Birthday Kite Bear

Have I mentioned how much I love the bears over at I Brake for Stamps? This Kite Bear is no exception, and he is perfect for birthday cards for little boys! I found some blue and green argyle paper and colored the bear and the kite to match, and then used the birthday sentiment from Every Day Phrases to complete this card.

If you like bears as much as I do, head on over to I Brake for Stamps and pick up all these adorable Rick St. Dennis Bears. Use coupon code SAVE10HOLLY to save 10% off your order after you get the bears in your shopping cart. :-)


Stamps: Kite Bear, Every Day Phrases
Ink: Tuxedo Black Memento
CS: Not Quite Navy, White, Marjolaine dp(Basic Grey)
Other: Copic Markers
Technique: Out of the Box

Cardabilities Sketch #24

Are you ready for another Cardabilities sketch? Here we go with sketch #24:

You'll find this hard to believe, but I have absolutely NO stamping on this card! Check it out:

See? No stamping! I've used some Bo Bunny paper (Crazy Love) and some die cut hearts and punched leaves along with a crochet flower and button and rhinestones. It felt weird not to have something stamped on there, but where would I put it?? I think this is a pretty complete package, no stamping needed.

Check out what the other DT gals have created with this sketch over on the Cardabilities blog, and then whip out your own supplies and play along with us. It's a perfect time to get some Valentine's cards done (hint hint!).

Blog Hop WINNER!!!!

As promised, we have a winner for the March of the Snowmen blog hop. This winner will get her choice of any 5 digis from the Heart Song Designs store. Random.hubby picked:

Amy said...
What a cute duo of cards! I love all the snow glitter on the second card!

January 26, 2011 7:57 AM

Congratulations, Amy!!!! I will email you with the details to claim your free digis.

Thanks to all of you for your sweet comments and for hopping along with us in our March of the Snowmen hop. Here's hoping we will put together another Snowman hop next year! :-)

Wanna win FREE stuff?

I've got several give-aways to tell you about tonight, so make sure you check all of them out for a chance to win each of these fun prizes.

#1 - I'm giving away 5 free digis (your choice) from Heart Song Designs on THIS post. Make sure you leave your comment on THIS post before Thursday evening. I will be picking the winner around 6 or 7, so don't delay.

#2 - Also in the same post, make sure you hop through all the blogs. More than half of the ladies are giving away blog candy, and you don't want to miss out! Scroll down to the bottom of THIS post to see the list of blogs in the blog hop.

#3 - Creative Inspirations Paint has a special Blog Truffle to give away. Truffles are better than candy, and this Blog Truffle is 5 jars of shimmery paint. You definitely want to win this - these paints are awesome! Just follow the directions HERE for your chance to win.


#4:

There is a special "Group Hop" going on over in the Crafter's Digital Art Center (CDAC) on January 28 - 30. Heart Song Designs is one of the groups participating, and you can win all kinds of free digis from all the various companies in the hop.

If you are not a member of the CDAC, you should go ahead and join tonight so you are ready for the hop on Friday. THIS is the link to join the Heart Song Designs group on the CDAC. We'll be sharing lots of fun artwork in this group in the weeks to come, so you really should join even if you don't go through the hop.

Pshew.... I think that's it for tonight. Remember to check back with me tomorrow evening to find out who the winner of the 5 FREE digis will be!

Cardabilities Sketch #23

Today marks the last special birthday celebration sketch from Cardabilities. I've had a great time playing along with all the birthday sketches as well as the regular monthly sketches this January. Please check out the Cardabilities blog to see who the special sponsor is today. You could win a fabulous prize for playing along with today's sketch.

Want to see what the sketch looks like? Here we go - Sketch #23:

I went with a masculine, distressed approach for this sketch. The papers from Cosmo Cricket's Wanted line were a good starting point, but I wanted to mess them up a bit more. I stamped Holly's Tattered Background from I Brake for Stamps onto the patterned paper, and then I used the Distressed Papers technique to age it even further.

The cute little cowboy is from Cosmo Cricket's Wanted chipboard sheet as well as the little leaf medallion. I found this cool barbed wire twill at a LSS last year and I just had to use it with this cowboy card.

This may be the last birthday sketch from Cardabilities, but we will still have our regular sketches on the 15th and 30th of every month (except Feb which will be on the 14th and 28th). So come on back here on Sunday to see what I've created for the next yummy sketch! I'll give you a little hint - there's no stamping on this next card!!! :-)

Stamps: Holly's Tattered Background from I Brake for Stamps (use code SAVE10HOLLY to save 10% off your order)
Ink: Vintage Photo distress
CS: Black, Cosmo Cricket Wanted
Other: Cosmo Cricket Wanted chipboard sheet, distress tool, sandpaper, ribbon (Creative Imaginations)
Techniques: Distressed Papers, Worn Wallpaper (Technique Junkies)

March of the Snowmen Hop

Welcome to the March of the Snowmen blog hop! A group of us ladies are just having a fun little hop to showcase our snowmen creations. Along with the great eye candy today, there is a LOT of blog candy being given away!!! The complete list of links along the hop is listed at the end of this post. Be sure to hop to each blog and read the directions at the end of each post to have a chance to win some great blog candy. I am one of the blog candy stops, so keep on reading. :-)

The hop doesn't start til 9amEST/8amCST, but I am posting this early because I have to go to work. I live smack dab in the middle of Texas, so what better way to start my post than with a Cowboy Snowman?? LOL

Isn't that just too cute?? LOL I found this cowboy snowman stamp and the sentiment at a LSS. The snowman is from Deadbeat Designs and the sentiment is from jamnstamps. The rust card base is stamped with a woodgrain backgrounder from Cornish Heritage Farms (retired). I paper pieced his little bandana and I couldn't resist giving him a little lasso. Hee hee hee!


Now that you've seen the "masculine" snowman, how about a sweet, pink, sparkly snow-girl?

This adorable snowman is a digi image from Heart Song Designs - a brand new store that just opened up this month. Leah, the owner, has lots of digis ready for sale with more being added every week.

I colored this girly snowman with Copic markers and then added some Dazzling Diamonds glitter here and there. I also added some white Flower Soft to the fuzzy ends of the knit cap on her head.

Here is a close-up:

See how shimmery that chipboard heart is? I painted that with Tutu Pink Creative Inspirations Paint and then adhered a button to the corner after the paint dried. The heart was then adhered to a clear acrylic snowflake and placed in the corner of the card.

I hope you enjoyed my snowman creations today. Are you ready for some BLOG CANDY?? If you liked the pink, sparkly snow-girl, you have a chance to win her and 4 other digis from Heart Song Designs (5 free digis - your choice). I'm keeping this simple - just leave a comment on this post and I will pick a winner on Thursday.

After you leave your comment, please hop along to Jen Carter's blog. If you haven't seen the creations from the three ladies before me, please consult the list below and click their links. You don't want to miss what they have for you today.

Angella Crockett
Barb Foster
Deb Felts
Holly Brown --- YOU ARE HERE
Jen Carter
JenMarie Taylor
Joan Ervin
Julie Ranae
Kim Sears
Laurie Willison
Linda Lucas
Lynn Stevens
Pam Imholz
Patti Gilliam
Sue Pelletier
Stacy Rogers
Melisa Waldorf

Enjoy the March of the Snowmen blog hop! Thanks for visiting me today!

Sneak Peek - Mowlene

"When it is 105 degrees in the shade, I don't care what the neighbors say."

Isn't Mowlene a hoot???? ROFL! She is one of the new Humorous Seniors that I Brake for Stamps will have in the store very soon. This is a little sneaky peeky for you. You need to go to the I Brake for Stamps store and check out the rest of the Seniors. You're gonna love 'em!

I stamped Mowlene and colored her with Copic markers before cutting her out. I wanted to have some "grass" for her to mow, so I pulled out my Martha Stewart fringe scissors and just started cutting. I crimped some yellow paper and adhered it to the inside of this die cut window card so they look like mini blinds. The "stucco" look of the house comes from stamping Holly's Tattered Background on the card base - it is such a versatile background! I love it!!

Remember to use this coupon - SAVE10HOLLY - when you go shopping at I Brake for Stamps. You will save 10% off your entire order.

Stamps: Mowlene - available soon! & Holly's Tattered Background (I Brake for Stamps)
Ink: Aqua (Adirondack), Tuxedo Black Memento, Old Paper distress
CS: white, Garden Green
Die Cut: Four Pane Window A2 Card from Creative Cuts and More (see sidebar for coupon code!!)
Other: butterfly punch, crimper, Martha Stewart fringe scissors, silver pearls, Copic markers


Just a little reminder - come on back here on Tuesday, January 25, for the March of the Snowmen Blog Hop. We have a lot of great eye candy in store for you as well as some BLOG CANDY to give away!

Belli Challenge #109 - "P" & Cardabilities sketch #22

I'm doing a double post here combining the Belli Challenge with today's special Cardabilities birthday sketch, so there's lots of information ahead. To begin with, Cardabilities is celebrating their first birthday with a month of fun sketches. Here is sketch #22:

I love this sketch, and I combined this with today's Belli Challenge which is to use anything that begins with a P on your card or project. Since I am on the Creative Inspirations Paint Design Team, can you guess what my "P" embellishment is??? LOL

I used "paint" for my "P" embellishment on this card. You're probably wondering where the paint is. Hang on to your hats, folks. I used Royal Blue Creative Inspirations Paint everywhere you see blue. The butterflies, the scallop circle, the ribbon, the rhinestones, and even the blue mat in the background are all painted with Royal Blue paint. Here's a close-up so you can see the shimmer:

Isn't that gorgeous? I love the shimmer! By using the same paint on everything, I didn't have to worry about finding cardstock or embellishments to match.

Did you see the embossed butterflies on the white background? I used a Faux Embossing Folder technique from Technique Junkies on there. The sentiment is a digi image from Sweet N Sassy Stamps.

This sketch from Cardabilities was a lot of fun to play with. There is a special sponsor for this week's sketch, so head on over there to print out the sketch and enter your own creation for a chance to win a fabulous prize!

While you are travelling through blogland, be sure to stop by the Belli Challenge blog to see what the Belli Girls have created with things that begin with "P". You could do what I did and pull out your own paints and play along with us. Better yet, buy a few jars of shimmery paint from Creative Inspirations Paint and create a card using today's Cardabilities sketch and your new paints and enter your creation in our Belli Challenge! It's a great way to combine your challenges! :-)


Stamps: Everyday Miracles (digi image from Sweet N Sassy Stamps)
CS: white
Creative Inspirations Paint: Royal Blue
Other: rhinestones (Kaiser), Martha Stewart butterfly punches, circle dies, white ribbon (Offray)
Technique: Faux Embossing Folder (Technique Junkies)

Flap Fold Silhouette

The TLC Challenge on Splitcoaststampers this week is to create something with silhouettes. Well......... I only have a million silhouette stamps here, so of course I had to play with this challenge. LOL

I wanted to create one of the cards from the Fancy Folds and Motion CD (from Technique Junkies - you can order one by clicking on the button in my sidebar), and the Flap Fold card looked like the perfect one to combine with silhouettes. I pulled out the Stampinbak silhouettes that I bought from I Brake for Stamps and formulated a plan.

I picked the Floral Silhouette Bouquet and stamped it with blue ink onto some patterned paper. Then I stamped it again with Versamark onto a coordinating patterned paper and brushed it with some shimmmery blue chalk. Cutting the cardstock took longer than stamping and adhering this card together, so it was a nice quick project. And because I didn't add any embellishments, this card will be easy to mail! Gotta love that! :-) Now who should I mail this card to?? Any ideas??

By the way - use coupon code SAVE10HOLLY to save 10% off your order when you go shopping at I Brake for Stamps. Type in "silhouettes" in the search box and you will see some more gorgeous floral silhouettes from IBFS. Love em!

Stamps: Floral Silhouette Bouquet, Every Day Phrases - I Brake for Stamps
Ink: Marina Mist, Versamark
CS: Marina Mist, White, Annalee (Prima)
Other: shimmer chalk
Technique: TLC308 (SCS), Flap Fold card (Technique Junkies CD)

Lilac Butterfly

Are you ready for some spring weather?? I know I am. It is a wet, gray, dreary weekend here, and I needed some spring colors to brighten things up. I used a sketch from Verve to create this fun Lilac Butterfly card. It is sized to fit in a regular #10 envelope - quite a change from my normal A2 cards, huh?

The sentiment has the Wisped Frames technique around it, and I used the Marker Watercoloring technique on the butterfly. The techniques can be found at the Technique Junkies website and newsletters for subscribers. Both stamps are from I Brake for Stamps.

When you shop at I Brake for Stamps, be sure to use this code - SAVE10HOLLY - to save 10% off your order. This is where I bought the gorgeous collage stamps that I've been using and it's also where I got the fun new bears (Valentine bear, New Year's bear, Leprechaun bear, etc...). If you are having the same rainy dreary day like I've got, go shopping and find some fun new stamps to play with! :-)

Cardabilities Sketch #21

Today is the 15th of the month, which means a new Cardabilities sketch. Without further ado, here is sketch #21:

I had to put on my thinking cap for this card and I decided I wanted to use the mittens from Flourishes on this card. I knew I wanted to use some white Flower Soft on the edges of the mittens, and that wasn't going to show up very well on a white base, so I decided to stamp them on a dark blue patterned paper and then paper piece the mittens.

I went back over the string on the mittens with a white gel pen to help them pop out. I also wanted to help make the acrylic snowflake pop out, so I colored the back of it with some Winter Frost Creative Inspirations Paint. You can see the subtle shimmer of the snowflake - love those paints!

The acrylic snowflake, the button, and the Flower Soft on the mittens give this card some texture. The blue papers from Bo Bunny help to reinforce that frosty winter feel along with that shimmery paint on the acrylic snowflake. I hope you are all staying warm today! :-)

Why don't you play along with this Cardabilities sketch? Check out what the other design team gals have done with this sketch, and then pull out your supplies and see what you create.

Stamps: Flourishes (Warm Winter Wishes)
Ink: Fresh Snow (PTI), Night of Navy
CS: Night of Navy, White, Midnight Frost patterned paper(Bo Bunny)
Creative Inspirations Paint: Winter Frost
Other: acrylic snowflake (Heidi Swapp), button (PTI), crochet thread, punches (SU), Polar White Flower Soft, white gel pen
Technique: Paper Piecing

DT call for Heart Song Designs

Hey guys!  I just found out that my dear friend, Leah Cornelius, is opening her very own store called Heart Song Designs, and she has a DT call for her first design team.  Read all about it here and if you are interested in being on her design team, send in your application!  I am SO excited for Leah!!!!

I have known Leah for several years, long before I started my "career" on design teams.  Remember Cornish Heritage Farms?  Leah and I would play in the challenges there, and I noticed she would add little things to her cards and I couldn't figure out what stamps she used.  It turned out she had drawn little extras like birds or flowers to accent her cards, and I just loved them!  I kept telling her she should draw more often, and now look at her!!  She's opening her own store with her own designs!  How cool is that???

Congratulations, Miss Leah!!!  This is a wonderful new adventure for you!  :-)

Mark your calendars for March of the Snowmen Blog Hop!

Good morning! I just wanted to pop in and let y'all know that the March of the Snowmen blog hop will be on January 25th. This hop is comprised of several bloggers who just want to have a little fun and feature all different kinds of snowmen. Please join me here on Tuesday, January 25th, and hop on through to see all the great snowmen we will have on display.

Cardabilities Sketch #20

In January of last year, Cardabilities made its debut with sketches designed for cardmakers. We are celebrating Cardabilities's first birthday with lots of fun sketches and some great prizes to give away to some lucky participants.

Every Wednesday this month, there will be a new sketch on the Cardabilities blog. This is in addition to the regular sketches that we will have on the 15th and 30th of January (six sketches in all for this month!). All you have to do is make a card using the sketch as your inspiration and add your link to the appropriate list on the Cardabilities blog. For the second special birthday sketch this month, here is sketch #20:

I wanted to continue with the birthday theme, so I made this into a feminine, flowery, flirty birthday card. I started with some pink Bo Bunny paper and added a white glittery Prima flower. I accented the scallop strip with some tiny white pearls, and I used a flirty, fancy, scripty Happy Birthday stamp from Flourishes.

I hope you participate in the sketches this month, because you don't want to miss out on your chance to win the great prizes being given away. Come on back here every Wednesday this month to see what I've created with the special Cardabilities sketches for the big birthday bash! :-)

Stamps: Flourishes (Kid at Heart set)
Ink: Dark Chocolate (PTI), Antique Linen distress
CS: White, Olive, Bo Bunny Porcelain Dot paper
Other: pearls, Martha Stewart branch punch, Prima flower, scallop edge punch, sponge, Labels 1 dies, Swiss Dot embossing folder

Yellow Crocus

I have some exciting news to share with you today. This is my first post as a member of the Creative Inspirations Paints Design Team. I'm very excited to join these wonderfully creative ladies at Creative Inspirations Paints!

If you haven't seen Creative Inspirations Paints before, you need to check these out. These paints are wonderful, creamy, shimmery, and gorgeous. The colors are so vivid that a single brushstroke delivers plenty of color to cover your medium (cardstock, vellum, acetate, eggshells, etc....). And those of you who know me, know that I love all things shimmery and glittery. Is it any wonder I love these paints?? LOL

For my first post, I decided to use a January flower called the crocus. Since I'm not much of a gardener, I had to look up pictures of crocus to see what colors the different varieties can bloom in. There are several yellow ones, so I painted my crocus with the Sunshine CI paint. Don't you just love the shimmer of these paints?? Ahhhhhhhhh....... it makes me smile to see this pretty yellow shimmery flower.

You can't see the shimmery goodness?

How about now? LOL Isn't that shimmer awesome?? That yellow is straight out of the pot - I did not color underneath it with a Copic marker or anything. That yellow color is all paint.

Take a look at the white background of my card. See the embossed leaves on there? I used a cool technique from Technique Junkies called Faux Embossing Folder.

Want to see more inspiration using these paints? Check out the Creative Inspirations Paint blog and have fun drooling over all the fabulous projects the Design Team has posted. They post challenges each week, and I encourage you to play along. You could win some free paint!

Stamps: A Year of Flowers I (Flourishes)
Ink: Tuxedo Black Memento
Cardstock: White, Black
Creative Inspirations Paint: Sunshine
Other: Copic marker, ribbon (Michaels), oval punches (SU), frond punch (Martha Stewart)
Technique: Faux Embossing Folder

Belli Challenge #108 - Snow

After you read this post, please scroll down to the next post for today's Cardabilities birthday sketch and my card.

Today's Belli Challenge is all about SNOW. To some of you, this is a four letter word. LOL But since I live in Texas, where we rarely ever see snow, I love this challenge! LOL Not only did I stamp snowflakes on my card, but I also used an adorable snowman from Flourishes.

Isn't that just adorable? I started with this awesome Oval Window A2 Frame with Mat & Card Set from Creative Cuts and More. I stamped the snowflakes with white ink all over the dark blue frame and set that aside. While the snowflakes were drying, I stamped the snowman on the white mat and colored him with Copic markers. To accent the snowy areas, I used a glue pen and adhered some Dazzling Diamonds glitter. All I had to do after that was adhere the white mat to the dark blue card base, and then adhere the dark blue frame (with the snowflakes stamped on it) over the white mat.

Head on over to the Belli Challenge blog and see what the Belli Girls created for this challenge. I hope you will be inspired to create something with snow and join in our challenge.


Die Cut: Oval Window A2 Frame with Mat & Card Set
-- card & frame - Bazzill Canvas Typhoon cardstock
-- mat - white cardstock
--- use coupon code CC&M10Holly to save 10% off your order at Creative Cuts and More

Stamps: Warm Winter Wishes from Flourishes
Ink: Tuxedo Black Memento, Fresh Snow (PTI)
Other: copic markers, Dazzling Diamonds Glitter

Happy Birthday, Cardabilities!!!

In January of last year, Cardabilities made its debut with sketches designed for cardmakers. We are celebrating Cardabilities's first birthday with lots of fun sketches and some great prizes to give away to some lucky participants.

Every Wednesday this month, there will be a new sketch on the Cardabilities blog. This is in addition to the regular sketches that we will have on the 15th and 30th of January (six sketches in all for this month!). All you have to do is make a card using the sketch as your inspiration and add your link to the appropriate list on the Cardabilities blog. To start off our month-long celebration, here is sketch #19:

Here is my take on the sketch:

I found some pretty pink scalloped paper in a little packet from Making Memories, and it is just a wee bit longer than my card. I thought it fit with the sketch pretty well, so I used the pink color as my inspiration point. The carnations from I Brake for Stamps are watercolored with distress inks, and I added a pale hint of green to the white space around the carnations. After I adhered the colored carnations and the sentiment to the card, I used the Splatter technique from Technique Junkies all over the card. The last thing I added was the the three little pink flowers from Prima.

I hope you participate in the sketches this month, because you don't want to miss out on your chance to win the great prizes being given away. Come on back here every Wednesday this month to see what I've created with the special Cardabilities sketches for the big birthday bash! :-)

Stamps: January carnation & Every Day Phrases (I Brake for Stamps) - use coupon code SAVE10HOLLY to save 10% off your order
Ink:Versafine Onyx Black, Worn Lipstick, Bundled Sage, Spun Sugar, Old Paper
CS: watercolor paper, Black
Other: May Arts suede sage ribbon, prima flowers, aquapainter, Making Memories pink scallop paper

Happy New Year!!!!!!!!

Happy New Year, everyone! I'm looking forward to seeing what 2011 brings!

To start off this new year, I'm sharing this adorable New Year's Bear from I Brake for Stamps. He is colored with Copic markers, and I used the Wisped Frames technique from Technique Junkies. The papers are from Bo Bunny's Midnight Frost collection, and I added some pearls and some burgundy wrinkled ribbon (May Arts).

When you go shopping at the I Brake for Stamps store, use this coupon code - SAVE10HOLLY - to save 10% off your order. Enjoy this first weekend of 2011! Here's to a great year!