CAS Lights

Today is my day to post over at the YNS Paper Craft Planet group, so here's my card for you:


I used Light Up the Holidays and for my sketch, FTL #114. Being a 1-layer card, it's supposed to be really simple, but I did some fussy cutting which took most of the simple right out of it! I couldn't help it - when I saw the sketch it made me think of a string of lights!

I stamped the big lights twice on white cardstock and colored with Copics. I cut them out then covered just the bulb portion with clear dimensional adhesive (you can see the glare off of some of the lights in the picture). I gave them little hanging hooks by taping bits of bent wire to the backs of the lights and then strung them on some Peapod twine. I added a tiny bow of the same twine to the middle light and used foam tape to mount the lights around the sentiment.

BTW - the sentiment comes with a row of bitty lights underneath it and I didn't want them to stamp. Instead of trying to not ink them, I cut them off VERY carefully with a craft knife, making sure to cut straight up and down so I wouldn't undercut either side. After I cut, I test stamped both parts and they work fine! I hope you like it and TFL!

Christmas Leslie

Happy Halloween - hope you all have/had a fun day! Since it's too late for anymore Halloween projects, I've got a Christmas card for you today:


I used the super cute Christmas Leslie and a sketch from Truly Scrumptious (the optional extra challenge is any or all: petals, pearls and pins - I could only fit petals on mine).

Leslie was colored mostly with Copics, but I did color her glasses with a red colored pencil (so I wouldn't have to worry about a red copic bleeding into her face) and I also did a bit of shading on her outfit with a black colored pencil. I added clear dimensional adhesive all over her glasses and a little white flocking on her hood trim then cut her out and popped her up with foam tape. You can see it better here:


The tree was paper pieced with green patterned paper and I added silver stickles to the star and bitty rhinestones for the ornaments. To finish it off, I added a bow of hand-dyed seam binding topped with a flower that I glittered up and a button with a twine bow. I also glittered the letter stickers. All the PP and the stickers are really old Basic Grey (Fruitcake line).

This is for the following challenges:

• Karber Christmas Challenge - Christmas card with a digi
• Papertake Weekly - Sparkly and Bright
• ABC Challenge - G is for Glitter
• Belli Challenge - Flocking or Flower Soft
• Delightful Sketches - Circles
• Bee Crafty - Christmas (& use a digi)
• Scrappy Saturday - Free for all

I hope you like it and TFL!

Trick or Treating with Tiddly Inks and Simply Betty Stamps

Whew! I barely finished this in time before the hop entries closed! Here's my card for the Simply Betty/Tiddly Inks joint blog hop:


I used the gorgeous Rio Digi image from Simply Betty and have her holding a pumpkin that was a freebie from the Tiddly Inks Paper Craft Planet group. I printed them using my laser printer and colored them with Copics. Although it looks like I just left her hair completely white, if you look very closely, you might be able to see that I actually colored/shaded it with my lightest Warm Grey copics (W00, W0 and W1). I cut them both out and used a craft knife to cut carefully around Rio's hand so I could slip the pumpkin underneath to look like she's actually holding it.

The bingo background paper is from the Lettering Delights Halloween Game Night graphic set and I made the medallion from some Halloween Bo Bunny paper cut into a scalloped strip using my long rectangle nesties. I topped it with a black button threaded with some fluffy black fibers. Lastly, I sewed all the way around the bingo card with a zigzag stitch.

This is also for the following challenges:

• Crazy 4 Challenges - Halloween
• A Spoon Full of Sugar - die cutting/punches
• Little Red Wagon - Halloween
• PaperPlay - "A haunting we will go"
• Pixie Dust Studio - Halloween with orange and black
• Daring Cardmakers - "Trick or treating"

Hope you like it and TFL!

Your Next Stamp Challenge #28

Yay! I have another Your Next Stamp Challenge today! This time our theme was chosen by Chris and is to make a bookmark. I was pretty stumped on this one until one of my favorite quotes of all time popped into my head. I knew I had a stamp to match so I got to work and here's what I came up with:


Hee hee! Don't you just love that quote?! I used the Little Piggy font from Lettering Delights because I wanted something whimsical to go with the quote. After printing, I cut it out with a long rectangle Nestie and also cut the matching scalloped rectangle from 2 different patterned papers (The Pets Stack from DCWV). I sponged the white cardstock with Distress ink then sewed it onto one of the scalloped pieces. Then I colored a bit of grass with my Copics and set it aside to make my doggie.

I stamped Fhiona's Pet Dog (which is also available in the Fhiona's Pets and Fav Treats set), colored with Copics and cut out. Then I just glued him over the grass on the bookmark.

Next I glued the front panel to the other scalloped rectangle. For the top, I made my own reinforcement by first punching PP with a 1/4" hole punch, then punching around it with a 1/2" circle punch. I punched through the bookmark with a 1/4" hole punch, then glued the reinforcements around the holes on the front and back. I put a piece of brown twill through the hole and tied it off with some Cappuccino Baker's Twine.

Here's the back:


This is also for A Spoon Full of Sugar - die cutting/punches.

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!

Surprise Birthday Blog Hop!

Today we're having a Surprise Birthday Blog Hop for our super sweet Your Next Stamp "boss" Karen! If you've come from Simonne's blog, then you're on the right track, but if you've just happened upon my blog, you'll want to go back to her blog because Simonne has something just fabulous I know you'll want to see!

Here's my card:


I used the cute and fun Hula Hoop Fhiona and the Sketch For You To Try. I colored Fhiona with copics, then did just a bit of shading on her clothes with colored pencils and odorless mineral spirits.

I wanted something special for this card, so I made my first accordion folded medallion. I used a piece of patterned paper 1/2" x 12" and folded every quarter inch. I glued glitter to all the tops of the folds, then added a button tied with embroidery floss.

I cut apart the "Have a Hoopy Birthday" sentiment and used my stamp positioner to get the 2 words lined up correctly, then cut them into a little flag and stuck it under the medallion. All the papers are from Echo Park.

Just a quick reminder - Karen's birthday sale is still going on, so don't forget to head over to the store after you're done hopping!

The next stop on the hop is Beth. When you've finished hopping, we'd love for you to stop by Karen's blog to wish her Happy Birthday! Thanks for joining us today!

Karen - Happy Birthday!! You are such a sweet and wonderful person and I'm so glad to know you!! I hope you have a most wonderful day!

Happy Haunting!

Today is my day to post over at our Paper Craft Planet group so I decided to keep going with the Halloween projects and came up with this card:


I used the Happy Haunting set and FTL #112 from Clean & Simple Stamping. I stamped the main image a few times and colored with a combo of Copics and Prismacolor colored pencils with odorless mineral spirits.

For the house, I played with Copic Creations' Colorless Blender Tricks challenge: first I colored the house with a couple of different cool grays, then I smushed my colorless blender all over to give the appearance of stones. Here's a close up of the house:


For the banner, I used Make the Cut to copy my MFT Banner Day Die, but altered the little topper to have a jagged edge instead of the scalloped edge of the Die. I also cut the letters with my Cricut and then sewed it all together.

This card is also for the following challenges:

• Stamp with Fun - Halloween
• A Spoon Full of Sugar - Halloween
• Fab 'n' Funky - Halloween
• Creative Inspirations - Halloween/Fall
• Creative Inspirations (a different one!) - Spooky
• C.R.A.F.T. Challenge - Spooky
• Dutch Dare - Halloween

I hope you like it!

In case you don't already know, Karen's birthday is coming up on Monday, so she's having a big sale to celebrate! You can check out the sale items HERE, and while you're in the store, check out the embellishments section to get some great items at 10% off! And last, but definitely not least, YNS now carries Twinkling H2o paints so be sure to check them out as well! Thanks for stopping by!

Trick or Treat!

I have another Halloween project for you today - I decided to make a little matchbox candy holder with a surprise! Here's the outside of the box, top view:


I used Send Me A Sign Bugg, altering her a bit for Halloween! Using Photoshop Elements 8, I erased out the solid white portion of her dress and layered a spider web design behind it (the web was a freebie from the Tiddly Paper Craft Planet group), then I added a sentiment with a little hanging spider. The font is SNF Goody and the spider is from DB Boo Ya.

I colored her with Copics, Stickled her wings, and added a few rhinestones also colored with Copics. Lastly she was cut out and mounted with foam boosters.

Down at the bottom you can see there's a handle to pull the drawer out, and here's what the front of the handle looks like:


I cut out a bone from DB Boo Ya 2 times with my Cricut and glued them together for strength. Then I fashioned a handle from a thin strip of black cardstock and glued the bone to the front.

And here's the surprise on the inside: a little ghost pops out when you open the drawer!

I have to admit that the idea wasn't mine - I came across a pop-up match box while blog surfing!

I cut out a ghost also from DB Boo Ya (love this font!) 3 times, putting 1 through the printer to get the "boo!" on the bottom (also using SNF Goody), then glued all 3 together. Since it's going to be repeatedly shoved into the box, I wanted it to be really strong. Next I cut a strip of acetate 5" x .5" and scored it every half inch. I accordian folded it to make the pop-up mechanism and glued it into the box bottom and to the back of the ghost.

The whole thing was designed in Make the Cut. I also designed the divider to hold the 2 pieces of candy away from the pop-up portion.

This project is for the following challenges:

• Tiddly Inks Challenge - Anything Halloween
• Digi Tuesday Challenge - Sew Special (stitching with a digi)
• Stampin' for the Weekend - Halloween/Fall
• Stamp Something - Halloween Somethings
• Bee Crafty - Halloween (and use a digi)
• One Stop Craft Challenge - Halloween
• Cupcake Inspiration - I was inspired by the Halloween theme and I used a ghost in my box)

I hope you like it and TFL!