Season of Gratitude

This time of season always makes me remember to be thankful for all the blessings I have in my life, so you will be seeing gratitude projects from me this month.  In addition, Paper Craft Planet will be featuring a theme each month and this month is Gratitude.  If you want to see more gratitude inspiration, visit the Paper Craft Gallery here and you will see a gratitude album.

I purchased one of the new Cuttlebug embossing borders Just My Type.  These are strips that you can put anywhere on your card, so you can emboss right on your card.  Yippee!  I used the dots border and then used the swiss dots folder to emboss the sorbet cardstock under my image.  I {heart} my embossing folders!  

Here is the rest of the card recipe:

paper - Perfect Day Level 2 paper pack, sorbet cs, tulip cs, cocoa cs, colonial white cs

stamp set - Victorian Snowflake (Gratitude sentiment)

ink - sorbet, juniper

embellishments - Perfect Day My Stickease (main image), pop dots, EK concave punch, small oval punch, large oval punch, crystal stickers, ivory organdy ribbon


Don't forget to check out the blog candy here!

Happy Stamping!

Love in the Air

This stamp is another great image from Today's Forecast at Molly Stamps.  My anniversary is this month, so I made a card for my DH.  Ssh!  Don't tell him!  I stamped the Smitten sentiment on a fresh elements chipboard heart from CMTH.  The background paper is from the Just Chillin' paper pack from CTMH retiring at the end of this year.  

Three of the love smitten faces are stamped in white daisy pigment ink, punch out and adhered to the card with pop dots.  I love how you can see the shadow to the left of them.  The color combo is vineyard berry, ocean, white daisy.  The four blue elements in the corners are crystal stickers.

If you haven't checked out this stamp set yet, you should.  The six faces are so versatile for your card making and scrapbooking projects.

Don't forget to check out my post below for Paper Craft Planet and blog candy!

Happy Stamping!

Paper Craft Planet

Have you heard about the newest planet in the solar system?  Of course, you have...I have been blogging about for a few days.  

It’s called "Paper Craft Planet" and all the inhabitants are just like you…devoted lovers of all things papercraft-related. Paper Craft Planet is an online community for papercrafters that is filled with many familiar faces and a stellar amount of inspiration where we share tutorials, videos, photos, and links to all things paper crafting! Susanna Boyd, of Card-of-the-week.com fame began this awesome site, and the community is growing!  If you don't have as much time as you'd like to check blogs you will appreciate seeing a kind of "Best of/Cool Things" posted all in one spot!  I've been SO honored to have several of my projects recognized on her  "Tutorial" and "Shout Out" Lists these past several months, so I was just thrilled when Susanna asked me to join the Papercraft Planet Design Team!! YAY!!! I am really looking forward to getting to know and working all the other talented designers.  So, why not stop by for a lot of fun, weekly challenges, PRIZES, an awesome gallery, tutorials, videos, and a budding design team as we share this craft we all love. Just click on the planet above to be transported to a crafty place that's out of this world!

NOW!!! It's been since Tanner's birthday that I've given away any candy: join PaperCraft Planet today* (Tell 'em Kim sent ya! ;) and let me know here, you'll be entered for a chance to win the CTMH "D" sized stamp set Say It Style And there are MORE ways to earn more chances, each way will get you one entry:

1) link this post on your blog and let others know about the community and the candy! (and leave a comment here letting me know with your link)

2)Email me for code to add the cute little "PaperCraft Planet" member Logo to your blog!

3) Upload pics of your projects after joining to help grow the gallery! (Email me at stampfest@cox.net and let me to know check out your artwork in the gallery.)

Winner of the candy announced here Monday 11/10! Our first official sketch challenge, hosted by Susanna, will be posted this Saturday 11/8, I hope everyone will come out to play!

*already a member?  Just let me know in the comment section, and you'll be entered!

Happy Stamping!

My Creations Memory Keeper

I totally forgot to share this awesome new product CTMH has in their Autumn/Winter Idea Book.  These boxes are great for storing pictures.  In addition, they are awesome for gifts.  The possibilities are endless...baby, wedding, valentine, teacher....

The sturdy white material is stampable with hinged corners and the front strip is magnetic.  I covered mine with Perfect Day Level 2 paper pack and used the Perfect Day My Stickease with some bling and pop dots.  The flourishes on the left side are CTMH's new chocolate rub-ons from the Nature's Ambiance collection.  The other embellishments are cocoa ribbon and a creme brulee bigger brad.

In this view you can see the side of the memory keeper.  You can decorate the entire box like I did or just decorate the top.  If you want to go the extra mile, you can even decorate the inside.

Another great feature of this box is that it holds CTMH's 9 x 9 accordion-style albums.  Here is an album I made a while ago with our family photo on the front.  You can decorate these for yourself or for someone else.  The accordian album would be an added bonus.  Great gift idea for the Holidays.

I have another fun weekend planned.  I am meeting my sister in Des Moines, IA for an all day crop on Saturday.  On Sunday, I will be holding a distressing workshop at her house.  A weekend full of stamping.  I have the best CAREERS ever...wife, mother, stamper!

If you haven't checked out Paper Craft Planet, see the icon on my sidebar and click.  It will take you there.  The artwork is so inspiring!  It is from all the members who join.  You can add your artwork too.  This paper online community is in the infancy stage and I have the privilege of being one of the design team members for this great site!  We have great things in store for you, so join and visit often so you don't miss out!

Have a great weekend!

Happy Stamping!

Tutorial Time - Mummy Candy Bar

I made these last year for some teachers and they loved them, so I decided to make them again.  ENJOY!

Materials used:

White Daisy paper - 7 strips (1 - 1 1/2 x 6, 6 - 1 1/4 x 6)  

Black cardstock

Desert sand ink

punches - 3/4", 1/2", 1/4"

stamp sets - Spooky Delights (retired), Trick or Treaters (retired)

Oh!  This is my last video with music to match my theme.  I have found out I need to use royalty free music in my videos.  Bummer!

Happy Stamping!

celebrate Thanksgiving

I have a workshop in November and the hostess (Hi Tammy!) wanted to do something with a turkey.  At first we talked about a card, but I decided a one-page layout would be better.  Of course, I am a double-page layout person, so I had to make a second page for me.  I haven't put pictures on it yet, because I want to have an incentive to take pictures this year.  I am really bad about taking pics on Thanksgiving Day.  I don't know why, but now I have a layout ready.

I used the Reflections Scrapbook Program from CTMH for the layout ideas.  These page ideas are on page 17, Title Topper - Heading and page 40, Sidebar - Original.  I used six techniques on this layout.  Check out the products listing below for them.

Page one

Page two

All products used CTMH: paper - Abundance Level 2 (retiring 2008), cocoa cs, goldrush cs, autumn terracotta cs, new england ivy cs, white daisy cs; stamp sets - Homestead Alphabet, Card Commentary, Harvest Memories (retiring 2008), Thanksgiving Day; ink - cocoa, autumn terracotta, goldrush, new england ivy; embellishments - autumn terrcotta photo clips, bigger brads and large spirals; techniques - edge distressing, dry embossing, crumble/crinkle, sanding, stamp rolling, direct paper.

Hey, you need to check out this paper craft site Paper Craft Planet.  It is a new online community that is full of ideas.  It is just starting, so you need to join soon.  You will be part of the best online community.  Join now!

Happy Stamping!

Get Well Thermometer

I got to play with my new Molly Stamps last Saturday and this is the first card I made that day.  I must confess...the thermometer was my hubby's idea.  My idea was to put the window charm over the face to make it like the bottom of a thermometer.  I told him this was a great idea and he says, "Of course, I have been making cards longer than you."  He has, so he got me there.  He has made me cards since we were started dating (13 years ago) and has continued even though we got married (nine years ago next month).  You know, sometimes things like that stop.  I should show you some cards he has made me sometime.  

Back to this stamp set....Today's Forecast.  It is so fun to work with and you can find the complete set here at Molly Stamps.  There are six faces to play with and many, many words.

Here is a close-up of the thermometer.  You can see I used the words Sick and Run down on my topiary strips of paper.  The window charm was not as easy as I thought it would be.  The window charm was too big, so I had to cut it.  Yes, cut it.  How did I do that?  Well, first I kept it on the plastic it is adhered to in the package.  I placed it over the face image and traced around it with a sharpie marker.  Then I took my Tim Holtz scissors and cut the window charm.  I couldn't believe how well the scissors worked.  Once I had it cut, I sanded the edges with coarse sanding paper.  I check to make sure I measured correctly and then wiped the sharpie marker off the edges.  It fit perfectly!

I used Quirky Alphabet from Molly Stamps to stamp the sentiment inside and added the smiling face this time.  This alphebet is great, because it has a shadow.  You can leave the letters alone and have the shadow the only color or you can color the letter part, so you can have it two colors.  AWESOME!

I hope you like my first creation with Molly Stamps.  You will be seeing their great stamps on my blog an a regular basis.  Check them out!

Happy Stamping!

Tutorial Time - Crinkled/Crumbled Technique

Lately, I have been holding distresing workshops and showing how distressing adds texture to paper projects.  I wanted to show you to make your pumpkins even better by using the crinkled or crumbled technique.  ENJOY!

Have a great weekend!

Take time to create!

I'm So Excited!

Okay...are you ready?  I am!  I have been so excited the last couple of days.  I have had a personal goal to be on a design team and now I can say I reached that goal.

Earlier this month, I sent some of my artwork, blog and description of why I wanted to design for Molly Stamps.  This week Russ contacted me and offered me a spot on his design team.  YAY!  I follow blogs of the other design team members and am so honored to be part of their group.  This group has a great sense of humor and I know I will have so much fun!  

You will always be able to visit the Molly Stamp website any time you want from my blog.  I put an icon on the sidebar.  Just click it and you will be there.  Not only will you be able to shop, but there is a gallery of ideas for each stamp set.  That is so cool!

The website will be updated with the new design team members (  including me :o)  ) on Friday, October 24th.  AND there are three new stamp sets available too!  They are:

• Wings on Things - Big
• Wings on Things - Small
• Post Office

So wish me luck in this exciting and challenging endeavor!

Happy Stamping!