Featured Stamper - Julia!

Hi everyone! Sunday's Featured Stamper was Julia (artystamper)!!

CONGRATULATIONS, Julia!! I was so excited to see that you were picked. You rock, girl!

Here are links to her GALLERY and her BLOG...and here is HER CARD that I chose to CASE. I kept the same layout, pink/black combo (just went WAAAAY bright, huh?), and went with her hedgie theme. I added piercing, used a scallop strip instead of a scallop square mat behind the main image, used gingham instead of organdy ribbon, and went with the brighter pink.

I think I should have stuck with her calmer tones of pink?? This is way bright for me. The black mat panel behind the hedgie is up on dimensionals. I used a hedgie image that I've had colored for a long time. Kinda funny to go back and look at images you colored a while ago....if I would have colored this image now, I think I would have done it a lot darker. This is another one for Mom's stack of blank note cards...and she asked for some pink/black cards too so I hope she likes it.

Recipe ~
Stamps: Penny Black Garden Gossip, SU Garden Whimsy (ladybugs on the inside of the card)
Paper: Basic Black, Whisper White, Pink Passion
Ink: Versafine Black Onyx, Real Red, Blush Blossom, Pink Passion
Accessories: Mat Pack and Piercing Tool, Dimensionals, Scallop Edge Punch, Black Gingham Ribbon
Technique: Watercoloring, Paper Piercing

{{....and why doesn't Blogger have a bright pink for text so I could match it to my card?? LOL!}}


Here's a card I received from Janette (Stampin with Style). I fell in love with this card when she posted it on her blog, and to my surprise she sent it to me along with some great stamped images!

Thanks, Janette!!! I love the linen, faux stitching, and sponging on this!!...and I can't believe I have this card in my hands!! {hugs}



Here's a card I received from LeAnne (Wee Inklings). You might remember this paper from a few posts. When I was out shopping with LeAnne, Wendy, and Jen, this is paper that we all bought. Check out the beautiful card she made with it!!

LeAnne! This is so pretty, love the bling on the butterfly. Always brings a smile to my face when I see an envelope from you! {hugs}

That's it for today. We're headed to the pool again. My little girl is growing up. She used to cling by my side and act shy around people she didn't know. At the pool, she's a whole different kid. When we go, she goes right off to the first group of kiddos she finds and joins in on whatever game they're playing. She did so much swimming yesterday (with her arm floaties), kept jumping in, and a little boy even taught her how to do cannon balls. She's actually pretty good, and that little body makes a pretty decent splash! :)

See you all soon!
Denise

Note cards for Mom

My mom asked me to make her some purple and yellow note cards without any sentiments on the front, and she's a butterfly fanatic like me so I think she'll like these (I hope!). You may have noticed that I've mentioned in several posts lately that I'm making cards for Mom....yeah, she asked for a pack of 20 cards--some basic note cards as well as specific things like the baby shower card, birthday cards for specific people, etc. hehe, Mom is keeping me busy...but I love it! :)

The layout is from Julee Tillman's Mojo Sketch #48. I also put all my NEW Papertrey Ink goodies to use...the linen vellum, plum pudding and Lemon Tart cardstock, and the plum polka dot ribbon.

The butterfly was stamped in Plum Pudding, once onto white cardstock and then once onto the linen vellum. The ones from the linen vellum were cut out with scissors and then layered over top of the one on the white base with a glue dot (with the glue dot just in the center so the wings raise up off the paper). The Lemon Tart scallop circle is up on dimensionals.

Recipe ~
Stamps: Verve Fluttering By, Verve Petals & Stems (butterfly on the inside of the card), SU Linen BG
Paper: Papertrey Select White, Lemon Tart, Plum Pudding, Linen Vellum
Ink: Plum Pudding
Accessories: Plum Pudding Swiss Dots Satin Ribbon, Circle and Scallop Circle Nestabilities, Scallop Edge Punch, Purple Swarovski Crystals, Glue Dots, Crystal Effects (to glue down the crystals)

I also wanted to show you the pretty card that Kim (Stampin' in the Rain) sent me. She's such a sweetie. Not only did she send me this pretty blue card...with polka dots!!...but she sent me a whole bunch of stamped images.

Kim, you've got awesome stamps, girlie! Thanks for taking the time to do that!! {HUGS!!}

Catch you all later! I'm taking the kiddo to the pool so she can burn some energy, LOL!

Stampin' Hugs,
Denise

OCC Challenge - Christmas in July

It's Saturday!....time for another Our Creative Corner Challenge.

This week, the lovely Jennifer challenged us to make a Christmas Card....and we hope you'll play along too. It's time to slowwwwwly start getting that Christmas stash ready. December will be here before you know it.

Be sure to stop by the OCC blog to see all the great samples from my fellow OCC girls...AND...to see who won last week's goodies from Cut At Home!!!

I saw that the fabulously talented Amy has been using white textured CS as her card bases. I love textured CS, and use it whenever I can, but for some reason I never thought to use WHITE textured as my card base. What a difference it makes! I set out on Wednesday to a local craft store so I could get some Bazzill white....SCORE!...got some!

I stamped my Penny Black Christmas Critters (clear set) image in Versafine Black Onyx onto the Bazzill white, colored it with Prisma Pencils, and blended the colors with gamsol and stumps. The halo effect around the entire image was done with a Pale Blue Grey Copic marker. The Bravo Burgundy circle behind the sentiment is up on dimensionals. I added a strip of Mellow Moss, Bravo Burgundy, and gold cord to the inside of the card...just like the one on the front of the card that's running behind the sentiment.

The DP was given to me by my friend Janice (catcrazy). Hiya, girlie! Check it out, I put your gorgeous paper to use!! Thanks again!!

Recipe ~
Stamps: Penny Black Christmas Critters (clear set)
Paper: Textured White Bazzill, Bravo Burgundy, Mellow Moss, Heidi Grace Sugar Plum Forest Jersey Stripe
Ink: Versafine Black Onyx, Pale Blue Grey Copic, Prisma Pencils
Accessories: Gold Cord, Dimensionals, 1-1/4" and 1-3/8" Circle Punches
Technique: Gamsol Magic

Thanks for stopping by my blog and I hope to see you again reeeeal soon!
Denise

Cupcakes and Silhouettes

Hi everyone! It's Friday....time for another one of Taylor's Cupcake/Sketch Challenges! I'm so excited because she picked me (OMG!) as her featured cupcake sampler for this week!! I got to see her sketch earlier in the week and make a card to be featured on her blog...right along with her sample. You can check out this week's sketch as well as samples from Taylor and her awesome Cupcake Crew right HERE. Thanks again, Taylor, this was so exciting and fun! :)

I got this great Stampendous Tier of Treats image from my friend Sandy (swap4fun). I colored it with prisma pencils and then blended them with gamsol and stumps. The halo effect around the outside was done with a Warm Grey #1 Copic marker. I added candycane stickles to the cherries. The polka dot and striped DP is from Michael's. I glued down a white panel to the inside of the card and ran a thin strip of the polka dot DP along the bottom edge.

RECIPE ~ Stamps: Stampendous Tier of Treats, Gina K Kindred Sentiments for Her; Paper: Textured Real Red, White, Anna Griffin DP; Ink: Versafine Black Onyx, Warm Grey #1 Copic, Prisma Pencils; Accessories: Red Polka Dot Organdy Ribbon, Red Rhinestones, Candycane Stickles; Technique: Gamsol


The next two cards are for the SCS Dare to Get Dirty Challenges.

The first is a cupcake challenge, hosted by Taylor!! Thanks again, Taylor, for letting me be one of your sample makers!!

I got the cuuuuuute Whipper Snapper Squeaky Baker images from my friend Janette (blessingsx3). Thank you, Janette!! I colored it with prisma pencils and then blended the colors with gamsol and stumps. The halo around the image was done with a Warm Grey #3 Copic, and the inside of the hat and apron were done with a Warm Grey #1 Copic. On the inside, I stamped three of the teeeeeeny cupcakes from the Short & Sweet set along the bottom edge (one on the left, one center, and one on the right), colored them with prisma pencils and stumps, and then paper pierced a row of holes in between each cupcake. The fun brads were a birthday present from my friend Janice (catcrazy). Thanks Janice!!

RECIPE ~ Stamps: Whipper Snapper Squeaky Baker, MFT Essential Sentiments (hello sentiment), SU Short & Sweet (cupcakes on the inside); Paper: Textured Pretty in Pink, White, Plain Pretty in Pink, Close to Cocoa; Ink: Versafine Black Onyx, Close to Cocoa, Warm Grey #1 and #3 Copic markers, Prisma Pencils; Accessories: Large Green/Pink Brads, Brown Polka Dot Organdy Ribbon, Mat Pack and Piercing Tool; Technique: Gamsol Magic, Faux Stitching, Paper Piercing, Out-of-the-Box Technique

The next card is for a Silhouette Challenge being hosted by the VERY talented (and my fellow current dirty girl) Joan Ervin. Thanks for letting me be one of your sample makers, Joan!!

I stamped once in Pretty in Pink and then again in Close to Cocoa. I found this great sketch on Jen Del Muro's blog, so I followed that for the layout. Love this sketch! The inside of the card has the same two-color silhouette done along the bottom edge in the forget me nots. Both the Bleeding Heart and Forget Me Nots are from the Spring Ephemerals set by Flourishes.

RECIPE ~ Stamps: Flourishes Spring Ephemerals, MFT Essential Sentiments; Paper: Textured Pretty in Pink, Close to Cocoa, White; Ink: Close to Cocoa, Pretty in Pink; Accessories: Pink Swarovski Crystals, Word Window Punch, Satin Ribbon, Dimensionals

Thanks for stopping by!
Denise

For Holly's DTGD Challenge

Here's a card for Holly's (Toy) DTGD Challenge...a sketch!

Remember, you'll only be able to view the links to the Dare to Get Dirty Challenges if you're a Fan Club Member. :)

Holly's sketches are so fun and her layers are always spot on. I've admired her for a LOOOOOONG time and learned a lot from looking at her cards in the galleries. She's a sweetheart too! I'm honored to be one of her sample makers today along with the very talented Jodi (kharmagirl)....also someone I've admired for a long time.

The main image oval was cut with my Coluzzle template and the scallop oval was cut with a Nestabilities die. I would have loved to dry emboss the main image oval with the Nestie (I love that about the Nesies!), but at the time I made this card, I didn’t own the plain oval Nestie. I do now!…yay! The scallop oval is up on a layer of dimensionals and the main image is up on a second layer.

I like to finish the inside of my cards (yeah, you know that already, LOL!) for a little something extra. I glued down a white panel and ran a thin strip of the Basic Grey Two Scoops DP along the bottom edge.

RECIPE~ Stamps: SU Embrace Life, MFT Essential Sentiments; Paper: Textured Bashful Blue, WorldWin Textured Navy #DMOB85U, Whisper White, Basic Grey Two Scoops; Ink: Versafine Black Onyx, Copics (Light Crockery Blue, Grayish Olive, Pale Blue Grey, Warm Grey #3); Accessories: 7 Gypsies Fleur Bleue Flowers, Word Window Punch, Blue Brad, Oval Coluzzle, Oval Scallop Nestabilities, Dimensionals, White Satin Ribbon, Swiss Dots Cuttlebug Folder; Technique: Dry Embossing


I loved Holly’s sketch so much that I made a second card.

The scallop oval is up on dimensionals with the main image on a second layer of dimensionals. The word window sentiment is also up on dimensionals.

The cat and balloons were watercolored with Wasabi, Apricot, Lavender, and Basic Black SU ink.

The inside of the card has a white panel with a thin strip of the Wasabi designer prints paper along the bottom edge.

RECIPE ~ Stamps: Penny Black Bubbly Clear Set, MFT Congrats All Around (sentiment); Paper: Textured Lavender Lace, Whisper White, Watercolor Paper, Apricot Appeal, Wasabi Designer Prints; Ink: Versafine Black Onyx, Lavender Lace, Wild Wasabi, Apricot Appeal, Basic Black; Accessories: Dimensionals, Sugar Coated Brads, PTI Plum Pudding Satin Ribbon, Word Window Punch; Technique: Watercoloring with reinkers/inkpads

Holly, thanks again for letting me be one of your sample makers!!

Denise

More Baby Cards

What a fun week this is turning out to be! My family and I had a really fun weekend, this whole week is the Dare to Get Dirty '08 Challenges and I'm a sample maker for some of the most talented and sweetest hosts (look for their challenges on Thursday and Friday!), my daughter and I have spent time at the pool and got some sun, ...AND...did you see Taylor's blog yesterday...speaking of the most talented and sweetest people, love her....she picked me to be this Friday's Featured Cupcake Sampler!! Eeek! Thank you, Taylor. I'm so excited!!

Here are two more baby cards I made yesterday for Christine's DTGD08 Watercolor Challenge and Julie's DTGD08 White Card Challenge. These will both go to my mom so she can give the appropriate one to my brother and SIL when their baby is born this fall. ...I'm kinda hoping the blue one gets put to use!! :)

The first one uses Whipper Snapper's Squeaky Clean image....one of my favorite WS images. I think it's the perfect image for the dew drops. I stamped the image on Papertrey Select CS because I like the heavier weight of this CS. I think as a card base, it stands up really well (I know, I've said that before, huh?...well, it's true!).

I watercolored the image with ink pads (smashed the ink in the lid, added some water and colored with a regular watercolor brush), glued down the dew drops with crystal effects, added the sentiment from SU's Short & Sweet, did some paper piercing with my mat pack, and added ribbon. Quick and easy card.

RECIPE ~ Stamps: Whipper Snapper Squeaky Clean, SU Short & Sweet; Paper: Papertrey Select; Ink: Versafine Black Onyx, Bashful Blue, Basic Black, Barely Banana, Apricot Appeal, Blush Blossom, Pretty in Pink; Accessories: Blue Gingham Ribbon, Blue Dew Drops, Mat Pack and Piercing Tool, Crystal Effects; Technique: Watercoloring, Paper Piercing

For the girl card, I stamped the bunny from SU's Bundled in Love on Papertrey Select CS. This time I stamped the bunny on the left and put the sentiment on the right...because I thought it looked better if the sentiment was by the bunny's face rather than the bum. :)

I watercolored the image with a Regal Rose inkpad (smashed the ink in the lid again), added some ribbon, and some paper piercing. Again, quick and easy.

The piercing pattern was done with an Ornare Piercing Tool and Template that my sweet friend Lori (LMcAree) gave to me. Thanks so much, Lori, I think it's beautiful and works really well for a girly card! I believe she bought it from Ellen Hutson's site. Is that right, Lori?

RECIPE ~ Stamps: SU Bundled in Love, SU Short & Sweet; Paper: Papertrey Select; Ink: Regal Rose, Versafine Black Onyx; Accessories: Satin Polka Dot Ribbon, Ornare Piercing Tool & Mat Pack; Technique: Watercoloring, Paper Piercing

More challenges for Fan Club Members will be posted today at 12:00 Noon Eastern Time on SCS. If you're playing along, I'll *see* you there!!

Denise

Rockin' Vanilla Skies

Love that name for Emily's color challenge today...to use Soft Sky, River Rock, and Very Vanilla.

My mom asked me to make a birthday card for my uncle, so this is what I came up with. I thought the muted tones would make a nice masculine card and they also reminded me of this waterfall stamp I just bought at my local stamp store.

I combined it with Mojo Sketch #47 (I just moved the sentiment onto the oval and put the colored image on the rectangle panel...hope that's okay) and two of today's Dare to Get Dirty '08 Challenges...Michelle's Masculine Cards and Christine's Watercoloring Cards.

I colored the waterfall image with River Rock, Soft Sky, and Wild Wasabi reinkers. The black scalloped oval is up on dimensionals and the soft sky oval is up on a second layer. The inside of the card has two thin strips of River Rock and Soft Sky at the bottom.

Recipe ~
Stamps: Unknown Waterfall Stamp (sorry about that...there's no name on it), SU Hugs & Wishes
Paper: Very Vanilla, Basic Black, Soft Sky, River Rock
Ink: Versafine Black Onyx, River Rock, Soft Sky, Wild Wasabi
Accessories: Brads, Rectangle and Scallop Rectangle Nestabilities, Corner Rounder (which evidently needs to be tossed because it's not giving me clean edges), Dimensionals
Technique: Watercoloring

Thanks for stopping by. I'm hoping to get to some more of the Dare to Get Dirty Challenges so I might be back later today!

Denise

MTVD and Featured Stamper (Susan!)

Here's a card that combines yesterday's Featured Stamper with the Meet the Verve Diva Challenge #02, which is an inspiration challenge hosted by Amber. Amber picked a picture from Crate and Barrel as this week's inspiration piece. A picture is attached below. I went with the colors in the piece for my card.

I was really excited to see that Susan (susiestampalot) was picked as the FS yesterday!! I love visiting her gallery and blog. She's a hoot!

HERE's her card that I chose to CASE. I used the same Verve butterfly, scallops behind the main image, and layout. I used plain paper instead of DP, omitted the piercing (only because I forgot to do it before I glued it all down...man, I wish I had remembered to do that), added scallops along the vertical panel, and went with the colors in the MTVD challenge.

The butterfly was stamped twice in Summer Sunrise. The second butterfly was cut out and popped up on dimensionals over the first one. The turquoise scallop rectangle is up on dimensionals as well.

Recipe ~
Stamps: Verve Fluttering By, SU Short & Sweet
Paper: Papertrey White, Whisper White, Textured Tempting Turquoise, Textured Brilliant Blue, PTI Summer Sunrise
Ink: Brilliant Blue, Summer Sunrise
Accessories: Word Window Punch, Summer Sunrise Satin Ribbon, Rectangle and Scallop Rectangle Nestabilities, Scallop Edge Punch, Blue Swarovski Crystals, Dimensionals

Don't forget, the Dare to Get Dirty Challenges are now underway. Links to the challenges can be found in my post below this one.

We're off to the pool, so I'll *see* you all later!
Denise

DTGD '08 and Super Chevy

Hi all and happy Monday! Is it as stinkin' hot where you are as it is here?? Yikes! Maybe we'll go to the pool this afternoon.

I wanted to remind you all that as of today the Dare to Get Dirty '08 Challenges (for SCS Fan Club Members) are underway!!! Yippee!! This year's theme is "A Day in the Life of a Dirty Girl." HERE'S a link to all the details.....and psssst...there are chances for prizes!!! Whoo-hoo!!! The first challenge starts at 9 a.m. Pacific time this a.m. so keep an eye out.

We had such a fun, "motorhead" weekend. Saturday night we went to a demolition derby (pics are in the post below). Fun! Yesterday was Super Chevy at Maple Grove Raceway and my dad was racing. He did GREAT! It was hot, but we had a blast! He went four rounds and had real consistent runs the entire day. My dad is a bracket racer, which means that before he makes a run down the track, he has to set a dial-in time (the time he thinks it'll take him to get to the end of the track). He was dialing it at 10.08 and 10.09 and each time ran pretty much right on his number! Awesome! He red-lighted on that four round (red lighting means he couldn't hold the car and left the line before he got a full green light...automatic disqualification)....but even though he red-lighted, he STILL ran right on his dial-in time. Very cool!

Here are some more pics from the day...my dad's car, my girls, the jet cars (don't panic, the flames are supposed to be there, LOL!), and one of the nitro cars.











Talk to you all soon!
Denise

Saturday night fun

Grinding Gears...
Pounding Rears...
Hearing Cheers...
Drinking Beers...

LOL! That was on a t-shirt we saw last night when we went to the Demolition Derby. We had so much fun! We haven't been there in three years. Here are some pics of us in the stands and the cars.

Today we're going to the Super Chevy Show to see my dad race and look at all the shiny, pretty muscle cars (much different than the ones we saw last night, LOL!).

Have an awesome day, and stay cool (it's HOT here in PA today).

Our Creative Corner Challenge - Embossing

It's time for the weekly challenge from Our Creative Corner! This week's challenge, hosted by Jennifer Meyer, is to make a card/project using dry embossing.....cuttlebug, brass templates and stylus, Nestabilities, etc. If you don't have any of those tools, try faux dry embossing. There's another giveaway this week...yay!...so be sure to stop by the Our Creative Corner blog for details.

My mom needs a baby shower card for a co-worker. She asked for something neutral in green and yellow since her friend doesn't know yet if she's having a boy or a girl. Hope she likes it!

I followed this week's SCS sketch challenge (SC185).

I ran the white panels through the Cuttlebug Swiss Dots folder, cut the Celery scallop panel with the Nestabilities Scallop Rectangle die and popped it up on a layer of dimensionals, and faux stitched around the outside of the ducky panel with an Old Olive SU marker using the template from my SU mat pack.

The duck was stamped in Colorbox Black ink and then heat embossed with clear embossing powder, as was the sentiment. I colored the duck with a combination of things: watercolored with Barely Banana and Certainly Celery inkpads (by smashing the ink in the lid, adding water, and coloring with a small paint brush), added the halo around the entire duck and string with a Warm Grey #1 Copic marker, and used my Honey Copic marker for the highlights and the duck's beak.

The inside of the card includes a white panel with a scalloped edge at the bottom, a strip of the green gingham ribbon, and the *new little someone* stamp from the SU Bundled in Love set. The *baby* sentiment on the front of the card is from Papertrey's Mixed Messages set.

Recipe ~
Stamps: SU Bundled in Love, PTI Mixed Messages
Paper: Barely Banana, Certainly Celery, Whisper White
Ink: Colorbox Black, Barely Banana, Certainly Celery, Warm Grey #1 Copic, Honey Copic
Accessories: Clear Embossing Powder, Swiss Dots Cuttlebug Folder, Green Gingham Ribbon, 1-1/4" and 1-3/8" Circle Punches, Nestabilities Scallop Rectangle Die, Green Button Brads, Dimensionals, Mat Pack, Scallop Edge Punch
Technique: Heat Embossing, Dry Embossing, Watercoloring, Faux Stitching

Okay, now it's your turn to make something with dry embossing. Hope to see your upload, and good luck in the giveaway!

Denise

Taylor's (awesome!) Sketch

Whewie! Thank you, Taylor, for the awesome sketch today! It was so fun and totally got me out of my slump. Yahoo! Love all those fun circles!

I haven't been able to make a card all week...well, any that I was really happy with. On top of that, I was NOT *feeling the love* for these in colors one bit yesterday (ask Michelle!) and I was about to throw them out the window. Today though, I got them to work so I like them a little better now....a little. I think they still need to grow on me.

Anyway, the base of the card is Textured Riding Hood Red. The gingham print is from the new Bella Rosa DP. The textured Brilliant Blue and So Saffron designer prints circles were cut with the smallest Nestie circle dies on my Cuttlebug. The Riding Hood Red hearts were punched from my Creative Memories punch.
I stamped the Whipper Snapper Ants in a Picnic Basket in Versafine Black Onyx on white CS. The basket, hearts, and table cloth were colored with prisma pencils and then I blended with gamsol and stumps. The ants were colored with my Warm Grey #3 Copic marker, and the halo effect was done with my Warm Grey #1 Copic marker. I got the shading on the ants by going over certain areas a couple times with the same Warm Grey #3 Copic marker (thanks for the tip, Jodi!!). The red mat behind the main image is up on dimensionals.

The sentiment was stamped in Brilliant Blue on white CS and then punched with the 1-1/4" circle punch, with a Brilliant Blue mat behind it using the 1-3/8" circle punch.

I glued down a white panel on the inside of the card with a thin strip of the Bella Rosa DP along the left side. I thought running it vertically along the left side would mirror the layout on the front of the card.

Recipe ~
Stamps: Whipper Snapper Ants in a Picnic Basket, MFT Essential Sentiments
Paper: Textured and regular Riding Hood Red, White, Textured Brilliant Blue, So Saffron Designer Prints, Bella Rosa DP
Ink: Versafine Black Onyx, Brilliant Blue, Warm Grey #1 Copic, Warm Grey #3 Copic
Accesories: 1-1/4" and 1-3/8" Circle Punches, Creative Memories Heart Punch, Blue Gingham Ribbon, Dimensionals, Prisma Pencils, Gamsol and Stumps
Technique: Gamsol Magic

Thank you all for the nice comments yesterday when I was feeling blah...and special thanks to Michelle and Silke for listening to my whining, LOL!

TGIF!
Denise

Nooo creativity...zip!

OMG, I'm sorry! I know, I know...I've been a bad blogger and haven't uploaded a card since Sunday. Yikes!

Where have I been?? Right here, trying to make cards, but I'm just not having any luck. Seriously, there are so many cool and fun challenges going on right now....but every card I've tried to make has ended up in the trash. I don't know, maybe I left my mojo at the Jersey shore??

I can, however, share cards that I received from two awesome ladies! Check out these adorable cards!...


The first is from my sweet friend, LeAnne (LeAnne Pugliese).

Thanks, LeAnne, for sending me this adorable card! Love the way you colored the main image....beautiul sand and clouds...and nice inside stamping!!


The next is from the awesome, Jenn Balcer...our super sweet DD leader!

Seriously, Jenn, we love you! You're the best! You take such good care of us back on the DT thread...and now you sent a card too. Thank you!! Love the bling on the fan and that fun orange gingham...so cute!

That's it for today. I wanted to at least check in and let you know I haven't dropped off the face of the earth or forgotten about the blog...just haven't been able to come up with anything crafty. Maybe tomorrow I'll have something crafty to share??

Denise

Exciting Fan Club News

Hi all! We spent Sunday and Monday at the beach, had a GREAT time! We went down as a last-minute thing and were lucky enough to get an ocean-front room (which I was sooo excited about because we're never been lucky enough to get one of those), had great weather, got some sun, and our youngest LOVED it!...little beach girl, she is!!

I want to send out a BIG CONGRATULATIONS to Dawn Easton and Emily Giovanni. Both are the newst dirty girls on the Splitcoast Dirty Dozen. I know you know who they are...they rock! Be sure to stop by their galleries and check out all their uploads to this month's Fan Club gallery. Awesome stuff! Welcome, girls, I'm so excited for you!!

Speaking of the fan club.....Remember last year's week-long Dare to Get Dirty Challenges? Well.......beginning July 21st and continuing through July 27th, Fan Club Members will be able to participate in the Dare to Get Dirty '08. This year's theme is "a day in the life of a dirty girl" and there are all sorts of fun challenges in store for you.

Featured Stamper & Verve Diva Challenge

Hey all! Today's Featured Stamper on SCS is Stephanie Hargis! I was excited to see Stephanie as this week's pick...love her cards! HERE'S her card that I chose to CASE.

I kept the same star theme, striped background (just split it with the stripes on the bottom and white at the top), and the same layout.

I added some layers, a star charm and gold cord, moved the sentiment (only because I glued down the main panel and THEN realized I forgot the sentiment..duh, huh?!), the second set of stars are up on dimensionals, and I moved the brads from the main panel to the corners of the card base.

I outlined the stars with SU markers. The Chocolate Chip mat layer behind the stars is also up on dimensionals.

The inside of the card includes a white panel with a small star stamped in the lower left corner in Old Olive and then a 1/4" strip of the So Saffron designer prints was added to the right of the star (great way to use up scraps of paper).

I also wanted to participate in the first Meet the Verve Divas Challenge. This week's host is Shannan and she chose a color challenge of Old Olive, Chocolate Chip, Pumpkin Pie, and So Saffron. GREAT colors, I like them together!

Recipe ~
Stamps: Verve Starlight Starbright, Verve Seeing Stars
Paper: Chocolate Chip, Whisper White, Pumpkin Pie, So Saffron Designer Prints
Ink: Old Olive, Pumpkin Pie, So Saffron, Basic Brown
Accessories: Small Oval Punch, Gold Star Charm, Gold Cord, Green Sparkly Brads, Dimensionals, Pumpkin Pie Grosgrain Ribbon

We're headed to the beach today and the SUN is out, YAY!! The little one is so excited! She knows we're going to a "surprise" today but she doesn't know what it is.

I hope you enjoy what's left of the weekend.

Later!
Denise

Our Creative Corner Challenge - an inspiration piece!

Wow, check out the gorgeous inspiration piece that Jennifer picked out for this week's OCC challenge!! We hope you'll play along with us!

I love inspiration challenges because there's no wrong way to do it. You can be inspired by just the colors, one element or a few things in the picture, or a combination of those things. It's always fun to see all the different perspectives and what people incorporate into their cards from an inspiration piece.

I was inspired by the tulips, scallops, and the colors.....the yellow/apricot tones as well as that *little* bit of salmon color on the accent wall behind the tulips. Loooooove this inspiration piece, Jennifer!! Awesome pick!!
I followed Taylor's Sketch #22 for the layout of my card. What a great sketch!! Thanks Taylor!

The tulips on my card were stamped onto Poison Ivory Shimmer CS that I got from cutcardstock.com. I colored directly onto the rubber with Sage Shadow and Apricot Appeal markers. The scalloped rows were done with my corner rounder punch, and the scallop circle behind the sentiment was done with SU's scallop punch. The Sage Shadow scallop circle is up on dimensionals, and the salmon circle (which is the flip side of the striped DP) behind the sentiment is up on a second layer of dimensionals. The inside of the card includes another panel of the Poison Ivory Shimmer CS with another tulip stamped in the lower left corner.

Recipe ~
Stamps: SU Garden Whimsey, MFT Essential Sentiments
Paper: Textured Apricot Appeal, Textured Sage Shadow, MME Wild Asparagus "Grandma" Stripe/Salmon Paper (#WA4077), Poison Ivory Shimmer CS
Ink: Apricot Appeal, Sage Shadow, Close to Cocoa
Accessories: Yellow/Orange Organdy Ribbon, Corner Rounder Punch, Scallop Circle Punch, 1-1/4" and 1-3/8" Circle Punches, Dimensionals
Technique: Direct-to-Rubber


Before I sign off, I wanted to show you the awesome RAK I received from Jessie (knightrone). Isn't it gorgeous and detailed?...right on down to cutting out those itty bitty sandals.

LOVE this, Jessie, thanks for sending it to me!! {hugs!}

Hope you all enjoy your Saturday!
Denise

Color Throwdown Challenge & SFYTT

Hi all, I'm baaaaack! ...yeah I know, just from earlier this morning, LOL!

Hehe, finally got a chance to play in the new Color Throwdown Challenge. Have you seen the new blog? Check out the link if you get a chance! This week's colors...hosted by my friend LeAnne I might add...are Regal Rose, Pretty in Pink, and Sage Shadow.

I followed Jen Del Muro's Sketch For You To Try...well, I pretty much followed the sketch. I just reversed the order a bit so the three smaller rectangles would be on top...I wanted the focus to be on the butterflies.

All of the large Verve butterflies were stamped on the small rectangles, then stamped again in the same ink colors, cut out, and popped up on dimensionals over the base ones.

The inside of the card includes a white panel with the small polka dot butterfly from the Petals & Stems set stamped in the lower left corner. Then I added a thin (1/4") strip of Sage Shadow to the right of the butterfly.

Recipe ~
Stamps: Verve Fluttering By, Verve Petals & Stems
Paper: Textured Pretty in Pink, Regal Rose, Sage Shadow, Whisper White, Pretty in Pink Designer Prints
Ink: Sage Shadow, Regal Rose
Accessories: Pink Swarovski Crystals, Dimensionals, Word Window Punch


Wanna see some more butterflies??...check out what my friend Wendy sent me! Isn't her card gorgeous?! Earlier in the week I made a card using this same DP and mentioned that we (Wendy, LeAnne, Jen, and I) had all bought some when we were out shopping. Here's her card using that same DP. I love how she used both sides of the paper..love that large butterfly is so pretty.

Love the card and the cute images, Wendy! Thanks!! Oh, and the butterfly....{sniff!!} hmmm?? Chocolate embossing powder?? {smile}

Hope you're all enjoying your day!
Denise

I've been MIA

Sorry everyone that I haven't posted since Tuesday...yikes! I've been busy with fan club projects...not only getting ready for the new gallery that'll open on the 15th, but getting ready for something that'll be in store for all of YOU who are SCS Fan Club members! It'll be announced in the next day or so, so be on the lookout for info (here and on SCS). It'll be something FUN for ya, I promise! :)

Here are some more birthday cards. My mailbox has never been so fun as it has in the last week...

The teal and wasabi seashell card is from Alison (newstampinaddict), the hand-painted palm tree card is from Michelle (justpaintingaround), the blingy cupcakes are from Carole (TruCarMa), the yellow bird and floral card is from Jennifer (lovetostamp6), and the red and blue cake card is from Kim (kkgasper).

Awesome, awesome cards, girls! They're all gorgeous, every single one has so much detail. Thank you!! {hugs}


I also got the polka dot bella card from Karla (dannysgirl), the Hanna card from Lori (LMcAree), the Rubber Romance card from Jen (JenMarie), the Gruffies card from Lena (tackertwosome), and the pomegranate cake card from Karen Giran.

Beautiful cards! Such great colors and fun images! I love them, thank you so much!! {hugs}


And...I won some blog candy from my friend Sandy (Swap4fun). Check out all the loot she sent me!...penguin and cupcake stamps, yummy ribbon, cutie pie DP, and...OMG...some of my favorite images that I've wanted for a while like the new Rileys that are so cute, the dog with the toilet paper that always cracks me up, and especially the coffee Hanna!!! She's beautiful!

Not only did she send me all these goodies, but she sent me this awesome card too....the dog with the toilet paper. How cute is this card!!

Oh so cuuuuute, Sandy, thank you so much for everything!! {hugs!}

I may be back later today with another post because there are several challenges I'd like to participate in ......like today's Limited Supplies Challenge, the Color Throwdown Challenge that's being hosted by my friend LeAnne, the Verve color challenge...oh my, so many fun things going on right now!

Hope your Friday is going great and that it flies by so you can start enjoying the weekend.
Denise

CCEE, MFT Sketch & Color Challenge

Here's a card I did for today's Color Challenge on SCS, which was to use Barely Banana, Groovy Guava, and Chocolate Chip. I combined it with Cindy's MFT Sketch #38 and did the *thumping technique* that the girls on the CCEE blog posted yesterday. Fun challenges!!

I've been eyeing this Can Ya Dig It set from MFT for a while now...finally broke down and bought it along with the Essential Sentiments set. {smile}

Her hat, dress, gloves, and shoes are all paper pieced. The hat and gloves are from Afternoon Tea DP, the dress is SU's Linen BG on Groovy Guava, the shoes were watercolored with Basic Brown Classic ink on white CS.

The yellow oval panel was cut out with the Coluzzle. The Pretty Petals were stamped in Groovy Guava Ink and then *thumped* with a Chocolate Chip SU Marker. The Chocolate Chip panel behind the main image is up on dimensionals. The inside of the card includes a 1/2" strip of the Afternoon Tea DP and paper piercing along the bottom edge.

Recipe ~
Stamps: MFT Can Ya Dig It, MFT Essential Sentiments, SU Linen BG, SU Pretty Petals BG
Paper: Barely Banana, Groovy Guava, Chocolate Chip, Whisper White, Afternoon Tea DP
Ink: Versafine Black Onyx, Chocolate Chip, Groovy Guava
Accessories: Brown Satin Ribbon, Groovy Guava Double Stitched Ribbon, Brown Primas, Yellow Brads, Dimensionals
Technique: Thumping, Paper Piecing, Paper Piercing
Card Size: 5" x 5" Square

Here's a card I made with my gorgeous new Peppermint stamp...also by MFT. I used Mojo Monday Sketch #43. This is the second card I've made with this sketch...love it!

The image was watercolored with reinkers and inkpads (smashing the ink in the lid, adding water and using a watercolor brush). The Chocolate Chip oval nestie as well as the main image are up on separate layers of dimensionals.

The inside of the card includes a white panel. I inked up just the top part of the Peppermint image and stamped it along the bottom edge.

Recipe ~
Stamps: MFT Annie LaPoint Peppermint, MFT Congrats All Around (sentiment)
Paper: Chocolate Chip, White, Marigold Morning, Basic Grey Urban Couture Gabardine
Ink: Basic Brown, Marigold Morning, Wild Wasabi
Accessories: Word Window Punch, Brown Brads, Corner Rounder Punch, Scallop Oval Nestie (thanks to my awesome friend Silke for sending me some!), Coluzzle Oval, Dimensionals
Technique: Watercoloring


I also received this super cool award from Jen (jetstudio29).

Thanks so much, Jen, you made me smile! ...sorry it took me so long to post it!! {smile}

Enjoy your day, everyone!
Denise