Sultry Willow

I'm not quite done with the year book, but I'm waiting on a few things from three people, so there's not much I can do until I get those things. Means, I had a break from 535 kids photos! I needed it too! So, how did I spend my time? I finally got to play today with the new Whiff of Joy Spring kit. Man, such cute images! I joined a card kit swap, and this was the image I selected, so I wanted to try it out first. This is the first time I've been able to ink any of them up since they arrived. They are so cute! You just gotta love Willow! This is my first card with this set, and I can't wait to play with rest of the stamps! I got this sketch off of Amy R's page.

Also, the other day I headed to Michaels. I was so surprised to see some new products in! Brand new paper punches. I called my friend Kim gasping about what I was seeing! Such cool ones! A beach theme, scallops, bats, ABC's, there was a bunch of fun ones to look at! I took a photo on my phone, because I was so giddy with what I saw. (I asked permission to take the photo, because I was to nervous about it with team members walking around.) I'll have to see if they're still on my phone. They had 24 new border punches at 14.99, and two rows of smaller punches at 9.99. One of the smaller punches that I recall was a cute martini glass complete with two itty bitty olives, and the stick! But anyhow, I got two of the new border ones. I'm taking a picture to show the size sample next to the SU scallop punch. I took photos of the punches open, and closed next to the SU punch to show the size difference, love this about them, and how they close shut and can stack next to each other because they lay flat. They take less space than the whale tail punches. Please know, I'm not picking on SU punches, I tried to take the photo with Martha's punch, but they're white, and my banner top paint is white, so it wasn't showing up. The space where the punching happens is the same as MS and SU punches. I punched the two that I grabbed to show how they look. I punched the deep green layer in SU's scallop punch. The one in red has a diamond shape above the scallop part. I used the itty bitty scallop on the card above.

Supplies: Whiff of Joy Spring kit, Basic grey Sultry paper line, lyra water color crayons, close to cocoa, kiwi kiss, pixie pink cardstocks by SU, stickles, gems, glitter pen-pink, brads and punch from Michaels.

Day late and a dollar short!

I've been in yearbook land again this week! It's coming together nicely, but man, it takes a lot of time to get it how I want it to look! I'll be snapping a few more photos as I discovered yesterday, some of my classes were missing group class shots! My deadline is fast approaching, so this weekend will hopefully be when I'm all done with stuff!

Anyhow, I did both my weekly favorites which are Sparkle's Christmas Challenge, and Danni's Flutterby Wed. I even made them on the right days! Sadly, no time to post them until today. I'm posting them together, because I have a thousand things to do, before sitting back down to go over the yearbook again.

For Sparkle's, she gave us a layout to use this week. (I didn't see Sparkle's challenge for this week, so the link is for a week ago, but it has the layout on that post.) Very fun layout! I used images sent to me by Linda. Thanks, Linda! I can just see Gabi on the girl card! I should have made her hair darker to make it look more like Gabi. I cut out her legs and the bird house with a crafting knife before I put them thru the nesties. I like how they stickout some. I covered the snowman in pixie dust shimmerz. Cutie pie is covered in pink shimmerz on her top. I added fun flock to both, red to my snowman scarf, and gloves, and my mixture of glitter and white on Cutie pie's fluffy part of her outfit.

For the butterfly image, I finally mounted a stamp I had gotten in a grab bag from TAC. I believe it's a retired stamp. Such a big bold butterfly. I used a layout off SCS, SC120. Pulled out a favorite paper line from TAC called Genevieve. I think she had a challenge listed last week, but I forgot to peak before I began stamping at 10:30 last night. (Just went to copy the link, and saw it was to use orange and yellow! I'm way off the mark on that!) My main image, and punched butterflies are covered in pixie dust shimmerz.

Supplies: TAC paper lines-Genevieve, and Merry Wishes(retired), primas, Martha Stewart butterfly punch and scallop punch, snowflakes from Target shimmerz-pink and pixie dust, stickles, Koh-I-Noor pencils, DCWV cardstock, fun flock-red and white, nesties, dewdrops.

Another Blog hopping card

I had so much fun making the one yesterday, and I had one more image left over, I had to make another card today. Love how this one turned out! It even enabled me to finally trim a stamp set I hadn't cut out yet from the early release for the TAC demos back in Jan. Inking up a new set is always fun too! This came together so nicely! I used those Koh-i-noor pencils again that my friend Kim always uses. They are very easy to blend. Kinda wish they had a lot more colors! Might need to peak online and see what I can find!

I cut the butterfly out, and than took my razor to separate the wings. So, the middle wing is pushed out higher with the dot. The other wings and body are glued down on the paper. I did one of my favorite techniques to the background sheet, dazzling diamond dust.

Be sure to peak at the other TAC demos who are playing on this round, too. It's always neat to see how other people use a set. My other card I made with this set is the post below this one.

Alison

Melisa

Gloria

Jany

Chelsea

Christina

Laurie

Bridgett

Besty

Deb

Oh, and yesterday, I posted I cased a layout from Tammi. I put in a link to show the card she made, and it didn't take for some reason. So, I'm stinking it in this post.

Supplies: TAC Swirly butterfly, graffic blooms, Koh-I-Noor pencils, Versamark ink pad, Prussian blue palette ink pad, Lilly Anna SWIC paper line, DCWV cardstock, prima flower.

I'm a dope!

Taking a quick break from yearbook duties to made a deadline on a blog hop. Our school did the cutest thing last night. They had a talent show, and the kids were so stinking cute. Plus, the mom in charge was so into it, she had the cutest decorations put up. That's the last thing to be photographed to be added to the yearbook this year. I created a press pass for myself and took photos of all the kids on the red carpet as they entered the school.

Anyways, back to the reason for the post! I signed up for a blog hop using TAC's Butterfly Swirls on Paper Wings. Somehow, I had it in my head I had the set! I don't have the set! LOL! Realized that today when I went to make my card, and went, oh, it's not Butterfly Bits, which is the set I have! That is just so like me, such a dingbat sometimes! Well, thankfully, I remembered that as part of a monthly swap I was in a few other TAC angel friends, where we made a card each month, and sent a few images with the card so we could than make our own card with the stamped image, that I had some stamped images from the set. It allowed for us to use other sets to see how much we loved them, and also show case different styles with the same set. So, Barb had that set, and she sent us some images of it! Yippie! Meant I could still play and make the deadline! I cased a layout off of Tammi. I forgot the back layer of designer paper! Kim will be proud because I used the new pencils I got because of her the other day. And I naturally used a coupon! Loving how this all came together.

Now back to the yearbook, and editing all those photos from last night!

Supplies: TAC Butterfly swirl, Angelee paper pack, DCWV cardstock, stickles, Martha S. punch, nesties, Koh-i-noor pencils, dew drops.

OMG! OMG! OMG!!

Okay, today was like totally rocking mail day! I must have said OMG! Like 50 times in 10 seconds! My Whiff of Joy spring set came today! OMG!!! If you ordered it, HOLY HECK! It stinking ROCKS!!!!!! It is beyond darling! I'm thinking the kids year book is so not getting done any time soon! LOL! Wow!

Than I ordered some stuff from Queen and Co, one of my fav places for brads and stuff. They had buy one get one, so lots of stuff there!

Than I started chatting with a sweet lady in England, and we traded some images. Or should I say I traded some images, and she flat out spoiled me rotten! She sent me more than "some images", some darling ribbon, two cute stamps, and paper to match! What a sweet heart! And the images she sent are all so sweet and darling! Thanks a ton, you shouldn't have, Linda!

Teacher's Valentines

I had some left over mailboxes from Target last year, so I put together more Valentine mailboxes filled with candies for the kids teachers. I made these for their teachers last year too, and they all loved them. So, I knew they'd be a big hit again this year. Nothing new and fab on that end, but always a favorite crafting project! Busy time of the year for me with the school yearbook. But I will be posting some TAC Butterfly bit cards by this weekend as part of that blog hop I signed up for. Not much free time this week!

The most difficult part about making these was finding my hot glue gun. Which is still missing! This reminds me of a story about my son from last year. They joked at school to look for it in the son's room. Last year he got into it, plugged it in, put it on the carpet, and I discovered it two days later melting on the carpet! YIKES! Sadly, I kept smelling burning stuff while I was at my crafting table, and kept looking for something that was burning, and didn't notice it! The other joke was to see if he was trying to use it to glue the fur back on the cat! Cuz he tried to shave our cat last year too, about the same time he tried to burn down the house! Sigh! That child of mine! LOL! Got sidetracked, I used my embossing gun to melt the gun sticks to attach the flowers and the buttons.

I used two TAC sets I got during the 50% off promotion. The heart is from Forever Family, I trimmed the scroll under the heart off, so they're two pieces instead of one stamp. They fit nice together still, so I can use it that way too, if I want too. The others are from Sweet goodies. I had fun with that set, putting it together with the nesties. They worked great together! Don't you love how you can stamp on just about anything with Palette ink pads? Gosh, they rock!

Supplies: TAC's Forever family, sweet goodies, Palette ink Moulin Rouge, and PTI Berry Bliss ink pad, PTI Berry Bliss card stock, DCWV cardstock, glitter pen, stickles, embossing powder, modge podge, nesties, scrappers floss, misc flowers, and buttons on hand.

Red Christmas Delights

It's another Sunday, and a Christmas Challenge on Sparkle's blog. This week, she said red and white! I saw a card in the Hero's Arts catty, at least I think that's where I saw it last night, where they used white on white layers. I thought it looked so cool! I had to try it today with my red and white cards. I went with easy layouts, but I feel like both cards turned out darling!

On this one, I used TAC's ornamental snowflakes stamp set. I stamped it in Palette ink Moulin Rouge. The snowflake cuttlebug folder is sprayed in Snowflake Glimmer Mist. I heat embossed the snowflake with sparkle red embossing powder. Cut it out with nesties. The sentiment is from a retired TAC holiday sentiment set.

On the next card, I used a stamp I found at AC Moore last year. I thought this image was so stinking cute! I covered the white parts of the dress with fun flock, with glitter added to it. I put red fun flock on the tree, so the tree is fuzzy. I wanted to give the tree something, but green wasn't an option, so I thought the red fuzz would do the trick. I paper pierced around the white border to try to help it show up better for the photo. I really like how it looks white on white layering. I added stickles to the mistletoe and the red dress to the center girl. The mistletoe is the only place I cheated with color. It has a hint of green stickles on it!

Supplies: PTI Pure poppy cardstock, PTI white cardsock, fun flock, stickles, TAC stamps, CB folders, glimmer mist, Palette ink Noir and Moulin Rough.

Chloe's Flutterby Butterfly

Today I made SCS's sketch challenge. I haven't played that in while, and this looked like a fun layout. I signed up on Paperwings to do a card using TAC's Butterfly bits so I grabbed that set to tinker with it some before I get the card done for that challenge. I embossed the base of the butterfly with sparkly embossing powder, and added pixie dust to the flower. Being Wed, I like to create a butterfly card for Danni's Flutterby Weds. Combined a whole lot of things into one card! Even more fun to use new stuff I grabbed today at Michael's, and had show up in the mail from Jacksonbelle Embellishments. I ordered some more Shimmerz.

I think I pulled my back a little playing Wii Fit! Who does that?! I did the plank to show hubby some of the stuff on Wii Fit, and my back isn't feeling tip top today! Anyhow, Wii Fit has been a ton of fun so far! At least it's not telling I'm all the time that I'm unbalanced! Not sure if it's talking mentally unbalanced or what! I got the board turned around right at the end of my work out on day two, and my scores have leaped, and the little wii people seem much more pleased with my progress!

Supplies: Chloe's closet paper, buttons, and flowers, SU more mustard, blue bayou ink and paper, Versamagic spots, embossing powder, edge distressor, pixie dust blingz,

Circle yourself with the holidays!

For Sparkle's Christmas challenge this week, she challenged us to use circles on our card. I started thinking about this yesterday, and decided I wanted to try to make a circle card. I thought the largest scallop nestie would work well for the shape of the card. It worked great, but the card is a bit smaller than I expected, but I'm so pleased with the results. I than did the embossing with other nesties around the opening, and around the snowmen on the inside. I love how this turned out! It's not exactly how I envisioned, but I think it looks so stinking cute! I forgot before I took the photo, that I wanted to add fun flock to the sheep.

Supplies: TAC snowman nativity, nesties, stickles, shimmerz, stickers from Target, lyra water color crayons.

For my CC Design card, my friend Tammi sent me the image for my birthday. Gosh, such a fun image! Keep with the challenge of using circles, grabbed my CB folder, and some DCWV paper that had circles on it. I cut the image out, and put it in the circle. I love that look when people do that on cards, so I had to try it out. I love the bright colors of this card! For the brim on her hat, I used fun flock, with added glitter to it for a little more sparkle.

Supplies: CC Designs, PTI Pure Poppy cardstock, DCWV Christmas glitter slab, fun flock, stickles, SU pretty in pink, nesties.

Java Lion

I found the cutest papers at Joann's the other day by DCWV. It's called Animal Crackers! What a darling name for a paper line! It's also a glitter stack! And better yet, on sale 40% off! I grabbed the 6x4 pack, which is perfect for making cards. There's another set called Green that was new to me, made from recycled papers, and it's too stinking cute too! It's a green theme, so it's has animals and trees and stuff on it. You should see the animal artwork-gosh! Cute! Here is a link showing the chip board for this set.

I have TAC's Wild For You, and I always forget to use it. Such a cute set to not use! I knew as soon as I grabbed that paper pack, I was gonna put the two together! The only thing I don't like about this card is I choose to make the lion's face a shade lighter than the body, well that and he's standing too tall on the right. I had already stamped him twice in creamy caramel with poor results, I just couldn't get him just right in the nestie or inked right in the creamy caramel, so he stayed that way the third time I had stamped him! Mental note, I need more ink for my creamy caramel pad. Next time, I'll keep his face and body the same color though.

Have you ever noticed that solid stamps seem to do better being stamped in pigment ink, compared to dye based ink pads? Or am I just a hair lip that can't get the ink coverage right on dye based pads? I finally pulled out my Versamagic spots, and the coverage was wonderful.

I cased the layout off my friend Kim's blog. She did this layout the other day.

Supplies: SU Wild wasabi cardstock, PTI pure poppy, DCWV Animal Cracker's, versamagic spots, nesties, TAC Wild for you, ribbon from Joann's and stickles.

Joyful Girl

My friend, Kim, was sweet enough to send me a few images of garden joy by TAC, which just released yesterday. It's a darling new set by Mabelle. Kim was asked to help design some new stuff for TAC, so she had this set before any of us! She also was published in the first edition of Serendipity! Big woo hoo for Kim! She says I'm her cheering squad! I'm just so happy for her!

I grabbed my Basic Grey Mellow pack and started to color this sweet heart. I got the sketch idea off of Amy R's blog. This is based on sketch 45. The image is big, and I didn't get my flowers by Queen and Co low enough. Oh, well, it still looks cute enough with them peaking out, right? Please tell me I'm right! But I do wish they were lower on the card. I had already put that part together, when I went to layer the top down, and discover they were way too close. I even tried to pull the flowers out over the edge, but that didn't work. I used a few Queen and Co brads and flowers on here. They are from the Sonic Boom collection, with I believe they retired. I used my lyra crayons to color her with. I was gonna put a sentiment, but couldn't make up my mind on which one to use! I use my rectangle nesties to cut, emboss and scallop the main image.

Supplies: TAC Garden joy, SU red ridinghood cardstock, Basic Grey Mellow, Queen and Co brads and flowers, lyra water color crayons, stickles, and nesties.

Michelle Zindorf Inspired Christmas with a Ghetto Pool

It's the Christmas card challenge on Sparkle's blog. I was out of town last week, so I didn't play along. So, I combined both challenges this week, which were to make a square card, and no bling. I wasn't sure if bling included brads and stuff, so my card is paper only! Since I was going easy with the other stuff, I pulled out a TAC set called Silhouette Nativity, a bunch of ink and a brayer.

I adore Michelle Zindorf's style, and love reading her blog. Sadly, I so can't get my brayer to brayer like her's. I swear, she makes it look so simple, and I end up with lines, goobs of ink, more lines, more goobs! It's endless, so I pull out the sponges, and work the paper to get the lines to soften. I swear, if I see she's in the area again, I'm going to her workshop! She was in Richmond once, and I had no idea until after she'd come and gone home! All that to say, one day I want to brayer like her! I made the red card first. I swear, every supply I went looking for I couldn't find. I looked for my word punch window, in the tote with the punches, no punch. Than after I moved on to a different project, there it was, right next ot the bag! I couldn't find the paper piercer template, so I did it free hand, and again, found it right after I was done with the card! So don't understand how I lose things that are right under my nose!

Supplies for green card: Wild Wasabi cardstock, ink, baja cardstock, ink, not quiet navy ink, prussian blue palette ink, garden green ink, jardin moss palette ink pad, brayer, CB folder, gold ink, black marker, snowman nativity, silhouette nativity.

Supplies for red card: DCWV cardstock, TAC tag tidbits-sentiment, silhouette nativity, so saffron ink, baja blue ink, not quite navy, wild wasabi ink, garden green ink, jardin moss palette ink pad, prussian blue palette ink pad, black marker, SU punches-scallop, tag, and cornor, white ink pad.

Than I finally scrapped Trey's birthday party! His birthday was 7-11. So, it's well over due! He had a pool party last year. We call those nice fun blue pools Ghetto Pools. I hope no one takes offense to that! I love those things! Kids spend hours out there every summer. I have to say, the metal frame stood well compared to the blue ring kind.

Have to say something about this product. My scrapbooking totally moved up in my opinion when I found this book by Jeanette Lynton founder of CTMH, called "Cherish". I totally love this book. I had all my newbie scrapping friends go out and buy it. She has such a great use of pattern papers, and clean crisp lines. I love that she showed ways to have many pages on a page without it being busy. I love lots of photos on my pages, I love different papers, and she brings it together perfectly! This page was inspired by her book. So, if you're toying with the idea of scrapping, this is a book you should go look at.

Supplies: buttons, scrappers floss brown, DCWV fall stack, DCWV solid papers-summer stack, hardwares.

Spreader of Love

How sweet! Barb passed out a lot of blog awards yesterday, and she gave me one too! Love this one! Spreader of Love!

Since I'm new to blog awards, I'm not exactly sure what the rules are! I would give this back to Barb, as she always leave me sweet comments too, but I don't think that's how it works! But she should know I totally think she's a spreader of love too!

I do have a few folks who also leave me sweet comments, and make me smile when they stop by my blog and take the time to comment on it. They always encourage by showing off such great art work themselves, and encourage others with their kind comments. Those people for me are: Tammi, Kim, Rachel, Danni, Colleen and my friend Debbie, who doesn't have a blog yet. She needs a blog! She's got a lot of great talent to show off too! But thanks ladies for always making my day brighter!