Button Buddies Snowmen for {DD #29}

Hello stamping friends! It's Saturday and time for another fantastic challenge over at Dynamic Duos! This week is "Black Tie" week where we take our fab duo of colors and add a "dessert" option to the mix.  This week we mixed Marina Mist with Basic Black and added a snowman theme to the mix. "Dessert" is optional at Dynamic Duos, so if you want to play along with the colors without showcasing the snowmen, please do! 

I used the layout from the lovely and talented Jennifer Timko over at Freshly Made Sketches for inspiration. Upon further review, I suppose my card has a little extra somethin' somethin' going on at the top of the snowman panel. Shockingly, I got carried away with the Glimmer Paper. I hope it still qualifies, gals. 

I have probably mentioned my love of the Button Buddies stamp set before, so when I saw the snowman theme, I knew these dapper dudes were going to make an appearance. I heat embossed the snowmen and the sentiment for some added detail. After I added the buttons to their bellies, I felt like they needed just a wee bit more and added some rhinestones to their hats and under the (slightly crooked...sorry!) sentiment. The sentiment is from the Snow Much Fun stamp set.

Please stop by and see what the rest of the Design Team have whipped up this week over at Dynamic Duos. We hope you can join us and play along! The challenge closes on Thursday November 22, 2012 at Noon (PST). That is Thanksgiving Day here in the United States...gobble gobble! :) 

The Dynamic Duos Design Team

Allyson Andersen
Christina Barnes

Vicki Burdick

Karen Day

Deanna Dean

Jenny Engelke

Anne Marie Hile

Erna Logtenberg
Bobbie Trost

Amy White

Paper Players #119 - Nance's Sketch

Hello there, stamping friends! It's Sunday and time for another fun challenge at the Paper Players! This week, Nance is our hostess, with a fun sketch to try out.

For my card, I decided to get creative with the Bandstand Simply Scrappin' Kit. I'm kind of hooked on chevrons right now, so this paper really inspired me. I used two of the patterns from the kit, along with the Chevron Embossing Folder for some added texture. The Pinking Heart Border Punch added to the theme. 

One of my favorite stamp sets is the Button Buddies set. It has been a little while since I used this set and was happy to ink it up again. I dressed up the "cherries" with some Cherry Cobbler buttons. I do not like "naked " buttons, so these were dressed up with Cherry Cobbler Baker's Twine. This card really has a lot of dimension with the popped-up elements and the accents. The sentiment is from a retired set called "Goody Goody Gumdrops". I never get rid of my sentiment sets...they ALWAYS come in handy. 

I hope you will join us this week at the Paper Players to play along with Nance's awesome sketch. The challenge closes Friday, November 2nd at Noon (PDT). Please stop by and check out what the rest of the Design Team have created this week for inspiration: 

The Paper Players Design Team

Jen Arkfeld
Dawn Easton
Helen Heil  

Anne Marie Hile

Jaydee

Nance Leedy

LeAnne Pugliese

Ann Schach

Amy White

A few of you have asked about how things have been going with the shelter dogs. This past Thursday, I was incredibly honored to have the opportunity to snap some photos of the amazing dogs at a shelter here in San Antonio. One of my favorite photos is the shot below. I am happy to report that this super-sweet guy was actually ADOPTED yesterday. "Chester" is headed to Austin, TX with his new fur-ever family! Whoo Hoo!!! Unfortunately, not all of the pups were saved this week...but I am optimistic that these babies will have a chance, with continued efforts. Thank you for letting me share them with you on my blog. :) 

Year in Review - Part 2

Hello again! As promised, I'm back with my favorite cards from July through December 2011. Oddly enough, 4 of the 6 are Christmas cards and 3 of the 6 use the Ornament Punch. Hmmm! One would think my Christmas cards would have went out on time since I started them so early this year. HaHa! :)  For more info about each card, you can click on the link above each photo to get to the original post. Here we go...

July - Christmas in July

It's not a big secret that I love lots of layers on my cards...and of course, sparkle. It was fun to create a holiday card when it was 105 degrees in South Texas in July, too. 

August - Corduroy Pumpkins

Two of my favorite things...the Button Buddies stamp set and Corduroy Buttons (retired). A friend who received one of these cards told me she framed it to put out every year in her home for Thanksgiving. That totally made my day! 

September - Wicked Little Owl

This little owl card was so much fun to make! Actually, I liked this card so much, I never sent it out. The treat bag with the bitty face just makes me smile. :) This card also made it into the "took-over-3-hours-to-make-club" because I kept adding more and more to it. 

October - Tri-Fold Shutter Holiday

This fold always intimidated me, but was really pretty easy to make. I also seemed to be sponging ink on EVERY edge of my cards for a few months this year. Isn't it funny how you get into using a technique and it becomes your "thing" for a while? 

November - Mocha Morning Christmas

I really wanted to try to make a Christmas card with very non-traditional colors and I loved how this one came out. This Mocha Morning DSP is GORGEOUS!! The sketch (designed by Lesley from the Paper Players) is one of my favorites, also. 

December - Snow Swirled Christmas

The Snow Swirled stamp set has seen a LOT of ink in my stamp studio. There is something about the way that tree looks embossed. This was for Ann's CAS color challenge over at the Paper Players. I really learned to like CAS cards over the past year...although I still tend to use a lot of layers on them. 

Well there you have it! I guess it's time to get crackin' on some new creations for 2012. Hope you are having a great day today and thank you SO much for stopping by! :) 

Holiday Color Combo for Our Creative Corner

Hello there and Happy Saturday to you! This week at Our Creative Corner, we have a holiday color combo hosted by yours truly. *grin* I found a cute inspiration photo on Pinterest, once again, and thought it would make for a fun for a holiday card. Can you believe Christmas is only one week away? Wow! Hope you can play along with us this week. Here are the details of the challenge: 

Holiday Color Combo

Create a holiday card using Light Pink, Light Blue, Red and White

*PLUS a touch of holiday SPARKLE, just for fun!*

You can also use the photo for some inspiration! 

I saw those buttons in the photo and immediately knew what set was going to make an appearance on this card...Button Buddies! Awww, yeah! I love that set! Next up, I spied a holiday catalog on my coffee table and that was just what I needed to put it all together. The blue shade on the cover pretty much gives away where that catty came from, too...Tiffany & Co. *sigh* Maybe Santa will do a little shopping there for me this Christmas. ;) 

The little snowman was inked up using markers, then stamped and embellished. I added some red glitter to his hat to play off of the sparkly scalloped border and the polka dots in the patterned paper. That Candy Cane Christmas Specialty DSP is retired and I am stretching out every, single, last piece of it. The white button is adorned with some baker's twine and then the edges of the ovals were dressed up with Pretty in Pink sponged ink and Baja Breeze Glass Glitter (ret.). 


I know the challenge says a "touch" of sparkle...but I just decided to "touch" about 3/4 of the card with sparkle. That's just how I roll!

There is a lot of dimension on the card from the popped up layers and the red satin ribbon. That ribbon ties beautifully every time. Finally, I topped the card off with some rhinestone accents. This is as close to a snowman as we can get for the holidays here in south Texas, so why not bring the bling? :)  

Thanks for stopping by today! I sure hope you can join us this week at Our Creative Corner and play along this week with the colors. Please stop by and see what the rest of the lovely ladies on the Design Team have created, too. They are so amazingly talented and have whipped up some gorgeous projects, yet again. 

Have a very HAPPY day! 

Stampin' Up! Supply List: 
Stamps: Button Buddies and Short & Sweet
Paper: Candy Cane Christmas Specialty DSP, Red Glimmer Paper, Pretty in Pink, Baja Breeze, Real Red and Whisper White card stock
Ink: Basic Black and Pretty in Pink Classic ink
Punches: Scallop Border punch, Word Window and Modern Label
Accessories: Red Satin Ribbon, Baja Breeze Glass Glitter (ret.), Stamping Sponges, Stampin' Dimensionals, Basic Rhinestones, Real Red, Pumpkin Pie and Black Stampin' Write Markers
Non SU! Accessories: oval die cuts, white button, red/white baker's twine, red glitter glue, snowflake embossing folder

Paper Players #71 - My Recipe Challenge

Hi there and Happy Sunday to you! This week at the Paper Players, I am your hostess and am trying something a little different this week. Are you ready to cook up some treats in the Creative Kitchen? The Paper Players "Top Chefs" have whipped up some awesome inspiration this week, so be sure to stop by and visit them.

My patterned papers came from the Domestic Goddess DSP, the ribbons are Poppy Parade 1/2" Stitched Poly ribbon and White Baker's Twine, the punches are the Dotted Scallop Ribbon Border punch, the flower from the Bitty Punch Pack, 1- 3/4" Circle punch, 3/4" Circle punch (for the snail shell) Large Oval and Small Oval (ret.) The sparkle comes from the Silver Glimmer Paper. I almost forgot this element. Seriously? Me, forgetting sparkle? This is a crime, I tell you!!!

Here is the inside of the card...hopefully the snail image from the Button Buddies set (it's baaaackkk!!) on the front makes sense now. I don't know about you, but I ALWAYS seem to have a need for belated b'day cards. 

As I was wrapping up this post, I was met with a super-cuddly Schnauzer...adorned with an embellished nose. I grabbed my phone and snapped a quick photo, as he had no idea how stinkin'  cute he looked. Oh Emmitt! Pearls and rhinestones seem to pop up everywhere in this house...I even had one stuck to my foot the other day.

Please stop by the Paper Players blog! The rest of the DT have created some fabulous treats to share. We really hope you will play along and have some fun with your creative creation, using our recipe. We are also welcoming our new November Guest Designer, Susan Joyce this week, so please pop by and say hello! 

The Paper Players Design Team

Ann Schach

Anne Marie Hile

Jaydee

Julie Marshall

LeAnne Pugliese

Lesley Croghan

Nance Leedy

Tara Bilbao
  Susan Joyce (November GD)

Have a HAPPY day! :) 

Stampin' Up! Supply List: 
Stamps: Button Buddies (awww yeah!), Petite Pairs and Happiest Birthday Wishes (hostess, inside sentiment)
Paper: Domestic Goddess DSP, Silver Glimmer paper, Poppy Parade, Pool Party, So Saffron and Whisper White card stock
Ink: Pool Party and Poppy Parade Classic ink
Punches: Dotted Scallop Ribbon Border punch, 1- 3/4" Circle punch, 3/4" Circle punch, Bitty Punch Pack (tiny flowers), Small Oval (ret.), Large Oval
Accessories: White Baker's Twine, Poppy Parade 1/2" Stitched Poly ribbon, Perfect Polka Dots Embossing Folder, Perfect Pennants Bigz die, Circle Scissors Plus, Crystal Effects, Stampin' Dimensionals and Basic Pearls

Featured Designer for Freshly Made Sketches

Hello there and Happy Wednesday to you! I feel like I have been MIA from my blog for a wee bit too long. Lots going on here but ALL good things, so that is a bonus. Just trying to catch up this week. I am SO excited to share with you that I was invited, by my sweet friend,  Lesley Croghan, to be a Featured Designer for her new challenge blog: 

Freshly Made Sketches 

I love the concept of "clean" cards and didn't truly realize how MUCH until I created my card for this challenge. 

So what does FMS mean by a "clean card"? According to Lesley: "We are looking for clean-lined creations but unlike Clean and Simple challenges, we encourage lots of detail and embellishments as long as they maintain a "clean" look to your card."

So, here is my interpretation of this fabulous sketch. Although I centered the main panel on the card, because it seemed to fit better within the lines of the plaid DSP and ribbon. This card also marks the return of my infatuation (read as obsession) with the Button Buddies stamp set. :) I paired it up with some punched flowers from the Itty Bitty Punch Pack and some Bitty Buttons for dimension. It's an "itty bitty bouquet" of cuteness! I also really love the Domestic Goddess DSP that I ripped into for the first time with this card. Totally makes me a fan of Calypso Coral! (Which is a good thing because we weren't really getting along up until now, lol!) 


Although tough to see in the main photo, this card has a lot of dimension to it. Each layer is built up with some Stampin' Dimensionals. I finished it off with some Basic Pearls and a ruffled bow. The sentiment is simple and can be used for a variety of occasions. 

Please stop by Freshly Made Sketches to see what all of the excitement is about. Their Design Team pretty much ROCKS the house and I know they have created some wonderful "eye-candy" for inspiration. (Hugs, ladies!!) Hope you have a chance to play along this week, too! 

Lesley Croghan

Cindy Hall

Linda Callahan

Tui Nathan

Jen Mitchell

Jennifer Timko

Rita Wright

Have a HAPPY day! :) 

Stampin' Up! Supply List: 
Stamps: Button Buddies (awwww, yeah!!) and Friendly Phrases
Paper: Domestic Goddess DSP, Calypso Coral, Pool Party and Whisper White card stock
Ink: Calypso Coral Classic ink (unwrapped it for the first time today) 
Accessories: Pool Party Stampin' Write Marker, 1- 1/4" Circle punch, 1- 3/8" Circle punch, Calypso Coral 3/8" Ruffled Ribbon, Itty Bitty Punch Pack, Bitty Buttons, Basic Pearls and lots of Stampin' Dimensionals
Non SU: circle and scallop circle die cuts

Hand Stamped Sentiments #83- Clean and Simple

Hello there! It's Tuesday and time for another fun challenge over at

Hand Stamped Sentiments. 

This week, it's all about keeping it simple...Clean and Simple, that is! 

Now, CAS cards are a bit of a struggle for me, as a self-proclaimed "layer queen". So, I turned to Clean and Simple Stamping for some inspiration. As soon as I saw the Fall to Layout #156, I immediately got the idea to break out my favorite stamp set....yup, Button Buddies! This stamp set and I have quite the bond, let me tell you. 

Although, I did something different with the set this time...look Ma, NO buttons! I just love this cherry image and after inking it up, using Stampin' Write Markers, I gave those little guys a big ol' dollop of Crystal Effects. Yes, there are two layers on this card...but for me that is a CAS breakthrough. Lol! At first the white layer was left plain but it just called out for some texture. (I have to compensate for the lack of layering somehow, don't I?) Bring on the Stripes Embossing Folder! . Finally, I added a little pop of bling-y goodness using Red Glimmer Paper and a trio of colored pearls. 

As an added bonus, I do believe I spy a piece of cat hair adorning the card, too. *sigh* Please pay no attention to that...and NO it does NOT qualify as another layer! ;) 

Please stop by the Hand Stamped Sentiments site to check out the Clean and Simple creations from the rest of the lovely ladies on the Design Team, too. We sure hope you will join us this week and play along. Thanks for stopping by! Have a very HAPPY day today! :)  

*Click HERE to order Stampin' Up! 24/7*

Stampin' up! Supply List: 
Stamps: Button Buddies and Goody Goody Gumdrops (retired set, sentiment)
Paper: Real Red Glimmer paper, Real Red, Early Espresso and Whisper White card stock
Ink: Early Espresso Classic ink 
Accessories: Real Red, Early Espresso and Wild Wasabi Stampin' Write Markers, Crystal Effects, Stripes Embossing Folder, Large oval punch, scallop Oval punch, Real Red 3/4" Polka Dot Grosgrain Ribbon (ret.) and Stampin' Dimensionals
Non-SU! Accessories: colored pearls, circle and scallop circle die cuts

Hand Stamped Sentiments #82- Monochromatic Color Challenge

Hello there! I wanted to share my card for the new challenge over at Hand Stamped Sentiments. This week it's all about keeping it Monochromatic on your projects. Such a fun challenge! The details are listed in the photo below. We sure hope you will join us! :) 

For my card, I went with a color that I never seem to use a lot of, Perfect Plum. Yes, this card also marks the return of the infamous Button Buddies stamp set. Surprise! Looks like I'm back on the kick again...this is truly my most used stamp set from the new SU! catalog, I tell ya.


 My image was stamped in Perfect Plum Craft ink and heat embossed with Iridescent Ice Embossing Powder. I also dressed up the button with a blinged-out center. I also realize that my gratuitous use of bling comes as no surprise to anyone. *wink, wink* 

I thought the "You're a Gem" sentiment, from the stamp set of the same name, fit perfectly for this pretty purple thank you card. I added one more button to the bow, for fun. 

I hope you like it! Please stop by Hand Stamped Sentiments to see what the rest of the super-fabulous gals on the Design Team whipped up this week for the challenge. Hope you have a chance to join us and link up YOUR creation! The challenge is open until 12:00PM (CST) on Monday September 5th. Thank for stopping by! Have a very HAPPY day today! :) 



Stampin' Up! Supply List: 
Stamps: Button Buddies and You're a Gem
Paper: Perfect Plum Subtles DSP paper pad, Perfect Plum and Whisper White card stock
Ink: Perfect Plum classic ink (for sponging around the edges of the paper) and Perfect Plum Craft ink (for stamping and embossing)
Accessories: 1- 1/4" Square punch, 1- 3/8'" Square punch, 1" Circle punch, 1- 1/4" Circle punch, 2-3/8" Scalloped Circle pnch, Iridescent Ice Embossing Powder, Subtles Assorted Designer Buttons, White Baker's Twine, Whisper White 5/8" Organza Ribbon, Basic Rhinestones and Stampin' Dimensionals

Hand Stamped Sentiments #80-All Stitched Up Challenge

Hello there and Happy Tuesday to you! This week at Hand Stamped Sentiments we are "gettin' stitchy with it"! Can you sew? Or are you like me and fumble with a needle and thread? There are so many ways to add STITCHES to your project, whether it is with a sewing machine, a needle and thread, rub-on's or a gel pen. Get creative and have some fun! We can't wait to see what you create! 

I want to preface this post by mentioning that I really DO own stamp sets OTHER then Button Buddies. Although, you wouldn't know it by how often I have been using that set lately. *sigh* I think it is a REALLY versatile set...and I keep wanting to ink it up. I promise to give it a rest after this post. Then there is that Just Add Cake DSP. Yup, I tend to use that a LOT, too. So far from one pack of DSP, I have created over 21 cards and 5 boxes! There is still a ton of paper left for more projects! Now is a great time to stock up on DSP as Stampin' Up! is having a Buy 3 Get 1 Free promo, too. Check the tab at the top of my blog for more info! 

For my stitching, I simply ran some Baker's Twine through the Dotted Ribbon Scalloped Border Punch. Easy-peasy! If you are like me and CAN'T sew...this technique makes you feel like you can actually master a stitch or two. (Thanks to Ann Schach for the inspiration for this idea!) I was recently commissioned by a friend, to make some "thinking of you" cards for folks she knows...going through some tough times. She wanted fun colors and lots of textures...nothing dreary. I hope this card fits the bill. I will find out later today if she likes it. *crossing my fingers*

Finally, the inside of the card...with a simple sentiment, to brighten someones day: 

I sure hope you will play along this week with your "stitched up" creation. Real stitches or "faux"...we want to see 'em. Please hop on over to the Hand Stamped Sentiments blog to see what the rest of the Design Team has whipped up this week. Thanks for visiting and enjoy your day!! :) 

PS: I also have a beautiful new blog design thanks to my wonderful friend, Lesley! Click her name to visit her blog. Thank you Lesley, you are the BEST!! 

Order Stampin' Up! products 24/7 by CLICKING HERE

Stampin' Up! Supply List: 
Stamps: Button Buddies, Teeny Tiny  Wishes (sentiments on front) and Occasional Quotes (inside sentiment)
Ink: Wild Wasabi and Peach Parfait Classic Ink
Paper: Just Add Cake DSP, Wild Wasabi, So Saffron, Peach Parfait and Whisper White card stock
Accessories: Scallop Edge Border punch, Dotted Scallop Ribbon Border punch, Medium Oval punch (ret.), Large Oval punch, Square Lattice Embossing Folder, White Baker's Twine, Wild Wasabi Stampin' Write Marker, Subtles Buttons Assortment pack, Signo Uni-Ball White Gel pen, Basic Rhinestones, Sticky Strip, Glue Dots and Stampin' Dimensionals