Eat dessert first!

Yum! Anyone for a cupcake this morning?

I was going for a simple look here, with some kraft CS, a few ribbons and a cupcake topped with lots of fluffy frosting.
I tried to emboss a label shaped nestabilities onto the front to frame the cupcake, but it doesn't show very well in the photo. Can you see it there?

I love cupcakes. I used to make them frequently, but have backed off for the summer, because who wants to bake when it's hot out, right? *grin* Plus, the frosting melts too quickly and slides off the top!
My nephew just got engaged and he and his bride-to-be have asked that I make cupcakes for each guest instead of a wedding cake. I'm so excited! 200 mini cakes? How awesome is that?! The ideas are swirling around my head as to color, flavor, design, fillings, etc. It's like edible art!

This card was inspired by this one here on Taheerah's blog. I liked the look of the cupcake alone with a few lines accross the bottom. Thanks for the inspiration Taheerah!
I stitched the ribbons on, added some matching buttons with twine (LOVE how that stuff matches kraft cardstock perfectly!) and topped the frosting with liquid applique to make it puff up. I also added a touch of glitter to the frosting, but, again, you can't see it in the photo. This card uses all PTI supplies, including Cupcake Collection.

Thanks for stopping by today!
Dana

More Button Bits!

Happy Monday all! (at least it is for all you mom's out there where school is already in session, right?!) We don't start back until September 9, and we'll be changing things up a bit this year with both boys attending private school. Our youngest is delirious to start Kindergarten...me? well I'm a nervous wreck! It's quite a long bus ride too, and since we get over 300 inches of snow every winter I'm feeling iffy.

Onto today's card. I was really excited to put together all these colors, but was disappointed once I was done. Somehow it seemed better before I assembled it, if you know what I mean. The IDEA seemed better than the actual PRODUCT.

Raspberry Fizz, Chocolate, Whisper White, Lavender Moon, Aqua Mist. It looks too "put together" or something. But I do love the stamp set, Everyday Button Bits! I also used Background Basics:Retro for the chocolate card base. I can't get enough of that set and use it frequently. Don't you like white ink on Chocolate? Scrumptious! I also think the photo is a bit washed out, but because I already sent this card out, I can't re-take it! Love those buttons though...*grin*

Hope you all have a wonderful Monday and thanks for stopping by!

Dana

Sending a smile

Good morning, good morning! What are your plans for today? We're going to my mom's in the Finger Lakes (2 1/2 hour drive) to pick up our oldest son. He's been having a great time at Grandma's house these past few weeks.

I was up late last night for the newest Papertreyink release. Woohooo, what a party on the forum until the wee hours! Some lovely new stuff was released too.

Onto today's card.
I thought I had previously posted this card but apparently forgot. It uses Everyday Button Bits and Background Basics: Retro. I had some scraps lying around my desk and when I saw them together I knew I wanted to use them on a card. They were so pretty! Berry Sorbet, Melon Berry, and Spring Moss PP. Paired with Kraft and a bit of chocolate it all came together perfectly, don't you think? I embossed the card base with a CB folder, then rubbed it with fresh snow ink to make the raised dots more prominent. Not having a scalloped punch, I drew and cut my own for the edge, sewed new leaf buttons onto the stamped trees, added sentiment and some ribbon and called it done! Everything is PTI.

I hope you have a wonderful Saturday, thanks for stopping by!

Dana

Life is Great!

I keep telling myself, "tomorrow's Friday, just hang in there"but it's hard isn't it? Seems like it's all I can do just to make it through the week sometimes.
Then I think about how wonderful my life really is, and I feel as if I should celebrate! How lucky are most of us, really? Things could always be worse...we have so much to be thankful for.

This card is a result of a few scraps lying on my desk that caught my eye and made me see something beyond the obvious (scraps, that is.)
It came together so quickly that I hardly had time to think any of the process through! How serendipitous is that? (is that even a word?)

I'm keeping it simple today. You guys know how to put a card together anyway! All supplies PTI.

Think happy thoughts. Be grateful. Delight in life.

Thanks for stopping by.
Dana

Raspberry Suite Color challenge #14

Trying to step outside my comfort zone with one of Dawn's color challenges. Red, pink, and purple? You must be joking! I would never put these colors together if it weren't for the creative genius of Dawn. She's simply amazing. She inspires me to no end with her talent to think outside the box!
I fiddled around for quite some time, not really "feeling it". Finally, after walking away for a spell, I came back and all my pieces just fell into place! I'm actually delighted with my effort here.
Using Tim Holtz mini masks, I covered the vintage cream CS base with some of my favorite flourish masks and sponged on Raspberry Fizz ink. Once removed, I had these pretty cream swirls that really stood out.
After adding a strip of Plum Pudding CS stamped in Vintage Cream ink with Damask Designs, all I had to do was add the Scarlet Jewel ribbon and a flower (stamped and cut out) from Friends 'til the End. Of course then I put on some finishing touches...buttons! Ending with a sentiment from Mega Mixed Messages and a line drawn with a copic marker to match Scarlet Jewel, I called it done!

What do you think? Does purple, pink, red, and cream seem like a crazy color combo? Maybe, but I think I pulled it off. *grin* Thanks for the challenge Dawn!

And thanks for stopping by this evening folks...I appreciate it.

Dana

Bicycle race

Hello all! Well, the rain hasn't stopped, but it sure has gotten muggy and humid out! We're a bike riding family, and frequently go on long rides with a picnic here in the country. Our 4 year old is learning to ride withOUT his training wheels and is very excited when he does it.
Want to know a secret about this card? I used my copics for the first time on it! Crazy huh?
I know. I've had them for months and months, but have been too scared to use them! So silly of me, as I used to LOVE coloring as a child and even as a teen too. It was just like riding a bicycle! So easy and all my coloring techniques came back to me quickly, no learning curve.
The base of Plum Pudding was stamped with Polka Dot basics in plum pudding ink and the outlined with vintage cream. I used the Everyday Button Bits for the bicycle and sentiment. Matted it with Summer Sunrise and then tied the whole thing with a Hibiscus ribbon. See how I cut out the "Wishes" part of the sentiment? I liked the ribbon where it was but didn't want to cover up the word, so I stamped it again and placed it on top!

Thanks for stopping by today!
It feels good to be blogging again.

Dana

Rainy days and Mondays always get me down...

I used to love singing that song down the halls in HS with a dear friend on Mondays. Although I like rain, we've had a surplus of it this summer, and today so many places are flooded, roads are closed, and power is out. I dropped my son off at daycare this morning (he goes to the Learning Center at one of the ski resorts here) and the entire resort had no power. It was a madhouse of yelling, running children inside that building with no lights on! *grin*

I wish it would stop raining here in western NY, and give us a few warm, summery days. Soon it will be snowing and I will have missed summer altogether!

I started this card by paper piecing the umbrella from Scattered Showers with Green Tea Leaves PP from PTI. Then I used my new score-bug embosser with my score-pal to create dotted score marks like rain on my card base. I love how that looked, and once I added some glitter, it was even better. Just like rain! (It doesn't show up very well on the photo though)

Keeping it simple, I added the sentiment and a button and a tiny scrap of ribbon. Then in a fit of insanity, I decided to scallop the bottom of the card and pierce it. I didn't like it, but I was stuck with it anyway! *smile*

So keep your chin up on this dreary, rainy Monday. Or, better yet, if it's sunny and warm where you are, send some my way, please.

Thanks for stopping by today!

Dana

My Favorite Things Exchange

Up for something fun?
Nichole, over at Casa De Leche is hosting a summer fun exchange. I just signed up and am hoping some of you will too! How fun is this idea? You put a few of your favorite things into a box, mail it to someone, and get a box in return of someone else's favorite things.
I'm already thinking about what is going into the box...
--a copy of my favorite book
--some PTI ribbon, buttons and white CS
--smarties (YUM!)
--my favorite recipes?
--a CD of some of my fave songs
--what else? (I probably shouldn't put fruit in the box although I love it!)

This is almost like a RAK, only you are sure to get one in return (and it's not so random...).

So click on the logo above and sign up!
I'll be back this evening with another card.

Dana

Did I say I loved fruit?

A few days ago this card came to me in a dream. Seriously! I woke up, sketched it out on the pad I keep by my bed and then earlier last week executed it in my studio. It turned out just as I has pictured. Love the bright colors together with the white. Do you ever dream of cards and layouts? Seems crazy, but it happens frequently to me.

I don't have the new scalloped punch that seems to be appearing everywhere, so I just drew some waves and cut them out approximately. But the white border punch underneath made it look really crooked! Oh well, it's art, right?

The cherry stamp is from PTI's new Everyday Button Bits stamp set.

I originally thought I wouldn't get this set, but at the last second added it to my cart and have been loving it ever since!

Thanks for stopping by today!

Dana

I love Pears!

I have been collecting pear images for many years, so the latest stamp release from PTI, Fruitful, was "pear-fect" for me! *groan* Fruit just seems to call to me, both in stamping and in eating. We eat a LOT of fruit in my household.
After inking up the pear image several times using the rock-n-roll technique, I cut three of them out and added some stems and leaves. I love how each element is separate, so it can be a different color!Doesn't it look good with the raspberry fizz and lemon tart colors? I used another PTI set, Background Basics: Text style, to stamp some background interest on the yellow behind the pears. I also decided to leave the sentiment off this one until I need it for a specific occasion. (Who am I kidding? I'm keeping this card for myself! *grin*)

So thanks for putting up with my long absence. What with my husband's bicycle accident and subsequent broken leg, finishing the applications for my children to attend private school, my four-year-old having his tonsils out and tubes put in his ears, summer vacation, family reunions, and my crazy work schedule now that the Emerald Ash Borer is in NY, it's a miracle that I have ANY time to stamp!

Thanks for stopping by! I'll have more in the next few days too!

Dana

Blog Hop night!

Well it's that time again. Yes, it's blog hop night with PTI! Last month was my first one and I was so inspired by all the samples, that I decided to participate again.

Here was the challenge: For this month's Blog Hop, we want to see all of your very best backgrounds. They can be created with a set originated for that purpose or a reinvention of images that were not.

I wanted to use a set that wasn't intended for making backgrounds, so I dug out Limitless Labels. Although I've used it frequently for mini chocolate gifts, I wanted to see what I could do if I tried to make my own PP with it!

Here is the sheet of CS that I stamped using raspberry fizz, summer sunrise, and new leaf inks. I added the sentiment in black.
When I cut it up to use on my card, I decided it needed more "umphfff." So I stamped the flower in new leaf ink all over the background to fill in the white parts.

Doesn't that look better? Working with these bright colors is not generally my style, but branching out is always good, right? *grin* All supplies are PTI except for the white ep.

I have a book discussion tonight at the library, but I can't wait to come home and hop around checking out everyone's backgrounds!

Thank you for stopping by this evening...have fun continuing on your blog hop!

Scrapbook layouts!

I am not a scrapbooker by any means. In fact, before these five LOs, I have only ever made one layout before (12x12, for a friend, in 2004). So imagine my surprise to be an honorable mention in the March Guest Star Stamper contest at Papertreyink! I am truly honored.



All supplies and stamps are PTI, except some of the buttons.

Thanks for stopping by on this beautiful Tuesday morning!

The re-emergence of the A7

A long time ago in a studio craft room very close by...the A7 sized card was very popular. Then stamping was discovered and the A7 became obsolete as the newer, better, smaller A2 sized was instituted.

Just for old-time's sake I thought I'd make a larger card like I used to. I miss the freedom of the larger canvas, and have several stamps that are better suited to big spaces.

This is for my great-niece Elizabeth who will be 9 in a few weeks. She is very artsy and loves to create things with paper and glitter and glue and beads and markers and stickers and...*grin*

All supplies except image stamp, claret ink and brown brad are PTI. The berry/vine stamp is from Stampington.
I like how cheerful and spring-like this card is. I'm happy with how it turned out too! (is that okay to say?) Maybe some more A7 cards are in my future...

Thanks for stopping by! I hope I've inspired YOU to change up your canvas size today.

Amazing story

I just have to share this adorable video story. What an imagination this girl has!


Once upon a time... from Capucha on Vimeo.

Simple Little Things

Happy Tuesday blogworld! Although it was 3 degrees outside this morning, and we still have snow on the ground, I am feeling chipper and hopeful that spring is right around the corner! (Hey, a girl can hope, right?)
The layout of this card is one I use frequently. I call it my "go-to" sketch. I first used it here for a Halloween card in 2007. I know most folks like to start with a sketch, or a color combo, or even a stamp set and go from there, and they'll stick to that. But I use all three (and more) and never begin a card the same way. It depends on my mood. For this one, I stared with a sheet of shiny, glittery dark blue CS. I purchased this stuff from PTI when it first came out, but hadn't even opened the package yet. And from there it just blossomed into a thank you card in red, white and blue! I used only the stamp set Simple Little Things, last year's anniversary set from PTI. Starting with the spring rain CS, I repeatedly stamped the cross/flower type image in a pattern and then enhanced it with white gel pen. The main image was stamped in dark blue ink and then red gel pen used to accent the tiny flowers. The strip of PP came from PTI's Men of Life paper pack.
Can you see the sparkly-ness of the base CS? It's awesome.

Thanks for stopping by. I wish you all a bit of happiness today!

Something Special

It's Monday. 'Nuff said, right?

I don't feel like chatting much, but you won't mind, right? Image and sentiment from CHF. All paper, CS and ribbon from PTI. I used a shadow ink cube from Hero Arts to do the pale blue rectangle (DTP inside a nestie), and Dark Chocolate from PTI with Versamark for the image.
Thanks for stopping by, hope your Monday turns out fantastic!

Inspired by blog hopping

Good morning! My foray into Facebook last night lasted longer than I thought. Perhaps I'm sucked in? *smile*

During my first blog hop this past Wednesday, I was inspired by so many things I couldn't jot them all down. But one that stuck with me was this cool double looped ribbon! Yes, this entire card was created around the ribbon! I wanted to see if I could make one, so I did, and then I needed a card to put it on, so it all just fell into place. Can I just say that I am loving my new Damask Designs stamp set from Papertreyink?!
Oh, and my oldest son insisted I show all my blog readers his new glasses. He is very proud of them and we think they look nice.

Thanks for stopping by. Have a great Saturday!

The land of Social Networking

I did it. Yep. I finally did it. My sister Jane was the "last straw" so to speak. She kept pestering me like a little kid (you KNOW you were!) to join Facebook. I caved. I don't even understand what I'm doing, but I'm doing it.
And now I've got family sending me messages that I've never even met! Distant cousins, nieces, nephews, the whole shebang.
At least with Twitter I got the point! It was simple, straightforward, and relatively unobtrusive. I think maybe I'm getting "old", as in old-fashioned, old-timer OLD!
And now, instead of spending time in my studio making cards, I'm on Facebook trying to understand how to send gifts through cyberspace? bah. I'd rather be covered with ink surrounded by paper scraps and nearly-empty bottles of mono adhesive. Listening to my ipod. Throw in a bit of embossing powder (and a pack of smarties!) and I'm set to go!

Here a photo for the fam:

My niece Michelle and my two boys last summer in our backyard.

Thanks for stopping by while I rant about my jump to cyberworld (this blog not-withstanding!).

Food glorious food...

Happy Friday everybody! Boy will I be glad when this week is out and done. My youngest AND my husband have been sick. Blech. And you know what men are like when they're sick, right? It's like taking care of two children! *grin*

I threw together this card last week for a friend's upcoming birthday. She's not a frilly sort of gal, so I kept the ribbon and bling to a minimum. The frosting is embossed in white, with chocolate cake layers. Background is stamped with Retro Basics and then white gel pen was used to add "ooomph". I used an oval nestability for the plate and once it was embossed it was perfect. All products used are PTI.

I must share a link to some amazing blog candy. You should check out Lim's blog, it's her first anniversary!

Thanks for stopping by today. Hope you have a GREAT friday!

CPS104

Good morning everyone!
Just a quick post for CPS 104. I am not sure these colors in these amounts are working out for me, but it was fun to challenge myself to go a little nuts anyway! I used Background Basic: Retro for the yellow strip and Damask Designs for the main image. Sentiment came from Mixed Messages. The green colored glitter isn't correctly showing in this photo, it's a bit brighter IRL. All products except buttons and glitter come from PTI.

Happy Thursday.

Blog Hop Night!

I'm so excited to be a part of my first ever Papertrey Blog Hop!

Although I've been a fan and customer of Papertrey Ink since their inception, I've never done a blog hop. Shame on me, I know. *grin*

Here was the task: Your challenge this month is to put a little "spring" into your step, by incorporating the flowers, familiar sights and colors of spring into a project.

So did I do it? Does this card make you think spring? It does me. But then again, I haven't seen anything but snow since Halloween and I am so ready to see the green buds on the trees and the birds chirping!

Supplies: Lemon tart, kraft, white, spring rain, spring mist CS, Out on a Limb, Birds of a Feather, Borders and Corners Oval, and Simple Alphabet stamp sets, Bitty dot basics PP, Chocolate, cognac, Spring mist, and Spring rain inks, Spring rain twill, tiny white buttons and antique brad from my stash.

I can't wait to see what everyone else comes up with. That's the best part of the blog hop...inspiration! Thanks for stopping by this evening, have a great night.

Computer woes...FIXED!

Happy Wednesday bloggers! (Ash Wednesday, right?) So are you geared up for tonight's Papertrey Blog Hop? It will be my first and I'm excited, so come back later this evening to see my blog hop post!

I've had a beavy of cards to show you all, but have been having terrible computer troubles where I couldn't view any jpegs. I think I've solved it now though...and just in time! Enjoy the eye-candy below.

This was the first card I made when I received my Damask Designs from PTI. I just love this stamp set. It's gorgeous! I also used the new Retro Background basics too.

This one was pretty simple, and it's also relatively straightforward, don't you think? I really like the new leaf color from PTI, especially with the raspberry fizz!

Wedding invitation samples

So I'm back from our mini-vacation and utterly exhausted. Isn't that the way it goes though? *smile* I always seem to need a vacation after returning from vacation!

On a cheerful note, I did receive my Papertrey Ink package containing Damask Designs and had a chance to play around with it last night...Oooh weee, that particular set will be a favorite for years, I know it! AND I discovered that I won a prize package over at the CPS blog too! How's THAT for surprise?

While I have not been creating anything while gone, I do have a ton of wedding invite samples to show. This card above is a rejected (in many ways!) sample I made for a customer months ago. Aside from the fact that I dropped it on the floor while the ink was still wet, and THEN proceeded to roll over it with my stool, it was quite pretty to begin with. (I know you are nodding along with me! We've all been there, right? Right? *sudden alarming look* Please tell me I'm NOT the only one who does absurd things like that!)

This one below is similar (minus the stool wheel marks and smudged ink) just a different LO and size. The embossed frame in the middle isn't so apparent from the photo, but does add a nice inlay look in person.


Inside view:

The bride was looking for cherry blossoms, and although most of the samples I created for her were in the navy/lavender color scheme (as requested), I did step outside their wedding colors and create a few like these two just for contrast.

Thanks for stopping by. Maybe I'll show some more samples in the next few days...
Have a great day!

Oven mitt inspiration?

For Christmas, my husband bought me these gorgeous oven mitts (I was sorely in need of new ones) from French Bull.
He also got me an amazing platter too, but I'll save that for another day!
I decided to make a card based on them. But when I started creating, I realised I should probably focus on just one, not both. Here's what I came up with!


Isn't it fun?!