Celebrating the First 50 Years...

What a day!!!

It is indeed a milestone birthday for me.

Thank you all for the birthday wishes that I have

been receiving over the past few days.

It has definitely been a time to contemplate the question

'how did this number come so quickly'?

I was thinking about it earlier today that 10 years

ago, there were a few celebrations for my

40th because at that time, I still had my store open

and between a variety of stamp clubs, regular customers

and other surprises, it was an easy time to celebrate.

Here I am 10 years later...10 years older...

with a whole new batch of friends from virtually

all over the world...thanks to your visits to

Julie's Open Window.

How will I be celebrating?

I enjoyed a lovely dinner with parents last night

and will be having a fun dinner out with my children

and 3 grandchildren tonight.

On Saturday, Paul and I will be heading up to Madison, WI

for a couple of days and staying at the Hilton Garden Inn

which is 'literally' attached to ... wait for it ...
an Archiver's Store!
So over the weekend, I am going to spend an afternoon
using their workroom to have a little creative time.
Paul is going to bring the laptop and some movies
and have a little relax time.

I have the best husband!

As a little tribute to him, I created a card that
shares my heart towards my dear Paul...

Today is my last day hosting

It has been such a terrific week!
For my last 'official' post for Unity,
I thought I would share 3 different projects
using their newest stamps called

'Itty Bitty'

 Most of you know that I am not one to do a lot
of coloring, but these stamps make it so easy!
This set is called 'Rain or Shine'.
I used my Paisley EF from Cuttlebug for the base card.
I have been waiting for just the right project to use these
sweet blue rhinestones.  When I bought them, I had always
envisioned using them as raindrops.

Another fun set is 'Sit.Eat.Enjoy'
What a great little set for all sorts of invites.
I called on my Swiss Dot EF this time.
Labels One from Spellbinders create a nice frame
and I pulled out some really old designer paper for
the faux tablecloth.  That's my BOO for this week!

 My final project is a little something for the holidays.

 This is 'Merry & Bright'
Lots of possibilities...lots of fun!

Have you seen Unity's 'Itty Bitty' stamps yet?

Now you have!

So how would you like an opportunity to
win a set of Unity stamps?
All you have to do is leave a comment on each of my
GIU posts for this week (M-F).  That's it.
You will have through Sunday to do so.
On Monday, when I return home from the weekend,
I will randomly draw one winner from the comments left
and announce it here on my blog.

Thank you for joining me this week for 'Growing in Unity'.
I've had an absolute blast!

BOO 2 You - WaltzingMouse Sketch Challenge

I spent a little time last night playing with a few

ideas for the current WaltzingMouse Sketch Challenge.

I took a few liberties with the sketch by turning it

on it's side (sort of) and not making it an actual card.

I had so much fun with this.

The chipboard background is from one of my

Crafty Secrets Vintage Postcard Sets.

I covered it with Martha Stewart Halloween paper

and then layered Spellbinders Die Cuts (Labels 4)

on top with dimensional tape (so it's not flat).

One of my new favorite punches is the

'Vampire Bat' from EK Success.

I punched it twice from another Martha design

and layered it to give dimension.

The fabby alphabet letters are 'Thickers'

from American Crafts.  The ribbon is

from an old SEI mini SB kit that I have been

hanging onto for the perfect fit...this was it!

There is SO MUCH BOO on this

it's CrAzY (click HERE to find out more).

So here is what I want to know....

What is the latest BOO you have used in a project?

Leave a comment below and let me know...it's so fun

to what you are doing in your creative space : )

Back tonight with an all new Play Date Cafe Challenge

with Celebrity Guest Sankari Wegman!

Layers, Scallops & Thanks

It's a busy day for me, so I only have time to share

one card today.....

This one is lots of fun scalloped layers and

one mighty big handmade paper flower.

I love using kraft cardstock with these types of colors.

It's such a versatile neutral.

The paper flower is made from 2 types of handmade papers,

the off-white with specks is 'tobacco paper' which I have

had for years, along with the peachy-pink paper.

I guess that's using some BOO, isn't it?!

The periwinkle blue in the flower is good-old-fashioned tissue paper.

I made the flower using the Dahlia die from Spellbinders.

There are about 21 layers altogether.

I also used the Labels 4 for the sentiment.

The other scalloped punch is from Fiskars.

The sentiment is from Unity.

Thought I would enter this over at the

CARDS challenge.

Paige is calling for unique, handmade flowers.

In the meantime, you still have until

midnight EST tonight to enter this week's

challenge over at The Play Date Cafe.

Oh...one more thing...

I have just one more complete set in stock

of the 'Ippity Triple' deal

from yesterday's post.

You can read about it here.

Have a terrific day!

Elegance in a Houndstooth Wrap...The PDCC36

What a fun week this has been in preparation for

the new color challenge at The Play Date Cafe.

I am the color host this week and absolutely

ADORE these colors!

First, we were inspired by this fabulous layout

courtesy of Marthastewart.com

Then, Ruby 2 Shoes issued a friendly little

'insider challenge' to me personally, to create

something using our 'under-used'

Tim Holtz Bird Cage Dies from Sizzix.

From there, the entire team got in on it, at least the

bird/birdcage-theme.  So we hope you enjoy it!

I used a couple of my favorite stamps from

The Artistic Stamper.

The 'Houndstooth Background' which I used on my birdcage

was a perfect match for a little BOO that I used, those paper

flowers from Making Memories.

I also used the very versatile 'Swirl' accent stamp

for my bird.  I gave the white background a little texture

using my 'Stylized Flowers' EF from Cuttlebug

(another favorite) and topped it all off 

with bling here and there.

We are really happy to have Kelly Marie from

Lawn Fawn back as our guest designer and sponsor

this week.  Even Kelly got in on our little

'insider challenge'  : )

One more note...

A good friend to The PDCC made a HUGE

contribution to our challenge blog this week.

You'll have to visit The Cafe to find out what,

but I want to extend a personal thank you to our

friend Paul B of The Artsiders for not only his

wonderful gift to our team and you, the players...

but for his continued support and inspiration each week!

Come play with us at The Play Date Cafe!

Taking Things One Day at a Time

I have thoroughly enjoyed playing around

with my set of Ippity stamps that I got

from Saavy (that's MY name for her, anyway).

I have participated in the blog challenge over

at the Ippity blog & SCS forum for this week

and here is my little contribution...

The challenge was to use fabric or canvas.

This was THE PERFECT TIME to pull out

my little quilting sample squares that I ordered

from Keepsake Quilting YEARS ago.

(so I've also met my own BOO challenge)

I stamped the sentiment on different calico squares

then layered the additional squares to mimic the

beginnings of a CrAzY quilt, right down to the

slight black border.

I took the fluttering butterflies, which is

one image, stamped it at the top left

and bottom right as well as repeatedly

on a variety of decorative paper scraps.

I then cut them out individually and

POPPED them up for some dimension.

WELL....I hope you will start spreading the word

to our mutual friends who visit me her at

The Open Window because tomorrow is a

great day for me.

It will be my....

ONE YEAR BLOGAVERSARY

and we are gonna celebrate together!

Of course, there will be a 

RiDiCuLoUs GooD

GIVEAWAY

so make sure you make plans to come back

around tomorrow!

Loving the Clouds on a Sunny Day!

I know, I know....two quick posts in

one day!  I have been trying all

weekend to put the finishing touches

on re-creating a card that was first

inspired by my 3 grandsons.

You see, Jenny over at Wee Memories

has a fabulous challenge this week...

'The Sky's the Limit'

She love clouds...is taken with clouds...

and when I first read that, I knew that

I needed to make one of these cards

for the challenge....

Sorry that the photo is a bit 'wonky', but had to take

the pic a bit on the quick side...battery dying!

I KNOW you've been there  : )

Anyway...This card was made using some

BOO from my collection.

'Actopus to Zelephant' from K&Company.  

I used the adhesive borders and the mat pad DP.

This was a very popular card when I made it nearly

a year ago, and I sold it on Etsy.  So I have

decided to offer this one there as well.

Hope you will pop over and pick it up!

Just click HERE!

Thanks Jenny...a FaBuLoUs challenge this week!

I 'Embellished'...this Challenge

I have just a really quick post for you today.

I have spent most of the day at the clinic with

my sweet husband while he had a medical

procedure done on his esophagus, so I am

spending time between 

giving him some TLC 

and my studio/computer.

 I thought it would be fun to put something together

for this week's Embellish challenge and I knew if

I didn't get it done today, I would

miss out on the fun.

Ashley Cannon Newell is the wonderful host of

this challenge and e-zine AND is our guest

designer in The Cafe this week.

Although my grandpa's have long since passed on,

I was thinking of my grandsons and their love for

'Papa Paul' as I made this card.

I LoVe this color combination and I 

managed some MAJOR BOO on this

project as I broke out some fabby

rub-ons from SEI.

The cardstock is Bazzill & the DP is

from The Paper Company's 'Mirabella' stack.

Everyone's favorite Loop border punch 

is Martha Stewart/EK Success.

I used Spellbinders Scallops for the

dimension and centered it with a

fabric-covered brad from My Mind's Eye.

So that's it in a nutshell!

I will see you tomorrow night at

midnight, EST for the new challenge

from The Play Date Cafe.

The Cutest Little Baby Face...Inspired by a Friend

What a fabulous 'color story' for this week's

Play Date Cafe Challenge.

My friend Mona Pendleton was the

TOTAL INSPIRATION

for my contribution this week!

Not only was she the Senior Design Team Host,

but her colors inspired me to create something 

that, to me, feels a bit like a 'Mona creation'.

I have always admired her style   :  )

I really enjoyed using a variety of elements 

to make this card come to life.

I started with Designer Paper from The Paper Studio's

'Sweet Pea' collection.  After zig-zag stitching 3 layers

together, I used Martha Stewart's Deco punch to create

the frame for the baby bottle piece, which is also from

the Paper Studio collection.

  I layered an additional

baby bottle to give a dimensional effect along with the

pearls and ribbon.  The sentiment tag is my

BOO element and is from Daisy Hill.

It definitely qualifies for BOO as I have had

a couple packages of them for at least 3 or 4 years.

I thought it was a perfect fit for this little creation.

I hope you will pop over to The Play Date Cafe

and see the rest of the design team's creations.

You can't HELP but be inspired by

their creativity!

Coffee w/ Kristen Powers...The Play Date Cafe Challenge

I've always loved the way Sherlock Holmes

introduced Dr. Watson to people.

He would say....

"This is my friend and colleague, Dr. Watson."

Although I met Kristen Powers when she

came and taught a weekend at my

store over 10 years ago, 

I will always call her a friend first.



Back then, she 'sorta' worked for me...
Now I 'sorta' work for her as she recently asked me
to be a part of her KPink design team.

This week, once more, the tables have turned and I have
asked Kristen to put her artistic talents to work for us
over at The Play Date Cafe as our
'celebrity' guest designer and sponsor.
She not only said yes, but she made 2 different
digital stamps for our design team to play with.

  One thing I really enjoyed about playing 

with this image, was thatI had the freedom to 's-t-r-e-t-c-h' it beyond it's
original shape so that I could make this unique-sized
greeting card.  I chose to do a little
'paper piecing' on mine and oh my goodness,
I went 'BOO' CrAzY on this one!
Let's just say that the copyright date on the back of the
floral paper was dated MM...yes, 2000!
The embossed satin ribbon is nearly 20 years old!
By the way, that ribbon is embossed satin...I wanted a hint of
green to match the greenery in the inspiration photo, so I inked
it with a bit of VersaMagic in 'Key Lime'.
Although it's hard to tell, the flowers and steam are 3-D
and I actually punched holes in the 'lace' doily.

I am SO proud of our design team this week as each one
who used a digital image, tried a different technique to make
it work for them.  So I hope you will stop by The Cafe
and then to each one of their blogs and
find out all the 'unique' things you can do.

It's not just about 'printing' anymore!

 

Layers of Lace...Paper Lace

So after I played around with the Moxie Fab Challenge yesterday,

I decided to take it in another direction using DP.

So here is my take on 'Paper Lace'.

I so love this punch set from Martha Stewart.  It was on my wish list

for several weeks and WHY I didn't buy it sooner is beyond me.

Love the color trend using saffron yellows and gray, so I went

BOO here and used DP from the 'Everafter' collection from

Cosmo Cricket.  The butterfly is from K&Co's 'Wild Saffron'

set, the ribbon is American Crafts 

and the sentiment is Renaissance Stamps.

Counting the focal point, there are 7 layers on this card..

I really enjoyed making this one.

So here's a question for you....

What is your all-time FAVORITE color combination?
 I have always been a fan of pink, white and gray or black
and now I love pinks and browns together.

Is it something you have loved since your were little

or is it something that you never thought you would use

and now you can't stop!?

Please leave a comment and share your favorites...

You never know when YOU might set the next trend!

Do Lemons Make YOU Smile?

Who's ready for Spring?  Raise your hand!

If this week's challenge over at

The Play Date Cafe

doesn't get you in the mood, then all hope is lost.

 

Nothing says Spring like 'lemon yellows'

and that's exactly the inspiration behind this week's challenge.

Sarah is our UK designer and she is

the 'hostess with the mostess'!

Hopefully you have enjoyed the vine border stamp from Memory Box

because here it is again!  I LoVe it!  I used a variety of VersaMark

pads for my inks and did a little zig-zag sewing.

The DP's are all from my BOO collection...in fact, I can't

even remember who made them.  There's no hallmark on

any of them, but they are from the same collections.

The paper flowers are brand new from Prima

and the sentiment is a $1 clear stamp from StudioG.

Make sure you head on over to The Cafe

and check out The Cafe News.

There's lots going on and LOTS coming up!

You will NOT want to be left out of the fun!

One more thing....
I managed two posts today, so please keep
scrolling for more
and pleeeeease let me know you were here
by leaving a comment.
I feel lonely when I know 'someone' came by
but didn't say hi   :  (

Of course, lemons DO make me smile
:  )

Begging for Spring!

As I made a visit to my friend Julie Campbell's blog

I found one of the seven deadly sins setting in.

You guessed it...

ENVY!

 

I had already started working on this card last

night, but after seeing the lovely photos of

an early spring in California, I decided to get this

finished so I could get a decent photo

because the sunshine just isn't cooperating right now.

This is from the new 'Songbird' Collection from DCWV.

I did a little sewing and added buttons and

Diamond Stickles and the verse is a rub-on

(which is my BOO for the day...

I've had those FoReVeR!)

My favorite embellishment though, is the ribbon

detail that I tried my hand at thanks to the 

tutorial over at the Gingersnaps Creations blog.

Erika shows step-by-step this ultra-easy way to

make the gathered trim WITHOUT sewing.

I used fabulous textured satin ribbon from

Martha Stewart.

 

So did you visit yesterday?

I had a great time putting together the

'Autograph Sessions' interview with 

Diana Trout, author of 'Journal Spilling'.

If you missed it, just click here.

I also want to congratulate Jennie and Hels

over at The Artistic Stamper on their 400th follower.

Jennie is giving away another batch of blog candy 

to celebrate, so I hope you will stop by & say hello!

That's it for today....but before I go,

here is what I want to know.....

What technique or product for paper crafting

have you NOT tried yet, but really want to?

I've been thinking about some tutorials for you

and would love to know what trips YOUR trigger!

Leave a comment and let's see what we come up with!

A Different Take on a Challenge...JUGS20

Thought I would play along this week over at the  
Just Us Girls Challenge.

The technique is 'split negative', but as I am one who does not use

heat embossing all that much, I decided to just put my own spin on it.

 

My 'split' is one stamp with two colors.

I love these stamps from Hampton Arts & Stampabilities.

Of course, used a little 'Boo' with this really old

Making Memories DP.  I have always loved this floral pattern

so I was glad that it worked with these stamps.

They offer a couple of tutorials on this technique

over at the Just Us Girls Challenge blog, so if you are 

in the mood to do something unique, head on over.

One more thing....PLEASE leave a comment to say hello

and let me know you stopped by.  I truly do appreciate it!

Love is in the Air...it's a Private Blend!

 

This is a fabulous week over at The Play Date Cafe!

Not only do we have an open design team call going on at the moment, but we also have a new  

Cafe feature with a designer opportunity.

This week, I was totally inspired by The Play Date Cafe's first 

'Private Blend' Designer.

Before I tell you about that inspiration, I want to also thank my friend

Maria Medeiros from CozyComfyCouch Photography & Design.

Maria has graciously provided this fabulous inspiration photo

for this week's challenge.

 

Mona Pendleton of Cupcake's Creations is our first

'Private Blend' Designer and her tissue paper flowers are so beautiful.

I decided it was time to make a few of my own 

inspired by her terrific style.

I also managed a little 'Boo' with this project by using flocked DP from

Prima's Nursery Rhyme Collection, 

and this fabulous Paper Inspirations

stamp that I have had for over five years and had never inked!

The textured hearts were a part of a die cut package that came free with one of my British stamping magazines.

Hope you will take this opportunity to play with these great  

Valentine-y colors over at The Play Date Cafe.  

Head on over and find out how you can be a 

'Private Blend' Designer!