happy Birthday to my friend who I {j'adore}...

Happy weekend! I've got a brand spanking new technique challenge from Just Us Girls to share..

Find a great demo at splitcoast stampers on collage stamping.  Also, loving the inspiration from the Shabby Tea Room #96 (colors and sewing themed embellishment), the Ribbon Reel #19  (polka dots, pink, and ribbon/twine) and City Crafter Challenge #91 (black silhouette). 

This multi challenge card was also inspired by a dear friend's upcoming birthday!  She's stylish, beautiful inside and out, and I ADORE her!

Using the collage stamping technique I was able to add some pretty images from some of my favorite stamp companies to designer papers from My Mind's Eye that already had a collage-y look to them. 

I bought a 6 x 6 paper pad of the My Minds Eye Lost and Found Blush collection and guess what?  There are two sheets of everything so I'd love to share a set with one of my blog friends!  Leave a comment if you'd like a chance to win, leave a second comment if you are a follower for an extra chance to win.  This is a very pretty paper set, perfectly shabby chic!

Be sure and check out the lovely ladies of Just Us Girls for a ton of collage stamping inspiration!

Elise Durenberger

Pam Imholz

Maria Levine

Lisa Kind

Andrea Matthews

Kathryn Berthiaume

Lynn Magnan

Vicki Dutcher

Guest Designer for January...the talented Kylie Kueter!

Thanks so much for coming by!  And be sure to check out all the amazing challenges and talented design teams I linked above.

Paper: My Minds Eye, Papertrey
Bling: Want2Scrap
Stamps: Wplus9, Papertrey
Ribbon: Papertrey
Ink: Stampin Up!
Craft Supply: Seamstress pins

Just Us GIrls #69...I beg your pardon but this looks like a rose garden!

Oh my goodness!  Just WAIT until you see alllll of the beautiful roses blooming in the Just Us Girls challenge garden!  I'm telling you, they are knock your socks off GORGEOUS!  Thanks to the fabulous grunge rose technique illustrated by none other than Mr Tim Holtz, Just Us Girls is challenging you to join us in the garden with your handmade flower.

I used grungepaper, ink and stickles on my flower and was pleased to find, the more you add and play with this flower, the prettier it gets.  There is no one way to do this, because I tell ya, EVERY way is stunning!
See what I mean?  These flowers are so realistic looking when you are done.  I highly suggest a glue gun for gluing the petals...less wait time.  Also, you don't need to do these with grungepaper, cardstock works well too.  To stick with the garden theme I had going, I chose DP from the Once Upon a Springtime Graphic 45 collection plus a Martha Stewart butterfly punch....the vintage seamstress measuring tape(which fits the City Crafters Challenge this week for stitching), seam binding, and custom colored Want2Scrap Kimmie bling swirls are simply because I loved them on this card.  The layout was inspired by the current Mojo Monday sketch #175

If you haven't already visited the Just Us Girls blog, you are in for a treat!  If you already have, then just nod knowingly and smile!  :)  I hope you'll stop by all the JUGs girls blogs and leave a little love along with our fabulous guest designer, Carla Suto! and then JOIN US in the celebration of handmade roses!  Can't wait to see what you make! 

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Color Cue {7}, City Crafter Challenge and Cards Challenge....{wish upon a star}

Star light, star bright, the first star I see tonight.....
Hello friends!  Back with another three-fer (didn't I just say on the last post I don't try and combine challenges? Hmmmm I guess I DO combine challenges from time to time).  This week both the Cards blog and the City Crafter Challenge had a star challenge going.   Dawn at Wplus9 has a fab Color Cue going  and I needed a baby card....so perfect storm again! 


Now I love the idea of a shaped card, but many times, the shape makes it difficult for a piece to actually function as a card!  Take stars for instance.  They have 2 teeny tiny points to balance on and, if you want overhanging blingy swirls from Want 2 Scrap...well what is a crafter to do?  Hambly Clearly Heavy is your answer.  I began by cutting and folding a standard 4.25" x 5.5" card out of clearly heavy.  I then applied my star and my bling swirls.  After I knew I had the layout I wanted, I trimmed away at the clearly heavy cutting a close silhouette to the swirls and star sides, leaving the straight edge on the bottom of the card.

And then, it's all in the details...I used a stamp from Funky Flowers from Wplus9 to create a stamped pattern on my yellow cadstock star base.  I love the individual pieces of this set for creating custom patterns.  A simple safety pin adorned with seed beads in the challenge colors adds to the baby theme and scrunched seam binding gives the card an "all wrapped up" feeling.  Red thread border stitching was fun to do with my sewing machine.  I love how it pops against the yellow cardstock!

Thanks so much for stopping by.  Don't forget, if you like Bloomers from Webster's Pages, check out this post to enter to win some!  :)

Supplies:
Stamps: Wplus9, Papertrey Ink
Paper: Papertrey Ink, Hambly Studios (clearly heavy)
Ink: Stampin Up! and Papertrey Ink
Cutting tools:  Cricut and SCAL, CM and SU! punches
Bling: Want 2 Scrap
Craft Supply: Sewing machine, button, embroidery floss, seam binding, seed beads and safety pin

City Crafter Challenge #16...Sweet!

Hey there!  I had to jump in with a *sugary* project for the City Crafters Challenge blog this week.
A simple little tag to coordinate with my gift bag.  I used a stamp from My Cute Stamps Sweet Kawaii set and the sentiment is from Practicing Creativity.

So glad you could stop by today! 

City Crafter Challenge #13 Blog Guest Designer.....Sew glad!

Hello friends!  I am so excited to be guest designing for the fabulous City Crafter Challenge Blog!  I came across them several weeks ago and have been happily inspired ever since.  This week's hostess is Kirsty Vittetoe/Handmade Little Things and the super creative Kirsty has a fondness for cities in her challenges.  There has been Paris, Venice and now London!  The following swatch inspires us with red, white and blue items plus Kirsty has added an optional color of rose.

I stuck with the red, white and blue and added in a sewing vibe for my card!

Eeek!  I have been waiting for the right landing spot for this vintage sewing machine stamp from SU!  Can't believe it's taken me this long!  Anywhoo, I dug in my fabric drawer and pulled out some red, white and blue gems to make some mini yoyos for my teeny tiny yoyo quilt (I know, I don't know how my mind gets from one place to another either!) LOL!)  Check out Court Baker's video to learn how to make these adorable little fabric yoyos.  I also used a chunk of sewing pattern tissue paper for the card background and a salvaged seam binding wrapper that I had  to save a while back.  I peeled a hang tag reinforcement off of a tag on my desk top and applied it to a lables 4 diecut to give it a more antique store look and added some red seam binding plus button to round out the sewing theme.

OK, just one more gratuitous shot of my little yoyos!  *Sew* simple to make and *sew* easy to love! ;)

I hope you'll join in the challenge at the City Crafters Challenge blog and thanks *sew* much for coming by today!

Supplies:

Paper: SU!

Stamps: SU!

Ink: SU!

Buttons: PTI

Die cut:  Nestibilities

Sewing supplies: sewing pattern, twine, fabric, thread, seam binding, seam binding wrapper

Want 2 Scrap and CCC#7

Hello friends!  A quick share here that I have a new project posted on the Want 2 Scrap blog!  I hope you'll check out all of the project details with the link above.  Also, it's Button and Bow week at City Crafters Challenge blog!  If you haven't already, check these girls out!  I was also honored to recieve City Spotlight from them last week!  Thank you!!

Also, before I run, I had several requests for how to make the sculpey clay corner on my last Just Us Girls post HERE.  I definitely plan to share the *how* soon...as soon as my girls and I start summer vacation next week.  Hang in there with me and I will get a photo tutorial together ASAP. 

Thanks so much for your interest!  I'm glad you liked them as much as I did.

Just Us Girls 35 wild card + TESC114 + Shabby Tea Room + City Crafters {Tea Party}

Hey blog friends!  TIme for some more challenge fun with Just Us Girls.  This week is wild card and that means it's hostess choice.  Our amazing Alicia has chosen dry embossing as the challenge this week.  So fire up those embossing folders, light boxes, stylus pens and get embossing with us!

I also took inspiration from the Taylored Expression sketch, the Shabby Tea Room polka dot tea party, and the City Crafters recipe challenge (one ribbon, 3 flowers and 2 papers).  Check out the inspo pictures:

I came up with this:

Tea Party indeed!  I used two new delicious papers; one from October Afternoon's thrift shop line and one from Webster's Pages Life Portraits line.  I picked them up in the coolest papercraft store I know in my area....a veritable wearhouse full o paper and other goodies.  If you are ever in Berkeley, CA you simply must check out Scrapbook Territory!  I'm telling you, it's a papercrafters DREAM!  Your first step inside the doorway will tell you that you have arrived...you will SMELL all the newly minted papers...oh yum and your eyes will behold the shelves and shelves of all things stamp and scrap.

Now Alicia has challenged us to dry emboss this week over at Just Us Girls.  I used a cuttlebug folder (damask) on the ivory circle printed with the teacup from the Graphics Fairy and, I don't know if this counts as embossing but what it does count as in my book is COOL!  I am referring to the decorative ornate corner in the upper right of the card.  I made it with sculpy clay and I am SOOOOO excited because I have been envying the Melissa Frances elements that pop up all over and now I can make something similar myself with a little clay and not *hoard* them because I only have one! ;)  you know what I mean right?  LOL!  Please tell me I'm not the only one who finds it hard to use your favorites?

Ready for more from the JUGs girls?  Check them out!  Also, we bid a fond farewell to our two guest designers this month, Teresa and LeAnne.  They have been an amazing addition to our team for the month of May.  Thank you, ladies!

Teresa Kline

LeAnne Pugliese

Pam Imholz

Maria Levine

Lisa Kind

Mona Pendleton

Alicia Weiman

Thanks so much for stopping by here.  It always makes my day to read your sweet comments and your words of encouragement.  Have a great day!

Supplies:

Paper: Papertrey Ink, Webster's Pages, October Afternoon

Stamps: My Cute Stamps

Ink: Colorbox and Distress ink by ranger

Flowers: Prima

Embossing folder: cuttlebug

Button: Dress it Up

Pearls: Want 2 Scrap

Craft supplies: tea stained trim, vintage dictionary print, sculpey clay, acrylic paint

CCCB#5 J'aime Paris Challenge...I love {vintage} Paris!

Tres chic!  Isn't she lovely?  This little lady is helping me channel my vintage Paris today with the girls over at the City Crafters Challenge Blog.  This is a brand new play place for me and this week, it's all about Paris, baby!  Check out their inspo picture...

Amazing piece of ephemera, right?  Here's what I came up with with a little help from the Graphics Fairy.

The vintage label and photo are from the Graphics Fairy blog and the fab bird paper is actually vintage wedding gift wrap my mom just gave to me along with tons of other paper wrap gems.  The damask DP is a new piece from MME from the Posh line.

Aren't they sweet?  I added some stamps from SU! too.

The lacey edging is actually a thrifted doily I cut apart.  The silver fabric glitter worked wonders on the loose ends of the doily while adding a bit of glittery bling to the project.  The folded edge around the lady's portrait is actually a white cupcake pan liner! 

This was a really fun challenge.  I had a blast getting all vintage-y and being Parisian for the day.  Merci, City Crafter Challengers!  Thanks for stopping by everyone!