WOYWW and Skipping Stones Sketch Challenge

Wednesday was just not as fun last week, since I missed WOYWW!  So sad.  But, I am back this week and looking forward to visiting everyone.  If you don't know what WOYWW is, head over to visit Julia at Stamping Ground and you will see.  So here is my desk this week...

You can see some of my newer stamp goodies laying about there.  My new corner rounder, new ink pads, etc.  I have been working on Valentines a lot over the last couple of weeks, but took a break from that to do a card for the Skipping Stones Sketch Challenge. 

Supplies





Stamps: Bird (TAC-retired) Ink: Bamboo Leaves Memento (Tsukineko) Patterned Paper: Blush & Delight (Authentique) Tools: Corner Rounder (EK Success) Bling: Gold Sticker Gems

I love this sketch!  Going to have to keep this one on file for future use.  It's always nice to have some good sketches around for when you need a little inspirational boost.

So last WOYWW was I Spy week and we had several people get the correct number of ladybug/birds on my desk.  Chose a random winner from all of the correct responses and the winner is....

My name is Cindy said...

What fun a competition. I spy 6. But I am intrigued by your No PASS NO WAY OUT message!!! Lovely card and thank you for popping by to see me today Cindy @ #52

Cindy, just use the e-mail link over on the left side of my blog and send me your mailing info so I can send your prize! 

This week for I Spy, I want you to tell me what the name is of my little friend who clings to the arm of my lamp.  Winner will be announced next week and get a prize!

Happy crafting,

Michelle

Tsukineko Shimmer Spritz Review

Happy Friday everyone!  Busy, busy week again this week, with a busy weekend ahead, but at least the weekend is the fun stuff, right?   If you saw the first video that I posted you know that I recently purchased the Tsukineko Shimmer Spritz.  I got to play with it the other day and made this card for the Lawnscaping Challenge that they have going this week.  The theme for this weeks challenge is Winter Wonderland.

Now, when I think about cold and winter, I think of leaving it!  I have spent two lovely "winters" away from the cold and snow, and that suits me just fine!  So, that was the inspiration for my Winter card.  I say "Bon voyage, Winter!".

Supplies

Stamps:  Bon Voyage (Lawn Fawn), Ornate Ornaments (Lawn Fawn) Inks: Tuxedo Black (Memento), Tim Holtz Distress Ink - Broken China (Ranger Industries) Other: Sponge Dauber, Sheer Shimmer Spritz (Tsukineko), Dimensional Dots.

The Shimmer Spritz was new to me, so I have done a little product review video to let you know how I feel about them and let you actually see them in action and how they compare to other shimmer sprays.  I won't spoil it too much, but let's just say that one of my sprays is VERY powerful! 

Take care everyone, and have a great weekend!

Michelle

You're One Sweet Cookie!

Hello everyone!  Today I am sharing a project with you from SP & Company.  I got this gingerbread stamp last month, just in time to use him for one Christmas card, and then Christmas was over.  Personally, I like to get a lot out of my stamps, so I was determined to re-purpose him and find more uses for him other than just Christmas.  With all of the cute little faces that come with this guy, he deserves a lot more use!  Since Valentine's Day is right around the corner I decided to try that route.



Supplies

Stamps:  Cutest Gingerbread Man (SP & Company), Hearty Hearts Backgrounds (SP & Company), and the sentiment is an old TAC (retired) stamp.  Patterned Paper: Basics Kraft (Basic Grey).  Inks: Lady Bug & Tuxedo Black Memento (Tsukineko). Other: White Liquid Applique for the icing, Heart Brads (Making Memories), Swiss Dots Embossing Folder (Cuttlebug), Scalloped Scissors (Fiskars).

When I inked up the Gingerbread Man, I just omitted the buttons on the stamp, so they could be replaced with the heart brads. 

I was so happy with how this turned out!  I feel like I am getting more bang for my buck when I can find more ways to use stamps than they were originally intended. 

Be sure to check out the SP & Company Stamps blog for more inspiration!

Happy Stamping,

Michelle

Valentines With Nestabilities

OK, so it might actually be Tuesday, but it could not FEEL more like a Monday!  Definitely enjoyed the long weekend though, and it will make for a shorter week, right?  HA!  I didn't do any blogging over the weekend, but I did do a little stamping and came out with this card.

I used Nestabilities Labels 10 for the card base and the layered piece.  The patterned paper is from Yours Truly (Echo Park).  The stamp is TAC (retired) and I stamped it with Memento Lady Bug Ink (Tsukineko). I wrapped Cherry Divine Twine (SP&Co.) around the front.  I am going to start linking to products I use when I can.  That way, if you want, you can see them without having to hunt them down.

This is another Valentine that I am going to send on to Card Cupids.  Pop over there and check out what they do and their January challenge! 

The weekend may not have been THAT long, but I am having a hard time getting back on track today.  Maybe it's time for a vacation? 

Happy Stamping,

Michelle

WOYWW - I Spy - And a Card For Emma

Back around to Wednesday again!  Today you get to take a peek at my craft desk to not only see what I have been up to, but also what its current state is.  Usually messy!  Plus, it is I Spy week!  So, here we go...

Not too terribly shabby this week.  Been working on Valentine's stuff still.  Looking at those two cups there, I just realized you can usually tell how long I have spent at my craft desk by how many glasses/cups are sitting around.  The more cups, the more time I have likely spent there that particular day, lol! 

OK, now the I Spy part.  Since not everyone who plays along for WOYWW is a paper crafter I went with something unrelated this week.  I have some little ladybug or ladybird friends out and about on my desk this week.  How many do you see?  Just leave your answer in the comments and the winner is going to get a little prize!  In the case of multiple winners, I will put all the correct guesses in and draw for one.

One of the cards I made this week was for Emma.  She occasionally asks to keep some of the cards I make and this time she asked if I would make one just for her.  How could I resist?  She's so cute.

She should love these glittered hearts I made.  She's a pretty big fan of the sparkly stuff!  I punched the hearts with my Heart Punch (Martha Stewart), then covered them in glitter.  The sentiment is pieced together from a TAC set (retired), and the background is embossed with Swiss Dots (Cuttlebug).

If you want to see more work desks from around the world, head over and visit Julia at Stamping Ground! 

Thanks for stopping by,

Michelle

I Am In Love With Paper Tape!

If you watched my video from the other day, then you know that I picked up some Martha Stewart Paper Tape at JoAnn's on clearance.  Got a really good deal on it!  Gotta love when you get good stuff on clearance, right?  I was really excited to play with it, so it wasn't long before I cracked that stuff open for this birthday card.

I LOVE the way this turned out!  The cupcake and sentiment are old TAC (retired) stamps.  The cupcakes are colored with Prismacolor Pencils.  I added some Icicle Stickles (Ranger) on the tops to give them some sparkle. The strips across the bottom are three different tapes from Modern Festive Paper Tape (Martha Stewart).

The paper tape is AWESOME stuff!  The rolls in the pack all coordinate with each other, it's super easy to apply and it doesn't add a lot of bulk to the card.  I can see a lot more of this stuff in my future!  Definitely going to look for more of it at Michael's and JoAnn's where I can use coupons to get a discount.  If I can't find a lot there I will have to look for a good online source.  If you know of one, please let me know!

I am entering this one over on Cupcake Craft Challenges this week.  The challenge this week is Something New.  So if you have some new goodies sitting around that you are itching to play with, here is a good chance!
Happy Stamping,

Michelle

Operation Write Home January Challenge

So I know that you have all heard me talk about Operation Write Home before and all the wonderful work they do, but did you know that they do monthly challenges too?  Not only that, but just by playing in the challenges you can help them earn earn shipping costs to get those packages sent out!

This month is a recipe challenge and the recipe calls for you to use three patterned papers.  Here is my entry...

As much as I love my patterned papers, I have a helluva time putting them together sometimes.  Even when they come in those pads that are supposed to be all mitchy-matchy...I still struggle with them.  For this card I pulled out a 6x6 pad I bought a long time ago at Michael's, by K&Company.  Really pretty papers in this pad!  The pad is called 'Hannah', although as long as I have had it, you might not be able to find it now.  The stamp is an oldie too from a retired TAC set.  What can I say...I have a lot of stuff in my stash that has been there a long time!  Used Nestabilities Labels 10 (Spellbinders) for the sentiment and layering piece, which you should be happy to know is a current product, lol!

My goal this year is to send some cards OWH's way at least every other month.  I know I can, I know I can, I know I can...just call me the little stamper who could!

Thanks for stopping by,

Michelle

Lucky In Love - Playing With Punches

I don't know about you, but I am having a really good time with Valentines this year!  Like I said before, I don't actually have a ton of Valentine themed stuff.  The cool thing about that is it has challenged me to make do with what I have. 

For this one I punched out a few hearts (Martha Stewart) and as I was playing with them, scooting them around on my desk, I saw the shamrock start coming together.  That gave me the idea for the "Lucky in love".  I sprayed the hearts with some Forever Red Perfect Pearls Mist (Ranger).  The sentiment is pieced together from three old TAC sets I have (all retired).  'Lucky' is made from an alphabet, 'in' is from a sentiment set, and 'love' is from a Valentine's set.  The patterned paper is from Yours Truly (Echo Park).



I really need to keep this 'making do' idea in mind.  It's too tempting sometimes to run to the store and buy more stuff.  I think if I keep this in mind I can save myself some money in the impulse buying department!

Have a great day!

Michelle

Support Our Troops Card and My First Video Blog

Happy Fraturday!  Yep, I am coining a new day, lol!  It is still Friday here on the West coast as I type this, but it is already Saturday for a lot of you, so we now have "Fraturday".  I hope you all had a good week.  Been a kind of hectic week with the kids going back to school after the holidays and getting back into the swing of things.  Good thing it was only a 4 day school week!

Today...well, Saturday is my day over on the SP & Company blog and I have a really cool card to share.  Not sure if I have mentioned it before on here, but my hubby is military, so this one is really inspired by him.  I am going to send this one off to Operation Write Home for their "Any Hero" mail.  If you are not familiar with OWH, you should check it out!

Quick details...I used the Awareness Is Empowering set for the ribbon and sentiments.  Yellow is the "Support Our Troops" color, in case you are wondering.  The list is a stamp from the Scallops & Lines set.    If you want more info just click on the SP & Company blog link above the pic and you can see my little tutorial.

Now I have to gush a little.  Those three words, 'Strength', 'Courage', and 'Hope', really struck me when I saw this set and it immediately made me think of  not only my husband, but all of our troops and what it takes to do what they do. 

Strength: Not only physical strength, but strength of character.  Strength of heart and will and the strength to endure the sacrifices that they make. 

Courage:  The courage to put their own lives at risk to protect the rest of us.  The courage to leave their families and homes to serve their country.  The courage that those families at home have to muster each time they watch them go.

Hope:  Hope is what it is all about.  Hope for safety, a better tomorrow, peace.  Hope that they get there safely, don't get hurt while they are there, and ultimately hope that they come home.

So there you go.  Now I am going to grab my tissue and get my courage back to the forefront! 

One more thing to share today.  I have been toying with the idea of video blogging for a while now and finally did it today.  I went shopping today and came home with some new goodies to share.  So if you want to take a peek at what I got today and see how I fixed my squishy ink pad, here you go...

Take care and have a great weekend!

Michelle

Hearty Hearts Box O' Love

Hey everyone!  Today is my first official post for SP & Company stamps.  I am SO excited to be a part of such a fantastic group of designers and I am really looking forward to sharing these projects with you each month.  We are going to have lots of fun!  I am also playing along today over at the Delightful Challenges blog.  The theme this week is Have a Heart.

OK, on to my project.  I have to admit that I don't usually do a whole lot for Valentine's day.  I do cute things for the kiddos and the hubby, maybe the kids' teachers, but that is about it.  It's not like Christmas when I make TONS of stuff.  Saying that, I don't have a lot of Valentine's themed papers, etc, so I rely heavily on stamps for my V-Day projects.  Like this box...
   

Giving you a side shot here, so you can see the edge of the lid...

I stamped the hearts from Hearty Hearts Backgrounds (SP & Company) on my Kraft cardstock for the lid with Rich Cocoa (Memento).  Trimmed the edges of the lid with my Scallop Scissors (Fiskars). The patterned papers are Yours Truly Smitten (EP) and Lost & Found Collection - Pintuck (MME).  The pink paper is punched with the Scallop Dot Border Punch (Martha Stewart) and the felt heart stickers are from K&Company.

Be sure to check out the website and take a gander at all the stamps and also the SP Stamps Blog for some daily inspiration and tutorials!

Happy Stamping!

Michelle

WOYWW and a 60 Second Challenge

Wow, I am barely squeaking in on this one!  Wednesday almost slipped right by me this week.  So it's time for WOYWW....

I was hoping that there would be some new goodies piled on there by the time I snapped this weeks picture, but I didn't have a very good trip to the store today.  Only walked out with one punch.  The stores by me just don't have anything new or exciting right now.  Guess I am going to have to do some online shopping to get what I want. 

Speaking of punches...last week we played I Spy again which means we have a winner to announce!  No one actually guessed the right answer, which was 4 punches.  I think the stapler and the tape dispenser threw a few people off, lol!  Since no one guessed correctly, everyone who left an answer went in the pool and our winner is......

Maggie C!!!!

Maggie, just use the e-mail link over on the left of my blog and send me your address so I can send you your prize.  We will do I Spy again next week, if you want to play along!

The card I am sharing today is the result of me reading the words "60 Second Challenge" somewhere the other day.  No clue where I read it, but it had something to do with throwing together things that you already have laying around and having something to show for it in about 60 seconds.  Sounded like my kind of thing!



With the miscellaneous papers, stamps, and inks that I have had out on my desk over the last week, I was able to come up with this very quick, very easy, clean & simple Valentine's Day card.  If I am being honest, it probably took me more like 3 minutes to put this together, but hey....that's pretty darn fast!  I will have to try this again and see if I can improve my time.  The stamps are both from retired TAC sets, and I used Lady Bug (Memento) & Tuxedo Black (Memento) inks to stamp them.  Drew the lines in at the bottom with a black marker. 

If you are a card maker, you should try this sometime.  It's fun!  You might surprise yourself with what you come up with in such a hurry.

If you want to take a peek at more desks all over the world, head over to see Julia at Stamping Ground . 

Thanks for stopping by,

Michelle



Valentines for Card Cupids

Hello again!  Popping in for a quick post today before I have to head out to the store for some grocery shopping.  I would much rather stay home and stamp, but we need to eat too...I guess, lol!

So today I set out to find some new challenges and found one that I really like!  It is Card Cupids, which you can read more about on their blog.  They collect cards, stuffed animals, coloring books, and lots of other wonderful things to give to kids in need.  What a great cause!  This month they are collecting Valentines.

This is a very simple card and I figure not only do little kids like cute, but little girls especially, also like things that are just pretty.  The stamp is from one of my old TAC sets (retired), which I colored with my Prismacolor Pencils.  I embossed the bottom half of the card with the Swiss Dots Embossing Folder (Cuttlebug), then added the ribbon and bow.

Really hoping to make more cards to send their way this month.  Emma should love this too!  She loves making cards and will be happy to send some off to the kids.

Happy stamping!

Michelle



Happy New Year!

And here we are in 2012!  That came quickly, didn't it?  I hope everyone had a good time celebrating last night.  We spent the day at the beach, had an early dinner, then hung out at home playing some games, watching movies, etc.  Great night with the kiddos!

My first card this year is one that I just made to send to one of our friends over at 2Peas.  Sadly, she suffered a stroke recently, and she was able to post to let us all know what had happened.  Another member has offered to put together a care package for her so I am sending something her way.



All of the stamps on this one are from the Awareness Is Empowering stamp set from SP & Company.  Red is the color for stroke awareness.  I chose the "Kick Some Bootay!" sentiment because I know that is exactly what she is going to do!  The card base was cut using Nestabilities Large Scalloped Circles (Spellbinders), and I used Lady Bug ink (Memento) to stamp the background, Tuxedo Black ink (Memento) for the sentiment.

I hope everyone gets off to a great start in 2012....let's make it a great year!

Happy New Year,

Michelle