Won't you tell him please to put on some speed....follow my lead....oh how I need....

Hey yall, have you been missin' me? I'm sorry I've been so quiet...life at my house has been busy! I did have a chance to make a card yesterday for my Bella Bash Challenge...did you check it out? There are 2 challenges and you have until Saturday to play. Two lucky peeps will win a $35 Gift Card to Stamping Bella!!! How about that? You can find the challenges in the Bella Forum on Splitocast.

I decided to do a color challenge inspired by some t-shirt colors at Ann Taylor Loft. I chose

Coral, Green, & Black

Plus you can use any neutral...Kraft, White, Cream, etc. Here's my sample card:

I stamped Stella has her Fix in Memento Tuxedo Black on Neenah Solar White and colored her with Copics. I cut and embossed her with my Rectangle Nestabilities, added a layer of Wild Wasabi, and then matted that with a black Deckled Rectangle. Using a Martha Stewart Border Punch, I created the scalloped edge on the Cameo Coral piece, then stamped the Fantabulous Day sentiment in Memento Black before tying the New Leaf stitched ribbon around. To finish off the card, I added some Diamond Glaze to Stella's cup and lips (cause she wears gloss, don'cha know!) and Diamond Stickles to her tiara and wand. I think she is totally fabulous!

Speaking of fabulous...have you seen the new releases from Stamping Bella? There are 2 new bellas, some bittyblooms, robots, a dragon, monsters, turtles, and my personal favorite - the 'Tude girls - a new line from Christy Croll (artist of the Tiddly's and Huggabuggs). Whew, I think I got them all...but you can find links to all the new stamps, plus a code for free shipping on Em's Blog.

Last before I go...don't forget to play in the Bellariffic Friday challenge this week...all the details are HERE. Have a wonderful Wednesday!

Blog Candy Winners!

Hey yall! Thanks so much for commenting on my blog candy post. I loved reading all your answers to what you want to learn. There are so many things I want to learn too...but taking better pictures is at the tippy top of my list. Then I'd like to learn to sew something other than a line (and not a very straight one!). *grin*

So, on to the winners!!! Here are the 3 random commenters:

#75 Chris R. said:

Well, two things for sure - to use a Cuttlebug or the Big Shot but then I would have to buy one first before I can learn. Hmmmm. The other, I wish I could color like all you great bloggers out there and those who share their creations. I was a "master colorer" in kindergarten so I should be able to handle this. But, I don't have any Copics but I do have SU watercolor crayons, markers of various kinds, and some cheap watercolor pencils. So, I would think I could start instead of putting it off. Then, I have to have a camera or figure out a way to post what I have created on-line to enter some of these challenges and stuff. Anyway, love your creations and thanks for sharing them.

Chris R. from Iowa

#65 Crystal said:

I want to learn to use my cricut more and make better use out of all the cartridges I have, also paper bag albums :)

Crystal

Thank you for a chance to win something, will be a first if I do lol!

#66 Melia said:

I want to learn it ALLL MWAH HA HA HA... no i just want to learn to sew!! and i want to learn to make nicer cards!!

Congrats to all of you! Email me your addresses and I'll get your goodies out to you on Monday! My email is under my photo on the left sidebar.

Have a great weekend!

Hey dear friends let's take a ride in the countryside...pale pink flower...

Happy Friday, Sistahs!! It's one of my favorite days of the week! Not only is it Friday, but it's Bellariffic Friday! This week, our challenge was to create a Pink & Brown card...such a hard challenge! *wink*

I chose my Bloomin Pots stamp and stamped the image in Memento Tuxedo Black on Neenah Solar White cardstock. I colored the image with various brown & pink Copic markers and added Ranger Crackle Accents to the pots to give them a little more character. The flower centers are accented with flatbacked pearls...I am so addicted to those little things!! After I sponged the edges of the panel with Close to Cocoa ink, I adhered it to the Chocolate scalloped panel and stitched around the edges of the main image. I pierced the back of the scallops so the piercing would give a little rougher texture, then tied a bow around the bottom wtih my pink striped ribbon. My finished card measures 4 1/4" square, and I added layers of Chocolate and Pink Pirouette on top. Layer on my main image and voila! All finished!

I will be back this afternoon to post the winner of the blog candy...still a little more time until then, so if you haven't entered yet, go for it!! Here's the post: BLOG CANDY.

After you enter, go check out Emily's blog for all of the entries for this week's challenge. Lots of fabulicious bellariffic stuff, I guarantee!

'Bout the only way to keep the fire goin' is to outrun the wind...

Hey yall! It's still Tuesday, and so I have my Jacksonbelle Embellishments challenge card for you! Whew...just in the nick of time. *wink*

Today's challenge was 1-2-3. One stamp, 2 embellishments, 3 layers total. AJ was being mean and said the card base counted as a layer...so I had to be nice and not cheat. You didn't think I could do it, did ya?

I used a stamp from the Chandelier set from Inkadinkado, ribbon from May Arts, hardware from We R Memory Keepers, and paper from Basic Grey's Porcelain collection. The main image was stamped once in Versamagic Sahara Sand ink, then again in Jumbo Java. I cut & embossed it with my Labels 4 Nestabilities and sponged all the edges of all the layers with Close to Cocoa ink.

If you decide to play along with us, don't forget to use keyword JBE050 when uploading- and check out the rest of the girls:

Beth Thomas

Hether Lee-Reppen

Jennifer Buck

Jill Dunn

Kim O'Rosky

Kisa Peters

Lindsey Botkin

Lynda Benden

Maren Benedict

Melissa Bove

Michelle Woerner

Taylor Usry

And wish Beth & Jill both a Happy Birthday!!

If you haven't entered the Blog Candy drawing, you can check it out HERE! Have a wonderful day!

I need a sign to let me know you're here...all of these lines are being crossed over the atmosphere...

Happy Monday, everyone! I'm sorry I didn't post blog candy on Saturday like I promised...what a bad blogger!! (almost typed globber...heehee) Anywho, I didn't get a pic either. My schedule is kind of backwards from what it used to be...my crafting time is now done during the week, and my weekends are family time. So it's hard to have something to post on Mondays!

Anyway, this is your official blog candy post, and comments will stay open until Friday at 12:00 NOON, Central (Texas) Time. I will pick 3 random commenters, who will get a little prezzie from me.

Prezzies may include:
Stamping Bella Sentiments
Stamping Bella Limited Edition Mini Bella Stamps
Fabulous and Random Embellishments, 6x6 Patterned Paper, Chipboard, and/or Ribbon
...anything else that I love that I think you might need! *wink*

Ok, so here's what I want to know...

I have found that my crafting is constantly changing, improving, and all about learning new stuff.

What is on the top of your list to learn right now?
I will tell you mine on Friday. If you don't have anything, you can just say something nice about me, tell me a joke, whatever (just be nice!!) Until then...I'm all ears!

Raise your hopeful voice...you have a choice...you'll make it now...

Howdy, everyone! What's everyone up to this weekend? I'm up late stamping...got lots to catch up on! I just wanted to show you a card I made earlier with Anna's latest Whipper Snapper release.

I always print sketch challenges and they end up piling up and cluttering my already cluttered room. But this week, I decided to PLAY for once! First up was Amy R's Friday Sketch Challenge, because it most fit my main image panel. The cupcake image is from the What's Cookin' set, and before stamping it, I drew a light pencil line on my watercolor paper to line up the images. I stamped the image three times in Stazon Black and watercolored them with my waterbrush & reinkers. Once they were dry, I added the shadows with Copic markers. I also dotted the cherries with Diamond Glaze and added a little bling to the cupcake wrappers with my Clear Spica Glitter pen. The sentiment is from the same set...I stamped it in Memento Tuxedo Black and cut & embossed it with the Mega Rectangle Nestabilities. The lace is yummy...I picked it up at The Crafty Scrapper on my last trip there.The rest is pretty self-explainatory...if you have any questions, feel free to ask, but make sure you leave me your email so I can answer you! *grin*

It's pretty late, so I'm gonna run...hope you have a wonderful Saturday! I will be back with some blog candy later Saturday afternoon once I get a pic, so stay tuned!

And in our honesty, together we will rise out of our night minds and into the light at the end of the fight...

Happy Bellariffic Friday, Sistahs!! It is about to pour down cats & dogs here, but I am safely tucked inside so I can enjoy the rain. *grin* Have you had a good week? I hope so!

Well, since it's Friday, you know what that means! Time for another Bellariffic Friday reveal! What is Bellariffic Friday? You can learn all about it HERE.

So last week, Em posted this photo for us to use as inspiration, and challenged us to use one flower on our card. Isn't that gorgeous?

So you know how I am with challenges, right? I tend to, um, bend the rules a bit sometimes. Remove panels from sketches, add colors to color challenges, add embellishments when I'm not supposed to...you get the idea. Being the renegade that I am (*wink*), I colored my image without first looking at the inspiration piece or reading the actual challenge. I mean, I read the challenge, but not RIGHT before I made my card. Luckily there's only one stray color, but I did forget the flower. BUT I'm in LUCK!!! Look at the blue lantern to the right!

Yup, those are FLOWERS!! WHEW! I got the Limelight Hanging Block stamp in my last order, so I inked it up for this challenge. It is stamped in Memento Tuxedo Black and colored with Copics. I cut the image out & embossed it with my Rectangle Nestabilities and matted it with black. Using my Stampamajig, I squeezed the Hang in There sentiment (another favorite) onto the panel in the bottom right corner.

For the card base layers, I pieced together a piece of Regal Rose cardstock embossed with the Forest Branches embossing folder and a piece of Apricot Appeal embossed with Swiss Dots. The Rose panel is sponged with Raspberry Fizz ink from Papertrey and the Apricot is sponged with Marigold Morning from SU. I stitched around the edges and added a little black grosgrain ribbon. The finishing touch was some small Crystal Hotfix bling on a couple of the lanterns, Diamond Stickles on the hearts, and Diamond Glaze over the Orange and Green lamps. All in all, I'm pretty happy with this one!

Don't forget to check out Emily's Blog (wait a little bit...she is currently experiencing technical difficulties) to see all the fantastic entries for this go-round. In the meantime, you can check out the rest of the Babes and what they've been up to through the links on my left sidebar. K?

Have a fabulous weekend...I'll see ya soon!

What would I give if I could live out of these waters? What would I pay to spend a day warm on the sand?

Hey guys, Happy Thursday! This week is going by so fast...I'm not quite sure where it went. The good news is that I'm almost caught up on the stamping I was behind on, so now there will be more time to play! Hopefully my family will cooperate...fingers crossed!

I wanted to post the card I made last night for yesterday's Sketch Challenge on Splitcoast. Get out your sunglasses...I was feeling BRIGHT! *wink*

Kenya Ketto arrived on my doorstep on Tuesday, so I decided to ink her right up. Isn't she fabulous? I stamped her in Memento Tuxedo Black ink and colored her with Copic Markers. Once she was colored, I cut and embossed her with my new Deckled Rectangle Nestabilities and added a tiny black mat. For my base layer, I chose Apricot Appeal and stamped Kenya's Sparkle in Marigold Morning. I then sponged the edges with Marigold Morning, going in a little farther than I normally would, then sponged Tangerine Tango on the very edge to tie in the orange. After adding a black mat, I made a couple rounds with my sewing machine to add some straight but funky stitching. For the panels across, I chose strips of Tempting Turquoise and Tangerine Tango (gee, that's a lot of T's!) and embossed them with the Swiss Dots embossing folder. A little white peeking out from under made the panels pop off the black layer, which I punched with my Martha Stewart Border Punch. Then to finish it off, I added the "Oh, Happy Day" sentiment (love that one!!) and three small Blue Crackle Dots. You likey?

In other news, I noticed the other day that I am nearing 175K hits. WOW, you guys!!! When I started my blog, I thought only my mom and sister would read it! I am beyond flabbergasted that other people come visit me. Thank you!!! So....stay tuned for blog candy tomorrow or Saturday, k? Have a fabulous day!

Like rain, tax...weeds grow up through the pavement cracks...(it's inevitable)...

Happy Tax Day, peeps! How's your day going so far? Mine is great, except I ran out of Peanut Brittle yesterday (my work snack) and I have nothing to nibble on! Yeah, yeah, poor me. *wink*

I totally forgot to tell you that the Verve Sneak Previews started on the Verve Blog yesterday! There are 2 posts (yesterday and today) with the chance to win some free Verve Stamps goodness, so check it out! The release is this Friday night, and there are some fabulous stamps coming! This is a card I made for the preview of Wishful Elegance.

When I first saw this set, I was so excited to see another background! Fresh, elegant, and versatile are all things that you have come to expect from Verve, and this set is no exception.

I knew I wanted to use this ribbon from Jacksonbelle Embellishments, so that's where I picked up my color combo. The black and kraft just popped with the blue and red. I stamped the background in Versamark on Kraft cardstock and embossed it with white embossing powder. I then stamped the flower image three times on the main panel, and added the sentiment. I masked the sentiment with a piece of scrap paper and stamped some stems with the stem image from Thankful Blossoms. I then stamped the flower three more times on white cardstock and colored them with Copics, cut them out, and popped them up with dimensionals. Some buttons with twine and a few black accent layers finished off my bright, fun birthday card.

Don't forget to check the Verve Blog tomorrow for peeks of the last set...it's AMAZING!!! In the meantime, if you'd like another chance to win some new Verve Stamps, check out the challenges that Julee is having for release week HERE!

Oh, that's the way, uh-huh uh-huh, I like it, uh-huh, uh-huh...

Happy Tuesday, yall! I'm a little tardy posting my Jacksonbelle Tuesday challenge card, but I'm here now!! You can check out the sketch on the JBelle Blog.

I was feeling simple and shabby today, so here's my simple and shabby card! Stamps are from Inkadinkado, and the papers are October Afternoon.

If you decide to play with us, don't forget to use keyword JBE049 when uploading- and check out the rest of the girls:

Beth Thomas

Hether Lee-Reppen

Jennifer Buck

Jill Dunn

Kim O'Rosky

Kisa Peters

Lindsey Botkin

Lynda Benden

Maren Benedict

Melissa Bove

Michelle Woerner

Taylor Usry

Have a fabulous day!!

I made up my mind when I was a young girl...I've been given this one world...I won't worry it away...

Morning, y'all! I hope you had a wonderful weekend! We had fun, ate too much, and played with the baby donkey at my mom's. He's so fun...just like a little puppy right now. He wasn't too sure of the mud after all the rain, so as he ran, he would fling his back legs trying to get the mud off. It was pretty funny to watch!

So I have a fun treat for you today...it's Whipper Snapper Release Day! Anna has whipped up three FANTASTIC sets for you this time, and all of the Featured Designers and Anna herself are showing off some cool samples today.

The card I have to show you today uses the Simply Bloom set. You all should know by now how much I love handwritten-type sentiments, and this one had me drooling from day one!

The second I saw this set, I wanted to use the sentiments as a stem for the flower. Originally I intended this card to be portrait, but as I was working on it, I laid the main panel sideways and ended up liking it better that way. The images were all stamped in Stazon on watercolor cardstock and colored with my reinkers and a waterbrush. I did use my Stamp-a-majig to line everything up just right. Then I cut the image out with my long rectangle Nestabilities...I knew they would come in handy someday! *grin* A little lace, stitching, and sponging on the Soft Sky layer (I love how Baja Breeze ink looks when you sponge it on the edges of Soft Sky), and a button in the center of the flower finished it off just right. It has a real homespun feel, I think.

Here are all the sets for your viewing pleasure. Simply Bloom, Chicken's in the Kitchen, and What's Cookin'...aren't they awesome?

I will post more eye candy with the other two sets over the next week, but in the meantime, you can check out the rest of the fabulous Featured Designers to see what they have to wow you!

Bev Rousch - SCS Gallery - Blog


Danielle Kennedy - SCS Gallery - Blog


Lori Craig - SCS Gallery - Blog


Natasha Trupp - SCS Gallery - Blog


Anna Wight - SCS Gallery - Blog

You can also check out projects from past and present Featured Designers in the Whipper Snapper Featured Designer Gallery on Splitcoast...lots and lots of inspiration there!

Thanks for visiting me today...have a fabulous Monday!

Some women are dripping with diamonds...Some women are dripping with pearls...

Happy Saturday, everyone! We have a fun day of hanging out with family ahead, but I wanted to post this card really quick.

I sat down to play last night and decided to pair some of my Verve stamps with Taylor's Cupcake Challenge from last week. I really like the color combo I ended up with...fresh and Springy I think!
To get started, I sprayed my watercolor cardstock with water in a Mini Mister. While it was still damp, I stamped the stems from Floral Symphony in Celery ink and the flowers in Marigold Morning. I wanted the image to bleed a little to give it a softer look. Once it was dry, I stamped Philippians 4:4 in Brilliance Graphite Black on top and cut it and a black mat out with my Circle Nestabilities.

For the squares, I embossed two squares of Barely Banana cardstock measuring 2" each with my Floral Screen embossing folder. I sponged just the edges with Marigold Morning to give them a little "oomph" and then matted them with white cardstock. I also sponged the Kraft panel around the edges with Close to Cocoa ink...I love how Kraft looks sponged like this. To finish it off, I wrapped some white sheer polka dot ribbon around the Kraft panel, and used the technique Nichole Heady used HERE to tie a bow with a button in the middle. The finished card measures 4 1/4" square.

Well, I better run...the kiddos are running amok! I hope you have a fabulous Easter weekend and get lots of chocolate! Have a great one!

Or we can keep chilling like ice cream filling...we can cool in the gang if you'd rather hang...

Happy Thursday, friends! Thanks for all the get well wishes...they worked! I'm so happy to be feeling better...I even cleaned my stamp room last night! (maybe I'm still sick...*wink*) Now, don't mistake the word "clean"...My definition is (A) I can put my feet under my desk without having to move things, (B) Empty trash can, (C) Desk organized (ish) and plenty of room to work, and (D) I can walk into the room, to my desk, and to the sewing machine without tripping on various items. So of course, the first thing you have to do in a clean (ish) room? Stamp something! I made 2 cards using my new Ketto stamps from Stamping Bella. I am soooo in love with this new line!

The first card I made was for yesterday's Sketch Challenge on Splitcoast. (Pretend I didn't remove a panel, k?)

I stamped Ivy Ketto in Brilliance Graphite Black on Neenah Classic Crest Solar White cardstock and colored her with Copic markers. Then I cut and embossed with my Scalloped Square Nestabilities and added a layer of Tempting Turquoise and another Scalloped Square in Chocolate Chip. The card base measures 5 1/4" square. I started with a 5" square of Apricot Appeal, sponged the edges with Close to Cocoa and added a Chocolate Chip layer. After I stitched around the edges, I adhered a strip from my Basic Grey Marrakech 6x6 pad and stitched along the edges as well. To finish it off, I stamped the Hello dear friend sentiment (my new fave!) in Chocolate Chip ink and added 3 small Chestnut Glitter Dots.

For my next card, I dug into my stash of printed sketches that I never did and decided on Mojo Monday 75. I actually followed this one, I just flipped it to work with my image.

I started by stamping Charlotte Ketto in Brilliance Black on Neenah Solar White and colored her with Copics. The color combo was my hubby's idea...isn't it great? After she was colored, I cut and embossed with my Rectangle Nestabilities and sponged around the edges with Close to Cocoa. Now, I'm not going to go step by step on this one, cause it took me FOREVER!!!!! Lots of stitching, lots of layers, more sponging...I think you get the idea. I thought the Thinking of You sentiment was perfect for this one. Whatcha think?

Well, I better run for now...I have lots to show you, so stay tuned! Have a wonderful day!

You're everything I know that makes me believe I'm not alone...

Hi yall! Happy Wednesday! I am crawling out from under the kleenex long enough to post really quick...I got hit with a nasty head cold over the weekend and have been feeling pretty nasty. I am behind on some stamping, so I better get better so I can get BUSY!

Since I haven't been doing much stamping (looking down isn't the best for a stuffy, drippy nose...*grin*), I have a card I created a few weeks ago for Amber's Viva La Verve Challenge. Each Friday she posts a new sketch, with a twist, and each month you have the opportunity to win FREE STAMPS! This particular card was created for the sketch with a twist of Clean and Simple. Hey! I can do that!

For some reason, when I do a CAS (Clean and Simple) card, I feel the need to use bright colors. For the circle panel, I cut my Raspberry Fizz cardstock with my Circle Nestabilities, and added a strip of Kiwi Kiss matted in Chocolate Chip. The border was done with my Martha Stewart Border Punch. I inked up Psalm 51:10 in Versamagic Jumbo Java ink and stamped it on Neenah Classic Crest Solar White cardstock. The base measures 4 1/4", so it fits perfectly in a normal A2 envelope (hooray for no extra postage!). I think we were only supposed to use one embellishment on this card, but just pretend those 3 brads are just one, k? *wink*

Well, that's about it for today. Hope you have a wonderful afternoon!

I'm bringing home a baby bumblebee, won't my mommy be so proud of me...

Happy Monday, yall! I hope you had a great weekend. We had extra children most of the weekend, so it was crazy around here, but so fun.

I do have something fun to show you today. My friend Katie started a company a few months ago called Paper Makeup Stamps, and she has some adorable images! When I saw this Buggy Sayings set, I fell in love. My favorite is this quote about the bumblebee...love it!

Isn't that fun? I created a background on a 4" square piece of Neenah Solar White cardstock by repeatedly stamping the bee image in Versamagic Mango Madness ink. Because the image was small and mounted on EZ Mount, it was easy to place the stamp instead of using my Stampamajig. One less step = happy Shannan! Then I stamped the sentiment in Versamagic Midnight Black and cut & embossed it with my Rectangle Nestabilities. Some black layers and sheer polka dot ribbon were perfect accents, and to finish it off I added one more bee, stamped in black and colored with Copics. I cut him out and popped him up on the corner of the sentiment, and added a little bit of Diamond Stickles to his wings to finish it off. I think this will be a great encouragement card, dontcha think?

Well, I gotta run...I hope you have a fabulous day!

Ain't to proud to beg, sweet darlin'...

Happy Saturday, yall! The Original Scrapbox is having a contest for the messiest craft room. Yall have seen mine....totally scary! Will you do me a favor and vote for me? I'm entry #38 HERE. You can vote once a day...please help a sistah!

And just so you remember, here are the pics I showed you before:

Thanks to all of you!

Have a wonderful weekend!

So don't be afraid to let them show...your true colors are beautiful like a rainbow...

Happy Bellariffic Friday, Sistahs! It has been a bizzy week around here...I tell ya what...I could use an extra 6 hours in the day. Anyone else?

Being Friday, that only means one thing...it's time for the Bellariffic Friday challenge reveal! If you don't know what Bellariffic Friday is, you can read THIS POST to find out how you can win some bucks to spend at the Stamping Bella store. FUN! To refresh your memory, here's the inspiration Emily posted for us this week. I am in LOVEEEEEEE with buttons, and these are so bright and fun!

Whilst browsing the Bella store today, I discovered THESE. Um, can you say I need ALL OF THEM??? You know me and my button addiction...*wink*

I decided to ink up Suzette Ketto for this challenge...I love her!

Isn't she BEEYYYYYYOOOOOOOOOOOTIFUL? I stamped her in Brilliance Graphite Black on Neenah Classic Crest Solar White cardstock and colored her with Copic markers. Then I cut and embossed her with my new Labels Four Nestabilities. This stripey paper from Bella Blvd was a perfect match, and the You Color My World sentiment is one of my new favorites. A little glitter on the flowers and I called it done!

Don't forget to check out Emily's Blog for all the participants this week. There's some eye candy fo SHO! I hope you guys have a fabulous Friday and a wonderful weekend. Thanks for stopping by to see me!