Cakes Makes Everything Better and Blog Winners!

Coffee of the Day - Chocolate Peppermint

I have a quickie card that I put together to share and then I will get straight to the big stuff all of you are waiting for - blog candy winners!!!! yes, winners...... I have more than one!

This cute little guy with cake image is from Digi Stamps 4 Joy and I decided to pair him with a fun senti from Paulette at Create with TLC. papers are Basic Grey Life of the Party, flowers are all Prima, and buttons are misc. stash ones. simple card but fun. oh yes, charm is from Martha Stewart.

Now on to the blog candy winners. So many lovely comments were left for David & I that I decided to offer a few extra little envies of goodies to some of you. Not much I am afraid, just some trims, ribbons, and rub-ons, but a little something to say 'thank you.' if your name is listed, please send me an email at jenscull @ yahoo.com by this Sunday so I can get these mailed out asap. if I haven't heard from you by then, I will draw new winners. Dave drew these winners for me - what a guy! :)

Grand Prize - Sharon
Extra little goodies -
Made by Mandy
Diane Ahlers
Karen
Misti

Congratulations everyone! and thank you again to all of you for your most kind, thoughtful. loving wishes for David and I on our anniversary. we had such a beautiful day together yesterday! today begins the next 25 years together! a grand adventure indeed!!! :) thanks for being along for the ride!
love ya!
Jennifer

Creative Craft - just charming

Blog Candy Blog Candy Blog Candy!!!!!

okay, it took me long enough, I know, but it is FINALLY here! what you have waited long enough for - the BLOG CANDY!!!!!

y'all are the besties blog followers in all of blog land, and if I ever win the lottery or get a Mysterious Benefactor (he or she is out there somewhere, I just know it! wink wink!!!) then y'all are getting major stuffins from me, I promise!!! but until then, this will have to do.....



not quite everything fit into the photo with my shaky tremory hands, so there will be a few extra little goodies in the package for one random winner. you do NOT have to be a follower to win. I really don't like it when someone makes you do that - follow 'cause you wanna follow. :) and goodness knows that those of you with enough patience to put up with me deserve SOMETHING for your efforts! giggles!

• Basic Grey Hopscotch 6x6 paper pad


• Stampin' Up! unmounted 'In the Stars' set


• SU! unopened Blush Blossom classic ink


• SU! ice cream parlor grosgrain ribbon


• Prima Carribean Collection Barbados


• Prima Sculpture Flowers


• Sizzlits Happy Birthday


• 2 packs Making Memories buttons


• metal edged tags and dsp tags


• pink & turquoise velvet ribbons


• Thickers alpha letters


• Karen Foster Alpha Winks


• lots of other cuties!

you will have through Tuesday, August 30 to leave a comment on this post, 'cause that is when my hunny bunny and I celebrate 25 years of marriage. hip hip hooray! The winner will be announced on Wed., Aug. 31. I will keep this as a sticky at the top of my blog until then.

Best of luck to each of you! and I am sending all of you hugs for being so wonderful! :)
Jennifer

Sweet for my Sweet

Coffee of the Day - Butter Rum

Well I happened to make it with my challenge card for Party Time Tuesdays. hoooray! not at the top of my game yet as you can see from my project, but most definitely getting there. :)

This week we have a couple of really awesome sponsors!

Chi Chi Memories!

Chi Chi Memories is the labor of love of talented artist and illustrator Natalie Tong. Natalie's background in graphic design has helped her create the very happy world of Chi Chi Memories. Her line of digi images centers around kids Jordy and Candace and their world of animal friends such as Freddie the elephant and Teddy the bear, among others. Natalie's designs are meant to spread happiness and cheer around blogland. You can visit Chi Chi Memories at http://chichimemories.com where you will find the shop (where you can find FREEBIES), the blog and challenges. There is also a Papercraft Planet group for you come share your work with Chi Chi Memories images and chat. Chi Chi Memories is thrilled to be able to sponsor Party Time Tuesdays!

Winner chooses 3 digis of your choice

Karen's Doodles creates whimsical digital images & rubber stamps for crafters. Owned by Karen Johnson, an artist & animator. Visit her website at karensdoodles.com

Ribbons, ribbons, ribbons

Coffee of the Day - Caramel Hazelnut

Hello! I know that you usually find Mondays here full of lots of DT posts. well today will be only one - Paper Cupcakes. that is because my fever ended up getting the best of me and turning into several different infections. I was a very sick puppy who slept a ton this past week. I had tests and CT scans at the hospital Friday, which wore me out something fierce. again, spent the weekend in bed doing nothing but sleep. thankfully my trusty pups were there to keep my warm and toasty safe! I am so grateful for my dogs! they do bring me so much comfort, especially when I don't feel well. and gosh, are they ever protective of me, too. kinda funny.


but anyhow, you didn't come here for all of that garbage, you came here for some papercrafts. so let's get to it! The challenge this week at Paper Cupcakes is to use ribbon at least 3 ways and have a birthday theme. I chose the fun image 'Party Pig' for my birthday card and paired him with Basic Grey papers from the Cupcake collection. I used the same stitched ribbon, but did different things with it. and yes, those are real balloons hanging from the one piece of ribbon! :) added some buttons and faux stitching along with a stamped senti to finish the card.

I do hope you will play along with us this week. you don't have to use a Paper Cupcake image, but Nina has a freebie on the blog if you would like to grab it. one winner will receive their choice of 2 images from the Paper Cupcakes store. stop by the blog to see the other DT members projects!

and please also visit Kaboodle Doodles, Happileigh Scrappin, Party Time Tuesdays and Heart Song Designs for the weekly challenges at each stop. this project happened to be one I had finished early, which is why I have something for today. hoping to get back to crafting later this week as I feel better.

Tea and Cake with Jellypark - sound good?

Coffee of the Day - Maple Vanilla


Today starts both a new challenge and new releases over at Jellypark. I was so excited to make this card because the challenge is to use die cuts and/or punches. I knew when I saw this cute little tea and cake ticket that it would be great to pull out my fun die cuts and go to town! I may have gone overboard, but hey, it's pink & fun!


I used papers from the K & Co. Wild Raspberry collection. the house and ticket are edged in pink stickles. the teacup & picket fence die cuts are from PTI, clouds & grass die cuts from MFT. the heart is a punch by EK Success. stickles was also used to accent the cupcake & headband on the ticket as well as the prima flower centers.

Please be sure to stop by the challenge blog to see what the rest of the DT has created. I can guarantee you will be soooooooooo inspired! also, starting next month, Jellypark Friends will welcome Guest Designer, Sara Moreno!

Pink Saturday - thank you, Beverly, for doing this each week! :) can you tell I love pink?!
Paper Shelter - die cuts and punches
Karen's Doodles - punch it out
Glitter Geeks - all around the world (being from the States, I so love the idea of having tea & cakes like is written on the ticket every day... went to school at Oxford for a summer and would jump all over the chance to go back)
Through the Craft Room Door - punches with a twist

Do you have a wild thing inside you? ;)

Coffee of the Day - Coconut Macadamia

I hit panic mode just a little bit ago when I realized that Mick leaves for school tomorrow and I didn't have a card for him..... eek! so I remembered that there is a fun DT call-out going on over at Paper Makeup Stamps that I had been thinking of trying for, but hadn't gotten around to since I had been feeling ick. the cutie little monster was the perfect image for my card for him! and Paulette at Create with TLC had just the ideal senti to go with this guy..... or at least I thought so for a guy heading out to college. just the thing for a momma monster to say.... you may have a wild thing inside you, but momma's on FaceBook now and finds out what happens while you're away! grins!!! he'll get a kick out of it and know I'm goofing with him.


Papers are from October Afternoon Night Light collection, as are the fun little embellies that I added. (buttons and ribbons are mine from stash) I did add some stickles to the monster's spots for just a dash of sparkle.
This card is a fun new size for me - 3" x 4 1/4" - the remainder when you make a 5 1/2" square card. a fellow DT member showed me this great trick for using scraps! isn't it cool?! just the right size to tuck into a suitcase, lunchbox, briefcase, or gift. I know I'll be making lots more of these!

One of the things I'm supposed to do for the DT call is tell everyone why I enjoy digis so much. well if you are one of my regular blog followers, you know that I pretty much only use digital images for my papercraft projects these days. I do still use my regular stamps, but not as often. I love the ability to re-size images based on whatever project I happen to be making at the time. and each image can be made to a different size over and over again, sometimes for the exact same project! I like being able to flip them without special tools, too. and never again do I have to worry about whether the complete image is going to ink properly.... oh pure delight! ;)

now to go finish getting that never ending pile of laundry done that Mick seems to keep piling up..... but at least it keeps me busy and not crying in my pillow. that will be tomorrow night..... oh sigh......

*for another card I have made using Paper Makeup Stamps, you may see this post. thanks! :)

Shabby or Pearls with Heart Song Designs

for my Party Time Tuesday post, please click here.

The challenge this week at Heart Song Designs is to use the shabby chic style and/or pearls on your papercraft projects. One winner will receive an image of their choice from the Heart Song store, plus they will be the recipient of a wonderful RAK by one of our DT member - 2 Copic Ciao markers in their choice of colors and a black sharpie marker. isn't that so nice?! so be sure to play along!


My card uses a flower from the 'Bloom Trimmers One' set. I actually printed it 3 times, layered the leaves twice, and the flower all 3 times. papers are Basic Grey Out of Print. the bg to the flower is sprayed with graphite glimmer mist. a Martha Stewart pearl centers the flower, while some vintage pearlized flower sprays accent the seam tape bow along the side. a mother of pearl button helps add to the pearl theme while some faux stitching with a black spica glitter gel pen finishes off the card.

Back to School with Party Time Tuesday

The Party Planners what to challenge you to make your Kidos, Grandkids, Favorite Teacher or that Special Teacher in your life a card. We want to see those school themed stamps and embellishments put to work! Please click HERE and you will be taken straight to the PTT blog where you can enter your card via Mister Linky. Hope to see you there!
Our sponsors this week are:

Chi Chi Memories is the labor of love of talented artist and illustrator Natalie Tong. Natalie's background in graphic design has helped her create the very happy world of Chi Chi Memories. Her line of digi images centers around kids Jordy and Candace and their world of animal friends such as Freddie the elephant and Teddy the bear, among others. Natalie's designs are meant to spread happiness and cheer around blogland. You can visit Chi Chi Memories at http://chichimemories.com where you will find the shop (where you can find FREEBIES), the blog and challenges. There is also a Papercraft Planet group for you come share your work with Chi Chi Memories images and chat. Chi Chi Memories is thrilled to be able to sponsor Party Time Tuesdays!
Winner Will receive 3 digis of your choice

Creations By AR
I'm Adela and I live in sunny Southern California with my
husband and our two teenage girls! Crafting has been a passion
of mine since I was a little girl. I love to sew, crochet, knit,
draw, paper craft, stamp... I love anything related to crafting!
With encouragement from many people, my love of paper crafting
in 3D has led me to open a website which allows me to share some
of my template designs. I feel so blessed and I truly believe that
God has given everyone their own special talents and it is our
privilege to share it with others.
Winner will receive 2 templates of your choice

For my card I used this cute Chi Chi Memories country boy image that I was given. I decided to make a 'C is for Country' card using Basic Grey Recess papers and some supplies you might find in your desk - stencil, mini clip, twine, & label maker.
Lots of distressing helps add to the country feel.

Ribbons at Kaboodle Doodles

for my Happileigh Scrappin post, please click here.
for my Paper Cupcakes post, please click here.

The challenge at Kaboodle Doodles is to use ribbons on your project - easy peasy for me-sy! ;) Karber Digital Stamps is the sponsor, so one winner will receive 3 image from the store. very cool prize! do hope you will play along!


I saw this Beautiful Fairy image and knew she would be so pretty surrounded by ribbons and trims, so into the shopping cart she went. Papers are Basic Grey Kioshi. the soft colors from this collection seemed perfect. lots of sparkle and shine on her, thanks to shimmerz paint and stickles. flowers are Prima, buttons are vintage, mint green trim is also vintage, white trim is from JoAnn's, lavendar organdy ribbon is some I've had forever, tea tag is obviously one I saved but seemed perfect here, and if you look closely in the lower righ corner you will see the word 'fly'. so appropriate for this beauty!

Inspirational Sketch Challenges - sketch

Girly Girl with Happileigh Scrappin'

for my Paper Cupcakes post, please click here.

Happileigh Scrappin' is all about the girls this week! We want to see your girly girl projects - anything that has a girl image on it. Leigh has several new images released this week, so be sure to stop by the store to check them out. There is a cute free image with any purchase, plus the buy 3 get one free promotion that is always in effect. Can't pass that up! For the challenge, you are welcome to use any images you would like, but if you use a HS one, your project goes into a special drawing.


On to my card.... I used the image 'Catch the Wind' and Basic Grey Lemonade papers. the scanner pretty much washed out some of the colors, so I do apologize for that..... flowers are Prima, buttons are vintage stash, pom pom trim is May Arts, and I added polka dots & faux stitching with my white gel pen. white grosgrain ribbon is a scrap I had left that just seemed to be the perfect way to finish the flowers. ;)


I do hope you will stop by the challenge blog and play along. while you are there you will be amazed at the creations by the other members of the DT! just gorgeous!

Let's Make A Scene with Paper Cupcakes

Coffee of the Day - Coconut Macadamia

Hello! Mondays are always full of challenge fun, so let's get right to it.

The new challenge at Paper Cupcakes is 'Let's Make a Scene' - either use a scenery type image or combine several images to create a scene. As always, Nina has generously provided a cute freebie on the challenge blog for you to use if you would like. The winner will receive 2 images of their choice from the Paper Cupcakes store, so be sure to play along.


My family loves to cook on the grill, all year long in fact, in any kind of weather, so this cute gator in the 'Fire Up the Grill' image certainly appealed to me! He could be any one of my guys as they all take their turn cooking...... The sun was made from pieces of cardboard that were separated and inked with craft ink. Papers are all from the Basic Grey Boxer collection. Senti is from Paulette at Create with TLC. seemed perfect for this scene! ;) grass was cut with a die from MFT.

do you hope you stop by the challenge blog to see the many fun projects shared by the DT. lots of creativity!

Crafty Ribbons DT Call

from the new Crafty Ribbons Challenge blog ~

Crafty Ribbons Challenge is a fantastic new challenge blog that will be launching on the 1st September 2011. We will be a fortnightly/bi-weekly challenge blog. At the moment there is only little old me so I'm looking for a few more talented crafters to join me!Requirements:* Have an active blog* Post at least once a week on your blog
* You must be able to take good clear photos of your work which you post on your blog

Commitments:
* Be able to work as part of a team.
* Meet deadlines.
* Post on an assigned number of entrants Cards/ projects for each Challenge
* Make a card/project for every challenge, Please bear in mind this is one card/project every two weeks* Join in with any blog hops or other events running during your term.
* Commit to a 3 month period.There maybe the option to extend your Design Team position at the end of your 3 month period....* Have fun!

In return:
* You will be a part of a fantastic, friendly team.
* Gain or add to your DT experience.
* Get lots of gorgeous ribbons from Crafty Ribbons please note you will be required to use these on your cards/projects for the Challenge,but you will also be able to use
them for other challenges etc that you wish to enter.......

If you are interested in entering the DT Call there are three simple steps to enter:

* Firstly publish a post with a link on your personal blog with information about this DT Call and our launch. Including 3-5 samples of your favourite/best projects. Then link your post up in the linky tool below.
* Secondly please e-mail a brief statement about yourself and any DT experience you have to craftyribbonschallenge@gmail.com. If you do not have any DT experience please still enter! We welcome everyone to enter in our call.
*Thirdly please become a follower of the Challenge blog.
EDITED: The DT is open worldwide it is not limited to just the UK,so please everyone enter.....

THE DT CALL WILL END MIDNIGHT (UK TIME) 24th AUGUST 2011
The team will be announced after this time


So I am posing several of my recent fave creations, mainly because anything older than June is on hubby's compy or lost on our crashed one.... ;) I tried to find projects that showed a variety of ribbon uses....

Pumpkins & Mice, oh my!

Coffee of the Day - Vanilla Caramel

Hello! Hope you have been enjoying your day so far. mine has been busy doing something I thought I would never ever in a thousand years do - catching up with people on FaceBook. yep, I finally gave in and set up an account there. I must say it has been great fun connecting with people I haven't seen or spoken to in many, many years! and yes, I know I should have done it a long time ago. ;) there is a link on my sidebar if you should want to be my friend, but gosh, we are ALREADY friends, aren't we?! grins!



Since I played along in the Designed 2 Delight challenge last week, I was so kindly sent this cutie pie mousie with a pumpkin image. isn't it adorable? I decided to paper piece it using Basic Grey Indian Summer papers. This card is going to a special young man who is in the hospital following a biking accident in April. you can get more info here about the card drive. my card is also being submitted to the Critter Sketch Design Team call out. you can find more info about the DT call here on their challenge blog.


Not too much to tell about the card other than to let you know mfgs. - velvet leaf is Prima, skeleton leaf is retired SU!, buttons are vintage stash, ticket is from Jenni Bowlin, and I actually paper pierced the faux stitching. whoa nelly, watch out I am on a roll! tee hee! not really, but thought it would be fun to match up the stitching on the image. kept it fairly simple, but still my shabby ol' self, since it's going to a guy.

Y'all take care and I'll see you later! love to each of you!
btw - don't forget about my blog candy going until the end of the month.

Ruby's Rainbow - stitching
Use it Tuesday - Indian Summer (everything on here except the ribbon is over a year old.... waaaaaay older! grins!)
Paper Take Weekly - bingo (buttons, ribbon, free - leaves)
Tiffany Doodles - digi and kraft (card base as well as distressing ink)
Hot Spot - colors
Kraft Journal - kraft and anything goes

Sketchie Sketch Time at Party Time Tuesdays!

for my Heart Song post, please click here.

It's time for a wonderful sketch challenge over at Party Time Tuesdays! Joining us are 3 fabby sponsors! whoa nelly, if that doesn't inspire you to play along, I don't know what will! ;)
One lucky winner will receive a $15 gift certificate from Paper Makeup Stamps. Another winner will receive a $15 gift certificate from The Paper Shelter and a final winner will receive their choice of 3 images from Chi Chi Memories. makes you want to get right to your crafty table, doesn't it?


We have a neat sketch for everyone to follow this week.



My first card uses a beautiful image from Paper Makeup Stamps & Basic Grey Urban Prarie papers. Her wings, shoes, & the bow on her dress were all painted with shimmerz. the large flower was sprayed with frost shimmer mist for pretty sparkle. the senti tag, which comes from Paulette at Create with TLC, was sprayed with tea rose glimmer mist. May Arts ribbon & pom pom trim along with some pink fiber twine were added.



My second card uses these fun apples from Chi Chi Memories. I thought they would be great paper pieced, so went to town (& back again!) with Cosmo Cricket Garden Variety papers. a fun ticket from Maya Road provides a simple sentiment, while lots of buttons, a Prima flower with ribbon leaf, & twine clothesline for the banner help give the card a bit of a country look.

Make sure you stop by the Party Time Tuesday blog to see all of the DT inspiration! we look forward to seeing what you create with this great sketch! :)

Fairy Card:
Incy Wincy - recipe: 3 embellies, 2 papers, 1 image
Make My Monday - fairies or angels
Crafty Pad - cute & girly

Apples Card:
Hooked on Crafts - sweet treats
Ellephantastic - layers
Stamp Man - anything goes with summer colors

A very special card challenge over at Heart Song Designs

Coffee of the Day - Coconut Macaroon

A very good morning to ya! It is absolutley glorious here - cooling temps, the birds singing their songs, sun peeking out from behind the whispy white clouds to say hello! just beautiful! :)

Yesterday started a new challenge at the Heart Song Designs blog, (my posts are always the next day since Mondays are pretty filled with other DT postings). The challenge is to incorporate animal images and/or paper/ribbon pleating on your projects. But the Design Team made cards to send out to Leah, the artist and magic behind Heart Song Designs. Leah and her family have been working for a while to adopt a wonderful little boy from Ethiopia. They just received the news last week that everything had gone through and they could go bring their new son home! So we decided to create some cards to send to congratulate them on this exciting new blessing God has added to their lives! :)


I chose this cutie little ellie holding a baby for my animal image. Paper piecing papers from the Togetherness collection by Cosmo Cricket added such a cute look to our elephant friend! the senti comes from Paulette at Create with TLC. I just had to add some fun sparkly blue polish to our elelphant's toenails since that is the color I am sporting on my toesies these days! ;) faux stitching and polka dots on the baby blanket were added with my white gel pen. more polka dots come in with the grosgrain ribbon. babies just seem to need polka dots, don't they?! giggles! finally, some layered Prima flowers, ruffled ribbon, and buttons finish the card.
Please play along in the challenge with us & stop by the blog to see all of the other cards Leah will be receiving! What a wonderful time in their lives! :)

Paper Shelter - real or faux stitching
Desert Island Crafters - paper piecing, ruffles, & stitching
KB Cute Monday - babies
Fussy & Fancy Followers Celebration - celebrate something (babies!)

Tag! You're it!

for my Paper Cupcakes post, please click here.
for my Happileigh Scrappin' post, please click here.

The new challenge this week over at Kaboodle Doodles is tag it or bag it, sponsored by Kenny K. One entrant will win a $10 gift certificate to the store, so be sure to play along!

My tag has already been gifted, a few weeks ago in fact! While Ryan was at Band Camp, each day they had different themes for spirit. One day was Super Hero Day. We have always called Ryan, 'Super Ry' after his addiction to all things Superman related. so when I found out about this challenge and Kenny K being the sponsor, this 'Huge Hero' image went right into my shopping cart! The first day of Band Camp Ryan received an award for outstanding showmanship and team support. So to reward him, I thought he deserved a Super Ry tag!


I cut a piece of cardboard into the shape of a tag and then separated the layers. This was then inked with white craft. Papers are Basic Grey Oxford, did you think I would actually go a day without a Basic Grey creation SOMEWHERE?!?!?! tee hee! hey, I was getting worried myself..... I added some fun brads across the bottom, linen thread, button, and ribbon. that fabby sentiment once again comes from Paulette over at Create with TLC. I then wrote my message on the flip side of the tag and presented along with a bag of Ryan's fave candy. he was happy! and I am proud, once again, of my amazing sons! :)

I do hope you will play along in this fun challenge! be sure to see what the rest of the DT have created to inspire you!

Cards for Men - anything goes
Craft Your Passion - ABC
Crazy Challenge - movies (Superman, of course!)
Paper Playtime - anything goes
One Stitch at a Time - anything goes
Sparkles Forum - for the boys
Sew Many Cards - 3 or more brads
Crafting for All Seasons - tag

A Cool Card with Happileigh Scrappin'

for my Paper Cupcakes post, please click here.

I don't know about you, but I am so ready for cooler weather to arrive... and thankfully at Happileigh Scrappin' the challenge is all about cool colors to get us in the mood! Here is a color chart to give you an idea which colors are considered cool and which are considered warm.


As always, you do not have to use a Happileigh Scrappin' image to play along, but if you do, your entry gets put into both the regular drawing and a separate drawing for even more prizes! Leigh has several specials going on at her store, so be sure to check them out. This cutie little snail is available with any digi purchase for the month of August, and then she also has a buy 3 get 1 free promo running. Stop by to see what's new!



For my card, I used this fun little sea turtle. The sentiment comes from Create with TLC. papers are K & Co. Que Sera Sera. the bubbles on the main image are painted with shimmerz. I added water drops with my watercolor brush to add to the underwater effect. Of course polka dot ribbon seemed perfect with all of the bubbles! A zipper flower with rhinestone center finishes off the card.



I do hope you will join in this 'cool' challenge! can't wait to see what you create!

Opus Gluei - Beside the Sea and All Things Fishy
By the Cute and Girly - the sea
Pile it On - blue, blue, blue (my scanner makes it tough to see the variations.... but they are there, I promise!)
Frosted Designs - animals

Pink Pink at Paper Cupcakes!

Coffee of the Day - Cinnamon Hazelnut

A new challenge starts today at Paper Cupcakes and it's all about the colors - pink, brown, and white. but of course you know I have to focus on the PINK!!!! ;) As always, you are welcome to use any images on your papercrafting projects, but Nina has a cutie freebie for you on the blog if you would like to use one of hers. The winner of the challenge will get to choose 2 images from the Paper Cupcakes store.


For my card I went with paper from the K & Co. Wild Raspberry collection. I added this fun milk cap from Jenni Bowlin since it seemed to go with the country feel of the image, as well as Prima flowers and gingham ribbons. a bit of faux stitching, which I am strangely addicted to lately!, finishes off the card. I did add a few little polka dots to the hen's apron with my white gel pen. This is the image Nina is offering for free this week. you certainly don't want to miss out, so stop by the blog to pick it up. while you are there you can see the other neat creations by the DT, as well as meeing our newest DT member, Jennifer Bliss.

Glitter Fairies - pink
Pollycraft - distressing
Pink Elephant - stitching
Sweet Stamping - on the farm
Mami Doodles - flowers
Pattie's Creations - animals or insects (this has both!)

You're an All Star at Jellypark!

Coffee of the Day - Maple Vanilla


Today is both a new challenge and fun new releases at Jellypark Friends! Claire has been listening to the digi image requests and drawn some adorable boys this time around. Be sure to stop by the store to see them, as well as check out what else is going on.

For the challenge at Jellypark Friends Friday Challenges, we are asking you to use your favorite embellishments on your papercraft projects. Well you can imagine my buttons and ribbons were all excited to get some action here! ;) Even if a card is for a guy, I am a firm believer that you can still sneak a ribbon on there somewhere..... just watch!


I used this great little footballer boy, or soccer as we call it here in the States, for my card. Tyler played while in High School and is a big supporter of the Univ. of Akron team. in fact, Akron won the National title for their division last year. yes, he got into it fully by painting his face for every game! grins! I used the new sketch from Fetch-A-Sketch for my design, although a bit loosely, and Basic Grey Oxford papers. please don't look to closely at my avant garde soccer ball..... I am not good at painting free hand. obviously! the metal embellishments are some I have had around forever and seemed perfect for this card. I added a stamped sentiment oval from PTI to a ticket with a ribbon 'garnish' so to speak. lots of fun little buttons made their way on to the card, and faux stitching completes. :)

Please check out the challenge blog to see the many samples of inspiration by the Design Team. and then get busy crafting your own project for the embellishment challenge so you can play along! you don't have to use a Jellypark image, but if you do, you get an extra entry for a chance at a free image from Claire's store. have fun! :)

Pixie Dust - boys will be boys
Cuddly Buddly - anything goes
Fussy & Fancy - 3 or more embellies

Under the Sea at Party Time Tuesday!

for my Heart Song Designs post, please click here.

I told you we were going tropical, so now we are diving down into the coral reefs below those gorgeous blue waters......



The theme for this week at Party Time Tuesday is a photo inspiration. isn't this just a beautiful pic? It was taken at the Denver Zoo by our very own challenge leader, Jenn. Our sponsors this week are Chi Chi Memories and Crafts & Me. Winners will receive images from the stores.


I used this fun teddy bear in a submarine image from Chi Chi Memories for my card, paired with papers from the Basic Grey Lauderdale collection. I wanted to do a little something to add to the underwater feel so the bubbles were painted with shimmerz and then I took my watercolor brush and added some water drops. Leaves were cut with a SU! die to mimic sea weeds & grasses. real shells were added and then a lovely Prima resin flower to complete the undersea montage! :)

I do hope you will stop by the Party Time Tuesday challenge blog to see the many beautiful creations of the Design Team. so much to inspire you to make your own project for the challenge! see you there!

Digital Tuesday - I love the sea
Craft Your Passion - under the sea or your fave season
Paper Playtime - water
Crafty Emma - water
Deep Ocean - sea
Crafting for all Seasons - beach/ocean

Back to School and Circles with Heart Song Designs

Coffee of the Day - Coconut Macadamia

Hello everyone! the weather is finally cooling a bit here & I hope the same for you wherever you are in the world.... a nice respite from so much heat. Although my projects today take us to the tropics and ..... ! well, you will have to check the next post for that one! ;)

The new challenge at Heart Song Designs this week is back to school and/or circles. You do not have to use one of Leah's images, but she does offer a wonderful image for free on the challenge blog that changes each month. When you stop by to check out the lovely creations by the Design Team, be sure to grab it. The winner of the challenge will receive their choice of any image from the Heart Song store . So many cute ones to choose from! So do play along with us!


I decided to go with the circles portion of the challenge since I had someone in mind to receive my card. I'll tell you more about that at the end of my post. I chose this fun tropical fruit image and punched a portion of it with my large scallop circle punch. Lots of stickles were added to the fruit for some fun shine. I wanted my papers to have circles, too, so I went with the Basic Grey Max & Whispers collection. a different choice, I know, since most of the papers are pet oriented. but I think it worked well here. The Aloha bingo card is from Making Memories, trim is Prima, and lots of little Dew Drops were added to go with the circle theme.

Now on to the recipient of my card. While blurffing around last week, I came across a post about a woman in Australia who has a sad story of her struggles with cancer. I contacted Cheryl and promptly received the address to send out this card. (it went postal last week, so I hope Cheryl gets it soon! don't have any idea about delivery times from the States to Australia) anyhow, God also was telling me to do something a little more. so I sat down and wrote an email to several digi stores & artists I have known over my years papercrafting. Several of them have contacted Cheryl and have responded in the most beautiful way! I look forward to hearing more as the plans for the benefit auction for Lyndall unfurl. Please check out the post on Cheryl's blog and consider sending a card. I have been on the receiving end myself of the generosity of so many. I know how it feels and was inclined to pass it on. Please help bring a smile to a lovely woman. Thanks!

Hooked on Crafts - Sweet Treats
Corrosive - earth tones
Crafty Pad - fruit
Just Some Lines - outdoors/summer colors
For Fun Challenges - watermelon (thanks, Ali, for letting me know about this challenge!)

House Full of Love

for my Kaboodle Doodle post, please click here.
for my Happileigh Scrappin' post, please click here.
for my Paper Cupcakes post, please click here.


and Finally, a post for me! :) was going to wait to show this one, but a challenge is soon ending that I want to enter, so am going to just go for the gusto and post along with my many other Monday entries.....


I recently came across the most wonderful store and blog - The Cutting Cafe. I was quite inspired by the many beautiful card templates and creations by their most spectacular DT. This card is my take on one of their products. it is NOT a Cutting Cafe template, just something I put together based on one of theirs..... I WILL be getting theirs as soon as I have the $$. I did not copy anything, just tried to figure it out on my own, which didn't necessarily work out real well, to be politely honest and not mention the shrieks and groans that came from my craft room. ;) that is why I WILL be getting their template as soon as I can. grins!

Anyhow, the sentiment on the heart comes from CS Designs. the papers are Basic Grey Out of Print. have I mentioned how much I love that collection?! yeah, I thought so...... tee hee! the other heart was punched once again from my handy dandy Starbucks coffee sleeve, inked with pink craft, glittered, and then stickled to add even MORE shine! baby Primas with stickles centers, some pink twine & ribbon, and buttons finish off the card. yes, all of that white ink distressing is intentional! I happen to like the look myself.

so have a wonderful day and I will see everyone again tomorrow! :)

City Crafter - Home Sweet Home
Sentimental Sundays - flowers plus sentiment
One Stop Craft - sentimental
Stamp Something - digi
Paper Shelter - flowers

Primary Colors with Kaboodle Doodles

for my Paper Cupcakes post, please click here.
for my Happileigh Scrappin' post, please click here.

This week at Kaboodle Doodles, we are challenging you to use primary colors for the primary colors in your papercraft projects. and MelJen Designs is the fabby sponsor of prizes! woooo hoooo! One winner chosen at random will receive 4 images from Mel's fabby store!


I saw this cutie little wormy apple and knew immediately that he would be perfect for paper piecing with my Basic Grey Junebug papers. how I love to paper piece my digis! :) even the little heart is pieced! tee hee! a prima heart, fun buttons, stitched ribbon, bright red ric rac, and Maya Road ticket are all it takes to finish off this happy back to school card! perfect for any teacher or principal or secretary! think it would work at the college level, too?! grins! okay, maybe not..... gotta make sure my guys stay on that Dean's List! ;) ha! oh, they would be mortified if they knew what I had typed..... giggles!

so come play along with us at Kaboodle Doodles this week! and let's see those bright fun back to school colors!

MelJens - Back 2 School
Daisy Doodles - School Time
Make My Monday - birds or bugs
Crafty Catz - back to school
Catered Crop - recipe: primary colors; 'from seed' digi; plaid, polka dot, & paisley patterns, back to school theme; buttons, twines, ribbon, & ric rac embellies

Fancy Folds with Happileigh Scrappin'!

for my Paper Cupcakes post, please click here.

This week at Happileigh Scrappin', we have a neat challenge - fancy folds! use more than 1 fold on your papercrafting creations. Goodness gracious me, you have GOT to stop by the challenge blog to see all of the gorgeous things created by the DT this week. you will soooooo be inspired!

As always, you do not need to use one of Leigh's images to play along, although she has some great ones in the store. ;) She has a constant sale going on - buy 3 images and get 1 free. On top of that, there is a cute little snail that is this month's free image with ANY purchase. gosh, who is ready to shop?! tee hee! so many deals!


Now on to my card -
My dear sweet friend Stef is going through a tough time right now. Some of you may know her from her blog Glitterbabe Greetings & store. She & I have served on several DTs together, plus gosh, she is just an all-around sweetheart! I love her dearly! But she needs some extra love & encouragement these days, so I wanted to make her a special card to let her know I was thinking of her and saying prayers.


I made this special version of a pocket card using the gate fold technique. I tried to link you to the blog where I originally received the idea, but it is now password protected. sorry! the only difference in your typical gate-fold card is the little folded portion at the bottom to hold the tag. this turns the card into a pocket. the folds on my card were embossed and then inked with white craft to help accent the embossing. I love these beautiful resin Prima floral accents I used here. similar ones are in my blog candy..... hint hint hint! Papers are My Mind's Eye and truly do match irl! ribbons are from Making Memories. the beautiful angel from Happileigh Scrappin' just seems ready to carry my prayers for Stef & Clyde straight to Heaven's gates. :)



Challenges:
Nettie G's - fancy folds
Crazy Challenge - embossing
Stamp with Fun - tag
Stamp, Scrap, & Doodle - friends
Fab & Funky - friends
365 cards - cheer someone

Wild Things at Paper Cupcakes!

Coffee of the Day - Mocha

Good morning! Here we are with another fun challenge with the gang at Paper Cupcakes! This week the challenge is to use any kind of animal images on your papercraft creations and then let your imaginations go WILD! :)
If you use a Paper Cupcakes image you will be entered twice into the draw for the winner's choice of 2 images from Nina's store. A freebie is available on the challenge blog each week.



We have 2 very dear friends who have just become engaged, so I wanted to make them a card. I took this cutie pie painted cat and flipped the image prior to printing. voila! mirror images! Papers are from Basic Grey Out of Print collection. the heart is punched from my handy dandy Starbucks coffee sleeves and inked. a Prima was added to the center. grass was cut with the MFT die while borders were punched with a Martha Stewart punch. a few little white gel pen accents were added in addition to pink twine & buttons. sentiment is a SU! rub-on.

Please join us in this fun challenge this week! and stop by to see what wonderful things the other members of the DT have created for your inspiration! :)

Frosted Designs - color an image
Simply Create - fave animal
Little Red Wagon - critter

Happy Mouse with a Cupcake

Coffee of the Day - French Vanilla

Hello to you!
This is my first time ever to play in the progressive challenge at Designed 2 Delight, and I am so glad I could join everyone! The images are always so cute. I had fun putting a card together today, well, for FUN! ;)


I found a neat sketch over at Willow Sketchie challenges that I thought would be great for this cute little mouse with her cupcakes. I used Basic Grey Marjolaine papers and my Martha Stewart doily border punch that is truly on its last leg. sigh..... guess I have used it way too much, poor thing. the cupcake has glitter pen sprinkles and stickles frosting for lots of shine. I added these fun little resin roses, some faux stitching in addition to retired SU! stitched ribbon I just HAD to have at the time and hardly ever ever use.... plus my handy dandy SU! leaf & tiny tag punch & die that I DO use all the time! giggles!

hope everyone has a wonderful afternoon, and I will see you with LOTS of stuff tomorrow!

One Stitch at a Time - use a digi
Stampin Sisters in Christ - forgotten stash
Glitter Geeks - furry & feathery (I so love the name of their challenge blog! grins!)
Cooking it up with Katie - old, new, fave thing or technique (old-ribbon, new-digi, fave-myBasic Grey & pinks, of course!)
Your Next Stamp - beautiful borders
Digital Tuesday - doilies

Enjoy Every Moment

Coffee of the Day - Cinnamon Hazelnut

Good morning! I'll be back in just a bit with my blog candy post. just need to take a piccy of all the goodies I have for you! :)

in the mean time I have a birthday card to share with you. A friend of ours is celebrating a birthday next week so of course that meant I needed to make him a card. grins! While doing some upcoming DT work, I came across Kenny K images. I had seen several of their images on projects throughout blogland, but this was the first time I had decided to browse through the shop. some of the digis were perfect for what I am needing. I have a certain 'niche' in the people I make cards for that seems to be tough to find images for - guys middle school age and up. There are so many absolutely precious images in blogland for young boys, but it gets harder and harder to find really nice images for young men and those ..... ahem...... not quite as young as they used to be. ;) That was one of the things I liked about Kenny K. quite a few of their images fit right into this category.

so onto my card ~


This friend of ours has a pool in their back yard, yes, how wonderful would THAT be in all of the hot weather we have all been having?! so this guy in his inner tube seemed just the thing for his birthday card. I paper pieced with Basic Grey Lauderdale papers. The sentiment comes from the most fabby on high Paulette over at Create with TLC. the water was made shiny with a light painting of sparkle smooch spray. I think I paint with that one more than I actually spray with it! tee hee! yes, I did get permission from hubby to add the Prima - always have to check with whatever guys are around before I add a flower to any 'man' card. really rolling my eyes over here, but thank goodness no manly men are at home to see me........ some faux stitching and buttons finish off the card.

Have a most glorious day! I'll be right back with my blog candy post.... well, after I finish my first cup of coffee. I do have to get these eyelids open first ya know! ;)

Stamp Something - digi
Delightful Challenges - stitching
Stamping Boutique - birthday for young male
Art Impressions - for the boys
Crafting for All Seasons - beach/ocean (I think this would qualify...)
Divas by Design - summer
Creative Craft - summertime
Tuesday Throwdown - summer
Always Something Creative - water
Really Reasonable Ribbon - sizzlin summer
Alota Rubber Stamps - tic tac toe (either ribbons, stitching, & distress or buttons, stamp, & stitching)

Blog Candy Tomorrow!

Coffee of the Day - Butter Rum

No, I didn't forget my promise of blog candy for all of you! it's just that with being sick it's taking me longer to get things together than I anticipated. so sorry!
but come back tomorrow for the piccy and sign ups! I hope it will be worth the wait! :)

and enjoy your day!

p.s. my heart has been heavy with many people I know who are ill. please say prayers if you would. hug those you love very tight and most of all, TELL THEM you love them. :)

It's a Birthday Blog Hop with Party Time Tuesday!

for my Heart Song Designs post, click here.

Welcome to the Party Time Tuesdays Blog Hop

If you love birthdays, this hop is for you! It is also the inspiration of our challenge. So in order to see the inspiration, you have to HOP! Plus, you will have a chance to win one of 2 prizes. A $25 gift certificate to The Robin's Nest or a $10 gift certificate to Paper Make-up Stamps.

In Order to be eligible, you have to leave a comment on ALL DT members PTT post for today. then 2 winners will be randomly drawn!

Here is the Hop Order:

Party Time Tuesdays Blog
Renee
Danie
Paige
Nancy
Jennifer S <-- you are here! I'm a newbie! hooray! :) Jacki
Suzanne
Mary
Peggy
Thank you so much for welcoming the new DT.

Here is this week's challenge...
This week it's all about birthdays!

Our DT was lucky enough to get some fun images from
Pink Cat Studios

and Chi Chi Memories.

My card was made with images from Chi Chi Memories
and Basic Grey Life of the Party papers.
Lots of stickles, pom pom trim, Primas, and buttons
add to the birthday fun.
A sentiment tag completes the card
and it's ready to send to our birthday boy or girl! :)

So show us your best birthday creations!!
We can't wait to see what you come up with!
Remember, to see the DT inspiration and be eligible to win any of the wonderful
prizes...you must go forth and HOP!!
Good luck!
Now off you go to JACKI's blog - Paper Moments!
You will love what you see! :)

Challenges:
Stamps R Us - Happy Birthday
Lollipop Crafts - Celebrate
Ellephantastic - celebrate
Aud Sentiments - make someone smile
Dutch Dare - birthday
Sweet Stamps - Hot Time in the Summer

Monochromatic and/or Brads Challenge with Heart Song Designs

Coffee of the Day - French Vanilla

Hello! It's a new challenge over at Heart Song Designs - monochromatic and/or brads. I did a bit of both with my card today.

Each month Leah offers a free image for anyone to use for challenges. a Heart Song Designs image is not required for the challenges, but you are welcome to use her freebie or any others in her store. Several cute new ones have just been released, so be sure to stop by to check them out! I love to see new images in the digi stores! :) You have until Sunday to upload your project for a chance to win your choice of 2 images from the Heart Song store.


My project today actually uses the free image from July, the roses in a pitcher digi. I love the simplicity of this one. The roses have smooch spray painted just in the flower centers. The pitcher was sponged with white craft ink to help give it a bit of age. Papers are K & Co. Julliane. I utilized a sketch from the Fetch & Sketch challenge blog. various trims & seam bindings help make up the various elements of the sketch, including a tea tag! I added a little vintage flower cut from some old bit of linen to the top of my brad. just had to have some wonderful little buttons, too!

Please do stop by the Heart Song challenge blog to see the beautiful things made by the Design Team! you will most certainly be inspired! :)

Designed 2 Delight - buttons
One Stop Crafts - vintage
Crop Stop - lace
Going Grey - buttons and/or bows