Blog Candy Winners!!!

Congratulations to ...

Brynde and Helen!

Thanks to everyone who played along!

Flashback Friday (October 2010)

Flashback Friday take two!!!

Here are a few projects I especially liked from last October. Enjoy!

Angelic Joy Card Box

Winter Wonderland

Jolly Bingo Bits

Christmas Postcard and Gold Accent Ink

Snow Much Fun!

Every year, there are certain stamp sets that every demonstrator owns! Sometimes I'm a bit cynical about these stamp sets. What makes them so popular? Why is everyone loving them so much?

Because they're awesome!
And if you use them, you will love them too. And they're not just cute, they're easy to use and they make great stuff.

There's something about these snowmen that, after using them, I'm not sure they can make a bad project. Look around!

 EVERYTHING they make is cute!

So, if you're one of the few people left out there that does not own this stamp set, just buy it already and save yourself the torment!
Seriously.
Buy it!

I made today's card for the Freshly Made Sketches challenge blog.
It's the first of many projects this holiday season that will feature this fat and happy man of snow.
I love him!
So get ready to see him. A LOT!!!

Isn't this a fun sketch? I could spend days making cards to fit this!  Traditional but with a little extra punch of fun!

And the inside of the card:

Because everyone knows that if there's a bird on it...its awesome!

I used:

* Snow Much Fun and Petite Pairs stamp sets

* Real Red, Old Olive, Crumb Cake and Whisper White card stocks

* Old Olive designer paper

* Black Stayz On, Crumb Cake and White craft ink

* Stampin' Pastels and Blender Pens

* 1 1/4" circle, 1 3/8" circle, Scallop circle punch

* Baker's Twine

* Jingle Bells

* Snow Burst impressions folder

p.s. How great are those little jingle bells?

Halloween Wreaths

I keep forgetting to post this!

I made a couple of spooky wreaths a few weeks ago using nothing but some standard craft store finds. Wreath base, black spray paint (which I always have on hand!) silk roses and, of course, some Stampin' Up! striped grosgrain ribbon.

It was super duper easy to put together and will be haunting my Halloween door for years and years to come. Yay!

Here's the oval one I made for my sister, which is perhaps, just a bit spookier than the round one.

Update: This wreath was re-hung so the ribbon isn't being stretched out but we were anxious to get it up there and have a look. And my sister lives 30 minutes away and its not like I ever see her to get a new picture or anything...

And a close up of the bow and flowers.

I love how the flowers retained just a hint of red so they sort of look dried.

Have I mentioned I love spray paint?

Well I do.

Lovely Birds and Books

As I've said before, when I'm not stamping I'm usually reading a book and one of my favorite guilty pleasures is a good historical romance novel. There's something about a proper society young woman and a dashing rogue falling in love that gets me every time! I just can't help myself!

Occasionally I'm able to combine my two addictions into something really great by listening an audio book WHILE stamping. It's heaven!  And sometimes what I'm listening to starts to rub off on my project. Have you ever listened to a Christmas Carol and had an urge to go make a snowman card?

Well, this is kind of the same thing.

I made these while listening to a nice juicy book called Marriage Most Scandalous about a headstrong girl who sets out to find the estranged son of her neighbor/guardian only to find instead a deadly mercenary. Mercenary!!! Seriously, what could be better than that?

Anyway, its good that I was already trying to make a nice pretty card, because I think what I came up with is girlish and feminine enough to please Miss Austen herself!

I used:

* Petite Pairs and Vintage Vogue stamp sets

* Old Olive, Rich Razzleberry, Pretty in Pink, Pink Pirouette and Very Vanilla card stocks

* Rich Razzleberry and Pink Pirouette Ink

* First Edition designer paper

* Extra Large Bird Punch

* Antique Wallpaper embossing folder

200th Post and Blog Candy!

I can't believe this is my 200th blog post. Wow! When I started I had no idea this would be such a great creative outlet for me. I love it and I can't wait to see what the next 200 posts bring!

In honor of this occasion, I have some BLOG CANDY to give out! Yay!!!

This is a pack of 24 6"x 6" pieces of double sided Halloween paper PLUS a 15 yard spool of 5/8" grosgrain ribbon.

And because this is my 200th blog post, I'll 2 give of them away!

All you have to do to win is leave me a comment 

AND be a follower!

Contest will stay open til Sunday October 16th at 11:59 PM

Please play along!!!

Only in the continental United States please.

Halloween Bingo!

BINGO!!!

I made these up for my class tomorrow night.

And while they are super cute and BINGO is just about the best game ever...

...they are a pain to make!

I used:

* Bingo Card and Spooky Bingo Bits stamp sets

* Cherry Cobbler, Cajun Craze, Basic Black,  Black Stayz On, Basic Grey, Old Olive and Whisper White

* Frightful Sight Designer Paper

* 1 3/8" circle punch

* Crop-O-Dile

* Old Olive 1/4" grosgrain ribbon

Baby Shower Invites

 I made these Baby Shower invites for a very special baby boy who is arriving any day now with FOUR older sisters to help welcome him into the world. Imagine the fun!!!

I knew those little safety pins were cute but on baby stuff they're just perfect!

Yay!

 I couldn't stop myself from using pretty much every impressions folder and texturz plate I could find.

Stripes, squares, polka dots...I never decided which one I liked best!

And the insides:

I used:

* Baby Bundle stamp set (plus a couple retired word stamps on the inside)

* Chocolate Chip, Baja Breeze, Certainly Celery and Whisper White card stocks

* Early Espresso ink

* Chocolate Chip, Baja Breeze and Certainly Celery markers

* Various impressions folders

* Various Texturz plates

* Extra large fancy flower punch, 1 3/4" circle punch

* Vintage Trinkets

* 1/8" Certainly Celery ribbon