The Alley Way Stamps

Hi, I have a new stamp company that I want to tell you about! If you've been reading my posts (and I hope you have!) you'll know that Stretch N' Bubbles is closing it's digi doors today.  But.....they are opening up to The Alley Way Stamps. Here  They're having a grand opening soon and lots of fun and prizes! Please hop over and see what they're all about!

Have a Great Day!

Little Miss Saffron

At the moment I'm just loving the snow and the great big blue sky! Two of my favorite things.   The colder it gets here, the more the sun shines!  (in the winter that is, come summer, it never stops!)  For this card I've used the beautiful little Saffron which is a new release over at Little Miss Muffet's You can get here as a freebie until Jan 3rd. Check here for more details. Do hop over to the store and peek at her other wonderful stamps!
I coloured her with my prismacolour pencil crayons and then matted her to some lovely blue and white cardstock.  The white center is inked a bit around the edges and the other is cut with my deckle scissors to add a frosty look.  The decorative paper is from my scrap pile and then I added a beautiful sentiment from Dee's Designs which I also added a bit of deckle edges to.  To finish it off I added some lovely snowflakes and pearls from Hero Arts.  All this I layered on some distressed white cardstock and adhered it to my base.
I am entering this card in the following challenges:
Little Miss Muffet -Anything Goes
Dutch Dare Card Challenges - Favorite Things
Simon Says Stamps - Anything Goes
MelJen's - Blue

New Friend

Hello, this card is inspired by the sketch over at Seems a Little Sketchy challenge blog.  They are sponsored by the wonderful Stretch N' Bubbles who are closing their digi doors at the end of this month! Sob!  Here is one of my favorite  SNB images!  I have made this card with a friend of my children's in mind who just got her first kitten and is soooo enjoying her!  I am entering this card in For Fun Challenges - NEW challenge.
I had lots of fun doing this card! I think that I'm really going to enjoy using sketches to help with the creative process!  Have a Happy New Year!

Meet Perry

Hello everyone, I'd like you to meet Perry the Polar Bear.  He is from Daisy Doodles who is sponsoring the wonderful challenge over at Card Crafter's Circle - Anything Goes.  Please come join us, anything goes- can't be any easier than that! Plus you can be in the running for some wonderful digis!  Check out the digis at the store by just clicking on the image below.

For my card, I used a wonderful layering technique I learned from Bonnie at Technique Tuesdays on the Card Crafter's Circle Blog .Here I layered some lovely snowflakes (I found free from Free Digital Stamps.) over Perry in various sizes.  I resized each one to my taste.  Then I matted him to some bright blue cardstock from Stampin'Up and placed this over an embossed white background.  I trimmed the bottom with some blue   and lacy white ribbon then added the sentiment over top.  I felt that these snowflakes just needed a bit of bling so I added some lovely blue pearls from HeroArts.  So if you ever meet a polar bear with a blue scarf, you know it'll be Perry and he won't eat you!  Have a wonderful day! Thanks for dropping by.  

Calling all Button Lovers!

Hello, today I have a tutorial to share with you.  It's about how to make some of your own buttons.  If you're anything like me, I collect buttons and have tons of the "real thing".  But just for fun I thought it would be nice to try to make some of my own buttons.  Please come step into my crafty spot with me.

Seems a bit crowded, but that's ok, you'll all fit!  Now to prepare.

You'll need some stamps if you're like me and drawing one is out of your league.   I'm using some clear ones from Fiskars, but any small ones will do (Digi or rubber) .  Mine aren't button stamps but we can tweek them a little.   Then some ink if using rubber and a mounting block if they're clear.  Some pieces of paper; I chose various colours and some patterned ones.  A pair of scissors and a cutting tool if you have one (I'm going to use my Creative Memories one for the patterned paper.).  I have a circle punch on my "love to have" list.  But a pair of good scissors is great! And of course some dimentional adhesive like Chrystal Laquer.  I'm using Diamond Glaze by Judikins.  For safety, an extra piece of paper or newsprint is always a good idea!

Now that I've cut out some patterned circles and stamped a few "buttons" it's time to add the glaze.  If you want distinct "holes" then you can add those with a marker prior to glazing. For those using punches and not scissors, you will need to punch them out prior to glazing them because with the glaze they won't fit in the puncher. Note: go slowly with the glaze to reduce bubbles.  If you end up with some bubbles, just use a needle and pop them.

 Here's a bit of a close up of some of the buttons with the glaze.  It looks milky at first, but will dry nice and clear.  Another note, with the precut circles/ punches you could add a bit of sticky tac under them to keep the paper from warping while the glaze is drying.  Drying times will vary.

Once they are all dry, go ahead and cut them out, with the good ol' reliable scissors if you didn't precut/punch them.  Pauline calls it fussy cutting, and I've a mind to agree with her there! Once they're all cut out it's time to add them to your creations! Here's what I've come up with.

I love baskets of buttons so I made my own.  The basket I wove from some embossed paper and filled it with "buttons".  Some I sewed and others I just adhered.  Then I added some bling flourishes and sweet little butterflies.  The butterfly wings are glittery but it doesn't really show in the photo.  I added a bit of ribbon and a sentiment from Inkadinkado that I stamped right on the basket.

Here's a close-up of the delightful buttons.  They're very easy to make and it's nice to be able to custom make them for select projects where no other buttons seem to work.  Hope you enjoyed this little tutorial.  Have a marvelous day and enjoy your buttons!
I am also entering the challenge over at Scrapbook Sisters -anything goes with this card.

Digi My World has CANDY!!!

More Yummy Candy On The Way! Please hop on over to Digi My World for a chance to win!

Happy New Year!

Hi, I have just one more card to share with you today. This is the third for today so please scroll down to see more inspiration!
Over at Digi My World there's a new challenge - Bright New Year.  I have chosen the adorable Kitty to celebrate with this time.  This is the very first time I've used a precoloured digi and I inked a little yellow around to soften his frame.  I layered him with some fun paper from my scrap pile and a sentiment from Spyder's Corner.  The Stars are from Portafolia and I added some little rhinestones for more bright bling.  The bow is just a scrap I had in my ribbon box.  I love how scraps can add just the right accents for something new! If you're looking for some new fun digis just hop over to Digi My World for a look see.
Thanks so much for coming by, see you soon.

What is New?

Hello, over at Pixie Dust Paperie they're having a challenge to create something that means "New" to you.  So I have a new home card to share with you.  My Aunt just moved into a new place (an appartment, 11th floor- WOW!) and I wanted to surprise her with a card.
Since I don't have any appartment buildings, I thought this would do.  I am using an image from my stash, I can't remember by whom,  and a computer generated sentiment.  I used some DP by K & Company with some Offray ribbon.  The little roses were from some craft things that I found at our local recycling "free store".   I used my EK Success trim punch and some sweet little blue rhinestones to finish it off.
Thanks for popping by, have a wonderful day!

For Heidi

This is a card that I made for my children to give to a friend who had broken her leg.  She's up and walking now and I hope this was fun for her (she's three).
I used some cute papers from ATD  and layered it on card stock from Stampin' Up.  The sweet image is from Sliekji and I coloured it with prismas.  After inking the edges just a bit with some pink ink, I added the soft rippled ribbon from Stampin' Up.  The butterflies I punched with my EK Success punch and thought that it just wasn't finished until I'd added some lovely pearls.
I am entering this card in Little Miss Muffet's Challenge this week - Anything Goes.  I just discovered this blog and her stamps. Truely Adorable, check it out  Here!

Who Loves Snow Angels?

Hello, I'm back with Card Crafter's Circles second challenge.  The challenge is Christmas and is sponsored by:

The winner gets three digis of their own choosing as their prize.  I will say it will be hard to choose from all her wonderful stamps!  You have a week to enter so I hope you'll join us! Here
Anyhoo! I have some inspiration for you.  Here is my card using Dearie Dolls snow angel girl.

I don't think that anyone is too old to flop down in some nice fresh snow and create a beautiful snow angel!  With all the extra time off at this time of the year, everyone should at least attempt to make one of these if they have access to snow! Those of you who don't, just find a comfy place on the ground, stare up at the sky and enjoy the clouds and birds, and airplanes and any other flying objects that may come into view!  I hope you all take the time also to spend with those closest to you and share some Love!
For my card I added this sweet image to some lovely pink papers, sewed on some shiny green cord and added a few green pearls to finish it off.  The snow angel that she's creating I did colour a cream colour to add some depth, but it has failed to show up very well in the pic.  I find the deeper the snow the better, but the more difficult to get out!  Have a wonderful day! Hugs.

Not a Rectangle!

Hello, today I have a card to share that I've created for MelJen's challenge- not a rectangle.  Since I have always done either rectangles or squares, I thought I'd try something new.  So here is my very first circle card!

What do you think?  I used an image from Cuddly Buddly and cut it out with a pair of scissors.  To mask the "mistakes" I inked the edges of the scallop a bit with some black ink.  I love white sheep so I only coloured the flower and the "grass".  I layered this on some embossed green cardstock and a doily then adhered it to the card that is from some embossed cardstock.  All the embossing kinda disappeared with this layout so I used a distress ink pad from Tim Holtz in sage to bring out the patterns a bit.  After that the doily looked a bit too white so I decided that it would be nice blue! So I inked that.  I added a couple of eyelets to the edge of the card and threaded a ribbon through it and finished it off in a bow.  I added some lovely blue/green pearls and then I used my silver ink pad to brush on some sparkle to the outer ring of the card.  (sorry it doesn't show in the pic.) All in all, I thought it was fun!  Thanks for dropping by! I love all your comments! makes me want to share more! LOL
I'm also entering this card in Sweet Stampin's challenge - Sparkle and Bling

Digi My World Candy Time

Good Morning Everyone! Time for another chance at some yummy candy over at Digi My World

1- YOU MUST be a follower of their blog Here
2- YOU must post on your blog or SHARE the link on your FB page about the Blog Candy they are offering (simply link back to that blog post)
3- You must add their BLOG CANDY Grab Button (right side of the screen) and add it to your blog OR add a POST/Share/LIKE to your FB page....
You COULD WIN a $10 store credit to Digi My World.com  if your random entry is selected!!
So very simple, so hop on over and join in the fun! Here!

Sentimental Sundays is Throwing a Party!

Hello Everyone! As you can see, Sentimental Sundays is having a party on January 1st and you are all invited! They will be having a blog hop and prizes and we will all get to meet their new designers! Yeah! Plus if you help share the word for their party, you'll be in the running for another wonderful prize! Come on over and join in the fun!  Here!

You've Got a Friend in Me!

Today I have a card that I've created using a sketch from Seems a Little Sketchy blog challenge.  I am fairly new at using sketches but really enjoy them!
For this card I chose to use a digi that I found at Stretch N' Bubbles store.  They are closing down their digi site so there's a wonderful deal going on.  This little girl and friend are sweet and so I thought pink might be nice.  My card base I embossed with my new Cuttlebug! Yeah! and then added some faux stitching to top and bottom.  Then I dug through my scraps and found this wonderful green embossed paper from ATD and the pink flourish paper is from Forever in Time.  I layered them all together with some lovely pink ribbon from Stampin' Up.  The snowflakes are from HeroArts ( I inked the larger snowflake with some Color Box pink ink) and the button is from my collection.  Over all I think it's a nice wintery all occasion card.
Thanks for dropping by! Hugs.

Moving Appreciation

I've another post to share with you today.  My friend who was moving just hasn't time to put together some thank you cards for the young men who helped them move.  So I made these as a gift for her.

These young men took their vehicles back and forth many times hauling their things so I saw this cute car from MelJen's and thought it would be perfect.  The sentiment is from TLC.  I added some fun ribbon that reminded me of a road, even though all our roads are covered in snow and you cannot see the lines till Spring comes.  I pray they enjoy these and know how much their work was appreciated!

Brag Post

Hello everyone, my children have been having fun making a few cards for friends. (with just a bit of help from Mom) and I would love to share them with you!

They went through all my digi stamps and decided on what they wanted, then we printed them out and they coloured them.  They decided on the styles and I just helped with the cutting and taping. I love to be able to share something I love with them. The images are from Digi My World and Stretch N' Bubbles.   So here you have it, I think they have talent!

A New Home

Hello, I have a new card that I've created for a friend of mine who just moved into a new home.  I created the card with an open bottom so that you could see the ribbon from the top and also from the inside.

 I created it with just two colours for the challenge over at Scrapbook Sisters - Use 2 colours
For the top I used a Fiskars clear stamp for the flowers and then sewed buttons to their centers.  I added a touch of ribbon, some distressed paper from K & Company then topped it with a computer generated sentiment.  For the inside I coloured a cute digi from Sliekje's.  I matted it on some yellow cardstock over some more lovely yellow paper with the ribbon running through it.  It seemed lonely so I added another flower and a small pale bow.  The card still looked a bit to simple so seeing the yellow butterfly in the image I decided to give him some friends.  I used my EK Success butterfly punch and then added some pearls to them.  This card is to go with a basket of goodies to her home in the next day or two.  Hope she enjoys it!

Card Crafter's Circle Challenges Begin!

YEAH!!! Today is the first day of challenges over at the new challenge blog: Card's Crafter's Circle.  Wonderful weekly challenges every Friday: so come on over and play with us! There are prizes!!!

I have used this sweet digi with a delightful pair of penguins from Bug-a-Boo Stamps.  Many are celebrating the winter holidays and we're joining in to celebrate our very first challenge.
For this card I coloured my image with prismas and inked the edges with some blue ink.  Then after matting it on some cardstock from Stampin' Up I layered it on some handmade feather paper, paper from K & Company, and a doily that I inked with silver to give it some sparkle.  After adding the rhinestones to the doily, I cut a couple of little slits in the fold of the card to thread the ribbon through.  I tied the button on with the ends of the ribbon and then popped up the sentiment.
This week we have a wonderful sponsor in Bug-a-Boo Stamps.  They have some great digi's to give away to the winner!!!! If fact it's 7 digis of your own choosing! They also have wonderful deals going on right now so it might be worth your while to go and have a peek!

If any of you are wondering why I posted a Friday challenge on Thursday, it was intentional.  This is because this challenge blog is on the wonderful Australian Time!
Thanks so much for dropping by! Have a wonderful day!

Cuttlebug

Hi everyone, I just had to share with you something exciting.  I just got a Cuttlebug and I have already been playing with it. Stay tuned for some new cards!  Gone now are the days of using a rolling pin with my embossing folders.  My rolling pin is now only for cookies!

Sweet Birthday Girl

And....Another birthday! This one is for my not so little girl (she's turning 9 in a few days).  I saw this image by Sliekje and thought of her.  She loves all things pink and girlie so I hope she'll like this.
I cut little hearts in the image cardstock with my Fiscars punch and then inked the edge with some pink ink.  I layered it to some Stampin' Up cardstock and cut a wave pattern out with some decorative scissors.   I popped this up on some papers from Memories Forever and Forever in Time.  The bow is from some Offray ribbon I found and I bunched it with some fun buttons from my collection.  I added the sentiment form DDH and put a heart over the I.  
I'll be entering this card in Stampin' Sisters in Christ's challenge  - Make a birthday card/project
and The Cutie Pie Challenge  - Use a sentiment.

Cupcake Birthday

Today I have a card that I've created using a sketch from the Scrapbook Sisters Challenge.  

I found this fun cupcake over at Cre8tive Hands and coloured it in purples with a green and yellow base.  I layered it with some misc papers and silver ribbon (Modern@Home) that I had in my stash and added some cute purple ribbon from Multicraft Imports.  I added the little bow in the bottom corner of the image since the image came with the sentiment.  To finish it off, I added some glitter with my Twinkles Writer by DecoArt.  I find it really nice at times to follow a sketch, it's adds to the creative processes.  Thanks for dropping in to see what I've made.

Come Join the Fun

Digi My World Has Candy
Every week they give away some wonderful digis.  This month each week is $!0 to spend at their digi store. YEAH! So pop on over to join in. Here

   

Twinkle Twinkle

Everything is green over at MelJen's challenge blog, so I decided to play along.  This is one of the of this week's freebies over at the MelJen's shop and you can grab it HERE!  I thought he'd make a great all occasion card.  Good for a Baby or anyone who loves to gaze at the Heavens.  Their challenge this week is Green so I added lots of it.  I coloured this little twinkle with prismas and then inked the edges of the image with some green ink, matted it to some cardstock from Stampin'Up and layered it on some fun paper from K & Company.  I printed the sentiment out on my computer, cut it up and inked each piece.  The  fringe ribbon and star brad are from Portafolia and I thought they were perfect for this card.  All of this is popped up on some textured cardstock from Stampin'Up.  I just love all the hues of green with the gentle touch of yellow.

Here Comes the Boys

Hi, just a little note to say that Here Comes the Boys challenge blog is giving away an amazing Cricut Personal Cutter to one of it's amazing followers.  The clincher is this, they need to reach 500 followers by noon December 24th.  So if your interested, head on over and check it out. Here

No friend like a Snow Friend

My daughter helped me arrange this card.  I had a couple of snowmen left over from another project and didn't know what to do with them.  My daughter said "Mom, they should be holding hands".  So that's where this one all started.  I layered them on some textured cardstock from Stampin' Up and then used a EK Success border punch on the bottom.  I chose some fun papers from K & Company and used some Tim Holtz old paper distress ink around the edges of it.  My daughter while I was doing this was pulling out ribbon from my ribbon boxes and decided that the yellow would be perfect.  I added a couple cute tickets from Scribbles by Sandy (without the edges) and inked them just a bit.  Then I layered the materials all together and stitched the image cardstock to the card and some fun green star buttons on with some green embroidery thread.  The final touch was adding the green star to the middle of the snowmen.
I really enjoy crafting with my kids, they have some marvelous ideas!
I am entering this card in The Stamping Boutique's challenge - Winter/Holiday

Winter What?

Winter What?  That's what I think a cat would say if he looked out through his window and saw snow coming down.  I've created this card for Digi My World's challenge Winter Wonderland.  I just love little Oliver and thought he'd need a scarf for this one!  I framed the card as if he were looking out and the patterned paper is to make it look kinda like the reflection in the glass of lots of snow falling.  I made a tree and used a flourish stamp to add boughs to it then added some glitter to the edges of the boughs to give it a snow look.  I added some fun foam snowflakes a friend gave me with some rhinestones.  Then to finish it off I thought that the sentiment from Scribbles By Sandy was fitting.  Do you feel like Oliver when you see the snow falling?  If so, curl up in a chair and watch it from inside!!!

" It's in the Details"

Hi, today I'd like to just put a bug out there to you all.  I just watched a fabulous tutorial video from The Daily Marker and it's part of a video series called "It's in the details". 

You can find it on YouTube as well. Here!

Plus after you've gained some amazing inspiration from this, you can join in and spread the word for a chance at some yummy candy. Here

Digi My World Has CANDY!

Time for more Yummy candy from Digi My World.  HERE!

FOR THE MONTH OF DECEMBER, 

Our weekly Candy is now $10!!!

..another week...another chance!! ---but PLEASE make sure you follow the rules... 

1- YOU MUST be a follower of Digi My World Blog
2- YOU must post on your blog about the Blog Candy they are offering (simply link back to that blog post)
3- You must add their BLOG CANDY Grab Button (right side of the screen) and add it to your blog

Snowflake Penguin

Hi, Yes I'm back with yet another post.  I got into a creative groove yesterday and had sooo much fun!

I have made this card for the Sweet Stampin' Challenge Blog that's all about SNOW! You got it, snowmen, snowflakes, snow people or just snow!  Since we have lots of it, why not let it inspire instead of tire!  (Yes I am thinking of when it stops and I have to shovel! (with the help of my landlord's quad))
This time I've chosen a cute penguin from Bug-a-Boo Stamps.  I've layed him with lots of blue(can you tell that's my favorite colour?).  The patterned paper is from K & Company and the cardstock from Stampin' Up.  The little sentiment is a Scribbles by Sandy freebie and the snowflakes were a gift.  I put a star brad with the big flakes and rhinestones with the smaller ones.  I just love it when the sun hits the flakes and they sparkle.  Oh, and the little patch of feathered paper is handmade from Thailand.

A Friend in Me

Here is another card I'm posting today, this one of for the challenge over at the Stamping Boutique.  It is a monthly challenge, so it's Holiday/ Winter till the end of December.  I was so sad to hear that Stretch N' Bubbles is closing their digital stamps down.  I hurried over and bought some of my favorites that I didn't already have.  (they have an amazing deal for the entire collection if you're up for that!!!  Here)
This is one of my favorites that I just had to use!  I went for purple for a nice change from winter colours.  I layered her and her little friend on some glittery papers from my stash and popped up the main image.  I added some wonderful lacy white ribbon which I tied in a knot.  Then tied a button on with some embroidery  thread then made a tiny bow.  I added some mini pearls, and the sentiment is from DDH.
Thanks for dropping by!

Happy Snow Family

Hi Everyone! I'm back with another card that I've made.  This time for Dilly Beans Snow Family Challenge.  They provided this amazing snow family, and I couldn't resist joining in!  One more snowman and it could be my family! LOL  Here we are experiencing a wonderful blizzard outside and most of the roads are closed.  I thank the Lord Jesus now that my little boy was sick last night and kept my husband and I both up.  With no sleep my husband stayed home and is safe (he drives for work).
For this card I decided to cut out the adorable snow family and adhere it to some fun snowflake paper by ColorBok.  The sentiment is from DDH and I distressed the cardstock under it just a bit.  The ribbon I added is from Portafolia and I frayed the edges to make it look like the edge of a scarf.  To top it off I filled in the space on the right with some lovely green pearls from Forever in Time.
I pray you are all keeping warm and toasty today! and if you go out in the nippy cold, do wear a lovely scarf!

Card Crafter's Circle

Good morning everyone! Today I want to introduce you to a new challenge blog.  It's the Card Crafter's Circle and it's a friday challenge.  There will be some wonderful challenges, tutorial and brag days, but most of all it's all about friends crafting together.  Do pop on over to check out their new blog, and bookmark it for their first challenge will be coming up soon.  Here!
Now here's my exciting news!!! What is it? What is it? What is it? I've been asked. hehehe It's that I've been honoured with a place on their design team! Yippee!!!!!! I am so very excited and even though I've much to learn about working with an online team, I am so ready to rise to the challenge!

Thanks for dropping by, and I look forward to sharing my creations for this team with all of you!

YeeHaw Cowgirl

Hello Again! This time I have a cute card for the Digi My World Challenge - Anything Goes.  Now what could be easier than that? And also for Seems A Little Sketchy challenge as you can see, just follow the sketch!

I have wanted to create a card for my daughter who is sooooo horse crazy and even though her birthday is afar off, I was inspired.  I tried to stick to the sketch but not perfectly, so I hope it's good enough.
I used Digi My World's YeeHaw Cowgirl digi and paired it with a sentiment from Lil' Inkers.  I added these to some wonderful papers from K & Company and used some Elmer's braiding cord to attach the sentiment. Lastly, I added a button to the corner that I found in my stash.  Now this is a new challenge blog, so do hop over to see what they're all about, you might get hooked on their challenges. Here
Thanks for dropping by and please check back soon for I have some exciting news that I'll be sharing with you.  See you soon!

Best Friend Around

Here I am again!  I could chose what bird image to use, so I made both of them. This card is for the Stampin' Sisters in Christ challenge "to use a bird".  On this card I used the adorable image and sentiment by Stretch N' Bubbles.  I coloured them with markers and inked the edges with some Color Box blue ink.  I then matted it to some textured cardstock from Stampin' Up and some green gingam from my stash.  I then paired some lovely brown ribbons (the ruffled is from Stampin' Up and the satin was a gift) for the trunk.  I needed a finishing touch, so I decided to add some green pearls to the corners.  It's wonderful to have great friends. I thank the Lord Jesus everyday for the wonderful comments that you all leave for me! It is wonderful to have others to share my creations with! HUGS!!!

Music in the Air

Hello everyone, here I have a new card that I've made for the Stampin' Sisters in Christ  Challenge:  Make a card/project that features a bird, such as in the patterned paper, a stamped image, a charm, etc. 

I will also be entering this card in Scrapbook Sisters challenge- anything goes.  I just love this bird image singing away on his branch.  Both the image and the sentiment are from TLC and I added just a touch of colour and some distress ink to them.  I also used a strip of music notes from some digital papers by Lindsay Stamp Stuff available at MyGrafico.  The ribbon is from multicraft imports and the wonderful design paper is from K & Company.  To finish it off I added an old button my mom had given me.  She gave me a bunch of buttons that came from my grandparents estates when they passed away.  Knowing I love buttons, she saved them for me.  Thanks for dropping by, and please come again as I have more posts coming out soon.