FM45: Penguins!

So here is the "Mashup" Challenge :

1. Make a project using the "Spotlighting Technique".  
2. Or Make a project featuring "Penguins".  
3. Or "Mash it Up" and create a project featuring "Penguins using the Spotlighting Technique". 

How fun is this new challenge from Lisa at The Friday Mashup?   I think my pregnancy brain lost the spotlighting technique as I traveled from the living room to my stamp room, but I did remember the penguin!  My husband and I are big penguin fans, so it made me happy to make this card.   A local friend had asked me to make a card for her to give to a friend for their birthday and it just so happened that she wanted a penguin one!   Perfect, right?   Two birds, one stone thingy.   I found this lovely card by one of my favorite stampers, Teneale Williams and used it as my inspiration starting point.  

Now while I'm not a fan of pink, I LOVE me some purple.  I really love purple paired with green!   The pretty paper from the Cheerful Treat hostess pack was just perfect for that combination.   I didn't have any penguin stamps that were big enough, but the owl punch and a bit of surgery made a pretty passable penguin I think.   A bit of bling, some yummy ribbon, and a button finish it off and add those extra touches that really make a handmade card special.  

I hope you'll join us this week at the Mashup with either a lovely penguin card of your own, perhaps a spotlighted card, or if you are an overachiever, a mashed up card featuring both!   :)    Also be sure to submit your idea for an upcoming Fan Favorite challenge!   We'd love to see how you'd mash it up! 

Club Thank Yous

Out for Delivery!!!  Don't we love those words?   I get so excited and have to contain myself ALL day because my UPS man doesn't come until dinner time.   Well, unless he has an order with my stuff in it and then he doesn't come until 7.  Not sure what's up with that!    Anyway...   today's package contains my orders for this month's club, so I made up these cute little notes with matching envelopes to tuck in their orders.   The envelopes were so easy using the new diagonal scoring plate for the Simpy Scored.    Three more weeks and you can get your hands on that baby!  :)

Keep On Rockin'

Look familiar?  :)   I loved our sketch at Freshly Made Sketches so much this week that I made 2 cards!  This one isn't clean like the other one though.   As I was making the first one I knew I wanted to do another one in some boyish colors but add in a bit of distressing.   I hope it doesn't look too Halloweenish.   I did use the retired DSP from the last Holiday Mini, so it probably does.  :)   Hopefully there is a Halloween fan out there who will appreciate a birthday card in black and orange.   Gotta use up all that paper somehow!

FMS21: Rock On!

It's time for another fun sketch challenge from Freshly Made Sketches!  We had an amazing 75 entries last week!   I can't to see how many beautiful creations we get to see this week.  I am happy to say that I had a fun time creating my card for this challenge.   Yay!   It's the first time in a while that I've enjoyed stamping.    I think that was due in part to Lesley's great sketch, so thanks my friend.  

Isn't this a fun card?  I sell my cards locally in a children's consignment shop, so I try to keep some child and teen birthday cards in stock.    I think Grunge Rock is a perfect teen stamp set and one that I also LOVE using.   It is strange because it isn't my style at all, but I just adore it!   I am thankful that Stampin' Up! put it on sale and tempted me to buy it.  :)   I've definitely gotten some use out of it.  I also used some of the hostess designer paper that I've had for a while.  It is gorgeous paper and perfect for girly cards.  

Stamps:  Grunge Rock, July the Fourth

Ink:  Melon Mambo, Concord Crush

Paper:  Melon Mambo, Concord Crush, Whisper White, Cheerful Treat Hostess DSP

Tools/Accessories:  Big Shot, Scallop Circles #2 die, 3 inch circle die, Basic Rhinestones

Before I sign off, I thought I'd share these adorable Valentine's towels that my club hostess brought me last month.  I love my ladies, so it made me tear up a bit when she gave them to me and thanked me for being a wonderful demonstrator.   I waited a long time to get enough customers to get a club together but they made it well worth the wait.   They get along so well and our meetings are always full of fun...and eating.  :)  

MDS Monday

As I was sitting and catching up on the news this morning, I decided to pull up My Digital Studio and start a swatch book for my little girl.  I love these cute little books and think they will make nice gifts for family members this year.   :)  It only took a few minutes to put together and I love that I can go back and change up the colors or elements without tearing the page apart!

If you think you'd like to try My Digital Studio, you can...for FREE!   Stampin' Up! is giving everyone a free 30 trial of My Digital Studio Express!   All you need to do is visit my website and download it today.

With the FREE trial, you’ll get:

• Full access to the software at NO COST for 30 days.
• Full design functionality.
• Exclusive artwork that comes with My Digital Studio Express. See included content here.
• Opportunity to purchase additional downloads from designer templates to stamp brush sets--and everything in between.
• Access to our professional print services.

Once your trial period expires, simply contact me to purchase the downloadable or disc version of the software to continue enjoying My Digital Studio.

If you'd like to see tons of examples, watch some how-to videos, or connect with other MDS users, you can visit MyDigitalStudio.net for all that and more!  

February Stamp Club

Tonight was my monthly stamp club and we had some fun projects to make!  The first was another card inspired by my super duper creative friend Kathy.   I think this design is seriously one of my favorite cards ever and now I'm hooked on making them.   I wish I could hug her for sharing such a great idea!

Next we tried a new technique called the Grid Technique or Faux Tile.   I love showing off my Simply Scored tool and it is such a perfect way to do that.   This card also features a lot of the Sale-a-Bration products that are free with each $50 order right now!

Finally, with it being February, I just had to make a cute little treat holder!   I had pinned one by Jill Hilliard that I loved and I came up with a version using some of the supplies that I had.  

Finally, as it was the last month of this session of club, I made up some little treat boxes full of chocolate for each of the members.   They are such a fun group of ladies and bring so much joy with them each month.   I have been really blessed to have them as my customers.    We do have one spot open in the new club that will start next month, so contact me if you are interested in joining.  :)  We'd love to have you.  

(Ugh.  I had to take these pictures in a hurry because I needed to finish cleaning before everyone arrived tonight.  Sorry for how icky they are!)

FM44: All You Need is LOVE

So here is the "Mashup" Challenge :

1. Make a project using the "Inspiration Photo".
2. Or Make a project using the colors "Cherry Cobbler, Regal Rose & Whisper White".
3. Or "Mash it Up" and create a project "Inspired by the photo using the colors Cherry Cobbler, Regal Rose & Whisper White".

I love John Lennon and the Beatles and do a lot of crafting to their music!  I love Holly's graphic for this challenge.  :)   Heidi is our hostess with the mostest at The Friday Mashup this week and she gave us a color combination and/or inspiration picture to work with.  I think I mashed it up, but not exactly sure?  LOL  

I must have been thinking about this challenge earlier this week when I tried using Regal Rose.   I was NOT happy when I saw that I had to try it again!  For some reason it seemed easier to use this time and and I kinda like my project.   I thought it turned out really cute!   I might put chocolate in it and give it myself.  :)

Just for fun, look what I got in the mail from my mom today:

Is that not THE MOST GIGANTIC sock monkey ever??  I was having a major breakdown and he really cheered me up.   I figure he's so big that he might can function as my pregnancy pillow pretty soon!   :)  

FMS20: Pink Flower

I can't believe we are on sketch #20 at Freshly Made Sketches!   It feels like we started the challenges just yesterday.  Lesley is our hostess this week and challenged us for sure!   It took me a long time and a lot of tears to get my card made this week.   I have really been struggling creatively and have wanted to lock the door on my stamp room and never go back in lately.   I hope that feeling goes away soon as stamping is supposed to be fun, right?!  

Anyway, here is what I came up with this week:

I decided to try and make an A2 card with the sketch as I don't own any long, skinny envelopes.  Maybe that was my first mistake?   The second was using Regal Rose.   I told you guys that I don't like pink and I wasn't kidding!   It made me SOOO grumpy!!   I am determined to work on the idea for this one again one day as I think it does have potential.  I just need to do something with the vanilla parts of it; perhaps replacing the First Edition paper with plain vanilla card stock that's embossed or something?   We'll see.  For now I'm done thinking about it!

Be sure you got check out the blog and the other design team cards.  They all did a great job and I think you'll find their projects inspiring.