Sparkly FFF

Hello everyone! Time for another Farm Fresh Friday challenge brought to you by The Greeting Farm! This week the challenge is a "sparkly" one. Incorporate some sort of sparkle or shine to your creation and it has to be a birthday theme. Easy enough, right?!

For my card today, I decided to use another Laurie image. This time I used her with this present to make a birthday card for my friend Nona. Her birthday is coming up at the end of the month. ......now, if I actually MAIL this card in time will be a miracle! Lol! Can you see the Stickles I used for sparkle? Trying to capture it in phots is so hard. I also used Mercy's sketch from this week: 100 baby!!

Stop on by the TGF blog for all the challenge details and to see all the great DT creations!

On a personal note.....sorry I haven't been posting lately. My new store has been working me 6 days a week, on top of all my card classes and volunteer work. Because of that, now I'm starting to get sick again....and probably stress of a possible strike at work. (Grocers' Union contracts) I'm also trying to get ready for a "trunk show" at the shop where I sell my cards. It's the Saturday after Thanksgiving, so I've been trying to crank out all the Christmas cards, tags, and gifts I can! All of this isn't keeping me away from the latest Harry Potter movie though! I'm going to see it with my friend Josie today. :D I hope to post some more stuff this weekend.

Materials

Stamps: TGF Laurie with Present digi, CTMH Fringed Phrases

Paper: A Muse kraft, CTMH cs and yellow dp, BG Sugar Rush dp

Other: Copics, foam tape, Coluzzle, Stickles, CTMH inks, pearls, and ribbon, EK punch, CB folder

It's a SWEET Birthday!!

Hello and welcome to Sweet November's

Sweet Celebration Birthday blog hop!

Yep, it has been one year since the characters who reside in Sweet November Land have come out to play and a few of them have gotten all decked out for a grand birthday party today! All of the wonderful SN Gals and Guest Gals, as well as some of the ATS design team have come together to showcase these new cuties with a hop! And you won't want to miss a single blog because not only are the cards super cute and totally inspiring but there are also four birthday candy kits hidden along the way... think of them as fun birthday presents for you to win!

We are kicking things off at the ATS blog where you can find the complete list of everyone's blogs and if you have come here from Lisa's blog, then you're on the right track!

Today I'm introducing you to Darby and her new friend Dazzle! They're have a very fun time helping to celebrate the occasion; Dazzle even "shed some light" on it! Lol! Looks like Darby thinks he's funny! Of course I had to incorporate some orange into my card since it is Amy's favorite color! I used the very beautiful Olivia paper pack from Close To My Heart. Love the color combo and the fun patterns! It went perfectly to add to the "November" feel too! I also used Mercy's Tuesday sketch from this week. Had to tweak it a bit for it to work with my felt word.

All four of these new Sweet November stamps will be available in the ATS store on Monday, November 15th... which is the same day that the birthday candy winners will be announced on Amy's blog.

Now you're next stop in the hop is to the very talented Kelly Booth! Thank you so much for joining the Sweet November celebration! Here's a list of the blog hop in case you get lost:

ATS
Tracy Porter
Lisa Gobea
ME!
Kelly Booth
Elaine Hughes
Rachel Scheider
Amy Gould
Corinne Mercado
Donna Mikasa
Maire Elli Serafiia Yla Tuuhonen
Ria van Son
Janneke de Jong
The one, the only, Amy Young!

Materials

Stamps: SNS Darby and Dazzle

Paper: CTMH Olivia L2pp, A Muse kraft, PTI cs

Other: Copics, foam tape, Nestie die, Stickles, CTMH ink and piercing tool, Memento ink, felt word

Lazy Sunday

Even with an extra hour today, I still didn't get this post up until now. Haha! But I did still wake up early at 7am. I thought I "slept in" until 8am, but forgot it was daylight savings. So I've been playing all this morning while watching football, and laundry. Wish my team wasn't getting smoked by the Giants though. :(

This card was originally made to play in the Christmas Card Challenge #48 of using candy canes, but since it's Sunday, the new Christmas challenge went up. Thankfully the colors I used still works in this week's inspiration challenge! I also used Mercy's Tuesday Sketch again to play with SCRSC #17.

Materials
Stamps: SCRS Candycane Emily, CTMH Snow Flurries
Paper: BG Jovial dp, A Muse kraft, PTI cs
Other: Copics, foam tape, Nestie die, CTMH inks and button, misc. snowflake brad, EK punch, Stickles

FFF--Tie It Up!

Hello all! Another edition of Farm Fresh Friday. Today we're asking for you to "Tie It Up"! Include either hemp, floss, or raffia on your card.

Today I used this adorable Ivy image to create a birthday card for my friend Becky. The sentiment is perfect since we still call each other our Peep! Hee hee! I used my CTMH waxy flax for the challenge element. Waxy flax is just a floss dipped in wax to make it pliable and easy to shape. It's pretty cool stuff. This Sunflower color worked perfect with my DP. I even made the window shutters pop out. Super fun. I used Mercy's sketch for this week.

So head on over to the TGF blog for all the challenge details and some cool inspiration. Here's the list if you want to hop away:

The Critter Crew:
Shaela Odd
Heather Schlatter
Jacquie Nordaune
Jenn Royal (you're here!)
Kristine Reynolds
Linda Muhr
Tangii Crain
Margie Cortina
Sammi Betbeder


The Farmers:
Jessica Diedrich
Melyssa Connolly
Mercy Kerin
Randi Wall
Kim Nath
Tammy Maxvill


Materials
Stamps: TGF Ivy digi, sentiment is A Muse
Paper: Oct. Afternoon dp, A Muse kraft, PTI cs
Other: Copics, foam tape, CTMH ink, button, and waxy flax, Stickles

MTSC #92

I love Mercy's sketches! This week's MTSC #92 sketch had a particular calling for me. TGF Sailor Seal image by Marina Neira called out to me as the perfect image for the sketch.

This is the first time I've been able to play with Sailor and he is so stinkin' cute! And I just had to play off the cupcakes by using my BG Nook & Pantry dp (haven't I used all this paper yet?!). I'm still trying to use up these Making Memories fabric tags I've had FOR-eva! This cool ruffled ribbon worked great for the scallop border in the sketch too!

Enjoy your Thursday! Tonight is the last of my show premiers. Bones is on tonight and I can't wait for the new stories of Booth and Brennan and the rest of the team. :D I'll be back late tonight with the next Farm Fresh Friday challenge, so come back and visit!

Materials
Stamps: TGF Sailor Seal digi
Paper: BG Nook & Pantry dp, CTMH cs, A Muse kraft
Other: Copics, Coluzzle, foam tape, CB folder, CTMH inks, Stickles, misc. ribbon, MM fabric tag

Scooter Chloe--SCRSC #9

Good afternoon everyone! Sorry for a late post again. I went to take pictures of my cards last night and my battery was dead.....so was my back up battery! Ugh!

So now that I'm off work, I can finally share my card for this week's Sparkle Creations Rubber Stamps Challenge #9 which calls for buttons and bling. Well, that's an easy one! Very fitting challenge for Miss Sparkle herself! In fact, I used one of Sparkle's favorite A Muse sentiments just for this card. :D And since SCRS is sponsoring this week's Oh Alice challenge, I decided to play along with that too. I also used Mercy's sketch #90.

Enjoy your Thursday. One of my two card classes is tonight. I'll share the cards on Saturday, so stay tuned!

Materials
Stamps: SCRS Scooter Chloe, CTMH Simple Stitches, sentiment is A Muse
Paper: CC Earth Love dp, A Muse kraft, CTMH cs
Other: Copics, foam tape, Coluzzle, CB folder, CTMH inks and sparkles, misc. buttons

MTSC #89

Good afternoon everyone. Sorry my post is a bit late. Too busy (and tired) last night to get it ready. Today I bring you a fun card I made using Mercy's sketch #89. This was a fun sketch, and TopiaryBella was the perfect image for it. My stitching is starting to be a little straighter! Lol! Looking better.

Enjoy your short work week! It's regular for me since I work retail, but I go on VACATION next week for my birthday!! And speaking of birthdays.....I have the BEST little brother ever. He called me from Afghanistan yesterday to tell me he found me two tickets to the Seahawks season opener next Sunday!! I've been wanting to go soooooo bad since the game is ON my birthday. Yay!! Better rest my vocal chords this week so I can scream for my team! Safeco's the loudest stadium; love it!!

Materials
Stamps: Stamping Bella TopiaryBella, CTMH Fringed Phrases
Paper: Cosmo Cricket Material Girl dp, CTMH cs, A Muse kraft
Other: Copics, foam tape, CTMH inks and hemp, Memento ink, EK punch, Stickles, Prima yellow flower, misc. button and orange flower, stitching

Make it a Double!

This week over at Sparkle Creations Rubber Stamps, the challenge is to create anything travel related. Well, Emily isn't really "traveling", but wherever she's at right now is where I'd like to travel TO!! LoL!! I would totally love to be sipping a delicious martini drink and using that cute umbrella to shield me from the sun! I also used Mercy's sketch #88 for the "double".

Here's a close up of Miss Emily and her bedazzled outfit:

Enjoy your weekend. I won't be posting tomorrow since I'm in charge of my best friend's baby shower. Boy! (I mean, girl!) it's been a busy time trying to get all the details lined up. I hope everyone enjoys themselves. There will be lots of fun and games, and LOADS of food! I'll be back on Monday for another Critter Crew *sneak peek* for The Greeting Farm!

Materials

Stamps: SCRS Cocktail Emily, CTMH Say it in Style

Paper: BG Eva dp, CTMH Daydream pink striped dp and cardstock

Other: Copics, Prima flowers, Stickles, misc. button, CTMH inks and embossing stylus

Laurie with MTSC #87

Laurie is my favorite of Marina's images. She's adorable, and hey! I wouldn't mind if she made me cookies! Lol! I am STILL on my pink and green kick. Love it! Trying to use up the last of this darn Nook & Pantry dp. Need to make room for *new* paper, right?! I used Mercy's sketch from this week too.

Doing the Farmer's Market again today. This time I'm bringing my Mom with me. *awww* She has a bunch of trinket jewelry to sell. I hope I have better sales than last time, and that the heat doesn't melt us!

Materials
Stamps: TGF Laurie digi, CTMH Fringed Phrases
Paper: BG Nook&Pantry, CTMH cs, Amuse craft
Other: Copics, foam tape, Coluzzle, CTMH inks, ribbon, and brads

Hey Cupcake!

I totally fell in love with this new Cupcake Anya digi the first time I saw her. So cute in her polka-dot leggings and headband. She just looks so cheerful! I've been in a pink and green mood lately, so I found these perfect scraps of CTMH Daydream dp and paired it with some Sweet Leaf cs. Love it! I also used Mercy's sketch #86.

Materials

Stamps: TGF Cupcake Anya digi, sentiment is Amuse

Paper: CTMH Daydream dp, cs

Other: CB folder, EK punch, CTMH ink, Prima flowers, Kaiser rhinestones, misc. button

My favorite card this week:

Hello everyone! Hope you're enjoying your weekend! After I'm off work today, I'm headed to Lake Cavanaugh with some friends for some much needed and deserved R&R! I can't wait!!

For today's card, I used two challenges. First is this week's SCRSC #3 which is an inspiration challenge by using the picture above. I took the colors from the photo to use in my card. Since I don't really have a good Copic color to match this greeny color, I decided to paper piece Charlotte's dress and head scarf. I really, REALLY like the way this turned out! I will definately be doing that again. The second challenge is using Mercy's sketch from this week. It was the perfect layout for this stamp.

Thanks for stopping by! Hope you all get to enjoy some sunshine too!

Materials

Stamps: SCRS Charlotte with Rose

Paper: Cosmo Cricket Earth Love dp, CTMH cs

Other: Copics, foam tape, CTMH inks and ribbon, Sukura pen

Yummalicious! MTSC #83

I wish I chose a bolder sentiment. Though I love this Bella sentiment, it just doesn't stand out. Oh well, live and learn. I had fun playing with Mercy's sketch from this week. Tried to think outside the box for the arch and the scallop. Are you sick of Lucy yet? Too bad if you are, 'cause I'm not! Lol! And yet again, I used the same paper from yesterday's card. Waste nothing! ;)

Materials
Stamps: SCRS Swimming Lucy, Stamping Bella sentiment
Paper: Oct. Afternoon Fly a Kite dp, CTMH cs, Amuse kraft
Other: Copics, Coluzzle, foam tape, misc. trim, rhinestones, CTMH ink, Memento ink, CB folder, Stickles, Stardust pen

Mercy's sketch, take 2

Back today with another version of Mercy's Tuesday Sketch. I {love} Scooter Chloe! She's so much fun to color! Trying to use up some more of my Nook & Pantry. I swear, this pack is lasting FOREVER!!

I'll be back later today with another Sparkle Creations Rubber Stamp card. Playing with Sparkle's "summertime" challenge, the 1st SCRS challenge!

Materials

Stamps: SCRS Scooter Chloe, CTMH Fringed Phrases

Paper: BG Nook & Pantry dp, CTMH cs

Other: Copics, Nestie, foam tape, CTMH ink, Memento ink, misc. buttons

Same paper, different card

Back today with the same exact paper I used for yesterday's post. Gives a totally different affect when paired with my "other" Charlotte from Sparkle Creations Rubber Stamps. I love how soft everything looks, and the colors are so pretty. I also used Mercy's sketch #82 for the layout. I tweaked this sketch to work for me too. Putting an embellishment where she had it sketched I think would've thrown off the balance of my card. I like how my ruffled-edged ribbon mirrors the ruffles in Charlotte's dress. I made this card for my good friend Jann, AKA "Mama Jann". It's her birthday this Saturday. Sh'es such a great friend!

How you all enjoy your Thursday. It's still nice and sunny here, and a comfortable temperature to really enjoy some outdoor fun.

Material
Stamps: SCRS Charlotte with Rose, CTMH Fringed Phrases
Paper: BG Eva dp, CTMH cs
Other: Copics, foam tape, Coluzzle, misc. ribbon and button, adhesive backed pearls, CTMH ink, Memento ink

MTSC #81 and my first Bellas!

(I decided to do a second post to "catch-up"! Lol!!)

Well, they're my first purchased Bellas! I've had a few RAK Bellas that I've used in the past, but I really needed so wedding and baby images and I love the Stamping Bella images. This one in particular. I was first introduced to Bellas through my friend Sparkle. She just has a way where she really makes the images fun and colorful. As homage to Sparkle's enabling (heehee!) I decided to add a few of Sparkle's favorite embellishments--Primas and bling!

This card also uses Mercy's sketch from this last Tuesday.

Materials

Stamps: Stamping Bella image and sentiment

Paper: BG Kioshi dp, CTMH cs, kraft

Other: Copic, Coluzzle, EK punch, Primas, pearls, CTMH inks, misc. ribbon

MTSC #69

I love this scooter image from Unity. So fun. It was part of my March KOTM. I rotated the layout from Mercy's sketch: MTSC #69. I was inspired by my blogging friend Amy to use one of my (many) metal-rimmed tags as one of the elements for the layout. It worked perfectly!

Hope you all have a great Wednesday! One of two card classes tonight for me.

Materials
Stamps: Unity March KOTM, CTMH Say it in Style and Boutique Borders
Paper: BG Lemonade dp, CTMH cs
Other: Copics, foam tape, Coluzzle, CTMH inks and edge distresser, CB folder

Take two...

Yes, same stamp and paper as yesterday. Different layout though. I really had fun coloring and paper piecing this image that I wanted to mae another one! This time I used it for Mercy's sketch challenge #68. Nice and simple layout. I'm totally diggin' this new BG paper!

Enjoy your Monday! Only ONE more day until Glee!! I can hardly stand the wait!

Materials

Stamps: Unity March KOTM, sentiment-Amuse

Paper: BG Green at Heart dp, CTMH cs, kraft

Other: Copics, foam tape, CTMH inks, edge distresser, and hemp, Cuttlebug folder, Coluzzle, misc. button

"Green" Ketto

I'm loving this new BG paper! I had a lot of fun coloring images to match it too. I need to seriously restock my backstock of birthday cards, so I'm afraid that's most of what you're going to see for a while.

This layout (semi) follows Mercy's sketch #67 from last week. After I assembled it, I realized that I did it a little wrong. Oh well, it's still cute! Only 4 days and a wake-up until GLEE comes back!!

Materials

Stamps: Ketto-Stamping Bella, Fringed Phrases-CTMH

Paper-BG Green at Heart, CTMH cs and dotted green dp

Other: Copics, foam tape, EK border punch and corner rounder, Stickles, misc. flower and ribbon, Making Memories button

Wild Card MTSC#59

Another challenge card today. This one is for CA&F Wild Card Wednesday which asks for green and purple (one of my fav combos) and follows Mercy's sketch for this weeks MTSC#59. The purple Copics photographed kinda weird....and I kicked myself again for not stamping the sentiment BEFORE I ran the paper through the Cuttlebug. Oh well.

Materials
Stamps: Reeta-TFG, CTMH Fringed Phrases
Paper: DCWV dp, CTMH cs
Other: Copics, CTMH ink, CB folder, Robin's Nest pearls, foam tape, misc. ribbon

MTSC #58 and RTB #3

As promised....a challenge-filled week. This card is made using Mercy's sketch #58 challenge. Super simple layout which is perfect for a boy card. No extra frill and froo-froo required. ;)

I also used a SUPER old piece of dp from an older that dirt DCWV stack to fit in with the Raise The Bar challenge which called to use something "old". I don't even know why this paper was still in my stash, but I works perfect with this image I got from my friend Sparkle. Isn't he cute?! My little buddy Tyler has his 2nd birthday this month. I know he'll see this image and say "Rwaarr!" He knows about dinosaurs! Hee hee!

Materials
Stamps: RAK image, CTMH Fringed Phrases and For All Occasions ss
Paper: CTMH cs, DCWV "dp"
Other: Copics, EK border punch, paper piercer, CTMH inks and sanding kit