TCP Tuesday Challenge - TCPTUES47

TCP Challenge time :) ... this week Carole at Mother's Little Helper has a FUN sketch for us to try.

Sketches are something I have a hard time doing; really hard to adhere because most of the time, I can't keep to my own ideas - what is in my head most of the time is not what gets created in the end :)...

But that is why I enjoyed the challenge :)... and the sketch along with Carole's creation was inspiring.

After a bit of meassuring to make sure I got the right proportions - I can't help it, that is how my mind goes to work- this is what I came up with:

Since I was trying something new, I also decided to use Pearlescent Watercolor set I got from Alma at the Stamp In Hand convention last year - the shimmer on these are pretty cool, they go on great and they are a bargain for all the colors you get! I tried to take a picture that would show you the shine. I used prima flowers that complement the shimmer and stamped the sentiment Let your Light Shine with blue pearlescent Brilliance ink. (click on the picture for a better view).

This cute fairy is part of TCP Fairy Christmas clear set - since I first saw it, I thought it would be great for girly birthdays as well :)...

The square card meassures 5 1/4'', which fits nicely in a store bought 5 1/2'' square envelope. I plan to stamp Happy Birthday inside. I really had a great time watercoloring; need more practice but will be using more often; love the effect I get.

Alma has new TCP sets out (RITA :)) for spring and they don't disappoint! They came out today, and Kitty Kat Pack is the best value :)... can't wait to use mine!

Supplies:
Fairy - The Cat's Pajamas Fairy Christmas S-8549
"Let your Light Shine" - The Cat's Pajamas Fairy Christmas S-8549
Pattern Paper from Basic Grey Gypsy paper pad
Cardstock DCWV
Pearlescent Watercolor by Yasutomo
Flowers by Prima Flowers
Brads - $ bin from Target
Onyx Versafine Ink
Pearlescent Sky Blue Brilliance Ink

Cute Monster Birthday Card

My husband is a kid at heart :) To unwind, he loves to play video games; and one of his favorite games is PS3 Little Big Planet. I think the little Sack Character is so ADORABLE! And he (or she) is customizeable; so it is a game that keeps you entertain and is always FUN -- and very addictive! It seems to be a game that works for ALL ages.

So for his birthday, I decided to use my darling Cricut and the monster card in the Wild Card Cartridge that totally reminded me of his CUTE Sack Boy. I had to use it and once I got started, I was so glad I did. The Bday boy favors royal blue so this is what the end result looks like :)...

I used Doodlecharm Cartridge for the gift; this cartridge has always been one that is very handy to have :)... With Wild Card Cartridge, one of the FUN feature is the perfectly matching shape envelopes - they are so easy to make and add a special touch to the cards.

I used this funky retro pp from a DCWV Slab Stack; somehow it totally reminded me of buttons and game screens, so it worked out nicely - the colors are perfect. I decorated the inside too with another saying from the same cartridge - "SMILE" :).

The Bday boy loved my Sack Boy inspired card; and I had so much fun making it!

Supplies:
Monster Card - cut at 5'' using Cricut Wild Card Cartrige
Monster Envelope - cut at 5'' using Cricut Wild Card Cartridge
"Happy Birthday" - cut at 4 1/4'' using Cricut Wild Card Cartridge
" Smile" - cut at 1'' using Cricut Wild Card Cartridge
Gift - cut at 2 1/4'' using Doodlecharm Cartridge with dots using a hole punch
"4U" - Rub-ons
Pattern Paper from DCWV Slab Stack 5, Texture Paper from DCWV

TCP Tuesday Challenge - TCPTUES46

For this week TCP challenge, hosted by Karrie at Burnin' Rubber, we were ask to use any TCP cupcake image on our card. I am a little late posting my card to the challenge so I'm hoping it makes it in :)...

Perfect opportunity to do a birthday card to have in my stash to use when needed. I immediately took out my two Clearly Swanky birthday sets from TCP and got to work. I love CUPCAKES, and I had not gotten the chance to use this CUTE Celebrating Penguin so I combined the two to make this card. I left the balloons ready to stamp in an age with the numbers that also come in one of the sets :)

I stamped the balloon twice {just in case the age requires it :)}. I stamped the cupcake three times and topped them with coordinating pebbles. I think it gave it a FUN touch :)...

Supplies:
Celebrating Penguin - The Cat's Pajamas You Say It's Your Birthday N-7544
** - The Cat's Pajamas You Say It's Your Birthday N-7544
Cupcake - The Cat's Pajamas Smells Like Cake N-7543
"Happy Birthday!" - The Cat's Pajamas Smells Like Cake N-7543
PP is from DCWV Spring 2007
Texture Paper and Glitter Paper is from DCWV
Marvy Uchida Mega Scallop Square Punch (then cut in half)
Martha Stewart Scallop Waves
Sizzix Photo Corner
color pebbles - from M's
atyouSpica for added glitter
Tuxedo Black Momento Ink
Pink Momento Ink

Mellow Yellow with Bling Birthday Card

The CuttleBug is one of my favorite tools; the embossing folders are so much fun to use. I needed to make a quick card for my husband's grandmother who is a sweetheart :)... so I quickly turned to my Cuttlebug.

Then I decided to make a card while playing along with The Cuttleblog Spot weekly challenge#18: Bring on the Bling. The Cuttleblog Spot has lots of tutorial and ideas on how to use your cuttlebug in new ways; I learn a lot from Nilda and team. I've been meaning to use this candle embossing folder since getting it a few months ago and have not had the chance. For my bling, I used glitter stickles and Pearlized Wausau Paper, the shimmer on this paper is so worth it! I tried to get a good picture of the sparkle :).

Before I assembled my card, my friend Rita sent me an email on another Cuttlebug blog she follows called Cuttlebug Challenge, I took a look and liked what I saw :). They seem to have challenges M, W, Th, Fr, and Sa! - that should keep anyone BUSY :). For their Monday challenge, Mellow Yellow Monday, the idea was to use Yellow ... what luck, i had already decided to use this so in one card, I met TWO CHALLENGES! Perfect!

Supplies:
Cuttlebug A2 Combo Birthday Wishes
Cuttlebug A2 Brdr Frills
Printed Paper DCWV Nana's Nursery - Baby Boy Paper Stack
DCWV Yellow and Green Texture Paper
Wausau Paper Pearlescent Cardstock from HSN
$ Ribbon from JoAnns
Ranger Yellow Stickles

{heart} Owl Vday Card for DH

For the mailbox full of love notes I made for vday, I wanted to make a card that went along with it - so I reuse the CUTE owl from Storybook and tried to keep the same theme going.

I am HOOKED on Bitten by the Bug (BBTB) weekly challenges where the design team is asked by Regina to use a certain cartridge and die cut. I look forward to their post every Sunday! For the week of valentines, the cartridge was Home Accents and the die cut was "LOVE" where the "LVE" had to be in brown. This was PERFECT idea for my card and I went with it :)....

Card w/matching envelope:

Inside Card:
I used $ studio G rubber stamps that my friend found at M's (THANKS Tracy!!!); these are GREAT, and such a nice value. I love using them when I can.

Card and Mailbox (cut file created by JenC):

Check out BBTB Home Accents LOVE Word Challenge, it does wow the senses! :)

Supplies:
Owl - cut at 2 1/2" using Cricut Storybook Cartridge
Foilage- cut twice using Cricut Storybook Cartridge
Texture Cardstock from DCWV
Blue double sided paper from Martha Stewart Playful Blue Paper Pad from Walmart
Scallop heart - Martha Stewart Punch
Scallop heart edge - Martha Stewart edge Punch
Envelopes- cut at 1 1/2'' using Cricut Doodlecharm Cartridge border feature
"HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY" - studio G $ stamp from M's
"Attached at the Heart" - studio G $ stamp from M's
"For You" - studio G $ stamp from M's

Valentine's Special Delivery from {heart} Owl

For Valentines this year I wanted to make something extra special for my dh; 2008 was a rough year for him professionally - a full rollercoaster ride - but it has made our relationship stronger.

I made a few projects that I still need to take more pictures of, but for now I want to show you one of the things I made for him, all thanks to Jen C, a very talented lady who sees things in one more dimension than the rest of us :) and is a wiz with Cricut Design Studio. I first saw this mailbox on her blog post {Brain Things....}: You've Got Mail! I asked her for the cut file and she was gracious enough to send it to me. I told her I would post once I got it done :)...

I fell in love with the owl in the Storybook Cartridge and knew I had to use it while keeping the look masculine. I used some pink bubbles for the eyes - love fill eyes :). The pattern paper is from a Martha Stewart paper pad I happened to find at Walmart.

Isn't Jen's cut file just simply amazing??? It cut beautifully and just perfect for a love note inside :) Visit her blog {Brain Things....} to take a look at the rest of her amazing creations!

Front:




Side:

Other Side:

I will post the matching card when I take the pics :)

Supplies:
Mailbox - cut using Jen cut file from her blog post {Brain Things....}: You've Got Mail!
Owl - cut at 2 1/4" using Cricut Storybook Cartridge
Branch - cut twice using Cricut Storybook Cartridge with the help of Design Studio to size the height
Foilage- cut twice using Cricut Storybook Cartridge
Envelopes- cut at 1 1/2'' using Cricut Doodlecharm Cartridge border feature
"S.W.A.K" - from Impression Obsession Heartlines stamp set
Blue double sided paper from Martha Stewart Playful Blue Paper Pad from Walmart

TCP Tuesday Challenge - TCPTUES45

This week, we were challenged by Jen (who has very creative blog) to use 4 colors: Red, Pink, Dark Gray and Black.


The colors are pretty nice, i could see myself using it for a few valentine's card next year - especially after seeing Jen's post. But I am done for this year vday; so immediately thought of my cousin's birthday coming up this month. HE is a year younger than I and has a free spirit- a very nice guy and I love him very much- but I am sending him a sublime message with this card (hence the brackets); one that I know he will get :). Because this is a masculine card, I had to be careful with how I used the pink :) but I think this works.

Inside I put a simple "HAPPY BIRTHDAY" and stuck the monogram "N" for his name that was part of this sheet from DCWV Alphabet Stack.

Supplies:
London Fog Momento ink
Rose Bud Momento ink
Red Rocket Brilliance Ink
Poochie and Fifi - The Cat's Pajamas It's A Mod, Mod World W-7512
"Hot Dog!" - The Cat's Pajamas It's A Mod, Mod World W-7512
Cardstock is from DCWV Alphabet Stack
Gems - from M's $ bin
brackets - cut at 4'' using Cuttin' Up cartridge
atyouSpica for added glitter

OWL Valentine's Day Gift

My friends Tracy and Mike gifted this to me for Valentine's Day and I was floored! It seems that I have suddenly developed this obscession for CUTE owls- stamps, papers, stickers, t-shirts, etc. This mug is so cute! Do you see the owl on the handle??? how perfect is that?


A added touch was the stamped card; very cute. And the block set of four heart stamps along with the chocolate inside finished the WOW effect.

A very hearfelt thanks to the two of them; I LOVE IT!!! Can't decide whether to keep it in my creative space or take it to work; but since I spent so much more time at work, I am leaning towards that :)....

February Month Scrapbook Calendar Page

This is my February Scrapbook page for my 2009 S.E.I. Calendar 12x12. I used the cute heart from a Martha Stewart punch and the rest of the elements were cut using Cricut Calligraphy -- love that cartridge, many possibilities.

We do cherish LAUGHING every day.

Supplies:
SEI 12x12 Calendar 2009
"Cherish" - cut using Cricut Calligraphy and Design Studio
Heart and Heart w/flourish - cut using Calligraphy
"Laugh every day"- Hero Arts FRIENDSHIP MESSAGES
Martha Stewart Scallop Heart punch
Memory Maker Small and Medium Heart brads

TCP Tuesday Challenge - TCPTUES44

TCP Tuesday is one of my favorite blog challenges to partcipate in; in large part because I LOVE the stamps made by The Cat's Pajamas and designer Alma. These stamps are so much fun to work with; they can go with many occassions and appeal to all age groups. She is one talented lady.

TCP Tuesday is a challenge where one memnber of her design team picks an inspiration for that week, be that a sketch or a snapshot or a theme. This week's the challenge is hosted by Toni, and it is an inspiration challenge based on this picture YUMMY {heart} Red Velvet Sweetheart Cakes, which she found found on Better Homes and Garden's website.

When I first saw the inspiration picture, my first thought was i LOVE that idea of powdering over a stencil to get an impression on the cupcake and then my mouth started to water... I Ruff You is right!

Here is what I came up with :)

I used Puffy Velvet by Marvy Uchida to give a texture look to the top of the cupcake. It was my first time using it but I felt bad I bought it a while ago and never used it :) ... I used the Marvy Uchida punch to create a stencil.

These stamps all come in the Puppy Love set . For more inspirations on these just fab stamps, go to their design gallery.

Supplies:
Martha Stewart Mini Heart edge punch
Martha Stewart Ribbon Bow punch
Rich Cocoa Momento ink
Puffy Velvet Fabric Marker - Marvy Uchida to give the cupcake hear texture
Liquid Applique - Marvy Uchida to show Poochie on powder sugar :)
"I Ruff You" - The Cat's Pajamas Puppy Love set N-7509
Love Puppy (Poochie) - The Cat's Pajamas Puppy Love set N-7509
Cardstock is from DCWV. Card is from Target (thanks Tracy!)

Scrapbook Calendar 2009 - January

I really enjoy Scrapbooking; but to be honest, I don't have the time I use to have when I first started to indulge in creating layouts. I didn't want to stop though, so I decided that maintaining a calendar is better than nothing. For 2009 I scrap most of 2008 and so forth. At the end of the year, I know I will have at least 12 pages and that is better than nothing :)...

I have used for the past 3 years (2007-2009) the S.E.I 12x12 Calendars. This year I have seen many come out on the market; but these are still the best one for me because I think all elements come together very nicely with the pre-designed layout; while still giving you room to add an extra special touch!

Here is my JAN:

These are my sisters; and my sister's dog {Bellisima} Bella :)...

Supplies:
SEI 12x12 Calendar 2009
"Woof" welded with a Paw - cut using Cricut Paper Pups and Design Studio
Border flakes - cut using Cricut Storybook
"Warm & Cozy"- one of those very cute stamp from g Studio

Warm Welcome Gifts

My In-Laws came for a visit and they stayed with us for 10 days; it was a treat. We wanted to give them a warm welcome - so my husband baked some lemon cookies w/powder sugar. I was inspired by the CuttlebugChallenge 1/14 post to use my favorite cuttlebug dies. I am so glad I bought these; it is a quick way to get a project done.

I used these Martha Stewart boxes I bought a while ago at Michael's and use some cuttlebug combo dies to embellished them. These boxes are nice and sturdy; a white canvas to be creative. I wanted to keep it simple; partly because of lack of time, partly to keep it a bit elegant :) - adding the gem on the flower was a fun touch and the colors used matched the bedding. We then put them on their bed in front of each pillow waiting to welcome them while at the same time thanking them for their visit!

Supplies:
"Thanks" - Cuttlebug Combo With Gratitude dies
flower - Cuttlebug Combo With Gratitude dies
hearts - Cuttlebug Combo Love Language dies
boxes - Martha Stewart

Patty's Money Holder

I wanted to send my Mother-In-Law a special thank you along with payment for doing a set of beautiful embroidered nappies for my best friend. I was lucky to come across Patty's Stamping Spot blog and her money holder template that can be found on her Gift Card Holder Class - part 2 post. It was a perfect idea!

Inside:

With Envelope:

Please leave Patty some love on her blog and browse around; she has plenty to see and is very talented!

Supplies:
Butterfly (front) - cut 1 1/2'' using Storybook shorty option
Butterfly (inside) - cut 1 1/4'' using Storybook
"Thank You" w/frame - cut 2 1/2'' using Storybook
flower- cut 1'' using George
DCWV Summer Paper 2008 and color cardstock is DCWV as well.