The Flip Side of Me

Peachy Keen Stamps Sneak Peaks!!!

2012-02-23T07:00:00.000-06:00

Hello and welcome to a super sweet day of Peachy Keen goodness! Today starts the sneaks of the Stamp of the Month Club and the Peachy Picks Club. From now through Saturday there will be projects shown on the Peachy Keen blog and the design team members' blogs.

This first project is a tag featuring one of the stamps from the Stamp of the Month Club.

These next two cards feature the Stamp of the Month Club and the Peachy Picks Club for the month of March. All papers, trims and elements are part of the Peachy Picks kit.

The kits will be available on Saturday morning at 8 am EST!!!

Hello Lovey

2012-02-22T19:00:00.000-06:00

Welcome to the last night of peeks for Market Street Stamps' February Release! Tomorrow night will be the big reveal over on the Market Street Stamps blog.

I know that Valentine's Day was last week, but who wouldn't want a love card any time of the year?

And a nice close up of the Houndstooth.

Make sure to check out all of the other lovely sneaks at the Market Street Stamps' blog!

And here are the details on how you could win the new stamps:

Earn ONE entry for each comment you leave across ALL of our designers' blogs tonight. {p.s. if, for any reason, a designer does not have a new release post up don't worry!! Winners will be chosen only amongst posts that are published. :)}
Earn TWO entries for following us on Facebook OR Twitter(be sure to let us know if you do in a separate comment on this post)
Earn THREE bonus entries for sharing this giveaway on your Facebook page OR Twitter account (be sure to let us know if you do in a separate comment on this post)!
You have through Wednesday, February 22nd to enter to win each set. One lucky stamper will win "Riding By" and another lucky stamper will win our new "Neighborhood" mini stamp!

And for one whole week after the stamps are released tomorrow night, the new sets will be 15% off individually or 25% off if you purchase the bundle of all this month's releases.

You're Spoketacular!

2012-02-21T21:35:00.001-06:00

Sorry I am late to the party! I have been driving my kids around to their activities all night and didn't realize my post didn't publish until I got home just a bit ago.

Tonight is the second night of the Market Street Stamps February Release and boy are these sets amazing!! If you missed last nights peaks, go on over here and check out all the yummy paper treats. And to see what the other girls made for tonight's sneaks go here!

My family does some biking in the summer each year, so this particular stamp set will be great for scrapping those photos!

Don't forget that you have a couple different ways to try and win some of these gems of your very own. Here are the deets:

Earn ONE entry for each comment you leave across ALL of our designers' blogs tonight. {p.s. if, for any reason, a designer does not have a new release post up don't worry!! Winners will be chosen only amongst posts that are published. :)}
Earn TWO entries for following us on Facebook OR Twitter(be sure to let us know if you do in a separate comment on this post)
Earn THREE bonus entries for sharing this giveaway on your Facebook page OR Twitter account (be sure to let us know if you do in a separate comment on this post)!
You have through Wednesday, February 22nd to enter to win each set. One lucky stamper will win "Riding By" and another lucky stamper will win our new "Neighborhood" mini stamp!

Welcome Baby

2012-02-18T09:00:00.000-06:00

It is another Saturday challenge over at 365 Cards and today's prompt is:

My Moment - Think back to a proud moment in your life and use it to inspire your card design.

I chose my moment as having my girls. All through my years of growing up, I always said that I would never have my own children. I had an abundance of nieces and nephews who I loved like they were my own and I spent all my free time possible with them. Even after I had met the guy that I claimed I was going to marry some day, the thought of having kids didn't really cross my mind.

As soon as I found out that I was pregnant, I realized that that was my purpose in life. To be a mom.

My life had changed forever in that small moment, and even though she was not planned, she, and eventually her younger sister, had made life worth while.

And don't forget that today is the last day to apply to be on the 365 Cards Design Team. Check out all of the details here.

A New Winner!

2012-02-14T20:36:00.003-06:00

And since I didn't hear from the last person I drew, the new winner is:

SaundraJan 31, 2012 01:19 PM

Thanks for sharing all the picture, Dobea! I love the EP papers that I have been seeing and all the embellishments made with canvas! I'm crossing my fingers for this giveaway since I have used any of these items before. ~Hugs, Saundra

Congratulations Saundra!! Please email me your information at albertsdob {at} gmail {dot} com and I will get your package out to you asap.

I just want to share the adorable little Valentine's that my daughter and I made last night. She decided at the last minute that she wanted to give them away this year {it was optional in her class} and they HAD to be handmade.

The shape is from the Silhouette Online Store and the bling was in my stash with unknown origins.

InLinkz.com

Are you there Norma?

2012-02-13T17:05:00.001-06:00

Okay, it's been a week and I have had no reply from Norma, the winner of my last giveaway. If I do not hear back by tomorrow night, I will draw again from the comments here.

Good luck!!

Knock, Knock!

2012-02-11T09:00:00.000-06:00

Here with another Saturday challenge from 365 Cards. Today's prompt is:

So Comical

The way I went with was to use an extremely corny Knock, Knock joke. {Not really a comical person here.}

Here is the inside:

That super cute image on the outside is from Bugaboo Digi Stamps. They have some of the cutest darn digis that I have seen! They happen to be sponsoring us this week and you can join the challenges over on the 365 Cards blog for a chance to win 7 free digis!!

And, if you happen to love challenges, 365 Cards is starting their search for the next round of Design Team members!! So if you are interested, hop on over here and check out all of the details!!!

Market Street Stamps & Ribbon Carousel Extravaganza!!

2012-02-07T06:00:00.000-06:00

For the next two days, the Market Street Stamps and Ribbon Carousel Designers will be showcasing the amazing stamps from Market Street Stamps and the beautiful ribbons from RibbonCarousel.com. And of course, we're giving away some AMAZING prizes!

Here are all the Blog Hop details:

What: Market Street Stamps and Ribbon Carousel Blog Hop!

When: Tuesday, February 7 through Monday, February 13 11:59pm EST

Where: Market Street Stamps Blog and Ribbon Carousel Blog

How: Start the blog hop at either the Market Street Stamps blog or Ribbon Carousel blog. Visit each of the designers blogs featured on both days, Tuesday and Wednesday. When you have completed the Blog Hop, leave your name on the Inlinkz on either the Market Street Stamps Blog or the Ribbon Carousel Blog. You have until NEXT MONDAY, February 13 at 11:59pm EST to complete the entire hop.

3 Prizes for 3 winners: We’re giving away Two $25 Gift Certificates to the Market Street Stamps store…

And…

a newly released Ribbon Carousel!

We’ll announce the winners on both blogs on Tuesday, February 14! We hope you enjoy the hop!

Info about Ribbon Carousel:

RibbonCarousel.com carries an large selection of ribbon,twine and accessories. The only problem with ribbon has been storage...until now!More than two years, 3 design changes, 3 raw material changes and 4 manufacturers later.....we present to you, the ultimate in ribbon storage systems, the patent-pending Ribbon Carousels!

We call it the Ribbon Carousel^© because it lookslike a carousel AND it spins around like a carousel!The 4 post Ribbon Carousel holds full spools of all different size ribbon, including the large spools from Stampin' Up, May Arts, A Muse, etc. The 8 post Ribbon Carousel is perfect for up to 16 full spools of the popular Baker's Twine, or 40 of our custom-made Maple Spools. Our Ribbon Carousels, Ribbon Club Kits and various ribbons and accessories are sold to ribbon enthusiasts around the world.

Join us at the RibbonCarousel.com Blog, our weekly Challenge Blog or on our FB page for inspiration, tutorials, specials, news and fun!

Info about Market Street Stamps:

Market Street Stamps is a mix of whimsy and classic design - offering up a fun, fresh clear stamp line founded in January 2010. We're known for a unique feature which most people recognize right away - our stamps are clear, but peach tinted! Our peach polymer is trade-quality, which means the product we create is made to last through thousands and thousands of impressions on a large printing press - imagine what they can do in your craft arsenal! The images and sentiments in our line are go-to's for cards, journals, layouts, you name it! Our goal is to provide versatile, high quality stamps and beyond that - a supportive, friendly atmosphere where everyone feels comfortable hanging out with their stamping friends, asking questions, and sharing their latest Market Street creations! Be sure to check out Market Street Stamps on Facebook, on our blog, and in our Neighborhood - aka our virtual hangout!

Here are two cards that I made:

And to see what the other great designers have made for you to ogle, please go to the Market Street Stamps blog and the Ribbon Carousel blog, their links are above.

Winner and Final Pics!

2012-02-06T23:20:00.002-06:00

Okay, I know I say it all the time, but here I am finally with a winner. Better late than never right?

And the winner of the Honeycomb background, the For All It's Worth stamp set and the Tim Holtz Tea Dye Distress Stain is, drum roll please.......

Norma!!!!

Norma, please email me your information at albertsdob {at} gmail {dot} com. Congratulations!!

And here are the last of the pics that I will share from California. Not all of them are from CHA, but from the whole trip.

The flight coming into LAX. I love going over the mountains!

The view from our hotel room. I thought it was so awesome to be looking out at Disneyland and the mountains!

My very first trip to an IKEA. I am in love!!

Some beautiful garland from Glitz Design.

New paper from Webster Pages. I puffy heart their new Clean and Simple additions to their lines!

A wonderfully yummy last night supper at The House of Blues. {Loved the time I got to spend with everyone!}

The gorgeous mornings to wake up to.

The amazing sunset I got to witness on the way home.

Thank you all for letting me share these with you! Don't forget to come back tomorrow for a great card mixing some awesome Market Street Stamps and beautiful ribbon from Ribbon Carousel.

Love you!!

2012-02-04T10:00:00.000-06:00

Today's 365 Cards Challenge is "Do a Doodle."

Add some doodles to your card. A little or a lot of them-it's up to you!

So this is what I came up with. The border is completely doodled and the sentiment is from Peachy Keen Stamps.

InLinkz.com

More CHA Pictures!

2012-02-03T09:00:00.000-06:00

Here are some more of my favorite product pics from CHA. I really can't wait for these items to be out and about in the stores. I always seem to go a little hog wild when shelves start to get stocked with new and fun things.

Heidi Swapp

Pink Paislee

Bottle Cap Inc.

Lily Bee Design

Nikki Sivils

And don't forget to go here for your chance to win my current giveaway!!! I will choose the winner on Monday!

Try, Try Again

2012-02-02T08:00:00.000-06:00

Hello all! I am finally back from California, and so overwhelmed with ideas, new crafty friends and all the awesome new products coming out soon. I will be sharing some more pictures and post about CHA tomorrow, but right now I have an awesome card I made for my day over at the Market Street Stamps blog.

As I am sure you can tell by now, I am all about the super simple cards. Using Market Street Stamps for these makes it so easy to do! {They are also so amazingly great for the super detailed cards too!}

I just happened to pick out some sweet paper from October Afternoon and paired it with a great sentiment from the Faith In You set. For the ribbon I chose a white silk, sprayed it with Brick and Sugar Maple Glimmer Mists and crinkled it while it dried.

And voila! A super sweet, super simple card. It can't get much better than that!!

InLinkz.com

MSS Paint the Town February

2012-02-01T08:00:00.000-06:00

It's the first Wednesday in February and do you know what that means? Market Street Stamps Paint the Town Color Challenge!! Woot, woot!!

I have got to tell you that I drew a complete blank when I first saw these colors. It took me the longest time to find some papers that I thought would be close enough to the colors and when I did, I still wasn't feeling them. But then, I started to put them together and I love how it turned out!

And here is what I made!

InLinkz.com

Giveaway

2012-01-31T08:00:00.000-06:00

So, it's that time again. Time for another giveaway. I have been busy here in Anaheim at CHA working in the Market Street Stamps booth and walking the floor finding lots of goodies for Peachy Keen's Peachy Picks.

I have met so many lovely ladies who I have previously only known through web and many new faces too.

I do have to say that I am missing my family, but I am also having so much fun here!

There are quite a few more coming, but here are a few pictures that I have taken over the first couple of days of the show.

Two new amazing lines from Echo Park and Lori Whitlock.

A super cool wreath from Canvas Corp.

Tim Holtz demoing his brand new Distress Markers {I NEED every. single. one.}

A lovely new line from October Afternoon.

Who doesn't love anything that comes from Cosmo Cricket?

And some more yummies from Canvas Corp.

And now, for the giveaway, I have the wonderful For All It's Worth stamp set, the Honeycomb background stamp, and a Tim Holtz Distress Stain in Tea Dye.

Please leave a comment letting me know what trend or new item you would like to see come out of CHA {Craft and Hobby Association} and I will draw a winner on Monday!

MSS Block Party

2012-01-29T02:26:00.000-06:00

Here is the project I made for this month's Block Party. I used one of the newest sets that were released earlier this week called Bon Voyage.

The pictures are of my newest nephew's birth day. After I took the picture I realized that the orange in the paper and the orange buttons didn't coordinate all that well, so I am going to change the buttons out.

Here are the details of the Block Party:

Here's what you have to do:

Create a new project with MSS stamps! It can be anything (cards, layouts, altered items, etc.)- be creative and have FUN!
Link your project below by Sunday, January 29th at 11:59 PM Central Time
Note: Your creations for this contest will not be considered for the Cream of the Crop contest. Each MSS contest or challenge requires a separate, unique entry to be eligible to win!

Here's what you could win!

One randomly selected participant will win an awesome prize package full of yummy stamps & accessories!
ONE show stoppin' paper crafter will be asked to join us for a Guest Design spot for the following month! (This months winer will be the Guest Designer for the month of March!)

Good Stuff

2012-01-28T10:00:00.000-06:00

Today's prompt for 365 Cards is "So Good"

Use the word good in your sentiment but not to say goodbye.

The stamps I used are from Peachy Keen Stamps. The bear is from the Hillbilly Holler Set 2 and the sentiment is from Hillbilly Holler Set 4.

The images were colored with Copics and the background was made using Tim Holtz Distress Inks.

Make sure that you go on over to the 365 Cards blog to check out all of the other challenges going on this week.

Cupid Love

2012-01-26T16:30:00.000-06:00

Hello! I hope you all enjoyed the sneaks earlier this week for the new release from Market Street Stamps. Don't forget that the full reveal will be tonight at 7 pm CST.

Here is a card that I made using the January Peachy Picks kit from Peachy Keen Stamps. I just love this little cupid and can't seem to stop using it.

The newest Peachy Picks kit was just revealed. you can find out more information about that here.

InLinkz.com

Enjoy the Ride

2012-01-25T19:00:00.000-06:00

It's the final night of sneaks before the big reveal tomorrow! Are you sufficiently excited yet?

Here is my card. It is very clean and simple which fit these stamps perfectly.

Remember to go on over to the Market Street Stamps blog and check out what the other design team girls made for their projects.

The sets will all be revealed tomorrow night at 7 pm CST. Also, don't forget that when you order the whole bundle, you will receive 25% off the whole lot, and 15% off for individual sets of the new releases. This deal only lasts for a week so make sure you take advantage of it while you can!!

Mama-razzi

2012-01-24T19:00:00.000-06:00

IT'S DAY TWO!!!!

You are all going to love this next set. FOR SURE! I had a load of fun with it, and I just used a small sampling.

Now, this is like the first layout I have made in almost a year, and I have missed scrapping so much. I must, I must get back into the swing of things. {Right after CHA!!}

Do you know how much I loved the fact that I could just print off pictures from my phone? I used pics that I had used the Instagram app with and they came out awesome! So easy and no need to dress them up.

Ok, now RUN over and check out what the other design team girls did for their sneaks!!

InLinkz.com

Hello Lovey

2012-01-23T19:00:00.000-06:00

So are you all ready to see some pretties for the first night of Market Street Stamps January releases? I know I had so much fun designing with them!!

Tonight's images were designed by Market Street's very own design team member, Tifany DeGough! Didn't she do an awesome job?!

I made the following three 3 3/4" x 3 3/4" note-cards. I think they turned out pretty darn cute if I do say so myself ;)

Make sure to check out the other lovely ladies blogs for additional sneaks.

And also, don't forget that there are sneaks going on tonight, Tuesday and Wednesday with the full reveal on Thursday along with the stamps going on sale at 7 pm CST. You don't want to miss out on the deal you get when you order these babies in the first week. When ordering individual sets, you get 15% each set, but when you order them as a bundle you get them for 25% off!!!

InLinkz.com

Happy Birthday

2012-01-22T00:00:00.000-06:00

Hello and welcome to this beautiful Sunday! I hope you were able to make your way here from Lauren's blog safely. If you are just happening by today, you can click on the button above and it will bring you to the first stop of the birthday blog hop in honor of the very sweet and very talented Miss Angelica's birthday.

I have known Angelica for just over a year now, and am very honored to be able to work with her as well as call her my friend. Not only is she hard working and talented from the top of her head to the tips of her toes, she is so fun and inspiring to be around.

Angelica, I wish you the bestest and most relaxing of birthdays today girl, you deserve it!!!

Here is the list of lovely ladies who have joined together to put a bright spot in Angelica's day. Please head on over to Raven's blog for the next stop on the party train!!

DoBea Alberts {you are here!}

Just a Note

2012-01-21T10:00:00.000-06:00

Today's challenge for 365 Cards is Shape Up.

Let's see some scallops on your card - it can be a scalloped circle or scalloped trim around your card, as long as you really make them count on your card.

I decided to use some scalloped cotton trim that I sprayed with some Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist.

InLinkz.com

I Believe In Love

2012-01-17T08:00:00.000-06:00

Today is my turn for a whirl over on the Market Street blog, and I am sharing this fun card featuring a multitude of stamps! I love all of their stamps over there, but the background are some of the most fun and versatile to work with.

On the butterflies I used Mesh, Honeycomb and Vintage Notepad. {At the bottom of the post, you will see some blocks of the products that I used, and if you click on them, they will bring you right to those particular stamps!} I also used the set Simple Joys for the sentiment.

The colors are based on the current Paint the Town Color Challenge that is going on over on the blog right now!

InLinkz.com

Cupid's Sting

2012-01-15T22:52:00.000-06:00

Here is a Valentine's card I made using pieces from the new card kit, Peachy Picks, from Peachy Keen Stamps that I made for their Kickoff Linky Party.

Here is a link to more information regarding the card kit club. Starting on January 23rd we will be sneaking peeks of February's kit on the Peachy Keen blog.

The stamp is Cupid's Sting, also from Peachy Keen Stamps.

Peachy Keen has also started up a Stamp of the Month Kit Club, where when you subscribe for 6 months, you will receive the Stamp of the Month for $29.95 a month, which is a great savings as buying just that stamp set outright would cost $39.95.

InLinkz.com

Love

2012-01-14T12:00:00.000-06:00

Welcome to another Saturday Challenge from 365 Cards!

Today's prompt is:

On the Fringes-Use fringe in two different places on your card (so, not just along the base of the card)

I used some beautiful trim from Pink Paislee's House of Three Parisian Anthology collection for my fringe.

InLinkz.com

The Human Spirit

2012-01-11T08:00:00.000-06:00

Today starts January's Paint the Town Color Challenge over on the Market Street Stamps blog. Angelica has really picked out some gorgeous colors!!

Do the not make you want to slip away to the Caribbean?

Well, here is my card using the Believing Butterfly set that was release last month.

Don't forget to go check out all of the wonderful projects that the other Design Team girls have come up with!

InLinkz.com

I Have Faith in You!

2012-01-07T09:00:00.000-06:00

Hello! It's another wonderful Saturday challenge over at 365 Cards. The card I am sharing with you was super fun to make but oh, so simple!

The challenge is

Use a specific pattern and a dominant color on your card. The pattern does not have to be that color, as long as you use the color elsewhere on the card.

Today's pair is - Paisley and Yellow

Of course as soon as I saw paisley I just knew I had to use Market Street Stamps' Paisley background stamp and I also knew I wanted the yellow to be paired up with black. So this is what I came up with!

InLinkz.com

Final Holiday Spirit Winner!!!

2012-01-06T10:00:00.000-06:00

Hello ladies! I have our final Holiday Spirit Winner, but before I let you know who it is, I just want to thank you all for being followers. With so many other blogs out there, it is so wonderful to know that you all still take some time out to visit me here.

Congratulations to QC Kelsey!! Please email me at albertsdob {at} gmail {dot} com!! Thanks so much everyone for playing along!

I am going to share with you some hopes of mine {not resolutions} to accomplish, at least for the first half of the year. I am writing them here more for myself than anything else, so that I can look at them and be reminded of what I would like to happen.

Be more creative. {Not necessarily make tons more projects, but step outside of the box and think of things in new ways.}
Scrapbook more. {I had been so focused on cards last year that I really let the ball drop on documenting our lives. I love the looks on my daughters' faces when they look through the scrapbooks and remember things that they might have forgotten or ask questions that help make me remember.}
Be a better blogger. {As you might have noticed, I am a very sporadic blogger, and mostly only post when I have a project due or something specific is going on for a design team. I want to change that by making more things for myself and family and friends. That's why I really got started doing this, because I love sharing what I make.}
Document more. {This really goes along with the scrapping more, but needs it's own bullet point, because when I do scrap, I rarely journal. Not because I don't feel it is important, but because I often feel at a loss when it comes to writing things down. You probably don't know this, but when I was a teen I wrote constantly, whether it be poems, short stories or the beginnings of novels. Since I have started a family{about 14 years ago} I have let that fall completely off and I feel that I have lost the ability to make my words hold any meaning.}
Be a better friend. {I truly love my friends and would do anything for them, but I doubt they know that. I have let some things this past year really bring me down at times, and that often made me go into hibernation mode for most of the year. When that happens I tend to shut everyone out, and that eventually pushes the people I care about away.}
Give more. More time, more money and yes, more giveaways!{I am so fully blessed with everything I have in my life. I often take those things for granted, especially my family, and I really couldn't ask for anything more.}

Gone But Never Forgotten

2011-12-31T11:00:00.000-06:00

Hello and welcome to the last Saturday challenge of the year for 365 Cards.

It has been a flashback week all week long over there and my challenge was to choose any challenge from August that is not a sketch.I chose to to redo Day 183 Imagine this: Wrinkled.

Here is the card. If you notice, the flower that I made was wrinkled in each layer as I put it together.

I hope you all enjoy the end of this year and look forward to seeing you next year!!!

Also, don't forget to check out this post here for your chance to win a great prize for my Holiday Spirit Giveaway!!

Card Recipe
Stamps: Market Street Stamps {Mesh background, Pawprints on Our Hearts}
Flower: Silhouette Online Store {3D Ruffle Flower}
Twine: The Twinery {Buttercream, Denim}
Patterned Paper: Echo Park {Victoria Gardens}
Bling: Stash

Year In Review

2011-12-30T17:00:00.000-06:00

I thought I would share some of my favorite projects from the past year. I hope you have enjoyed looking at them as much as I have making them!!

January

Hope you have an amazing start to the New Year!!!

***Don't forget to check out the post here for your chance to win the last Holiday Spirit Giveaway prize!

Another Winner and the Third Holiday Spirit Giveaway!!

2011-12-29T15:00:00.000-06:00

I know, I know! I am running behind on the giveaway again, but sometimes, life just gets in the way. Since I am late posting the winner this week, I will let the contest run through next Thursday instead of Tuesday.

But, on to the winner of the second Holiday Spirit Giveaway!

Cindy Lou

Congratulations! Please email me at albertsdob {at} gmail {dot} com and I will get your package out to you as soon as possible!!

And now, for the third and final Holiday Spirit Giveaway, I have a 6x6 pad of paper from My Mind's Eye, two packages of bling and a roll of ribbon from American Crafts.

Since I make so many cards, I often find myself buying the smaller paper pads rather than the full 12x12 sheets of paper. And, My Mind's Eye happens to be one of my most favorite companies to get these from. I also often add a little hint of bling to the cards, and this brand, I get from Archivers. Ribbon is also a huge staple in most of my cards, and my favorite is usually American Crafts, not only because they have such a wide variety, but also because they come on great spools holding a smaller amount, which I like because I hate to use the same ribbon over and over again {except for on those rare occasions when you find ribbon that you love oh so much and just can't get enough of it.}

So, please leave a comment below sharing your top New Year's Resolution {or if you don't make them, just let me know that ;)} and on Thursday, January 5th I will pick the final Holiday Spirit Winner!

Notes from Paris

2011-12-24T08:00:00.000-06:00

Today's 365 Cards' challenge is Famous World Landmarks.

Select a well-known landmark from anywhere in the world and either feature it on your card or let it inspire your card.

So, for my card I based mine off of the Eiffel Tower. I have not been out of the country much {only twice, and those places are not really that far away}. My dream is to one day tour Europe, and one of those spots happens to be France. I have seen many movies and pictures portraying the Eiffel Tower and always thought it so beautiful, especially at night. Do you ever dream of going anywhere foreign? If you do, where?

Make sure to check out all of the other great challenges going on over at the blog, you will find an endless supply of inspiration!

All product on this card is from Pink Paislee's Vintage Vogue collection except for the ribbon, which is Martha Stewart, and the bling which comes from Bazzill.

I wish you all good tidings and greet cheer in this wonderful holiday season!!

Market Street Stamps and CAS-ual Fridays Co-Challenge!

2011-12-22T23:01:00.000-06:00

How fun is it when you can combine two great things together to one amazing thing? Well, super fun!!!

Market Street Stamps is teaming up with CAS-ual Fridays for a super charged challenge! Not only do you get to join in for the Block Party Challenge for a chance to win, but you get a second challenge,too!

So, for those of you that have not hear of CAS-ual Friday, it is a great challenge blog that caters to everything Clean And Simple!! {And, their challenges are posted on Fridays.}

The challenge that starts today is Brown Paper Packages Tied Up With String.

And this is the project that I have come up with

I used this sweet box from Lori Whitlock for my package cut out of kraft paper, Twine from The Twinery for my string, and of course that gorgeous butterfly is from Market Street Stamps' newly released Believing Butterfly.

The pink and purple butterflies are fairly hard to notice above, but I am hoping that that will be taken care of with better lighting shortly after Sunday, wink wink.

In order for you to make the most out of possible winning prize from each of these places, be sure to link up your projects on both blogs!

A Winner, Another Giveaway and a Neato Project!!

2011-12-21T11:00:00.000-06:00

Sorry that I didn't post this last night, but I had another post to do for the fabulous Market Street Stamps December Release Week. You can check out that post here, and don't forget to leave comments on all the lovely design team ladies' blogs for a chance to win some of the new stamps!!

First off we have a winner form the first Holiday Spirit Giveaway. And the winner is

Housebuiltofcards

Congratulations!! Please email me at albertsdob {at} gmail {dot} com and I will get your package out to you asap.

And now, we have the second Holiday Spirit Giveaway! These are some of my absolute favorite distressing products out there. I find myself using them constantly on projects, and hope that you too, will love them just as much as I! So, please leave me a comment below telling me what your favorite holiday treat or indulgence is and I will draw the next winner on Tuesday!!

So, now for my project! I am completely obsessed with making my own ornaments and ornaments for others. {I think a tree is so much prettier with handmade items, especially from my kids.}

For these first two ornaments I just took a trip to my local Hobby Lobby to find some things that I could jam into some ornaments.The one on the left has two packages of red jingle bells inside and I found some super pretty silver snowflake rub-ons to put on the outside. The ornament on the right it filled with silver beaded trim.

The second set of ornaments contain cinnamon sticks that I had snipped in half and inserted into the bulbs. I then used twine from the Twinery to wrap around the center and glued on a pretty button. How easy is that? {Pretty easy except for getting the twine to stay still while the glue was drying ;)}

Now for the last two ornaments. This is my absolute favorite way to make ornaments! I took some pretty, pretty double sided Christmas paper from Echo Park, cut 3 strips at 1/4" x 12", 3 strips at 1/2" and 3 strips at 3/4" and used a quilling tool to wind them up tight to fit through the top of the ornament, and dropped them in. When they hit the bottom, they slightly unfurl and you get gorgeous results!

Well, I hope you enjoyed the project today and I look forward to seeing your comments!!

Market Street December Sneak Peek!!

2011-12-20T19:00:00.000-06:00

Yay! It's that time of the month again! Market Street Stamps is releasing more sets.
For tonight's sneak I am using It Takes Love, with I have completely fallen in love with!! Just look at it's awesomeness.

Make sure you hop on over to the Market Street Stamps blog and check out all of the other great projects featuring this stamp, and don't forget that you have the chance to win this stamp set and all of the other ones being released this week too! You can find out all of the information on their blog!

Card recipe
Stamps: Market Street Stamps {It Takes Love}
Patterned Paper: Echo Park
Glitter Glue: Tim Holtz Distress Stickles
Ink: Momento
Ribbon: Stash

You are My Sunshine

2011-12-17T10:00:00.000-06:00

***Don't forget to leave a comment here for your chance to win the first of this year's Holiday Spirit prize.

Today's Saturday Challenge for 365 Cards is:

So Soothing

Use soothing colors and images on your card.

So I made a scene of a beautiful warm Spring day with big puffy clouds and soft green grass, my ideal day.

The clouds are from a sheet of American Crafts. The sun and sentiment were cut with my Cameo using a sheet of paper from Echo Park.

The grass is made using Pink Paislee tissue paper. I cut some strips from it and glued it down with a lot of creases and wrinkles.

Holiday Spirit Giveaway

2011-12-13T19:00:00.000-06:00

As I said yesterday, today I am starting my Holiday Spirit giveaway. For the next three Tuesdays I will be doing a giveaway of some of my favorite products. These products are not on my list because I feel obligated or anything similar to that, but because with them, I enjoy crafting so much more.

I know that giving is a huge part of the holidays, and I am striving to do much better this year. I am so very thankful for everything I have in my life and hope to share in my gratefulness.
My husband and daughters are my everything and they guide all the choices I make. I wouldn't change a thing in the world for the last 16 years, for if I had, I wouldn't have them.

So, for my first giveaway, I am going to send out to a lucky someone a Hearts a Plenty background stamp and Compass stamp set from Market Street Stamps and a Purple Hydrangea VersaMagic Ink.

So please leave a comment below sharing what you are so very thankful this holiday season and on Tuesday I will draw a winner and announce the next Holiday Spirit prize! {Don't forget to leave an email address so I can get a hold of you if you happen to be the winner.}

A Masking Tutorial!

2011-12-12T08:00:00.000-06:00

Hello! I am here to share a tutorial today!! Woot, woot!!

First off, I have got to tell you how much fun I have working with Market Street Stamps! I love the quality, it is simple unbeatable. The fact that you can see through them to know exactly where you are stamping, and then the crispness that the images have, it's just amazing.

Ok, enough of my praising {but I do hope you all know first hand of what I am talking about}.

The technique that I will be sharing with you is another type of masking.

The first thing I did was take the card base and inked the edges with a blending tool and Antique Linen Distress Ink to give it a vintage feel.

I then, took a peice of kraft cardstock and stamped it with the Grace background using Angel Pink Momento Ink.

In the picture above you can clearly see the background as it is still wet. But when the ink dries, the images will only show very faintly, adding just the slightest, prettiest addition.

Next, I cut out a label shape using my Silhouette Cameo {I absolutely love this thing!} and again distressed the edges using Antique Linen Distress Ink.

I then stamped the cake from Celebrate Cake on the label using Frayed Burlap Distress Ink. {Looking back, I should have used a different ink, such as Momento, that would not bleed when wet.}

On an scrap piece of paper, {I used a label that I had originally cut but was too large} I stamped the cake again and then cut it out to use as the mask.

On top of my craft mat, I taped my masking label on top of the label for the card. I then sprayed it with Tattered Angels' Vanilla Breeze.

As you can see, the spray is confined to the cake. When dry, I applied the pearls in the circles on the image.

And here is the finished product! I also sprayed the Prima flowers with the Vanilla Breeze and added a couple different ribbons to the kraft cardstock and then stamped the Happy Anniversary! in the Frayed Burlap Distress Ink.

Above is a close up of the flowers and cake. I hope you find this tutorial helpful!!

Make sure you stop back tomorrow when I will be beginning my Spirit of Giving giveaways! You could have the chance to win some sweet prizes!!!

Oh, By Golly...

2011-12-10T09:30:00.001-06:00

Welcome to another 365 Cards Saturday Challenge!

Today's challenge is: Touchy Feely.

Add three distinct textures to your card - there are lots of options for this - felt, fleece, flocking, glitter, wet/dry embossing, dimensional adhesive - anything you can think of as long as they each come from a different source.

The textures I added are: debossing, crackle paint and glitter. In the picture below you can see the debossing and crackle paint a little better.

In order to achieve the debossing, all you have to do is use the opposite side of the paper after dry embossing. I used a Sizzex embossing folder for this.

For the crackling, I applied the Tim Holtz Rock Candy Distress Crackle to the whole card and then before it could dry, I used a piece of chipboard to scrape it off everywhere except where is was recessed in the snowflakes.

As for the snowflakes, I used my Palette glue pad to cover the Maya Road snowflakes and then covered them in the glitter and let them dry.

The labels that the Peachy Keen Stamps sentiment is on comes from Lettering Delights. The patterned paper is Echo Park and the border punch is from EK Success.

A Mother's Love!

2011-12-07T08:00:00.000-06:00

Welcome back! Today is the start of a new Paint the Town challenge of at the Market Street Stamps' blog.

Here is the color palette:

And here is my card based on the colors.

The base was cute using a cut file from Silhouette.

The bottom two strips is actually two different sizes of canvas tape from Prima. I sprayed the top one with Graphite Glimmer Mist and the bottom one with Haunted Shadows, both by Tattered Angels. After they were thoroughly dried I used the Vintage Wallpaper background stamp from Market Street Stamps with Archival Ink from Ranger. As I was putting the tape on, I made slight creases to ad some texture.

The sentiment is from Cool Cats which was part of November's release.

Don't forget to check out what the other talented Design Team girls have made for inspiration, and then make sure to link your own project in order to have a chance at winning some sweet Market Street product!

2011-12-06T05:00:00.000-06:00

ihp + MSS = amazing!

Welcome to the i {heart} papers and Market Street Stamps combined teams blog hop! We're so excited to have you join us, and we know you're in for a real treat!

You should have arrived here from Deb's blog. If not, visit Kate's i {heart} papers blog to start from the beginning. You'll go from there to the blogs of our designers and finish up at the Market Street Stamps blog. If you get lost, both company blogs have the complete list of links.

about i {heart} papers:

i {heart} papers is proud that we recently celebrated our 3rd anniversary in October. We’ve grown by leaps and bounds and have not strayed from our core principle of stellar customer service with FAST and FREE shipping. You ALWAYS receive free shipping with your $50 US order/$150 CAN order with no gimmicks or restrictions like so many other companies, and orders are almost always shipped within 24 business hours. We’re thrilled to be hopping along with the MSS team today and to be carrying the MSS line of stamps. If you’ve never ordered from us before, please mention that you learned about us on this hop for a free gift with your first order! Please visit us at www.iheartpapers.com, “like” us on Facebook (www.facebook.com/iheartpapers, where you'll find over 1900 other IHP fans!) and follow us on Twitter (@iheartpapers). Enjoy the hop! If you order by Wednesday midnight EST, all MSS sets are 15% off! Leave comments along the hop to be entered in a drawing to win one free MSS set. The more you comment, the more chances to win! You have until Wednesday at midnight...winners will be announced on the ihp blog on Friday!

about Market Street Stamps:

Market Street Stamps, LLC, was founded in January 2010 by Angelica and Jorge Suarez, a husband and wife team who create unique stamps made from peach-tinted photopolymer, the best available on the market today! Market Street Stamps' goal is to produce durable, high quality designs that you'll turn to again and again! We are thrilled to be hopping with i {heart} papers and their incredibly talented design team today! Be sure to "like" us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/MarketStreetStamps) for the latest releases and project ideas from our Design Team!

The stamps that I used include Flurries background and Essential Holiday Elegance.

First, I started out with a blank chipboard tag and covered it with Picket Fence Distress Stain. After that dried, on my craft mat I squeezed out some Shabby Shutters and Peeled Paint Distress Stains and dragged my tag through that.

After the tag dried from that I inked up the Flurries background stamp with VersaMark and stamped it onto the tag, then heat embossed it with white embossing powder.

Next, I swiped an Antique Linen Distress Stain over the embossed image for a little antiquing look.

I then attached the two ribbons to the bottom of the tag with a stapler.

The sentiment was stamped onto a 2x2 block of cardstock using the Comfort & Joy stamp from Essential Holiday Elegance multiple times. {The block it mounted on foam dots.} The snowflake stamped in the middle came from using an ink marker on a single flake from the Flurries background.

The snowflakes are from Maya Road and were colored white using the Picket Fence Distress Stain, then I coated them with Picket Fence Distress Stickles.

Once the snowflakes were dry, I snipped the backs off of the Bo Bunny brads and attached them with glue dots in various places.

Lastly, I attached the ribbon to the top tag hole.

I hope you enjoyed my tag!!

From here, you're headed to Gretchen's blog. Enjoy the hop! Thanks for your comments! Remember to order your MSS from ihp before Wednesday to get the 15% discount!

Scarecrow Girl

2011-12-05T10:31:00.000-06:00

Hello! Just a real quick post today! Here is a card I made back in early November while at Scrapbook Extravaganza in Arkansas. I try to make it there every year, and have only missed one since I found out about it in 2008. It's a great time to get lots of projects done {or just socializing, shopping and eating}. This year I spent it with two great friends!!

So, the scarecrow on the card is made using a newer Peachy Keen Stamp Scarecrow Girl. I made this before I had the coordinating die that goes with it, so it was fussy cut.

The image is colored in using Copics. The patterned paper is from LilyBee and Crate and the ribbons are from My Mind's Eye.

Market Street Showcase!!

2011-12-04T16:25:00.000-06:00

Here is the card I made for the Market Street Stamps' Designer Showcase which is displaying the newest release. The stamp set I am using is Pawprints on Our Hearts.

You can check out all of the other projects that the other design team members have made on the Market Street blog. There are some great ideas to get there.

Also, coming up on Tuesday, there will be a co-blog hop between Market Street Stamps and I {heart} Papers. You can start out at the I {heart} Papers blog, or if you come here, there will be a link to the start of the hop.

Hope you all are enjoying the start to your December!!

Live in the Moment!!

2011-12-03T08:00:00.000-06:00

Happy Saturday all!

Today I am back with another challenge from 365 Cards. The prompt given is:

Seeing Red... and Green!

I want to see red and green all over your card, but NOT a Christmas theme. Any other theme will do :)

The green patterned paper is from Cosmo Cricket's collection Clementine and the red is from My Mind's Eye's collection Lost and Found Two: Rosy.

The Simply Stitched Borders stamps are from Market Street Stamps and the sentiment is from Tim Holtz.

The flower was cut using Silhouette's Nesting Flower 4. To distress the the edges of the flower I used the Imaginisce D-Stress Cordless Distress Tool.

Market Street Stamps Block Party!

2011-12-02T22:12:00.000-06:00

Here's what you have to do:

Create a new project with MSS stamps! It can be anything (cards, layouts, altered items, etc.)- be creative and have FUN!
Link your project on the Market Street Stamps Blog by Sunday, December 4th at 11:59 PM Central Time
Note: Your creations for this contest will not be considered for the Cream of the Crop contest. Each MSS contest or challenge requires a separate, unique entry to be eligible to win!

Here's what you could win!

One randomly selected participant will win an awesome prize package full of yummy stamps & accessories!
ONE show stoppin' paper crafter will be asked to join us for a Guest Design spot for the following month! (This months winner will be the Guest Designer for the month of January!)

Here is my card that I made for the Block Party.

I used the Prancer stamp set that was released earlier this week along with some older patterned paper that I had in my stash and twine from The Twinery.

Sweet Friend

2011-11-26T08:00:00.000-06:00

I hope everyone here in the states had a wonderful Thanksgiving!! We spent the day with my husband's family like we always do. We also had some amazing weather for the day, it was 50 degrees here and perfect!

So for today's challenge over at 365 Cards, your prompt is: Keep it simple.

Cardstock base, 1 patterned paper, 2 embellishments, and a sentiment - that's all you can keep on your card.

And this is what I came up with:

The sentiment is from Close to My Heart. The felt strip is from My Mind's Eye. And, the patterned paper is from Theresa Collins.

Make sure to go check out 365 Cards blog and try your hand at joining some of the challenges!!

You're Cool!!!

2011-11-19T08:00:00.000-06:00

***If you are looking for The Twinery/Market Street Stamps Blog Hop please see previous post!!!

It's another great Saturday challenge from 365 Cards!!

{I hope you are all enjoying this fabulous Fall that we are having!}

Today's prompt is: It's the thought that counts.

Add a thought bubble to your card and place your entire sentiment inside of it.

So when I first saw this challenge, I knew exactly what I was going to do for it! {At least I knew exactly what stamp set I was going to use for it ;)} Back in the beginning of it's start, Market Street Stamps came out with this stamp set {Cheep Talk} and it comes with two conversation bubbles!!! Yay! How sweet is that? And I absolutely love how this card turned out!!!

The Twinery and Market Street Stamps' Blog Hop!!

2011-11-19T07:00:00.000-06:00

Hello and welcome to the second day of The Twinery/MarketStreet Stamps Blog Hop!!

If you haven't started from the beginning you can start there now, and if you came from Monika you are headed in the right direction!

First things first, let's talk about the prizes you can win for hopping both days {yesterday and today} and leaving comments on each of the stops along the way.

The first prize is an Ultimate Sampler Pack {a $25 value!} from The Twinery.

And the second prize is a $25 gift certificate from market Street Stamps.

You have through November 25th to finish leaving all of your comments, and then on Saturday, November 26th the winners will be drawn randomly and posted on the Market Street Stamps' blog and The Twinery's blog.

Now, on to my project!

I made a card using the Argyle background stamp and the Joyful Snowman stamp set from Market Street Stamps and the Pink Sorbet twine from The Twinery.

I can't tell you enough how much fun it is to work with both of these company's products! The quality is simply stellar!!

Okay, the next stop on the blog hop is Sheri! Hope you enjoy the fun along the way!!!

Baby Shower Invite

2011-11-16T14:00:00.000-06:00

Now that all of the craziness of the last few weeks is over, I can finally share the invitation that I made for my little sister's baby shower. We knew ahead of time that she was having a boy, so I was able to decorate in a specific color scheme.

Making invitations just happens to be one of my favorite types of papercrafts to do. I love the whole creative process, from choosing paper to finding the perfect font. And it especially makes my heart full to do this all for the people I love.

So I hope that you enjoy this, as I certainly had immense pleasure in making it!!!

Patterned Paper from My Mind's Eye
Twine from The Twinery
Border punch from EK Success

Hello My Friend!

2011-11-12T08:00:00.000-06:00

It is another Saturday challenge over at 365 Cards. Today's prompt is 3 S's. Pam has chosen 2 of the S's which are sponging and stickers. The 3rd S is personal choice and I chose stamping.

I used Tea Dye Distress Ink to do the sponging around all of the paper products. The stickers are cardstock stickers from Crate Paper and the stamp, Hello My Friend, is from Unity Stamp Co.

I also added a fabric flower from Bella Blvd and some pink pearl bling from Recollections.

Happy Birthday Cow Card

2011-11-11T14:30:00.000-06:00

Here is a quick clean and simple card that I made. I have had this stamp set {For All it's Worth from Market Street Stamps} for awhile and have absolutely loved the cow. I finally sat down and just did something with it!

Peace. Love. Joy. Tag

2011-11-08T08:00:00.000-06:00

Over the last couple of weeks I have been having some cravings for Winter. I know, call me crazy! Especially for someone who has always strongly believed that I was a warm weather girl trapped in the cold north.

But, the winter holidays always make me a wee bit giddy. I love the smells, the food and the decorating, even that first snowfall {and only that very first snowfall!!!}.

So, I thought I might make a little tag to try to quench a little bit of that feeling.

For the tag I used the adorable Joyful Snowman from Market Street Stamps with minimal coloring. Always a fun winter stamp to use!!!

Happy Fall!!!

2011-11-05T08:00:00.000-05:00

Welcome back to another Saturday post for the 365 Cards Challenge.

This week Robyn's Fetish is the sponsor. You can go check out the website here.

The challenge prompt is making a sketch from an already made card . Too see what Pam came up with, check that out here.

I printed out the digi stamp onto the green patterned paper and decided to leave it uncolored. I tend to like to do that with images that would normally need a lot of coloring. I am not the best colorer, so layering other elements onto the card helps add to the character.

You're A Hoot!

2011-11-03T15:33:00.001-05:00

Hello all! Here is my card that was for the Paint the Town Color Challenge that was posted yesterday over on the Market Street Stamps blog.

Here is the inspiration photo and the colors that make up the challenge:

Make sure to check out the other design team members projects and then link up your own project for a chance to win some awesome Market Street goodies!!!

Fall Yarn Wreath

2011-10-30T08:00:00.000-05:00

If you happen to use Pinterest at all, you have probably seen the yarn wreaths aplenty. I decided to do my own, and this is what I came up with:

I chose a variegated yarn in order to achieve a multicolored wreath without multiple skeins of yarn. The leaves were in a pack at Michaels for $1.99 and the garland and plain styrofoam wreath were also from Michaels. The flowers are from Hobby Lobby.

The wrapping of the wreath was somewhat time consuming, but easily done while catching up on some favorite shows.The ends were tucked in at both the beginning and the end. Everything else was hot glued on.

All in all a fun and mostly inexpensive home decor item, even great for gifts.

Oh, My Stars! It's Saturday!!

2011-10-29T08:00:00.001-05:00

Hello all! I know, it's been awhile. But I am back with a new card for today's 365 Cards challenge.

The prompt this time around is:

Imagine This: Starry Skies

What does this make you think of? Let that show on your card.

The paper I used is from October Afternoon. On the blue striped layer, I coated it with Tattered Angel's Glimmer Glam in Grand Tetons, and then I spritzed it with October Afternoon's Sprinklers in Night Sky. The rocket is stamped using Market Street Stamps' Blast Off stamp set.

Owls and Argyle? Whoooo Knew?

2011-10-18T12:00:00.000-05:00

So I finally have my card for the Market Street Stamps' Special Edition Block Party!!

I know I am cutting it close to the end, but sometimes {as we all know} life gets in the way.

Anyways, here it is! I had lots of fun making it, especially since I have been working constantly on things for my sweet sister's baby shower coming this weekend.

The two awesome stamps that I used today are the new Night Owls set and the Argyle background.

If you haven't gotten the chance to enter a project, you have until the end of tomorrow {Wednesday} night.

I hope you are all enjoying the beginning of your week!

I Miss You!

2011-10-15T08:00:00.000-05:00

Hello! Here is the challenge for 365 Cards:

So if you saw a card that made you think of the word "sophisticated" what would it look like? That should be your card.

So, when I think of the word sophisticated I think clean and simple yet stylish.

How about you?

Swimming for Katie!!

2011-10-12T02:58:00.001-05:00

From October 10-12 some of the best stampers are joining together to support and encourage our friend and fellow stamper, Katie Renz, who is currently battling inoperable gastric cancer. If you're not familiar with her, Katie’s cancer story started just before Christmas last year. This young, beautiful, healthy, vibrant mother of 3 with her infectious smile was suddenly diagnosed with an inoperable cancer, virtually overnight. A few tummy aches and then stage 4 gastric cancer. Her first post about it is here. The idea of “Swimming for Katie” came from her recent post here.

This exclusive stamp used in my sample, designed by Becky Oehlers is available as a clear stamp, as well as a digis or a dig and SVG cut file. 100% of the profits go to Katie's fund to help her and her young family. Her husband Kevin and her three young children need our help and support. In addition to the Keep Swimming Octopus, Marianne Walker and True =D Doodle Designs both also donated digis that are for sale. Direct donations are also being accepted. Information central is HERE. This is a permanent page that will stay active at i {heart} papers with current information and the full 3 day blog hop listing, as well as the donation button.

Here are all the items available for sale.

The Keep Swimming Octopus is available in the following ways:

*A clear photopolymer stamp with free shipping for $5.50

*As a digi stamp with instant download for $3.00

*As a digi stamp with an SVG cut file for $3.50

The Keep Swimming Mermaid is available as a digi stamp with instant download for $3.50

The Keep Swimming Ribbon Fish is available as a digi stamp and digi papers with instant download for $5

I hope you will join me in supporting Katie through a purchase or donation. The following is a list of everyone who has projects posted today. I hope you will be inspired by them and moved to purchase or donate. If you would like to send Katie a card, her mailing address is:

Katie Renz
PO Box 5913
Bellingham, WA 98227-5913

Or, just to donate, feel free to use the button below.

Here is a card that I used showcasing the clear stamp:

And here is the list of all of the participants for today:
Amy Heller
Jackie Pedro
Julie Masse
Kecia Waters
Sandie Dunne
Susan Liles
Latisha Yoast
Laurie Schmidlin
Lisa Arana
Lisa Henke
Lisa Silver
Lydia Fiedler
Lyn Bernatovich
Lynette
Maria Gurnsey
Meg Craig
Melissa Bickford
Michelle Woerner
Mona Pendleton
Niki Estes
Robyn Weatherspoon
Sarah Jay
Sarah Martina Parker
Savannah O'Gwynn
Stephanie Washburn
Susanna Boyd
Tobi Crawford
Julie Lacey
Kim Kesti
Shemaine Smith
Danielle Lounds
Debbie Carriere
DoBea A.
Fran Gumprecht
Geny Cassady
Gina K.
Holly McMillen
Jak Heath
Javablustamper/Jacquie
Kimberly Crawford
Jeanne Streiff
Trudy Sjolander

Thank you!

Deepest Condolences

2011-10-08T07:00:00.000-05:00

Today's 365 Cards challenge is:

Stamp a tone-on-tone background, so that the pattern you stamp is roughly the same color as the paper/cardstock it's stamped on.

In order to achieve this, I used VersaMark ink to stamp the Gingham background. I have not used this technique for a while, but have now re-realized how cool it can look. I will be doing this more often in the future!

Make sure to check out all of the other great challenges from earlier this week!!

It'll be Owlright!!

2011-10-05T08:13:00.000-05:00

Thanks for joining me today! There is a brand new Color Challenge over at the Market Street Stamps blog today!!

And here is my card:

I used the new releases of Argyle and Night Owls for the card. Both of these sets are super fun to play with!! They seem to constantly be on my table lying about.

There is a bunch more inspiration waiting for you over at the Market Street Stamps blog, so make sure you go check it out!!

Trick or Treat!!

2011-10-03T08:00:00.000-05:00

I am here with a tutorial today. If you haven't checked out Market Street Stamps beyond their stamp selection, you are really missing out on some great products that can be used for great projects.
What I made is a Halloween Banner that says Trick or Treat. I am really happy with the result that I got with this!!

Here is a list of products that I used:
Canvas Mini Triangles
Vintage Wallpaper background stamp
Sweet Spooks stamp set
Rusty Hinge Distress Ink
Momento Ink in Tuxedo Black
Lace binding tape
Coordinating ribbon scraps
Cut out letters for what you want your banner to say { I used my Cricut and the Storybook Cartridge}

First, I took my mini triangle shapes and stamped them with the Vintage Wallpaper background stamp using the Rusty Hinge Distress ink pad. The Distress Ink took quite a while to dry, so if you want to decorate immediately, I would use a faster drying ink, or use your heat tool to speed up the drying process.

I then used the Sweet Spooks stamp set to decorate the triangles a bit more. From this set I used the spider web, mini spider and Spooky word. I sporadically stamped the images and left some of the triangles with just the background stamp on them.

I then placed the ribbon scraps spaced out how I wanted them and sewed them on.

My next step was to use the lace binding tape to connect all of the triangles together. {Sorry you can't see the binding as well in this picture.} I left about 6 inches at the front and the back to be able to hang.}

Finally, I sewed the letters onto the triangles spelling out Trick or Treat.

And here is the final project.

I hope you all enjoyed what I made and don't forget that there are many products in the Market Street stamps store besides all of the super fun stamps!!!

Wishing You a Wonderful Day!!

2011-10-01T10:07:00.000-05:00

Here is today's card for the 365 Cards Challenge. The prompt for today is:

to use 5 layers on your card, anyway you want to.

I used one of the 6x6 paper pads from My Mind's Eye Lost and Found 2: Rosy for all of the patterned paper. The scalloped circles are punched using an EK Success 2" punch and the circles are punched using Paper Shapers 1 1/4" punch. The sentiment is from a Stampin' Up stamp set called "Bring on the Cake" and the buttons are from my button stash. The twine is American Crafts.

Hope you all enjoy World Card Making Day today!

Owl Always Love You!!

2011-09-30T13:39:00.000-05:00

Hope you all have had the chance to make it over to the Market Street Stamps blog to check out their releases for this month! They have started doing a link up party where you get a chance to win some stamps and such, or even a Guest Design Team spot for next month.

The set I used on this card is called Night Owls and is absolutely adorable! You can find the set here. The paper, Autumn Splendor, comes from a 6x6 pad from We R Memory Keepers.

I also used the Card Patterns sketch for this week as inspiration. I love to go over there when I need a fresh perspective on ideas, and they also have some of the most amazing talent on their design team. Go check them out!!

Argyle!!

2011-09-27T19:09:00.003-05:00

Woohoo! Welcome back to another night of Market Street Stamps releases!!
Tonight my card features a brand new background stamp. Check out this loveliness!

I've got to tell you that this is one cool background that has so many possibilities!

Now, go on over and check out the rest of the amazingly talented design team girls projects here at the Market Street Stamps blog.

And don't forget, Angelica is running a sweet deal for her customers, and here are the details:

After the all of the sets are revealed on Thursday at 7 pm Central, for one whole week, the new sets will be 15 % off, or if you but them in a bundle {all sets in the release} you receive 25% off!

Hey Pumpkin!!

2011-09-26T19:59:00.000-05:00

Hello all! Tonight is the first night of sneak peeks for Market Street Stamps. And, of course, as always, they are absolutely fabulous!!
I have two cards to share with you. Hope you love them as much as I loved making them!!!

Head on over to the Market Street Stamps blog to check out some more amazing sneaks, and I will be back tomorrow with more sneaks!!

Woot!

2011-09-21T16:13:00.000-05:00

Today there is a brand new challenge over at the Market Street Stamps blog. Angelica has done up a great sketch to get all of those creative juices flowing.

I used the stamp set Computer Cutie and the paper is Basic Grey.

If you get a chance go check out the other awesome inspiration from more design team girls, you won't regret it!!

Friendship is Everything

2011-09-17T09:40:00.000-05:00

Today's card for the 365 Cards Challenge prompt is:

1+1= 1 Great Card

Select two friends in your life to inspire your card--use colors, patterns,

embellies-anything that reminds you of them.

So, here is the card that I made:

I chose the color combination because it is one my friend Angelica's favorite. The flower was chosen for my friend Jodi, who also loves the color turquoise and loves to spend her time in the garden. Both of these ladies I would count as my closest friends. I don't mind looking like a fool in front of them and even though we might not talk every day, or sometimes it's just a random text here and there, we can pick up and talk like it was just yesterday.

Just a Note

2011-09-15T09:24:00.003-05:00

Here is a quick card I made for the Market Street Stamps blog today. Real simple and pretty!

Used Vintage Wallpaper and For All it's Worth.

Happy Fall!!

2011-09-14T19:00:00.000-05:00

So I thought I would try my hand at playing along with Moxie Fab's Vertical Sketch Challenge. I love to go over to the blog whenever I get a couple of free minutes. Whether the posts are a single inspiring picture, some fun contests, or a kick-in-the-pants challenge, they always seem to pump a little life into my creative juices.

Here is the sketch:

and here is my card:

This particular challenge goes on until midnight on 9/19 if you are interested in playing along. Check out the other awesome cards that people have linked up, too!

Card Recipe
Patterned Paper and Sticker Strip: Little Yellow Bicycle
Letter Stickers: Authentique
Ribbon: My Mind's Eye

A Glitzy Birthday card

2011-09-12T09:00:00.000-05:00

Hello! Today I am sharing a card that I made a couple weeks ago and forgot about until I was cleaning. I really do love making these paper flowers! {I really heart making all types of flowers ;)} I could do it all day long.

The sentiment is from a brand new set called For All it's Worth from Market Street Stamps. The paper I used is from Glitz Designs. I found an 8x8 paper pad of this at Hobby Lobby. The tape I am using is from K&Co. from their smash book line.
The tape is really fun to work with, but the one thing I do not like is the fact that when I try to fold it over onto itself {the non-sticky side} it won't stick to anything. I tried glue dots, roll-on adhesive, all sorts of things, but they just do not work. Has anyone else tried to do this and found something that does work?

Hope you have a great day!!!

Lighters: Song Inspired

2011-09-10T07:00:00.000-05:00

Today's Saturday Challenge prompt over at 365 Cards is:

What's at the top of your playlist right now? Pick a favorite go to song

and let that inspire your card.

The song that is currently my favorite is Lighters by Bad Meets Evil featuring Bruno Mars.

Though Eminem is often controversial, I love the core message of this song. Don't give up on your dreams, even when everyone else doesn't believe in them, because if you still believe, they will come true.

Life's too short to be who everyone else wants you to be, be who you want to be.

And if you are not sure what 365 Cards is, it is a blog that gives you a new card challenge every day of the year!!! So if you are in need of some crafty inspiration or just want to check out how others are working the challenges, this is the place to go!

Trick or Treat!!

2011-09-09T10:48:00.000-05:00

I am so ready for Halloween to get here! It is my absolute favorite holiday {what, really???} to celebrate. The decorating, costumes, candy, earthy smells, pumpkin carving, hay rides. You name it, I LOVE it!

I know we are still a little over 8 weeks away from it, but I needed me some Halloween fun just a bit early ;) {Not to say that you won't be seeing quite a bit of Halloween and fall projects coming out of my ears.}

So here is a card I made using one of the most fun {in my opinion!!} sets from Peachy Keen Stamps.

I will be working on quite a bit of baby projects here in the near future, getting ready for my sister's upcoming baby shower, so I will start sharing those in the next week too!

Products used:

InLinkz.com

Stamp of Approval!!

2011-09-08T09:00:00.000-05:00

What an exciting day! If you haven't heard yet, Market Street Stamps is featured over on Moxie Fab World. You have the chance to win a boatload of stamps just for going on over and leaving a comment!!
And just to add some more examples of what great stamps they are, here is a card I recently made using one of their newest releases, Autumn Greetings.

My Thoughts and Prayers

2011-09-07T08:00:00.000-05:00

Hello! Long time no see!!
Our household has been busy as bees with school and activities starting around here. Hope you all are enjoying this beginning of fall! It happens to be my favorite time of year.
Here is a card that I made for the current Market Street Stamps Paint the Town color challenge {formerly known at Color Cue.}

And here is the color prompt:

I am having so much fun with August's release. {Have I mentioned yet that I love fall?} If you do too, you need to head on over here and check out their stamps. They also have a beautiful sympathy set called Comforting Florals, which is what I used today.

Who's My Gnomie??

2011-08-29T07:07:00.000-05:00

Today I have the pleasure of being a Guest Designer for a brand new store called Sweet Stamp Shop. The owner there, Nicole, designs the cutest little whimsical stamps!! I had the pleasure of working with her on a design team in the past, and feel absolutely honored to be working with her stamps right now.

Here is the first card I made:

I think it turned out to be CAS but adorable! I ended up using this for the neighbor boy's birthday card, and I think it fit perfectly for that use.

And here is card number two:

Again, I love how this card turned out! I think you can probably tell that for the most part, my cards are all very simple! But oh, so fun to make!!

Please stop by the Sweet Stamp Shop blog and send Nicole some love. And here are some wonderful links to let you see just how really wonderful these stamps are!

Facebook

Splitcoast Stampers

Flickr

Card Recipes

Card 1
Stamps: Sweet Stamp Shop {Gnomies}
Patterned Paper: 7 Gypsies
Tape: K & Co.

Card 2
Stamps: Sweet Stamp Shop {Gnomies}
Patterned Paper: Basic Grey

Markers: Copics

Let Your Heart Be Your Guide

2011-08-27T09:07:00.000-05:00

Welcome to another beautiful day in the neighborhood! I have another wonderful {and totally fun!} challenge today from 365 Cards. Today's prompt is to go back and take 3 different 365 challenges from the past, one from May, one from June, and one from July and put them together for your own unique challenge.

The dates that I chose are:

May-Day 84-Ruffles

June-Day 118-Sunday Sketch

July-Day 148-Sentiment Background

I hope you enjoy and have the creative inspiration that this brought me!

Card Recipe
Stamps: Market Street Stamps {Compass}
Patterned Paper: Glitz Designs
Crochet Trim: My Mind's Eye

Heart Punch: Fiskars

He Gives You What You Need!!

2011-08-25T07:56:00.002-05:00

Hello and welcome to this beautiful, sunny day! Market Street Stamps sponsoring the challenge over at The Play Date Cafe this week and so I thought I would make a card for it. The color story this week is simply amazing, using colors that I absolutely love {especially being the mom of two daughters!}.

So here is the prompt {Isn't it gorgeous?}

And here is my version of the color story:

Hope you have the chance to play along!!! You could win the two newest background stamps that are being officially released tonight!

Market Street Stamps August Sneak Peeks!!!

2011-08-23T20:45:00.000-05:00

Yay! It's Sneak Peek time again over at the Market Street Stamps blog!!

I have to tell you all, this month's stamp release rocks so much!!! Angelica just keeps the new stuff coming and she really has the sweetest talent!

For today's sneak I am using the Autumn Wishes stamp set. I can't get enough of fall products, and this is right on the tip of my favorites. Also used is the background stamp peeked yesterday, Cane Weave.

Make sure you go on over and leave a comment on each of this weeks posts for the sneak peeks to get your chance to win some of the new stamps. Increase your chances by also commenting on the Design Teams' personal blogs. All the info you need is on the Market Street blog!!

A Little Vintage Love

2011-08-20T15:22:00.000-05:00

Welcome! I 'm sharing my card for the 365 Cards' Saturday Challenge. Today's prompt was make a vintage inspired card with yellow as the main color. I have a lot of fun making vintagey projects, but I tend to get very overwhelmed by them.

Anyhoo! Here is what I came up with.

Hope you enjoy!!!

The patterned paper is from Crate Paper. The die cut is from Tim Holtz/Sizzix. And the stamp is from a stamp set I bought awhile ago from Pink Paislee. The ink is Distress Ink from Tim Holtz/Ranger.

Keep Calm!!

2011-08-17T08:00:00.000-05:00

Welcome back for another card showcasing Market Street Stamps. Today is the start of another Sketch Challenge over on the Market Street Stamps blog.

This is the sketch:

And this is my take on it:

Make sure to hop on over to the blog to see the rest of the amazing talent that is the Design Team!!

Card Recipe

Stamps: Market Street Stamps {Here Comes the Sun, Sip On}

Ink: Momento Dew Drops

Patterned Paper: Pink Paislee {Soiree}

Twine: The Twinery {Caribbean}

Border Punch: Fiskars

Gems: Kaisercraft

Cardstock: Bazzill

You Make Me Happy

2011-08-13T08:00:00.001-05:00

Hello! I am so glad to be back from vacation!! We had lots of fun and saw tons of great things, but you can't beat coming back home to all of your own stuff.

I have missed the last month or so of the Saturday Challenges at 365 Cards due to various trips, but I am back, and super happy to be reunited with my craft room.

The challenge for today is to try to make a card in less than 30 minutes and this is what I came up with:

For more inspiration and challenges hop on over to the 365 Cards blog and try your hand at some of them!

All products used are from Authentique Paper except card base, bling and brad.

Friends Forever

2011-08-05T08:00:00.000-05:00

Hello all!! I am here with a bright and cheery card today.

For my image, I colored in the peppers from the BFFs stamp set with my Copic markers. I have always found that I love the way the colors bleed together on the back of my cardstock, so that is what I decided to showcase for this card. You still get the image, but without the constraints of the lines! {I have never been one to stay inside of the lines on anything} depending on how much you have blended and at what times, depends on the placement of color on the back. The much darker spots are ones that I went back to later and blended .

For the faces, I inked just that part of the stamp and placed it about where they would have lined up on the other side. I also used my Spica glitter pen to outline the tops of the pepper!!

Here is a close up of the coloring from the backside.

I hope you all enjoyed!!