MFT Teaser-Flapper Doodles

It's day two of MFT Teasers and the team has two more sets to share. I'm using the new Flapper Doodles - I Love Us. All the new releases will be available at the MFT Boutique on Tuesday, January 4th at 10pm Eastern.

There are two prize giveaways every teaser day so for the best chance of winning be sure to leave some love on each of the team member blog posts, then check the MFT blog for winners the next day.

The Flapper Doodles are stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black and coloured with copics. I seriously debated what colour to do his suit but I figured 'where else but in stamping land can a man get away with a mint green coat and hat' so I went for it!!! And I really love how it turned out!!! The patterned paper is My Mind's Eye Be Loved from last year. I used my Hearts a Plenty dienamic for the accent and thought the sentiment worked nicely inside the heart. I also traced around the inside of the square nestie, something I've seen Jodi doing, and I love how it frames the happy couple. The layout is Mojo171.

You could be as lucky as I am and be sitting in the MFT Guest Designer chair for the February release. Check out this thread on Splitcoast for all the details!

Be sure to stop by Kim's blog for a complete list of all the designers previewing sets today. I know there will be plenty of eye candy!!! Oh, and don't forget to mark your calendar for the release party on the Release Party Thread on Splitcoast, Tuesday from 8-10pm Eastern.

See you tomorrow for another teaser!
Thanks for stopping by!
Karen

MFT Teaser-Clearly Sentimental About Time

It's so much fun being able to play along with the MFT team as a guest designer for this release!!! There are so many gorgeous and fun new sets to share over the next 5 days, and the big release is Tuesday, January 4th at 10pm Eastern in the MFT Store. But be sure to mark your calendar for the release party over in the MFT Splitcoast forum from 8-10pm...just before the release on Tuesday...there's always prizes and plenty of chit chat.

Today I'm sharing a card I made with Clearly Sentimental About Time. The quotes in this set are absolutely amazing, and timeless! Sorry...just couldn't resist that one! LOL!!!

I paired the sentiment with one of the frames from Framed Greetings and cut it out with the coordinating framed greetings die. I layered it onto some red that I cut out with the polka dot greetings die. The patterned papers are Circa 1934 by Cosmo Cricket and I thought the piece with numbers on it was perfect for the 'time' theme. I added three light blue scalloped layers, thanks to my jumbo scallop die and finished the card with a heart accent. The hearts were cut out with my hearts a plenty dies and the red one is actually red felt. The layout is my version of MTSC105.

Be sure to hop over to Kim's Blog for a complete list of all the talented MFT gals who are sharing teasers today. Trust me...you won't want to miss a thing!

See you here tomorrow with another fun MFT teaser!
Thanks for stopping by!
Karen

Happy Birthday Jodi!!!!

Today we're doing a little birthday hop in celebration of Jodi Collins!!! Happy Birthday GF!!! And even if you hadn't hinted so strongly at a blog hop (yes folks...read about it in her post here in the first lines!) I was still planning this little cyber party for you!!! Pardon??? Yes, that's right...and how could anyone resist a hint like that anyway! LOL!!! The list of well-wishers is a long one so grab a drink and settle into a comfy seat.  :-)

Happy Birthday Jodiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!!!!!!!!!!

I just had to use my newest MFT Pure Innocence set, Hello Cupcake for Jodi's card. Isn't she the cutest little thing with the giant cupcake that's bigger than she is?!? The patterned papers are from my Cosmo Cricket Pixielicious mini deck and the layout is an MFT stamp club sketch from earlier this month, MFTWSC12012010. I used a couple of dienamics on this card, the little open scallop strip and the flower trio. Isn't the SU corduroy brad the perfect center for the flowers? There's also plenty of sparkle on this card...purple tiny twinkles on the scalloped strip and her shoe, purple glimmer twill ribbon, purple sprinkles on the cupcake thanks to a Spica glitter pen, and a shiny purple cherry! The orchid opulence circle was embossed with my circles and scallops impression plate to give it some texture.

Jodi, wishing you plenty of cupcakes and hugs on your birthday. Enjoy the celebration, my friend!

Next up on the hop is Leslie. But we still haven't convinced her to start a blog yet so I'm sharing her card right here. Although, with all the wonderful comments from readers I think we just may be persuading her a little!  :-)

From Leslie: "Happy Birthday Jodi! I feel like I know you even though we've not met yet - hope to fix that in 2011. Any friend of Karen's is a friend of mine - have a great birthday!"

Now you're off to see what the talented Jackie Pedro created, but don't forget to stop by Jodi's blog when you're done and leave her some birthday love.

Just in case you get lost along the way, here's a list of all the hoppers.

Karen Motz - Paper Playhouse

Leslie Good - card shown on Karen’s blog

Jackie Pedro - The Scalloped Edge

Ann Kranitz - Stamp with Me

Jessie Rone - Can You Say, Addicted to Stamps?

Charmaine Ikach - Oodabug Alley

Jessica Diedrich - Yeah, She Stamps

Karen Giron - The Sweetest Thing

Wendy Bond - Bond Girl Bliss

Regina Mangum - The Stamping Bean

Danielle Lounds - Fat Cat Stamper

Melissa Sauls - In Stamping Mode

Joanne Basile - Just a Little Something

Jami Sibley - More is More

Denise Marzec - The Paper Landscaper

Dana White - Dana’s House of Cards

Taylor VanBruggen - Taylored Expressions

Tori Wild - Wild Sprinkles

Sankari Wegman - Sankari’s Sunshine Corner

Jessica Knutsen - There She Goes

Julie Lacey - Stamps and Taxes

Piali Biswas - Touch of Creation

Corinna McGregor - Stamping with a Java Junkie

Natalie Dever - Dougnat Diaries

Iwona Palamountain - Random Acts of Creativity

Torico - Stamparadise

Angela Thomas - Sparkle and Bling

Thanks for stopping by!
Karen

Warm Winter Wishes

Well, it's Christmas Eve...all the hustle and bustle is winding down and whether you're ready or not, tomorrow is Christmas day. This is my absolute favourite time of year and I'm sending warm winter wishes to you and your family.

Aren't these penguins the sweetest little pair? Actually, the entire Penguin Pals set from Taylored Expressions is adorable. I stamped them with Memento Tuxedo Black onto Choice Snow White and coloured them with copics. I added lots of sparkle with three Spica glitter pens and coated the fur on the hat with sugar Sparkly fluff. This card was originally going to look like TESC115 but I ended up deviating a little...omitting a layer...extending a panel...you know how it is when creativity takes over! LOL!!!

I just love the bright cheery colours in the Doodlebug Winter Wonderland patterned paper, and the snowflakes are so sparkly too!!! I did my best to incorporate all those fun colours by cutting a vibrant pink snowflake with my Winter Wonderland Snowflake die. I also used my Scalloped Eyelet Border die on the blue strip and topped it with red glimmer twill.

I can't believe I'm saying this but I'm already looking forward to starting my 2011 holiday cards. For the past two years my mission was to make one holiday card per week...and you wouldn't believe the sense of satisfaction when December rolls around and I already have a slew of cards made. Why don't you join me this year?!? Trust me...you'll truly appreciate it next December. And I find the best motivator is new stamps to get my mojo flowing...so treat yourself to a new Christmas set or two and let the holiday card making begin!

Thanks for stopping by!
Karen

Candy Cane Gift Tag

I needed to wrap up a hostess gift recently and I always keep a stash of kraft gift bags on hand (they're perfect for any occasion) so all I had to do was create a festive bag tag!

I reached for my Candy Cane Kisses a la mode set from MFT. She's stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black and coloured with copics. I added plenty of sparkle to the candy cane with dazzling diamonds glitter then cut her out. The patterned papers are from my October Afternoon Good Cheer pad and I thought the red striped paper mimicked the candy cane perfectly. I used my Labels 8 to cut out the papers then simply tore some cream cardstock to make it look like she's standing on a snowy hill. I finished the tag with a big SU grommet and some fun brown polka dot ribbon.

Hopefully your holiday preparations are winding down and you're able to enjoy quality time with family and friends. And if you still need wrapping ideas, tags and gift bags like this one are pretty quick to whip up!

Thanks for stopping by!
Karen

More gift card packaging

I needed to wrap up a few more gift cards so I reached for more little gift card tins and the Gift Card Frame Die. This little piece of metal is a serious time saver when it comes to whipping up a bunch of gift card holders, let me tell you!

I started with small hinged tins from the Taylored Expressions. I had an extra sheet of stamped snowflakes, left over from when I mass-produced these cards, so I put it to good use for the tops of the tins. I used my Winter Wonderland Snowflake dies and cut out a pink snowflake then coated it with a thin layer of diamond stickles. I added a small strip of pink paper and stamped the sentiment from Winter Wonderland, then sewed some light blue glimmer twill ribbon in place. I topped the snowflake with a white button then attached it with foam tape. Finally I wrapped the side of the tin with pink cardstock and added a pink twill bow.

I've already given away three of these little tins and the tin is getting as much attention as the gift card inside. I'd say that's a good thing!

thanks for stopping by!
Karen

Sweet Sunday Couch Potato

It's time for this week's Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge, SSSC97. You'll find the sketch on Karen Giron's blog The Sweetest Thing.

For my card today I created something with absolutely no purpose in mind...I made it just because I wanted to! And that, my friends, is a wonderful feeling! I dug into some much neglected Papertrey supplies and created this springy feeling card using Basic Grey Urban Prairie papers. The stamp set is On My Couch and I also used my PTI Rickrack border die and Beautiful Blooms #1 dies. The chair is entirely paper pieced and I added the "potato optional" sentiment directly to the patterned paper. Of course I couldn't create a card without a little sewing too. The finished card measures 3 1/4" x 6 1/2".

We're taking next week off of Sweet Sunday Sketches so I'll see you back here for another fabulous sketch on January 2nd!

I hope you'll play along with this week's sketch and link your creation on Karen's blog. Now let's go see what the rest of the Sweet Sunday Stampers created.
Jen Tapler
Lynn Put
Sarah-Jane Kale'
Vicki Burdick
and Karen Giron

Thanks for stopping by!
Karen

Happy Birthday Dana!!!!

Today we're doing a fun little blog hop for my BFF Dana.

Happy Birthday my friend!!!!

I made this card 'by request' for her. Truly...she told me one day that the Time To Celebrate a la mode image from MFT would make a "perfect card" for her birthday. How could I resist a request like that???

I stamped her with Memento Tuxedo Black and coloured her with copics. The cake was stamped a second time and popped for dimension. I had to add some orange glitter to the chocolate cake...and I had to use papers with orange in them because that's Dana's favourite colour. The patterned papers are from MME Fine & Dandy True Blue paper pad and the dainty dots dienamics created a perfect accent along the bottom of the card.

I know you'll have a super fabulous day celebrating, and don't forget to have a drink on me!!! Cheers!!!

Now you're off to check out what Leslie created, but we haven't quite convinced Leslie to start a blog yet so I'm sharing her darling card right here.

Ok, now you're really off to the next blog...the oh so talented Wendy Bond!!! Happy Hopping, and don't forget to stop by Dana's blog to wish her a fabulous day.

In case you get lost along the hop, here's the complete list of hoppers:

Karen Motz - Paper Playhouse

Leslie Good - card will be shown on Karen’s blog

Wendy Bond - Bond Girl Bliss

Elaine Hughes - Quixotic Cards

Linda Heavens - Heavens Created This

Joanne Basile - Just a Little Something

Jodi Collins - Stamping a Latte

Paula Williamson - Paper Possibilities

Ebru Vatansever - My Scrapbooking and Craft Journal

Nancy McKinney - Card Worthy

Ann Kranitz - Stamp with Me

Janet Rossi - Corrosive Creations

Jeanie Whitmer - The Spotted Chick

Cath Groden - Paper Expressions

Michelle Leishman - Miche L Designs

Dana White - Dana’s House of Cards

Thanks for stopping by!

Karen

Flying By Birthday Wishes

I needed a birthday card for one of my "flying friends" last week so I reached for the most appropriate set I own, Fly Away from Papertrey Ink.

I inked the solid airplane image with Memento Paris Dusk and stamped it onto Choice Snow White then cut it out. The banner was stamped with Memento Bamboo Leaves and the words with Memento Cantaloupe. The patterned paper is from my Basic Grey Wander pad and I thought the map look went well with the airplane flying above. I used my MFT cloud trio dienamics on white felt then gave the card a notebook feel with my notebook edge dienamic. The blue punched star seemed to fill the space nicely and I finished it with an SU corduroy brad.

That's it for me today...must rush off to finish up Christmas stuff.
Thanks for stopping by!
Karen

MFT Who's That Girl? VIP blog hop!

Welcome to the MFT VIP blog hop!!! I'm sure you've seen plenty of fabulous creations along the way, and if you arrived from Lisa's blog then you're on the right track. But if you just stumbled upon the hop you'll want to start at Kim's blog so you don't miss a thing. You may be wondering why I'm part of the MFT VIP hop...well I'm lucky enough to be the January guest designer and this hop is one of the perks!

Who's That Girl? is getting a little physical this month and this is your opportunity to get the newest Who's That Girl? set a full three weeks before the January release!!! Seriously...you won't be able to buy it again until next year...wink!!! So hurry...The MFT VIP kit is a one day only offering, available through December 15th at 11:59pm EST.

In addition to the fab new Who's That Girl? Let's Get Physical set, the MFT VIP kit includes a free coordinating mini set, Get a Move On, that will never again be available for purchase, along with three brand new Layered Label Die-namics. It's a fabulous value at just $41.90!

I coloured most of her with copics and paper pieced her shirt with a pattern from my October Afternoon Seaside pad. The layout is a modified version of SSSC95...I shifted everything to the left to make room for two gorgeous flower accents. I used my Flower Trio Die-namics to cut the grey and patterned flowers then attached them with two SU corduroy brads. My Little Open Scallop Die-namic, studded with rhinestones of course, was the perfect shape to add a little more 'girly-ness' to this card.

In addition to the VIP kit there are also two brand new a la modes being released tonight, Cheers and Key to my Heart. Did you see the sneak peeks the design team shared yesterday and today??? Swoon!!! I need them!!!

Well, since I'm the end of the hop I guess it's time to head over to MFT and add the Who's That Girl? VIP kit to your cart!

Thanks for stopping hopping by!
Karen

Enjoy!

It's a gift giving time of year and I needed something to house an iTunes gift card for a secret Santa swap this past weekend. Enter...Enjoy from Taylored Expressions (which appears to be out of stock at the moment) and the coordinating gift card frame die.

This is my go-to packaging for gift cards this season. It's super easy to whip up adorable little containers for just about any gift card type with the images in Enjoy and the gift card frame die takes all the guess work out of trimming cardstock to fit the small hinged tin. Seriously...there's really nothing easier than whipping up a little tin like this one, and that's a good thing because I have plenty more to make before Christmas! LOL!!!

I stamped the music image with Memento Tuxedo Black and used papers from my Crate Paper Restoration Collection 6x6 pad. The guitar needed a little oomph so I stamped it onto Choice Buttercream and coloured it with copics, then cut it out and popped for dimension. There's a little sparkle on it too thanks to my orange Spica glitter pen. I finished it with a little stitching, some orange ric rac from my stash, and three clear rhinestones.

If your gift giving list includes gift cards, definitely consider whipping up a few of these tins to house them. The best part is the recipient can reuse them!

Thanks for stopping by!
Karen

Sweet Sunday Birthday Wishes

It's time for this week's Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge, SSSC96. You'll find the sketch on Karen Giron's blog The Sweetest Thing.

For today's card I decided to start on my much needed manly birthday cards. I have several male family members with birthdays in the first three months of the year...ugh! Manly cards are never as fun to make, but I do like how this one turned out!

I pulled out my new Textile Rectangles set from MFT...which comes with a coordinating die. I stamped the frame with Memento Rich Cocoa then stamped the sentiment with SU pacific point. The patterned paper is from my new October Afternoon Campfire pad and I used my diamond plate embossing folder on the kiwi kiss layer. I used my jumbo scallop dienamic on a piece of denim then stitched it into place. Is a card still considered masculine if there's a scallop on it??? Please tell me that's ok! LOL!! The ribbon is old SU brown felt and I added two corduroy brads.

The inside is decorated too so I could use the second half of the sentiment. I used the same colours and added a star border which I cut with my star border dienamic.

I hope you'll play along with this week's sketch and link your creation on Karen's blog. The Sweet Sunday Stampers are saying goodbye to Joanne after this week. We're sad to see her go because her cards are always a delight, so be sure to pop by and leave her lots of love!
Jen Tapler
Joanne Basile
Laura Fredrickson
Lynn Put
Sarah-Jane Kale'
Vicki Burdick
and Karen Giron

Thanks for stopping by!
Karen

Warm Winter Wishes

If you're a regular reader here then you know that I try to make one Christmas card a week, all year long. Try being the operative word in that sentence, but I think I did a pretty good job staying on track for the past 11 months. Here's a picture of all the cards I've made so far...there are 49 of them. Can I just say how FUN it was pulling them all out of the drawer...it was like Christmas just looking at them all again...I'd forgotten about so many of them!

Unfortunately I'm still short a few so I did a little production line card construction last night and made 16 more cards. I loved this card that Melissa made and I totally based my design on her card, although I used shades of pink and purple instead of kraft and white.

I used my Winter Wonderland set from Taylored Expressions. The snowflakes are stamped onto Choice Snow White with different shades of Memento Ink: angel pink, lulu lavender, summer sky, sweet plum and lilac posies. I chose the papers to coordinate and ended up using frosted pink, baby pink medium and perfect plum.

I used the coordinating Winter Wonderland Snowflake dies to cut out a single snowflake and popped it with foam tape before adding a clear rhinestone to the center. I also used my small scallop border die on the baby pink strip and I used my circles impression plate on the background layer. I love how these cards turned out!!!

Shortly after I finished the cards hubby asked if I had any cards for his work people. Of course he couldn't have asked that two days ago, before I started thinking about making a bunch of cards. So I brought him these cards and here's how the conversation went:
me: I just finished making these and there are 16. You can have them.
hubby: silence, head down, staring at the cards
me: what? (knowing full well exactly what he's thinking!)
hubby: well, they're really nice, but they're pink! (said with a smirk...looking at me over top of his reading glasses, trying to keep a straight face).
me: yeah, and they're purple too...what's the problem? (also said with a smirk)

That's pretty much where the conversation ended because we both burst out laughing. The jury's still out on whether or not he'll use these cards or if I'll be making a bunch of 'more masculine' cards. LOL!!!

Here are the dies and impression plate I used:

Thanks for stopping by!
Karen