SCTL4 & Cut Cardstock Blog!

Woo hoo! I got some pictures taken so I have some new things to share. Here's my contribution of the Stamping Links To Love challenge for this week - it's a color challenge using Eggplant Envy, Perfect Plum, Regal Rose, Pink Pirouette and Kiwi Kiss (SCTL4). WOW - five colors, right (I threw in some shimmery as my neutral too!)? It's a great combo though and I had fun with it - I made a "non-traditional colors" winter card using the Chin Up Snowman from Firecracker Designs by Pamela. Isn't he sweet? I have wanted this image all year, but Pamela kept coming out with such great NEW sets each month, I'd end up snagging those for my DT set and not getting Mr. Cutie here. But finally, my last month before "retirement" I got him! *grins*.

I also used the sketch challenge from the CutCardstock Blog for this project - I think it worked great with the various colors in the challenge. Here is the sketch:

I really like this sketch! The background pattern has so many possibilities - you could even incorporate patterned paper or metallic cardstock squares (or stamped BG squares like I used). Cool! Go check out the blog for more cool info! And on a personal note - I have ordered from Cut Cardstock before and they have great paper, great prices and fast shipping! Don't be afraid to try them out if you are new to the company.

PS-Sorry about the photo, I didn't have ideal lighting and the pink looks kind of washed out and the eggplant looks too dark. Oh well, better pic next time! heehee.

Golfin' with Mojo44

Here's another card using stamps from DRS Designs. I used the MOJO44 sketch from Julee's Poetic Artistry blog - if you haven't checked out her sketchbook you should, she's got amazing ideas. I thought this sketch worked really well with this golf bag image I had gotten, so off I went!

I used the Tiny Bubbles Cuttlebug folder on the bottom white panel, and made an extra piece to punch the photo corners from. I colored the golf bag with Prismacolor pencils and Gamsol. I did the sentiment with a marker to omit the parts I didn't want and line it up to work in the circle. The colors are Night of Navy and Garden Green. The grass panel is just patterned paper from the LSS.

Finally Friday Favorites - 08/29/08

Woo hoo!!! It's FINALLY FRIDAY people. :D Here's your weekly dose of weekend inspiration, courtesy of the worldwide community of stampin' bloggers. As always, my Top 10 choices, in no particular order...

• Pocket Envelope Card by Theresa. It's a gorgeous creation, AND she has a tutorial!
• One of a Kind Birthday Card by Rachel Capps. Beautiful! Love all the pearls and the dimension on this one.
• Snoozin' Sunday card by Alex. I love the layout, the colors, the image...it comes together just perfectly.
• A Western Hello by Laurie. Love the colors and all the distressed stuff!
• Halloween Riley by Paula Bloom. Great colors, fun layout, CUTE bats!
• Willow Lake by Michelle Zindorf. Wow! As always, an amazing scene from Michelle. I love her tutorials, she's amazing.
• Monster Squad by Carolyn King. Halloween cards are among my favorite! There are so many great images out there and these are no exception. Great layout and adorable extras on this one.
• Gift Tag by Sharon Johnson. Beautiful fall colors, lovely layers to highlight the main image - a fabulous project!
• Eastern Blooms Card by Pat. Wow - great colors here too and I love what she did with the partial circle and the ribbon!
• Deb Neerman's Tree. OMG! How cool is this, and how LONG must it have taken to punch and then attach those little leaves?! Wow! Love it.

There you go! Happy Labor Day weekend!

Tutorial Thursday - 08/28/08

Good stuff! Just links today...

• Paper Rosebud from Valita.
• Black and White photo editing in PSE by Heidi Brand.
• Using fonts for "other" things by Ally.

Tipster Tuesday - 08/26/08

Tips for today!

• All About Rub-ons from the CPS Blog.
• Multi-Step Stampin' by Keri Lee Serika.
• Clean up clear blocks from the AMuse Blog.

A LONG Overdue Thank You Post

I have some blog candy "thank you"s and photos to share with the world - and I am ashamed to say these are from late June/early July. They ended up getting caught in the Category 5 Hurricane of our household move and I never got them photogrpahed and posted. So, sorry for the lateness and a HUGE thank you to everyone for the candy RAKs and prizes. *MWAH* to each of you!

This one is from Lorraine Rowe. She had a "guess where I CASE'd this card from in the SU catty" contest and I won her candy. Can you BELIEVE the amazing generosity?!?! Three unmounted SU stamp sets. Don't worry, they have found a loving home, heeheehee. She also sent me this beautiful card:

This next one is from Deb Neerman. I got four new stamps from Diva Impressions - NICE! Can't wait to ink 'em up now that they are found again (I did a little stamp area cleaning and moving around over the weekend - just a little, but look at the fabulous finds, LOL. Imagine when it's all finished....).

Lastly, I got these great clear stamps from Page Plans. I won one of their weekly sketch contests (Page Plans 5), and this was my prize. Wow!! As soon as I have time again I'll be back to doing their weekly sketch challenges - if you haven't visited them yet, check it out! Chris & Lesli are super talented.

Blog Candy Alert!

Check out the candy that The Stamping Queen is giving away this month...SUPER cute stamps and open worldwide!

JLO Games - BIG Prizes!!

JessicaLynnOriginal is having a big contest! Here are the details, and you can visit the Store Website to learn more and to check the standings. If you sign up, please tell them Jennifer Greco sent you!

JLO Games - Sign Up Today
The Games run from August 23rd - September 28th.

JessicaLynnOriginal is hosting our own version of the Olympic Games to earn Gift Certificates. The Gift Certificates can be used for anything in our store and they are also transferable. So if you wanted to give any or all of it away as a gift that can be done for no cost. There will be other prizes such as: coupons, free stamps, custom stamps, and more!

PRIZES:

• Gold Metal Winner/1st Place - $75.00 Gift Certificate for JessicaLynnOriginal.com
• Silver Metal Winner/2nd Place - $35.00 Gift Certificate for JessicaLynnOriginal.com
• Bronze Metal Winner/3rd Place - $15.00 Gift Certificate for JessicaLynnOriginal.com

RULES: Each point achievement has its own set of requirements. Design Team members are eligible to be part of this contest. We will have an Olympic page that you want watch the “status” on the points. We will update the points totals as often as we can. Post this information your blog and encourage stampers to add your name to help to earn GOLD!!

Earning Olympic “Points” or Achievements:

• For each person that you refer to sign up for the JessicaLynnOriginal mailing list, you get 1 point. The email must be an active email to qualify.
  REQUIREMENT: They would need to include your first & last name in the Referral Code box.
• Create a card using JessicaLynnOriginal stamps and post it on: your blog, Splitcoast Stampers, and/or Stamp Shack. 1 point for each posting location {maximum of 3 points per card} REQUIREMENT: To earn the point(s) you must include "stamp from JessicaLynnOriginal.com" in the details of your card. You will earn 1 point for each location. Just email me with the link to the card so we can verify that it is listed.
• Each order from JessicaLynnOriginal's online store will earn you 3 points! REQUIREMENT: If you have a friend order on your behalf that is just fine. They would need to include your name in the comments section when they submit the order. Your orders count for three points too!!
• If you are a member of the JessicaLynnOriginal Stamp Club. As long as your account is active you have the points on your account, you will get 2 points.
• If you register during early registration you earn a point too! (early registration is good until midnight on September1st)

If you would like to sign up for the JLO games, send Jessica Lynn an e-mail with the following information:

• SUBJECT: JLO GAMES
• Name
• E-mail address
• City and State

A Mojo Note

For once, the note isn't telling you that my mojo is MIA! Nope, it's a "Just a Note" card featuring another one from the Queen of Sketches - Julee Tilman's Mojo49. And just for fun, because it didn't seem "done" when I was done (where oh where is my Allegro Cuttlebug folder, that's what I'd like to know), I added the line of clear rhinestones 'specially for Zarna and her Bling It On! Challenge over on Stamping Links to Love - have you gotten your bling on yet? You have until Thursday, August 28th to play, you can bet I'll have more cards for this challenge before it's over.

All stamps are from the Prickley Pear Rubber Stamps latest release. Aren't they fantabulous? Check back next week for some cards using images from the birds sheet (LOVE these), plus some from the prior release - think flowers and Harleys (not, you know, TOGETHER though, LOL).

What I used to make it: Stamps from Prickley Pear Rubber Stamps. Paper: Night of Navy and Kiwi Kiss cardstock, GP 110# white, So Saffron prints DSP. Ink: Old Olive (no Kiwi Kiss available), Night of Navy classic inks. Other: Cuttlebug, Nestabilities long rectangle dies, SU scallop circle punch, 1-1/2" and 1-3/8" circle punches, sponges, Navy Glaze Pen, Hero Arts rhinestone line, tons of dimensionals.

Belli Challenge #30

I know I say this every week, but -- Wednesday already?! We've been busy the last few weeks so I guess time feels like it is going extra fast. Well, Wednesday, you know what that means; time for the Belli Challenge! Belli is short for embellishment, and each week we are given a new challenge to using up that stash! If you play along, add "CBC30" to your keywords at Splitcoast and link to Chris's blog post for a chance to win!

We are at Challenge #30, and this week calls for using COASTERS on your project. Mine is a page from a coaster book that our current design team made as a gift for Pamela {of Firecracker Designs by Pamela}, masterminded by Brenda. We each made a page, she made them into a book and sent them off. I hope she liked it!!

Check out the blogs of the other Belli Challenge Girls for more great coaster ideas! Holly, Rochelle, Lorie, Shelly, Chris, Christi, Ceal, Debby, and Danita.

What I used: All stamps from Firecracker Designs by Pamela, Soft Sky and GP 110# white cardstock, Copic markers, glitter, dimensionals, Versamark and Palette Noir ink, toothpick, paper snips.

Lilac City Designs - It's Your Day

Another card using my newest Lilac City Designs stamp set - It's Your Day!! Have you SEEN what Kelli's been up to with her kids designs? They're just adorable.

Really really easy card - in fact the lack of "extras" is almost embarrassing!! But I made this about 2 weeks ago before I even dug out *any* embellishments from the boxes, so it's just patterned paper, cardstock, markers and glitter. I don't think I've gone that "old school" in years! She turned out cute though, so here she is! I used Copics for the coloring and I paper pierced her shirt.

Hope everyone had a great weekend! DH got my temporary stamping area cleared out and tables set up, so hopefully I can have a little more mojo flowing since I have a space I can actually work in! Wish me luck!

Finally Friday Favorites - 08/15/08

You are about to hear the 5:00 whistle!! It's FRIDAY people, the weekend is finally here! I have scoured my Google Reader for some fabulous inspiration to share with you, and here it is - this week's Finally Friday Favorites!

• Sesame Street Scallops Card by Danita. Seriously, this could not be cuter or more creative. LOVE it!
• Happy Birthday Princess from Julia. So sweet! Love the flowers. I need a little girl's birthday party so I can make one like this!
• Halloween Silhouettes by Linsey. Spooky! The shadow is fabulous. You can see more from Linsey on her personal blog.
• Be the Change from Mandy. Beautiful card, such lovely color choices and I am wild for all the bling!
• AVS10 Card by Heather. She made ALL 12 cards in like 1 day. I am in awe. This one is my favorite.
• Dutch Dare #10 from Jennifer. This is SO cute, I love all the colors she used and her coloring is perfect as always.
• Cupcake Card by Susan Liles. Love the color combo and I need those stamps.
• Summer on the Patio by Susan. Gorgeous! Look at all the details! I need these stamps too.
• Neighborly Thank You from Lynn. What an amazing project. I wish she was my neighbor. ;)
• Cupcakes Grow On Trees by Tammy. Too cute! Love the colors and all the embossing. Plus it's just clever & fun.

Have a great weekend! We have the most *precious* of all things happening tonight...a BABYSITTER! So we're steppin' out with some friends - ya-hoo!

Get Your Game Face On

Are you ready for some football? We are! And very interested to see how our new boy Mr. Rodgers will fill those shoes of his legendary predecessor. So here's a little something to set the mood - this card uses the Football Fan stamp set from Firecracker Designs by Pamela and the MOJO48 sketch, which I thought was a fun one.

The colors are of course Green & Gold (that's Garden Green and Summer Sun) with some Black and White thrown in. The scallop border was done with my new SU scallop border punch, the circles with Nestabilitites and I even got to use one of my new Cuttlebug embossing folders, Houndstooth.

Game on!

Scallops and Beer - CBC29 MOJO43

Wednesday again and time for the Belli Challenge! This week's Belli Challenge {CBC29} is SCALLOPS! Here is my contribution. Stamps from DRS Designs. The colors are Summer Sun, White, Not Quite Navy and Bashful Blue. The ovals are the largest of my Nestabilities dies, and the straight scallop border was done with my small corner rounder from EK Success.

Colored the beer and did the highlight with Copic markers. Frost Lace stickles make up the foam. I did the sentiment with markers to pick out the words I wanted and line them up {you may recognize that as the golf sentiment - the whole thing reads "It takes a lot of balls to golf the way you do"}. Hard to tell with the lighting but I stamped the "It's Five-O'clock Somewhere" sentiment all over the Summer Sun layer and sponged the edges. This card uses Julee Tilman's MOJO43 sketch layout.

Here's a close up of the foam -

Check out the blogs of the other Belli Challenge Girls for more scalloped inspiration! Holly, Rochelle, Laurie, Shelly, Chris, Christi, Ceal and Danita.

CASEing Myself

Here's a funny story. I made a card for Belinda, the owner & designer of Clear Artistic Stamps, as a thank you for having me be a Guest Designer for her. I really liked how it turned out, so when I was creating cards for round #2 of the DRS Designs design team call, I CASE'd the card I made for Belinda using some of the DRS stamps I received. {Obviously I did NOT manage to make the team, LOL, but since I was really pleased with all my submission cards, I'm posting them. Only a couple left, then I've gotta get stamping again so I have some fresh stuff to share!}. The colors are Pretty in Pink, Regal Rose, Apricot and White.


Can you believe I am getting sick again? The joys of a painfully swollen throat are again mine. We'll see what the doctors come up with this time around, let me just say the next person to tell me it's a "virus that just has to run its course" is gonna get a snootful of something unpleasant. So I'm off to rest awhile before facing that. Wish me luck!

Butterfly Postage Stamps

Sorry I missed the Friday Favorites yesterday. We had a busy day, and then my new neighbor Laura invited me over to stamp with her last night. Fun but exhausting! :-) I should be able to post them a bit later.

I used Color Combination #172 from Splitcoast Stampers for this card {CC172}. Taken With Teal, Wild Wasabi and White - I think I actually made it when it was current or pretty close so that tells you how long it's been sitting waiting for it's day in the spotlight! I decided to do a white base since I think too much togetherness of the other colors would be a bit too...much. The images are from DRS Designs. The postage stamp borders are a Cuttlebug die set, as is the embossed background. I colored the images with Glaze Gel pens - see the shiny finish in the close-up photo? After I colored them in, I sponged on some ink in the corresponding frame color.

Margarita Time

Margaritas are for ALL occasions, even "thank you" cards! This card features a large margarita stamp from DRS Designs. I colored the image with Copic markers and added a layer of Clear gel pen over the top to make it shiny. The "salt" is chunky glitter I got at the LSS. The drink marker embellishment is from the stationary section of Target {I think} and the other embellishments are from a little button assortment I got at Archiver's.

The colors are Celery, Wasabi and Coral. Put on your sunglasses!

Tutorial Thursday - 08/07/08

A great link for today with a gorgeous card from Mel, featuring bellyband-elope and Pastels & Blender pen coloring.

SC187 - More Snowman Hugs

Here's another card using Hug a Snowman images from Lilac City Designs. This little girl is just so adorable!

This uses this week's sketch challenge from Splitcoast - SC187. I stamped the image in Palette Noir and colored with Copic markers (did the image highlight with Copic markers too). I added a layer of glitter for the snow underneath. The background paper is a shiny, flocked paper (too bad I covered so much of it up with layers!). I ran the lighter blue panel through the Swiss Dots Cuttlebug folder and then cut it apart for the layers (this color is the lighter blue from the '08 In Colors but I forget the name at the moment). Here is the sketch:

I meant to stamp a sentiment on the Not Quite Navy panel underneath and emboss it with white EP but I forgot. Maybe I'll go back and do that still - this stamp set has really cute and fun sentiments.

Have a great day!

Tipster Tuesday - 08/05/08

Using border punches - a good thing to remember from The Paper Garden.

Hug a Snowman - CTD4

Here's one of the cards I made at Scrapmania on Saturday night. It was SO much fun to get out, have some girl time, AND get some stampin' done. These images are from the upcoming Lilac City Designs winter set - Hug a Snowman. It was available for preorder last month and is now back in the vault until fall. So start your wish list, because when it is available again I know it is going to be very popular!

I finally got to play with this past week's Color Throwdown combination too -

I stamped the main image in Palette Noir on GP 110# white and colored it with Stampin' Up! markers (um, why is the Almost Amethyst marker so dark???) The snowman's scarf is in Lovely Lilac and Old Olive to give a little contrast with the little girl's outfit, and then flocked his snowman body using Doodlebug white flock - he's cute AND fuzzy (thanks Heather!).

Jilted! AFSS28 Challenge Card

I was so excited when I saw Allison's Suggestive Sunday challenge for this past week. AFSS28 - Jilted!! Hahahaha, I knew I had to find some time to make a card.

There is hardly any stamping on this. I stamped the BG pattern on the red piece with a retired Angel Company background stamp. The dress is a photo I found through Google Images and I made the sentiment on the computer. It's kind of a quick-n-dirty card since I was racing the nap clock yesterday but at least I got to make something! {Also, the printer is almost out of ink so it did not print very well. *sigh*}.

Sometimes Blogger doesn't have the "click the photo to see an enormous version" option when I post my posts, so in case it's too small to be legible, the text reads "For sale: Wedding dress, size 8. Worn once by mistake."

I am off to Scrapmania in a couple of hours with Heather for a stampin' good time/girl's night; so I gotta finish some stuff around here, clean myself up, get my stupf packed up and head out. Happy Saturday night - I'll see you tomorrow!

Finally Friday Favorites - 08/01/08

The Friday Favorites are back in town now that I've had some time to catch up on my surfin'! Yay! Kick off the weekend in style with some great papercrafting inspiration.

• Inspired Giraffe from Tosh. This is SO STINKIN' cute I can hardly stand it! And all the detail - fabulous.
• Butterfly Card by Laura. Just beautiful - such soft colors, love the layout.
• The Sweetest Thing from Emily. What a great idea!!
• Challenge Card by Libby. A new blog find for me, don't know how I missed her before! Some really fun projects here, and this card is eye-catchingly gorgeous!
• Just Add Water LO from Jeani. I love this LO! Great colors, paper, layout {yeah...the layout of the LO...} and adorable kids!
• A Bushel of Berries by Linsey. How creative is this? I could eat them up!
• Challenge Card from Kisa. Everything Kisa makes is perfect. Go see!
• Garden Collage Card by Heather. Love the graduated pearls, the rich colors, the layout - pretty!
• Hibiscus Card from {a different} Heather. She rocked the coloring, love the layers - this is amazing!
• High Hopes Scene from Michelle. All I can say is WOW. Thanks Allison for pointing this one out, because WOW.

There they are, this week's Top 10 Finally Friday Favorites! Have a stampy weekend!

New Michael's Coupon

Here's a coupon for Michael's - 20% off your entire regular priced purchase. Good through September 30th -- plenty of time for savings!