Thanks So Much

Hey there! It's my first week back at school, and boy, am I tired! I came home last night and crashed HARD. Feeling just as exhausted today, but darn it, I am trying to keep up some kind of regularity on the ol' blog, so here I am.

I thought I'd share a quick card I made for this week's CAS-ual Fridays challenge: Thank You. I wanted the focus to be on the sentiment, so I stamped it using two different fonts. Then I colored the "thanks" with a white gel pen to make it pop. I finished it off with a few snowflakes, since I'll be using it as a Christmas thank you. Flat = easy to mail!

Hope you like it!

Stamps: Chit Chat (Paper Smooches)
Paper: PTI white & kraft
Ink: Adirondack Espresso
Accessories: All Over the Page Punch: Snowflakes (Martha Stewart), white gel pen

Warm Fuzzies

Hey there! Have you been getting any snow in your part of the world? We got several inches yesterday, but not enough for a snow day...just enough to be a big pain in the butt!

With the wintry weather outside, I was in the mood to make something warm & snuggly. I made this cute cup of hot chocolate using some felt, & I couldn't resist pairing it with this fun sentiment. I pulled out some brown twine from The Twinery to finish it off. Speaking of twine, have you played along with this week's Wee Memories challenge? You have until midnight PST on Friday to enter.

I played along with a BUNCH of challenges for this one:
CARDS--cards with felt
Craft Your Passion--anything you can tie on
Papertrey Paper Dolls--simplicity
Delightful Challenge--buttons
Paper Play--clean & simple
GCA119--hearts
My Time to Craft 123--chocolate
Fab 'n' Funky--warm colors
ICS97

Stamps: Everyday Sayings (Hero Arts)
Paper: PTI kraft
Ink: Close to Cocoa
Accessories: PTI Warm Happiness Die, PTI felt & button, The Twinery twine, dimensionals

You Warm My Heart

Hey, all! Happy Tuesday!

Thought I'd play along with this week's Tuesday Trigger over at Moxie Fab World. These cute mittens were the inspiration.

I immediately thought of playing in the snow...and once you've played in the snow, you've got to come inside & warm up with hot chocolate...

SO, I made a hot cocoa holder! Fun, right?

I used PTI's Warm Happiness Too & the coordinating die, then finished it off with some twine from The Twinery.






Here's a peek at the inside. I simply cut a piece of cardstock to 4 x 11, then scored it lengthwise at 5" & 10". I folded up the end & secured it with some sticky tape to make the pocket.

Hope you like it!

Stamps: Warm Happiness Too
Paper: Aqua Mist, Garden Green, PTI white, Cosmo Cricket pp
Ink: Raspberry Fizz, Versamark
Accessories: Nestabilities circles & scalloped circles, PTI Warm Happiness die, The Twinery twine

Kind Snowman

Hi, everyone! Hope your week is going well. Can you believe Christmas is in 10 days?! Yikes!

Today's card is for multiple challenges:
Caardvarks monochromatic challenge
Sweet Sunday Sketch 96
Paper Playtime 29--snowmen

I just adore this little snowman from Unity. I paired him with PTI's Melon Berry...not a color I would normally choose, but I thought it'd be fun to go with a non-traditional color. This will be another Christmas thank you card.

Hope you like it!

Stamps: Snowbody Warms My Heart (Unity), Thankful Hearts (Verve)
Paper: Melon Berry, PTI white, PTI pp
Ink: Snow White
Accessories: Nestabilities circles & scalloped circles, SU scallop edge punch, PTI ribbon, Kaisercraft pearls, dimensionals

Wee Memories Challenge 34

Are you ready for a fun holiday challenge? Then you've got to play along with us this week at Wee Memories! This time we're getting inspiration from holiday songs!



Our awesome sponsor is DeNami Design! Our winner will receive a $25 gift certificate! Cool, right?


DeNami generously provided the DT with some of their amazing stamps. I was lucky to get this adorable snowman & sentiment, which inspired me to make a "Frosty the Snowman" card...complete with a Frosty top hat to hold some sweet goodies.

I stamped the snowman image in black, then outlined the whole thing in black & orange Stickles. It's super sparkly IRL!

Isn't this Frosty hat cute? I filled it with holiday M&M's. I'm hoping this set will put a smile on a friend's face.

So, ready to play along? Choose a holiday song that inspires you, & link up your finished creation to the Wee Memories blog. You have until midnight PST on Fri., Dec. 10 to be eligible for the DeNami prize.

Have FUN! I can't wait to see what everyone comes up with!

Stamps: Snowman Block, Whimsical Merry Christmas (DeNami Design)

Paper: Basic Black, Real Red, PTI white, PTI pp
Ink: Basic Black, Real Red
Accessories: Michaels ribbon & trim, SU scalloped edge & circle punches, Nestabilities circles, Black Diamond & Orange Peel Stickles, dimensionals, clear treat bag, candy

EBTKS Challenge 28

Hi, everyone! It's time for another Everything But the Kitchen Sink challenge! It is with mixed emotions that we announce this will be the final EBTKS challenge. We have enjoyed all of the challenges & your creativity in completing them, and we want to say a huge THANK YOU to everyone who has participated in this venture over the past year. However, the entire EBTKS team has gotten busier, so the time is right for us to move on.

Now, before you get too sad, let's talk about our final challenge. I am the hostess this time, & I was inspired by this velvet pillow & fleece blanket on my couch...so our focus this time is on TEXTURES! Think felt, flocking, ribbons/fibers, even dry embossing.

Our wonderful sponsor this time around is Limelight Papercrafts!

If you haven't heard, Limelight is also closing its doors, so you will want to hurry over to get some AMAZING deals on stamps, rhinestones, paper, and more!

Our winner for this challenge will receive this prize pack from Webster's Pages, which includes a vellum & die cut kit along with the Whimsy Heart Perfect Pack.

Now on to my project. I absolutely LOVE felt, especially for wintry projects...there's just something so warm and inviting about felt that fits the season perfectly.

SO, I chose to make a little treat bag using some new goodies from Papertrey Ink. The mug and scalloped layer are both made from yummy Hawaiian Shores felt.

And you're probably wondering what's inside, right?
Take a peek...

Nothing mind-blowing, but I thought'd make a sweet little thank you for my sister-in-law, who was our Thanksgiving hostess this year.

So, ready to play along? Just link up your finished creation on the EBTKS blog. You have until midnight CST on Thurs., Dec. 9 to be eligible for the prize.

I can't wait to see what you create!

Stamps: Warm Happiness Too (PTI)
Paper: PTI white, PTI pp
Ink: Real Red
Accessories: gift bag, Nestabilities circles & scalloped circles, PTI Warm Happiness die, PTI ribbon & felt

Color, Sketch, AND Product Challenge

Hey, all! Happy Sunday! I've had a busy weekend...just got back from an out-of-state wedding, and I have a TON of grading to do, but I just wanted to pop in & share a card with you.


I played along with two challenges:
Cupcake's Creations Color Challenge
Limelight Sketch & Product--DOTS!

If you haven't heard the news about Limelight, head over here.





I used Lawn Fawn's Winter Bunny stamp--minus the sled--and put him in a winter wonderland, complete with glittery snow and a Stickled cottontail. I'll probably end up using this one as a Christmas card or even a Christmas thank you.

Hope you like it!

Stamps: Winter Bunny (Lawn Fawn), Winter Family (Stampendous), Polka Dot Basics (PTI), glittered cardstock (unknown)
Paper: Real Red, PTI Kraft & white, PTI pp
Ink: Adirondack Espresso, Real Red, Versamark
Accessories: Copic markers, snowflake border punch (EK Success), dimensionals, diamond Stickles

Merry & Bright

Hey, all! I'm back with yet another gift card holder...'tis the season...not to mention that I have several tween/teen nieces who only want gift cards for Christmas!

I played along with A Passion for Papertrey's Scrapalicious challenge. My sentiment & button are both PTI, and the scraps include all three patterned papers and the glittered button thread.

I used Laura's Sketch 66 over at 2 Sketches 4 You for my layout.


And since it's a gc holder, I'm also entering it in the Caardvarks gift card holder challenge.

To all my American buddies, I wish you a VERY happy Thanksgiving!

And to kick off the holiday season, you might want to stop by A Muse. They're offering a 30% on all orders from now 'til Nov. 29. Enter promo code HAPPY30. I already placed my order!

Stamps: Signature Christmas (PTI)
Paper: Pretty in Pink, SU & unknown pp
Ink: Basic Black
Accessories: ShortCuts gc holder, SU ribbon & snowflake, PTI button, Kaisercraft rhinestones, glittered button thread (unknown)

Winter Mittens

Hi, everyone! Finally got a chance to take pics of some projects I made over the weekend. It's been dark & rainy, but today the sun is out! Yay!

For my project today, I played along with 3 challenges:
Etsy Inspired 115--Queen of Tarts Cakes--I chose these cookies as inspiration
CardPatterns Sketch 91
Caardvarks gift card holders
I was immediately drawn to the cute mittens, the color combo, and the overall wintry theme.

I used a new stamp from American Crafts (aren't those mittens cute?) and new twine from The Twinery (LOVE that stuff!).

My card is standard sized (4 1/4" x 5 1/2")...

with a surprise inside!

I simply added a piece of patterned paper to the inside with sticky tape, then slid a gift card inside.

Side note: This Target gc smells like peppermint! Mmm!

Hope you like what you see!

Stamps: Wishes (American Crafts Dear Lizzy), Essential Sentiments (My Favorite Things)
Paper: Real Red, PTI white, SU pp
Ink: Real Red, Tempting Turquoise
Accessories: Cuttlebug Snowflake, Nestabilities circles & scalloped circles, Michaels ribbon, The Twinery twine, bell, dimensionals

Espressing My Thanks

Happy Monday! Are you gearing up for turkey day? I've got a super busy week ahead...not only making a bunch of food for Thanksgiving, but also trying to finish up Christmas gifts for those I'll see on Thursday but not at Christmastime. PLUS, we have an out-of-state family wedding on Saturday, so I can basically say goodbye to my Thanksgiving "break." It's gonna be a wild week!

Today's card is for two challenges: The Playdate Cafe 56 (red, olive, turquoise) and the CARDS thank you challenge. It's always good to have extra thank you cards lying around as we head into the holiday season.

Hope you like it!

Stamps: Let's Get Together (There She Goes)
Paper: Hawaiian Shores, PTI Kraft, PTI pp
Ink: Adirondack Pitch Black, Versamark
Accessories: PTI button, SU linen thread, dimensionals

WMC32: It's Blog Hop Time!

Welcome to the Wee Memories blog hop! You should have arrived here from Jinny's blog. If not, don't worry...you can start the hop at the Wee Memories blog so you don't miss a thing!

This week our challenge is to put a little pink in your creation!


Our sponsor this week is Stamps of Life, and our winner will receive a stamp set of her choice!






I needed to get busy on my holiday to-do list, so I chose to create a gift card holder for my niece. She is a lover of pink...hot pink especially...so incorporating it into my project was NO problem!

I pulled out some wintry items from my stash...patterned paper from Cosmo Cricket & a chipboard snowflake from Collage Press...don't you just love it when two lines of product go together so perfectly?

I added a rhinestone and some ribbon to tie the whole thing together.

Here's what it looks like on the inside...more Cosmo Cricket paper...
And some stamps to finish it off!

I hope you loved what you saw here. Head over to Anita's blog next to see what she's created for this week's challenge!

Thanks for stopping by!

Stamps: Let It Snow (Hero Arts), Let's Get Together (There She Goes)
Paper: Cosmo Cricket pp
Ink: Raspberry Fizz
Accessories: ShortCuts GC holder folder, PTI ribbon, Collage Press chipboard, Kaisercraft rhinestone

EBTKS Challenge 27

Hi, everyone! It's time for another Everything But the Kitchen Sink challenge!


Our sponsor is our very own Courtney's Practicing Creativity Designs! Our winner will receive the Rejoice stamp set...perfect for your Christmas cards this year!


Since it's the 15th of the month, that means we're doing a sketch challenge.

Winter is our hostess, and she was inspired by this mosaic from her home.









Here's the mosaic translated into a sketch...









And here's my take on it.

So, ready to play along with us? Just link up your interpretation of the sketch to the EBTKS blog. All entries must be received by midnight CST on Wed., Nov. 24 to be eligible for the prize.

I can't wait to see what you create with this fun sketch!

Stamps: Peace, Joy, Love by Ali Edwards (Technique Tuesday)
Paper: Real Red, PTI white, American Crafts pp
Ink: Real Red
Accessories: paper piercer, Martha Stewart snowflake punch, Kaisercraft pearls

Wee Memories Challenge 30

Happy Saturday! Are you ready for another Wee Memories challenge? This week is a special one...our founder, Jenny, started her Wee Memories blog one year ago...which means we're celebrating her blogaversary in a BIG way!


That's right, we have a prize from not one, but TWO, sponsors this week!

There She Goes is offering our winner her choice of a stamp set....

AND

Artful Delight is offering a $25 gift certificate.

I know YOU want to play along with us!


Since we are celebrating Jenny's blogaversary, our theme this week is BIRTHDAYS!

I decided to use the Let's Get Together set from There She Goes to create a wintry birthday card. Now I know this doesn't look like the traditional birthday fare, but I thought it'd be fun for a coffee-loving friend...and with a Starbucks gc tucked inside, who could resist?

So, ready to play along with our birthday challenge? Link up your finished creation to the Wee Memories blog. You have until midnight PST on Fri., Nov. 12 to be eligible for the prizes.

I can't wait to see what you create!

Stamps: Let's Get Together (There She Goes), All Occasion (Hero Arts)
Paper: Brocade Blue, Chocolate Chip, Berry Sorbet, PTI white, PTI pp
Ink: Adirondack Espresso, Close to Cocoa
Accessories: Nestabilities circles & scalloped circles, PTI ribbon, dimensionals

Caring Hearts Blog Hop AND Wee Memories!

Welcome to a very special Wee Memories challenge! We are supporting our DT member, Vera, in the ♥ CARING HEARTS BLOG HOP ♥!






We are joining other card makers in the ♥ CARING HEARTS CARD DRIVE ♥, an effort to collect Thanksgiving & Christmas/holiday cards for the elderly that live in nursing homes. From now until November 15, you can make and send cards to Vera. PLEASE consider joining us in this effort. Prizes include a $25 gift card to WPlus9 along with 4 Hero Arts stamp sets from Jennifer McGuire. Several hoppers are giving away blog candy, too! You can go here to read all the details.

Now onto the details of our Wee Memories challenge for this week. To coordinate with the blog hop, our theme is "cute holiday."

Our sponsor is Magnolia-licious, and they are offering our winner a $25 gift certificate!


I dug out some well-loved goodies from last Christmas...rub-ons and paper from Cosmo Cricket's Jolly By Golly collection. I paired it with some PTI cardstock and American Crafts ribbon. Who could resist that adorable snowman? I think it will brighten the recipient's day, don't you?

Please consider joining us, not only for the Wee Memories "cute holiday" challenge, but also the Caring Hearts Card Drive. You have until midnight PDT on Fri., Oct. 29 to be eligible for the Magnolia-licious prize. You have until November 15 to send in your card for the Caring Hearts Card Drive.

Next, head over to Jenny Suchins' blog!

Paper: Kraft, Aqua Mist, Cosmo Cricket pp
Accessories: Cosmo Cricket rub-ons, American Crafts ribbon

World Card Making Day

Hey, all! I managed to join in on the World Card Making Day fun...played along with 3 challenges for this one: Jolly Holiday Greetings Challenge at Moxie Fab World, Rae Barthel's WCMD challenge to make a Christmas card using non-traditional colors, and Echo Park Paper's Facebook challenge to use some of their papers on your creation.

I took some paper from Echo Park's Summertime Collection--it reminded me of candy cane stripes--and added some yummy May Arts ribbon, a felt snowflake from my stash, some buttons & bling, and a stamped sentiment.

Hope you like it!

Stamps: Peace, Joy, Love by Ali Edwards (Technique Tuesday)
Paper: PTI white, Echo Park Summertime dp
Ink: Adirondack Pitch Black
Accessories: May Arts ribbon, SU felt snowflake, PTI button, Kaisercraft rhinestones, Michaels silver cording

My First Published Cards

Hey, everyone! Hope your week is going well...just a few more days 'til the weekend!

I wanted to share one of the cards I had published in the January 2010 issue of CARDS magazine. I'm really excited because these are my first publications ever! After lots of rejection (before and since), it's nice to finally see my work in print.

You can see my other card in this post.

Happy Wednesday!

Paper: Real Red, PTI white, Bazzill Swiss Dot
Accessories: SU rub-on, Martha Stewart snowflake punch & scallop dot border punch, SU corner rounder punch, Kaisercraft pearls

A Card and An Announcement

Happy Sunday! I'm battling a cold, so I haven't been creating much lately. I thought I'd share a simple card I made last week using FTL74. Sorry the photo's not great...it's been rainy and foggy for the past several days...hubby and I were trying to remember when we last saw the sun...

Exciting news...tomorrow is the start of One World One Heart, a HUGE blogging event that brings together artists of all kinds from all over the world! I'll be offering a giveaway tomorrow, so be sure to stop by and enter to win it. It's not to late to join in the fun either. Check out the details here.

Stamps: Winter Birds (Memory Box), Mega Mixed Messages (PTI)
Paper: Kraft, Real Red, Bazzill white
Ink: Adirondack Espresso
Accessories: Copic marker

Sending Warm Wishes

I don't know about you, but it's been so cold lately, all I want to do is stay at home, snuggling up with my hubby and sipping on hot chocolate. My card today was inspired by those feelings.

I combined two challenges: Laura's Sketch 43 (which I flipped on its side) and today's 365 Cards challenge to use a house on your card. I finally inked up this wonderful image from Waltzingmouse Stamps. I wanted to keep the card simple, so I only colored the thatched roof and red door, then added a bit of Stickles for some snow.

Sending warm wishes your way!

Stamps: Irish Blessings (Waltzingmouse Stamps), All Occasion (Hero Arts)
Paper: Real Red, kraft, white
Ink: Real Red
Accessories: PTI ribbon, Diamond Stickles, Copic markers

Snow Fun!

Happy Friday! Any fun plans for your weekend? With all the snow and bitterly cold temps, we plan on staying in...lots of snuggling and hot chocolate on the agenda!

Speaking of snow, I was inspired by yesterday's snow day to make a fun little card for a co-worker. The chipboard is part of the blog candy I won from Sarah--cute, huh? I thought the polka-dotted background looked like snow (and it conveniently worked out for Crazy 4 Challenges 18). I also tried to use Kazan's Sketch 43, but I'm not sure it turned out right in the end...oh, well, I think it's cute, and the sketch is what inspired me in the first place, so I'm sharing it anyway. I'm such a rebel....bwhahaha!!!

Have a fabulous weekend!

Stamps: Head in the Clouds (Sassafras)
Paper: Old Olive, Very Vanilla
Ink: Real Red
Accessories: Cuttlebug Swiss Dots, Collage Press chipboard, American Crafts Thickers, Michaels ribbon

Christmas Thanks

Hi, everyone! We are so close to Christmas..I'm really getting excited now! Just finishing up some sweets today, then we're heading off to the in-laws tomorrow.

Before I go, I thought I'd share a couple of quick Christmas thank you cards. I used the color combo from the Embellish snowflakes challenges again...it's really starting to grow on me now!

Hope you and your family have a wonderfully merry Christmas! May Santa bring you lots of crafty goodies!

Card #1
Stamps: All Natural (SU)
Paper: Kraft, Bashful Blue, Bazzill white, American Crafts dp
Ink: Chocolate Chip
Accessories: Fiskars upper crest punch, Martha Stewart snowflake punch, Michaels snowflake rhinestones

Card #2
Stamps: Short & Sweet (SU)
Paper: Kraft, Chocolate Chip, Aqua Mist, Bazzill white
Ink: Chocolate Chip
Accessories: Martha Stewart snowflake punch, Kaisercraft rhinestones, ribbon (unknown), dimensionals