Embellish Magazine: Color Trends Challenge with Birds

Hi bloggers! I was supposed to post this last night but didn't have the time to. It's been such a gloomy day today. I think it's one of the things I don't like about New York. There are a lot of "gray" days. Hopefully tomorrow will be nice and sunny. Have any of you ever watched Super Size Me?! I was watching the documentary last night, and I must say, I don't want to eat McDonald's for a while. This guy who absolutely healthy, ate McDonald's for 1 month to see what it would do to him. He gained sooo much weight in a month's time and his blood tests were so bad that he had managed to damage his liver just by eating all that fast good. WOW. It was scary to watch. I was afraid he was going to develop a heart condition or something! 


Anyway, for Embellish Magazine's Color Trends Challenge with Birds, they have dark earthy colors with blue gray in it. I thought it was beautiful. 

Here's my card. I tried to stay as close to the colors as possible. I used some Waltzingmouse Stamps, Papertrey Ink, and WPlus9 Stamps for this one. I like how it turned out. 

I also got my Cards Magazine (March) today. It's such a wonderful issue! You have to grab one! A lot of our online friends are starting to have their cards published. It makes me smile every time I see a familiar name there. I saw Cristina, Maureen, Lindsay, Lea, Belinda, and soooo many more!!! I was oooh-ing and ahhhh-ing at almost every page! I have to try to send more of my stuff there too! :)

Thanks for stopping by. I'll be back later. I'll try to join another challenge! :) See ya!

The Funniest Thing.....and Curtain Call Color Challenge Act 71

Hi friends! I hope your Saturday went well. I was out for most of the day and I thought I wouldn't be able to make it for my Curtain Call Color Challenge post tonight! I made it in time with 30 minutes to spare. The funniest thing happened tonight on our way home. We were visiting with a cousin out in Westchester, and on our way home, we had to load a few things in the car. While loading the car, my DH decides to leave a box filled with pastries on top of the car. It was dark and getting colder by the minute so we hurried and left. When we got home, as we were unloading the car, we couldn't find the box of pastries!!! Hahaha! We had driven through I-95 with a box of pastries on top of the car!!! I wonder where it is now....stuck in traffic perhaps?! Hahahahahaha! It's absolutely hilarious! I hope it didn't make a mess on the road. You see these things happen on tv and you think it would never happen to you. Alas! Such things do really happen! Heehee. 


Anyway, enough of my story and on to the challenge this week! It's time for Curtain Call Color Challenge Act 71. 

Here's my take on this challenge. I'm still stuck on butterflies ever since I got the Mariposa pad from DCWV. For this one, I used the WPlus9 butterfly stamp from Flora and Fauna to make a background panel. I also used their Woodgrain Silhouettes additions with Crumb Cake ink. These flowers came all the way from Thailand! I got them from I am Roses. They're so beautiful. I'm so excited to use more of them in my cards. The butterfly punch is from Martha Stewart. 

The Curtain Call Crew has samples to show you today, too, so make sure you stop by to see:


Christina MacLaren at Seaglass & Sentiments
Jean Martin at Stampin' Scrapper
Julie Lacey at Stamps & Taxes
Laurel Seabrook at Seabrook Designs
Makiko Jones at MakInk Studio
Monika Davis at M.A.D. Stamper
Piali Biswas at Touch of Creation
Silke Ledlow at My Life





and February Guest Designer, Laurie Willison.

Baby Card

Hi bloggers! FINALLY some much needed rest this weekend. The week was so tiring that my husband said he wanted to go online and buy a whole bunch of stuff for his hobby. Hahaha! When he said that, I wanted to buy a whole bunch of stuff for MY hobby too! Hee! I'm still waiting for after the 28th though. I want to get my hands on the new stamps that are coming out from Waltzingmouse Stamps and also Papertrey Ink!


Anyway, the first thing I did when I woke up was to head to my crafting table! Of course! I made a card with a color combination from Color Combos Galore. I didn't enter it in their challenge, but I loved their color combination. 

I feel like I haven't made cards for quite a while even though I just posted something for the Waltzingmouse Sketch Challenge. I hope I'm not getting rusty here. The inspiration photo was absolutely beautiful. I love that lace cup! Or whatever you call it! Hahaha! Sorry...no idea what it is!!! Anyway, I loved it so much that I decided to go all out lacey on this card. I hope you'll all like it. I'm off to enjoy this wonderfully sunny Saturday morning! I hope you're all having a great weekend! I'll see you all again tonight for the Curtain Call Color Challenge at midnight. Thanks for stopping by! :)

Buttons, buttons...

Hi bloggies! Wow, this entire week was very busy for me. I hardly had any time to make some cards. But of course I have to squeeze in my cards for my DT posts. At least there was some time for a little fun. I'm so sad to say that I wasn't able to join in last night's Papertrey Ink February Blog Hop. I didn't get back home from work until 10:00pm and by then I was too exhausted to do anything else. I apologize if you haven't seen a lot of posts from me lately. I know the feeling of disappointment when there aren't enough new posts on the blogs that I follow. It's always nice to see other people's inspiring work. I find that I always pick out one thing that strikes me and I work around that on the next card that I make. 


Anyway, let's move onto this week's Waltzingmouse Sketch Challenge 36! Yay! Here's the sketch for this week.

As I was telling the other Mischief Makers, I decided to be a little rebel this week and not follow the sketch to the tee. Tee hee! :) Here's my card....

Instead of using my stamps on the three circles aligned on the right side of the card, I opted to put buttons there! I used my Waltzingmouse stamps to make a background for my card instead. I used Seasons of Love - Tags and Very Vintage Labels #4.  I just love how this turned out. Specially the soft blue colors that just melt into the vintage cream cardstock. I hope you'll be joining us this week in WMSC 36! We have a free stamp set for one lucky winner! See you there everyone! :)

Flourishes: Bring Beautiful Back with Love

Hi bloggies! I'm back today with another card. This time, it's for Flourishes: Bring Back Beautiful with Love. I was so tired from work today that I barely had time to make this tonight. But it seems it's been a while since my last post. For this card, I decided to go more into a Vintage look. I used darker reds and inked with Tea Dye distress ink which has reddish undertones. 

I used one of my Tim Holtz post card stamps on this one. I just love this set. I can never get enough of post card stamps or the Carte Postal ones. It's been a busy two days of the week and it looks like it's going to be busier as the week goes on. CASE Study is also tomorrow midnight, so I'll see you all again here for that. Thanks for stopping by. Good night everyone! :)

CR84FN16

Hi bloggies! It's almost Monday, and before the weekend is finally done I wanted to post this card for the color challenge over at CR84FN. I was at AC Moore this afternoon and I found these gorgeous metal accents that were perfect for the color combination. Here's the inspiration photo for this week's challenge CR84FN16.

The metal accent is from the Tim Holtz collection. Isn't it gorgeous?! I stamped a flourish block from WMS Victorian Frippery on the bottom of a light gray cardstock. Then I adhered the patterned paper panel and stitched it above the stamped image. The flowers are from W9Plus, I stamped them on vintage cream and pink blush cardstock and I paper pieced them. The sentiment is from PTI. I adhered the lace and tied the ribbon. Then I attached the metal ornament in the center. It's actually pretty heavy, so if I were to send this card, it would probably cost more. But then again, I'm sure the recipient would love the embellishment.  

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

Bright Colors

HI bloggies! I've been playing around with bright colors this evening. I'm really trying to get myself a bit comfortable with them. So far, I'm sad to report that I'm still not into it so much. The reason I was playing around with them is because Curtain Call Color Challenge Act 70 is chock full of lovely bright colors! Whenever I'm in a rut about bright color combinations, I love to stop and take a look through Betsy Veldman's blog. She's my favorite Papertrey Ink lady. And I'm totally inspired by her knack of using colors and patterned papers together. I also love how she uses different stamps to make backgrounds instead of relying mostly on patterned paper. This is where I got the idea for my card tonight. But before I show you...here's the color combination for this week's Curtain Call Color Challenge Act 70.

I used a stamp from Mat Stack 2 Collection and Damask Designs to make the background panel. I combined it with patterned papers from My Mind's Eye. And of course there has to be some kind of ribbon or flower in there otherwise it wouldn't be me! :) So I threw in these gorgeous flowers from Webster's Pages. I'm hoping to do better next time with bright colors. Until then...practice, practice, practice! :) 

The Curtain Call Crew has samples to show you today, too, so make sure you stop by to see:


Christina MacLaren at Seaglass & Sentiments
Jean Martin at Stampin' Scrapper
Julie Lacey at Stamps & Taxes
Laurel Seabrook at Seabrook Designs
Makiko Jones at MakInk Studio
Monika Davis at M.A.D. Stamper
Piali Biswas at Touch of Creation
Silke Ledlow at My Life





and February Guest Designer, Laurie Willison.

Waltzingmouse Sketch Challenge 35

Hello again everyone! If you're seeing this post on Saturday morning then it means my "scheduled" post worked! :) I tried it on one of my other posts and for some reason it didn't. Anyway, we have a really fun sketch this week. Here it is...WMSC35.

I know it's not your usual card shape, but you can do with it whatever you feel like! :) That's the fun in sketch challenges. It's up to your own personal interpretation. I'm not yet brave enough to take on cards this shape...so I took the easy way out...haha! Here...I'll show you.

Don't you just love this stamp?! It's just so beautiful. I think I've used it on Christmas cards, Congratulations cards, Thank you cards...I don't even remember anymore...it's so versatile. I was also trying very hard not to make a pink card. Hee! It seems I've made too many pink cards lately...yellow and lavender seemed like a lovely idea! I would love to see what you can all bring into this challenge. I get sooo much inspiration from everyone! See you all there! 

February Friends of Waltzingmouse Stamps Blog Waltz

Hi friends! I hope I'm not too late! This is my submission for the Waltzingmouse Stamps Blog Waltz! And the theme this month is "Buttons".

I was trying all day to make something for the Waltz, but nothing was coming to me. I usually step away from my craft table when that happens. I find that when I do that, I'll usually do a better job when I come back. It's really funny, because I literally talk to myself and go "Jean, step away from the table..." Hahaha! Try it whenever you're in a rut...it usually works! ;)

I hope everyone had a wonderful week! It's finally the weekend! Yay! :) See you all tomorrow! Don't forget to join us in the next Waltzingmouse Sketch Challenge! I'm going to try to use the "schedule" post option again. I hope it works...it failed me the last time I used it...

Still Sick

Hi bloggies. I'm sorry to say I'm still sick and won't be able to join in the fun over at CASE Study Blog Challenge. But I'm hoping a lot of you will hop on over tonight at midnight. The ladies over at the blog have a FANTASTIC surprise for everyone! Trust me! You'll want to join in all of the festivities. I'm really hoping that I'll be much better soon. I feel bad leaving the blog empty like this. I'll see you all soon...

CR84FN15

Hi everyone! So I did manage to make a card today even though I wasn't feeling too good. I got so tired of sleeping, reading and watching tv all day. I've been meaning to make a card for CR84FN15 since yesterday, but I only got my chance today. Here's their inspiration photo and color combination.

I just love the colors that Mona comes up with. They're always so elegant and soft. I made a Valentine's Day card seeing as how it's Valentine's Day and I have nothing to show for it! :) It was nice to make one without using the usual colors of this holiday. Here's my card.

 I'm afraid I can't elaborate more on the card. I'm starting to feel very tired just making this one card. If you have any questions about the supplies I used just pop me a question on the comments or leave me an email. I'll make sure to get back to you as soon as I can. Enjoy the rest of your day! I hope you all have something wonderful planned for tonight! :)

Happy Valentine's Day!!!

Hi everyone! Happy Valentine's Day! And what a Valentine's day it is...I caught my husband's stomach flu! It's not so bad. At least we celebrated early yesterday. I hope you'll all have a wonderful Valentine's Day!


I don't have a Valentine's day card for you today. (Maybe I can sneak in one later if I'm feeling better...) But I do have something better! The March/April Issue of Papercrafts Magazine is finally on the shelves! And I can finally share with you all my winning card for the World Card Making Day 2010!!!

It's actually a little funny how I found out that I had a winning entry. Someone from the magazine contacted me to ask what stamp set and stamp company my sentiment came from because they were already making the write-ups for the magazine. And I was so startled that they were asking that when no one even told me that I had a winning entry. I was so happy and excited that day, but I wasn't sure if it was real or if it was just a fluke. Well, I replied to the email to inform them that the sentiment stamp was from Waltzingmouse Stamps, and I asked them if I had won. It turns out that I did...so then I was finally able to complete my dance of joy. Hahaha! 


This card is infused with Waltzingmouse goodness! Of course, it had to be my all time favorite...Victorian Frippery. This was the first set I ever ordered from WMS, and this was the first card I made with it. And it was also the first card I ever submitted to a magazine! So I was really very happy that it made it all the way. :)

I hope you'll grab a copy of Papercrafts Magazine March/April 2011 and look at the rest of the winning entries. The magazine is filled with such inspiration and fantastic card makers. :) Enjoy your day! Hope to see you all later!

Curtain Call Color Challenge Act 69

Hi bloggers! Guess what was waiting for me outside on the porch when I opened the front door this afternoon. My friendly USPS guy had just delivered my very first order from WPlus9 Stamps. I've been meaning to try their stamps out for quite some time now. But as I always say, there are too many good releases and sometimes you just get all confused as to what to get first. Well, as soon as I opened my package I went straight to working with it. The quality is very good. It's got that nice firm texture and the detailed images stamped very well. I used my first two stamp sets on Curtain Call Color Challenge Act 69. Here's the wonderful color combination that Stacey picked out for us this week.

I know I used the same sketch again for this one. But I can't help it!!! It's my FAVORITE sketch and I ALWAYS find myself veering towards it!!! Haha! Don't you just love how the panel in the middle breaks up the background image and adds a little umph?! Hehe! This card was made using the Flora and Fauna 1 stamp set and Woodgrain Silhouettes Addition from WPlus9 stamps. And of course, there's a few Waltzingmouse stamps in there too! I'm afraid I can't help but reach for them either! I just love using them! I used the frame from Very Vintage Labels No. 10 and the sentiment and flourish from Fancy Phrases. 

I hope you've enjoyed my card and it inspires you to join us for a week of inky fun! 

The Curtain Call Crew has samples to show you today, too, so make sure you stop by to see:


Christina MacLaren at Seaglass & Sentiments
Jean Martin at Stampin' Scrapper
Julie Lacey at Stamps & Taxes
Laurel Seabrook at Seabrook Designs
Makiko Jones at MakInk Studio
Monika Davis at M.A.D. Stamper
Piali Biswas at Touch of Creation
Silke Ledlow at My Life





and February Guest Designer, Laurie Willison.

PDCC 68

Good morning bloggies! It's a wonderful, sunny Saturday morning here in NY. And it's the perfect time for some card making. It seems that a lot of the challenges I used to love to join are gone now.  I remember when I would try to join all of them on days like this. It's really good that there are still great challenges online and new ones seem to pop up. Speaking of challenges, here's one that I love to follow. The Play Date Cafe. I try to join in whenever I can. Except for those times when the colors are so very challenging! You know me, I'm afraid of colors that are too bright! PDCC 68 was perfect though. One of my favorite combinations...pink and kraft...

Look at all this shabby goodness! Oh course I couldn't let this one pass by without playing! Here's my take on this challenge. I stamped Hero Art's Fabulous Flourish on pink patterned paper. I had no idea the stamp was going to be HUGE when I ordered it. Haha! I was shocked when I saw it. It's gorgeous though!!! :)

I also stamped some Victoria Frippery (WMS) on a panel of vintage cream cardstock and inked the edges. The sentiment is from Papertrey Ink, Signature Greetings. That beautiful vintage digital image is from Iralamija shop on etsy.com. If you don't know Beatriz Jennings (impossible!), then you should go take a look at her blog and her store! She's a shabby chic/vintage guru!!! There's soooo much inspiration there.

Well, I'm off to do some chores. Hopefully I'll have a bit more time to make a few more cards. I'll be back late tonight for sure, for the Curtain Call Color Challenge! See you all later! :)

Waltzingmouse Sketch Challenge 34

Hi bloggies! I've just finished Dan Brown's Lost Symbol and I must say it was a wonderful read. I now find myself without a book in hand. I was planning on getting a Nook Color tomorrow, any thoughts on it? I've been looking at reviews and so far I've seen good ones. I finally convinced myself to get one so that I wouldn't have to keep running to the bookstore to get my hands on a book I want to read. I also like the fact that I wouldn't have a pile of books that I've already read just catching dust. If you know of any good reads, drop me a note please! :) It would be very much appreciated! 


Onto our challenge? I could hardly believe I was posting my first Waltzingmouse Sketch Challenge as a Mischief Maker last weekend. And now it's my second posting! Time really flies when you're having fun. I've been really lucky this year! :) Well, I don't want to keep you from all the fun...here's this week's Waltzingmouse Sketch Challenge 34. 

Isn't this sketch so versatile?! I'm absolutely sure you'll have so much fun with it. Here's what I came up with. I used Very Vintage Labels No. 10 to make my beautiful frame. I inked a Martha Stewart doily and placed it underneath for a little dainty frill. The sentiment and frame around it are from Fancy Phrases which I find myself pulling out quite often since I got it in the mail. Since the sketch showed a one layered card, I chose to stamp a background instead. It's made from a flourish stamp, also in Very Vintage Labels No. 10. I just love making my own backgrounds. The possibilities are endless, I guess the only limit would be your imagination. :) 

I hope you like my card for this week's challenge. Don't forget to check out the other Mischief Makers! Come and join us!