How GREEN is Your Spring?

Hello there, stamping friends! I have attempted to keep up with my blog (and blog visits) recently, but life has been really busy over the past two weeks. I can't believe another week has flown by. Yikes! Please bare with me, I'm trying to get caught up! The good news is...it is time for another new challenge over at Our Creative Corner. We are going GREEN for the spring season. The amazingly talented Marcy Kamiski is our hostess this week and here is her challenge, in her own words: 

"How Green is Your Spring." 

 I love this photo montage - it's chock full of inspiration.  

Make whatever paper-craft you like and show us Spring in all its splendor, using GREEN as your main color!"  

I paired up this theme with this week's awesome sketch at Stamping 411:

I decided to feature the Fresh Vintage stamp set and the Everyday Enchantment DSP from Stampin' Up's Sale-A-Bration event. Today is the last day for Sale-A-Bration...and I'm really having a hard time saying good-bye to this patterned paper. Good thing I have 4 packs stored away. ;) I focused on the flowers in Marcy's inspiration photo, for my card. All of the supplies I used to create this card are listed at the end of the post. I am always uber-hesitant to over-explain the "how-to's" of a project, but if you ever have questions, I am only an email away: annemariehile@gmail.com. 

Here is the shot of the inside of the card: 

As I was snapping photos of my card on the front porch last night, I felt something brush by my leg. Looking down, I saw the neighbor's kitty staring me in the face. This little guy is super-sweet and always on "patrol" with the neighborhood happenings. Thought I would share his furry face with you all today. Isn't he cute? :) 

Sure hope you can join us at Our Creative Corner this week. (Along with the sketch challenge at Stamping 411.) Please stop by and visit the rest of the OCC Design Team to see their glorious GREEN creations for this challenge: 

Linda Coughlin- The Funkie Junkie

Vicki Burdick- It's a Stamp Thing

Sue Butler- Scrumplescrunch
Anita Houston- The Artful Maven Haven

Anne Marie Hile- Stampin' Anne

Wendy Janson-  It's All About Stamping
Marcy Kaminski - En Papillote Arts
Holly Kean- Kean On Paper 
Irena Kowalczyk (aka Rudlis) - Love, Life and Crafts
Meihsia Liu- Simply Paper Crafts
Tui Nathan- Stampin Time
Lori Rider- The Diva Stamper
Kristin Tierney- Lilly Beth Boutique
Sharon Wheet- Designs by Sharon

Our Guest Designer this week: 

Maya Stenshagen-My Love for Papercraft

Thanks for stopping by! 

Have a HAPPY day, 

Stampin' Up! Supply List: 
Stamps: Fresh Vintage (SAB) and Petite Pairs
Paper: Everyday Enchantment DSP, Pool Party, Lucky Limeade, Crumb Cake and Very Vanilla card stock
Ink: Pool Party, Lucky Limeade and Crumb Cake Classic ink
Punches: 1-1/4 Square punch, Scallop Square punch, 3/4" Circle punch
Accessories: Everyday Enchantment Ribbon pack, Pool Party Designer Brads, Square Lattice Embossing folder, Stamping Sponges, Basic Pearls and loads of Stamping Dimensionals

{Paper Players #88} - Sketch Challenge

Hi there! It's Sunday and time for another fun challenge over at the Paper Players! This week, the fabulous Ann Schach our hostess, with a sweet sketch to try out. 

I decided to finally bust out a few stampin' goodies from the Occasions Mini Catalog for my card. I have discovered some awesome projects in blogland, where the floral image from the Bordering on Romance set is water colored...beautifully. However, I am seriously lacking skills in the water coloring department. So, as a back-up, I went with "fussy-cutting" the main flowers on the image, stamped on DSP. I guess I like fussy-cutting (and paper-piecing) more then water coloring...which is basically the lesser of two evils for me. Haha! 

Don't look too closely at those "fussy-cut" flowers. They are NOT perfect but they DO look pretty cool popped up on the card, in real life. I also sponged some Blushing Bride Classic ink around the edges to distract you from my horrible cutting skills...is it working? The rest of the image was colored with markers and I added some Dazzling Details to the Riding Hood Red "buds" for a little added shimmer. I also sponged around the Whisper White edges of the main image and punched sentiment to soften it up a bit. All of the supplies used are listed at the end of this post. 

Finally, a quick shot of the inside of the card: 

I sure hope you will join us this week over at the Paper Players and give this fun sketch a try! The challenge runs through Friday, March 30th at 12:00 PM (PST). Please stop by and visit the rest of the Design Team to see what they have whipped up for inspiration this week:

The Paper Players Design Team

Ann Schach

Anne Marie Hile

Jaydee

LeAnne Pugliese

Lesley Croghan

Nance Leedy
Jenn Picard 
Heidi Boos 

Sherry Eckblad - GD for March 

Thank you SO much for stopping by to visit today! Please leave me a comment to say hello, so that I can stop by and be inspired by your creations, too. I hope you have a very HAPPY day today! :) 

Stampin' Up! Supply List: 
Stamps: Bordering on Romance,Teeny Tiny Wishes and Easter Blossoms (ret. inside sentiment)
Paper: Twitterpated DSP, Pear Pizzazz, Baja Breeze and Whisper White card stock
Ink: Blushing Bride and Basic Black Classic ink
Punches: Decorative Label Punch
Accessories: Blushing Bride, Baja Breeze, Riding Hood Red and Pear Pizzazz Stampn' Write Markers, Adorning Impressions Textured Impressions Embossing Folders, Adorning Accents Edgelits Dies, Old Olive 1/2" Scallop Dots Ribbon (almost looks like Pear Pizzazz though!), Dazzling Details, Basic Rhinestones, Stamping Sponges and Stampin' Dimensionals

Button Smooches for The Paper Players

Hello there! It's Sunday and that means it is time for another fun challenge over at the Paper Players! This week, Nance is our hostess and she has a CAS (Clean and Simple) challenge showcasing buttons! 

I decided to break out the brand-new Bright Blossoms stamp set and Summer Smooches DSP from Stampin' Up! Both of these products will be featured in the new catalog later this year, and are not available to order yet. This is a little sneaky peek. The exciting news is...you can be one of the first to order it starting April 1st. Shoot me an email for more details!  I love, love, LOVE this paper and the fabulous color combo of Rich Razzleberry, Daffodil Delight, Tangerine Tango, Tempting Turquoise, Real Red, Island Indigo and Lucky Limeade. It is so bright and cheerful! I dressed up the stamped image with a few Bitty Buttons backed with some more of this pretty paper, punched with the circle and flower shapes from the Bitty Punch Pack.

I just felt like those flowers needed a little bit more pizazz, so I dressed them up with a sparkly rhinestone center...because, let's face it, everything is better with some sparkle! I also added a bow using the new Daffodil Delight Seam Binding. (also coming soon!) The sentiment is from the You're a Gem stamp set and it just seemed fitting for these bejeweled blossoms.  I know there are quite a few layers on this card but it was CAS for me, in the sense that it was a fairly quick card to create. I let the punches do a lot of the work. That's always a good thing, right? All of the supplies I used are listed at the end of the post.

A quick shot of the inside, ready for a hand-penned thank you note: 

Please, bust out your buttons and join us this week at the Paper Players for Nance's  challenge.The challenge closes Friday, March 23rd at 12:00 (PST). The rest of the gals on the Design Team have created some awesome projects, as always. I hope you will stop by to visit and share some bloggin' smiles: 

The Paper Players Design Team

Ann Schach

Anne Marie Hile

Jaydee

LeAnne Pugliese

Lesley Croghan

Nance Leedy
Jenn Picard 
Heidi Boos 
Sherry Eckblad - GD for March

Before I go, I wanted to share a photo of one of my favorite deer from our backyard. This pretty doe visits regularly. She's not scared of my camera at all. I'm not sure if that is a good thing, or not.  

Thanks for stopping by today! :) 
Enjoy your day, 




Stampin' Up! Supply List: 
Stamps: Bright Blossoms and You're a Gem (sentiment)
Paper: Summer Smooches DSP, Rich Razzleberry, Whisper White, Island Indigo, Daffodil Delight and Lucky Limeade card stock
Ink: Lucky Limeade and Island Indigo Classic ink
Punches: 1" Circle punch, Bitty Punch Pack (flower and circle)
Accessories: Daffodil Delight Seam Binding, Perfect Polka Dots embossing Folder, Basic Rhinestones, Lucky Limeade and Rich Razzleberry Stampin' Write Marker, Mini Glue Dots and a whole bunch of Stampin Dimensionals
Non SU! Accessories: oval and scalloped oval die cut

Lucky in Love for Our Creative Corner

Top o' the mornin' to ya! Happy Saturday and Happy St. Patrick's Day to everyone out there! This week at Our Creative Corner, our very own Anita Houston has whipped up a fun challenge for us. Here are the details, in Anita's words, along with an inspiration photo: 

"As luck would have it today's challenge falls on St. Patrick's Day! Ah, the luck of the Irish, or so some say.  For this weeks challenge make a card or tag with some sort of bingo card on it, and use the color green somewhere on the project. With some luck, you just might have the winning one!"

So this was the first time I have ever used a bingo card...kind of shameful, right? After looking around the web and good ol' trusty, Pinterest, I was able to find a lot of free printable images for bingo cards. The free image I used on my card, was found HERE. I simply saved it to my computer, sized it to fit my card, printed it out (sponged the edges a bit) and there you go. Well THAT was the easy part...

After I had the bingo card, I was having a case of the hiccups trying to put it all together. I aspire to be one of those folks that can create "shabby-tastic" masterpieces. Admittedly, I struggle with that style...probably because it is out of my usual comfort zone. But that is what makes a challenge challenging, right? 

I had some wonderful encouragement from my friend LeAnne, who wisely suggested that I use one of the bingo numbers to celebrate a date. Bazinga! There it was! (Thanks, LeAnne!) I happened to need a card to send to some friends of ours who are celebrating 15 wonderful years of wedded bliss, this year. 

There are a lot of elements on the card, so I am just going to hit a few points. I colored the satin flowers with markers to match the card colors. I printed out an extra bingo card so I could cut out another rose to pop-up and glitter...I also punched out the "15" and popped it up on a heart for the love-birds. The scrunchy seam binding and crochet heart came from the amazingly talented Linda Coughlin, our fearless leader at Our Creative Corner. This is not my usual style but I really, REALLY enjoyed stepping out of my usual "crafty safe-zone" to make it. All of the supplies are listed at the end of the post. 

 Here is the inside of my card, perfect for the happy couple. Isn't that sentiment wonderful? This could also easily be used for a wedding card. 

I sure hope you will join us this week at Our Creative Corner! The lovely ladies on the Design Team have whipped up some gorgeous creations for inspiration this week. Please check them out and share some bloggin' love:  

Linda Coughlin- The Funkie Junkie

Vicki Burdick- It's a Stamp Thing

Sue Butler- Scrumplescrunch
Anita Houston- The Artful Maven Haven

Anne Marie Hile- Stampin' Anne

Wendy Janson-  It's All About Stamping
Marcy Kaminski - En Papillote Arts
Holly Kean- Kean On Paper 
Irena Kowalczyk (aka Rudlis) - Love, Life and Crafts
Meihsia Liu- Simply Paper Crafts
Tui Nathan- Stampin Time
Lori Rider- The Diva Stamper
Kristin Tierney- Lilly Beth Boutique
Sharon Wheet- Designs by Sharon

Our Guest Designer this week: 

Amy Lazzell- Just a Thought...Cards by Amy

Thanks for stopping by! 
Have a HAPPY (and lucky) day, 




Stampin Up! Supply List: 
Stamps: Tiny Tags and Occasional Quotes (ret. on inside of card)
Paper: Ruby Red (ret.), Always Artichoke, Very Vanilla and Soft Suede card stock
Ink: Ruby Red (ret.), Soft Suede and Crumb Cake (for sponged distressing) Classic ink
Punches: Bitty Punch Pack (small circle for date), small heart, Tiny Tag
Accessories: Basic Pearls, Vintage Walpaper Embossing Folder, Vanilla Satin Rosettes (ret.), Ruby Red (ret.) and Pretty in Pink Stampion' Write Markers, Dazzling Details, Hemp Twine, Twitterpated Designer Mini Buttons (Occasions Mini Catalog) and a whole bunch of Stampin' Dimensionals
Non SU! Accessories: free bingo card image, scrunchy seam binding and distressed crochet heart (both from Linda Coughlin)

Send Me Soaring for Paper Players #86

Hi there stamping friends! I know...I am a wee bit late with my Design Team card for the Paper Players, this week. So sorry! Yesterday was a bit of a challenging day for this gal. I had a couple of hot dates with a silky-smooth dude, named Pepto Bismol...maybe you have heard of him...I hear he is mighty famous! Haha! Needless to say my "date-night" set me off my game a bit, BUT I am happy to report that today is a much better day and here I am. Although, I am not sold on being cheated out of that extra hour of sleep last night with the time change. *sigh* 

This week our lovely leader, Lesley Croghan is our hostess with a "spring-tastic" color combo that is sure to get you in the mood to create. I'm on a Pool Party kick lately so you could pretty much pair that color with anything and I would be game. But, this is one gorgeous mix of colors that Lesley selected...perfect for the spring season. 

I got a big ol' box of stamping goodies delivered on Friday and was super-excited to break into them for this card. I paired the color combo with the awesome sketch from Linda Callahan at  Freshly Made Sketches. 

I finally ordered the Send Me Soaring stamp set from the Occasions Mini Catalog, after making some fun projects with it at the Stampin' Up! Regional event here in San Antonio (a couple of months ago). Here is one really cool thing about this set...if you are one of those people who dread the "fussy-cut image"..then buy this set ASAP. It is super easy to cut out and you can add fun dimension to your cards without a lot of "do-over's" and anguish with the Paper Snips. I think this is the set for the stampers who aspire to be fussy-cutting rockstars simply, like me.  

Hey, did you know that the heart from the SU! Owl Builder punch fits perfectly on the stamped kite in this set? It sure does! I added a pop of sparkle to the heart, with Glimmer Paper. I tried not to...but the lure of the sparkle is too hard to resist. Lol! The Baker's Twine is actually not Pear Pizzazz (it's Lucky Limeade)...but if I didn't mention it, it is kind of hard to tell, right? The rest of the supplies used are listed at the end of this post. 

I sure hope you will join us at the Paper Players this week. Please stop by and see what the rest of the gals on the Design Team have created this week. You will not be disappointed! 

The Paper Players Design Team

Ann Schach

Anne Marie Hile

Jaydee

LeAnne Pugliese

Lesley Croghan

Nance Leedy
Jenn Picard 
Heidi Boos 
Sherry Eckblad - GD for March

Thanks for stopping by! 
Have a HAPPY day, 




Stampin' Up! Supply List: 
Stamps: Send Me Soaring (Occasions Mini catty) 
Paper:: Silver Glimmer paper, Pear Pizzazz, Pool Party, Wisteria Wonder and Whisper White card stock
Inks: Pear Pizzazz, Pool Party Wisteria Wonder and Whisper White card stock
Punches: Owl Builder punch (heart), Scallop Border punch, 1' Circle punch, 1- 1/4" Circle punch. 1- 3/8" Circle punch
Accessories: Square Lattice Embossing Folder, Textured /expressions Embossing folders (embossed hearts), Lucky Limeade Baker's Twine, Basic Rhinestones and Stampin' Dimensionals

Tic-Tac-Toe for Our Creative Corner

Hello and Happy Saturday to you! This week at Our Creative Corner, our very own Holly Keen is hosting and she has a fun challenge to try. 

 Tic-Tac-Toe Challenge: "Play along with us in a game of papercrafting tic-tac-toe. Choose "three in a row" on the Tic-Tac-Toe board and make sure you work those elements into your papercraft project.

I know this is shocking...but I decided to go with the top row of the "bingo challenge" featuring: Brads, Pink and Flowers. I used the retired Loves Me DSP for the basis for my color combo of pretty in Pink and Regal Rose. Sure it is retired, but let's face it...I think we ALL have those items in our craft rooms that are begging to be dusted off and brought out of retirement.  I paired the paper with a fun dimensional flower that I first saw HERE from my friend, Nance Leedy. 

The Tic Tac Toe challenge was created by the "pinks" of Regal Rose and Pretty in Pink...the Antique Brad flower center...along with the dimensional flower on the card and the floral pattern on the paper. This card is very PINK...even for this pink-lovin' gal! (Thanks to my friend Rita for the awesome encouragement while making this card! You ROCK, girl!) 


Before I go, I wanted to share a shot of my boys. It's a little cold here in Texas, so they are sporting their coats in this shot. I might have been bribing them with a "cookie" so that is why they are so attentive. Haha! 

I hope that you will join us this week and play along at Our Creative Corner. Please check out what the rest of the Design Team have shared this week...these gals are super-talented:

Linda Coughlin- The Funkie Junkie

Vicki Burdick- It's a Stamp Thing

Sue Butler- Scrumplescrunch
Anita Houston- The Artful Maven Haven

Anne Marie Hile- Stampin' Anne

Wendy Janson-  It's All About Stamping
Marcy Kaminski - En Papillote Arts
Holly Kean- Kean On Paper 
Irena Kowalczyk (aka Rudlis) - Love, Life and Crafts
Meihsia Liu- Simply Paper Crafts
Tui Nathan- Stampin Time
Lori Rider- The Diva Stamper
Kristin Tierney- Lilly Beth Boutique
Sharon Wheet- Designs by Sharon

We sure hope you will join us and play along! Thanks for stopping by and I hope you have a HAPPY day today!




Stampin' Up! Supply List: 
Stamps: Short and Sweet
Paper: Loves Me DSP (ret), Pretty in Pink, Regal Rose card stock
Ink: Close To Cocoa and Regal Rose Classic ink
Punches: Word Window punch, 3/4" Circle punch, 2- 3/8" Scalloped Circle punch
Accessories: Antique Brads, Pretty in Pink Satin Ribbon, Finial Press Embossing Folder, Stamping Sponges (sponged Regal Rose ink around all of the edges), Basic Pearls (colored with a Pretty in Pink marker) and Stampin Dimensionals 

Spring Has Sprung at The Paper Players

It's Sunday and over at The Paper Players, the lovely Jaydee is our hostess this week and she has a fun new challenge for us. Although nice weather not the case everywhere...spring has definitely sprung here in Texas. The weather has been wonderful here over the past couple of days....windows open, temps in the mid-70's, lots of sunshine. I know we won't be celebrating that in July when it is 110 degrees, so time to enjoy it while we can. 

So, here is my card. The layout was inspired by an older sketch from Clean and Simple Stamping that I jotted down a while ago. Love their sketches! The color combo is Pool Party, So Saffron and Blushing Bride. The colors reminded me of spring. (...and for some reason I am on a kick with using yellow lately)


I stamped and embossed one of the flower images from the Mixed Bunch stamp set, then embossed some vellum with the Square Lattice Embossing Folder. I punched out three flowers with the coordinating Blossom punch then decorated the flower center. This flower has a lot of dimension "in-person" and was pretty simple to create. I made a bunch of these cards for my swaps with the Stamping Divas this month, as well. 

I hope you can join us this week over at the Paper Players with your card celebrating the spring season. Please stop by and visit the rest of the gals on the Design Team to see what they have shared. We also are welcoming some new DT members this week, which is really exciting: 

The Paper Players Design Team

Ann Schach

Anne Marie Hile

Jaydee

LeAnne Pugliese

Lesley Croghan

Nance Leedy
Jenn Picard 
Heidi Boos 
Sherry Eckblad - GD for March

Before I go, I wanted to share a few photos. I'm having fun scrapbooking with Becky Higgins' Project Life this year and am determined to snap more photos to document everyday happenings. First up, here is Benjamin Maxwell exploring the yard. He is an indoor kitty, but every once in a while he gets a "supervised" backyard romp. 

Next, I was fortunate enough to snap a shot of these sweet deer in the woods behind my house, last week. My Schnauzer, Emmmitt, is fascinated with the deer and likes to sneak under the fence to chase them so we have to keep a close eye on him when they are in the area. 

Thanks for stopping by!
Have a HAPPY day,




Stampin' Up! Supply List: 
Stamps: Mixed Bunch and Teeny Tiny Wishes
Paper: Subtles DSP in So Saffron, Vellum, Pool Party, Blushing Bride, So Saffron and Whisper White card stock
Ink: VersaMark, Blushing Bride and Pool Party Classic ink
Punches: Scallop Trim Border punch, Blossom punch, 3/4" Circle punch, Modern Label punch and Word Window punch
Accessories: Pool Party 3/8" Ruffled ribbon, Square Lattice Embossing folder, Perfect Polka Dots Embossing folder, Basic Rhinestones, In Color Designer Printed Brads, Clear Embossing powder and Stampin' Dimnsionals

Getting My Groove On for Our Creative Corner

Hello there and Happy Saturday to you! It's time for another fun challenge over at Our Creative Corner. I'm SO excited to share that our very own Holly Kean is hosting this week. She has a really cool inspiration challenge for all the music-lovers out there. I don't know about you, but I love music. Not in the "I'm such a good singer that I'm trying out for American Idol" sense...but I have an absolute appreciation for music, in all forms. 

"Making Melody" -  

Music can be such a motivating thing in life, why not in your papercrafting too? Take inspiration from a song and work it into any papercraft project you'd like. Just make sure your post includes the song title (and if possible the artist) that inspired you!

While trying to decide what to create for this challenge, the song "Where Are You Going?" by the Dave Matthews Band began playing on my iPod and I was immediately inspired. Time to ink up that Up, Up & Away stamp set for the first time! 

Have I shared before that I am a HUGE fan of the Dave Matthews Band? I sure am! I have seen them in concert more times then I can count and have even met them...three times! The photo above is from one of their concerts here in Texas. I think it was 6 years ago. We had VIP passes that night. It was AWESOME...although it was also about 98 degrees that same night. Gotta love that South Texas summer! Phew!  

 I used the fantastic sketch over at Freshly Made Sketches along with the happy color combo from Create with Connie and Mary, to put it all together.
(My supply list is at the end of the post)

This card is great for a few different occasions: a new job, a graduation, encouragement...or maybe just to celebrate buying a brand new, hot air balloon. Hey, that happens, right? ;) 

Here is the inside of the card with a sentiment from the Sprinkled Expressions stamp set that was free during SU's Sale-A-Bration. I meant to color the stars green...ugh...and I smudged the sentiment a little. My OCD will probably win this battle and I will give the inside a "do-over": 

So cue up your iPod...or Pandora...or a favorite cd. Get yo' groove on and share what melody inspires you over at Our Creative Corner this week. Please hop on over and visit the rest of the lovely ladies on the Design Team to see what rocked their world for this challenge: 

Linda Coughlin- The Funkie Junkie

Vicki Burdick- It's a Stamp Thing

Sue Butler- Scrumplescrunch
Anita Houston- The Artful Maven Haven

Anne Marie Hile- Stampin' Anne

Wendy Janson-  It's All About Stamping
Marcy Kaminski - En Papillote Arts
Holly Kean- Kean On Paper 
Irena Kowalczyk (aka Rudlis) - Love, Life and Crafts
Meihsia Liu- Simply Paper Crafts
Tui Nathan- Stampin Time
Lori Rider- The Diva Stamper
Kristin Tierney- Lilly Beth Boutique
Sharon Wheet- Designs by Sharon

Thank you for stopping by! 
Have a rockin' day, 




Stampin' Up! Supply List: 
Stamps: Up, Up & Away and Sprinkled Expressions (SAB set) 
Paper: Just Add Cake DSP, Island indigo, So Saffron, Wild Wasabi and Whisper White card stock
Ink: Island indigo, So Saffron, Wild Wasabi, Bashful Blue (to shade the clouds) and Basic Black Classic ink
Punches: 1" Circle punch, 1- 1/4" Circle punch, 1- 3/8" Circle punch and Scallop Trim Border punch
Accessories: Perfect Polka Dots Embossing Folder, Signo UniBall White gel pen, Blender Pens, Stamp-a-ma-jig, Island Indigo Stampin' Write marker, Basic Rhinestones and Stampin' Dimensionals