CCAT3 - Style a While in Paris...

I just love that little Eiffel Tower!  Someday I'll see the real thing...
sigh...

This design was made for the Crafty Catwalk Challenge CCAT3 - Style a While.  The challenge is to create something shimmery on a dark background.  I chose the set, Artstic Etchings, to give me an elegant, classy image.  The image itself has such detail, that I chose to keep the rest of the card clean and simple (not a bad thing when stamping time is limited).

Thanks for stopping by.  I would love to know what you think!  Have a day filled with amour!

Faux Pearls

Maybe you are looking at your pearls and wondering if you should save them a little longer... maybe you meant to purchase some for your next project.  Whatever the case, here's a way to add as many pearls as your heart desires.

How to Make Faux Pearls
Step 1:  Add a drop of your white gel pen where you want your pearl.

Step 2:  Apply a drop of Crystal Effects on top of the white gel pen application.

Step 3:  Allow to dry before handling.

Step 4:  Finalize your project:

CCAT2 - Use What Ya' Got and Delicious Faux Pearls

Crafty Catwalk Challenge

Yes, I collect pretty paper.  Well, I don't mean to collect it, I purchase it, but then find it too pretty to use.  Crazy, I know.  Do you have this affliction?  Then, stop by the Crafty Catwalk and take this challenge!  It's fun and gives you an excuse to Use What Ya' Got!

Inspired by Miu Miu's sunglasses, the challenge here is to use your designer paper as a frame for the focal image of your project. 

Crafty Catwalk Challenge

So what's a girl to do when she wants pearls, but spends most of her money on pretty paper?  Make faux pearls, of course!  I really wanted the little flowers to pop off and on the card, so I folded the petals upward, adhered them with foam dimensionals, and added... my own faux pearls!

Discovering this technique, to me, was delightful... no... rather... delicious!  So, I am also including this as part of a SCS challenge CAS82:  Be inspired by the word "delicious."

I'll try to post tomorrow the how-to for making these faux pearls - so easy - so fun!  Thanks for stopping by!

CCAT1 - Crafty Catwalk Launch

Visit with some friends and hop over to the 1st Crafty Catwalk Challenge.  Here is my take on  first color challenge with the use of these fabulous Fall colors:

• Pacific Point, 
• Chocolate Chip and 
• More Mustard

...colors pulled from a Chico's outfit.  

I cannot believe Autumn is around the corner.  And, while I probably would not have thought to put these colors together, I certainly enjoy the bold Fall flair that it shows-off.  After all, if Chico's can do it, it can be done, right?!

I love to sponge - I think it adds a lot of dimension. So, I might have gotten carried away with the sponge on the edges of the card and in the butterfly.  I added a touch of white crayon inside of the Style Beautiful/Butterfly -- it's very subtle, can you see it?

Style Beautiful Stamp Set:

For added dimension, I layered the beautiful sheer white organza ribbon on top of the espresso satin ribbon. The ribbons are nestled behind the awesome new Decorative Label Punch (120907) that is soon to debut in Stampin' Up's Holiday Mini Catalog.  What a cute shape!

Well, join us, won't you?  You never know - you could be the next Top Model on the Crafty Catwalk!

Snowflakes in Summer - Isn't Life Beautiful?

Isn't summer grand? All I can think of in the Winter is how nice it will be to be by the pool, ocean, sunshine... And, here's what I can think of in the summer... snowflakes! I followed a SCS challenge here. Give it a try... Snowflakes in Summer! It's quite refreshing :)

Cardstock: Bashful Blue, Crumb Cake, Natural White, Basic Black
Stamp Set: Style Beautiful, Serene Snowflakes
Other: snowflake punch & pearl

March Madness Stamp-A-Stack

If you missed Stamp-Camp-March-Madness, you can view our projects below. I hope you can join the fun next time. The next stamp camp will be in April - to be announced. I hope these designs can inspire you to make your next creation - send me a picture of what you create! Happy stamping!
Clean and Simple had a layout sketch which inspired this:

This last design was inspired by a beautiful card I found online - but cannot remember from where. My apologies for not giving proper credit, yet...

Totally Terrific Tiny Tags! PPA34-A Sketch Challenge

Doesn't the tiny tag make the card? Attach it to a square and you have a cute shopper! Anyway, love my new toy. Inspired by the PPA sketch. Let me know what you think...

Stamp-A-Stack Warm-Up

Warming up for the next stamp camp of simple and quick cards. These are a few designs that did not make the cut...




To see the best use of the new border and corner punches, check out this video from Stampin Up:

Definitely Decorative Canisters

After remodeling the kitchen, I wanted to add some clean-looking (to match the rest of the house, of course... ha!) canisters for the counter. I found simple white canisters at Pier 1 - but often felt that they were too clean. So, I had ordered these Definitely Decorative canister designs from SU! and dirtied my counters a bit...

There are a few steps, so I thought I would outline them here, so you could see how simple it would be to decorate anything from walls to glass to just about any smooth surface. Too fun to apply! My DS is the hand model (and, incidentally, the voice of Rex in the voki above) while I took the photos:

1. Trim the design, if needed. Begin peeling away the sticky background from the protective sheet.


2. Peel away the protective sheet, making sure that the vinyl design remains on the sticky sheet. The image will appear in reverse (i.e. mirror image).


3. "Stick" the full sheet design to a smooth surface.


4. Use a flat tool (SU! sells one) to press the image and seal it, completely, to the smooth surface.


5. Very slowly, peel away the sticky sheet from the surface, leaving the design on the smooth surface.



6. Voila!

C'mon Spring - PPA31

Nothing like a good snow storm (dreaming of Spring) to spend time in my stamping studio - well, more like an area for a garage sale attraction, but soon...

Head on over to Paper Pal Arts, if you are looking for some Springtime inspiration! What a nice discovery. Here's a challenge that they offered, and wow, did I suddenly miss my Kiwi Kiss cardstock! Thankfully I had discovered a stash that was lovingly tucked away.

Click Play To Hear Rex's Message

Kraftin' a Valentine

Love that kraft cardstock with red and black. Once again trying to stick with a clean and simple look - time is limited - and all that...

Thanks for stopping by.

Happy Valen-Birthday!

With birthdays so close to Valentine's Day, why not add some hearts? Tried to keep this one clean and simple. Hope it's not too bare. Thanks for stopping by.

Snowy Penguins

Well, with all this snow, it seemed fitting to make some snowy greetings. Love that little penguin (from the winter mini catalog), but still sooo cute, right?!

Thanks for stopping by.

Happy President's Day

Another fine day to celebrate! Sunny, snowy, serene. Want a card challenge? Check out this President's Day challenge! Fun!

And look at Mr. Curious. I've got to watch this little guy... he's showing more of an interest in chewing on my supplies... gasp... or... maybe he wants to stamp?

Distressed Flower

Well, I don't think I would have picked these colors on a typical card, which is why I loved this color challenge - really made me stretch. They seemed perfect for a distressed look. Here's my attempt at a vintageeey looking flower. Not sure you can see, but each layer is stamped with En Francais.

Purple Makes Me Happy!

Feeling odd today? Try this challenge (WT257) on SCS! I love using that Le Jardin stamp set - guess I need to break out some of my other sets...

Happy Snow Day!

Snow days can be such a gift! My boys and I got to slide down the hillside under a beautiful sunny blue sky. And, I even had a chance to stamp again! Here's a little Ghirardelli® chocolate box for Valentine's Day gift giving. What a fun and quick treat to make. See the tutorial here.


I think Rex would like one of these boxes... There he is lurking in the background...

Thanks for stopping by!