I'll make you happy baby, just wait and see...For every kiss you give me, I'll give you three...

Welcome to another edition of Sketch for You to Try! February is almost upon us, which means that we're all thinking of what to make for our special someone for Valentine's day. I'm still thinkin...have some ideas brewin, but I did create this card as a possible Valentine card for my hubby. I knew the second I saw this sketch that I had to use my So In Love set from Our Craft Lounge. Doesn't it work just perfectly?

To start the card, I stamped the row of hearts and stripey hearts diagonally onto the Kraft Cardstock in Pixie Dust Versamagic ink. You have to look reaaaaaaaaaaal hard to see it, but it's there! I also swiped the edges of the cardstock with Pixie Dust Versamagic as well.

The hearts became my focal point, so I stamped the love heart first in Real Red onto Pink Pirouette cardstock four times. After those were dry, I stamped the heart outline in Memento Tuxedo Black ink, using my Stampamajig to line it all up just right. I painted the hearts with Pixie Dust Shimmerz, then set them aside to dry.

After doing some crazy stitching on the Kraft panel, I added a red square punched with a scalloped border punch, then layered a piece of white cardstock embossed with my Swiss Dots embossing folder. Then I stamped "Be My Valentine" in Versamark on Black cardstock and embossed it with white embossing powder. I love the fonts in this set! I knew I needed some ribbon somewhere, so I created a tag out of the sentiment strip and created a small blank one for the other side. I threaded some pink organdy ribbon through and tied a little knot. I added a black strip on the top as the sketch called for.

The finishing touch was placing the hearts on the card on dimensionals to make them pop out. I really like how all of the elements came together on this one, do you? I was very tempted to add buttons, but I decided against it. Anyway, I hope you like it!

To see the sketch for yourself, go visit Jen's blog. There you'll also see her sample, as well as our guest Kirsten. And if that's not enough inspiration, hop over to my peeps Amy R, Amy S, Carole, Susan, and Kelly. We'd love for you to play along! Just use the keyword SFYTT so we can see all your fabulous creations.

I still have more CHA stuff to show you, but I'll try to pace the goodness. Hope you have a fabulous day!

Don't know where it goes...but it's home to me and I walk alone...

Here's another fun post for you today...full of yumminess from a new company called Bella Blvd! I was with Em and Nicky that day, so the Bellas had to stop and meet the peeps from the Bella Blvd. Immediately, I fell in love with this piece, which I threatened to take home with me...

Get a load of that!!! I love love love the button border. Here were some scrapbook page samples:

And if that wasn't enough...check out the table at the back of the booth. These won the prize in my book for best samples of CHA!

 

  

 

You can click on each of the pics to see a larger view. Seriously! These blew me outta the water.
Here are the collections that Bella Blvd offered at the show.

Swing Into Spring (The stripes and dots are my fave)

Family Tree (how fab are those trees?)

 

Pack Your Bags (love love love the clouds and the biased stripes!!)

 

 

and Sweet Celebration:

 

Yes! Those are cupcakes you spy all over that paper! Yummy!

I need a hero...I'm holding out for a hero 'til the end of the night...

Here are some pics I took at the Hero Arts booth. They had some fabulous samples! Here's a cute little display I loved:

I will be caseing this one!

Loved these sample boards:

 

  

  

And these scrapbook pages inspired me to think about scrappin' again...
 

  

  

Are those not ADORABLE??? Some sets that will be making their way to my house are Sky's the Limit, So Sweet, High Heels, Mushrooms, and the Four Apples Set. Cute stuff!!

I'll be back with more goodies in a little bit!

No drama (no more drama in my life, no ones gonna make me hurt again)...

Hello from Anaheim, CA! I hope you guys aren't missing me too much yet. *wink* So far I have had quite the adventure. I arrived here on Saturday afternoon, met up with Kim and Alma, and went to set up the My Favorite Things booth. After that we had a fun dinner at the Rain Forest Cafe in Downtown Disney...yummy! Back at the hotel later that night I started having some pretty icky pain on my right side, which I figured was just from all the walking and whatnot. Took some tylenol and went to bed. After tossing and turning all night, I couldn't get comfortable and the pain got worse. I got scared that it was appendicitis, so Carolyn and Deb were sweeties and took me to the ER here. After several hours and tests, they confirmed that I have a kidney stone. Lovely, huh? I have never had one before, and hope to never have one again. But I did venture out for dinner last night with Kim, Laura, Em and Nicky, so I must be feeling a little better! If you think about it, say a prayer or send some healthy thoughts my way this week...I'd love that!

So needless to say, I didn't make it to the first day of CHA. Today I spent a little time walking the show, and I took some pics of some fun stuff to share with you! I am quite disappointed that October Afternoon didn't end up showing, though. I was really looking forward to seeing their new lines.

Anywho, I do have a card to show you! I made this last week for the sample board here at the show to highlight the new Spring Digipapers from MFT. I used Cindy's sketch challenge for this week as my jumping off point.
I love how this turned out (if I do say so m'self)! I printed the striped digipaper onto shimmer white cardstock, so it's nice and sparkly.

Ok, please forgive me for being not-so-chatty, I am POOPED! I will post pics tomorrow of the goodies!

When I'm sitting next to you...electricity starts to flow...

Happy Saturday! I hope you've all had a great week. We survived the flu...Cole was the only one with it, and luckily the rest of us have been symptom free. Yay!!

As we speak, I am headed to the airport, where I am CHA bound! I'm excited to see all my girlfriends as well as all the new products being released. My camera is all packed and ready, so be sure to check in as I will post as much as I can while I'm gone! If there's anything in particular you want to see, post a comment here or email me, and I'll try to oblige.

Ok, so on to my card! Aren't you proud, Jen? I did my Sketch for You to Try before I left! Go me! *wink* I combined the sketch with the TCP Tuesday challenge for this week, which was to use any Valentine's stamps from The Cats Pajamas. I used two of the three sets from the Kitty Kat Pack, which is on sale!

I stamped Poochie from the Puppy Love set (isn't he the cutest?) in Brilliance Pearlescent Chocolate ink on Neenah Classic Crest Solar White cardstock. I also stamped the heart thought bubble (from the Loving Mew set) twice...once in Chocolate ink and a second time in Real Red. After coloring Poochie with Copic markers, I cut him out with my Circle Nestabilities and added a Chocolate Chip mat and a Real Red Scalloped mat. Then I cut out the chocolate thought bubble and popped it up next to Poochie. I also cut out the heart from the red thought bubble and popped it up to hide the chocolate one.

After I cut the Chocolate Chip and White panels to size, I added thin mats of red and white, then stitched them to the Kraft card base. I colored some White Taffeta ribbon with a Copic marker to match Poochie's heart and tied it around the card. Then I embossed the sentiment (from the Loving Mew set) with white embossing powder.

This card actually came together pretty quickly once I decided what I was going to do. Love it when that happens! You can check out the sketch and Jen's card (as well as Kirsten's card) on Jen's blog. Then you can hop over to visit my girls Amy R, Amy S, Carole, and Susan to see what their crafty selves came up with. Also, please welcome our new SFYTT girl, Kelly Lunceford! I am a huge fan of Kelly's and we're all so excited for her to join us every Saturday! If you want to play with us, don't forget to use the keyword SFYTT so we can give you props. Also, for you SFYTT addicts, Jen has a cool new blinkie for your blog! You can find the code HERE. Fun, huh?

I hope you have a wonderful weekend! I have a feeling I will! *grin*

Coming Soon...

I will post my card for the Jacksonbelle challenge later today. I've been running kiddos to the dr, and we now have the first case of the flu of the year for this area. Wonderful. Be back in a bit...

If you love me true, if you love me still...Our love will always be real...

Happy Saturday, yall! I hope you're having a great weekend so far. After I post this, we are headed to the movies to see Paul Blart, Mall Cop...hopefully it will be funny! The boys are super excited.

Today I have my Sketch for You to Try sample for you...and just for kicks, I decided to just play. I felt like playing with Anna Wight's Crazy for Chickens set, so I pulled it out and created this little 4.25" square card.

Cute, huh? If I do say so myself. *wink* I stamped the chicken image in Memento Tuxedo Black ink on Neenah Classic Crest Solar White cardstock, then masked him and stamped the bale of hay 3 times, and then the little chicken feed speckles. I colored the entire image with my Copic markers, and after distressing and sponging the edges, I layered the image on Chocolate and Pumpkin cardstock. I already had a scalloped rectangle cut out of Pumpkin in my scrap bag, so I adhered it to the corner of my card and trimmed off the edges. Then I wrapped some brown twine around the corner and tied it off with a brown button from my stash (which is rapidly growing...I have a current button obsession). The card base is Saffron, embossed with the Forest Branches embossing folder, sponged, then layered onto Chocolate and finally onto my Kraft card base. I stamped the adorable little sentiment onto a tag die from my Cuttlebug, then layered it with Pumpkin, Chocolate, and tied some twill ribbon with frayed edges to finish it off.

I hope you enjoyed my chickie card today! Visit Jen's blog to see the sketch and samples from Jen and our guest Kirsten. Then check out my girls Amy R, Amy S, and Susan for more eye candy. Carole is spending the weekend suffering in Aspen *hmph* but she promised to catch up later this week.

Ok, off to the movies! Have a fabulous day!

Free from worry, free from envy and denial...free to live, free to give, free to smile...

MFT is kicking it up AGAIN for 2009! Freebie Friday is a brand spankin’ new promo we’re starting….TODAY!

What is it? One order number, placed on Friday only (Eastern time) will randomly be selected for a prize!

What do you get? This Friday, up for grabs is a brand spankin’ new, unreleased MINI set! It releases on Jan 21st, but you’ll get it one week early, and for FREE!

How do you win? Simply place an order today, Friday, Jan 16th! That’s it! Kim will take care of the rest!

The Fine Print? If your order contains only digi papers, your prize pack will be shipped with your next order.

How do you know if you won? Kim will post the winning order on my blog HERE!

Love and marriage, love and marriage...go together like a horse and carriage...

Morning, you guys! I have a fun project to show you today...I am hosting today's How'd They Do That? in the My Favorite Things Forum. And I even have a template, are you excited? Well, here goes!

Here is the project I created:

 

Using the template I created from this project, I made a cute little baby tote filled with thank you cards, all using the Baby First set from MFT, and two sentiment from the Essential Sentiments set (which is temporarily out of stock). The template for the tote can be found on THIS THREAD.

And here are the six cards that are inside:

 

  

  

This little tote will make the perfect gift for a new mom, and the colors can be substituted depending on the sex of the baby. I chose pink, well, because I like pink. *grin*

Hope you'll check out my full tutorial on the HTDT thread. If you try it, make sure to link me up so I can see! Have a fabulous day!

From the back to the middle and around again...

Saw this on my SIL's blog and thought it looked fun. All of the bold items are ones I have done in my wee 29 years *wink* If you do this, link me up! I'd love to read it!


1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland/world (ish)
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris (How about Paris, TX! Been there!)
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child (nope, but I am a birth mom!)
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables (nope, but I've picked them!)
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill (whoops...)
24. Built a snow fort (there is no snow in TX!!)
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language (hehe)
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke (DUH! Of course!)
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted (caricature count?)
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie (home movie! LOL)
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Gotten flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee

Now where's your picket fence love...and where's that shiny car...

Whew! What a night. It's Friday now as I'm posting this since I have Copic Class at The Crafty Scrapper tomorrow and I didn't trust myself to get up early and write my post! I am soooo not a morning person. *wink*

So it's time for another Sketch for You to Try! And I have to say, from beginning to end, this one whooped me. It wasn't the sketch, things just weren't going my way, know what I mean, Vern? First and foremost, I have a tip for you. If you ever get a new toy that you don't know how to use, I mean don't have a clue...definitely DO NOT try to figure it out on a card you need done when you're already tired. And absolutely positively don't START your card by using it. It will not be pretty.

Current Score:
Shannan - 0

Copic Airbrush System - 1

There is nothing wrong with the Airbrush System, as a matter of fact I have seen fabulous results from it, and have even seen it in action! I expect to take it out and be an airbrush WIZARD. But I hook it up, I squeeze, and NADA. Just a little blob of pink on the bottom of my main panel, then NOTHING. Total user error, I'm sure. And I guess it would help to read the directions or something. That, my friends, will have to happen another day. For now, here's my card, with a teensy bit of airbrushing and a whole lotta sponging.

I turned the sketch on its side, then did a little "creative maneuvering" with the circles...you didn't expect any less, did you? And I used the new Sweet Valentine set from Verve. Speaking of, don't forget to check out all the new releases! You can see them all HERE.

So, my desk is a wreck, and I will tell you (which I don't often admit!) that I don't love any part of this card, except the sparkly pink hearts. Oh, and the button. I like buttons. But that's just how it went. I started out frustrated, which wasn't good, and it just didn't work out like I hoped. I am still hopeful...but as for now, it's time for bed. *wink*

I have to mention before I go that you MUST check out Jen's Blog Tart HERE. It's HUGE!! And what a better way to get started than with a sketch? You can see Jen's sketch and sample along with a sample from my girl Kirsten HERE. Then once you check those out, mosey on to my bloggy friends Amy R, Amy S, Carole, and Susan to see their awesomeness. If you have time to play along, don't forget to use the keyword SFYTT so we can see how awesome you are!

Have a fabulous weekend!

If you could only see, how much you matter to me, maybe you would stay forever...

Holy cow, I just realized I haven't posted since Tuesday! What a crazy week. This is my first week home, and I have so much to do...how did that happen? Anywho, I have a little peek of some new Verve being released tonight. You excited? I know I am!

This is a simple little card I made with my newest favorite Verve set, Hundred Hearts. I love that it's not just a Valentine's set...and this is my favorite sentiment from the set:
Is that cute or WHAT?! I love it. For the card base, I cut 4 squares from the Memory Box Sprout collection (I think they measure 3.5" square), sponged them with Elegant Eggplant ink, and stitched them to a white panel. Then I stamped the sentiment in Brilliance Black on another pattern from the paper pack, then stamped the heart in Versamark on top and embossed with clear embossing powder. Using my Labels 1 Nestabilities dies, I cut the sentiment panel out and a matte layer, piercing around the edges of each one. Pop that up on dimensionals, and I was all done!

Hope you enjoyed my quick little card today! We'd love you to join us tonight in the Verve Forum for the Release Party at 7 PM Central...there will be lots of fun and some prizes! If you have time today and wanna stamp, Julee has issued some challenges HERE...check 'em out! I hope to see you tonight!

I called my momma, she was out for a walk...consoled a cup of coffee but it didn't wanna talk...

Happy Wednesday, blog friends! I hope your week has been great so far. Today is a fun day...it's a My Favorite Things Blog Hop! If you haven't come to me from Paula's blog, then you need to start at the beginning! {Click here} to get to Kim's Blog, which is where the fun begins. Are you ready? Let's go!

I have the most fun card to share with you today...I had a blast making it! I'm not only showing you a new set called Maid for You, but I'm also showing you some of the new digi-papers available from My Favorite Things! Check it out:

How fun is this?! I have been begging Kim for this image after seeing it on Christy's website, and my wish finally came true! Not only that, but they have cooked up the sassiest sentiments to go with it.

To create this card, I stamped the main image in Brilliance Graphite Black on the Summer Striped paper, then again on Neenah Classic Crest Solar White. I colored the image, and then I paper pieced the background to make wallpaper out of the stripes. Liquid Applique was added to the bottom of her skirt for fun. *grin*

The card base is another one of the digi-paper designs in the Summer pack...isn't it the cutest? I wrapped some red grosgrain ribbon around the card base, threaded through a small slit in the main image. Then I added the sentiment at the bottom. Very simple...I wanted the image to be front and center! I hope you like it.

Now it's time to head over to Susan's blog to see more goodies! I know she won't disappoint!

My Favorite Things is having a New Release Cocktail Party on Wednesday, January 7th from 9-10 p.m. Eastern time. This month there are FOUR new sets being released!

Head over to the MFT forum to find out all the details and to find out how YOU can be the next MFT Guest Designer. We hope to see you there on Wednesday night!

My hope is in the Name of the Lord, Where my help comes from...You're my strength, my song...

Hey yall! I hope you're enjoying your Tuesday. My kiddos are back to school, and I have a million things to to! I do have a little preview of a new Verve set...wanna see? Hmmm, I thought you might! *wink* This is a little set of 2 called Jeremiah 29:11. I was soooo excited that Julee created this...I have been looking and looking for a good stamp of this verse. Love it! What do you think?

I created this card based on the colors in the October Afternoon paper. After stamping the verse in Versamark and embossing it with black detail embossing powder, I cut the panel with my Scalloped Rectangle Nestabilities and sponged the edges with Old Olive ink. Stamping the cross over the verse was a last minute touch, but I really like it. A few brads, some ribbon, and I was done! I hope you like it!

ETA: There's a challenge going on in the Verve Forum, and a stamp giveaway on the Verve Blog. Check 'em out!

Now if you feel like it, there's a video below of a song that I just adore. The lyrics from it are today's title, and I thought you might want to hear it. Check it out if you want! (But don't hold me responsible when you have to buy the CD!)

ETA: Sorry, that video was removed. Here's another version for ya. :)

'Cause it's a bittersweet symphony, this life...

Happy Tuesday, yall! Today I bring you a card based on the Jacksonbelle Embellishments team sketch for this week. Fun stuff!

I used the clear Heart set from Inkadinkado...also available in wood mounted rubber (Scribble Heart). I love this set! Lots of adorable hearts for all your Valentine cards!

I inked the heart in Pixie Dust Versamagic, then inked the edges in Perfect Plumeria. After inking the edges in Pretty in Pink, Purely Pomegranate and Chocolate Chip, I stamped the image again and cut it out to pop up over the top. The edges were distressed with my scissors.

Basic Grey Bittersweet was the perfect choice for my card base. I stitched it to the chocolate chip layer, then layered onto the  Neenah Classic Crest layer. I added a Pomegranate layer, embossed with the D'vine Swirls embossing folder, then layered onto the card. After assembling the card, I added Candle Light Shimmerz to the heart and to the Thickers (from American Crafts).


Don't forget to check out what the rest of the team did with the sketch!
Lindsey
AJ
Beth
Heather

Kimberly
Michelle
Melissa
Jill
Maren
Taylor
Kisa
Jennifer
Shannan
Rachel
Lynda

I'll be back in a bit with a Verve Preview...stay tuned!

Just a small town girl, livin' in a lonely world...She took the midnight train goin' anywhere...

Happy Saturday, yall! I'm here, bright and shiny (thanks to Blogger in Draft), and early in the morning to show you my Sketch for You to Try card today. Check out Jen's blog, because we are welcoming an amazing guest for the month of January...diva exraordinare Kirsten DuBosque! I have been such a huge fan of Kirsten's, so I can't wait to see what she does with Jen's sketches!

When I saw this week's sketch, I thought, hmmm...that could be tough. But in my usual fashion, I made my own way in the world and made it work. *wink* I didn't stray toooooo far though, did I?

I started by stamping Snow Bunny Flopsey from My Favorite Things in Brilliance Black on Watercolor paper. Then I watercolored him with a mixture of SU Markers, Reinkers, and a waterbrush. To finish off the image, I added some Liquid Applique to the ground, his mittens, and his hat. You know I love my Liquid Applique. *wink* I also sponged all the edges with Close to Cocoa ink to soften them a bit.

Then I moved back to my card base, which uses a sheet of the Basic Grey Sultry line. I stitched that to the Chocolate Chip mat, and then matted it to my 5.25" Square white card base. The side panels were created using Pink Pirouette cardstock, punched along one side with the SU Scalloped Edge punch, then run through the Cuttlebug with the Snowflakes embossing folder. Once that was all done, I sponged all the edges again, and lightly ran the sponge over the raised parts of the snowflakes. I lined up my Chocolate Chip mat scallops to fit with the pink ones, and then added some metallic brown brads on each scallop.

I ran a strip of Pale pink satin ribbon from my stash under the first strip, under the main image, and then tied a little knot over the top of the second strip. Then Bunny was popped up on some dimensionals to stand out. He's the star of the show, you know!

To finish it all off, I added some Primas (one painted with Spiced Cider Shimmerz), and finally a Basic Grey button on top. Whew! There's a lot of stuff on this baby and can I tell you...it's HEAVY! *grin* I hope you like it though.

Make sure you check Jen's Blog for her sample as well as Kirsten's, then hop over to visit Amy R, Amy S, Carole, and Susan for more eye candy. If you get a chance to play with us this week, we'd love it! Don't forget to use the keyword SFYTT, so we can all check out your awesome creations.

There's tons going on this week...MFTeasers and Verve Previews start on Monday!!!!!!!!!! Can't wait!