Rock ON Valentine, Reminder to Vote and Good Mail Day!

Lots going on here today! A reminder to my Split Coast Stamper Blogging Group to GO VOTE for our name...ANYTHING is better than GROUP 8...right? So be sure to p-mail me from Split Coast Stampers with your VOTE! You have until tonight midnight to do so... it's a very close race and your vote COULD make the difference!

Ok, now onto our card today...which was super fast fast fast.... I made this for my little brother (ok so he's like 6'6"...so not so little), but he's in a rock n roll band...The LOVE Handles (he's the youngest Love Handle at age 33), and they play 70's & 80's Rock Music...they are AWESOME! So I thought he'd appreciate this card...it is void of any "major" colors because he's color blind...so he sees things in shades of grey...in fact the red on here he'll think of as green...because of it's shade, but I digress... The layout was one of the Mojo Monday sketches (not this week's but past), and the sparkly paper seemed very "rockerish". The stamps were BRAND SPANKING new, so they didn't ink up quite as well as I would have liked, even though I stamped and restamped and scrubbed...sigh... I have a LOVE/HATE relationship with new acrylics...I LOVE them 'cuz they're new and hate them 'cuz they aren't cured quite yet... so maybe by next card the ink will settle in a bit better. Anyway, recipe below...

Recipe:

• Stamps: H & M Rock On
• Ink: Mary Cherry Red, Staz On Black
• Paper: DCWV
• Other: Circle punches by EK Success, Heart Stickers by K & Co., Pop Dot

And now onto my good mail day...I got a lovely package from KL Stamping and Scrapping Friday (it's been a super busy weekend) with this lovely little Tilda with a Candle from Magnolia stampers. Now I've never tried an EZ Mounted Stamp before, I buy everything unmounted ('cuz let's face it...I'm cheap!), so I'm anxious to ink her up and try her out. Be sure to stop by KLSNS' blog...they are having a fantastic contest this month where you could win some Yummy paper (Bittersweet by Basic Grey)...not too mention all the fabulous ideas...those dt ladies are just soooooo talented! They also have blog candy quite a bit...and everything they have offered so far has been uberly awesome!

Limited Supplies Challenge

Have you ever had paper you just coveted? You can't bring yourself to use it because it's soooo pretty! And of course you ONLY BOUGHT ONE SHEET? Well, this rose paper by IOD I only bought ONE of, on one of our "away" trips...and I have coveted this ONE PIECE for-evah! I finally broke down and used it for this card though...

This card was made for the Limited Supplies Challenge on Split Coast Stampers, our limit was that we were only allowed to use ONE sentiment stamp...no more stamps...so that left paper and embellishments. Since I was in a "flowery" mood from my Princess Bride card (see previous post) I decided to continue in my floral mojo with this one and I planned the entire card around my coveted rose paper. I also FINALLY inked up this Birthday stamp that I've had for awhile... This card is pretty straight forward...no secret stuff going on here (wink)...so below is the recipe and have a great weekend!

Recipe:

• Stamps: Paper Inspirations Birthday Calligraphy
  Ink: Tim Holtz Antique Photo
• Paper: IOD, MME
• Punch: Martha Stewart; Branch, Butterfly, Lace Border
• Other: Robins Nest Dew Drops, Flower, Ribbon, Charm

Quadruple Challenge Princess Bride Card

This is a QUADRUPLE Challenge card...whew!

• Paper Craft Planet's Sketch Challenge Group

• Cinema Saturdays Creative Challenge#17 Princess Bride Movie Theme
• Split Coast Stampers Ways to Use It Embellishment Pile Up
• Stamp Simply's #73 Negative Challenge

I KNEW when I saw the sketch and the Cinema Saturday theme EXACTLY WHAT I wanted to do...now I've never seen the Princess Bride movie, and I KNOW you can watch it online, however I have turtle speed internet service...and I mean some blogs I click on ... go do dishes (by hand) and come back and it "might" be up... so I didn't bother to download the movie and watch it online, so I ran with the "bride" theme.

I used no dp in this card...it's completely handstamped! The dress in this card is recessed and the scalloped border has been pushed out for a nice layered effect (another angle is below to show this better). Since I didn't have any complimentary paper that matched my color choices, I made my own by sponging ink onto the creamy cardstock. The sentiment in the upper left hand corner was made with my nestabilities, and flowers (just like in the lower right hand corner) that I folded up and sewn shut, I added some Martha Stewart Branches and a Butterfly and some Stickles and Rhinestones to match! Below in the lower right hand corner, I layers MS branches with some pip berries I had left over from another Christmas project and paired the flowers with some ring embellishments brought home from a wedding reception favor. The ribbon seen has also been inked so that it matched. Hope you enjoyed...recipe specifics are below!

Recipe:

• Stamps: Hero Arts Italian Poetry Background, Inkadinkado Wedding Dress, Studio G Sentiment
• Ink: Tim Holtz Scattered Straw
• Paper: Cream Cardstock
• Dies: Nestabilities Circle and Circle Scallops
• Punches: Martha Stewart Branches and Butterfly
• Other: Stickles, Flowers, Pip Berries, Rings and Ribbon
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

Cupcake Craft Challenge #25 & Mojo Monday

Is anyone else FREEEEZZZZZING? Brrr! It was one of THOSE days yesterday, when it was bone chilling cold...the kind of cold you can't seem to warm up from! It's not necessarily a record breaking day as far the thermometer goes (I think our high was in the teens) but the dampness...brrrrrr......right to the bone!

Well, since it was cold and I was cold, I decided to do a card with some springtime (and warmer) flavor to it. This week on the Cupcake Craft Challenge blog was a color challenge (see below for a picture of the colors), the colors are pretty in pink, perfect plum, pale plum and whisper white...don't those sound like springtime colors? This week the CCC blog is also picking two people to be guest designers...how cool is that? So this is my entry... I used this weeks sketch from the Mojo Monday blog for my card...
I just love Magnolia's Tilda, she is just so sweet! She's an absolute blast to color also, I have the best time with her hair! Today she' s a blonde with purple ribbons in her hair (don't you wish you could change your hair color with just a stroke of a pencil or pen? I sure do...LOL)! This is a pretty straight forward card for me, I stickled the flower a little and all the butterflies and I actually stuck one butterfly on the flower itself with a glue dot. I used a lot of pop dots on this card, it's a dimensional card...keep scrolling down to see an angled view. Recipe is at the bottom. Thanks for looking!

Recipe:

• Stamps: Magnolia Tilda Sitting, CTMH Happy Birthday, Doodlebug Teen Girl Butterflies
• Paper: DCWV Nana's Nursery
• Ink: Staz On
• Punch: Martha Stewart Lace Border
• Other: Flower, Stickles, Button, Ribbon, Pop Dots

The Sound of Crickets.... and a Valentine

...so I went to a Mary Kay demonstration last night with my BFF (she's a consultant)...and we did our faces and they tooks our photos (which we'll collect next week when they try to recruit us...LOL)... However my BFF was in another room doing "consultant" things and we (the guests as we were called) were left with one of the "higher" up consultants that helped us through our make up application process. Very sweet woman, however, she just wasn't too sure of me... For starters, she had us hold up our right hands and "repeat after her"...so I did UNTIL she said "laugh at my jokes..." I took my hand down and looked at her straight in the eye and said "Nope, not gonna promise that, 'cuz I don't know if you're funny..."... I don't think she's used to having someone so straight forward (or with a DRY sense of humor...because really, I was just being my comedic little self!), after that I think she just handled me with "kid gloves"...(I did laugh at a few of her funnier jokes though...). So we get our make up on, our photos taken (Valentine's gifts for dh's is how they were presented) and the rest of the consultants return to the guests...and the "higher" up consultant goes around and asked the consultants what differences they noticed in their guests... Comments for the first guest were like "Wow! What a difference, beautiful, etc..." is what I heard... Comments for the second guest were like"Deeper eyes, etc..." and then we get to me...and YES this is where I heard crickets.... I felt like saying "Buehler, Buehler....Buehler?"...and then one consultant yelled "YOU'RE SMOKING HOT!" ... I couldn't help but giggle.... I almost ran over there and kissed this woman I didn't even know... so I'm guessing that this makes me ... well ... makes me... hmm... I CAME to this thing w/o make up and no one really noticed a difference AFTER the makeup... so I'm either uglier than a mud rail fence or I just don't look like I'm wearing make up when I am...hmmm??????? So I'm not sure WHAT it makes me...but when I got home dh told me I looked "all dolled up..."...gosh I love that man! I did feel pretty...even if I did hear crickets....LOL...

Ok, well now onto our card for today...this was done for the House Mouse Monday Challenge (Valentines) and the Spoon Full of Sugar Sketch. I made this card for my mom, she's pretty much the reason I have an affinity for bunnies (and who could resist the snugglishishness of these Happy Hoppers?)! The quote on the bottom of the card says "If I know what love is, it is because of you!" My flowers have been lightly inked, then stickled and then two tear drop rhinestones put together to fashion a heart in the middle. I added ribbons and the love charm to the right. The stick pin on the lower left of the card is actually a jewelry pin, that I added beads to and a distressed Martha Stewart Lace Heart to...the minute I saw the lacey heart I KNEW I wanted to stick a pin through it! LOL! I added the tear drop rhinestones to the top of the lacey heart to give it a little bling! The last bead has 1/2 a glue dot on it and then the pin stuck through so the beads don't slide off. My Happy Hoppers are colored with colored pencils and I shadowed them in pink very lightly and then distressed the edges of the cardstock with some Antique Photo Ink by Tim Holtz. I stickled the hearts (although THAT did not photo well) I also distressed the Lacey Heart Border with the Antique Photo Ink. I finished the card off with a little piercing...and yes I used my favorite color...PINK! Recipe below...

Recipe:

• Stamps: House Mouse Happy Hoppers Love Bunny
• Ink: StazOn, Tim Holtz Antique Photo
• Paper: De Ja View, Around the Block
• Punches: Martha Stewart Lacey Heart, Heart Lace Border Punch
• Other: Rhinestones, Beads, Ribbon, Heart Charm, Pop Dots, Colored Pencils, Stickles, Piercing Bug

Ghirardelli Box & Cards for Kids

The minute I saw the tutorial on Split Coast Stampers I KNEW I wanted to make one of these (and visiting Sumbines blog really inspired me...thanks Sumbine!)..especially since it involved chocolate! This was truly easy to make, and would make such a nice little gift to someone...the box holds 2 Ghirardelli squares of chocolate...yummmmm!
Do you have a Cricut and the Design Studio Software? This blog has a file you can download that will CUT the Ghirardelli boxes for you...how cool is that! And she's just offering it for free!
Recipe is below...

Recipe:

• Stamp: Inkadinkado Hearts and Love
• Paper: Me and My Big Ideas
• Punch: Fiskars Threading Water
• Other: Brads, Organza Ribbon, Pop Dots

Below is the valentines I made for the Cards for Kids Valentine program. They needed something for the older children...boys in particular...so I thought these weren't "girly" and they were Clean and Simple, so they went together quickly. Recipe is in Saturday's post...

I'm having a GREAT stamping day....

...first off, I WON the KL Stamping and Scrapping challenge over at Paper Craft Planet with my Happy Hearts Day Tilda, what did I win? Well I won a Tilda w/a Candle stamp...I'm SOOOOOO EXCITED!

THEN I wandered over to Paper Craft Planet's Photo's...and my OTHER Tilda Card is a FEATURED PHOTO...OMG! Am I having a GREAT stamping Day or WHAT?!!!!!

I did stamp today, I made about a dozen of the Tree Full of Love Valentines for the Cards for Kids program...to date, she has over 3,500 Valentines...her goal was 1,000! WOW!

Think I'll be going to bed on Cloud 9 tonight...