Some new products & things to love!

Some new products/things that have made their way to my house that are making me smile this week!

1. Insectae Stamps from Prima
2. Damask flocked paper from LUSH by My Minds Eye
3. This amazing chipboard button card that is going in a frame in my studio. Pure love!
4. This vintage number 3 from Sadie Olive at Etsy. (in brown - yahooo)
5. Red Vintage Sew On Buttons by Jenni Bowlin (one of each color please! Love these)
6. Happiness Brushes from Ali Edwards at Designer Digitals.

And these cutest cutest cutest photo frames from House of 3. Love them!!

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Please keep my sister, brother-in-law and his family in your prayers this next week. It is a very sad situation and any prayers you can give...will be felt! Thank you!

Welcome Spring Kit & PDF Instructions

It has been a gloomy winter here and I am ready for some flowers and sunshine! I have been so inspired by all the cute banners that have been around and thought that I'd sit down to make one this past week. It is full of bright, happy colors, embellishments, stamping, scallops and more. And, I have kits available for those of you that want to purchase one and make one for your own home. Fun huh! :)

Here are some close-up detail shots:

 

  

 

Here are the details:

'Welcome Spring' Banner Kit & downloadable PDF with step-by-step instructions: $20

Downloadable PDF with step-by-step instructions ONLY: $5

To purchase the kit or the PDF, please email me at stampit_girl@yahoo.com and I will email you an invoice via paypal.

Here are some more details about the kit:

• Everything for the kit will be mailed to you expect for the downloadable PDF that will be emailed to you once I receive your payment.
• The kit has been prepared by me to be ready for you to assemble once you receive it. All the flowers, bird, butterfly, etc. are die-cut for you. The banners are in rectangles that you will cut to a pennant shape. 
• You will receive all the brads, gems, and embellishments to make the banner exactly as shown.
• The bird cage and the damask image will be hand-stamped for you.
• Physical kit will be shipped on Monday, March 1. 

Items included in the kit:

1 Olive Polka-dot Patterned paper 3"x4"
1 strip of yellow/white dot fabric
1 strip of orange seam binding
1 white 'spring' die-cut butterfly
2 White cardstock 3"x4"
1 strip of pink lace
1 piece of scalloped aqua cardstock
1 Yellow corduroy button
2 die-cut yellow scalloped pennant (for layering behind)
1 Aqua cardstock 3"x4" hand-stamped with brown damask image
1 scalloped die-cut border in Olive cardstock
1 polka-dot die-cut yellow pennant
3 die-cut aqua flowers
1 Olive green brad
1 Pink cardstock 3"x4" hand-stamped with brown bird cage
1 Olive green die-cut bird
1 Brown/white Polka-dot patterned paper 3"x4"
3 die-cut yellow hearts
1 clear gem
1 white mini tag hand-stamped with 'happy' in brown
1 strip of aqua paper to be cut into mini banner
1 strip of olive cardstock to be cut into mini banner
1 white/pink Letterpressed by hand with damask image
1 piece of pink tulle ribbon

1 Ribbon to hang banner: pink, brown, or green
other: pink, orange, brown string, gemstones

Supplies needed to complete the banner:
glue, paper cutter, scissors, pop-dots (if you want), staples
I also used my sewing machine but you don't need to.


I had so much fun making this banner and I hope that it inspires you to make your own Spring Banner!


Again, if your interested in purchasing the actual kit (which includes the PDF) or just the downloadable PDF (which will be emailed to you and you can print or save to your computer), please email me at stampit_girl@yahoo.com.


Thanks for your support and I hope you like the kit! :)

Sweet little Valentines

 

I wanted to share these little Valentine's I made this week. They are small little cards that fit in little envelopes - lots of punched hearts and some stamped sayings. Simple but sweet for the kiddos. I wanted to add some sewing to them, but wasn't able to get to it this week. I hope you all have a special Valentine's Day!

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On a family note, yesterday was a very special day...my sweet girl, Madisyn, was baptized! We have the in-laws in town and my sweet sister from St. George drove up with her 6 kids to be here for the event...the support and love from family always amazes me and I'm so grateful to them all. It was a beautiful day!

This morning before church, Madi was complaining that her front tooth was hurting so I tried to pull it out...and out it came! She has only lost her bottom two teeth so to loose one of her top front teeth...well, it was a big deal! She looks so different though! :) Madisyn wore her gorgeous white dress to church today and looked so beautiful! I can't believe she is 8! I can't believe she is baptized! Time goes so quickly! I love that sweet girl so much!

Studio Calico Homefront 'Laugh' Layout

I love the 'Homefront' Line from Studio Calico - the colors are awesome, the designs are amazing...just perfect! I had fun playing with it this past month and made this 'laugh' layout (as seen on the Studio Calico blog here). That scalloped paper is my favorite from the collection! For this layout, I traced the half circle onto pink and green paper, cut them out, and sewed them on top of some of the scallops on the paper to tie in those colors that I used on my papers. I distressed the edges of the scallops and pulled them up a bit to add a bit of depth and to help them stand out more.

I cut out the frames (square and circle) from one of the papers and embellished the centers of them. With the circle frame, I cut out the center of the circle and layered orange stripe ribbon behind it (from Stampin' Up!) and layered some butterflies on top. On the square circle, I folded up some pink lace and stapled it to the paper. I then added some punched flowers (Martha Stewart) from yellow paper.

The 'laugh' was cut from my Silhouette machine using a design from House of 3. I love that they have shapes available through the Silhouette store now - happy day! It's so fun to be able to cut them out. I put the 'laugh' on my mat 3 times in different sizes and just layered them on my page for a fun title treatment.

If you have any questions about the page, just ask away!

I'm busy working on house stuff this week - we have my in-laws coming into town Friday for Madisyn's baptism on Saturday. Plus, lots of family over on Saturday so I'm trying to get things a bit more settled around here. Plus, I'm trying to finish up Madisyn's quilt - I'll share photos of the progress soon! Jaxon has not been feeling well the past few days...which means mama needs to be right by his side or he just cries and cries. So...lots of cuddling! :) Anyway, hope you all had a great Monday!

Studio Calico February Kit!

Tonight at 12:00 EST, the February Kit at Studio Calico will go up for purchase and trust me...you don't want to miss it! If you don't subscribe to their fabulous kits, be sure to stop by tonight and check out the beautiful new kit and the add-on kits. I have such a fun time playing with them! With our move and the holidays...it had been awhile since I sat down and did a scrapbook page and I was so inspired! I absolutely loved it and it reminded me of how much I love this hobby!

I am thankful for the opportunity to be the Guest Designer this month! I've always loved Studio Calico and so it was super fun to be able to play along this month! Their stamps are some of my all-time favorites! I just threw this one and this one (been waiting to get this one! Love it) into my bucket and checked out! They will be added to my Studio Calico stamp collection on my desk! :) Watch for them on a project - really soon!

Here is a peekie of a layout that I did with the February kit...

Look for the full reveal tonight, Jan. 28th, at 12:00 EST. I'll be up and waiting!

And THANK YOU for all the wonderful Birthday wishes you posted here, Facebook and via email! You are all so wonderful and it meant a lot! We all had a great Birthday and we have plently of cake leftover for anyone that wants to come and get some! :) Thanks again!

A great 2010 Giveaway!

Sometimes when I get that urge to be creative and I sit down to scrapbook...I don't know what to scrapbook about! LOL! I am always inspired by product and that usually makes me want to sit and create...it's then the hard part to find photos that fit my 'vision' for that project and an important story that I want to tell. Does anyone else do it 'backwards' like me? :)

Last week, I came upon an amazing new ebook from Ella Publishing called A Year in the Life. As I was going through the fun format of the ebook (love that I can flip through the pages on my computer whenever I want!), I was instantly inspired. Inspired by wonderful ideas shared in this ebook about things to scrapbook and capture in 'a year in the life'. Wonderful ideas!!! It is filled with layouts and fun projects..but most of all...I love the ideas and content of this book. I am so inspired and want to tackle some of the great ideas for pages right away!

Thanks to the amazing people over at Ella Publishing (THANK YOU)...they want to give away a copy of this wonderful ebook to one of you...Be Creative Everyday readers!

To be eligible to win, please leave a comment about something you want to be better at capturing this year in your life...the more ideas the better! You will love this ebook - I promise! Please leave your comment by Friday, January 22nd. I will then draw a random winner! Good luck!

Sugar & Spice Layout

Hi everyone! Whenever we move...it seems like there are always a few very important things that we can never find...they mysteriously disappear! I cannot find my card reader for my camera pictures - I have lots to share and cannot find it! And, I can't find some must have scrappin' stuff too and it's driving me nuts! LOL! Since I can't share any of the photos that I was planning on posting, I thought I would share my Cover try for the Nov/Dec issue of Better Homes & Gardens Scrapbooks, etc. magazine.

I thought this photos was just darling! And ironically, the same day I sat down to work on the layout, I received a box from Basic Grey with all their new products...which included the new Nook & Pantry line which wasn't even available at stores yet. So, I was thrilled! I used those beautiful papers, the cute spatula rubon and some brads. (Thank you Basic Grey - it was perfect! Love that line so much!) I used Quickutz die-cuts for the title 'sugar', die-cut the word 'spice' with my Cricut and the '&' is from this yummy set from Studio Calico. I added some ribbon, scalloped circle with journaling, button, coarse clear glitter to a circle (to look like sugar), sewing and it was done. Anyone know who's little girl this is in the picture?

Speaking of Studio Calico...did you see this fun news? Check out the amazing sneaks for the February Kit here - I'll tell ya - I'm in love with it!!

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I have a yummy giveaway coming up - stay tuned! You won't want to miss it! :)

Some more favorites from 2009...

Thanks for your sweet comments about the layouts - you are all so nice! :) 2009 was a busy and FUN year! I feel so blessed to be able to work with the amazing people at Hero Arts...and here are some of my top layouts that I did for their site during 2009...using all their stamps.

 

 

 

 

 

If you post your 'Top 10' or your favorites from 2009, be sure to link here...I'd love to see! Hugs!

My Top 10 from 2009

As I was packing up my craft room this week, I came upon my huge stack of layouts that I completed in 2009. It was so fun to look through all the layouts, to remember the photos, the memories, the techniques and things I did on each layout...and I found some favorites in the pile as well. A new year is a great time to sit down and enjoy a few moments going through your creative projects from the past year! Do it! Share your top 10 layouts/projects on your blog...if you do, link here in the comments...I'd love to see! :)

SO, I thought I'd share some of my favorites from 2009. All of these layouts were done when I was a Garden Girl at Two Peas in a Bucket. I'll have to do another post with other favorites as well.

 

 

 

 

   

 

 

 

I did so many layouts during the first half of 2009 - the rest of the year is kinda bare. I think I got burned out a bit! LOL! I'll be back to share some more! Happy January 2nd!

Merry Christmas & a Happy New Year!

Here we are just hours from a new year...2010! I can't believe 2009 is almost gone! It has been a crazy year for our family - lots of changes, two big moves, new job, new schools, new friends and so much more. I think all of us have had our highs and lows this year and have grown so much through it all.

Right now, I am sitting in our new home...surrounded in boxes and a super duper long list of to-do's. There is so much to do and so few hours in each day. But, I'm working working working and in time, we will get it all settled and make this beautiful house...a home. I have so many fun plans for decorating and have been sooo inspired - so I am excited to work on lots of fun projects - soon!

We had a wonderful Christmas - the kids had a blast and got lots of fun toys to keep them occupied while Mom and Dad moved all our stuff to the new house. What a crazy time to move! :)

I have so many plans and so many goals...all which I plan to get off the back burner and put front and center this year. When I started this new blog...I had a fun vision of what I wanted it to be...and I just haven't been able to do it with all the changes the past few months. So, this blog is going to be a big part of 2010 for me and I look forward to sharing lots of inspiring ideas and projects with you. And...the 'ABC Inspiration Challenge' will come back in full force - shortly! :)

In the meantime, Hero Arts posted a layout I recently created using their new designs for Silhouette (digital die-cutting machine). I LOVE my Silhouette! Love it! And I have been so inspired...even more...by all their amazing releases lately! Some of my favs are definitely the new venture with Hero Arts - and the exclusive Hero Arts designs that they have and will have throughout 2010. They are having a great deal, through tonight, on their subscription so be sure to grab it for the new year. Trust me...you'll use it lots! :)

On this layout, I used the Hero Arts Heart Winged butterfly die-cut design and cut it big and backed it with a contrasting cardstock. I punched out a few circles of different colors of paper and added them behind the Hero Arts clear buttons (a must-have!). Two of my boys - I love them! :)

I hope you have a fabulous New Year! We have been sleeping on the sofa for 3 nights and finally got our bed over here - so glad! :) Hugs everyone!

Simple & Inexpensive holiday gift: Bookmarks

This is another project from an Autumn Leaves book that ended up not getting published...these holiday bookmarks with some photos of the kiddos. You can personalize them with the initial of the recipient and have fun decorating them with cardstock, sequins, gems...whatever you have on hand. I made one for my Mom and an extra for my own books...all using simple craft supplies that I had laying around.

In other news...we are moving...again! Crazy crazy...I know!! It's been an intense 2 months for us while we have been trying to find a new home and everything luckily fell into place this week. We are thankful for that! We need to be in there and out of here by January 1 so I feel like this whole month of December has just been a whirlwind! Luckily, the move is right behind this house in a great cul-de-sac with a wonderful, bigger home. I'm excited to get in to it and be able to call it out 'own' and get decorating a bit more. I haven't done much in this current home and that's been hard for me...so I look forward to some of those changes.

It should be a fairly eas'ier' move than last time - load things up and drive them over - I'm not going to be having to box things up and all that - just take things over so I hope that it will go smoothly. Busy time to be moving - hectic to say the least - but we'll get it done.

Our Christmas shopping is done...and although the decorating for Christmas hasn't been much this year - there is a little up. I had so many fun projects I wanted to do but with this upcoming move - it just didn't happen. It is what it is...right? :) Are you done with your shopping? We've got lots of family parties this weekend and next week - so much to do - and yet we are trying to enjoy the holidays and the Spirit of Christmas as much as possible! I hope that you are all having a wonderful December!

Inspired by: Melissa Frances

I was honored to be asked to be the Guest Designer for Melissa Frances for the month of December. You can view a little Q&A with me and some cute holiday ornaments that I made all on the wonderfully creative Melissa Frances Blog.

I have more projects that will be going up throughout the month of December - so keep checking their wonderful blog!

I have to say...I LOVE those plaster frames! I think they are plaster...not quite sure. But, I've had my eye on them forever...so I was thrilled to get some to play with! I'm addicted to these bright, trendy colors right now and decided to use them on my Christmas tree this year. So, I lot of fun colors and goodies from Melissa Frances made them so fun!

Thanks to the crew at Melissa Frances for being so kind to work with and for having me contribute to your amazing site this month! Watch for more projects throughout the month.

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On another note, I've been cleaning and cleaning and going through tons of stuff! I am going to have the biggest Scrapbooking Sale in the Spring - seriously! In the meantime, I put up a bunch of stuff on ebay (Stampin' Up! stamp sets, a Cuttlebug machine, Cricut cartridges, etc.) and they all close on Sunday afternoon. So, take a looksie and if there are items you want, be sure to snag them up! If you win something and your a blog reader, be sure to let me know and I'll throw in some extra goodies for ya! :)

Scrapbooking: Shine, Silly Boy

I am heading out for the weekend, with my dear friend Amy, for a much needed creative getaway. We have lots of fun projects planned, movies to watch, cupcakes to eat and so much more!

Blogging will hit full force on Monday with lots of fun things to share.

In the meantime, here is another layout that I had created for the 'Enjoy the Process' book that was suppose to come out by Autumn Leaves. This book was cancelled after all our work was done due to the poor economy - so many wonderful projects!

This is just a fun one I did with embellished circles and a silly photo of Hudson in the middle. Again, this was done over two years ago - but still fun! Have a great weekend! I can't wait to go and create without the mush-head kiddos for a few days! :)

ABC Inspiration Challenge: Letter E

Hi everyone! I am back into the swing of things and wanted to share my letter 'E' project for my ABC Inspiration project. I went through a small vintage dictionary that I have sitting on my desk to look for a letter 'E' letter that inspired me. I wrote down a ton of words but here are a few that I was inspired by:

Exciting    Engaging    Enlightening    Emerge    Essential    Esteem    Eternal     Eager    Extraordinary
Energy    Encourage    Express    Explore    Experiment    Exercise    Eclectic    Edify    Educate
Extravagance    Emulate    Endless    Enhance    Enough    Extremely

I told you there were a lot of them! I could of gone with a number of them, but in the end, I went with 'Emerge'. There are so many things on my to-do list and so many goals that I have for myself - I'm trying to 'emerge' and 'evolve' into a new 'era' for myself (how about that for 'e's LOL). As it sits on my ATC holder, it reminds me to have faith in myself, to go forward and to emerge into the person I want to be...to go after my goals...and I like that.

I love the stamps that Studio Calico creates and this ABC stamp is no expection. Check out this ATC stamp that they have too...I used it on one of my last ATC cards and have stamped it on about every single one since - I LOVE it! I stamped the ABC stamp with brilliance Pigment Ink from Tsukineko (loving these inks and have been buying a lot of then lately) in Pearlescent Thyme. The ink has a shine/pearl to it and I love the way that it looks.

I took a yellow thread and embroidered over one of the letter 'Ee's' to add attention to it. I die-cut the word Emerge and added a few stitches to it as well. This card was really simple, but I like it. Again, sorry, but I can't stop using this hot pink and yellow...I love these colors right now.

If you have a chance to make a card this week, be sure to share with me. I'd love to see! Thanks for stopping by!

Delight in Life: Stamping, embossing, & stitching

Looking back on my 8 years of stamping and scrapbooking, I am so thankful for all the amazing opportunities that I have had to share my love for this hobby and for those that have given them to me. I'll never forget the day that Tracy Kyle emailed me and asked if I'd be interested in leaving Making Memories and coming to Autumn Leaves to be exclusive and to work on their amazing idea books. I loved working for Making Memories...it was always a dream of mine. But at the time...I was ready for a new adventure and that was working with the amazing girls on the Autumn Leaves design team.

I quickly got to work on Designing with Details which was perfect...I am all about the details on my projects and it was so fun to get to work on that book! I was then thrilled to find out about the next book...Perfectly Clear...all about stamping! I loved working on that book and was thrilled when my layout made the cover. Then, Designing with Recipe Book (that's Madi there on the cover...second from left) and the 2008 Calendar. It was such an honor to participate in those books!

We then got to work on another book, Enjoy the Process, that was lead by the amazing designer, Rhonna Farrer. She has such an amazing vision and outlook on life and the creative process! I was so excited to be able to work with her on her book. After weeks of deadlines, we were done and Rhonna went to work on the type and getting everything designed the way she wanted. It wasn't until months and months later and with the crash of the economy, that we all heard that the book wasn't going to be able to be published. It was so sad...the work that went into that book and the projects...were just amazing!

No matter what Rhonna has her hands dipped into...it always turns out to be something wonderful! I was so excited to hear about the Spark Event...I love all those girls and I can not wait to be able to attend the event and participate. They announced all the Show and Tell Artists on Friday and wow - what an amazing group of talent!  Again, I feel so honored and blessed to be among them all.

I have been working on a really fun project that attendees will be able to make at my booth on Friday. I am really excited about it and hope that it will 'spark' your creativity and inspiration. Thanks to Rhonna, Liz, Margie and Jefra for having me participate. I'm really excited about the event! Go sign up if you haven't already! :)

Back to my reason for bringing up all that book talk...all the layouts that I completed for the book, Enjoy the Process, ended up not getting published and have been sitting on my computer and in my scrapbook albums every since. So, I thought I would share one of my favorites from that book that I did...Delight in Life.

Do you ever have those days when life is just hard...taking care of the kids day in and day out is hard? On that particular day, I was filling just that way. The UPS man brought me my Stampin' Up! order and as I opened it up, I took a second glance at a stamp set that was in the box. One stamp read, 'delight in life'...and I took a deep breathe...it was exactly what I needed to read at that moment. And then, it inspired me and this layout was created.

For the sun, I cut a yellow cardstock circle and then layered it with a vellum circle. I then sewed in circles many times and dropped a sequin underneath the needle once in awhile. The suns rays are white felt that I brushed a glitter glue on top of and then cut and glued to the page.

For the title, I stamped the word 'delight' on strips of paper and embossed them with silver embossing powder. The hill was created with green cardstock and then paper strips from Doodlebug that were ruffled up and stitched together to create the appearance of grass.

I sewed some stems for the flowers with a kraft colored thread and then sewed on flower buttons (also from Doodlebug).

Although I created this layout over 2 years ago, it is still one of my all-time favorites. Not only for the fun techniques and design, but for the message that it portrays.

This past week has been one of those weeks...life is just hard and taking care of the kids day in and day out is hard. A lot of us do it and we get through it...but it just made me think of this layout and I thought I'd share it here with you all today. I hope that it inspires you in your art...and also reminds you...to delight in life.

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The ABC Inspiration Challenge will continue tomorrow with the Letter E. I apologize about the delay but check back Tuesday for another card. Have a great Monday! It is actually snowing here right now - can you believe it? Snowing!

Vintage Cubbie & Halloween Inspiration

When I first saw the new fall catalog from Pottery Barn, I just took a big, deep sigh. Oh how I love them! Their stylist are amazing and thier new focus on 'vintage' is just beautiful! I have been all about vintage lately...adding in vintage benches and little vintages pieces bought from consignment stores and etsy...vintage modern is definetly my new passion!

I love anything that is similar to vintage lockers, apothecary cabinets, little drawers and cubbies and fun places to store and display little treasures. So when I came upon this amazing vintage inspired cubbie in the catalog, I was instantly smitten...and then quickly placed my order. 

Now, the dilemma of how to decorate this beautiful piece! It has been put up on the wall that you see as soon as you walk downstairs into our main family room. I love the way that it loI've got some ideas that I'm hoping to get done here soon...right now, I've placed just little things in the cubbies to visualize and get an idea of what I want. I'll share pictures of my progress soon.

Some other fun vintage inspired pieces at Pottery Barn:

Skeleton Keys

Found Thread/Wooden Spools (although I think these are over priced)

Galvanized Metal Collection: Chalkboard Cabinet, canister, and this super cute serving piece (I love how they decorated this for Halloween - so inspiring!)

Canvas Typewriter Prints 

Floor Standing Pinboard

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Now that October is here and the fall weather is upon us, I can't help but think of Halloween and all the fun things I want to create! Here are some links to some fun Halloween things that I'd love to try play around with this month. If you have some fun ideas or links...share in the comments section.

Martha Halloween Pumpkins
   (check out all of the amazing ideas at Martha's Halloween Central)
House of 3 Halloween Dingbat Font & Halloween Definition Brushes
LOVE this Halloween Digital Kit from Paislee Press at O'Scraps
These digital Halloween Kits from Carina Gardner are so amazing! Here, here, here and here.

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I've got a fun annoucement to make next week! Check out this if you want a hint! :)
Have a great Friday! I'm off to do some vintage inspiration shopping (and a scrapbook store too of course)!

Stamping with Watercolor Markers and more

This layout was recently published in the one of the recent issues of Better Homes & Gardens Scrapbooks, etc. Magazine. The technique focus for this project was stamping with watercolor markers. All of the stamping on this page (and there is a lot) is all done with watercolor markers that were purchased at a large craft store. Be sure to click on the layout for a larger view.

I love to color my stamps with markers...I love the varied look you can get with one stamp i.e. highlight a part of the image or word, add multiple colors to one stamp, blend colors on your image and so much more!

Stamping with watercolor pens was fun, in that it didn't leave such a crisp stamped image like markers do...it truly left a water-colored appearance to each image. I had a fun time creating this layout...fun techniques and good memories to document.

If you want to see more samples with stamping with markers, check out this technique article I did over at Hero Arts...some fun, different ways to stamp with markers.

Also, if your looking for a fun shaped mini album idea, check out this album I created of our Annual Summer Vacation to Lake Powell. I die-cut chipboard with a scalloped circle die from Sizzix and then die-cut papers and my photos with the same shape to glue on top. It was such a fun and simple album to create! You can check it out here at BHG, Scrapbooks etc. site.

We are off to California to the beach for the weekend...my brother-in-law is getting married and it should be a wonderful trip. I hope that the kids are good on the plane! Have a wonderful rest of the week!

ABC Inspiration Challenge: Letter D

This weeks 'ABC Inspiration Challenge' card was created with the letter 'D' in mind. I had a lot of different ideas come to me...I could probably make 5 cards for each letter each week! It's been so fun! I decided to go with a damask design and then I stamped 'delight' in 'the details' in the bottom right.

I die-cut the damask design with my Silhouette die-cutting machine...with an image from Quickutz in both green and yellow. I combined the two damask cut-outs on Melon Mambo pink cardstock from Stampin' Up! (my favorite color right now!). I used some label die-cuts (also from Quickutz) and stamped some images from Ali Edwards for Technique Tuesday Stamps (this one and this one). I outlined over the 'delight' stamp with a silver gel pen since the silver pigment ink I used didn't show up to well. I then started coloring in dots on the damask and outlining some of the parts of it with the silver pen.

The ribbon is the Melon Mambo polka-dot ribbon which was ruffled and sewn to the page. I also used a small scallop border punch that I love from EK Success on a small strip of white cardstock that was tucked under the scalloped ribbon.

I love the brightness of this card...it makes me happy and looks so fun up on my ATC Carousel with all the other cards.

Some ideas for the letter D:

Design           Day              Desire

Decorate        Delight        Dream

Details           Dance

If you think of any more, please share in the comments! I'm sure there are lots more! :)

My original idea for my letter 'D' card, was to create a photo collage of decorated rooms that I had saved to my computer that I thought were inspirational. I love home decor...love to decorate, love to look at interiors and so forth. But, when I went to print the card, it just didn't look great (since all the images saved from the computer were of low resolution). So, I went to plan B, which is the card shown. I'll share my little photo collage here anyway - I know it's hard to see but it was fun to pull random decor photos and put them all together onto a card.

Have you started to do your own set of 'ABC' Inspired cards? I'm really loving this project! Hope you have a wonderful Monday!

ABC Inspiration Challenge: Bonus Project

Last week, I received this amazing ATC kit, Lollipop Guild, in the mail from Studio Calico. I love this kit! Everything in it is geared towards ATC cards. What is an ATC card? According to Wikipedia, an atc is:

Artist Trading Cards (or ATCs) are miniature works of art about the same size as modern baseball cards, or 2 ½ X 3 ½ inches (6cm X 9cm), small enough to fit inside standard card-collector pockets, sleeves or sheets. The ATC movement developed out of the mail art movement and has its origins in Switzerland. Cards are produced in various media, including dry media (pencils, pens, markers, etc), wet media (watercolor, acrylic paints, etc), paper media (in the form of collage, papercuts, found objects, etc). The cards are usually traded or exchanged rather than sold.

My 'ABC Inspiration Challenge' is exactly this...miniature works of art. This Lollipop Guild kit is perfect for this project and I was excited to receive it and play with it. This weeks card is a bonus card...I just played with the kit contents instead of focusing on a letter for this weeks card. It's something extra and fun to add to my carousel of art projects.

I took the mini papers included in the kit and added some diecuts, tied the gem on with string, and sewed some ribbon onto the card. My favorite thing about the kit, is the exclusive, limited edition stamp from Studio Calico. Their stamps are amazing! I love them! I stamped the 'ATC' stamp on the back of the card (the right hand side of the stamp was left off - wanted the image to go off the page a bit). I wrote my info down in the card and added a star die-cut that was included in the kit.

I loved playing with this kit! If you want a fun kit that includes great colors and products that are just PERFECT for this 'ABC Challenge' project, jump over there and grab it before it is sold out. It's amazing!

I going to go play with this kit some more today! I am also working on a layout inspired by this color scheme...and using this awesome school alphabet stamp from Studio Calico on it as well. (The kit with the stamp is sold out  but the stamp will be up in their shop in 2 months...mark your calendars!) I will finish my layout and share it this week as well.

Have a wonderful Monday! :)

ABC Inspiration Challenge: Letter C

This week, the Letter 'C' was my focus for the ABC Inspiration Challenge.  As I thought about words or thoughts that were created by the letter 'c', I thought of two of my favorite things...creating and color. Color is one of the things I love most about creating...gathering different papers and embellishments, stamping with different colors...all to pull together a beautiful color scheme that is fresh, fun and inspiring!

For this card, I cut a  3 1/2" x 4 1/2" piece of Crushed Curry Cardstock. I stamped one of my most favorite stamps ever, this heart stamp from Paper Source with Versamark Ink, sprinkled clear embossing powder on it and then heat embossed it with a heat gun to melt the powder.

I die-cut the letter 'C' with my Cricut with this pink swiss dot embossed cardstock from Bazzill (another one of my staples in my room). I also typed 'create with color' on my printer and printed it on the same pink cardstock in a gray color.

On the white swiss dot cardstock, I stamped a Woodgrain Background stamp from Stampin' Up! with Crushed Curry Ink. I added it to the stamped background piece and sewed around the edge with pink thread.

I took a white flower (this pillar of flowers is a great thing to have on hand - love to stamp on them) and stamped it with Turquoise Chalk Ink and this polka dot stamp from American Crafts. I then added a large silver glitter brad (also new from American Crafts) to the middle of the flower.

I found this great new twill at Joanns and added a large strip across the middle, some yellow string and my journaling strip stapled on the edges. I added my flower and two smaller glitter brads. I folded over a 2" piece of the twill ribbon and sewed it to the card. Done! :)

It turned out really different than I had envisioned, but that is part of the creative process right?!

If you have a chance to play along and create your ABC Inspiration card, please post a link so that we can all check it out.

Thanks for coming by!