Just so excited!!!

I can't believe it..I won GSS over at Papertrey Ink for best use of Garden of Life!! I didn't think I would have a chance this month and was keeping my fingers crossed for a honorable mention..My husband and I got into bed last night and as I tried to get to sleep I just started getting so curious to who may have won..there were sooo many amazing and unique cards this past month..Nichole has a very tough job!! Well, I jumped out of bed, scared my husband half to death and turned on the computer(which is in our bedroom)..he just started laughing because he knows how crazy I am about Papertrey Ink..yes, I do have a problem!!! I opened up the gallery pics and saw one of my cards..I thought it just happened to be in the thumbnail spot for the Gueststar Stamper submissions..then, I looked a little closer and saw that it was in the winners..I couldn't believe I had won..I screamed and this time Brian about peed his pants..I started jumping up and down and he is so funny because he got out of bed and jumped around with me..I'm not kidding..if our neighbors would have seen us they would probably have called the cops on us..too funny..we quickly quieted down once we heard Nora yelling "mom"...Of course, I checked ten times to make sure I was reading it correctly before I went to bed and then once I did get to bed I laid there too excited to sleep!!! This is such an honor coming from Nichole and I really appreciate and LOVE Papertrey Ink!! What an awesome company!!! The winning card is actually the one I posted first yesterday...I saw this bedding in the Land of Nod catalog and decided to try and recreate my own version using Papertrey Ink stamps..so that is what I did and I'm so excited that I won!!!Thanks for looking!! Bridget

Papertrey Ink Gueststar Stamper

Hello..now that the 14th has finally arrived I can share some of my projects that I submitted for the GSS over at Papertrey Ink!! I loved the stamp sets from this past month but just didn't have the time to submit a lot of work for the contest... The first card I submitted was inspired by a baby quilt I saw in the Land of Nod catalog...I receive so many baby catalogs in the mail and this is where I find much of my inspirations..color combinations, patterns, themes..it really helps when you are having a creative block...I used the Garden of Life set for my card to create my "patterned paper" and the sentiment is also from the same set. My camera picked up the glare from my flower embellishments..they are not that shiny in real life(sorry).. I really enjoy creating my own "patterned paper" with the PTI stamps...the possibilities are endless!! My second submission was a bit outside the box...that is another reason I love using clear stamps, especially from PTI..the stamps come in pieces so you can always find other ways to use them besides their main purpose.. When I first say the sentiment from "May your dreams take flight" I immediately thought of a little bird ready to take flight..I do not own a bird stamp so I thought I would just create my own...For this card I used several of my PTI sets..The tree branch is from Take a Bough and the leaves and berries are from Out on a Limb. I created my little birdie by using the larger leaf stamp from Pond life for his body, I used the smaller, skinner leaf stamp from Pond Life for his front wing, I used only the one side of the double leaf lily flower stamp from Pond life for his back wing...His head is the flower center stamp from Garden of Life, his little legs are from the cattails from Pond Life, his little beak is the turtle's tail from Pond Life and his eyes are from the bubbles from Pond Life(I used the larger open circle and the smaller closed circle from each bubble "set". Some tips on replicating his tummy..make sure to use a darker color for wings and head or you see the body through the wings otherwise, mask off half of the body where the wings go so that part of the stamp does not get ink on it.. My third submission was once again an out of the box card..I saw this flower stamp in my Garden of Life set and for some reason lollipops popped into my head..So, that is what I created..I stamped and cut out the flower and then took a small plastic snack baggie and placed it over the flower..I twisted the baggy and then cut it and tied it off with a ribbon..the lollipop sticks were created by stamping the stem from Garden of life and cutting them out. I used the sentiment how sweet it is from It's a Celebration..Next time I do this I'm going to try and recreate the original colorful lollipops that you would get at the fair...I loved those!!! Thanks for looking..I'll be back later to post more submissions!! Bridget

I'm still here...

I haven't been the best blogger here lately..sorry!! I have been busy with a little project on the side and haven't had time to create for fun and post on my blog..I actually was creating some cards to share with a shop owner here in town to see if she would be interested in selling some of my cards. So, for the past few weeks I have been busy creating, creating and creating!! I had the meeting yesterday and it went fairly well.. she seemed interested in some of my cards and wants me to create Christmas cards that she will sell during that time. I was a bit confused about waiting until Christmas until I realized that shop owners have to think that far in advance for their stores. She will be going to market here in a few days to purchase Christmas items..crazy..so, I'm really looking forward to having the opportunity to create cards and share them with others..hopefully, I can create some magical, one of a kind cards that people will be drawn to! We will see and I will keep you posted!! I was organizing my crafting area(kitchen table..ahh..I need my own space..my husband is planning on creating a little nook for me in the basement soon!!) and I can across the My Punny Valentine set..I just love that stamp set!! Well, I saw the little sheep..one of my favorites and decided to create simple, fun and trendy baby cards that I would have on hand to give..I have several friends and family having babies right now and thought it would be much easier to mass produce this baby card by changing up the colors..blue/brown for boy and pink/brown for girl.. I love Kraft paper so used that as my base card..I then used my rounder punch to create a scalloped edge along the bottom..I did a very small amount of distressing with brown ink around the edge of the card..it just gives it a more cozy feel. I then punched a medium sized scalloped oval onto the base color and also punched out a larger sized scalloped oval from cream vellum for the body of the sheep. I stamped the head and legs onto Kraft paper, cut out and placed using dimensionals. What new mom wouldn't love getting this little card...and I just love the color combo along with the polka dots! Too fun!!

Thanks for looking!!

Patterned Paper

HI! I was checking out Nichole's blog this morning and she had created a little "challenge" for us to try out. She made the most beautiful card by creating her own patterned paper by using the Polka Dot Basics set along with the new Pond Life set..you can see it here... She wanted us to create our own patterned paper by layering it over another background pattern. I am always looking around for inspirations, ideas and color combinations in my daily life. I have found the best place to find these are in all the catalogs I get daily in the mail. They are great to look at because they show the "in" colors, as well as the "in" patterns and prints of the season.. It is so fun to see a new color and pattern set in a catalog and then turn it into a card. Well, I did find some inspiration from the new Land of Nod catalog..They have the best prints and colors that I just fall in love with every time I see the catalog!! There are several bedding sets in this catalog that reminded me a lot of the new stamp set Garden of Life. So, that is where I started today with this card. I used Spring Moss Cardstock(my favorite) and stamped the solid polka dots from the Polka Dots Basic set in Seascape Palette Ink. I know Nichole had used this set also with her patterned paper..it's just such a useful set to use with cards..it really adds a lot to them. I then took one of the flowers from Garden of Life and stamped it over every other polka dot as the centers of my flower using Lavender Sachet Ink. I really like how the layering turned out. I then wanted to add something unique to the actual flowers, so I took a piece of cream colored vellum and cut 3 small scalloped circles with my Nestabilities . I stamped the same flower image in Lavender Sachet onto the vellum and placed those on the 3 center flowers on the cardstock. I then stamped the stems with Jardin Moss Ink and cut and placed those. I wanted to keep the focal point rather simple because of the craziness of the patterned paper. For my sentiment, I cut a strip of lavender cardstock and scalloped the edges and also cut a smaller strip of Spring Moss where I placed the sentiment. I finished this strip off with 2 silver squared brads. I love these colors together and have to admit it looks much better in person. I'm still learning the ropes on taking pictures of my cards!! Thanks for looking!!

April Papertrey Ink Submissions...

I thought I would share a few of my creations I did for the April Gueststar stamper contest over at Papertrey Ink!! I had so much fun creating this month and just fell in love with each of the stamp sets I had purchased..I just wish I could afford all of them..There isn't one that I don't like..they are all amazing..I just wish I could get my husband to read this..Mother's Day is coming up here and a new stamp set would make a wonderful gift...LOL!! Anyway, the first card I created I used the flower image from Boxes, Bags and Tags..I stamped the larger flower and cut out the smaller flower to give some depth to the card. I used the stem image from the Spiral Bouquet set and I really like the simplicity of it. I created the flower pot from PTI cardstock and stamped and embossed the sentiment from the Birthday Basics set. One thing I love about this set is that many of the sayings can be used for other cards besides Birthday. There are some really heartwarming sentiments. I also incorporated the new PTI patterned paper and grosgrain ribbon. Both of those products are so nice to use.

The second card I would like to share is a Birthday Giftcard I created using the stamps from It's a Celebration. I love the party hats in this set but for this particular card, they seemed a bit big. So, I noticed when I turned the small banner flags upside down, they looked just like little party hats. I used my scalloped square cuttlebug die-cut, as well as my Marvy small circle punch. I also used the star stamp from this set but masked the little star so I just had the one bigger star to use. I used my small two punch for my ribbon and created this "envelope" card. Once you open the card, I stamped a Birthday sentiment from Birthday Basics in the center. I then just take my giftcard and place two small dimensionals on the back of the giftcard. I then place it over the sentiment I stamped. What I have found useful when doing this is to really push the dimensionals onto the back of the giftcard so they will stick to the giftcard and not the paper once removed from the card. I just love the pop that these colors give..a great "boy" combination.

The final creation I would like to share with you is this birthday boy combo set!! As I said earlier, I just love the adorable party hats in It's a Celebration. So, I decided to create a birthday theme around the hats. I first created a card and matching tag that would accompany the present. I cut out the small party hats and attached string to the bottoms. I just love that little detail because it really makes them look like party hats. Who doesn't remember squeezing their little chin under those things..OUCH!! I took one of the small glassine bags from PTI and filled it with green m&m's and created a placecard that would have each child's name on them. I also took one of the small square tins to give as a party favor. I didn't include the picture here but I took 4 mini snicker bars and white labels. I stamped the white labels with one of the simple label stamps from Limitless Labels and in the center stamped a small party hat. They looked really cute around the mini snickers and fit nicely inside the tin. My son will be turning 3 here in July and I may actually use this as his theme..if only I can get him away from Choo-Choo Trains..that's going to be tricky!! LOL.. Thanks for looking!!!

Wedding Cake Favor!!!

Oh my goodness..I'm soooo excited!! I was chosen as one of the winners this month for Papertrey Ink's Gueststar Stamper!! I can't believe it and am just so excited!! Thank you so much Nichole..this means so much to me!! I had so much fun creating this cake and to get to share it with others is just a blessing!!! I'm getting to do something that I love and I'm just so happy I found the Papertrey Ink company!! They are awesome!!!

I just love the pink patterned paper from PTI and that is what I used for each cake layer...the paper is just the right weight and is just adorable.. I also cut strips from another pattern to use as my ribbon base on each layer. I then used the flower stamps from Boxes, Bags and Tags to embellish my cake..there are just so many ways to change up this cake and "decorate" it. What I love about this easy favor is that you have the option of using all 3 boxes to fill or just using the largest bottom layer. Thanks again Nichole!! My cheeks hurt from smiling so much!!!

Jen Sketch!!

I was so excited this morning..I got a very nice comment from Jen Del Muro on my blog..I just love her work and it was so nice of her to come over to my blog and take a peek..well, I stopped over at her blog once again this morning and saw one of her sketches..I thought I would give it a try.. I had bought some cute patterned paper from Paper Studio that I used as my color scheme..I was thinking "boy" birthday for some reason so that is what I went for. I haven't had a chance to use the cute little jungle animals from the Stampendous set I just bought so thought I would incorporate those, as well. I just love that little giraffe..so cute.. I masked off his ears a bit so I could stamp a party hat on his hat. The party hat stamp is actually from the It's a Celebration set from PTI..it is one of the small banners..I just flipped it over and used it as a hat instead...I went through and stamped a small star in each of the circles on the patterned paper.. and placed clear circular pebbles randomly on a few of the circles..I just love those pebbles..they are just a unique little detail... I felt like a needed a band of some sort to tie it all together..(hopefully, it didn't add too much).. It was pretty funny because about 6 years ago, when I was in college I worked at a Michael's..I had a great discount and would basically spend my paycheck every week on everything in the store..well, I was really into the decorative scissors at the time and bought every kind..I was looking through them this morning and found this particular style that I used on the bottom portion of my sentiment... I thought it coordinated well with the giraffe's spots... thanks for the fun sketch Jen!!!

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Supplies

Patterned Paper: Paper Studio

Cardstock: Bazzill Basics

Clear Stamps: (Giraffe)Stampendous; (Sentiment, exclamation, party hat, star) Papertrey Ink

Ink: Palette Hybrid Inks

Accents: Clear circular pebbles; orange brads; decorative scissors; edge distressor