Scaring up Some Fun!

Happy Tuesday!
I hope you all had a safe and happy Labor Day yesterday. Ours was just the 5 of us and quiet and laidback, just what I needed :)
I'd had this image colored for a few days but had some "me time" yesterday and used it to finish it up.
It's another card for the Lily Boo's Design Team and the image is from the latest Halloweenies! collection and all of them are just so cute!
Of course I had to include some challenges ;)
Mojo Monday provided the super sketch
Whimsy Stamps asked us to Sew, Sew, Sew, either real or faux
2 Red Bananas wanted Stripes and Dots and my dp has both.
Digital Tuesday wante it to be "All About the Kids"
And both 365 Cards (Day 189) and Kaboodle Doodles wanted charms. I had to improvise a little on this but I think I made it work. I didn't have any Halloween charms but I did have Halloween eyelets. So I carefully squashed the back of the eyeley with my Cropodile leaving a nice smooth hole. Then I glued the eyelets to some small black ball chain and I think they look great as charms!



I colored the image with Copic's and "Dracula" has a green suit today as it worked better with my dp!LOL
The dp is from the DCWV Fall Stack from last year. I used the Martha Stewart Spooky Fence border punch across the bottom and I'll admit I'll a Martha addict when it comes to her punches :)
I cut the image with a labels Nestie and inked the edges with both green and brown chalk ink. The sentiments are from 7 Gypsies.



The inside is coordinating dp and a matching message mat. I added a further sentiment to the bottom edge and faux stitching all around the mat.



I made the image into a pocket and added 3 tags for you add further messages to. Also you can get a good look at my "faux charms" as well! LOL
I hope you've liked todays card and remember you can get this image along with the other in the Halloweenies set in just minutes from Lily Boo's Boutique

Remember to click on the Blog Candy post and be in with a chance to win it all. The drawing is tomorrow evening!
Katie

Is it OK to be so excited about a punch?....

Since seeing the new punches coming out from Martha Stewart I've been desperate to get my hands on the Loops one.
I stalked message boards waiting for people posting sightings at Michaels, I found sites that had it preordered in case I couldn't get it in person and when I saw people using it I got even more excited.
Well when I read that Michaels had finally got it in the stores I couldn't wait to get over there and grab one. But of course it had to get into the stores while my visitors were here and my plan didn't work out quite how I wanted it to.
By the time I got to the store it was Thursday and the first one I tried was already sold out :(
Friday morning I tried another....same story, sold out :( :(
I got home and went to the sites I'd bookmarked, sold out too! Went to eBay and of course I could get one....at 3 times the price!
I sat and searched and low and behold I saw the Holy Grail!
The Loops punch was here!, I eagerly clicked buy and added a note asking them to let me know if it was actually in stock as I didn't want to get my hopes up too high.
No more than 10 minutes later I got an email and YIPPEE!!!! it was in stock and it's waiting in a box right now to ship to me tomorrow!!
I don't usually rave about a website but this time I just have to say Kudos to Terry at More Than Ink for his wonderful customer service and I know I'll be back next time I'm on a hunt!
I'll be stalking the mailman until I get hold of my babies but hopefully by the end of the week I'll be playing like the best of them!
If you've never seen what these new punches can do then here's a demo.



Enjoy!
Katie

Baking Up Some Holiday Fun!

Hello again!
You knew I couldn't really resist sneaking another card even though I should be cleaning! LOL
This really will be the last Christmas in July card and I hope you've enjoyed the ones in the last 2 weeks.
Today's card features another Tilda and this time she's been busy in the kitchen!
She covers the following 4 challenges:
One Stop Craft Challenges gave me the Christmas in July theme
If The Shoe Fits Scrap It wanted Cupcakes!
Paperlicious Designs asked for us to use Fun Flock which I addded to the frosting on the cupcakes
and finally I got the sketch over at
The Pink Elephant , I had to stretch it a little into a square card but the design is still the same I hope!




This wonderful Tilda is called Tilda With Cowberry Muffin that they have in stock over at Magnolia-licious.
I colored her with Copic's and added Fun Flock to the top of the cupcakes and Diamond Stickles to her wings and the cherries.
The dp is Daisy D's , a company I wish was still around, and the cupcake stamp is STudio G $1 spot at Michaels. The flowers are Prima and the pearls Recollections.
I used the Apron Lace border punch from Fiskars.



The inside is more dp and a coordinating punched trim.



These cupcakes look yummy and are enough to make anyone forget dieting!
I do have a card planned for tomorrow if all works well this afternoon but so far it only covers 3 challenges so I'll have to get searching for some more! LOL
Have a great rest of your Thursday.
Katie

Little Girls are the nicest things :)

Happy Hump Day!
Another week is already half way through, this Summer seems to be racing by!
It's hot again but what else should I expect from Texas in July :)
Today's card covers 6 challenges and is a theme that fits with the eBay sellers group I'm in as well. I'm in a group of sellers that all sell handmade paper crafts including scrapbook pages and handmade cards. Each month we have a theme and for July we are doing Gummy Bears on Parade and you can see all the wonderful work from my friends HERE.
The challenges this card covers are:
Sketch Saturday - Sketch 58
Colour Create - Color Challenge, Grassy Green, Apple Green, Sunflower Yellow, Lemon and White.
Flutterby Wednesdays - Fairys, Buttons and Bows
Cute Card Thursday - A stitch in time, real or faux stitching
Paper Play Challenges - Paper Roses, handmade flowers
The Secret Crafter Saturday - 3 ribbons



This little fairy bear comes from Teddy Bears Playtime 2 by Cuddly Buddy, what I love about this set is that you get the black and white line drawings as well as the colored versions so you can color them yourself! I colored her with Copic's and added Diamond Stickles to the star, bow and flower.
The dp is DCVW Nana's Nursery Baby Boy.
The border punch is EK Success and the sentiment is Cloud 9. I made the large flower from a punch, inked the edges and added a button and ribbon.



The inside message mat has the same trim as on the front.
I used faux stitching with my fine tip Prisma markers.
I really like how sweet she seems and I hope she makes you smile too :)
Have a great day!
Katie

Just Magnolia Challenge (oh and 4 others with this one too!)

Happy Hump Day everyone!
My plans this morning were to share a card and that I will do.
But I first want to say WOO HOO!!! my 4th of the July card that I blogged about here was the one chosen at random to be on the home page of the Magnolia-licious Yahoo group for the whole month of July! Not bad for a British import . I want to thank everyone that has sent me messages of congrats, I love all the ladies at that wonderful group, so full of talent!
Anyway, back to todays' card.
This is a 5-in-1 (I must be slacking after last weeks 8-in-1 LOL) and I will admit to manipulating the sketch a little to make it fit.
The challenges are:
Just Magnolia - Sketch
Pile it On - Add 4 or more buttons (I sure managed that :))
Charisma Cardz - Anything goes
Use It! - Nature (I chose the flowers), Polka Dots and Favorite Embellishment (buttons, flowers and punches for me)
The Pink Elephant - Favorite color combo challenge, I love pink and brown so that's how it went.



I chose Tilda with Tag from Magnolia-licious as I think she always looks good in softer colors.
The dp is Basic Grey Sultry and the flowers are Prima.
I layered two of the new EK Success border punches that I got from Michaels and embossed the top the punched border with a Cuttlebug border folder.




I love the bold pattern of this paper so much that I wanted to showcase it inside so I just added a simple space for a sentiment so you can see the lovely flowers.
I hope you like her and be sure to come back tomorrow for my card using this weeks sketch at Friday Sketchers.
Katie

5 new cards for the Verve Stamps release giveaway

Happy Thursday Everyone!
Verve Stamps are releasing new stamps this week and are having a week long party to celebrate.
You can read all about the fun at Split Coast Stampers Verve Forum and see the great sketch they gave everyone to work with.
If you did all 5 sketches you would be entered into a draw for all the new stamps!
Of course I had to have a try :)
The sketch #1 is also the challenge at Mojo Monday



For this sketch I rotated the sketch and made a square card instead of a rectangle.
I used a digital image from Pink Petticoat In My Garden collection
I colored it with Copic's, the flowers are Prima and the leaf punch and border punch are Martha Stewart. The dp is DCWV. Also I colored the bow with my Copic's to match the flowers.



For this sketch I used an image from Digi Stamp boutique called Ruby. Again I colored her with Copic's, added Prima flowers, Paper Studio fabric brads and dp from DCWV The Garden Party stack.



More DCWV paper, this time from Nana's Kithcen stack. The digi image is by Dustin Pike and I just love how cute it is!
The sentiment is a Studio G $1 stamp from Michaels.



The image this time is another from Digi Stamp Boutique, this time from the Lizzie Collection. After coloring her I added Diamond Stickles to her wings and star on her wand.
The dp are from a pack by Best Occasions that I got from Walmart.
The flowers are from the Fairytale collection by Prima and the pearls are Martha Stewart wedding collection. The sentiment is Melissa Frances. I used my scalloped circle Nesties on both the image and the sentiment.



The final image is another Digi Stamp Boutique from the same Lizzie collection as above. I had to use my Diamond Stickles again as her wings, wand and crown just cried out for it! LOL
The papers are from the Nana's Nursery Baby Girl stack from DCWV. The flowers are from the Bridal dept and the border punch is Fiskars.

I hope you enjoyed all the cards today, I feel tired just making this post!
Katie

Friday Sketchers #57 and another digi stamp

Happy Wednesday Everyone!
You know how I said I was reluctant to try digital stamps and then jumped in and loved them? well today's card features another digi design from my online shopping this weekend! Instant gratification and much cheaper than the rubber version (but too easy to buy as well, hee, hee!)
This one I used for the sketch over at Friday Sketchers that this week was designed by Beatrix.



The image was from Pink Petticoat In My Garden Collection and it is a great little collection of imges. I love the fact that they come as a plain image and then the same image with a sentiment so you can print out both together and get a card made super quick! And of course you can resize to whatever you want.
I colored the image with my Copic's and the dp is from DCWV Nana's Nursery Baby Boy stack. I also colored the light blue flowers with my Copic's to match the theme as I didn't have any the right shade. The paper roses are from Prima, the leaf punch is Martha Stewart and the border punch is Fiskars.



As the outside hints towards an announcement (a little birdie told me) I added two journaling spots inside the card for extra messages and used my Nesties label to match the mat on the image on the front of the card.

I really love thr blues of this card and using digital images is getting to be a habit with me (be sure to check back tomorrow to see 5 (yes 5) new cards all made with digis for the Verve new release giveaway).
I know I won't ever give up on rubber and clear stamps but I find myself "window shopping" and wishing that all the stamps were available in downloadable versions too so I could get my hands on them in just a moment :)
See ya tomorrow!
Katie

A double posting day!

I didn't plan on posting twice today but I forgot that Friday Sketchers has a Thursday night deadline, so much for my planning!LOL
It looked like an easy sketch and I thought "oh I can do that one quickly" of course it didn't work out that way.
But at least it's done and when I saw the challenge at Charisma Cardz this morning I realised this would work for both :)



I used a "new to me" digital image from Digi Stamp Boutique called Lizzie with Handbag. I printed her on white and then on to some of the dp so I could paper piece her. I ended up paper piecing the dress, shoes, handbag and even the hairbows!
I colored her with my Copic's and drew a little extra grass to finish the bottom of the image.
The dp is DCWV The Sweet Stack, the flowers are from the bridal department at Michaels and rectangle is embossed by a Sizzix texture plate.
The sentiment is from Joanns, I think it's Cloud 9 or Heidi Grace.
The border punch is EK Succcess.



The inside is coordinating paper with some of the punched border.



I wanted to get a close up of the girl but the image is a little blurry, I'll try and photograph it again later.
Katie

Terrific Tuesday and a Sugar Bowl Challenge

Good morning everyone!
It's a bright and sunny day here in North Texas and that means only one thing, temperatures will be climbing closer and closer to those triple digits :(
I love living in Texas but the heat gets me every Summer! LOL
Luckily our neighbors leave for a month tomorrow and as we are house sitting we get to use their pool everyday, that will make all this sunshine a little more bearable :)
Now on to todays card.
It was when we last went home to England (Christmas 08) that I started to be intrigued with rubber stamping. Everyone who paper crafts in the UK seems to stamp and the variety of images available was amazing. I hadn't been looking online then so my exposure had been Michael's, Joann's, Hobby Lobby and a little stamp store so to see so many new images in magazines was an eye opener. And talking of magazines, you've never seen so many card magazines as they have in England, my suitcase was weighed down with them when I came home :)
One of the most popular new companies was Sugar Nellie and their images were cute and modern all at the same time.
I found out that there is just one place you can buy them online and that is Funky Kits and they do ship worldwide ;) It wasn't long after I returned that my first package from them was winging it's way over the Atlantic.
But it took me until this week to try one of their challenges!
The sketch over at The Sugar Bowl is a killer with so many layers but I just had to try it.




I used a very cute image of Hamish with his flowers and gift. I colored him with my copics and added a sentiment from Scrappy Cats.
The dp is DCWV Nana's Nursery Baby Boy that I bought in store at Joann's and I added Prima flowers, K & Co brads and dew drops. Of course I had to use a border punch too and this time is was Fiskars Effervescense that I got at Joann's too.



As the front was so complex and layered I wanted the inside to be a little more simple :) So I used another coordinating paper from the collection and I think it works.
I have a huge list of challenges I want to do and tomorrow I'm hoping to have a card to show you that combines 5 into 1 !
Have a great rest of your day.
Katie

A Little Summer Lovin' (2 challenges in 1)

When I saw the color challenge at Cupcake Craft Challenges it immediately made me think of Summer.
And then I saw the theme challenge at Scrappy Frogs and knew I could combine the two.



I used another Miss Anya image this time from the Rain, Snow, Shine collection.
I colored her with my Copic's and used papers from another older DCWV Summer Stack.
I stamped her on my Nesties Label 4 and matted her on a larger Nestie that I embossed with one of the new Quickutz Embossing folders.I added Prima flowers with fabric brads for the centers.
The Summer ribbon is from last year's $1 spot at Target and the sentiment is from Making Memories also from Target. I used the Fiskars Threading Water border punch as it reminds me of waves.



The inside has some more tropical style paper to round off the Summer theme.
It makes me feel like it must soon be time for a fruity cocktail, oops did I say that outloud? LOL
Have a Happy Saturday
Katie

I have a New Love and a Charisma Cards Challenge

Happy Wednesday (Hump) Day!
I'll be really honest, I was a scrapbooker long before I was a cardmaker. When digital scrapbooking came into view I was totally against it. How could a paper crafter be satisified without the feel of the paper and the glue under their fingers.
So when I started to make cards and heard about digi stamps I was skeptical to say the least. But after I realised that you printed out an outline image and color it yourself I thought I may give it a try.
I wondered if the ink would stand up to my Copic's but was willing to give it a try. I used my GP cardstock in my Kodak printer and after my first printing I was in heaven! I bought images from Cuddly Buddly and can't wait for more! The Kodak ink works beautifully with Copic's, it dries quickly and not a smear/smudge/run to be found. Now I'm on the look out for more digi images as they are cheap, cute and give me immediate gratification unlike waiting for my online order.
I highly suggest finding some and trying some for yourself :)



The Charisma Cards Challenge was to use pink and brown and as that color combo is a favorite of mine I just had to use it.
I used Annie Sitting from Cuddly Buddly and I love her! The papers were from DCWV The Garden Party stack.
The sentiment is Cloud 9 and the flowers are Paper Studio from Hobby Lobby and the brown ones are Prima. The border punch is Martha Stewart.



So I hope you'll give digi stamps a try, there are so many wonderful companies using this method of art and it gives us immediate gratification at the touch of a button :)
Katie

A Flutterby card for Danni's challenge

Happy Tuesday everyone!
I came across this challenge at Dannis Dreams and as I love Fairies and Butterflies it was an easy one to want to join!



I used one of Lili's Faires from Lili of the Valley in the UK and all their stamps are on sale right now!
I colored her with my Copic's in soft pinks and greys and then coated her wings with Glossy Accents.
The challenge was Fairies or Butterflies but I made a hatpin with a lovely crystal butterfly so I covered all bases! LOL The sentiment was from Fiskars and the border punch is Martha Stewart.



I hope you like her :)
Katie

Stormy Tuesday and another new card!

I was woken at 4am this morning with thunder and lightning, nothing unusual for Texas but unwelcome in the middle of the night.
The weather continued to rumble as was still threatening at 7am when we all got up.
By 9am it was "throwing it down", a good English phrase for raining heavily and the temps in the house dropped from 80 to 70 so hurray no AC today!
It seems like a happy coincedence as yesterday I used my Tilda in Spring Rain for the first time and that's what I'm sharing today!


I thought I'd share the inside too. I haven't graduated to added stamped images on the inside yet but I do like to coordinate the inners and outers :)


She was quite hard to color, I just couldn't work out shadows on the stripes so I had to sweep over with the blender and leave it at that.
I did this card using the sketch on the super new blog Magnolia-Licious Highlights
The dp are DCWV from The Green Stack which I absolutely love. The papers are all textured and they are 70% recycled so I can feel good about using them. The flowers are the Fairytale collection from Prima, the ribbon is Offray, the border punch is EK Success and the sentiment another $1 bin one from Michaels.
I hope you all have a great and safe day no matter what your weather brings.
Katie

A Sweet Saturday

Another busy day in our house but what's new?
My oldest son is helping a Scout with his Eagle project, my husband has just left to run a BB Range and my daughter is off to dinner late at the American Girl store with her Girl Scout troop.
So I'm left here with the little one and his potty training antics!
Ah the joys of Motherhood! LOL
So to get myself in a sweet mood I thought I'd share a little Tilda with Cowberry Muffin card.
This one was created a couple of months ago when I owned less markers and had not sought out every You Tube video and blog tutorial out there.
But I still think she turned out cute.

I love the Martha Stewart lace border punch and this was the perfect time to use it. The mini cupcakes were from a stamp from the dollar spot at Michaels and I cut them out and covered them with Glossy Accents. The DP is Basic Grey and the ribbon is American Crafts.
Hope you have a Sweet Saturday too!
Katie

Say hello to the Ladybug :)

This morning I have another bright and cheery Tilda card to share.
For this one I dug into my stash of papers and these I feel sure came from companies no longer with us :(
It seems as though each month I hear of another great company leaving us and I hate using paper that I can never replace.
Oh well at least the papers were cute! LOL
I used my Threading Water border punch, Nestabilities circle and lots of Dew Drops. Actually my dew drops aren't the real thing, they were from the floral dept but they do the same job.
I hope you like her.