Stampin Scrapper

WPlus9 February 2012 Release Day 1

2012-02-01T00:05:00.003-05:00

Hi everyone! It's me again! Welcome to an exciting week for WPlus9 Stamps! It's our February 2012 Release. Today's featured set is Folkart Florals and Folkart Florals Dies. This set has a LOT of images perfect for spring. You can work with them singly or combine them to make your own background.

That's what I did with my card. I used different floral images and leaves to make the background for my card. Then I die cut these cute birds and nestled them behind some soft ribbon. I also added some die cut leaves to balance things out.

The dainty doily die cut and circle behind the birds are also part of the release, but we'll get to that later on. ;)

I hope I've provided some inspiration for you today. I'll be back tomorrow for some more! Make sure you head on to the WPlus9 blog and the rest of the ladies' blogs to find some more inspiration.

For Cath (sans CHA) with Love Blog Hop

2012-01-31T22:16:00.000-05:00

Hello! I hope I'm not too late, but I wanted to make a card for Cath over at Moxie Fab World. She's not feeling well and won't be able to make it to the Winter CHA trade show. A few gals decided to start a blog hop for her to hopefully make her feel better. Here's my little contribution...

I made have two cards for the hop...let's start with this one...

I wanted to use my PTI stamps and so I combined a few of them to make this card.

It's a Hugs and Thank You card for everything that Cath does for all of us over at Moxie Fab World.

Here's my second card...this one is a Feel Better/ Get Well Soon card...this one is a softer card, also made with PTI stamps as well as some WPlus9 and WMS.

I hope you feel better soon Cath! Mwah! We love you!

PDCC116 and SSSC151

2012-01-29T23:58:00.000-05:00

Hiya! I had some time on my hands this Sunday evening and was itching to do some stamping. I've been reading about people going to the CHA in Anaheim. I'm sooo jealous! I wish I could go too. The Craft's Meow will be there!!! So exciting! If any of you are going please make sure to drop by the CHA booth! Lisa and Lindsay will be there! :)

Let's get into the card I made for two challenges tonight. I combined PDCC116 and SSSC151. Here's the photo inspiration and sketch...

Here's what I came up with...

I used patterned papers from My Mind's Eye and stamps from WPlus9. This is a mix of a lot of WPlus9 stamp sets so hang on to your hats! Here we go...Woodgrain Silhouettes Additions, Very Vintage Greetings, Pile It On, and Christmas Wishes. Whew! That was a lot of linking! I'm thinking of using that linking tool that a lot of card makers are using...have any of you used it? Is it worth using? Let me know ok! :)

I distressed a lot of panel edges. Added ribbon, a flower and some lace to make it a little more softer and feminine. That's it for me tonight! I'll see you again soon with another card! Enjoy your week and thank you for stopping by today. Hugs!

Waltzingmouse Sketch Challenge 82

2012-01-28T03:05:00.000-05:00

Hello! Yay! It's the weekend. This week seemed longer than the other weeks that have passed. It's been raining here almost all week...argh! I love it when it rains when I'm indoors and in my pajamas. Haha! But when I have to go out and get wet from it...NO.

Ready for another round of sketch challenge? It's time for Waltzingmouse Sketch Challenge 82. Here's our beautiful sketch!

I picked out patterned papers from My Mind's Eye and from Papertrey Ink. I stamped these flower images from Roses in Bloom on the main panel of my card.

The sentiment is from Say It Loud, which I stamped on patterned paper from PTI. I have that over some burlap and a strip of lace.

I also wrapped some twine around it and finished it off with a button. Well, that's it for me today. Thanks for stopping by. Join us this week for some inky fun ok? And don't forget to take a look at what the other Mischief Makers have for you! Enjoy the rest of your weekend! Hugs! :)

CASE Study Challenge 75

2012-01-26T00:05:00.001-05:00

Hi everyone! It's our last week with our January muse, Jen Rzasa over at CASE Study Challenge. I hope that all you CAS card makers had fun. And that the rest of us had a nice challenge on our hands. I know I did! CAS has always been hard for me. I've tried to make my cards as simple as I can these past few weeks though. I hope I didn't disappoint.

Well, here's a card that completely stumped me. It's a GORGEOUS CAS card, don't get me wrong. I did get one done after several tries. lol! Here's Jen's beautiful card.

Here's what I came up with. I was inspired by the stripes on Jen's card. I tried several versions of it but I was finally happy with this one. It's sort of a CAS card...hehe. Most of my stamped images were made straight on the card panel. The stripes were made with Distressed Stripes. I also used some images from my WPlus9 stamps, Ces't La Vie and Woodgrain Silhouettes Additions.

The label and sentiment are both from Papertrey Ink. The label and label die are from Happy Day. The sentiment was a bonus gift from Papertrey Ink. They are soooo good to their clients! I just love 'em! :)

Come join us over at CASE Study Challenge! Make sure to check out the other gals for more inspiration!!! See you there! Enjoy the rest of your week! Mwah! :)

Grab Boxes over at TCM and a $100 TCM Gift Certificate!!!!!

2012-01-23T23:59:00.000-05:00

Grab Boxes Now Available!!!
Plus a chance to win $100 TCM Gift Certificate!!!

Grab Boxes are similar to a warehouse clearance sale. The Craft's Meow is no longer selling non-stamp products. Everything that remained after the end of last year has been distributed into Priority Mail boxes along with some additional goodies that never appeared in the store. The Grab Boxes vary in content... below are pictures of the contents of two different boxes just for an idea of what you might receive. The value of the contents is far below regular retail price.

The boxes contain products from My Mind's Eye, Echo Park, Pink Paislee, Graphic 45, Crate Paper, Maya Road, LaBlanche, and Bazzil, plus ribbon, flowers and buttons. A few even have additional surprises tucked inside. Note: not all boxes will have something from each of these companies/categories. If you purchase more than one box, I'll make sure you get boxes that are as different from each other as possible.

For each Grab Box you buy, your name will go in a hat to win $100 in store credit at The Craft's Meow!!! Yep, it's true! :)

Please share this with your friends. The faster we sell out of the Grab Boxes, the faster one of you will win the prize!

To help things along, I'll give away a TCM stamp set of choice when we reach 1,250 "likes" on our Facebook page!!!

The maximum shipping cost within the US will be $10.95 for Medium Flat Rate Shipping. Because all the boxes vary in contents, I had to enter the heaviest weight into the store. It's quite possible that the actual shipping will be less, especially the closer you live to California, and I will refund overpayment of postage. To find out what the shipping cost will be, you have to go all the way to the checkout page. I've done a tutorial about this which you can find by clicking -->HERE.

Please note that the free shipping for orders of $65 or more does not apply for the grab boxes. But you can add more to your order for no additional shipping!

Get 'em while they're hot! Once sold out, they are gone forever!!!

Thanks so much! Please stay tuned for more exciting things to come!

Save 10%

Happy New Year! Take an additional 10% off all remaining Tim Holtz Distress ink pads, reinkers and stains (which have already been marked down by 25%)!!! Just enter the code TimHoltz at checkout!

The Craft's Meow Design Team Call

2012-01-22T10:42:00.003-05:00

Hello there! I hope everyone enjoyed their Saturday. There's some great news over at The Craft's Meow store blog...have you seen it??? There's a Design Team Call for those who want to be a part of TCM!!! Yay! :) I was going to send you to the blog but I'll post the deets here as well...makes things easier don't you think? :) Here you go...

The Craft’s Meow

Open Design Team Call

Do you love to stamp?

Even better, do you love to stamp with TCM images?

Do you enjoy inspiring others?

Then it may be YOU we are looking for!

Here are the specifics:

Design Team Term:

6 months

March-Sept, 2012

Open Internationally

Requirements:

*1 project post for each new release set

(average of 4 new releases per month)

during our previews and New Release Blog Hop

and at least one other time in the month

prior to the next release

(which can include our sketch challenge)

*Promote The Craft’s Meow on your blog, online galleries

such as Flickr, Splitcoaststampers, Two Peas in a Bucket, etc

and social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter & Google+

It is NOT a requirement to be a part of these sites, but we do

encourage you to be a part of SCS & Two Peas

*An active blog and good photography skills.

All TCM projects will be required to be uploaded

to the TCM Gallery

The Craft’s Meow will provide:

* Approx. $60-$80 in stamps and product specific

to The Craft’s Meow for each release during your term

(six releases scheduled)

* Compensation for any PRINT publication projects

which feature stamps & product specific to The Craft’s Meow
(compensation will be in the form of free stamp sets)

* Product discounts on orders from The Craft’s Meow

*We will feature your work and a link to your blog

each time you participate with a required post or

TCM blog hop event

To apply, please provide the following:

* Your name

*Your blog name and link

* Photos of three (3 only please) projects

that showcase you as a designer

We only need three to get a feel for your style!

PLEASE SEND PHOTOS, NOT LINKS TO PHOTOS

PLEASE SIZE THEM APPROPRIATELY FOR EMAIL VIEWING

We do ask that you limit additional 'links' to additional information.

With the number of blogs we will have to visit, we will not have

time to visit resume links, credit links, etc,

so please include the specific information in your submission.

Of course, we would love for you to use stamps from

The Craft’s Meow

but it is not required to apply

* A list of your current/past DT experience

(no experience required)

* A list of creative credits such as publications,

blog/guest features, etc, if any

Send the above information to:

tcm.dt.call@gmail.com

Design Team Call ends

11:59 PST, Saturday February 11, 2012

We look forward to hearing from you!

CR84FN46

2012-01-21T12:31:00.000-05:00

***Waltzingmouse Sketch Challenge 81 is just below...just scroll down!***

Happy Saturday! It's snowing in New York...I thought it would never snow. It seemed like winter was passing us by without anything. Oh well, at least it's not so bad. Just a light 4 inches so far. I wanted to make a card and looked through my favorite challenges for something to join. I found the beautiful color combination over at CR84FN46.

It reminded me of a baby birthday party theme I saw over at Pinterest. So I took out some of my Papertrey Ink stamps and started working. Here's what I came up with...

I combined some stamps and some die cuts and layered things around. I kept the colors pretty neutral with just a little pop of pink and yellow. Sometimes I just get so caught up using the stamps from my DT stamp companies that I forget to reach for my Papertrey Ink stamps. It was what got me stamping and card making in the first place.

I still can't fix my pictures. I've tried to tinker around photoshop but it's just not working. Know of any good ideas or any tutorials on you tube I can work with? I have a light box and 3 lights on it...but it still looks so dark. It's so frustrating.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy your weekend. Thanks for stopping by today! I'll see you all again soon.

Waltzingmouse Sketch Challenge 81 and Tuesday Trigger

2012-01-21T03:05:00.001-05:00

Yay it's the weekend! My week wasn't that great so I hope the weekend will be better. Underworld 4 is showing in the theaters, so I'm excited to see it. I just love vampire/werewolf movies. :)

So anyway, it's Saturday, so that means it's time for Waltzingmouse Sketch Challenge 81. Here's our sketch for the week. I'm also pairing it up with another challenge over at Moxie Fab World, Tuesday Trigger: Winter Blossoms.

The sketch this week is pretty simple. And yet, as always, it is always up to your imagination. I really love the neutral colors in the Tuesday Trigger inspirational photo. So I picked up the colors and the "design" and incorporated it into the sketch.

These doily stamps (Dainty Doilies - Large Set) sort of reminded me of the pom poms in the inspiration photo that's why I used them to make a background for my card. And as you can see, I tried to use similar neutral colors for it as well. I LOVE anything neutral!

I heat embossed my sentiment on a strip of vellum and inked it with distress ink so that the sentiment would be more visible over the busy background. I just attached it using some staples. For the main image, I used this silhouette from Cameo Creations. The background for the label and also the sentiment came from Back in the Saddle.

Ok...that's it for me today. I'm going to try a 3D project for my niece this weekend...I'll make sure to take pictures and show you! Enjoy your weekend and thanks for stopping by today!

CASE Study Challenge 74

2012-01-19T00:05:00.003-05:00

***The Craft's Meow Sketch Challenge is just below...scroll down to see!***

Hi there! It's my second post for the day! I hope I'm doing better and posting more these days. I just have those mojo-less days sometimes, where I just want to lie down on the couch and watch tv all night long. I almost forgot to send in one of my accepted cards for a magazine call. Goodness!

Well, I was up late last night and was very inspired to make a card for CASE Study Challenge. Jen has me running for the hills with her CAS style! lol! If you haven't read my previous posts, I joined the CAS online class and have been trying my hand at CAS cards. It's really quite hard for me...I LITERALLY want to keep adding and layering stuff!

Even with the CAS classes, I could help myself...my card for this week is not as "full" as I would usually make it...but it's not completely CAS either. I'll let you be the judge ok? Here's Jen's card for this week's CASE Study Challenge 74.

I just LOVE it! CAS or not! The patterns and the colors she used...this is such a fantastic card! I was inspired by the "patches" she used...so I made something of a patchwork design myself...

I used several patterned papers from some My Mind's Eye collections. I cut them into 1.25 inch cubes and adhered them and sewed them in place. I think it's super cute. Reminds me of a quilt for a baby.

I stamped and hand cut these hearts from WPlus9's Heartfelt Mix. It does come with coordinating dies, but for this card I wanted it cut right at the edges so I just used my scissors instead.

I also added some lace and some twine for a little bit more texture and "shabby chicness" to my card. Lately, I can't tell what my style of card making is anymore! It seems to be a combination of shabby chic and classy lately. I hope you like it though!

Oh and I just wanted your opinion on something. I can't decide whether to post my pictures in the Large size of X-Large. For this post, I used X-Large. Is it too big? Or is it better so that the details are readily seen? Your thoughts?

Thanks for stopping by today! I hope you can join us for some inky fun over at CASE Study Challenge Blog. Don't forget to check out what the other ladies have for you! See you again! Enjoy the rest of your week. :)

The Craft's Meow January - February Sketch Challenge

2012-01-18T23:04:00.000-05:00

Hello there! It's the first month of the year and The Craft's Meow has another round of sketch challenges for you. For this month and the next, we have a beautiful sketch from Michelle Bertuzzi.

Here's Michelle's beautiful sketch. I just love the layering, of course! Instead of making my own background panel, I used patterned papers from My Mind's Eye So Sophie. A whole bunch of 6 x 6 My Mind's Eye patterned papers appeared in our local AC Moore. You can't imagine how happy I was to find them since they were a LOT cheaper than buying them online where I could only get them before.

Here's what I did with the sketch. I used Happiness Is... and Lovely Labels 18. I was going to use some 3D flowers but changed my mind because I already had these gorgeous blooms from the stamp set.

I hope I've given you some inspiration to join us over at The Craft's Meow. I'll see you over there ok? :) Thanks for stopping by today...I'll be back in a few... ;)

January 2012 Waltzingmouse Stamps Blog Party

2012-01-17T22:13:00.000-05:00

Hi there! I am SOOO late! Things were a bit busy yesterday so I was so tired after work that I totally forgot to make a card for the WMS Blog Party! I still wanted to make a card for it though even if the collection is already closed. The theme of the party is anything "sweet". Well, since Valentine's Day is just a few weeks away, I wanted to make a card for it. I hope you were able to join the party anyway!

Here's my Valentine's Day card for the party. I used patterned papers from My Mind's Eye, Quite Contrary and Melissa Frances, Vintage Attic. The beautiful corner embellishments are from Recollections. I found them from Michael's by accident. Aren't they pretty?

I used Season of Love Tags from Waltzingmouse for this card. I love that it's a combination of Valentines and Christmas sentiments and images. I distressed the edges of my patterned paper and inked them as well. I added some lace and twine for more texture and interest.

Well, that's it for me. I'm off to check out what the rest of the very talented ladies came up with at the party. I hope you were able to join! See you again! Thanks for stopping by today.

Waltzingmouse Sketch Challenge 80

2012-01-14T03:00:00.000-05:00

Hello again! This is my second post for the day so please scroll down for my first one. Welcome back for Waltzingmouse Sketch Challenge 80. Let's get started shall we?

Here's the sketch for this week. I changed it up a bit...you can to a certain extent...I'm pretty sure of it...haha! Anyway, I used strips of patterned paper from My Mind's Eye: Portobello Road for the background of my card. I know it's supposed to be inter-changing patterns, but I chose to stick with just this one to make it "vintage" looking.

It's a pretty simple card, but with Waltzingmouse Stamps...well let's just say, even just one can carry an entire card! I just LOVE my Waltzingmouse Stamps!!! :) I used Fancy Phrases. Very Vintage Labels 10, Very Vintage Labels 4.

It's going to be a short post for today. I'll make up for it next time! Thanks for stopping by today! Make sure to check out what the rest of the Mischief Makers have made for you today! Enjoy your weekend! Mwah!

The Play Date Cafe 114 and Card Patterns 147

2012-01-14T00:29:00.000-05:00

Hi bloggies! My Papertrey Ink package was waiting for me when I arrived. It always makes me giddy while I'm opening it. NEVER fails. Hee!

After prepping each stamp set, I got inky with them. I saw some new challenges over at The Play Date Cafe and Card Patterns and decided to join in on all the fun. Here's the inspirational photo for PDCC114 and the sketch for Card Patterns 147.

I used my new Rosie Posie and Happy Day stamp sets from Papertrey Ink for this card. I'm a little frustrated that the beautiful colors are not showing great on my pictures though. I just LOVE these new sets!!!

Well, that's it for my submission! I hope you like my card for today. I'll have my Waltzingmouse Sketch Challenge post up in a few minutes...

Thanks for stopping by today!

Clean and Simple Card Making Class

2012-01-13T12:35:00.000-05:00

Hey everyone! I'm back to share my Clean and Simple card for my CAS class over at Online Card Classes. If you haven't heard yet, YES, I'm taking CAS classes online! Hee! It's hosted by Kristina Werner, Jennifer McGuire, Julie Ebersole and friends. I'm having a real fun time in it and have been learning a lot of things.

I promised I would share some of the cards that I'd made for the class. So here they are..

The first one is made using a sketch that the class provided on the first day.

I used my Papertrey Ink stamps for this whole card. The flourish stamps on the panel and the all caps sentiment are from Sweet Love. And the beautiful big sentiment is from Big and Bold Wishes.

I didn't have a navy blue ribbon, so I inked a white ribbon with some blue ink, also from Papertrey Ink. It took a little more than a day for it to dry, even after I used my heat gun on it, so I had to wait before I could tie it.

Here's my one layer card. I'm not too happy with it...maybe I'll try something else in a few days. I'll have more to share after a few more days of the classes. It's really fun, if you have some time on your hands it's a good class to join! :) See you soon!

CASE Study Challenge 73

2012-01-12T00:05:00.001-05:00

Hello again! It's Thursday already, the week just sped on by didn't it? I don't know if you've read about it, but I joined an online CAS class (Online Card Classes) by Kristina Werner, Jennifer McGuire, Julie Ebersole, and friends. My friend Cristina Kowalczyk is also there as a guest designer! How cool is that?! It's day three of the classes and I'm actually having a lot of fun with it and learning a lot as well. I've always wanted to try CAS cards but have been having a hard time making it look finished. I thought it would be a good idea to join the class. :) Look it up! I'll have some CAS cards I've made for the class posted in a few days...

Now it's time for CASE Study Challenge 73! We have another gorgeous CAS card from Jen! Here it is...

I was inspired by the die cut negative and the image peeking from underneath it from Jen's card. And after my CAS classes...I was in the mood to make a monochromatic card...so this is what I came up with.

My picture is not doing this card any justice. I SERIOUSLY need to get a nice camera! I wish I could!!! Anyway, I used this beautiful post card stamp from Unity Stamps. The I used my Telegram stamp set from The Craft's Meow to add further detail to the post card image.

The beautiful image underneath the die cut is from My Mind's Eye, Portobello Road collection. The die is from Papertrey Ink.

Head on over to the CASE Study Challenge blog to check out what the rest of the girls have for you. Join us this week for another round of inky fun!!! See you there :)

Once Upon a Sketch & PDCC113

2012-01-09T22:17:00.002-05:00

Hi friends! I'm back today for a little more inspiration and to join in on a challenge. If you don't know already, The Craft's Meow is sponsoring a challenge over at Once Upon a Sketch. You can either submit a card or a scrapbook layout, whichever is more comfortable and fun for you. TCM is giving out a stamp set...so make sure you join in on all the fun!

Here's the sketch for the layout...I used it as an inspiration for my card. I'm also entering this card for The Play Date Cafe Challenge 113.

Here's my card. I just LOVE the color combination from The Play Date Cafe! Isn't it just beautiful? I used stamp images from Fly Free, Timeless Tags, and Celebrating You stamp sets, all from The Craft's Meow. This has to be my favorite flower set from TCM. Layering it makes it absolutely stunning! I also used Fabulous Flourishes from PTI, and Tag Sale 3.

I stamped and hand cut most of the main images on my card. I also adhered the flowers in different heights to create more interest. This was such a fun card to make. I hope you join Nadia and the other DT ladies over at Once Upon A Sketch. Don't forget...there are PRIZES to be won!!! See you there! :)

Waltzingmouse Sketch Challenge 79

2012-01-07T03:00:00.000-05:00

Hey bloggies! I've been missing my family a whole lot since the holidays. Christmas and New Years are always best spent with family right? So I was feeling a bit down not having them here. My sisters and I have finally got our Skype running though and have been having a lot of video chat sessions lately. Thank you Skype! It makes a lot of difference, specially on my bad days.

Well this good news brings my spirits up. Waltzingmouse Sketch Challenge is back! Yay!

I've missed it a lot since the break and I'm pretty sure you have too. We have a new sketch this week and it's a pretty simple one actually. Something you can do absolutely anything and everything with! :)

Here's my card for WMSC79. I was thinking of my mom right as I was trying to decide what to do with the sketch. So I ended up making a card for her. I used images from Cameo to Go, Flourishes: Scallops and Dots, Dainty Doilies 2 - Small, and Text It.

The doily die cut is from Papertrey Ink, and the tag is from Fancy Tags 2 - Spellbinders. I also glued some micro beads straight on the doily. I thought they looked really pretty and sparkly...almost like German glitter glass. They're from Martha Stewart. The patterned papers are from My Mind's Eye: Madison Avenue.

This was such a fun card to make. And the sketch allows for a lot of possibilities. So get inky and come play with us! Don't forget to check out what the rest of the Mischief Makers have in store! Thanks for stopping by today and for all the nice comments you leave for me. I don't get to reply to all of them but they're my everyday pick-me-ups! So thank you!!! See you again!

CASE Study Challenge 72 & The Shabby Tea Room: Time Flies

2012-01-05T00:00:00.002-05:00

Happy New Year!!! I hope you all enjoyed your holidays. We are bringing in the new year with a new muse at CASE Study Challenge. And I bet a lot of you will love her! We're in for some CAS inspirations this month. Help us welcome, Jennifer Rzasa!

We're going to say goodbye to some of our DT members this month. It's a sad time for us, but we wish them the very best. On a good note, we're welcoming a new member to the team. I'm absolutely ecstatic that she's a part of our team. Please help us welcome, the ubberly talented Christina Maclaren!!!! Yay!!! :)

Let's get on with CASE Study Challenge 72. I've combined today's challenge with The Shabby Tea Room Week 95 - Time Flies. Here's what Jennifer has for us this week.

I still haven't gotten the hang of CAS cards, but I've tried to keep it simple with this one. I took Jen's inspiration and used a house in my card as well. I stamped a little bird on the background...can you believe it's almost blank except for that and the polka dots pattern on the bottom? Well, there's a first for everyone right? lol! :)

The bird and branch images are from WPlus9 Love Birds. I also stamped a cute image of a cloud behind the house die cut. It's also from WPlus9, Heartfelt Mix. The die cuts and polka dot stamp image are from Papertrey Ink.

Come play with us over at the CASE Study Challenge Blog! I'll see you there! Thanks for stopping by today.

PDCC 112

2011-12-30T12:14:00.000-05:00

Hey everyone! I've had some time on my hands to join some challenges this holiday season. I tell you, I think I used to join them almost everyday before I started working for different DTs. Now I don't have as much time to do that anymore, and so whenever I do get a chance to, it's so much fun. This one is for The Play Date Cafe Challenge 112.

It's a nice Christmas colored theme, perfect for the holidays. Here's my card. I stayed neutral for most of the card, with little splotches of color. I just LOVE neutrals. I stamped a newspaper print background using some PTI stamps and distressed the edges. Then I adhered some patterned paper strips over it. I zigzag stitched the panel on my newspaper print background.

I used one of my favorite holiday stamps from The Craft's Meow, Vintage Snowflakes. I also added this beautiful flourish from Waltzingmouse Stamps, Flourishes - Scallops and Dots.

To tie it all off, I added a lace ribbon, a button and some pearl stick pins. It was so much fun just making a card like this. Card challenges are so much fun, maybe I'll go look for some more to join...

Thanks for stopping by today! Happy New Year!!!

~Jean~

CASE Study Challenge 71

2011-12-29T00:05:00.000-05:00

Hi everyone! CASE Study Challenge is back with another beautiful card from our December muse, Amy Sheffer. I hope you had enough time to join CASE Study Challenge 70.

It's such a gorgeous card to CASE! Here's our card for this week's CASE Study Challenge 71.

I just love the little details that Amy always uses together. She's always careful with every little detail on her card. It's just gorgeous! Perfection! :)

Here's mine...

I broke out my WPlus9 stamps for my card. These are some of my favorites...Flora & Fauna I and Love Birds. WPlus9 came out with coordinating dies for Love Birds as well. They are absolutely convenient and I just love using them!

I added a doily from Martha Stewart Crafts, twine and a button to tie everything up. I also CASEd Amy's layout and put a layer of ribbon, frilled patterned paper and a lace die cut on the bottom.

I'll see you over at the challenge blog! Check out what the rest of our awesome DT family has in store! Thanks for stopping by today. :)

~ Jean ~

The Ribbon Reel Challenge 18: Happy New Year

2011-12-26T22:27:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas everyone! I hope you enjoyed your Christmas weekend.

After all the food has been enjoyed, and presents opened...did any of you get some crafty gifts? They're my favorite gifts to receive! :)

I was going through my favorite blogs and found a new challenge site. Well, it's NEW to me. I haven't been playing in many challenges lately and I wanted to join this one.

The Ribbon Reel Challenge 18 - Happy New Year.

They have this beautiful inspiration photo. I used a combination of stamp sets from different companies. I used Mehndi Medallions and stamped 3 images from it on my patterned paper. I added this gorgeous Ironworks Accents to the top of my card. My sweet hubby bought me a few of the dies I had on my wish list. :) Now there's still a bunch of stuff on the list...but I'm slowly getting there!

My main image is from Waltzingmouse Stamps, Seasonal Remedies. I also used this beautiful snowflake from The Craft's Meow, The Merry Best. And the sentiment from Happy New Year.

That's it for me. I'll be looking for other challenges this week that I can join. I'll see you again in a few! Thanks for stopping by today! :)

The Sahbby Tea Room - Week 93

2011-12-20T23:26:00.002-05:00

Hi friends! Christmas is almost upon us! I've been making so many Christmas cards lately that I thought you might be sick of it by now. So since it's my sisters' Cathy and Julie's birthdays this month, I thought I would make a birthday card. I entered this card for The Shabby Tea Room Week 93 challenge without reading the instructions well. It's theme is supposed to be A Kraf-y Christmas!!! Argh! Jean, really! You should read first! BEFORE making a card!!! lol!

I love their theme for this week and I thought I would still enter my card today. I'll try to make another Christmas themed one if I have some time this week. :)

Here's the inspirational photo for A Kraft-y Christmas!

Don't you just want to start wrapping something up?! It's such a wonderful inspirational photo. I was at work and sneaked a peek at some of the challenges and found this. I wanted to go home to make a card after! lol!

I was missing my WPlus9 stamps and really wanted to break them out and get them inky.

I used my favorite stamp set Mehndi Medallions to make a background panel for my card. Then I used severl images from Le Cirque to decorate my card.

I also wanted to add some banners up top and so I die cut some triangles using the Pile It On die and stamped the banner image from Pile It On. I added the little German glass glitter star for some texture and bling.

I hope you liked this one! I'll try to be back to make a Christmas themed one for this challenge. Thanks for stopping by today! Enjoy the rest of your weekend! See you again!

Waltzingmouse Sketch Challenge 78

2011-12-17T03:05:00.000-05:00

Hey there! We have one more Waltzingmouse Sketch Challenge before we take a break for the holiday season. I hope you're enjoying it so far. It's finally the weekend and we can all rest and maybe have some inky fun? We have a nice festive little sketch for everyone this week!

Yes, it's a star. And you can do WHATEVER you want with it! lol! Since the sketch is so festive, I've decided to go with a Christmas card. I've been trying to make background panels using my stamps lately. I did the same thing with this card. I used Seasons of Love to make a star background for my card. I went for neutral colors with a little pop of red.

I also made a small strip of patterned cardstock by repeatedly stamping an image from Midnight Feast. I added some baker's twine for a little more red. I restamped the star from Seasons of Love and heat embossed it silver for some bling. Then I stamped Santa from Santa is Coming to Town right in the center.

I added a little glittery star to complement my bigger one. I hope you like this one as much as I enjoyed making it. I'll be seeing you over at the Waltzingmouse Sketch Challenge blog! Thanks for stopping by today!

The Craft's Meow December - January Sketch Challenge

2011-12-15T03:00:00.000-05:00

* This is my second post for the day...please scroll down for CASE Study Challenge 70.*

Hi friends! I'm back with another post and a card for you today. Welcome to The Craft's Meow December - January Sketch Challenge! Nothing like a challenge to spice up our crafting day. What do you say? :)

I don't know about you, but when I started card making, I LOVED joining card challenges online. It's always with the spirit of friendly competition. And don't you just love perusing through the blog's of the participants? I always found inspiration doing so.

Well, here's your chance to join us! Here is The Craft's Meow December - January Sketch Challenge.

Here's what I came up with. I moved some elements of the sketch...I know! Naughty, naughty! lol! It is as always, open to interpretation...just as long as the sketch is still there. I used two of my favorite stamp sets for this card, Vintage Snowflakes and Vintage Ornaments. As you can see, it's Christmas themed once more. I hope you're not tired of my Christmas cards yet!

I stamped a background panel using Vintage Snowflakes using 4 different shades of ink. I wanted to make a vintage looking Christmas card. I hope I was successful. I zigzag stitched a strip of patterned paper over my background panel. Then I die cut a circle from another patterned paper. By the way, all patterned papers used for this card is from Recollections Naughty of Nice collection.

I stamped and hand cut images from Vintage Ornaments and adhered them to my card with foam tape. Of course, I added a ribbon and a nice vintage looking button.

I hope I've inspired you to join us! You have one month to do so! So come and play!!!

Don't forget, you have to use at least one TCM stamp image in your creation! Oooh, and because we're celebrating being featured in the Moxie Fab blog's Stamp of Approval we are offering 10% off everything in the store, including TCM stamp sets!!! This means an additional 10% off clearance sale prices on the following:

LaBlanche Stamps - 25% off!!
Tim Holtz Distress Ink Pads, Re-inkers and Stains - 25% off!!
Maya Road, Pink Paislee, Echo Park and My Mind's Eye - 50% off!!!
Little Frieda & Friends stamp sets - 50% off!!!
Crate Paper and Graphic 45 - 60% off!!!

Just enter the code MoxieFab at checkout to receive the discount. The offer ends December 15th, so hurry! See you over at the sketch challenge! Thanks for stopping by today! Have a nice week! :)

CASE Study Challenge 70

2011-12-15T00:05:00.000-05:00

Hey there! Wow it's Thursday already! Wasn't it just the weekend a second ago? lol!

I've been reading almost on every blog I've been to that everyone is so busy for the holidays. Unfortunately, I just don't feel the spirit of it this year. I miss my family even though I just saw them a few weeks ago. I wish I could spend Christmas with them.

But do you know the cost of plane fare during this time of year?!?! They're insane!!!

It's nice to hear that people are enjoying their Christmas preparations. It lightens up my mood, specially when I worry about my mom and how my family is doing.

Well, enough of that! Let's get into something with a lighter mood shall we? How about CASE Study Challenge 70?! :) Yes, it's time for another CASE! And we have our ubberly talented December muse, Amy Sheffer! Here's her card for this week.

This one just takes my breath away. Amy is such a genius! It's so elegant and chic with the black and white...and the little pop of light blue peeking from the bottom. What an altogether, well put card. The colors from this card inspired me the most, as well as the repetitive stamping done on the cardstock panel. Here's my little tribute to this gorgeous card!

So...I added a little masking to my photos this time. What do you think? Is it better? Or do you prefer my previous pictures, all bright and light? Anyway, I an image from Santa's Coming to Town, from Waltzingmouse Stamps, to make the repetitive background for my main cardstock panel. I matted it with some black cardstock as well as a patterned paper from Recollections Naughty or Nice.

I also added that gorgeous embellishment from Pink Paislee on the left side of the panel. I thought it made everything look a little more elegant.

I punched out a light gray circle and used an image from Flora and Fauna I from WPlus9. I love the barely there look it made. It's so pretty and soft that way. Then I used a sentiment from Very Vintage Greetings, also from WPlus9. I matted that with a doily die cut from Papertrey Ink. I tied some twine around the card and added a button and a butterfly for a little more blue.

I hope you liked my card for this week. I'll see you over at CASE Study Challenge blog. Get inky with us! :) Thanks for stopping by!

The Play Date Cafe 109

2011-12-12T11:55:00.000-05:00

I know this is ubberly late...but I had made it with the intentions to join PDCC109. I still wanted to share it with you anyway. My sister in law and her family spent last week with us so the house was a bit busy.

Here's the beautifully soft colors that PDCC109 had for last week.

My picture came out a bit too bright...I hope you can still discern the colors though. The inspirational photo was so soft and feminine that I came up with a card just like it. I used Mehndi Medallions from Papertrey Ink and made a background. The I took a piece of text patterned paper from Recollections and attached some lace onto it.

It feels like I haven't used my PTI stash for such a long time because of all the releases for other stamp companies. So I broke them out for this card. I die cut Mat Stack 4 using some kraft cardstock. Then I die cut and stamped this cute little house image from Love Lives Here. I also put some coarse glitter over it to add a little bling. The sentiment is also from the same stamp set.

How was your week? It was nice to have family over even for only a short while. I'll be back again this week for more challenges and cards! Thanks for stopping by! I'll see you in a bit! :)

Waltzingmouse Sketch Challenge 77

2011-12-10T03:05:00.001-05:00

Hey! Welcome to another round of Waltzingmouse Sketch Challenge. This week, we have a nice, simple sketch with sooo much possibilities. I couldn't wait to ink up when I saw it! And I just love what the other Mischief Makers have made with it! Here's the sketch for Waltzingmouse Sketch Challenge 77.

Nice and simple, just like I said! I'm still into the Holiday card making mode so I made another Christmas card for you this week. Since I've been away for so long, I had no chance whatsoever to make any Christmas cards to send to friends and family. I had to go and buy one in Barnes and Noble. So embarrassing for a card maker! lol! And just when I promised myself I would make them this holiday season. I even went and bought a lot of the new holiday stamp sets from all of my favorite stamp companies before I left thinking I had time to make my cards.

Well, since I can't make them all in time...I thought I'd make just enough to send to family. Here's my holiday card for this sketch.

I just bought this Recollections Naughty or Nice patterned paper pad last weekend from Michael's. I've been using it so much over the course of the week. It's an absolutely fun and yet vintage looking paper set that I'm pretty sure you're going to love.

I've kept it pretty simple...layering the lovely patterned paper over each other. Then I die cut a scalloped circle and a circle and stamped some background text on it from Text It. I also stamped some foliage on the side from Festive Foliage.

For my main image, I used this cute little mistletoe that I stamped, colored and hand cut. Then I tied some twine around the card, and attached a tag on it. The sentiment is from Compliments of the Season.

I hope you've enjoyed my card for today. I want to see what you're going to make for this sketch over at the Waltzingmouse Sketch Challenge blog. I'll see you all again soon! Thanks for stopping by!

CASE Study Challenge 69

2011-12-08T00:05:00.001-05:00

Hi bloggies! I'm back with another card today. It's Thursday and time for CASE Study Challenge 69. We have another gorgeous card from our December muse, Amy Sheffer. I can't wait to see what you make of this beauty...

I love all the layers and dry embossing in Amy's card. Everything is so beautiful and elegant. I hope my card is a worthy CASE for this beauty.

I was inspired by the dry embossing that Amy used on her card and so I did some on mine. I just changed it a bit by inking my embossing folder before I ran it through my Cuttlebug. It turned out so beautifully that I wish I didn't have to put a layer over it. I chose this icy shade of blue for my card and balanced it out by using some canvas underneath my label.

I also decorated my label with some snowflakes from TCM's December release Warm Winter Wishes. Instead of a flower, I stamped some ornaments and adhered them together. The ornament stamp as well as the sentiment are from WMS 2011 Holiday Ornaments.

I hope I've given you some inspiration for today, and that I see you all over at CASE Study Challenge 69 for some inky fun!

One lucky player, chosen randomly from the challenge entries, will be able to go for a Christmas shopping spree! The prize is a $15 Gift Certificate to the CropStoponline store.

Oh, and ps....something's brewing at Moxie Fab World...watch out for it! :)

The Craft's Meow December 2011 Release Blog Hop

2011-12-07T03:05:00.001-05:00

Hey everyone! How have you been enjoying the release? We've finally made it to the end, today is The Craft's Meow December 2011 Blog Hop. The TCM DT has a wonderful array of cards for you today! Let's begin shall we?

If you've just come from Iwona "Chupa" Palamountain's blog then you're in the right spot. If not, head on over to The Craft's Meow Store Blog and start there. I'll have the order of the blog hop at the end of my post if you need it.

I made a Christmas card for my project today. I used some beautiful patterned papers from Naughty or Nice from Recollections. Then I stamped this beautiful label from Lovely Labels 18 designed by Nina Brackett. I wanted to add some more color and fill out parts of the label so I stamped some snowflakes on the side. These are images from last month's release Vintage Snowflakes.

I stamped this gorgeous sentiment, also from Vintage Snowflakes. I was thinking of one of my favorite crafters, Kristina Werner, while I was making my card. I ended up using my white gel pen to make the faux stitches. I learned that technique from her, until I actually learned how to use a sewing machine. :)

To finish it all off, I tied some twine around the card and attached a button before making the ribbon. I also added some 3D snowflakes on the top and bottom of the card to carry on the theme. Glue dots seems to hold them pretty well.

Well, that's it for me...just a little reminder...one lucky person can win ALL 7 stamp sets from The Craft's Meow. All you have to do is go around the Blog Hop, and at the end, leave a message at The Craft's Meow Store Blog. You have until December 9, 9:00 pm Pacific to leave your message for a chance to win. Before you do your shopping, I just want to remind you....there's a big sale going on in The Craft's Meow store...

LaBlanche Stamps - 25% off!!
Tim Holtz Distress Ink Pads, Re-inkers and Stains - 25% off!!
Maya Road, Pink Paislee, Echo Park and My Mind's Eye - 50% off!!!
Little Frieda & Friends stamp sets - 50% off!!!
Crate Paper and Graphic 45 - 60% off!!!

Happy shopping! Here's the order of the Blog Hop in case you need it...

Alice Wertz
Amy Tsuruta
Debbie Pamment
Ivana Camdzic
Iwona Palamountain
Jean Martin
Jenny Suchin
Jessica Fick
Julie Ranae
Lindsay Amrhein
Lynn Miller
Michelle Bertuzzi
Nina Brackett
Viola Mahr

The Craft's Meow December 2011 Release Day 4

2011-12-06T03:05:00.000-05:00

Hello! Hello! It's me again! Back for another day of The Craft's Meow December 2011 Release. It's Day 4 today, and we're introducing Warm Winter Wishes by Maree Truelove. It's a sweet little winter stamp set with lots of cute images.

Let's get right on to my card for today. Out of all the cute images in the set this one caught my eye the most. I LOVE hot cocoa during the winter! The snowflake images are also super cute!

I combined the doily from Simply Delightful and a snowflake image from Warm Winter Wishes to make a background. The doily I just stamped regularly, the snowflake I heat embossed white white embossing powder. I matted it with a vintage cream cardstock panel.

I made another smaller panel and made another background using another snowflake image from the set. I inked the edges and attached it to a Fine Linen cardstock piece. I also used a label from Lovely Labels 18 and stamped the image directly on it.

I stamped the mug image onto a piece of patterned paper and hand cut it then adhered it over the pre-stamped image. I also took some of my Copics and colored the mug and the steam that was rising above it. The sentiment I stamped on a strip of cardstock and added over the image with some foam tape.

I hope my card look warm and winter-y to y'all! Make sure to check out the other DTs blogs. There are prizes up for grabs as well...just jump on over to The Craft's Meow Blog.

Thanks for stopping by today! I'll see you all again tomorrow! :)

The Craft's Meow December 2011 Release Day 3

2011-12-05T03:05:00.000-05:00

Hi ya! I'm back again! This is my second post for the day, my WPlus9 group post is just down below. So just scroll down!

Welcome back to Day 3 of The Craft's Meow December 2011 Release! We're going ahead with a Valentine themed stamp set today called All You Need Is Love by Kaitlyn Ord.

Since this is mostly a sentiment stamp set, I wanted to used it not only as a sentiment. I picked one from the many, and I made it into a background. I remembered watching and loving Betsy Veldman's video on making backgrounds using stamps you normally wouldn't use as such. I applied it on my card today. I took the "you're my favorite" sentiment stamp and stamped it with varying amounts of distress ink. This is what I came up with.

The I added some patterned paper over my background panel and sewed it onto a kraft card base. I added a ribbon, a metal frame and a scalloped circle to embellish the card. I also stamped a heart image on a circle vintage cream card stock and them stamped over it with a sentiment. Oh, I almost forgot...I also used the postage images from Telegram on top and on the bottom of the background panel.

See you again tomorrow for some more previews!!! Thanks for stopping by. Make sure to pass by the TCM girls' blogs to see what they came up with!

WPlus9 December/January 2012 Release Group Post

2011-12-05T00:05:00.000-05:00

Hey ya! One final post for the WPlus9 December/January 2012 Release coming your way.

How have you been enjoying the release so far? Ready to do some shopping?

If you need a little more inspiration we have today's round of group posts for you.

I used my favorite set out of the December/January 2012 lot of stamp sets for my card today...A Pocketful: Valentines. First off, I distressed the edges of two panels of patterned papers. The striped one is from Recollections and the polka dotted one is from Papertrey Ink. After the distressing, I added lace and sewed them onto my kraft card base.

I inked up two doilies with some aqua mist ink, then affixed them over the patterned paper. I also die cut a label and placed it over the doilies to cover the seams. I inked up my little pocket and hearts, hand cut them and adhered them onto the label.

I added the twine and button. I also die cut the little envelopes and used them as embellishments beneath the button.

I really enjoyed making this card. I hope you liked it. Be sure to check out the other WPlus9 girls! Thanks for stopping by today!

The Craft's Meow December 2011 Release Day 2

2011-12-04T03:05:00.000-05:00

Hello again! It's my second post for today, scroll down for the first one please. I hope you're not getting tired of me yet! I'm back for Day 2 of The Craft's Meow December 2011 Release. Today we're introducing Happy New Year from Michelle Bertuzzi.

This is such a great set with so many, many possibilities! This one has to be my favorite card out of the lot the I made for the entire release. It seems simple enough, but with enough detail to still be mine. :)

I stamped one of the cityscape images on some vintage cream cardstock using some silver pigment ink. I hand cut it and inked the edges with some distress ink. For the background panel, I stamped some Vintage Snowflakes on a panel of patterned paper, I also stamped a swirl on the left side of it. I used silver pigment ink as well to keep the colors down to a minimum.

I adhered the city scape image onto the panel with some foam tape. Then I stamped my sentiment on a strip of Fine Linen cardstock, hand cut it and affixed it on the upper right hand corner of the panel. I tied some and added a button for some added texture.

Well, that's it for me. I hope you've enjoyed the cards I made for today. I'll see you all again tomorrow. Don't forget to check out the other TCM girls for more inspiration! :) Thanks for stopping by. Take care now!

WPlus9 December/January 2012 Full Reveal Day

2011-12-04T00:34:00.001-05:00

Hi friends! Yay! We made it this far! It's finally time for the WPlus9 December/January 2012 Full Reveal Day! I'm sure you're all excited to see the entire release for the months of December and January. Well, here we go...

Love You More

Details

is a 6x8 clear photopolymer stamp set
contains 19 stamps; 2 word art images and 17 mix-and-match sentiments and images
will be available for purchase December 5th for just $19

Love Birds Die

Details

coordinates with Love Birds stamp set
comes on a single die that can be easily snipped and separated
will be available for purchase December 5th for just $9

Heartfelt Mix

Details

is a 6x8 clear photopolymer stamp set
contains 24 stamps; 12 images and 12 sentiments
will be available for purchase December 5th for just $19

Hearts & Clouds Die

coordinates with Heartfelt Mix stamp set
comes on a single die that can be easily snipped and separated
will be available for purchase December 5th for just $7

A Pocketful: Valentine

is a 4x6 clear photopolymer stamp set
contains 15 stamps; 1 pocket image, 3 pocket filler images, 5 accent images, and 6 sentiments
will be available for purchase December 5th for just $13

Love Notes Die

compliments the A Pocketful stamp series (*Please note: these die cuts were designed to be used on their own. Unlike the A Pocketful Die, they are not scaled to be stamped onto with the pocket or envelope images in the companion sets)
comes on a single die that can be easily snipped and separated
will be available for purchase December 5th for just $7

I made a card for today's reveal...

I used the seed packet label from Hope Seed Co. to make this little "candy" card. Then I stamped the little pocket and heart candies from A Pocketful: Valentines and adhered them with foam tape. I just love these little pockets! I was going to use the lollipop image but it wouldn't fit along with the pocket inside the seed packet label.

I made a little shabby chic background for my "candy" card, with some My Mind's Eye patterned papers. I added lace, a ribbon and a button for some added interest. I also stamped LOVE from Love You More on a strip of vintage cream cardstock, inked the edges and affixed it over the ribbon.

All the new stamp sets and dies will be available at the WPlus9 store by December 5th. Have fun shopping! See you again tomorrow for the group post! Thanks for stopping by today! :)

The Craft's Meow December 2011 Release Day 1

2011-12-03T03:10:00.000-05:00

Hi! It's me again! I'm afraid I'm going to bombard you with posts today. lol! Not really, just 3 hehe. This is my last post for today. If you haven't seen my previous posts please scroll down.

Welcome! Welcome! It's Day 1 of The Craft's Meow December 2011 Release! I know you've been excited for it to start since Lisa started showing snippets of the sets these past few days. Well, wait no more! Let's begin shall we?

Today, we are introducing two lovely sets from the very talented Miss Nina Brackett: Lovely Labels 18 and Sent With Love.

I have two cards today, and I combined both stamp sets to make them. First off, I die cut and stamped on Lovely Labels 18 and layered them one on top of the other. I just love brown and silver together. They look so elegant together. I also added the band of patterned paper to add a little more gray into the picture. Then I placed it over some pink/orange patterned paper for a big punch of color.

The sentiment and the image on the label are from Sent With Love. The images from this set are elegant and romantic. :) Great combination!

Of course I didn't forget to make a shabby chic card for everyone. It is why I'm here for TCM after all. Hee! :) I shadow stamped an image from Sent With Love on the lower right portion of the patterned paper.

Across from it, I added a doily and clustered some flowers, a butterfly, ribbon and the label. I also added a swirl of pearls for some bling. I am trying to go for the elegant look after all.

Whew! That's it for me today! Come back tomorrow for Day 2! Make sure to drop by the other TCM girls to see what they have in store for you. Thanks for stopping by my little corner of the blog world! :)

Waltzingmouse Sketch Challenge 76

2011-12-03T03:05:00.001-05:00

Hello again! This is my second post for today so scroll down to see Day 3 of the WPlus9 Release. Welcome to Waltzingmouse Sketch Challenge 76! I can't believe it's the 76th already. Time really does fly when you're having fun. And we are having a LOT of fun over at the Waltzingmouse Sketch Challenge Blog.

This week's sketch is whimsical and fun. And totally perfect for the holiday season. In fact, I'm pretty sure that even without the sketch some of you might be making these right now! Well, if you haven't thought of it yet...maybe you should...here's some inspiration for you.

And here's my tag. I made a Christmas tag, but you don't necessarily have to make a holiday tag...it's actually open to your interpretation. I die cut two circles, stamped the base with Text It and inked the edges. Then I cut one side of the patterned paper circle and used a scallop punch on it. I adhered the patterned paper circle over the base circle.

I also stamped and hand cut this lovely label from Seasonal Remedies. It really pops once you add color to it, so I used my Copics and added some green and yellow. And I made my own embellishment using Festive Foliage. I stamped the leaf outline and then stamped it with the filler portion right after. I hand cut these and placed them over the label.

Here's one last look at my tag. I hope you liked it. I can't wait to see what you come up with for this sketch. It will be a great idea for Christmas tags to use on gifts and maybe as ornaments for the tree.

Before I go...don't forget to check out the rest of the Mischief Makers! They have more inspiration in store for you. Thanks for stopping by today! I have one more post to do...come take a look! :)

WPlus9 December/January 2012 Release Day 3

2011-12-03T01:18:00.000-05:00

Hi bloggies! Welcome back to Day 3 of the WPlus9 December/January 2012 Release! We have an "accessory" stamp set to A Pocketful. I'm absolutely sure that you are going to LOVE the images in this set!

A Pocketful: Valentine

is a 4x6 clear photopolymer stamp set
contains 15 stamps; 1 pocket image, 3 pocket filler images, 5 accent images, and 6 sentiments
will be available for purchase December 5th for just $13

Love Notes Die

compliments the A Pocketful stamp series (these dies are meant to coordinate with the pockets and stamped images from the Pocketful series, not to be stamped onto)
comes on a single die that can be easily snipped and separated
will be available for purchase December 5th for just $7

For my card, I stamped the little pocket on one I had pre-cut using the Love Notes Die. Then I stamped the hearts filler and hand cut them. I propped them up with foam tape at different levels from each other. On the side of the pocket, I stamped a cluster of hearts to make it look like they were overflowing from the pocket. The sentiment if from .Love Birds

I used fabric to add texture to my otherwise simple card. And used pinking shears to make the zigzag edges. Then I adhered lace over it, secured it with twine and added a little red button. I actually sewed the edges, then changed my mind and removed the stitches. I thought the holes looked cute just as they were.

Tomorrow is Release Day so make sure to check out Dawn's Blog for the entire release. Also, if you leave a message, you could win some fabulous prizes!!! Make sure to go around the DT's blogs for more inspiration. Thanks for stopping by today!

WPlus9 Design Team

Cristina Kowalczyk
Dawn Woleslagle (owner)
Elise Durenberger
Jinny Newlin
Kerrianne Gwin
Lea Lawson
Savitri Wilder

WPlus9 December/January 2012 Release Day 2

2011-12-02T00:14:00.005-05:00

Hey friends! I'm back for the second day of the WPlus9 December/January 2012 release. I hope you enjoyed yesterday's cards from all of us at the WPlus9 design team. Today, we're going to introduce:

Heartfelt Mix

is a 6x8 clear photopolymer stamp set
contains 24 stamps; 12 images and 12 sentiments
will be available for purchase December 5th for just $19

Hearts & Clouds Die

coordinates with Heartfelt Mix stamp set
comes on a single die that can be easily snipped and separated
will be available for purchase December 5th for just $7

Love Birds Die

coordinates with Love Birds stamp set
comes on a single die that can be easily snipped and separated
will be available for purchase December 5th for just $9

Heartfelt Mix has several cute images perfect for Valentines Day. The dies are also very helpful, and bring in great detail as well. For my card, distressed the edges of a panel of patterned paper from Webster's Pages. Then I adhered a strip of pink patterned paper to add a little more color. I also stamped some branch images from Love Birds to the side of the panel.

I went ahead and stamped "rope" images one on top of the other. Then I sewed the panel onto my card base. I die cut two bird images and 3 heart images and stamped the images onto them. I adhered them with foam tape to the card. I also stamped some clothes pins for that cute little touch. The sentiment I added on the lower left corner of my card.

Okay! That's it for me today. Be sure to go to Dawn's blog to leave a message. You just might win some awesome prizes!!! The rest of the team has more to show you so please make sure to pass by their blogs and leave some love! Thanks for stopping by my little corner of the blog world today! See you again tomorrow for Day 3!!! :)

WPlus9 December/January 2012 Release Day 1

2011-12-01T01:24:00.002-05:00

***This is my second post for today...be sure to scroll down for CASE Study Challenge 68.***

Hi bloggies! I'm back for my second post for the day. Apologies for being late with this post. I just had a call from my sister that my dad is sick now. He's been so stressed with taking care of my mom and not getting enough rest himself. The doctor's say he'll be fine though, and just needs rest and to take his medications. Whew for that. I can't take any more of this. It's really hard to be so far away from them when all of these things are happening.

Welcome to Day 1 of December/January 2012 Release Day of WPlus9 Stamps. We're introducing:

Love You More

is a 6x8 clear photopolymer stamp set
contains 19 stamps; 2 word art images and 17 mix-and-match sentiments and images
will be available for purchase December 5th for just $19

When I saw this stamp set, I immediately wanted to use some images as backgrounds for my card. So I inked two of the bigger images with VersaMark and heat embossed it on vellum. The image made was just so feminine that I wanted use pink on my card.

I die cut and embossed a heart using a Spellbinder's die and inked the raised edges with some pink distress ink. Then I die cut a label using another Spellbinder's die and stamped my sentiment on it. I also added a ribbon, butterfly and a flower to add a bit more to the heart.

Here's my card. I added some lace and sewed the edges of the main panel. I hope you like my card. I really enjoyed using these new stamp sets. You're going to LOVE all of them! I can't wait for you to see the rest!

Don't forget to check out what the rest of the girls have made! Make sure to come back tomorrow for Day 2 of the release!

Cristina Kowalczyk
Dawn Woleslagle
Elise Durenberger
Jinny Newlin
Kerrianne Gwin
Lea Lawson
Savitri Wilder

CASE Study Challenge 68

2011-12-01T00:36:00.000-05:00

Hi friends! I'm back, just like I promised! And I have two posts for today. For my first post, I would like to welcome you all to CASE Study Challenge 68. I'm sooo excited!!!

December's muse is absolutely fabulous!!! I've been ~~stalking~~...ehem let me correct that...following her blog for the longest time. Without further ado, I would like to introduce this month's muse...Amy Sheffer!!!

We also have a new, wonderful addition to our CASE Study family! She's a fantastic card maker, and also a good and kind friend. Please help us welcome Maureen "Moe" Plut! It's such a great month!!! Christmas has come early over at CASE Study Challenge.

Let's get the party started shall we? Here's Amy's card for the first week of December.

For my card, I was inspired by the color scheme that Amy used. I just loved the soft, bright colors. And the layers! Don't get me started on the beautiful, beautiful layers! It's what I love about Amy's work. All the layers and elements that she puts together are always PERFECT.

I've been itching to use my Waltzingmouse Stamps for weeks since my vacation. I'm glad I had the chance to use them for this card. I used a sentiment from Seasonal Remedies and matted it with orange card stock. I flanked the scallop oval with Flourishes: Scallops and Dots. I also stamped an image from Bitty Banners on the lower panel of my card.

I also took the butterfly inspiration from Amy's card. And instead of using an actual butterfly, I used this beautiful image from The Craft's Meow, Butterfly Kisses. Then I added a ribbon to tie everything up.

I hope you enjoyed that. I'll be seeing you over at CASE Study Challenge! Don't forget to stop by the rest of the girls' blog's to check out their work. Thanks for stopping by today!

Hey Bloggies!

2011-11-30T12:02:00.000-05:00

Hey everyone! I know I promised to try to make a card everyday and post it. But I'm still suffering from jetlag so I'm so, so, so sleepy all the time. I've been making cards for the WPlus9 Stamps and The Craft's Meow December releases every night. It's about to start so there will be a lot of cards coming your way! :)

I had some more pictures I wanted to share with all of you from my vacation. I'm such a mall person/rat...lol...so I took some pictures of the malls in the Philippines. It's quite different from the malls here in the US.

Yes. This is a mall. The stores are usually all inside and the restaurants and cafe's line the outside. There are actually five building to this mall...and right in the center they have a gorgeous garden setting for people who are resting/eating. Lovely isn't it?

This one's a clam bar right off the pretty pond....

This is one of the many bridges that connect one shopping building to another...

The food is also a bit different...we actually have so much variety when it comes to restaurants...and the wonderful part...more often than not you don't have to wait too long to be seated because there's just so many options for people to choose from.

Yummmmm! :) I wish I had a better camera than my point and shoot. I forgot to change the light settings on these pics. Anyway, I hope you had fun checking these out! I'll have a card for everyone tomorrow and next few days! Thanks for stopping by! :)

Waltzingmouse Sketch Challenge 75

2011-11-26T03:00:00.000-05:00

Hey everyone! Enjoy your Thanksgiving and Black Friday? I'd spent so much during vacation that I didn't want to get anything on the Black Friday Sales. lol! I stayed home, bad jetlag. I'm asleep during the day and awake at night. I was up watching my favorite shows that I missed while I was away. I also made a few cards for some DT projects.

It's Saturday, welcome to Waltzingmouse Sketch Challenge 75! We have a different project today...it's still a sketch...and you can still make a card out of it...but it's actually place cards. This was such a neat idea! Here it is...

What do you think? I remember coming up with so many ideas for this during my own wedding. I was thinking of making some for our Thanksgiving lunch...but I didn't have the time to make them. Perhaps next year. Here's what I came up with...

Like I said, I had weddings on my mind and so I came up with a wedding place card. I used Frame It to make the light frame around the place card. I just love silvery/gray themes for weddings. Then I stamped the smaller flower image from Roses In Bloom on the lower left corner to give me some room for my sentiment. I outlined it and colored the center. I didn't want to go full on color with the flower, it looked more elegant this way...

The sentiment I used is from Join Us. It has a TON of sentiments, if you're the type of person who likes to make your own thing for your parties then you are going to LOVE this stamp set. Here's one last look before I go...I hope you like it!

Well, that's it for me tonight. I'll see you all again! Thanks for stopping by! And don't forget to check out the other Mischief Makers! Come and play! :)

Color Trends Challenge: Leaves and Card Patterns 142

2011-11-25T02:45:00.000-05:00

Hi bloggies! Happy Thanksgiving! I'm a little late, but I was asleep most of Thanksgiving so I'm posting this one late. While I was away on vacation I noticed that my posts were mainly made up of my design team projects. I used to love joining online card challenges and had a card up almost everyday of the week. I'm going to try to do that once more.

For my first post since I've arrived, I've decided to combine two challenges: Embellish Magazine's Color Trends Challenge: Leaves and Card Patterns 142. And since I've totally missed out on Thanksgiving...I made a Thanksgiving card. But first here's the inspiration photo as well as the colors from Color Trends Challenge. And of course, the sketch from Card Patterns 142.

I used images from WPlus9 Season of Thanks for most of the elements on my card. I cut a panel of patterned paper from Basic Grey, I knew I had to use it when I was flipping over the pages of the pad. I stamped a big image from from Season of Thanks for my upper right panel.

And instead of using a layered scalloped circle, I die cut this beautiful doily using a die from Papertrey Ink. Both the leaves and the sentiment are also from WPlus9's Season of Thanks.

After stamping the leaves and sentiment, I hand cut them and inked the edges with some distress ink. I layered them one of top of the other with foam tape.

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving Day. Tomorrow is Black Friday and if you haven't heard, WPlus9 is having a one day sale! Have fun shopping and stay safe out there! Thanks for stopping by!

~ Jean

CASE Study Challenge 67

2011-11-24T00:05:00.000-05:00

Hey everyone! It's my last day here in the Philippines and I'm a bit sad. I won't be seeing my family again for a while. I will miss them so much. Before I head off, I have one more post for you all.

We have one more week with Kryssi Ng. I'm sorry I wasn't able to join you last week for CASE Study Challenge 66. I didn't have time to make a card for that week before I left for here. I didn't make my cards according to week, I just made them randomly. Anyway, we have another wonderful CAS card today. Welcome to CASE Study Challenge 67!

I've been trying my hand at CAS cards since we started our month with Kryssi. I'm afraid to report that I haven't gotten the hang of it yet. My version of Kryssi's card is still on the shabby chic/vintage side. But I did try to keep it simple.

Instead of a flower, I used Mehndi Medallions from Papertrey Ink. I stamped it with Versamark and embossed it in baby pink. I love that it's very light and subtle. Instead of a strip of cardstock for the side, I went and used some crocheted lace. Lastly, I stamped my sentiment using Say It Loud from Waltzingmouse Stamps, I hand cut it, and inked the edges.

I hope you're having a wonderful week. I'll see you over at CASE Study Challenge Blog! Come and Play! And thanks for stopping by today! :) ~ Jean

Waltzingmouse Sketch Challenge 74

2011-11-19T03:00:00.001-05:00

Hi bloggies! Whew! Where did the days go?! It's almost Thanksgiving! It's my last week here, I'm headed home Wednesday, and I'll be back on Thanksgiving Day. I hope I'm fine after the long plane ride enough to enjoy Thanksgiving lunch.

I'm missing my little craft space, my stamps, papers and inks. I'm guessing I'll be spending a lot of time there when I get back. Well, speaking of stamps, papers and inks...it's time to get inky once more! It's Waltzingmouse Sketch Challenge 74. And oh my goodness, let me just say, last week's submissions were just breathtaking! I can't wait to see what you make of this one!

I know it's not even Thanksgiving yet...but I'm already making Christmas cards! I can't help it! They're one of my favorite cards to make and not to mention my favorite holiday. Besides, this sketch was just screaming Christmas at me! lol! :)

I made this card before I left for vacation so I didn't have any of the new Waltzingmouse stamp sets yet. They're actually waiting for at home and I can't wait to get a crack at them! So instead, I'm going to share with you a card made with images from one of the previous Christmas Waltzingmouse stamp sets...Seasons of Love.

This set is absolutely beautiful, the intricate details on the images are just brilliant. And the sentiments and font just...WOW! For my card, I made a background pattern using the snowflake image from this set. Then I layered on a piece of patterned paper, and then a die cut. I was trying to go for a more "snowflake" kind of feel for the die cut, but then this seemed to fit perfectly. Then I stamped and cut the heart image and layered it over the die cut.

I stamped the sentiment on the space provided on the heart instead of following the sketch. Then I tied this beautiful ribbon above it to soften things up. I hope you've enjoyed my card and I'll see you over at Waltzingmouse Sketch Challenge. I know the blog's been quiet, so I promise I'll make it up to all of you when I get back! Come and play! :)

~Jean

Some Vacation Pictures

2011-11-14T20:34:00.000-05:00

Hi friends! I promised you some pictures of my vacation here in the Philippines, and here they are! It's been raining all morning and I didn't want to take a step out of bed today. You know what I'm talking about...it's nice and cool because of the rain...the bed sheets are soft and cool to the touch...it's nice and dark outside...who wants to get out of bed?! lol!

Anyway, we took a 2 hour drive to Clark, Pampanga a few weeks ago. The drive was very pleasant...nice view and new highways. Until the part where we missed our exit, and there was no other way to go but off road. We did get to where we were supposed to go eventually. haha! I took some pictures of the nice views along the way...

I took this picture of my sister Cathy driving ahead of us...this was before she entered the tunnel...

This was as she was exiting the tunnel. I hadn't meant for it to come out this way...but it looked like she was passing through a warp zone. lol! :)

We went to a little safari outpost for the kids. They had a lot of fun feeding the animals. They asked if they could feed the tigers...I said we should leave that to the handlers instead. Hee hee! These kids aren't afraid of anything. Here's me and my hubby taking a rest from all the heat.

Here are my nephews after they just fed the bear cats.

...with my sister Julie...

We took a safari jeep and went into the tiger enclosure. There was a handler inside the jeep and he fed the tigers chicken through the steel bars. This tiger was inches away from me...it was beautiful.

We also watched a few aquatic shows...the dolphins were my favorite. It's nice to know that some of the dolphins were actual rescues. And it was good to see that they had huge enclosures for them right there on the bay/beach and not just a small pool like I often see with some aquatic theme parks.

Yummy Chinese lunch with the family...well, that's it for me today! I'm not very good with taking pictures. I always forget! lol! I'll have a few more posted up in a few days time. I hope you are all doing well. I'll be home in one week! Can't wait to get my hands on my new stamps! Thanks for stopping by! Have a great week! :)

~ Jean

Waltzingmouse Sketch Challenge 73

2011-11-12T03:00:00.001-05:00

Hi bloggie friends! I'm still on vacation, and absolutely enjoying it. I know I said I would post some pictures up, but I haven't yet. I've just been out a lot and have not had much time online. I usually make these posts late at night when I get back home from meeting friends and going out with family. I will have some time on my hands tomorrow and so I'll make sure to post some pictures for everyone.

Today, I'm back for another round of Waltzingmouse Sketch Challenge. This one is much easier than the last I promise. lol! Was that last one a challenge or what? :) Here's our sketch for Waltzingmouse Sketch Challenge 73.

I'm loving the layers here. It looks pretty simple, but then again, it's all up to your imagination right? My imagination took me to Western themes. :) I haven't used my Back In the Saddle stamp set in a while. So I decided to go all Western on this week's card.

First off, I embossed my background panel. The wooden pattern was perfect for the theme. Then I took a small vintage cream cardstock piece and stamped several sentiments on it. I inked the edges to age the panel a bit.

I added the ribbon, stamped the cowboy and die cut it. Then I matted it with some chocolate brown cardstock. Then lastly, I added the tag with the sentiment.

I'll see you over at the Waltzingmouse Sketch Challenge Blog okay?! Come join us for some fun!!! See y'all!!! Thanks for stopping by today! :)

~ Jean

CASE Study Challenge 65

2011-11-10T00:01:00.001-05:00

Hey everyone! Wow I can't believe all the gorgeous submissions we got in CASE Study Challenge 64. We have a new one in for this week's CASE Study Challenge 65. Our November muse Kryssi Ng has another fabulous card for you to try out. Here it is...

I have something different today. It's a little tribute to Kryssi's card, so I didn't make my usual Shabby Chic card. For this week, I'm going along with the CAS style, and keeping things simple. I wanted to make a cute birthday boy card, and I used stamps from WPlus9 Le Cirque.

I stamped some images straight onto the strip of white cardstock and raised the rest using foam tape. I also added these die cut numbers using my Papertrey Ink number dies. I'm loving the color combination by the way. It wasn't really planned, but as I added one element after the other, I came up with this. I hope you like it! I'll see you over at CASE Study Challenge Blog! Come and join in all the inky fun!

Don't forget to pass by the rest of the DT ladies and leave them some love! Thanks for stopping by today! I'll see you again!

~ Jean

Waltzingmouse Sketch Challenge 72

2011-11-05T03:00:00.000-04:00

Hey everyone! Thanks for joining us for another round of Waltzingmouse Sketch Challenge. We have a fancy sketch this week, it's a tri-fold! I'm wishing I had my new Waltzingmouse Stamps with me. Unfortunately, they didn't arrive before I left for the Philippines. I'm excited thinking about how I'm going to use them when they arrive. :)

Here's our sketch for Waltzingmouse Sketch Challenge 72.

The other Mischief Makers made such gorgeous cards! I hope mine is fancy enough for this sketch. I used a Spellbinders die to make the top shape of my card base. Then I cut and die cut patterned paper to make the top panel. I also used Cameo Creations and Cameo to Go to make my embellishment. The sentiment is from Say It Loud. The sticker embellishment is from Pink Paislee I believe...

Here's what it looks like when it's opened.

And here, I tied a white ribbon to hold the folds down.

Well, that's it for me today. I can't wait to see what you do with this sketch! I'll see you over at Waltzingmouse Sketch Challenge! Thanks for joining me today!

~ Jean

CASE Study Challenge 64

2011-11-03T00:05:00.000-04:00

Welcome back to CASE Study Challenge 64! Congratulations to our TOP Winners over at the challenge blog. Sorry if I haven't been able to reply to your comments and posts. I'm still here in the Philippines, and we're usually out and I don't have a lot of time to spend on my laptop.

We have a new Muse for the month of November. She's a wonderful CAS style card maker. I really wish I could master this style too. It's just really hard for me to keep anything one layered or without any lace or ribbon on in. I'll try to my best this month though...because our fabulous muse is none other than Kryssi Ng! :)

Here's her first card for this month.

I love her choice of stamps here as well as the beautiful window she made by die cutting the front panel of her card. I chose to CASE the beautiful window and the flower that's peeking through it. I stamped the text background on a vintage cream cardstock then stamped the flower (Hope Seed Co. by Wplus9) on it and colored it with Copic markers.

I also stamped some Postmarks (PTI) on the patterned paper panel to add a little more design to it. It's very faint, but I thought it was a nice addition. A little flower here and a little ribbon there...and viola! :) I hope you'll all join us for some inky fun this week. I look forward to seeing your projects on the challenge blog. Thanks for stopping by!

The Craft's Meow November Blog Hop

2011-11-01T03:12:00.000-04:00

Hey everyone! Have you gone over to The Craft's Meow Store to check out the November release stamp sets? If you haven't, you SHOULD! They're sooo beautiful and rest are sooo cute! I had so much fun working with them. It doesn't matter what your style is, there's something for everyone in the November release.

Let's get on with the blog hop shall we? If you've just come from my good friend, Iwona "Chupa" Palamountain's blog, you're right where you're supposed to be. If not, you can start from The Craft's Meow Store blog and work your way down.

For my blog hop card, I used Vintage Ornaments for my main image and The Merry Best for my sentiment. I added the beautiful Spellbinders die cut underneath the ornament to add more dimension to it. I used one of my favorite color combinations, red, brown, kraft and cream.

I'm still in the Philippines, but I'm planning on making my Christmas cards as soon as I get back. I guess since it's time for the blog hop I can share the stamp sets here with you. Here we go!

Season's Greetings

by Nina B Designs

Vintage Ornaments

by Nina B Designs

Vintage Snowflakes

by Nina B Designs

Happy Hoo-lidays

by Jenny Suchin Designs

Whoo's Birthday

by Jenny Suchin Designs

The Merry Best

by Kaitlyn Ord

Santa's Little Helper

by Maree Truelove

Here's the order of designers for the November blog hop just in case you lose your way. When you're done browsing, and you're ready to go shopping, just head on over to The Craft's Meow Store. We are also giving away all SEVEN sets being released November 1st, to one lucky person who leaves a comment on the store blog hop post. You have until 9:00 pm Pacific on Thursday November 3rd to make the rounds and leave a comment for a chance to win!

The Craft's Meow November Sneak Peek - Day 3

2011-10-30T03:00:00.000-04:00

Hi friends! I just got back from an out of town trip with my family. I'm glad to see that my scheduled posts went up as planned. There was a little mix up in the order of things but that;s ok. At least everything is there. I'll post pictures of our trip after the sneak peeks so I won't take away from what I'm show casing.

Let's get on with Day 3 of The Craft's Meow November Sneak Peeks. How have you been enjoying it so far? Aren't they wonderful?! :) Today, we're featuring Vintage Snowflakes and Vintage Ornaments from Nina Brackett. I just have to say WOW! You're going to love these!!! I made two cards today, and I've combined the two sets for my cards.

Can you believe I made a single layered card? heehee! The images are just so beautiful that I didn't need any layering for my card at all. I combined this beautiful circle with the intricate snowflake design from Vintage Ornaments and alternated it with the delicate snowflake from Vintage Snowflakes. The sentiment is also from Vintage Snowflakes. This set contains other beautifully designed sentiments. And I enjoyed using it a lot.

I distressed the sides of the vintage cream cardstock just to add a little texture and vintage feel to the card. How do you like it so far? :) I have one more up my sleeve...

For this one, I stamped a background using Vintage Snowflakes. Then I stamped a Vintage Ornament in red and added more snowflakes on the top. Unfortunately there's no die for the Vintage Ornaments, but it was easy to hand cut anyway. Perhaps Spellbinders might make one after seeing this stamp set. :)

I used another gorgeous sentiment from Vintage Snowflakes. It's absolutely perfect for the rest of the ornaments and the snowflakes. Just to add a little shabby chic to my card, I adhered some lace on the bottom portion of the panel and tied some twine.

Have you been to The Craft's Meow blog to check out what the rest of the DT members made? Be sure to drop by! Lisa always has a prize in store for some lucky people! :) Thanks for stopping by! I'll be back for another round! :)

Waltzingmouse Sketch Challenge 71

2011-10-29T03:05:00.000-04:00

Hi friends! Time to get your Waltzingmouse Stamps inky again! It's Waltzingmouse Sketch Challenge 71. Our sketch this week is from Kelly. This sketch was just waiting to be "Shabby Chic-ed" lol! So I brought out my ribbons and lace to deck my card out.

I made a background panel using my favorite border from Victorian Frippery. It's not obvious in the picture, but I actually used some Mod Podge and some tissue paper on top of that panel. I wanted to give it some texture. Too bad you can't see it in the photo though. It came out nice though, I believe I saw the technique used by Betsy Veldman once and I wanted to try it.

I die cut and stamped Very Vintage Labels No. 18 and added my sentiment over it. The sentiment is from Say It Loud. I love stamping it and cutting it out then adhering it with some foam tape. I added the pearls for a little more bling.

I added the ribbon, lace and this beautiful lace butterfly from Martha Stewart. I found it by accident at Michael's. I think it's really pretty and delicate. I also put some pearl stick pins through the ribbon because you can't have enough bling on a card. hee! I hope you enjoyed this one. I'll see you over at Waltzingmouse Sketch Challenge. I can't wait to see what you make of this sketch! Thanks for stopping by!

The Craft's Meow November Sneak Peek - Day 2

2011-10-29T03:00:00.004-04:00

**Looking for Waltzingmouse Sketch Challenge 71? Just scroll down please!**

Hi! Welcome back to The Craft's Meow November Sneak Peek! For Day 2 we're focusing on Season's Greetings. This set has a very intricate and stunning label perfect for the holidays. It also has these gorgeous, elegant sentiments you'll surely love.

I'm an absolute sucker for labels. I can't have enough of them. And didn't I say the sentiments in this set are elegant? It's so beautiful. I layered some patterned papers on my card and centered my label. I was playing around with the color combination. I hope it worked for me this time. :) I also added a snowflake border on the bottom. The snowflake stamp is from The Merry Best stamp set.

I'm going to start making my Christmas cards as soon as I get home. These stamp sets are so much fun to work with. We'll have you inky in no time. yet? Sneak peeks are always so exciting! Come back tomorrow for Day 3! Thanks for stopping by! :)

The Craft's Meow November Sneak Peek - Day 1

2011-10-28T03:05:00.001-04:00

Welcome to Day 1 of The Craft's Meow November Sneak Peek! TCM has an array of wonderful Christmas stamp sets this month! I had so much fun working with them and I'm so excited to share them with you!!! In today's sneak peek, we're focusing on The Merry Best stamp set.

This set has a lot of images perfect for your Christmas and Winter cards. My favorite are these cute little trees! I stamped them side by side using some Lime Green chalk ink and some Aqua pigment ink. I tried placing them on the bottom in the beginning but ended up with them on top. I wanted them to be highlighted and placing them on the top did the job.

I also stamped some snowflakes on the bottom and made it into a "border". This sentiment is my favorite one from the entire set. I love that it's so bold and it catches your attention immediately. I added some lace beneath the label, I though it looked like snow and that it would be perfect right there. No ribbons on this one.

Don't forget to come back tomorrow for Day 2! Hop on over to the other TCM girls, they made wonderful cards for Day 1! Thanks for stopping by! :)

CASE Study Challenge 63

2011-10-27T00:05:00.000-04:00

Greetings from the Philippines! I've been having a great time with my family so far. I've also been looking at some challenges online and am wishing I had my crafting supplies with me. lol! I was actually thinking of looking up and visiting some of the craft stores here. There are a few, but I think they sell the same thing we have in the US but a bit more expensive because it had to be shipped here. So I'm a bit skeptical about that...

Well, at least my blog won't be quite while I'm away. I'm back today for CASE Study Challenge 63. We have another beautiful card from our October muse Niki Estes. Here we go...

This one is a beauty! I just love it when backgrounds are made using regular stamps. In this case, Niki used a rose bud and stamped it several times to make her background panel. I CASEd her technique and did the same with mine.

I stamped the beautiful dogwood from Flora and Fauna I stamp set. It's one of my favorite WPlus9 sets, it's just soo beautiful! I layered it over some patterned paper and a light yellow cardstock for my card base.

Instead of a flower in the middle I decided to go with a label and my sentiment. I used this cute label from Le Cirque, also from WPlus9 Stamps. The sentiment is from Mehndi Medallions. It's a pretty simple card, not too many layers. I kept it nice and soft instead using pastels.

Well, that's it for me today! Come join us at CASE Study Challenge! And don't forget to check out the other DT members! I'll have pictures from my trip for you soon! I'll be out of town with my family this long weekend. I'll see you all soon!

Waltzingmouse Sketch Challenge 70

2011-10-22T03:00:00.002-04:00

Hey everyone! While you're reading this right now, I'm in a plane somewhere up there! :) Hee! And even if I am...I wouldn't leave you high and dry without anything for WMSC 70. We have a super cute sketch from our sweet Kelly this week! I'm pretty sure you'll have a lot of fun with it. Here we go...

Super cute isn't it?! It's still Halloween month...so I made a Halloween party invitation. I have been enjoying making Halloween cards so much. These Waltzingmouse Stamps are awesome. Too bad I didn't have enough time to get the new one that came out. I'll be sure to get them for next year though. If you haven't seen the new sets that came out you have to head on over to the store and look! :)

I used Halloween Party stamp set for the invitation sentiment and the cute mask. I also used Midnight Feast to make a background for my card. I just love that window, it's great to use as a background stamp as well as for the main image in my cards. It's a pretty simple card, but I think it packs a lot of punch. The stamps are doing everything for me, I don't even have to lift a finger.

I hope you enjoyed that. Please join us for some inky fun over at Waltzingmouse Sketch Challenge! See you there! :)

The Caft's Meow Clearance Sale

2011-10-21T08:46:00.000-04:00

Hey bloggies! Just dropping by really quick before I leave to tell you about The Craft's Meow Clearance Sale...have you seen this?

The Craft's Meow is taking a new direction in its product offerings, so just about everything (except stamps) is now on sale for 15% to 50% off!!! No coupon at checkout is needed... the prices have already been marked down. And you still get free shipping in the US for purchases of $65 or more and discounted shipping for international orders of $65 US or more!!! Quantities are limited so shop early for the best selection. These items will not be restocked. Be sure to check what's been newly added to the store by clicking the New Items link on the right side bar of the storefront.

Maya Road - 15% off

Pink Paislee and My Mind's Eye - 25% off

Fly Free and Soiree Card Kits - 35% off

Crate Paper, Echo Park and Graphic 45 - 40% off

Maya Road Shadowbox Kit - 50% off

Some Embossing Items - 25 - 50% off

Head on over to the store quick so while things are still in stock! :)
The Craft's Meow Store

CASE Study Challenge 62

2011-10-20T00:19:00.002-04:00

One more day and I'll be on an airplane flying home to see my family! I so need the break. I know I was just there 2 months ago, but almost all that time was spent in a hospital. So it will be really good to just have a vacation. My mom is doing great, she's talking, walking and eating by herself now. She just has lapses in her memory which the doctor says will take time to heal. I hope she remembers me.

Time for some inky fun! We're at CASE Study Challenge 62. Can you believe how fast the time is going? Niki has another beautiful card for us this week.

This is such a gorgeous Papertrey Ink inspired card. So I went to my Papertrey Ink stash for my card as well. I kept things simple and used some pretty patterned paper that mimics Niki's stamped card base.

I die cut 2 pieces of Harvest Berries and placed them above and below to flank the pretty Simple Sunflower that I also die cut and stamped. To change it up a bit, I added this beautiful Webster's Pages cameo. Then I stamped my sentiment using Signature Greetings.

Now that we're done with that...you should go get inky yourself! I'll see you over at CASE Study Challenge Blog! :) Come back in a few days, I'll have more for you! I've made cards ahead of time to make sure I have them ready for everyone even if I'm miles away. I'll also have some pictures of my vacation up. See you soon! Thanks for stopping by!

~Jean