Stamps and Taxes!

Avocado Arts Guest Designer

2011-12-08T00:01:00.001-05:00

Hi! I'm back with another card using the December release at Avocado Arts. This snowman set is adorable and the sentiments are perfect. This time I HAD to use the sleigh and adorable top hat for the snowman.

The sketch is this week's Card Patterns sketch.

Thanks for stopping by!

Stamps: Brrr and the Nerdy Snowman - Avocado Arts
Paper: PTI vintage cream, SU green, crumb cake, PTI DP
Ink: Palette Noir
Accessories: Nestabilities, ribbon, sewing machine

CASE Study Challenge #69

2011-12-08T00:00:00.003-05:00

Hello! Welcome to another week at CASE Study challenge. We're continuing the month of December with our fabulous Muse Amy Sheffer. Check out the CASE Study blog for all the details on how to play along this week.

See you soon!

Stamps: Papertrey Ink
Paper: PTI vintage cream, crumb cake
Ink: Early espresso
Accessories: PTI ribbon, rusty jingle bells, twine, Nestabilities, PTI snowflake die, sewing machine, snowflake impression plate

Avocado Arts Guest Designer

2011-12-02T00:00:00.001-05:00

Hello! Today I have a fun post for you! This is my first post as the Avocado Arts guest designer for the month of December! This month's set is called Brrr...and the Nerdy Snow Peeps. This set is seriously adroable! I'm a sucker for snowpeople, and this set has two different snow people that you can customize to your liking. You can have a snowman with glasses, a tie or other fun embellishments that you wouldn't think of right away but make a really cute combo!

Stop by the Avocado Arts store and blog for more details on the December kit and for more examples from the Pit Crew!

Thanks for stopping!

Stamps: Brrr...and the Nerdy Snow Peeps
Paper: PTI white, green, crumb cake, PTI DP
Ink: Palette Noir
Accessories: SU glass glitter, sewing machine

CASE Study Challenge #68

2011-12-01T00:00:00.001-05:00

Hello, December! A new month brings a new CASE Study muse, and this month we are all very excited to welcome Amy Sheffer! The CASE Study blog has a great card of Amy's featured for this week's challenge, so be sure to head over there and check it out!

Also, be sure to check back tomorrow for my first Guest Designer post for Avocado Arts!

Stamps: November KOM - Unity Stamp Co
Paper: PTI vintage cream, scarlet jewel, crumb cake, Lily Bee Designs DP
Ink: Palette Noir
Accessories: May Arts ribbon, twine, SU brad, Nestabilities, MFT Die-namics border die, sewing machine

The Gift of Christmas

2011-11-28T08:00:00.001-05:00

...is in the from of cowbells. Yes, cowbells. :)

Today I have a fun post for you. My Twitter BFF, Michelle Philippi and I have a fun post featuring cowbells. This whole thing started when we joined forces to purchase some rusty jingle bells. Before I knew it, cowbells were in the mix as well. What was I going to do with cowbells?

I decided to make a really easy and fun Christmas gift featuring cowbells. I started out with a brown paper sack from Michelle's Etsy store. I created a tag using the MFT Die-namics tag die and covered it in My Mind's Eye DP. I added a snowflake using one of the PTI snowflake die cuts and a sentiment from Unity's October Kit of the Month. I tied the whole thing with some cream ribbon, twine, and a cowbell.

Hop over to Michelle's blog to see what she created...I'm sure it will be creative and adorable! Thanks for playing along, Michelle!

WMSC74 - Christmas Spirit

2011-11-25T10:00:00.000-05:00

Hello! I hope you are all recovering nicely from your Thanksgiving food coma or late-night shopping trip! I don't shop Black Friday in stores. In fact, I do very little of my Christmas shopping in real stores at all. :) Most of mine is done online.

This card is for this week's Waltzingmouse sketch challenge. I'm in love with Seasonal Remedies, it makes perfect holiday cards. :)

Thanks for stopping!

Stamps: Seasonal Remedies - Waltzingmouse Stamps
Paper: PTI vintage cream, poppy parade, crumb cake, Echo Park DP, Crate Paper DP
Ink: Palette Noir
Accessories: Ribbon, sewing machine, Nestabilities, Prima flower, twine

Warmest Wishes Blog Hop

2011-11-24T08:00:00.000-05:00

Hi friends! Welcome back for Day 3 of previews for this month's release at There She Goes!

Torico is in the mood to make winter all warm and cheery. She has illustrated a fabulous set that will keep you in stitches or get you in the mood to make gingerbread houses and sugar cookies. The set includes hearts, stars, and snowflakes to create a one of a kind snowman or holiday tree. This set also includes six dies – so warm up your die cutting machine and let the baking begin. What set wouldn’t be complete without a few sentiments to add to your winter projects?

Warmest Wishes is a 4x4 set that includes a total of 23 stamps and six dies and will sell for $31.50.

CASE Study Challenge #67

2011-11-24T00:00:00.002-05:00

Hello! Happy Thanksgiving to my American friends! What a wonderful day to be thankful! This is my second week on the CASE Study team and I'm just loving all the inspiration that we're getting from Kryssi.

I hope you have time to play along this week. Stop by the CASE Study blog to see all of this week's inspiration!

Colors were inspired by this edition of the CR84FN challenge.
Stamps: Polka Dot Basics II, Fancy Flourishes, Stylish Sentiments: Holiday - Papertrey Ink
Paper: PTI vintage cream, crumb cake, SU green
Ink: Versamark, Walnut Tea distress ink
Accessories: Prima flower, sewing, May Arts twill, twine

Holly Jolly Blog Hop

2011-11-23T08:00:00.001-05:00

Hello! Welcome to Day 2 of previews of this month's release at There She Goes. Today's set + die combo is adorable and perfect for holiday cards. I thought it would be cute to make a little present out of my card. :)

No two snowflakes are alike…each with a beauty of their own and Melyssa Connolly has captured the beauty of snowflakes in this new Holly Jolly set that are sure to make you wish it were snowing. This amazing set also includes a die! It’s a fabulous versatile set that will surely bring a holiday glisten to your projects – all you need to add is the glitter!

Holly Jolly is a 6x8 set that includes a total of 35 stamps and one die and will sell for $31.50.

Would you like to win the new Holly Jolly stamp set? Here is what you need to do- visit the Trendsetter’s blogs that are participating in each of the blog hop challenges below and comment on their creations as you go. One of the Trendsetter’s blogs (from each hop day) will be randomly chosen as the ‘it’ blog and a winner will be picked using a random number generator from the comments left on that Trendsetter’s Blog Hop Challenge post.

You will not know which blog has been chosen so the more you comment on the better your chances are of winning new stamps! The Blog Hop Challenges will be open until 5 PM Eastern Time Saturday November 26th with the winner being announced during the release party chat.

Ho Ho Ho/Holiday Ribbons/Wishing You Blog Hop

2011-11-22T08:00:00.002-05:00

Hello and welcome to Day 1 of previews for this month's release at There She Goes. There are some gorgeous holiday sets being released this month...I hope you'll join us for all the previews this week!

What images come to mind when you hear sleigh bells ringing? Santa and his eight tiny reindeer of course! Torico has illustrated the perfect mini set to create your winter wonderland scene. This is the perfect set to create holiday tags, cards, and gift boxes. A complete must have.

Hohoho is a 3x4 mini-set that includes a total of 9 stamps and will sell for $7.

Just when you thought the World’s Best & Die stamp set couldn’t get any better…here comes another fabulous set illustrated by Melyssa Connolly to add snowmen, reindeer, and angels on the tails of your ribbon or flowers of the World’s Best stamp set. What a great set this will be to dress up a holiday bottle of cheer!

Holiday Ribbons is a 2x3 mini-set that includes a total of 9 stamps and will sell for $4.

Holidays are not complete without all the wishes of the seasons. Jessica has illustrated a beautiful set of timeless sentiments so that you’ll never be at a loss for words. This mini set would complement the collection of holiday stamps sets released this month!

Wishing You is a 3x4 mini-set that includes a total of 6 stamps and will sell for $7.

Would you like to win the new Hohoho, Holiday Ribbons, and Wishing You stamp sets? Here is what you need to do- visit the Trendsetter’s blogs that are participating in each of the blog hop challenges below and comment on their creations as you go. One of the Trendsetter’s blogs (from each hop day) will be randomly chosen as the ‘it’ blog and a winner will be picked using a random number generator from the comments left on that Trendsetter’s Blog Hop Challenge post.

MFTWSC46 - Joy to the World

2011-11-21T00:00:00.001-05:00

Hello! Happy Monday! I don't know about you, but I'm SO excited for the Thanksgiving holiday this week. It's one of my favorite holidays, plus it marks the beginning of the Christmas season in the U.S. which is my favorite time of year.

This card is for this week's MFT Wednesday Stamp Club sketch. I couldn't resist the Santa image again...and it's not even technically Christmas-card-making time yet...

Stamps: Inspired By Christmas - My Favorite Things
Paper: PTI vintage cream, poppy, crumb cake, Crate Paper DP
Ink: Palette Noir
Accessories: MFT Die-namics, sewing machine, button, twine, Nestabilities, lace

CASE Study Challenge #66

2011-11-17T00:00:00.001-05:00

Hello! I have some great news to share today. My friend Iwona from CASE Study fame invited me to become part of the team! I love the CASE Study challenge and am very excited to see what fun this brings in the future. Big thanks to Iwona for inviting me!

This week is another gorgeous creation of Kryssi's. If you haven't followed along with the Muse this month, be sure to check out CASE Study blog to see what this is all about. I'd love to have you play along with us this week.

Thanks for stopping!

Stamps: Star of Wonder - Papertrey Ink
Paper: PTI vintage cream, black, crumb cake, island indigo
Ink: Palette Noir
Accessories: Island indigo ribbon, twine, Prima flower, sewing, Nestabilities, PTI snowflake die

WMSC73 - Merry Christmas

2011-11-14T10:00:00.000-05:00

Hello! Christmas is definitely in the air...it seems like once Halloween is over, I can't wait for Christmas to get here! I used this week's Waltzingmouse Stamps sketch challenge to create this holiday card. I combined two different Waltzingmouse sets to create this card: 2011 Holiday Ornaments and Nordic Winter for the background.

Enjoy the beginning of your week!

Stamps: 2011 Holiday Ornaments, Nordic Winter - Waltzingmouse Stamps
Paper: PTI vintage cream, red, crumb cake
Ink: Distress Inks
Accessories: May Arts satin ribbon, sewing machine

MFTWSC45 - 'Tis the Season

2011-11-13T18:00:00.000-05:00

Hello! I hope you are enjoying your weekend. Today I have a card for this week's Wednesday Stamp Club sketch challenge. I used the brand new Inspired By Christmas set. I stamped the Santa image onto the Tag, You're It Die-namic and added some ribbon and twine to the top. The bottom strip was created with the Wonky Scallop Border die and the Postage Stamp Edge die.

Thanks for stopping!

Stamps: Inspired By Christmas - My Favorite Things
Paper: PTI vintage cream, red, crumb cake, My Mind's Eye DP
Ink: Palette Noir
Accessories: MFT Die-namics, SU lace, sewing machine, twine, May Arts sheer ribbon

Warm Winter Wishes

2011-11-11T22:00:00.000-05:00

Hello! Happy Weekend! Tonight I have a card to share that I made for this month's sketch challenge at The Craft's Meow blog. I recently ordered some adorable Christmas stamps from there when I saw they are now carrying Nina B Designs...Nina makes some of my favorite designs! I loved her designs when she was at Gina K and I'm glad to see she's still designing.

I stamped the snowflake images in Walnut Stain distress ink and attached the crumb cake layer and added sewing on both sides. I added a bow, some twine, twill, Prima flower and finished it off with some Maya Road pins.

Thanks for stopping!

Stamps: Vintage Snowflakes - The Craft's Meow
Paper: PTI vintage cream, My Mind's Eye DP, crumb cake
Ink: Walnut Stain distress ink
Accessories: May Arts twill, Prima flower, pins, twine, sewing machine, SU scalloped edge punch

MFTWSC44 - Happy Birthday

2011-11-07T00:00:00.001-05:00

Hello! Today's card is for this week's Wednesday Stamp Club sketch at My Favorite Things. I got my release order SUPER fast! For this card, I used the brand new Vintage Cameo and Die-namics. It's hard to see in the picture, but I also used the new Wonky Scallop die...I can see this will be becoming a fast favorite! :)

Thanks for stopping!

Stamps: Vintage Cameo - My Favorite Things
Paper: PTI white, black, crumb cake, My Mind's Eye Lost & Found DP
Ink: Palette Noir, Pumice Stone Distress Ink
Accessories: MFT Die-namics, sewing machine, lace, twine, Prima flower

Imagine. Dream. Fly.

2011-11-02T22:30:00.000-04:00

Hello! I'm squeezing in a quick post tonight for this week's CAS-ual Friday sketch challenge (I couldn't resist when I saw Laura created this week's sketch!) and the CR84FN color challenge. The sentiment came from the October KOM from Unity. This card was super quick and easy to make. The ribbon and lace is from Ribbon Carosel.

Thanks for stopping!

Stamps: October KOM - Unity Stamp Co
Paper: PTI white, basic grey, pool party, Echo Park Victorian Garden DP
Ink: Palette Noir
Accessories: Ribbon, lace, Prima flowers, twine

WMSC71 - Christmas Cheer

2011-11-01T00:00:00.001-04:00

Hey friends! So the candy has barely digested and I'm already pulling out the Christmas sets! Ha! I couldn't wait to use this new set from Waltzingmouse Stamps called Seasonal Remedies for this week's Waltzingmouse Sketch challenge. I am seriously IN LOVE with this set. The detail is amazing and they stamp beautifully.

Thanks for stopping today...see you soon!

Stamps: Seasonal Remedies - Waltzingmouse Stamps
Paper: PTI vintage cream, crumb cake, SU red, Crate Paper DP
Ink: Palette Noir
Accessories: May Arts ribbon, twine, Prima flower, sewing machine, Nestabilities

SRM Stickers + Crate Paper

2011-10-31T08:00:00.000-04:00

Hello! Happy Monday! I have a fun post for you today. SRM Stickers has been working through a Paper of the Week feature, where we team up with various manufacturers and create projects using both SRM and the manufacturer. I chose to work with Crate Paper and their Portrait collection (one of my favs!), and today is the day that my projects are featured on the SRM blog. I included a sampling here. :)

If you're interested, head over to the SRM blog for more projects! There are quite a few more over there to look at and they're also having a giveaway!

Love Lives Here

2011-10-30T21:00:00.000-04:00

Hello! Tonight I have a card to share with you that I made for two challenges: this week's MFT Wedesday Stamp Club sketch and this month's MFT guest designer contest which is to use bling. I'm fairly certain there's no such thing as too much bling, but if there was, this would for sure be it! Ha!

Thanks for stopping by!

Stamps: Homespun Birdhouse - MFT Stamps
Paper: PTI vintage cream, early espresso, crumb cake, My Mind's Eye DP
Ink: Early espresso
Accessories: Homespun Birdhouse Die-namics, May Arts twill, twine, Prima flower, Prima bling, SU glass glitter, sewing machine

No Peeking! Blog Hop

2011-10-27T08:00:00.001-04:00

Hello! Welcome to Day 3 of previews for this month's release at There She Goes. The sketch for today's card came from the Freshly Made Sketches blog.

Kids (and adults!) love to countdown the days until Christmas is finally here and with this new set illustrated by Torico, you are going to have just as much fun creating a countdown advent calendar! With 25 different adorable holiday images and two sets of numbers the possibilities are endless! To make this set even more useable, there are two decorative circles and two decorative squares that were designed to be used with a 1 3/8” punch!!

No Peeking!is a 6x8 set that includes a total of 53 stamps and will sell for $24.

Would you like to win the new No Peeking! stamp set? Here is what you need to do- visit the Trendsetter’s blogs that are participating in each of the blog hop challenges below and comment on their creations as you go. One of the Trendsetter’s blogs (from each hop day) will be randomly chosen as the ‘it’ blog and a winner will be picked using a random number generator from the comments left on that Trendsetter’s Blog Hop Challenge post.

You will not know which blog has been chosen so the more you comment on the better your chances are of winning new stamps! The Blog Hop Challenges will be open until 5 PM Eastern Time Saturday October 29th with the winner being announced during the release party chat.

Bon Appetit Blog Hop

2011-10-26T08:00:00.001-04:00

Hello and welcome to Day 2 of previews for this month's release at There She Goes!

We have another fabulous set from Torico – she’s showing off her range of creativity.

Bon Appétit is a 4x8 set that includes a total of 31 stamps and will sell for $18.

Would you like to win the new Bon Appétit stamp set? Here is what you need to do- visit the Trendsetter’s blogs that are participating in each of the blog hop challenges below and comment on their creations as you go. One of the Trendsetter’s blogs (from each hop day) will be randomly chosen as the ‘it’ blog and a winner will be picked using a random number generator from the comments left on that Trendsetter’s Blog Hop Challenge post.

Autumn/Friendbots Blog Hop

2011-10-25T08:00:00.001-04:00

Hello friends! Welcome to Day 1 of previews for this month's release at There She Goes. I am in love with today's sets! I am such a sucker for autumn/fall themed stamps. I swear I can never get too many leaf/Halloween/Thanksgiving stamps. :) This card uses this week's Card Patterns sketch challenge.

Would you like to win the new Autumn / Friendbots mini stamp sets? Here is what you need to do- visit the Trendsetter’s blogs that are participating in each of the blog hop challenges below and comment on their creations as you go. One of the Trendsetter’s blogs (from each hop day) will be randomly chosen as the ‘it’ blog and a winner will be picked using a random number generator from the comments left on that Trendsetter’s Blog Hop Challenge post.

You will not know which blog has been chosen so the more you comment on the better your chances are of winning new stamps! The Blog Hop Challenges will be open until 5 PM Eastern Time Saturday October 29th with the winner being announced during the release party chat.

There She Goes (Again)

2011-10-21T00:00:00.002-04:00

Hello! Long time, no see! I'm back today with a card for this week's There She Goes (Again) feature on the There She Goes blog. The senior design team is showing cards using previously released sets. I couldn't resist using Autumn Mosaic for my card. This set was released last fall and it's still one of my favorites. I used the Card Patterns sketch challenge for this card.

Head over to the There She Goes blog to see all the cards featuring three different sets.

Stamps: Autumn Mosaic - There She Goes
Paper: PTI vintage cream, early espresso, crumb cake, My Mind's Eye Lost & Found DP
Ink: Lucky limeade, early espresso
Accessories: May Arts crochet trim, bling, Nestabilities, twine, Prima flower, Prima Mistables, glimmer mist

Swimming for Katie

2011-10-12T00:00:00.001-04:00

Welcome to the third day of blog hops in honor of our friend and fellow crafter Katie Renz. From October 10-12 some of the best stampers are joining together to support and encourage our friend and fellow stamper, Katie Renz, who is currently battling inoperable gastric cancer. If you're not familiar with her, Katie’s cancer story started just before Christmas last year. This young, beautiful, healthy, vibrant mother of 3 with her infectious smile was suddenly diagnosed with an inoperable cancer, virtually overnight. A few tummy aches and then stage 4 gastric cancer. Her first post about it is here. The idea of “Swimming for Katie” came from her recent post here.

This exclusive stamp used in my sample, designed by Becky Oehlers is available as a clear stamp, as well as a digis or a dig and SVG cut file. 100% of the profits go to Katie's fund to help her and her young family. Her husband Kevin and her three young children need our help and support. In addition to the Keep Swimming Octopus, Marianne Walker and True =D Doodle Designs both also donated digis that are for sale. Direct donations are also being accepted. Information central is HERE. This is a permanent page that will stay active at i {heart} papers with current information and the full 3 day blog hop listing, as well as the donation button.

Please visit the rest of the crafters participating in today's hop:

Amy Heller
Jackie Pedro
Julie Masse
Kecia Waters
Sandie Dunne
Susan Liles
Latisha Yoast
Laurie Schmidlin
Lisa Arana
Lisa Henke
Lisa Silver
Lydia Fiedler
Lyn Bernatovich
Lynette
Maria Gurnsey
Meg Craig
Melissa Bickford
Michelle Woerner
Mona Pendleton
Niki Estes
Robyn Weatherspoon
Sarah Jay
Sarah Martina Parker
Savannah O'Gwynn
Stephanie Washburn
Susanna Boyd
Tobi Crawford
Kim Kesti
Shemaine Smith
Danielle Lounds
Debbie Carriere
DoBea A.
Fran Gumprecht
Geny Cassady
Gina K.
Holly McMillen
Jak Heath
Javablustamper/Jacquie
Kimberly Crawford
Jeanne Streiff
Trudy Sjolander