Birthday Cupcakes!

Yup, so I have been a BAD blogger over the past week.  (shame, shame) I blame it on the "misfit-Schnauzer" that has descended on our home. Between his rescue-efforts and keeping him (and the other fur-kids) amused, I haven't had a ton of extra time. It's not entirely his fault though, in all reality, life has just been busy lately. Yesterday afternoon, I FINALLY had some time to spend in the "craft room" and I decided to catch up on the multitude of birthday cards I need to create for November and December. 

I saw two challenges that helped me to inspire me to come up with my idea for the card: 

Tuesday Morning Sketches- Cupcakes, Cupcakes, Cupcakes

and
Flourishes (last week's challenge)- Glitter

Maybe I'm still still riding the wave from my own birthday on Sunday, but let's be honest, cupcakes are ALWAYS a great choice! Mmmmm! I went with the Birthday Bakery set (hostess, level 1) because I have been wanting to try it out. 

I used Riding Hood Red, Pink Pirouette and Whisper White for my color combo. The DSP is Candy Lane (ret.). I was just in a PINK mood yesterday, which isn't really all that shocking, I know. :) What goes better with cupcakes then sprinkles...oops, I mean SPARKLES. So I added a "few" to the card front. Why NOT? As always, I brought the "party" to the the inside0 of the card, continuing the SWEET theme. (The stamped sentiment inside is from the Perfect Punches set.) 

So, what do you think? I don't know about you but I'm seriously craving cupcakes, now! :) Before I head off to visit some bloggin' friends this morning, I just wanted to post a quick reminder about the AMAZING Stampin' Up! promo going on right now where you can get $310 of SU! product for ONLY $87.50!! 

It all ends November 30th!

 Click here for more details. 

Thanks for visiting today!

Paper Players Challenge #24-Color Challenge

...Oh, and because I'm SO super excited, I have to share some news! It's my BIRTHDAY today!! Whoo Hoo!!  "Go Anne Marie...It's your Birthday...go, GO!!" Are you doing the "Birthday Dance"? I sure am!  ;) What better way to start the day then to share my card for The Paper Players challenge this week! I am still so excited about being a Guest Designer this month. These gals are amazingly creative and I am so proud to be working with them. Come play along with us this week, it's a lot of fun! :)

Please, stop by and visit all of their fabulous creations. Share some bloggin' love: 

Ann

Lesley

Nance

Jaydee

LeAnne

This week, our focus was Ann's Color Challenge:

Yup, yup...I'm kind of scared of the whole red/green color combo on a holiday card, so I really had to put on my thinking cap for this one. I tried to stretch myself out of my creative "comfort zone" by trying a something with a "vintage-feel". My Cardinal Christmas set has been in my stamp collection since I first saw it in the Holiday Mini. Sadly, I have struggled to use it...probably because I had to color it in. Don't get me wrong, I love water-coloring...just NOT when I do it. I made an attempt with this one, using my classic ink pads and a blender pen.

I used the cardinal who hangs out in my front yard as my inspiration (he's ridiculously annoying, by-the-way...so this will be his only "shout-out"...grrr!):

My color combo was Cherry Cobbler, Always Artichoke and ...um...2 neutrals...Crumb Cake and Early Espresso. I made sure to sponge any and all Crumb Cake card stock on the card front with Early Espresso ink. Thought it added to the "vintage-look". Of course I had to include a photo of the inside, jazzed up by my card scraps:

This ribbon was actually recycled from a gift I received earlier this year. I saved it and low-and-behold it matched the Always Artichoke...love that! :) Please check out the end of the post for all of the items used to make this holiday card. 

I have to share this photo of the GORGEOUS roses my friend, Kasia sent to my door on Saturday. I have known her since the 3rd grade. She is so incredibly thoughtful and I am so fortunate to have her in my life. We were born EXACTLY 2 months apart...she's older...I just had to throw that in! Haha! Thanks, Kas...you are awesome and I love you!! 

Update on "Schnauzer-Gate 2010"...yup, he's STILL here. Despite all of our efforts, no one has come forward to claim this munchkin. He has been doing well and Ozzy has been doing a great job looking after him. Who knows what is next? *Sigh* Here is a photo of the boys relaxing together:

Stampin' Up! Supply List:

Stamps: A Cardinal Christmas

Ink: Always Artichoke, Cherry Cobbler and Early Espresso classic ink

Paper: Cherry Cobbler, Always Artichoke, Crumb Cake, Early Espresso card stock and To the Nines DSP (ret.)

Accessories: Blender Pens, sponges, pearls, Scalloped Border punch, Dazzling Diamonds glitter, red glitter, Multi-Purpose Liquid Glue, Scallop Trim border punch (inside), Finial Press embossing folder, 2 x 1 3/8" XL Oval punch, 

Non-SU! Accessories: ribbon that looks like an Always Artichoke imposter, square scalloped die cut

Thanks for visiting today! :)
Have a happy day, 

An AMAZING Offer from Stampin' Up!

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From November 15th through November 30th ONLY, Stampin' Up! is offering an amazing opportunity:

You can take advantage of purchasing the Starter Kit for ONLY $87.50!! 
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• Receive 20% off any additional orders
• Gain access to great stampin' techniques and resources through the Stampin' Up! demo-exclusive website and Stampin' Connection, SU!'s online community
• Monthly subscription to Stampin' Success, a Stampin' Up publication full of ideas and information, delivered right to your mailbox
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• Pre-order products from the Occasions Mini Catalog and Sale-A-Bration catalogs BEFORE they launch (pre-order begins 12/1/10)
• This offer can quickly and easily be ordered online, through my website, click here.

This special only lasts for 2 short weeks (11/15-11/30). If you are interested or have any questions, contact me ASAP. Send an email to: annemariehile@satx.rr.com. 

As mentioned above, everything can be done online through my Stampin' Up! website. It's fast and extremely easy to do. This deal really is as AMAZING as it sounds! There is no "catch". You can keep everything in the Starter Kit for this price even if you decide you don't want to do anything else. If you would want to continue to get your discount and other demo-exclusives (or continue to build your SU! business) after March 31, 2011, you would need to have $300 in sales to qualify. That $300 in sales would also include any purchases you personally make (not including your Starter Kit). So, for $87.50 you receive all of the product and a no further obligation trial of Stampin' Up! for a little more then 4 months. Why not try it out and see if it's something you would enjoy??


(PS: This would also be a great thing to talk to Santa about for your EARLY Christmas gift! Hmmm...)

Have a great day today!

Punched Paper Roses

Hello and Happy Thursday! Happy Veteran's Day, too! What a great day to recognize all of those amazing people who have served and continue to serve, to keep our country and our freedom safe, including my sweet husband. This week has been busier then usual with our little "house-guest" who joined us Sunday. (see previous post) He's still here and there is a little update at the end of this post. 

On to my card. When I saw this week's challenge at The Color Throwdown, I instantly knew I wanted to play along. This one is going into the "favorites" file, thanks CTD team! :)

I also was inspired by this cute sketch at the "Just Us Girls" Challenge blog and decided this card was screamin' for a big 3-D blossom! 

I have seen these paper roses on many blogs, so I'm not sure who to give credit to for actually "inventing" them. Here is the link to the great tutorial I used to make mine from Lady and the Stamp. All you need is a Scalloped Circle Punch, some paper, a paper piercer and an eyelet. So simple! For my flower, I used 6 circles, 4 from Cherry Cobbler card stock and 2 from Crumb Cake (aka: Kraft) card stock. After I had it all scrunched and assembled, I used more Vanilla Shimmer Smooch Spritz then one person probably should. Then decided that it just wasn't enough and added some Champagne glitter to the petals and into the center of the flower. 


I really wanted this card to have a TON of different textures and I really like the end result. All of the supplies I used are listed at the end of the post. 

 Once again, I used up some of the left-over scraps to decorate the inside:

Yes, this is another featured card in my "Cards Too Big for an Envelope" series. However, I FINALLY figured out a way to showcase these "chunky greetings" for gift-giving. I simply purchased a bunch of inexpensive, basic brown gift bags. I then added the card to the front and *POOF*,  fabulous, hand-made, gift packaging! I attached the card to the bag with 4 clear photo squares on each corner of the card. This way it could be easily removed by the recipient to read and enjoy. Thanks to this idea, I also realized that I have a "tissue paper shortage" in my house, right now...eeek! That's why the top of the bag is so naked. Glad I figured that out before starting to wrap those holiday gifts!  Back to the store I go...

Here is a quick update on "Schnauzer-Gate". It is Day 4 and we aren't any closer to finding this little guy's family. I have given my phone number to more people then I can count. He is posted on numerous rescue sites. We aren't giving up yet! Although after talking to a lot of people, we are starting to think he may have been "dropped-off" in the neighborhood because his owners didn't want him anymore. :( For now though, he is still pretty comfortable. Especially after discovering the dog toy basket. 

Stampin' Up! Supply List: 

Stamps: Teeny Tiny Wishes, With All My Heart  (flower on inside)

Ink: Cherry Cobbler and Crumb Cake(to distrsss flower stem) classic inks

Paper: Cherry Cobbler, Crumb Cake and Soft Suede card stock

Accessories: Scalloped Circle punch (paper rose), 1 3/8" x 5/8" Oval punch, 1 3/4" x 7/8" Oval punch, 3/4" Circle punch (inside) 1" Circle punch, Swirls and Scribbles Sizzlits Die (flower stem), Finial Press embossing folder, Square Lattice embossing folder, Vanilla Shimmer Smooch Spritz (flower and Soft Suede background), Fine Galaxy Stampin' Glitter in Champagne, Soft Suede polka dot ribbon (retired) and pearls

Non SU! Accessories: border punch

Birthday Lanterns

Hello and Happy Monday! I hope you are enjoying the start to your week. I am posting this WAY later then I had originally planned because today has been interesting so far, to say the least. I will save it for the end of the post, but I am officially dubbing today, Day 1 of "Schnauzer-Gate"! More to follow...

When I saw the photo for this week's color challenge at The Play Date Cafe, I immediately was inspired to break out my Kimono Kids stamp set. Those lanterns in the photo are F-U-N! (I spell things out when I get excited, haha!)

The sketch was based on this week's challenge from Operation Write Home Stars and Stamps blog. But when I realized the lantern image was too large, I had to flip the sketch on it's side. Still works, right? 

My color combo was Cajun Craze, Certainly Celery and Whisper White. Although you can't really see it in these photos, I heat-embossed the lanterns in black to make them a little easier to color in. I also embossed the background with two different textures to play off the lanterns. 

To color in my lanterns, I used my Blender Pens and Classic Ink Pads along with a product I have not used up until now: Smooch Pearlized Accent Ink in Gold Lame'. I was so excited when this stuff appeared in the catalog that I bought every color. Thought it was time to finally give it a try. I thought it gave a cool effect.  

Next, I embossed the sentiment in gold and added some Gold Elastic Cord (ret.) to add a little more sparkle. Then popped on a few pearls for fun. I also used some of the scraps laying on my desk to dress-up the inside of the card. 

Okay, now moving on to "Schnauzer-Gate". Yesterday early in the day, the little guy below appeared on our cul-de-sac. He wasn't wearing a collar and seemed pretty scared. Every time I tried to approach him, he ran away. Fast forward to me taking out the trash late last night where I saw him again, shivering in my driveway. I finally got him to come to me and decided to bring him inside. The plan was to keep him in the downstairs bathroom...but after giving him some food and water and seeing how sweet he was, I couldn't leave him there. He slept on a little blanket on the floor of our bedroom and surprisingly gets along with the other fur-kids pretty well. Well, except for Benjamin but he is my little diva, so that wasn't too shocking. 

Today, I took him to our vet to see if he was micro-chipped. (He's not.) Then I called all of the vet's close to our house and left my number. My husband and I are going to walk around and talk to some more neighbors later tonight. But for now, he is staying with us. It has become a quest to find his owners. Stay tuned...

Thanks for visiting today! 
Happy Stamping, 

Paper Players Challenge #23--Snow Friends

Happy, happy Sunday! I am so super-excited for this post, as it is my first post as a guest designer for the month over at The Paper Players. Lesley's challenge for the week is all about "Snowmen". I don't know about you, but I just love Snowmen. They are such happy little folks! For my card, I decided to get a little "punchy" and create my own little snowy friends. 

I used a trio of circle punches to make these little friends. I tried to add lots of little details to make them "shine". I have to admit, I was channeling my inner North Dakota vibe on this one. (I lived there for 3 years.) Even though it has been chilly here in Texas lately (33 degrees at night), NOTHING reminds you of a blustery winter quite like North Dakota. That was my inspiration for the layered, sparkly snow. I have vivid memories of a -55 degree wind-chill (brrr!) in that part of the country. Guess what? When it is THAT cold and windy, snow always sparkles. Not kidding! 

I wanted to try a different ribbon treatment then the usual knot or bow and somehow it came out looking like that Ribbon Candy that used to be so popular at Christmas time. Remember that? If not, here is a link from Wikipedia. Also there is a close-up of my punched heart with  added glitter and a "top-coat" of Crystal Effects. I was trying to mimic the polka dots on the DSP. 

I also embossed the snowflake patterned DSP with the Perfect Polka Dots folder then lightly sanded the raised dots to create some "flurries" in this snowy scene. The photo below really shows the sparkle from the Vanilla Shimmer Smooch Spritz I sprayed on the snowflake background and the 2 snow-friends. I found that if you spray enough, it actually gets some dimension and starts to look very much like "real" snow. Of course, it was also all over my hands by this point and the effect started to become more "itchy" then "snowy" on me! Eeek! Quick trip to wash, wash, wash...

...and I'm BACK! Here is the view of the card, inside and out. Thanks to that fantastic, polka dot DSP, it was perfectly coordinated. 

Below is a close-up shot of the inside. Perfect for a little note to send to a special friend.

Stampin' Up! Supply List: 
Stamps: Teeny Tiny Wishes (sentiment)
Paper: Baja Breeze, Real Red, Whisper White card stock and Candy Cane Christmas DSP (Holiday Mini)
Ink: Real Red Craft ink
Accessories: 3/4" Circle punch, 1" Circle punch, 1 1/4" Circle punch, Corner Rounder punch, Word Window punch, felt snowflake (retired), Heart to Heart XL punch, Double Circle punch (retired, for eyes and snowman buttons), Vanilla Shimmer Smooch Spritz, Dazzling Diamonds glitter, Jewels, Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder, Crystal Effects (snowman buttons, eyes and heart), Clear Embossing powder, The Tearing Edge, Fine Galaxy Glitter in Red, Jewels and felt snowflakes (retired). 
Non-SU! Accessories: black twine (snowman arms), snowman "noses" are completely my creation (Eeeek!)  and red ribbon

Thanks for taking a peek! Please take a moment to share a comment and let me know what you think. I sincerely appreciate all of your feedback and it truly makes my day! Please come play along at The Paper Players this week with YOUR snowman creation! 


Happy Stampin',

Feel the Love

Hello and Happy Friday! Whew, what a week! I have been, pretty much, missing in "creative action" since Monday. I have had a crazy busy week and in the process, have also been battling a nasty cold. Needless to say, I haven't had a ton of free time. Last night I decided to try to get back into the swing of things and head to my craft room. I created this card based on the sketch below from Mercy's Tuesday Sketch Challenge:

I'm also submitting this one to the "Anything Goes" challenge by Nance over at The Paper Players. I am so excited that starting Sunday, I will be sharing my very first project as a "guest designer" for the month. I sure hope you will come check it out and play along. It's going to be a lot of fun! :)

I haven't used my Artistic Etchings set in a while and actually wanted to try something other then a fall or holiday card to get my creative mojo back. I used Riding Hood Red, Basic Black and Very Vanilla to create this LOVE-ly card. I suppose the card could really be used for Valentine's Day, a wedding or even an anniversary. 

I embossed both of the pieces of Love Letter DSP and the Basic Black panel with the Square Lattice embossing folder for added texture. Then the whole base layer was "smooched" with a kiss of Vanilla Shimmer Smooch Spritz. The Eiffel Tower was heat embossed with Basic Black craft ink and clear embossing powder. I added 2 layers of 1/2" back lace trim to the right side of the stamped image. Hmmm, I actually think I should have ruffled that up, too (it looks so "flat" in the photo). Oh well! I also "dirtied" up the edges of the Very Vanilla card stock layers so it looked a little more vintage. 

The scrunched gingham ribbon was really easy to do thanks to this awesome tutorial from Ann Schach. I topped it off with a vintage brad backed by a 3/4" circle of Riding Hood Red. I felt like it needed another final detail so I attached 3 black Glimmer Brads to finish it off.

Of course, I couldn't neglect the inside of the card, so the "AMOUR" continued with the help of 3 punched hearts. 

I also was able to get together with my friend Sarah this week. She is very new to the whole "stampin' world" but she created the following card and I really wanted to share it.  This is the third card she has ever made, actually. She even decorated the inside and added a cute little purse made from punches. She also seems to have an affection for sparkly bling! I think she did a great job! :)

Stampin' Up! Supply List: 

Stamps: Artistic Etchings

Paper: Riding Hood Red, Basic Black, Very Vanilla card stock and Love Letters DSP

Ink: Riding Hood Red classic ink, Basic Black craft ink and Basic Black classic ink (for distressing)

Accesssories: Square Lattice embossing folder, Vintage Brad, Heart-to-Heart XL punch (inside), Vanilla Smooch Spritz, 1/2" Lace Trim in Raven (Holiday Mini), Glimmer Brads (Holiday Mini), 3/4" circle punch, Clear embossing powder, Scallop Trim Border punch and gingham ribbon (retired)

Non-SU! Accessories: border punch (inside) and thread for scrunched ribbon

Thanks for stopping by! 
Enjoy your day, 

Awesome Aviary

Happy Monday and Happy November! I am starting out the first day of the month with a cold! Ahh-Choo! Hello, Alka-Seltzer Cold and Flu...we have become great friends today. Such a bummer, as I even had to cancel dinner plans with a friend tonight. :(  Between sneezes and sniffles this morning, I had to whip up a card to get in the mail today. 

I used this sketch challenge from Pals Paper Arts:

Then mixed it up with this awesome color combo from The Color Dare (on time this week, phew!):

Color Dare #82

Daffodil Delight

Night of Navy

Old Olive

After making 30+ cards with the Aviary stamp set last month (for a swap), I was a wee bit burned-out on the cuteness of the set. I knew it wouldn't be long though before I wanted to bust out these little birds again. I think it's the chubby, little owl that makes me love this set so much. 

The Word Window punched sentiment (from the FYI set) landed there completely on accident. I originally decided to stamp the sentiment directly on the white card stock and wouldn't you know it, I stamped it crooked. Grrr, I hate it when that happens! I decided NOT to give into my OCD tendencies and re-stamp the whole bird image again. I just went with a different approach. I ended up really liking the look of the sentiment embossed in white, so I will just pretend I meant to do it all along. But since I already shared it, the secret is out...whoops! I blame the cold meds. ;)


For some final touches I rounded all of the corners to play off the round bird-cages (and that chunky owl, HaHa!) I added a fun flower and some sparkle to keep things bright and happy. Then I thought it would be cute to bust the bird friends out of their cages on the inside. Hope you like it! :) 

Stampin' Up! Supply List:
Stamps: Aviary, FYI (sentiment)
Paper: Daffodil Delight, Old Olive, Night of Navy, Whisper White card stock and Welcome Neighbor DSP (retired)
Ink: Daffodil Delight, Nght of Navy classic ink, Versa-mark (for sentiment)
Accessories: Scalloped Border punch, Word Window punch, 1" circle punch, Corner Rounder punch, Ribbon Originals "Mistletoe" (retired), Daffodil Delight 3/8" Taffeta ribbon (on the inside) and white embossing powder.


Non-SU! Accessories: paper flower and green jewels

Thanks for stopping by! 
Have an AWESOME day,