Mutch to Stamp

Ooh la la Pin Up

2012-01-25T23:59:00.001-04:00

I thought I'd create a fun card for my hubby, Jim, for his birthday this week, so I came up with this fun pin-up card for him. I used a photostamp from the Pin Ups sheet by The Stampsmith.

The sentiment, Ooh la la is from Pink Cat Studio. A fitting saying to go with this knock out! I figured he'd get a kick out of this birthday card and may actually keep this one as apposed to throwing it to the wayside! lol :)

Thanks for stoppin by! :)

Puppy & Smiles

2012-01-15T21:55:00.006-04:00

I have an early Valentine's Day card to share with you today. My oldest daughter loves puppies so I thought I'd make her card using this sweet little pup from the Puppies stamp sheet by The Stampsmith. The sentiment, 'Your smile lights up my heart!' is from the Say It Like It Is stamp sheet, also by The Stampsmith.

We have a new challenge going on over on The Stampsmith Challenge blog. We're doing a Tag theme for the current challenge - I hope you decide to play along in the fun! You have until the end of January to submit your tag creation using at least one stamp by The Stampsmith in order to be eligible for a chance to win a new sheet of rubber of your choice from Estelle! I look forward to seeing all your creations!

Thanks for stoppin' by! :)

TSC26: Tag Art - Marilyn

2012-01-09T01:05:00.001-04:00

It's challenge time again over at The Stampsmith Challenge. We all took a little break after the holidays, but we're now being challenged by Lynne with some tag art. I'm not one to make many tags, as I sometimes find it hard to create projects on a smaller scale, but I enjoy making them once I get into them.

I've used a fun 'Marilyn Flying Dress' image and embellished it with some ribbon, lace and bling to finish it off. My project measures 3.5" x 5" and I actually decided that my tag is going to become a magnet. One of my colleagues loves Marilyn, so I thought she might like this for her fridge or maybe on the corner of a metal picture frame.

I hope you decide to play along with us this time around for a chance to win some new rubber from The Stampsmith! You have until the the end of January to submit your creations. Pop on over to The Stampsmith Challenge blog to see some eye candy from the rest of the Design Team.

Thanks for stoppin' by! :)

Happy New Year

2012-01-03T22:50:00.006-04:00

Happy New Year, Everyone!

I'm back from a little break over the holidays, but mostly because I've been recovering from Pneumonia and have just had a set back from getting a cold. Hopefully, this additional round of antibiotics will do the trick to fix me up soon.

I used the Coffee Gal stamp from The Stampsmith for my card. I really like this vintage image and I thought it was fitting since she looks like she might be saying, "Cheers" or "Happy New Year!"

I wish you all health and happiness in 2012! I'll be back soon!

Thanks for stoppin' by! :)

TSC25: Shimmer, Sparkle & Shine

2011-12-01T01:05:00.000-04:00

It's challenge time again over at The Stampsmith Challenge blog and for my DT sample, I decided to go with a Christmas frame to showcase the Shimmer, Sparkle & Shine theme. Both the photostamps I've used are from the Christmas Cards Sheet 1 stamp plate. The sentiment border is made up of several stamps from the Christmas Greetings Sheet both by The Stampsmith. My frame measures 10" x 17" and the photo openings measure 3.5" x 5.5".

Here's a closeup of the left side panel of Santa with his sack of toys postcard.

I created this decorative piece using patterned paper pieces and used a punch to do the snowflake centrepiece.

Here's a closeup of the right side panel of a sprig of holly postcard.

I hope you decide to play along in the fun with us! I look forward to seeing how your project shimmers, sparkles and shines!

Thanks for stoppin by! :)

Always Here For You

2011-11-28T22:05:00.006-04:00

Here's a little step back in time for you with these two sweet little kids. The photostamp is from the Darling Boys plate and the sentiment, 'I will always be here for you' is from the Say It Like It Is stamp plate and are both by The Stampsmith.

I'm sorry, I know this is a horrible picture of this card with it being all blurry...but, I had to use my scanner since my camera is dead and I can't for the life of find my charging cable. I'll have to go on an all out hunt for it tomorrow! lol :)

Thanks for stoppin' by! :)

It's a Tea Party

2011-11-15T14:36:00.006-04:00

I have a French inspired card to share with you today using the Paris plate from The Stampsmith. In case you don't read French, the sign reads, "French Countryside Chocolates and Teas.'

I made this card for my youngest daughter who loves everything French. This image reminds me of her hosting little tea parties for me. We used to have so many, perhaps some day we'll actually venture over to Paris for some real tea and to do some sightseeing of all the wonderful pictures throughout France that she has in her room. Some day...

Have you checked out the current Blog Hop that we're having over on The Stampsmith Challenge blog in celebration of our one year anniversary of the challenge blog. If you haven't yet, pop on over and leave a comment and then visit each of the Design Team members and leave a comment on each of our blogs for a chance to win some new rubber from The Stampsmith.

Thanks for stoppin' by! :)

Remember When...

2011-11-09T21:57:00.005-04:00

Oh, dear sweet, Shirley. Doesn't she bring a smile to your face and take you to a happy place? The sentiment, Remember When... comes from the Say It Like It Is stamp plate. The Shirley photostamp and the sentiment are both from The Stampsmith.

Have you had a chance to play along in our current blog hop with the rest of The Stampsmith Design Team in celebration of our one year anniversary of The Stampsmith Challenge blog? So, what are you waiting for? Pop on over and join in on the fun and leave the other DT gals some love. There could be new rubbah in your future! :)

Thanks for stoppin' by! :)

In Sympathy

2011-11-05T13:05:00.007-03:00

I have a sympathy card to share with you today. I used the Botanica plate and the 'In Sympathy' sentiment is from the Say it Like it Is stamp plate, these are both by The Stampsmith.

I cropped my flowers, so here's a view of the entire Botanica plate so you can see all the gorgeous flowers in full.
I'm heading out for some crafty fun with my local stamping friends tonight, so I'll have another new project to share with you soon!

Thanks for stoppin' by! :)

TSC24: Ribbons and Lace - Blog Hop Celebration

2011-11-01T01:05:00.003-03:00

It's time for a little voyage to Paris...well, in my dreams anyway! lol :) I created this card for the current challenge over at The Stampsmith Challenge. This month, the theme is "Ribbons and Lace". For my project, I used the Eiffel Detail stamp, along with the postmark, map and Bon Voyage sentiment stamps from the Paris sheet, all by The Stampsmith. I hope you decide to play along, you have the entire month of November to create something and link it over to us, for a chance to win some goodies from Estelle at The Stampsmith.

Last month, we celebrated the grand opening of the new Stampsmith Online Store - we're still jittering with excitement - it's so amazing!! This month we are celebrating The Stampsmith Challenge's one year anniversary and we couldn't be more excited to give you some extra chances to win... read on!!

This month's lovely theme of Ribbons and Lace was suggested by Lynne . Create a project that includes some ribbon and lace and link up your project! All projects will be entered in a random draw for your choice of a full sheet of Stampsmith rubber valued at $21!

In addition, at the end of this month, we will be entering ALL of the comments from this blog and each of the designers' blogs into a hat for an additional full sheet of Stampsmith rubber - also valued at $21!!! The more love you leave, the more chances you'll have to win!!

This is my full, framed project. My youngest daughter is absolutely crazy over anything and everything to do with Paris, especially the Eiffel Tower, so this project is for her.
Here's a close up of the ribbon and lace in keeping with the theme.

If you arrived here from Lynne Moncrieff's blog, Adorn then you are in the right place! From here, Debbie Reid's blog, Scraps from a Broad invites you to visit! Below is a complete list of the blogs in this hop in case you've missed any! Be sure to leave a comment at each stop for more chances to win! Have fun hopping and best of luck in the draw!!

The Stampsmith Challenge

Thanks for stoppin' by! :)

Audrey's ready to party

2011-10-23T22:57:00.004-03:00

I have an Audrey card to share with you tonight. I stamped off Audrey and cut her out and also cut out the adjacent flower from another area of the same patterned paper, to give the card a bit more dimension. Lots of distress ink and bling and ta-da, Audrey's ready to party!

Have you had a chance to check out the new website for The Stampsmith yet? If you haven't, pop on over for a boo. It's easy to navigate, tips and tricks and there's lots of sample artwork from the rest of the Design Team, too. If you have any questions about the stamp I used, or any other stamps, please feel free to give Estelle a shout, she's always happy to help!

Thanks for stoppin' by! :)

Monster High Birthday Invites

2011-10-13T22:53:00.005-03:00

I've been busy making birthday invitations for my daughter's 10th birthday. She's into the Monster High dolls right now, so we opted for that theme. I found these free digi images online and printed them off to make the invites. I think they turned out kinda cute and Alexandria's friends seemed to like them a lot. :)

Here's a shot of all 12 that I made.

If you're not familiar with the Monster High craze, the best I could describe it would be Goth-Glam. It's based on a TV series and there's a whole line of dolls, the same size as Barbies. They're quite funny. So, the party will be all hot pink and black with 14 screaming girls running around for 3 hours. Glad I opted to not do a sleepover again this year. Wish me luck! lol :)

Thanks for stoppin' by! :)

Uncle Sam wants you!

2011-10-11T09:00:00.001-03:00

Yes, you're reading this card correctly...I'm advertising for the U.S. Army...and yes, I'm a Canadian Navy wife! Kinda funny, eh? Anyway, I had fun gathering stuff for this card to create a DT sample for The Stampsmith. This Uncle Sam photostamp is part of the U.S.A. Patriotic stamp sheet. Definitely some fun stamps! :)

Here's the full sheet of stamps for you to see.

I borrowed the fun sprockets Nesties diecuts from my friend, Janice. Thanks, Janice! The (relish) camouflage background, soldier silhouette, U.S. Army medallion and star clip art are all free digi images that I printed off.

Thanks for stoppin' by! :)

Proud Mama

2011-10-10T00:45:00.019-03:00

OK, so I'm the proud Mama and I have to share some pics from my daughter's recent photo shoot. My friend, Chere, took the pictures and owns the Photography studio, called Chearle Photography. If you're looking for someone to take some pics for you, please think of Chere. She does a fabulous job at a very reasonable price.

I'll have another card to show you soon. Happy Thanksgiving to all my Canadian friends out there! :)

Hugs,

Anyone up for a contest?

2011-10-08T09:00:00.004-03:00

*This contest is now closed. Please see The Stampsmith Designer's blog for the winner.

As one of the DT members, we're celebrating the launch of the new website for The Stampsmith. So, it's contest time! Guess what stamp/stamp sheet I've used on my card in this post, leave a comment on my post on The Stampsmith Designer's blog HERE and play along for a chance to win! You can also leave comments on all the rest of the DT members posts, was well, guessing what stamps they've used. The winner will be announced tomorrow morning - Oct. 9th.

To celebrate the grand opening, Estelle, the owner of The Stampsmith, has kindly offered to give everyone a 10% discount starting this morning (Oct. 8th) and ending Sunday evening (Oct. 9th). The discount code is TENOFF, so just put that in at checkout. Happy shopping!

Hope you decide to play along in the fun! Again, make sure you leave your comment on The Stampsmith Designer's blog. I'm just plugging the contest here.

Good luck!

Happy 10th Birthday, Alexandria!

2011-10-06T01:05:00.001-03:00

I'd like to wish my oldest daughter, Alexandria, a very Happy 10th Birthday today! :)

Oh my, double digits! I can't believe it's been 10 years already since I held her tiny little newborn body in my arms. Where does the time go? Now, I can see her growing into a beautiful young girl. Not sure if I'm ready for this... lol

I just had the girls' portraits done by my friend, Chere. I'll post some more pics of the girls soon. For now, it's Alexandria's day. :)

Stay tuned for an exciting post in a couple of days...

Thanks for stoppin' by! :)

Draculaura Birthday Wishes

2011-10-03T23:37:00.006-03:00

It's almost beyond fathomable to me, but my oldest daughter is turning 10 years old this week. Seriously, where does the time go? I made this card for her since she's into Monster High dolls craze and I thought this would be a fun card to make. I'm sure she's gonna love her Draculaura and Skullette birthday card. :) The characters are really quite funny. I guess I'd rather her play with them as apposed to getting into the Twilight movie madness. Some of her friends have watched all the movies, but I'm not ready to let my little girl watch stuff like that yet. Yes, I guess she lives a bit of sheltered life, but you know what, sometimes that's not a bad thing. They grow up fast enough, Hollywood doesn't need to help them with it.

Here's a close up of Draculaura and Skullette and to show you the argyle embossing and the bling.

Thanks for stoppin' by! :)

Puppy taking time to smell the flowers

2011-10-02T14:49:00.006-03:00

I have an adorable little puppy to share with you today from the Puppies stamp sheet from The Stampsmith. I can see giving this card with the inside saying, "How can you be mad at this cute face?" lol :) Or, you could use the saying, "Take time to smell the flowers" or simply "Thinking of You." The possibilities are endless or based on your interpretation. That's what I love about seeing everyone's artwork. There are so many takes on one image, from whimsical to elegant depending on your embellishments and choice of colours.

Here's a close up of the puppy. How cute is he, taking time to sniff the flowers? :)

Thanks for stoppin' by! :)

TSC23: Halloween - Using at least one Stampsmith stamp

2011-10-01T10:36:00.008-03:00

OK, I have a funny take on my Halloween card for our latest challenge over on The Stampsmith Challenge. I'm not big into making scary Halloween cards, but you can always use other stamps for the theme and turn them in a Halloween card, by pretending they're in costume and by adding a funny saying.

In my card, I chose to work with a photstamp of Marilyn, dressed up as a 'Naughty Baker'. Isn't this fun? :) Now, why don't you come and play along with us? Show us your creations, using at least one image from The Stampsmith and upload it to the challenge linky.

*Just an update, we've made a change to The Stampsmith Challenge and it'll be now be only a monthly challenge announced on the first of each month. This way it gives you the entire month to create something and get a pic of it to us. It needs to include at least one stamp from The Stampsmith. One lucky winner each month will receive a gift certificate from the The Stampsmith Store!

If you don't have any Stampsmith stamps of your own, but would like to play along, you can always contact Estelle to order a single or two. Single stamps are only $6 and Estelle has exceptionally fast service and very reasonable shipping rates. That way, you can play along for a chance to win more!

Thanks for stoppin' by! :)

Happy World Card Making Day!

2011-10-01T10:29:00.003-03:00

Just wanted to wish everyone a very happy card making day! I hope you're all able to get in some crafty fun today! :) Stay tuned for some crafty eye candy from me...

Thanks for stoppin' by! :)

Lulu Loves Chocolate...

2011-09-25T13:50:00.012-03:00

I have a fun pop art style card to share with you today using the Lulu stamp from The Stampsmith. Lulu is sold as a single stamp, which includes the thought bubbles and is quite large at about 4" x 5.5".

I cut her out and added the sentiment, 'Who needs a man When you can have chocolate' from the Say It Like It Is stamp sheet.

My project is 8" x 8". I made it a bit larger than I normally do, just because the main focal image was quite large and I wanted room to embellish with lots of bling. Not sure what I'm going to do with this...my hubby might get offended if I put it up in my house! :) I do love chocolate, but not sure if I like it more than him. On a funny note, my kids have always told us they like us more than a chocolate donut! That's quite a compliment, eh? lol :)

Thanks for stoppin' by! :)

NEW Website for The Stampsmith!

2011-09-25T13:45:00.001-03:00

I'm so excited to share that The Stampsmith has their new website up and running. It's absolutely stunning! A big shout out to Estelle and Holly for all their hard work putting it together. It's easy to navigate, lots of eye candy in the galleries and some tips and projects, too. Hope you go visit it soon! :)

Stay tuned for some new eye candy from me, soon!

Thanks for stoppin by! :)

The Kiss

2011-09-18T22:03:00.008-03:00

I promised something more "grownup,' so here you go. I made this card for my hubby. We'll be celebrating our 16th wedding anniversary soon, and I figured this image would be perfect. The image I used is called "The Kiss' and it's sold as a single by The Stampsmith. The sentiment, I Love You,' is also from The Stampsmith from the 'Say it Like it is' stamp plate.

Here's a closeup of the lovely couple.
Thanks for stoppin' by! :)

Happy 8th Birthday!

2011-09-18T21:36:00.004-03:00

I made this whimsical card for my daughter's friend from school who celebrated her 8th birthday this weekend. 'Littlest Pet Shop' toys are all the go for kids nowadays, so I thought I'd print one off and colour it in with my Copics to use on her card. I hope she liked it! :)

Stay tuned I have more 'grownup card' eye candy to show you, so stay tuned...

Thanks for stoppin' by! :)

TSC22: Autumn

2011-09-15T01:02:00.003-03:00

It's quickly approaching my favorite time of the year and with cooler weather on it's way, Lynn has challenged us with an 'Autumn' creation for the current Stampsmith Challenge. I used the sunflower from the Botanica stamp sheet from The Stampsmith as shown below. I stamped the sunflower and coloured it in with my Copics, then I carefully cut out all the petals with a good set of scissors. I call it my scissor-therapy time. Funny how I find it so relaxing to use cut out intricate designs. :)

Botanica Stamp Sheet

I hope you decide to play along in the fun with us this week. It's the middle of the month, so that means although we'd love to see your creations using at least one stamp from The Stampsmith. Upload your creation to the The Stampsmith Challenge blog for a chance to win a $10.00 gift certificate for The Stampsmith Shop from the lovely, Estelle! I look forward to seeing what you all come up with!

Thanks for stoppin' by! :)

Reach for the Stars

2011-09-05T20:47:00.005-03:00

I have some Lana Turner eye candy to share with you tonight. Lana was a definite star and I love this image of her. She looks as though she's looking to the stars, so I opted to pair this image with the sentiment, 'Reach for the Stars.' I made this card for a friend who just graduated and she's starting her life in the real world. So, Sarah, reach for the stars, the sky's the limit.

A little tip: I really love this lace, but it was a cream colour, so I simply used a sponge and applied black ink to make it the colour I wanted. Ta-da, black lace to match my project!

Thanks for stoppin' by! :)

TSC21: Use a Faux technique

2011-09-01T01:05:00.002-03:00

I have a Christmas card to share with you that features the lovely, Grace by The Stampsmith. Grace is so lovely and can be purchased as a single photostamp.

For the current challenge over at The Stampsmith Challenge, we'd like you to use a faux technique of your choice. For my sample card, I played with some 'alcohol inks' and created the background for Grace. My apologies for the blurry picture. My camera is dead and I can't seem to find my charging cable. So, I had to use my scanner and it wouldn't seem to pick up the detail from the alcohol ink technique.

For this challenge, although we'd love you to show us creations using stamps from The Stampsmith, you're free to use to stamps from any company to play along. The random winner will be announced on September 15th and will be awarded a gift certificate to The Stampsmith store to grow your collection. I hope you decide to play along in the fun! I look forward to seeing all the different techniques everyone chooses...

Thanks for stoppin' by! :)

Mini Friends Album

2011-08-21T22:46:00.012-03:00

I got together with my local crafty friends this weekend and we each made one of these mini albums. I decided to make mine into a 'Friends' album and for the tags to hold pictures of the friends who are dear to me. The pages are 6" x 6." I used patterned paper sandwiched over box board. The pages were bound with ribbon after punching the holes using a Cinch machine.

For the 'Friends' image on the front page, I used a photostamp by The Stampsmith, called Banjo Singers. It can be purchased as a single. Don't they look like they're having fun?

This shows you all the pages of the album; back and front page on the top row, 2nd and 3rd pages on the next row, 4th and 5th pages on the following row and 6th and 7th pages on the last row.
Here's a close up of the 2nd page, I'll be adding add a photo to the frame below and some journalling around the frame.

Here's the 3rd page with space for another photo.

Here's the 4th page with space for another photo.

Here's the 5th page. The pocket holds a tag for another photo and lots of room to journal in the background.

Here's the 6th page. Again, the pocket holds a tag for another photo and lots of room to journal in the background.

Here's the 6th page. Again, the pocket holds a tag for another photo and more room to journal in the background.

This is the back page of the album.

I hope you've enjoyed my album, I know I had a blast making it with my friends and I look forward to filling it with stories and photos.

Thanks for stoppin' by! :)

Mojo204

2011-08-20T18:00:00.001-03:00

I'd like to share the lovely Ophelia, with you today. She can be purchased as a single in both a tiny and large size from The Stampsmith. I used the tiny size in my project today. She also comes in an in-between size as part of the Shakespeare Heroines - Ophelia and Friends plate. I've given the dimensions below:

1.25" wide x 1.75" high

2.25" wide x 3.5" high

3.75" wide x 4/5" high

I haven't done any of the Mojo Monday sketches in quite a while, but we're having our monthly crafty night tonight with my local group of crafty friends and our swap theme is to make a card that would fit any challenge out there. So, I chose to use the current sketch challenge below.
I'll have a fun project to share with you soon that we're making tonight. That's if I get it done tonight...sometimes with the larger projects I tend to fiddle with them for a while before I post them. Anyway, please stay tuned...

Thanks for stoppin' by! :)

TSC20: Sketch Challenge

2011-08-15T01:05:00.000-03:00

We thought we'd change things up a bit this time, so our current challenge over at The Stampsmith Challenge is a Sketch Challenge by Valerie Wilson. We'd love to see you play along, in the fun. Please include at least one Stampsmith image to be eligible to win the random draw. Other stamps are welcome in your project, as well. The winner will be announced on the 1st of September.

So, here's Val's sketch to follow.

The image I used is from Those Were the Days fifties art rubber plate by The Stampsmith. There's some fabulous images in this plate, shown below.
I look forward to seeing all your entries!

Thanks for stoppin' by! :)

Peaceful Sunset

2011-08-11T21:37:00.000-03:00

I have a sympathy card to share with you today. For the main focal image, I used a free, downloadable image from freefoto.com. They have lots of beautiful images. I found this one by searching for 'sunset.' As long as you link back to their website, you're free to use them on your non-commercial projects.

This is the inside of the card.
Thanks for stoppin' by! :)

TSC19: Teal & Yellow Challenge

2011-08-01T01:11:00.001-03:00

Over on The Stampsmith Challenge blog, this time around we're challenging you to create something using Teal and Yellow. Since this is the first of the month, the challenge is open to any stamp company, so although we'd love to see your creations using stamps from The Stampsmith, please play along with whatever you have for your chance to win some new stamps from The Stampsmith.

The photostamp of Lucy that I used, is from the Fame #1 stamp sheet by The Stampsmith. The sentiment, "A Lady of Quality" is from the Say it With Flair Sayings stamp sheet, also by The Stampsmith.

The best thing about colour challenges is that everyone has such a different take on it. I hope you decide to play along in the fun and I look forward to seeing what you all come up with!

Thanks for stoppin' by! :)

Homage to Lucy

2011-07-30T23:59:00.001-03:00

I'd like to pay homage to Lucy since next week she would have celebrated her 100th birthday. She was certainly one of a kind. Such a funny lady and is sadly missed by so many.

The photostamp of Lucy that I used, is from the Fame #1 stamp sheet by The Stampsmith. The sentiment, "Portrait of a Lady" is from the Say it With Flair Sayings stamp sheet, also by The Stampsmith.

Please stay tuned for my DT project on August 1st for our latest challenge over on The Stampsmith Challenge blog. There's still time play along in the current "Vintage" challenge, as well, so please pop on by and join in on the fun! You could by the lucky random winner of a gift certificate from Estelle!

Thanks for stoppin' by! :)

Christmas in July Wall Hanging

2011-07-16T19:00:00.002-03:00

I'm rather late completing my Christmas in July project...it was supposed to be done for our last Stampsmith Challenge, but I didn't have a chance to get it done, life just gets in the way sometimes...even when we'd rather be crafting! So, I made this for our crafty group swap that we're having tonight. I used a stamp from the Christmas Cards Sheet 1 from The Stampsmith. These are nice vintage looking stamps that would cover nearly your whole A2 style card. I chose to make my project into a little wall hanging, that measures 6" x 6." I did a bit of distressing and finished it off with some pewter embellishments.

This is the full stamp sheet

Tonight, we're working on a paper bag Step Book, led by Louise. You can see Louise's project here. She always shares the most amazing projects with us. It's got lots of tags and pockets - looks like a fun project. I'll post mine for you soon. Stay tuned...

Thanks for stoppin' by! :)

TSC18: Vintage Cigar Box

2011-07-15T01:05:00.001-03:00

I recently had a hankering on for some altered art, so I opted to alter this unfinished cigar box and figured it was the opportune time to create my Design Team sample for the current "Vintage" themed challenge over at The Stampsmith Challenge.

Here's a close up of the beautiful, Audrey, all blinged up, on the top of the cigar box.

Just to show you how the box opens.
I hope you decide to join us this time around. It's fun to play along for a chance to win some goodies from the lovely, Estelle, at The Stampsmith. Please include at least one image from The Stampsmith on your card or project. A random winner will be chosen on Aug. 1st. I look forward to seeing all your projects! :)

For those of you who like to read about my personal life, as well...here's an update. We just got back from a great, but short vacation with the family. I'll post a few pics soon. The kids were with my parents this week, we picked them up tonight. Nice to have them home again. Pretty quiet around here without them, but we had lots to do along with working all day. Not much freedom to just relax! My broken ankle is a bit better. Still waiting to get into the Orthopedic surgeon to have the broken piece of bone removed, though. Yeah, I know, it sounds gross and I'm not looking forward to it. But, it should heal quickly after the surgery and besides, I have no choice, the sprain just won't heal since the piece of bone continues to aggravate it. I think if anyone has anti-luck, it's me! lol :) I'll be back soon with another project to show you.

Thanks for stoppin' by! :)

Happy Canada Day!

2011-07-02T10:13:00.005-03:00

HAPPY CANADA DAY!

Canada celebrated it's 144th birthday yesterday. We went to the Halifax Commons last night where they're holding a Pow Wow all weekend. Had a great time watching all the dancers and the girls got some beautiful beaded earrings and I got a gorgeous necklace and pendant. After we left there, we enjoyed a fantastic fireworks display last night...unfortunately we came across the whole city last night on our way home. It took us about hour and a half to drive home, what should have taken us about 20 minutes. The kiddies were getting pretty tired and fell asleep in the car.

This is a picture coming across the Angus L. MacDonald bridge that links Halifax and Dartmouth. I love it when they put the flags up on it for Canada Day. Unfortunately, they don't leave them up there because of the high winds, it would rip them up in no time.

Here's a close up of our gorgeous flag. :)

We're having a yard sale this morning...recouping a bit of cash to likely put towards more crafty supplies. Made about $50 so far, I see some new Nesties in my future. :)

My apologies for not showing you much in the line of crafty eye candy lately. We've been so busy with end of year activities with the kids, plus I broke my ankle and I've been having a terrible time with it. It's hard to sit on my bar stool at my craft desk since I usually rest my foot on the stool and it doesn't bend that way right now. I'm waiting to get in to see a surgeon since when I broke my ankle, I broke a bone completely off and it just keeps floating around my ankle bone area and it jams in and causes a lot of pain. Nice, eh? Not much fun...I think it wasn't for bad luck, I wouldn't have any luck at all! lol :) Anyway, I'll try to create something soon to show you.

Thanks for stoppin' by! :)

It's My Birthday Today! :)

2011-06-10T01:05:00.001-03:00

I have the best friends, ever! It's no wonder we all get a long along so well with all three of our birthdays being within a week apart! are you ready for eye candy? It's like an homage to butterflies!!!

My friend, Valerie, gave me the card above along with this fabulous altered 'to do list' notebook

and this gorgeous toilet paper roll book below. What a fun project, I have to try one of these! I love them all, Val, thank you so much! :)

This stunning butterfly creation below is by another friend, Kim. She recently moved a couple of provinces away and I miss her dearly. This card will be posted proudly so that I'll think of her when I see it. Big hugs to you, Kim! Oh, by the way, my apologies, as this picture doesn't do justice to how gorgeous this card really is...the pierced layer just shimmers and the watercolours are absolutely stunning. It's definitely eye candy! Thanks so much for sending this gorgeous card to me along with the stunning stamps, too! I'll play with them soon. :)
This next card is from my Mum. She's recently got into card making and I'm so proud of her. I knew I could convert her from a devout scrapbooker...it'll only took about 10 years! lol :) Thanks so much, Mum, I love it.
What a wonderful selection of birthday cards I've received! All these butterfly creations are right up my alley! Thanks, so much, to all of you! You're the best!

Thanks for stoppin' by! :)

TSC15: Birthday

2011-06-01T01:02:00.000-03:00

It's challenge time again over at The Stampsmith Challenge. This time around, Val is challenging us to create a Birthday card or project since it's her birthday this month...actually our birthdays are both this month and only a day apart! It's no wonder were such good friends! Happy Birthday, Val! :)

Well, I'm not much into making typical birthday cards, so I decided to create this 'Birthday Star' project as a decoration for my my oldest daughter's new 'Glamour' themed bedroom. This project measures 8.5" x 10.5." It's going to become a wall hanging. I created the filmstrip using a double slot punch, over and over and over again! lol :)

The sentiment, Bring Out the Star In You and all three photostamps are from The Stampsmith. The sentiment can be found in the Say it With Flair Sayings plate. The top and bottom photostamps on the film strip are from the Fame#1 sheet and the middle photostamp is a single stamp called Bling! from the Singles2 page.

I hope you decide to play along in the fun and create a birthday project of your own. I can't wait to see what you all come up with!

Thanks for stoppin' by! :)

Paris Flair

2011-05-24T21:50:00.007-03:00

I have a little Paris Flair to share with you tonight. This card was inspired by little girls' new Paris themed bedroom. She's my little 7 year old Diva and loves all things Paris, but especially the Eiffel Tower. She been sick with the stomach flu the past few days and she actually asks me to make her get well cards, so this one is for her. This project measures 5" x 7" and it's my plan to get a nice frame for it and add it as a decoration in her newly decorated room as it uses all the same colours as her room.

I used the Eiffel Tower photostamp and the word, 'Paris' both from the Paris plate by The Stampsmith. I love this plate, as I'm sure you can tell as I use it quite a bit. It's no wonder my daughter likes the theme, too! lol

Thanks for stoppin' by! :)

TSC14: Starring Role

2011-05-21T23:36:00.005-03:00

I'm back...sorry for being a little MIA lately. Sometimes life just gets in the way of the fun things we'd rather be doing.

I have a Marilyn card to share with you tonight. I love this image and decided to use it for the current challenge over at The Stampsmith Challenge blog. I'm rather late with my design team submission, but I figured better late than never! :)

Our challenge this time around is Starring Role - The Stampsmith is known for it's images of actresses and famous films. We want to see your Starring Role Artwork. I hope you decide to play along in the fun. I look forward to seeing all your creations!

Thanks for stoppin' by! :)

TSC13: Mother's Day

2011-05-01T01:05:00.004-03:00

It's challenge time again over at The Stampsmith Challenge blog and this time around is my turn to come up with a challenge theme. So, with Mother's Day coming up, let's celebrate our Mom's in paying our tributes, expressing our love and thanking them for all they do. Get out your stamps of beautiful women, children or simply a beautiful floral card as a gesture of love.

For my sample project, I decided to create a Matchbox Easel Jewelry Box. This is a view of it from the front. I used Butterfly Kiss as my main focal image. This is a precious stamp from The Stampsmith. I thought it seemed appropriate for this project since I call my girls my little angels. This is the larger size of two sizes available for this stamp.

I don't think you can see in the photo above, but I also added little antique finish decorative feet to the bottom to lift it up and give it a more decorative look. Here's a clip of the little feet I used.
Here's another view from the top, with the easel card folded down and the drawers pulled open.

I created a tutorial for this chipboard matchbox jewelry box a few years ago. You can find it here in case you'd like to make one for yourself. They're great for gifts and you can put most anything in the little drawers.

I hope you decide to come over and join us for the current challenge. Remember, since this is the first challenge of the month it's open to any stamp company, so get creating and submit your card or project to us for a chance to win some new rubber from The Stampsmith! I look forward to seeing what you all come up with!

Thanks for stoppin' by! :)

Starfolded Card

2011-04-26T19:00:00.000-03:00

I have a fun project to share with you today. This is starfolded card and you can find a fantastic YouTube video tutorial here by Maria at Bellamio Designs so you can make your own. She shares all the measurements and makes things really easy to follow in the video.

This is what my star card looks like when it's opened.

Here's a bit of a different angle to show you the way the folds go. When you're folding the card in, fold it like you're closing a box, starting with one side and fold each side down in one direction, finishing by tucking the last side into the first fold. Make sense?

Here's a view of the back of the card. I didn't add patterned paper to the back centre or the back outer triangles as you won't see then when the card is folded together.

I hope you enjoyed this project and decide to try one of these for yourself. They're a lot of fun! I can see making more of these in the future for sure!

Thanks for stoppin' by! :)

Happy Easter, to my Little Chicks

2011-04-24T01:55:00.005-03:00

Happy Easter, Everyone. I hope this finds you all having a wonderful, relaxing Easter weekend and are spending it with your family and friends.

I have to thank Corie Foster for the idea behind this sweet little Easter Chick design. You can see Corie's original post here. I had so much fun making this with all sorts of punches and die cuts. It also open up to be a card. The back of the card is scalloped, as well, and I just scored the top about 1/2 inch down from the top and applied adhesive to create the hinge. I know my daughters will love this little guy! Thanks again, to Corie for the inspiration! :)

I have a neat project to show you soon, I just need to add the finishing touches to it and I'll share it with you. So, stay tuned...

Thanks for stoppin' by! :)

Here's to you, friend!

2011-04-23T20:00:00.000-03:00

I saw the photo album below recently and I knew I had to buy it for my friend, Kim. She loves purple and since she's moving away, I thought she might like to fill it with photos from her time living here. I'm sure gonna miss her! The caption inside the card reads, "Here's to you, friend!" The vintage image I used is a photostamp by The Stampsmith, called Coffee Gal.

As you can see, my card above was inspired by this photo album to give to her as a set. It's hard to tell in the photo, but the album is covered in a beautiful silk material with silver, velvet flowers over it. This is also a two album set. The second album is entirely silver silk...hence the ribbon holding the two of them together.
Here's a close up of the handmade flower, made by moi, and it gives you a better look at the silver embossed flowers that I stamped on the corners of the patterned paper.
I kinda laughed when I was about to make this card, since I was trying to think of a stamp that I might have that would look similar to the flowers on the album. I decided to put away some crafty goodies first that I bought the weekend before and when I was, I came across this single stamp that I purchased and forgot all about. I couldn't believe it, it was nearly an exact match! It must have been destiny for me to buy it! lol :)

Thanks for stoppin' by! :)

Happy 48th Anniversary, Mum & Dad!

2011-04-15T18:00:00.000-03:00

I have an anniversary card to share with you today. It's for my parents in celebration of their 48 years of marriage today! That's quite an accomplishment this day and age. Seems with such a high rate of divorce these days, seeing people being married that long is few and far between.

I had fun playing with my Nesties for this card. After I embossed the die cuts, I used the Nesties as a mask to colour in the labels die and the small circle. I also got my Bow-Easy to work finally! Thanks again to my great friend, Val for showing me how to use it. :) This gizmo is great for making the perfect bow and they're really reasonably priced, too. Glad I know how to use it now!

Thanks for stoppin; by! :)

TSC12: Spring Theme

2011-04-15T00:05:00.000-03:00

It's challenge time again over at The Stampsmith Challenge blog. Our theme is "Spring." I hope you decide to play along in the fun for a chance to win some new rubber from The Stampsmith Shop. For this mid-month challenge, we ask you that you use at least one image from The Stampsmith in order to be eligible for the random draw.

For my design team sample, I chose to use my 'Serena' photostamp. To me, Serena just screams Spring, so she's perfect for this challenge. Along with some beautiful lace and pretty little flowers to embellish my card, I did a watercolour technique on glossy cardstock to give it a delicate looking background and then stamped the image over top.

On theme, as I was driving home from work today, I saw lots of beautiful crocuses. Spring is definitely here when you see all the crocuses in bloom. It makes me happy for sure...especially since it means I probably don't have to shovel any more snow this year! lol :)

I look forward to seeing what spring projects you all come up with!

Thanks for stoppin' by! :)

Crafty Night Fun with the Gals

2011-04-14T00:00:00.007-03:00

I'm finally getting around to posting the cards that we made at our crafty night last weekend. The first project is one that was lead by Kim Prince. I love this stamp and really like the sentiment that I chose to use. We did a watercolour technique by using two different distress inks on a teflon mat, spritzed with water and rubbed white cardstock around over the spritzed ink. Dried with a heat tool and then we had fun using Kim's Zutter Distrezz-it-All. Man, that thing is loud! A cool devise for distressing your edges, but it could be in competition with a wood saw! lol :) We then finished the card off by adding some shimmer mist over the whole card. Thanks for leading us in a gorgeous project, Kim. We're gonna miss your inspirational projects!

Our next project was this fabulous corset card lead by Val Wilson. OMG, I love this template! A great card for that special someone in your life... :)

Even the back of the card is stamped with a perfect Tim Holtz stamp to finish off the corset. Unfortunately, I stamped it on an angle. Oh, well. Thanks for sharing this fabulous template with us, Val. Jim's gonna love this one! :)

The card above was created by a newbie to our group, Joan Jandron. I drew Joan's name for our monthly card swap. So nice to have you with us and thanks for hosting us at your place...I'm rather glad your hubby did go out for the evening, though! I can only imagine what he would have been thinking had he been there for all nine of us Zutter distressing two sheets of cardstock each! I'm sure he'd have thought we'd all lost our minds! lol :) Thanks for sharing this beautiful card with me, Joan. I love the elegance of it and the embossing on the silver cs is the perfect addition and I really like how you did the framed punch for the sentiment. Just lovely.

I have a couple more cards to share with you, but you'll have to stay tuned for those...I'll be back soon!

Thanks for stoppin' by! :)

Darling Boys

2011-04-10T21:54:00.007-03:00

I have a 'welcome, baby boy' card to share with you tonight, featuring a photostamp from the Darling Boys plate from The Stampsmith.

I'm sorry I had to crop down this image to fit inside the photo frame, but it is a sweet image if you can see the whole image. Look at that precious face and I love the old tub that he's in, washing his little teddy bear! Too cute! :)
I had a great time out with my local group of stampin' friends on Saturday night. I have a couple of projects to share with you, plus the swap card that I got from our draw. I'll share those with you really soon...stay tuned.

Thanks for stoppin' by! :)

Happy Birthday, Hubert!

2011-04-05T12:00:00.002-03:00

I have a birthday card to share with you tonight that I made for my brother. I went with a whimsical design for this masculine card. I love to use pretty ribbon, but I'm sure my brother will appreciate the fact that I opted for twine instead! I freehand drew the stars and then cut them out with my scissors. I finished it off by distressing the edges and by doing some paper piercing to embellish it. I hope he likes it.

I'll be back soon with another crafty creation...stay tuned.

Thanks for stoppin' by! :)

Supplies:
Stamps: Happy Birthday (Studio G)
Cardstock: Chocolate Brown (Bazzill), Ivory (Staples)
Patterned Paper: Old World Mat Stack (DCWV), The Rustic Stack (DCVW)
Ink: Onyx Black VersaFine (Tsukineko)
Tools: Cuttlebug, Circle Nestabilities, Circle Custom Cutting System (Creative Memories), Paper Piercer, Piercing Mat, Dimensional Squares, Scissors, Distressing Tool (CTMH), Journaling Tool...aka my Spacing Guide for paper piercing (Creative Memories)
Embellishments: Twine

TSC11: The Female of the Species

2011-04-01T01:05:00.002-03:00

The Female of the Species (female images from the 20s and even the 1950s) is our current challenge over at The Stampsmith Challenge. For this challenge, it's open to any stamp company for the main focal image. I chose to use the lovely Audrey by The Stampsmith. I wanted to make it a fun card with whimsical circles and polka dots so I cut her out to make it look like she was standing in front of a back drop. Please pop on over to our challenge blog to see some samples from the rest of the Design Team. I hope you decide to play along in the fun for a chance to win a $10 gift certificate from Estelle at The Stampsmith Shop. I can't wait to see what you all come up with! Thanks for stoppin' by! :)

Mason Jar Lamp & Altered Shade

2011-03-27T15:58:00.006-03:00

Well, my little 7 year old diva has declared that she doesn't want a 'Dora the Explorer' room anymore. She says that she wants a big girl room, so to start off, I revamped this lamp that I had kicking around. Remember when we used to fill these lamps with potpourri? OK, maybe I'm dating myself here... lol :)

Natalia loves marbles, so I thought, it would make a cute filler to use marbles and she could see them all the time. Then, I took this old lamp shade and used some girlie looking beaded-fringe ribbon that I got at M's. Using my ATG gun, I ran a strip of double sided tape along the base and then attached the fringe to it. I wanted to do the same to the top, but I didn't have quite enough fringe left, so I opted to apply hot pink pearls instead. The pearls are self-adhesive that I got at the Dollarama. Using my quilling tweezers, I carefully placed all the pearls along the top trim.

Here's a close up of the beaded-fringe.

Here's a close up of the hot pink pearls.
I think it turned out cute and the best part is that Natalia loves it. :)

Thanks for stoppin' by! :)

TSC#10: Dark Brown & Med Blue Colour Challenge

2011-03-15T01:05:00.001-03:00

I'm back after a bit of a break. Life just gets in the way sometimes, and the fact that I was away putting in extra hours in at my day job to help make for a successful event where we raised over $210,000.00 is as good excuse as any, I think! lol :) We held our Bowl for Kids Sake event for Big Brothers Big Sisters this past weekend and it was a huge success. We have remarkable sponsors, supporters and the best volunteers ever! We all had a blast and so glad the event went over so well.

Ok, onto my card...today's card is my Design Team submission for our current challenge over at The Stampsmith Challenge. I decided to use the lovely Serena for my main focul image. She's definitely one of my favourite stamps from The Stampsmith and comes as a single stamp. The sentiment I used is from the Say it With Flair Sayings plate. Lots of great sayings in this plate in some great fonts.

The current challenge for TSC#10 is a colour challenge using Dark Brown and Medium Blue in your project. We also ask that you please use at least one image from The Stampsmith, for your chance to win a gift certificate from The Stampsmith Shop. Good luck in the draw and have fun creating!

Thanks for stoppin' by! :)

Bowl for Kids Sake Weekend

2011-03-12T22:25:00.006-04:00

Hi Everyone,

I know I haven't been around much lately, but it's for a good reason. As many of you know, I work for Big Brothers Big Sisters and we're holding our Bowl for Kids Sake event this weekend. It's been a lot of overtime leading up to it and we're working all weekend, but we're having a great time and raising lots of money for a great cause. If you'd like to learn a little more about what we do at Big Brothers Big Sisters, please feel free to take a look around our website.

Our total tonight was over $189,000.00! We're well on our way to our goal and have so many wonderful supporters. If you'd like to donate to our largest fundraising campaign of the year, please feel free to visit my personal bowl webpage. Every little bit helps. Also, if you'd rather not use our secure system to pay by credit card, you can print off a donation form and mail it in with your pledge.

Thank you so much for your support! The kids in our programs thank you and those who are waiting to be matched thank you, too! :)

A Lady of Class

2011-03-06T23:52:00.003-04:00

I have a Tiffany inspired card to share with you tonight. I love aqua and white together and thought I'd pair it with this fabulous photostamp of the beautiful, Audrey. Adorned in lots of bling, she's definitely ready for the show! :)

Thanks for stoppin' by! :)

Supplies:
Stamps: Breakfast at Tiffany's - Audrey Hepburn Themed Stamp Sheet (The Stampsmith) Cardstock: Aqua Glossy & Aqua Flat (Dollarama), Flat White (Staples)
Ink: Ancient Page - Coal Black (Clearsnap)
Tools: Cuttlebug, Swiss Dots Embossing Folder (ProvoCraft), Quilling Tweezers
Embellishments: White Satin Ribbon (Michaels), Clear Bling (Dollarama)

Welcome, Baby Hunter!

2011-02-20T21:24:00.006-04:00

A new little bundle of joy came into the world yesterday, a sweet baby boy, born to friends of ours who are going to make wonderful parents. This is the card that I made for them. I'll get it to them soon, we all just need to get rid of our coughs first! I hate having to wait to get to hold a sweet little newborn! :(

I used a darling photostamp from the Darling Boys plate by The Stampsmith. This is such a sweet plate, and it comes with some cute little sayings, as well. The sentiment I used is also from this plate. In case you can't read it very well on the card, it reads,

What are little boys, made of?
Frogs and snails and puppy dog tails,
That's what little boys, are made of!

Thanks for stoppin' by! :)

Supplies:
Stamps: Darling Boys plate (The Stampsmith)
Cardstock: Flat White, Baby Blue, White Copic
Ink: Ancient Page - Coal Black (Tsukineko)
Tools: Cuttlebug, Just my Type - Buttons Embossing Folder (Provocraft)
Embellishments: Baby Blue Button Brads

With Sympathy

2011-02-16T23:06:00.006-04:00

Sadly, I had to make a sympathy card tonight for a friend who just lost his Dad to a battle with cancer. Sympathy cards aren't my favourite type of card to make for obvious reasons, but it's my hope that the recipient will know that I put my heart into making it and that my thoughts are with them during this difficult time.

Supplies:
Stamps: Natural Beauty (SU), Sympathy Sentiments (Impression Obsession)
Cardstock: Flat Black (CRS), Goldenrod Linen (CRS)
Patterned Paper: Beau Jardin Harvest (Bo Bunny)
Ink: Onyx Black Versafine (Tsukineko), Marigold Morning (SU)
Tools: Oval Nestabilities (Spellbinders), Cuttlebug, Sponge (SU), Scissors
Embellishments: Marigold Brads (EK Success)

TSC8: Travel

2011-02-15T01:02:00.002-04:00

Hi Everyone, I hate to cough out and use a card I've already posted before, but we've all been sick here with a miserable cold/flu that's been going around and we've been out of commission for a few days, hence me not getting in any crafty time.

Our current challenge over at The Stampsmith Challenge is 'Travel.' The Stampsmith has the Paris and Russian plates would work wonderfully for this challenge, but there is flexibility and some of the people images could also be used to represent travellers from a bygone age.

This gorgeous Eiffel Tower photostamp comes from the Paris plate. The flower is another one that I made when my friend, Val came over for some crafty therapy time. We had a great night making a bunch of these flowers using different die cuts and patterned papers. You can achieve such a different look just by the patterned paper and the die cut that you use. In case you'd like to try making some of these flowers, here's a link to the tutorial that we followed.
Here's a close up of the Stampsmith Sentiment. It's also from the Paris Plate.

So, go get out your favourite travel stamps and come play along with us! You'll get your name in for an opportunity to grow your Stampsmith rubber collection just by playing along in the fun! So, what are you waiting for? Pop on over and join us! :)

Thanks for stoppin' by! :)

Supplies:
Stamps: Paris (The Stampsmith)
Cardstock: Flat Black (CRS), Chocolate Brown (CRS), White Glossy Cardstock (CRS)
Patterned Paper: Elegant Black, Brown and Gold Swirl (Dollarama)
Ink: Ancient Page - Coal Black (Clearsnap)
Tools: Labels 4 Nestabilities (Spellbinders), Shapeabilities Blossom (Spellbinders), Cuttlebug, Vanilla Shimmer Smooch Spritz, Scissors
Embellishments: Handmade Paper Flower, Antique Copper Rimmed Clock (Dollarama)

Happy Sweet 16th, Alysha!

2011-02-06T22:03:00.006-04:00

I wanted to make a fun birthday card for my niece who's having her sweet 16th birthday this week and I saw this card by Mary Fish and I knew I wanted to use the same idea. I love the bright colours and the fun style and I hope Alysha will, too.

I can't believe she's 16 already...it only seems like yesterday that she was a little baby, where does the time go? She's now grown up to be a beautiful young woman. She makes me so proud. She's so smart and carries herself so well. I know she's going to go on to do wonderful things!

I'll be back soon with another project to show you, so stay tuned...

Thanks for stoppin' by! :)

Supplies:
Stamps: Happy Birthday - Well Scripted (SU)
Cardstock: Hot Pink (Bazzill), Navy Blue (CRS), Flat White (Staples)
Ink: VersaMark (Tsukineko)
Tools: Cuttlebug, Labels 4 Nestabilities (Spellbinders), Embossing Buddy, Embossing Tray, PEARLustre Sapphire Opaque Embossing Powder (Stampendous), Heat Tool
Embellishments: Pink 3D Flowers and Butterfly (Dollarama)

TSC#7: Royalty

2011-02-01T01:01:00.003-04:00

The current challenge that we have over at The Stampsmith Challenge is 'Royalty: This could be rock ‘n’ roll royalty, movie star royalty, or images of women who have an air of aloofness.' As you can see, I chose to do movie star royalty, using the Queen of Glamour, Lady Audrey! :) I went with a walling hanging for my project, consisting of three 6 1/2" x 6 1/2" pictures held together with a long piece of black satin ribbon which I glued in behind the black bases to create the hanger.

I used two photostamps of Audrey. The one on the top panel is one is from the Audrey Hepburn-Themed Stamp Sheet and the saying, 'A Lady of Quality' can be found in the Say it with Flair plate by The Stampsmith.
This is the middle panel using a fun theatre font and spotlight on the dp.
The photostamp of Audrey on the bottom panel is from the Fame #1 Stamp Sheet and the signature below the bling'd image is also from the Audrey Hepburn-Themed Stamp Sheet. If you look close or click on the image, you can see the bling better. I actually used black and clear bling all the way around the matted image. Audrey is all lit up! :)
I hope you decide to come join in on the fun for a chance to win some goodies from Estelle at The Stampsmith! We love seeing all your takes on the challenge, so 'get stampin' and then show us your project over on The Stampsmith Challenge blog! :)

Thanks for stoppin' by! :)

Supplies:
Stamps: Audrey, Audrey signature & A Lady of Quality (The Stampsmith)
Cardstock: Flat Black (Recollections), Ivory (Staples), Wild Wasabi (SU)
Patterned Paper: Hollywood Vogue & Wonderfall (Webster's Pages)
Ink: Ancient Page - Coal Black (Clearsnap)
Tools: Cuttlebug, Oval Nestabilities (Spellbinders)
Embellishments: Black & Clear Bling (Dollarama), Black Satin Ribbon (Michaels)

Sisterly Friendship

2011-01-31T22:57:00.008-04:00

I'd like to share a card with you tonight that I made for one of my daughters for Valentine's Day. My thought was that it was to portray her and her sister and the friendship and memories they share. I cropped an adorable image from the Thank Heaven for Little Girls plate by The Stampsmith. I feel bad for cropping one of the sweet little girls out of the picture, but it wouldn't have made sense for the card if there was three girls in it. lol :) The sentiments, "Friendship, Happiness, Memories & Love are all from the Say it With Flair plate by The Stampsmith, as well.

I used the current MojoMonday sketch for my creation, highlighting the curve with a bit of flourished bling.

Check back tomorrow for the theme of our next challenge over at The Stampsmith Challenge!

Thanks for stoppin' by! :)

Happy Birthday, Jim!

2011-01-19T22:22:00.004-04:00

I made this card for my hubby, Jim, for his birthday next week. I always have a hard time with masculine cards, but I kinda like how this one turned out. I stamped the old pocket watch first, and then broke up the Happy Birthday sentiment, to emboss it. I thought the pocket watch ink was dry. But, apparently it wasn't since when I added the embossing powder, it stuck to it, as well. It makes it a bit difficult to read the sentiment, but you get the point and I think I like it like this even better than my original plan. I love this photostamp from The Mountains plate by The Stampsmith. You can find it under Landscapes on the online shop.

Thanks for stoppin' by! :)

TSC6: Love

2011-01-15T01:00:00.002-04:00

I'm sharing a Valentine's Card tonight in keeping with our newest challenge over at The Stampsmith Challenge blog. I used a sweet photostamp from the Darling Boys plate by The Stampsmith. I'm calling this one 'Young Love.' Is this little couple adorable, or what?! :)

Our current challenge is Love (Marriage, Valentine, love for a pet, love for a child.) For this challenge, we do ask that you use at least one stamp from The Stampsmith for your creation. I hope you decide to come join us! Until then, please pop on over to see the creations from the rest of the Design Team.

Thanks for stoppin' by! :)

Baby Boy Tag Book

2011-01-10T19:46:00.023-04:00

I attended a class last Friday at one of our local stamp stores and we made this sweet little Tag Book. I was actually filling in for my my friend, Kim, who couldn't make it to the class. She had signed up to make a little boy kit to hold some pics of her new little grandson. So, since she couldn't make it, I attended the class to make the project just for fun and I'm giving my tag book to her. Being an addicted blogger, I told her I just needed to take a picture of it first, then she could have it! lol :)

Here's a few different shots with the tags in and taken out.

A close up of the Tag Book
Front View with Tags Removed

Back View of Tag Book

Back View with Tags Removed

Front View of Large Tags
Back View of Large Tags

Front View of Small Tags

Back View of Small Tags

I'll have something else to share with you soon! Until then...

Thanks for stoppin' by! :)

Vintage Santa

2010-12-29T22:56:00.005-04:00

I made this little wall hanging tonight to take to my Father-in-Law tomorrow. For the main Santa image, I used a photostamp from the Christmas Cards Sheet 1 by The Stampsmith. In keeping with the vintage look, I used some patterned paper called Hollywood Vogue & Wonderfall from Webster's Pages.

Here's a close up of Santa.
I hope this finds everyone having a wonderful Christmas holiday and all the best to you all for a happy, healthy and prosperous new year!

Thanks for stoppin' by! :)

Handcrafted Prima Shoe

2010-12-28T22:10:00.000-04:00

This stunning creation is from my friend, Val Wilson. I can't tell you how much I love this gorgeous little prima shoe! Now, I need to find a special place for it. My youngest daughter (7 years old) wanted to try it on, she thought it was so pretty! I had to explain to her that this is a special little shoe, just for Mum's enjoyment, not for her to wear! lol :)

She tucked a cute little card inside the shoe along with some yummy Quality Street chocolates, yup, you guessed it, as soon as I took the picture I ate the chocolates! lol :)

Here's a side view.

Val also created this gorgeous Christmas tree star ornament. Thanks so much, Val, for both of these. I'll treasure them for years.
If you look in the picture above, to the left of Val's star ornament, is a sweet little angel in a pink dress. This was given to me on my first Christmas by a friend of my parents. So, it's 36 years old.

Also, the dark pink ornament in the bottom right belonged to my grandmother. It's about 70 years old. I love the old ornaments with all their detail. My tree is adorned with a mix of old and new and lots of treasured handmade ornaments. I'm gonna miss the tree in another week when we take it down for another year.

Thanks for stoppin' by! :)

Christmas Card from Mum

2010-12-28T21:48:00.001-04:00

My Mum surprised me this year with this gorgeous Christmas card that she made. She's been a scrapbooker for years, but has just recently been recruited into the world of card making. I've been trying to get her into it for years and she's recently started taking a few classes with a friend and made this card at one of the classes. I love it! The ornament stamp is gorgeous and I love the way she added bling to it to make it look festive.

If Blanca is reading this, thanks so much for finally getting my Mum into card making after all my efforts! lol :) The cards she made at your class were gorgeous!

Thanks for stoppin' by! :)

Christmas Cards from Friends

2010-12-28T21:40:00.001-04:00

I've received some gorgeous handmade Christmas cards this year that I'd like to share with you. This first one came from my friend, Tracy Houghton in Calgary, AB. Thanks so much, Tracy, I love the easel style.

The funny thing is that I received the next card the same day, another easel card from my friend, Yvonne Balmer who used to live here, but has recently moved to Houston, TX. Thanks so much for brightening up my day with this sweet creation, Yvonne. Miss you!

OK, this is like an easel parade, as this card came from another wonderful friend, Kim Prince. I feel like I'm behind the times as I still haven't made one of these cards. I'll have to try one for the one of the next cards that I make.

Thanks for stoppin' by! :)

Xmas Wreaths

2010-12-28T21:30:00.007-04:00

My daughters each made a sweet little wreath at their after school day care program. I thought they turned out really cute and a neat idea to use up old scraps of material and a bit of raffia.

The one above is the one that Alexandria made. The one below is the one that Natalia made.

For the base of the wreath, they used a 4 inch metal ring, like what you would use to hold cue cards together with. You can get these at any office supply store. Each strip of material is about 1 1/2 inches wide by about 6 inches long. You can trim the pieces after you tie them onto the ring, if they're a bit too long. It's just easier to tie them on if the material is a little longer.

Thanks for stoppin' by! :)

I almost won a new car!!!

2010-12-19T12:23:00.003-04:00

I went out to volunteer at a Mooseheads Hockey game last night and my name was drawn from the thousands of spectators to go on to the ice to shoot the puck from the blue line behind the center line for a chance to win a new car! The only thing was that they cover up the net and only leave a hole a tiny bit larger than the puck that you have to get in the puck through! Well, I was so nervous that the first time I went to shoot the puck, I actually missed the puck! lol :) On my second attempt, I shot the puck and it got within a few inches of the hole! OH, so close! That new SUV sponsored by BMO (Bank of Montreal) sure would have been nice to win. It certainly would have been a happy holiday! :) Oh well, I got a few consolation prizes from the Mooseheads, including a T-shirt, a ball cap and set of tickets for the next game (which I gave to a friend's son , so he could go enjoy the game since I'll be away for Christmas holidays.)

Well, that's all the excitement for here. I've been working a lot of overtime hours lately, trying to make up for some sick time I had taken off. No rest for the weary. I hope to get in some crafty time soon so I'll have something to share with you all.

Thanks for stoppin' by! :)

Ophelia Charm

2010-12-06T23:20:00.006-04:00

I have a card to show you today showcasing the beautiful, Ophelia. I saw this key chain yesterday at the Dollar store and I knew straight away that I wanted to pull it apart and add an Ophelia image from The Stampsmith to the inside and use it as a charm on a card. it fit perfectly! Ya gotta love the Dollar store, eh? :)

Here's a close up of the charm.

Just a reminder that we have another challenge for you all over on The Stampsmith Challenge blog. The current theme is 'The Holiday Season.' Please pop on over to check out some eye candy from the rest of the Design Team along with some gorgeous challenge submissions! This one is open to any stamps, and the winner will win a gift certificate to The Stampsmith Store to build your collection! We also might just have another treat up our sleeve...

Thanks for stoppin' by! :)

TSC5 - Christmas

2010-12-01T01:01:00.000-04:00

Our current theme over on The Stampsmith Challenge is The Holiday Season. Create a card or project with this theme in mind and post a link to your creation for a chance to build your stamp collection from The Stampsmith. For this 1st challenge of the month, although we'd love to see you use your stamps from The Stampsmith, remember this challenge is open to all stamps. One lucky winner will be chosen and posted on the blog on Dec. 15th and will receive a gift certificate to The Stampsmith Shop.

Here's a close up of The Stampsmith sentiment that I used. It's from the Christmas Greetings Sheet. (Please note the reindeer is not part of The Stampsmith stamp.)

This will be our final challenge for 2010, after taking a little break for the holiday season and we'll return again on Jan. 15th. Now, please pop on over to The Stampsmith Challenge blog for some more eye candy from the rest of the Design Team!

Thanks for stoppin' by! :)

New to You Challenge

2010-11-27T19:00:00.000-04:00

Our local group of crafty gals are getting together tonight and our challenge this time around is to use a 'new to us' stamp that we got from Kim. At our last crafty night, she passed along some older stamps that she doesn't use anymore and this is one that I got from her. I love butterflies and dragonflies, so I had to take this one. Thanks again, Kim! :)

This is the sketch that I followed from Crazy 4 Challenges:
I'll be sharing the project with you soon that we made tonight. Stay tuned...

Thanks for stoppin' by! :)

Supplies:
Stamps: Dragonfly - P1-622 (Stampers Anonymous)
Cardstock: Wild Wasabi (SU), Ivory (Staples), Avocado (CRS)
Patterned Paper: Classic K McKenna (K & Company)
Digital Patterned Paper: Subtle Watercolour Background (Art Creations Friday)
Ink: Memento - Tuxedo Black (Tsukineko)
Tools: Edge Distressor (CTMH)
Embellishments: Green Bling (Dollarama), Tim Holtz Distress Stickles - Peeled Paint (Ranger)

It's all make believe...

2010-11-18T23:09:00.008-04:00

I had some fun tonight playing with this fun image of Marilyn. Ya gotta love her, eh? :) I found the quote online and printed it off to fit inside this Spellbinders 'Fancy Frame.'

Here's a close up of the lovely Marilyn.

Here's a close up of one of her quotes.

Just a reminder that we have a new challenge up over at The Stampsmith Challenge. The current challenge is to make a card or project with 'Gratitude' in mind. I hope you decide to join us in the fun for a chance to build on your Stampsmith collection with a $15.00 gift certificate to the The Stampsmith Shop!

I'm also going to enter this creation for the SDC19: Girly Girl Challenge over on the Stampotique Designers Challenge blog. This challenge is open to Stampotique stamps or stamps of your choice, and it doesn't get more girly than Marilyn, so I figured this would be perfect.

The next few days are going to be very busy on my end, but I'll be back soon!

Thanks for stoppin by! :)

TSC4 - In honor of Thanksgiving, a Thank You card

2010-11-15T01:13:00.001-04:00

This is my DT card for our current challenge over on The Stampsmith Challenge. This time around, we're asking you to make a Thank You card, in Honor of Thanksgiving, using a stamp by The Stampsmith. I hope you decide to play along in the fun with TSC4 for a chance to win a $10 gift certificate to The Stampsmith Shop!

For my card, I used a photostamp from The Mountains plate - found under Landscapes in The Stampsmith Shop. I wanted an image that painted a quiet, serene picture in your mind to go with the beautiful quote that reads:

There is a calmness to a life
lived in gratitude, a quiet joy.
--Ralph H. Blum

Here's a close up of the Gratitude quote in case you can't read it above...

In Canada, we celebrated Thanksgiving last month, but I'll like to wish a Happy Thanksgiving to everyone who's celebrating it this month. I wish you a wonderful holiday spent with family and friends, whom I'm sure your grateful for! Safe travels if you're travelling to be with them, as well.

Thanks for stoppin' by! :)

Lest We Forget

2010-11-06T23:46:00.005-03:00

As a proud Canadian, who comes from a long line of military serving family members and who's also married into the military, I pondered long and hard over this remembrance montage. I used the leaves photostamp from The Mountains plate found in under Landscapes created by The Stampsmith. My card depicts Canadian soldiers, the famous poppy and the sentiment, Lest We Forget under it. The most important element in my card which isn't meant to fade into the background, though, is a snapshot of a few of the names of the 11,285 Canadian soldiers who died in France and whose remains were never found. The towering, 10-storey, white limestone Vimy Memorial Monument is located at Vimy Ridge, near Arras, France. The striking memorial features a 30-tonne limestone figure carved from a single block, a hooded figure representing Canada herself, gazing down on a single tomb overlooking the Douai plain.

I've created this 5" x 7" montage to be added to the bulletin board at my daughter's elementary school. One of the teachers has took it upon herself to add pictures of all the Canadian soldiers of the current war in Iraq with the province they came from. It's very moving to look at all the pictures and think how their families lives have been affected. It's my hope that these families have found some comfort in the fact that their loved ones didn't die in vane, but by fighting for our freedom. For that, we will all be eternally grateful.

In order to create the Canadian flag for the bottom corner of the soldier image, I used the Julius Gray font and re-sized it to the size I wanted. This is a free download and you can use either the flag or just the maple leaf image from the flag. Once you download the font (tff), move it to your fonts folder. Choose the Julius Gray font, then type 1 for the flag or type 5 for just the maple leaf. The link above gives more info on this, if my explanation isn't clear.

With Remembrance Day coming this November 11th, I hope you will take the time that day, and every day, to remember our fallen soldiers and those who currently serve to protect our country, and the freedoms that we are so fortunate to have.

With Remembrance,

TSC3 - Using Ovals - Audrey Treasure Box

2010-11-01T01:10:00.000-03:00

Our challenge over at The Stampsmith Challenge blog this time around is "Using Ovals." I made another Audrey Treasure Box, nearly identical to the one I made a month ago, but with a couple slight differences. I've been busy lately with work and life in general, so I'm cheating and using this as my Design Team project. :)

Here's a close up the beautiful, Audrey.

A different angle of the altered paper maché box.
I hope you decide to join us over at The Stampsmith Challenge! With every entry, you have a chance at winning some new rubber from The Stampsmith! So, what are you waiting for? Come on over and join in on the fun! :)

Thanks for stoppin' by! :)

Supplies:
Stamps: Audrey (The Stampsmith)
Cardstock: Chocolate Brown (CRS), White Glossy Cardstock (CRS)
Patterned Paper: Lost & Found - Portobello Road "Family" Brocade Paper by Jen Allyson (My Minds Eye)
Ink: Ancient Page - Chocolate (Clearsnap), Tim Holtz Distress Ink - Tea Dye (Ranger)
Tools: Oval and Scalloped Oval Nestabilities (Spellbinders), Cuttlebug, Sponge (SU), Edge Distressor (CTMH), Vanilla Shimmer Smooch Spritz
Embellishments: Pewter Antique-Look Hardware (Tim Holtz), Handmade Paper Flower, Grungeboard Flourish (Tim Holtz), Lace Doily (Dollarama)

Halloween Sari by Kelly

2010-10-27T23:29:00.005-03:00

My friend Kelly made this gorgeous sari for my oldest daughter, Alexandria, last year for Halloween. She got all dressed up to go to a costume party the other night, I even did her make up all fancy for her. She had a blast and said she felt like a real Indian Princess. So cute. :)

Here's a close up of her make up.
Both my girls went to their Halloween party for Brownies tonight. Alexandria was a Vampire and Natalia was a Vampiress. Oh, the Twilight, vampire craze, eh? I'll share more pics of their costumes soon.

Thanks for stoppin' by! :)

Butterfly Kiss Altered Cigar Box

2010-10-24T22:57:00.008-03:00

I started this altered box last month at our local crafty group get together. Louise led us in using a wooden cigar box from the Dollarama and we glued patterned paper of our choice to it, sanded the edges and sponged it with distress ink. For my main image, I used a precious photostamp from The Stampsmith called, Butterfly Kiss.

Here's a front shot to show you the little feet and the dimension of the flower that I made and the butterfly that I cut out.

Here's a side angle...

and a close up of the flower...

This was a fun project...I think this will make a nice little gift when filled with something special.

Thanks for stoppin' by! :)

Supplies:
Stamps: Butterfly Kiss (The Stampsmith)
Cardstock: Chocolate Brown (CRS), White Glossy Cardstock (CRS)
Patterned Paper: Velvet Floral Paper, Scarlet Rec Daisy - Scrapbook Walls (Chatterbox)
Ink: Ancient Page - Chocolate (Clearsnap), Tim Holtz Distress Ink - Tea Dye (Ranger)
Tools: Peony Nestabilities (Spellbinders), Cuttlebug, Sponge (SU), Clear Shimmer Smooch Spritz, Wooden Spindles for feet (Michaels)
Embellishments: Pearl Brad (K & Company), Chocolate Pearls (Dollarama), Handmade Paper Flower, Lace (Dollarama)

Stampsmith Challenge #2

2010-10-15T02:00:00.001-03:00

We have another challenge for you this week over at The Stampsmith Challenge. This week we're asking you to create a card or project using 'black and white plus one other color.' We hope you decide to play along in the fun for a chance to win some new rubber from The Stampsmith! :)

For my Design Team card, I chose to use a hint of red with my black and white wedding card. I used a photostamp of a beautiful bride and handsome groom along with a Shakespeare sentiment from the Wedding Bells plate by The Stampsmith.

Here's a close up of the sentiment.

Thanks for stoppin' by! :)

Supplies:
Stamps: Wedding Bells (The Stampsmith)
Cardstock: Flat Black (CRS), Flat White (Staples), Dusty Durango (SU), White Glossy Cardstock (CRS)
Ink: Ancient Page - Coal Black (Clearsnap)
Tools: Cuttlebug, Textile Texture Embossing Folder (ProvoCraft), White Lace (Dollarama), 1/8" Dimensional Squares
Embellishments: Black Bling (Dollarama)

Happy Thanksgiving!

2010-10-11T11:04:00.008-03:00

Happy Thanksgiving to all my friends celebrating this weekend! We're about to have a big Ham Dinner with Spiced Raisin Sauce and all the fixings. Yum! Yum! I'm thankful for the wonderful family that I have, for wonderful friends that surround me, for my fulfilling job at a children's charity, food that's always on my table and for my house that's full of everything that I need - including the stuff that I don't really need, like all craft supplies in my studio! :)

I giggled while I made this card last night. This Stampsmith photostamp of Serena is such a beautiful image and she looks like she's thinking about something...hence me adding this funny Stampsmith sentiment from Twosomes - Say What? for a bit of humour! :)

Just a reminder that you have until this Thursday, Oct. 14th to submit your entries to our first Stampsmith Challenge for a chance to win some new rubber! The theme is "All Dressed Up." The winner will be announced on Friday, Oct. 15th along with samples for our next challenge! Please come on over and play along in the fun!

Thanks for stoppin' by! :)

Supplies:
Stamps: Serena (The Stampsmith), Twosomes - Say What? (The Stampsmith)
Cardstock: Flat Black (CRS), Lime Green (CRS), White Glossy Cardstock (CRS)
Patterned Paper: Bohemia - Backyard "Adventure" Dragonfly/Brown (My Mind's Eye)
Ink: Ancient Page - Coal Black (Clearsnap), Tim Holtz Distress Ink - Old Paper (Ranger)
Tools: 1/8" Dimensional Squares
Embellishments: Lime Green Satin Ribbon (Michaels), Pale Green Pearls (Dollarama)

Happy 9th Birthday, Alexandria!

2010-10-05T23:33:00.007-03:00

Just a quick post to share the fun card that I made for my daughter, Alexandria's 9th birthday tomorrow! I can't believe she's 9 already...where does the time go?

We're waiting until Jim gets home to have her birthday party, but she's super excited to be able to open her gifts tomorrow from her grandparents and me. Hey, who wouldn't want to have two parties with cake and presents at both? :)

I'll post the supplies I used soon...

Thanks for stoppin' by! :)

My 15th Anniversary

2010-10-04T19:58:00.002-03:00

I thought I'd bring you a taste of Paris for today's Stampsmith Design Team card. I made this card for my hubby, Jim, for our 15th wedding anniversary this week. Perhaps some day we'll actually be able to go to Paris to celebrate our anniversary! Unfortunately, it won't be for this one as Jim's away at sea right now, but we'll celebrate when he gets home. Oh, the joys of military life...

This gorgeous Eiffel Tower photostamp comes from the Paris plate. The flower is another one that I made when my friend, Val came over for some crafty therapy time. We had a great night making a bunch of these flowers using different die cuts and patterned papers. You can achieve such a different look just by the patterned paper and the die cut that you use. In case you'd like to try making some of these flowers, here's a link to the tutorial that we followed.
Here's a close up of the Stampsmith Sentiment. It's also from the Paris Plate.

Feel free to check out some beautiful samples from the rest of the Stampsmith Design Team by checking out the Stampsmith blog. Also, a reminder that we just started up a new Stampsmith challenge blog, for an opportunity to grow your Stampsmith rubber collection just by playing along in the fun! So, what are you waiting for? Pop on over and join us! :)

Thanks for stoppin' by! :)

Supplies:
Stamps: Paris (The Stampsmith)
Cardstock: Flat Black (CRS), Chocolate Brown (CRS), White Glossy Cardstock (CRS)
Patterned Paper: Elegant Black, Brown and Gold Swirl (Dollarama)
Ink: Ancient Page - Coal Black (Clearsnap)
Tools: Labels 4 Nestabilities (Spellbinders), Shapeabilities Blossom (Spellbinders), Cuttlebug, Vanilla Shimmer Smooch Spritz, Scissors
Embellishments: Handmade Paper Flower, Antique Copper Rimmed Clock (Dollarama)

It's all about the bling, Dahling!

2010-10-01T02:30:00.000-03:00

It's all about the bling, Dahling!

Yes, our very first challenge on our new Stampsmith Challenge blog is going to be all about dressing up. Whether it's for a party, a masquerade, a wedding, Halloween or a themed event, you're going to need just the right outfit with matching accessories! This challenge celebrates suits, dresses, crowns, masks, tiaras, bling, shoes, purses, feather boas or whatever costume is appropriate for the occasion. Feel free to create any type of project inspired by this theme (card, 3d object, altered project, art jewellery, etc.)

For my Design Team card, I chose to use a gorgeous photostamp of this fabulous lady of Bling. Isn't she fabulous? I created this flower using a simple tutorial, patterned paper, diecuts, glue, glimmer spritz, distress ink and a sponge. These are fun little flowers to create and I can see they're going to be addictive, too! I'll share the link to the tutorial soon along with some other flowers that I made at the same time. :)

Here's a close up of the Bling Lady and the flower that I made.

We really hope you decide to play along in the fun! Please pop on over to the challenge blog to check out the fabulous projects from the rest of the Design Team.

Thanks for stoppin' by! :)

Supplies:
Stamps: Bling (The Stampsmith)
Cardstock: Aqua (CRS), Flat Black (CRS), Flat White (Staples), White Glossy Cardstock (CRS)
Patterned Paper: Lost & Found - Portobello Road "Party" Looking Glass Paper by Jen Allyson (My Minds Eye)
Ink: Ancient Page - Coal Black (Clearsnap)
Tools: Oval & Peony Nestabilities (Spellbinders), Shapeabilities Pendant in Spades (Spellbinders), Cuttlebug, Clear Shimmer Smooch Spritz
Embellishments: Handmade Paper Flower, Blue Bling (Dollarama)

Exciting Stampsmith News

2010-09-28T12:00:00.002-03:00

We've got some exciting news over at The Stampsmith. We've started a new challenge blog and the first challenge will be up this Friday, Oct.1st, so please pop on over then to see what the rest of the Design Team has to show you for the big reveal. I hope you decide to join in on the fun for a chance to win some goodies from The Stampsmith!

Thanks for stoppin' by! :)

Audrey Treasure Box

2010-09-27T21:34:00.000-03:00

When our local craft group got together a few months ago, we started these little altered treasure boxes. Well, I got as far as painting the paper maché box that night with some acrylic paint and making the paper flower and that's as far as I got! So, it's been collecting dust on my craft desk until it called out to me this weekend to finally finish it already! lol :) This treasure box now has a special new home on my bedroom dresser and is my latest Design Team project for The Stampsmith Art Rubber Stamps. Please visit The Stampsmith blog for lots more inspiration using their beautiful stamps. Or, you can visit The Stampsmith website for some retail therapy! :)

Here's a close up the exquisite, Audrey. This is one of my favourite images of all time. I just love it. Isn't she lovely?

Here's a front view to show you the dimension of the flower a bit better. Here's a tutorial for the flower. I used a different diecut for the petals from the one used in the tutorial. Just have fun with it and play around with some different diecuts for a completely different looking flower each time. :)

Here's a different angle to show you the beautiful Tim Holtz hardware that I used to embellish my treasure box.

Thanks for stoppin' by! :)

Supplies:
Stamps: Audrey
Cardstock: Chocolate Brown (CRS), White Glossy Cardstock (CRS)
Patterned Paper: Lost & Found - Portobello Road "Family" Brocade Paper by Jen Allyson (My Minds Eye)
Ink: Ancient Page - Chocolate (Clearsnap), Tim Holtz Distress Ink - Tea Dye (Ranger)
Tools: Oval and Scalloped Oval Nestabilities (Spellbinders), Cuttlebug, Sponge (SU), Edge Distressor (CTMH), Clear Shimmer Smooch Spritz
Embellishments: Pewter Antique-Look Hardware (Tim Holtz), Handmade Paper Flower, Grungeboard Flourish (Tim Holtz), Lace Doily (Dollarama)

Love is in the air

2010-09-21T00:28:00.000-03:00

Tonight's Design Team card takes me away to a Paris romance.   Ok, so I have to live through my stamps right now, seeing as my hubby is deployed for a couple of months! lol   :) This gorgeous photostamp is one of many in a plate from The Stampsmith, called Paris. These are simply gorgeous images to play with and I can't wait to play with the others in the plate. Please check out The StampSmith blog for lots more inspiration from some very talented ladies.

I stamped this image on glossy white cardstock and sponged it with Old Paper distress ink to give it an aged look.   I used my Labels 4 Nesties to diecut the stamped image and traced around the outside of the diecut onto chocolate cardstock and freehand cut it out so I wouldn't have to use the next size up, which is too big for my liking. I'm a thrifty gal and like to get the most out of my crafty supplies! :)

I trimmed up a lace doily to layer in behind the folded patterned paper along with some Prima flowers to give the card a feminine look.   The folded layers are held down at the tips with 1/8" dimensional squares.   Stay tuned for another trip to Paris soon!

Thanks for stoppin' by! :)

Supplies:
Stamps: Paris (The Stampsmith)
Cardstock: Chocolate Brown (CRS), White Glossy Cardstock (CRS), Shimmer Lavender (My Minds Eye)
Patterned Paper: Jen Wilson's 20th Street Market "Carefree Graceful" Elegant Pink/Poised Purple Paper (My Minds Eye)
Ink: Ancient Page - Chocolate (Clearsnap), Tim Holtz Distress Ink - Old Paper (Ranger)
Tools: Labels 4 Nestabilities (Spellbinders), Cuttlebug, Sponge (SU, 1/8" Dimensional Squares, Scissor, Edge Distressor (CTMH)
Embellishments: Copper Brads (EK Success), Ivory and Pink Flowers (Prima), Lace Doily (Dollarama)

Design Team Appointment...

2010-09-18T10:35:00.000-03:00

OK, I've been just about busting at the seams for the past few days! Now that I'm officially allowed to share with you, I can let the cat out of the bag! I was just asked to be part of the Design Team for The Stampsmith! The Stampsmith has some really gorgeous stamps, but I especially love their line of photostamps. They're so realistic and so much fun to play with. I'm so excited about this new journey as I absolutely adore their stamps and really look forward to having fun creating with them. Please pop on over to say hi on the blog! :)

In keeping with me 'letting the cat out of the bag,' this is my first official card (above) as part of the Design Team using a photostamp from the Cats plate. Couldn't you just reach out and cuddle this sweet little kitten? There's some really sweet kittens in this plate. The sentiment I used was just one that I created on my computer since this is the first thing that came to my mind looking at this kitty. You can check out The Stampsmith's website here for more plates, single stamps, art galleries and more!

I also have another project to show to you that I created a little while back using the lovely, Audrey Hepburn, this time in a tri-shutter card.

Here's a close up Audrey.

I'll be back soon with something else to share with you. Until then...

Thanks for stoppin' by! :)

Kitten Card:
Supplies:
Stamps: Kitten Photostamp - Cats (The Stampsmith)
Cardstock: Lime Green (Bazzill), Flat Black & Flat White (Staples), White Glossy Cardstock (CRS)
Patterned Paper: Beau Jardin Clover (Bo Bunny)
Ink: Memento - Tuxedo Black (Tsukineko), Tim Holtz Distress Ink - Old Paper (Ranger), Tim Holtz Distress Ink - Shabby Shutters (Ranger)
Tools: Labels 4 Nestabilities (Spellbinders), Sponge (SU), Freebooter Script font at 24 pt for sentiment, printer
Embellishments: 5/8" Lime Green Satin Ribbon (Michaels), Lime Green Bling (Dollarama)

Audrey Card:
Supplies:
Stamps: Audrey Hepburn
Cardstock: Chocolate Chip and Sage Green (Bazzill), Ivory (Staples)
Patterned Paper: Once Upon a Time Print - Enchanted Paisley (DCWV), Classic K McKenna - Green Swirls (K&Company)
Ink: Cranberry Crisp (SU), Coal Black (Ancient Page), Antique Sepia (VersaFine)
Tools: Oval Nestabilities (Spellbinders), Scalloped Diamond Punch (EK Success), Corner Rounder (SU), Oval Custom Cutting System (Creative Memories), Sponge (SU)
Embellishments: Dark Olive Green Grosgrain Ribbon (Michaels), Prima Flowers, Antique Brass Jumbo Brad (Dollarama)

Thank You

2010-09-13T00:09:00.000-03:00

I was asked to make a special card for one of our supporters at work and this is the card that I came up with. This is just a 5" x 7" card front and our plan is to mount it into an 8" x 10" frame and present it to them as a thank you for all their help.

I created the framed sentiment from a digi ornate crosshatch frame from The Graphics Fairy. I re-sized it in PhotoShop and added the Thank You sentiment, using Freebooter Script. I printed it off and used my Labels 4 Nestabilites to make a nice frame for it. I traced the outer edge of that die and then freehand cut the black layer.

Thanks for stoppin' by! :)

Supplies:
Stamps: Butterfly (Anita's)
DigiStamp: Crosshatch Frame (The Graphics Fairy)
Cardstock: Black Linen (CRS), Flat White (Staples)
Patterned Paper: Blue Raspberry Paisley - Fresh Print (Déjà Views)
Ink: Memento - Tuxedo Black (Tsukineko)
Tools: Thumb Tack, Black 1/16" Dimensional Squares, 3/16" Pop Dots, Scissors
Embellishments: Sheer Black Ribbon (Michaels), Black Bling (Dollarama)

All White Swap and a Birthday Card

2010-09-11T20:58:00.000-03:00

I had a fabulous time last night with all my stampin' friends coming over. We always have such a hoot when we get together. There were 7 of us last night and Louise led us in altering a box to use to hold a stationary set. I'm not quite done mine, but when I am, I'll post it for you to see.

We did our "All White" swap last night and I received the gorgeous card above made by Kelly Eelhart. Thanks, Kel! I love it! Sorry again about the silver on mine, everyone! OMG, I'll never let that down! lol :)

Here's an angle shot of Kelly's card to show you some of the dimension.

Kathryn Arab also surprised me with this beautiful birthday card. Thanks so much, Kathryn, it's so pretty. We're all glad you've joined the group and are sharing your creativity with us and your sense of humour, too!

I'll try to complete my altered box soon, to I can share that with you. Until then...

Thanks for stoppin' by! :)

"All White" Challenge Card

2010-09-10T19:30:00.001-03:00

Our local stampin' crew is meeting at my place tonight and this is the swap challenge card that I made. Our challenge this time around was to make an "All White" card. Mine fits the bill, other than the pewter embellishment that I used, but I was stumped as to what to put there and I gave up and settled on the pewter sentiment. I hope that's ok! lol :)

I've never made an all white card before, but I saw a sample of one lately at our local stamp store and knew I wanted to try one, so I suggested that it be our challenge for this month. With it being all white, it gives it such an elegant look, perfect for a wedding or anniversary card. I think I'll make more of these for just that reason, to have in my stash.

Here's an angle shot to show you the layers a little more clearly.

Here's a close up of the butterfly to show you the embossing detail.

I'll be back soon to show you the altered box project that we have planned to do. Stay tuned...

Thanks for stoppin' by! :)

Supplies:
Stamps: Butterfly (PSX)
Cardstock: Flat White
Ink: VersaFine (Tsukineko)
Tools: Heat Tool, Embossing Tray, Embossing Buddy (SU), Clear Super Fine Detail Embossing Powder (Ranger), 3/16" Pop Dots (SU), White Smooch Spray (to give the flat white cs a shimmery look), Cuttlebug, Victoria Embossing Folder (ProvoCraft)
Embellishments: Sheer White Ribbon (Michaels), White Pearls (Dollarama), Pewter 'Love' Sentiment (Dollarama)

Just Because...

2010-09-04T17:29:00.000-03:00

I decided that I would advantage of a bit of crafty time today while the weather is miserable outside, but hey, who needs an excuse to get crafty! lol :) Seriously, things here are settling down, with the better part of the Hurricane past us now. We only had a few downed tree branches and lots of debris in the yard to clean up, but nothing broken as far as we can see. The power was only only off for 1 1/2 hours, so we're really fortunate.

For this card, I was inspired by the colours in a sweet top that I bought for my daughter a couple days ago at Tag. It's the first time I've been in this store and they have some super cute outfits and decent prices. I even used the ribbon that they had the tag attached by. Isn't it pretty ribbon? :)

I'm thinking that my friend Erika will be happy with this card. It really doesn't look like something I would make, but I really quite like it. Anyway, it's a happy card, for sure, to brighten up some one's day...just because. :)

Thanks for stoppin' by! :)

Supplies:
Stamps: Just Because (Studio G)
Cardstock: Flat Black (Recollections)
Patterned Paper: Pieces from an all occasion card kit (SEI)
Ink: Memento - Tuxedo Black (Tsukineko)
Tools: Scissors, 3/16 " Pop Dots (SU),1/8" Dimensional Squares (EK Success)
Embellishments: Decorative Painted Butterfly (Dollarama), Multi-Coloured Grosgrain Ribbon (Tag), Handmade Floral Paisley Glitter Stickers (Dollarama), Red and Charcoal Flowers (Prima), Light Pink Brads (SEI)

Hurricane Earl passing through...

2010-09-04T13:57:00.000-03:00

This picture was posted this afternoon on the Halifax Herald online, showing some downed trees in Halifax.

Well, it's been quite a week. We've had record temperatures here all week in the Halifax area peaking at 38 C (100.4 F) and well into the 40's with the humidex. Thank goodness for the air conditioning at work, but at home, the temperature peaked at +33 C inside my house! Not nice to sleep in at all! :( We finally got an a/c unit installed yesterday were able to cool the house down, but now the power has been going on and off with Hurricane Earl passing through. That means no a/c or fans! Hopefully the power is on to stay now, but we'll see. The last time we had a hurricane pass through, they was a lot of devastation and a lot of homes were without power for days or even weeks. You don't realize how much you rely on it until it's gone! Stay safe, everyone!

My girls also started school on Thursday. Natalia started grade 2 and Alexandria started grade 3. They're two years apart in age, but Alexandria missed the birthday deadline for enrollment so she had to wait an extra year to start school. Then, they changed the birthday deadline, so Natalia got to go a year earlier. Seems weird that they're only a year apart in school. But, they're both doing really well. I'll post a pic of them soon.

Well, the wind is still really howling and I'm sure we're going to lose power again, so I'd better finish up with my post. I'll keep ya updated soon.

Thanks for stoppin' by!

Dragonfly Dreams

2010-08-30T20:40:00.001-03:00

Wow, what a hot day today. The temp got up to +35 C! It's now 8:25 pm and it's still +29 C inside my house. Yuck! This is way too hot for my liking and we're supposed to have this heat wave all week here. I hate to pray for cooler weather but the Fall really is my favourite time of the year. I love the cool days and evenings and the beautiful Fall colours as the leaves change.

Anyway, enough of my rambling. Onto my card. I made this card a while ago, but I wasn't happy with the stamped image as the ink ran a bit. So, I sat it aside and found it last night. The adhesive that I had used was the cheap dollar store double-sided tape and it completely dried out, so I had to put the entire card back together again! This time I changed the sentiment and added the dimensional stamped dragonfly.

Here's a close up of the dragonfly. I used Peeled Paint Distress Stickles to make him look all shimmery.

This is the sketch that I followed.

Ok, I have to get some more work done that I didn't get done today. It's just too bloody hot here!

Thanks for stoppin' by! :)

Supplies:
Stamps: Dragonfly (Impression Obsession), Dream (Studio G)
Cardstock: Flat White (Staples), Chocolate Brown (CRS), Pink Pirouette (SU)
Patterned Paper: Sugared (Basic Grey)
Ink: Memento - Tuxedo Black (Tsukineko)
Tools: Scissors, 3/16 " Pop Dots (SU), Distress Stickles - Peeled Paint (Tim Holtz)
Embellishments: Light Pink Grosgrain Ribbon (Michaels)

Flower Emboss Resist

2010-08-29T22:16:00.000-03:00

Well, I'm finally getting around to posting this card. My friend, Kim, came and rescued me from my house renos with some crafty therapy time a week ago today and we made this card. It was a 'make and take' at our local stamp store, Carousel Rubber Stamps' Demo Day. Taylor demo'd this card for us. I thought she choose really pretty colours and I love this flower. I think I actually own this flower stamp...but can't find it in my stash...time to clean my crafty area again, I guess! lol :)

Here's a close up of the emboss resist flower. We used clear embossing powder and then used a beautiful aqua colour ink and some yellow Smooch spray to give it a nice shimmery two-tone effect.

I also nearly finished another card tonight, but I'll have to post it tomorrow. I just have to wait for my dragonfly to dry before I can adhere it to my card. So, stay tuned for my winged creation tomorrow. :)

Thanks for stoppin' by! :)

Yarn Octopus Dolls

2010-08-28T16:07:00.001-03:00

I've been busy with working full time and doing some renos to the house in the evenings, so today I thought I'd take a break today and make a couple of crafts with my girls. My good friend, Diana, made them these sweet mermaid dolls and they wanted a yarn friend for them, so we found this super easy Disney pattern online for a yarn octopus. So, my girls and I made one for each of them in opposite colours. They love them!

This one is Alexandria's octopus.

Here's what it looks like when you bring her tentacles in.

This one is Natalia's octopus...you can see I smeared the hot glue under her eye. Oops! :(

I have a card to share with you later. I've been having trouble uploading pictures from my camera to my computer lately, but I think I've finally got it working again. Somehow the computer just wouldn't recognize my camera so I had to re-install everything. I think I'm good to go now, though! Now, I just need there to be more hours in the day so I can spend more time crafting and doing the things I enjoy! lol :)

Thanks for stoppin' by! :)

Thank You Tri Fold Shutter

2010-08-14T14:11:00.003-03:00

I know, I know, another tri fold shutter card...lol :) But, I was asked to make a special card for someone who donated a substantial amount to us at work, so I thought I would make another one of these, with some really pretty sparkly and sheen papers. I hope she likes it! :)

I'm also submitting this 'winged creation' to the current Stampotique Designer's Challenge. You can see the current challenge here. You'll always see some gorgeous work over there and some funny, off the wall creations, too! I always get a kick out of some of them! lol :) Here's a link to my inlinkz submission. I hope I did this right!

This is what my card looks like when it's all folded up like a standard A2 style card.

Here's a bit of a close up of the embossed sentiment and the butterflies that I cut out from the patterned paper and popped up off the card.

Here's a view from the top of the card to show you the dimension.

Well, I bought some new paint for my living room to spruce it up since I just got new furniture, so I need to go start taking off the existing wallpaper border and fill the cracks. By tomorrow I should be able to start the painting. Finally, after being in our home for 4 years, we're getting around to painting the last room in our house! We're quite the procrastinators! lol :) Anyway, I think it will look really nice when it's done...off to work! I'll post pics when I'm done.

Thanks for stoppin' by! :)

Supplies:
Stamps: Thank You - Greetings Galore (Impression Obsession)
Cardstock: Burgundy (Creative Memories), White (Staples)
Patterned Paper: Chocolat Cherie (sei), Pink Swirls (DCWV)
Ink: VersaFine (Tsukineko)
Tools: Scoring Board (Martha Stewart), Embossing Buddy (SU), Embossing Tray, White Opaque Embossing Powder (Stampendous), Heat Tool, Scissors, 3/16" Glue Dot, 1/8" Dimensional Squares (EK Success)

Another Birthday Tri-Fold Shutter

2010-08-11T00:25:00.001-03:00

I'm finally getting the chance to post this now...I had company this past weekend so I was busy with them with no time for blogging. We did have a great weekend, though. :)

In case you're wondering, no, I'm not posting the same tri fold shutter card that I made recently. I was just asked to make another one of these cards for the Mom of a friend/co-worker of mine. I did change up the cardstock for a lighter mauve colour this time, but I used the same patterned paper again, since I thought it was so pretty. If you're not familiar with this style of card, here's a great tutorial for the Tri Fold Shutter on SCS.

Here's a close up of the butterfly and flowers...yes, I cut them all out myself!

Here's a close up of the sentiment.

Ok, I'll try to pop back soon with something else to show you. Until then...

Thanks for stoppin' by! :)

Supplies:
Stamps: Swallowtail Butterfly (Anita's), Branch - Natural Beauty (SU), Happy Birthday - A Greeting for All Seasons (SU)
Cardstock: Mauve (Bazzill)
Patterned Paper: Airy Fairy P365 Dreams (KaiserCraft)
Ink: VersaFine (Tsukineko)
Tools: Scoring Board (Martha Stewart), Embossing Buddy (SU), Embossing Tray, Antique Gold Embossing Powder, Heat Tool, Scissors, 3/16" Glue Dots

Pink Elephant for a Baby Girl

2010-08-03T22:49:00.001-03:00

Well, I finally finished this card! I've been working on if on and off for several days now...just lots going on with the Natal Day long weekend here this past weekend and I haven't had much time to work on it each time. Plus, I'm back to work after my vacation, so not much free time. Anyway, I finally finished it tonight and the card below is the one that inspired me to make it.

I saw the card above, made by Hallmark, and absolutely fell in love with it. How cute is this?! So, I CASE'd it! Don't worry, though, I'm not selling it, I just made it for fun or to give to my next friend who has a baby girl. :) You can see in the Hallmark card that they used fabric and felt and actually sewed around the edges of each piece. But, I opted to use some sweet patterned paper that I love to use on baby girl cards and I cheated and doodled on the stitches with a few different colours of gel pens.

Sorry I haven't been around in a while, but we've had some beautiful weather here lately, so I've been out a lot with the family and haven't taken much time to spend crafting. But, I do have a couple of cards to make for friends, so I'll be making those in the next few days and I'll post them soon. So, stay tuned.

Thanks for stoppin' by! :)

Birthday Tri-Fold Shutter

2010-07-19T01:24:00.000-03:00

Wow, I can't believe it's been a month since I've anything on here! Life just kinda happened, I guess, plus I'm in the middle of my two week vacation from work and before hand I was pretty busy during the days getting everything from work all done so I could actually leave for vacation and not feel guilty! lol :)

So far, we're having a great vacation. We spent 6 days up in New Brunswick visiting Jim's Dad and enjoyed lots of gorgeous weather on the Miramichi River. We've been back for a jam packed weekend and tomorrow we're going camping for a few days and off to a water park after that. By then, I should need a little mini vacation from my vacation! lol :)

Anyway, enough of my babble...I know you're here to see the card, so here goes. I was asked my one of my co-workers for a card like the one that my friend, Yvonne, made me for my birthday last year. You can see that card here. You can also find a template for this style of card here.

Well, I just realized that it's 1:22 AM, so it's time this girl goes to bed!! I'll try not to let it go too long before I pop back again...until then,

Thanks for stoppin' by! :)

Supplies:
Stamps: Swallowtail Butterfly (Anita's), Branch - Natural Beauty (SU), Happy Birthday - A Greeting for All Seasons (SU)
Cardstock: Mauve (Creative Memories), Eggplant (CRS)
Patterned Paper: Airy Fairy P365 Dreams (KaiserCraft)
Ink: VersaFine (Tsukineko)
Tools: Scoring Board (Martha Stewart), Embossing Buddy (SU), Embossing Tray, Antique Gold Embossing Powder, Heat Tool, Scissors, 3/16" Glue Dots

Happy Father's Day, Dad!

2010-06-20T00:54:00.001-03:00

I saw this digi image the other day on The Graphics Fairy and knew I wanted to use it for a Father's Day card for my dad. He likes vintage cars, so I think he'll like this card. Sorry for the washed out picture, it's hard for me to get a picture with the antique brass studs...I should have waited to get a picture in the morning in natural light to avoid using the flash, but I know I won't have time and I wanted to share a card with you, so here it is! lol :)

Here's a bit of better picture, not washed out like the one above, but the studs on this one didn't turn out.

Our girls have also made sweet cards for Jim, but he won't be home from sea until this Thursday, so we'll have to have a late Father's Day celebration for him.

OK, time to call it a day. I'll try to be back soon with something new to share with you. Until then...

Thanks for stoppin' by! :)

Supplies:
Digi Stamps: Vintage Cars (The Graphics Fairy)
Cardstock: Flat Black (Recollections), Ivory (Staples), Chocolate Brown (CRS)
Ink: Printer Ink
Tools: 3/16" Pop Dots (EK Success)
Embellishments: Antique Brass Iron on Studs (Hillary Duff Stuff)