Get ‘Whale’ Soon

Here is a card I made combining 2 SCS challenges this week!  I used the sketch challenge {SC269} from Wednesday and the new Free For All {F4A1) posted on Thursdays!  It was to use texture {I chose ric rac trim and bling} and at least ONE color that I NORMALLY don’t use (purple, which used to be my favorite color a long long time ago), and the third part, which was OPTIONAL to use some patterned paper (but that was easy!)

I have had this idea in my head for a few weeks now and finally got around to using the cute Whales in Love image with just one whale and use a play on words to Get Whale Soon – ha!  The ‘get soon’ is from the Doctor’s Orders set.  I used Cosmo Cricket Snorkel collection and prism papers Baby Blue Light, Majestic Purple Dark and Blush red light. 

Can you believe February is over today?  The year is going by fast, just like last year! 

Gina K. mid-month illustrator blog hop!

Gina K. and the design team have a special mid-month hop  to share creations made using all our February stamp sets released!  Here I have a fun Dream Birds card to share with you that is one of my favorites I made!  The whimsical spring-like set was illustrated by Asela Hopkins. I used one of my all-time favorite techniques, paper-piecing which is one reason I love line art images!  I used Basic Grey Sugar Rush paper which is a great compliment to the 2 colors I chose for our challenge of using any of the Spring Collection colors-Lemon Drop & Crème de Menthe and Soft Sand is my neutral. 

Here is a close up of the paper-piecing of the small bird and flowers.  I put a small rhinestone inside all of the flowers. 
The ribbon I used is from the Spring Collection as well, the green organdy ribbon is so delicate, I thought it was a fun addition to the open space I had in between the Spring scene I made without taking any attention away from the images. 

For all the details (AND *SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT*) 
on this exciting blog hop event, please check out GinaK's blog! 

Here are all the designers joining in the hop tonight featuring February's new stamp sets:

Carolyn King
Cathy Tidwell
Emily Giovanni
Erika Martin
Jessica Fick
Lee Murphy
Kurtis Amundson
Melanie Muenchinger
Nina Brackett
Tami Mayberry
Theresa Momber

Hope you have a wonderful weekend!  

SFYTT – You warm me up inside

Did you see the cool prize package giveaway Jen Del Muro has on her sketch for you to try during the month of February?  It is fabulous!  You just have to complete all 4 sketches and upload them to her guestbook to be eligible.  I made this one (week 2 I believe) using a Lizzie Anne Designs set Tea Time I picked up at CHA.  We both love tea and I love that you can mix & match the tea pot handles and spouts!  For this one, I wanted to paper-piece it and used Granola paper pad by Basic Grey. 

If you love to work with sketches and you love to win free goodies – be sure you check them out, you have a few days left!  Unfortunately this is all I had time to do; working full-time and going to school 4 nights a week leaves me very little play time so I have to be very disciplined and organized to be sure I get my design team work done in addition to my studying! 

Thanks for visiting – hope you have a great day!!

Moxie Fab World – win some GKD stamps!!

Gina K. Designs is sponsoring the Moxie Fab World Blog today! Check out the 8 stamp fantastic sets Cath Edvalson is giving away in celebration of Stamp It! Cards week long celebration!
The card I’m sharing today uses Nina’s new set, Lovely Labels which is one of the sets that will be given away!  I’m sure if you are a fan of Spellbinders Nestability labels shapes, you will want to have this set!  She took some of the most popular labels (1, 4, 8 and 9) and created some fun, elegant and fresh designs to be used along with them – or without, you don’t have to have those labels in order to use this set!  I love this color combination of Passionate Pink, Ocean Mist and Chocolate Chip!  I created a shadow on my Cuttlebug embossing folder (Stylized) by using a white colored pencil, I love the subtleness of it.   I finished my card off with some brads and a fun flower ribbon slide I got from a stamping friend (thanks, Sankari) and some chocolate satin ribbon. 
Check out Gina’s blog for a special post and list of all the designers sharing creations today.  Then stop over at The Moxie Fab World Blog for a chance to win these fabulous stamp sets! 

Lemon Drop Birthday Wishes

I don’t know about you, but I’m ready for Spring!*  I will be so happy to see the roadways lined with Texas wildflowers, be glad to wear my shorts again, paint my toenails and wear my sandals!   The new Spring Florals set by Gina K. Designs is conjuring up these feelings for me!  This is a card I made using one of our new fresh colors, Lemon Drop.  Look how pretty it is paired with Green Apple and Chocolate Kiss!!  I also used some ribbon and buttons from the Spring Collection for my card. 

Wednesday evening at 10 pm the Gina K. and the design team will have a mid-month blog hop featuring all the new sets that were just released!  Hope you come back to see what I have to share using Dream Birds using one of my all-time favorite techniques! 

Supplies:  All Gina K. Designs unless otherwise noted.
Stamps: Spring Florals
Cardstock: Lemon Tart, Green Apple. Chocolate Kiss
Inks: Memento Rich Cocoa
Accessories:  Ranger Distress ink tea dye, cuttlebug textile embossing folder, spring collection ribbon/buttons, curly label punch by SU!

Happy Birthday Caleb!

Here is a card I made to send to a special boy who is turning 10 this week!  He is the son of stamping friend Shannan.  I’m sure this birthday is going to be real difficult on him, as a few weeks ago his dad died unexpectedly. As soon as Shannan shared about Caleb’s upcoming birthday, I immediately put it on my calendar to make him a card and send it to him.  I know this will not cause his sadness to go away but if it makes him smile even for a second, it will make me so happy!
I thought using Melanie’s Just so Sporty would be perfect for Caleb so I could personalize his jersey with his age.  I used this week's sketch challenge on StampTV by Jennie for my layout.  The pattern paper is Basic Grey Granola, after I ran it through the cuttlebug, I sanded it so it let the white core show.  If you’d like to play along in the sketch challenge, you have until next Wednesday, Feb 24 to upload your creation and be eligible to win some Gina K. stamps for free!  You don’t have to use Gina K. stamps to play along either, but if you have some you should because you will get your name entered twice in the drawing! 

Be a part of the TE Dragonfly Card Drive

When we introduced the Discover Your Wings stamp set in the TE Giving Tree program, we mentioned that not only would Taylored Expressions donate $7 from the sale of each set to the Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep Foundation, but that we would also be hosting a card drive to benefit the Neo-natal Unit at Sanford Medical Center in Sioux Falls SD.  Taylor has both a very good friend and a sister-in-law who work as labor and delivery nurses at SMC where they use the dragonfly as a symbol of hope for families who have lost a child during delivery or in the early stages of life and they have requested hand-made cards featuring dragonfly images.  This was one of the driving forces behind the design of Discover Your Wings. 
And now we need your help.  Would you consider making and donating some cards that feature a dragonfly?  You may use stamps from any company - they do not need to be from TE.  As a thank you for participating Taylor will enter your name into a drawing for a $50 gift certificate to the TE Store.  Here are the details:

• Create cards (1 or as many as you'd like) that feature a dragonfly image (from ANY stamp company.) Sentiments can be things such as "thinking of you" and  inspirational quotes or they can be blank.
• If your cards are standard A2 size (4.25" x 5.5") Taylored Expressions will provide the envelopes.  If your cards are any other size then we ask that you please send a blank envelope along with each card donation.
• The more entries we receive, the more prizes there will be.  Taylored Expressions will give away 1 $50 Gift Certificate for every 50 cards we receive.  So - there will be one GC given if we receive 99 cards or less. For 100 - 149 we will give 2 gift certificates, for 150 - 199 there will be 3 gift certificates and so on.
• You will be entered into the drawing once for EACH card you send in with no limit.  The more entries, the better your chance to win.
• Mail your donations to:

Taylored Expressions Card Drive 924 NW 33rd Street
Ankeny, IA 50023                  

• Cards must be received no later than March 25th.

Now for a little info about the card I made for the card drive: I used Taylor’s sketch challenge (TESC101) at left.  The paper I used is Basic Grey lemonade and prism cardstock in Island Mist Light and Baby Pink Medium.  I added stardust stickles to my dragonfly and the card came together real quickly!  Hope you can join us in brightening the lives of these parents who are burdened with the unexpected loss of one of the greatest joys in life. 

Center of Attention Product Spotlight - Impressabilities

It’s time for another TE product spotlight with the Baker’s Dozen!  I hope if you are a fan of Taylored Expressions, you have it written as a reminder on your calendar that every 16th of the month is devoted to spotlighting a product in the TE store and Taylor & 1/2 the Baker’s Dozen design team share creations using the featured product!  If not, be sure you mark your calendar so you don’t ever miss it! 

This month we are using Spellbinders Impressabilities templates; I am using Diamonds and Stars.  I used the letterpress technique as shown on SCS for my card.  I first inked up my template with white craft ink and ran it through my cuttlebug with tempting turquoise cardstock.  Then, I sponged vivid aqua ink over the cardstock with the template still in place.  I just love how easy using this template was, and the results I think are quite stunning!  To clean the template, I just ran it under water, no need to even use soap.  I look forward to using this template in other ways, like dry embossing it. 

The stamp set I used to complete my card is our latest in the TE Giving Tree program where we'll donate $7.00 for each Discover Your Wings stamp set sold to Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep. This stamp set is part of the Giving Tree during the months of December, January, and February so you have just a little less than 2 weeks to take advantage of donating to this charity. Check out all of the inspiration in the Discover Your Wings Gallery!

Each of our Center of Attention products will be on sale for a
limited time following our product spotlight (February 16-17). We are offering a 15% discount on all Impressabilities templates!

Have fun shopping & trying out this neat product but before you do that, check out more inspiration here:

Taylor Van Bruggen
Charmain Ikach
Jodi Collins
Karen Giron
Melissa Sauls

Brick Wall of Sunflowers

I made this card to send to a dear online friend Shannan Teubner, whose husband of 8 years and father of her 2 young boys passed away at the beginning of last week.  I can’t begin to comprehend the severity of the loss of a spouse but I am not a stranger to losing close family members so I understand on that level. 

I wanted to use my new Pressed Flowers by Gina K. Designs and thought it would look so nice with this fun brick wall technique on SCS; I was right – I love how this turned out!!  It was super easy to do, just a little time consuming to sponge around all the edges of the tiles.  I added a sentiment from the new Spring Florals set. 

All supplies Gina K. Designs unless otherwise noted
Ink: Memento rich cocoa, Ranger tea dye distress
Cardstock: chocolate kiss, ivory pure luxury cardstock
autumn button assortment, jute ribbon
markers: SU! summer sun, more mustard, old olive

FS158: It’s a Love Thing

Happy Valentine’s Day!  I know it’s time to move on from this holiday and I have really with other designs but I still wanted to make a card to give to John so I whipped this up while he was making multigrain pancakes with berry topping and scrambled eggs (I made the sausage).  I used today’s Featured Stamper Challenge on SCS (FS158) and used this fun CAS card by Hamiltongal and brought out my turtles in love Stamps A La Carte by Taylored Expressions and Animals in Love sentiment.  You know you don’t have to have a special occasion like Valentine’s Day to make/send a love card to someone you love/care about; I can imagine giving a card like this as a surprise on a day that’s not set apart to tell John how much I love him! 

I paper-pieced these turtles with Basic Grey Marrakech papers and added a 5/8” black grosgrain ribbon on the side just like Laurie’s card but added a brad to pop off the black.  I put some Christmas red stickles on the heart between the turtles; I love how something to small & quick can really pack a punch – that’s why love stickles!  I like how this card came together so quickly and I’m sure he’s going to like it.  Hope whatever you do with your loved ones is special – as for me, I need to study for my anatomy/physiology test that’s Monday night!  I feel like I’m not ready - yikes!

TESC Sketch 100 Celebration: Rain or Shine…

I miss being part of Taylor’s sketch crew but it was a necessary change since I’m working full-time again and going to school (4 nights a week starting next week-yikes!)  Anyway, I am so happy to be joining in the celebration of the 100th sketch this week!  I made a fun card using a bear Beary Special, raindrops/umbrella from A Year of Sweets I (cuppie) and A Year of Sentiments for a fun greeting to go along with Morning Rain papers by The Paper Loft that I got at CHA for my card and Basic Grey buttons.
 

Here is the sketch so you can play along for a chance to win!  Taylor is going to be giving away a $25 gift certificate to one random winner chosen from among all those who help us spread the word about the
Sketch Celebration by posting the badge on their blog (go to Taylor’s blog to get the code!)  She is also going to be giving away a $25 gift certificate to the Top 5 creations using Sketch 100 (judged by the TESC Crew). You may enter as many times as you want, but each creation must be linked separately in Mr. Linky on Taylor’s post.

She will also have a new TESC Sketch Book available as a free download on her blog that includes all of the past sketches in one place!  How fun is that?? 
Hope you have a fabulous weekend!  I need to study for my first Anatomy/Physiology test I have on Monday evening – I have to get an A!! 

GKD Release Day: Lovely Labels and Inside and Out

It’s almost here (depending on when you’re reading this post, that is!) Thursday evening Gina K. will have the release party in the SCS member company forum *details below* and at 10:00 pm CST al 8 stamps sets, 2 new cardstock colors and ribbon and button collections will be available for purchase!   My first card uses Nina Brackett’s new set Lovely Labels, which coordinates beautifully with Spellbinders Labels 1, 4, 8, and 9 dies.  I used Labels 9 on my card. Nina has also designed a new digital paper pack called Spring into Spring that compliments the new Spring Assortment paper pack.  I used In the Navy, Green Apple and Lemon Tart pure luxury cardstock on my card, as well as some buttons and ribbon in the Spring Assortments. 

On my next card, I combined 3 new stamp sets, our Inside and Out (sentiments for inside and outside of your cards) – One Free with Three, Lovely Labels and Pressed Flowers.  Here I used tone-on-tone stamping again with Raspberry Vivid ink which coordinates with Passionate Pink cardstock.  Isn’t it beautiful with white & black?  I used an inside the card sentiment from the set as a focal image on my card for the inside of my lovely label, which uses the Spellbinders nestability Labels 1.  There’s that beautiful gold-lined black organdy ribbon again!  

For even more information on these new products, please visit the Lovely Labels Illustrator's blog Nina Brackett.

Then, check out these designer's links for even more samples made with Nina's stamp set as well as the new Free with Three stamp set called Inside & Out:

Gina Krupsky
Carolyn King
Jessica Fick
Emily Giovanni
Erika Martin
Kurtis Amundson
Lee Murphy
Lynn Mercurio
Melanie Muenchinger
Tami Mayberry
Theresa Momber
Bev Gerard
Colleen Schaan

We'd love to have each of you make plans to join us tomorrow night for the big Release party over in Gina's Forum on SCS!  The virtual party starts at 7pm CST and is filled with contest questions from Gina, challenges from three of our designers, and tons more samples from the entire GKD team!

For some helpful tips on how Gina's Release parties work on SCS, check out this discussion on StampTV. Hope to ‘see’ you there!

GKD Preview Day 3: Dream Birds and Spring Florals

I have several simple one layer cards (that are 4”) to share with you using the new set Dream Birds illustrated by Asela Hopkins!  I love the whimsical images in this set, and had the idea to have them take center stage on these mini cards stamped on kraft cardstock and colored with Koh-i-noor colored pencils!

Here is a close up of the butterfly card, which is my favorite.  I loved coloring in the butterflies with different colors and patterns.  I also love this sentiment which was hidden in the first picture.  

 

Our next set is perfect for Spring!!  It’s called Spring Florals, illustrated by Gina K! 
I used the new beautiful Lovely Lavender cardstock with Chocolate Kiss, a lovely combination!  I actually stamped one of the florals directly on the lovely lavender with VersaMark ink, but you can barely see it in the photo, it’s quite soft & feminine. I added a little machine stitching with brown thread, the fancy corner punch and pearls to complete the romantic feel on this card. 

For a limited time, a free Card Kit will automatically be included with each purchase of the Spring Florals stamp set. The entire kit includes the stamp set, a binder sheet, the instructions and materials to make 3 complete cards for $19.95. For more details on the cards, please visit Jessica Fick’s blog.

Then, check in with each of these Gina K. designers to see all the beautiful projects they've made with the two stamp sets previewed tonight!

Dream Birds Illustrator: Asela Hopkins
Spring Florals Illustrator: Gina Krupsky

Carolyn King
Cathy Tidwell

Emily Giovanni
Erika Martin
Kurtis Amundson
Lee Murphy
Lynn Mercurio
Melanie Muenchinger
Nina Brackett
Tami Mayberry
Theresa Momber
Sankari Wegman
Valerie Stangle

GKD Preview Day 2: Pressed Flowers and Oh Baby!

Today we are showing Melanie’s new Pressed Flowers stamp set, which was designed to be a perfect companion to her very popular set A Year of Flowers! It is also a great  stand alone set as each bold stamp image lends itself to many techniques as you will see on each designer's blogs tonight!   On my card, I used them in conjunction to create a two-step look with the bold black outline.  For more emphasis on the blue flowers, I outlined them with a black sakura glaze pen.  I finally got some of the vivid ink pads and I love them!!  On this card I used aqua which coordinates with the Ocean Mist cardstock and Tea Rose which coordinates with Innocent Pink cardstock.  I used a few buttons from new button collection in the top corner and my favorite gold lined black organdy ribbon!!

The next preview up is Rupa’s Oh Baby!  It is a sweet collection of baby stamps, wait until you see it all!  Fr my gate fold card, I used the pull ducks image on Labels 7 Nestability as well as one of the new cardstock colors, Lemon Drop which is a brilliant yellow that looks nice with Green Apple on my card.  I grabbed some Cosmo Cricket Ducks in a Row paper which is super fun with this set and coordinates nicely with a lot of Gina K’s pure luxury cardstock too! 

Be sure to start with the Illustrator's blog Melanie Muenchinger and then visit these designer's blogs for even more samples with these stamp sets as well!  You’re sure to be wowed!!

Gina Krupsky
Jessica Fick *
Theresa Momber
Nina Brackett
Carolyn King
Cathy Tidwell
Lee Murphy
Lynn Mercurio
Kurtis Amundson
Emily Giovanni
Erika Martin
Bev Gerard
Suzanne Dean *

* also previewing the new Card Kit Stamp set: Spring Florals

GKD Preview Day 1: Hope is Faith and Hang in There

I’m excited to bring you, along with the Gina K. Designs team, samples using our wonderful new sets for February! 

First up is our Hope is Faith mini stamp set which will retail for $9.95. It was illustrated by Gina K. and created to raise money for the Red Cross to help with the devastation in Haiti. $2.00 of every purchase of this stamp set will be sent directly to the Red Cross throughout the month of February. As the first responders to disasters around the world, the Red Cross is there to help with the basic needs of these people who have suffered so much. By purchasing this mini set, you will help to make a difference to people who are desperate by supporting an organization that works tirelessly to feed, clothe, comfort and care for those in need.

My card base is the gorgeous tan leather, and I paired it with Chocolate Kiss and Innocent Pink, isn’t it a beautiful combination?  I placed some copper nail heads on the butterfly’s body and the sentiment tag. I also colored in some glitter pen accents on the butterfly for sparkle.   I also placed some beautiful digital papers designed by Theresa on the inside of the card (picture below).  These will be available for purchase on Thursday.

Next up is Hang in There, illustrated by Theresa Momber.  It’s a fun collection of realistic animals ‘hanging around’.  As you can see on my card, it has a possum hanging on a branch.  Although they are interesting looking creatures, I can’t help but think this little guy is cute!  I added some nautical netting and jute twine as well as some neutral buttons for a fun card to encourage someone to hang in there which I stamped on the inside. 

Be sure to hop around the following blogs for more inspiration:

Hope is Faith Illustrator: Gina Krupksy
Hang in There Illustrator: Theresa Momber (Wings of Hope Digital Paper designer)

Jessica Fick
Melanie Muenchinger
Nina Brackett
Carolyn King
Tami Mayberry
Asela Hopkins
Cathy Tidwell
Lee Murphy
Lynn Mercurio
Kurtis Amundson
Emily Giovanni
Erika Martin
Bev Gerard
Colleen Schaan
Suzanne Dean
Valerie Stangle

Diet Starts Tomorrow – Raising the Bar

I squeezed in a little time this morning to play in the SCS Featured Stamper today, FS157: Raising the Bar.  We are to find a card in Barbara Anders’ (Bar) gallery and I chose this one she uploaded just a few days ago! 

I thought it would be perfect to use my new Bakery Business gal just released a few days ago by Taylored Expressions!  This card has a ton of layers, which is not usually my forte but I sure like how the card turned out!  I used some Basic Grey Ooh La La paper and prism cardstock Intense Kiwi and Rose Medium.

Here is a close up of the sparkle and detail on my image.  I used Copics to color and added some copic atyou spica glitter pens on the cupcakes and her headband.  I also added some bling (pink rhinestone) jewelry to her and look how fun her outfit and apron are (I paper-pieced them with the papers I used on the card – it’s a fun way to get out of coloring line art images!)   Have you checked out all the new stuff TE is offering?  Better see if there’s something you have to have in your stamping arsenal!! 

I better get to studying, I have a test on Monday, Feb 15th and I want to get some in before the SuperBowl starts! 

TE Release Day: More Stamps A la Carte!!

Today is the big day!  All the new offerings; 3 full size stamp sets, 8 stamps A la Carte and a fun Bakery Sampler is available for purchase at Taylored Expressions! 
My first card using the kissing fish in their bowl was made using the Cosmo Cricket Snorkel Collection and colored with prismacolor pencils.  I made a matching sculpey clay creation and put magnets on the back to give to John who loves fish tanks!  I figured he could put it on his filing cabinet at work. We’ve had several nice ones!  They are soothing and fun to watch, except for when the fish die. That’s not fun.

My next card showcases the cute elephants showering each other with love.  The first thing I thought of was my Basic Grey Marrakech papers because and I love how this card turned out, inspired by beautiful Bakers Dozen design team member, Sankari Wegman with its rich colors and bling!  

Here is a close up of the smooch: pumpkin and pool.  The bling I have on here is another product I picked up at CHA.  There was all sorts of goodies there! 

I’m sure you are chomping at the bit to shop, huh?  Well before you go - be sure to check out all the other awesome creations the gals have to share with you today and then have fun shopping!
Charmaine Ikach
Dawn Easton
Jackie Pedro
Jami Sibley
Jodi Collins
Karen Giron
Karen Motz
Laurie Schmidlin
Melissa Sauls
Sankari Wegman
Taylor Van Bruggen
and our guest designer Jeanie Witmer!!

TE sneak peek day 2: Stamps A la Carte!

Today the Baker's Dozen will be showing you another exciting development at Taylored Expressions - Stamps A la Carte! TE will now be offering you a single serving of sweetness in the same top quality deeply etched pink rubber you love! For February we have 8 irresistible Whimsical Wishes Animals in Love! There is also a coordinating larger set of sentiments to purchase, Animals in Love Sentiments that I am using on my cards and will be great to use with your other TE stamps too-used for Valentine’s & of course any LOVE card you want to send any time of the year!  For my snake card (since I know most of the general population does not like snakes like I do), I tried to make my card real feminine & sweet on my card!  I used some Basic Grey Ooh La La paper I picked up at CHA which has punched out elements I used on the card as well.  This is SCS’ sketch SCS265 from last week. 

My next card is made using the smooching pooches in their dog house, which I made using the woodgrain technique.  I used paper from The Paper Loft (Back Country collection) – you should have seen Jodi, Karen M and I frantically trying to get in some shopping and make & takes when we had one hour of free time after working in the TE booth all day on Friday!  It was a lot of fun, and we adored finding great masculine papers!  For a closer look at the smooching pups, click on the picture. I put sparkly collars on them with bling tags!
Now go check out all the other fantastic creations I’m SURE the gals have to share with you today:
Alex Maldonado
Charmaine Ikach
Dawn Easton
Jackie Pedro
Jodi Collins
Karen Giron
Karen Motz
Laurie Schmidlin
Melissa Sauls
Sankari Wegman
Taylor Van Bruggen
Tomorrow we will have more Animals in Love to share with you and everything will be available for purchase at the TE store at 10:00 a.m. CST!!

TE Sneak Peek Day 1: Bakery Business and Window Shopping

The Baker’s Dozen Design Team has something EXTRA exciting to share with you today - a whole new line of rubber stamps called Apple Doodle Ink! We are launching this FUN new line with two stamp sets designed to coordinate perfectly together; Window Shopping and Bakery Business. Taylor is working with a new illustrator on this line and I'm loving the whimsical/cartoon-like quality style!
The first card combines both sets for a fun and sweet store front shopping experience!  I love the sentiment, “I’ve never met a cupcake I didn’t like” and I concur** with that!  I used January key ingredients for both of these cards, with papers from Basic Grey’s Nook & Pantry line!  In the front of this card, I used acetate for it to really be a window!

On my second card, I just used images in the Bakery Business set which can stand alone or be paired with the fun window shopping set!  I started to use the fall-to-layout sketch 76 but I flubbed with the sentiment and didn’t leave enough room for my four-square of images.  So, I improvised and still love how the card turned out!  No accidents with stamping – I love this craft!!  It leaves a LOT of room for creativity to be at work!  I put a few red rhinestones in between the inchies for more color.
 **Speaking of never meeting a cupcake I didn’t like…here is a fun picture of Jodi ( left), me and Karen (right) showing off our Cricut Cake cupcakes we made at CHA!  We got a REAL cupcake (vanilla, so not my favorite cupcake but it was delicious even the NEXT DAY when I finally ate it) We had so much fun! I love these gals and miss ‘em already! 
Be sure to check out what the Baker’s Dozen (BD) gals have to share with you and be sure to check back tomorrow for more sweet creations!!
Alex Maldonado
Charmaine Ikach
Dawn Easton
Jackie Pedro
Jodi Collins
Karen Giron
Karen Motz
Laurie Schmidlin
Melissa Sauls
Sankari Wegman
Taylor Van Bruggen

Missing Chica

I was finally emotionally ready to ink up the kitty image in Theresa’s new set for Gina K. Designs Purrr-fectly Delightful.  After having to put our sweet Chica to sleep last month the week before Christmas, made this set bitter sweet for me.  When I was finally ready to stamp with it, I made a thank you card to give to our vet who took care of her for the past 2 1/2 years.  I used Cosmo Cricket nutmeg paper and pure luxury cardstock in Green Apple, Chocolate Kiss and layering weight ivory.  I finished off my card with a handmade crochet flower. 

Here are the thoughtful cards and gifts we received in the weeks to follow from our vet.  Everyone in the office signed the card on the left and as if that wasn’t enough, they sent us this wall plaque with Chica’s paw prints, how special is that?  I cried almost as much as I did the day we made that really hard decision, mostly from the grief I still had, but also out of gratitude for this wonderful memento of our sweet Chica who we had for 9 years, and was part of our family.  The picture of her on the right is one I enclosed in the card to them.  They have albums in their office of cards they’ve received from other customers so I’m sure mine will be placed in there too, along with her photo.  We are so blessed to have been able to take her back with us and took her out to our property to bury her after – I am sad she won’t be able to live in our next house, I know she would have loved it.  But at least she will be with us in spirit and memories. 

Here is a card I received from Beth Scott who read about Chica on StampTV.  Isn’t that so sweet of her?  She has animals herself, so she completely understands how deeply sad I was over Chica and wanted to let me know she was thinking of me.  She also has had to make the difficult decision we did.  I am so grateful.  Thank you, Beth if you’re reading my blog! 

Thanks for stopping by today!!

Cute as a Cupcake!

 My gosh – isn’t she?  I totally love this picture of my niece Gabby taken on my visit last October.  She likes to pick out the clothes she wants to wear every day.  This is what she picked out and it totally matched the cute little scrunchies I made her!  I had to share this picture with you since it’s been a while I’ve doted on her. 

 

 

Please go visit the SASI blog today to see a special gift I made for her using pictures from our May trip last year!  To the right is a snippet of it – don’t miss out on seeing the whole creation!