2012 Year in Review - Part One

Hi there stamping friends! Wowzers, it has been a while since I have posted, hasn't it? I didn't fall off the planet, things have been crazy busy around here with the holidays and all. As today marks the last day of 2012, I wanted to take a moment to share my favorite cards from the year with you. It is fun to look back on another year of crafty creations. With that, here are my favorites from January to June. 

January 2012 - Click HERE for the original post

This was a fun card to make! It was for an Our Creative Corner challenge called "Show Us Your Shape". We had to make anything OTHER then a standard fold card and I wanted to try something fun. I found the template for the dress on the web and went from there. 

 February 2012 - Click HERE for the original post

This is one of my favorite color combo's EVER paired with one of my favorite stamp sets, Aviary. 

Ok, I'm totally cheating because I have two favorites for the month of February. I couldn't decide between the two so I thought I would just share them both. I guess I was really inspired by owls in February. Ha! Click HERE for the original post for this card.

This one was made for a color splash challenge over at  Our Creative Corner. I love that little glitzy owl  and the sentiment just worked so perfectly. 

 March 2012 - Click HERE for the original post

I'm a huge fan of layers (no really?) on my cards. The more the merrier. I also love any card sketch that has repeated elements on it. I have no idea why, I am just drawn to them. 

 April 2012 - Click HERE for the original post

Ahhh, the bunny card. This card made the list because it took over 3 hours to finish. Not kidding! I couldn't decide what I wanted to do with it and just kept adding little details to it. The color combo on this one makes me really happy, too. . 

 May 2012 - Click HERE for the original post

I was really proud of this card because it took me WAY out of my comfort zone. Shabby chic is a style that I wish I could do well, maybe one day. This card took a while to put together and had a lot of little details but I really love the end result.

 June 2012 - Click HERE for the original post

It goes without saying why this card made the favorites list. Pink and bling...yup, yup! I also fondly remember this card because I was so excited that the bow looked good on the first attempt to tie it. Any crafter knows, that is a small victory sometimes. :) 

I will be back soon with the cards from July through December. Stay tuned! 

HAPPY NEW YEAR! 

Sparkly Purple Snowflakes for {PP#126}

Hello there stampers! This week at the Paper Players the lovely and talented Ann Schach has a CAS (clean and simple) Theme Challenge for us: Snowflakes. Now, here in South Texas, we rarely see snow, so I am happy to enjoy it anyway I can get it.

My card is...ummmm..a little sparkly. Once the Glimmer Paper comes out, I am not responsible for my actions with it. Haha! I used the sketch at Freshly Made Sketches for inspiration, along with the purple & silver / Christmas challenge from the gals at Our Creative Corner.

As this was a CAS card, I kept it simple...well, except for the layers. I heat embossed the image from the Snow Swirled set and the sentiment from Petite Pairs, for added shine. Where there is Glimmer Paper, there must be rhinestones, so I topped off the snowflake with a few to finish things off. :)

Finally a quick shot of the inside of the card, held by "Nordstrom Santa". We have had this guy the entire time we have been married and look forward to his appearance every Christmas. Although this year, he sits on "higher ground" as our foster dog, Oscar, has developed an affection for chewing on his feet.

I hope you will join us over at the Paper Players this week. Be sure to stop by and see what the rest of the gals on the Design Team have whipped up for inspiration. This is our last challenge of 2012 as we take a holiday break...whoa, I can't believe I just typed that, where did this year go? So, you will have until Friday, December 28th at Noon (PST) to link up a card for the challenge. Happy Stamping! 

The Paper Players Design Team

Ann Schach

Anne Marie Hile

Jaydee

LeAnne Pugliese

Nance Leedy
Amy White

Dawn Easton

Helen Heil
Jen Arkfeld

Rain or Shine for {PP#125}

Hello stamping friends! I'm a little late posting my card for the Paper Players, as a certain kitten had "relocated" the memory card for my DSLR camera for me. I finally found it stashed away under her kitty bed, one of the last places I looked. Sneaky, sneaky girl!

This week at the Paper Players, the lovely and talented Nance is our hostess with a fun color combo to try out.

For my card, I used a *brand new* stamp set that is coming out in January called Rain or Shine. AS soon as I saw the fun sketch over at The Sweet Stop, I knew I wanted to use it for my card. 

Look at those fun embossed clouds! Swoon! I love, love, love that new embossing folder so much. Can you say CUTENESS? The embossed trim on the bottom of the card is also a new item in the upcoming catty. I heat embossed the umbrella and the sentiment with Cherry Cobbler Embossing Powder. I colored in the polka dots on the umbrella using a Pool Party Stampin' Write Marker. Since you can never have enough sparkle, I added some Glimmer Paper and rhinestone accents for fun. all of the supplies are listed at the end of this post.

I hope you will join us over at the Paper Players this week. The challenge closes December 14th at Noon (PST). The rest of the gals on the Design Team have whipped up some cool colorful creations. Stop by and say hello! 

The Paper Players Design Team

Ann Schach

Anne Marie Hile

Jaydee

LeAnne Pugliese

Nance Leedy
Amy White

Dawn Easton

Helen Heil
Jen Arkfeld

Before I sign off, I just wanted to share a holiday photo with you of Santa's little Schnauzer helper in his festive elf hat. Such a sweet boy, my Emmitt! :)

Stampin' Up! Supply List

Stamps: Rain or Shine (new sneak peek)

Paper: Festival of Prints DSP Stack (Holiday catty), Red Glimmer Paper, Cherry Cobbler, Pool Party and Very Vanilla card stock

Ink: VersaMark and Basic Black Classic ink

Punches: 1- 1/4" Square punch (for banner sentiment)

Accessories: Cherry Cobbler Embossing Powder, Heat Tool, Cloudy Day Embossing Folder (new sneak peek), Needlepoint Border Embossing Folders (new sneak peek), Pool Party Stampin' Write Marker, Basic Rhinestones, Pool Party Ribbon (sneak peek from the upcoming Sale-A-Bration catty) and Stampin' Dimensionals

Non-SU! Accessories: circle and scallop circle die cuts

Secret Garden Sneak Peek for {DD#32}

Hello there stamping friends! After a wee hiatus from Dynamic Duos, I'm finally back and ready to get to creating. This week, a HUGE box of brand spankin' new Stampin' Up goodies arrived on my doorstep, via the "man in brown". Whoot whoot! (Yes, I buy my UPS guy a Christmas gift. Don't you?) I am LOVING all of these new items that will be coming out in January. So exciting! 

This week at Dynamic Duos is Monochromatic week and it pretty much goes without saying that this color combo is right up my alley. Pretty in Pink and Rose Red? Yes, please! 

As soon as I saw the sketch over at Create with Connie and Mary, I knew I wanted to ink up the new Secret Garden stamp set. *sneak peek alert* This set also has coordinating dies. How awesome is THAT??

The center of the flower did not have a coordinating die though, so I embossed it and cut it out by hand. (Those of you who follow my blog, know how I LOVE "fussy cutting"...hee hee!) I added the embossed sentiment from the upcoming Bloomin' Marvelous stamp set and some bling to dress things up. See that hexagon embossing in the background? That is new, as well. I LOVE it!! 

I sure hope you will join us this week at Dynamic Duos. The fabulous gals on the Design Team have created some awesome projects for inspiration. Please stop by and say hello to them, won't you? 

Allyson Andersen

Christina Barnes

Vicki Burdick

Karen Day

Deanna Dean

Jenny Engelke

Anne Marie Hile

Erna Logtenberg

Bobbie Trost

Amy White

Oh and before I go....I have BIG news to share. We made it official and finally adopted our sweet little Abby. We had to wait until she was old enough to be spayed before we could and the deed is done. She had her surgery Wednesday and first thing Thursday morning, I was at San Antonio Pets Alive, paperwork in hand. We just love this little girl and couldn't be happier that she found her fur-ever home with us! Welcome to the family, Princess Abby! :) 

Stampin' Up! Supply List: 

Stamps: Secret Garden (sneak peek) and Bloomin' Marvelous (sneak peek) 

Paper: Subtles DSP in Pretty in Pink, Rose Red, Pretty in Pink and Basic Black card stock

Ink: Basic Black Craft ink pad

Accessories: Secret Garden Framelits Dies (sneak peek), Honeycomb Embossing Folder (sneak peek), Finishing Touches Edgelits dies, Black Embossng Powder, Heat Tool, Basic Rhinestones, Stampin' Dimensionals and 1- 1/4" Square Punch

Snowbuddy Likes You and the Paper Players, Too!

Hi ya'll! Pardon me while I dust the cobwebs off my blog. It has been a while since I have posted and I do apologize. The past two weeks have been a blur for me and unfortunately I have not had a lot of time to spend in my stamp studio. I have not fallen off the planet, I promise. This week at the Paper Players, my dear friend Ann has a theme challenge for us. What can I say? I do love the snowmen! Probably because we don't see them very often here in South Texas. 

I have an affection for bright Christmas cards, so I went with my new favorite color combo of Primrose Petals and Gumball Green to get my card started. I have never inked up this chubby snowman image from the Snow Much Fun stamp set...I always seem to use the tall snowman in the set. So this cute chubbi-licious guy finally saw some ink (and some watercolor pencils). I colored his pearl buttons with a marker and added some Dazzling Details to the "ground" under him so he didn't look like he was floating in air. I listed all of the items I used to create the card at the end of my post. 

Please stop by and play along with us this week at The Paper Players! The super-awesome Design Team worked their magic once again to create some "snow-tastic" cards for inspiration. 

The Paper Players Design Team

Ann Schach

Anne Marie Hile

Jaydee

LeAnne Pugliese

Nance Leedy
Amy White

Dawn Easton

Helen Heil
Jen Arkfeld

Before I go, I wanted to share a photo of the sweetest kitten EVAH, Miss Abby! We put the big tree up today and she stopped in her tracks when she came downstairs to see it for the first time. I have a feeling we are in for a wild ride with her in the next couple of weeks....Fa-la-la-la-la! 

Stampin' Up! Supply List

Stamps: Snow Much Fun

Paper: In Color DSP in Primrose Petals, Gumball Green , Primrose Petals and Crumb Cake card stock

Ink: Basic Black Classic ink

Punches: Modern Label punch

Accessories: Snowburst Embossing folder, Primrose Petals ribbon, Gumball Green Stampin' Write Marker, Basic Pearls, Heat Tool (to dry the ink on the pearls), Dazzling Details, Watercolor Pencils, Blender Pens and Stampin' Dimensionals

Non-SU Accessories: circle and scallop circle die cuts