It's secret spilling time again!

I have some more happy news to share with all of you!

Does the above card give you a hint?

Yes?

No?

I am the Guest Designer for Denami Design for the month of May!

Woo hoo! Not only do I get to work with some adorable, high-quality, deeply-etched rubber stamps, I also get to use their awesome textured CS, pretty patterned paper, lush ribbons, and gorgeous buttons too! Am I lucky or what? *grin*

Everything you see above came from Denami. The grey and green CS, the citrus slice image, the sentiment (from the heartfelt greetings set), the pink grosgrain, the fun PP and the button too! (I did color that with Copics though...)

And just wait until you see what fun things are coming up with the rest of the Design team and on the Denami blog, you won't want to miss a thing. *wink*

Thanks for sharing in my fun news today!

You all are the best, most supportive readers out there.

*mwah*

OH, and HAPPY ROYAL WEDDING DAY TOO!

Dangle Charm with digital stamps

Here's what I love the most about digital stamps: they can be resized!

 I've had this Vintage dangle charm DIY kit for a while and just couldn't find stamps that fit perfectly into those gorgeous silver frames. Until now that is.

CS Designs has some really awesome, quirky, artsy digital stamps that I just cannot resist. And because they can be resized I knew they were perfect for this kit.

I used Charisma Montage, and Arty Expression 2. 

The first brand of crystal lacquer I used made the ink run so I bought a new kind and covered the second image with great success.

I attached this fun dangle to a beautiful silver necklace chain and plan to wear it soon!

Thanks for stopping by,

*mwah*

Color challenge

Today's card is something I created last month for a color challenge debuting today on SSC! It's actually my first personal color combo to be featured and I'm so excited with the samples the rest of the DT created!

Go check it out here.

Think you can play along?

 Our sponsor is BearyDo Paperie and the sweet golden glittery bird is from their shop! They are offering a nifty prize package to the winner too, so join us!

Thanks for stopping by,

*mwah*

(almost) Wordless Tuesday

Card LO was cased from Oct. 2005 issue of Stamper's Sampler magazine. Stamps and felt are PTI.  Thanks for stopping by today!

Requisite post-holiday pics

Those of you who know me or have been following my blog for a while, know that I like to post photos of our holiday festivities.

Because I don't scrapbook, these posts serve as a visual reminder of how fast time can pass when we aren't paying attention, and help us remember the little things!

Stamped, heat embossed, dyed eggs. Let's just say that Versamark does not apply to eggshells as well as it does to paper...

PTI sets used: Masculine Motifs, Turning a New Leaf.

P-dub's Apple Dumplings. Ready to go into the oven...or almost...I forgot the Mountain Dew. Yes, you read that correctly, her recipe calls for pouring a can of soda over these babies right before putting them in the oven. Not allowing HFCS in my house, and having children allergic to food dye, I subbed ginger beer (ginger ale in super spicy form) and these were DIVINE!

Apple dumplings fresh from the oven. Can you smell the cinnamon? Yum! We served them with vanilla ice cream for breakfast. My kids thought I was truly super-mom. *wink* 

I allowed my 11 year old son to design the centerpiece and gave him many things to choose from. This is what he decided on! Pretty isn't it? (please ignore the wrinkled tablecloth!)

After dyeing eggs we had tons of leftover dye, so I let the boys "decorate" the sidewalk with all the colors.

 

Here is my dinner plate: Seitan ham with pineapple dijon sauce, fresh grilled pineapple, ginger glazed carrots, roasted asparagus, red-skinned smashed potatoes with chives, and corn pudding. Forgive the few bites missing...*sheepish grin*

Thanks for stopping by today! I hope everyone had a great Sunday!

*mwah*

Sweet face

Thanks for sharing in my happy news yesterday, you guys are so supportive!

Today's card features yet another of the adorable Babushka eggs by CS Designs. I cannot stop coloring their sweet faces! And I was tickled to see that an old CB embossing folder matched her dress rather well. It's always a good feeling to use supplies long forgotten. *smile*

Happy Easter to those of you who celebrate,

HAPPY news!

So, on the tail of the sad news of my Godmother's death, I have incredibly HAPPY news to share with you! I created this special card JUST for my announcement today.

A new challenge blog is starting up and it is going to be a bit different than the crafty world is familiar with. And different is good. Very good. What does CAS mean to you? "Clean and simple" is the typical answer, but I prefer "clean and sophisticated" to paraphrase one of my talented teammates.

*SQUEAL*

 Do you see that incredible headline marquee above?

 IT HAS MY NAME IN IT!!!!!

I am officially a Girl Friday at the CAS-ual Fridays Challenge blog. *swoon* 

I am so honored and giddy to be chosen to work with such a talented team. 

Julie and Michele have my undying devotion, not only for their talent and how hard they work, but for giving me a chance to showcase my CAS cards and work with some really incredible designers like:

Karen Baker

Virginia Lu

Laurie Willison

Kryssi Ng

Jaclyn Miller

and a few more to come! *wink*

My announcement is at the CAS-ual Fridays blog, so go check it out and leave me some love! I feel seriously outnumbered by all the talent on this team and hope I can prove my worth.

Thanks for sharing in my excitement!

*mwah*

Sad news.

Hi everyone. I'm home from vacation and back into the swing of things.

Sadly, I came home to bad news. My Godmother (and my mom's BFF from college) passed away, so we are pretty torn up. I was relatively close to my Godmother, and have called her Aunt Bunny since I was old enough to speak.

Some of you may remember the card I made for her to thank her "in advance" for her continued love and support. I'm sad to think she will never receive it...*sniff sniff*

The larger card above was made for a challenge at Simply Scrapping Crafts last week to "stamps a scene."

I've ALWAYS had trouble with scene stamping but was really happy with how this one turned out! 

All  stamps are Unity. The gold bird and gorgeous blue seam binding are from Bearydo Paperie.

Thanks for stopping by today, I'm glad to be back. Keep us in your thoughts...

taking a break

Hello bloggy friends!

I am taking a week off to rest and gear up for some big things coming soon. I can feel myself beginning to feel overwhelmed with real life responsibilities, and I want to make myself and my family a priority before things come crashing down around me! *chuckle*

See you next Thursday!

big hugs,

CAS thanks

I've been limited in my crafty time lately and this problem seems to lend itself well to producing CAS cards. This one was made in a mere 15 minutes.  And those 15 minutes were hard to come by too! 

I tend to plan things out in my head in advance so I know JUST what to grab or reach for when I sit down! With not a lot of "play" time I compose cards in my head all day at work, while driving, while cooking dinner, etc. Granted, they don't always turn out...but that's another story. *chuckle*

Although the card base and ribbon are vintage cream, I added a few tiny dots of white gel pen to the flower. You can't tell it doesn't match!

Thanks for stopping by today friends. I really appreciate each one of you who visits...it makes creating and sharing worthwhile IMHO.

Big hugs,

Carstock, die cut, music and sentiment stamps are all PTI. Flower (Queen Anne's Lace I believe-my FAVORITE!) stamp by Unity.

Missing you

It's WEDNESDAY! *grin*

Seeing all the gorgeous samples from Nichole and the PTI DT made me remember this card I made a few months ago. I dug it out of my draft posts and decided to post it today. Simple and fun, don't you think?!

All stamps are PCD:  Retro Christmas Backgrounds, and Everyday Prints. CardStock is PTI and SU, patterned paper, button, and die are PTI.

Keeping it CAS! It's about all I have time for these days...

Have a good one,

*mwah*

March 2011 CARDS magazine pub

Some of you may remember this card from my blog last June, but it was also published in the March issue of CARDS magazine last month!

I love using impression plates on patterned paper, and then rubbing over the impression with tea dye ink. Gives a nice aged feel! And seeing this reminds me I need to do it more often.

This was the first publication of mine and also the first time I submitted anything. I felt so special when it was accepted! I've only submitted one other time since then, and it too will be published in the August issue of CARDS magazine...can't wait!

For more info on this card , see the original post here.

Thanks for stopping by friends (and strangers)!

*mwah*

Babushka Eggs

Today begins the Babushka Hunt!

Hidden somewhere on my blog, deep in the older posts, is a new post with a Babushka egg facsimile and some trivia questions.  If you are playing along to win prizes, be sure to see all the rules and directions here. 

I created this fun Scandinavian colored card using three digital Babushka eggs from CS Designs, Olga, Pasha, and Anya.  In honor of the upcoming Easter holiday, Chris designed these to be egg shaped. Aren't they sweet?!  There are 7 to choose from in total!  And because they are digital you can resize them to your heart's content and make oodles of nesting eggs!

I really have a love for nesting (Matroyshka) dolls.  My mom has quite a collection, some antique and quite valuable, but she always allowed me to play with them when I was a child.  I would spend HOURS lining them all up from smallest to largest...such good memories. *smile*


If you are playing along, don't forget to search through my older blog posts for the one with the small colored Babushka egg and the trivia questions!  If you aren't playing, well then thanks for stopping by, and have a good one. 


*mwah*

All digital images from CSDesigns, all CS and PP from PTI.

Denami Monochromatic Blog Hop

Hello friends!

I'm popping in this morning with a card I created for the Denami Design Monochromatic Blog Hop. You should have arrived here from Anne's blog, but if you are lost you can start at the beginning at the Denami blog!

I love working in monochromatic colors...they are soo soothing, even in neon yellow! LOL

I chose shades of blue because I also wanted to showcase how Denami stamps are not just cute and whimsical, but can also be elegant.

This card uses the Solid Decorative Crest and a sentiment from the Thoughtful Greetings set.

Your next stop on the hop is LINDA. Don't forget that you have a chance to win one of TWO $20 gift certificates from Denami just for commenting!

You have until April 11, 2011, 11:59pm PST, to leave comments on all the blogs (to be eligible for the prize).

Happy Hopping, and thanks for stopping by!

*mwah*

Give me wings

Do you sew on your cards? Do you want to try if you don't?

Come on over to Simply Scrapping Crafts for a brand new tutorial and challenge!

The card DT is hosting a new challenge every Wednesday, and this week  the challenge is SEWING!

I used 2 stamps by Unity and shades of grey and pink CS to create this one. Some simple distressed edges and a few stitches with my machine were all it needed to "finish it off".

If you love to sew on your cards, or if you like the look and want to give it a whirl, hop over to SSC and post your creation for a chance to win some fabulous prizes.

Thanks for stopping by today, I plan to play catch up on everyone's blogs ASAP, so keep an eye out!

*mwah*

Guest Designer

Fun news...

I am so proud and lucky to announce that I was asked to be a Guest Designer for CS Designs for April! Woo hoo! What an honor.

Chris designs the most incredible, unique digital stamps out there. I love that they have pizazz and panache! There really is something for everyone in her online store...from cute and whimsical, to artsy and dramatic.

This is her Framed Geisha 2.

It was fun to apply "make-up" to her face just like I was playing dress up with dolls! *chuckle* I also love how the embossed BG matches her kimono. 

Thanks for sharing in my fun news. 


A few weeks ago I used my first digital stamp from CS Designs, HERE. DO you remember it?

Expect to see more of CSDesigns images in the next few weeks, because I can't stop coloring and playing with them.

Hope you have a Terrific Tuesday!

*mwah*

Letterpress technique

Finally got around to trying the letterpress technique with a PTI impression plate!

Using my brayer, I inked up the metal IP, then placed my rustic CS on top and ran the whole thing through my Big Shot. LOVE the look, and don't know why I waited so long to try it!

This card is based on a LO I saw ages ago on someone's blog and I can't remember who. If it was YOU or you know what I'm talking about, please share the link! *smile*

I've been so busy lately with a school function fundraiser, but it ended last night so I can breath a bit easier now. Wheww. I've been asked for some wedding invitation samples so I need to get crackin' on those, and I have a customer waiting on a few custom cards too, so now I can focus on getting those done. 

Plus today is my mom's birthday and I haven't even finished her card yet! EEEEK

My siblings and I bought her a round trip ticket on Amtrak so she can go see her BFF in Colorado, and I want to get her piano tuned as a surprise too. *grin*

Thanks for stopping by, 

Hope your Sunday is superb!

*mwah*