Sweet Sunday Sprinkles

It's time for this week's Sweet Sunday Sketch, SSSC51. You'll find the sketch on Karen Giron's blog The Sweetest Thing.

I didn't really do the overlapping thing with my images because I just couldn't bear to cover up any of these yummy looking donuts. I tell ya, I was seriously craving a chocolate glazed donut while I was colouring up these images. Even hubby came into my stamp room while I was working on this card and said the donuts look good enough to eat! LOL!!!

I pulled out my new Sprinkled with Love set from Taylored Expressions for this card. Don't you just love how the sentiment is designed to curve perfectly  over the donut?!? I stamped the images with Memento Tuxedo Black onto Choice Snow White and coloured them with copics. I iced the donuts with Espresso Dimensional Pearls (doesn't it look SO yummy and realistic!!!) then added some beads from my stash as sprinkles. The middle donut is also popped on foam tape to make it stand out even more.

I did things a little backwards (well, for me anyway) and did all my image work before choosing any papers. Luckily though my September 20th Key Ingredients are a pretty good match. I used my apron lace punch on a strip of Suede Brown Dark then did a little zig zag stitching for interest. At first I just had a strip of ribbon going across the card but it looked so plain...it was crying out for a little something so I whipped up a quick little bow with my Bow Easy and tied on a coordinating button.

Sheesh...I really must stop looking at this card...I'm craving another donut just from typing up this post (and I'm not even a donut fan)! You'll want to pop by the rest of the Sweet Sunday Stampers to see what they came up with for this week's sketch.
Jen Tapler
Lynn Put
Nancy Riley
Sarah-Jane Kale'
Vicki Burdick
and Karen Giron

Thanks for stopping by! Oh, and I apologize in advance if you're craving a chocolate glazed donut now too!  :)
Karen

Bellarific Bookworm

Happy Bellarific Friday!!! Isn't it fun to get back to Bellarific Friday Challenges after the holiday break!?! Did you play along this week? The theme was back to school...which doesn't really change my world because we don't have children.

I reached for Spencer the Bookworm from Stamping Bella for this card. I think this'll be a great card to send to one of my nephews for a job-well-done on a school project. Now I just have to get their parents to actually tell me when they have a project due! LOL!!! I used this week's Mojo sketch, Mojo120, for the layout.

I stamped Spencer with Memento Tuxedo Black onto Bella's Bestest Paper and chose a pile of bright and cheery copic markers to coordinate with the October Afternoon Night Lite patterned paper. I love love LOVE all the fun colours in this image!!! Of course, he's a boy so I couldn't, in good conscience, glitter him up, but I did add three coats of clear Glaze pen on the lenses of his glasses.

For the rest of the card I layered up a couple of the patterned papers, added some stitching, added dimension with two Cuttlebug folders, and a row of stars with my Martha Stewart star border punch. The sentiment was a perfect fit for the orange banner and I continued the star theme with a bigger star accent topped with a ruby red Bonbon.

Don't forget to pop over to Bloggabella to see all the back-to-school submissions and leave a comment while you're there...it could win you $10 Bella Bucks!!!

Thanks for stopping by!
Karen

Taylored Expressions Release Day-Cuppie Love Scenes

Today the Baker's Dozen is sharing Cuppie sweetness with the new Cuppie Love Scenes set. Think a romantic movie, the spaghetti scene from Lady and the Tramp, that sort of thing!!! Totally ADORABLE!!!  I used my Valentine Key Ingredients on my card again today...I just can't get enough of this Key Ingredients kit. All the new products are available at Taylored Expressions right now. And don't forget about the new free shipping policy for US orders of $75 or more...woo hoo!!!

Ok, on to my card. I decided to use the Cuppies on the couch image. I started by stamping the image with Memento Tuxedo Black onto Choice Buttercream, twice, then I stamped it again onto the flower pattern from my Valentine Key Ingredients. I paper pieced the couch then I cut out the Cuppies and adhered them onto the couch. Next I coloured the Cuppies and the rest of the image with copics but I paper pieced the cupcake liners. The image is cut out with rectangle Nestabilities. I added a little shimmer to the girl Cuppie's cherry with Stardust Stickles (included in the Valentine Key Ingredients) and made the hearts glossy with my clear Glaze pen.

This layout actually came about because I had the red scalloped piece already punched and I couldn't waste it. I've never based a design on a scrap before so I'm kinda proud of myself! And the sentiment was a perfect fit on the red scallop layer. I added a little red ric-rac to the base layer then coloured some chipboard (from the Valentine Key Ingredients). The heart gemstone is from the Valentine Add-on that's available at Taylored Expressions.

Tip: The chipboard arrow was too short for the heart so I just cut it in half. That way I could separate each half and make it fit the heart, and you would never have known if I didn't tell you.  :)

Let's go see what the rest of the Baker's Dozen has created with Cuppie Love Scenes and the Valentine Key Ingredients then you can go shopping! We have two fab stampers joining the hop today, Jeanie Witmer our guest designer, and Jamie  Pyles creator of the fabulous clay buttons and frames.
Alex Maldonado
Charmaine Ikach
Donna Baker
Jackie Pedro
Jamie Pyles
Jeanie Witmer
Jodi Collins
Karen Giron
Laurie Schmidlin
Melissa Sauls
Sankari Wegman
and Taylor VanBruggen

Thanks for stopping by!
Karen

Taylored Expressions Sneak Peek Day 2-Sprinkled with Love

Today the Baker's Dozen is sharing projects made with Sprinkled with Love, illustrated by Nancy McKinney. You can read the story of how this set came to be on Nancy's blog here.  This is a super sweet set that you'll reach for again and again because the images are just so fun, and perfect for plenty of card-making occasions! Sprinkled with Love will be available at Taylored Expressions on Thursday, January 7th from 8am PST. Oh, and hey, have you heard about the fabulous new shipping policy at Taylored Expressions? All orders over $75 qualify for free shipping within the US....Yipppeeeee!

I used the ice cream cone for my card today...really...who doesn't like ice cream!!! Even hubby gave this card two thumbs up because I coloured one of the scoops to look a little like Mint Chip (minus the chips)...his fave flavour. I used last week's Splitcoast sketch, SC261, for the layout.

I started by stamping the cone, sprinkles and sentiment with Memento Tuxedo Black onto Choice Buttercream then I cut them out with rectangle Nestabilities. I coloured the image with copics and popped the ice cream scoops on foam tape. I coated the sprinkles with my clear Glaze pen to make them shiny.

All the patterned papers and buttons are from my September 20th Key Ingredients. After all, the patterned paper is called Kitchen Spice, so what could be better for a food image! LOL! I stitched around the image and base panel then added a sprinkling (pun intended) of buttons. Confession...when I stitched the base panel my machine caught the point of the patterned paper and pulled it back into the stitch line, so the buttons are both functional (to cover up a boo boo) and pretty in this case!

Let's go see what the rest of the Baker's Dozen has cooked up with Sprinkled with Love. Oh, and Nancy (the illustrator) is playing along today too!
Alex Maldonado
Charmaine Ikach
Donna Baker
Jackie Pedro
Jodi Collins
Karen Giron
Laurie Schmidlin
Melissa Sauls
Nancy McKinney
Sankari Wegman
and Taylor VanBruggen

Tomorrow is release day at Taylored Expressions and we'll have another new set to share!

Thanks for stopping by!
Karen

Taylored Expressions Sneak Peek Day 1-Love Everywhere

It's time to show you new stuff from Taylored Expressions. Today the Baker's Dozen is sharing creations using Love Everywhere...a fun set full of bold, simple images that are perfect for quick stamping. We're also showcasing the Valentine Key Ingredients in our projects today. These new items will be available in the TE Store on Thursday, January 7th.

I made a card that's a little more involved to show you how simple, bold images can be jazzed up and taken to the next level, and I also created an easy chocolate treat that can be replicated for kids' Valentines, for friends, or even for a dinner party.

I'll start with the treat holder. It's sized to fit a scrumptious Ghirardelli chocolate. If you're gonna give just one of something, make it a good one, right?!?  First I wrapped the chocolate with one of the patterned papers from the Valentine Key Ingredients. Then I cut a 3" x 7.5" strip of Island Mist Dark, scored it at 2.75, 3, 6.25 and 6.5 and wrapped it around the chocolate. Then simply decorate it as desired. I inked the heart balloon with Memento Rhubarb Stalk and sage shadow, then added the sentiment with Memento Rich Cocoa. I added the little white dots along the scallop border to coordinate with the white dots on the button on my card.

Here's a close up of the button on my card. Isn't it the coolest!!! And look at the brown frame around my image...the pattern is embossed and it's all shimmery AND it coordinates with the oval Nestabilities I used to cut out my image...SWEET!!!

The clay button and frame are new products that'll debut at Taylored Expressions with this release on Thursday, January 7th and the buttons are designed to coordinate with the Valentine Key Ingredients. I used Memento Rich Cocoa and Rhubarb Stalk inks on the tree image and I popped the larger heart leaves for interest. I couldn't resist adding a little sparkle with Stardust Stickles (part of the Valentine Key Ingredients).

Did you read Taylor's blog yesterday or happen to stop by Taylored Expressions? If not, you'll have to pop by the TE Store to seen the fun new look. Read all the wonderful news in this post on Taylor's blog and be sure to welcome the newest members of the Baker's Dozen.

Now let's hop over to the other Baker's Dozen blogs to see what everyone created using Love Everywhere and the Valentine Key Ingredients.
Alex Maldonado
Charmaine Ikach
Dawn Easton
Donna Baker
Jackie Pedro
Jodi Collins
Karen Giron
Laurie Schmidlin
Melissa Sauls
Sankari Wegman
and Taylor VanBruggen

I'll be back tomorrow with another new set sneak peek!!!

Thanks for stopping by!
Karen

It's finally stopped snowing!

But when I made my card for today it had been snowing for two days straight! I tell ya, I was nearly ready to start building an arc on skis! LOL!!!

So I'm kicking off my first post of the year with a Christmas card for next holiday season! Woo hoo!!! I really enjoyed making a card-a-week last year and I'm going to continue that tradition again this year. You should join me! You won't believe how much stress it alleviates come December. I used last week's Mojo sketch, Mojo119, for the layout.


In light of all the snow I chose my Hat and Mitts image from Stamping Bella. I started by stamping the image with Memento Tuxedo Black onto Bella's Bestest Paper then I coloured it with copics. I added Glamour Dust glitter to the pompom and trim on the toque for a little sparkle. The image is cut out with circle Nestabilities and layered onto a scallop circle of Blush Red Light.

The patterned paper is from my Basic Grey Eskimo Kisses 6x6 pad and it's layered onto Suede Brown Medium. I stamped the sentiment onto Baby Blue Light before running it through my Swiss Dots Cuttlebug folder. This is by far my very fave Cuttlebug folder...I seem to be using it on everything lately! I added some olive grosgrain ribbon and one of my beloved ghost snowflakes, then topped them with platinum Glitter Dots. I want to give a shout out to my friend Leslie who sent me a slew of ghost snowflakes because she knows how much I {heart} them. It was perfect timing too because my stash was getting critically low! Thanks Leslie!!!  :)

Bellarific Friday challenges are back on and this week's theme is 'back to school'. You'll find all the details on Bloggabella. I hope you'll play along...back to school doesn't need to mean books...be creative...cosmos, lattes, the sort of thing that parents do to celebrate back to school! grin!!!

Thanks for stopping by!
Karen

Cheers to a Happy New Year!!!

Gosh, I've really taken a vacation from posting! It's been wonderful to spend time with family though. We were back in Canada with family over Christmas and managed to get in three days of skiing so that was a nice bonus! I can't say I love winter but it sure is much more fun if you embrace it and get involved in winter sports. On that note, we're off to the Winter Classic hockey game at Fenway on New Year's Day. I'm SO excited about that...gonna wear my warmest down parka.  :)

Tonight though I'm behaving like Winobella (and I'm dressed exactly like her...wink!) enjoying some fab wine with appies and dinner. I used Mercy's Tuesday Sketch, MTSC54, for the layout. I dug deep into my stash of Basic Grey 6x6 pads again for this card...these papers are from Lily Kate. It doesn't show in the photo but I added clear Glaze pen to the glasses and the bottle.

I have a funny story about this card. I was on the phone with Dana and it's been about a week since we last chatted. I said something about my Winobella image for the card I'm posting and she said she was also using Winobella. Then I told her I was using Mercy's sketch and she is too! Then she told me she was using purple and green, and I had purple and green out too, but then I switched the green to Kraft instead. We consulted on the border punches though so those shouldn't be the same. Weird, eh! Talk about being on the same wave length!!!! LOL! I can't wait to see how her card turns out!

Whatever you're doing tonight, have a safe and happy New Year and all the best in 2010!

Thanks for stopping by!
Karen

Sweet Sunday Balloon

It's time for this week's Sweet Sunday Sketch, SSSC50. You'll find the sketch on Karen Giron's blog, The Sweetest Thing.

I hope you had a wonderful holiday. It always seems to go by so quickly, but it sure is a lot of fun!!! Only 363 days til next Christmas...LOL!

I thought I'd move onto birthdays for today's sketch. The start of the year is always a big birthday time in my family so it's never too early to get going on cards. I have this card earmarked for my niece. I used the sweet My Balloon set from the Pure Innocence line at MFT. These little girls are soooooo adorable! I stamped her with Memento Tuxedo Black onto Choice Buttercream and coloured her with copics. I paper pieced her jumper though and added a little shine to the heart with my clear Glaze pen. The image is cut out with square Nestabilties. All the papers and ribbon are from my Spa Key Ingredients from Taylored Expressions.

I added a little piercing around the image to jazz it up and ran the blue cardstock through my Apron Lace punch before adhering it to the card. The base is 5.25 inches square. I tied the perfect little bow using my Bow Easy tool then just attached it with a glue dot.

I hope you'll play along with this week's sketch and link your creation to Karen's blog using the Mr. Linky tool. Now let's go see what the other Sweet Sunday Stampers created with this week's sketch.
Jen Tapler
Laura Fredrickson
Sarah-Jane Kale'
Vicki Burdick
and Karen Giron

Thanks for stopping by!
Karen

Quick Holiday Packaging

I have a quick packaging project to share with you today. I had some Peppermint Bark that I was giving to my chiropractor and her secretary and I wanted a cute package to put it in because they know I'm a crafty gal.

I started with clear pails that I picked up at Taylored Expressions then I quickly embellished them with patterned papers from my stash. I jazzed them up with my apron lace punch and added a couple layered of ribbon. Then I used my Bow Easy to tie the green bows and attached a button to each with linen thread. The paper decoration is about 1.75 inches high...I wanted to leave quite a bit of the pail uncovered so the yummy bark would show through.

For the top I punched a red circle with my Giga Marvy circle punch, then layered the patterned paper, punched with my Mega Marvy circle punch. I coloured the chipboard snowflake with a green copic before running it through my Sticker Maker to coat it with adhesive. Then I covered it with green glitter and tied on another button. Fun, quick and easy!!!

They loved the containers (and the contents) and best of all, they can reuse them for gifting another small item or a gift card.   :)

Wishing you a VERY happy holiday season!!!

Thanks for stopping by!
Karen

A Holiday Thank You

This past Saturday we attended our neighbourhood Christmas party and it was a ton of fun! I made this card as a thank you to the hosts for throwing such a fabulous party.

I have to tell you though, I was feeling a little pressure while creating this card, and here's why. While I was at the party on Saturday night I noticed that the thank you card I made them last year was on display on the kitchen window sill! Seriously!!! I can't tell you how pleased I was that she not only kept the card, but it's still on display after a year! Talk about being appreciated!!! So I knew I had to make this one just as good.  :)

I chose AddyTude Loves Her 'Tinis from Stamping Bella...seems like a fitting image for a party! The layout is Mercy's Sketch Challenge, MTSC43. For the card I started by stamping AddyTude with Memento Tuxedo Black onto Bella's Bestest Paper then I cut her out with circle Nestabilities. Everything is coloured with copics and I added a little yellow shimmer to the flower centers with my yellow Spica glitter pen. I wanted the martinis to have a red hue but not be completely opaque so I used my R11 copic to pick up colour from my R37, then I coloured the drinks with R11. This technique only deposits a little of the dark colour at a time. I really like the effect and it doesn't ruin your markers either! I added shine with my clear Glaze pen to her glasses, shoes and the drinks.

I had to dig deep into my stack of Basic Grey 6x6 pads to find this one, Stella Ruby. It's an old one but it's sooooo pretty! I ran the striped piece through my Swiss Dots Cuttlebug folder before stitching around it so it would have a little dimension, but I left the floral panels flat. I had a difficult time deciding on flower embellishments for this card, but once I landed on the ghost flower for the base I knew it needed a little sparkle so I outlined the edges with Fruit Punch Stickles. I tinted my linen thread with a R35 before tying it to the button. A length of ribbon and two Glitter Dots finish it nicely.

I can't wait to drop it in her mailbox!   :)

Thanks for stopping by!
Karen