La-La's Weekly Wednesday Challenge #23

Wednesday means it's time for another La-La's Weekly Wednesday Challenge! This week our challenge was set by Kim and is to make a gift card holder. You can make it any size, any style, as long as it holds a gift card!

I'm normally very lazy and just stick my gift cards in a regular card so I've never made a special gift card holder before. I thought there might be others like me so I decided to do something simple and easy - I altered a regular card just a bit to make a gift card holder card. Here's what I came up with:




If you look very closely at the pictures, you can see that I folded the top flap of the card under just one inch and glued the edges to make a holder portion for the gift card.

I used Rosie Sitting with Cat and a couple papers from the Basic Grey Eva collection. I stamped Rosie, colored her with Copics, cut her out and popped her up on foam boosters. To finish off the card, I distressed all the edges, did a bunch of sewing, and added a couple flowers and fern punches. The sentiment is from Papertrey Ink.

We'd love to have you play along with us! All the details can be found on the La-La Land Crafts blog. TFL!

YNS Rock Stars and Vacations Blog Hop!

Hello everybody! Thanks for joining us for another fun and fabulous Your Next Stamp New Releases Blog Hop! YNS just released 4 new sets: Rock Star Fhiona, Rock Star Fhinn, Aloha Fhiona, and Surfer Fhinn! So to celebrate such a fun release, the Starlets (and 2 fabulous guest designers!) have whipped up some eye candy using many of the new images.

If you came here by way of Lori's blog, then you're on the right track! If not, please go back and start at Karen's blog because you won't want to miss a stop - one grand prize winner will be randomly drawn to win all 4 of the new releases!! To qualify, you must comment on every blog on the hop and then add your name to Mr. Linky on Simonne's blog! While you're there, Simonne will also tell you how to get a second entry in the prize draw!

Here's the hop order again in case you missed it:

Karen
Cabio
Kerri
Lori (Guest DT)
Maureen (you're here!)
Lana
Jenny (Guest DT)
Angela
Maylee
Amy
Simonne

One last thing before I get to my projects for today - Karen is offering a super special in the YNS store while the Hop is on (Jan. 21-25): 25%-55% off selected stamps!!

Before I get to my projects, we thought that in keeping with the theme of Rock Stars and Vacations, it would be fun if we share a little bit of info related to the stamp set we will be showcasing. I have Rock Star Fhiona so I'm supposed to talk a little about my fave band/singer. I change faves pretty often, but one singer that is in constant play on my iPod right now is Regina Spektor, specifically this album:


One day I saw her video "Fidelity" and I had to buy the CD right away! I just adore her sweet voice, catchy tunes, and great lyrics!

*****And now on to the show!*****

For this Hop, I decided to do 2 pretty simple cards to really show off the new stamps. First up is Fhiona as she was meant to be - a rock star!


I stamped Fhiona, the guitar and microphone on white cardstock and colored them all with Copics. I added some Stickles and Stardust glitter pen to parts and then cut them all out. For the background, I embossed the cardstock with the Allegro folder, distressed and sponged the edges, and sewed a border with black thread. There are 4 music notes in one, but I cut them all apart so I could position them exactly how I want them. I stamped a couple of them in a matching color ink on the focal panel and drew a line with pen for the back of the "stage." I stamped the sentiment and the microphone on the main panel so I could get the cord showing, then glued the extra mic over the stamped image. I then stuck down Fhiona and her guitar with foam boosters. You can see that I cut around her hand so it could go over the guitar. Lastly I went over the sentiment with glitter pen for even more sparkle!

Next up I have a card showing Rocker Fhiona's sweet side:


I thought the way her hand was up in the air, it looked like she was waving, so I made a "hi" card. Again I stamped Fhiona on scrap white cardstock, colored with Copics and cut her out. The flower in her hair is also in the set - I stamped it on pink cardstock, cut it out and added some stickles and a tiny rhinestone. The pink strip was stamped all over with a heart image from the set. Like before, I cut apart the 3 hearts so I could use them separately. I sewed the strip then distressed the edges.

The white background panel was embossed with the Swiss Dots folder (still my fave!) and I added Making Memories stickers for the sentiment.

Just a quick reminder - a new YNS Challenge just started yesterday, so there's plenty of time to enter! The theme is "Anything that sparkles" - how fun is that?! All the details can be found on the YNS Challenge Blog.

I hope you liked my cards and thanks for hopping along with us! Your next stop is the incredibly talented Lana.

La-La's Weekly Wednesday Challenge #22

If you're looking for the Your Next Stamp Challenge #8, it's the post directly below this one. Thanks!

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Wednesday means it's time for another La-La's Weekly Wednesday Challenge! This week our challenge was set by the super sweet and talented Elena and is to created a "Fancy Fold" card - meaning a card that is not your standard one fold card. I rarely do fancy folds so this was a great challenge for me. I decided to do a gate fold card with a slight twist - it has an interlocking frame closure. I got the idea a long time ago from a guest on the Carol Duvall show, so I can't take credit for it!

Here is the card closed (looks just like any other gate fold card):



And here is the card partly opened:


I used Down the Slopes Rosie and a sketch from Get Sketchy (turned on its side). Rosie was colored with Copics and then cut out with a rectangle Nestie. I also cut an extra plain white rectangle and glued them together to make it a little stiffer.

Next I cut out 2 frames: first I cut the plain rectangle out of the rust cardstock, then I placed the scalloped rectangle around the cutout area and taped it down so it was even on all sides, and cut it out. I couldn't cut both shapes at once because the plain rectangle die was too big to fit in the scalloped die.

After sticking down the papers to the gate fold base and cutting then down the center, I glued the left half of the frame to the left side of the card, and the right half of the focal panel to the right side of the card, making sure I lined up the focal panel in the frame. When you close the card, because of the interlocking frame, it stays pretty flat.

This card is also for the Stampin' B's challenge - "Winter fun" and Daring Cardmakers - "Hole in One" (make a card that has at least one hole in it. I think the big hole in the frame counts!). I hope you like it!

We'd love to have you play along with us! All the details can be found on the La-La Land Crafts blog. TFL!

Your Next Stamp Challenge #8

Yay! I have another Your Next Stamp Challenge today! This challenge was set by Karen and is "Anything that sparkles!" I love things that sparkle so I had a lot of fun with this challenge and here's my card:


I used one of the recently released bugs, BJ the Dragonfly - isn't he cute?! I stamped and colored him with Copics, then cut him out with a circle Nestie. I actually used 3 different kinds of glitter on this card: Stickles on his wings for plenty of sparkle, Stardust glitter pen on his body for a more subtle sparkle, and a hand-drawn line of glue pen with superfine loose glitter to frame the whole thing.

I got the layout for the card from the first project in this post by Nichole Heady. Lastly I added a ribbon bow and a sentiment from Papertrey Ink.

We hope you'll play along with us! One lucky participant will be drawn at random to win $10 in YNS Stamp Bucks!! You don't have to use YNS images on your card, but if you do you'll get a double entry in the draw!

Also, the challenge hostess will choose her favorite card, and that winner will get the YNS Challenge "Top Pick" blinkie to proudly display on their blog PLUS $5 in YNS Stamp Bucks! You must use a YNS image to be eligible to be chosen for Top Pick.

Full details can be found at the YNS Challenge Blog. TFL!

Happy Birthday Kathy!!

It's not Wednesday, but I have a La-La Land card for you because it's my fellow DT member, Kathy's birthday today!! A bunch of us from the DT wanted to celebrate her special day by creating a birthday card for her based on one of her own cards!! I chose this gorgeous one that she did for our last blog hop because I loved the layout and it has Kathy's signature distressing, embellishing and absolutely beautiful watercoloring!

I could never do it justice, but here's my attempt at re-creating a Kathy masterpiece:


I stamped and watercolored Fairy Lala and then pretty much copied Kathy's layout because I loved it so much! Her wings and wand were Stickled and I added a sentiment from Papertrey Ink.

Kathy - I hope you like it and I hope you have the most wonderful birthday!!

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If you haven't already heard, the latest La-La Land releases are available early! And there's also a special deal going on right now in the online store until January 30th - buy 3, get 1 FREE!!! Please check out this post for all the details! TFL!

La-La's Weekly Wednesday Challenge #21

There is a post about the YNS Blog Hop Blinkie Contest directly below this one - please check it out. Thanks!

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Wednesday means it's time for another La-La's Weekly Wednesday Challenge! I'm hosting this week's challenge and I would like to see shaped cards - any shape other than a rectangle or square.

Here's my card:


I used Happy Maya and some old Kelly Panacci papers that I love! For the card base, I used the largest size of the Spellbinder's Dahlia die set.

I colored Maya in brown tones (inspired by the website shots of the latest Maya releases which were both colored brown!) then cut out. I also cut out an extra head and layered it over the first with foam boosters for dimension. I hand sewed the border and finished it all off with a button bow and sentiment from Papertrey Ink.

We hope you'll play along with us! All the details can be found on the La-La Land Crafts blog. TFL!

YNS Blog Hop Blinkie Contest and Fan Club!

Yes! Your Next Stamp is having another fabulous new release blog hop January 21-25 and to get the word out, we're having a Blog Hop Blinkie Contest where you could win a stamp set of your choice from the Your Next Stamp store!!

The contest will run from Monday, January 11, until Wednesday, January 20 (just before the hop starts!), and all you have to do to enter is ...

Head on over to Karen's blog, grab the blinkie code from her sidebar and post it on your blog's sidebar. Then just go back to Karen's post and leave her a comment telling her you've added the blinkie to your blog!

How about an additional entry into the Blog Hop Blinkie Contest prize draw?

In addition to posting the blinkie on your blog sidebar, you'll need to create a post advertising the forthcoming YNS hop. And because our next hop theme is Rock Stars and Vacations, we want you to include a picture and short blurb in this post about your favorite vacation destination and/or your favorite rock band. After you have posted, make sure you go back to Karen's blog and comment again with a link to your post.

The winner of the Blinkie Contest will be drawn by Karen from the comments left on her post, and the prize will be a stamp set of the winner's choice!

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I want to remind you that a new YNS Challenge started last Wednesday with the theme of EMBOSSING. You don't have to use a YNS stamp to participate in our challenges or be eligible for our randomly chosen winner's prize (but of course we'd love to see your YNS creations!), so come on over and join in the fun!

And finally we have set up a brand new YNS Fan Club over at SNR Universe. We'd LOVE you to join our group for lots of fun and chat, so please come on over!

Winner of the La-La Land New Release Blog Hop!

First of all, I want to thank everybody who stopped by my blog during the last La-La Land New Release Blog Hop and left such wonderful comments!! I read and loved every single one!!

And now, for my winner! I went through all the comments, taking out any that were left by my fellow La-La Land DT members and was left with 53 entries. I used Random.org and got this result:


And the 22nd entry was: Jane Wetzel!!

Congratulations Jane!! Please email me (addy is in the sidebar) with your full mailing address and I will pass it on to Irina. Just a little reminder that you will have a little bit of a wait until Cupid Maya is actually released.

Again, thank you all for hopping along with us and don't forget to come back Wednesday for a new La-La's Weekly Wednesday Challenge! I'm the hostess this week and would love to have you play along with us!

La-La Land's New Release Blog Hop

If you're looking for the Your Next Stamp Challenge #7, it's the post directly below this one. Thanks!

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Happy New Year! Welcome to my stop on the Into the New Year with the New Releases Blog Hop! Today we would like to introduce you to NINE new images from La-La Land Crafts! This is a sneak peak Blog Hop as these stamps will not be available until January 20th. But, here is some GREAT news for you: All the stamps are already available to pre-order in our online store, so make sure to pre-order yours!

If you came here from Cheryl's blog, then you're on the right track. If you just happened on my blog, you'll want to go back and start at the La-La Land Crafts blog because every stop on the hop has some candy to give away!

My blog candy is the adorable Cupid Maya:

To be entered to win, please leave a comment on this post. We would also really appreciate it if you could spread the word and mention our Blog Hop on your blogs! I will pick a winner at random from all comments on Tuesday, January 12 at about 8 p.m. Hawaii time. Please only one comment per person. Just a little reminder that the winner will have to wait until after the stamps are released on January 20th for the prize to be mailed.

Just in case you get lost along the way, here's the Hop order again:

Kristine
Cheryl
Maureen (you're here!)
Pam
Kathy
Elena
Jane
Lisa
Kim
La-La Land Crafts Blog

Now, without further ado, here is my project using Cupid Maya:


I have a TON of 4" square coasters in my stash so I got out a couple and made a coaster frame perfect for a picture from Valentine's day!

I colored Maya with Copics, cut out with a circle Nestabilities die and set aside. I edged both coasters with a Copic marker before covering all sides with some really old Daisy Bucket Designs patterned papers and sanding off the overhanging edges and corners. The frame portion is a Quickutz Revolution die and there's a bit of white cardstock in there to serve as a template for cropping the picture later on. For the Maya side, I used a sketch from Allsorts and a Papertrey Ink sentiment.

Lastly I added some half pearls, punched holes with my Crop-A-Dile, and tied the coasters together with bits of ribbon. I hope you like it!

Your next stop is one of our incredibly talented guest designers, Pam! Have fun on the rest of the Hop!!

Your Next Stamp Challenge #7

Yay! I have another Your Next Stamp Challenge today! Our challenge was set by Maylee and is "Embossing" - please include some kind of embossing on your project.

Here's my card:


I used New Year's Party Fhiona. I paper pieced her dress and colored the rest with Copics. I stamped and cut out an extra crown, which was popped up on a bit of foam booster and I also added glitter and a Swarovski crystal. I also added glitter to her earrings, bracelet and shoes.

I used some Basic Grey Urban Prairie paper and embossed the strip of turquoise paper with the Cuttlebug Swiss Dots folder (still my fave!). The final touches were some buttons, variegated pink crochet thread, and a sentiment from the Flying High Fhiona set.

The sketch is from Sketch Saturday and was created by fellow YNS DT member, Simonne! Not only that, but YNS is sponsoring the Sketch Saturday challenge this week and you could win the Shopper Fhiona set!

We hope you'll play along with us at YNS! One lucky participant will be drawn at random to win $10 in YNS Stamp Bucks!! You don't have to use YNS images on your card, but if you do you'll get a double entry in the draw!

Also, the challenge hostess will choose her favorite card, and that winner will get the YNS Challenge "Top Pick" blinkie to proudly display on their blog PLUS $5 in YNS Stamp Bucks! You must use a YNS image to be eligible to be chosen for Top Pick.

Full details can be found at the YNS Challenge Blog. TFL!

Irina's Birthday Blog Hop!

Hi everybody! You don't usually see me posting La-La Land cards on Saturday, but today is a very special day - it's Irina’s birthday! You should all know that Irina is not only the owner of La-La Land Crafts, but she's also a very talented crafter and a really wonderful person! Of course we couldn't miss her special day and decided to throw a little on-line party for her! We were keeping it a secret and prepared a surprise Birthday Blog Hop. So hop along with us to celebrate Irina’s Birthday!!

Each of us created a project with birthday wishes for our special Birthday Girl. If you started at Kim’s blog and came to me from Moon's blog, then you're on the right track! If you just happened upon my blog, you'll want to start at the La-La Land Crafts Blog so you can see all the yummy eye candy we've created in honor of this special day!

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I wanted to make something extra special for Irina so I decided to do an easel card:


I actually used 2 different La-La Land images for this card: Sitting Lala and Birthday Lala. I used just the present with attached hands from Birthday Lala. I actually stamped the present part twice, colored with Copics, cut out and set aside (I'll tell you why I did 2 in just a little bit!).

I then stamped Sitting Lala, colored and cut out. I wanted to pop up the present for some extra dimension, but from certain angles you could see Sitting Lala's arms and hands underneath the popped up present. So one present is glued directly to Sitting Lala's lap to hide her arms and hands, and then the other present was popped up with foam boosters. Now even if you look at the image from the side, you can't tell that I combined 2 different images!

Here's a close up of how well the present fits in her lap:


I also used some Stickles on her headband and shoes for a little sparkle. BTW - even though one shoe looks way more glittery than the other, that's just the way the light hit them in the picture - they both sparkle nicely in real life!

The sketch is from The Pink Elephant, the papers are Heidi Grace, and the sentiments are from Papertrey Ink. I hope you like it!

Thank you so much for hopping with us and celebrating Irina's birthday! Your next stop is the super talented Kristine. Enjoy the rest of the hop!!

Irina - if you're reading this - Happy Birthday!!! I hope you have a most wonderful day!!