Oodabug Alley

Weekend Sketch Challenge #105

charmwarm@gmail.com (Charmaine (CharmWarm)) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 14:30:00 +0000

It's Friday and time for another Weekend Sketch Challenge!

I decided to use a new Verve set for this sketch. This is the Holly Jolly set. I used some Christmas Magic paper from Fancy Pants Designs. I stamped the ornament on a pattern too, but it out and then added Stardust Stickles for a very sparkly ornament!

Be sure to stop and see what Beate, Cambria, Jen n, Lori, Mary Jo and Sharon have created using this sketch.

As this is posting, I'm heading to Stamping Around Philly! I can't wait to meet those of you who are coming! It's going to be a lot of fun!

Thanks for stopping by and have a great weekend! SUPPLIES USED: Stamps- Holly Jolly (Verve Stamps); Ink- Whisper White Craft (SU), Onxy Black (Versafine); Paper- Christmas Magic (Fancy Pants Designs), True Black (PTI); Accessories- scallop circle punch, circle punch (SU), paper piercer, Stardust Stickles; Finished card measures 5.5"x4.25"

Taylored Expressions RELEASE DAY!

charmwarm@gmail.com (Charmaine (CharmWarm)) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 16:00:00 +0000

It's RELEASE DAY over at Taylored Expressions! You can now purchase the sets you've seen the past two days as well as this new set, Celebrate Life! This set is different from anything Taylored Expressions has released so far. The images are just beautiful. I chose to use the pumpkin image for my card and a leaf image for my tag. On my card, I double embossed some Orange Zest cardstock with the Autumn Type Cuttlebug folder and Plain Oval Nestabilities. Then I stamped the pumpkin image inside the embossed oval and colored with Copic markers. The treat is just a little cello bag (filled with Girardelli chocolates) wrapped with a belly band made of Kraft cardstock.

As I mentioned on my first sneak peek post, there is a Sweet Spa Bundle that you can purchse, but there is also the Super Size It Bundle available! So, if you can't decide, maybe one of these bundles will help with your decision!

Be sure to stop by and see what the rest of the Baker's Dozen has cooked up today!

Sharon Harnist and, of course

Taylor VanBruggen!!

Taylored Expressions Sneak Peek - Day 2

charmwarm@gmail.com (Charmaine (CharmWarm)) — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 16:00:00 +0000

Here's a peek at another set being released Thursday, November 5th at Taylored Expressions! It's called Sweet Indulgence. It coordinates very well with the set you saw yesterday, Luxurious Labels!

For today's project I decided to create a hot cocoa gift. Inside the pottery mug is some filler, a bag of marshmallows and a package of gourment hot chocolate. . .raspberry to be exact! This set has the perfect tag border that fits different images in the set. The little Cuppie images are just so sweet and perfect for so many girly occasions! I used the Spa Key Ingredients for my creations.

Don't forget to see what the rest of the Baker's Dozen has to show you today!

Denise Marzec
Donna Baker
Jackie Pedro
Jodi Collins
Laura Fredrickson
Laurie Schmidlin
Karen Giron
Karen Motz
Sankari Wegman
Sharon Harnist and, of course
Taylor VanBruggen!!

Thanks for stopping by today! Check back tomorrow for the last peek and RELEASE DAY!

Taylored Expressions Sneak Peek - Day 1

charmwarm@gmail.com (Charmaine (CharmWarm)) — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 16:00:00 +0000

It's time for a peek of another new release at Taylored Expressions! Today, I have a peek for you of the new set Luxurious Labels. It's a great set for packaging those bath and body gifts! I know I LOVE to give bath and body gifts simply in the hopes that the "mom" I give it to will take some time for herself and use it. :)

Remember those "potion bottles" the Baker's Dozen used with the Halloween sets? Well, if you notice in the bath and body package, they have re-surfaced...as Spa Bottles! I filled my bottle with some bubble bath and packaged it in a cello bag along with little bottles of shampoo and conditioner. The paper I used is from the Spa Key Ingredients. I also used my Labels Eight Nestabilities to cut out the tags for the gift and card. I stamped the tag image from the Luxurious Labels set in Bermuda Bay ink then chose the die that was a little large than the stamped tag. After I diecut the tag, I sponged the edges with Blush Blossom ink. I added some ribbon and Dew Drops for finishing touches.

There is also a bundle available for you to purchase! The Sweet Spa Bundle includes this stamp set, the Spa Key Ingredients, the Potion bottles, sticker paper and a Chenille kneck wrap!

Be sure to check out what the rest of the Baker's Dozen has to show you today!

Sharon Harnist and, of course

Taylor VanBruggen!!

Thanks for stopping by today! Be sure to stop back tomorrow for another peek!

Flower Soft November Challenge

charmwarm@gmail.com (Charmaine (CharmWarm)) — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 15:00:00 +0000

The Flower Soft November Challenge theme was to create something Christmas or winter. I chose to use the lamp post from the Cute Christmas Die Cut Sentiments. I just LOVE these die cuts because they are so easy to add a little Flower Soft and pop on a card. I used the Vintage Christmas Flower Soft mix on the garland that wraps around the lamp post. It gives such a life-like feel to the lamp post, don't you think? I also added some faux stitching and some embossing for finishing touches.

Be sure to stop and see what the rest of the Flower Soft Design Team has created for this challenge:

AJ Otto
Barb Schram
Deb Saaranen
Jeanne Streiff
Sharon Johnson

There is some BLOG CANDY being offered at the Flower Soft Blog, so be sure to stop by and enter for a chance to win! Thanks for stopping by and have wonderful Sunday! SUPPLIES USED: Cute Christmas Die Cut Sentiments, Vintage Christmas mix (Flower Soft), Organic Flourishes Cuttlebug folder (Provocraft), paper piercer, Always Artichoke marker (SU), Ripe Avocado paper (PTI); Finished card measures 6"x 3"

Weekend Sketch Challenge #104

charmwarm@gmail.com (Charmaine (CharmWarm)) — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 13:30:00 +0000

Are Fridays coming fast for you? They sure are for me and I'm not sure that's a good thing. Babies grow too fast, kids just start school and then they're graduating already! LOL I just can't believe how fast the weeks are going!

It's time for another Weekend Sketch Challenge! For my card is used one of the newest releases from Verve, Christmas In the Air. Instead of using actual strips of paper, I used the swirling line image from the set as that part of the sketch. I used Berry Sorbet and Pure Poppy ink as well as Whisper White Craft. I added some bling to the centers of the snowflakes.

Be sure to stop and see what Beate, Cambria, Jen n, Laurie, Lori, Mary Jo and Sharon have created using this sketch. Thanks for stopping by and I hope you have a wonderful weekend! SUPPLIES USED: Stamps- Christmas in the Air (Verve Stamps); Ink- Berry Sorbet, Pure Poppy (PTI), Whisper White Craft (SU); Paper- Berry Sorbet, Pure Poppy (PTI); Accessories- circle and scallop circle punches (Marvy Uchida), Taylor's Tiny Twinkles (Taylored Expressions), ribbon (Darice); Finished card measures 6"x 3"

Super Fast Treats

charmwarm@gmail.com (Charmaine (CharmWarm)) — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 10:00:00 +0000

I just wanted to share with you my SUPER quick treats that I made for my daughters to take in to school for Halloween this year. Time really got away from me this year, not to mention I have a daughter in kindergarten and one in preschool, so I had to come up with double the treats! Being really short on time, I decided on these two ideas. For Arwen, I put a candy mix in little cello bags and tied them closed with "Frankenstein" or "Mummy" ribbon attached to a tag using the Witch Way to the Treats set from Just Rite Stampers. I got this set at Stamper's Dream. I think I found the ribbon in the Target dollar bin a couple of years ago. Stamping and punching these tags went very fast!

For Savannah, I decided to wrap these mini microwave popcorn bags in some Halloween paper and add a tag. We bought a box of the Act II "Halloween" popcorn at Sam's Club. The bags already had Halloween images on them, but I just couldn't send her in with plain bags, now could I? LOL The set I used is one of my FAVORITE Halloween sets...and it's especially perfect when you're short on time because there's no coloring involved! It's the Spooky Silhouettes set from GinaK Designs. I can't tell you how many times this set has saved me! LOL Plus, it's adorable! Every time I pull it out, it takes me a minute to decide on which image to use because I love them all! :)

Well, I hope I've given you some hope when you feel like there's no way you can create special treats when you're really short on time. I made up 20 of each of these in no time, and the girls got to help, which they LOVE! Thanks for stopping by!

Got Brew?

charmwarm@gmail.com (Charmaine (CharmWarm)) — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 16:00:00 +0000

Here are a couple of Halloween items I thought I'd share with you. The first is a card using the Granny's Potion set from Our Craft Lounge. I just LOVE that sentiment. . .it makes me giggle.

The second creation (using the same set) was just a little something I thought I'd try. I had a leftover piece from making my 4.25"square card, so I thought I'd made a scrapling treat. I only just recently learned what a scrapling was (where have I been?) and I thought they were adorable and a great idea, so I though I scrapling treat would be cute too! I attached the Laffy Taffy by stapling it to the base and then I covered up the staple with the image! They're nice and quick to make...and they use up some scraps!

Bubbles Bubbles

charmwarm@gmail.com (Charmaine (CharmWarm)) — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 10:00:00 +0000

Here is another peek using one of the soon-to-be-released sets from Paper Pretties. It's called Bubble Time. I decided to make a round card to go along with the "bubble" theme. I colored the image in using Copic markers and added some Lavender Moon ribbon.

You can visit Christie, Danielle and Heather for more peeks today (and more chances to win stamps sets they've used on their cards!) So head on over!

Don't forget that the Prettie Pajama party starts on Sunday, November 1st at 8pm Eastern! We hope you'll join us! Thanks for stopping by and have a great day!

Prettie Wednesday

charmwarm@gmail.com (Charmaine (CharmWarm)) — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 10:00:00 +0000

It's time for another Pretties challenge. This week's challenge comes from Julie and it is to use a clean and simple layout. Clean and simple layouts are my favorite! This is one that I use A LOT!

I used one of the new sets to be released this weekend at the release party! It's called Bubble Time. I used my Labels Nine Nestabilities to cut out the image and then colored with Copic and Stampin Up markers.

We'd LOVE to see what you create! How to Enter: make a card using any Paper Pretties stamp set(s) you have and clean and simple layout. Upload the card to the Paper Pretties gallery. Please include it in the Weekly Challenges album and use keyword PWC75.

Now, hop on over to Jana to see what she's created using today's color combo! Thanks for stopping by and have a great day!

Warm Thoughts

charmwarm@gmail.com (Charmaine (CharmWarm)) — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 11:00:00 +0000

This time of year, I'm always looking for ideas for "little somethings" I can give to people just to say thanks and that I appreciate them. This year, for the first time, we interact with 3 crossing guards on our way to school every day. I thought something like this would be perfect for a crossing guard! I wish I could have the hot cocoa already made and hand them a warm mug as we pass, but this will have to do! LOL

I used the Something Sweet set from Just Rite Stampers. You can find it (and many other Just Rite products) at Stamper's Dream. I colored the image using Copic markers. The "folder" was made using a 4.25"x11" piece of cardstock and folding to make the pocket. I punched holes on either side and threaded ribbon to hold the pocket together. Simple, but cute I think. Thanks for stopping by today! Have a wonderful day! SUPPLIES USED: Stamps- Something Sweet (JustRite Stampers); Ink- Tuxedo Black (Tsukineko), Creamy Caramel (SU); Paper- Colorful Christmas (My Mind's Eye), Dark Chocolate (PTI), Prism; Accessories- Copic markers, circle and scallop circle punches (Marvy Uchida); Finished pocket measures 5.5"x4.25"

Love Is

charmwarm@gmail.com (Charmaine (CharmWarm)) — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 10:00:00 +0000

Are you ready for another Prettie Release? Well, today starts sneak peeks of the new sets that are being released at Paper Pretties on Sunday, November 1st! We hope you'll join us for the release party at 8pm Eastern!

Today's peek that I have to show you is of a new scripture in the Precious Pretties line called Love Is, illustrated by my sweet friend Julie Masse! I have ALWAYS loved this verse and Julie has illustrated it beautifully in this stamp! I used my Labels Nine Nestabilities for my focal piece. I sponged Sweet Blush ink on the edges while the paper was still in the die. Then I lined the edge of the die cut piece with glue and dipped the edges in Dazzling Diamonds glitter. It really added that extra something to the card! The Sweet Blush cardstock is embossed with the Damask embossing folder from Sizzix. As finishing touches, I added some pearls and organdy ribbon. A PERFECT wedding card, don't you think?

Throughout this week leading up to the release, the Prettie Girls will be sharing peeks of all of the new release sets, so be sure and check out their blogs daily! Today, you can catch peeks from Christie, Danielle and Heather! This month we thought we'd have some fun and give you a chance to win the new releases!! Since our Pretties are some of our favorite things, our peeks will be based on the lyrics to My Favorite Things. Each day some of the Prettie Girls will upload their challenge cards based on a new lyric. If you stop by the Pretties Gallery and leave that Prettie Girl a comment on what your 'FAVORITE THING' about her card is, you'll have a chance to win the new set that has been used in that challenge - make sense? The contest will end November 2nd and the winners will be posted on the Paper Clip. You can find the link to the specific cards on each blog post. So, lets get started! Christie's blog is first on the hop so get on over there and make sure you stop by and leave a comment in the gallery for her for your chance to win!

Also, don't forget that tomorrow, October 27th is the deadline if you were interested in submitting for the Design Team Call! You can check out all of the details HERE!

Thanks for stopping by today! Have a wonderful day! SUPPLIES USED: Stamps- Love Is (Paper Pretties); Ink- Sweet Blush (PTI); Paper- Sweet Blush, Stamper's Select (PTI); Accessories- Damask Sizzix embossing folder (Sizzix), pearls (Zva Creative), Labels Nine Nestabilities (Spellbinders), organdy ribbon (Darice); Finished card measures 5.5"x4.25"

Merry Christmas

charmwarm@gmail.com (Charmaine (CharmWarm)) — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 12:00:00 +0000

I just love this little snowman. In fact, I love these Cute Christmas Die Cut Sentiments from Flower Soft. They make it so easy when you don't have time to decide on stamps and stamp! All you do is punch it out, add some Flower Soft if you like, and then pop it onto a card...easy peasy! I added some Polar White Flower Soft to the little snowman. I never thought I'd say "I don't feel like stamping", but sometimes I just don't have time to look through all my stamps and decide what I want to use. It's nice to have an option like this.

Thanks for stopping by and I hope your weekend has been wonderful! SUPPLIES USED: Cute Christmas Die Cut Sentiment, Polar White Flower Soft (Flower Soft), Certainly Celery twill (SU), Krafty Kutz (Fancy Pants Designs); Finished card measures 4.25" square

Verve Believe Blog Hop

charmwarm@gmail.com (Charmaine (CharmWarm)) — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 15:00:00 +0000

Welcome to the Verve Believe Blog Hop. If you’ve just happened across my blog, you’ll want to start back at the beginning with Julee and hop your way along. Today we’re hopping for the Cure, sharing projects from a new set Verve just released called Believe. This set was designed in honor of breast cancer awareness and Verve is donating $10 from the sale of every Believe set to the Susan G Komen For the Cure foundation. We believe that we can make a difference. We believe that each day should be celebrated, each moment cherished and that every little thing we can do in the fight to find a cure matters.

I think this set is beautiful! It has such a touch of elegance for which Verve has become known. I wanted to use these flowers in a simple and soft way, so I embossed them in white on white cardstock and then sponged Blush Blossom and Mellow Moss ink over them. It gave it such a soft, subtle feel.

My second card is more frilly with ribbon and scallops. I LOVE this poem and how it is perfect for so many circumstances. Very uplifting.

Thanks for hopping by! Next up on the hop is Jackie.

Oh, and we’ve got a special gift hidden along our hop for one lucky commenter, so if you see something you really love, give a little shout out and you just might win a $30 gift certificate to Verve!

Weekend Sketch Challenge #103

charmwarm@gmail.com (Charmaine (CharmWarm)) — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 13:30:00 +0000

It's Friday and time for another Weekend Sketch Challenge! We'd love for you to play along! If you do, please use the keyword WSC103 when you upload to SCS.

For my card today, I'm giving you a peek of a new Verve set that will be released tonight! It's called O Christmas Tree. You can see more peeks of all of the new release sets on the Verve Blog. I colored the wreath using Copic markers. I added some gold glitter glue throughout the wreath. For the squares on either side of the focal image, I ran those through my Cuttlebug using the Swiss Dots Cuttlebug folder and then put gold glitter glue on each dot.

Be sure to stop and see what Beate, Cambria, Jen n, Laurie, Lori, Mary Jo and Sharon have created using this sketch. Thanks for stopping by and I hope you have a wonderful weekend! SUPPLIES USED: Stamps- O Christmas Tree (Verve Stamps); Ink- Tuxedo Black (Tsukineko), Burnt Umber (Palette); Paper- Christmas Magic (Fancy Pants Designs), Dark Chocolate (PTI); Accessories- gold glitter glue, Copic markers, brads (Making Memories), paper piercer, Chocolate Chip marker, organdy ribbon (Darice); Finished card measures 4.25" square

Fright Night Special!

charmwarm@gmail.com (Charmaine (CharmWarm)) — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 13:29:00 +0000

In honor of Halloween, Taylored Expressions has a Fright Night Special just for YOU. All of the Halloween stamp sets AND the Halloween Key Ingredients are ON SALE for 20% OFF Friday October 23rd through Sunday October 25th ONLY! So don't miss out on this last minute holiday deal!

Trick or Sweet
Trick or Sweet II
Punchy Potions
Spooky Expressions
Frightful Night
Halloween Key Ingredients (final quantities)

Plus you'll want to check out the TE What's the Deal Department for some incredible deals like JustRite Stampers products at 40-50% OFF! These JustRite products will not be re-stocked, so grab them while you can!

For my card I used the Halloween Key Ingredients and the Spooky Expressions set. This card also uses TESC88.

Verve Sneak Peek

charmwarm@gmail.com (Charmaine (CharmWarm)) — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 10:00:00 +0000

Have you visited the Verve Blog this week? If not, you're missing out on chances to win the new release sets, not to mention seeing the eye candy! Head on over to see peeks of all of the new sets being released tonight! You can leave comments on all of the posts for your chance to win each set! There are Release Week challenges for more chances to win!

Today I have a little peek for you of the set Frosty Flakes. This set includes the sentiment you see and the bold snowflakes. The outline snowflakes are from the Christmas in the Air set, also to be released tonight! I LOVE how these bold snowflakes look great in non-traditional colors! Head on over to the Verve Blog for more creations from the Verve Divas using this set! We hope you'll join us for the Release Party tonight starting at 9pm Eastern! SUPPLIES USED: Stamps- Frosty Flakes (Verve Stamps); Ink- Perfect Plumeria, Aegean Blue, Spanish Olive chalk inks (VersaMagic), Onyx Black (Versafine); Paper- white (Georgia-Pacific), True Black (PTI); Accessories- paper piercer, Rich Razzleberry ribbon (SU); Finished card measures 5.5"x4.25"

From One Old Witch

charmwarm@gmail.com (Charmaine (CharmWarm)) — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 13:00:00 +0000

Here's another Halloween card I made using the Granny's Potion set from Our Craft Lounge. I used a Martha Stewart border punch along the bottom. I thought it gave a neat look to the bottom of the card. I just love this sentiment too! Such a fun one to use for girlfriends! :)

Thanks for stopping by today! It's supposed to be beautiful here today, so I hope you'll be enjoying some nice weather too! SUPPLIES USED: Stamps- Granny's Potion (Our Craft Lounge); Ink- Tuxedo Black (Tsukineko); Paper- Boo To You (My Mind's Eye), Tangerine Tango, Kiwi Kiss (SU); Accessories- Copic markers, Martha Stewart border punch; Finished card measures 4.25"x5.5"

Prettie Wednesday

charmwarm@gmail.com (Charmaine (CharmWarm)) — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 10:00:00 +0000

It's Wednesday and time for another weekly challenge! This week's challenge comes from Frances. It is to make a Halloween treat. It can be a box, bag, lollipop holder. . .anything. I chose to wrap a mini bag of Skittles for mine. I used the latest Stamp of the Month from Paper Pretties, Lady Sophia. I thought she would be perfect for little girls! I used the sentiment from the Whiskers set.

We'd LOVE to see what you create! How to Enter: make a card using any Paper Pretties stamp set(s) you have and create a Halloween treat. Upload the card to the Paper Pretties gallery. Please include it in the Weekly Challenges album and use keyword PWC74.

Don't forget that the Design Team call is still happening at Paper Pretties! You can find all the info HERE. The call is open until October 27!

Now, hop on over to Jana to see what she's created using today's color combo! Thanks for stopping by and have a great day! SUPPLIES USED: Stamps- Lady Sophia, Whiskers (Paper Pretties); Ink- Tuxedo Black (Tsukineko); Paper- Ooh La La (My Mind's Eye), Prism; Accessories- Copic markers, Plain and Scallop Oval Nestabilities (Spellbinders)

Friends

charmwarm@gmail.com (Charmaine (CharmWarm)) — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 11:30:00 +0000

Here's a cute little card using the Friendship set from Just Rite Stampers. I got this set at Stamper's Dream and it's out of stock right now, but there are LOTS of other wonderful JustRite products at Stamper's Dream. There are a lot of holiday sets that are perfect for cards or gifts! Don't forget to check out the Sales & Specials section while you're there! Michelle also has LOTS of new stuff, so you don't want to miss the New Arrivals section!

Well, today is Savannah's second day home from school. It breaks my heart because today she was supposed to go on a field trip and RIDE THE BUS! She was so excited to ride the bus (we walk to school). She came down with a fever on Saturday, so she missed a birthday party she was invited to on Sunday, now two days of school and the field trip. It looks to just be a cold with all her sneezing, but the fever worried me. It was much better last night, but she's supposed to be fever-free for 24 hours before sending her back to school. Being sick stinks. . .especially when your child feels well enough to want to do what she normally does. Hopefully she won't remember that today was her field trip because I know she'll be really upset when I have to tell her she can't go. :( Thanks for stopping by today. Hope you have a wonderful day! SUPPLIES USED: Stamps- Friendship set (Just Rite Stampers); Ink- Tuxedo Black (Tsukineko), Crushed Curry (SU); Paper- Kitchen Spice (Bo Bunny), Prism; Accessories- Plain Circle Nestabilities (Spellbinders), Copic markers, ribbon (May Arts); Finished card measures 5.5"x4.25"

Noel

charmwarm@gmail.com (Charmaine (CharmWarm)) — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 13:00:00 +0000

You know how I LOVE my embossing folders! LOL I just recently got this set of Sizzix embossing folders called Ornate Flowers and Frame. I thought it would work really well with little things like this. These bells are from the Cute Christmas Die Cut Sentiments from Flower Soft. I also used the Vintage Christmas Flower Soft on the bow of the bells. On the image, the bow was plain red. I thought the Vintage Christmas Flower Soft gave it nice extra color and texture. Such a simple detail that adds so much! Thanks for stopping by today! Have a great day! SUPPLIES USED: Cute Christmas Die Cut Sentiments, Vintage Christmas Flower Soft (Flower Soft), Ornate Flower and Frame Sizzix folder (Sizzix), Flourish border punch (Martha Stewart), ribbon (Darice)

Thankful Thoughts

charmwarm@gmail.com (Charmaine (CharmWarm)) — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 14:58:00 +0000

I LOVE little boxes and gift bags. I love to make them to give and I also love to receive them. Doesn't everybody? I used my Fancy Favor die from Stampin' Up to create this box. I love the decorative edge at the top of the box. I used the Thankful Flourishes set from Our Craft Lounge. I stamped and embossed the flower image on black cardstock, then cut it out and sprayed Iridescent Pearl Maya Mist on it. I added some Platinum Liquid Pearls to the center as well as around the small oval piece that the sentiment is on. Very simple, but very cute! Thanks for stopping by today. Hope you're having a fabulous weekend! SUPPLIES USED: Stamps- Thankful Flourishes (Our Craft Lounge); Paper- Trick or Treat (Fancy Pants Designs), True Black (PTI); Accessories- Irisdescent Pearl Maya Mist, Platinum Liquid Pearls, small oval punch, Fancy Favor die (SU), organdy ribbon (Darice)

Encouraging Words

charmwarm@gmail.com (Charmaine (CharmWarm)) — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 14:00:00 +0000

It's my turn to post over on the Verve Blog for this month's Project Parade! Head on over to see my project AND for a chance to win some Verve stamps! Wait until you see all of the fabulous projects the Verve Divas have posted. . .you won't want to miss them!

Center of Attention Product Spotlight - Stencils & Maya Mist

charmwarm@gmail.com (Charmaine (CharmWarm)) — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 15:00:00 +0000

Today, members of the Baker's Dozen are featuring Crafter's Workshop Stencils and Maya Mist, available at Taylored Expressions! I can honestly say when Taylor told us about the stencils, I was wondering WHAT I was going to do with one. I haven't worked much with stencils and I never really had an interest. Now that I've played with this one, I am hooked! I chose the Daisy Cluster Template. There are still more things I want to try with these stencils, but I'm going to share 3 things with you today!

The first thing I tried was using the stencil and the Maya Mist together. I chose the Iridescent Pearl Maya Mist. I thought it would be a nice, neutral shade. It gives white or cream cardstock a shimmery look, which is beautiful! I found, as demonstrated on this first card, that it is stunning on dark cardstock! It really makes plain, dark cardstock look like a shimmery patterned cardstock. . .such a neat effect! I used the Trick or Sweet II set for this fairy card. I cut the piece of black cardstock, set the stencil over top of it (on scrap paper, of course) and sprayed the Iridescent Pearl Maya Mist over it. It adds such a nice extra (and sparkly) touch to any card!

The second thing I HAD to try with my stencil was embossing! As you know if you visit me regularly, my favorite kind of card is clean and simple. . .and embossed! :) I made a Cuttlebug sandwich with my stencil, just like I would if I were embossing with a Nestabilities die or Cuttlebug embossing folder, except I had to add a few pieces of cardstock to act as a shim since the stencils are so thin. On this card, I cut a 3" square piece of white cardstock, sprayed it with the Maya Mist and then ran it through the Cuttlebug. TIP: Spray the piece BEFORE putting it through the Cuttlebug and it will help to deepen the embossed impression since the paper will be a little wet. I attached the 3" square piece to the center of a plain white card base (4.25" square) and I DID NOT spray the card base with Maya Mist. I wanted the 3" embossed square to stand out more by being sparkly. I stamped a sentiment from the Faith and Hope set, cut and embossed it with a Ribbon Tags Trio Nestabilities die and tied black organdy ribbon around the ends and attached it to the card. This card reminds me a bit of our wedding thank yous from 9 years ago! I'm so excited to know that now I can make my own version! LOL I took a picture using a black background as well since I thought it was hard to see everything white on white!

The last thing that I tried with my stencil was inspired by wishing that I had darker colors of Maya Mist instead of just a neutral. So, I got out my Acrylic Paint Dauber in Lemonade! I masked the top and bottom end of my card base and placed my stencil on top of the non-masked section and tapped my paint dauber over the stencil. Once I let it dry, I embossed borders on either side of the "color" using a border embossing folder from the With Love Cuttlebug set. Lastly, I added a sentiment from the Sweet Celebration set. I just LOVE this card because not only is it a one layer, embossed card, but the paint adds such a neat texture and look to the card as well! Pairing that with the stencil really makes for a great effect!

So, now do you see why I'm hooked? The stencil is very easy to clean! Just soap and water! You'll want to be careful about "rubbing" it. I found that with my pattern, some of the flower edges would bend a little if I rubbed too hard, so dabbing is best! I can't wait to see what the other members of the Baker's Dozen came up with using these products!

For a limited time (October 16-17) Taylor will be offering a 15% discount on all Crafter's Workshop stencils and Maya Mist, so head on over and check them out!

Weekend Sketch Challenge #102

charmwarm@gmail.com (Charmaine (CharmWarm)) — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 13:30:00 +0000

It's Friday and time for another Weekend Sketch Challenge! This week's sketch is a long card. I haven't made one of those in a while, so it was a nice change for me!

I used the Kindred Spirits set from Verve Stamps along with some Ooh La La paper from My Mind's Eye.

Be sure to stop and see what Beate, Cambria, Jen n, Laurie, Lori and Sharon have created using this sketch. Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful weekend! SUPPLIES USED: Stamps- Kindred Spirits (Verve Stamps); Ink- Onyx Black (Versafine), Bermuda Bay (SU); Paper- True Black (PTI), Ooh La La (My Mind's Eye); Accessories- Jumbo circle and Mega Scallop circle punches (Marvy Uchida), ribbon (Darice), brads (Making Memories); Finished card measures 3"x6"