Hey, Hey, We're the Monkee's, People Say we Monkey Around...

..but we're too busy singing, to put anybody down! Ok, so everytime I look at any of the Monkey images by Dustin Pike (this one included) I have that tune running through my head (I'm telling my age! I had such a crush on Davey...he was sooo dreamy!), but ANYWAY, I decided to do a dual challenge with my Monkey card here... on my Creatively Cute Bloggers Challenge group was to use an image that is sweet (so I think the birthday cake takes the cake there) and then I decided to join Split Coast Stampers Sketch Challenge 226 this week.

I printed out my Birthday Monkey and colored him in with Copics and then I cut out the hands and birthday cake and popped them off my card to give it a bit of a 3-D effect. I'm just loving these Monkey's they are too adorable...be sure to pop by Dustin Pikes blog, he's got a freebie digital Monkey on there that's just as cute! Thanks for dropping by today!

Recipe:

• Stamps: Dustin Pike, Hero Arts Simple Birthday
• Paper: My Minds Eye
• Other: Nestabilities Circle and Pinking Dies, Copics

Digital Tuesday Challenge, 'April Showers bring May Flowers'

Here's my first DT entry for the new challenge blog Digital Tuesday. This weeks theme is April Showers bring May Flowers, and the deets direct from the challenge blog "Make a card that has something to do with rain, or flowers", so, easy enough!
Now I drew my inspiration from Michelle Peterson and this card here , I could NOT get it out of my head (ever have that...something that just STICKS? I had to create something just to quiet my mind, so this is what I came up with). I used Susie Squirrel watering flowers from Digital Stamp Oasis, colored her in with Copics and then I cut her out with my Nestabilites and embossed her, but before I removed my die, I sponged a little pink ink around her for a nice edge, I then layered her onto a scalloped, embossed circle. I then punched a strip of paper with my Martha Stewart Lace border punch and then I put that through my Cuttlebug Embossing Folder Swiss Dots, tied some organza ribbon around it and then layered that on another layer of embossed paper (stylized flowers). I then added some punchies in the corner and glittered a couple of them up.
I hope you are able to join in on the fun this week at Digital Tuesday Challenge, one lucky recipient will win 3 of Dustin Pike's images of their choosing. If you are not familiar with Dustin Pike's images take a little peek around my blog, as I have made a few cards with his images, I just LOVE them...and I have a few more cards that are waiting to be made with his images, or just go to his blog and take a little peek...and psst...every Wednesday he GIVES a FREEBIE away...
Thanks for joining me today!
Recipe:

• Stamp: Digital Stamp Oasis Susie Squirrel Watering Flowers
• Ink: SU Pretty in Pink
• Punches: All Martha Stewart, Lace Border, Scallop Heart, Regular Heart, Leaves
• Embossing: Cuttlebug Swiss Dots and Stylized Flowers
• Dies: Nestabilities Circle and Scalloped Circle
• Other: Glitter, Organza Ribbon, Copics

Stamptacular Sunday Challenge #4: Charmed, I'm Sure

This card is for the Stamptacular Sunday Challenge #4, Charmed I'm Sure! The challenge is to use one charm somewhere on your card... So I decided it would look adorable hanging on the moon!
I cut the moon using 2 circles from my Nestabilities set, I used the Largest circle in the set to cut out my moon, and then I used the next size down to give it a moon shape... I then pierced a hole at the edge and threaded my charm through that. I double pop dotted the moon off of my embossed background so that the charm could hang freely. I then stamped, colored (with Copics) and cut out my mouse (she was originally on a cottonball) and added her to my moon. I then stamped and cut out my sentiment, letting it hang over slightly on my moon, then added the lace border and organza ribbon. I hope you like it, recipe as usual, is below...thanks for visiting today!

Recipe:

• Stamp: House Mouse Dreampuff, SU So Many Sayings
• Paper: SU Heavenly Blue, CM Graduation (yellow paper)
• Ink: Memento
• Dies/Punches: Nestabilities Circles, Martha Stewart Lace Border
• Other: Cuttlebug Swiss Dot, Organza Ribbon, Love Charm, Pop Dots, Copics

Digital Stamp Oasis New Release

Today, Digital Stamp Oasis is releasing 8 new images! I chose this new one, Monkey Time...I think they are soooo adorable! I love the little baby...I think this image would be adorable for baby cards! There are some absolutely adorable new images...be sure to drop by sometime today to see the new releases!

Recipe:

• Stamps: Digital Stamp Oasis Monkey Time, HOTP Sentiment
• Paper: The Paper Studio
• Punches: Fiskars Threading Water, Nestabilities Circles and Scalloped Circles
• Flowers: The Paper Studio
• Button: Foofala
• Other: Ribbon

Party Squirrel

Hi! I know you've missed me (wink!)...I've had a super busy week and I've been busy crafting, but unfortunately nothing I can share on my blog...yet.... I've been working on a few things to submit to a few publications, and of course am not allowed to share!

I also made the DT for the NEW Digital Challenge Blog, Digital Tuesday Challenge! I'm sooo excited to be part of such an amazing new DT! So I've been feverishly working on a thing or two for that also! Be sure to drop by there, there are challenges going on right now with prizes for the taking!

ANYWAY...I decided to join the "Just Christmas and Birthday Cards" blog challenge and they had a wonderful sketch this week (see photo below card). I've been a little shy on the masculine type cards, so thought I would do a card a little more masculine this week... I decided to use the Party Squirrel image from Digital Stamp Oasis, I colored him in with Copics and then added stickles to the balloons..the rest was just layering and tying...and for those wondering how I got two perfectly in-sync tears ... I used my tearing ruler from Creative Memories. Hope you enjoy!



Recipe:

• Stamp: Party Squirrel from Digital Stamp Oasis, Happy Birthday from HOTP
• Paper: SU Kraft, Chatterbox Small Sky Argyl, Red is scrap
• Other: Foofala Buttons, Twine, Memento Ink, Copics

Stamptacular Challenge #3: Black and White, Plus ONE

Here is my creation for this weeks Stamptacular Sunday Challenge #3, Black and White, Plus One, which means I used the colors Black, White, Plus one of MY choosing...so I chose PINK! I've had this idea floating around in my head for quite some time and I was very excited when I finally got to create it!

I know a lot of you think this card was TONS of work, but it really wasn't, it was slightly repetitive, so that made it go really quickly...I'm going to break down the directions for you today on this card... at least the butterflies part...

Directions:

• Emboss your background
• Layer it on your card (as shown below)
• Punch out Butterflies
• Run them through a Xyron Machine
• Add your pearls for the bodies
• Add your pop dot on the back (make sure you keep the covering tab over the adhesive that attaches to your card...you don't want it to glitter up or it won't stick!)
• Holding your pop dot, add your glitter
• Bend the butterfly wings up
• Remove the tab and attach the butterfly to your card

I did START with the pink butterfly first and put the rest of the butterflies around that one...I also added a black, flat butterfly and then layered the pink one on top for a more dramatic effect.

See...easy peasy! Another Photo and recipe below...thanks for joining me today...be sure to stop over at the Stamptacular Sunday Challenge blog and see what the other DT members made!

Recipe:

• Paper: SU Whisper White and Pink (sorry don't remember which...)
• Punch: Martha Stewart Butterfly, Family Treasures (for the sentiment)
• Glitter: Making Memories
• Pearls: Martha Stewart
• Embossing: Cuttlebug Swirls
• Other: Pop Dot

Bridal Shower

This is a quick card I did for the Fun Frilled Blog - theme Bridal Shower - I cased this card from Nichole Heady's Blog. This was super simple, so recipe is below and thanks for looking!
Recipe:

• Stamps: Inkadinkado Wedding Dress, Hero Arts Italian Poetry Background
• Ink: Memento
• Paper: SU Bashful Blue
  Other: Martha Stewart Lace Punch and Pearls, Stitching, Computer Printed Sentiment

Quit Monkeying Around...

Well, in my "monkeying around" I rocked a few challenges with this card...here's the challenges I followed:

• The Pink Elephant : Color Scheme Pink, Green, Yellow
• Spoon Full of Sugar: Diecuts and Punches
• Stamp Something: Shapes
• Fun Frilled: April Fools

Now onto the card...I started with my image (a freebie from Dustin Pike and pssst...if you like his images, he's starting his own stamping line...), I colored this adorable little monkey in with my Copics and cut him out with my Nestabilities Label 1. I printed off my sentiment and added a Cricut Banana (Animal Kingdom Cart) and wound some twine around it, then added a little heart sticker from K & Co. Towards the bottom I wound some twine again and tied it off and added a yellow button with a pink heart. I kept this card fairly simple since it was to be a masculine cheer up card...didn't want to go to girly with all the embellishments..and well, let's face facts, I can get a tiny bit carried away (grin!)... the inside of the card says ..." and get well soon"... thanks for joining me today, recipe below...
Recipe:

• Digital Stamp: Dustin Pike
• Paper: Deja View Leaf Red Garden, SU Chocolate Chip
• Dies: Nestabilities Label 1, Cricut Animal Kingdom (banana)
• Other: Hearts by K & Co, Buttons by Autumn Leaves, Twine and Grosgrain Ribbon

Double Digital Challenge: Shabby Chic meets Bling!

I decided to do two digital challenges this week, Digital Tuesday's Challenge (shabby chic was the challenge) and Dare you to Digi Stamp Friday (bling was the challenge)

Digital Tuesday's Challenge this week is to make a project that is "Shabby Chic". So I had an idea of WHAT Shabby Chic was, but googled it anyway and this is what I came up with:

"Shabby chic doesn't follow rigid rules and is a hodge-podge of mismatched colors, textures and materials with an aged looked to them. "

Dare You to Digi Stamp Friday was to add some bling to your project...

Now were these two challenges made to match or what? LOL

I started off with Digital Stamp Oasis' image Susie Squirrel Watering Flowers...she is so adorable and soooo Springy...she's such a favorite of mine! I colored her in with Copics and then I sponged the edges to distress it a bit. I then layered it a scalloped rectangle and sponged that also. THEN I got out my pink paper and decided since this is supposed to be "distressed"...what more could I do to paper? Well, Crumple it, of course! (now this is WAAAAAAY outside my comfort zone! LOL) So I crumpled, and crumpled and crumpled, then I opened it up and decided I needed more distressing, so then I got my distress edger and did that (in hindsight it probaby would have been easier to do that BEFORE the crumpling!) and then I added a little ink on with my sponge and then I sewed it down, added my Susie image and then stickled the background of the pink paper. I added the ribbon, the tag and the flower with leaves and "aged" those with some more ink. I hope you enjoy, this was a fun card to make...thanks for visiting me today and the recipe is below!

Recipe:

• Digital Image: Susie Squirrel Watering Flowers by Digital Stamp Oasis
• Rubber Stamp: Flower by Paper Trey Ink, Thanks by Hot Off the Press Expressions
• Paper: The Paper Studio
• Ink: Tim Holtz Antique Photo, Memento, SU Pretty in Pink
• Die: Nestabilities Rectangle and Rectangular Scallop, Punch Martha Stewart Leaf
• Other: Stickles, Tag, Grosgrain Ribbon, Silk and Paper Flower, Button, String, Sewing Machine

Stamptacular Sunday Challenge #2: For the Birds

Easter Greetings Everyone! Hope everyone is having a wonderful Easter Day! We're supposed to have beautiful weather later today, so there should be some great egg hunting going on today!

This week on the Stamptacular Sunday Challenge, our challenge was to create something that had a bird on it. I chose to create a birdhouse ornament with spring colors. I used my latest, favorite stamp set from Paper Trey Ink, With Sympathy (see...this is set is super versatile!). I also used the Bird House Pattern and tutorial I got from Nicole Heady's blog (founder of Paper Trey Ink), this birdhouse was actually created as a Christmas ornament originally...

So I printed out my pattern on the paper, cut the birdhouse house, stamped it and assembled it. Now I didn't have the LONG rectangle Nestabilities that was called for the roof, so what' a stamper to do? Fudge a little of course! I actually just got out my scallop scissors (they FINALLY have a use other than collecting dust!) and I cut my roof out like that. I then threaded my string hanger through my roof before I put it on my little bird house. I added the base I cut out from my Cricut Mini Monograms cart and some swarvoski rhinestones to the side of the little bird house. Then tied some pretty ribbon on my hanger. I stamped and cut out my bird and glittered it, then I double pop dotted it off the birdhouse (see photo #2). It was really a quick little project, I thought these would look super cute on someones Easter tree... recipe below as usual, thanks for dropping in!



Recipe:

• Pattern: Bird House Trim-the-Tree Ornament
• Stamps: Paper Trey Ink With Sympathy, Bird from Inkadinkado
• Paper: DCWV Nana's Nursery (roof), Remainder from Joann's Cardstock Stack
• Ink: Tim Holtz Shabby Shutters, SU Lavendar Lace
• Other: Cricut Mini Monograms, Scallop Scissors, Swarvoski Rhinestones, Martha Stewart Glitter, American Crafts Ribbon, Green String (found in the Jewelry section at Wal-Mart), Pop Dots, Circle Punch by EK Success.

Dream Team Call, New Digital Challenge Blog and I won!!!!!

Well, I've got LOTS and LOTS of news to share today...

1st - Digital Stamp Oasis is having a DT Call for their NEW Digital Tuesday Challenge Blog, the details for the DT Call are HERE.

2nd - Be sure to drop by their New Digital Tuesday Challenge Blog, it's already going...I'm loving the challenges I've seen so far (and need to get my hiney in gear and make a card for the current one... Shabby Chic.... how cool! ) I've got ideas running circles in my head!

3rd - I won a stamp set from the All That Scraps 2nd Anniversary Challenge, I was the random winner...I'm soooo excited, I decided on the newly released Tweet-ies Set. So you'll be seeing a few more "regular" rubber stamps from me in the near future...although I'll never stray from digital...gosh I just love digi-stamping!

4th - Dustin Pike has another freebie on his blog again, this time it's a monkey...he's adorably cute and perfect for some little boy cards I think...

Have a Great Good Friday for those that observe...I must get ready to go to a crop tomorrow and I plan on preplanning some pages so MAYBE I'll accomplish more than 4 layouts while I'm gone for 8 hours! LOL

Kids Craft: Fuzzy Bunny Pencil Topper

I used to make these fuzzy bunny pencil toppers as a child and sell them to my school mates (however I didn't make them with ears and a nose...they were genderless and I made them in every color under the sun!). What is neat about these is that when you twirl the pencil back and forth in your hands, they get "fluffier" Immediately below is the before twirl...
...and this is the after twirl...

Here's some quick directions:

Supplies Needed:

• Fake Fur 3" X 4"
• Pencil
• Glue gun and glue
• Rubber Band
• White Felt (pink felt optional, I colored my ears in with Copics)
• Google Eyes
• Nose (I used a pink plastic rhinestone)
• Ribbon

Directions:

• Lay your fake fur with the fur towards the table
• Glue 1/2 of one short side of fur and lay eraser and pencil in it.
• Glue the bottom length of the fur to the pencil, rolling as you go.
• Glue the end of the fur back to itself.
• Using the rubber band, wind it around the bottom and tie a ribbon on top covering it.
• Cut ears out of felt, glue onto head
• Add eyes and nose
• Let glue dry and then have fun...

Friday Sketchers: Susie Squirrel in Rain

This week I decided to join the Friday Sketchers Challenge , see sketch below...and decided to make a card for my friends under the weather dad...this card might be a little feminine...but I think he'll appreciate it anyway.

I used this adorable image from Digital Stamp Oasis, this is Susie Squirrel in the Rain...appropriate I think... Anyway, I colored her in with my Copics, then I cut her out with my Nestabilities Labels (2 I think), and added some dimensional glaze. Punched out my flowers, ran them through my Xyron, added rhinestones, glittered them, then pop dotted them. All the papers I used came out of my scraps pile, so I can only do a best guess as the blue is SU and the polka dots are MME... anyway, hope you enjoy, recipe is below with the sketch. Thanks for visiting today!

Recipe:

• Stamp: Digital Stamp Oasis Susie Squirrel in the Rain
• Paper: SU Heavenly Blue and MME (I think)
• Dies: Nestabilities Label 2
• Punches: EK Success Flower, CM Leaves
• Other: Rhinestones, Glitter, Xyron, Pop Dot, Organza Ribbon

Triple Challenge Easter Card

First I must say, what a KICK OFF the Stamptacular Sunday Challenge Blog had...for those of you that were visiting, may I say a big "thanks", it was quite a "new beginning!" Hope you had as much fun as I did visiting all the DT's blogs and looking at everyone's entries! I certainly hope you join us again! Be sure to drop by again today...the winners have been posted!

Now onto our card for today, this card meets 3 Challenges:

• Dare U2 Digi Stamp (sketch see below)
• Creatively Cute Bloggers (Easter Card with Texture)
• All That Scraps 2nd Anniversary Challenge (use their stamps...this is actually ny 2nd entry...I just love their stamps...so fun...and be quick...you could win one of their stamp sets just by entering...but you have only today left to enter!)

So I printed out CC Designs, Think Spring, colored in Copics and then cut out, I popped the Gingersnap and the lamb off of the card giving it a bit of dimension. I layered it with some Marcella by K & Co. paper. I gave a little texture by using my Cuttlebug Swirls Embossing Folder, then I put my organza ribbon on. I added some flowers in the corner that I have had forever and don't remember who has made them... for the large yellow flower I added a button and topped it off with a rhinestone.

I have TONS of questions REGARDING THE BLUE SHADOWING I do around my images. I use a Copic B00, Frost Blue and then I use my Blender pen and outline the outline...LOL...so it fades just a tad. Thanks for looking and as usual, my recipe is below!

Recipe:

• Stamps: CC Designs Think Spring Digi Stamps, PTI Limitless Labels
• Ink: Memento
• Paper: Marcella by K & Co
• Dies: Nestabilities Rectangle and Scallop Rectangle
• Copics, B00, BG01, C3, RV02, RV10, Y00, Y06, Y17, E00, E02, YG03, YG11, Blender
• Other: Organza Ribbon, Cuttlebug Swirls Embossing Folder, Rhinestones, Button, Flowers (unknown), White Gel Pen

Stamptacular Sunday Challenge; New Beginnings

Hi All!
Today is the start of the Stamptacular Sunday Challenge! Today's challenge is "New Beginnings", here are the details directly from the Stamptacular blog:

"This week's challenge is: NEW BEGINNINGS
How appropriate, since this week is our new beginning. You are free to create any type of project that you choose as long as it is something for a New Beginning AND includes some type of stamping! Once you have completed your challenge project, please leave us a comment that includes a direct link to your work! This will make it much easier for us to take a peek and see what you made! " Not only do we have the weekly Stamptacular Sunday Challenge, there will be bonus challenges through out the day today! So be sure to drop by the Stamptacular Sunday Challenge Blog to link your project to win some great prizes!

Below I chose to make a card for a really new beginning...a baby card! I used my Paper Trey Ink With Sympathy stamp set again (see I told you it's super versatile set!...wait 'til you see how I used this set next week...I'm totally addicted to it!). I cut the bib out with my circle Nestabilities and then I stamped it. The vines in Shabby Shutters (by Tim Holtz) and added the flowers, Pretty in Pink by SU, then stickled the flowers to give them a little sheen!

I then punched out my ruffle using Martha Stewart's Lace Border punch and then ran it through my crimper, then I put adhesive along the entire back of the bib and attached my lace trim. I then added my ribbon and waa laa, one cute baby bib!

I matted it on SU's Pretty in Pink paper and ran that through my Cuttlebug Embossing Folder, Swiss Dots.

I hope you enjoy my project today and be sure to stop by the Stamptacular Sunday Challenge Blog to see what wonderful projects my other dt members have come up with! Recipe below as usual...thanks for looking!

Recipe:

• Stamps: Paper Trey Ink With Sympathy and Limitless Labels
• Inks: Tim Holtz Shabby Shutters, SU Pretty in Pink, Memento Black
• Punches/Dies: Martha Stewart Border Lace, Nestabilities Circles
• Embossing: Cuttlebug Swiss Dot
• Other: Paper Crimper, Stickles, Organza Ribbon, Pop Dots
  

Stamptacular Sunday Starts TOMORROW!!!!

Less than 24 hours and the BRAND "NEW Beginning" of the Stamptacular Sunday Challenges begin! Be sure to stop in several times tomorrow, there will be games AND PRIZES throughout the entire day! I'll see you there!

CC Designs Anniversary Challenge

CC Designs is having an Anniversary Challenge this week (see details here), in addition to all their new fabulous stamps... (have you seen them? Oh the cuteness!) I've already got some of my stamping budget spent on their new releases...oh my!
So the challenge was to create a card using a CC Design as the main focal point...easy peasy! Since I'm terribly behind in my Easter card making I decided to do an Easter card. I colored my images with Copic markers and then I cut out the lamb and the bunny and pop dotted them for a bit of dimension. I added my knotted, organza ribbon and then a pin with beads and an epoxy from Making Memories (found at Big Lots), added my button with some string and added a little flower with a Dew Drop. Hope you enjoy, recipe is below...and thanks for looking!

Recipe:

• Stamps: CC Designs Spring Thing
• Paper: DCWV Sweet Shoppe
• Dies: Nestabilities Label 1
• Other: Copics, Making Memories Epoxy and Flower, Robins Nest Dew Drop, Organza Ribbon
  
  
  

Hippity Hoppity, Easter's On It's Way....

I joined Spoon Full of Sugar's Challenge this week and decided since Easter is "almost" here, to use this adorable image from Digital Stamp Oasis, this is Rebecca Rabbit with the Easter Cart. Isn't she just adorable? I colored her in with my Copics.
The challenge this week from Spoon Full of Sugar was a sketch (see photo of it below), and while it LOOKS complicated, really came together fairly fast! I decided since Rebecca Rabbit was pushing a cart full of eggs, to mimic those in my sentiment and along side her. The egg along side her has a organza ribbon knot on top of the egg and some flowers with rhinestones in the middle along side it. My sentiment is from CTMH from a really old super set they had, I placed it on an egg and surrounded it with a couple more eggs and some rhinestoned flowers. Thanks for looking, recipe is below as usual!

Recipe:

• Stamps: Rebecca Rabbit by Digital Stamp Oasis, Sentiment by CTMH
• Ink: Memento
• Paper: DCWV Nana's Nursery, Cardstock SU
• Punches: Leaf by Martha Stewart, Flower by EK Success, Circle Scallop Oval by Nestabilities
• Other: Organza Ribbon, Rhinestone, Pop dots
• Copics: BV02, BV00, RV10, RV02, YG11, YG03, YR20, E37, E29, B00, Blender

Stamptacular Sunday Challenge

The wait and suspense is almost over! Only a few more days until the debut of the Stamptacular Sunday Challenges begin!

THIS SUNDAY, April 5th is the start of the Stamptacular Sunday Challenges and you will want to be there. For the "grand opening" there will be games and prizes throughout the day, as well as the challenge. All the DT members have been working hard on the challenges these last few weeks and I have to tell you that their work is just, well...STAMPTACULAR! You should SEE what they have in store!

There are tons of fun and unique challenges planned, hopefully making us one of the most successful challenges around! Be sure to stop by, lots going on this Sunday, April 5th!

Easter Dragon

I decided to join Split Coast Stampers Sketch Challenge this week (see below for actual sketch), I also decided to use this Easter Dragon image I got free from Dustin Pike. Be sure to check out his blog...he's got lots of cute freebies on there! Now I've never actually SEEN an Easter dragon (and maybe the Easter Bunny was his snack...) BUT, this is a really cute image... I colored him in with my Copics and sponged on a blue sky. The dragon and chick have been layered, I then added some swirls and some eggs that I wrapped in string...I didn't want this to be too girly (but then again...it might already be too late! LOL) I put this all on some Chick paper I bought at least a year ago, because I thought it was "cute"...LOL...so I used up my stash... see below for a close up of the eggs and the dragon, the sketch and the recipe. Thanks for looking!

Recipe:

• Stamp: Digital Image by Dustin Pike, Paper Trey Ink Limitless Labels
• Ink: SU Heavenly Blue, Tim Holtz Black Soot
• Paper: Reminisce
• Dies: Sizzix Swirls and Oval Nestabilities
• Other: String, Organza Ribbon, Pop Dot, Copics