Halloweenie Diva Two-fer...

You're probably going to be sick of this stamp set by the end of this post, but I just couldn't stop coloring :) I went with my buddy Cindy's idea about going Halloweenie with the Diva... I LOVE IT!!! The first one is my favorite... probably because there is more 'stuff' on it :)

Stamps: Haute Couture (retired), Spooky Swirls (soon to be retired!), Glitter Goblins, This Girl
Paper: Mulberry Meadow cs (retired), Penelope cs, basic black cs, Premiumn White cs
Ink: Noir & Orangerie Palette
Colorant: Prismacolors & mineral oil
Other: Crystal Stickles, orange sheer ribbon, misc. jewels

How uber-cool is she?!!! I like how the moon balances out the whole card... before I added it, there was FAR too much white cs showing!

It looks like the 'spooky' medallion is popped way up because I had knotted the ribbon prior to attaching the medallion. I might go back and pop up the moon, too... I just don't know yet.

The second card is far more simple-looking. It was a bit of a pain to cut around some parts of the image, but I am so glad I did! The ultra wide black ribbon was another HL bag-o-ribbon find, and the feather was plucked from a boa.

Add a little Cutterbee Bug piercing, Black Stickles, and misc. jewels and
BOOM!
A little gothic Diva :)

I also used TAC's Mini-Bet (goth) and a VersaMarker to add shadows. She was actually more difficult to color than the others... I don't know why... maybe because it was REALLY late last night (early this morning?).

Anyway, there they are! My Halloweenie Divas. I haven't made the wedding diva yet, but once I do, I won't bore you with it :)

What do you think?

Haute Couture... rubber stamp style :)

Well, I dug into the "old" stamps and found this lovely from TAC's 2005 catty. Isn't she cool? I'm going to do one up all wedding style, too... because everyone deserves wedding couture :) I also stepped out of my comfort zone and used red!! Yes, Laurie W., I used red! Laurie rocks the red cardstock :) I have issues with red... I don't know why, but it is hard for me to work with.

I really lost myself in coloring this one and I really like how she came out. I used the Crimson Red Prismacolor pencil (mineral oil blending) and then went back over parts of it with black. I used Peach for her skin tone and a bit of brown on her back for a shadow. I did use a grey marker for the light shadow lines.

Stamps: Haute Couture (retired), Linear Sentiments (stars), This Girl ('diva')

Paper: Scarlet & Black basic cardstocks, Premium White CS

Ink: L'Amore Red & Noir Palettes, Moonlight White Brilliance, Frost Dazzle VersaMark

Other: Tombow gray marker, Prismacolors, Crystal Stickles, pop dots, Paper Studio big brad, misc. ribbon & jewel

And don't you love the Stickles?! I sooooooooooooo wish Stickles would photograph better, it looks a million times cooler in real life :) It is in the creases of her dress, as a diamond ring, a few dots on the stars, and all over the 'diva' star. I used the Frost Dazzle ink for a star in the upper left corner, but you can't really see it in the photos.

There is a jumbo chrome brad under the red 'diva' star that is holding the bow together. Is that ribbon not totally whack? I've had it forever and hadn't yet used it. I have decided that I need to get some more ribbons that are wider... like 1" wide or so. I love the look of the fatty ribbon (like on the cuppie cake card from this weekend).

What do you think?

One for the boys...

I always have a tough time with guy cards, so last night I set out to just suck it up and make one :) This also satisfies a challenge at 365 Cards for making an Anniversary or Engagement Congrats card!

The background is a left-over brayered panel I had demonstrated at one of my Hostess Club meetings. I thought it looked like a night sky and finally came up with this idea. I LOVE these trees from this stamp set... they were the main reason I purchased it!

Stamps: Camping, Floral Dingbats (retiring! ack! me so sad), Trendy Greetings

Paper: Kraft & White UltraSmooth cs, & misc. brown cs

Ink: Champagne Dazzle VersaMark, Burnt Umber, Starry Night, Prussian Blue, Reflection Blue, Cote d'Azure, & Violete Palettes

Other: pop dots, foam tape, Cutterbee Piercing tool, Autumn Leaves Glimmer Mist, cotton trim

I knew I couldn't layer up with ribbons and girly buttons, so this was definitely a toughie :) I probably should have layered the sentiment up separately, but it would have covered the lovely Dazzle medallion. I spritzed the Glimmer Mist on the base, and it looks so cool in real life... a lovely brown-copper shade of shimmery goodness.


What do you think?

Monster Luv...

Eye am really diggin' this challenge :) Over at 365 Cards, Tuesday's Day 87 Challenge is titled "the eyes have it"... The mission is to use the word "eye" somewhere on your card. Oh yeah... you know where eye'm going with this, right? Yep! An early summer Halloweenie card!

How cute is he?! Eye know... VERY cute. He usually has two eyes, but just roll with it tonight :) Eye searched high & low for my googlie eyes to no avail! Dang it. So, Eye had to improvise. Eye heat embossed a colored brad with white embossing powder and then colored the pupil in with a Sharpie. {tip for the day!}

Stamps: Happy Haunting, Mini-Bet, So Splattered (retired), This is Me (retired)

Paper: Winchester cs, Bazzill Mono-Oranges, Basic Black cs, Premium White cs

Ink: Noir Palette

Colorant: Prismas w/ mineral oil blending

Other: Spider web Cuttlebug folder, Martha's drippy punch, Nesties, brad, White EP, black Sharpie, pop dots

Eye swiped the ink pad over the embossed card base and popped the monster panel up on pop dots... a lot of distressing and all done!

What do you think?

Homespun Christmas...

Hello again, to all of my loyal and wunnerful peeps! :) Today, I have a little bit of Christmas for you... yep, I'm trying to actually reach my goal this month in the Paper Wings Christmas Card Club. I'm supposed to do 9 per month, which if I would do multiples of each design it wouldn't be a problem! :) I'm trying to see which ones are going to be easy to reproduce and mail, but then I keep adding stuff to them :)

Stamps: Ready Set Snow, Criss Cross (Hostess Level B)

Paper: Scarlet & Ivory Ultrasmooth CS, Mulberry Meadow CS (retired)

Ink: Burnt Umber, Landscape, & L'Amore Red Palettes, Champagne Dazzle VersaMark

Other: Giga Square Scallop punch, misc. ribbons, jute trim, Frosted Lace Stickles, CutterBee Piercing tool, foam tape

Let me just say that the Dazzle VersaMarks (champagne & frost) are the SCHIZZ-NIT!! Same great watermark as before, but with just a hint of shimmery goodness. You totally can't see the effect in the photos, but trust me... you will want these bad boys!

I LOVE this jute trim I found at Hobby Lobby in the clearance section of the fabric department {yes, we all know how I love clearance sections :) }. It frays wonderfully easy and really gives some great texture to a card. One of the red knots are actually helping to hold the trim on... I did have to put down a bit of Crystal Laquer to hold the other end down securely.

I think this has a vintage or homespun kinda feel to it...

What do you think?

Monday Mojo Challenge: MOJO88

Can you believe it? And I finished it way before the Sunday night deadline this time :) I'm still not sure about working with sketch challenges... so far mine don't really stick to the template very well. Anway, go check out the sketch HERE!

I really like this little buzzer :) I was feeling a little scrappy, and hadn't had my sewing machine out for a while, so that's where I started. Grabbed the swiss dot remnant off the shelf that had been eyeballing me (since I purchased it a month or two ago!), and dug into my jar o' trims and went to town :)


The fatty bumble bee was from my scrap pile, the parenthesis was left over from the mini-album kit I had finished, and of course, you can't have fabric & sewing without buttons!

Stamps: Cute as a Bug (Hostess Level A)

Paper: Amberley Grace SWIC, Pemberly Bay Matchbook Kit (parenthesis), Mia's Cottage CS (pink), Bazzill Mono-Yellows CS, Premium White CS

Ink: Noir Palette

Other: Yellow, Black & Icicle Stickles, Audrey Embellishment Jar, White & Yellow Scrapper's Floss, pop dots, foam tape, swiss dot fabric, cotton trim, Nesties, sewing machine

I'm really liking this one, and I know a couple of quilters & crafters who would love to receive this in the mail... how do I choose?! Anyway, fun challenge... you should try one out!


What do you think?

Sophisticated AND Sassy...

... kinda like me? :) Are you tired of the scrappy cards yet? This is looking like the last of the Mimi scrappy cards for awhiile... I put the rest of the scraps away for now :)

Stamps: Silly Sayings (Hostess Level A)

Paper: Mimi SWIC & Cardstock, Ivory UltraSmooth, Kraft cardstock

Ink: Burnt Umber Palette

Other: Bitty Blossom, misc. ribbon, foam tape, flower jewel

I love this stamp set. It was the first one I chose when the catalogue came out... it is so... FUN. Obviously, this is one for your girlfriends, or sisters... maybe not for Mom :) Although, mine would probably get a kick out of it. A little sassy saying paired with the sweet papers of Mimi... perfect!

What do you think?

***ETA: believe it or not, the floral really does match better than these photos show... and my kraft cardstock is looking yellow, so my apologies :)

I'm really gonna hate to go back to work tomorrow...

... then I won't have as much time for these fun challenges! This one is for 365 Cards Day 86... having Grape Fun: the mission is to use purple as the primary color, and incorporate at least 5 circles on your card.

Stamps: Joy of Christmas, Holiday Cheer

Paper: Angelee CS, Genevieve FWIC (retired... how sad)

Ink: Purple Hydrangea & Eggplant VersaMagic

Other: Willoughby Ribbon, Transcendence EP, pop dots, misc. jewels, foam tape

I did the ol' rock-n-roll method on the tree, more fussy-cutting on the DP and tree, and topped it off with a pretty bow. One more card toward my goal this month for Paper Wings Christmas Club done!!

What do you think?

FosterDesignHouse: First MOJO challenge...

I know! Another post today. I'll wait for you to pick yourself up off the floor...

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I am down to wire on posting this baby for the Mojo Monday Week #87 challenge! Again, I am new to this challenge blog, so we'll see how long I can keep up :)

Stamps: Hello Snow, Holiday Cheer, Tag Tidbits

Paper: Lilly Anna CS, Premium White CS, Merry Wishes SWIC (retired)

Ink: Claret, Chartreuse, & Noir Palettes

Colorant: Prismacolors & mineral oil blending

Other: misc. ribbon, pop dots

I fussy-cut around the snowflake & acid-trip border papers... wait a sec... I fussy cut everything except the base and the circle! OFTLOP! I thought it was going to go together faster, but cutting takes awhile :) I'm going to Stickle the little snowman, but I knew it wouldn't be dry in time to take photos tonight.

It's not as 'put-together' as I like, but it was supposed to be a quickie {that's my story and I'm sticking to it} I should have moved the snowman, circle & frame to the left a little more, but the pop dots are not very forgiving tonight... so it is what it is!

What do you think?

O.M.G., Becky... look at...

... Another challenge :)

Is your mind just reeling?! Utter chaos here at FDH {or is that udder :)}... I have never had this many posts, this close together :) I'm tellin' ya'... it would be like this all the time if I could be a kept woman ;) Oh how I wish Poot read my blog... although, I'm sure he would be laughing at my dreams of doing nothing! Anyhoo, on to the goods:

This little gem is for the 365 Cards challenge #85, Super Sketchy Sunday. I'm never very good at sticking to sketches... I rotated the sketch, went rectangle i.l.o. oval, and slid the middle portion down a bit.


Stamps: An 'Udder Birthday?

Paper: Mulberry Meadow SWIC & CS (both retired... how sad), Premium White CS

Ink: Noir Palette


Colorant: Prismacolors with mineral oil blending

Other: Audrey Embellishment Jar (button), Yellow Scrapper's Floss, Stardust Stickles, misc. ribbons, Nesties

I love this cow... he is the reason I bought this stamp set! I know I went overboard with the bow, but I wanted both colors... I should have made the loops smaller maybe. Oh well... I'm not adjusting it now! :)


What do you think?

FosterDesignHouse: first TECC...

Ok, so the fur-babies woke me up at 6:45am today! Yeah, on a holiday weekend... CRAZY, I know... their little internal clocks need a snooze button :)

With this extended weekend and the house to myself, I've been able to actually participate in a couple of blog challenges! This one is for Taylored Expressions Cupcake Challenge #69.

Once again, I grabbed this TAC stamp set that is no longer available... I can't help it... it's so cute! I used my trusty color pencils & mineral oil blending for the cuppie cake and paper pieced the holder.

Stamps: Sweet Thing (NLA), Linear Sentiments (dot border)

Paper: Mia's Cottage SWIC & Cardstock, Premium White Cardstock

Ink: Noir Palette, Pixie Dust VersaMagic

Colorant: Prismacolor Pencils with mineral oil blending

Other: Lime & Icicle Stickles, misc. ribbon & buttons, Pink Scrapper's Floss, White Gel Pen, foam tape

I had fun cutting and popping up several layers of the cuppie cake... the entire card front is up off the base as well. The white gel pen highlights the leaves & the pistols. I'm diggin' the huge bow, however the buttons are making the whole upper corner a bit weighty...

What do you think?

Snailing by to say hi...

How about a little scrappy card today? I've had scraps of Mimi paper & cardstock at my desk for about a month now, and I'm one card closer to a clean worktable {well... sorta :) } Speaking of Mimi... I have it on good authority that there will be DOUBLE SIDED MIMI paper in the new catalogue! I am so excited, I can hardly wait for the end of June for Seminar!

Stamps: Criss Cross (Hostess Level A), misc. TAC sentiment

Paper: Mimi SWIC and Cardstock, Ivory UltraSmooth, Kraft cardstock

Ink: Burnt Umber Palette, Pink Petunia VersaMagic

Other: Crystal Laquer, Mini-Kai scissors, Cloud Scissors, Lemonade Blossoms & Buttons, misc. hemp twine, foam tape

Have I told you lately how much I love my Mini-Kai scissors? They are perfect for cutting & paper piecing small images... that snail is less than 3/4" wide! I DID lop off his 'feelers' or whatever they are... NO WAY was I gonna cut around those dudes. I mean, I am a little OCD about some stuff, but I'm drawing the line :) I gave him a nice coat of laquer to make him shine after popping him up on foam tape.

What do you think?