Moxie Fabulous Cardigan Inspiration

Happy Halloween!! Hope you are enjoying your day. My card today has absolutely nothing to do with Halloween, but it is all about "sweater weather". Appropriate for fall, eh? 


I seriously went Ga-Ga for the photo inspiration from this week's Moxie Fab World Tuesday Trigger challenge. (Yes, it's Sunday...sigh...I'm getting it in at the last possible minute.) This sweater from Anthropologie is super-super-sweet. I keep trying to justify the purchase in my mind...then suddenly I hear my husband's voice saying "You can't be serious?". Oh yes, I sure am! For now though, I will just use it for creative inspiration...for now...Mwah-ha-ha (insert sinister laugh here)!  

I paired it up with the fun, new sketch for the week from I {heart} 2 Stamp.

So, I pretty much knew I wanted the card to have a lot of patterns and texture to mimic what was going on in that cute sweater. Have I mentioned how much I love that sweater? I have? Well I just wanted to make sure. Haha! My color combo was So Saffron, Chocolate Chip, Very Vanilla and Soft Sky (ret.). I went with 2 different patterns in the DSP along with the Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder and my Paper Crimper for more texture. (The crimped layer was supposed to look like the collar of the sweater.) 

For my stamped image, I had a tough time. At first, it was a colored-in birthday cake but the blue looked a little "off" so I scrapped that idea. I kept thinking how I just loved the phrase "Moxie Fab" and then decided that I was going to just use a FABULOUS sentiment stamp. I heat embossed Chocolate Chip craft ink with clear embossing powder for some shine (...and yes, I think that is a piece of fur from a 4-legged friend stuck in the embossing. Grrr!). Then I decided to add some pearl accents inspired by the buttons on the sweater. I also sponged some So Saffron ink on the circle with the sentiment and then added a piece of fiber just for fun. The flowers were the complete wrong shade of brown, but with a sponge and some Chocolate Chip craft ink, I changed that dilemma. I hope you like the end result. I'd love to hear what you think. Thanks for stopping by! 

Have a FABULOUS day! 

Texas Christmas

Hello and Happy Saturday! Hope you are enjoying your weekend so far. If you have visited my blog before, your eyes are NOT deceiving you...I really made a red and green Christmas card today (not my favorite, as you may know). I kind of like how it turned out, though...I think I do anyway. Hmmm... ;) 

I used this week's fun color combo from The Color Throwdown as my inspiration.Try as I might, I absolutely could NOT make anything other then a holiday card with this mix. 

Then I used the following sketch from Mercy's Tuesday Sketch Challenge to put it all together: 

I decided to ink up a retired set I bought a while back (Yippee Kiyay Holiday) because I thought this little cactus image would make a rockin' Texas Christmas card. In my search for a set to use today, I realized that I completely forgot I had it. Yes, I really need to go through my stamp room in a major way...


After coloring in the image, I decided to fancy it up a bit with some bling on the star, Crystal Effects on the ornaments and red glitter on the gifts. I also embossed the Certainly Celery layer with the Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder. I have officially decided that I don't know if I would be able to continue making cards if something ever happened to that folder. It is my "go-to" folder for a lot of projects. Then I simply added some ribbon and a few red half pearls to mimic the ornaments on the tree. Yee Haw and there you have a red and green (Eeek!) Texas Christmas card. 

It has been a while since I have shared a pet photo with everyone. Today my little fur-ball Benjamin, got himself into his usual mischief and I caught him red-handed...or maybe that should read "ribbon-handed". He likes to sneak around and help himself to anything laying on my desk lately, then parade it around the house for all to see. He is such a little monster!! 

Thanks for stopping by! 
Happy stampin', 

Recipe Swap

I recently signed up for another swap on SCS, this time for a 6x6 recipe page. I've never made one of these recipe pages before, they are a lot of fun. I also think they could be a great way to whip up a fun recipe scrapbook as a gift. Hmmm, the holidays are right around the corner. 


The theme was "It Comes In A Can" and the idea was to find simple recipes that used items found in your pantry for quick and easy meals. Who doesn't enjoy an easy meal...especially on week-nights? My recipe was for for Bruschetta Chicken. I just love the idea that you can just throw it all together in one dish to bake it. We have made this often on weeknights in my house. Just cook up a side of veggies and/or a salad and there you go, a super-easy dinner. 

I found some fun red gingham paper in my stash, which reminded me of a tablecloth. Then after I printed the recipe out, it took up a majority of the page, which threw a kink in my plan to accent the page. I was stumped for embellishments until I unearthed these cute little kitchen stamps hiding in a drawer in my craft room. I often wonder what else could be hiding in there that I "forgot" about. I popped up the circles, added a simple border punch and some gingham ribbon to finish it all off. I hope it came out okay and I can't wait to see the pages from everyone else in the swap. Thanks for stopping by! 

Have a great day, 

Super EXCITING News!!

Okay, the announcement was made tonight and I'm still giddy with excitement! Now that it is "official" I can share some awesome news. I am extremely thrilled to announce that I was picked as a "Guest Designer" during the month of November at The Paper Players!!!! 

I am so happy to join Lesley, Ann, LeAnne, Jaydee and Nance next month for some exciting challenges. Thanks SO much, ladies! 


Please check it out and come play along! :)

Fall Gratitude

Hello! Hope you are enjoying your Tuesday so far. Yesterday, I received a small order delivered by the wonderful UPS guy. I'm not going to lie...I get pretty excited when I hear that truck pull up in front of my house! :) I finally ordered the Day of Gratitude set from the holiday mini after I saw all of the beautiful projects people were creating with it. For example, I saw this card on SCS and loved all of the fun circles, so that was where I started. 

The sketch was based on this week's Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge:

My color combo came from last week's mix from The Color Dare:

 (I missed the deadline but it was really a great mix of fall colors)

Color Dare #81

Peach Parfait

Rich Razzleberry

Sahara Sand 

I'm also submitting this to the Top Tip Tuesday challenge: Anything Goes.

I think this is my new favorite stamp set! The images are so crisp and clean and they are just perfect for the season. After getting it all together I decided I really wanted to add some pearls to the card to tie together the Very Vanilla accents a little more. I added the 3 pearls at the bottom and then stuck down 2 tiny pearls on each leaf. I think it just added a little extra, somethin' somethin'. :) Of course, I didn't forget to dress up the inside of the card, too. I popped up the sentiment on a punched oval because I wasn't really sure if it is going to end up there permanently or not. It was a fleeting moment of indecisiveness. Thanks so much for visiting, I'd love to hear what you think. 

Stampin' Up! Supply List:
Stamps: Day of Gratitude
Ink: Peach Parfait, Rich Razzleberry and Sahara Sand classic ink
Paper: Razzleberry Lemonade DSP (ret.), Peach Parfait, Rich Razzleberry, Sahara Sand and Very Vanilla card stock
Accessories: Square Lattice embossing folder, 1 3/8" Circle punch, 3/4" Circle punch, 1 3/8 x 5/8" Oval punch, 1 3/4 x 7/8" Oval punch, 2 x 1 3/8" XL Oval punch, Scalloped Border punch, Peach Parfait 1/2" Stitched Poly ribbon and pearls.

Have a great day!

Whimsical Birthday Treats

Happy Monday! Today I thought I would try something different and make not only a card project, but also try my hand at a 3-D gift project as well. It's "Two-Fer-(...eh)-Monday"! That would have sounded so much cooler if today was Tuesday, oh well. Okay, this is a post with a lot of photos but that makes it SO much easier then explaining it all. I used the inspiration from THREE challenges for this one...guess that makes it a challenge trifecta!

(*Edited to add: I am also submitting this one to the Hand Stamped Sentiments challenge for the week, "From a Card to Something Else". Thanks so much, Genny!) 

First up, it's the one year anniversary at The Play Date Cafe (woot-woot)!  To celebrate, the theme for this week was a pink, orange, yellow and white color combo along with the following photo for inspiration: 

For the sketch I went with the "square option" over at this week's Mojo Monday sketch challenge: 

Last, but not least, the Pals Paper Arts team threw out the challenge to incorporate some BLING onto your project this week. I think we ALL know how I feel about BLING...*sigh*...imagine my smiling face (instead of Marilyn's) in the photo below. Yup, sums it all up! 

So, what's in that little box anyway?? Have you seen **this super-fabulous tutorial** by Erica Cerwin (from her blog, Pink Buckaroo Designs)....as soon as I did, I was itching to whip one of these cute boxes up. Thank you, Erica for such an awesome project idea! :) 

How CUTE is this??? I always have some Anti-Bac Hand Gel in my purse to kill germs "on-the-go" and when I stopped by Bath & Body Works the other day, I saw their new "cupcake" inspired scents. YUM!  I scooped up a bunch of them with the intention of making these Birthday treats. The best part was, I put this box all together with left over scraps from my card. Ooooh, I just love it! 

As much as I thought about using a cupcake-theme on the card, I wanted to stay true to the photo-inspiration and incorporated some sparkly flowers. Ah, there's the BLING! My color combo was Melon Mambo, Pumpkin Pie, Whisper White and Barely Banana (ret.). Everything else is listed below in the supply list. Hope you enjoy this project and try out one of Erica's cute Anti-Bac boxes for yourself! :)

Stampin' Up! Supply List: 

Stamps: Whimsical Words (both front sentiments), retired Sale-A-Bration set, Birthday Bakery (cupcake tag in box), Hostess Level 1 and Happy Moments ("happy birthday" inside box), retired Sale-A-Bration

Ink: Pumpkin Pie classic ink

Paper: Melon Mambo, Pumpkin Pie, Whisper White and Barely Banana (ret.) card stock and Razzleberry Lemonade DSP (ret.) 

Accessories: Scalloped Border punch, 2 3/8' Scalloped Circle punch, Word Window punch, Boho Blossoms punch(inside card), Whisper White 5/8" Organza Ribbon, Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder, Melon Mambo, Barely Banana and Pumpkin Pie markers (cupcake tag)

Non-SU! Accessories: Jewels, flowers on front of card and box, border punch on box, circle die cuts

Thanks for stopping by! 
Enjoy your day, 

Haunting Halloween

Hello and Happy Sunday! Hope you are enjoying your day today! After heading out to lunch and some errand-running with my sweet husband I had a tiny window of time to create this afternoon. (We also visited the Humane Society...but *sigh*, I could only convince him to play with some dogs, not take one home.) Halloween is ALMOST upon us and I realized that I needed just a few more cards to send out, so that was my agenda. I wanted to try something a little different instead of the traditional orange/black/green/purple combo for a change. I found this color mix over at The Color Throwdown blog:

I paired it up with this week's Mojo Monday sketch. This sketch has been my nemesis all week. I tried to create a card with it earlier on in the week and failed miserably, so I was determined to make it work for this one.

As soon as I pulled my card stock I instantly knew which stamp set I wanted to use, Haunting Halloween (ret.). My friend Christina was kind enough to give me this set earlier this year because she knew how much it reminded me of my chunky, feline fur-ball, Benjamin Maxwell. Thanks again, Christina...you are the best! :) (Note how I linked her blog TWICE? Please, please pay her a visit and send her some bloggin' love! She is back from a small "creative hiatus" and better then ever!)

Sorry about some of the super-bright photos. Daylight was NOT on my side today and I ran out of natural light. (One thing I can say about my new SLR...the flash definitely works! HaHa!) Okay, the details on the card...here we go. I used my mediocre coloring skills to shade the image. I attempted to do some fancy things like darken the flaps of the cape and add dimension to the broom...yes, it still has room for improvement! :( After I had the image "shaded" (I use the term lightly) I decided that it needed "something" to make it come alive. Let's face it, cats on brooms don't usually just sit in thin air. So to give the "illusion" of motion, I added the curly image behind the broom. It is actually from a (ret.) coffee-themed set called Espress Yourself. Through the power of stamping, coffee steam can turn to "broom-power", just like that! Then, because I finally got all the glitter off of me from yesterday's creative endeavor, I busted out the Dazzling Diamonds. Glitter always starts out like a great idea, until it gets in your eye... ;)


I added some ribbon and some silver elastic cord to complete the sketch design. There was a tiny tag in the sketch, too. I had the tiny tags, but couldn't think of exactly "what" to place on it. I decided on a little, silver moon-brad to mimic the moon on the kitty image. I heat embossed the "Witching You" sentiment then decorated the inside of the card...there you have it! :) 

Stampin' Up Supply List: 
Stamps: Haunting Halloween, Espress Yourself
Ink: Basic Black classic and Craft (front sentiment) ink
Paper: Tall Tales (ret.) DSP, So Saffron, Perfect Plum, Dusty Durango (ret.) and Very Vanilla card stock
Accessories: Dusty Durango polka-dot ribbon (ret.), Silver Elastic cord (ret.), Clear embossing powder, Medium Oval punch and Dazzling Diamonds glitter
*Non-SU! Accessories: Some really fabulous markers, moon brad, tiny tag


Happy Haunting, 

Think Pink

As I'm sure you are aware, October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. In honor of sharing this awareness, I wanted to send out some cards to some of my friends and family to "Think Pink" this month. I found a few online challenges this week encouraging stampers to support Breast Cancer Awareness and that was what got me motivated to create these cards. Besides, it really doesn't take a lot to get me energized to create when the color PINK is involved...especially for this cause. 

My color combo came from one of the two challenges at the Colour Q blog this week. The cute, little rain boots in the photo can actually be purchased at The Breast Cancer Site. FYI, just by visiting the link listed and clicking once a day, YOU can help fund free mammograms. Just GO and CLICK...that's easy, right?  

My sketch inspiration came from Tuesday Morning Sketch Challenges. There was an added challenge to the sketch from blog-owner, Melissa Craig to "Think Pink", in honor of her sister celebrating 3 years cancer-free. How awesome is that? That is truly something to celebrate, for sure! :)

I was also motivated by this week's challenge over at the Stampin' Royalty blog titled "Ribbons, Ribbons, Ribbons". I did use Pretty in Pink ribbon on the card, in four places but I hope the main image (also a ribbon) will count for the theme, as well. :)  

I'm also making extra of this card to send off to the UT MD Anderson Cancer Center to benefit patients being treated for breast cancer and their families. All October long, Spiltcoast Stampers is hosting loads of online challenges in support of Breast Cancer Awareness. Check it out, if you get a chance. This card also fits their "Ribbon, Ribbon, Ribbon" challenge from 10/14. Thanks SCS for everything you are doing this month! 

When putting this card together, I knew I was going to add a LOT of sparkle to it, shocking, huh? I have one rule when it comes to sparkle, it's ALWAYS a good choice. I just picked up this fun glitter paper this week, to use specifically on these cards. One hazard with glitter paper though, glitter effectively lands everywhere! I'm covered in it! 

I added lots of pink jewels to continue the "sparkly goodness" The "Think Pink" sentiment stamp actually came from a baby-themed stamp set, I'm glad I remembered I had it. It was perfect. I also remembered to "dress up" the inside of the card, which adds so much. I just can't wait to send these cards out! 

For more information about Breast Cancer Awareness, please click below to visit: 
Susan G. Komen for the Cure
National Breast Cancer Awareness Month
National Breast Cancer Foundation


Don't forget to "Think Pink"! 
Take care, 

Fan Mail

Who doesn't love getting a piece of "fan mail" in their mailbox? Almost makes one feel like a celebrity...minus the camera-snapping paparazzi hanging around outside your home. I created this little gem for my old friend, Beth today. (Heh, heh, she is exactly one day older then me, I never let her forget that.) We have an ongoing joke that when one of us decides it has been entirely too long since we have had a chat, we gently "stalk" each other as a reminder. It's my turn to do the "stalking" and creating a card is so much easier then getting all dolled up in the black unitard with the night-vision goggles. (That is a joke, by the way!)

For my inspiration, I turned to two great online challenges. First up, this week's sketch over at The Paper Players got my wheels turning:

Then, when I saw this color combo from the Curtain Call Color Challenge, all I could think of was the 1970's. I love it! What, you ask? That doesn't quite look like Tangerine Tango on MY card?! Well, you would be correct. I accidentally grabbed a sheet of Dusty Durango when pulling colors for this card. I figured out it was the wrong color when I snagged some Tangerine Tango ribbon and it just looked a "little off". Ooops! It's in the same color family, so that counts, right? :)

I was trying to think of something "punny" to create this card with, because that is just Beth's sense of humor. Then it hit me, I had the perfect set, that has never been used since I acquired it over a year ago: Puns From the Past. The clean design of the sketch worked so well with these retro colors...I loved it! I added some texture with the Square Lattice embossing folder and lots of Stampin' Dimensionals. I rounded just 2 of the 4 corners because it seemed to fit the "groovy vibe". I only used a portion of the punches for the sentiment, to keep it subtle. 

I couldn't forget to jazz up the inside of the card either. Simple Whisper White with a stamped strip of Dusty Durango. Perfect for writing a little note to my friend from her favorite "fan". 


Don't you love those amazing friendships that stand the test of time and distance? I have known this gal for over 23 years (wow!) and we can always pick up right where we left off! That is pretty awesome and so is she! Hmmm, I hope she isn't reading this or the secret is out! :)

Stampin' Up! Supply List: 
Stamps: Puns From the Past
Ink: Chocolate Chip classic ink
Paper: Bermuda Bay, Whisper White, Chocolate Chip and Tangerine Tango  ummm, I mean Dusty Durango card stock
Accessories: Corner Rounder punch, Word Window punch, Modern Label punch, Square Lattice embossing folder, Dusty Durango ribbon (ret.) and Antique Brass brads.


Thanks for visiting! 
Have a HAPPY day,