Thanks a bunch!

Happy Friday!!! Time for another fabulous Taylored Expressions Sketch Challenge!!

I'm partial to square cards... so much more room to spread out. (*grin*) I flipped the sketch on its side for my card, which features Garden Party Blooms and the coordinating dies (set one and set two). I used the dies to cut out the flowers from yellow felt. All of the cardstock, patterned paper, ribbon, and buttons are from the  October Taylored Expressions Key Ingredients kit. There's still time to grab this fabulous kit before it's gone gone gone! It's perfect for all your autumn/harvest cards/projects. Let's not forget my favorite time of year! lol

For more delicious eye candy and inspiration, you'll want to visit the rest of the Sketch Crew:

Alice Wertz: Alice's Little Wonderland
Jami Sibley: More is More

Monika Davis: M.A.D. Stamper
Rosie Hughes: Love My Craft Room
Sherrie Siemens: Card Creme 

and of course Taylor herself: Taylored Expressions

I hope you'll join us this week! Taylor's sketches are always a great way to kick off your weekend of crafting! 


Have a wonderful weekend!


Note, this is my third post for today (whew!). Please scroll down for the Waltzingmouse Stamps November Release Previews - Day 2 and Simply Betty Stamps New Release Blog Hop. Thanks!

Waltzingmouse Stamps November Release Previews - Day 2

And, we're back! Another day of fabby cards and projects created by Claire and the wonderful design team ladies featuring the FOUR new stamp sets being released by Waltzingmouse Stamps on Sunday, November 7th. Based on the comments we've received so far, it sounds like everyone is ready to cut to the chase and start filling their carts! lol I don't blame you!!!

My card features one of the wonderful images from the Festive Foliage stamp set. You will love this set, especially if the greens of the winter/Christmas season tickle your fancy. I know they do for me. Who doesn't love the smell of pine? The beauty of holly? The fun of mistletoe? It's all here and more!

I tried the distress ink block background technique taught by Jennifer McGuire. It does take a bit of practice (and I definitely need more!), but I love the effect! I used Tim Holtz Tumbled Glass and Peeled Paint distress inks for the background, and then Peeled Paint and Walnut Stain distress inks for the pinecone image... I tapped the ink onto the stamp. I think it looks a bit like there is snow on the pinecones and branch. I tried adding some snow with Liquid Applique, but it didn't look right. Hmmm, I wonder if some sort of fluff might work? Must try!

One thing that I don't like about this technique is that the water wrinkles the paper. I think I'll try it again by cutting out the block panel out and mounting it on a card base. 

Oh, and the greeting is from one of the sets released last month, Compliments of the Season, stamped in Walnut Stain. That is definitely a must-have stamp set... so versatile!

Now on you go to visit with Claire and the rest of the design team ladies to see what treats they have in store for you. I can't wait to see for myself!

Anya Schrier
Belinda Chang Langner

Bonnie Sharp
Jennifer Holmes

Joan Bardee

Julia Aston
Laurie Schmidlin
Lynn Mercurio

Mona Pendleton

Sandie Dunne

We'll be back tomorrow with more!

Note, this is my second post for today. Please scroll down for the Simply Betty Stamps New Release Blog Hop. Thanks!

Simply Betty Stamps New Release Blog Hop!

 Woo hoo!!! The day is finally here! Simply Betty Stamps is releasing the SIX new Christmas My Kids Emo World stamps in rubber (and, for a limited time, also in digi)!!! You've been seeing previews for the past two days, and now you get one more look at these wild and wonderful stamps during our celebration Blog Hop!!!

The fun starts at the Simply Betty Stamps blog. You'll want to hop along from there for lots of great eye and chances to win some fabulous prizes!!!

My card features sweet and sassy Candy Cane London. I love her! She seems like the perfect girl to glitter up, don't you think? It may be hard to see in the photo, but I used my atYou Spica Clear pen to add a bit of sparkle to her trim and the candy canes. After punching out the snowflakes, I used chunky glitter to give them some extra sparkle, and then used Stickles around the edge of the image mat just for good measure! The DP and sticker are from the Everybody Loves Christmas collection by Echo Park. Fun!

Your next stop on the hop is Meredith's blog, who is sure to delight! Enjoy!!!

Joy to the World!

Happy Thursday Afternoon! I'm slipping in with a quick card I created featuring Caroling Luka, one of the newest stamps from La-La Land Crafts. Isn't he cute? It truly is a JOY to color up Marci and Luka, no doubt about it. I paired Caroling Luka with DP from the Winter Joy collection by Bo-Bunny. With the scene already in place on the paper, all I needed was a greeting (by SRM). So easy, but with a lot of pop. I love it!

Don't forget to visit the La-La Land Crafts blog every day for more samples from the uber-talented design team. You will love all the inspiration and eye candy!

By the way, if you happen to be in the San Jose area, you'll want to check this out!

Join La-La Land Crafts at a Trunk Show at Scrapbook Island in San Jose, CA on Friday, November 5th!!  Both Eric and Irina will be there to introduce their Marci and Luka stamps!! 

Your $10 ticket entitles you to:

- an EXCLUSIVE preview of our newest stamps!!

- Meet both artists (Eric Berry and Irina Blount) and have your stamps autographed!! ;-)
- Make-and-Take

- a Goodie Bag with a FREE stamp

- Refreshments

- a chance to win a GRAND PRIZE valued $100!!

Don't miss out on this FUN party!!  Stop by Scrapbook Island or call the store at 408-978-8900 to purchase your tickets!! 

Thanks for stopping by! I'll be back soon with more to share!

Note, this is my third post for today. Please scroll down for the Waltzingmouse Stamps November Release Preview - Day 1 AND for the Simply Betty Stamps New Release Preview - Day 2. Thanks!

Waltzingmouse Stamps November Release Previews - Day 1

Color me happy, it's time for previews of the FOUR new stamp sets being released by Waltzingmouse Stamps on Sunday, November 7th!!! I promise you will want all of them for your holiday card and gift making!

I'm showcasing an ingenious stamp set called 'Twas the Night Before Christmas. Trust me, I've only scratched the surface. No doubt you will see all sorts of amazing creations with this unique set as the days go by.

The DP is from the Noel collection by Bo Bunny. I stamped the window in Colorbox Dark Moss Chalk Ink (chalk ink works really well with these sorts of solid images). I stamped Santa's sleigh and the greeting in Tim Holtz Walnut Stain distress ink, which I also used to sponge around the edges of the card base, mat and window. The window coordinates with Spellbinders Labels 14, which makes it not only a wonderful shape, but a snap to cut out!

That amazing ornate piece framing the greeting is by Tim Holtz, which I decorated a bit with wrinkled seam binding and a hat pin. As Claire would say, I hope it tickles!

For more tickles, you'll want to nip over to Claire's blog to see what the artist herself has created for your inspiration and pleasure, as well as my fellow design team members. I can't wait to see it all myself!

Anya Schrier
Belinda Chang Langner

Bonnie Sharp
Jennifer Holmes

Joan Bardee

Julia Aston
Laurie Schmidlin
Lynn Mercurio

Mona Pendleton

Sandie Dunne

We'll be back again tomorrow with more! 

Note: this is my second post for today. Please scroll down for a preview of Simply Betty Stamps November release. Thanks!

Simply Betty Stamps November Release Previews - Day 2

Woo hoo!!! Simply Betty Stamps is releasing the Christmas My Kids Emo World in both rubber and digi on Friday!!! Previews started yesterday on the Simply Betty Stamps blog, so if you missed them, you'll definitely want to jump over there today. These just might be the coolest Emos yet!

I'm showcasing Lola today. I love her! She comes with two little bat friends plus the present you see on my card. I paired Lola and her prezzie with DP from the Snow Day collection by Crate Paper. The Christmas tree was cut out using a Sizzix die. I sponged the edges of the tree and background paper with Tim Holtz Walnut Stain distress ink. The greeting (noel) is by K&Company... something I pulled out of my stash.

Be sure to hop over to the Simply Betty Stamps blog to see today's previews as well. I've had a peek and can I just say AMAZING!!!

I'll be back tomorrow for the new release Blog Hop!!! Y'all come back now, ya hear?

Give Thanks

Give thanks indeed! Today is Election Day and we can finally stop hearing all the mud slinging and get on with it!

Of course, I'm hoping every one of you will go out and vote. It's truly a privilege and really important. I hear that in Australia voting is compulsory and you are fined if you don't vote. That's an interesting thought... Of course here in the US, we have a choice, so why not choose to exercise your civic rights and cast your vote!

Anyway, on to more light-hearted things, like this week's challenge at Sparkle Creations Rubber Stamps!

We have an awesome sketch created by the sketch queen herself, Mercy Kerin! Yay!

Now that Halloween is over, I feel like I want to make at least a few autumn/harvest cards before the Christmas theme dominates. After all, fall is my favorite season! So I pulled out Farming Oliver and paired him with Garden Variety DP and chipboard by Cosmo Cricket. The greeting is by SRM. In case you hadn't noticed, I'm in love with those greeting stickers. I inked around all the edges with Tim Holtz Walnut Stain distress ink, and finished things off with a cute carrot brad I got from Taylored Expressions.

Y'all come on and join us for this week's sketch challenge, ya hear! For more inspiration, be sure to check out what the rest of Sparkles' ladies have done with the sketch... everyone used a different image this week!

Kim Yu

Laurel Seabrook 

Simonne Clay

Stephanie Kraft
Mercy Kerin - Guest Designer

and Sparkle herself!

Thanks for stopping by today. Don't forget to vote!

have a wildly Wicked Halloween!

Happy Halloween Eve! {LOL} Time for another fabulous sketch challenge at Sketch Saturday!!!

I couldn't resist making just one last Halloween card, especially since I hadn't yet inked up Hangin' Out - Wicked Wardrobe. I'm so glad I did! This set is so much fun and fit the sketch perfectly!

I ended up paper piecing the witch's clothes, but I took my black atYou Spica pen and highlighted each piece, plus the clothesline poles, bats, clothespins and the witch's hat. It shimmers IRL... I love it! I stamped the background in So Saffron ink using Cloudy Days Background, and then sponged around the edges. All of the cardstock, DP, ribbon and bat embellie are from the Halloween Project Pantry kit, which is now sold out.

There are still so many uninked Halloween images (sigh). Maybe I'll color up a few for some scrapbook pages. We'll just have to wait and see. It's been fun, though. Now on to my FAVORITE time of the year, autumn/harvest, with a lot of Christmas thrown in for good measure, no doubt!

I can't wait to see what you come up with using this cool sketch! Be sure to nip on over to the Sketch Saturday blog to see the amazing works of art of the rest of the design team... you will definitely be inspired!

Have a great day!