Humblechan

Hello There!

2012-01-11T21:20:00.006-05:00

I know I'm a little late to say it, but Happy New Year! I wanted to stop in and say THANK YOU to those who supported the fundraising effort for Rolling Dog Farm. A total of $440.49 was raised, and I made the donation last night [I rounded it up to $450]. Thank you so very much -- I really appreciate it, and I know Rolling Dog is going to put that money to excellent use!
Over the course of the Firefox Challenge, I would visit the page for Rolling Dog to read the messages people left with their donations. It was especially moving to read messages that were left in tribute to pets who had passed on.
Here's the message I left:

I hope 2012 is off to a great start for you! I need to take a bit of a blog break, so I'll be back sometime next month. Thanks for stopping by today! :o)

Ribbon By the Yard, Boxes, Bags and Tags

2011-12-19T23:18:00.008-05:00

Hello, folks!
I just added two additional pages for the supply sale:
Ribbon By the Yard
Boxes, Bags and Tags
These two pages might stick around for a longer period of time. I will be finishing up supply listings in the next couple of hours. That won't be it for me, though, as far as trying to help Rolling Dog goes -- there are other non-blog ideas swimming around in this old noggin'...

Craft Supply Sale Update

2011-12-18T23:30:00.002-05:00

Hello there!
Thank you to those who have inquired about supplies! The place looks a little crazy right now because I'm going through practically everything, deciding on what I can let go of. Needless to say, it looks like the kits aren't going to happen, but I'm going to list some of the supplies that I planned to put IN the kits -- these include kraft paper bags, kraft pillow boxes, glassine bags, cute glassine envelopes, and some parcel tags. Really basic stuff, but things that are good to have around for crafty packaging projects. They will be priced per piece so that, if interested, you can get as many or as few as you need. I'm going to take pictures of these supplies tomorrow and will have them listed by tomorrow evening.

If you're not looking to purchase any supplies, please consider making a direct donation on Paul Rudd's fundraising page for Rolling Dog Farm -- any little bit helps!

Thanks for stopping by!

Craft Supplies for Sale!

2011-12-16T23:20:00.003-05:00

Hello, folks!
The Craft Supply Sale page is now up -- you can find the link over there in the sidebar! :o) Right now, most of the things on that page are things that were left over from the previous supply sale [most with lowered prices], but I'm working to get more stuff added as quickly as I can. Let me know if you're interested in anything -- you can find my e.mail address in the sidebar, too!

Rolling Dog Farm in the Firefox Challenge!

2011-12-15T21:13:00.003-05:00

Hello, folks!
I just read some really exciting news today! Rolling Dog Farm has been chosen to be one of the charities to participate in the $25,000 Firefox Challenge, which started yesterday on the Crowdrise site! Twelve celebrities are competing to raise the most money for the charity of their choice, and Paul Rudd chose Rolling Dog Farm because it was his late father's favourite charity. How amazing is this? I'm so thrilled for Rolling Dog and hope the extra exposure they're getting will bring in lots of new supporters! If Paul Rudd raises the most money, Rolling Dog Farm will win $25,000! That's incredible! Even if he doesn't win the challenge, Rolling Dog will still receive the money raised for them, which is fantastic, too!

The challenge ends on January 11, 2012. Here are a couple of links where you can find more information or make a donation:

Rolling Dog Farm's blog post about the challenge can be found HERE

Paul Rudd's fundraising page on the Crowdrise site can be found HERE

I'd really like to send in a nice chunk of change and am hoping I can involve some of you!
A couple of weeks ago, I mentioned that I had a fundraising project in the works for Rolling Dog Farm. My plan is to offer small gift packaging kits on the blog. The tricky part of this has been trying to figure out how to put a lot of stuff in the kits but still keep the postage somewhat reasonable [and still keep the kit price low]. I have no idea if anyone will be interested in buying them, but I guess I'll never know unless I try! I was also planning to do another craft supply sale in the spring as a "Spring Cleaning" sale to help Rolling Dog, but with this great opportunity, I'm bumping that sale up to tomorrow. I will start listing supplies tomorrow, continuing on into Saturday. The packaging kits will be listed on Saturday [or possibly Sunday, depending on when I can get decent kit pictures taken]. Getting all of the product links together for the supply sale will take quite a while, but I'll be typing my fingers to the bone over the next couple of days and hope you'll check back in to see what's for sale!

The Shiniest Card I've Made So Far

2011-12-10T17:32:00.009-05:00

Hello, folks!
I hope your weekend is off to a great start! I wanted to stop in to share this holiday card that I was able to contribute to the November/December 2011 issue of Paper Crafts. It was one of the online bonus projects, but something went amiss, and a lot of the online projects didn't make it onto the website. I wanted to share the card here because, well, I like how sparkly it is! So, without further ado, I present to you...the shiniest card I've made so far:

:o)
I had submitted this card to the "All That Glitters" category. When I made this, I thought, "They asked for sparkly...this thing is dang Sparkly." Ha! That awesome glitter paper is from a Martha Stewart Christmas paper pad. I love glittery products where the glitter doesn't come off and cause a sparkly mess!

Speaking of sparkly things, I recently got the new-ish [not really sure when it was released, but it's new to me!] Tsukineko ink, Delicata metallic pigment ink in Golden Glitz. I really like it! It dries nicely on regular paper/cardstock, and you don't have to heat-emboss or heat-set it [haven't tried it on coated papers, though]. To tell you the truth, I don't like using anything that requires heat-setting. It's such a blah step. Ha! While I like the look of heat-embossing, I rarely use it on projects -- I'm prone to sudden sneezes, so me and embossing powders are not buddies -- we're enemies. >:o|
If you haven't finished your holiday crafting yet, this ink pad might be something you'd like to try -- the shimmer is quite pretty and very holiday-crafts-friendly!

I tried to take a picture of the ink "in action", but it was difficult to get a good picture of the shimmer. This low-light [horrible] photo was the best I could get out of the bunch:

I haven't tried that many metallic ink pads, so I can't really offer a comparison between different brands. I'm happy with the shimmer that this ink offers, though, so I likely won't be shopping for another gold ink pad anytime soon! That fun stamp is from the A Very Jolly Holiday set from Green Grass Stamps!

Thanks for stopping by and spending a bit of time here today! :o)

Card Creations: Get Inspired Thanks!

2011-12-10T17:07:00.002-05:00

Hello there!
A huge thank you to everybody who stopped by and left some kind words during the Card Creations: Get Inspired blog hop! I appreciate you guys very much! Once again, I'm late to announce the winner of the magazine, and I'm so sorry about that! Seriously, I don't know what my deal is. I'm slow as molasses, I say. The winner is Renee [Dec. 3rd, 9:52 AM]! Congratulations, Renee!! I'll be sending you an e.mail in a little bit. :o)

Did you submit any cards to the Card Creations 10 call? I spent much of last weekend getting the rest of my submissions crafted and frantically tried to get the actual submitting done on Monday. Again, I don't know what my deal is -- I always leave the actual submitting to the day they're due [usually just a few hours before the deadline], which I really don't recommend! When I get frantic, I make a LOT of typos. I do foolish things like spell my name CHam VOug. Ah ha ha!

Do you stand or sit while crafting? I usually stand because I feel like I get a better angle/view of the card so that I can line things up a little easier. Since I spent so much time crafting last weekend, that also meant that I spent a lot of time standing. I actually jacked up my ankles standing and crafting so much. No jokes! Now, if that doesn't earn one the label of "Hardcore Crafter", I don't know what does. HA! ;o)

Paper Crafts Magazine Presents: Card Creations: Get Inspired Blog Hop

2011-12-02T06:00:00.005-05:00

Hello, folks!
Today I'm very happy to be part of a fun Paper Crafts blog hop in celebration of the new special issue, Card Creations: Get Inspired!

Image courtesy of Paper Crafts magazine

A bunch of us were asked to create cards using something from our homes as inspiration. How fun is that? I immediately found inspiration in this...

...vintage bunny cup! :o) This little guy is one of my favourite vintage items -- he sits on our desk and always makes me smile! How could he not? :o) Here's the card that he inspired me to make...

:o)
He's supposed to be jumping for joy -- ah hee hee!
I was inspired by the bunny himself [of course!], his blue clothes, the yellow and the raspberry colours!
The stamps I used are from Starving Artistamps. To give the bunny a little more dimension, I trimmed around the upper body and lower body separately -- I attached the lower body with one layer of dimensional adhesive, and I attached the upper body with two layers of dimensional adhesive. The frame around him was die-cut with a Spellbinders die. The picture doesn't really show it, but the cloud paper [which is from Reminisce] is shimmery -- fun stuff! :o)

I had a blast working on submissions for this issue! I love getting card ideas from objects that are completely unrelated to paper crafting -- inspiration really can be found anywhere!

For more card fun, check out the blogs of the other crafters on the hop:

Chan Vuong ----- you are here!
Kalyn Kepner
Kim Hughes
Carly Robertson
Kristin Tierney
Lorena Canto
Lynn Mangan
Sarah Moerman
Teri Anderson

If you'd like to order a copy of Card Creations: Get Inspired, click here! Comments are open on this post, so you can also leave a comment here for your chance to win a copy! You have until midnight MST on Sunday, December 4th to leave your comment [only one comment per person, please!], and I'll announce the winner on Tuesday! I have Comment Moderation turned on, so your comment will not appear right away. You can increase your chances of winning by commenting on the other blogs on the hop!

Also, be sure to comment on today's post over at the Paper Crafts Connection blog! They're giving away a Martha Stewart Craft Station!

Thanks for stopping by today, and have a craft-happy weekend!! :o)

Patti and Ways to Help Animals

2011-11-30T23:58:00.004-05:00

Hello there,
A few weeks ago, I mentioned the sad news about Patti. I have a shortcut button on my computer for Rolling Dog Farm's blog so that I can check in whenever I'm online. Steve from Rolling Dog does such a great job with their blog, that you really feel like you know the animals and their loveable personalities. I often find myself laughing out loud at the funny things they've done and weeping when one of the animals has passed on. After I read about Patti's illness and that she didn't have a lot of time left, I was actually afraid to check in on their blog because I didn't want to see the sad news that she had passed. I guess it may sound strange, but I just wanted to hang on to the idea that she was alive. Instead of checking in on their blog daily, I would visit every few days, and I would brace myself for the possibility of very sad news. When I visited last week, I read that Patti had passed away on November 20th. I still cry when I see her picture. She has really touched my heart, as well as many others, and she has taught me a lot with her ability to overcome such a sad beginning. I love you, Patti.

If you would like to make a donation to Rolling Dog Farm, you can visit their website here.
There is also a calendar for sale here called 'Travels with Ace', which includes a visit to Rolling Dog Farm for one of the months -- half of the proceeds will be donated to Rolling Dog as well. If you scroll down to the fourth picture on that page, you'll see Patti and Steve -- made me cry instantly.
I am brainstorming a fundraising project, and I hope to post more about that within the next couple of weeks.

I will also be doing some of my holiday shopping in the Best Friends Store and the World Wildlife Fund Gift Center, so I thought I would share the links here. There are a bunch of things that I would like to get for Humble from the Best Friends Store, including this storage cube for his toys, this catnip hedgehog, and this Wubba Wabbit toy. I think he might enjoy this thermal cat mat, too! For my dad, I'm planning to get this Top Panda apron and oven mitt from the World Wildlife Fund Gift Center. Selfishly, I would like to get myself a t-shirt from Best Friends and a tote bag from WWF. :o)
A symbolic adoption from World Wildlife Fund would be such a great gift idea, too -- what a meaningful gift [and lesson] that would be for a child especially.

I hope to share more ways to help soon!

A Humble Card :o)

2011-11-30T23:18:00.005-05:00

Hello, folks!
I wanted to share this extra-special-to-me card, which appeared in Paper Crafts' Holiday Cards & More issue...

This is my little guy! :D I couldn't resist including some of his toys in the picture there!
Seeing Humble's card in print is, by far, my happiest and proudest Paper Crafts Magazine achievement! :o)

Smile pain, most definitely! :D

Funny Owls Card

2011-11-30T23:07:00.005-05:00

Hello, folks!
A little late to share one of the projects I contributed to the September/October 2011 issue of Paper Crafts, but here it is! I present to you...Funny Owls Card:

Their red pearl clown noses just make me laugh. :o) When I was working on submissions for the September/October issue, I displayed this card and this Clown Costume Goodie Bag in our living room because they gave me the giggles -- and whenever I walked past them, I would hum the circus theme. Ah hee hee.

To make the red curtains on this card, I just folded a piece of scrap paper, drew a simple curtain shape, cut it out, unfolded it, and used it as a template. The background stamp is from Starving Artistamps, the funny owls are from Pink Cat Studio, and the sentiment is from Stampendous. What fun this card was to make! :D

Skipping Stones Design Sketch #104

2011-11-29T08:00:00.004-05:00

Hello, folks!
Today is my last post as one of Skipping Stones Design's guests for this month. My thanks to SSD for inviting me! And a big thank you to everybody who played along with this month's sketch challenges! I have really loved seeing everyone's creations and how the sketches were interpreted in such different ways! :o) It was such a great surprise to see that 8-year-old crafter Emma tried one of my sketches, too! You can see her awesome creation here along with her mom Michelle's fun card! It's so heartwarming to see cards made by kids, isn't it? :o)

For today's projects, we've used this sketch here [sketch #104]:

Here's the card I made using this sketch...

:o)
I used the Sassy Shoes stamp set -- again! This is actually my second attempt at the sketch. I was kind of giddy over the first card, so I wanted to take a chance on submitting it to the current Card Creations 10 call. I will be crossing all fingers and toes!

Click on over to Skipping Stones Design to see what everyone else has crafted! If you're interested in giving sketch #104 a shot, you can link up your project there as well -- you could win a stamp set of your choice!

Thanks for stopping by today! This week I'll be posting more than usual in an attempt to catch up on things that I've been meaning to post for a while. Hope you have a great week! :o)

Skipping Stones Design Sketch #103

2011-11-22T08:00:00.004-05:00

Hello, folks!
Today the Skipping Stones Design team and this month's guests are bringing you projects created using sketch #103:

Here's the card I made following this sketch...

:o)
I made this using the Sassy Shoes stamp set, patterned papers and a sticker from October Afternoon, and some simple colouring with Copic markers.

It may seem as though this card took some finicky measuring or the need to be really precise, but it was quite simple to put together! I pretty much look for ways to avoid a lot of measuring. Ha! Here's how I did it...

The card base is about 3.75" x 3.75". The largest square is about 2.5" x 2.5". I wanted to start with the two smaller pieces shown to make sure they would meet up at the bottom left corner of the larger square. I cut them both at about 1.25" wide and didn't worry about the length -- I actually wanted them to hang over the edges of the card base. After those two were adhered, I adhered the rest of the pieces. For the remaining pieces, I didn't even worry about cutting them at 1.25" wide -- I just used scraps that were all a bit larger. Actually, all of the pieces on this card were scraps -- I guess you could call this card design a "scrap-friendly" one. :o) The reason why I wanted the pieces to hang over the edges of the card base was so that I could trim off the excess on each side in one pass -- that made it easy to keep the edges of the pieces flush. Didn't have to think about measuring everything *exactly*, didn't have to worry about any pieces being "off". That's about it! :o)

Click on over to Skipping Stones Design to see what everyone else has crafted! If you're interested in giving sketch #103 a shot, you can link up your project there as well -- you could win a stamp set of your choice!

Thanks for stopping by today! :o)

Giveaway Winners!

2011-11-15T22:50:00.003-05:00

Hello, folks!
Here to announce the winners of my Skipping Stones Design stamp giveaway and Paper Crafts 365 Cards giveaway! The winner of the two SSD stamp sets is Becky Dunham, and the winner of the 365 Cards issue is Lynda! Congratulations, ladies!! :o) I'll be contacting you shortly for your mailing addresses!

Thank you again to everyone who left some kindness! You're very much appreciated! :o)

Skipping Stones Design Blog Hop and Sketch #102

2011-11-15T08:00:00.006-05:00

Hello there!
This is my second post today! Today I'm happy to be a part of Skipping Stones Design's blog hop for Sketch Challenge #102, with a spotlight on the featured stamp set of the month, Rustic Tiles. If you just came from the Skipping Stones Design blog, you're in the right place! If you happen to encounter any broken links along the hop, they've got the entire blog hop list there for you!

The sketch we've worked with for today's projects is sketch #102:

As I mentioned earlier, the featured stamp set this month is Rustic Tiles. I don't have that particular stamp set, so I chose to use the funny Bras Volume #1 stamp set for my card...

:o)
Ah hee hee! I'm not sure what else to say about a card with bras on it, except that it makes me laugh, and I hope it makes you laugh, too!
To separate the parts of the sentiment a little, I just added a couple of lines with thin black marker.

For more blog hoppin' fun, head on over to Wendy Price's blog next!

Remember, the entire blog hop list can be found over at Skipping Stones Design! And if you enter a card in this week's sketch challenge, you could win a stamp set of your choice! Woo-Hoo!!

Thanks for stopping by today! The winners from my SSD stamp giveaway and Paper Crafts 365 Cards giveaway will be announced this evening! :o)

Crazy Button Lady -- and My Thanks!

2011-11-15T01:32:00.006-05:00

Hello, folks!
When I first started my blog last year, I posted pictures of my modest [but very loved] button collection. Here's one of the pictures I posted back then:

:o)

Since then, my collection has gotten a bit...well...more extensive:

:D
Looking at this button collection just makes me giddy -- I'll often let out a "Woo-Hoo!" just looking at it [this cannot be helped]. Love!!
The first organizer filled up, and I had too many bags of buttons in different drawers, so I decided to get this storage unit by ArtBin. When I first got it, I thought I would organize the buttons by colour, but only some drawers are organized that way. I actually like organizing a lot of them by the different mixes I've gotten, by type or by the manufacturer. There are drawers for wooden buttons, flower-shaped buttons, colour mixes from BGM that I liked and didn't want to separate, pearly buttons, vintage-style buttons from Prima, Crate Paper buttons...there's also a drawer for retro-style buttons, including one of the wackiest buttons I own: a faux fur leopard print one! You can kind of see it there above the "u" in humblechan. :o)
You may notice that a few buttons from the first picture have made a reappearance in the second picture -- those are mainly vintage ones that I've been hoarding! I still use the organizer from the first picture -- it now holds more fun shaped buttons like the Humpty Dumpty button you see there, organized by theme.
ArtBin also offers dividers that you can get separately, so I got some of those, too, for the drawers that still have some room in 'em!

On another note, I wanted to say a humongous *thank you* to those who stopped by and left such kind comments over the past few days! I was so moved by everyone who mentioned Humble and animals in general, and I loved reading about your own four-legged pals!! I just want you guys to know that I really do appreciate your kindness. Thank you! While I can't always comment on everyone's blogs in return, that doesn't mean that I don't care. When I used to spend more time commenting on blogs, I would find myself spending 2 hours or more out of the day reading blogs and commenting, which is a little tougher for me to do these days. But I'm going to look back at the comments every now and then, visit your blogs and say hello! :o) I'm also thinking of having small giveaways on my blog a little more regularly, just to say thanks to those who visit and are so nice. And thanks to those who send me an e.mail once in a while! I'm always so surprised at the kindness shown to me when we haven't met or anything. I really do appreciate it! <3

Thanks for visiting today! :o)

Paper Crafts Magazine Presents: 365 Cards Blog Hop

2011-11-11T06:00:00.002-05:00

Hello, folks!
Today I'm very happy to be part of a fun Paper Crafts blog hop in celebration of the new special issue, 365 Cards!

Image courtesy of Paper Crafts magazine

I think, out of every issue that I've submitted to, I had the most fun with this one! I'm one of those that thinks the 'little things' in life are reason enough to celebrate, so I had a lot of fun learning about unusual holidays that I hadn't heard of before. My favourite holidays were, of course, the animal-related ones! I submitted several cat and dog-themed cards and was crossing all of my fingers and toes, hoping that a card would be picked for one of the animal-themed holidays. I am OVERJOYED that Hey, Pal! was selected for National Dog Day [August 26th], and Attitude is Everything was selected for Adopt a Cat Month [June]!! I love the write-ups for the holidays in the issue, and I'm honoured that my card was shown next to the message, "choose adoption and save a life." That really means a lot to me.
Yesterday, we celebrated the anniversary of Humble's adoption! :o) Adopting him was, and will always be, the best and most meaningful thing I've ever done. Ever! I made this card in honour of our special day...

:o)
There's no possible way I could narrow it down to a list of three! I mean, c'mon! ;o)
The patterned papers and journaling card I used here are from WRMK's Friends Furever collection, and the cute cat is from BasicGrey's Max & Whiskers collection!

I think you'll really enjoy this issue -- there is TONS of crafty goodness within its pages. And hopefully it'll inspire you to celebrate anything that makes you happy!

For more card fun, check out the blogs of the other crafters on the hop:

Chan Vuong ----- you are here!
Kalyn Kepner
Carly Robertson
Cristina Kowalczyk
Kelley Eubanks
Amber Daigre
Vanessa Menhorn
Windy Robinson
Laura Williams
Betsy Veldman
Teri Anderson
Julia Stainton

If you'd like to order a copy of 365 Cards, click here! Comments are open on this post, so you can also leave a comment here for your chance to win a copy! You have until midnight MST on Sunday, November 13th to leave your comment [only one comment per person, please!], and I'll announce the winner on Tuesday! I have Comment Moderation turned on, so your comment will not appear right away. You can increase your chances of winning by commenting on the other blogs on the hop!

Also, be sure to comment on today's post over at the Paper Crafts Connection blog! They're giving away some awesome prizes!

Thanks for stopping by today, and have a craft-happy weekend!! :o)

Skipping Stones Design Sketch #101 and SSD Stamp Giveaway

2011-11-08T08:00:00.003-05:00

Hello, folks!
Today the Skipping Stones Design team and this month's guests are bringing you projects created using sketch #101:

Here's the card I made following this sketch...

:o)
I made this using the super-cute Holiday Cats stamp set. The hat is a separate stamp, so you can use this cat image for any occasion!
All of the patterned papers I used are from October Afternoon -- I just love their stuff.

Click on over to Skipping Stones Design to see what everyone else has crafted! If you're interested in giving sketch #101 a shot, you can link up your project there as well -- you could win a stamp set of your choice!

I also have two SSD stamp sets to give away to one winner -- Holiday Cats and Christmas Song!

If you'd like a chance to win these stamp sets, you can leave a comment on this post. Comment moderation is on, so if you choose to leave a comment, it won't show up right away. This giveaway will be open until midnight EST on Monday, November 14th, and the winner will be announced on Tuesday the 15th!

Thanks for stopping by today! :o)

Skipping Stones Design Sketch #100

2011-11-01T08:00:00.000-04:00

Hello, folks!
Today I'm happy to announce that I'm joining the Skipping Stones Design team as one of the guests this month, and I'm also happy to have gotten the chance to provide the sketches for November! I hope you'll enjoy my wonky hand-drawn sketches. Eh heh heh! :o) My thanks to SSD for this fun opportunity, and thank you also to the SSD design team and this month's guests for using these sketches! I just think it's neat how some simple lines on a page can turn into an actual finished project...and it's fun to see how one sketch can be interpreted in very different ways!

Today we're sharing projects created using this sketch, which is sketch #100:

Here's the card I made following this sketch...

:o)
I made this using the cute and funny Dogs Volume #1 stamp set. I can't get enough of googly eyes, folks -- they add so much personality, and they just make me giggle. Ah hee hee! :D
All of the patterned papers I used are from October Afternoon.

Click on over to Skipping Stones Design to see what everyone else has crafted! If you're interested in giving sketch #100 a shot, you can link up your project there as well -- you could win a stamp set of your choice!

Next Tuesday, I'll be posting an SSD giveaway, so be sure to stop by then! Thanks for visiting today! :o)

A Couple of Cards and News

2011-10-31T01:32:00.009-04:00

Hello there,
I wanted to share a couple of cards I made last year that I hadn't posted before, and there is some news I wanted to share as well. Looking at these cards brings back such fond memories for me because I remember how much fun I had making them. :o) Here's a Halloween one...

:o)
I die-cut the monster and then loosely traced around him with pencil onto a piece of vellum to create his ghost costume. Vellum is great for making ghost characters!
Since it's Halloween, I also wanted to share this link to some Halloween Pet Safety Tips.

Towards the end of last week, another supply sale was completed, so I just finished making another donation to Rolling Dog Farm. The sale amount was $67, but I just rounded it up to $70. Thank you again to those who bought things from me.

Some incredibly sad news was posted on Rolling Dog Farm's blog here about a dog I love so much named Patti. She is such an inspiration to me that I have her picture on our desk. I mentioned her before in a post I wrote in the summer, where I had also mentioned this video about Rolling Dog. You'll see Patti in this video and hear some of her story. I had this hope and dream that one day, I would get to visit the farm and meet her and the other amazing animals there. I'm just so sad about the news. Tomorrow is a special occasion for us, so I'm going to make another donation to the farm then, for my little guy.

If I could give Patti a card, it would be this one. <3

Donation Update and Giveaway Results

2011-10-20T23:52:00.004-04:00

Hello, folks!
I'm stopping in to say a big thank you to those who bought things during my supply sale! Of the orders that have been completed to date, $245.00 was raised. I just sent a $250 donation to Rolling Dog Farm. Thank you so much, everybody! Last week, they welcomed this little guy and this little lady to the farm. :o) Precious, aren't they? And this post featuring Soba from earlier this month gave me the giggles, so I wanted to share the link -- what a smile! :o)
I'll have another supply sale in the spring in hopes of being able to send them another heftier donation like this. Thank you again!!

In other news, I'm only horribly late in drawing a winner for the Paper Crafts Holiday Cards & More giveaway! I am so sorry about that, folks! I've been quite preoccupied lately, and things seem to slip my mind a lot more often. The winner is...drum roll...Lin! Congratulations! I'll be sending you an e.mail for your snail mail address!

Thanks for stopping by today!

Lawn Fawn October Inspiration Week: My Cup of Tea!

2011-10-12T00:01:00.005-04:00

Hello, folks!
Today is the last day of projects for Lawn Fawn October inspiration week! We're featuring the My Cup of Tea stamp set today! Here's the card I made to share with you...

:o)
Lately, I've been making a bunch of things with this sort of 'puzzle' idea in mind -- I'm having a lot of fun just stamping and seeing how different stamp images can fit together! I'm also playing around with crafting with a looser style because I think I worry too much about making things straight a lot of the time!
For this card, I ended up using all of the stamps from the set except for 'tea-rific'. My first attempt at a project for today was a whole background stamped with the steam image from the set. I goofed it up by stamping other images over the background, making it look a little too busy, but the steam image does make for a neat-lookin' swirly background!

For more super-fun projects using the My Cup of Tea stamp set, check out the blogs of the other Fawny girls:

Chari
Julie
Latisha
Lea
Lynnette
Nichol
Teri
Tiffany

...and, of course, the Lawn Fawn blog!

Thanks for stopping by today! I hope you're having a crafty week so far! :o)

Lawn Fawn October Inspiration Week: Sally's ABCs!

2011-10-11T00:01:00.003-04:00

Hello, folks!
Today is the second day of projects for Lawn Fawn October inspiration week! We're featuring the Sally's ABCs stamp set, which is the latest addition to Lawn Fawn's awesome series of alphabet stamps! Here's the quick and easy project I made for today...

:o)
Stocking-shaped holiday gift tags! These were very simple to make [I used a Sizzix die] and would be great for mass-production. Even the personalization on each tag took very little time because the stamps are so easy to line up!

For more super-fun projects using the Sally's ABCs stamp set, check out the blogs of the other Fawny girls:

Chari
Julie
Latisha
Lea
Lynnette
Nichol
Teri
Tiffany

...and, of course, the Lawn Fawn blog!

Thanks for stopping by today!! :o)

Lawn Fawn October Inspiration Week: Winter Fox!

2011-10-10T00:01:00.004-04:00

Hello, folks!
Today is the first day of projects for Lawn Fawn October inspiration week! We're featuring the Winter Fox mini stamp set today! Here's what I made...

:o)
I love hand stamped gift wrap...I think it has a charm about it. I just stamped one fox, then turned the stamp upside down to stamp the next fox, and continued that pattern across the kraft paper. Very simple! I used some of my favourite ribbon to dress up the gift -- I love that blue! I think I'm sort of okay with tying twine, but I'm bow-tying-challenged when it comes to tying ribbon bows, so I use a handy tool called the Bow-Easy. Here is one place where you can find it.

For more super-fun projects using the Winter Fox mini stamp set, check out the blogs of the other Fawny girls:

Chari
Julie
Latisha
Lea
Lynnette
Nichol
Teri
Tiffany

...and, of course, the Lawn Fawn blog!

In related news, I just wanted to share that I'll be stepping down from the Lawn Fawn team after this month. It's been a blast being a part of this team! I'll go into more detail at the end of inspiration week. Hope you'll visit again tomorrow for a Sally's ABCs project!

Thanks for stopping by today! :o)

Paper Crafts Magazine Presents: 12 Days of Christmas Blog Hop

2011-09-30T06:00:00.006-04:00

Hello, folks!
Today I'm very happy to be part of a fun Paper Crafts blog hop in celebration of the new special issue, Holiday Cards & More, Vol. 6!

Image courtesy of Paper Crafts magazine

I haven't seen this issue in-person yet, but I can't wait! My happiest Paper Crafts moment is in this issue! :o)

For today, a dozen of us were asked to create quick & easy holiday cards. I recently received a bunch of awesome holiday stamps from the lovely Tammy of Green Grass Stamps, and I couldn't stop at one card...I ended up making three! Here's the first one:

:o)
I love that bow! It's from the Made with Love stamp set. The bow can easily be used for any occasion -- I think it would make an adorable baby card! The fun sentiment is from the A Very Jolly Holiday stamp set. I also used the Darling Dots stamp to stamp a subtle cream-coloured background on the light aqua cardstock, although my camera kind of washed it out here. I added a big honkin' jewel brad for some shine!

Here's my second card:

:o)
I love this Christmas tree stamp from the A Very Jolly Holiday stamp set! It's one of my favourite Christmas tree stamps because it's so different from the other ones I have, and I love the way the sentiment is written! The ribbon I used is something I ordered for the supply shop I'm working on -- I love it and had to pick up a bunch of colours! :o)

And here's my third card:

:o)
Here I've used three stamps from the super-cute Warm Winter Wishes stamp set! This card is my favourite of the three -- I'm liking this sort of unusual colour combo for a holiday card! That awesome thick twine is something else I ordered for my shop -- had to get that in a bunch of colours, too! It makes me giddy. :o)

I hope you've enjoyed my cards today! It's an all-bow-cards day for me -- ha!

For more holiday card fun, check out the blogs of the other designers on the hop!

Julia Stainton
Chan Vuong ----- you are here!
Teri Anderson
Kelley Eubanks
Maile Belles
Vanessa Menhorn
Amber Daigre
Lorena Canto
AJ Otto
Windy Robinson
Betsy Veldman
Dawn Petrick

If you'd like to order a copy of Holiday Cards & More, Vol. 6, click here! Comments are open on this post, so you can also leave a comment here for your chance to win a copy! You have until midnight MDT on Sunday, October 2nd to leave your comment [only one comment per person, please!]. I have Comment Moderation turned on, so your comment will not appear right away! You can increase your chances of winning by commenting on the other blogs on the hop!

Also, be sure to comment on today's post over at the Paper Crafts Connection blog! They're giving away some awesome prizes!

Thanks for stopping by today, and have a crafty weekend!! :o)

Skipping Stones Design Sketch #95

2011-09-27T08:00:00.004-04:00

Hello, folks!
Today brings another great sketch by Amy for Skipping Stones Design! Here's the card I made with sketch #95 and the Sassy Shoes stamp set...

:o)
This card was quite fun to make, and I'm really digging the colours of that AC patterned paper! I did some super-simple colouring on the sassy shoe with pencil crayons and curved the sentiment on my acrylic block so that it would follow the curve of the circle.

Click on over to Skipping Stones Design if you're interested in giving sketch #95 a shot -- you could win a stamp set of your choice!

Thanks for stopping by today! :o)

Update About Supplies For Sale Page

2011-09-27T00:08:00.004-04:00

Hello, folks!
Just wanted to post that I'll be wrapping up the Supplies For Sale page before the week is through so I can focus on some other things. I also wanted to mention that I've decided to donate the entire selling prices from the items that have sold to Rolling Dog Farm [as opposed to the $1 per item sold that was previously stated]. This post on their blog made my mind up about that. I remember reading about Avery when he first arrived there in May. Isn't he precious? All of the animals are, really. I know the amount of money isn't enormous, but it's better than $1 per item, so it seemed like the thing to do.

Take care!

Lil' Inker Designs' New Acorn Die and Stamp Set

2011-09-23T00:01:00.003-04:00

Hello, folks!
Today is the last day of the Lil' Inker Designs 5-day blog hop, and we're showcasing the brand new Acorn Die and Stamp Set! If you came here from ARIANA'S BLOG, you're on the right track! If not, you'll want to start at Laura's blog so you won't miss anything.

This is what we're featuring today:

I think I need to ease up on the cinnamon toast midnight snacks because I looked at this acorn die and thought, "Beret on a poodle!"

:o)
Hee hee! So it's an oversized beret on this particular poodle, but I think she's got the sass to pull it off. ;o) I stamped one of the coordinating stamps from the set with white ink and added a grey gem for a bit of sparkle. The poodle, red polka dotted paper and patterned paper that I used for the banner are from BasicGrey's June Bug collection. I used a Spellbinders Nestabilities die to create the 'frame', and the cute sentiment is one of the thank you gift stamps that I got from Lawn Fawn.

The comment option is open today if you'd like to throw your hat in for a chance to win one of the prizes from Lil' Inker Designs! Please note that I have comment moderation on, so your comment will not show up right away. You'll have until the end of Sunday, September 25th to comment on the team members' blogs.

Your next stop on the hop is ALICIA'S BLOG! Just in case you think you might've missed a stop, here's the entire blog hop list for today:

Laura
Julie Ranae
Emily
Debby
Teresa
Jen
Amy
Sarah
Ariana
Chan ----- you are here
Alicia
Lil' Inker Shop

Thanks for stopping by today!

Lil' Inker Designs' New Mini Pinwheel Die

2011-09-21T00:01:00.005-04:00

Hello, folks!
The Lil' Inker Designs 5-day blog hop continues! Today, part of the team will be sharing their creations using the brand new Mini Pinwheel Die! If you came here from Sarah's blog, you're on the right track! If not, you'll want to start at Laura's blog so you won't miss anything. There are going to be three $10 gift certificates up for grabs for those who comment, and you can increase your chances of winning by commenting on all of the blogs on each day of this 5-day blog hop! You'll have until the end of Sunday, September 25th to leave your comments, and the winner will be announced on the Lil' Inker shop blog on Monday the 26th!

Here's an image of the new Mini Pinwheel Die!

And here's the tag I made to share today...

:o)
I used some colourful mesh for the pinwheel 'petals'. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the mesh die-cut very well, and I'm really diggin' how the mesh looks -- I can see myself using it for lots of paper crafting projects in the near future! :o) I used a fabric-covered brad for my pinwheel's centre, and I added three sequins to the bottom left corner for a little sparkle! The sentiment is from the Rainbows & Clouds stamp set.

Putting the pinwheel together was super-simple -- here's a handy tutorial to show you how to make 'em!

The comment option is open today if you'd like to throw your hat in for a chance to win one of the prizes from Lil' Inker Designs! Please note that I have comment moderation on, so your comment will not show up right away. You'll have until the end of Sunday, September 25th to comment on the team members' blogs.

Your next stop on the hop is Alicia's blog!

Just in case you think you might've missed a stop, here's the entire blog hop list for today:

Laura
Debby
Sarah
Chan ----- you are here
Alicia
Lil' Inker Shop

Thanks for stopping by today!

Skipping Stones Design Sketch #94

2011-09-20T08:00:00.003-04:00

Hello, folks!
Today brings another fun sketch by Amy for Skipping Stones Design! Here's the card I made with sketch #94 and the Dogs Volume #1 stamp set...

:o)
Ah hee hee hee. I coloured the dog's fur loosely with two shades of brown pencil crayon to add some depth, and I gave him a more smiley expression with black pencil crayon. Googly eyes helped to add some silliness and fun, as googly eyes always do! :o)
Aside from the cardstock, everything I used is from a pet-themed collection! The patterned papers, solid red paper and metal tag embellishment are from Pebbles' Cats & Dogs collection, and the twill ribbon and fabric-covered brad are from We R Memory Keepers' Friends Furever collection. :o)

Click on over to Skipping Stones Design if you're interested in giving sketch #94 a shot -- you could win a stamp set of your choice! Also, SSD has the Happy Halloweenie stamp set on sale this month, just in time for your Halloween crafting!

Hope you got a smile here today, and thanks for stopping by! :o)

Lil' Inker Designs New Release Blog Hop

2011-09-19T00:01:00.003-04:00

Hello, folks!
Thanks for stopping by today! Today is the first day of a 5-day blog hop for Lil' Inker Designs. There are 3 new releases that we'll be showcasing this week! Part of the team will be sharing their creations using the fun new Fringe Flower Die today, and the other part of the team will be sharing their creations with this die tomorrow. Wednesday and Thursday, we'll be showcasing another new die, and Friday, the entire team will be sharing projects using a cute new stamp set and die!
If you came here from Sarah's blog, you're on the right track! If not, you'll want to start at Laura's blog so you won't miss anything. There are going to be three $10 gift certificates up for grabs for those who comment, and you can increase your chances of winning by commenting on all of the blogs on each day of this 5-day blog hop! You'll have until the end of Sunday, September 25th to leave your comments, and the winner will be announced on the Lil' Inker shop blog on Monday the 26th!

Today we're featuring the brand new Fringe Flower Die!

Here's the project I made to share today...

:o)
When I first saw an example of what this die could make, I thought it looked like a cute pom pom flower. Then I thought, "Why not use it as an actual pom pom?" And the hat-shaped card was born! I created the shape very simply by folding a piece of scrap paper in half, cutting it into a hat shape, then tracing the shape onto a folded piece of cardstock. I traced the shape again onto patterned paper, cut that out and adhered it to the card base. I thought the die looked like ribbing you might find on a hat [or on a mitten cuff -- that might be my next project using this die!], so I die-cut a piece of yellow patterned paper and cardstock, adhered them together, and attached the finished piece with dimensional adhesive [a bit difficult to see here]. The cardstock behind the yellow patterned paper is just for some extra sturdiness.

As you can see from the product graphic, you can get really cute rounded petals with this die. For my paper pom pom, I decided to crease the die-cut paper in half to get a more 'spiky' look to the pom pom. To get the two-toned look, I just used a portion of the die to die-cut the yellow patterned paper, and then I die-cut the blue patterned paper with the entire die. You can make your flowers whatever size you need by die-cutting less or die-cutting more and layering on the pieces!

Hope my project brought you a smile today! If you'd like to learn how to use the Fringe Flower Die, check out this tutorial!

The comment option is open today if you'd like to throw your hat in for a chance to win one of the prizes from Lil' Inker Designs! Please note that I have comment moderation on, so your comment will not show up right away. You'll have until the end of Sunday, September 25th to comment on the team members' blogs.

Your next stop on the hop is Alicia's blog!

Just in case you think you might've missed a stop, here's the entire blog hop list for today:

Laura
Sarah
Chan ----- you are here
Alicia
Amy
Jen
Lil' Inker Shop

Thanks for stopping by today, and have a crafty week!

Lawn Fawn September Inspiration Week: Making Frosty Friends!

2011-09-14T00:01:00.004-04:00

Hello, folks!
Wasn't yesterday's SSD blog hop fun? I think it's my favourite blog hop that I've gotten to be a part of so far, just because of all the cats! :o)

Anyhoo, today is the last day of projects for Lawn Fawn September inspiration week! We're featuring the Making Frosty Friends stamp set today! Here's the project I made...

:o)
Hee hee hee. What fun to dress up the snowman with his various 'accessories' from the set! I used a sentiment from -- of all sets -- Swimsuit Season! Ha!

For more super-fun projects using the Making Frosty Friends stamp set, check out the blogs of the other Fawny girls:

Chari
Julie
Latisha
Lea
Lynnette
Nichol
Teri
Tiffany

...and, of course, the Lawn Fawn blog!

Thanks for stopping by today! :o)

Skipping Stones Design Blog Hop for Holiday Cats and Sketch #93

2011-09-13T08:00:00.007-04:00

Hello there!
Today I'm happy to be a part of Skipping Stones Design's blog hop for the release of the Holiday Cats stamp set and Sketch Challenge 93! If you just came from Taylor's blog, you're in the right place! If you just happened upon my blog today, you can start at the beginning of the hop by visiting Skipping Stones Design. They've got the entire blog hop list there to make things easier for everyone!

Here's the card I made using this week's fun sketch by Amy and the super-cute Holiday Cats stamp set...

:o)
How adorable is this happy cat, eh? Love! I coloured him in with pencil crayons and attached all of the card's elements with dimensional adhesive. I think I have an unhealthy addiction to dimensional adhesive, people! I just can't stop.

For more blog hoppin' fun, head on over to Wendy P.'s blog next!

If you happen to encounter a broken link along the hop, just remember, the entire blog hop list can be found over at Skipping Stones Design! And if you enter a card in Sketch Challenge 93, you might win the adorable Holiday Cats set! Woo-Hoo!!

Hope you got a smile here today, and thanks for stopping by! :o)

Lawn Fawn September Inspiration Week: Ornate Ornaments!

2011-09-13T00:01:00.002-04:00

Hello, folks!
Today is the second day of projects for Lawn Fawn September inspiration week! We're showcasing the Ornate Ornaments stamp set today! Here's the project I made...

:o)
A simple and fun way to package up little gifts this holiday season! I stamped the bough images from the set -- the larger bough once and the smaller bough twice -- to create a fuller bough. I tied some ribbon around the box and stamped 'for you with love' from Bows and Holly on a mini die-cut tag. To finish the box off, I attached a cute felt ornament embellishment from Pebbles. That's it! :o)

For more super-fun projects using the Ornate Ornaments stamp set, check out the blogs of the other Fawny girls:

Chari
Julie
Latisha
Lea
Lynnette
Nichol
Teri
Tiffany

...and, of course, the Lawn Fawn blog!

Thanks for stopping by today! :o)

Lawn Fawn September Inspiration Week: Pa-Rum-Pa-Pum-Pum!

2011-09-12T00:01:00.003-04:00

Hello, folks!
Today is the first day of projects for Lawn Fawn September inspiration week! For the next few days, we'll be sharing projects that highlight 3 of the new stamp sets that were released last month. Today we're showcasing an adorable stamp set called Pa-Rum-Pa-Pum-Pum! Here's the card I made to share today...

:o)
Out of the 9 new stamp sets, this happy little drum and the rocking horse from the same set are my favourite images -- they're too cute! And I love this sentiment, which was spelled out with Sally's ABCs. :o) I don't think there was ever a time in my life where I actually felt 'in line' with everyone else. It was never an intentional thing...it's just the way things went [and the way things go]. I kind of hated it when I was a kid because I always felt like 'the weird one'. But I like it now. :o)

For more super-fun projects using the Pa-Rum-Pa-Pum-Pum stamp set, check out the blogs of the other Fawny girls:

Chari -- a new Fawny! :o)
Julie
Latisha
Lea
Lynnette
Nichol
Teri
Tiffany

...and, of course, the Lawn Fawn blog!

Hope you got a smile here today! :o)

Supplies For Sale

2011-09-09T17:30:00.003-04:00

Hello, folks!
I need to make room for my new venture, so I've created a Supplies For Sale page. I'm just getting started, but if you see something you'd like to buy, send me an e.mail [my e.mail address is in the sidebar there]!

ETA: I wasn't sure what kind of response I would get from my Supplies For Sale page, but so far it's better than I expected! Thanks to everyone who has e.mailed me so far -- I'll be weighing and calculating shipping as quickly as I can. I had to re-think my original terms because it's taking me longer to list my supplies than I thought -- so the new terms are, I will put things 'on hold' for up to a week. That way, if you only see one or two things you like right now but think you might want to add other things later, then you won't have to pay multiple invoices and multiple shipping charges. Sound fair?
I will try to update the page as often as I can, but my apologies if something is already spoken for and the page wasn't updated when you saw it. I really don't want anyone to be disappointed -- it's just that I can only log on a certain amount of time out of the day.
I also wanted to mention, if something spends a little too much time on the list, I'll lower the price of it. :o)

Have a crafty weekend!

Skipping Stones Design Sketch #92

2011-09-06T08:00:00.001-04:00

Hello, folks!
Today I'm happy to announce that I'm joining the Skipping Stones Design team as one of the guests this month! My thanks to Heather for offering me this fun opportunity!
Today we're sharing projects created using sketch #92. Here's the card I made...

:o)
I made this using the funny Birthday Purses stamp set. Even though I'm not a 'girly-girl' [my 'purse' is a cotton tote, people!], I still think this stamp set is so much fun! Great paper piecing possibilities with those purses -- and I like the idea of making the purses suit the style of the card's recipient!

I used patterned papers from BasicGrey's Olivia 6x6 paper pad. I tried to help balance out the black in the outline of the purse and in the sentiment by attaching the main patterned paper block to dark grey cardstock, leaving a really thin 1mm border all the way around [it photographed kind of funny-lookin' here because of the angle]. I attached the main panel, the purse and the tag with dimensional adhesive -- I wanted the tag to have a little more lift on the right, so I applied one layer of adhesive on the left side and two layers on the right.

Click on over to Skipping Stones Design if you're interested in giving sketch #92 a shot -- you could win a stamp set of your choice!

Thanks for stopping by today! :o)

Punny Animal Cards!

2011-08-31T21:31:00.006-04:00

Hello, folks!
If you've visited my blog before, you can probably tell that I love animals, right? And you can probably tell that I love punny sentiments, too. Bringing animals and punny sentiments together makes this crafter smile some goofy smiles! :D

:o)
Here I've featured the cute cow from Lawn Fawn's Critters on the Farm stamp set. The gingham and the plaid are from October Afternoon's Farm Fresh collection. I set a chunky eyelet and added some twill ribbon. I just love those chunky eyelets! I coloured the cow before I picked out the rest of the materials for the card. Looking at the card now, I'm thinkin' that brown spots on the cow might've been a good choice, but that's a-ok. :o)

:o)
Here I've used some cute paper from Jillibean Soup, and I created the sentiment with fabric-covered Thickers and Harold's ABCs.

Hope you got a smile [or two!] here today! :o)

I Love You Clouds Card

2011-08-30T20:17:00.003-04:00

Hello there!
Here's a card that was made fresh today...

:o)
Oh, the colours... This card makes me think of one of my favourite songs of all-time -- Over the Rainbow. I love, love that song. :o)

The dreamy sky background is from Sassafras' Sunshine Broadcast 6x6 paper pad -- I particularly love the sky prints from that collection. I die-cut the clouds from various prints out of Sassafras' Mix and Mend 6x6 paper pad -- love that collection!
I used the cloud die and a sentiment from Lil' Inker Designs' Rainbows & Clouds set!

Glad you stopped by today! :o)

Card Ideas for Paper Crafters and Some Notes

2011-08-29T23:19:00.015-04:00

Hello, folks!
I wanted to say many, many thanks to everyone who visited and left kind words during the Paper Crafts blog hop! I really appreciate it! Thank you! :o)
I'm here to share one of my cards that appeared in Card Ideas for Paper Crafters:

:o)
I submitted a card for each of the sketches I contributed but only had luck with this card out of those particular sketch cards. I'm grateful that one was selected, of course! :o) When I made this card, I was gettin' antsy to use some airmail twine that I had gotten on Etsy not too long before. Isn't that stuff awesome??
The postage stamp 'frame' is a stamp from Studio Calico [I coloured it in with a Copic marker]. I used a cute sentiment from Lawn Fawn's Hello Friend stamp set, and the smiley face on the little flag is from Say Cheese. :o)

The randomly picked winner of the Card Ideas for Paper Crafters issue is...
HawaiianLibrarian
Congratulations!!! :o) I'll be sending an e.mail to you shortly for your address!

In other news, I'm only months late in posting the winners of my April/May donation-giveaway! Good grief. My apologies to those who entered! As with the first donation-giveaway, I went ahead and donated the full amounts I pledged -- $50 USD to Best Friends Animal Society and $50 CAD to WSPA Canada [both donations were made on August 17th]. The winners were Samantha and Barbara -- I e.mailed both ladies shortly after I made the donations and have heard back from them. They're both awesome people! I just want to say, the number of comments left for those giveaways will never lessen the amount to be donated -- I'll always donate the full amount pledged because it wouldn't feel right not to. And I already planned on donating those amounts from the onset anyway. :o) What I'd like to achieve with those giveaways is to help spread the word about animal causes and hopefully get some people interested in helping, too!

More things I'd like to mention...

Paper Crafts put up their call for submissions for the March/April 2012 issue last week! Check it out here!

My thanks to Jennifer for her kind words on Twitter about my Hello Friend card a couple of days ago! I was blown away by that!

My thanks, also, to Steph for posting my card using Lawn Fawn's Many Thanks stamp set on this post over at the Simon Says Stamp blog! They're giving away a Turkey Day mini stamp set on that post, too, so be sure to check that out!

Thanks for taking some time to visit my blog today! :o)

Paper Crafts Magazine Presents: Bonus Sketch Blog Hop

2011-08-26T06:00:00.006-04:00

Hello, folks!
Today I'm very happy to be part of a fun Paper Crafts blog hop in celebration of the new special issue, Card Ideas for Paper Crafters!

Image courtesy of Paper Crafts magazine

Ten of us were asked to create new projects using the bonus sketches found on the last page of the issue. You can also find the bonus sketches on the Paper Crafts website here! Here's the card I made to share today...

:o)
This card was absolutely inspired by my own little mischief maker. Hee hee hee! :o)
The cute and hilarious cat stamps are from this stamp set from Starving Artistamps, and I created the sentiment using this alphabet set from Lawn Fawn. I did all of the colouring with pencil crayons.

I used this sketch by Betsy Veldman to create my card. The centre panel there made me think of a paper bag, so that's what I used! My little guy loves paper bags, so it seemed fitting! :o) I did some hand-stitching along the top of the die-cut piece with embroidery floss. The fun patterned papers are from October Afternoon's Rocket Age 8x8 paper pad.

Card Ideas for Paper Crafters was such a fun issue to craft for! It was great to work from the sketches because they provided a jump-start for my card making. It often takes me quite a while to come up with a card design that I like, so using the sketches saved a lot of time!
What I found most challenging was that I seemed to always want to follow the sketches pretty closely -- it was a little tough for me to come up with any out-of-the-box ideas. Still, it was fun working on cards for this call!

Check out the blogs of the other nine designers for more!

Julia Stainton
Teri Anderson
Chan Vuong ----- you are here!
Lindsay Amrhein
Kalyn Kepner
Regina Mangum
Angeline Yong
Heidi Van Laar
Kimberly Crawford
Vanessa Menhorn

If you'd like to order a copy of Card Ideas for Paper Crafters, click here! Comments are open on this post, so you can also leave a comment here for your chance to win a copy! You have until midnight MDT on Sunday, August 28th to leave your comment [only one comment per person, please!]. I have Comment Moderation turned on, so don't be alarmed that your comment doesn't appear right away! You can increase your chances of winning by commenting on the other nine blogs on the hop!

Also, be sure to comment on today's post over at the Paper Crafts Connection blog! They're giving away some AWESOME prizes!

Hope you got a smile here today, and have a crafty weekend!! :o)

Lawn Fawn August Inspiration Week: Turkey Day!

2011-08-24T00:01:00.007-04:00

Hello, folks!
Today is the last day of projects for Lawn Fawn August inspiration week! The 9 new stamp sets will be in the Lawn Fawn store tomorrow -- woo-hoo! Today we're showcasing a mini stamp set called Turkey Day. Here's the card I made to share today...

:o)
I don't eat meat, so I tried to come up with a fun non-Thanksgiving-turkey card! I had a lot of fun making this card! I surrounded the cute turkey with bird pals from the following Lawn Fawn sets: Critters in the 'Burbs, Critters in the Forest, Fly Free, Critters on the Farm, and Plus One! The sentiment is from Partly Cloudy -- I wiped the ink off of the 'w' in 'weather', stamped the sentiment, then stamped the 'f' from Jessie's ABCs. I added some hand-stitching under the sentiment to highlight it a little! :o)

I coloured the backgrounds of each circle with pencil crayons and attached them with varying levels of dimensional adhesive. I love how you can get different looks with pencil crayons just by changing the pressure when colouring and with the type of paper/cardstock you colour on -- and I love the sort of 'grainy' look of the backgrounds here. It kind of adds 'texture', doesn't it? And I *LOVE* the look of colouring just the backgrounds and leaving the characters uncoloured -- I think it puts a spotlight on the characters in a fun way! :o) I'm going to post another card with this same basic idea sometime soon -- it was a card I submitted to the Card Ideas for Paper Crafters call that didn't get picked up, but I still dig it! :o)

For more super-fun projects using the Turkey Day mini stamp set, check out the blogs of the other Fawny girls:

Julie
Latisha
Lea
Lynnette
Nichol
Teri
Tiffany

...and, of course, the Lawn Fawn blog!

Hope you got a smile here today!! :o)

Lawn Fawn August Inspiration Week: Heebie Jeebies and Harvest Season!

2011-08-23T00:01:00.004-04:00

Hello, folks!
Today is the third day of projects for Lawn Fawn August inspiration week! Today we're bringing you freshly-made projects with a spotlight on two previously-released stamp sets, Heebie Jeebies and Harvest Season! Half of us worked with one set, and the other half worked with the other! I worked with the super-cute Heebie Jeebies stamp set to make this card...

:o)
I have to say that the bright colours of this card make me giddy. I just find bright colours so...uplifting. :o) And the Halloween set used for a love [or possibly friendship] card just makes me giggle. Looking at this now, I want to try making various holiday cards with colours that would just seem wrong for the occasion -- i.e. a peach Christmas card, an olive green Valentine...or a bright pink Halloween card. ;o) I just think it'd be funny! I guess you could say that I'm easily amused. Ha!
I used the cute spider and portions of the spiderweb design from Heebie Jeebies, and the sentiment was created using Quinn's ABCs and good ol' Harold's ABCs! The colouring was done with pencil crayons -- I'm completely in love with colouring with pencil crayons again, so they'll be making appearances again very soon...as in tomorrow. And Friday. Eh heh heh!

For more super-fun projects using either Heebie Jeebies or Harvest Season, check out the blogs of the other Fawny girls:

Julie
Latisha
Lea
Lynnette
Nichol
Teri
Tiffany

...and, of course, the Lawn Fawn blog!

Thanks for stopping by today! I hope you've been enjoying August inspiration week and the team's creations! :o)

Lawn Fawn August Inspiration Week: Many Thanks!

2011-08-22T00:01:00.004-04:00

Hello, folks!
Today is the second day of projects for Lawn Fawn August inspiration week! Today we're showcasing a stamp set called Many Thanks, which is like a thank you version of Hello Friend! Several of the thank you stamps from this set can easily be the focal point of your card. I think I'll definitely get as much use out of the Many Thanks set as I get out of Hello Friend! Here's the card I made to share today...

:o)
I didn't have a lot of time to think of something 'fresh', so this card is sort of a combination of this Hello Friend card and this Quinn's ABCs card. The simple look of this card is pretty deceiving! It took a while to cut out those words...but I think it adds that little extra detail. :o)
The background was stamped using one of the stamps from Teeny Tiny Backdrops!

For more super-fun projects using the Many Thanks stamp set, check out the blogs of the other Fawny girls:

Julie
Latisha
Lea
Lynnette
Nichol
Teri
Tiffany

...and, of course, the Lawn Fawn blog!

Thanks for stopping by today! I think this is going to be the busiest week for the ol' blog -- I have a post for almost every single day. Definitely not my usual! :o)

Lawn Fawn August Inspiration Week: Happy Haunting!

2011-08-21T00:01:00.007-04:00

Hello, folks!
Today is the first day of projects for Lawn Fawn August inspiration week! There are going to be 9 new sets in the Lawn Fawn store this Thursday, and the team will be sharing projects with 3 of 'em this week [plus projects using previously-released sets!]. Today we're showcasing a super-cute Halloween stamp set called Happy Haunting! Here's the card I made to share today...

:o)
I'm really happy with how this card turned out! My cards are almost always quite CAS, but this one has a few more pieces/layers than my usual! I've used 8 of the stamps from Happy Haunting on this card!
While I love colouring with Copic markers, I missed colouring with good ol' pencil crayons, so I decided to use 'em here. I wanted the cute ghosts to have a sort of chalky appearance, so I stamped them on grey cardstock and coloured them with white pencil crayon. The pieces are attached with varying levels of dimensional adhesive [oh, how I love you, dimensional adhesive!].
The darker purple cardstock was die-cut with a Nestabilities die from the Wonky Rectangles set that I got from Spellbinders. Isn't it a fun shape? I used this same die to make a packaging project for an upcoming PC issue, so it's pretty versatile! I think of it as a "rectangle with personality". Ha! :o)
The darker purple cardstock was debossed with the canvas side of Papertrey's Linen & Canvas impression plate [a little difficult to see in the photo], and the card base was debossed with the Book Print impression plate.
This card was really fun to put together! :o)

For more super-fun projects using the Happy Haunting stamp set, check out the blogs of the other Fawny girls:

Julie
Latisha
Lea
Lynnette
Nichol
Teri
Tiffany

...and, of course, the Lawn Fawn blog!

Thanks for stopping by today, and have a crafty week!! :o)

Skipping Stones Design's Blogs 4 Boobies Fundraiser

2011-08-17T14:00:00.007-04:00

Hello there!
I'm here to help spread the word about Skipping Stones Design's second annual Blogs 4 Boobies fundraiser!
Today is day 3 of a 3-day blog bounce [hop] where every card or project is up for auction!

Last year, Skipping Stones Design raised and donated $1108.99 to the Susan G. Komen Foundation. It is SSD's goal to raise $1500 this year, and you can be a part of that! There are 3 ways you can join in on the fun[draising]:

1. You can help by shopping!
For every stamp set purchased from August 15th through the 23rd, SSD will donate $2 to the Komen Foundation. Shopping that you can feel good about! Check out their stamps HERE!

2. You can help by bidding!
Another way you can help is to bid on a project or card along the blog bounce [hop]. EVERY card/project along the Blogs 4 Boobies blog bounce is up for auction. A starting bid of $5 or more is recommended. Your bid not only includes the card or project but shipping to your home as well.
See HOW TO PLACE A BID for more detailed instructions.
If you are the highest bidder at 8:00pm MDT on August 23rd, then you WIN the card/project!

3. You can help by telling your friends!
Help spread the word about Blogs 4 Boobies! If you have a blog, feel free to copy and paste part or all of the Blogs 4 Boobies posts that you see.

HOW TO PLACE A BID:
Step #1
Find the comment section of the blog that shows the Blogs 4 Boobies card or project that you want to bid on. Please note that you may only bid on the card/project shown in the specific Blogs 4 Boobies post. Any bids not placed on the correct post will be considered invalid.
Step #2
Once you are in the Blogs 4 Boobies comment section, type in the amount that you are willing to pay for the card/project. A starting bid of $5 or more is recommended, and your bid amount includes shipping to your home. 100% of the money raised will go to the Susan G. Komen Foundation.
Step #3
Next to your bid, type in your e.mail address.
Step #4
Watch and wait. If someone outbids you, then you may bid again. Bidding will continue until 8:00pm MDT on August 23rd.

PLEASE NOTE that the participating stampers/bloggers will RE-POST their Blogs 4 Boobies card/project on August 23rd. When the bloggers re-post their projects, the bidding will continue on the NEWEST post and that comment section.

On each blog, the winner will be the highest bid [that includes an e.mail address] in the comment section of the MOST RECENT Blogs 4 Boobies post at the end of the auction. The auction will end at 8:00pm MDT on August 23rd.

Things to keep in mind:
Near the end of the auction, you may not see bids as they come in. Some bloggers may have to approve comments before they are published. You might have the highest bid that is published, but someone might have outbid you in an unpublished comment/bid -- so bid as high as you're willing to go!
The blogger/designer will declare who has won the auction on their blog. Skipping Stones Design will send you an invoice for your donation/bid amount. Please pay that invoice as soon as possible, so the designer can get your card/project in the mail to you.
Remember, 100% of your bid will be donated to the Susan G. Komen Foundation!

Here are all of the participating bloggers!
DAY 3:
Rae Ann Barthel
Karen Baker
Pam Hornschu
Jennifer Ingle
Ria Johnson
Mel McCarthy
Stephanie Mino
Kandi Phillips
Wendy Price
Julia Stainton
Taylor Usry

DAY 2:
Teri Anderson
Ashley Cannon Newell
Karen Christensen
Jodi Collins
Kimberly Crawford
Jen Del Muro
Katie Gehring
Vanessa Menhorn
Kryssi Ng
Taylor Usry
Sankari Wegman

DAY 1:
Renae Curtz on the Paper Crafts Connection Blog
Deb Felts
Michelle Giraud
Michelle Gross
Wendy Jordan
Sarah Martina Parker
Becky Olsen
Barb Turpin
Taylor Usry
Brenda Weaver

Have fun bouncing from blog to blog, enjoy all of the designs, and make a bid or two if you can!

Lawn Fawn at Archiver's

2011-08-10T15:32:00.009-04:00

Hello, folks!
Last year, I made this here card and entered it into a contest that Lawn Fawn was having:

:o)
I look at this card with fondness because I made this before I joined the DT, and I just remember how fun it was to make cards for that contest. This one was one of the contest winners, so I was pretty jazzed about that!

Fast forward. Archiver's is now carrying Lawn Fawn stamps in their stores, and they wanted samples of a few projects for their stores! This card design was one of the ones they selected. Seriously, I couldn't believe it either. A few changes had to be made so that the samples reflected supplies that could be purchased at Archiver's stores. The clip had to be changed, all of the cardstock had to be changed, and a border punch had to be used instead of the die I used for the original card. Because of the very tight schedule [and because I didn't have the right purple and yellow cardstock], I really couldn't make the entire sample cards. I could only prepare this:

I cut, punched and stamped the top 'notebook page', and I stamped and cut out the letters and smiley faces. I know they look really small and innocent there, but cutting all of those letters out was a monster of a task [worth it for LF and Archiver's, though!]. I couldn't cut out the middles of the 'R' and 'D' -- in fact, I couldn't even glue the letters and smiley faces onto the notebook pages because there just wasn't enough time.
I put the letters and smiley faces into little baggies and sent the baggies and notebook pages to LF via FedEx -- which was actually late! It was just crazy. A group of LF folks and volunteers spent a lot of hours putting together all of the samples in order to get them done in time, so they really deserve a standing ovation for all the work they put in!

Yesterday, Archiver's sent out an e.mail to those on their e.mail list, which included images of the samples! Here's the portion of their e.mail that included the Lawn Fawn announcement:

How neat, eh? I think Putter is definitely the star of the show here -- as he should be! :o) Who could resist that sweet little face? That little guy has MAJOR Cute Power! :o)

Thanks for stopping by today, folks! And thanks to those who visited and commented during the Lil' Inker Designs blog hop! Your comments made me smile non-stop, and teacher jessy's comment cracked me up! Thank you for that! :o)

Lil' Inker Designs Kick Off Hop

2011-08-08T00:01:00.007-04:00

Hello, folks!
Thanks for stopping by today! Today is the first blog hop for Lil' Inker Designs. If you came here from Jen Carter's blog, you're on the right track! If not, you'll want to start at Laura's blog so you won't miss anything. There are going to be some awesome prizes up for grabs for those who complete the hop by commenting on each blog. There are 12 blogs for you to visit in total, and you'll have one full week to comment.

Today we're featuring the Rainbows & Clouds stamp set and dies!

I created two projects for today! First up is a mini album:

:o)
This little book just makes me smile. I love making mini albums, and I'm so jazzed with how this turned out! I used coasters for the covers [I love making albums with coasters!], some fun, chunky eyelets, and super-fun spiral binding to make the book. The pink background is fabric paper that I die-cut -- I love the texture it adds to the mini album! I also die-cut fabric paper for the cloud. I love the perforations in the clouds on the Lil' Inker die -- they add such a cute detail! I die-cut the rainbow arcs from four colours of textured cardstock, adhered them to scrap cardstock, and cut the rainbow out. I then attached the rainbow with one layer of dimensional adhesive and the cloud with two layers of dimensional adhesive. The cute stickers that make up the title of the mini album are from October Afternoon.

Next up is a gift tag:

:o)
Nothing says fun and festive quite like good ol' googly eyes, eh? Ha! I looked at the larger cloud on the die and thought, "Cupcake frosting!" This could have been due to not getting enough sleep. To be honest with you, I'm not quite sure if I think the smiley face on this cupcake is cute or borderline creepy...but I think he's festive anyway! Ha! :o) I used two stamps from the stamp set to create the tag's sentiment.

Hope these projects brought you a smile today! Be sure to check out the Rainbows & Clouds stamp set and dies -- they're fun to craft with!

The comment option is open today if you'd like to throw your hat in for a chance to win some great prizes from Lil' Inker Designs! Please note that I have comment moderation on, so your comment will not show up right away. You'll have until 11:59pm EST on Sunday, August 14th to comment.

Your next stop on the hop is the Lil' Inker Shop. That's just fun to say, isn't it?

Just in case you think you might've missed a stop, here's the entire blog hop list:

Laura Pryor
Julie Ranae
Teresa Kline
Debby Hughes
Sarah Jay
Emily Leiphart
Ariana Grant
Alicia Thelin
Amy Kolling
Jen Carter
Chan Vuong ----- you are here
Lil' Inker Shop

Thanks again for stopping by! And a big thank you to everyone who visited and commented during the DeNami/Lawn Fawn blog hop! I appreciate everyone's kindness so much!

Have a crafty week!

DeNami and Lawn Fawn Blog Hop

2011-08-05T04:00:00.007-04:00

Hello, folks!
Today, the DeNami and Lawn Fawn blog hop continues! Yesterday, some of the DeNami and Lawn Fawn design team members kicked things off, and now, the rest of the DT members are sharing what they've made using a combination of DeNami rubber stamps and Lawn Fawn clear stamps!

I just received my DeNami stamps yesterday, so it was a bit of a mad dash to get my projects made and photographed, as daylight was fading. Big thanks to DeNami for the cute stamps, the lovely packaging and the fun crafty surprises!
Here are the cards I made for today...

:o)
This mini card features the adorable Kitty In Present rubber stamp from DeNami with a sentiment from Lawn Fawn's On the Mend. Isn't that little cat a cutie?

:o)
This card features the Trifle Blocks rubber stamp from DeNami with Lawn Fawn's Critters in the Forest critters and a sentiment from Hello Friend. I cut out the Trifle Blocks design and attached it with a layer of dimensional adhesive. I stamped and cut out two extra blocks -- the one with the fox is popped up with one layer of dimensional adhesive, and the one with the owl is popped up with two layers of dimensional adhesive.

Let's talk about the hop prizes, shall we?

Yes, you can win $25 gift certificates from DeNami and Lawn Fawn!
The comment option is open today if you'd like to leave a comment for a chance to win. Please note that I have comment moderation on, so your comment will not show up right away. A winner will be picked randomly from one of the blogs on the hop [only one comment per blog, please].

Here's the blog hop list for today:

Lawn Fawn blog
Julie Campbell
Amber Daigre
Tiffany Johnson
Ayana Posadas
Chan Vuong ----- you are here
Britta Swiderski
Lea Lawson
Lisa Petrella
DeNami Design blog

Hope you're enjoying the blog hop so far, and thanks for stopping by!

A Card For Humble

2011-08-03T23:18:00.003-04:00

Hello, folks!
I'm back again to share my favourite card of the ones I was able to contribute to the July/August 2011 issue of Paper Crafts magazine!

:o)
This is a card I made for my little guy, and it's one of my favourite cards of all-time!! I really enjoyed making this card!
Do you ever come across craft supplies that remind you of your four-legged friend and find yourself automatically clicking the 'Add to Cart' button? That's what happened to me when I saw the You Are My Sunshine stamp set from Green Grass Stamps! I sing that song to Humble all the time, and the stamps are so sweet, I couldn't pass them up. :o) It's one of my favourite stamp sets! I love off-setting the outlines from the solid images -- I think it gives a really fun, retro look!

Hope you got a smile here today!! :o)

Stamp It! Cards: Volume 8

2011-08-03T23:11:00.007-04:00

Hello there!
I'm here to share a project that appeared in Paper Crafts magazine's special issue Stamp It! Cards: Volume 8!

Image courtesy of Paper Crafts magazine!
:o)
When I originally mentioned these mini cards in a post I wrote at the end of June, I had not yet received my copy of Stamp It! Cards in the mail. I saw that the mini cards were shown as an online bonus project on the Paper Crafts website, so I had thought that the cards were printed as a small image in the magazine [as online bonus projects have appeared in the past, with a note to visit the website for project instructions]. It was such a great surprise to me to see the cards like this on the Editor's Note page! My sincere thanks to Jennifer for the fun write-up on the cards that really made me smile! :D

The stamps I used for these cards just make me laugh. :o) They're from Memory Box!

Thanks for stopping by today!

Fun News!

2011-08-01T00:01:00.003-04:00

Hello, folks!
Today I'm thrilled to share the news that Laura and Ariana of Lil' Inker Designs have offered me a spot on their design team for the next several months! Wa-hoo!!! If you haven't yet checked out this fun line of stamps and coordinating dies, you've got to!
I made this here card to celebrate:

:o)
I just realized that my card base kind of matches the Lil' Inker badge. Eh heh heh!

I'm a *big fan* of stamps and dies that work together, and I absolutely love the Sentiment Flags stamp set and coordinating die from Lil' Inker! You don't just get one border stamp for the flag -- you get FIVE! Love that!! Here I've used two of the border stamps for my monster's "Hip Hip Hooray" flags. :o) My first thought was to kind of curl the left side of each flag a bit and glue 'em around the flag pole [lollipop stick!], but when I was arranging all of my card elements and casually placed the flags on the flag pole to figure out the placement of everything, I ended up liking the look of the flags sticking out on the left side like that! Don't you love it when that happens -- when these little 'happy accidents' happen while crafting?

The Sentiment Flags stamp set comes with five sentiment stamps, as well as a flag pole stamp! The flag is so versatile, and you'll likely be able to fit many of your existing sentiment stamps in the flag. Here I've chosen to use little alphabet stickers to create this festive sentiment that kind of matches the monster! :o) If you're curious, he's a die-cut from an SEI kit that comes with a bunch of monster bodies and a sticker sheet that allows you to create your own monster expressions. It's like being a kid again playing with this die-cut/sticker kit! I love the different eyes together for a bit of a wonky look. :o) His window is die-cut with a Spellbinders die.

The Lil' Inker dies cut cleanly, and the stamps are of great quality -- they're sure to bring you lots of crafty fun! Next week, the team will be bringing you the first Lil' Inker blog hop, so stop by then to see what everyone's been working on!

Thanks for stopping by today! :o)

Three Lawn Fawn Cards!

2011-07-31T22:35:00.011-04:00

Hello there!
Here to share a few Lawn Fawn projects!

:o)
First up is this Mom's Day card, which is either really late for this year's Mother's Day or really, really early for next year's Mother's Day. Ha! I actually made this one for a Mother's Day PC call, but it wasn't picked up. Those felt embellishments from Sassafras just make me smile. :o) I used Harold's ABCs to create the sentiment -- seriously, I never get tired of that alphabet set!

:o)
Here I've used the cute little bug and a sentiment from On the Mend. I created a sort of 'frame' by repeatedly stamping the bug -- I realize they're not framing anything [ha!], but after stamping and colouring 'em, I kind of thought it would be too busy to add something in the centre. My favourite thing about this extra-CAS card is the little bug peeking out with that cute little smile from underneath the sentiment!

:o)
Here's another super-simple card, this time using the dashed line from Bon Voyage and a sentiment from Just My Type. When making this, I kind of just started stamping without thinking too much -- just to see what would come of it. Looking at it now, it probably would've looked a little better if the line above the sentiment was a little closer to the sentiment, but there it is. Sometimes I think I'm a little too serious and look at some of my card making projects with a critical eye, when really, this is supposed to be fun. "Serious" and "card making" shouldn't be in the same sentence, right? :o)
I love stamping a light-coloured ink on charcoal grey -- I just think it looks neat! That little brad you see there is from Doodlebug.

Hope you got a smile here today! Take care!

Coming Soon: Card Ideas for Paper Crafters!

2011-07-26T21:45:00.001-04:00

Hello, folks!
Did you see today's post over at the Paper Crafts Connection blog? The cover of the upcoming special issue, Card Ideas for Paper Crafters [formerly known as Go-to Sketches], was posted! I can't help but re-post it here:

[Image courtesy of Paper Crafts magazine!]
I was completely surprised [no kidding] to see one of my sketches on the cover! I didn't know that would be happening, so it was really neat to see!! I submitted a card for that particular sketch, but it wasn't selected -- I can totally understand why seeing the great designs that made the final cut! I ended up re-submitting my card to another call and had luck then -- so I guess the tip here is not to be afraid to re-submit your work! :o)

Things have been sort of piled up the past little while, which is why the ol' blog hasn't been updated the past couple of weeks. I'm one of those that prefer a slower pace to life, so when a lot starts happening at the same time, I tend to get overwhelmed easily. I've got some catch-up posts for the next little while -- a 'hoppy' tag, some Lawn Fawn projects, a Stamp It! Cards post, and my favourite card from the July/August issue of Paper Crafts! :o)

Thanks for stopping by today!

Lawn Fawn July Inspiration Week: Critters on the Farm!

2011-07-13T01:00:00.000-04:00

Hello, folks!
Today is the last day of projects for Lawn Fawn July inspiration week, and it's featuring my favourite of this week's stamp sets...we're talkin' Critters on the Farm!

:o)
I was really tempted to make a brightly coloured scene card, but instead, I went with a CAS monochromatic card! I just love the look of birds hanging out together like this. :o) I used the two little bird images from the Critters set [this stamp set equals non-stop smiles!], and the little guys are all enjoying the day perched on the line stamp from Lunar Lights! I thought this sentiment from On the Mend was a good fit! :o)

For more super-fun projects using the Critters on the Farm stamp set, check out the blogs of the other Lawn Fawn girls:

Julie
Latisha
Lea
Lynnette
Nichol
Teri
Tiffany

...and, of course, the Lawn Fawn blog!

Thanks for stopping by today, and have a crafty rest-of-the-week!! :o)

Lawn Fawn July Inspiration Week: Quinn's ABCs!

2011-07-12T01:00:00.001-04:00

Hello there!
Today is the second day of projects for Lawn Fawn July inspiration week! It's Quinn's ABCs day today! Here's the card I made to share...

:o)
I stamped the cursive writing line from Schoolhouse Backdrops and then stamped the letters from Quinn's right over it. I added Stickles to the letters to add a little 'pizzazz'!

Tip! My favourite way to add Stickles is to apply it over a similarly coloured 'base'. For example, each letter was first coloured in with a Copic marker similar to the Stickles colour I chose. I didn't worry about finding an exact match -- just a colour that was close. I find that this makes the glitter look 'fuller' or more evenly applied. If I had just applied the Stickles to the plain white letters, some of the white cardstock would show through a bit here and there, making the glitter look a little sparse compared to how it looks with colour underneath. I also use this tip when dressing up store-bought die-cuts or printed chipboard -- adding glittery accents over the printed colours can really liven them up! :o)

For more super-fun projects using the Quinn's ABCs stamp set, check out the blogs of the other Lawn Fawn girls:

Julie
Latisha
Lea
Lynnette
Nichol
Teri
Tiffany

...and, of course, the Lawn Fawn blog!

Thanks for stopping by today! Hope you're having a good week so far! :o)

Lawn Fawn July Inspiration Week: Clear to See!

2011-07-11T01:00:00.000-04:00

Hello there!
For the next few days, the Lawn Fawn DT will be sharing projects for three of the stamp sets released in May! Today is Clear to See day! My card for today is extra CAS [actually, all of my cards for this week are]...

:o)
When I first saw this stamp set, I immediately thought, "Vellum!" I knew I wanted to make something that had part of a pattern 'clear to see' [ah hee hee!] and the rest veiled with vellum. I used a PTI die to die-cut the heart, and there are some white gel pen 'stitches' around the heart that didn't show up very well in the picture. Also, I'm not sure what mysterious thing caused the left side of the vellum panel to look all wobbly there -- when I noticed that, I just thought, "Wha-?!" Crazy picture-taking weirdness there. Ha!

For more super-fun projects using the Clear to See stamp set, check out the blogs of the other Lawn Fawn girls:

Julie
Latisha
Lea
Lynnette
Nichol
Teri
Tiffany

...and, of course, the Lawn Fawn blog!

Thanks for stopping by today!

A Cheery, Summery Mini Card

2011-07-06T22:55:00.000-04:00

Hello there!
Here today to share a mini card I made with a few stamps from Jane's Doodles' Garden Friends stamp set!

:o)
Sometimes I just like making cards without using a sentiment -- then the cards can be for any occasion, or a sentiment can just be added later to suit a particular recipient. I used the two different flower stamps from the set, as well as the smiling bee. Can't go wrong with a smiling bee, right? Eh heh heh. And there's that grass border punch from Martha again...I think that just might be my most-often-used Martha border punch!

Thanks for stopping by today!

Lawn Fawn Projects and Deer Mini Cards!

2011-06-30T23:18:00.002-04:00

Hello, folks!
Here to share a couple of Lawn Fawn cards!

:o)
This shaped card [I love shaped cards!] features the cute typewriter from Lawn Fawn's Just My Type stamp set. When I made the typewriter on this card, I made another just like it, and that's the typewriter you see here! I can't exactly remember why I made two -- it was a while back. I guess I'm just weird. Ha! I'm diggin' the scalloped and rickrack borders on this card -- I think they're fun! :o)

:o)
This card features a sentiment from the Hello Friend stamp set. Isn't that Sassafras vintage brooch embellishment awesome? I used to collect vintage flower brooches -- I just think they're so happy!

I made both of these cards a while back and tried submitting them to Paper Crafts. I didn't have any luck with these particular cards, but that's okay. Win some, lose some, right? :o)

Speaking of Paper Crafts, my Christmas Deer Mini Card Trio appeared on the Paper Crafts Connection blog today! Woo-Hooooo! Happy dance! The card trio is an online bonus project shown here on the Paper Crafts website, but the post on the Paper Crafts blog today shows a larger photo! :o) I used super-cute Memory Box stamps to make the card trio. Memory Box has one of the best angel policies I've come across -- it's simply, "You may sell your handstamped (no mechanical reproduction) cards for profit." So simple and to the point -- love that!

Thanks for stopping by today!! :o)

Hello Bird

2011-06-29T21:57:00.001-04:00

Hello there!
Here to share a mini card that I made a while back...

It's a super-simple mini card, but I like it. :o) Isn't that chipboard bird cute? The 'hello friend' speech bubble is from Lawn Fawn's Hello Friend stamp set. I coloured in the word 'hello' with a pink marker -- thought it was a nice tie-in with the pink accents on the chipboard bird! I think a mini card like this would make for a nice lunchbox note for a kid. :o) The line or 'wire' that the bird is standing on is from PTI's Banner Builder stamp set, but you could easily create a similar look with a black marker or the line and bow stamps from Lawn Fawn's Lunar Lights stamp set, if that's in your stamp collection!
I'll be back tomorrow to share a couple more Lawn Fawn projects!

Hope you got a smile here today! :o)

Ways to Help Animals and Other Links

2011-06-28T23:30:00.005-04:00

Hello again!
Thought I would share some links with you today!

Talented quiltmaker Barbara Edwards has made an AWESOME dog-themed quilt to raffle off, with 100% of the proceeds going to Rolling Dog Farm! I love this quilt -- it includes photographs of some of Rolling Dog Farm's animals! Each raffle ticket is only $5, and you have until Tuesday, August 9th to purchase your tickets. Barbara is handling the raffle ticket sales [not Rolling Dog Farm], and you can find her P.O. box address -- as well as a photograph of the super-fab quilt -- on this blog post!

You may have noticed that I added links to Freekibble.com and Freekibblekat.com to the sidebar a while back. There's a new online book inspired by Freekibble founder Mimi and her dog Maty, and if you click to read it, Freekibble will donate a meal to shelter pets! Awesome!

And now for some paper-crafting-related links...

I smile whenever I visit Katherine's blog. :o) Isn't this card such a fun take on the sketch she used?

Gaby's blog always makes me smile, too. :o) I looove the flowers on this card that she posted last month -- Wow!

It is not often that I come across a CASE of one of my cards, so this card by Sue was such an awesome surprise!! :o) I'm so happy that she found the stickers, too!

You may have already seen this, but just in case you haven't, Lea has a fun giveaway on her blog-brimming-with-gorgeous-cards, which you can find here!

Wanda's cat, Buddy, reminds me of Humble -- Humble likes to help out in his own special way when I'm crafting or trying to take pictures of cards. :o) Hee hee hee! And aren't Wanda's cards beautiful?

It really looks like Heather puts so much love into the things she makes! Check out this sweet teapot-shaped mini-book she made!

I recently did a Q&A here!

Now back to Rolling Dog Farm...

I really wanted to share this video, which is a feature on Rolling Dog that appeared on Jack Hanna's Into the Wild. This feature was done back when Rolling Dog was located in Montana and was originally going by the name Rolling Dog Ranch. I've been watching this video more regularly as I've been working on ideas and things for a new Etsy shop. I want to donate a portion of sales, and this video is a really strong motivator -- it has made me want to donate a larger portion than I originally thought of. I love these animals...they're so inspiring. The segment about Patti always makes me cry -- I just want to hug her forever. I printed out her picture just so I can always keep her in mind and to remind myself to never sweat the small stuff.

Thanks for reading to the last line!

Paper Crafts July/August 2011

2011-06-28T22:45:00.005-04:00

Hello there, fellow crafter. :o)
This week will be somewhat of a 'catch-up' week on the ol' blog. If you're a Paper Crafts reader, you have probably already seen this:

:o)
This is the July/August 2011 issue [Image courtesy of Paper Crafts magazine!], and the 'Picture Perfect Friend' card there has been brought to you by yours truly. :o) I ain't lyin' when I say that I'm already REALLY overjoyed if they just pick a card for print -- that, to me, is icing on the cake. So this is really like icing on the already iced cake! :o)
I haven't seen the issue in-person yet -- it's stuck in the mail somewhere because of the postal drama here. I can't wait to see it, though -- I love the candy colours of the cover!

When the issue arrives, I'll share my favourite card that I contributed to this issue -- it's a card that I made for Humble Bumble! :o)

Thanks for stopping by today!

Cards On the Interweb

2011-06-21T23:50:00.002-04:00

Hello there!
I haven't been online as often lately [and when I am, it's usually just for a short time here and there], so I'm behind on my web surfing. When I got caught up on a few blogs, I was super-happy [crazy smile kind of happy] and surprised to see some of my cards out there! I thought I would share the links to 'em here...

Earlier this month, my Sew Happy card made an appearance here on the Moxie Fab World blog, and several days ago, my Girls' Night card appeared here! Woo-Hoo! Thank you, Cath!

On Friday, my Foxy Father's Day card made an appearance here on the Paper Crafts Connection blog! Thank you, Kelly!

Yesterday, the mini cards I made that I posted here were shown here on the Simon Says Stamp blog! Thank you, Steph!
Speaking of the Simon Says Stamp blog, they're giving away a Lawn Fawn catalog on that post!

Hmm...that's a lot of exclamation marks, eh? And that's me trying to tone it down! :o) Ah ha ha!

If you haven't already, check out the current call for submissions for the January/February 2012 issue of Paper Crafts -- they post their submission calls here! Fun categories, as always!

Happy crafting! :o)

Jane's Doodles Blog Hop!

2011-06-20T10:00:00.004-04:00

Hello there!
Today I'm happy to share the news that I'll be joining the new Jane's Doodles design team as a guest for their first release! HUGE thanks to Jane and Judith for the fun opportunity to be a guest! Today we've got an awesome blog hop going on to showcase the three new releases -- Garden Friends, Noah's Ark and Little Miss Mia!
Before I share my cards, I'd like to say, please pretend that the colours in my card photos are not out of whack -- I have no idea what my camera was up to, but I took the pictures in the same time frame and still wound up with very different results! Ha! Well, without further ado, here are the projects I made with some of these new stamps from Jane's Doodles...

:o)
This card features a snail and sentiment from Garden Friends. I coloured the little guy with Copic markers and hand-stitched his shell and the path he's on. I re-stamped his face, coloured it in, cut it out and attached it with dimensional adhesive. The little gift boxes are stickers from Martha, and the border punch I used is from EK Success.

:o)
This card is my favourite of the three I'm sharing today! It features stamps from Noah's Ark. Again, I did the colouring with Copic markers and attached the faces of the animals with dimensional adhesive. The patterned papers I used here are from Echo Park, and the banner sticker is from Sassafras. I backed the banner sticker with paper so that I could bend up the ends a bit and not have the banner stuck down entirely.

:o)
For this card, I chose to highlight a sentiment from Little Miss Mia, available through Claudia & Co. I love this particular sentiment -- I say this to Humble all the time! :o) The patterned papers I used here are from October Afternoon, and I die-cut the striped piece with a scalloped square Nestabilities die from Spellbinders. The heart was die-cut with a PTI die, and all of the layers were attached with dimensional adhesive.

You'll see that all three cards have 'a common thread'...it wasn't my plan at first to use black embroidery floss on all of 'em, but that's just the way it went!

Anyhoo, I hope you're enjoying the blog hop so far! Here's the complete list of crafters on the hop...

Jane
Alice
Kelly
Mariana
Joy
Carly
Aga
Emily
Chan [you are here!]
Cristina
Jennifer
Judith
Jane’s Doodles blog -- all three stamp sets will be given away to one winner on the Jane's Doodles blog!

ETA on June 21st: My apologies, folks! When I scheduled this blog hop post for yesterday, I set it to publish the way I usually do [with comments not open]. Thanks to those who wrote to me about it -- I appreciate that! I have now edited the post to include the comment option [although comment moderation is on, so any comments left will not be displayed right away]. Jane is going to pick the winner randomly from one of the blogs on the hop this Friday, June 24th. Best of luck!

Thanks for stopping by today, and have a crafty week! :o)

Lawn Fawn June Inspiration Week: Blissful Botanicals!

2011-06-15T21:39:00.007-04:00

Hello there!
Today is the last day of projects for June's Lawn Fawn inspiration week! Today is Blissful Botanicals day! Here's the card I made...

:o)
Lately I've been doing a lot of hand-stitching -- I really love the homespun charm that it adds to projects! It's been great, too, to see my crazy embroidery floss collection get a little smaller and a little smaller...Ha!

I didn't really have much of a plan when I made this card -- I just started with the border along the bottom, then the sentiment [from Happily Ever After], then the corner...the card seemed to need a little something else, so I added the butterflies and pearls. I'm still not 100% sure on the layout of the card, but it took quite a while to stitch and I was low on sleep, so I couldn't start over. Ha!

Tip! If you'd like to try something like this, what I did was stamp the images in a light-coloured ink, then I pierced holes along the stamped lines for stitching through. Just be sure not to pierce the holes too close together.

For more super-fun projects using the Blissful Botanicals stamp set, check out the blogs of the other Lawn Fawn girls:

Julie
Latisha
Lea
Lynnette
Nichol
Teri
Tiffany

...and, of course, the Lawn Fawn blog!

Thanks for stopping by today!

Lawn Fawn June Inspiration Week: Schoolhouse Backdrops!

2011-06-14T17:55:00.005-04:00

Hello there!
Hope you're enjoying Lawn Fawn inspiration week so far! Today is Schoolhouse Backdrops day! Here's the card I made...

:o)
I like the idea of using stamps to look like doodles on a page -- I posted a card with that general idea when I first started the ol' blog, actually! For today's card, I used two of the Schoolhouse Backdrops stamps to create my miniature notebook page. There's a single line stamp in the set so you can easily add a red [or whichever colour you like] line, just like on real notebook paper! The doodles and message on the notebook page have been brought to you by Sophie's Sentiments, Bake Me A Cake [just the star], and Hello Friend! I love the hand drawn and handwritten styles of these stamps -- they really make the notebook page look more authentic, I think!

For more super-fun projects using the Schoolhouse Backdrops stamp set, check out the blogs of the other Lawn Fawn girls:

Julie
Latisha
Lea
Lynnette
Nichol
Teri
Tiffany

...and, of course, the Lawn Fawn blog!

Thanks for stopping by today!! :o)

Lawn Fawn June Inspiration Week: On the Mend!

2011-06-13T00:01:00.004-04:00

Hello there!
For the next few days, the Lawn Fawn DT will be bringing you projects for three of the new stamp sets released last month! Today is On the Mend day! Here's a simple project I made using a couple of stamps from this cute stamp set...

:o)
It's a little wrap for a certain brand of hot liquid medicine. Ha! Isn't the turtle adorable? Originally, he started out with a blue heating pad, but I thought a cheerier colour would be better. I stamped a new one, coloured it pink, cut it out and attached it with a bit of dimension. This pink twine was a good match, so I decided to add some! The border punch I used is an EK Success one called "Bumpy Road" -- it reminds me more of clouds, though! A cute punch!

For more super-fun projects using the On the Mend stamp set, check out the blogs of the other Lawn Fawn girls:

Julie
Latisha
Lea
Lynnette
Nichol
Teri
Tiffany

...and, of course, the Lawn Fawn blog!

Thanks for stopping by today!

A Card with Lawn Fawn and Helmar Adhesives!

2011-06-03T20:20:00.005-04:00

Hello there!
This week, the Lawn Fawn DT has been sharing some projects made with Lawn Fawn stamps and adhesives we received from Helmar! Here's the card I made with the super-fun Bake Me A Cake stamp set:

:o)
I'm a major fan [I should say Major Fan] of dimensional adhesive -- I use it on almost every project I make! For this card, I used Helmar's foam square Zapdots to attach the patterned paper block and the cake, which I stamped and coloured very simply with Copic markers. I stamped and coloured the little flower details, cut them out and attached them with Helmar's Liquid Scrap Dots, also a dimensional adhesive.

Before I go, I want to say a big thanks to Lindsay for showing my mini cards on her awesome blog Craft Buds! Thank you, Lindsay! :o)

Hope you have a crafty weekend!

Have a WHALE of a Time Gift Card Holder!

2011-05-31T21:12:00.010-04:00

Hello there!
Here's a card I made that's a little similar to this whale card I made back in January...

:o)
...only this one is a gift card holder card! I applied adhesive to the water waves paper along the sides and bottom to create the pocket for the gift card holding whale. :o) I actually made the pocket a little too snug, so I had to re-think how the gift card was going to be held. I couldn't use the planned idea of punching slots on a slightly larger piece of cardstock because that just wouldn't fit. I wound up attaching a small strip of cardstock across each bottom corner so the gift card could just slide behind those.
When I finished this card, I thought that I probably should have made the gift card holder blue rather than purple so it would blend in with the background [I originally picked the purple to tie in with the little fish because I thought the card needed a bit more purple]. Either way, I think it's a happy-lookin' card, which is what I was going for! :o)

The cute whale, fish and most of the sentiment are from Lawn Fawn's Critters in the Sea stamp set. I wanted to emphasize the word "whale", so I substituted the lowercase "whale" from the Critters in the Sea sentiment with "WHALE" spelled out with Jessie's ABCs. The style of the letters from Jessie's ABCs are just the right match!

Hope you got a smile here today! :o)

Decorated Snail Mail

2011-05-30T22:15:00.008-04:00

I'm a fan of stamps.
But today I'm not talking about the crafting type -- I'm talking postage stamps. When I was a kid, I used to collect them -- not in a serious way, but I would just keep neat-lookin' ones that I found in a little album I had. Nowadays, I still get kind of giddy when certain new stamp designs are released, but I buy them to use and not to collect. My favourite kind are the gummed ones [a stamp should be a stamp, I say!], but it seems that many of the ones here these days are the self-adhesive type. Still, any postage stamp is far better than this:
Ha!
When I send something through the mail, I like to decorate it, if even a little.
I mean, junk mail, bills, printed-on postage or blah postage labels kind of make the ol' mailbox kind of depressing, don't they?
It just takes a little extra time to make something look a little more fun, and it takes no time at all to stick on a nice postage stamp. :o) And it'll make a mailbox happier!

:o)
Here's a kraft envelope that I decorated with a frame from Lawn Fawn's Fanciful Frames stamp set. The dashed lines are from Bon Voyage, and the "To:" was stamped using Smitty's ABCs.
I coloured the frame with Copic markers and took the accent colour from the lovely bird on the postage stamp! I guess that might seem a bit 'overboard', but why not, eh? :o)

Snail mail lives!

Fun Mini Cards!

2011-05-29T17:53:00.009-04:00

Hello there!
I hope you're having a nice weekend! For the next three days, I'll be sharing some projects I've made with some Lawn Fawn stamps! Today's project is a set of four mini cards:

:o)
Aren't those embellishments adorable?! Those are Puffies from KI Memories. I set out to make only one card, but that turned into two, then three, then four...couldn't help it! A lot of the sentiments from Lawn Fawn suit these embellishments so well -- I could have kept going, but I thought a set of four was good! And I've got to say, I can't get enough of polka dotted paper -- the pale blue one is from Echo Park, and the other three are from October Afternoon. Polka dots = happy paper! I placed the scalloped circles a little bit past the top edges of the cards just to make 'em a tiny bit different from the usual.
Since I'm such a slow crafter, I like the idea of coming up with one simple design and then repeating it with different colours/sentiments/themes -- each card is different from the next, but they still look cute as a set! :o)

My personal fave of the four is the storm cloud mini card -- that cloud just cracks me up! The "we will weather the storm together" sentiment is from the Partly Cloudy stamp set. "You're Tweet!" was spelled out with Smitty's ABCs, "there's a bun in the oven!" is from Plus One, and "I've gone bananas for you!" is from My Silly Valentine!

Hope you got a smile here today! :o)

Card Creations 9 Winner!

2011-05-24T22:52:00.006-04:00

Hello there!
I wanted to say a shiny, sparkly *thank you* to everyone who stopped by during the Card Creations 9 blog hop and those who left a kind thought! I was so pleasantly surprised at how many of you are also pet parents and animal lovers! :o) Lots of hugs for your pets from me! And a shout out to Christiana who left a comment that made me want to cry. :o) Thanks, folks!

The winner of the Card Creations 9 issue is Lindsay C.! Congratulations, Lindsay!! I've e.mailed you for your snail mail address!

Thanks for stopping by today, and I hope your week is off to a crafty start! :o)

Paper Crafts Magazine Presents: Card Creations 9 Blog Hop

2011-05-20T06:00:00.003-04:00

Hello, folks!
Today I'm very happy to be part of a fun Paper Crafts blog hop in celebration of the new special issue, Card Creations: Volume 9!

Image courtesy of Paper Crafts magazine

Nine of us were asked to create new projects using the Card Creations 9 cover as our inspiration. Here's my project for today...

:o)
This sentiment could not be more true to me. Ha!
The stamps I used, including the background, are all from a personal fave of mine -- Starving Artistamps. The inspiration I drew from the cover was the layout of Kelley Eubanks' Birthday Bike card.

Card Creations 9 was such a fun issue to craft for! There were no limits because PC wanted cards for every occasion, so it really was a blast to make cards to submit!

Check out the blogs of the other eight designers for more!

Teri Anderson
Vanessa Menhorn
Cristina Kowalczyk
Windy Robinson
Julia Stainton
Kim Hughes
Betsy Veldman
Kalyn Kepner

If you'd like to order a copy of Card Creations 9, click here! Comments are open on this post, so you can also leave a comment here for your chance to win a copy! You have until midnight MDT on Sunday, May 22nd to leave your comment [only one comment per person, please!]. I have Comment Moderation turned on, so don't be alarmed that your comment doesn't appear right away! You can increase your chances of winning by commenting on the other eight blogs in the hop!

Also, be sure to comment on today's post over at the Paper Crafts Connection blog! They're giving away THREE awesome prize packages!

Thanks for stopping by today, and have a crafty weekend!! :o)

Hip Hip Hooray!

2011-05-19T23:11:00.007-04:00

Hello again!
I just wanted to say a big thanks to Kerri for posting my Hip Hip Hooray card on the Paper Crafts Connection blog today! Woo-Hooooo!! :o) Also, thank you to those who left such kind words on the Q&A post there as well! I truly appreciate it very, very much! :o)

Thanks for stopping by today!

Lawn Fawn May Inspiration Week: Cruising Through Life!

2011-05-19T22:59:00.006-04:00

Hello there!
Another late post! Yesterday was the last day of projects for the new Lawn Fawn stamp sets that are now in the store! It was Cruising Through Life day! Here's a card I made with this stamp set...

:o)
I coloured in parts of the pinwheels with Copic markers, cut 'em out and attached 'em with brads so that the pinwheels can turn! The cloud is from the Bon Voyage set -- I wanted it to be subtler on the card, so I stamped it, cut it out and turned it over so it would be plain. I wanted to give the cloud just a bit of dimension, so I attached it with a little dimensional adhesive in the centre but regular adhesive on the sides. I attached the separate words of the sentiment with different levels of adhesive -- I wanted the word "your" to stand out the most. :o)

For more super-fun projects using the Cruising Through Life stamp set, check out the blogs of the other Lawn Fawn girls:

Julie
Latisha
Lea
Lynnette
Nichol
Teri
Tiffany

...and, of course, the Lawn Fawn blog!

Thanks for stopping by today!

Lawn Fawn May Inspiration Week: Bon Voyage!

2011-05-17T22:31:00.006-04:00

Hello, folks!
A little late with today's post! Today is the second day of projects for the new Lawn Fawn stamp sets that will be in the store on May 19th! Today is Bon Voyage day! Here's a gift tag I made with this little set...

:o)
The sentiment is actually from tomorrow's stamp set, but the other four stamps I used are from Bon Voyage.

For more super-fun projects using the Bon Voyage stamp set, check out the blogs of the other Lawn Fawn girls:

Julie
Latisha
Lea
Lynnette
Nichol
Teri
Tiffany

...and, of course, the Lawn Fawn blog!

Thanks for stopping by today!

Paper Crafts Q&A!

2011-05-16T06:00:00.001-04:00

Hello there!
Today I am very honoured to have a Q&A posted over at the Paper Crafts Connection blog! Thank you, Paper Crafts!! This week, they're promoting the new special issue, Card Creations: Volume 9! This issue is full of fun cards for every occasion -- and I mean full. It's awesome!
Even though we're in the middle of May, I'm going to share another shot of my Ghostly Boo card from the Halloween section of the magazine!

:o)
I die-cut the ghost from white glittery cardstock and the word 'Boo!' from purple shimmery cardstock. The webs are embossed, and I used a cotton swab to lightly apply some ink to bring out the design. It was really fun to make this card!

Thanks again, Paper Crafts, and thank you for stopping by today!! :o)

Lawn Fawn May Inspiration Week: Admit One!

2011-05-16T05:00:00.001-04:00

Hello, folks!
Welcome to the first day of projects for the new Lawn Fawn stamp sets that will be in the store on May 19th! Today is Admit One day! Here's a gift tag I made with this set...

:o)
I cut out the ferris wheel and attached it with that big gem brad so that the ferris wheel can turn!

For more super-fun projects using the Admit One stamp set, check out the blogs of the other Lawn Fawn girls:

Julie
Latisha
Lea
Lynnette
Nichol
Teri
Tiffany

...and, of course, the Lawn Fawn blog!

Thanks for stopping by today!

Changes

2011-05-10T23:47:00.006-04:00

It's been a little over a year since I started this blog and exactly a year since I first started submitting cards, so I've been reflecting lately and want to keep reminding myself of the real reasons I started.
When I started my blog, and for quite a while after it began, I really didn't get a lot of visits or comments, but it just plain didn't matter. I really enjoyed making things and posting, even if it was just for me to look at. It just felt like I was keeping a different kind of journal from my usual paper-and-pen ones, and I enjoyed looking back at projects and remembering how fun it was to come up with the ideas and see them come to life. :o)

I'd like to go 'back to basics', so I've made a few changes here.
I removed my page counter, the Google Friend Connect/Follower thing, and am not going to have comments open on posts [except in a few certain cases]. I'm not saying there's anything wrong with these things -- it's just a choice I'm making.
I don't think of myself as someone who cares about 'numbers', and if I see myself almost heading in that direction, then I have to change something. To be honest, since my blog has started to get a few more regular visits, I will sometimes find myself thinking, "I wonder how many people visited today" or "I wonder if anyone left a comment" -- and I'm really not crazy about that. I don't want the number of visits or number of comments to affect how I feel about any particular post or about blogging in general. I'd like to go back to how it was before when I didn't think about any of that.

If you no longer see my avatar in your Google Friend Connect thing, please do not be offended! I'm going back to my 'old' way of bookmarking blogs because I just prefer that. I added the Friend Connect thing to my blog because of a very kind request I received on one of my posts, and though I did try to get with the program for a little while by adding some blogs, it never seemed to 'fit' with me. I'm really not a social networker at all. If anyone wishes to stop 'following' my blog because of this, I completely understand, and there are no hard feelings! If anyone chooses to stop by again, thank you very much!

My heartfelt thanks to those who have taken the time to leave kind words on past posts -- you've made me smile and laugh, and I really appreciate your kindness a whole lot. Thank you!

A Year Ago...

2011-05-10T13:10:00.007-04:00

...from this day, I submitted cards for the first time to Paper Crafts magazine! I had purchased an issue of Paper Crafts and saw a little message in it that read, "Want to submit your ideas to Paper Crafts?" It interested me enough to visit the website. From there, I clicked on the 'Submit' tab and read about the categories for the November/December 2010 issue. I just thought, "Why the heck not?" and made four cards that I submitted. I was truly surprised and ecstatic that they picked one! I was very happy with the cards that I made, but I really didn't want to expect anything and get my hopes up. It's still crazy for me to think of all that's happened in the past year. This is my first published card -- I still look at this card very fondly, and it reminds me of how I felt then...

:o)

If you've always dreamed about seeing your work in print, take the first step and try! I'm as ordinary as they come, and I think I've done sort of okay, so that really has to mean that anyone can do well with it. And I mean anyone. Ah hee hee!

Thank you, Paper Crafts, for all of the crafty fun that's happened over the past year -- I appreciate it!

Pom Poms and Fancy Ribbons

2011-05-02T14:37:00.006-04:00

Hello there!
I just got these fun pom pom trims and ribbons in the mail, so I thought I'd add some to the Donation-Giveaways!

These will be added to the Best Friends giveaway [1 yard of each colour for a total of 3 yards]:

These are so fun and festive, like Forrest's birthday party, so I thought they'd make a nice addition to the Best Friends prize! :o)

These will be added to the WSPA Canada giveaway [1 yard of each type for a total of 3 yards]:

These are so pretty, so I thought they'd go well with that BasicGrey stamp set! :o)

Thanks for stopping by today!

April/May Donation-Giveaways for Best Friends and WSPA Canada

2011-04-30T23:11:00.013-04:00

Hello, folks!
Get ready for a really lengthy post!
I was planning to re-open my Etsy shop this month and donate a portion of sales to Best Friends Animal Society because April is Forrest's birth month! Forrest is a cat that has really stolen a piece of my heart [Humble is okay with sharing]. :o) Forrest is in Best Friends' Guardian Angel program, which is for animals who have special needs. He celebrated his first birthday on April 3rd! :o) You can see a melt-your-heart-cute slide show/video of Forrest's birthday party by clicking here!

Since the re-opening of my Etsy shop is still on hold, I'm doing another Donation-Giveaway -- actually two! While I can't donate as large of a sum as in the last Donation-Giveaway, I still wanted to do something for Best Friends...as well as for WSPA Canada! Both do amazing work to help animals. Please check out their websites to read more about the important work they do!

I'm amazed by what World Society for the Protection of Animals has been doing for Japan earthquake relief! Many [not all, but many] of the evacuation centres in Japan do not allow pets, so WSPA has committed to support the setting up of 30 temporary animal shelters near human evacuation centres so people can be close to and help care for their pets. In their words, their efforts are being made "via the Animal Disaster Response Team (ADRT), a coalition of four local animal groups, including WSPA’s local member society, Japan Animal Welfare Society (JAWS)." You can read detailed updates by visiting their blog! I'll be making the WSPA donation through WSPA Canada [this one will be in CAD funds].

Phew! On to the Donation-Giveaways! Here's how these Donation-Giveaways will work:

To enter for the Best Friends giveaway, leave a comment on this post mentioning Best Friends. Leave your first name and e.mail address [if you're worried about spam, you can leave your e.mail in the format of name AT yahoo DOT com]. If you'd prefer, you can leave your blog URL instead of e.mail if you have your contact info clearly displayed on your blog.

To enter for the WSPA Canada giveaway, leave a comment on this post mentioning WSPA. That means you can leave two comments if you'd like to enter both giveaways. If you're going to enter both giveaways, you only have to leave your e.mail address [or blog URL] in the first comment.

For each comment mentioning Best Friends, I'll donate $1.00 USD, up to a maximum of $50.00 USD. For each comment mentioning WSPA, I'll donate $1.00 CAD, up to a maximum of $50.00 CAD. You'll have until Tuesday, May 31st, 2011 to leave your comment(s). I'll draw one winner for the Best Friends giveaway and a different winner for the WSPA Canada giveaway!

The prize for the Best Friends giveaway is:

[1 yard of each colour for a total of 3 yards]

The prize for the WSPA Canada giveaway is:

[1 yard of each type for a total of 3 yards]

If you happen to win one of the giveaways, I'd love to see what you make with these stamps or rub-ons or ribbons/trims! :o) The lovely winner of my first Donation-Giveaway, Gaby, made this super-sweet-super-cute card using a sentiment from the set she won! She's not only a talented card maker, but she also happens to be a genuinely kind-hearted person. :o) Please check out her awesome blog and beautiful cards -- and leave her some comment love!

I know this is quite a lengthy post, but there was a lot of info that I wanted to get across! If you've read it all, thanks for reading to the last line!

Two Cards With Bannerific!

2011-04-30T20:18:00.005-04:00

Hello there!
A quick post today to share two cards I made a while back! The first is a card I went a little sticker-happy on...

:o)
I liked this idea enough to submit this card a few times for different publication calls -- I even changed the sentiment to suit different categories. HA! I think it is now time to let the card rest already. ;o) The label stickers are from Creative Imaginations.

The second is a shaped card...

:o)
Ah hee hee! I submitted this card, too, but it didn't make it. It still makes me chuckle, though! I die-cut the diaper from DCWV glittered cardstock using the Animal Crackers Slice design card. I then drew the card base shape onto blue cardstock, cut it out, then cut out another just like it. Before attaching the two pieces of blue cardstock together, the back piece was scored and folded along the left side so that the card could open and close easily.

I used Lawn Fawn's Bannerific stamp set on both of these cards. The sentiment on the first card is from Sophie's Sentiments, and the sentiment on the second card was spelled out with Harold's ABCs.

Thanks for stopping by today, and check back soon for a giveaway post!

Paper Crafts May/June 2011

2011-04-27T22:31:00.009-04:00

Hello there!
Long time no see! I haven't been online a whole lot lately, so I have quite a bit of catching up to do! Today I'd like to share one of my cards that appears in the new issue of Paper Crafts magazine, the May/June 2011 issue!

:o)
I'm especially jazzed to share this card because I'd say it's on my top 20 list of favourite cards I've made! I submitted it to a previous call -- I think it must've been Card Creations: Favorite Occasions, Vol. 2 -- and when it wasn't selected for that, I think you could actually hear my heart getting CRUSHED. Ah ha...ha. ;o) So I'm really thrilled that it got a chance to appear in this issue! That grey polka dotted/red patterned paper from October Afternoon...love! And I think the chipboard scissors are pretty cute, too. The sentiment is from Lawn Fawn's Just My Type stamp set!

And monster thanks to Kerri for posting my Sew Happy Card in yesterday's post on the Paper Crafts Connection blog! I started squealing when I saw it!! I have a real soft spot for that card, too, because I'm sure you can guess who inspired the sentiment! :o) Sew Happy also appeared in the March/April 2011 issue as a preview for the May/June issue -- that's the first time that's happened! I'm such a dork because I actually yelped when I saw it. Ah hee hee! :o) As you can tell, I'm easily excited by any crafty-related things. And if you have the May/June issue, check out p. 83 for the July/August issue preview! ;o)

A couple of my May/June projects are online bonus projects -- click here for my Beautiful Bouquet Card [the card formerly known as Mother's Day Bouquet] and here for my Sew How's Things Card! It's not obvious from the Sew How's Things picture, but the polka dot background is fabric paper, and the dress form is a fabric-covered chipboard sticker. Also, feel free to laugh at my funny-lookin' hand drawn stems on the Beautiful Bouquet Card -- I've already laughed at myself plenty. ;o) HA!

Thanks for dropping by today!!

Lawn Fawn April Inspiration Week: Year One!

2011-04-13T00:01:00.001-04:00

Hello, folks!
Welcome to the fourth day of projects for the new Lawn Fawn stamp sets that will be in the store tomorrow! Today is Year One day! This is a mini stamp set that includes a cake stamp and a cute 'happy birthday' sentiment stamp. Here's the card I made to share with you today:

:o)
I made the medallion using a Tim Holtz/Sizzix die [with a Spellbinders pinking-edged circle in the centre instead of the smaller circle that comes with the Tim Holtz die]. I just think those medallions are so festive! Not sure why it looks like it's tilted funny in this picture because it's not in-person. ?! And there I go again with the Melon Berry cardstock! There are certain colours that just make my heart go pitter patter -- minty greens, coral-y shades and yellows. *Swoon!*

Oh, and before I forget, the star background is from the Teeny Tiny Backdrops stamp set!

Hope you've been enjoying Inspiration Week! For more super-fun projects using the Year One stamp set, check out the blogs of the other Lawn Fawn girls:

Julie
Latisha
Lea
Lynnette
Nichol
Teri
Tiffany

...and, of course, the Lawn Fawn blog!

Thanks for stopping by today! :o)

Giveaway Winners!

2011-04-12T14:46:00.007-04:00

Hello there!
My apologies for taking a while to post the winners for the 350 Cards & Gifts issue and my Donation-Giveaway! The randomly selected winner of the 350 Cards & Gifts issue is...
39. Stacie [Apr. 8, 10:48 AM]
I love the colors on this box and the flowers are fantastic!
Congratulations, Stacie! I'll be contacting you for your mailing address, and you'll have until Friday, April 15th to reply and claim your prize! :o)
MONSTER thanks again to everybody who visited and left a kind comment -- I appreciate it so much! Shout-out to Toe B. the cat!! :o)

Thank you also to everybody who left such a heartwarming comment on my Donation-Giveaway post! I had pledged to donate $1 for each comment, up to a maximum of $200. I know the amount of comments wasn't in the realm of 200, but that does not mean that I didn't appreciate each comment received -- in fact, I probably appreciated each person that commented even more for stickin' with me on this fundraising effort. I was really moved by every single comment and by those who made donations themselves! I would not have felt right about not donating the maximum that I had pledged, so I made a $200 USD donation to Japan Earthquake Animal Rescue and Support yesterday. Yesterday was one month from the day the earthquake struck...it's so saddening to think about, but it's important to keep Japan in our thoughts. Please make a donation if you can!
The winner drawn for the Donation-Giveaway stamp set is...
Gaby
You are so generous!
I am looking for serious places to make my donations for the Japan victims so thank you very much for the links.
I watched the dog video a week ago and I was really, really moved.
Thanks for spreading the word about this issue, especially when everybody only worries about people and forget our furred brothers.
Thank you, Chan! Even if I don't win, I appreciate the info!
gaby
Congratulations, Gaby! I'll be contacting you for your mailing address, and you'll have until Friday, April 15th to reply and claim your prize! :o)

Thank you again, everybody! I mean it!

Lawn Fawn April Inspiration Week: Smitty's ABCs!

2011-04-12T01:00:00.005-04:00

Hello, folks!
Welcome to the third day of projects for the new Lawn Fawn stamp sets that will be in the store on April 14th! Today is Smitty's ABCs day! This is another great alphabet stamp set that will help you spell out all of those sentiments you wished you had stamps for! For me, it's all about the punny sentiments!

:o)
Ah hee hee! I think I'm the cheesiest person alive because I will howl with laughter at any punny sentiment. If I think of one and say it out loud, I will crack myself up. ;o)
And how 'bout them felt embellishments? I am loving the detail on some of the ones that are out now! These particular ones are from Pebbles. I'm kind of obsessed, too, with the new KI Memories Puffies! You'll be seeing some projects with those soon!

For this card, I stamped the punny sentiment first, then attached the felt orange and slice. I thought the card needed a little something else, so I tied on the twine. Now I'm not 100% sure about the twine, but I don't know what else I would add that would suit the rest of the card. I guess that happens to a lot of us, eh?

Tip! My favourite way to add twine across a card is to punch a little semi-circle on each side of the card front -- this creates notches for the twine so that it stays put! That way your twine doesn't slide about. :o)

For more super-fun projects using the Smitty's ABCs stamp set, check out the blogs of the other Lawn Fawn girls:

Julie
Latisha
Lea
Lynnette
Nichol
Teri
Tiffany

...and, of course, the Lawn Fawn blog!

Thanks for stopping by today! :o)

Lawn Fawn April Inspiration Week: Fanciful Frames!

2011-04-11T00:01:00.002-04:00

Hello, folks!
Welcome to the second day of projects for the new Lawn Fawn stamp sets that will be in the store on April 14th! Today is Fanciful Frames day! And now I present to you...my card:

:o)
I have to say, out of the four projects I made for Inspiration Week, this card is my favourite! I'll always have a soft spot for paper crafts with animals on them. This sentiment is a lesson I've learned from Humble. :o) He makes life so much more enjoyable! We were looking out the window together one day and saw two dogs chasing a mailman. HA! I thought that was something I'd only see on TV or in a movie. It was hi-LAR-ious [maybe not for the mailman...]!

I stamped one of the frames from the stamp set onto cream cardstock, coloured in select areas with a Copic marker, then cut it out. Before attaching the frame, I stamped the picture-hanging nail directly onto the card front [isn't that picture-hanging nail a cute detail?]. The frame and dogs were attached with dimensional adhesive/'foams'. The dogs were cut out from a BasicGrey Max & Whiskers sheet! :o)

The sentiment was spelled out with a stamp set that will be showcased tomorrow! I couldn't resist using that stamp set here because the font just seemed to go really well with the rest of the card!

For more super-fun projects using the Fanciful Frames stamp set, check out the blogs of the other Lawn Fawn girls:

Julie
Latisha
Lea
Lynnette
Nichol
Teri
Tiffany

...and, of course, the Lawn Fawn blog!

Thanks for stopping by today! :o)

Lawn Fawn April Inspiration Week: Happily Ever After!

2011-04-10T00:01:00.004-04:00

Hello there!
I wanted to say a HUGE THANK YOU to those who stopped by for the Paper Crafts blog hop!! I really appreciate all of the kind comments -- they really made me smile many big, toothy, crazy-lookin' smiles! :o) Thank you!! You still have until midnight MDT to enter to win a copy of 350 Cards & Gifts -- just click here for the Paper Crafts blog hop post! I'll be announcing the winner of the 350 Cards & Gifts issue -- as well as the winner of my Donation-Giveaway -- on Tuesday!

Now on to today's topic!
Welcome to the first day of projects for the new Lawn Fawn stamp sets that will be in the store on April 14th! Today is Happily Ever After day! It's a wedding-themed set that's really not limited to weddings. I meant for this to be a non-wedding card [might be good for Mother's Day!], but when I look at the picture now, I guess some might see it as a wedding card...Ha!

:o)
I stamped the dress from the set onto fabric paper from American Crafts. To bring out the texture a little more, I ran my fingernail all around the edges and basically just 'scratched' at the fabric. I didn't want the entire dress to stick down to the blue cardstock [it's adhesive-backed fabric paper], so I backed the fabric with scrap paper and only applied Glue Dots to the centre of the dress -- then I curled up the top and bottom slightly for a bit more dimension. I added a resin flower [love those!!] to the waist for extra pizazz [I can't help but bring out the *jazz hands* when I say 'pizazz' -- Ha!]. :o)
I really, really love using supplies that add fun texture and dimension to a project -- it actually makes me giddy!

See that plush velour and crochet trim? That's from the Dapper Lawn Trimmings set!

For more super-fun projects using the Happily Ever After stamp set, check out the blogs of the other Lawn Fawn girls:

Julie
Latisha
Lea
Lynnette
Nichol
Teri
Tiffany

...and, of course, the Lawn Fawn blog!

Thanks for stopping by today!

Paper Crafts Magazine Presents: 350 Cards & Gifts Blog Hop

2011-04-08T06:00:00.001-04:00

Happy Friday, folks!
Today I'm very excited to be part of a fun Paper Crafts blog hop in celebration of the new special issue, 350 Cards & Gifts!

Image courtesy of Paper Crafts magazine

Twelve of us were asked to create new projects using the patterns that can be found here! You can download JPEG or PDF files for each pattern, and they're very easy and fun to make! Here's my project for today...

:o)
Those colours just make my heart skip a beat.
This fun little box was made with the pattern for Lori Tecler's Tea Light Thank You Gift [p. 153 of the magazine]. I decided to use this box to hold chocolates instead! :o)

This was a lot simpler to make than it might look -- the grass, flowers and ladybug are really part of a longer border embellishment from Martha Stewart Crafts that I just cut down to size. I'm not takin' credit for making that! Ha! I guess using that border might be considered 'cheating'? Cheater I am then! ;o) The fun paper is from My Mind's Eye -- this particular sheet is awesome because it's heavyweight and has a nice, subtle texture to it [I used the same sheet for both parts of the box]. The sentiment is from a Studio Calico stamp set.

This issue was really fun to craft for! As much as I love making cards, it's always nice to make non-card projects, just to switch things up and keep things interesting.

Check out the blogs of the other eleven designers for more!

Betsy Veldman
Kalyn Kepner
Kim Hughes
Teri Anderson
Vanessa Menhorn
Kristin K. Tierney
Lucy Abrams
Ashley C. Newell
Cristina Kowalczyk
Jessica Witty
Latisha Yoast

If you'd like to order a copy of 350 Cards & Gifts, click here! You can also leave a comment on this blog post for your chance to win a copy! You have until midnight MDT on Sunday, April 10th to leave your comment [only one comment per person, please!]. I have Comment Moderation turned on, so don't be alarmed that your comment doesn't appear right away! You can increase your chances of winning by commenting on the other eleven blogs in the hop!

Also, be sure to comment on today's post over at the Paper Crafts Connection blog! They're giving away THREE really fun prize packages!

Thanks for stopping by today, and have a crafty weekend!! :o)

Smiling Flowers

2011-03-30T23:00:00.004-04:00

Hello there!
Quick post before I get back to craft-work! Here's a super-simple card I made a while back...

:o)
I call flowers "Nature's Smiles" -- yes, I am the dork of all dorks.

I just love these bright colours! I used a Martha punch for the grass [love that punch], a couple of chipboard "Nature's Smiles", and a sentiment from Lawn Fawn's Hello Friend stamp set!

Thanks for stopping by today!

350 Cards & Gifts

2011-03-26T16:31:00.005-04:00

Hey, folks!
Just received the new special issue of Paper Crafts magazine, 350 Cards & Gifts! This is one of those hefty issues that's FULL of fun ideas. Here's one of my projects that appears in this issue...

:o)
This is a gift tag I made using some Copic markers, a bit of ribbon, some Cosmo Cricket, and some stamps from Lawn Fawn's Sew Lovely stamp set!

Thanks for stopping by!

A Paper-Crafted Tribute

2011-03-20T17:30:00.009-04:00

Here's a paper-crafted tribute to the dogs from the video I posted yesterday...

:o)
The stamped dogs are supposed to represent the dogs in the video, even though I realize the colours don't really match them. I thought it would've been nice if I had paused the video and coloured the dogs to look like them, but really, we would then have tear-stained dogs on this card.

Thankfully, the two dogs in the video have been rescued! There are still, however, many animals who need help.

Check out my Donation-Giveaway for Japan Earthquake Animal Rescue and Support -- I'll be donating $1.00 USD for each comment left on that post, up to a maximum of $200.00 USD.

Thanks for stopping by!

March Donation-Giveaway for Japan Earthquake Animal Rescue and Support

2011-03-19T05:00:00.005-04:00

Animals are the most loyal friends, aren't they? Here's proof.
I sob uncontrollably when I watch that video, but I think it's important to see.

I haven't worked on my Etsy shop in months, but one thing I miss about it is raising donations through sales. The donations were not enormous by any means, but it was really nice to involve others in the process and also to help spread the word a little about causes that mean something to me. For the past few months, I've been toying with the idea of having 'Donation-Giveaways' on my blog. Really, the only thing that was holding me back a little was that I didn't want to feel like I was 'bribing' people to visit and comment. Heh. But what it comes down to is that I'd like to make donations regularly, it'd be nice to involve others in the process, and this is one way that I can do that until I re-open my Etsy shop. So here goes...

For each eligible comment on this post, I will donate $1.00 USD -- up to a maximum of $200.00 USD -- to Japan Earthquake Animal Rescue and Support.

Japan Earthquake Animal Rescue and Support is made up of three Japanese animal organizations: Animal Friends Niigata/Animal Garden Niigata, HEART-Tokushima and Japan Cat Network.
You can read about Japan Earthquake Animal Rescue and Support HERE and find their frequent updates HERE.
I don't use Facebook, so it took just a few seconds to click around and get used to it, but I'm sure most of you already know how to use that site!

I heard about JEARS and the three organizations through this, this, and this page on the Best Friends Animal Society website. While my thoughts and prayers are, of course, with the people of Japan, it is heart wrenching to me to think of animals who are injured, traumatized, terrified, confused -- those who are separated from their families, those who are left behind because of something that happened to their people, and stray animals who have no one to care for them. I know $200 is just a drop in the bucket compared to what they really need right now, but I hope it can help, if even a little.

Please read these terms carefully:
You do not have to follow my blog in order to enter for the giveaway. Only ONE COMMENT per person. No anonymous comments, please. This giveaway is open to anyone, no matter where you live. In order to be eligible, you must leave the following in your comment:

1) Your first name
2) One of the following:
a) Your e.mail address [please leave it in this format:
name AT yahoo DOT com]
OR
b) The URL to your blog with current contact info clearly displayed on it

It is not enough to have your e.mail address in your Blogger profile because I won't know if it's a current e.mail address. Basically, I just need to be able to contact the winner easily. If the winner drawn is anonymous or doesn't include e.mail/URL, another winner will be drawn.
You'll have until 11:59 PM EDT on Thursday, March 31st, 2011 to enter. I will donate $1.00 USD for each eligible comment on this post, up to a maximum of $200.00 USD.

Here's the prize:

I know it's not really a huge prize, but this isn't really about the prize, right?

Thanks for reading, and please feel free to spread the word. If you do, please share THIS LINK to Japan Earthquake Animal Rescue and Support or any of the number of links found HERE in Best Friends' post. Thank you.

Lucky Green!

2011-03-17T15:45:00.010-04:00

Hello, folks!
I was doing my usual blog-surfing rounds today and was so happy to see my Green Hi card on the Paper Crafts Connection blog! Woo-hooooo!! :o) And I wanted to say a big thank you again for all of the super-nice comments left during Lawn Fawn Inspiration Week -- you guys make me smile non-stop. :o)

Quite a while back, I mentioned SASHA Farm's fundraising auction in this blog post. I said that I would make card sets to donate, but that didn't happen. As much as I LOVE making cards, sometimes when I work on pub calls, I feel a little 'carded out'. I was really disappointed in myself for not making things to donate to SASHA Farm, so I went through my stamp stash and pulled out most of the sets from which I hadn't used any stamps yet and sent them. Here's what I ended up sending to them for the auction:

Like many crafters, I buy things with the full intention of using them, but what ends up happening with me is that I'll find some really good deals, buy a bunch of things at once, and then it'll take me a long, long time to get to everything. You know what I mean? So these stamps were kind of just sitting there...waiting. I thought it'd be better if they were doing some good. I got most of these at half price [found some good deals on Etsy], and that Martha Christmas set was actually free [it's just not really my style]. I think I should probably lay off on buying more Hero Arts sets for a while because I don't get to them for so long.
Anyhoo, I hope these stamps brought in some bids for SASHA Farm and the awesome animals who live there! The fundraising auction is now over, but if you'd like to send them a donation, you can go to the SASHA Farm website -- you can click on 'Want to Donate?' to make a donation by credit card, or click on 'How You Can Help' for other ways to help them. Any little bit helps!

Stop by this Saturday for my first Donation-Giveaway [something I've been thinking about for a while]! :o)

Lawn Fawn Inspiration Week: Say Cheese, Too!

2011-03-16T00:01:00.008-04:00

Hello there!
Welcome to the fourth day of projects for the new Lawn Fawn stamp sets that will be available in the store on March 17th! Remember, if you're thinking about placing an order during the month of March, an adorable mini stamp set will be coming your way as a free gift from Lawn Fawn if your order totals $50 or more! Woo-hoo!
Today is another Say Cheese/Say Cheese, Too day! :o) My card for today has a little bit of Say Cheese, Too, along with a few other stamp friends...

:o)
I used four different Lawn Fawn stamp sets for this card -- the cute little oven is from Plus One, the heart background is from Teeny Tiny Backdrops, 'your friendship' was spelled out with Harold's ABCs, and 'warms the heart' is from Say Cheese, Too! The full sentiment from Say Cheese, Too is 'a great snapshot warms the heart', but I just inked the second line.

Hands up anyone who has spent a bit too long colouring in a little image, only to goof up at the end! Ah ha ha! That's what happened with me and this little oven. I absolutely love this little oven, but I'm not so jazzed about how my colouring turned out along the bottom. It seemed like I was just 'pushing the colour out' when I was trying to even it out, and whenever I go over the same spot a few too many times, I start getting these sort of 'shiny' areas in my colouring. I finally decided to just step away and leave the little oven alone! ;o) I think I have to try to be a lot more relaxed about things like that because it's crafting, after all -- it's supposed to be fun!

It's funny when I look at my Inspiration Week projects together and notice how I used the same things:
:: heart background from Teeny Tiny Backdrops - used on 2 projects
:: PTI Vintage Cream stamped background - used on 3 projects
:: Bazzill Dotted Swiss - used on 2 projects
:: PTI Melon Berry cardstock - used on 2 projects

When you love something, you love something, right? :o)

To answer a couple of questions left on yesterday's post:
I did, in fact, colour those circles entirely with Copic markers -- the images were not paper pieced. And the soft, sort of watercoloury look was a happy accident! I didn't expect it to turn out that way but was giddy when it did! I just coloured each background as usual, then went over them just once, keeping the marker strokes loose so that not too much colour was being layered on. I'm a total Copic beginner and don't know any special techniques -- I just colour and see what happens! :o)

Thanks, guys, for your kind comments these past few days -- they mean a lot!

For more super-fun projects using Say Cheese/Say Cheese, Too, check out the blogs of the other Lawn Fawn girls:

Julie
Latisha
Lea
Lynnette
Mariana
Teri
Tiffany
Nichol [guest designer for the March release!]

...and, of course, the Lawn Fawn blog! :o)

Thanks for stopping by today!

Lawn Fawn Inspiration Week: Plus One!

2011-03-15T00:01:00.007-04:00

Hello there!
Welcome to the third day of projects for the new Lawn Fawn stamp sets that will be available to order on March 17th! If you're thinking about placing an order during the month of March, you'll receive a super-cute mini stamp set as a free gift from Lawn Fawn if your order total is $50 or more! Isn't that awesome?!
Anyhoo, today is Plus One day! :o) Here's a gift bag I made with this adorable new stamp set...

:o)
Aren't those images just too cute? I originally punched, stamped and coloured those images for a card idea I had for the Stamp It Cards call, but I decided I wanted to save 'em for my DT project! This has become one of my favourite ways to colour with Copic markers [colouring in the whole shape, I mean] -- they kind of remind me of stickers. And I love the wash of colour for the backgrounds -- it's soft and sort of watercoloury. I *love* the look!! :o) Since those circle images were created, I went bonkers and made a bunch of other projects with the same basic idea [some with different shapes, too], and I probably won't stop! :o)

My picture kind of washed out the minty blocks of shading I added to the stork -- I love, love minty colours! I die-cut the gift bag with my Cricut machine and the Once Upon a Princess cartridge. The gift bag design has holes for a handle, but I decided not to add a handle and just covered the holes with my coloured-in circles! The cardstock is Dotted Swiss from Bazzill -- I love that Dotted Swiss!

For more super-fun projects using the Plus One stamp set, check out the blogs of the other Lawn Fawn girls:

Julie
Latisha
Lea
Lynnette
Mariana
Teri
Tiffany
Nichol [guest designer for the March release!]

...and, of course, the Lawn Fawn blog! :o)

Thanks for stopping by today!

Lawn Fawn Inspiration Week: Critters in the Forest!

2011-03-14T00:01:00.004-04:00

Hello there!
Welcome to the second day of projects for the new Lawn Fawn stamp sets that will be in the store on March 17th! Today is Critters in the Forest day! :o) Here's a card I made with this super-cute new stamp set...

:o)
It's a super clean and simple card that shows four stamps from the set! Critters Bird is thanking his pal Critters Raccoon there for giving him a lift. Hee hee. All of the Critters sets are my favourites from Lawn Fawn -- I just love the sweet little expressions on the animals' faces. :o)

I have to say, I'm one of those people who is not extremely confident in where to add shading with Copic markers. I'm thinking that I probably added too much shading under Raccoon's head there, and I'm not sure about his one ear being that much darker and the other ear not having any shading. One thing I do know is that I personally like 'chunky/blocky' shading when I colour, as opposed to smooth shading. And I'm not just saying that because I'm not very good with smooth shading. ;o) HA! I just like to colour with 'chunky/blocky' shading when I'm trying to go for an extra-cartoony look, which seems to be pretty often!

Hope you're enjoying Inspiration Week so far! For more super-fun projects using the Critters in the Forest stamp set, check out the blogs of the other Lawn Fawn girls:

Julie
Latisha
Lea
Lynnette
Mariana
Teri
Tiffany
Nichol [guest designer for the March release!]

...and, of course, the Lawn Fawn blog! :o)

Thanks for stopping by today!

Lawn Fawn Inspiration Week: Say Cheese!

2011-03-13T00:01:00.007-05:00

Hello there!
For the next four days, we'll be sharing projects made with the new Lawn Fawn stamp sets that will be available in the store on March 17th. Woo-Hoo! Today is Say Cheese/Say Cheese, Too day, so you'll likely be seeing some of each stamp set on the other Lawn Fawn girls' blogs. My project, though, features Say Cheese with some Teeny Tiny Backdrops. :o)

I bring you...
Say Cheese Mini-Mini Album!

:o)
I love, LOVE mini albums! For this one, I used QuicKutz dies to create the little pages -- the dies are from the Santa's Workshop series. I love how the pages have different edges! I know the rings look gigantic on this little album, but once the album is complete with pictures and embellishments, it'll be one chunky mini-mini album [the chunkier a mini album is, the more fun it is!!]. :o)

The camera, flash lines and sentiment are all from the Say Cheese stamp set. I stamped a bunch of the pages with the heart and star backgrounds from the Teeny Tiny Backdrops stamp set. That's one of my favourite background-building stamp sets! Normally, I'm not that crazy about stamping backgrounds because I'm not that great at lining the stamps up properly -- I often end up with one row being a bit too far and one row being a bit too close. That's why I love big background stamps that just stamp the entire background in one go. Ha! But the Teeny Tiny Backdrops set is a lot easier to line up than others I've used before -- you don't have to be as precise, and the backgrounds look super-super-cute!

This little album was a lot of fun to put together, and I know I'm going to make many more for different themes!

For more super-fun projects using Say Cheese/Say Cheese, Too, check out the blogs of the other Lawn Fawn girls:

Julie
Latisha
Lea
Lynnette
Mariana
Teri
Tiffany
Nichol [guest designer for the March release!]

...and, of course, the Lawn Fawn blog! :o)

Thanks for stopping by today!

Lawn Fawn Inspiration Week!

2011-03-12T00:55:00.006-05:00

Hello there!
Hope you've all had a great week! Things have been kind of crazy here [and a little scary on Thursday], but hopefully the crazy and scary will give it a rest already. I'm putting the finishing touches on my Lawn Fawn projects for Inspiration Week, so I hope you'll drop back in tomorrow to see what's been in the works! The fun has already started over at the Lawn Fawn blog, so be sure to check out what's happening there and enter for your chance to win awesome prizes, including the new Lawn Fawn stamp sets and a copy of their super-cute catalog!

:o)