunny and CTMH
Ink: Adirondack
Accessories: PrismaColor Pencils and blending pencil; Circle Punch - Marvy

Happy 4th!

Hey chick-a-dees!! Happy 4th of July!  Ya got any fun plans?  We're having our second annual block party this afternoon and then I don't know what we're going to do this evening.  I'm sure it will be a fun day, though! Especially since Stacy is home from work -- that always makes any day great!

In honor of the holiday, I figured I should show ya another Virginia card dressed up in red, white and blue. 

She's colored with PrismaColor pencils and then her pants are paper-pieced (as always!)  I added some gitter to her white shirt but it's hard to see in the photo.  The acrylic star has glitter around it, too, because it wasn't really showing up very well without it.  And I got to use my new Cuttlebug tag die on this one for the sentiment - love those things!!

Hope you have a safe and wonderful 4th of July!! 

All images: C.C. Designs (except for the star which is A Muse)
Paper: Striped - Doodlebug?? (not sure); polka dot - unknown
Ink: Adirondack - Denim
Accessories: Ghost Shape Star - Heidi Swapp; Glitter - Stampendous; Ribbon - Offray; Tag Die - Cuttlebug; Corner Rounder - EK Success; PrismaColor Pencils and blending pencil; Quickie Glue Pen; Brads - Craft Essentials; Ribbon slot punch - MM

C.C. Designs **Sneak-peeks**

The **sneak-peeks** have started for the latest release from C.C. Designs over at the All That Scraps Blog.  Be sure to check them out!!  I'll have a card for it tomorrow!

Hoppy Birthday!

These frogs just crack me up!  They're from the Froggy and Friends set from C.C. Designs and I colored them using PrismaColor pencils (my fave coloring medium.)  The flower was distressed with pink ColorBox chalk ink (it was white originally) and after it dried, I tied the ribbon on the card and threaded it through the hole in the center of the flower. 

Enjoy!

All images: C.C. Designs
Paper: MM, DCWV
Ink: Adirondack
Accessories: Flower - Maya Road; Circle punches - Marvy and Paper Shapers; PrismaColor Pencils and blending pencil; Ribbon - offray

ATS Wednesday Challenge

This weeks challenge for the ATS DT was to use the C.C. Designs background stamps instead of patterned paper.  I chose to use the polka-dot one because it's just so darn cute!   I used Copics to color in the dragon-fly (from the new Froggie and Friends set) and I embossed the sentiment (by A Muse) using white embossing powder.

Hope you're all having a good day! I've been up since 5:15 a.m. and I'm TIRED!

Images: C.C. Designs and A Muse
Paper: SU!, CTMH, Neenah
Ink: Adirondack, CTMH
Accesories: White embossing powder - unknown; Nestabilities - Scallop and standard circles - Small; Ribbon - May Arts; Glitter pen - Jelly Roll