Curtain Call: Warm My Heart

Just a reminder that there are only a few days left on the current challenge at Curtain Call Inspiration Challenge: Cuppa Cocoa.

The sponsor for this challenge is My Favorite Things Stamps - there's a $20 gift code up for grabs!  I have a charming MFT stamp that seemed just perfect for this challenge (MFT isn't required for the challenge).  I dressed her in blues and browns from the inspiration photo - although now that I have the card next to the inspiration graphic, I clearly went too aqua! I'm just sure this sweetheart is going to need a Cuppa Cocoa when she is done playing!


I hope you are inspired to play along!

• Stamps: My Favorite Things Pure Innocence Snow Day
• Paper: Kraft Woodgrain, Stampin' Up Blue, Fancy Pants Timbergrove 6x6 dsp
• Ink: Memento Black and Copics
• Accessories: MFT Blueprints 1 die, Papertrey Ink Lemon Button, Lawn Fawn Silver Sparkle Hemp Cord, Frosted Lace Stickles

In the Comfort Zone with WPlus9

WPlus9 is celebrating their 4th birthday with contests throughout the month.  The first contest is a Comfort Zone Challenge.  My comfort zone is clean.  I love little groupings of elements.  Tags are perfect for me because I can group everything on a tag.  I love to fill out the grouping with some sequins or enamel dots. I love bold or regal colors - I rarely bring out pastels.

So to do all of this I pulled out my favorite WPlus9 tag and added a few of their sweet feathers, sprinkled on a few enamel dots - and I'm in my comfort zone!


Happy Birthday WPlus9!!!  Here's to many, many more!

• Stamps: WPlus9 Strictly Sentiments 2, Fanciful Feathers
• Paper: MFT Brick Red, black, striped scrap
• Ink: MFT Brick Red, PTI Hawaiian Shores
• Accessories: WPlus9 Fanciful Feather dies, Timeless Tags 2, Hemptique 10-lb black twine, misc enamel dots 

CAS(E) this Sketch! Love & Kisses

It's time for a new sketch at CAS(E) this Sketch!!

I had a few stamp sets set aside from my NBUS stash (Never-Before-Used-Schtuff) that I wanted to use during the Valentine season.  The Avery Elle set that I picked today actually has sentiments outside of the love sentiment - it has a thanks, birthdays, proud of you and a bunch more...but I particularly like the way the "L_VE" stamps is laid out.  Avery Elle also has dies to fill in the blanks (thus the name of the set - "Fill in the Blank" - but I found this button hiding in some very old stash and liked its texture.

The banner is layered up on three cuts from Smokey Shadow.  I like how it sets it off from the white. 
I'm sure you will enjoy this sketch - I hope to see you playing along!!

• Stamps: Avery Elle Fill in the Blank
• Paper: Papertrey Ink Smokey Shadow, Echo Park Head Over Heels 6x6 dsp
• Ink: My Favorite Things Electric Red
• Accessories: Lil' Inkers Stitched Rectangles, Stampin' Up banner die, Hemptique 10-lb white twine, button (unknown)

Fresh Squeezed Stamps: Zest for Life

It's another day of spring cleaning at Fresh Squeezed Stamps and there's another prize - so be sure to check it out!

Today, I am using Sublime Citrus.  I first started getting truly interested in Fresh Squeezed when I started seeing cards made with Sublime Citrus - so I definitely wanted to show it off during the spring cleaning!  I love the citrus slices and if you look closely at the orange - the half-slice has a heart on it.  The set also has a pitcher, a full lemon/lime, a bunch of fun sayings and much more!


I pulled out some neon inks for this one - I love neon on kraft - although the colors muted a little when I glittered them.  I especially wanted to point out the yellow.  Hero Arts initially had a Neon Yellow that I just never liked because it wasn't as gold as the others.  The yellow here is actually Neon Sunshine - and it's much better!  The green is also a new color - it's Neon Chartreuse.
I am using the current sketch from clean and simple stamping.

• Stamps: Fresh Squeezed Stamps Sublime Citrus
• Paper: My Favorite Things Lemon Drop and Kraft
• Ink: Hero Arts Neon Chartreuse, Neon Sunshine, Neon Orange, Versamark
• Accessories: Stampin' Up Heat and Stick powder, Martha Stewart Crystal Fine Glitter

Fresh Squeezed Stamps: Weather Through

The theme at Fresh Squeezed Stamps is spring cleaning.  The design team is using a variety of stamps and there are prizes - so be sure to check it out!

(Also...the deer from yesterday's post is on sale today!)

Today I am using Weather Through.  It's a very nice collection of good weather and bad weather images plus some perfect "weather" sentiments.  I used the good and the bad on this card...


I really like the sentiment on this one.  With our teenage boys and with all the other hurdles in our lives right now, it feels like we are just weathering it.  Fingers crossed for blue skies soon!

• Stamps: Fresh Squeezed Stamps Weather Through
• Paper: My Favorite Things Lemon Drop, Papertrey Ink Smokey Shadow
• Ink: My Favorite Things Lemon Drop, Papertrey Ink Smokey Shadow
• Accessories: Lil' Inkers Stitched Rectangle die, Pretty Pink Posh sequins

Fresh Squeezed Stamps: Oh, Shoot

Fresh Squeezed Stamps is coming out with a fun mini set this month - Close Your Ears: Deer.  It includes an image and two sentiments.  I've used one of the sentiments and I have to admit that I am really excited to see if the other designers use the other sentiment and what they do with it!  (But I'm not going to tell you what the other sentiment is - so you'll have to go look - they are all on the Fresh Squeezed blog.)  Here's mine...

Isn't he nice?  I wasn't even sure I wanted to put the "oh, shoot" sentiment on with it's deer-related meaning - but I know that I will absolutely be able to use this for my husband at some point!

Be sure to check back for the next days on my blog and on the Fresh Squeezed blog.  There is some spring cleaning going on with design team cards using lots of different Fresh Squeezed Stamps and great giveaways!

• Stamps: Fresh Squeezed Stamps Close Your Ears: Deer
• Paper: My Favorite Things Chocolate Brown, Primitive White, Stampin' Up Crushed Curry, Fancy Pants Happy-Go-Lucky 6x6 dsp
• Ink: My Favorite Things Chocolate Brown
• Accessories: Papertrey Ink Woodgrain Impression Plate and Ocean Tides button, My Favorite Things Fishtail dies, Doodlebug Enamel Dots, Hemptique 10-lb natural twine

Merry Monday: Believe in the Magic

Way back in 2013, the amazing Lesley Croghan, the founder of Merry Monday and so many other challenges that we all love, asked me to be a guest designer in 2014.  It didn't take any thought at all to say "Yes"!  Then she said "How about February?"  Hmmm...how many of us want to be making Christmas cards so soon after surviving the last Christmas?

The answer is "I do!" First of all, my first Christmas card in 2013 was on January 12 for a Merry Monday challenge.  By playing along all year, I was ready to go in December.  I didn't have to squeeze in a single last-minute card, nor do a stack of cards in bulk just to have enough!  Second, I still have Christmas supplies in my NBUS stash (Never-Before-Used-Schtuff) and I would really like to get them out of the way so they don't sit there all the way until next Christmas!!

So bring on the Merry Monday challenge!

Stockings!!!  Funny enough, I had a few stockings to choose from in my NBUS stash.  At some point last year, I actually realized that I didn't have a single stocking stamp that was fresh and new-looking and fit my current style.  So I went shopping. The little stocking that I used on this card came from a set with a variety of Christmas motifs but the stocking (and the fat little Christmas tree that's also part of the set) were the big reason for the purchase!!


The motifs are by Paper Smooches and I also happened to have two new-to-me Christmas sentiment sets by Paper Smooches that I picked up at Archiver's Going-Out-of-Business. {Sadness}  Stockings have always been important in my family.  It's fairly easy to get the big gifts - but filling the stockings with little items that still had great meaning is what takes the thought and the time. So throughout my childhood and now throughout my children's childhoods - the stocking is the "magical" moment.

Have fun with stockings this week!  I look forward to seeing what you create.

• Stamps: Paper Smooches Merry Motifs, Joyful Greetings
• Ink: Copics and Memento Black
• Paper: scrap (sorry!)
• Accessories: Paper Smooches Merry Motifs die, Lil' Inkers Stitched Rectangles, misc enamel dots, Hemptique 10-lb black twine