My SNE Proejct & New Shape!

Today I'm finally going to share a picture of my project from Stamp New England! I can't believe it's been almost a month now since our fabulous, fun event - my how time flies!

I wanted to give everyone a chance to try something a bit different, to try altering one of the fun shapes from Say It With Letters. Sweet Deb asked me to try a few new designs for SIWL- one being a Birdhouse (which I will be sharing in it's altered form in the coming days). As I was playing around with some shapes I made an oops - but after a minute I realized it wasn't a mistake, but a cute Chubby Lil Chick that had just hatched! :) Deb and her husband were so wonderful when I emailed to see if they could whip up 37 of these chickies in a month!! (Plus they also donated some adorable products for our door prizes!).

So here is the final product, our chicks were 6". They are sold in the SIWL shop at 8" but one of the great things about SIWL is that they can do any shape for you from 6" up to 48"!!! Amazing, huh? Just email them if you need a custom size.

I had so much fun adding springy elements to this project! The paper is from My Mind's Eye (purchased at Emma's Paperie, of course!). The wing is some fabulous wool felt that I am sooo in love with now! The rub-ons are from Melissa Frances and perfect for this chickie! The crocheted flowers were made by my mom and me - all 37 of them! Thanks Mom!!

Oh and I have to give a HUGE shout out to Beacon Adhesives - the makers of Zip Dry! I emailed them and told them how I would be using their product in my class and asked if they'd possibly donate a few bottles . . . well, they emailed me back the next day and sent more than enough Zip Dry for EVERYONE attending to get their very own bottle!!! It was like Oprah - lol! Thank you so much Beacon!! Seriously, I only use Zip Dry for projects like this - it doesn't make your paper ripple or pucker, it dries super fast and it rubs right off your hands and doesn't make a huge mess! LOVE it!

I kept it pretty simple so that we would have time to finish the class but I just had to add a cute little tag in case you wanted to use this as a gift. I used the 3 Step Hey Chick set from Kitchen Sink Stamps (who also donated several great prizes for our event - thanks Maria!!!) for the egg and sentiment and just love how all the colors worked together so nicely!

Be sure to check out the other great Spring-related shapes at Say It With Letters and if you decide to give the Chubby Lil Chick a try I'd love to see it!!

Ring in the New . . .KSS Style!

Happy Monday! Anyone else out there snowed in?! Looks like it'll be a white Christmas for sure here! :)

This week's Kitchen Sink Stamps' Monday challenge is brought to you by our wonderful Crew Leader, Dee Jackson! Dee challenged us to "Ring in the New Year!" Come join the fun and make a card celebrating the coming new year. Post a link to your card in the KSS Group at Paper Craft Planet. Use tag KSCC#4 if you upload your picture there and come chat about the challenge here!

I decided to try making a fun background with my KSS Playful Numbers, 1/2 Pint Playful Alphabet and 1/2 Pint Playful Alphabet Buddy. I took out all the 2's, 0's and 9's and started laying them out on my block until I found an arrangement that I liked. Then I stamped it repeatedly on some shimmery white paper using Memento Pear Tart ink. A layer of some pretty matching Bazzill paper on a Kraft card base finished this quick and easy layout. (I'm disappointed with the color in this pic. . . it's such a pretty chartreuse IRL but I can't seem to get a good pic . . . sorry you'll have to trust me!)

The ribbon is some beautiful Pink Paislee trim I picked up at Emma's Paperie. . . it's velvety and stretchy and just so pretty! For a fun "pop" of color I added the sentiment on a Nesties ribbon slide in a fun dark pinky color. A little bling and we're done! Hope you like it! Be sure to visit the rest of the crew to see how they are ringing in 2009!

Maria Colosimo
Nicole Cooke
Tammy Hershberger
Dee Jackson
Angela Knopf
Lynn McAuley
Lori Tecler

Stay warm and safe! :)

Kitchen Sink Monday . . . on Thursday

Good morning!! Since I totally missed KSS Monday due to the power outage I am having Monday on Thursday! :)

A few years ago I made my mother-in-law an altered composition notebook for a Christmas keepsake. Ever since then I've wanted to make one for me and now I finally have! I just love this little project and it looks so much better IRL! I used several Kitchen Sink Stamp sets for this project, 1/2 Pint Playful Alphabet, Playful Christmas, Vintage Words and Mix It Up! Monogram & Alphabet. The paper is from October Afternoon - love the vintage, homespun feeling to their holiday line!

One thing that made this project a bit easier is that my colors included black and since the binding on my composition notebook is black I didn't even cover it - it just works! I did add a piece of green gingham ribbon down the side to cover the "seam." The ribbon is fairly new to the Kitchen Sink Store - in several colors! I colored mine with a Copic to make it match the dp (turn the white a bit chartreuse-ish). I covered the front with the OA paper and a small bit of black cardstock at the bottom. I stamped a line of Playful Christmas trees on Very Vanilla and used some cute Maya Road trim that I picked up at Emma's Paperie on the seam. I stamped the title and then used Nestabilities to add a dp frame around it (you can't really see it, but the frame is popped up for some dimension). I then stamped the biggest tree directly on the dp, cut it out and added a button.

On the inside of both covers I made pockets, one for receipts and one for stamps, coordinating the look and the trees. Finally I used my SU! Tab punch to make 3 tabs and stamp them using Mix It Up! Monogram & Alphabet. They say, "fun," "gifts" and "food."

I hope you like this little project . . . maybe you could whip one up for a quick Christmas gift! I know I would totally love to receive a notebook to record all my Christmas memories in!! Have a great day! :)

Cardstock: Very Vanilla (SU!), Black (Bazzill), Patterned Paper: Good Cheer (October Afternoon), Stamps: Playful Christmas, 1/2 Pint Playful Alphabet, Mix It Up Monograms & Alphabet, Vintage Words, Ink: Bamboo Leaves, Rhubarb Stalk (Memento), Accessories: Bakers Twine (Say It With Letters), Buttons, Nestabilities, Tab punch (SU!), Pom Pom Trim (Maya Road), Green Gingham ribbon (from Kitchen Sink Stamps)

Final Emma's Project and a Bonus

Good morning! The final round of November projects was posted over at Emma's Paperie and they are so neat!! The workshop this month was working with these Oval Hexagon Glass Jars.

Here's one pic of my project (there are more on Emma's blog). I make a little Child's Baking kit and used my jars to package some child sized cake & cookie mixes. I bought these recipes a few years ago and made a cookbook for my nieces. They make tiny little cakes and cookies (think Easy Bake Oven size) which is nice when your child wants to make something but you really don't want to have a whole cake (because who's the one that going to end up eating it?!?!). The recipes are formatted so that you can mix up the dry ingredients, package it up and gift it with the recipe of how to finish up the cake. I added some tiny little baking tins and a jar of sprinkles.

Head over to Emma's blog and see what her DT did - beautiful projects!! I had such a fun month getting to being a Guest for Emma's - thank you so much Cindy!! :)

One more quick pic . . . I had a chance to play along with MFT's What's Up Wednesday last week. My buddy Joanne posted the challenge - to use water, water in the image, watercoloring, anything involving water! Shannan Teubner did a great watercoloring tutorial to go along with it - you really should go check it out, I am always looking to improve my coloring techniques! So I gave it a try and then finished my card up using this week's CPS sketch which is sponsored by My Favorite Things so how perfect! :) The image is Be Calm and I just love the pretty design on the tub! I actually was one of the 3 random winners drawn for a $5.00 gift certificate - yea! - so I was able to pick up one of the cute MFT new releases last night - Snowbunny Flopsey - isn't he adorable?!

Cardstock: Spring Moss (Papertrey Ink), Watercolor Paper (SU!),
Designer Paper: LilyKate (Basic Grey)
Stamps: Be Calm (My Favorite Things)
Ink: Stazon Black
Accessories: Spring Moss Grosgrain (PTI), Lavender Velvet (Crate Paper), Antique Brass Brads, Aquapainter, sewing machine, Cuttlebug flower dies, Spica pen

Have a great day everyone!

New Guest Projects

A couple of projects to post quickly this morning . . .

The remaining pages of my Queen Kat Designs little tag booklet were posted over on the QKD blog this week. Go have a look and while you're there, check out the great sale they are having in the store - Get 20% off of all stamps and use coupon code fsbday to get free shipping on your order.

I've had such a great time being a Guest on the Royal Court of QKD - thanks so much Vicki for inviting me! There are some fun things coming for QKD so be sure to subscribe to their blog so that you don't miss a thing!!

Check out Emma's Paperie blog for the latest DT projects as well. This week Cindy posted a new sketch and the design teams cards using the sketch - wonderful inspiration there!! Here's a sneak peek of my card! I had some beautiful papers from SEI to work with as well as a matching stamp set.

There are also some great deals and sales going on at Emma's Paperie - free shipping for orders over $60, chances to win Starbucks gift cards, free project kits with every $40 order (after discounts and not including shipping). Read all about it here and then head over to the Paperie and do some holiday shopping! :) I've got one more project with Emma's that will be posted soon - fun stuff!!

Have a wonderful day everyone!

Hugs and Treats for YOU!

Hello again my friends! I thought I'd pop in with another quick card and a chance for some Jules Jewels (aka Blog Candy!)! I just got this fabulous new My Favorite Things set, Who's That e-Girl. Isn't it cute? And those awesome sentiments!?! I know several hundred people that need this set -uuhhhhmmmm . . .. all my blogging buddies!! :) I had so much fun playing with patterns and coloring the image - what a fun, fun set! Kim is having some awesome sales this weekend so head over there and pick up this fab set along with some other goodies to start off your holiday shopping!

I also just got this super cool new October Afternoon paper from Emma's Paperie - did you know that houndstooth is *hot*?!! Have you been reading Cath Edvalson's new blog Moxie Fab World?! Cath is the Creative Editor of Paper Crafts Magazine so who better to keep us up on the latest and greatest paper crafting trends?! I became a follower right away - Cath has such a wonderful writing style, there are lots of pretty photos, fun challenges and even give-aways!

So the blog candy?!! I was lucky enough to win one of Cath's first treats - a copy of Card Creations, Volume 6 and since I already have a copy (I have 2 cards in this issue so I may just have a couple of copies *wink, wink*), I'm going to share the love! Leave me a comment on this post and I'll pick a winner on Monday, December 1 - how about you tell me what your favorite trend is right now! I'll send the winner Card Creations, Volume 6, Holiday Cards (which I also have a card in!) and maybe a few other little treats! :)

I want to wish you all a very Happy Thanksgiving!! I hope you enjoy wonderful food, the love of family and friends and safe travels!! Hugs! :)

A Stitched Holiday

My 1st Post - Unity Hop Hop Hangover is just below! :)

It's another 2 post day! I wanted to share the fun challenge we had this week over at Emma's Paperie - Holiday Stitches. I love adding sewing to my projects although I do not do it as often as I'd like since my sewing machine needs to be pulled out and put away each time.

When Cindy challenged us to add some stitches to our holiday projects I decided to try a little hand sewing. I used Celebrate Baby Clear Stamps by Melissa Frances to make a card which includes a "Baby's First Christmas" ornament that's easily removed and hung on the tree.

I started by making the ornament usingthe largest scalloped circle Nesetabilities to cut a piece of cream felt and a piece of off white paper to give it some stability. I also used some pretty holiday dp from My Mind's Eye and cut out a smaller circle with the Nestabilities for the front side. I stamped the little trees with green ink on cream felt (I actually stamped them several times to get the depth of color I needed) and then did some small running stitched around the inside of the trees - it was easier to sew before cutting them out - guess how I know that?! ;) After adding the trees to the stamped and cut-out onesie I added little french knots "stars" to the tops of the trees - love those!

Once I put the pieces together I did another stitch all around the edge of the circle using the same green embroidery floss. Just for fun I added some pretty Melissa Frances Pop Out Glitter White Hearts and Animal Crackers Jack Epoxy Shapes by Making Memories.

After that was done I decided to make a coordinating card and ended up using some Basic Grey Small Magnetic Snaps to attach the ornament to the card (both sides of the magnets are hidden behind the dp). I added a bit of stitching to one edge of the card to stay with the theme.

If you'd like to see a few more pictures, including a picture of the back of the ornament where it says "Baby's First Christmas", head over to Emma's Paperie Blog!! You can also ooooohhhh and aaaahhh over the fabulous projects by the Design Team - you will be amazed!!

Color Challenge

I have a fun little project today that I made for my first post as the November Guest Designer at Emma's Paperie. Every month the owner Cindy chooses a "Color of the Month" for the designers to showcase. This month it was Butternut - which scared me a bit at first but once I got started and found all these warm, creamy Butternut products I fell in love! It's the perfect color for this time of year!

I decided to make a little album with this adorable Tree Coaster Album by Maya Road and an assortment of papers - mostly from Scenic Route's Sonoma collection. Since the album cover is slightly embossed (which you cannot see in the picture)
I didn't want to cover it with dp so I used Distress Scattered Straw Embossing Powder by Ranger which was a new product for me. It was kinda neat to see the old, slightly sandy finish it leaves, and the color was perfect!

You can hop over and view more photos of my album as well as a complete recipe list on this post at Emma's Paperie Blog. I had so much fun working in cute little elements here and there!


Don't forget to see this post for some pics of my stamping space as well as a chance to WIN some goodies!! :) Then hop over to Emma's Paperie and check out the amazing range of products offered - I always like to start with the "What's New" category at the top of the menu!! Thanks so much for the fun opportunity Cindy!

Have a great weekend friends! :)

ETA: Emma's is having an Early Bird Holiday sale this weekend! For the 15th & 16th only get 15% your order total by using coupon code EB15. Read about it here! Happy shopping! :)

Wanna Win?

I'll be expanding on this post later in the week but I wanted to pop in again and let you know that you canWIN some yummy holiday goodies by commenting on this post! Get going! :)

More News

Remember to see my Kitchen Sink Stamps Crew Challenge post below!!

Just wanted to pop in and let you know about another secret I've been keeping! :) Take a look HERE!! More to come . . .

NEW - 3 Step School Days!

Happy Monday!! Hope you all had a good weekend - it was very wet here! I guess we had a hurricane watch, but mostly Down East - only rain here!

I'm sharing another one of the Kitchen Sink Stamps' new sets today, 3 Step School Days. I just love the images - almost vintage, but so neat!! And the font . . . fabulous!! I can see so many uses for this - teacher gifts, scrapbook pages, school notes for the children, and so many more!

I shared part of this card as one of my sneak peeks so here is the full card. Aren't those books cool, and the ruler?!? The apples are 4 steps and for this card they were used them to make Polyshrink buttons (so you can imagine the stamped images are around 50-60% bigger). The picture photo makes the ribbon and button look so dark but they really matches the cardstock! The die cut paper is from a great Die Cut Spiral Notebook I got at Emma's Paperie - it was perfect for this card!

Cardstock: Red Riding Hood (SU!), Vintage Cream (Papertrey Ink), Patterned Paper: October Afternoon, Noteworthy Journaling Die Cut Spiral Notebook (Making Memories), Stamps: 3 Step School Days (Kitchen Sink Stamps), Ink: Ladybug Red, Rubarb Stalk (Memento), Cranberry Crisp, Kiwi Kiss, Old Olive, Garden Green, River Rock (SU!), Frayed Burlap (Ranger),

Here's another project I made with the set. Just a Quick Note - seriously!! I used my Long Rectangle Nestabilities to cut the note and dp. It fit perfectly in these pretty glassine envelopes I've had for a while. I wanted to dress up the envelope a bit so I stamped an "E" using my Mix It Up! Monogram & Alphabet (also KSS) and attached it to some pretty ribbon.

Here's a look at the inside. The ink & feather quill are such a pretty image - and fun in pink!! The dp is Pink Paislee. After stamping the image I used my Aquapainter to fill in the ink for a pop of color. Wouldn't this be a nice note to stick in a child's lunchbox, or to send a note to your child's teacher or as a gift tag? You could make up a bunch of these in no time! I plan on making more and using them to give the girls with little notes of encouragement through the school year - they love getting notes from their teacher! ;)

Cardstock: Confettie White (SU!), Patterned Paper: Office Lingo Casual Friday (Pink Paislee), Stamps: 3 Step School Days, Mix It Up! Monogram & Alphabet (Kitchen Sink Stamps), Ink: Angel Pink, Rose Bud, London Fog, Tuxedo Black (Memento), Accessories: Rose grosgrain (SU!), Nestabilities, glassine envelope

Cupcake Friday

TGIF! I had a chance last week to play along with Taylored Expression's Cupcake Challenge (which also happened to be the release day of her own line of stamps - super cute!!). Taylor comes up with some great sketches and it was a fun chance to play with my Cupcake A'La Yummy set from Unity Stamps!

I think I said this already but I am really liking Kiwi Kiss. It's a fun shade of green and it matched perfectly with my dp - which is of course, October Afternoon!! :) The Swiss Dot Cuttlebug folder is just fun - I think I'll be using that a lot!

I'll keep this short today but remember to check out this post for a chance at blog candy! I'm off for a fun time today meeting my fellow Prettie Girl and stamper extraordinare Jodi who is in Maine for the weekend - how fun!! Have a great weekend all!!

Cardstock: Vintage Cream (Papertrey Ink), Pacific Point, Kiwi Kiss (SU!), Patterned Paper: October Afternoon, Stamps: Cupcake A'La Yummy (Unity Stamps), Ink: Rich Cocoa (Memento), Accessories: Brads (Queen & Co.), Nestabilities, Copic Markers, Crystal Effects, Swiss Dot Embossing Folder, Ribbon (Target)

FALL is here!

Warning: Lengthy post - scroll down if you just want the pics! :)

While I love the warm, sunny days of summer I have to admit that when the temperature starts dropping at night and the days take on that special golden glow of Fall I get so excited! September and October are probably my favorite months of the year! I love being able to get out my turtleneck sweaters and corduroys. I love going apple picking and the smell of fresh, hot applesauce cooking on the stove! I love finding the perfect pumpkin to bring home and on the front step, finding some beautiful shade of mums to plant next to the front door and taking a leisurely drive through back country New England roads to view the changing leaves and hunt for vintage treasures!! Ok, truth be told I don't get to do ALL those things now that I have small children but we do a lot of them, and soon they will all be eager to welcome these Fall pleasures with us!

Why am I feeling all nostalgic about Fall today?? I get to share my Guest DT project for Say It With Letters today - and it's allllll F A L L. I was so excited when my package arrived from Deb (and can I also say here that her packaging is always so nicely done! It's like receiving a little gift - that you paid for - lol!!). I think I have shared this before, but all of Deb's shapes and letters are cut from 1/2" thick MDF and have pre-drilled keyholes on the back so that you hang on the wall right away. There are tons and tons of shapes, words, fonts and sizes to choose from!! I plan on making many more for Christmas gifts this year!

Ok, on to the project (you can view a close-up of all the letters here.). I went on a hunt for paper, something Fall-ish but a bit unexpected . . . Pink Paislee's new line Vintage Moon struck me as the perfect line! Cindy, over at Emma's Paperie had just received their new shipment of Pink Paislee and it came in an 8" paper pack! I started by painting the edges black with a light coat of a yellow-gold paint which I sanded mostly off once it was dry (it made the black not so black). Then I covered each letter in a different paper trying to make sure that each color and pattern was not only used but tied together as a whole. When I laid them out, rust, off white, sunflower yellow, black . . . blue . . hmmm, how could I incorporate the blue paper without it looking a bit strange for Fall??! (the blue is really gorgeous IRL, with gray-ish/silver-ish pattern it's almost metallic, but not.)

I began wondering if creating a quilt with paper for one of the letters would work??! So I began cutting odd shapes, piecing together a crazy quilt of sorts. I must have spent at least an hour cutting, arranging, recutting and rearranging trying to get it right. Then I decided to just start stitching. That was the key - it ALL came together then and I love the result!!

On the final "L" I wanted to incorporate the cute little owl on the branch from one of the papers so I glued it (with my Zip Dry Glue - which I think is the best adhesive for projects like this) to some medium weight chipboard and cut it out with an Xacto knife. Then I could pop him anywhere on the letter once it was covered with paper. To finish up, I added some vintage buttons from my old button tin, some dried wheat and strawflowers, some neat burlap ribbon and twill tape (SEI), and a snippet of lace (Melissa Frances).

If you are still reading, THANK YOU so much!! How about some Jules Jewels (i.e. blog candy!) to say thanks?!! :) Add a comment to this post letting me know what shape you think would be most fun to alter from SIWL (click on the link to view all of them). I will draw one name on Monday, September 15 and order their choice of Fall shapes, either a spooky bat, a pumpkin, acorn or turkey from Deb's store. While you're there check out all the great other products, including fun journal kits, children's kits, papers, ribbons and yummy Vintage German glass glitter!! Thank you so much Deb for this fun opportunity to work with you and the team!!

Want a Challenge?

Happy Tuesday! Did you know that Paper Pretties has a Weekly Challenge hosted by our very own Danielle?! She comes up with some really fun challenges, inspires you with her wonderful creation for the challenge and invites you to upload your work in the Paper Pretties Gallery. So fun!! I love challenges, it always gives you a starting point - which is usually the hardest part for me! Go check them out and play along!

Ok, this week's challenge (they are put up every Thursday) was to use this sketch - a tall, skinny card. I don't make enough of these! I used some pretty American Crafts paper and ribbon that I've had for a bit now from Emma's Paperie.

I love paper piecing Sophia and this fun purple polka dot made a cute robe. I actually made this card for my second daughter Anna. She took a tumble when we were at the lake this weekend and scraped up her arm and leg. Nothing too bad but she takes things quite seriously so I made this card with her in mind - she loves purple! I love these extra long rectangle Nestabilities - so fun for this type of layout!! :)

I added some pretty AC ribbon to finish up the sketch and stitched it on a la Mish (I just think of her when I see this! :) ). You know, it's kinda difficult to sew in crazy, non-straight lines! LOL!

Thanks for visiting! Hope you're having a great week! :)

Cardstock: Stamper's Select White (Papertrey Ink), Patterned Paper: American Crafts, Stamps: Bunny Slippers, Cozy In and Feel Better Soon (Paper Pretties), Ink: Tuxedo Black (Memento), Lovely Lilac (SU!), Accessories: Nestabilities, Ribbon (American Crafts), Copic Markers, sewing machine, Dimensionals (SU!)

Nuts For You Take 3

I'm scheduling a few posts while we are away camping since we won't have internet access . . . oh no, say it isn't so!!! :)

When I got my new Kitchen Sink Stamps prior to this past release I made up 3 fun 3 Step Autumn Squirrel cards. I showed you 2 of them here. Today's card is a bit different, a bit scrappy, a bit unexpected but I love it! Yes, it is more October Afternoon paper - shocking! The shape is from a sheet of Die Cut Shapes, they provide a lot of different possibilities!

I just love how cute the squirrel is and how he pops off the page in contrast to the blues and greens! Go check out the Kitchen Sink Gallery for lots of other great ideas from the Kitchen Crew - you'll be inspired I'm sure!!

Cardstock: Kiwi Kiss, (SU!), Vintage Cream (Papertrey Ink), Patterned Paper: Detours line (October Afternoon), Stamps: 3 Step Autumn Squirrel, Ink: Desert Sand (Memento), Close to Cocoa, Chocolate Chip, Always Artichoke (SU!), Accessories: Friends ribbon (American Crafts), Nestabilities, Copper brads, ticket corner punch, Dimensionals

Bonus Sketch #3

Good morning!! Today I'm sharing my card for the Page Plans Bonus Sketch #3. I picked up another Unity Stamp when I bought the cupcake set - this beautiful verse stamp entitled Move Mountains.

I used a digi download, Bright Colorful Brackets that I bought a few months ago from Shabby Miss Jenn Designs. Aren't they fun?! I love that I can change their size to meet my needs. I also changed the color, making it a bit creamier, by adding a color overlay in Photoshop.

Once I printed, cut out and stamped my sentiment on the bracket, I added a bit of ink around the edges to dirty it up just a tad. The paper is some fun Pink Paislee Spring Fling - love the colors!

Thanks for coming and visiting today! Thank you also for the nice messages about my Honorable Mention on Nichole's blog - what a fun little surprise that was! Go take a look at all the projects Nichole highlighted, they are amazing!! Have a great day! :)

Cardstock: Brown (Bazzill), Canon Matte Photopaper, Patterned Paper: Spring Fling (Pink Paislee), Stamps: Move Mountains (Unity Stamp Company), Ink: Rich Cocoa, Bamboo Leaves (Memento), Accessories: brads, flower buckle (We R Memory Keepers), Lace (Melissa Frances), Prismacolor pencils, corner rounder punch

Nuts For You!

I couldn't resist showing you this adorable little acorn I made this week! Have you checked out Say It With Letters?? They have the most incredible selection of alterable shapes and letters all cut from 1/2" MDF - all ready for you to create!! I just love them!

The owner, Deb is super sweet (plus she's in NH - I love supporting New England businesses!!) and will customize the sizes for you if you want something different - up to 48"!!! For instance, this acorn is listed at 8 inches, but I wanted it slightly smaller so I ordered it in 6 inches - no problem! They have keyholes drilled on the back so you just alter it any way you want and you're done!

I have several of these shapes to show you in the future - I've had this acorn for a year and just now finally got it altered! When the Kitchen Sink Stamps 3 Step Autumn Squirrel set came out I realized that it was the perfect image for my little acorn! He's just so cute, isn't he?! By using the Pearlescent Beige Brilliance ink for the base layer her looks almost fuzzy. Paired up with some fun fun October Afternoon paper - love it!! (Sorry for the jar in the picture - it needed to be propped up a bit!). I kept thinking this needed just a little something else but I didn't want to cover up the cute paper . . . what do you think?

Go check out Deb's Etsy store and order some fun shapes - you'll love them!! We have a busy day ahead - have a great weekend everyone!! :)

Cardstock: Kiwi Kiss (SU!), Vintage Cream (PTI), Brown (Bazzill), Patterned Paper: October Afternoon, Stamps: 3 Step Autumn Squirrel, Inks: Pearlescent Beige Brilliance, Potters Clay, Rich Cocoa (Memento), Always Artichoke (SU!), Accessories: Twill tape, Felt flowers, Dimensionals (SU!), brads, Nestabilities, Bella Baubles, Basic Grey Precision Files,

Shopper Alert!

First let me share my last card from last week's Stamping in Your Jammies release party at Paper Pretties. (You can skip right to the bottom for details on the Back To School special)

The challenge was to create something party related, an invitation, a favor, a thank you, whatever. Invitations seemed to win out! :) I used the adorable new set Surf's Up!! Don't you just love seeing Snowflake surfing?! I think it's such a fun image! The waves are cut out from some awesome Scenic Route Grafton paper - they are perfect! The surfboard is also paper pieced using some surfboards from another piece of the Grafton paper. I just love the colors here - orange just makes me happy!

Here's a shot of the inside. I cut out a couple of the surfboards and used them to perk up the inside of my beach party invitation.

Ok, now here are the details on some great Back To School specials at Paper Pretties: EVERYTHING in the Paper Pretties Boutique is eligible - you can even shop from the SALE category and receive the specials!

From Friday August 15th until August 31st:
-When you spend $25 in the Paper Pretties Boutique, you can choose any one of the Paper Pretties' sentiments for free (Christie just added some new ones today!!).
-When you spend $50 you can choose a Paper Pretties' sentiment and a roll of American Crafts ribbon.
-When you spend $100 - you can choose a Paper Pretties' sentiment, a roll of American Crafts ribbon and you'll get FREE SHIPPING!!!

When you check out, simply leave a note in the comments box noting which sentiment and which ribbon you'd like and Christie will make sure it gets put in your order! Orders over $100 will automatically not be charged shipping.

So now is your chance to pick up a few of the cute new images you know you've been wanting!! :) Off to School Sophia and Look Out World Cooper would be so cute on your children's Back to School scrapbook pages and Beach Bum and Surf's Up are perfect for all your summer themed activities!! Don't forget the Stamp of the Month Club - September's stamp is Falling for You and she is adorable!!

Thanks for your patience everyone - hope you have a great day!! :)

Cardstock: GP White, Patterned Paper: Scenic Route Grafton line, Stamps: Surf's Up (Paper Pretties), sentiment is Paper Tray (Papertrey Ink), Inks: Noir (Palette), Summer Sunrise (Papertrey Ink), Accessories: Summer Sunrise twill (Papertrey Ink), Copic markers, brad, corner rounder punch

Mid-Week Sketch

Have you tried any of the great sketches over at Page Plans this month? Lots of fun - sketches always give you a great jumping off point! I've been showing you the card sketches but they also have fantastic layout sketches for scrappers each week that I'm hoping to try soon (my scrapbooks are soooooooo far behind!!).

Here is my card for the bonus mid-week sketch this week. When I saw this adorable Little Tees set designed by Melanie Muenchinger for Gina K I just thought it was so fun! My good buddie (hee hee) Joanne made some great cards with it and every time I saw one I just loved it! So . . . now it is mine! :)

I was very impressed with the great impression you get with these unmounted rubber stamps too - the quality is excellent. One other funny little thing, but I loved the way the t-shirt actually stamps. I'm not sure if you can tell from the picture but the lines of the t-shirt are not straight and all the same width, it varies and changes which really adds to the realistic look of the t - so cool!!

From this picture it looks like the ric rac doesn't match . . . trust me it does!! If you know me at all, you know that I wouldn't use it if it did not match! :) The paper is some very pretty SEI Dill Blossom paper. I think the retro feel goes well with the t-shirt and it's retro butterfly (which has a bit of Lime Stickles added to it..

Go check out the sketch and give it a try, I'd love to see what you come up with! And go check out Melanie's set - there are tons of great images! I'll be back a little later with my Prettie Wednesday post - thanks for visiting!!

Cardstock: Dark Chocolate (Papertrey Ink), Patterned Paper: Dill Blossom (SEI), Stamps: Little Tees (Gina K), Ink: Tuxedo Black, Rich Cocoa (Memento), Accessories: Nestabilities, Dimensionals, Bella Baubles, felt ric rac, olive ric rac, Hodgepodge Hardware (SU!)