It's All about the Numbers - Annabelle Preview

Hi and Welcome back for the second preview of the soon to be released Annabelle Stamp sets. Did you all LOVE the first previews! Today's stamps are a little different but still wonderful, versatile and fun to use.  We're having another Blog Hop so be sure to follow the instructions below.








The first set I am showing is a Numbers set called, Teresa's Numbers. Now I must admit that I personally have not used number sets much in my card making so I was at first a bit stumped on how I was going to use this set. It does have some great sentiments in it but I wanted to showcase the numbers so after thinking about it awhile I came up with this idea. I hope you like my creative use of the numbers to make a romantic card that can be used as an Anniversary or Valentine card.

For this card I used the Number 1 and the Number Symbol surrounded by the Brackets in the set.  Then I stamped the Heart in the set twice and created a 1+1 card to symbolize being a couple. Card details:  Card Stock: Tempting Turquoise, Pretty in Pink, Close to Cocoa and Whisper White.                   Ink pads: Tempting Turquoise, Pretty in Pink, Chocolate Chip. Other: Nestabilitie Die, Punch-Martha Stewart, Sprinkles from Annabelle Stamps, Aqua Painter and Foam Mounting Tape.

Next up is a new line called, (Borders by Design) and this first set features a great Number border to match the numbers set.  For this card I chose a CAS (Clean and Simple) design - Something that I also struggle with but I think I pulled it off even though I'm not entirely sure I like all the "white space" this card has.

 

On this card I used some really bright colors. 
Card base: Old Olive layered with Only Orange. I stamped the numbers background on a Spectrum ink pad - SU Retired Pumpkin Patch on Whisper White card stock.  Then I stamped the Happy Birthday sentiment in Memento Tuxedo Black ink, added some Old Olive twill ribbon and a punched circle of Only Orange with the little present stamped in Ruby Red ink.   This was raised with foam tape and I pierced around the image.

So would you like to win these sets? - Sure you would.  So here's what you do.  Head over to the Annabelle Blog to start the blog hop.  You must leave a comment on each of the DT members blogs.   If you've followed the hop so far you should have arrived on my blog from Sue's blog:  A-Consuming-Passion  from here you will head on over to Rene's blog: Stamping in Sunny SA  to see her fabulous cards.  When you've completed the hop head back to the Annabelle blog, answer an easy question and leave a link saying you've completed the Blog Hop.  Winners will be announced on the 21st.

See you all back again on Wednesday for the last of the previews.  Again you won't want to miss them so be sure to stop back again.

Check out the Blog Candy and Some great cards.

I stumbled upon this blog one day and discovered a wonderful Challenge and some awesome stampers.  Blog Candy is being given away so be sure to check it out.

BC173 - Frightening

Welcome! - Please click HERE for my Annabelle Sneak Peak - You won't want to miss this one.

Happy Friday and Happy Blogger Challenge day.  Today's challenge:  Black/White and a "splash" of Orange.  Not sure what constitutes a splash of orange but hopefully this is just the right amount to be considered a splash!

For this card I wanted something quick and easy since I have been madly stamping all week for the Annabelle releases and needed to give my hand some much needed rest.  There is absolutely NO stamping on this card but I love how it turned out.

My card base is Basic Black and I layered a piece of Black/White designer paper (Daisy Bucket Designs - Black Tie Affair) along with a punched border of Ghosts (EK Success).  I tied some Pumpkin Pie Grosgrain ribbon around these pieces and then added an epoxy sticker to a circle of Pumpkin Pie card stock and raised it with foam mounting tape.  I've had these awesome epoxy stickers for a few years now so have long since forgotten who made them.  Sorry!
That's it, quick, easy, clean and simple but I think an over all fun Halloween card.

Be sure to stop by the other BC members blogs (listed on my sidebar) and check out how they used these colors.

Have a great day. 

Come Join The Party

Oh my goodness I can't tell you how Excited I am about today's Annabelle Release.  You are just going to LOVE these new stamps.  They are adorable, fun and cute!

We are previewing 2 sets today:  Lil Monster and Lil Michelle.  

We are having a BLOG HOP and you can win these sets by participating in the hop.  Here's how.  Start here: Annabelle Blog and hop around the DT members blogs.  Leave a comment on each blog and then head back to the Annabelle Blog, answer an easy question and let us know you've completed the hop.  Winners will be announced on the 21st.  Easy Peasy!

You should have arrived here from Sue's blog: and from here you'll head on over to Rene's blog:  So start hopping!!!

Don't you just want to pinch that monsters cheeks because it's so cute!

I chose some fun bright patterned paper for my card.  The monster was colored with Prisma Colored Pencils and his shirt was paper pieced with some of the designer paper.  I added some tiny buttons threaded with a thin piece of white card stock.  I used the current TESC131 sketch for my card.   Card stock: Real Red, Tempting Turquoise, Only Orange.  Designer Paper from BoBunny-Bubblegum Popsicle.          Punch: Martha Stewart-Optic Dot       Buttons-source unknown.

  

Since it's Spring in Australia right now I went with bright colors for my second card as well even though we are having Fall here in the US.  Once again I used my Prisma Color Pencils for this card and a Cloud/Grass template.  Michelle's skirt was paper pieced and the teddy was raised with foam dimensional tape.  I added Glitter around the edges of the Nested Piece for some added sparkle.                             

 Card Details:  Card stock: Real Red, Only Orange.  Designer Paper: Die Cuts With A View-The Grade School Stack.            Glitter from The Art Institute. Ribbon, SU Bashful Blue.  Sprinkles from Annabelle, Nestabilitie Dies.

Come back again in 2 days for the next previews.  You won't be disappointed.

CIC80 A Rose by Any Other Name

Hi,  Welcome to Cupcake Inspiration Challenge #80 and just look at these delightful fall cupcakes.  Aren't they pretty!  This week the sponsor for the challenge is A Passion For Stamps.  They have a lot of great digital images so be sure to check them out.

I chose this digital image (Rose Topiary) for my card.  I love Roses and mixed with the berries I thought it would make a great Autumn card.  So what do you think?

I started with some warm colors that to me reflect Autumn perfectly. My card base is Cherry Cobbler that I layered with Cajun Craze that I distressed.  The pattern paper layer is from Daisy D's.  You can't see it in the photo but I embossed this piece with the Diamond Embossing folder.  It really adds some great texture to the card.  I colored the image with Prisma Color pencils.  The planter portion was cut out and I used (Hot Glue) to mount it over the original and added some moss.  The berries were highlighted with a Spica Glitter pen and I added a Dragonfly charm, some flowers in Cherry Cobbler with Orange brads.  The border punch is (Martha Stewart) and I used Chocolate Chip cs. then tied it with Pumpkin Pie ribbon to complete the card.

 This is one of those cards that I really liked after it was completed even though I struggled to get it put together just the way I wanted it to be.

Be sure to check out what the other Sweeties have done with the Inspiration photo.  You won't be disappointed.

O Christmas Tree

Hello and welcome.  It's Friday and time for a couple of challenges.

First up the Blogger Challenge this week:  This wonderful CAS sketch:

Be sure to check out the other members blog (see my sidebar for links) to see how they used this great sketch.

Once again I've combined this challenge with the Annabelle Challenge: Say it with NO Designer Paper.  OMG - That sort of scared me as I rarely make a card anymore that doesn't use DP.  But being the "trouper" that I am (ha ha) I took up the challenge and here is what I came up with.

I started with a card base of Kraft (Crumb Cake) and stamped the snowflakes from, Santa's Star which happens to be on sale this week with Craft White pigment ink.  The next layer was done using Handsome Hunter (retired SU) card stock that I embossed with the Snow Dots embossing folder.  It's a little hard to see in the photo but it's there.  The strip of red is Real Red cs pierced and then I added some of the pretty Christmas ribbon available on the Annabelle Store blog.

I stamped the larger Christmas tree with sentiment on Whisper White cs, colored with Prisma Color Pencils and cut it out and mounted it with foam dimensional tape.  The smaller trees were stamped directly on the white panel and colored the same way.  I added Chili 3mm Sprinkles from Annabelle.  The stars on the smaller trees were colored with a Yellow Spica Glitter Pen and the larger star has Lemone Glitter on it.  I also added punched photo corners of Kraft cs and mounted the panel on a piece of Close to Cocoa cs.

We've added a new DT member.  Our fabulous Guest Designer from last month, Iwona (Chupa) has agreed to join the DT so please stop by her blog and give her a warm welcome.  You won't be sorry.  Her card is just fabulous!

You can now participate in all the weekly challenges and have a chance for the $20 Gift Voucher given away at the end of the month.  You can even combine the challenge with the monthly sketch challenge if you'd like.  Just be sure to link back on the Annabelle Blog so we can see your card.

Lastly we have BIG things coming next week starting the 15th with new Sneak Peeks and you won't want to miss them.  The new stamps are so doggone cute.  I can't wait for you to see them.

Annabelle Challenge Delay

Hi if you've stopped by for my Annabelle Say It With No Designer Paper challenge please check back in 3 hours as my post will be late.  Thanks for your patience.

CIC79 - Too Cute To Spook

Hi! - Wow can you believe it's October already.  We've been enjoying some unseasonably warm weather this week here in (Wally World) aka Walla Walla, WA with temps in the upper 80's but I've heard that's not going to last much longer. Oh well, all good things eventually come to an end.  So did you all enjoy World Card Making day?  I hoped to do a lot more stamping but somehow just managed to make one card and am sharing that with you today for the Cupcake Inspiration Challenge. 
Look at this fun and sort of spooky Inspiration photo.  Don't you just love the warm glow from the Jack-o-lantern and the rich look of the Chocolate Cupcake.

This week the Sponsor for the CIC challenge is,
Soft Pencil and the prize is a $10 Gift Voucher.

I chose this adorable image from the two that they graciously allowed us to us.  Isn't it just the sweetest.  I colored the image with Prisma Color Pencils and mounted in on Early Espresso cs.  The (Boo) sentiment is from a Basic Grey Halloween set I got last year and was stamped with Memento Tuxedo black ink.  I added punched photo corners of Tangerine Tango.  I wanted to do something a little "spooky" like the Inspiration photo so I chose some designer paper (Die Cuts With A View) with some cute/scary pumpkins and added a strip of drippy goo (Martha Stewart)  in Early Espresso.  The Old Olive base was embossed with the Pumpkin Embossing folder (EK Success) The brads are from Doodlebug Design.

I used TESC95 for my sketch but did the border piece downward instead so I could use the drippy goo punch. Be sure to stop by the Cupcake Inspiration Blog and check out what the other Sweeties did with the Inspiration photo.  You can also participate by linking back to your card on the CIC Blog.  We'd love to see what you come up with.

Have a wonderful week and Happy Stamping!

One For the Money...Two for the Show

Yep it's a "Two-fer" Challenge Card today. 
First up it's the Annabelle Challenge - Say it with Brown and Blue
Next we have the Blogger Challenge 171 - Anniversary

Due to time constraints I sometimes find now that I have to combine challenges.  Since it's already Friday in Australia and now back East in the US you are viewing my card for both these challenges.

For this card I used 2 Annabelle Stamp sets: Ballerina Rose (Flowers) and Flowers With Love (Sentiment).
For my Designer Paper I picked out a retired SU pattern, Parisian Breeze.  This showcases, Chocolate Chip, Baja Breeze and Kraft (aka Crumb Cake now).
The flowers were stamped with Chocolate Chip ink and I added just a hint of Glitter (Nirvana - Art Institute) to the centers.  I also added some felt flowers in Baja Breeze/Chocolate Chip with brads from Pinkhedge Hog Crafts.
I use the SU Scallop Punch and added some Chocolate Sprinkles (Annabelle Stamps).
The ribbon is a retired SU Grosgrain-Taupe which matches the Crumb Cake pretty doggone close.  It looks darker in the picture, not sure why but I had a really hard time trying to get this card to photograph right.

So now be sure to stop by the Annabelle Blog or visit the DT members blogs by clicking on their names on my sidebar.
You can also visit the BC Members blog the same way. 
I'm sure they'd all love for you to stop by for a visit.

An Apple A Day

Hi,  Today I'm bringing you a card that I stamped to send to Elena's husband, Ken who recently had knee surgery.  Since my own hubby has had several knee surgeries I wanted Ken to know that I understand (in a way) what he has been going through and to let him know that I was thinking about him.

I bought this great stamp set, (School Basics) by Mint Motif here: and hadn't yet had the chance to try it out.  This seemed like a good time.  Plus I got to use some new designer paper from (Die Cuts With A View - Grade School stack) that I also recently purchased.  I love this bright sunny Plaid and then the Polka Dot pattern, so fun.

For this card I used Basic Black for the card base and layered it with Pear Pizazz that I distressed with the Cutter Kit distressing tool.  I used a MS border punch on the dp layers.  The Apple was stamped with Lime Chalk Ink and over stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black ink.  Then I used a glue pen and added Key Lime glitter (Art Institute) to the apple and cut it out and mounted it on a punched circle of Pumpkin Pie cs.  I also added a stamped leaf from the polka dot patterned papers.  I used the paper lining stamp from the set and stamped the words with Real Red Ink.  To finish it off I added some Linen Thread and Olive Sprinkles.

I also did the inside of the card.   The sentiment is from (Very Square Sentiments) Mint Motif.

 Well that's it for this time around.  I'll be back later in the week.

Blog Award and Some Random Facts

Hi,  Wow, see this award.  My friend Mary ( The Charmed Life) gave this to me.  I am honored.  Mary is such a nice person.  We have become friends through our blogs and outside of blogging we e-mail each other back and forth just to chat about life and to encourage each other.  I really appreciate her friendship and the fact she faithfully visits my blog and always leaves such nice comments.

Now I'm suppose to tell 7 things about myself and pass this award on to 7 of my fellow Bloggers.  It's hard sometimes to think of things about myself that are interesting.  I'll try my best though.
1.  I don't like Jigsaw Puzzles as I find them really hard to work on as I don't seem to have the patience for them.  However I've discovered this website where you do puzzles on-line and would you believe I love doing them on the computer!
2.  I love a lot of Reality TV Shows.  I know, pretty bad huh.  My personal favorites,
The Bachelor/Bachlorette, Dancing With The Stars, So You Think You Can Dance and Amazing Race. Oh I almost forgot Food Network Shows (Iron Chef, Chopped).
3. I avoid any kind of road-kill.  I mean if it's flat out squished I'll still drive around it.  I would absolutely die (well maybe not)but I'd feel like it if I ever hit an animal of any kind.
4. I'm a fast talker.  I've trained myself over the years to slow down but the other day at bowling I must have been excited because one of the ladies told me to take a deep breath and slow down as I was talking a mile a minute and she was having a hard time keeping up with me.  I also talk very softly...see#5
5. I have super sensitive hearing (which is why I talk softly) and can hear things most people don't. 
6.  I can't stand driving in a car without the radio/cd player on.  Why?  Because of my super sensitive hearing (see #5)I can't stand all the weird little noises that cars make so I mask them by playing music.
7. I may have mentioned this at some point so if I have just chalk it up to bad memory.  I can feel my fingernails when they start to grow.  It's such a weird feeling.  Feels like someone is tugging on them.  I've heard that others can feel this too so I don't feel like I'm a "freak" anymore like I use to.

So now to my 7 Fellow Bloggers:
Lynn: The Mango Boys and Me  Lynn is a faithful reader as well.  I just love her Clean Style of Stamping and the wonderful way she shares about her faith and her family.
Elena: The Redhaired Girl  I love her blog and how creative she is.  She and I have become friends as well and email, write and occasionally chat on the phone.  It's just been a joy to have her for a friend.
Andrea: Andrea's Stampin Moments  First off she is a wonderful Stamper and I have been so blest by being a part of her DT for Annabelle Stamps.  You have to check out her blog.
Sue: Sue's Stamping Stuff  I love it when I find a blogger that lives somewhere close to where I live.  It means that maybe someday I might be able to meet them.  Plus Sue is a wonderful stamper, I adore her HouseMouse cards.
Sue W: A Consuming Passion: One of my fellow Annabelle DT members.  Love her work, check it out as I know you will love it too.
Allison: Stampin' When I Can  Her blog is fabulous, full of fun information, great cards and lately some awesome SB pages,  She has adorable kids and is so supportive.  She always leaves comments on my blog and has been very encouraging in helping me to be a better stamper.
Lori:  Inking Aloud  One of my fellow Blogger Challenge members.  She has a wonderful CAS style that I envy. 

Now they may or may not accept and post the random facts about themselves but I wanted to give them a shout out anyway.

CIC78 - Hootie says, Hello

Hi,  How is your weekend going?  Seems like the days are just rushing by.  Fall has officially arrived and before you know it we'll be into the holiday season.
In the mean time feast your eyes on these adorable cupcakes that Hope picked out for this weeks Cupcake Inspiration Challenge.  They really are charming aren't they.

This week the sponsor is, Pink Cat Studio and they are offering up 5 images to one lucky person.  We had the choice this week to use our own images or pick one from some selected Pink Cat images and we'll I just couldn't resist using Hootie Pie (don't you love that name) for my card.

Normally I would have colored my image with my Prisma Color pencils but I wanted to do something different so I decided on Paper Piecing Hootie.  My Designer paper is SU (Sweet Pea-Retired and they eyes were from another retired SU pack)  I masked my image first and then lightly sponed on Cameo Coral and Apricot Appeal ink for a bit of a Sunset look.  I loved the colors in the Inspiration photo and hope that I captured them with my card.

My card base is Chocolate Chip that I layered with Cameo Coral and then the DP.  I punched a Scalloped Border and added some So Saffron flowers with tiny blue button brads.  My main flower was punched with my MFT flower punch.  I also added photo corners (EK Success punch).  The sentiment is from Hero Arts. 

So now why not hop on over to the other Sweeties Blogs to see what they have created and then give this a try yourself. 

BC170 - Treasure the Memories

Happy Friday!   -  If you are here for the Annabelle Sketch Challenge please click on this link.  Remember there is a Prize involved ($20 Gift Voucher to Annabelle Stamps) for one lucky participant. 

No it's time for the Blogger Challenge this week which was: Reuse/Recycle.  I must admit that most of the time I really don't like these kinds of challenges.  They are hard for me to figure out something to do and I really don't think I do a very good job on them.  That is until this week.

We got this ad in the mail for a Credit Card and when I saw the patterned side I told my hubby, "Hey I'm going to save that, I could use it on a card some day."
Well today is the day.  Below you will see my card with the awesome background that I recycled off this advertisement and then I also reused a postage stamp that was in a bunch of old stamps that belonged to my dad.  He was a Stamp Collector but these were just extras that he had given our son to work with and they've been stored in a box in our upstairs for 12 years now so it was time one of them got some use out of it!

Creating this card brought back a lot of memories of my dad.  First while searching for the Stamps I came across a letter he had written and sent to me while I was away at Bible College.  The letter was dated October, 1974.  Of course I shed a few tears reading it but they were worth it because my dad rarely wrote letters so it was special to read his words to me again.

Next up my dad also had a Model Train set that he enjoyed working on.  I bought the stamp of the train (Stamp Francisco) to make him a card for one of his birthdays.  He would have loved this card too.

The card base is: Cajun Craze layered with Peach Parfait that was distressed with the cutter distressing tool and some Peeled Paint Distress Ink (Tim Holtz-Ranger). Then I distressed my background panel with, Brushed Corduroy ink (Tim Holtz-Ranger).  I stamped the sentiment (Hero Arts) right on the background panel with Elegant Eggplant Ink and added 3 Plum colored brads.  The train was stamped with the Peeled Paint ink.  I also lightly stamped the Itty Bitty Background stamp over the train panel and mounted it on a Nested Rectangle of Old Olive.  Then I added the postage stamp and mounted them with foam mounting tape to complete my card.

That's it for me today.  I've had another BUSY week and yet another dental appointment.  This one went way better then the last one though.  I'm ready for the weekend.   Don't forget to stop by the other BC members Blogs - Located on my
sidebar and check out their reused/recycled projects. -  Have a great weekend!

absc30 - O Christmas Tree

Hello and welcome to the newest Annabelle Sketch Challenge.  Isn't this a wonderful sketch.  You will notice on my card that I followed the sketch as closely as possible with the exceptin of my focal piece which had to be moved slight upwards in order to fit in my bling with the sentiment.

F or this card I used one of the newest releases from Annabelle Stamps (Hoo Loves Christmas) and this time I chose to use the Tree image.  I wanted a pretty traditional color scheme so I went with Real Red and Glorious Green (SU) and some patterned paper from a retired SU Christmas line.  The scalloped border around the tress is an unknown piece of textured card stock in a sort of lime green.  The trees were colored with Prisma Colored Pencils and I popped the middle one up on foam tape.  I added Glitter to the side trees and Chili Sprinkles to the middle tree along with some snow created using Liquid Applique and a Frosted Lace Stickles.  I also used some of the new Christmas Ribbon from Annabelle Stamps, a new Snowflake border punch (EK Success) and a punched out snowflake (Martha Stewart) that I added Glitter to as well.  I did some piercing around the border of the card also.  I hope you'll pop on over to the DT blog's and leave them a nice comment on their awesome cards.  Then be sure to give this sketch a try.  You now have a month to work on your card and link back on the Annabelle Blog.  As always there is a Prize up for grabs so why not join in on the fun.

CIC77 - An Apple A Day

Hi!  Hope you have been having a great weekend. - If you are here for the Annabelle Holiday Preview Hop please scroll down one post. - Remember there is a great set up for grabs for completing the Hop.                                                 So what do you think of this weeks Cupcake Inspiration Photo...Yummylicious looking if you ask me.  Can't you just hear the sound of a Crisp Apple and taste how sweet and juicy it is just by looking at these delightful treats.  I know I can.

This week the Sponsor for the CIC challenge is: Some Odd Girl and one lucky person will win 3 images of their choice.  A discount will also be offered during the challenge period.

For my card today I chose one of the cute Tia images and then paired her up with some wonderful Apple patterned paper that I have in my stash.  The paper was in a pad from Provo Kraft (Apple Harvest). I colored my image with Prisma Colored Pencils and used an oval template to sponge on the ground with Close to Cocoa ink.  The background was embossed with the Swirl embossing folder and I atted 3 tiny red Sprinkles (Annabelle Stamps).  My sentiment was computer generated and I just happened to have a wonderful Gold Apple charm that I used along with a tiny red brad and some great brown ric-rac to complete my card.

Don't forget to stop by the other Sweeties blogs to see their wonderful cards and if you try this challenge out leave us a link on the CIC Challenge Blog.

O Holy Night - Annabelle Holiday Preview 3

Welcome to the final preview of Annabelle's Holiday Stamps. 

Have you been enjoying the great stamp sets and cards that the Design Team have come up with so far.  I think you will be delighted with today's set as well.

This set:  Christmas Scene Baubles is quite different from the first two preview sets but is one that I'm sure you'll enjoy using over and over.  Isn't it lovely!

Do you want a chance to WIN this set! - Here's what you need to do:  Visit the Annabelle Blog where the Hop Starts and follow the links from blog to blog till you get to our Guest Designer's Blog and then head back to the AB blog and leave a comment saying you've completed the hop.  You must leave a comment though on each of the DT members blogs to be eligible to win this set.  You should have arrived on my blog from Sue's blog  -  Your next stop will be Rene's Blog so hop on over and see the wonderful card she's made.



For my card I wanted a more serene feel and something that reflects my faith in God so I chose to use two of the Nativity Images from the set.  What's great about this set is that the words/scenes all fit inside the Ornaments (or Baubles) so you can "mix and match"    My card base is Always Artichoke layered with Whisper White embossed with the Swiss Dot Embossing Folder.  The Designer Paper is an old retired SU pattern (Wintergreen). I used Soft Sky and Certainly Celery ink to stamp my Ornament's and the Nativity Scenes. Then I cut them out and embossed the hanger thread with Detail Silver EP and added some Silver Cording for the bows and Silver Sprinkles at the bottom.

The Sentiments were stamped with Always Artichoke Ink and punched out with the Word Window Punch.

That's it for this Preview and we hope you've enjoyed all the great stamp sets which will be available after today on the Annabelle Store



BC169 - I pulled it off!

If you are here for the Annabelle Holiday Preview #2 please click HERE - You won't want to miss this Blog Hop as the sets are really Cute!


Wow what a week it's been (didn't I say that last week?). Seems like the story of my life anymore.  As you know last week I had a Root Canal done and apparently during the numbing process they hit a nerve (Lingual Nerve) which has caused part of my tongue to remain numb.  It feels like I've burnt it all the time and there is an odd taste on that side of my mouth.  The "good" news is that eventually it should heal up.  Went for a follow-up visit and was told this can take from 6 weeks to 6 months to happen.

Okay on to the card cause that's really what you came here for, right?  Since I've been busy with the Previews for the Annabelle Release and have had company all week I wanted something fairly easy for the Blogger Challenge (use Brown/Green/Blue for your card) and this is what I came up with.  I've had this piece of Geometric patterned paper (DCWV) in my stash for some time so I got it out and went to work on my card.  The card base is Chocolate Chip and I layered some Baja Breeze and the DP. Then I stamped one of the tress from (Trendy Trees-SU) with Garden Green and Chocolate Chip inks on Whisper White card stock.  Layered this to Chocolate Chip, Garden Green and Baja Breeze cs.  Added punched photo corners, tiny blue gems and pierced a row under the sentiment with my paper piercing tool.  Also added a punch chain border of Garden Green.  -  Normally I'm not very good at CAS (Clean and Simple) style of cards but I think this one really turned out well and hope you like it as much as I do.

Be sure to check out the other BC Members blogs to see how they used these colors.

That's it for me this week.  Come back on Saturday for the next preview from Annabelle Stamps Holiday line.

Hoo Loves Christmas - Annabelle Holiday Preview2

Hi,  Did you all enjoy the "hop" on Wednesday?  Wasn't that a great stamp set.  Well lookie here at today's preview set: (Hoo Loves Christmas) doesn't this just make you squeal with delight!  Those Owls are just so charming and fun.  I couldn't resist using them for my card today.    For your chance to win this set you'll need to follow the Blog Hop.  It starts on the Annabelle Blog so if you get lost along the way you can head back there for a list of the participants.     You should have arrived here from Sue's blog.

For my card I used Cherry Cobbler as my card base and the DP is from last years DCWV-Holiday Collection.  I paper pieced the tree branch and added liquid applique and glitter so be sure to check it out in the close-up below.  The owls were colored with Prisma Colored pencils and mounted on a Nested oval of Sage Shadow card stock.  The stars have some shimmer from a yellow spica glitter pen and I also added Holly Leaves/Red Sprinkles and a punched border and cream ribbon to complete my card.

So now it's time to move on in the hop.  You'll be heading over to Rene's blog for your next stop.  Once you've completed the hop head back to the Annabelle Blog and leave a comment that you've completed the hop.  That's it, pretty simple and look what you could win if your name gets picked from the comments.  Remember you must leave a comment on every blog for your chance to win.

Annabelle Holiday Release Party

It's a Party!  Join us as Annabelle Stamps starts their previews of the new Holiday Stamps.        You'll be hopping around the DT blogs starting first with the Annabelle Blog.  You'll need to leave a comment on each blog and then head back to the Annabelle Blog and leave a comment saying you completed the Hop.

  You should have arrived here from Sue's Blog and your next stop will be Rene's Blog  but don't worry because if you get lost along the way you can always return to the Annabelle Blog and find the list of the DT members blogs to get back on track. 

The first set the DT is previewing is called, Santa's Star and features a number of really fun holiday images.  I chose to use a couple of the smaller images in the set for my card today. 

 I found a great card by Michelle Woerner (Stop and Stamp the Roses) that was based on TESC 124 Sketch so I went with that sketch for my card idea.  I wanted something quick and easy since I had accidentally made my card for today using the set that we'll be previewing on Friday.  I discovered this late last night so I had to scramble to get a card ready for today.  I like how it turned out though and hope you do as well.

My card base is: Garden Green layered with Cherry Cobbler.  The DP is from Basic Grey (Eskimo Kisses line).  The stockings were stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black ink and colored with Prisma Color Pencils.  I added White Liquid Applique and Glitter to the tops of the stockings.  You can see the sparkle in the close-up:

I lightly sponged on Bashful Blue ink before mounting the stockings with foam mounting tape.  The ribbon is Light Pink Grosgrain and I used some Blossom Sprinkles on the border punch (EK Success).

So now hop on over to the next blog and be sure to leave a comment on each blog for a chance to win this set.  All sets will be available after Sunday.



CIC76 Elegance and Lace

Hello and Welcome!  It's time once again for another fabulous Cupcake Inspiration Challenge.  This weeks sponsor is A Passion For Stamps.                     Aren't these cupcakes gorgeous!  I love the elegance and lacy look of them.  I must admit that I tried about a dozen different ideas trying to come up with one that I liked and felt was worthy of the Inspiration photo.  I'm not entirely sure I captured it completely but I tried.                                                                   

 It's been a bit of a stressful week for me.  Mainly due to having a Root Canal done on Wednesday.  I'm really not fond of Dentists at all and it had actually been 3 years since I'd been in to see one.  Yes, I know should have gone a lot sooner and avoided having the Root Canal.  (Live and Learn) I guess.  The procedure took about 2 hours and I was pretty nervous about it.  I made it through okay and didn't really feel that bad after it was all over.  The problem now is that my tongue still feels numb.  Not horribly but just enough to feel really weird.  Not sure but the dentist may have hit a nerve and from what I read on the Internet that can happen and often takes months before it clears up.

But enough about that.  Let's move on to my card.  I wanted to use something that looked lacy like the wrappers of the cupcakes and after a few failed attempts at using stamps I settled on the Textile Embossing Folder.  I embossed on Whisper White Card Stock and mounted this to a White card base. I used a piece of DP (Sweetheart Ribbon from Doodlebug Designs)  I punched a border of white using the Daisy Scallop punch (EK Success) and tied some ribbon (American Crafts) around that and raised it up with foam mounting tape.   My hardest thing was trying to find stamps to use and I finally settled on the flowers and sentiment from Simply Said (SU).  The flowers were stamped with Melon Mambo ink and the sentiment was embossed with Silver EP.  This was mounted to a Nested circle of Melon Mambo card stock and I added tiny white pearls (Zva) to the flower centers.  I also used 3 silver Sprinkles (Annabelle Stamps) on the side of the card. 

So that's it for me this week.  I hope you'll give this challenge a try and link back on the CIC Blog so we can take a peek at how you were inspired.  Don't forget to visit the other Sweeties blogs too and leave them some comment lovin.

Have a great day!

Autumn Beauty

Happy Friday! - What a week it's been. Monday was fairly normal but the rest of the week has been so busy and somewhat stressful.  I've been recovering from a late Summer Cold so haven't been feeling to well.  Tuesday morning we started our Bowling League.  I did okay for the first day (146-149-142) a little below my normal average but not bad for not bowling since early April. 

Wednesday I had a dental appointment for a Root Canal.  I'm not really keen on going to Dentist (have had some bad experiences) so I was a bit stressed out about that.  My BP was up when they took it but I survived the procedure even though I still have a little numbing on my tongue yet today and my mouth is a bit sore from having it open for 2 hours.

Today I worked on this card, took my mom shopping, went to another doctor's appointment and took Coleen shopping for her mommy's birthday present.  Another very busy, tiring day.

So with all that here is my challenge card:

 Once again I've combined the Annabelle Challenge (Say it With Sprinkles) with the Blogger Challenge Group Challenge (Fall).  I saw this card on another blog and really liked how it looked so I thought I'd give it a try using Annabelle Stamps.  I chose the tree from the (Tree-men-dous" stamp set and stamped it using Chocolate Chip and Sage Shadow inks.  Then I combined that with some retired SU paper (Autumn Vine) and added Toffee Sprinkles.  The sentiment was computer generated and I added a leaf from the set using More Mustard Ink.  I tied on some twill ribbon and embossed the More Mustard Panel with the Distressed Stripe embossing folder.  Focal panel was mounted using foam mounting tape. My card base is the new Cajun Craze card stock.

So that's it for me this week. - I wish I could say things will be quieter this weekend but my Mother-in-law is coming down Saturday for another visit and will be staying with us.  Plus Sunday is my daughter, Greta's birthday so we'll be busy with that as well.

Be sure to check out the DT on the Annabelle Blog and also the Blogger Challenge Group to see what they've done with these two challenges.  Note that the BC Group will only be doing the Fall Challenge and the Annabelle DT will be using Sprinkles on their cards although not necessarily a Fall themed card.

CIC75 and a Happy Birthday Wish

Hello.  Here is this weeks Cupcake Inspiration Photo.  Sadly I was not able to get a card completed for this challenge but I wanted to mention the sponsor (The Cutting Cafe) and one lucky person will win 3 sets of their choice.

Today is also a special day as Anna's Dad, Dan is celebrating his 60th birthday.

Anna asked if anyone was interested in sending a card to her dad for his birthday to let her know.  So here is the card that I sent to wish him a Happy Birthday.

I hope he enjoys his day and got a lot of great cards. 

BC167 - A Hit and A Miss

First if you haven't visited the Annabelle Blog yet check it out (see post below) as we are doing a Blog Hop to celebrate Annabelle Stamps 1 year birthday!

Now for our Blogger Challenge this week.  Lisa (list mom) gave us this great sketch to use.  I love having a starting point for my cards.  So I worked this afternoon on a card that I really liked using this sketch, got it photographed and then noticed that I'd made a slight error on the placement of one of the panels.  Oops!  Well I just couldn't post that card without doing another one with the correct placement so you get 2 cards from me today.

First up will be the "Miss" referred to in the post title.   As you can see the one dark purple panel is over to the left instead of being on the right side as it is in the sketch.  This of course threw the whole sketch off balance but I still like this card a lot.  It was hrd to get decent pictures of my cards for some reason. Probably because I took them at night but hopefully they aren't too bad.

This card uses: Our Craft Lounge (Ghostly Greetings) stamps.  The DP I'm not sure where it's from as the strip with the company name had been cut off already.  I colored the ghosts with Prisma Color pencils and added glitter to them.  The sentiment was stamped with Only Orange ink.  The brads are from American Crafts.  I punched out some stars from the same background paper and added them to my focal panel.

Next up is the "Hit" card which follows the sketch perfectly.  I actually used totally different stamps and papers for this card.

The card base is Cajun Crase layered with Brocade Blue and DP from Chatterbox (Sunny Plaid) - I've had this for years.  The Owl is a $1 stamp from Studio G which I bought last year at JoAnn's.  I colored it with Prisma Colored Pencils, raised up one wing and the Balloon with foam mounting tape. This was mounted onto a distressed piece of Really Rust cs and I added punched photo corners of More Mustard with some Brads.  I also added a punch border (EK Success) to the side of the designer paper.  The sentiment was computer generated.

Boy I've had a horrible time getting this post up as our computer is acting up and sometimes takes forever to load things.  So I'm wrapping this post up.  Be sure to check out the other BC Members Blogs to see their interpretation of this sketch. You can find them listed on my sidebar under Blogger Challenge.

It's a Party - Happy Birthday Annabelle Stamps

Happy Birthday! - Yes today we are celebrating a birthday.  Annabelle Stamps is officially 1 year old! - What a great year it's been.   I'm proud to be a part of the Annabelle Stamps Design Team and want to say thanks to Andrea for allowing me to be a part of this new Stamp Company and awesome design team.

To celebrate this event Andrea is having a BLOG HOP and you are invited to attend.

Since today is our (Say it With) challenge all the DT members will have a post using the theme...Say it with Yellow and Gray.

There is a PRIZE up for grabs for completing the Blog Hop.  You'll start the hop at the Annabelle Blog and proceed from there.  If you get lost along the way you can always return there for a list of the DT members blogs in the hop.

You should have arrived here from SUE'S blog and once you leave you'll proceed to RENE'S blog for the next stop on the hop.  Please leave a comment on ALL the blogs listed on the hop for your chance to win a Voucher for $20 to the Annabelle store.  The prize winner will be announced next Friday.

For my card today I used 2 Annabelle Stamp sets, (Sentimental Bluebells and Ballerina Rose). I stamped the Medallion with Basic Gray ink on Whisper White cs and cut it out with a Circle Nestabilitie Die.  Then I mounted that to another circle of Going Gray cs (retired SU).  I then cut out a smaller circle of Whisper White and stamped a portion of the flowers from the Bluebell set (I masked off the leaves first) and colored this with Prisma Colored Pencils.  I added some Crystal glitter (Art Institute) to the rim.
My designer paper is from an old retired SU series, Spring Flowers.  I was excited about finding a piece of dp with Yellow an Gray in it!  I paired this with Barely Banana cs and punched the lace border out of Basic Gray cs. Then I tied some Basic Gray satin ribbon (also retired SU) and sadly my last piece around the card.  This was mounted to a card base of Going Gray.  Finally I added some Silver Sprinkles to complete my card.

So off you go now on the Hop.  Have fun and don't forget to say Happy Birthday Annabelle Stamps!

Once Upon A Monthly Challenge #3

Hi,  Welcome to the latest addition of OUMC (Once Upon A Monthly Challenge) that my friend Elena and I started a couple of months ago.  This time I was Challenge Hostess and picked out this Inspiration Photo for us to make our cards from.  I found this photo at Pottery Barn sometime back and now can't locate the original but that shouldn't matter  I loved the colors of this bedding ensemble and created my card around that.

My "blue" tone is a bit different then the IP but pretty close.  I used one of my Papertrey Ink stamp sets, Flutterby Friend for this card.  I started first by stamping the leaves in Kiwi Kiss ink and then the flowers with Baja Breeze ink.  So far so good...then it came time to mount this to card stock and would you believe I could not find a piece of Baja Breeze cs anywhere.  I wasn't about to stamp the image panel again so I kept searching and finally found 2 pieces (one pretty much wrinkle up that I salvaged enough out of to mount the image on and then another piece that I made the card base from.

Now that my card is posted I just found out that I could have stamped my flowers differently as I missed seeing that there is a small stem piece in the set which is designed to use with the leaves that I stamped.  Oh well (live and learn) and it really doesn't look bad stamped this way too.

I recreated the look of the Rattan/Wicker bed frame using Kraft (or Crumb Cake) cs and the Square Lattice SU Embossing Folder.  This was mounted on Kiwi Kiss cs stamped with the Aida Cloth-retiredSU background stamp and Kiwi Kiss ink.  Next I punched a Label with Whisper White cs and added the word, Friends with Baja Breeze in, threaded some Old Olive Twill ribbon through it and tied a bow.  The butterfly was stamped with Baja Breeze and I water colored in a little Kiwi Kiss ink and added some clear Glitter then mounted it with mounting tape.  Lastly I used the Chain border punch (EK Success) and added the white border at the bottom of the card.

Now you are seriously going to want to visit Elena's Blog to see the card she sent me. It is just AWESOME! I hadn't sent her card before I mailed mine out and was surprised and delighted to see that we had come up with two very different cards but yet side by side they looked fabulous. I took a picture of them together but don't want to spoil the surprise of your seeing her card so hop on over to her blog and leave her some comment lovin. She adds such great details to her cards. I love the sewing, the pearl swirl embellishment, the buttons, the papers...well the whole card is just amazing!!