Boy did I "Pile it on"

For this weeks Pile It On Challenge, I really "piled it on"
I used:
Pile It On-Buttons
CPS-Sketch
Use It-Ingredients: Nature
One Little Word-Good

Here's what I did




Supplies
Paper: SP-Archivers and coredinations
Ink: Stampin' Up, StazOn, Versamark
Stamps: SU (doodle this) and my cute stamps (butterfly)
Other: Prima flowers, SU clear embossing, string, vintage buttons, tan eyelets, a piece of driftwood (stick) and birch bark

I embossed swirls on the paper behind the stick.

I stamped the butterflies on the birch bark with Stazon, colored them with SU markers and cut them out.

For the words I cut a strip of coredinations 3/8" wide and ran it through my label maker (the kind that takes the plastic tape and you squeeze the handle and it impresses the letters into it). And then lightly sanded it to make the letters come out.

I made the "Top Three Scoops" over at Pile it on, for this card:

All you have to do is add what the occasion is on the inside! Birthday, anniversary, new baby... see where I'm going. It's also a three in one challenge card.
CSP-Layout
Pile it on-Purple
and Charismacardz-Diamonds.







Supplies
Paper: PP-DCWV, SP-Archivers
Ink: Stampin' Up
Punches: Marvy X-Large Circle
Stamps: SU
Other: Prima flowers, Making Memories diamond brads, sewing machine and clear embossing

I embossed swirls on the paisley patterned paper (hard to see) and I also embossed a flower on the circle behind the prima flowers.

New Blog followers WINNER!

Congratulations... Chris Savin! Your name was drawn by my wonderful husband to get the My Minds Eye Card kit. Please send me an e-mail with your address and I'll get your prize in the mail ASAP.

Thanks again everyone! I honor your following.

BLOG STUDIO SALE will be posted on Sunday 7/5! Get ready... a lot of great items.

Berry Melon Monochromatic Card

My Berry Melon Monochromatic card that I created for a challenge over at InspireSwapChat.






Supplies:
Paper: PP-Papertry Ink, SP-DCVW
Ink: Stampin' Up
Ribbon: The lighter shade is silk ribbon, sewn on top of a darker May Art grosgrain ribbon
Stamps: SU (flower and swirl), The Angel Company (sentiment)
Other: sewing machine,clear embossing and rhinestone

I versamarked swirls on the patterned paper (hard to see) in the left and right boxes.

I did a lot to this card so it would be monochromatic. I inked over the entire surface of the pattern papers (the background used to be white) to make it a shade of berry melon before I cut it out and put it together.

ATC JAM #8

Have I explained a ATC JAM? If I already have read on...if I have not... here's what it is all about: What are "jams"/jam cards? Jam cards are ATCs worked on by more than one artist. Each artist adds to the card and passes it on to the next artist until it's complete. All of the JAMS I have participated in include 3 artists.

I was the second person to add to this card.





The Rose JAM was started in North Carolina and then came to me in Maple Grove and I sent it to my girlfriend in Coon Rapids, MN to finish it. I added the chic girl (stamp from The Angel Company) and gave her a sparkly necklace and a pink boa.

GIVEAWAY! WIN a My Minds Eye Card Kit! (tuesday tip)

Win one of these, just for following me! Retail value of $14.99. Click follow on the right side (down a ways), leave a comment that you are a follower and I will choose a random # to win one of these great My Minds Eye all-in-one card kits! (I will draw the name on 6/27/09, so you have until then to follow... we'll you can follow at anytime, just can't win a great card kit!)

Bella Stamps SWAP

I decided to join a swap at InspireSwapChat that we were to create a ATC using Bella Stamps, I chose the only Bella stamp I have, baby bella hanging bundle. Then we will send the ATC's to the host and she is going to make bunches of the cards and send them to us, I will get 6 new ATC's with Bella stamps on them. After I get all the ATC's I'm probably going to have to shop for more Bella Stamps, I can just feel it!



I stamped the baby onto patterned paper, then colored in the flowers and cut the whole thing out. I stamped it again onto flesh colored paper for the babies face, and cut just the face out and added it to the bundle with a pop dot. I stamped it one more time to get another image of the knot at the top, because I needed some depth to attach the string to. I ended up not using the star that was on the stamp (I punched one out), because I needed it to be a bit larger to tie the string onto. I also die cut out a larger star to use as the background. I embossed a swirl on that start to make it more celestial. I mounted the whole thing onto a piece of black paper I ran through the Cuddlebug in the polka dot folder. To finish it off I stamped "little one" using Papertrey Inks Mega Mixed Messages (as you can tell I use this set A LOT).

All in one (any occasion) card

All you have to do is add what the occasion is on the inside! Birthday, anniversary, new baby... see where I'm going. It's also a three in one challenge card.
CSP-Layout
Pile it on-Purple
and Charismacardz-Diamonds.







Supplies
Paper: PP-DCWV, SP-Archivers
Ink: Stampin' Up
Punches: Marvy X-Large Circle
Stamps: SU
Other: Prima flowers, Making Memories diamond brads, sewing machine and clear embossing

I embossed swirls on the paisley patterned paper (hard to see) and I also embossed a flower on the circle behind the prima flowers.

MN Archivers shoppers!

I was just at the Archivers in Roseville and they have a ton on clearance! They have an entire section with items 25%-75% off. More items than I've ever seen before, and a lot of it is current useful stuff! I will definitely check back next week and see if any of it is marked down more. I'll keep you updated. Check your local Archivers, maybe all of them are marking things down.

I was going to get this set (I've been eying it for a while) yesterday at AddictedtoRubberstamps.com (they were having a 25% off everything sale). At Archivers it was marked 75% off.... so instead of it being $14.99 it was $3.74!!! yeah!!!

ATC JAM #6 & #7

I was the third and last person to add to both of these cards.





The Wedding JAM was started in Pennsylvania, went to North Carolina and then came to me in Maple Grove. I added the flowers, stamped LOVE and colored in the bride and groom.

The teal numbered JAM was started in North Carolina, went to Minneapolis and then came to me in Maple Grove. I added the Palm reading hand, added glaze to the woman in the compact and the poem that reads: Every day lived well makes yesterday a fond remembrance and every tomorrow a dream of hope.

Tuesday Tip: Celebrate Flag day all week long!

National Flag day was on Sunday June 14th. Did you hear that Obama is trying to designate National Flag Week? I would totally be for that! I love decorating my house with Flags for any National Holiday.

See–

CPS and Pile It On Challenge card

For this weeks CPS Layout challenge I created a "manly" birthday card. I am always in need of a masculine card and never have one on hand. I am also doing the Pile it on Challenge which was to use 2 different ribbons.

Mission accomplished... layout ✓ and 2 different ribbons ✓

Here's the layout:






Supplies
Paper: DCWV
Ink: Tim Holtz-Walnut distress ink, Stampin' Up
Punches: Fiskars X-Large Star
Stamps: SU
Ribbon: K & Co.
Other: String, SU Clear Embossing powder, Patina Glimmer Mist, Star brads (unknown) and a napkin, Heidi Swapp edge distresser

How: I added glimmer mist to a thick napkin (behind the "happy birthday") and then after I stamped and embossed the happy birthday and added the star brads I again added glimmer mist to that whole block. I really wanted this card to look warm and worn.

I've been busy... as a BEE

I have been so busy with making ATC's that I have not had time to take pictures and post them. I finally found a moment Sunday morning (after Sunday morning :)) to take pictures of what I have been up to. I'll be posting them all week.

The first ATC is for my small group club. The theme this month is the alphabet, I drew "B" out of the hat. So this is what I did:

Bees!





I used clear embossing power on black that I stamped with the swirly pattern stamp. I stamped a whole sheet of paper that I cut into strips for the stripes. Then I ran a sheet of vellum through the Cuddlebug and embossed both with the circles folder and the tiny polka dots folder. After all the embossing was done, I used a small heart die to cut a heart out of the vellum then, I cut the heart in half to make the wings. I attached the wings with a small black brad. When I was planning out the card I did not want it to be larger than what a ATC was supposed to be. So I planned to have the head of the bee to fit within the 3.5" height, so I made the body 3" tall. Under the wings (which are movable) I stamped "bee happy" on one of the yellow stripes. And to finish him off I added some thin black cording to make antenna.

Mini Scrapbook... I mean really mini!

Yes, that is a bottle cap!






You can make this with more pages than 4. It just gets a little tricky to keep all of the circles connected and you need to keep it thin enough to fit in your 1" circle punch. When you fan-fold the paper you need to keep the folds inside not as tall as your outside piece (see diagram). It may take you a couple tries to get them to stay connected, it did me. By keeping the inside folds not as tall, when you punch you'll be punching ever-so-slightly beyond the fold (so they stay connected).



Other options: pictures of your kids, pets or whatever you can punch out of a 1" circle. How about words that inspire you! It is small enough to keep in your purse or pocket, and pull out at any time.

Tuesday Tip: Make your own paper roses

I found this great tutorial on this blog. You can make your own paper roses and it is really easy! How pretty would this be in different shades of purple and in different sizes, added to the front of a card! I'm just going to have to do that... watch for the post soon.

Here is how mine turned out:


And you can change the size really easy just by making smaller hearts. Please, go make yourself a bouquet!

Do it ANYWAY!

Do It Anyway

People are often unreasonable, illogical and self-centered;

Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives;

Be kind anyway.

If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies;

Succeed anyway.

If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you;

Be honest and frank anyway.

What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight;

Build anyway.

If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous;

Be happy anyway.

The good you do today, people will forget tomorrow;

Do good anyway.

Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough;

Give the world the best you've got anyway.

You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and God.

It was never between you and them anyway.

—Mother Teresa

Cuddlebug Challenge #34

Requirements to use Basic Grey (love Basic Grey!) and Coredinations (new favorite paper) ... that you've been hoarding. I don't know why I hoard it. I just love to look at it. This pocket is made from 2 pieces of 6x6 basic grey paper.






Supplies
Paper: Coredinations (hot pink behind white-embossed on back), Basic Grey, Stampin' Up and unknown vellum
Green Ribbon: May Arts
Hardware: Stampin' up Hodge Podge Hardware and Basic Grey Brad
Stamp: Stampin' up "sweet"
Ink: Stampin' Up
Chipboard Flower Stickers: Basic Grey
Other: I used Fiskars Treading Water Border Punch