Lesley's Birthday Blog Hop!

Hello and Happy Monday to you! Do you see that pretty face smack-dab in the middle of that cupcake? That is the face of a VERY special BIRTHDAY GIRL...Lesley Croghan! Lesley is not only our fearless leader over at the Paper Players, but she is also an amazing person and someone I am VERY proud to call a friend. 

What better way to celebrate her BIG day, then with a Blog Hop? 

As this is Lesley's actual birthday card from me, I had to make sure I added a few things to that she would probably be expecting from me. That would include: the color PINK, something sassy and a LOT of BLING! Lesley, I know this card will be a little late, but I hope you will love it after the special "preview". HeeHee! 


Ladies and gentlemen, I give you "PARTY PIGGY"! He is embossed in Melon Mambo embossing powder, has a cute button nose and a blinged out party hat...courtesy of the Pennant Parade stamp set and the matching punch. The googlie eyes just add to his charm! ;)

A card for Lesley would NOT be complete unless I busted out the Paper Crimper. That is one of her favorite tools! I also used Iridescent Ice embossing powder on the scallops and the party hat for some added sparkle. (All the supplies are listed at the end of the post, too!) 

 Here is the inside of the card. 

I just love this sentiment and firmly believe that one day is NOT enough. 

Everyone should have a birthday WEEK! Why not?!! 

Please be sure to stop by the rest of the "Birthday Blog Hopper's" and see what they have to share for our fabby gal: 

Anne Marie Hile- Stampin Anne  (you are HERE!) 

Carrie Gaskin- Artistic Avenger

Cindy Beach- Stamps, Paper and ink

Jaydee- Stampin' with Jaydee

Jen Mitchell- I Create

Joan Jeffrey- JJ Creations

Lauri Ingram- Paperville

Laurie- Hiding in My Craft Room

LeAnne Pugliese- wee inklings

Nance Leedy- Canopy Crafts

Rita Wright- Cards By Rita

Sandra Azzopardi- Sandra's Stamping Spot

Tui Nathan- Stampin' Time

Most importantly...I hope you will stop by Lesley's blog and wish her a VERY Happy Birthday today: www.alwaysplayingwithpaper.blogspot.com. Happy Birthday, Lesley! I hope you have an amazing day today! 


Thanks for stopping by! :) 


Stampin' Up! Supply List: 
Stamps: Button Buddies (piggy), Pennant Parade (party hat) and Occasional Quotes (retired hostess set for both sentiments)
Paper: Sweet Stitches DSP (ret.), Melon Mambo, Tempting Turquoise and Whisper White card stock
Ink: Versa-Mark, Tempting Turquoise and Melon Mambo Classic ink
Accessories: Pennant Builder punch, Oval punch, Scalloped Oval punch, Scallop Border punch, Paper Crimper, Iridescent Ice embossing powder, Clear embossing powder, Melon Mambo 1/2" Scallop Dots ribbon, Tempting Turquoise 1/4" Grosgrain ribbon, Silver ELastic Cord (ret.), Melon Mambo shaped button (ret), Embossing Buddy, Heat Tool, Basic Rhinestones and Stampin' Dimensionals
Non SU! Accessorires: googlie eyes and the button used for the piggy nose

Paper Players Challenge #58-School Daze

Happy Sunday to you! This week at the Paper Players, our very own Ann Schach has challenged us to go Back to School. Not literally...but creatively! Anyone out there shuddering at the thought of returning to Geometry, Algebra or Chemistry? Maybe it is just me. 

I have to admit, this challenge stumped me. When I though of a school-themed card, all that came to mind were apples, primary colors and a ruler. Pretty random, huh? So, that was where I started. My goal was to create a "thank you" card for all of the AWESOME teachers out there. You KNOW who you are! :) 

This wise, old owl was NOT my original idea. I got my inspiration from Lynn Pratt (click her name for the link). Her owl is MUCH cooler then mine, but I loved the idea of an owl with glasses. Eeek! I originally tried to add Crystal Effects to create a "lens" on the glasses...but this Texas heat is making it impossible to use CE with any success. It was a toasty 104 degrees here today...I probably could have fried an EGG on this card, if I tried. GAH! 

My little, sparkly apple...and it's stem and leaf...were cut by hand. Yeah, I don't know how I did it either. But I can tell you it is probably a "one-hit wonder". Lol! The ruler was stamped from the (retired) Sew Suite stamp set. I heat embossed it for added shine, although it's tough to see in the  photos. (Please check the end of this post for the complete supply list!) 

Here is the inside of the card, using the (retired) Tart and Tangy stamp set:

One last thing before I sign off...my boys went to the "dog spa" yesterday (AKA: visited Kate, the groomer). I wanted to share a photo of Emmitt doing what he does best...being ADORABLE! Stay tuned for a photo of Ozzy with his new 'do. He is equally as dapper. I just love these pups! :)

Thanks for visiting today! Please check out what the rest of the Paper Players Design Team have shared for inspiration, this week: 

The Paper Players Design Team

Ann Schach

Jaydee

Lauri Ingram

LeAnne Pugliese

Lesley Croghan

Nance Leedy

Sandra Azzopardi

Carrie Gaskin (GD)

I hope you will play along with us this week, with your creation celebrating "back-to-school". Have a great day! :) 

Stampin' Up! Supply List: 
Stamps: Sew Suite (ret. ruler image) and Upsy Daisy (masked off sentiment)
Paper: Summer Picnic DSP (ret.), Pool Party, Lucky Limeade, Real Red, Chocolate Chip  and Daffodil Delight card stock
Ink: Basic Black Classic ink, Lucky Limeade Classic ink (for sponging on the owl) and Versa-Mark ink
Accessories: Owl Builder punch, Word Window punch, Modern Label punch, Spiral Border punch (ret.), Scallop Edge Border punch (inside), Clips Assortment, Real Red Glimmer Paper, Square Lattice Embossing Folder, Real Red Stampin' Write Marker, Old Olive Stampin' Write Marker, Chocolate Chip Stampin' Write Marker, A Perfect Day Rub-Ons (ret.)  and Stampin' Dimensionals
Non SU! Accessories: silver pearls 

No Flowers for Our Creative Corner...and an Announcement

Hi there! Happy Saturday to you! I am SO excited to share my card today along with a really exciting announcement. I am OVER THE MOON to share that I am now on the Design Team over at Our Creative Corner!! (Eeek, I'm still giddy about it!!!) I am BEYOND honored and excited to be working with these fabulous gals! 

This week Kristin is hosting the challenge and it is a FUN one! She recently took a fabby vacation to Denmark and asked us to draw our inspiration from the following photos....with only ONE catch...you can NOT use FLOWERS in your design. 

Well, to say this challenge was a "challenge", was an understatement. It is funny how I kept gravitating towards flowers in any shape or form, while trying to assemble this card. Finally, I had to stop and regroup and come up with a different approach. I focused on the colors in the photos...along with the dimension of the flowers...and finally found a sentiment that seemed to match perfectly. 

I dressed up the embossed butterflies by "smooshing" them (technical term, haha!) in Versa-Mark Ink and heat embossing with Iridescent Ice embossing powder. The sentiment was first stamped in Versa-Mark ink then Rich Razzleberry Classic ink...then heat embossed with Clear embossing powder for added shine. I sponged Pretty in Pink ink on almost every edge of the card, then busted out the Color Spritzer Tool to distress around the sentiment. (All of the supplies used are listed at the end of this post!)

I wanted my ribbon to mimic the dimension of the flower petals, so I ruffled some of it and then focused on a big, ol' bow! I have mentioned it before, but I just LOVE Satin Ribbon. it is so easy to tie, every time! I wish it came in EVERY color! :) 

 Finally, here is the inside of the card, ready for a hand-written note: 

(I just used up a few scraps from the front of the card...)

Please stop by Our Creative Corner and see what the rest of the awesome DT has created this week for this challenge. You will NOT be disappointed! I sure hope you will join in the fun this week with the challenge, too. Thanks so much for visiting today!

Enjoy your day! :) 


Stampin' Up! Supply List: 
Stamps: Faith in Nature (sentiment, hostess)
Ink: Versa-Mark + Rich Razzleberry Classic (for embossed sentiment) and Pretty in Pink Classic ink (sponged edges)
Paper: Subtles Patterns DSP Pack, Pretty in Pink, Rich Pazzleberry and Very Vanilla card stock
Accessories: Beautiful Wings Embosslits Die, Finial Press Embossing Folder, Basic Pearls, Scallop Edge BOrder Punch, Rich razzleberry 5/8" Satin Ribbon (ret.), Iridescent Ice Embossing Powder, Clear Embossing Folder, Color Spritzer Tool, Rich Razzleberry Stampin' Write Marker and Sticky Strip  
Non-SU! Accessories: oval and scalloped oval die cuts

Retired Stamps for Sale!

Hi there! I have been diligently cleaning out my stamping room to make space for some new additions. Here is my first list of retired stamp sets that are up for sale to a new home! :) 


Wood, Retired Sets: 
(ALL stamps are mounted on the wood blocks unless otherwise noted)

• All I Have Seen $3 (some ink staining on stamps)
• Stemming From $3 (excellent condition)
• Best Bar Codes $3 (never used, excellent condition) SOLD
• Sweet Stems $4 (used once, excellent condition) SOLD
• Olive You $4 (small ink stains on 2 wood blocks) SOLD
• Hi & Hello $4 (never used, excellent condition)
• Love It $4 (only one stamp used, heavy ink stains on one wood block)
• Suitable for Framing $4 (only ONE stamp is mounted with minimal ink on stamp and wood)
• Dreams Du Jour $5 (excellent condition) SOLD
• Lots of Bots $5 (excellent condition) 
• Razzle Dazzle $5 (excellent condition) 
• Cause for Celebration $6 (never used, excellent condition)
• Stipple Celebrations $6 (excellent condition)
• Stitched Exotics $9 (excellent condition)
• Office Accoutrement $9 (never used, excellent condition) SOLD
• Greetings Galore $9 (excellent condition) SOLD

As ALL of these sets are wood-mount,  I would prefer to ship via Priority Mail Flat Rate Envelope., to addresses in the US only. If you purchase multiple sets, I will happily combine shipping. I accept PayPal for payment. Please email me at annemariehile@gmail.com with the sets you are interested in. I will also email photos of any the sets, upon your request. 


Thank you so much! Have a great day! 

Hand Stamped Sentiments #78-Fancy Folds Challenge

Hello there and Happy Tuesday! It's time for another great challenge over at Hand Stamped Sentiments. This week, it's all about keeping it fancy...fancy-folding, that is! We are also sending a BIG welcome to our newest Design Team member (and fellow Texan)...the lovely Erica Cerwin, with this challenge! I hope you will join us this week and play along! 

The inspiration for my card came from Laura Lipe. (Thank you for the amazing inspiration, Laura!)  I saw this fun and fabulous card style on her blog and HAD to give it a try. *CLICK HERE* for the cutting and scoring instructions. It's super-simple and can be created from a single 4- 1/4" x 11" piece of card stock.

 Here is the front view of the card: 

 Here is the side view of the card: 

For my card design, I looked to a few of my favorite stampers, Ann Schach and LeAnne Pugliese. Ann recently featured *THIS card* with the stitched border punch and I loved how LeAnne created *THIS card* using the "other" stamped snowman from this set, on Crumb Cake card stock. 


I colored my sassy snowman with some wonderful watercolor pencils I recently received in the mail from my blogging pal Helene, in Norway!! (Click her name to visit her blog.) Thank you, Helene for the fantastic box of crafting treats. Wow! I promise to get better with my water-coloring with practice! ;) 

This card has a LOT of sparkle! The stamped snowflakes (from the ret. Jolly Old St. Nick set) were embossed in Iridescent Ice embossing powder. Then, I got a little crazy with the Dazzling Diamonds glitter on this one. You know it's bad when your husband walks into the room while the afternoon sunlight is streaming through the window and utters the phrase: "Honey, what have you been doing in here? Your face is sparkling like that vampire in the Twilight movie!" Yes, I made him watch the Twilight movies...and am slightly scared that he is referencing them now! LOL! 

As if Dazzling Diamonds wasn't enough, I busted out the Vanilla Shimmer Smooch Spritz for the embossed snowflake panel and then heat embossed both the sentiments (front and inside the card) with Cherry Cobbler Embossing Powder. Oddly enough, I held back on adding bling...I thought it would be a little TOO much.

I don't want to "over-explain" the card, so if you have any questions, please don't hesitate to email me. I have listed all of the supplies at the end of the post, too...if you are interested. :)  

Finally, here is the inside of the card, with more embossing and sparkle to compliment the front:

Thanks for stopping by! Please check out Hand Stamped Sentiments and see what the rest of  the DT have cooked up. We hope you will play along and show off your "fancy-folded-creation" this week! Have a very HAPPY day today! :) 


Stampin' Up! Supply List: 
Stamps: Snow Much Fun, Jolly Old St. Nick (little snowflakes, retired), Best Yet (front sentiment, retired) and Occasional Quotes (inside sentiment, retired)
Paper: Crumb Cake, Night of Navy, Basic Black and Cherry Cobbler card stock
Ink: Black Staz-On, Versa-Mark and Crumb Cake Classic ink (for sponging around edges
Accessories: Baker's Twine, Embossing Buddy, Cherry Cobbler embossing powder, Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder, Iridescent Ice Embossing powder, Dazzling Diamonds glitter, Crystal Effects (buttons and hat), 2-way Glue pen, Large Oval punch, Scallop Oval punch, Dotted Scallop ribbon Border punch, Vanilla shimmer Smooch Spritz, Stampin Dimensionals, Sticky Strip and craft knife
Non-SU! Accessories: score tool, watercolor pencils from Helene and snowflake embossing folder

Last Project for July Posted at CPC!

Hi there! The last project for the month of July is posted over at Craft Project Central...and it's a fun one! This little candy box is more than meets the eye!  Inside is a lovely display of chocolate nuggets for that sweet someone in your life.  Using the colors shown, it’s the perfect gift for the men in your life, too.  Or change up the colors and use the candy box for holidays and events, e.g. Valentines Day, Easter, Wedding Shower favor, Baby Shower favor or as a Birthday Party favor!  This project is also a fun class or club project!

**This project comes to you designed by the fabulous Kim Score!**

Click her name to visit her blog and let her know what you think of her project, too! 

To get the instructions for Kim’s project, just subscribe to July at Craft Project Central. 

You will get 10 awesome projects for only $10. Such a great deal! 

Have a great rest of your day today! :) 

Paper Players #57-Nance's Sketch Challenge

Howdy and welcome to another Sunday at the Paper Players! This week, our sketch challenge was designed by the lovely Nance and it's a lot of fun! I hope you will have the chance to play along with us this week. 

I was a little, ok, a LOT under-the weather yesterday, so getting my mojo on was tough. I dove into my drawers of card stock and pulled out three colors that seemed to appeal to me. I selected Rich Razzleberry, Old Olive and Island Indigo (a new In-Color for 2011-2012) as the basis for my creation. I haven't used Island Indigo yet...don't know why, it is soooo pretty! 

 Here are the highlights of my card: 

• the images and sentiment were heat embossed with Versa-Mark ink  and Black Embossing Powder for some added shine
• the leaves were punched from the Bird Builder Punch, then sponged with Old Olive ink
• there is a lot of dimension to the card, although it is tough to see in the photos. (the flowers and the layers are popped up)
• Satin Ribbon is FABULOUS!! It ties perfectly every time and it is hands-down my favorite ribbon EVER! 
• First Edition Specialty DSP makes a fun background for any card. I have had this paper for a long time and just recently discovered how versatile it really is. Better late then never, I say! :) 
• the Color Spritzer Tool made an appearance on the bottom of the card using an Island Indigo marker to add a little more pattern around the sentiment and of course, nothing is finished without a little BLING! 

Finally here is a shot of the decorated inside of the card, using up some scraps from the front: 

Thanks so much for stopping by today! Please visit the rest of the Paper Players Design Team to see what they have created with Nance's awesome sketch. I sure hope you will join us this week! You have until Friday August 5th at midnight (PST) to play along. 

The Paper Players Design Team

Ann Schach

Jaydee

Lauri Ingram

LeAnne Pugliese

Lesley Croghan

Nance Leedy

Sandra Azzopardi

Tui Nathan (GD)

Have a very HAPPY day! :) 

Stampin' Up! Supply List-
Stamps: Flower Fest and Something to Celebrate (ret, sentiment)
Paper: First Edition Specialty DSP, Old Olive, Island indigo, Rich Razzleberry, Very Vanilla and Basic Black card stock
Ink: Versa-Mark ink and Old Olive Classic Ink 
Accessories: Top Note Sizzix Die, Square Lattice Embossing Folder, Bird Builder Punch, Fancy Flower Punch, Scallop Edge Border punch (inside), Old olive 5/8" Satin Ribbon, Color Spritzer Tool, Island Indigo Stampin' Write Marker, Paper Snips, Basic Rhinestones and Stampin' Dimensionals

My Project is Posted at Craft Project Central!!

Hello there! Hope you had a great week out there. I am super excited to share that MY project for July is now posted over at Craft Project Central! I just love the new Pennant Parade stamp set and Just Add Cake DSP from the new Stampin' Up! catalog. I don't know about you, but way too often, I seem to only use a couple of patterns in a pack of DSP and the rest are neglected. My focus for this project was to use the same stamp set and DSP to create cards for numerous occasions...all wrapped up in a fun gift box! 


Included with this project are instructions for a thank you card, a Christmas card, a baby card, and a birthday card.  All using the great patterns and colors in the Just Add Cake DSP.  Perfect as a gift or to just have on hand for upcoming occasions!  This set of cards (and co-ordinating gift box) are a fabulous class or club project, as well!

To get the details for my project, just head on over to Craft Project Central and SUBSCRIBE to July. You will get my project and 9 others for only $10! That's $1 a project and is a fabulous deal! :) 


Thanks for stopping by! Have a great day today! 

Flirtatious Fabric Flower Headbands at CPC

Hi there! It's time for another fun project featured at Craft Project Central. These pretty little headbands are such a sweet accessory for a little girl or for a little girl, at heart. I know I just LOVE fun hair accessories! Add them to any gift wrapping or a card for added glam!  These headbands are so quick-and-easy, you could make them as favors for a birthday party, or as a cute item for the upcoming holiday craft fairs.

**This cute project comes to you designed by Joanna!**

To get the instructions for Joanna’s project, just subscribe to July at Craft Project Central.  And please leave Joanna a comment and let her know how much you like her project!! (Click her name above to visit her blog.)  

Thanks for stopping by! Have a great day today! :) 

Hand Stamped Sentiments #77-Theme Challenge

Hello and Happy Tuesday to you!

 This week at Hand Stamped Sentiments, we are having some fun with FLOURISHES! 

We sure hope you will play along! 

Thanks also to my bloggin' buddy, Cheryl for letting me know that my card fit the challenge this week at Sentimental Sundays: "Focus on the Sentiment". Check out the site, there is SO much great inspiration there! :) 

The first stamp set that came to mind for this theme was Baroque Motifs. There is something about that big flourish image that I love! I decided to mix it up with one of the new Hostess sets from the new SU! catalog, Posy Punch. The flower coordinates perfectly with the Fancy Flower punch and the images fits the 1" Circle punch. I also ripped open my new Cherry Cobbler embossing powder for the flourish stamp and decided to emboss ALL of the stamped images for some added pop. 

The "houndstooth" pattern on the flower was a perfect match for the Love Letter DSP. Sorry, it's retired...I still have a little more to use up! I also embossed the flourish on some Newsprint DSP because it seemed a little too boring on plain Very Vanilla card stock. All of the supplies I used are listed at the end of the post, if you would like more info. :) 

Finally, here is a quick shot of the inside, ready for a handwritten note: 

I hope you will join us this week at Hand Stamped Sentiments. Be sure to pop over to the site to see what the rest of the lovely ladies on the design team have cooked up for this fabulous FLOURISH challenge. Thanks for visiting and have a very HAPPY day! :) 


Stampin Up! Supply List: 
Stamps: Baroque Motifs (flourish) and Posy Petals (flower and sentiment)
Paper: Love Letter DSP (ret.), Newsprint DSP, Cherry Cobbler, Basic Black and Very Vanilla card stock
Ink: Versa-mark
Accessories: Black embossing powder, Cherry Cobbler embossing powder, Heat Tool, Embossing Buddy, Fancy Flower punch, 1" Circle punch, Framed Tulips embossing folder, Scribbles Swirls Sizzix Die (I think this may be retired??), Basic Pearls and Stampin' Dimensionals
Non SU! Accessories: black ribbon

Blog Candy Winner!

Hi there! Well, I'm a little late with this post, but did want to announce the winner of the FREE July subscription to Craft Project Central! I plugged in the number of comments into random.org and got the following result: 

Lucky #39 is....*drum roll, please*...Shanna!!! 

Whoo-Hoo!! 

Check out her awesome blog, too: The Stamping Banana

Shanna, please send me an email at annemariehile@gmail.com for the details on how to claim your subscription to Craft Project Central. Thank you so much to everyone who shared comments! I will be having another give-away coming up REALLY soon. I just realized that my blog is going to be 1 year old in just a few short days. Wow...time sure flies!

Have a HAPPY day! :)