Build a Holiday Background

Today is my last Monday as All That Scraps Guest Designer. I have had a blast this month. A HUGE Thank you to Amy and Christine for the opportunity and to the other DT members for making me feel so welcome.

Here is my last sneak peek at the new Amy R. sets being released tonight at ATS. I wanted to do something a little funky with this one. I kept thinking as I was using the images over the last few days, what great backgrounds they would make. So I made my own funky background paper.


The white squares are embossed to give them a little pop. I know it is super simple but I really like it. You could do this in any color combo and dress it up for a teen or guy's card. I have the most difficulties with those two types of cards, but I think this would be great.


So that is it. Make sure you check out all of the DT samples on the ATS Blog. All 3 of these awesome sets are going to be available tonight at 10:00 over at ATS.

Holiday Trees

Here is another sneak peek at the newest stamps from Amy R. Available tomorrow night at All That Scraps.

This card uses the triangle image to make a row of Christmas trees. The 3 different sized trees were all stamped and cut out then added to my glittery background. I stamped the trucks on the background prior to glittering.

I tried something new to glitter my background. I saw on "Martha" the other day that she ran her paper through her Xyron machine to apply the adhesive. Then she added the glitter. It really did make a perfect glittered background. Nice and smooth and best of all EASY! hard to photograph because it is so smooth but oh so nice.

This card took only a couple of minutes to make. With Amy's stamps you could easily make a bunch of these for your Holiday Cards.

The Holiday Greetings image is also from a new set of Amy's called Christmas Sentiments. Both of these along with Christmas Card Verses are being released tomorrow night at All That Scraps. For now go check out what the Design Team did with these sets and be sure to enter to win your very own Christmas Card Verses! This set is going to be a must have!

Build a Holiday Flower

Today I wanted to share the flower that I made using the soon to be released Build a Holiday set by Amy R. Stamps. It will be available at All That Scraps on Monday at 10:00 pm.

So if you have seen the DT samples with this set you already know that you can make just about anything with these images. Snowmen, reindeer, flowers... the sky is the limit. The first thing I set out to make when I received this set was a flower.

I started by stamping all 3 of the "petal" sizes onto a nice thick white card stock and colored them with copics. Water colors would be nice too. I cut out all of the shapes and arranged them starting with the largest petals at the bottom and ending with the smallest petals on the top. A few extra of the largest petals were colored green for leaves. A little white gel pen for detail, some small green beads for the flower center and voila, done.

I thought this flower would make a great package topper. I actually used a paper grocery bag to wrap my gift (I would love to wrap all of my gifts for Christmas this way) wrapped it with some red ribbon and added the flower. Every gift needs a tag so I used an image from Holiday Sentiments (also being released Monday) to make the tag.

As I was doing this I thought what a bummer that this flower might be tossed in the trash after the recipient opened the gift. So I attached everything using just a small amount of tape. That way all parts can be easily removed and the ribbon can be attached to the flower and used as an ornament for the tree next year. Another idea would be to add a pin back to the flower and it would make a great broach. Or a hair accessory, ok you get the idea it can really be used a bunch of ways.

Thanks for checking in today. I will be back tomorrow with another card made with Build a Holiday. Don't forget to check out the ATS blog to see what else the DT made and enter to win Holiday Sentiments from Amy R. Stamps.

New Amy R. Stamps

This is the first sneak peek I have for you using the newest stamps from Amy R Stamps. First let me just say that this set Build a Holiday is only limited by your imagination. You should go see what the design team did with this. Oh yea, while your are there, make sure you enter to win this set.

I wanted to keep this card as antique looking as possible. I love it! I used the circle images from the set to make some ornaments. I stamped the ornaments onto pattern paper and cut them out. Then I did the crackled glass technique on them. You can see how to do this here. Can I just tell you how much fun this was. I might have had a bit too much fun cracking them though because some of the cracks are a bit deep and well they almost fell apart.

For the hangers I glued a Hershey's Kiss wrapper (yes a candy wrapper) to a piece of card stock, to make them more sturdy and then stamped the hanger onto the wrapper. I cut them out and then stained them up a bit with a brown copic. A little bit of hemp cording finished off the ornaments.

I used an Ornare piercing template to make the swirls near each ornament. It needed something but I am quite sure that glitter and bling wouldn't have given me the antique feeling I was going for.

I tried to rough up my Peace image a bit by wiping some of the ink off prior to stamping, should have taken a bit more off. This Peace image is from another Amy R. set being released on Monday at All That Scraps. Just wait until you see these sets.

Don't forget to visit the ATS blog to see what the DT did and enter to win you very own Build a Holiday. I'll be back tomorrow with another peek.

ATS Challenge - Ribbon Inspiration

For a girl who loves ribbon this challenge should have been a breeze right? ERR, wrong answer. I guess I usually pick my ribbon after I make my card because starting with ribbon really threw me. That is why the call it a challenge!

I fussed over this for a week and finally just grabbed an American Crafts ribbon (how can you go wrong with American Crafts after all). I used the colors from the ribbon to color the bear from My Rubber Ducky.

I stamped the rubber ducky with Versamark on the upper panel, just to create a little pattern up there.

Like I said I struggled with this one but I really like how the the bear and ducky turned out and had to use them cause their just so cute. Can't leave all that cuteness just laying around.

I will be back tomorrow, (in between baking 4 apple pies for a bake sale), with something that I had a much easier time with. Until then go check out what everyone else did for this challenge (and all of the others) in the All That Scraps Gallery. While your at it get your stuff loaded up there. You might be next month's Guest Designer.

Go Prehistoric x3

This is my third week as the Guest Designer over at All That Scraps. I loved Eric and Chrissy Go Prehistoric from the minute I opened the package. So today I have 3 cards made with that set but also using at least one other CC Designs set.

This card uses the dino image from Go Prehistoric and the balloons and party hat from Froggy and Friends. I used a bit of embroidery floss to tie the balloons to his tail. I also combined sentiments from both sets to create my "have a dino-mite Birthday!" greeting.

This next card was in my brain for a while before I was finally able to drag it out. This is the volcano image from Go Prehistoric and Lucky from Wintertime Fun. There is a ton of glitter on this baby. I also used some puff paint on the "mountains" but being impatient as I am I didn't allow enough time for it to dry and I smooshed it nearly flat. Oops!

And this last card uses 3 sets from CC Designs. The palm tree is from Go Prehistoric, the Relax and Unwind saying is from My Rubber Ducky and the monkey in the tube is from Summertime Fun. I was going for the "wish you were here postcard" kind of look instead I got "the girl has now idea how to use watercolors look". LOL! This was my first attempt as coloring with watercolor pencils and Peerless watercolors. It was fun, I just really need more practice, clearly.

But back to my original point... the palm tree goes perfectly with the Summertime Fun set.

Thanks for checking in today. Don't forget there is a new challenge every Wednesday in the ATS forum. Take part in any of the challenges and you could be next month's Guest Designer.

Hey chick...

Well I have missed a few days.. where does the time go? Seriously! Actually I have been making cards like crazy the last few days. Mostly some Christmas cards.

Tyler and I had a road trip on Friday to a new-to-me stamp store. He was so good. It helped that the owner of the store kept him occupied looking at her dogs and the funny stamps while I shopped. Then I had printed him his very own 40% off coupon for AC Moore and he got to pick out a new train for his train track. These trains are great. He has a giant basket of wooden tracks, bridges, overpasses, buildings and trains. He plays with them all the time (please excuse the messy house in the photo). If you are looking for a great gift for a little person in your life, check out these trains. I have been collecting the track for him since he was about a year old. He still needs a little help creating a big track but he plays for hours with it. The Brio and Thomas wooden tracks will work together and you can see a bunch of them here. I have nothing to do with any of these companies but when I find a great toy I like to pass the word around and these are some of the best ever. They are tough (trust me, I know) and they are great for the imagination (ok I admit it I like to play with them too). I am actually getting a starter set for my cousin's little boy for Christmas.

No that I have that out of my system I've got a quick card I made with Annabelle. The sentiment "Hey chick, what's moo?" totally cracks me up. So I put the little chick sitting in Annabelle's hand. Just a quick card to say hey to someone and give them a little chuckle. The colors went a little springy on me but I guess I was needing a change from all of the fall and Christmas colors.

Don't look too close... my grey copic that I use to shadow went all weird and glomped up all over. Oh well Annabelle's cuteness makes up for it. :)

I will be back tomorrow with more CC Designs. Don't forget to check out the ATS forum for the latest challenge you could be next months Guest Designer.

Christopher and Olivia in PJs

This has to be quick today. Tyler has a friend over and right now they are supposed to be sleeping. LOL, that is not going to happen. So in just a few minutes I have to go let them get up and just try to keep them quiet for a few more minutes.

But anyway...

This is Pajama Christopher, now available at All that Scraps. I paper pieced his PJs. The pattern paper is from a Making Memories FaLaLa scrapbook pad. I couldn't resist the snowflakes.

Info:
Stamps: CC Designs - Pajama ChristopherInk: PalettePaper: Making Memories - FaLaLa, Papertrey Ink - VIntage Cream, Dark Chocolate
Other Stuff: Prismacolor Pencils

And this is Pajama Oliva, also available at All That Scraps. Her pigtails are just adorable. I paper peiced her bows and PJs from the same Making Memories polka dot paper. I cut out the Olivia image with a nestie and sponged a little bit of pink around her while still in the die. This creates a nice crisp outline.

Info:
Stamps: CC Designs - Pajama Olivia
Ink: Palette

Paper: Making Memories - Holiday mat stack, Papertrey Ink - Sweet Blush & Stampers Select, Bazzill

Other Stuff: Primsacolor Pencils, Nestabilities, ribbon and buttons.

Well the boys are beyond the point where a nap will be helpful at this point. Guess plan B is to lay quiet on the couch and watch PBS cartoons. Hey at least they are educational, right?

Don't forget all of the new stuff (including these two adorable stamps) that is available over at All That Scraps right now. And Wednesday there will be another Design Team Challenge. Take part in it or any of the others already there and you could be next months Guest Designer.

ATS Halloween Treats Challenge

The challenge over at ATS this week was to make some treats for Halloween. I decided to make little packages for Ty's preschool friends.

I made these little pillow boxes to hold the treats. I googled and found a template for the box here . I used the large size for this treat holder and traced it onto chip board to make a nice sturdy template to trace around.

I stamped Boo and shaded him just a bit with a grey Prisma. Then I masked him and sponged either purple or orange all around him. Cut him out with a scalloped nestie and matted him with another. Then it was stickle time. The little girls at Preschool will love the sparkle. I added some ribbon to the front fo the box and glued Boo on.

I know Tyler is allowed to have some candy. Like a piece after supper or something like that, he certainly doesn't eat a lot. I also know that some parents do not allow their children to have any sugar, so Goldfish seemed the perfect treat. And the little packages you can get right now for Halloween are the perfect fit for this pillow box. I actually got Teddy Grahams too but they are a little tighter fit and quite frankly just did not match my container for the photo. :)

These will also be perfect for a couple of little tikes that will be trick-or-treating this year who are too young for candy. I made a few this morning but still have several to go and two teacher treats too, can't forget the teachers. These are really quick to put together though, just have to wait for the glue and stickles to dry.

Be sure to check out this and all of the other Wednesday Challenges over on the ATS message board. You can do any of the challenges at anytime, no time limit, and you could be next month's Guest Designer... you might have to fight me for it though. LOL! Don't forget that the new stamps are all available there now also.

Thanks for checking in today.

A Christmas Scenery Ornament

I so wanted to get the posted earlier. But in the process of trying to unclog a bathroom sink I somehow broke the drain pipe and had a cupboard full of yucky drain water and of course Drano. It was a great combination really (not). So between cleaning up the mess and helping DH fix the pipe I never got around to posting.

So really quick here it is:

This is an ornament I made with the Christmas Scenery Set being released tonight at 10:00 over at All That Scraps. I was so excited when I received my stamps in the mail to see this fireplace. It is awesome! And the little stockings are just adorable.

This is a 3-D ornament. The fire actually sits inside of the fireplace. I made a little box and mounted the fire to the inside. (I hope this shows up, it was rather hard to photograph.) The mantels are both mounted with pop dots for even more 3-D effect. The first photo shows the ornament before I added my terrible hand writing to it. I added all of our names to the stocking with our family name and the year to the lower mantel.

All of the images were colored with Prismacolor Pencils. I added some white fun flock to the top of the stockings and "hung" them with brads.

Ok Im off the the release party at the ATS forum. Dont forget this set and others will be available tonight at 10:00 at ATS.

Thanks for checking in!

Meet Chrissy

I am back with my second post today using the soon to be released stamp set Eric and Chrissy Go Prehistoric from CC Designs. This set is being released tomorrow night at 10:00 over at All That Scraps.

First of all this card kind of uses this sketch by Lauren (mytime). I strayed some for the original design but it was my starting point.

I stamped Chrissy and masked her to sponge the sky & ground and stamp the volcano & mountains. I think my mountains are supposed to be rocks but that just goes to show you the versatility of the stamps. I used them as mountains in my door sign (see post below) as well. I cut Chrissy out with a nestie and made a border with that K & Company paper that I have been using a lot lately (see many of the posts below, it is everywhere). I added more Glossy accents to my volcano and some fun flock to Chrissy's outfit.

Chrissy's little dino pal is stamped onto paper from the same K & Company pad and I colored her spots with a Prisma pencil. The cream background is, you guess it, K & Company and the brown circles and base are Dark Chocolate from PTI. The sentiment from the Go Prehistoric set was stamped right onto the background and the ribbon is American Crafts. MMMM, Yummy!

I have had a blast with this stamp set. By far the cutest stamps I have seen in a very long time. I can not wait to see what Eric and Chrissy will be up to down the road. Want to win your very own Eric and Chrissy Go Prehistoric set, head on over to the ATS blog and check out all the details on how to win and the release party happening tomorrow night.

Thanks for checking in tonight. And a special Thank You to everyone who has left me such kind comments here on my blog, as SCS and over at ATS. It really means a lot.

Eric and Chrissy Go Prehistoric

Yea, today I can finally share my favorite project so far with the new CC Designs Stamps that are being releases tomorrow night. This set is called Go Prehistoric and is the first set to feature Eric and Chrissy. First of all these images are ADORABLE!!! I have been waiting for the perfect dinosaur stamp set for a long time and this is it! Not to mention that Eric and Chrissy are just too stinkin' cute.

My first project with this set was a door sign for my dino-addicted son. He has already made a request for Christine to draw him a "sharp-teeth and a spike tail dinosaur".

So anyway, this sign is made on a wooden slat. I found them at a local craft store, 6 in a package for just a couple of dollars. They measure about 3 x 7.

I used various color inks and just smooshed (its a technical term, LOL) the ink pads right across the board. While the inks were still a bit wet I used a cloth to really blend them in together. It was all kind of random actually, I just tried to keep a nice clean horizon line.

All of the images where stamped, colored with Prismas and cut out. Some were mounted with 3-D tape others were glued right to the board. I used some Glossy Accents on the lava coming from the volcano to give it a hot, lava look. I drilled two holes and used some ribbon as a hanger. The letters were inked and then sponged around the edges for some detail.

Super easy! And if you have a dino-addicted girl it would be so easy to just change to colors to a more girl-like palette.

I will be back in a bit with a card I made with this set. I have a little project from yesterday's Christmas Scenery set peak to fit in as well. So much to show you so little time.

Don't forget these stamps will be available Tuesday night at 10:00 at All That Scraps. And there will be a release party starting at 8:00 in the forum. Oh and go to the ATS blog for a chance to win this set and see what the DT has done with it and all of the other new sets. SO CUTE!!

Boutique Birthday

This is a card I made for my best friend Cindy. (Happy Birthday Tinny Lou!) I used the Amy's Boutique set. I got this set last month but I was so busy playing with the new All That Scraps release stamps I never got to ink it up until now.

All of the paper on this card is from a K & Company mat pad called Classic K Bailey. I LOVE IT! I have used it on a bunch of cards in the last few days. Really wishing I had bought a bigger pad of it.

I pieced the shoes onto a dark brown and used a brown copic to darken some areas for some depth. I also used a technique I have seen all over blog world the last few weeks for a tiny section of the shoes. It is used to put a light colored pencil onto a dark colored paper. I dipped my cream colored Prismacolor pencil right into my thinner and then colored it onto the insole part of the shoe. Great coverage and no blending necessary. I think it gave it some good detail to the shoe. It does show up much better IRL.

I went back to my favorite Birthday set, Birthday Basics from PTI for the little
"happy birthday" stamp. The ribbon is from a cute little store a few towns over called Rock Paper Scissors. She has amazing ribbon. This ribbon is almost like silk. I have been saving it for something special. A couple of Dew Drops and it was done.

Don't forget about the latest sneak peeks over at ATS. Another new designer and more great stamps.

Thanks for checking in today. Have a great evening.

Annabelle

* This is my second post of the day. I couldn't wait any longer to post this Annabelle project I made. *

This is my little sneak peak of a brand new stamp set that will be available on October 7th at All That Scraps. This is the first set created by Diane Zechman. Be sure to visit her blog to congratulate her on her first set and a chance to win some blog candy.. or is it blog cookies?!?

Here is my little project. The card is 4 1/4" square. The "udderly perfect" sentiment is just one of the great sayings in this set.

I found the milk carton template here. I just made the box an inch taller so that Annabelle would fit. I paper pieced her dress and pocketbook on both the carton and the card. I think you can make the photo bigger by clicking on it. A cow background stamp is also being release at ATS this month. I didn't have the stamp so I made my spots, but that stamp will make a project like this a breeze to put together at the last minute.

So Annabelle brought the milk, "Got Cookies?".

Well since you asked..... I filled the milk carton with mini Oreos. It is no longer full as Tyler has eaten half of them. OK, I might have had a few (wink, wink).

So that is it for my first peak at the new All That Scraps release. This is so much fun.

Be sure to check out what the Design Team made with Annabelle on the ATS Blog. And don't forget the release party in the ATS forum on October 7th starting at 8:00.