MyGrafico Monday - Got Gingham?

I love gingham! It ranks up there with polka dots...which if you've been around here for awhile, you definitely know what I'm talkin' about! So I've been so excited for this week's MyGrafico Monday Challenge - create a card/LO/project using gingham. Fun & oh so easy...perfect for this busy time of the year!

And check out what you can win:

The DT got to use these fun images. I decided to use the pear in my card, which made me hungry for those delicious pears from Harry & David. If you like pears & have never tried these, believe me - they're worth every cent!!

Details:

Stamps - Tutti Frutti (MyGrafico)

Ink - Copics

Paper - kraft, white, green (scrap); dp - red gingham

Accessories - dimensionals, scallop border punch, black gingham ribbon, embroidery floss

Tis the Season....to be busy!!

Well, I thought this week would be different than last.....ummmm, I guess not. I still have to finish up decorating for Christmas, and then I'm really (really) hoping to get back to my regular posting :) This past week was filled with preparing for Thanksgiving guests, cooking (and cooking and cooking), cleaning (and cleaning and cleaning), Black Friday shopping, picking up my new car (ooh la la!!), reading (Plain Truth by Jodi Picoult...I'm about half-way through & it's very good), figuring out all of the gadgets & gizmos w/the car including repeated trips to AT&T to get the 'right' cell phone for my hands-free link (I'm still fuming about how much time I've wasted because people are too lazy to check something), and decking the halls. phew!

I tend to need a lot of thank you cards around Christmas, so I thought I'd share two that I made tonight with you.

The first card uses the PTI Winter Swirls set. I just love this set - it's so versatile. I added the sentiment from the Signature Christmas set along with a hand drawn box.

Details:
Stamps - Winter Swirls & Signature Christmas (PTI)
Ink - New Leaf (PTI); Real Red (SU!); Tuxedo Black (Memento)
Paper - White
Accessories - black pen, dimensionals, ribbon

The second card use the Signature Greetings set from PTI and some fun paper from Cosmo Cricket's Jolly by Golly collection.

Details:
Stamps - Signature Greetings (PTI)
Ink - Tuxedo Black (Memento)
Paper - Ocean Tides (PTI); Melon Mambo (SU!); white, green (scrap); Jolly by Golly (Cosmo Cricket)
Accessories - scallop edge punch, white gel pen, buttons



To all my blog buddies, I'm so sorry that I haven't stopped by to leave you some love recently...you're on my to-do list :)

MyGrafico Monday - PIE Challenge

I know what you're thinking - PIE challenge? Well...here's what I was thinking when I came up with this week's challenge - this week is Thanksgiving and what will a lot of people be spending time on....cleaning the house, shopping for groceries, and making pie. Why couldn't I challenge everyone to make a PIE card as well....in other words, something on your card should represent the P, the I, and the E.

P could include paper, piercing, purple, etc.
I could include ivory, Icicle Stickles, ink, etc.
E could be embossing, eyelets, envelope, etc.


This week the design team used the Dotti set - which will go to one lucky participant.

And here's what I came up with for the challenge:

I took an empty Republic of Tea canister, covered it with dp, and created a wish jar. It can be filled with wishes for everyone and shared on Christmas Eve. I really like gifts that show your thoughtfulness not just your generosity, so this will be perfect. And for the PIE, well...here's what I did:

P - plaid, pattern paper
I - Icicle stickles, ink
E - Embossed Curves punch (by EK Success), embossing

Fun challenge, don't you think? You should give it a try - it might not taste as good as the real thing, but I bet it won't pack on any extra inches :) For more details on the challenge and to see what the other design team members came up with, head over to the MyGrafico Challenge Blog.



Details:
Stamp - Dotti (MyGrafico)
Ink - Copics
Paper - Real Red (SU!), green (scrap), dp - (DCWV)
Accessories - Stickles (Icicle & Yellow), Embossed Curves punch (EK Success), Swiss Dots embossing folder, circle & petite scallop circles die (Nestabilities), red ribbon (Offray), dimensionals

I've Fallen Off the Face of the Earth...okay not really

I've missed you....this has been (and continues to be) one of the busiest weeks ever!! Here's a quick recap for any of you who may be remotely interested:


- The car dealership where I bought my car 4 years ago called wanting me to consider trading in my car for a newer model. They're in need of Honda SUV's. So after a long day at Quiz Bowl (ugh!) and a hair cut appointment (yay!!), I went to see what they had to say. Long story short, I went back the next day after sleeping on it to finalize the deal on my new car. They didn't have the model I'm getting on the lot, so I should get it in a week or so. It was nice making a deal when I didn't have to.

- Oh speaking of Quiz Bowl....I hate riding a school bus!!! Especially when the bus driver smokes a cigar or pipe and the smell lingers on his clothes and I sit behind him. When we got back to our school, I had to lay down in the nurse's office (thank goodness no kids were there!!) until my nausea subsided :(


- I love my students EXCEPT when they ask me to write a letter of recommendation for the very next day. I'm too nice and tell them I will. grumble grumble!!


Okay....I'm done now...phew - thanks for listening!! I have my get together with my stampin' gals tomorrow, so I really excited to have some creating time! I've not created anything since Monday, and I'm itching to ink & glue something!


Here's a card I made for one of the sketches on the most recent Paper Crafts magazine submission call. I just love this dp - it's so fun! Not really for the current season, but I wanted to share a card rather than fill this post with my ramblings :)

Hope you're all doing well! I hope to be back to visit all my bloggin' buddies by Sunday - I just got finished catching up on my Google Reader and WOW! I know some seriously talented chicas!!

Details:
Paper - DCWV - Doodling Around matstack; PTI - Bitty Boxes; Real Red
Accessories - felt Thickers (dots), Labels One Nestabilities, chipboard element (Colorbok), black embroidery floss, dimensionals

Plum Crazy

it was a one eyed, one-horned, flying purple people eater.....

okay...not really....just a really PURPLE card!

Perfect for the latest Moxie Fab World challenge - Plum Crazy. These little squares make me think of Christmas gifts....hmmmmm....I'm getting some inspiration for a Christmas card :)


Okay...I need to get some sleep. I have two meetings tomorrow on top of my normal schedule with the kiddos. Guess going on that fun road trip to Columbus this Saturday may be catching up on me :) oh well....it was totally worth it!!



Details:
Stamps - Houndstooth (Hero Arts); Vintage Labels, Text Background, Polka Dot Basics II (all PTI)
Ink - Eggplant Envy
Paper - Eggplant Envy & Perfect Plum
Accessories - buttons, ribbon (Offray), dimensionals

Happy Button Day!!

Did you know that it is button day? Yep, it is....so I had to make a card with some buttons on it :) I created this card for the CAS challenge at SCS. Today's challenge was to create a card inspired by Vera Bradley. When I think Vera Bradley, I think of paisley. I found some pretty paisley paper in my stash and came up with the simple card:

I love how it turned out and that purple ribbon across the center makes me think of the Plum Crazy challenge over at Moxie Fab World - gosh, I hope that I find some time tonight to create a card! I have some school work to finish before tomorrow, so we'll see.



Details:
Stamps - Autumn Abundance (Papertrey Ink)
Ink - Tea Dye distress ink (Tim Holtz for Ranger)
Paper - kraft, Mellow Moss, Very Vanilla; dp - DCWV Vintage Paisley
Accessories - Threading Water punch (Fiskars), purple ribbon (Offray), vintage button twine (PTI), buttons (PTI), dimensionals

MyGrafico Monday - Color Challenge & Design Team Reminder

I've got some inspiration for you today:

Does it get you out of the pre-winter doldrums? (maybe you don't need it if you're experiencing some unseasonably warm & sunny days like we are in western Pennsylvania)

This week's MyGrafico Monday challenge is a color challenge - create a card/LO/project that incorporates ORANGE, PINK, and GREEN. The design team created some fun stuff using this set, which will go to one lucky participant in this week's challenge:

This image was a little tricky for me. It started as a card and then I turned it into a bookmark.

ALSO, don't forget that today is the last day to apply for the MyGrafico Challenge Design Team.

Modern Girlie

I have some pretty cool students, but one really makes me smile. She's all about the 80's - loves neon, wears jelly bracelets, and even says 'RAD"...I swear she was dropped straight out of a Madonna video some days :)

Her birthday is today, so I toyed around with a few ideas for her card. In class yesterday, she was wearing a PEACE sign shirt & I hoped to create a card with the PEACE set from My Cute Stamps. I also wanted to use this fun paper from the Teen collection by American Crafts. Unfortunately, I just couldn't get the two together so I had to rethink my thinking.
I decided to use the dp on the outside and placed the fun Peace sign on the inside & on her birthday coupons. Can't wait to see her expression when she opens the envelope!

I bet she thinks it's totally RAD!!

Meet Stephanie

Not me - Stephanie, but Stephanie the Diva....okay, for those who know me, are you asking if there's a difference? Yep, I'm talking about this fabulous Rubber Romance stamp:

I found Stephanie along with some other fun Rubber Romance stamps in the mail today. Robin, Rubber Romance's super sweet and super talented designer/owner, sent some fun new images to the design team, and (as you can see) I couldn't wait to ink this gal up!! I wish I had some red flock & white Flower Soft to razzle dazzle her up....guess I have something to add to my shopping list for my trip to Archiver's this weekend :)


I created this card for today's Ways To Use It challenge at SCS. Today's challenge wanted you to add texture (faux or real) to your card. Again that fun flock & flower soft would've came in real handy, but I think the embossing and the look of the Rustic Snowflakes dp really gives the card a lot of texture.


Want a chance to win some fabulous Rubber Romance stamps???? I know you do!! All you need to do is participate in one of our two monthly sketch challenges. The latest sketch challenge runs until November 19th. Check it out here and spend some time at the Rubber Romance blog - the design team is frequently posting terrific tutorials ranging from techniques to fun project ideas.




Details:
Stamps - Stephanie (Rubber Romance)
Ink - Tuxedo Black (Memento), Tea Dye (Tim Holtz Distress ink by Ranger); Copics, Spica pen (Clear)
Paper - white, Aqua Mist, Spring Moss, Rustic Snowflakes (PTI)
Accessories - snowflake punch, button, rustic button twine, Nestabilities (oval & petite scallop oval), swiss dots embossing folder, dimensionals

I got BINGO!!

Martha just posted this on the MyGrafico Challenge blog, but I thought I'd post it as well since it's sooooooo AWESOME!!

Here's the latest FREEBIE at MyGrafico created by the oh-so talented Lindsay:

Printable BINGO cards for baby....or other things....like my head's a-thinkin' :) Can't wait to print this one out & use it...super duper cute!!

Simply Christmas - PTI Style

Boy am I tired!! Conferences late last night and this morning have left me wiped out. I had to push myself to get stuff done tonight, but I'm glad I did!

See what I mean:

The current Guest Star Stamper call includes a challenge for simple Christmas Cards. I love Clean and Simple cards to begin with (in fact I think I'll apply for hosting the CAS challenges at SCS) and they're perfect for making & sending around the holidays.

In this card, I stamped the mittens image from the Winter Swirls set in New Leaf and then cut them out. I added the little metal heart (from the Joann's $1 section) and finished the card off super quickly...wahoo b/c this gal needs some R&R.


Details:
Stamps - Winter Swirls (Papertrey Ink)
Ink - New Leaf (PTI); StazOn black
Paper - kraft, black, white
Accessories - metal adhesive heart (Colorbok)

Stamping Around Philly (part three)

note: I broke this into a few posts to help break up the length.

I was really happy to get a chance to try out Taylored Expressions stamps while at the Stamping Around event. The talented Charmaine Ikach taught this class packed with fun make & takes:

Here's what we made:

First up is the little gift box that holds a set of 5 mini cards. These boxes are really nice and include hidden magnets to keep them closed tightly - you can find them here

and the cards that go inside:

Cute stuff!! We used the Wings of Joy set - which is really nice!!


Another class held on Saturday was sponsored by Bombshell Stamps and taught by Kathi Rerek. Kathi had us using the crayon resist technique on two edgy projects. Unfortunately I don't have photos of those to share with you - but be sure to pop on over to this post of Kathi's to see what we did :)

All in all, I had a great trip! The girls I went with are fabulous & I'm so glad that we have this little group that gets together regularly. We meet next Saturday for a Secret Santa exchange because we won't be meeting in December. So excited to see all the fun cards & gifts everyone will be giving.

Stamping Around Philly (part two)

note: I broke this into a few posts to help break up the length.


Do you wanna know a fun way to start a Saturday morning stamping event? Have it sponsored by Papertrey Ink and taught by the energetic, fun, and oh so talented Becky Oehlers!! Sorry to be impartial, but this was the best part of the whole weekend. Becky got us all excited by passing out the materials including the Autumn Abundance set that we were using and GOT TO KEEP!!!! Yay Papertrey!! Our project included three cards with a box to hold them.


Here they are. The cards looked like this:

and here's the front of the box:

yep..they're pretty great! I anticipated this class the most and it was more than I hoped for!! Becky had a TON of giveaways! I ended up scoring a bag of Dark Chocolate buttons - wahooooo!!




The class that came in a close second (in my book) was sponsored by JustRite Stampers and taught by the wonderful Tammy Herschberger. Tammy came up with a fabulous gift idea that I really cannot wait to make more of - stamping on votive candles!!! Check out the adorable card (ignore my coloring) and adorable votives w/holder:

So easy and soooooo cute!! We used two sets from JustRite - Old Fashion Christmas Borders & Centers Round (this was for the card) and Merry Little Christmas Borders & Centers Round (for the candles & tag). And guess what!! This lucky duck won the Merry Little Christmas Borders & Centers Round.......can I get a WAHOOOOO!!




okay...one more installment to share about the other two classes at the event :)

Stamping Around Philly (part one)

note: I broke this into a few posts to help break up the length.


I had parent-teacher conferences tonight and again tomorrow morning, so I thought this would be the perfect time to share what I made at the Stamping Around Philly event this past weekend.


The event was held at a beautiful inn in the gorgeous PA countryside. The inn even had sheep and a protective (and beautiful) sheepdog - I was inpressed how they roamed free all under the guidance of Teardrop (the sheepdog).


Our evening begin with a class sponsored by Kitchen Sink Stamps taught by Julie Masse. I've never used Kitchen Sink Stamps before, so I was excited to try them out. They're really cool, and it was a huge plus to get to play around with them. In case you're not familiar, Kitchen Sink Stamps features multi-step stamping to create very realistic images. We created 3 cards (based on Julie's designs) using the Multi Step Christmas Lights set. Here they are:

and here's the set we used:

Wanna know something really cool? I won this set!!! So now I can play around with these multi-step stamps and create my own cards :)

After Julie's class, we had a bonus class sponsored by Sweet'nSassy Stamps. This class was taught by Korin, the owner of Sweet'nSassy. Korin had us create a card where she combined all the sentiments from the Holiday Greetings set to form the shape of a Christmas tree -very clever, don't ya think?

4 cute cards in one night, such fun!! be sure to check out the other posts to see the projects from Stamping Around Philly - Saturday!

CAS40 - Peace on Earth

One of my favorite challenges is the CAS (Clean and Simple) challenge over at Splitcoast. Since school has started, I've not been able to play as much as I'd like. I couldn't resist tonight, though - the challenge was to use white and one other color (black would count as a color).

Here's what I came up with:

I love PTI's Aqua Mist with white - it's so tranquil....just perfect for the Winter Swirls set and the Peace on Earth sentiment. I had some ribbon in a bin that matches the Aqua Mist perfectly - just love when that happens!

Well I'm off to finish submitting some cards to Paper Crafts...nothing like waiting until the last minute. Then I get some photos taken of the projects from the Stamping Around event - gosh, where do the minutes of the day go?

Have a great night & go Steelers!!


Details:
Stamps - Winter Swirls (PTI)
Ink - Soft Sky (SU!)
Paper - Aqua Mist (PTI), white
Accessories - star punch (Fiskars), ribbon, buttons (PTI), atyou Spica (clear)

MyGrafico Monkey.....oops - I mean Monday!!

Wow....whatta weekend!! I had such fun with my pals at the Stamping Around event. I have lots to post - check back later to see what I made & what I won (oh my, oh my!)

The challenges at MyGrafico this week have the design team going bananas - yep, we're using this fun monkey set....and guess what! You can win it!

Remember, all you need to do is participate in the Monday challenge or Wednesday challenge (or double your chances by joining in on both). The Monday challenge is to use stitching (faux or real) somewhere on your card. Here's what I came up with:

I created this little quilt to mat underneath the monkey - and yes...I have my sewing machine back! The paper is from an old DCWV Christmas stack - love that warm burgandy color!



Details:
Stamps - Funky Monkey (MyGrafico); sentiment (Autumn Abundance - PTI)
Ink - Scarlett Jewel (PTI); Copics
Paper - Very Vanilla, Close to Cocoa (SU!); dp- DCWV Christmas Stack
Accessories - burgundy grosgrain ribbon (Offray); Circle & Scallop Circle dies (Nestabilities), sewing machine, dimensionals