Hello Again!

Hi Everyone!!! It's been quite some time since I posted!  I have been busy creating, but have mostly been posting on Instagram.  Thought I would dust off the blog and see if I remember how this works. ;-)


I shared this over on Lori Whitlock's Blog last week.  Hope over to check out my brief tutorial and let them know I sent you.  I had a ton of fun creating this Kaleidoscope...that's what a collection of butterflies is called apparently.  Learn something new every day!

Cheers!

Guest Posting Some Tea

Greetings!  The fam helped to get the house all decorated yesterday so DH and I are off to the Festival of Trees in Metheun to get even more ideas.  LOL!  In the meantime, please head over to my blogland friend Bella of Bella Before and After where I am a guest blogger today.  You'll see more of these cool teapots and what I created with them..   :)

Which holiday is next???

Well if the store can break out the Christmas stuff before we even have Halloween- never mind Thanksgiving- then I can break out the Valentine cards right?  I mean that's how it works isn't it? LOL!

This is my final creation as the October I Heart {Ippity} Guest Designer. *sniff*  It's been awesome to play with these fabulous stamps!  Heather's crew is fabulously talented so don't forget to check them out. :)

The jar of love comes from the {Ippity} set Quotes a'la Happy and couldn't be more perfect for a sweet valentine, but you wouldn't have to limit yourself to just a holiday card.  It would be a lovely image to use for an anniversary card, birthday card, or just because card!

To add a little more dimension, I coated the jar with glaze after coloring everything with my Copics.  Trust me though, I haven't forgotten about Halloween on Monday, Thanksgiving (in 28 days?!?!?!), or Christmas (I won't tell you how soon that's coming up- but start to worry!).

Have a wonderful Friday everyone!

{Ippity} Tags- I Heart 'Em :)

Oops!  Thought this went up earlier!!! Blogger is a finicky beast- or maybe I'm just flaking out. :)  Here's another fun creation for my GDT spot with I Heart {Ippity}.

I've been on a tagging roll lately (the fun kind-not the spray paint kind LOL!).  It's hard to believe that Christmas is creeping around the corner.  Now's the time to get out some of those scraps and create a few 5 minute tags.  You never know when you might need one to quickly slap onto a hostess gift!

No kidding these are from some scraps of green Bazzill, fun pattern paper, and white scraps.  I die cut everything with dies from MFT and PTI.  The image is from the {Ippity} set The Simple Things and is stamped with Memento Lady Bug.  I swoon for sparkle, so red Stickles got added to all the "holly berries".  Break out your adhesive of choice and bam!  You've got ready-to-go tags.  Ribbon optional- but it does add a little sumfin'.  ;)

This is the whole set so you can see what all includes.  If you saw this card set, you'll notice the sentiments come from this set.  Can't you just picture a cute baby card with the "butterfly bloom" and then you could use the "best things..." sentiment.  Ahhhh- too sweet!  Hop over to I Heart {Ippity} to pick up a set of your own.

Happy weekend everyone!

Orange Sunrise

Well the sunshine we had this weekend was short lived!  Pouring rain and clouds are back. :(  It has brought some of the color out in the leaves though, so I guess it isn't all bad.

This is my latest creation as the October Guest Designer for I Heart {Ippity}!  It was so gloomy and the first card was so cheery that I decided to make a whole set of "thank you cards" to brighten anyone's day. :)

 To make the cards I used paper from Echo Park- Seasonal Stripe (backside), Bazzill- Olive Green & Orange Shimmer, Melissa Frances- Daniel, and a Memory Box card base- Squash.  Pumpkin StazOn ink stamped the half sun from the Quotes a'la Happy set and the sentiments come from the Simple Things set.

In each set, you get all the images you see on some fab red cling rubba'!  Makes for a nice little mix 'n match fun don'cha think?  

Hope you have a wonderful weekend.  I'm spending all day Saturday in a literacy class and Sunday I'll be having fun making tags with some PTI friends in Burlington.  Maybe I'll get some tags photographed and posted next week. :)

I've "let it shine" as these fun places:

For Your Inspiration- Photo inspiration- I chose the all the colors :)

Do You Stack Up- Use your scraps- the orange paper and the blue polka dots were scraps

Crafts and Me- Orange- I ADORE orange

Guest Designer for...

I'm so excited!  I've been sitting on this for a while and now I can finally say that I am the October Guest Designer over at I Heart Ippity!!!

As part of this cool gig Heather shared some of her awesome stamps with me!  I sat down with my kit club papers and the Top Tip Tuesday sketch to come up with this creation. :)

The sentiment stamp is from the Quotes a' la Happy set.  The papers are Kaisercraft Hunt & Gather (the blue ppr is cut with an MFT die), BG scrap of Jasmine & Olive (die cut with a MFT doily die), card base from Memory Box trimmed to a 4.25"X 4.25" base (and the rusty wine scrap is leftover from another MB card base after I trimmed it down). 

So watcha think?

I'm bringing some sunshine over to these fab places:
Top Tip Tuesday- Sketch
Crafty Cardmakers- Anything Goes
Crafty Purple Frog- Lots of Layers

Guest Post at Craft Goodies

Edit- This Guest Blogging gig was set up a month ago.  Clearly life has been a little crazy since then. :)  For a Cad update scroll down.

Hi Folks!  Well, I am back from the Papertrey Convention in Cinci and all I can say is WOW!!!!  While I come back down from the stratosphere I have a couple fun field trips for you...

The first one is my Guest Blogger Tutorial over at Craft Goodies!  Wendy is on vacation with her family and while she is relaxing lots of us bloggy friends are doing our best to fill in for her. :)  After you (hopefully) hop over to my tut, give this project a girly twist and enter it over at Top Tip Tuesday!!!  We are hosting a "Make It Girly" challenge, so get out your pink, froo-froo, flowery goods and make it work people. :)

So do you have your walking shoes on?  Got a water bottle so you stay hydrated?  Ready to go?  Great!  I'll see you back here tomorrow. :) 
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Cad is home and I will admit that his recovery is tricky.  I am a little overwhelmed and emotional about the whole event, but I know it will get better.  We both saw some tail movement today and he was able to roll himself a little to a kinda sitting up position to see me.  There are so many amazing folks at Tufts!  We are going back to get out his stitches next week and I know there is a crew looking forward to seeing his progress.  I'll be so excited if we have some to show!

Hugs to all,

It's a Trifecta!

Have I ever told you that I grew up in Upstate New York?  Anyhoo, I like horse racing references.  Lots of time spent in Saratoga watching horses.  :)  Okay, okay.  Down to card business!

So why the trifecta reference?  Today is my third Guest Designer spot!!!!!!  I'm so wicked thrilled!!!  Today I'm the GT over at Let's Capture Our Memories.   Cool challenge this go 'round too.  It's all about upcycling.  What can you reuse to make a beautiful card?  Earrings, movie tickets, cereal box...  I used the Sunday Boston Globe!

I really like orange and black.  This pic is from an arangetram celebration.  It's kinda like a bat/bar mitzvah or a quinceanera.  These are all celebrations and gifts can be involved.  Where there are gifts there are thank you notes so that's where I headed with this card.

I used the newpaper to make the strips for the background and the dimensional bow.  The pick below proves that I used the newpaper and this isn't a gag. ;)

Well maybe it doesn't show a whole article, but pop over to Let's Capture Our Memories and link up an upcycled creation of your own!  Let me know if you do.  I'll leave you some blog love. :)

I shared this card at:
Just Something I Whipped Up
The Creative Cottage- texture
It's Fun to Craft
Create4fun- flowers
Wild Orchid- lace (it's paper lace I made and put under the orange embossed ppr)
Seven Thirty Three Sugar and Spice Party 
Moxie Fab World- shabby vintage

Guest Designer for Sparkle Creations Christmas Card Challenge

I'm so excited and honored to be a Guest Designer for Sparkle Creations Christmas Card Challenge this week!!!

I've had the chance to play a few times and I ALWAYS am inspired by each weeks challenge.  The Design Team never fails to put out THE BEST Christmas Cards to get the creative juices flowing!  This week brings the theme "wreaths" which was a great blast from the past for me.  :)

When Steph told me the theme for the week I was thrilled and terrified!  I adore making Christmas cards (not so much on the writing and sending part I'll admit) but, I haven't got many wreath stamps.  I went through my big ole Christmas supply basket and the ones I had just weren't clicking for me.  Then I remembered the Rubber Stamp Tapestry set I had!

This set is meant to be used to make wreaths, but each image is a separate peg mounted stamp.  I'll be honest and tell you that Lori at Ink About It taught me this technique YEARS ago, so I lifted from her for this card.

So join us won't you?  Please come back and comment if you post a card for this challenge.  I want to stop by your blog and leave some love.  :)

Supplies used:
Poinsettia Wreath Set- Rubber Stamp Tapestry
Fruitcake- Kaleidacolor Stamp Pad
Saddle Brown, Black- Staz On Ink Pad
Paper- Bo Bunny
Christmas Red & Gold- Stickles
Sentiment & Swirls on card base- Technique Tuesday
Ribbon- Unknown

I threw this card in the ring at:
Christmas Cards All Year 'Round - anything goes
Polka Doodles- Christmas in July

Guest Designer for Debby's Dare

I'm very excited to start a series of guest design posts with Debby's Dare!  Debby has recently opened heArt of Scrapbooking and created these fabulous tags.  She gave seven of us the opportunity to play with the tags and I'm the last day's reveal.  :) 

This notebook cover is my favorite!  I know, I know.  It's blue.  Maybe I'm turning over a new leaf?  Maybe I like blue more than I think?  At any rate, I'm forever needing paper when I am out and about to write notes to myself so I don't forget things.  I thought this little clown girl was perfect for the cover because of the expression on her face that says "wait a minute, was that the plan?"  

I have a wedding this summer and this tag will look perfect on the present!  I really enjoy the vintage look of this tag.  The romantic picture reminds of a photo of my great grandmother and great grandfather.  The ribbons at the top will help attach it to the present and the wedding ring charm (it really is there, you may have to squint to see it) completes the wedded bliss look.  :)

I work with a lot of women.  There's always a wedding or baby shower happening!  I went with the quick, easy, and elegant approach.  Cut, mount, stamp sentiment, and bling with ribbon and liquid pearls.


Make sure you stop by Debby's blog.  Today is the last day for her RAK giveaway!

I entered the tag in the SPCC challenge and Lucy's Card Challenge.
I entered everything at Under the Table and Dreaming and Moxie Fab World.