Pine sprig ornaments

I'm popping in today to share some sweet ornaments I made using this week's Product Spotlight stamp from Denami...Small Pine Sprig.

This week only it's on sale and there are just so many ways you can use it!

The DT has lots of ideas to share with you on the Denami Blog.

I used a free template and stamped the pine sprig in white all over one of the grey birdhouse bases, and attached it to the front of the other after fussy cutting around it.

I also used it on the tags to add interest near the sentiment. Some ribbon and twine finished it off!

So grab your pine sprig stamp and be sure to check out the DT samples using it on the Denami Blog!

OH, I ALMOST FORGOT!

Denami is having a Black Friday sale for those of you with long wish lists! *grin*

EVERYTHING is 20% off!!!!

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving Holiday if you celebrate.

Thanks for stopping by,

*Mwah*

CAS-ual Friday! Sketch!

Good morning crafty friends!

I'm in a chipper mood and ready to get this day rolling!

This CAS-ual Friday challenge will last for TWO weeks so don't fret. 

You have extra time to enjoy the holiday coming up. Our challenge is a sketch by the super-duper Karen. *sigh* I do love a good sketch, and she doesn't disappoint!

I used the curly dove from Denami, and the sentiment from Trade Fish Designs (who happens to be our sponsor!). The earth was made by sponging distress ink onto my nestie circle and doodling with a white gel pen. Didn't turn out too badly!

Join us in the challenge, and remember you have TWO WEEKS to link up your project!

Thanks for stopping by,

*mwah*

Anything but a card Blog hop!

Welcome to the Denami November Blog Hop!

You should have arrived from the lovely Glenda's blog, but if you want the whole list check out the Denami blog for details.

So you won't see any cards on this hop...but anything else goes! 

I went with pillow boxes because I love the size of the Denami downloadable ones. 

The pink pillow box uses the Small Heart Pair, the Harlequin Border (on the BG with Versamark), the Decorative Love sentiment and some Black grosgrain ribbon.

For the lavender one I used the Mini Butterfly trio, the Mini butterfly, and the Elegant Floral Leaf Sprig (in the BG with Versamark), before adding the sentiment and the purple buttons.

Your next stop on the hop is the incredibly talented Lisa!

Be sure to leave a comment here and at each stop along the way for a chance at winning one of TWO $20 gift certificates to the Denami store.

Thanks for stopping by,

*mwah*

CAS-ual Fridays-Tag

Yes, today is Veterans' Day. And also 11/11/11.  

Not just a day off from work or school, but a day to remember all those that risked life and limb to fight for what they believed was right.

My dad was a WWII Marine. 

He lied about his age in order to enlist (he was 17). He survived all four campaign battles (Tinian, Roi Namur, Saipan and Iwo Jima), and eventually returned and raised 7 children. Along the way he found time to hike the entire Appalachian Trail 2 1/2 times. He died in November 2008, at age 84, and I miss him every day.

Hug a Veteran today!

So there's a new challenge at the CAS-ual Friday Blog...Create a tag!

I love making tags. They are smaller canvases and are perfect for the clean & simple style.

I made this one for a bag of gourmet candy drops using some really fun stamps from Purple Onion Designs!

(and they just happen to be our sponsor too! *wink*)

Believe it or not, Purple Onion Designs were some of the first stamps I ever owned after I got into stamping.

They used to come in my Self Addressed kits every month. Anyone out there remember those? LOL! I'm pretty sure I still have a few unopened kits somewhere! *shhhh*

So join us by making a clean & simple tag this week, either alone or on a project!

Thanks for stopping by today,

*mwah*

Snowy Mittens

I admit it.

I still wear mittens.

None of those silly finger-less gloves for me. I need my hands to be toasty warm, and mittens are where it's at! *grin*

This week's Product Spotlight at Denami is this adorable, easily personalized, large mitten.

It's so versatile! 

I used the large snowflake embossed with white e.p. to make it look fun, along with the sentiment and some of the unique PP from the Stella collection.

Here's what I did to "flip" the mitten: stamp with Versamark onto a sheet of acetate (I used a sheet that originally had clear stamps on it), emboss outline with white e.p, cut mitten shape out, including the center, flip over and glue embossed outline to my blue cardstock!

If you are in need of this fun stamp, I recommend getting it while it's on sale this week.

And stop by the Denami blog to see oodles of other mitten ideas from the DT!

Thanks for stopping by,

*mwah*

P.S. The Denami shopping cart is having some issues but I will update with links as soon as the trouble is fixed.

Sketch challenge

Poor Mondays...they have a bad reputation, do they not? *smile*

I had a really great weekend with my bestie. 

Good food, good wine, great conversation! What more could a girl ask for?!

And the darling girl gave me a "rainy day present" that she KNEW I wanted from my Pinerest wish list! Eeek!

Wanna see?

                                                                                                                 Source: uncommongoods.com via Dana on Pinterest

Yep. She bought me this most incredible umbrella. Only a bit different in design.

*swoon*

So about the sketch challenge...

Denami is sponsoring this perfectly CAS sketch!

You can see I flipped it a bit, and I used one of my favorite flower stamps, Large flower spray. 

I colored them in with a white gel pen and added the tiny dots beside the sentiment to finish it off.

Create a card using this sketch as inspiration and link it up to the Denami blog for a chance at winning a fabulous prize!

Thanks for stopping by today,

*mwah*

CAS-ual Fridays!

I haven't been so happy to see Friday in a long while. *happy sigh*

Some weeks are just better when they end, ya know? *smile*

Plus, my BFF is coming out for a visit and I'm so excited! Haven't seen her since July!

But it's time for a new CAS-ual Friday challenge and its a fun one.

Hang or extend a panel or image off the edge of your card!

Now, I occasionally make a card and really WANT to do this, but don't (so it will mail easier), but when it came time for this challenge, I was stumped! It was like a mental block or something.*chuckle*

Because it's been getting so cold and snowy here already, I was pining for spring and these colors and stamps (Verve) just called to me. I already miss the greens of summer...*sad face*

We are sponsored by Lil Inker Designs this week and I gotta say I love their stuff. Honestly. Clever and unique stamps and dies. 

Join us this week and extend something beyond the edge of your card!

Thanks for stopping by,

*mwah*

Hi!

Coming at you today with a new CAS-ual Friday challenge!

I loved all the samples from last week's "color" theme...what a great turnout.

So this week is a bit different. We have a sketch for you!

And we are sponsored by the awesome LAWN FAWN again!

I used the Hello Friend set for the card above. 

Sometimes a simple sentiment is all you need on some pretty paper, right? *smile*

I hope you'll join is this week and submit your cards using this fun sketch by Laura to the CAS-ual Friday challenge!

Thanks for stopping by,

*mwah*

App sneak peek

Some fun news today!

One of my cards was accepted into the Clear &Simple Stamps app program and is debuting today!

Here's a sneek peek...

If you want to check it out, go HERE to download the app for many, many more samples using Clear & Simple Stamps.

*mwah*

Cornucopia

Hi. *waves*

Thought I'd pop in today with a card I made using Denami's Cornucopia stamp.

It's such a great stamp by itself, but I wanted to create a "spread" of harvest things, so I added in a few leaves and gourds from the Autumn Stamp set and and the Elegant Florals set to make a full layout! The simple sentiment was the finishing touch! 

Sometimes keeping it simple (like plain gold embossing) really makes for a striking card!

The Chocolate Brown card base has that texture that I love and adds a little something extra, while the gorgeous kraft gave me a neutral panel to work with.

If you like the Cornucopia stamp, check out the Denami Blog for several great samples by the DT. 

And as a heads up, it's also on sale this week, so grab it in time for Thanksgiving!

It makes the cutest placecard holders too. *wink* 

Thanks for stopping by today,

*mwah*

Simple gifts

 Happy Monday my friends. *smile*

Remember this card by Maile? Well I loved the colors and the style but wanted something easier to mass produce, so I simplified it. I made 5 of each LO for my son's school fundraiser.

I know this picture is a bit wonky, but it was dark when I took it and I could not fix it in Photoshop so I just blurred the BG a bit. Lol. I'm clueless when it comes to editing my photos so I REALLY depend on good quality lighting! * chuckle*

Thanks for stopping by today,

*mwah*

P.S. I've been singing "Simple Gifts" all day...do you know that song?

Casual Fridays-Color!

This week's challenge at CAS-ual Fridays is a fun one my friends!

And it is practically impossible NOT to do.

Just add color. 

Using any medium you choose; inks, e.p., pencils, markers, paints, etc.

How easy is that? *grin*

We are sponsored by the incredible Clear and Simple Stamps this week. And I just LOVE the set we were given to work with...Craft Room!

But wait, there is a bonus! 

BONUS: Use the html code below to add the CSS blinkie to your side bar, and leave them a message with a link to your blog and they will randomly select (3) blogs featuring the CSS blinkie with the Limited Edition Crafty Bonus stamp set! {bonus closes Thursday 10.27.11 at midnight, EST}

BLINKIE HTML:

<br><a href="http://www.clearandsimplestampsonline.com"><img src="http://www.clearandsimplestampsonline.com/cssbadgeanim.gif" /></a><br>

Cool huh?  

So come on out and join us this week for the newest CAS-ual Friday challenge because you won't want to miss the prize!

Thanks for stopping by,
*mwah*

Karen's Birthday Hop

No, you are not at the wrong blog my crafty friends!

Today's post is for the incredibly talented, dearest, sweetest, kindest person in blogland...Karen Baker. 

Today happens to be her birthday, and some of us were invited to take part in a birthday blog hop for her.

You should have arrived here from Jen's blog, but if you want to go to the beginning, check out our hostess Erin's blog!

I brought cupcakes to the party.

I have discovered that even if you AREN'T invited to a party, if you show up with cupcakes, you will most likely be asked in! *chuckle*

I make cupcakes on a regular basis, so I wanted something special for Karen.

These are mocha mini-cakes with espresso buttercream (and hers has semi-sweet chocolate shavings on top).

Not only is Karen a talented card maker (have you seen her blog?!), but she's really great at blog design (she made the gorgeous header up above *wink*) and she's a sweetheart to work with (we are on two DT together).

I think she's giving away a pretty nifty prize on her blog today in honor of her birthday (does that tell you what a great girl she is?), so be sure to stop by and wish her a happy birthday!

I used a stamp set that she designed for Practicing Creativity...called Nature's Wonder.

I'm so happy to have "met" you Karen, and I wish you the happiest of birthdays today! 

Your next stop is Michele!

Thanks for stopping by, have a cupcake if you'd like,

*mwah*

CAS-ual Fridays

Yay for Fridays!

This week's CAS-ual Friday challenge was my least favorite though. *pout*

I LOVE celebrating Halloween (we call it Samhain here) and we usually celebrate in a big way around our house. We like to do lots of nature inspired craft projects to remind us of the end of the harvest season.

So why don't I like this week's challenge?

Because ORANGE is my all time favorite color and we were asked to create a Halloween project that didn't use ANY orange! *sniff sniff* 

Not one speck. Nada. Zilch.

It was SO HARD!

 I'm not joking here friends. 

This was not easy for me.

Our sponsor is Clear Dollar Stamps and I think they have a really amazing sale going on right now.

In my card above, the skeleton, bats, and the spiderwebs are Tim Holtz stamps, the sentiment is PTI.

I really hope you'll join us for this week's challenge because I can't wait to see what you come up with. You are all going to make me seem like a crybaby, aren't you?! 

Thanks for stopping by,

*mwah*