VSN- The Mini Olympics!

Happy Sunday! I spent a lazy day yesterday (I needed it) as we got approximately 8-10" of snow yesterday. To some of you that may not sound like a big deal, but since we rarely get snow here it shut down the town. :) I will try to go to work today- we'll see how the roads are. My Knight in Shining Armor (Jeff) will come dig my car out and drive me if necessary, but I am still concerned about the gas trucks going on the road.
I did manage to play one challenge in the VSN mini before SCS got too wonky. It is the Opening Ceremonies Challenge to choose a Country's flag and make a card with those colors. I chose Belgium whose colors are Black, Red and Yellow. Due to the 45 minute time limit, I kept it simple. I thought this cute Pirate set from Unity would be perfect for these colors and this set needed to be inked up. :)
Stamps: Unity- Pirate madness
Paper: Kraft, Black, Cosmo Cricket Early Bird
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black
Accessories: SU Scalloped Border Punch; White Gel Pen

That's all I have for today- if you want to play along with the Mini VSN, you have until Midnight Monday, February 1st. Thanks for stopping by!

Birthday Peek A Boo Box

TGIF!! It's been a crazy week in my world. I've been fighting off the illness going around the office and trying to keep the house together. Today I had to pick Jimmi up at the airport because instead of arriving last night, she was delayed until today. My sweetheart and I are going to try and go out on a special date, but we are expecting a snow storm (which is RARE around here) so who knows what's going to happen.

What I DO know is that I finally finished this cute Peek A Boo Treat Box I wanted to post yesterday. When I saw these on SCS, I thought they were pretty darn cute so I finally tried one. I must say, it was pretty darn easy too.
I think this could make a cute little birthday treat for a co-worker or neighbor. What do you think? The stamps set is Artful Inkables Birthday Best. I love this set and I think it is my favorite birthday stamp set so far. It's so cute. :)

Stamps: Artful Inkables Birthday Best
Paper: Cosmo Cricket Girl Friday; SU Pink Pirouette
Ink: SU Rose Red; Memento Tuxedo Black
Accessories: 1 3/8" circle Punch, Scor-Pal, Scissors, Ribbon, Nestabilities

That's all I have for today- hopefully I will get some stamping time tomorrow while I'm snowed in. ;o

Sunday Announcement

I hope you are enjoying your weekend. I was hoping to have something to show you today but I was very lazy yesterday and didn't stamp a thing. Sometimes you just need a "down" day and I took one. But I do have an announcement that I am excited to share with you.

I have been chosen to be the April Guest Designer for Mark's Finest Papers! I am so honored and excited. If you haven't checked out the store, you can find it HERE. You definitely need to check out the Designer Blog HERE. Mark's Finest Papers offers premium papers, embellishments, and stamps from Flourishes, Tattered Angels AND Speedy the Cat has his own line of stamps- and I have to tell you, they are pretty cool.

Thanks for stopping by- stay tuned for more projects later this week!

Happy Saturday!

Saturdays are such fun days. I go back to work tomorrow morning, but you can be sure I will squeeze in all the fun and relaxation (and chores...blech) I can today. I wanted to share this fun card I made the other day using the Rubber Romance Diva Chef. Seriously- can you get any sassier than her? I don't think so..... I decided to make a Tent Topper Card- just for the fun of it. They are so easy to make and give your card that little extra "oomph."

Stamps: Rubber Romance Diva Chef
Paper: SU Purely Pomegranate, Regal Rose; PTI White; Basic Grey Lemonade
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black
Accessories: Prismacolor Pencils, Purely Pomegranate Ribbon, Fiskars Threaded Water Punch, Circle Nestabilities, Foam Tape.

That's all I have for today- enjoy your weekend!

Friday Fun # 66 and Friends With Flair

Happy Friday! A lot of my friends are in California for CHA. I hope they are arriving safely and having a great time. For the rest of us, it's time for this week's Friday Fun Challenge. This week's Challenge, brought to us by Sara is to make a tea-themed card or project in honor of National Hot Tea Month. Pretty cool idea, don't you think? Since I have some lovely Unity Stamps that are tea-themed, I decided to combine the Friday Fun Challenge with Unity's Friends With Flair. Once I decided to do that, I had another issue....which tea-themed stamps do I choose? They are all so wonderful.....SO I decided to make TWO projects for today.

My first project is a Tea Bag Holder. Here's the front :


Here is the Inside of the holder:

Stamps: Unity Aug 08 KOM Rememeber Happiness and Dec 09 KOM Delightful Moments
Paper: SU: Old Olive, Yo Yo Yellow, Basic Grey Origins
Ink: Memento Rich Cocoa
Accessories: Ribbon, Nestabilities Labels 6, Linen Thread, Dimensionals

And here is a card I made with the Tea Pot from June 09 KOM:

Stamps: Unity June 09 KOM Perfect In Every Way
Paper: SU Old Olive, Yo Yo Yellow; PTI White; Basic Grey Origins
Ink: Memento Rich Cocoa; SU Old Olive
Accessories: Square Nestabilities, Foam Tape, Lace Trim

Thanks for stopping by today. Be sure to check out the Unity Blog for other Friends with Flair and the Friday Fun Girls' blogs (below). Have a great day!

Jimmi
Kimme
Sara
Christi

Think Ink- Think Spring!

The new Think Ink Challenge Challenge is to Think Spring. I don't know about you, but I am ready for Spring. January and February are cold and dreary and I am ready for sunshine, warmer weather, and flowers. I don't have any flower stamps from Artful Inkables, but I do have the fabulous Birthday Best set. My birthday is in the Spring I chose that set and I used bright and fun colors that remind me of Spring and all the things that come with it. This also fits with this week's Sketch Challenge (SC264)

Stamps: Artful Inkables Birthday Best
Paper: SU Baja Breeze, Pumpkin Pie; PTI White; Sassafras Lass patterned paper
Ink: SU Baja Breeze and Pink Passion; Memento Rich Cocoa
Accessories: Foam Tape, 1" circle Punch, Prismacolor Pencils

Thanks for stopping by- I can't wait to see what everyone creates for the challenge- remember to link your creations to the AI blog for a chance to win a grab bag of stamps!

Rubber Romance Wild and Crazy Sketch Challenge

I know it's Monday- but some of you are home for Martin Luther King Jr. Day. I'm at work, as usual but if you are home from work today then you should check out the current Sketch Challenge on the Rubber Romance Blog. It's fun , it's funky and you can win some free stamps for trying it out.
Here is my card for the sketch challenge using Melanie the Shopper (ATC size). This is what I wish I was doing today instead of working. lol. I had a lot of fun paper-piecing the image and putting all these patterns together. I really love this paper from K&Company. It's so fun and bright....and makes me think of Spring (which I am ready for).

Thanks for stopping by today- I hope you will check out the challenge and play along. Have a great day!

Artful Inkables "Charming" Blog Hop!

This is the 2nd post for today- scroll down for the Friday Fun Challenge post. :)

Welcome to the Artful Inkables "Charming" Blog Hop. You should be joining me from Holly's Blog. If not, make sure you go to Kristin's blog HERE to start the hop. You will not want to miss a single project. There will also be a prize give away - just leave a comment on each blog and one comment will be chosen randomly to win.
Today's blog hop is focusing on charms. Did you know that Artful Inkables carries a wide assortment of charms? In fact, most stamp sets have a coordinating charm. They are a great way to accent your card or project without breaking the bank.
Today I used the stamp set Birthday Best. I love the cake, present and cupcake images- and it also has GREAT sentiments for birthday cards. I paired it with the butterfly charm- mainly because I love butterflies. I even have a butterfly tattoo. My layout is a sketch from the January/February issue of Papercrafts magazine (page 17).
Stamps: AI Birthday Best
Paper: Kraft, SU Old Olive, PTI White and K&Company Carolyn Gavin Greenhouse Paper
Ink: Memento Rich Cocoa; SU Pink Passion
Accessories: Nestabilities, American Crafts Ribbon, Chipboard; Scallop Border Punch; Foam Tape....and of course my butterfly charm.

Your next stop on the hop is JEN! Have a great day!

Friday Fun # 65- Inside and Out

It's Friday! Today's Friday Fun Challenge is brought to us by Sara. Inspired by the Moxie Fab World blog's recent Start to Finish Challenge- we are going to make cards and decorate the inside too! That doubles your stamping pleasure. :)
My card today uses this week's sketch over at CPS. It's such a simple and fun layout- perfect for any card you want to make. Here's the front of the card:


I kept the design for the inside simple, but I couldn't resist adding a button. The main images are from the recently- released Unity kit Treasure to Me. I just love the fun and feminine images in this set. The sentiment on the inside is from the December 09 kit of the month Delightful Moments.

We would love for you to play along- just use keyword FFC65 when uploading to Splitcoast. Be sure to check out the other Friday Fun Girls' blogs for more Inside & Out cards.

Jimmi
Kimme
Sara
Christi

Be sure to have some Friday Fun- thanks for stopping by!

A Bird's Song Sketch Card

Sorry for the late post today- I had to take my car to the shop and I just got home. For anyone who is ever wondering about buying a Hyundai and if the warranty is as good as it sounds- it really is! I have had very little trouble with my car in the 3 1/2 years I've owned it BUT the couple things that have occurred were taken care of by the dealership at absolutely NO expense to me. It's great! It keeps my money in my pocket for more stamping goodies. ;) I am all about more money for stamping.

The card I have for you today is for this week's Sketch Challenge (#263) on Splitcoast. I used the Artful Inkables set, A Bird's Song.
The patterned paper is from DCWV The Crafty Stack. I picked up the other week at Joann's and it has some cute craft-inspired patterns.
Thanks for stopping by- tomorrow will be a busy day here on my blog- the Artful Inkables Blog hop is tomorrow (it will be simply "Charming") and also this week's Friday Fun Challenge. Both should be pretty exciting so be sure to come by and check them out.

Have a great day!

More New Goodies!!

I finally squeezed in more play time with my Unity December Kit of the Month, Delightful Moments. I LOVE this kit. Seriously- it's been a busy few months for me but this kit has made me want to stamp like crazy. To top off the fun, I received my order from Limelight Papercrafts in the mail Monday. Of course I had to open my pack of the newest Basic Grey Sugar Rush paper and use it with this clock from the kit!
Stamps: Unity December 09 Kit of the Month Delightful Moments
Paper: Kraft, PTI White, Basic Grey Sugar Rush
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black; PTI Pure Poppy
Accessories: Button and Ribbon from PTI; Nestabilities, Dimensionals

Thanks for stopping by today- have a fabulous Tuesday!!

Such Delightful Moments....

I had a very busy weekend, but I managed to make one more card. I finally got to play with my December kit from Unity- Delightful Moments. This kit is so cute and fun- I have ideas for ALL of the images in it. This card got stuck in my head first, so it got created first. I went a little out of my comfort zone, but I am glad I did. I had to do a lot of cutting on the leaves of the tree and the sentiment is also cut out and popped up. My hand only hurt for a little while....lol. If my boyfriend behaves himself, maybe I will give this card to him. ;)
Stamps: Unity Dec 09 KOM Delightful Moments
Paper: Kraft; PTI White and Pure Poppy patterned paper
Ink: Memento Rich Cocoa, PTI New Leaf and Pure Poppy
Accessories: Green Embroidery Floss, Pure Poppy Button, Dimensionals, Corner Rounding Punch

Thanks for topping by today- I would love to know what you think. Have a great day!

Friday Fun #64 with Friends with Flair!

TGIF!! Are you ready for the weekend? I love Fridays and Saturdays....Sundays not so much. lol. Today's Friday Fun Challenge is issued by Sara. Since her parents just celebrated their 43rd wedding anniversary she wants us to make a travel-themed card. Apparently, if you celebrate 43 years together you get to travel. Sounds fun, doesn't it?

Since this is also Unity's Friends With Flair Friday- I broke out my Unity stamps. This cute airplane is from Sketchy Little Boy. The patterned paper is from Cosmo Cricket's Lil' Man series. I tried a few things on this card that are a little different for me, I would love to know what you think.
Be sure to check out the other Friday Fun Girls' Travel cards. If you want to play along with us (and we would love it if you did) then use keyword FFC64 when uploading to SCS.

Jimmi
Kimme
Sara
Christi

Thanks for stopping by today- be sure to make your Friday FUN!!

Think Ink Challenge #11

Happy Thursday! It's almost the weekend- are you excited? I already on my weekend and I am loving it. This week a new Think Ink Challenge was issued by Artful Inkables customer DINA KOWEL, and she wants you to MAKE A MONOCHROMATIC CARD

For my card I used the AI set Warm Drinks for Cold Days. The teapot and cup were paper-pieced with coordinating designer paper - Everafter by Cosmo Cricket.

I used lace trim and pearls to add to the elegant feel the paper gives the card. What do you think?
You have until Monday January 18, 2010 Midnight Pacific Time to link your creation to the original post HERE for a chance to win a grab bag of Artful Inkables stamps (and who wouldn't want one of those???) Use keyword AIC11 when uploading to SCS or PCP so everyone can find your creations easily.
Thanks for stopping by today- I always appreciate it. Tomorrow me and my Sassy friends will have some Friday Fun for you so be sure to come by and check it out! Have a great day!

Rubber Romance Sketch Challenge

I just wanted to remind you that you still have time to enter the Sketch Challenge on the Rubber Romance blog. It's a fun sketch and by linking your creation to the RR blog by January 9th you will have a chance to win some FREE Rubber Romance stamps.


Here is my card using the sketch. This owl is just cute and it gave me a chance to use my new patterned paper from DCWV- The Crafty Stack. I took some liberty with the placement of the ribbon but the basic layout is the same.

Thanks for stopping by today- I will see you tomorrow!

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year- I am so excited that it's finally 2010. I just really believe this is going to be the best year ever. :) Today I have my Friday Fun Challenge card- and it is also my Friends With Flair card for Unity. You KNOW the first card of the New year had to be made with Unity stamps. ;)
The first Friday Fun Challenge of the New Year is brought to us by Sara. Its a color challenge to use Black and Silver or Gold (white can be used also as a neutral). Basically- Party colors. :)


For my card, I used the Jar of Happiness from Unity's Nov 09 KOM Simply Magical. The numbers are from Just My Type Alpha which came out last January. The ribbon is from a big bag of loose ribbon from various ribbon shares and RAKs. We would love to see your Black and Silver cards so please play along. Use Keyword FFC63 when uploading to SCS. Be sure to check out the other Friday Fun Girls' Blogs here:
Jimmi
Kimme
Sara
Christi

Thanks for stopping by today- I hope your New Year has a fabulous start!