Julie's Open Window

Be Mine

2012-02-14T07:00:00.000-06:00

Happy Valentine's Day!

I am so happy that Paul has the day off today but he has been extremely

under the weather the past several days, so I think we will be

spending a nice quiet day together and staying in where it's

nice and warm.

I was determined this Valentine's Day to make Paul's card.

He is always so sweet and appreciative of each one that he

receives and I am really happy to be able to give him this one.

I love this paper from Prima and once I knew that I was going to be using

the glittered chipboard pieces from Making Memories, that it would be

the perfect paper to use as my 'wallpaper'.

I have been using the Lacey Circles die from Spellbinders a lot lately

and thought it worked well for this design.

Before I go, I wanted to slip in one more Valentine greeting that I created a couple

weeks ago using one my new dies from Memory Box.

I LOVE this tree die called 'Twiggy Tree'.

It was perfect for these tiny punched hearts, which I did using my

Martha Stewart Heart to Heart border punch. It's a great way to make a whole

bunch all at once. The sentiment on both cards is a vintage stamp from

the original PSX company{circa 1999} and is still one of my very favorites.

I hope you have a lovely day celebrating with the one you love.

Thank you so much for taking a few minutes to stop by and I hope

while you're here, you'll say hello.

Key to my Heart Project Recipe:

Patterned Paper: Sparkling Spring by Prima
Stamps: Be Mine by PSX {1999}

Embellishments: Glitter chipboard Je t 'Adore by Making Memories,
Seam binding from Sugar Lump Studios Etsy Shop, pearls from Recollections

Tools: corner rounder punch by Fiskars
Lacey Circles & Standard Circles dies from Spellbinders, Big Shot

Tree Wishes Project Recipe:

Patterned Paper: Gossamer from Memory Box
Stamps: Be Mine by PSX {1999}

Tools: Twiggy Tree die by Memory Box, Big Shot
Heart to Heart border punch by Martha Stewart Crafts

Looking for Spring ~ The Twinery/Momenta Blog Hop!

2012-02-13T09:05:00.000-06:00

For the EAD Design Team

Blog Hop

Click HERE

Welcome and Happy Monday!

You have arrived on a great day as a few of the designers

at The Twinery are joining a few of the designers from Momenta

for a fabulously inspiring blog hop.

If you've arrived here from the

Momenta blog,

you are in just the right spot.

If not, I invite you to pop back to the very beginning at

The Twinery blog

because there are some pretty fab prizes when you stop

by each participating blog and leave a little love.

It's a very manageable hop with only 14 blogs total.

I have a couple of projects to share with you today.

I have been wanting to create dimensional flowers for so long and finally

found a small loom that works really well.

Featured here is The Twinery's Maraschino baker's twine with a Flax center.

It sits on top of a great dimensional flourish sticker against a beautiful

panel of paper from Momenta's Family Forever collection.

From that same Momenta collection comes....

I still love banners and really love these puffy textured banners from Momenta.

Such an easy way to add baker's twine from The Twinery with petite bows.

The sentiment is from The Craft's Meow.

If you would like an opportunity to win a terrific collection from Momenta

and the Colorful Bunch Sampler from The Twinery...

...then make sure you make a visit to each blog on the hop

and leave a quick note of thanks to our designers.

We appreciate your participation and of course, we love to

hear from everyone who stops by!

Now it's time to get you on your way to the multi-talented

Jamie Cripps

for some fabby inspiration!

Serenity Project Recipe:

Patterned Paper: Family Forever by Momenta
Stamps: Faith Greetings from The Paper Company

Embellishments: Baker's twine in Maraschino & Flax from The Twinery

Flourish sticker by Momenta, gems from Me & My Big Ideas

Tools: corner rounder punch by Fiskars

Wishing You Project Recipe:

Patterned Paper: Family Forever by Momenta
Stamps: Baggin Some Rays by The Craft's Meow

Embellishments: Baker's twine in orchid, denim & lemondrop from The Twinery

banner stickers by Momenta, pearls by Recollections

Tools: corner rounder punch by Fiskars

Shake, Rattle and Roll on the EAD Blog Hop

2012-02-13T09:00:00.000-06:00

Welcome back to another new week and that means ....

I hope you've arrived here from the talented

Judith's blog, Jay Gee's Nook

because you'll be on the right track to win a great prize!

If not, how about starting back at the beginning at the

EAD Designs Blog

I only had time to get one project done for this week's hop, but I have

big plans for the rest of the fun Stickerz in this collection.

Isn't this monkey just adorable?!

It's from the Baby Safari Stickerz collection by EAD Designs.

I recently purchased the 6x6 pad from Bo-Bunny called Zoology

along with a matching chipboard mini album with the intention of

doing small layouts of my first grandson CJ's first trip to the zoo

(back when he was only about 18 months old...he turns 9 in March!)

I had to pull out some of the papers from that set for this card

because they were perfect.

The paper with the arch border is from Momenta.

The sentiment is also a part of the EAD Stickerz set as well.

Here is the sweet set called Baby Safari

That's it for me...I hope you enjoyed your visit.

It's time to send you on to my talented teammate

Lauren's Creative

Make sure you check out both of my posts today as I am also

sharing projects for The Twinery/Momenta blog hop as well.

Make sure to leave a comment before you leave...I'd love to have you

win the terrific prize over at EAD Designs.

Project Recipe:

Patterned Paper: Zoology from Bo Bunny, Family Forever from Momenta

Embellishments: Baby Safari by EAD Designs

mini brads from Recollections, Seam binding from Hug Snug

Tools: Lacey Circles & Standard Circles dies from Spellbinders, Big Shot

Lattice Arch border punch by EK Success

You Warm my Heart

2012-02-09T23:01:00.000-06:00

It's time for another Clean and Simple Challenge!

This week, the challenge is to use paper-piecing and
with our sponsor being a company I work with, I knew exactly
which stamp set I wanted to work with.

The Craft's Meow has a great set called 'Warm Winter Wishes' which has terrific open
designs for paper-piecing. I grabbed a winter pad of patterned paper from Recollections
and went to town with red and white.

I love using baker's twine from The Twinery to create the little puff-ball
on the top of all my winter hats.

We thank The Craft's Meow for providing the CAS-ual Fridays girls with
stamp sets to play with.

You will find great inspiration over at CAS-ual Fridays, so I hope
you will plan to play along with us this week!

Project Recipe:

Patterned Paper: Recollections
Stamps: Warm Winter Wishes from The Craft's Meow

Embellishments: Baker's twine in Stone from The Twinery

You Made my Day ...

2012-02-09T11:00:00.000-06:00

FOR THE EAD DESIGNS

COLOR CHALLENGE POST

CLICK HERE

I am really glad to say that as I type this, the weatherman assures me

that it will be sunny with beautiful clouds in the sky.

So fingers crossed that it will be that way when I awake on Thursday morning!

Jaclyn Miller, our Color Story Coordinator always knows

how to bring the color and this week is no exception.

Personally, I am always stumped when it comes to bold

colors but it didn't take long to come up with my idea.

I recently bought a bunch of dies from Memory Box and couldn't wait

to play with this one. The 'Country Landscape' is so delicate and was

a great way to highlight the golden yellow called for this week.

My favorite 'Clouds' die from Lil' Inker Designs was a perfect way to use

the two shades of blue and WA-LA!

Clean and Simple indeed.

This week, we are happy to have

back with us as our sponsor.
They always offer a terrific shopping spree to the winner,
so you'll want to make sure to play!

Project Recipe:

Cardstock: American Crafts
Patterned Paper: 'Blissful' from Authentique
Stamps: Rainbow & Clouds Sentiments by Lil' Inker Designs

Tools: Country Landscape die from Memory Box,
Cloud die from Lil' Inker Designs, Big Shot

Vintage Treasures from EAD Designs

2012-02-09T01:00:00.000-06:00

Well here's something you don't see from ME everyday!

A second color challenge on my blog all in one day.

As you may know, I am one of the newest designers over at

EAD Designs and once a month, they have a color challenge which

features a specific set of their fab Stickerz.

Here are the colors....

...and here is the featured set...

Vintage Treasures

I love the vintage catalog sheet and thought it would make a fab

background, so I used a Spellbinders die to cut the frame.

Then I just placed the Penny-Farthing bicycle on top and thought I'd bling it up

just a smidge with an extra large gemstone.

Here is another quick and easy idea using the same sets along with

a verse from "Love Sentiments' ...

I hope you will stop by the EAD Blog and check out what my teammates have

created over there using these great sets and this color combo.

You have all month to play, but why waste time....

Just head on over now and take a peek!

Vintage Treasures Project Recipes:

Stamps: In Tandem from The Craft's Meow
Embellishments: Stickerz in Vintage Treasures & Love Sentiments
both by EAD Designs

Tools: Labels One die from Spellbinders, Big Shot

Corner Rounder punch by Fiskars

Beautiful...EAD Design Team Blog Hop

2012-02-06T09:00:00.000-06:00

This is a super-exciting day for me as it is my very first

post for EAD Designs and it just happens to be the....

If you've reached my blog by way of

Judith's from Jay Gee's Nook

then you are in the right spot indeed!

If not, this is a great time to pop over to the

EAD blog

and get started for a chance to win a

pretty fabby prize!

As I created this first project, I was truly inspired by

my daughter Mallory.

She is a beautiful daughter and a wonderful

mother and I thought about her all the while I was making this card.

We all know that cameos are so trendy right now and I aDoRe the

'Mini Cameo Frames' Rub-Ons from EAD.
You can order them in your choice

of color and I thought the Deep Red would be
a beautiful alternative to the traditional black.

I also used EAD's 'Fancy Frames' Stickerz as my scroll frame around

the beautiful silhouette. Stickerz are terrific because they are vinyl

and repositionable and so fun to work with.

The sentiment is from Market Street Stamps.

I love the sweet little pearl heart brads and thought they were a nice touch.

For something a little different....

I love anything vintage and this sweet little chair is from 'Vintage Furniture'.

Creating clean and simple is so easy with pieces of furniture.

You may recognize the sentiment as a Paper Smooches design.

It is!

It's from Kim Hughes designed for EAD and is a part of the

'Thinking of You Sentiments' collection.

Here are the sets I used today:

The next stop on the blog hop is...

Lauren's Creative

I have been enjoying some new directions in my

creative life recently and there are so many wonderful

things coming around the corner.

If you are new to my blog, thank you for coming by

and I hope you'll leave a quick comment so I know you were here.

I appreciate each and every visit and hope you'll come by again soon!

Beautiful & Thoughts of You Project Recipes:

Stamps: Autumn Greetings by Market Street Stamps
Embellishments: Stickerz in Fancy Frames,
Thinking of You Sentiments
Rub-Ons in Mini Cameo Frames all by EAD Designs
Pearl Heart brads from Recollections

Tools: Labels Ten die from Spellbinders, Big Shot
Corner Rounder punch by Fiskars

Celebrating Red Carpet Season

2012-02-02T23:01:00.000-06:00

Are you ready for a very creative CAS theme?

In honor of awards season, specifically The Oscars,

this week's challenge is to take a 'movie title'

and create from there.

Although I have not seen the movie, the moment I found this

die cut from Authentique, it was a no-brainer.

My movie is 'Across the Universe'.

This is the movie inspired by the music of The Beatles.

I loved that this paper collection called 'Splendid' fit with

the psychedelic theme.

I used my Martha 'Sunburst' border punch to add a little interest

to the bottom of the card and to keep it as CAS as possible,

just finished it off with lilac baker's twine from The Twinery.

This week, we are once again sponsored by

and this week's winner will also earn a guest spot

over at CAS-ual Fridays.

Hello.

2012-02-01T23:01:00.000-06:00

I know what you're thinking....Spring is NOT quite here yet.

It's just time for another challenge over in The Cafe.
How fitting that our challenge begins this week
on Groundhog Day!
I would love it if Spring were here tomorrow, but I really
can't complain. Our weather has been SO unseasonably
warm, so I will take it!

I used my favorite embossing folder from Sizzix to create the background
for this card. Then it was a matter of just layering embellishments.
There is not one stamp on this card!
The sweet paper flower is from Girls' Paperie, the stem is
created using one of the brand new colors from The Twinery
called 'Flax' and the fun letters are from October Afternoon.

We are really happy to welcome Alica Thelin as our

newest design team member and am super-excited about

the creativity she will bring to our challenge.

This week's challenge is sponsored by Gina K Designs
Senior Designer, Melanie Muenchinger.
She is offering two beautiful stamp sets to this week's
challenge winner..a nearly $50 prize package!

So make sure you come by, check out all of the
lovely inspiration from our design team and play along.

Project Recipe:

Embellishments: Flower Market paper flowers by Girls' Paperie
Baker's Twine in Flax by The Twinery
Mini-Market Letter stickers from October Afternoon

Tools: Stylized Flowers EF from Cuttlebug
Big Shot

Hearts a-Plenty!

2012-01-27T00:08:00.002-06:00

Hey hey one and all!
Just a little card I have to share with you tonight.

I created this card for a specific project, but it didn't really work out,

but I thought I would share it anyway.

This card was created using lots of little elements, all just placed

strategically on the card, so no real instructions, but all recipe

of 'ingredients' are all listed below.

So glad you stopped by.
I always appreciate your visits and hope you
will stop by again soon!

Project Recipe:

Designer Papers: 'Enchanted Woodland' by Martha Stewart

Embellishments: 'Sweet Talk' & 'Smitten' gems
& 'Sweet Talk' Banner die cuts all by K&Company

Tools: Cherish border die (hearts) from Memory Box
Wavy Layered Frame die from Sizzix

We Are Family.....

2012-01-25T23:01:00.000-06:00

It's Thursday and that means one thing....

Before I share my completed project...

It's the end of another term over in The Cafe and

two of our designers are moving on to new creative adventures.

Andrea & Michele have become members of

The Play Date Cafe family and will be missed on

a weekly basis. They both brought such different styles

in creativity and each week has been a joy knowing

they would be sharing their designs with our players.

I am so thankful that both of these ladies consider me

a friend and I know that they will not be strangers to The Cafe.

Make sure that you stop by each of their blogs and wish them well.

Our fun and fab Jaclyn Miller chose this week's colors

and listed them as...

Plum...Pear...and Moldy Cheese

I adore her descriptions!

As soon as I saw the Pear color, I immediately knew I wanted to pull

out my favorite Sizzix die and create this extra-large pear to

embellish with the other colors.

I used paper & embellishments from Little Yellow Bicycle

& Webster's Pages to create the pear.

Lilac baker's twine from The Twinery matched perfectly.

I embossed the white panel with Sizzix's 'Pear Vine' embossing folder.

I am in love with all things Pears this season.

So much so, that I've started a board over at Pinterest

called 'I Adore Pears' and I designed this card loosely on a card

that I did in the fall of 2011 using the same die.

{you can see that card here}

This week we have another new sponsor with us.

This past December, I was honored to be a guest designer

for Sweet 'n Sassy and we thank you for their sponsorship this week.

The girls at The Cafe have done it again with inspiring projects

using this week's color story.

Next week, we introduce a new design team member and until then...

please stop by and wish Andrea & Michele all the best!

Project Recipe:

Designer Papers: 'Hello Fall' by Little Yellow Bicycle

'Nature's Storybook' by Webster's Pages

Embellishments: Baker's Twine in Lilac from The Twinery

gemstones in Sapphire from Martha Stewart

sentiment die cut from 'Hello Fall' by Little Yellow Bicycle

Tools: Pear die & 'Pear Vine' EF both from Sizzix

Ink: Tuxedo Black by Memento from A Muse Studio

Here is ONE Terrific Design Team Call!!

2012-01-24T20:09:00.000-06:00

The Craft’sMeow

Open DesignTeam Call

Do you love to stamp?

Even better, do you love to stamp with TCM images?

Do you enjoy inspiring others?

Then it may be YOU we are looking for!

Here are the specifics:

Design Team Term:

6months

March-Sept,2012

Open Internationally

Requirements:

*1project post for each new release set

(average of 4 new releases per month)

during our previews and New Release Blog Hop

and at least one other time in the month

priorto the next release

(whichcan include our sketch challenge)

*PromoteThe Craft’s Meow on your blog, online galleries

suchas Flickr, Splitcoaststampers, Two Peas in a Bucket, etc

andsocial media sites such as Facebook, Twitter & Google+

Itis NOT a requirement to be a part of these sites, but we do

encourageyou to be a part of SCS & Two Peas

*Anactive blog and good photography skills.

AllTCM projects will be required to be uploaded

tothe TCM Gallery

The Craft’s Meow will provide:

*Approx. $60-$80 in stamps and product specific

toThe Craft’s Meow for each release during your term

(sixreleases scheduled)

*Compensation for any PRINT publication projects

whichfeature stamps & product specific to The Craft’s Meow
(compensation will be in the form of free stamp sets)

* Product discounts on orders from The Craft’s Meow

*Wewill feature your work and a link to your blog

eachtime you participate with a required post or

TCM blog hop event

To apply, please provide the following:

* Your name

*Yourblog name and link

*Photos of three (3 only please) projects

thatshowcase you as a designer

We only need three to get a feel foryour style!

PLEASESEND PHOTOS, NOT LINKS TO PHOTOS

PLEASESIZE THEM APPROPRIATELY FOR EMAIL VIEWING

We do ask that you limit additional 'links' to additional information.

With the number of blogs we will have to visit, we will not have

time to visit resume links, credit links, etc,

so please include the specific information in your submission.

Ofcourse, we would love for you to use stamps from

TheCraft’s Meow

butit is not required to apply

*A list of your current/past DT experience

(noexperience required)

*A list of creative credits such as publications,

blog/guestfeatures, etc, if any

Sendthe above information to

tcm.dt.call@gmail.com

Design Team Call ends

11:59 PST, Saturday February 11, 2012

We look forward to hearing from you!

The Twinery's New Colors Are Now Available!

2012-01-23T07:00:00.000-06:00

Calling all bakers twine fans!

It is a great day over at The Twinery as we

release FOUR brand new colors!!

Just look at the yummy, sherbet-like shades of these colors!

Shore

Orchid

Cantaloupe

Flax

We've been talking about these fab colors

for a couple weeks and now they are

officially on sale

over at The Twinery!

You should already know that The Twinery has

the best baker's twine 'on the planet'

with it's 4-ply, saturated color and of course,

it's all made in the U.S.A.

February is just around the corner which means our

Brand New 2012 Design Team

will begin sharing their inspiring projects over

on The Twinery blog.

Several of them are getting a bit of a headstart

using the new colors, so stop by and check

out the new colors and the fun projects

of our designers!

Missing You and A Giveaway!

2012-01-21T17:14:00.000-06:00

Happy Saturday....just thought I would share a very

fun & easy card that I whipped up while I was

recently creating a card for CAS-ual Fridays.

As a child of the 60's, I am quite into retro looks always love when a stamp

set comes along that makes it so easy to create.

This one is 'Vogue Abode' from Paper Smooches.

I stayed simple with black and white and just placed

a hint of color and I think it works.

I'm so glad you stopped by for a sec because I have something else

that I want to share.

The designers I work with never cease to amaze me with their

creativity and Karola Witczak, one of our brand new designers

over at The Twinery, is one of those ladies.

Not only is Karola the DT Coordinator for The ScrapCake,

but she is also a product designer as well.

The collection on the right is hers called

'My Private Happiness'.

Both collections are oh so yummy and you have an

opportunity to win.

Head on over to the blog and check out the details.

English translation is available.

Wouldn't it be fab if the winner was YOU?!

Project Recipe:

Stamps: New Digs by Paper Smooches
Ink: Tuxedo Black by Memento from A Muse Studio

This Day Justs Keeps Gettin' Better

2012-01-20T16:33:00.002-06:00

Today is one of those days that I savor.

If you've visited my blog for any length of time,

you know that I have had the pleasure of being a part

of the fabulous design team over at The Craft's Meow.

It is now my privilege to share that I am now

the new (and TCM's very first official)

Design Team Coordinator!

Lisa Hjulberg is a gem and she has assembled

a team of stamp designers and project designers

that is pretty spectacular.

There are some pretty fabulous new things on

the horizon at TCM and I am so fortunate to be

a part of it all.

If you've not become a fan of TCM, make sure you

visit the blog TODAY! We'd love to have you *like* us

over on Facebook too.

And just to entice you a bit further, there are

THREE BIG ANNOUNCEMENTS

being made on the blog

and you will NOT want to miss a one!!!

Thanks for stopping by!

Look Who I Get to Play With!

2012-01-20T09:00:00.000-06:00

Yes indeed-io!

I am super excited to share the news

that I am a new designer for EAD Designs.

I first got to know EAD when they were sponsors

of both The Play Date Cafe Challenge and the

CAS-ual Fridays Challenge and I was hooked!

I fell in love with their line of 'Stickerz' and

if you haven't tried them yet, it's high time!

They are repositionable vinyl and oh so versatile!

Of course they make W.A.Y. more than Stickerz,

so I hope you will visit their website soon.

But just so you know, all of their Scrapbooking

Stickerz and Rub-ons SHIP FREE!

I had a limited number of Stickerz in my stash

and am anxiously awaiting the DT order, so until

then, I hope you don't mind me re-posting a couple of

the photos from projects Christmas BEFORE last....

(yes...that's how long I've been in love....)

You'll be seeing LOTS of tag ideas from me in the coming year!

I adore how easy they are to make using EAD Designs.

Well..I am anxious to get started in February and when I do,

here's who I get to work with:

So glad you stopped by today!

Hope you'll check out the blogs of these fabulous

designers...it's gonna be a great year!

Lovin' my New Digs!

2012-01-19T23:01:00.000-06:00

Hey there...what a GREAT idea for a Clean & Simple Challenge.

Well, of course I'm talking about

but I'm also talking about the 'challenge' itself...

BLACK AND WHITE!!!

When I first saw this new 'retro' set from Paper Smooches,

it screamed black and white...

It's called 'Vogue Abode' and...here it comes...I dig it!

This one is pretty self-explanatory. I just 'arranged the furniture'

and done.

The black in is Tuxedo Black from Memento.

I actually have a variation on this card using a 'splash' of color,

but I'll save that one for another day. Wouldn't want to see anyone

'sneak' any color in on this challenge.

Hope you enjoyed it!

I will be back Friday morning with a FanTABulous bit of news

I've been keeping under my hat...in fact, there might

just be TWO bits of news. We'll see.....

Project Recipe:

Stamps: New Digs by Paper Smooches
Ink: Tuxedo Black by Memento from A Muse Studio

Friendship...

2012-01-16T14:59:00.000-06:00

Happy Monday to one and all!

I am going to make this an uber-quick post and

I'll share why in just a sec.

I recently picked up a fab set of new Hero Arts stamps

on my last trip to Archivers and I just love 'em.

They are called 'Very Special' and are lovely

sentiments for all occasions.

I still have not mastered the art of decent photography when

it comes to white on white, so please forgive.

For this card, I used the Primitive Hearts #2 die

and a label die, both from Sizzix.

I cut the hearts from this beautiful gingham cardstock

from A Muse Studio. I think that the pattern, which is

available in a variety pack of colors, is so versatile.

(and can be ordered from my webstore HERE)

The sentiment was stamped using Slate ink by A Muse.

I used the same ink to shade the edges of the label.

The Polka Dot background is courtesy of my

Cuttlebug EF.

Hope you found a tiny bit of inspiration in this quick project.

So I mentioned that I needed to make this quick...

I am heading out the door shortly to pick up this guy..

This is Caleb and he is the second oldest of my

four grandsons. As there is no kindergarten today,

he is going to come and spend some time with me.

This photo was taken this past Saturday at a wonderful

Swedish Pancake Restaurant here in town as our family

celebrated the retirement of my father-in-law.

After 27 years as an aerospace engineer, he is hanging

it up and will be heading to Florida soon for a little R&R.

I mentioned a card last week that was made for someone

special, but I couldn't share who...well, it was him.

(if you'd like to check it out...you can find it HERE)

Anyway...lots of photos were taken, but this is

one of my favorites...

Three brothers hanging out around me.

The oldest two always fight for who is going to

sit next to Mema or Papa Paul and THAT is a joy!

Of course, Baby Finn was passed around the table like a

very cuddly football throughout the morning.

Thanks for taking a peek today and now I must be off

to pick up my VIP!

Project Recipe:

Designer Paper: Pink Gingham from A Muse Studio
Stamps: Very Special by Hero Arts
Ink: Slate from A Muse Studio

Embellishments: pearls from Recollections
Tools: Polka Dot EF from Cuttlebug,
Primitive Hearts #2 & Label Die both from Sizzix

Sa-weet!

2012-01-13T07:00:00.000-06:00

This card says it all!

I am back today to share the next ten designers who

will be joining the 2012 Design Team at The Twinery.

I am so very excited to be working with such a talented group of

designers and am looking forward to what the year brings.

Without further ado, here are the talented ladies who will be joining us:

Katarina Damm-Blomberg

In honor of our design team reveal,

we are giving away

an Ultimate Sampler Pack of our
Baker's Twine

Just visit The Twinery blog and check out how you can win!

Sweet Pear Project Recipe:
Cardstock: Orange Zest from PTI

Designer Paper: Ivory Text, Delicious Autumn Text,
Harvest Rings, Sweater Weather from 'Happy Fall' Collection
all by Little Yellow Bicycle
Tools: Pear Vine EF & Pear BIGZ die by Sizzix/BasicGrey,
Big Shot, Fiskars Corner Rounder

Embellishments: Bakers Twine in Buttercream from The Twinery

Fabric Faves sticker from Hello Fall Collection

by Little Yellow Bicycle

Lovin' Clean & Simple!

2012-01-12T23:01:00.000-06:00

Are you ready to play Clean & Simple?

This week, we are being challenged to use

'scallops' in our creations over at

CAS-ual Fridays.

I went very 'literal' with this challenge and not only

worked with a 'scalloped edge' but I also went

with a 'scalloped pattern' thanks to Cosmo Cricket's

'Clementine' collection.

I love these colors together and was inspired by those when I

put this card together.

The sentiments are from Paper Smooches.

I really hope you'll come play with us this week.

We have a great time playing Clean & Simple!

This week's sponsor is

Hope to see you over at CAS-ual Fridays!

Project Recipe:

Designer Paper: Clementine from Cosmo Cricket
Stamps: Chit Chat by Paper Smooches

Embellishments: pearls from Recollections

Seam binding in Winter White

A BIG Announcement!

2012-01-12T07:00:00.000-06:00

The day has finally arrived over at The Twinery.

The reveal of our first group of brand new designers.

I have been so blessed to be the Design Team Coordinator

for The Twinery for the past year and am so looking forward

to what 2012 has to offer.

Without further ado, here is the first group of designers

who I am looking forward to working with this term...

Teri Anderson

Dorangela Bobet

Helen Bird

Lauren Brewer

Natalie Clause

Amy Crockett
Tifany DeGough

Carolyn King

Kathy Skou

Kellie Winnell

In honor of our design team reveal,

we are giving away

an Ultimate Sampler Pack of our
Baker's Twine

Just visit The Twinery blog and check out how you can win!

I'll be back tonight with a new challenge from CAS-ual Fridays

and tomorrow....we will reveal the rest of our new designers

at The Twinery!

Congratulations!

2012-01-11T23:01:00.000-06:00

It's COLOR CHALLENGE time over at

Jax has done it again with such a dynamic color story.

This is one of my favorite die cut sets from Lil' Inker Designs.

I think it's so versatile and works well with these colors.

I made this card for someone very special.

Because he reads my blog from time to time, I can't share

who it's for...but it's well-deserved after a long career!

I think this card sorta speaks for itself.

We are really happy to welcome a sponsor that will be

with us once each month and it's a GREAT prize!!!

Pop over to The Cafe and check out what my fabulous

teammates did with these colors and check out the

terrific prize from Simon Says Stamp.

I will be back in the morning with an exciting announcement!

Project Recipe:

Stamps: Rainbow Sentiments by Lil' Inker Designs

Tools: corner rounder by Fiskars

Rainbow & Clouds die by Lil' Inker Designs

Polka Dot EF by Cuttlebug

Sweet Stamp Shop New Release!

2012-01-11T07:00:00.000-06:00

Welcome to another New Release Preview for

Today is the first of a two-day blog hop, so if you've come

here from the Sweet Stamp Shop Blog, then you are

in the perfect place. If not, it's just one stop back and if

you visit each of the designer's blogs & leave a little

love on each, you could win the new releases!

I am kinda hooked on pears this season and I
think I might just have every die cut and embossing folder that has
a pear-theme to it : )
I broke out one of my newer Fiskar's punches to create
these fab pears with the help of the new stamp set
'Against the Grain' from Sweet Stamp Shop.
I am not at all happy with the way this card photographed as it's
difficult to tell the that I actually used three different shades of green
to stamp the image, which is actually a large background image.
I then punched out the pears from different sections of the image
to give each pear a different 'texture'.

This photo shows the colors a bit more clearly.
Of course, I used my favorite inks from
A Muse Studio...in Lichen, Grass & Fern.
They are available from my web store here.

I hope you will check out the new images from Sweet Stamp Shop
because as of today, they are now for sale.
Now, how about THIS for a GREAT OFFER...

If you buy one of the new releases, you will be able to purchase
the second one at 40% off!!!
You still have a chance to win as well.

Here is how...

To be eligible for stamp set a day:

**Make sure to visit each blog on the hop.

There are only 9 blogs each day, so it's a very 'do-able' hop!

**Leave an 'original' comment on each designers' blog.

(no copy and pasting, please)

**Be sure to follow the Sweet Stamp Shop blog and while you're at it,

our designers would love for you to follow them as well

For additional entries:

**Like our FB page

**Share our giveaway & blog hop with your friends

and leave us a note either on our FB page or on the SSS Blog

It is now time to send you on to my very talented friend,

Savannah O'Gwynn

Have a great time on the hop!

Project Recipe:

Paper Kit: Lichen, Grass & Fern from A Muse Studio
Stamps: Against the Grain by Sweet Stamp Shop

Embellishments: tiny pearls from Recollections
Tools: Pear punch by Fiskars

Sentimental Journey

2012-01-10T07:00:00.000-06:00

I love these colors together...

and with this stamp design, it really works well.

Welcome to another New Release Preview for

Today is the first of a two-day blog hop, so if you've come

here from the Sweet Stamp Shop Blog, then you are

in the perfect place. If not, it's just one stop back and if

you visit each of the designer's blogs & leave a little

love on each, you could win the new releases!

This new release is called 'Sentimental Birds'.

I love the simplicity of the silhouettes.

This particular stamp is actually a straight branch of birds, but I like the idea of

the curved lines, so I simply 'bent' them slightly when I placed them on the

acrylic block and got the affect I was looking for.

The rest of the elements here

(with the exception of the baker's twine from The Twinery)

came from the January kit by Paper Made Bakery and includes

beautiful Bazzill cardstock and paper from Authentique's 'Blissful'

collection. The beautiful seam binding and the matching button

really gave it a nice accent.

I really am happy you came by today and hope you enjoy

the inspiration that you find along the hop today.

Before you go, here is the 'fine print' that I need to

remind you of and THEN it's time to send you on your way....

To be eligible for stamp set a day:

**Make sure to visit each blog on the hop.

There are only 9 blogs each day, so it's a very 'do-able' hop!

**Leave an 'original' comment on each designers' blog.

(no copy and pasting, please)

**Be sure to follow the Sweet Stamp Shop blog and while you're at it,

our designers would love for you to follow them as well

For additional entries:

**Like our FB page

**Share our giveaway & blog hop with your friends

and leave us a note either on our FB page or on the SSS Blog

It is now time to send you on to my very talented friend,

Savannah O'Gwynn

Have a great time on the hop!

Project Recipe:

Paper Kit: Paper Made Bakery
Stamps: Sentimental Birds by Sweet Stamp Shop

Embellishments: Bakers Twine in Buttercream from The Twinery
Tools: Arch border punch by EK Success

Celebrate!

2012-01-05T23:00:00.000-06:00

Since this is my first post of the 2012, let me wish you a....

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

What a great way to kick things off, with the

first challenge of 2012 over at

and how fun because YOU could be one of our 'Temps'

as a Guest Designer!

All the details are over at CAS-ual Fridays!

This week's challenge is to use chipboard and mine are from

Pink Paislee's 'Soiree' collection. They are actually dimensional stickers

which I am calling chipboard 'light' : )

I've embossed the background with the large Polka Dot EF from

Cuttlebug and stamped this fun sentiment from Paper Smooches.

We are super excited to have

as this week's sponsor and don't forget, not only will this week's

winner have a fantastic shopping spree from Simon Says Stamps

but they will also win a spot as a Guest Designer

at CAS-ual Fridays!!!

Can't wait to see you there!!!

Project Recipe:

Stamps: Sentiment Sampler from Paper Smooches

Ink: Tuxedo Black by Momento from A Muse Studio

Embellishments: Pearls from Recollections

'Soiree' 3-D Stickers from Pink Paislee

Tools: Polka Dot EF by Cuttlebug, Big Shot

Getting Together in 2012

2011-12-28T16:25:00.000-06:00

It is the middle of the week already, just a few more

days until we ring in the New Year.

I really want to thank the girls over at

Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps

for inviting me to be their Guest Designer

the entire month of December.

I really enjoyed working with the

'Snowflake Flourish' set and although I chose

one of the tiniest stamps to feature here

(along with the sentiment)

the thought behind it became quite big for me.

We are so powerful as individuals, but

collectively, we can do great things.

So I hope you will make 2012 a year of

being creative in new and exciting ways.

Get together with friends or join a blog hop.

Whatever you do, make an effort to

team up with someone because together

'we CAN do so much'!

I found this very vintage Heidi Grace paper in my stash.
I've always loved it...the soft velvet of the snowflakes
is so striking and I thought it was a great fit for this card.
I stamped the snowflakes & sentiment in 'Slate' ink
from A Muse Studio
(you KNOW they're my faves!)
and paired it with ribbon from American Crafts.
The label die is from Sizzix.

I'm so glad you popped by today!

Don't forget, we are in the middle of a
TWO WEEK CHALLENGE
over at The Play Date Cafe.

We would love to have you play with us!
You could win a $25 Shopping Spree from

See you soon!

Project Recipe:

Designer Paper: Heidi Grace
Stamps: Snowflake Flourish from Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps

Ink: Slate from A Muse Studio

Embellishments: Brads from Recollections

Ribbon from American Crafts

Tools: Label Die from Sizzix, Big Shot

Wishing You a Most Blessed Christmas...

2011-12-24T21:22:00.001-06:00

My youngest grandson Finn along with his new friend

Santa Claus are here to wish each one of you

a very Happy and Healthy Christmas...

...one filled with joys of family & good food

always remembering the 'reason for the season'

as we are reminded here with one of the dearest

songs from a mother's heart....

Merry Christmas and God bless us everyone.....

CAS-ual Fridays Joins the Market Street Block Party!

2011-12-22T23:01:00.000-06:00

Taking another quick break from the holidays

because I've got an especially fun treat for you all!

This week the Girl Fridays of CAS-ual Fridays

are joining up with the fabulous designers of

Market Street Stamps in celebration of

their newest releases.

This week's Clean and Simple Challenge is...

Begin with a Clean and Simple idea

and incorporate Brown Paper and String

and you are good to go.

I love this sweet little button card from Cosmo Cricket's

Clementine Collection. I thought it was the perfect backdrop for

this week's challenge using the new set

called 'Faith in You' from Market Street.

My 'string' is Mandarin bakers twine from The Twinery.

Along with the joint challenge, it is also

time over at MSS.

You can have a chance to be a guest designer with

our fabulous team, so make sure you check out all

the details over on the MSS Blog.

Hope you enjoyed your visit to The Open Window.

I know I enjoy hearing from you, so thank you

so much for stopping by!

Project Recipe:

Designer Paper: Clemetine from Cosmo Cricket
Stamps: Faith in You from Market Street Stamps

Embellishments: Die Cuts Clementine from Cosmo Cricket

Bakers Twine in Mandarin from The Twinery

Let it Snow....

2011-12-22T11:32:00.000-06:00

It's another chilly reminder that snow is

coming to different parts of the US today.

As I continue to play with stamps as

December's Guest Designer over at

'Snowflake Flourish' was the set that I've

had fun with all December long and here is

a brand new take using the largest image in the set.

It is a busy card indeed, but when you break it all down, it's not so much : )

I stamped the flourishes in inks that would compliment the

paper from My Mind's Eye's 'Lost & Found Christmas' and

stamped one at top and one at the bottom, making sure to let

both 'run off the page'.

From there it really was just a matter of placing my embellishments

where they filled the space most effectively.

I created the snowflake from my Spellbinders Original Snowflakes Die

using the same papers as the background panel.

All of the chipboard embellishments were from the

same collection by MME.

For those who are getting slammed with snow, I wish you

much safety and hope that you will be able to share photos

of snowmen along the way.

Happy Holidays all!

Project Recipe:

Designer Paper: Lost & Found Christmas from My Mind's Eye
Stamps: Snowflake Flourish from Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps

Ink: Curran & Slate from A Muse Studio

Embellishments: Brad & Pearls from Recollections

Chipboard Sentiments from Lost & Found Christmas from My Mind's Eye

Tools: Snowflake Die from Spellbinders, Big Shot

Holiday Inspiration

2011-12-21T23:00:00.000-06:00

Merry Christmas & Happy Hanukkah to all!

I just wanted to share a quick post to let you know

that the new challenge over at The Play Date Cafe

is up and running.

I actually have a project nearly completed sitting on my

table, but I've been out of the house so much

this week, it's been impossible to complete anything.

You will have TWO FULL WEEKS to complete the

challenge and of course, the colors can't help

but inspire you to play.

This week, someone is going to win a

fabulous prize from

So I hope you will have some holiday time to play!

Once we Believe...

2011-12-19T19:00:00.000-06:00

Taking a break from holiday cards tonight to share a beautiful

new collection from Market Street Stamps.

It's New Release Preview Week and you are going to love

what is to come from all of the designers over at MSS.

These beautiful butterflies and sentiment are from the brand new

'Believing Butterfly' Collection.

Butterflies are so trendy and I think are a perfect

alternative to hearts for Valentine cards.

For this card, I pulled out papers & embellishments from

Making Memories 'Je t'Adore' collection.

I embossed the butterflies and layered them for a dimensional effect.

I have a large collection of the heart lace border and never seem

to use it, so I am hoping to incorporate it on more cards this spring.

I hope you will join the designers of Market Street Stamps all week long

as we reveal the new stamp sets on offer.

So glad you came by....always nice to hear from you!

Project Recipe:

Designer Paper: Je t'Adore from Making Memories
Stamps: Believing Butterflies from Market Street Stamps

Embellishments: Die Cuts Je t'Adore from Making Memories
Vintage Heart Lace Border

Warm Hugs

2011-12-19T15:11:00.000-06:00

I don't know what the weather is like where you live,

but it's been unseasonably warm here in

Northern Illinois.

Today, the temps are in the mid 40's

and not a sign of snow...well, yet.

I'm not sure if we will have a white Christmas

this year, but I'm ok with that.

The reason I mention it is because I have a

card to share of a 'wintery' nature but I haven't

a single 'real' snowflake to show for it!

I have been enjoying being the

December Guest Designer over at

and am happy to share this little card with you.

I have been playing with the 'Snowflake Flourish' set

from SNSS and with this card, I decided to focus on

one of the tiniest stamps in the set along

with the beautiful sentiment.

My focal point is a snowflake die from Spellbinders

cut from 'Blitzen' by BoBunny.

I hope you will stop by the Sweet 'n Sassy Blog

and join me there tomorrow with a brand

new project!

Project Recipe:

Designer Paper: Blitzen from BoBunny
Stamps: Snowflake Flourish from Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps

Ink: Sky & Slate from A Muse Studio

Embellishments: Brad from American Crafts
Tools: Snowflake Die from Spellbinders, Big Shot

'Back to the 80's' Blog Hop!

2011-12-17T23:00:00.000-06:00

What a fun way to begin a Sunday!

It's Emily Lanham's

'Back to the 80's' Birthday Blog Hop!

If you've arrived here from the

Sweet Stamp Shop Blog

then you are in the perfect spot to proceed.

If not, why not pop back to the very beginning on

THE BIRTHDAY GIRL'S BLOG

because there are some amazing prizes up for grabs

in honor of Emily's 29th birthday!

Although Emily's teen years were spent mostly in the 90's,

she loves everything about the 80's including the sights & sounds.

I made this card with thoughts of some of her favorite songs

by the New Kids on the Block & Def Leppard.

The main focus of my card uses 'Old School Rock' from

Sweet Stamp Shop and thought it was a perfect fit for the occasion.

The sentiment and alpha stamps are also from SSS. (see below)

I stamped everything using my favorite inks from A Muse Studio,

which are available from my web store HERE.

We would love for you to hop along with us this weekend because many

of the participating blogs have terrific prizes!!

I'm giving away....

The newest colors from The Twinery!

So happy you came by!

To have a chance to win,

remember to leave a little note before you go
and include an email for contact.

Your next stop on the hop is my talented teammate

from Market Street Stamps....

Stephanie Washburn

Project Recipe:

Stamps: Old School Rock, Scootin' By & Alpha Doodles
all from Sweet Stamp Shop
Inks: Slate, Bubblegum, Ocean from A Muse Studio

Embellishments: brads from Recollections

Making a Holiday Splash!

2011-12-14T23:01:00.000-06:00

I hope you are having a great week!

I am very excited to share the new challenge

from The Play Date Cafe.

I love this inspiration photo and so appropriate

for the Christmas season.

Because it is such a busy time, we thought it would

be a terrific time to make your challenge a bit

easier to play. All you'll need is ONE COLOR!

I am such a huge fan of our 'Color Splash'

challenges and it was nearly two years ago

that we had our very first one which featured

this beautiful color...teal.

This is a challenge that is always fun to create CAS.

I pulled out a sweet stamp set from Recollections and

stamped the trees. Then I did a little 'faux watercolor' technique.

It's just using my Copics and the blender and letting it

leak beyond the design to give the effect of watercolor.

The beautiful sentiment is from Market Street Stamps.

We are really happy to have

Cindy Coutts Designs

as this week's sponsor and the wonderful prize

up for grabs is something featured on my card

this week.

So head on over to The Cafe...you are going to

be blown away by the design team creations on

display there.

Project Recipe:

Stamps: Essential Holiday Elegance from Market Street
Tree image from Recollections

Embellishments: Haute by American Crafts

Tools: Labels 18 from Spellbinders, Big Shot

'Tis the Season ...

2011-12-13T15:41:00.000-06:00

Welcome back to The Open Window.

I've got just a couple of quick projects for you today.

If you visited yesterday, you saw the cards I did using the rub-ons

from Bo Bunny. The papers that I've used today are also from

that same collection called 'Blitzen'.

There are so many warm elements between the colors and the designs,

so I combined 3 different sheets along with a label cut out as well.

The trees were created using a die cut from Lil' Inker Designs.

I highlighted the wreath, the greenery under the turtle doves & the trees

with Stickles in 'Stardust'.

Additional bling comes from the brads, add bakers twine

from The Twinery and done!

I'm not sure if this has happened to you, but my favorite Swiss Dot EF

will no longer EMboss! I have no idea why and I even asked my friends

over on FB to see if it's ever happened to them. So far, I'm the only one!

All of my other EF's still work fine, so it has to be a worn folder.

It does still DEboss, though and I really wanted the idea of snow falling,

so I went with it!

These trees were cut using the same die cut using beautiful paper

from My Mind's Eye's 'Lost & Found Christmas'.

The stamped sentiment is from Market Street Stamps.

I hope you enjoyed these couple of projects.

I created them especially for the challenge over on the

CARDS magazine blog this week calling for Christmas Trees

as the focal point.

I hope you will take a moment and check out my guest post

over at Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps today.

Another winter-themed project awaits!

Tis the Season Project Recipe:

Designer Paper: 'Blitzen' by Bo Bunny

Embellishments:

Bakers Twine in Honeydew from The Twinery

Stickles in Stardust, gemstone brads from American Crafts

Tools: Tree die from Lil' Inker Designs, Big Shot

Wishing You Project Recipe:

Designer Paper: Lost & Found Christmas from My Mind's Eye
Stamps: Essential Holiday Elegance by Market Street Stamps

Ink: Tuxedo Black Memento from A Muse Studio

Embellishments:

Bakers Twine in Maraschino from The Twinery

Tools: Swiss Dot EF by Sizzix, Tree die from Lil' Inker Designs

Big Shot

Rubbing it On with Bo Bunny

2011-12-12T12:09:00.000-06:00

Happy Monday!

It's the start of another week...one day closer to Christmas.

This past Saturday night, I had a chance to play around

with a set of new rub-ons from Bo Bunny that I picked up

on my last trip to Archivers.

I don't use rub-ons all the often, but every now and then,

I like to play with something different and something

that gives me an opportunity to whip up lots of cards

all in one go.

All of these cards are pretty self-explanatory.

What I love about rub-ons is that, when you patiently apply

them, the finished surface is so smooth, almost like

it's printed onto the surface.

I just added a stamped sentiment and a little bling

and that's it.

Here are a few more cards using different images from the set.

So that does it for today.

I hope you will make plans to stop by tomorrow over at

the Sweet 'n Sassy Blog.

I will be sharing another post there as December's Guest Designer

and I'm really looking forward to it!

Thank you for coming by The Open Window.

Let me know you were here, make sure there is an

email that I can respond to and I will pop by to say hello!

Project Recipe:

Stamps: Various sentiments from Hampton Arts, The Paper Company

Ink: Slate from A Muse Studio

Embellishments:

Rub-ons by Bo Bunny, Stickles, gems & mini brads from Recollections

Come Catch Up with Me!

2011-12-10T12:57:00.001-06:00

Hi everyone!

I am SO happy to be back in the land of Google Reader!!!

About 3 weeks ago, I purchased the domain name for my blog

and was so happy that I would no longer have to type in

blogspot.com at the end of every URL I typed.

But from that point on, all my posts stopped showing up in

Google Reader.

I did everything to make sure things were 'directed', 'pointed'

and 'redirected' to keep things running smoothly, all the while

working on SEVENTEEN NEW RELEASES

from three of my favorite companies!!!

It was so frustrating to do all this work and know that it was

going to be difficult for people to know there was anything new.

I appreciate all of you who emailed to ask why my blog wasn't updating

through Reader and I am happy to say that for now, problem solved!

I am giving all the credit to my husband Paul.

He knows absolutely nothing about what I do here on Blogger,

but has had enough software language experience in his career

to be able to take a look at things and make some changes based

on what he could see. After three weeks, my brain was fried!

I pay tribute to him for his help in the project in the photo above
as well...he has been my sidekick this week for sure!

So I hope you will take a little time to catch back up with me.

The photos I am sharing now are just a taste of what you might

have missed. Just click on search and start scrolling.

In the meantime, if you have had any trouble getting my blog

through the RSS feed, you may want to RE-sign up for it and

just use the blogspot.com URL above.

Thank you so much for taking the time to visit.

I am SO glad to be back among you all!!!

I'd be so appreciative if you would let me know you

stopped by on any one of these posts. It's always a

great gauge to know that folks are finding me.

Bejeweled Snowflakes

2011-12-09T22:20:00.001-06:00

This month, I have the honor of being the

Guest Designer over at

and all this month, I will be sharing projects

using the beautiful stamp set

Snowflake Flourishes

The moment I laid eyes on this set, all I could think

of was the color of 'ice blue', so this is what I came up with.

It's such a lovely flourish and so easy to embellish.

I selected a variety of gem & pearl brads

from American Crafts, Making Memories & The Paper Studio

for the centers of my snowflakes.

I hope you will plan to join me each Tuesday in

the month of December over on the

Sweet 'n Sassy Blog

for more winter greetings.

I'm so glad you were able to stop by during

such a busy time of the year.

I value each and every comment that you leave

and hope you will have time to say a quick hello

before you go!

Project Recipe:

Stamps: Snowflake Flourish from Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps

Ink: Ocean & Slate from A Muse Studio

Ocean Depth from VersaMagic

Embellishments:

Gem/Pearl brads from American Crafts, Making Memories

and The Paper Studio

It's a Sweet 'Steal'!

2011-12-09T07:00:00.000-06:00

I'm back today with some pretty darned exciting news!

Scrapbooksteals.com is featuring

for their Friday steal! How cool is this??!!

For 12 hours only, you can get a great deal

on a variety of stamp sets from Sweet Stamp Shop.

I know I've shared this project before, but I have to admit,

'Gnomies' is one of my all-time favorite sets from SSS

and it's a set that is a part of the 'steal' today.

Another favorite is 'The Core of It'.

You know what else??

Sweet Stamp Shop is the sponsor of the
brand new challenge over at...

CAS-ual Fridays

So there's all kinds of *sweetness* going on!

So if I were you, I would check out the challenge &
check out the steal because

ya know it's going to be a great deal!

Let it Snow...The Craft's Meow Blog Hop

2011-12-07T13:03:00.000-06:00

For the Market Street

Color Challenge

Click Here

The day has arrived!

It is the New Release Blog Hop with the most

talented designers of

If you have arrived here from my friend

Jessica Fick's blog

then you are in the perfect place to continue on

because someone is going to

win all 7

brand new stamp sets

that are now available for sale.

If you just happened to pop by, if I were you,

I would make some time to head over to

The Craft's Meow Blog

and start from there and enjoy this very

inspirational hop.

For today's feature, I chose to play again with the new

set from Maree Truelove 'Let it Snow'

I have really had fun using the 'Twig' collection from

Little Yellow Bicycle and think it's such a perfect match

for this stamp set. The beautiful papers and the fun mittens are from LYB.

The mitten background, hat, scarf

and sentiment were all stamped.

Of course, no winter hat is complete without a little 'puff-ball'

embellishment, and mine is made from bakers twine

in 'Cappuccino' from The Twinery.

If you've joined me each day of the new release previews,

thank you so much. If not, I would love for you to visit

the past few days here on my blog for more inspiration

using these new images from TCM.

It's now time to visit my friend

Lindsay Amrhein's Blog

She always has something fun to share!

Forecast Project Recipe:

Designer Paper: Twig by Little Yellow Bicycle
Stamps: Let it Snow from The Craft's Meow
Ink: Sky & Slate from A Muse Studio

Embellishments: Bakers Twine in Cappuccino by The Twinery
Fabric & Label Stickers in Twig by Little Yellow Bicycle
copper mini brads from Recollections

Paint the Town

2011-12-07T01:59:00.000-06:00

Back with you and just a quick post to share this

month's brand new challenge over at

Market Street Stamps.

I love the photo this color story is based on.

I chose to go rather CAS for this design team offering.

I used the brand new 'Grace' background and stamped it

in 'Slate' ink from A Muse Studio. It's called tone-on-tone

as I stamped it directly on another shade of grey.

I used the same color for the sentiment and used

organza roses from Bo-Bunny & Maya Road.

The frame is from Sizzix.

For more great inspiration using these colors, make sure

to visit the Market Street Stamps blog!

Thoughts & Prayers Project Recipe:

Stamps: Grace from Market Street Stamps
Ink: Slate from A Muse Studio

Tools: Label die from Sizzix

Embellishments: Large Organza Rose from Bo-Bunny

Small Organza Rose from Maya Road

mini brads from Recollections

So Cool.....

2011-12-06T02:00:00.000-06:00

Brrrrrrrr.....can you feel the chill in the air already?!

These colors are so 'cool' and yet have a 'warmth' about

them, don't you think?!

It is Day #4 of New Release Previews from

and today we are sharing two more stamp sets,

this time designed by Maree Truelove.

I just adore her designs and these are no exception!

What I LOVE about these sets is the open design of

the images. They allow you to have fun with paper-piecing

and it you enjoy coloring well, you will love these images.

This set is called 'Warm Winter Wishes'

On both of these projects, I played around a bit more

with the designer papers from Little Yellow Bicycle

from their 'Twig' Collection.

The second set is called 'Let it Snow' and I used stamps

from both sets for this quick and easy card.

We've now revealed
all SEVEN sets!!!

Make sure you stop over at the

The Craft's Meow Blog

because there's a great giveaway going on

for both of these sets.

Tomorrow is the New Release Blog Hop

and I know the design team have been

busy creating a pretty incredible

inspiration parade, so make plans

to stop by for sure!

So happy you came by and I hope you enjoy your day!

All Bundled Up Project Recipe:

Designer Paper: Twig by Little Yellow Bicycle
Stamps: Warm Winter Wishes from The Craft's Meow

Embellishments: Bakers Twine in Stone by The Twinery, buttons

Friendship Project Recipe:

Designer Paper: Twig by Little Yellow Bicycle
Stamps: Warm Winter Wishes & Let it Snow from The Craft's Meow
Ink: Sky & French Roast from A Muse Studio
Old Paper Tim Holtz Distress Ink by Ranger

Embellishments: Mini brads from Recollections

Friends Like You...

2011-12-05T16:44:00.000-06:00

I am so glad you stopped by today!

It is Day #3 of the New Release Previews for

It has been so much fun playing with all the new images

from the sets that are being released in just a couple

of days...SEVEN in all!!!

The very talented Kaitlyn Ord designed the set I've

used for today's project...'Love is All You Need'

There are so many fun images in this set!

It's hard to believe that we are thinking about Valentine's Day

already, but we are!

I stamped 4 different images in each of the 4 stylized squares,

which themselves were made using a corner round punch

on two opposite sides from one another. It's a great way

to add interest in your design work.

Under each stamped 'square' there is a layer of

Onyx polka dot cardstock from A Muse Studio.

All images were stamped using my favorite

A Muse Studio inks in

Cranberry...Slate...Shell...Bubblegum

You really must see the amazing color palettes from

A Muse. You can get all of their inks from my web store.

We are also previewing another fun set by

Jenny Suchin called 'Happy Owlentine's Day'.

So two really creative sets for Happy 'Hearts' Day!

We've now revealed five sets...there are a total of

SEVEN

brand new sets coming your way!

Make sure you stop over at the

The Craft's Meow Blog

because there's a great giveaway going on

for both of these sets.