Year of the Rat.

A springy card for the year of the rat...

where violets and green/gold is good luck for you!  

Enjoy. Thanks to Splitcoast for the creativity boosts through their daily challenges.

Golden FIshie

My mom has been purging and gifting away...

and I received many of her stamp sets. Here is a sweet one from Stampin  Up.

Toucan of My Love

Embellies from Eyelet Outlet:

decorative brads, glitter washi tape, glitter enamel dots

Held together with Glue Dots ®

Splitcoaststampers' Pre VSN challenges...

Last night I created these cards...no husband, no kids...just the dog and a bit of creativity brewing around here!  

measures: 3.75 x 5.5...great card size, still fits in a standard envelope.

Washi and bling from Eyelet Outlet

Stamps from Starving Artistamps

Mini Glue Dots

So very glad that my kids enjoy music...like I do!

And I received this Spellbinders ukulele die set from my dear friend, Deb!

Sentiment from Pink by Design

Enamel Dot from Eyelet Outlet

Sentiment from Pink by Design

Washi and bling and enamel from Eyelet Outlet

Glue Dots are a must!

The third challenge was a dragon challenge...

so I dug out my favorite dragon sentiment from Paper Makeup Stamps...

and added Eyelet Outlet Dragon brads...

along with paper flower, pearls and enamel..

more Glue Dots!

Get sketchy...

Add so much interest to Layout Challenges/Sketches when you add 

embellishments from The Eyelet Outlet.

Here I used the back side of the Shell Ribbon to add the coordinating sea foam color without the pattern.

Washi Tape makes an interesting flat panel without the dimension of one more thicker layer to your card!

Also used:

Shell Brads

Bling Strips

Shell Paper Flowers

Here's one more take on the sketch.

I used the happy looking Bumble Bee brad and Paper Flowers, along with:

Bling Strips

and the new Enamal Dots in black.

Thanks for visiting...and be sure to check out the Eyelet Outlet blog for more inspiring designs 

using Eyelet Outlet products!

12 Days of Christmas...

Thursday afternoon, I had finally gotten to my art table to work on some cards and designs. I often check out Daily Dare 4 U b/c it has a great of challenges and inspirations.  To my surprise, they are having a 12 Days of Christmas Challenge!  From Christmas Day to Jan 5th!  Since I was on that extended vacation and missed so much of the holidays, I am sooo glad to have a crack at in now. Not only that, my 2011 Christmas Card pile has begun.  Oh...plus..it wouldn't be a challenge if there weren't prizes.  What AWESOME prizes you can win!!  I"m keeping my fingers crossed too!  I'll be posting my submissions for the next few days as well!  Read this post if you want more information/the REST of the story...on this challenge!

Here is my submission for day one...

 

I kept it simple...and recyled a thin cardboard box for the kraft colored mat!

Crinkled Snow

A CAS card using the new set "Time to Chill."





The Speedy's Friends Challenge this week is to use stripes! Check it out.

Challenges: Speedy's Friends, CAS88, FS192

Take a peek!

Today is the first day of MFP (Mark's Finest Papers) sneak peeks!  Here is one card I created yesterday in anticipation for today!

October 12th is the first day of the hop, so mark your inky calendars!  Don't you just love that rich ribbon which can be found on the MFP site too!


Challenges:  Corrosive Challenges by Janet, Mojo Mondays

Bows and buttons

I guess I am a little mixed up on the Speedy's Friends Challenge. But this week's challenge is BUTTONS AND BOWS...here is mine. 

The inside reads:  Our thoughts are of you during this beautiful Autumn Season.  And the stamps are from Sticky Situation and Autumn Fun which were released in September.  New October sneak peeks start very soon!  Keep your eyes open for them.  You are sure to be wowed!! 

Challenges:  Speedy's friends, IC252

Nuts about KSS

Another stamp company that I really admire is Kitchen Sink Stamps. I was lucky enough to win a gift card from them a few months ago. But being indecisive, I held on to it.  Well, a few days ago, I placed my order. Saturday, my new stamps were here!  (Of course, KSS didn't include extra time in that padded envelope! haha)

Here is my first card with Mr. Squirrel!  (Yes, I hesitated to get this squirrel b/c I have the MFP squirrel. But the new KSS set has acorns and leaves.  Okay..yes. So does MFP. Too many stamps. Not enough time.  I just LOVE these photographic images!)

I used today's CAS Sketch on SCS. But I flipped it so the ribbons fit better.  The inside is also decorated. But it is grey here in MI and close to dinner time, that I didn't want to try to get a good shot of the inside.  I used Paper Temptress Papers.  Great textures bring such interest to handmade cards.  Especially CAS cards!   (Bummer that I missed this month's KSS challenge!)

Oh...the ink colors I used, for future reference:  off stamped Caramel, Rust, Cocoa.

bootiful jack

I have long pined for the set "Carved and Candlelit" by Stampin Up.  It's retired now but I still love seeing cards using that set!  Luckily for me, Starving Artistamps just came out with a fall themed set called "Pumpkins and Gourds," complete with THREE jack faces. 

(Challenge: CAS86)

But, of course...you can make ghosties with these faces too! 

Here I used the super awesome Paper Temptress papers!  The new corregated blue made a great background. The Laser Lustre papers are shrieking, "Ghosies!!" (I sponged the edges in violet to get them definition.)   And no moon or stars would be complete without gold sparkle papers!  The torn BASIS papers add more texture to the background.  Holding it all together is  100lb grape sorbet!

Who has the Reese's Cups???

Pumpkins!

This week's challenge from Speedy the Cat was to put a pumkin on your card.  Here I used a sizzix die cut!

Two challenges in one post

There just never is enough time!  How on earth do you career women with families do it! haha.  So, Ken, refused to tell me what the boys and he need for this weekend's big campout. Long story short, I have a lot to do to get  them ready!  AND...Kim and I did twice our regular walking today.  A lot of days, we stand in her driveway and chit chat.  Today, we walked our circut twice...and I was still home earlier than yesterday! haha.

So, this week's Mark's Finest Paper Challenge was to use Ribbon and Buttons. 

And...Paper Makeup Stamps wants you to be inspired by this picture:

Here is what I came up with using a Fall Fairy.

Other challenges for this card:  CRAFT, Tuesday Taggers, Corrosive Challenges by Janet  

Tuesday Taggers, a fun challenge site, is being sponsered by Ribbon Oasis this week!  Ooh. I hope I am a winner!

And now, I'm off to mow, shower, grocery shop...boy did I think that today could be a stamping day!  (I'll fill in the other challenges later...guess my title is incorrect!)

Getting ready for ...

Halloween!!  Yeppers!  It's just around the corner. But you can be ready, when you have the new Starving Artistamps sets on hand!

I inked the Woodgrain BG in a few colors to get this Edward Munch inspired backdrop!  The grassy foreground was paper pieced in a green inking of the stamp.  The layout was inspired from 2Sketches4Y this week!

The inside reads: "Or Get Hurt." haha. 

Brewed Trouble

Anticipation sure makes waiting seem longer. But this weekend, my new Starving Artistamps order arrived. Filled with Autumnal Awesome-ness!!

I used this week's Mojo157 layout along with a fall color scheme to get this new rubber inky!  The skull stamp is actuall a separate stamp. It looks so much like the skulls my youngest draws...that I had to have it!  Now, I can reproduce his quirky look long after he grows up and stops drawing them!

Very Punny...

Yep....this week's F4A30 challenge is a Punny Challenge!  For more deets, click HERE.   These are my examples using Mark's Finest Papers "Sticky Situation" set.  (I used this week's Mojo Monday Sketch. It also fits in with the "Use Fall Colors" challenge by Speedy the Cat's Friends.)

And Paper Makeup's Perfume set...which has a better name...I just can't recall it! (Also fits the #20 Speedy the Cat's Friends challenge in color!)

Crossing the Miles

Here is a review card featuring a new fairy from Paper Makeup Stamps.  This lady chitchat was released this month.  For more information, check out the PMS store.

While you are there, be sure to add some of Paper Makeup's fall stamps.  This week's Challenge is hostessed by yours truly. I chose a poem to get you inspired.

Autumn Fairy

The Autumn fairy weaves her spell

Spreads out her cloth of gold

Adorns the fields and woodlands both
With the riches of days so old

She makes the plants and flowers bloom

Displaying Nature's glory

For soon cold Winter's dismal gloom

Will tell a different story

-Author Unknown

Inside:

Sad News....Happy News

It's been a crazy week. But I finally found the time to sit down to stamp a card for Saturday's Speedy the Cat's Friends Challenge.  What I found was zippo mojo!!  After a few (too many) frustrating attempts, it dawned on me...I'm not on the blog team any more.   I don't have to have a card ready by this afternoon.  So sad, right?

Not very. Now I'm on the Design Team! Yippee!

So, instead of working on the card for the challenge, I looked up today's WT Challenge.  Easy, Peasy, Lemony Squeasy...use just ONE piece of paper for your card. 

Done!  This is also a sneaky peeky for the upcoming MFP September release!  (Now this is an easy peasy yin and yang post too!)

Delicious

This new set was released this month from Mark's Finest Papers.  Delicious candy coming your way!

Friends...

Friends should get cards...year round!  So for this Speedy the Cat's Friends Challenge, I made an autumn card for a friend.

I went with a more "washy" watercolor look and painted the leaves outside of the lines.  You know the DT loves to see what your take on the weekly challenge.  BE sure to link up on the Mark's Finest Paper Blog!  The base of this card was made from paper that can be purchased from company store. 

Happy Birthday!

Today's M4TW challenge, sponsered by Paper Makeup Stamps, is to create a birthday card!


This is a card I made earlier this month for a friend....on her UNBIRTHDAY!!  (I love how you can tweak challenges! hehe)

Hey...celebrating a friend should be done any day of the year!  Be sure to link up to Paper Makeup Stamps' Blog and use keyword M4TW40 in online galleries!