Beate's Weekend Sketch #41

Hello and happy Friday! I was browsing blogs and came across Charmaine's card HERE using Beate's Weekend Sketch HERE. I was totally inspired by her creation--no surprise there, she is extremely talented! This is my version. I sort of went nuts on this, maybe too many embellies and not totally balanced? ...not sure, but it certainly was fun! Everything is big on this card--except Carolyn's new flower image. Those striped squares-turned-diamonds are chipboard pieces from Heidi Grace, part of the gigantic blog candy prize from my great blogging friend Joanie. I got those oversized bling brads from Gina K's store and that white circle tag too. The silver title plate is from SU!'s new styled silver HodgePodge Hardware. I also used my new designer paper from Memory Box and for the bottom scallops, the 3/4" circle punch and 1/8" hole punch. I hope you have a chance to do Beate's sketch too and have a super weekend! ~hugs~

Tart-n-Tangy Margaritas!

Hello! I have been in a creative slump this week, but when I got the idea for margarita glasses and SU! Tart-n-Tangy, I felt happy and inspired again. I made 6 of these summer party invitations--now I guess I have to plan a summer party! The glass I drew fits perfectly on a standard size 4 1/4 x 5 1/2" card or they could be used alone, with details on the backside. I used all SU! cardstock: wild wasabi, apricot appeal and pretty in pink--then I matched the ink as best I could using SU! green galore, groovy guava and regal rose. Those are Gina K bling and dazzle plastic flowers with sugarcoated brad centers. I like the pink cards the best and wouldn't it be nice for a champagne brunch invitation too? I think a stripe of dp would look great where I put ribbon and ric rac too and these could be varied to non-alcoholic drinks or different occasions such as congratulations (cheers), thank you (so sweet of you; you're sweet), or lets get together for drinks! Lots of possibilities! I am happy to email anyone who's interested the margarita glass pattern or I'll try to find a way to provide it here. Thanks so much for visiting--Have a bright and beautiful day! p.s.- I did change my avatar--was tired of the knitted winter hat, lol!

Tea Time Card & Tin

Hello and happy day to you! I hope you had a wonderful Easter weekend, my friends! Here is a little card and tea tin gift set using my new Teacup Fairies stamp set from Clear Artistic Stamps. Oh, this set is just darling and full of whimsy and fantasy--so much fun! Perfect for all the new Gina K. tea tins I have too! I stamped one of the teacups from this set for the main image on the card and also the blue flowers to create a patterned design. The dragonfly was stamped, cut and popped up for dimension. The pretty dp is from Quick Quotes and I couldn't resist adding that heart stick pin, which was part of Joanie's massive blog candy package that I won! Thanks so much for visiting today! ~Hugs and Happy Stamping~

Holy Cow! Looky What I Got!

Ok, I thought it was Easter weekend, not Christmas!!! Look what I received in the mail from my blogging buddy, Joanie! I entered a card in her blog candy sketch challenge and I won--it was random, it wasn't my card that won, but who stinkin' cares--just look at all these fabulous goodies! OMGosh, she is so generous, seriously. Almost too generous...almost, hehe! This pic doesn't even come close to doing it justice--I couldn't even really get in everything in one shot, but you get the idea...I am so lucKy! I really am too. This is the 6th blog candy prize I've won and this takes the cake for sure! And look at this moo moo card, isn't it the cutest?! It's going in my handmade card Hall of Fame, after I enjoy it sitting on my mantle for a good while, of course! I am also blessed to have amazingly kind friends who have sent me RAK packages 'just because' and the most beautiful cards that make my day! Truly blessed. Thanks tons and bunches, Joanie! You are the bomb, baby!

Gift Bag

I needed a bag for this green tea bath soak and this came together quite easily.

The finished bag measures 7 1/2"L x 3 1/4W x 2 1/2"D. It uses 1 piece of cardstock or sturdy patterned paper 9"x12". Score at 3/4", 2", 3 1/4", 6 1/2", 7 3/4", and 9". Turn and score at 1 1/2". I probably would never have figured this out had I not had my new Scor-Pal at my side! That thing is off the chain! Cut slits up the 1 1/2" scores (no need to cut at the 2" and 7 3/4" scores) to fold and create the bottom of the bag. Make all the score lines crisp and form the bag together with red double-sided sticky thin strip (note: the 2" and 7 3/4" scores will be folded in to form the creases of the bag.) Decorate the front of bag and fill it with a nice gift or treat! I wish I would have used Melanie's tin frame stamp longways, but I had already put down adhesive and it wasn't comin' off without a good fight, so rather than ruin the bag, I settled for it like this...next time. Thanks for swingin' by! Happy evening!

p.s.- since I only did 5 fun facts about myself previously and recieved some guff about it, here's 2 more:

• I love the snow, but I hate to be cold--my dh's been trying to get me to snowboard for years and the answer remains...no. I worship the sun, but I mostly fake-n-bake to get tan in the summer.
• I want to visit Tombstone, AZ more than anything! I know, it's wierd and my Grandmother's says it's just another tourist town anyway, but I don't care. I want to see the Birdcage Theater, the OK Corral, The Oriental, all of it! I kind of like keeping it on a pedastal in my head since I'll most likely be disappointed if and when I ever get there.

Ok, happy girls?! J/K, you know that. You weren't gonna let me slide, though were ya--such sweeties! hugs!

Tag-N-Tin Gift

Hey friends! Here's a fun one--a mini tag book that fits perfectly inside an altoid tin for a cute little gift! SplitCoastStampers Ways To Use It Challenge this week is to use tags, so I went on the search for something great...I didn't have to look very far! On Scor-Pal I found this project with a simple tutorial by Valerie Stangle (she's so fabulous). When I saw that it used an altoid tin, that was it! I got to partake in today's WT challenge and use my new "What's In Your Tin" sets, Yay!!!

Each tag in my mini book is good for *1 free* something or other and they never expire, so they are redeemable forever! A fun gift for anyone special in your life, just cater it to his/her needs. Cool! Visit Valerie's tutorial and make a tag-n-tin gift too! If you do, I would love to see it, so please let me know where it can be viewed! Thanks for visiting today! ~hugs and happy altering~

Bedside Table Jewelry Tin

I am such a slacker! This is my first "What's in your Tin" creation and I've had these fabulous sets since last Saturday! That's 3 days, what's wrong with me?! Mom, if you read this--that's really long time for a stamper to wait, hehe! Especially for these...OMGosh! When I heard Melanie reveal her new and "revolutionary" sets I was floored, impressed and so excited about the possibilities of them! Still, I had no idea just how easy and quick it would be to create such a fun little keepsake!

This came to me straight away because I am always tossing my jewelry on the bedside table at night and sometimes an earring falls off and I find it on the floor after fumbling around for a few moments--sometimes, I forget to remove my jewelry altogether and some part of it ends up in the bed or under the sheets, sometimes never to be retrieved, like the bed monster ate it--not cool! Anyway, I thought this would help me to remember to take it off and have a safe place for it all in one spot. I think it would be great for when staying away from home too! I used some dreamy Periphery designer paper from Basic Grey and SU! ink in Night of Navy. A few diamond bling accents and soft satin & sheer ribbons to finish and done! This took about 10 minutes and most of that was just cutting out the borders--totally simple! I have a bunch of these tins to decorate, so look out for more to come! I'm gonna be a tin-making fool! Thanks for visiting! ~hugs and happy stamping~

Doubled Tagged, I'm It!

I'm so lucKy...I was doubled tagged to share some fun facts about myself. Danielle and Jessie, 2 of my favorite blogging and SCS buddies tagged me at around the same time, so I'll combine them--I hardly think anyone wants to know 14 facts about me, no matter how fun I make 'em! Here goes!

1. I'm a lefty and proud of it! The real lefty too--you know, like I'm writing upside down and backwards! I turn a piece of notebook paper almost sideways to handwrite something. It's weird, different and part of who I am; that's why I love it!
2. I was a band geek for 5 years...till I made the cheerleading squad my freshman year. The two just don't mix! No, not the lovely clarinet or the dainty flute--I played the trumpet, my friends! Much to my parents dismay, I might add.
3. I'm a Reality TV junkie! I mean, it's really bad! My husband thought I hit a new low with the recent debut of "Paradise Hotel" but he has no idea how much lower I can sink! I also love Intervention, which also boggles his mind. He can't understand why anyone would want to watch such depressing and negative things--DUH! Other peoples misery is my viewing entertainment! That sounds worse than I mean it to, but you know what I mean, right??
4. I met my DH at Lake Tahoe on the 4th of July and we kissed for the first time that night on the beach during the fireworks show over the Lake...those weren't the only fireworks going on that night, hehe! ..get your mind out of the gutter, we only kissed!
5. I used to be a gymnast and I even trained 2 weeks in Texas one summer at Bella Corali's camp where I met the Mary Lou Retton, amongst other Olympic champions. It was a very exciting time for me--never made it to the Olympics myself though--just wasn't committed (or talented) enough.

So, do you feel like you know me better now? That was fun, hope it wasn't too boring for you! Now, I want to know some fun facts about some other blogging buddies, so for the following ladies, TAG, you're IT!

Deb Neerman (Simply an outstanding talent! Each an every creation of hers is magnificent! I am truly inspired by this woman and she's got a totally great sense of humor to boot! I just love that, she's so cool!)

Carolina (Such a creative lady! She's is constantly coming up with the most fabulous projects and cards, on her blog and on SCS! She won a spot on Melanie Muenchinger's honorable mention list for her delishious cupcake creation!)

Julia A. (She was my sweet ELF from SCS's Christmas exchange and is an amazing stamper! She was recently asked to teach classes in her area crafting stores! She's awesome!)

Terri Moore (This talented lady created the fabulous clock that won her an honorable mention in Melanie Muenchinger's Just So Hoppy contest!)

Maren (OMGosh! I'm actually going to meet Maren in less than 2 weeks for a big shoebox swap for our area! She is a brand new Design Team Member for Heather Rolin's new stamp company H&M Stamps! Wow, I am so excited to meet her...and a bit nervous that I must make a card that is up to these tremendous standards! She and her blog rocks--nuff said!)

St. Patrick's Day Special from Clear Artistic Stamps!

Happy Sunday, my friends! Here's a sneak peek at the great special Belinda will be offering over at Clear Artistic Stamps on Monday, March 17, 2008--St. Patricks Day! It's her fabulous Collector's Edition stamp set "Country Life" combined with this high quality spiral bound album, which measures 5 3/4" x 8 1/2" and has 12 pages (24 front and back) all for only $11.00! This is a 1 day sale only, so treat yourself this St. Patty's Day! I know I will!

~hugs and happy stamping~

Flowers For Joanie

I made this card using the adorable "Hop into Spring" Collector's edition set from Clear Artistic Stamps. It was for Joanie's sketch challenge and a yummy blog candy giveaway--fun! You can still play if you hurry, just visit Joanie' BLOG for the deets. Thanks for stopping in--hope you are all having a wonderful weekend! ~hugs and happy stamping~

Custom Cookie Favors

Hello crafting friends! I created some cookie favors using these fabulous clear boxes from DeNami Design! They were so easy using some pretty designer paper from Basic Grey and a few handmade tags! The purses and high heel shoes stamps are from DeNami Design's Mimi Collection and I thought they would be so cute for the tags...I came up with a fun little sentiment we ladies can all understand--"Eat Cookies, Buy Shoes!" and "Eat Cookies, Buy Purses!" ...because no matter how many cookies we eat, we can always fit into a cute pair of shoes with an adorable handbag on our arm! Can I get an amen! Each box has 3 chocolate chip cookies wrapped in clear saran wrap with pink crimped paper shreds around them. I tied each tag around the top with silver wire cord to finish. I see endless possibilities for these clear boxes, which come in a variety of different shapes--so fun!!! Just think of all the occasions...Baby and Wedding showers, Wedding and Graduation receptions, Summer Family Reunions and High School Reunions--see, so many possibilities! Thanks so much for stopping in--hope you found some inspiration! Hugs and Happy Stamping!

PS- Nope, I didn't bake these--they're Chips Ahoy cookies straight outta the package, hehe!

Hop Around The Clock

I decided to post my hoppy clock since I made it for my sweet, angelic nephew, Anthony--he's 6 years old and such a big boy so he needs his own clock for his bedroom. I entered this into Melanie Muenchinger's Just So Hoppy contest...can you believe that someone else made a clock using the frog too?! Yes, we may have been separated a birth, but Terri definitely got more creative with hers! Check it out at her blog, it's absolutely fabulous! There were so many amazing entries, I am in awe of the extraordinary talent you all possess! I was overjoyed when Melanie announced my awesome pal DONNA the first place winner of the Hoppy contest! She created a chronicle of Hoppy cards, every single one of them being tremendous! I love that girl! She's so modest about her talent, yet she is always complimenting others on their work and she's super generous as well! She is most deserving of this honor and I just want to say how proud and happy I am to know Donna--she's the BOMB!

Deets on my clock:

• 10 x 10" wood clock from Oriental Trading Co.
• background is paper adhered to the base with a strong spray adhesive "Duro" is the brand
• 1 piece of 8 1/2x11" green foam; I cut out lilypads after looking online for some images of real ones--before that and the flowers, it totally looked like a bird eye's view of a golf course green!
• layered silk flowers and placed on edges of lilypads and 1 big one floating in the *water*
• placed Gina K. clear rain dots sporadically on the lilypads (added glitter too, but I wouldn't do it again--it took away from the realistic look of dew drops being on them.)
• Stamped my frogs and 1 of them was stamped onto acetate, then transferred to white cardstock to reverse him. It didn't come out clear, so I carefully traced frog's lines with a black Sakura gelly roll pen and that helped a lot! colored and adhered to base with dimensionals.
• Stamped umbrella, water puddle and butterfly, 3 accessories that come with Melanie's Hoppy set, and went over them with silver Sakura gelly roll pen, placing them accordingly
• Numbers are rub-ons as are the 3 black flowers near the bottom left lilypad (I had to cover up a mistake there, hehe!)

I also want to give shout-outs to some of the other honorable hoppy mentions, which were all outstanding! Check out Lee-Jessie-Carolina-just a few of the ladies who made such memorable creations and inspire me everyday! You all ROCK! Thanks for visiting!

Sweet Carolina!

Oh, just look what I recieved from my sweet blogging and SCS friend, Carolina! I'm sure many of you are aware of her and her wonderful talent, so you see why I am so thrilled to hold one of her beautiful cards in my hands! Oh, It's even more fabulous IRL too! She sent it as a congratulations on my new design team position with Clear Artistic Stamps, isn't she so very nice! I'm sure she won't mind if we all CASE it, since it also an awesome card sketch, lol! Thank you, Carolina...what a relief that it's safe and sound where it belongs! ; ) Hugs!

Rub-Ons on Glass Make Cheap Gifts!

Here's The Run-down:

• glass bowl thingie from JoAnns- .99 cents


• yogurt covered pretzels- $1


• white Love & Happiness rub-ons from Stampin' Up!-free!


• lovely ivory satin ribbon for around base of scallop top-free from my sweet pal Donna!


• gingham ribbon and flowers from old stash, so...yep, you guessed it-free!


• silver hodgepodge hardware kit brad---okay, so I bought the new HPH tin from SU!, but not so fast...I broke it down and realized that with 200 pieces in this kit at $30, that's only .15 cents per piece, YES!


• gina k *bling and dazzle* plastic tag (bag of 8 is 2.99) so about .37 cents

Total Cost of Project: $2.51 and that's with the treat!

Not bad, huh! See, you can pour the treats into the dish for a pretty munchies display and use it for something else later! And those SU! rub-ons are like butter, so easy to put on even a rounded dish--wow!!! Thanks so much for popping in today!

Gina K. Sneak Peek Featuring Melanie's Tin Tutorial

I have to let you in on this innovative creation from Melanie Muenchinger--she's an artist, illustrator and designer for Gina K. Designs and she is totally awesome, duH! She even gave up the goods on a super stylish and trendy wristy, which I'm gonna have to have for every outfit! Check out her great tutorial and pics of this fabulous new accessory that is sure to be a must-have for your wardrobe too!
Don't forget to join the rockin' fun over at the Gina K. Forum on SplitCoast Monday night 7-9pm CST (which is 5pm for me-woo hoo)! It is always a blast and full of super fun contests, games prizes and lots of FREE stamps--not to mention her big release of Melanie's new sets, Carolyn King's new set, her new sets and a brand new designer, Rupa! Wow!!! I know I'll be there! Hope you will too! ~Hugs and Happy Stamping~

Bucket O' Crabs!

I've been meaning to finish this project all week, but I just got to JoAnn's for some googlie eyes, so now it's complete! I adore all of Gina K's stamps, but Just Be-Claws is one of my most favorite, especially because Summer is coming and I'm definitely a summer girl!

I started with a standard sized card and trimmed the sides at a slight angle to make it resemble a bucket/pail. I then rounded all the corners with a corner punch. I now have a bucket template. I traced the pattern onto designer paper, here Pebbles Inc. in Barnwood Navy Blue. Isn't it perfect with its semi-warped look? I cut out the bucket, then set 2 brushed silver eyelets in place for the handle holes. I stamped several crabs from "Just Be-Claws", overlapping a few, then I stamped 3 more crabs separately to be placed on top of the overlapping ones and to hang 1 off the side. This does two things...first, it creates a clean look so you don't see the overlapping lines and second, it creates added dimension on the crabs. I cut out all of the crabs, popped 2 of them on dimensionals and hung the last one over the side. I glued all the googly eyes on using my quickie glue pen. Tip: 5mm googlie eyes by Darice are a perfect fit for Gina's crabs. While the eyes were setting, I decorated the front of my bucket with some hemp, a little pearl accent and a fun framed title. I distressed the red brads a bit and sponged around all layers of the frame with chestnut ink for a more worn look. After the front was decorated and the crabs all glued securely into place, I attached the bucket "handle" using black wire. Finally, I used my brand new Scor-Pal and added two lines along the bottom, you know--like the old galvanized pails? That's it, all done!

Do you think these fellas would be so darn smiley if they had the foggiest idea where they were heading?! Look out for that boiling pot of water, yikes!!! Thanks for visiting today!

The Winner Of A Free Clear Artistic Stamp Is...

JenMarie!!! Yay for you! I already have your addy, so all you need to do is go to Clear Artistic Stamps and pick a single stamp and email me with your choice! FUN, huh! THANK YOU to everyone who left a comment and participated in the giveaway! You ladies are so inspiring and you all rock my world! ~Hugs~

Melanie Tote Bag

Okay, it's 20 minutes till MFT's release party over at SCS begins and I just got this project done--gotta hurry and post this, then get over there for some major fun! You probably already know how much I adore Artist, Melanie Muenchinger--I know many of you feel the same about her as I do! Well, look at the adorable little tote bag she created! Yes, it's her own design and she was kind enough to offer this TUTORIAL so we could all make one (or 2 or 3 or 10) as well! Isn't she a sweetheart! I used some cheerful designer paper and ribbons for a bright Springtime tote. You can decorate the front with or without stamps. Embellishing this was lotsa fun too! Hope you all want to try one and make sure to post your "Melanie Tote" on your blog or on your SCS gallery and let Melanie know! She wants to see everyone's tote! ~hugs and happy tote-ing~

Superstar!

It's Tuesday and that means it's American Idol night, yay!--actually, I haven't watched it since the tryouts, but work with me--Bunnies have dreams too and this girl can belt out a tune! She has even impressed Simon and we all know that doesn't come easy! Maybe this is the year for a bunny to win the coveted title!

If you visit my blog or love Gina K. Designs as much as I do, you already know that this adorable bunny is by artist Melanie Muenchinger. She is a major source of inspiration and a tremendous talent and her blog recently became a top 100 best blog, so it's not just me--this lady ROCKS! She having a super duper blog candy giveaway this week, visit her BLOG for the deets!

I used this super cool black and silver glittery paper from the RAK package Donna sent me. I cut stars out of yet more glitter paper and created my "stage" from my coluzzle oval template and the stage floor from my Flourishes Cake 101 Decorating set (normally used for the cake plate, ha!) The microphone was supposed to turn out way cuter than this, but I guess you can sort of tell what it's meant to be.

Well, thanks for indulging me! This was fun! ~Hugs and Happy Stamping~

Bloomin' Bags

I made these little Easter treat holders using some nice patterned paper from K. & Company's Margo collection. They are each a piece of 4 x 10" paper, scored at 4", 5 1/2" and 9 1/2". I trimmed my fold-over tops with scallop scissors for a cute border. I cut each colored image from Gina K's "Baskets of Happiness" stamp set and popped them on dimensionals above the stamped sentiments. I added a coordinating ribbon to each flap and made little tags using Gina K.'s "Rectangle Greetings" stamp set. These can be altered to fit lots of different treats and are quickly completed too! TFL!

A Special Card

I'm involved with a wonderful organization called Women For Women, Int. and I have an honorary "sister" in Rwanda whom I communicate with and encourage as she expands her education, grows her small business and raises her family of 4. She regularly sends me letters and recently even sent me this very special card...I wanted to share it with all my friends who enjoy the beauty of a card. If you look closely you'll see the incredible skill it took to cut the intricate pieces of this woman and the continent of Africa surrounding her. The small circle off the the lower side is Madagascar (had to look on the map to make sure). Isn't it neat? It fills me with joy to know that she created this just for me!
I will send her this card in return. I used almost all Stampin' Up! products on this, but I couldn't resist playing with some of the fabulous paper that Donna sent me too! The pattern is perfect for what I had in mind for this card. I used Embrace Life stamps; pomegranate, rose red and regal rose inks; rose red, regal rose and whisper white cardstock. I added a bit of ribbon and a few pink gems for some sparkle.
I think it's so awesome that my Rwanda sister is a fellow papercrafter and cardmaker--who woulda thought?! Thanks for allowing me to share this little tidbit of my life today, friends. I hope you've been inspired!

Ohhh Donna....

ohhh Donna! I had to share this wonderful surprise I recieved from my wonderful blogging pal, Donna! She is so sweet and generous...just look at what she sent me! Some of you probably saw this fabulous card she made--I loved it when I saw it on her blog and at SCS, but now I have it in my hot little hands and it's even more amazing! I wish I could pass it around for you all to see irl! She is such a talent! I had mentioned that there are no Hobby Lobby's in WA State, so she sent me these absolutely beautiful ribbons (grosgrain pink and white dotted, satin chocolate and ivory) and all of these wonderful pattern papers from a Hobby Lobby near her (she admits she frequents a bit too often...hehe!) I am so thankful and thrilled and I intend to pay this kind gesture forward! Be on the lookout for a blogging RAK from me, you never know who it might be~how fun! Thanks for visiting and hugs for a happy day!

Guest Designers & Free Stamps!

Iwant to congratulate the new Guest Designers for Clear Artistic Stamps...welcome Jennifer Greco, Maren Benedict, Patti Pompe, Gloria Stengel, Carla Mayfield, Heather Strenzwilk and Maggie Lamar to the team! The guest spots will start in April and their wonderful work will be showcased on the Clear Artistic Stamps main page! To celebrate this exciting occasion we invite you to leave a comment on my post or on any post today from the standing design team members: Etha, Lisa , Gwen and Wendi to be entered into a drawing where you can win the chance to pick a single stamp of your choice! What a great way to try out the clear stamps!! You can also enter on the main web site . So you’ll have 6 chances to win and you can enter once at each of the six locations to celebrate the guest designers! There is also fresh Gift Art, a new Palette and new Layout to play with in the CAS yahoo group ! And did I mention it's free?! Winners for the blog candy will be announced on Thursday. Have fun doing some blog-hopping and up your chance for free stamps! Hugs and happy hopping!