A Blog Called Wanda

A Blog Named Hero - New Design Team Blog Hop!

Hi friends! Today I'm sharing some BIG NEWS I've been keeping for a couple of weeks! I am one of the new Design Team members for the A Blog Named Hero Blog! Yippeeeeeee! You guys know how much I love Hero Arts products and so this is a big thrill for me - so excited to make some cool projects for this great blog. My projects will be posted on the ABNH blog and also here on my blog. TOOO much fun! The other gals have been so nice and welcoming. Feels like such a good place to be! There are bi-monthly challenges and I hope that maybe some of you will join along with us!? Today we are doing a BLOG HOP to introduce all the Design Team members! Awesome.  

In honor of our introductions, our mission was to post a card today for the blog hop, with the theme of "hello" or "welcome." I made a clean and graphic card using a variety of my favorite Hero Arts stamps. Lots of white space and some pretty, soft colors...

 

 

 

 

Here's a side view to show my layers and dimensions....I chose a Spring color palette of soft grey, melon pink and bright yellow. I am ready for Spring!

 

 

 Here are the stamps I used for this card...

 

 

 

I made my own patterned paper by stamping this awesome zig zag stamp onto crisp white paper, then I cut the pieces into my banners...

 

 

 

The butterfly was adhered with some glue on just the center top portion to allow the wings to pop off the page. I LOVE butterflies!

 

 

Just saying hello! From me to you! How exciting to be joining this new Design Team! Thank you so much for coming by my blog today to check it out!

All Stamps are from Hero Arts: Zig Zag Cling Stamp Background   Sweet Threads Labels Clear Stamps  Antique Engravings Clear Stamps 

One of many amazing things about this team is that it is truly an international mix of bloggers! This is a chance to get to know other stampers in different countries! How fun. Next up is the super talented KELLY. Wait until you see her card for today!

 Meet the Team at A Blog Named Hero!

Linda Trace

Cheiron Brandon

Sue McRae

Cristina Martinez

Wanda Guess

Kelly Latevola

Christine Drogt

Lucy Newton

Wida Miller

Melissa Shea

Jessica Larsen

Michelle Liimatainen

Leslie Hanna

Stephanie Britt

Tina Basa

Mary Dawn Quirindongo



Dreaming of the beach....

Hi there! Happy Saturday! Got big plans for the weekend? I think I'm going to hang in the craft studio at least all day today...and maybe tomorrow too! I reeeeeeally slept in today and I feel so much better. Now I'm trying to get my craft on!

Today is one of my days to post for Taylored Expressions and I've been dreaming of the beach...so I made a beachy card to share! In fact, I'm pretty much ALWAYS dreaming of the ocean and the beach! I wanted to use the gorgeous new Swirls Cutting Plate from this month's release, and it totally reminds me of waves!

 

 

 

I chose a beachy color scheme of aqua, coral and kraft with a bright pop of white.... Can you see how beautifully that plate cuts the paper? It's magical.

 

 

Here are my Copic choices for this project...

 

 

Here's my work-in-progress! I thought I might use that cute seahorse too, but he didn't make it into the card!

 

 

Here are my TE Supplies! Under the Sea Stamp Set, A Day in Paradise Stamp Set, Swirls Cutting Plate, and Labels Stacklets 1. 

 

 

Just because....

 

That's it for me for today! I hope that you have the best weekend ever! Take care. Here's a little Instagram I took this morning too! Are you hooked on Instagram yet?

 

 

A Downton Abbey Valentine!

Hi Bloggy Friends! How is your week going? Mine is going a bit rough....still recovering from the horrible flu bug. Oh my. Completely knocked me on my keester. I haven't been sick like this in ages. I'm back at work and muddling through, trying to get my strength back. Trying to give myself a break and slow down, too. Thank you to everyone who has sent me get well wishes! I'm quite sure they're helping! While I was down and out, and lying in bed for five days straight, I watched a TON of television. My new secret guilty pleasure is this show called "Catfish." Have you seen it? It's done semi-documentary style and the premise is to have people meet in person, when they have only been online Facebook friends, and it's so intriguing. I kind of have a little crush on the main guy, Nev. Don't tell anyone.

My other television obsession is Downton Abbey! This is one of my all time favorite shows! Do you watch? My friend in the Netherlands (Hi Holly!) and my friend in New York (Hi Molly!) have both already seen all of Season 3. I can't stand it! I'm dying to know what happens, but at the same time, I don't want the season to end either.  This show is so beautiful and charming and smart. My favorite couple is Mary and Matthew, but I also love Lady Cora.

Well, I sat down to craft up something and I came across my cool new Tim Holtz Mini Silhouettes Dies...and the idea came to me... Bam! I'll make a Downton Abbey inspired Valentine card in honor of Mary and Matthew! So that's what happened here. I had this pretty red and cream damask paper from my friend Stephanie's paper line, and it all came together... Vintage, Shabby, Romantic, Shabby goodness. I hope you guys like this one!

 

 

 

 

This was some ribbon and flower pins I had in my stash. The charm is from an old Brenda Walton collection for K & Company from some time ago. I'm loving the polka dots with the damask...very old world.

 

 

 

Here are my two vintage silhouette cameos. I put them on cream instead of stark white. I added some teeny pearls for a necklace...

 

 

 

Some of my bits and pieces in progress, while I was deciding on my layout....

 

 

 

Here's a close up of my layers. The bottom piece is embossed with a Cuttlebug folder.

 

 

 

This pretty red border die is from Papertrey Ink - so intricate and pretty!

 

 

 

 

 

Okay, so it looks like Valentine crafting is in full swing now! I got some other things on my crafty table that I need to find time to play with. As always, so many toys, so little time! Have a fabulous day everybody! :-)

 

Taylored Expressions January 2013 Studio Challenge!

It's time once again for the Baker's Dozen Studio Challenge!  This is a monthly opportunity for the Baker's Dozen to share what makes our stamping studios hum.  Each month Taylor and Jami give us  a fun, crafty question so we can share our favorite products, some tips and tricks, stamping advice and more.

The question for January is:

Helping out a newbie stamper!  It's so exciting when a friend discovers the joys of stamping. But do you remember how overwhelming it was to decide what to get when you were new to the craft?

You have a friend who started stamping less than a year ago and she is loving it!  She has some Christmas money burning a hole in her pocket, and she has seen the fabulous TE creations, so  she is asking for your advice on what stamping supplies to purchase. So let's hear your sage advice!

 

Well...I think this is just an excellent topic! I get emails fairly often from newbie stampers asking what should they buy, and how to get started. It's hard for me to remember when I started...since it was so long ago! LOL. I've almost been stamping for 20 years now! In all honesty, I remember when I started stamping it was completely overwhelming - and there wasn't even close to as much cool stuff back then! Our hobby can be costly, so it's important to build your collection to be versatile and to get enough items so that you can feel that wonderful sense of accomplishment from mailing out a handmade card...

I think that sometimes we get so carried away with all the layers and embellishments and techniques that we forget how hard that would be if you are a new stamper. I think if there were blogs around when I was new, I would have given up!

 

With the above in mind...I chose some products for my friend that would be enough of a good assortment to make all kinds of cards! She has $100 to spend so I picked her out a two big stamp sets, some beautiful dies, a pretty paper pad and some ink. She can use whatever markers or pencils she already has on hand to color these cute images!

Some of the reasons I chose the items I did are: The images and paper are versatile - can be used for either masculine or feminine cards, the sentiments are separate from the images so you can stamp the saying wherever you like, and they give you an image for every occasion and holiday!

I used the same supplies to make three different card layouts - each one looks a little different, and all are quick and easy, yet look polished and finished! Perfect for newbie stampers! Lemme tell ya, my first cards did not look anything like these! I wish I had some advice back then! LOL. My very first card was white glossy paper, with black embossed sunflowers on it, colored with Marvy Markers! No paper, no layers, nothing!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Maybe the one key piece of advice I can give a newbie stamper is to just relax and have fun! Stamping shouldn't be stressful! Enjoy yourself, and give yourself a break. I think we all tend to be so critical of ourselves, and that's not what this is about! Everyone started out somewhere and if you love stamping, your confidence and your crafty mojo will come in time....

 

You really could make a bazillion cards from just these supplies! The two stamp sets are perfect basics for any stamper's collection, and the dies will be used for so many different things.

Here is my full supply list for today's challenge:

Oh What a Day Stamp Set

Oh What a Holiday Stamp Set

TE Small Scallop Border Die

TE Medium Scallop Border Die

 

TE Label Stacklets 2 Dies

Simple Stories Snap Color Vibe Paper

Memento Tuxedo Black Ink

 

Here's your linky list for today's Studio Challenge! Have Fun! I know I can't wait to see what advice everyone else came up with! :-)

• Carole Burrage
• Charmaine Ikach
• Jen Shults
• Kerri Michaud
• Lynnette Kauffman
• Sankari Wegman
• Shannon White
• Shelly Mercado
• Stephanie Kraft
• Tammie Edgerton
• Taylor VanBruggen
• Wanda Guess

Purr-fect Valentine!

Hi everyone.... I'm going to start this post off with a warning... Get a flu shot. OMG I have been so sick the past 48 hours with the flu. It's been awful. I cannot even remember the last time I was this sick and felt this bad. I've never actually been run over by a bus, but I'm pretty sure this is what it would feel like afterwards. Yuck. Bad news. I must have caught some cooties at CHA because I started feeling bad on Tuesday and then by Wednesday night I had a fever of 102! I hope that this blog post finds you feeling well and healthy!! If I owe you an email, be patient with me for a couple of days...

Tonight I thought I would post a valentine I made last week using this adorable new stamp set from Simon Says Stamp - it's a Simon's exclusive - called Furry Kisses! TOTALLY adorable! It was designed by one of my stampy idols - Kristina Werner. I actually met Kristina at CHA!! I'm quite sure I came across as a stalker, or maybe just as a dork. I'm such a fan. Hopefully, she took my gushing in the right way! :-) LOVE her stuff that she does for SSS.

Here's my fun little "Buddy" Valentine:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Okay, I'm keeping it short tonight... Time to get back on the couch with my IV of orange juice and back under the blankets. UGH. Send me some get well vibes - I could sure use 'em. Have a great weekend everyone!

 

Hero Arts January Contest! Plus, my CHA wrap-up!

Hello my crafty friends! I've missed you here on the bloggy blog the past few days! I have been on a crazy CHA adventure! Whew...what a whirlwind of good times, good people, good creativity... I had the most wonderful time at the convention! I think the best part this time was seeing all my crafty friends. Lots of us from the Baker's Dozen were there and it was nice to have time to talk and get to know each other better. Those gals are THE BEST! I ran into several of my online bloggy friends, met some new friends and also met some crafty celebrities! Such a great time. I feel like I have so much creative energy right now - so many ideas going through my head. I need time to stamp! But, alas, today it was back to work for me (have to earn money for more supplies!) More on CHA later in this post....

First, I want to share this card I made for the current January Hero Arts Contest! The great thing about the Hero Arts contest is that there are usually several themes and variations on it. This time I used two of the contest themes. One was to use something "new" to you. I used all new Hero Arts stamps that I hadn't inked up before. The other theme was to make an ATC. I made my ATC, and then turned it into a card! I love doing that. (Here's another one I made in 2011).

Here is my ATC mounted onto the finished card...

 

 

 

 

Here is my ATC by itself....

 

 

 

And here is the card by itself. I matched the maps up on both pieces to make it look nice and polished. I love that air mail Washi Tape! I guess sometimes it pays to hoard craft supplies!

 

 

 

For my sentiment, I crinkled my piece of paper and then inked the edges to look like it was old. The tiny red heart is right over California!

 

 

 

This is an adorable new stamp I just bought! I stamped it a bunch of times and then cut out a stack of tiny letters to go on my ATC!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is some sort of creative process??? I just dumped out all these stamps and tried to see what would come to me!

 

 

 

Here is what I ended up using on my project....

 

 

 

 

 

Okay, so now, more about CHA! I drove down on Friday to Anaheim. It's about 425 miles from my house. As I crossed over the grapevine, which is the Tejon Mountain Pass, it was snowing!! But, not to worry, the road was clear. (Actually I was a little worried.) It was extremely cold the entire time in LA, which is odd. Last year it was in the 70's and this year it was in the 40's! Brrrrr. I went to the show floor on Saturday and Sunday with Taylor and the crew, and then drove home yesterday. Crazy, right? It truly was a whirlwind of good times! The Baker's Dozen was well represented: Taylor, Jami, Regina, Carole, Tammie, Shannon and I hung out together. It was wonderful! It was my first time meeting Carole, Tammie and Shannon - they ROCK! :-) Giant thanks to Taylor for bringing us along for the adventure!

I posted about 75 pictures or so, on my facebook page throughout the show, and many of you were following along with me! I didn't ever get my camera out - took only iPhone photos this time. It was just too hectic and we were moving too fast to get out the gear! Here are some of my favorite things: We R Memory Keepers had two great new gadgets that I will buy for sure - a Washi Tape Dispenser, and a new Envelope Maker. I saw beautiful new products from Sizzix - including a whole line of dies from Brenda Walton - love her! New papers from Simple Stories and Echo Park, and new stamps from Paper Smooches...it's so hard to choose a favorite this time! Doodlebug has new paper lines that all have matching Washi Tape! Yipppeeee! One of them has tiny fruits on it! I am so buying that! The big color theme I kept seeing was aqua. I don't know if that's because it's my favorite color, or because it really is 'hot' right now! LOL. Prima has a new line that is bright yellow, orange and turquoise. Love that too. I saw Tim Holtz doing his thing - demonstrating at the Ranger booth. I met and talked with my crafty idol Brenda Walton. Saw Theresa Collins, and Shari Carroll and Kim Hughes, and Amy Tan, and Kristina Werner...too many sweet and talented people to name them all! I love this community of crafty women so much! It makes me happy inside - to be a part of it all. Saturday night the TE gals had a lovely dinner in Downtown Disney and we gabbed forever. Sunday night there were 50 people at dinner at PF Changs! Such good times!

I made a video on my iPhone to share all my photos with you! I don't really get the whole thing with using music on your videos on YouTube, etc...so I had to leave the music off. (sad face) Cuz this video really needs some happy music! So, put on some tunes that make you happy and have a look!! You can watch below or CLICK ON THIS LINK to watch it bigger on YouTube!

 

 

 

 

 

CHA 2013!!!!

Hi sweet crafty friends! When you read this, I will be in Anaheim at the CHA Convention! I went last year and had the BEST TIME EVER! I'm SO lucky to be able to go this year again with Taylor! Here is a link to my wrap up post from last year's CHA with a video of my favorite things!  This time I won't feel like a newbie and I will relax and have even more fun! A bunch of us from the Baker's Dozen Design Team are going with Taylor to pick out new products for her store! Lots of pretty things for kits and individual sale. CHA is also such a great time to meet up with bloggy friends and get inspired by all the creativity out there. I'm so excited! Can you tell? LOL.

Last year I posted blog updates at night on my iPad. Oy. That was such a pain and took forever. I can't figure out why Typepad doesn't work on iDevices... So this year, what I thought I would do, is post updates and photos throughout the weekend on my FACEBOOK PAGE. That way, if you like (pun intended), you can get real time updates and product sneaks and feel like you're right there with me! How does that sound? If you look on my left blog sidebar, you'll see the link to A Blog Called Wanda facebook page! Click there and join me at CHA!

In honor of CHA, and spending time with the lovely Taylor, I'm posting a Moka Wanda card today! Remember her? Crafty girl, named after me! :-)  Seems fitting for this post!

 

 

 

I used a bunch of crafty stamp sets for this card! Here they are: Crafty Cuppie, Moka Wanda, and Crafty Expressions! The paper is the Lavender pad from MME. The two dies used are the Banner Stacklets 1 and the Pennant Border Die!

 

 

Now, Moka Wanda usually has a heat gun in her hand! I cut out the little ink pad from the other set and put that in her hand instead! I love that all these crafty sets go together. The circular saying at the top is from yet another set. Don't be afraid to get all your sets out and see what works together. That's a big part of the fun with these stamps! I love putting all kinds of things together. Give that a try!

 

Here are my supplies...

 

 

And my Copic colors....

 

 

I got this great card layout from one of Jodi's cards in our TE gallers! I made it my own by adding the little circle part here. I really do {heart} stamping!

I hope you have a fabulous day! Don't forget to like my page on facebook to follow along with me at CHA! Mwah! See ya right here when I get home!

Taylored Expressions January 2013 Release Week - final day!

Hi Friends! One final day of Taylored Expressions projects to end out this super-fab January release week! Everything is already available in the Taylored Expressions Store! Check it out! My card for today I'm affectionately calling my "Phantom of the Opera" card!  Roses, music notes, lace... When I was pulling stuff out to make my card it just said Phantom to me! What do you think?

I used the new "Rose Bouquet" stamp set along with the Valentine 2013 Project Pantry Kit papers for a romantic feel. I used the gorgeous new Designer Mini Tags Die for my sentiment. LOVE that. Gonna use it tons!  

 

 

 

 

Here's a close up of my mini tag and sentiment. You can also see that pretty PP paper...

 

 

 

My bouquet image was stamped and embossed on watercolor paper! I have been wanting to use my watercolor pencils (it's been while) and thought this would be a nice image to watercolor. I like how it came out! I used some distress ink around the edges and put some black speckles on it too...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thank you so much for spending part of your week with me! Lovely having you along on this adventure!

For those of you who have been following along with me for a while, you might have noticed that this week's Release posts were a bit different than in the past. Taylor started a new format this year, which allows us to have a bit more freedom to use our personal style. What do you think? I love it! I hope you do too. If you have a minute, take some time to give Taylor some feedback!

One last linky list to the Baker's Dozen blogs for our final projects for the week!  

• Carole Burrage
• Charmaine Ikach
• Jen Shults
• Kerri Michaud
• Lynnette Kauffman
• Sankari Wegman
• Shannon White
• Shelly Mercado
• Stephanie Kraft
• Tammie Edgerton
• Taylor VanBruggen
• Wanda Guess
• Anna Wight (Guest Designer) 

Taylored Expressions January 2013 Release Week continues!

EEEEEEEEEK! Are you loving this Release Week?? Remember, even though we're still posting projects, all the new goodies are already available for purchase at the Taylored Expressions Store! Have you seen some of the FABulous projects in the Gallery?  Today, I'm posting two projects. One is a sweet little card and the other project is a set of holiday notes made with an awesome new scallop note die! Love.

I think this first card for today might be my favorite project of the week??! I adore the "Valentine Doodles" stamp set - it's from the Whimsical Wishes line. And I also LOVE the new Banner Stacklets dies. Can't go wrong with that combo!  

 

 

 

 

I'm FREAKING out over the new banner dies, because you can make them into this! ACK! All the papers for this card are from the Simple Stories paper pad. So fresh and happy. Makes me think of an ice cream shoppe! (not shop, shoppe!) ;-)

 

 

 

Here's a close up of that yummy ice cream cone. I colored it with Copics and added some glitter! When I mount an image on foam tape, I usually stamp the image underneath too, for some depth. Try it! Um, yeah, I added more glitter to the frame too!

 

 

 

Here are my Copic pens I used for this card...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I took my fingers and gently curled my flags up from the paper, to look like they are waving in the breeze...

 

 

 

The next project for today is a set of note cards using the new "Oh What a Holiday" stamp set from the Embracing Grace collection. The card bases are actually a brand new die - 3x3 Scallop Notecard! Yippeeeeee. You can crank out a bunch of these little cards easy as can be. The die is the perfect size for present tags or sweet little love notes.

 

 

 

I colored each one with my Copics and added some glittery accents... This would make a wonderful gift set for a busy mom...

 

 

 

The process...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here is the Link list for today's fun!

• Carole Burrage
• Charmaine Ikach
• Jen Shults
• Kerri Michaud
• Lynnette Kauffman
• Sankari Wegman
• Shannon White
• Shelly Mercado
• Stephanie Kraft
• Tammie Edgerton
• Taylor VanBruggen
• Wanda Guess

 

Taylored Expressions January 2013 Release Day!

It's RELEASE DAY today for Taylored Expressions! WOO HOOOO! This means that all the new products for January are available for purchase TODAY! (Click here for the Fresh out of the Oven Section where you'll find everything new in one place).  There are so many great things this month...I think you need to buy it all!

Today I'm featuring the Valentine 2013 Project Pantry Kit and some of the new dies. I also used the sentiment from the "Hugs and Kisses" stamp set.  I went a little bit crazy Shabby Chic with this one, as I have been known to do! I always think of Valentine's Day as so romantic, with lace, and hearts and roses. So as soon as I saw the PP kit, I knew I had to make a sweet Valentine.

 

 

 

 

The papers and ribbon are all from the PP kit. I added a doily, some crochet ribbon and some pearls... Ooh la la! I just kept adding layers to my center focal piece and here's how it turned out. I distressed it and crinkled it a bit to look old. I think that polka dot ribbon is divine...

 

 

 

Here are all the die pieces from the "Cupid Arrow Dies" set and the "Key to my Heart" set. My little hearts are actually the centers of some of the keys! How much fun are we going to have with these?

 

 

 

I hung my little lock and key from a jump ring on my center piece. This way it dangles and gives the card some movement. This is one of my favorite tricks.

 

 

 

 

Okay, here's your linky list for Release Day. The whole Baker's Dozen Team has great things for you to look at to get ideas for your new products! Have a fabulous day! 

• Carole Burrage
• Charmaine Ikach
• Jen Shults
• Kerri Michaud
• Lynnette Kauffman
• Regina Mangum
• Sankari Wegman
• Shannon White
• Shelly Mercado
• Stephanie Kraft
• Tammie Edgerton
• Taylor VanBruggen
• Wanda Guess
• Jami Sibley (DT Coordinator)
• Anna Wight (Guest Designer)

 

Taylored Expressions January 2013 Sneak Peeks! Bless Your Nest and Valentine Graphic Greeting!

Hi there! Today is Sneak Peeks Day at Taylored Expressions! Yipppeeee! This month it's all about hearts, and love and Valentine's! SO many cute new products, great new dies (I mean great), adorable stamps, and an awesome Project Pantry Kit! Tomorrow is release day and then two MORE days of projects after that! Wow!

We have FOUR new designers on the Baker's Dozen Design Team starting this month. How very cool is that? I'm excited to stamp with the new gals and see their fun creations. I don't know how it happened, but now I'm one of the 'old' girls on the team! I do so love being a part of this great team!

I'm sharing two projects today... A Clean and Simple birthday card, and a bright, cheery Valentine card, both using all new stamps and dies.

First up, my Birthday card, using the new set called "Bless Your Nest." This is a full size stamp set from the Whimsical Wishes stamp line.  I can already tell it's going to be a fav, because I love nature and bird stamps. It has a great branch image, with a separate leaf stamp to go on the branch - you'll see.

 

 

 

Here's a close up of the branch and leaves. The branch image is stamped in brown ink, and then I put the green ink on with the separate leaf stamp. I used my stamp positioner to do this!  Since I used distress ink (Shabby Shutters) for my leaves, I was able to go back with my Shabby Shutters Distress Pen and add wee accents to the leaves. Squeee! And, do you LOVE the font?? Adorable.

 

 

 

Here are the inks and markers I used for this project. In the background is a true 'sneak peek' of the stamp set!

 

 

 

I chose some gingham paper from the MME Tangerine paper pack. Birds and nests always feel sort of old fashioned to me, and remind me of a simpler time...  

 

 

 

 This sweet little bird is just hanging out waiting to wish someone a Happy Birthday!

 

 

 

Okay, now put on your sunglasses....cuz this next card is BRIGHT! I made this cute and cheery Valentine - complete with an adorable hedgie, using all kinds of new products! Red and cream = perfection.

 

 

 

The hedgie is from the new "Stuck on You" stamp set! The larger image is the new "Valentine Graphic Greeting" stamp from the TE line. AWESOME new hearts cutting plate in the background....

 

 

 

One of the added bonuses of this cutting plate is that if you need a TON of cute little hearts, you can make them all at once! Lemme tell ya, this thing cuts like a DREAM!  And it makes heart-fetti!

 

 

 

Here are my Copic choices for this project:

 

 

 

One last look at the stamps. OH! I almost forgot....Taylor has a new set of dies for cutting banners!!!!! YEAH! I used one for my sentiment! The pretty red and cream papers are part of the 2013 Valentine Project Pantry Kit.

 

 

 

Thank you so much for popping by today! PLEASE take some time to look around at everyone else's projects! (I've seen them all in our gallery and these girls aren't messing around!) Here are your links for today:

• Carol  Burrage
• Charmaine Ikach
• Jen Shults
• Kerri Michaud
• Lynnette Kauffman
• Sankari Wegman
• Shannon White
• Shelly Mercado
• Stephanie Kraft
• Tammie Edgerton
• Taylor VanBruggen
• Wanda Guess
• Anna Wight (Guest Designer) 

What's the Buzzzzz?

Hi friends! Happy first Friday of 2013! (Technically it's Thursday night...shhhhh) Hope you had a fantastic week! I've been gettin' crafty this week making my projects for TE release next week. I also wanted to enter the Paper Smooches Sparks Challenge for this week, so I made a fun coffee card for that!

Now, I LOVE me some java!  coffee, cafe, joe, java, latte, mocha, macchiatto! Call it what you want, I love it all!  And, I adore all the cute coffee stamps from Paper Smooches! Today's card is made with the set called Cyber Cafe. Totally, I mean totally, adorable. Whenever I make cards with Kim's stamps I keep it real clean and simple and graphic.

 

 

So, what's the buzzzzzz?

 

 

 

Little gingham coffee cups??? ACK!!!

 

 

 

I stacked 'em up high and added the sentiment, and some steam on the top. I chose some gingham scraps for my background and did some paper piecing. Easy peasy.

 

 

 

Here's how I built my tower o' cups....

 

 

 

Mask off the first one with a post it note....

 

 

 

And keep going....as high as you like!

 

 

 

I chose some complimentary Copic colors to color in the handles. I wasn't about to try to paper piece those! Can you blame me?

 

 

 

Here's a link to the stamp set! And here's the inside of my card. Isn't that TOOOO fun!

I can't wait to send this one out to a friend! I hope you have a fantastic weekend! Next week is going to be BIZZZZZY here on the blog! And then I leave on Friday for Anaheim and the CHA convention. But more about that later.  Thanks for stopping by! XOXO

HAPPY NEW YEAR - WELCOME 2013!

 HAPPY NEW YEAR!  

Hi there! Did you celebrate yesterday? Are you drinking bloody mary's right now? LOL! We are usually a pretty low key couple when it comes to New Year's Eve. Sometimes we go out for dinner, and sometimes we'll go to a party, or downtown to watch fireworks. This year, we stayed home and just relaxed. We both had to work on New Year's Eve so there wasn't much time to get all dolled up and ready to go out. I hope that you are ready for the possibilites of a new year! Best wishes for a happy, healthy, crafty and prosperous 2013! Thank you very very much for all the blog-love on my last post! Wow, so many sweet and kind comments. Make a girl blush....

Here are my New Year's cards for this year:

 

 

 

I can't explain it...this bright lime green caught my eye. It seems fresh and bright, like starting a new year! I cut the numbers out of my Papertrey Ink numbers dies (the DH came in with an assist on the Big Shot).

 

 

 

Lemme tell ya, it was not much fun putting foam tape on all those numbers! The stamps are fireworks! I think of fireworks for new year's. Do you? I picked out some bright citrus colors and a pretty aqua for my images. This is so non traditional, but I like the feel of it.

 

 

 

Yes, that is a 4th of July stamp set!!! It's from Stampin' Up! Perfect size and shape of fireworks for my cards.

 

 

 

The assembly line in process on the work table...

 

 

 

 

 

Best wishes from me to you for a FABULOUS NEW YEAR!