February MFT Guest Designer Challenge

Hello everyone. Sorry about being MIA recently. Between work, another migraine, and my MIL taking a spill in a parking lot, I've had my hands full around here.

Today I'm sharing my entry for MFT's February Guest Designer Challenge. I was inspired by a tutorial Jody Morrow did using this same stamp set. You can find it on her blog here. I pulled out the same stamp set and lattice punch compliments of my friend KelliJo () and went from there. Also since, this last week's Wednesday Stamp Club challenge was to alter something, I pulled out a frame I found on clearance and took out the glass since I was going to have lots of dimension on my project.

I started out by tracking down some left over Imaginence paper I had left over from another project, and cut it down to size to fit within the frame. Once I was happy with the size of my background paper, I stamped my Pure Innocence image twice on MFT Perfect Panels in Memento Tuxedo black and colored with prismacolor markers; cutting one image out so it could be popped up on dimensionals later. Then I took a stipple brush and lightly stippled Stampin Up! bashful blue ink around the sides of the main image before layering on Stampin Up! regal rose and green galore cardstock so it would match the background paper.


Once I had my imaged layered, I started working on my fence and grass. Taking some leftover scrap white cardstock, and my new Martha Stewart Lattice punch, I created a lattice fence to place in "front" of my little Pure Innocence girl. Then using a Martha Stewart grass punch and some scrap green galore cardstock, I was able to create my grass by punching the cardstock to create three layers of grass. Once the grass was done, it was time to work on the tree. Pulling out some white confetti flowers from Michaels, I then colored them with my Prismacolor markers two different colors and then cut them out before adhering them above the swing ropes with some large glue dots.


Once the tree was assembled, I put everything together inside the frame to make sure it was balanced. Then I took my little girl, and adhered her with the dimensionals and added the daisies to the bottom, pulling petals over the edges of the frame as needed before adding clear gem stickers to highlight the centers.

Something seemed to still be missing from the overall piece. So I added some brown gem stickers where the rope attached to the swing, butterflies around my Pure Innocence girl, and primas to the centers of the tree branches with bling in the center as well.

I had a total blast making this framed piece and it will look great hanging up in my new stamp corner that is just about finished. So look for pictures to be posted soon.


Stamps: MFT Pure Innocence Start The Day With Whee
Cardstock: Stampin Up! Regal Rose, Green Galore, MFT Perfect Panels, Imanginesce DP
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Stampin Up! Bashful Blue
Accessories: Prismacolor Markers, Stipple Brush, Bling, K&Co Daises, Dimensionals, Frame, Martha Stewart Punches, Confetti Flowers, Stampin Up! Black Marker, Glue Marker, Glue Dots

Journals and Gift Cards

Happy Wednesday, the week is also almost over. Now I have a question for you. What do you give two nephews who are totally into technology and who's father is a computer programmer, and mother is a computer graphic artist? Good question. These are my nephews and this was my dilemma for Christmas this last year. Couldn't get them something techie since the probably would already have it, or know about it, or mastered it. So my hubby and I decided on some handmade journals and gift cards. We figured let the boys spend the money on themselves.

I started out by printing off two different My Favorite Things Digital Robot Stamps on white cardstock and then printing off the matching Stephanie Fizer robot digital gear papers in gray and adjusting the colors to 1/2 of their normal color. Once the printer ink was dry, I colored the robots with Prismacolor markers in varying shades of gray before sponging Stampin Up! basic gray and going gray around the edges of the images before adding vintage MFT baby braddies.

Once I added the digital paper to the composition journals and trimmed the excess off, I added a small strip of Stampin Up! basic gray cardstock along the left side before punching a hole with my crop-a-dile and adding brads that looked like "screws" that would require using a Phillips screwdriver.

Once the second brads were added, I then sponged Stampin Up! basic gray ink around the sides to add some additional shadows to the journals. Here's a close-up of the second journal.

For the gift card holder, I downloaded and printed off Papertrey Ink's Cash or Charge Collection My Timeless Templates and after cutting out my template, I stamped Stampin Up's Just Jeans background over it. Once my template was assembled, and the gift card added, I just place the gift with the journal into a gift bag for each of my nephews.

Simple and so boyish.

Stamps: MFT Digital Robot Stamps, Stampin Up! Just Jeans

Ink: Stampin Up! Basic Gray, Going Gray, Not Quite Navy

Cardstock: White, MFT Stephanie Fizer Digital Robot DP, Stampin Up! Going Grey, Basic Gray,

Accessories: Sponge, Brads, Prismacolor Markers, PTI My Timeless Template, Composition Notebooks, Gift cards, MFT Baby Braddies

Watercoloring Pure Innocence Girls

A couple of weeks ago, I decided to retry my hand at water coloring again since it's been a while. This had once been one of my favorite techniques, and I've discovered I've lost some of my skill in this art. Water coloring is definitely something you have to keep up on.

I started out by stamping one of MFT's Pure Innocence girls, Rainy Day, in pallet noir on fabriano hot press watercolor paper. One the ink was dry, I took my aquapainter and wet down the portions I was going to color and allowed that to dry so the color would stay in those areas and not bleed so easily into other areas. Taking my Stampin Up! Watercolor Wonder Crayons, I got to work. Once my little PI girl was done being colored, and was drying, I stamped my card with the raindrops from Rain or Shine. Then I took some ribbon from Michael's $1 bin and MFT's Winter Baby Brads to hold the ribbon down before adding some primas with bling.


Here's a close up of my main image.

After sponging some bashful blue in around my Pure Innocence girl, I layered her on bashful blue and brocade blue, before adding more baby brads and dimensionals. However, I definitely need to re practice my watercoloring.

Stamps: MFT Pure Innocence Rainy Day, Rain or Shine

Ink: Pallet Noir, Stampin Up! Bashful Blue

Cardstock: Fabriano Watercolor, Stampin Up! Bashful Blue, Brocade Blue

Accessories: Watercolor Wonder Crayons, Aquapainter, Dimensionals, MFT Baby Brads, Primas, Glue Dots, Ribbon

Tea At Tiffany's

Last week's Mothermark Teapot challenge was a teapot that looked like we were having tea at Tiffany's, Audrey Hepburn style. So I pulled out this old PSX stamp I've had for years and inked it up for the challenge. Now, for the life of me, I so cannot remember if I bought this stamp, or if my brother bought this stamp for me, but I love it because it's so unique.

After inking the stamp with memento tuxedo black and coloring with prismacolor markers, I sponged Stampin Up! almost amethyst around the sides of the images before layering and adding gold brads. I just had to have golden accents since 5th Ave. New York is expensive, right? This card needed to look expensive. The centers of the flowers have golden pearl stickers, golden flower clips are attached to the ribbon, and the outside of the card has Stampin Up! so saffron sponged around the edges.

So what do you think? Want some tea with me?



Stamps: PSX, Stampin Up! Hot To Dot Wheel, Warm Words
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Stampin Up! Almost Amethyst, Black
Cardstock: So Saffron, Almost Amethyst, Bordering Blue, White
Accessories: Prismacolor Markers, Brads, Gold Pearl Stickers, Ribbon, Gold Flower Clips, Sponge

Adding Texture To Your Stamping

Second post today.

This weeks Wednesday Stamp Club challenge is to use texture on your card. Ok, I can handle that, even with a migraine.

I started by pulling out my MFT set Who's That Chocoholic, In The Background, and Sentiments About Chocolate. After stamping the main image in memento black and coloring with prismacolor markers, I layered the image on Stampin Up! regal rose, close to cocoa, and chocolate chip cardstock before adding making memories heart brads.

After sponging regal rose ink on the MFT Chocolate Kiss designer paper, I layered the chocolate chip/regal rose stamped panel from In the Background before adding some MFT Royalty ribbon. Since I have a hard time tying bows, I just tied the ribbon into a knot, adding the heart clip, and fraying the edges of the ribbon. Once the main image was added using dimensionals, the last step for adding texture was adding a silk flower brad into the lower right corner.


Stamps: MFT Who's That Chocoholic, Sentiments About Chocolate, In The Background
Ink: Stampin Up! Regal Rose, Memento Tuxedo Black
Cardstock: Regal Rose, Chocolate Chip, Close To Cocoa, MFT Cream Perfect Panels, MFT Chocolate Kiss Designer Paper
Accessories: Prismacolor Markers, Dimensionals, Silk Flower Brad, MFT Chocolate Kiss Baby Brads, MFT Royalty Ribbon, Heart Clip, Sponge

Color Throwdown Flowers

Hello everyone. Sorry to take a break from blogging, but I've been down with a nasty migraine this last week.

I've got another Color Throw Down card for you today; melon mambo, so saffron and old olive. Definitely not a color combo I would have chosen, but it sure turned out to be one that I'm liking a lot.

I decided to use a Stampin Up! set that's been sitting by my stamp desk for months and has not been used at all. This poor set has just been begging to see ink for some time and just keeps getting passed over for some reason and I'm glad I chose to use it. I stamped the larger flowers in melon mambo with the highlights in black and the smaller flowers on scratch paper in so saffron/black before cutting them out to pop up on dimensionals.

I then sponged so saffron around the edges of the main panel before layering, then old olive around the same layers, assembled the card and added the smaller flowers. For a finishing touch, I added clear gem stickers to the centers of the melon flowers and larger gem stickers to the saffron flowers.

Awesome! Don't you agree?



Stamps: Stampin Up! Greenhouse Garden, Warm Words
Ink: Melon Mambo, So Saffron, Old Olive, Black
Cardstock: White, Melon Mambo, So Saffron, Old Olive
Accessories: Brads, Sponges, Bling, Dimensionals

Amazing Grace

"Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, That saved a wretch like me. I once was lost, but now I'm found, twas blind but now I see."

This is the first stanza of my favorite hymn and after this last week it was the perfect choice for me to use for the first SCS Our Daily Bread Challenge. You see, back in November, my son went to Haiti on a work and witness trip to build a church and goat farm for the village of Baonyias, and hold a medical clinic for 2 days there for the villagers and surrounding villages if possible.

When the earthquake hit, several of his Haitian friends were unaccounted for for 24hrs - 48 hours. Slowly, the reports trickled in thankfully from Facebook; the seminary night watchman is safe, however his father-in-law was killed, the cook at the seminary broke both of her legs from falling debris, the maid for visiting dignitaries or mission teams was trapped in her collapsed house was rescued with both legs broken as well. My son's closest Haitian friend though remained missing the longest and was finally found, unhurt, although no one knows what has happened to his house. Frantz's biggest concern is for others, the ones who are hurting, those who have lost homes, family, lives, his can be replaced. It is these people who gave my son a great gift during his mission trip in November, a gift of love and an even greater gift.....showing him the faith of the mustard seed and that there is truly a God and that He does exist. My son had been somewhat doubting at that time, and they showed him otherwise through their daily lives and their love.

Now with everything crumbling around them, once again the Haitian people, my sons "family" is once again showing him God's love on TV. Yes, there is despair, hopelessness being shown, there is also love being shown on the TV as well. Fellow Haitians helping each other, loving each other, looking out for each other as well. If aid doesn't get distributed soon to all the people, it is the lawless ones that will get the most press, that will show the wrong side of Haiti.

"Through many dangers, toils, and snares I have already come, "Tis grace has brought me safe thus far, and grace will bring me home." Haiti is a beautiful country with beautiful, religious people with unfortunate poverty. However given the chance it could rebuild itself into a wonderful place.

My son has been through a lot growing up, as has my daughter having a diabetic father, but I truly believe like Haiti, they will prevail in the end and be stronger than before.

Stamps: Amazing Grace Hymn, Grow By Grace
Ink: Close to Cocoa, Creamy Caramel, Adirondack Espresso Ink
Cardstock: Close to Cocoa, Vanilla
Accessories: Top Note Die, Ribbon, Sponge, Stipple Brush, Martha Stewart Dove Punch, Martha Stewart Leaf Punch, Prima Vintage Flowers, Glue Dots, Dew Drop

Birthday Cards With No Coloring!?

Second post tonight folks.

This weeks Wednesday Stamp Club challenge was to make birthday cards with no coloring on them. Hello!!! That is not my cup of tea let me tell you. If I'm going to stamp I have to color. What a challenge this challenge was and still is. So, I had to cheat a bit and lightly stipple some almost amethyst ink around my bunnies so they would show up white and not get lost. I cannot have lots of white space on my cards unless it's a one layer white card to begin with (JulieHRR cards), then it's a different storey.

So after pulling out and discarding about 10 different MFT sets, I finally settled on trying out one or two to see how they would or would not work out. If I couldn't find something to work, then I would just skip this week's challenge and just color my cards. :) So I stamped the Cuddle Bunnies on plain white cardstock and layered on sage shadow and almost amethyst cardstock to match my prima nursery rhyme designer paper I had found on clearance at Michaels a year or so ago. Pulled out the matching Prima flowers, also bought on clearance, ribbon from the $1 bins, and some Stampin Up! from when I was a demo a couple of years ago. This time I stayed with the "Jody rule" and didn't have any nekked buttons on the bunny butts, but next time....

For the second card I tried, I pulled out some Basic Grey cupcake paper to match A Cupcake Kind of Day stamped on white cardstock layered on pretty in pink and bashful blue cardstock popped up on dimensionals. I found a button sticker I've had in my stash for years from Colorbook and some flowers from Walmart before adding a ribbon knot to the top to brighten things up.

Now that this week's challenge is over, I just may go back and color the cupcake later since it looks kind of funny all white with just the cherry colored with a button. Hmmm, not sure yet.

Have a great day.

Stamps: MFT It's A Cupcake Kind of Day, Cuddle Bunnies

Cardstock: White, Pretty In Pink, Bashful Blue, Sage Shadow, Almost Amethyst

Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Almost Amethyst

Accessories: Buttons, Brads, Flowers, Dimensionals, Ribbon, Glue Dots, Thread

Butterflies With Razzelberry

Hello everyone. My second Color Throwdown and what awesome colors were chosen this week. I didn't get a chance to stamp until tonight thanks to a busy week with work, however , I knew I was going to use my All A Flutter stamps again from My Time Made Easy. I'm so in love with those stamps and razzleberry is a perfect color for a butterfly. Don't you agree?

I started by pulling out a PTI set, With Sympathy, that needed to see some ink for a non-sympathy card. I used the rose from the set in sage shadow (because I grabbed the wrong color ink and didn't realize it until now) to stamp the background on the card base, then the flourishes on the top layer in garden green with the tulips in razzleberry. After stamping the saying from the All A Flutter sayings in memento black, I stamped the butterflies in rich razzleberry with the outline in memento black before cutting out, adding and then adhering some bling stickers. I layered the butterflies to give a "in flight" look as though they were flying towards the Irish Blessing.

Stamps: PTI With Sympathy, My Time Made Easy All A Flutter, All A Flutter Sayings

Cardstock: Mellow Moss, Garden Green, Rich Razzleberry, White

Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Garden Green, Rich Razzleberry, Sage Shadow

Accessories: Brads, Border Punch, Bling, Glue Dots

A Cat For Miss Kitty

Third Post today, I'm on a roll here. Acutally I'm playing catch up.

This is the first time I've had a chance to play in the teapot challenges and it's taken me all week to get this one uploaded dealing with the blasted flu.

I've had this stamp from Penny Black for some time and just have not inked it up yet, and this challenge was the perfect time to do so.

I stamped my main image in memento tuxedo black on white cardstock and colored with prismacolor markers before stippling Stampin Up! soft sky around the image and layering. The background is from MFT's In The Background set in Stampin Up! regal rose ink. Ice stickles highlight the "unmentionables" the cat is hanging around in.

Stamps: Penny Black, MFT In The Background

Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Stampin Up! Soft Sky, Regal Rose

Cardstock: White, Regal Rose, Bashful Blue, Almost Amethyst, Pretty in Pink

Accessories: Prismacolor Markers, Brads, Stipple Brush, Ice Stickles, Bow, Glue Dots, Gem Stickers

Get Well Lily

Second post today.

I made this card for a friend that had a heart attack a few days ago and thought this image would cheer her up.

I downloaded the sick Lily image from Pink Cat Studio and re-sized it for an A2 card. Since Lily has a checkered blanket over her legs, I thought having an argyle cuttlebugged background would match perfectly. After I done with the dry embossing, I lightly stippled Stampin Up! almost amethyst dye ink over the top to highlight embossed argyle pattern. Then I also stippled the same ink around the image that was colored with prismacolor markers.

After adding some brads, primas with gem centers, the card was done. It took a total of about 15-20min max to make a fairly clean and simple card.


Stamps: Pink Cat Studio Sick Lily Digital Stamp
Ink: Stampin Up! Almost Amethyst
Cardstock: Stampin Up! Almost Amethyst, White, Pretty In Pink
Accessories: Prismacolor Markers, Brads, Argyle Cuttlebug Dry Embossing Folder, Big Shot, Primas, Gem Stickers, Glue Dots

Little Pixie With Mushrooms

Happy Sunday everyone! I have another cute little Pure Innocence card for you today. I'm in love with these cute little ones from MFT. I found some awesome designer paper at Michaels that I thought would pair up perfectly with these.

I started by stamping my image with memento tuxedo black on MFT perfect panels and coloring with prismacolor markers. Once everything was colored, I stippled Stampin Up! soft sky dye ink around the image and along the edges before layering; then added MFT's winter baby brads. The flower is a prima plastic adornment flower I received in a RAK from a splitcoast member a couple of years ago and was just waiting for the perfect card to use it on.

Stamps: MFT Fairy Girl

Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Stampin Up! Soft Sky

Cardstock: Stampin Up! Blush Blossom, Bashful Blue, Pretty In Pink, Green Galore, MFT Perfect Panels, Designer Paper

Accessories: Prismacolor Markers, Dimensionals, MFT Winter Baby Brads, Stipple Brush, Prima Flower, Glue Dots

Flopsey and Chocolate - WSC Sketch

Second post today.

For this last week's Wednesday Stamp Club challenge Frances posted a sketch for us. It's been a long time since we've had a sketch to do and this one was just as fun as the others have been.

I altered my sketch card just a bit by removing the star and inserting the top note die cut instead so I could use one of my Flopsey stamps. I stamped my Truffles Flopsey in memento tuxedo black and then colored him with prismacolor markers before stippling Stampin Up! regal rose ink around the edges of the die cut. Then I punched two scalloped circles to place above the die and highlighted the larger one with pearl stickers before adding primas with pearls in their centers.

After sponging regal rose around the edges of the card, I cut a slit along the side, and slits along the sides of Flopsey's face before threading some Martha Steward ribbon I found on clearance at Michaels through everything and making a knot.


Here's what the inside of the card looks like.


Stamps: Truffles Flopsey
Cardstock: Regal Rose, Chocolate Chip, White, Pretty In Pink,
Designer Paper K & Co
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Regal Rose
Accessories: Stipple Brush, Prismacolor Markers, Ribbon, Pearl Stickers, Marvy Giga & Mega Scallop Punches, Primas, Mini Glue Dots, Fiskars Finger Craft Knife

Fluttering By Butterflies

Hi all. I've been wanting to try the Color Throwdown challenges for sometime and just never did it. Well, New Years resolution (hope I keep it) is to definitely give it a shot from time to time. This week's colors were perfect for that shot.

So, I inked up my brand new sets from Lauren's new store, My Time Made Easy, downloaded my new digital papers and I was off. The All A Flutter set is perfect for adding all kinds of bling to the butterflies wings.

The card took me less than 20 minutes to make and 3 days to upload thanks to the blasted flu. So what do you think?

Stamps: All A Flutter

Ink: Regal Rose, Chocolate Chip, Soft Sky

Cardstock: Regal Rose, Chocolate Chip, Dusty Durango, Fluttering By Digital

Accessories: Bling, Primas, Mini Glue Dots, Stipple Brush, Computer, Printer, Black Marker, Sponge

Flopsy's Toys For Tots

Happy New Year everyone!!

For this months MFT Guest Designer challenge I decided to go 3-D for the challenge. I've been wanting to try out this new sled template I found at Lauren's (mytime) new shop. I used some MFT jeweled brads to hold the "top slats" of the sled together.

Then I stamped Pure Innocence Presents For You twice on MFT perfect panels, and Wrapped In Love several times on perfect panels as well before coloring with Prismacolor markers and cutting out. Now I needed someone, or something, to pull the sled and I just knew Flopsey was the perfect bunny for the job. So I re sized and printed off my digital I'm Pullin For You Flopsey, colored, and cut out as well before adding all kinds of bling to the presents.
The hardest part was trying to figure out a way to make Flopsey stand up long enough to pull the sled. I finally figured out how to make him stand, and how to keep the cord in his hands as well. Pretty cool. Here's a close up of Flopsey below.

I hope you enjoyed my little bunny's trip though the snow. Too bad I didn't think to put a little Santa's hat on him before snapping a pic.

Stamps: MFT Pure Innocence Presents For You, Wrapped In Love

Cardstock: White, Stampin Up! Close To Cocoa

Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black

Accessories: Bling, Prismacolor Markers, Gold Cording, Computer, Printer, Glue Dots, Sled Template, Jewel Brads