Celebrating Our Anniversary in The Cafe!

I am so happy to be sharing this next challenge with you!

It is our 2nd Anniversary over at

 

 

When I started this challenge 2 years ago

with my best friend Sarah, I hoped that 

our challenge would be a little 'hang out' that people

would enjoy visiting.

Here we are, 2 years later and have become one of

the most popular color challenges with players

from all around the world.

I sincerely believe that we have one of the

best design teams around

and from our very first team to now, they deliver

amazing inspiration each week.

Of course, there would be no challenge without players

and that is where YOU come in.

I thank you from the bottom of my heart for

your support each week!

We have 3 tremendous sponsors this week who are

providing fantastic prizes and the

GOOD NEWS is we have prizes not only for

our 'Cup of the Week' but for our 'Fab 4' as well.

So if you haven't played before,

this is THE WEEK to play along!

I am in love with Gnomes and this little guy from the

'Gnomies' set by Sweet Stamp Shop is perfect!

I spent my teenage years in the best decade...the 70's!
I collected Gnomes any way I could find them.
I drove a brand spanking new mint-green
Mercury Bobcat with a bumper sticker 
proudly displayed...
'I brake for Gnomes'!!!

So this little guy was perfect for my project!
I decided to make a gigantic (to him) flower and flower pot

using Spellbinders new 'Blossom Tags' & 'Flower Pot' dies.

The DP on the flower is from  

Webster's Pages 'Hollywood Vogue'.

I colored the little guy's suit and beard with Copics.

There is SO much texture on this card...take a closer look...

 

Not only is there texture in each flower as I

embossed each die, but I used a variety of EF's

from Cuttlebug as well.

The flower pot has a 'Honeycomb' texture, the little

guy's hat is 'Swiss Dots' and the card panel itself

is one of my favorites 'Stylized Flowers'

The stamp sentiment is from Layers of Color.

Like I said, we have 3 amazing sponsors this week...

So please come play along!

Join us at The Play Date Cafe....

I'd love to see YOU be one of our winners!

Project Recipe: 

Designer Paper: Hollywood Vogue from Webster's Pages

Stamps:  Gnomies by Sweet Stamp Shop

Honey Sweet by Layers of Color 

Tools:  Blossom Tags & Flowers Pots by Spellbinders, Big Shot,

 Stylized Flowers, Swiss Dots, Honeycombs all by Cuttlebug/Provo Craft
Fiskars corner rounder punch, Copics

Embellishments: Checkerboard brad from Making Memories

'Owl' Be Right Over

Here it is another week gone by and time for

another challenge from...

The Play Date Cafe

 These beautiful, rich colors are so lovely

and I adore the inspiration that our Jaclyn Miller

chose to put together to create the story.

I have a few old 'typeset' letters that I've

amassed from antique stores, so that photo

on the top right is my absolute fave!

 

I love this new set of stamps from Market Street Stamps

called 'Night Owls'.  I couldn't wait to play with

them, so I thought why not make those bold

colors come to life in a whimsical way.

There is SO much beautiful inspiration over

in The Cafe...you won't believe how differently

we each interpreted the colors and there is

something for everyone!

We are sponsored this week by

 so make sure you come play!

Project Recipe: 

Designer Paper: 'WonderFALL' by Webster's Pages
Ink: Tuxedo Black by Memento, Copics
'Slate & Cranberry' from A Muse Studio
Stamps:  'Night Owls' by Market Street Stamps

Tools: Corner Rounder from Fiskars

Embellishments: mini brads from Recollections

It's the Sizzix Fresh Vintage Blog Hop!

For the Craft's Meow

Release Preview

Click HERE

It's finally here!

The Sizzix 'Fresh Vintage' Blog Hop.

This is such a COOL blog hop 

and here is why...

Over the next six weeks, you will be able

to enjoy the creations of 60 designers

but in small doses.

How do you get from blog to blog

in 'small doses'?

Just find the badge 
on my top left sidebar that

matches the one above and 'click'.

Easy-peasy.

{more information at the end of the post}

I am thrilled to be here on behalf of one of
the blog hop sponsors...

The Twinery.  
There are several of our

designers who will be designing for this hop
over the next six weeks.

I have a wonderful giveaway for you! 
Make sure you leave a comment 
at the end of this post
and become a follower of my blog
and you just might win this...

 

An Ultimate Color Sampler Pack

{retail value $25}

I had the pleasure of working with the new 

Sizzix Photo Album Scoreboard Die from Eileen Hull.

This is my finished album.

I used a variety of embellishments as finishing

touches on my cover including the beautiful

Honeydew bakers twine from The Twinery.

Here is a little of the journey on how

I completed my album.....

The XL Scoreboard dies work wonderfully in 

my Big Shot using the Little Sizzles 6 x 13

Double-sided Mat Board.  When you run the

die through the machine, the binding border

makes the necessary scores that fold so easily.

Of course, you can use the Scoreboard dies

with your favorite cardstock and designer paper too.

I then decided to use Glimmer Mist to create

the color for my binding.  I ended up not using

the rectangular frame and opted for a metal one.

The instructions included show you how to create

the accordion folds for the inside which will then

hold your album pages.  You can add as many as

you like to create a custom album.

Here is the outside of the album's binding.

The most difficult part is deciding the theme you

would like to include and creating the cover....

but of course, it's the most fun part as well!

Here are a few more photos

of the detailed embellishments...

The folks at OhMyCrafts.com are giving away

a Flower Layers #9 Die, so make sure you visit

their blog for chance to win!
You will find all of the Scoreboard dies & more
from Sizzix on their website.


I hope you enjoyed your visit.
I would love to hear from you
and don't forget....
you could win the fabby prize
from me & The Twinery!

Now here are a few details on how this blog

hop will work over the next 6 weeks....

FAQ about the Fresh Vintage Blog Hop: 

How do I hop around to see ideas 
using the current featured die?  
Every Tuesday and Thursday between 
September 27-November 3, 2011 
there will be a new Sizzix Fresh Vintage die featured 
on 6-10 participating designers' blogs.
The navigation buttons for "Hop Back" and "Hop Forward" 
will allow you to easily
hop around and see projects featuring whatever the 
current die is, since those buttons are 
programmed to navigate 
only to the blogs that are participating for
that die. On the next Tuesday/Thursday, the buttons will 
automatically reprogram themselves to navigate to the blogs 
that are signed up for the next featured die.

What if I start at a designer's blog that isn't one of the 6-10 
signed up for that die? 
No problem! Simply hit either the 
"Hop Forward" or "Hop Back" 
button on the Fresh Vintage navigation widget from any blog's sidebar and you'll automatically
advance to one of the participating blogs.

Can I go back and view the ideas for a 
previously featured die?

Of course! Go to Eileen Hull's blog and find the 
Fresh Vintage Permalinks button on her "Blog Hops" page. 
It will bring up her blog posts where you'll find
direct links to each participating blog along with a 
thumbnail image of the project.

Happy Halloween Project Recipe: 

Designer Paper:  'Nature's Storybook' from Webster's Pages
Tools: Photo Album Scoreboard Die by Eilieen Hull for Sizzix,
Little Sizzles Mat Board from Sizzix, Big Shot
Embellishments:  'Moroccan' Metal Label Holders by Making Memories,
lace & pearl border & paper flower by Recollections, 
Honeydew bakers twine from The Twinery,
Glimmer Mist in 'brick' from Tattered Angels 
gem flourish by Zva Creative

August Release Blog Hop Day at The Craft's Meow!

I've got a *Sweet* Announcement

Click HERE for the details !!

What a great way to start the week!

It's time for the

New Release Blog Hop at

If you arrived here from the very talented 

Jessica Fick's blog

then you are in the right place!  If not, why not start back

at The Craft's Meow Blog and get started.

Someone is going to win 

all four stamp sets from this release, 

so make sure you leave a comment here on my blog!

Along with the new release, it's also the brand new

August Sketch Challenge for TCM

so here is my take on this great sketch from Michelle Bertuzzi...

I featured a couple of the images from Nina Brackett's

fab new stamp set called 'Telegram'

Talk about fun and fab!!!

I am so glad you stopped by today!

Make sure to leave a comment here to have a chance to

win all four August releases!

Next up on the TCM Blog Hop is the very creative Kim Yu

Before I go...I wanted to share with you some really terrific news

about another new release...

The Twinery is releasing

Three New Colors!!

100% Cotton, Saturated Color and

The Best Baker's Twine on the Planet!!!

Check out The Twinery for very special pricing

on all baker's twine spools...for a limited time only!

Today's Project Recipe:

Stamps: 'Telegram' by The Craft's Meow 
Designer Paper:  'Yacht Club' by Webster's Pages

Ink:  'Tuxedo Black' by Memento, 'Old Paper' by Tim Holtz
Tools: 'Spooky Fence' deep-edge punch by Martha Stewart,

'Beaded Ovals' dies from Spellbinders, Big Shot

Embellishments:  'Flora & Fauna' Rosettes by K&Company,

'Buttercream' & 'Denim' baker's twine from The Twinery

assorted gems by Martha Stewart, K&Company & Recollections

Sailing with a 'Splash' of Color

Lots of black and white with just a 'hint' of color

can only mean one thing...

 It's 'Color Splash' week

over at The Play Date Cafe!

This week, it's a Player's Choice and you get

to choose your own 'splash'.

Each of our designers featured their splash of

 color using baker's twine from our sponsor...

 The Twinery has THE BEST baker's twine

on the planet!  Of course, you may think me biased as

I am the design team coordinator for them...

but if you want beautiful 100% cotton in very

saturated colors, then you want baker's twine

from The Twinery.

I have loved all the nautical-themed stamps and papers

this summer and thought it would be a good theme for the splash.

I grabbed this fabulous stamp featuring a Webster's Pages

design from Unity for my focal point this week and used

'Caribbean' baker's twine for the sailboat ropes.

We are saying goodbye to one of our fabulous 

designers this week.  Fiona Schultz has finished her term with

us and is moving on to do things in her country

of Australia, focused on family and her creative work.

I know I will miss her and I thank her for all the

inspiration and friendship she has brought to me.

I hope you will pop by her blog and wish her well

and join us this week in The Cafe.

I'll be back tomorrow to share a few photos from

the CHA Show in Chicago.

Project Recipe:

Stamps:  'Celebrate' by Webster's Pages for Unity

Embellishments:  'Caribbean baker's twine by The Twinery, 

Tools:  Embossing Folder by Quickutz, Big Shot

A Little Something for Saturday

It's the weekend and although I personally find it a bit

quiet in the blog world, I thought I would share a

few of the fun things I have been working on.

Paul and I took one of our favorite daytrips to Madison WI

where we spend the day scouring used book stores and

stopping at a few of my favorite places, which include

Archivers and an LSS or two.

Before I share my projects, I just want to say....

If you have not become a part of the Groupon

or Living Social set yet, you really should.

We have gotten some terrific deals and one of them

happened to be for the Claddagh Irish Pub in Madison.

We paid $10 and received $25 for our meal and

it was terrific!  We will most definitely make plans

to go back and as Archivers is within eye-view from

the parking lot, it's a no-brainer : )

If you need more information or a link to either of

these money-saving sites, please email me.

I love...love...love Webster's Pages and I could not wait to

dig into the stash of 6 x 6 packs I bought.

(all told, I think I purchased at least five of these fabby

mini-decks from a variety of designers)

This one is part of the 

'Spring Market' & 'Yacht Club' Collections.

I loved that I had the EF from Cuttlebug for the backdrop to

the fun rhinestone cherry that became the focus of this card.

I thought that my baker's twine from The Twinery was the

perfect 'tie-on' for these little jars.

I don't know about you, but I always match my envelopes

with my cards before they go anywhere.

I had this little $1 Studio G stamp that was perfect!

I must say that I treated myself to some really great stamp

sets and most of them were from Hero Arts.

I've always been a fan, ever since the days I sold them in

my store.  Of course, that was back in the Stone-Age when

they were still wood-mounted and color-indexed!

Inspired by the banners & the 'Yacht Club' papers, 

I went to work....well, had a play.

I love adding dimension on my cards and this was

an easy one.  Along with the flags & the stars, I also

added Stickles to the fireworks, although it's not

that clear in the photo.  I also distressed the edges

of the blue frame just to give it a ragged edge.

Now for a little somethin' Clean and Simple....

This I actually did post-daytrip.  I was playing around with a

stamp set from Lizzie Anne Designs and came up with this

simple design, full of texture and dimension.

The sentiment is another $1 stamp from Studio G.

Speaking of Lizzie Anne Designs, they are the cool

sponsors of this week's challenge over at 

The colors are really cool and great for getting

in the mood for Spring.  Lizzie Anne is giving away

a prize package worth $40!  So come check out

all of the inspiration from our design team and

play along!

And...speaking of design teams and Clean & Simple...

Have you heard about the new challenge that I am proud

to be a part of?  CAS-ual Fridays is a nod to those who

love to design in the CAS~style.

The Design Team Call is still going on, but only

for another week or so....

We are looking for our first 'Girl Fridays'!

If you love to design with the CAS~Style, then we

may have a space for you.

Come check out the CAS~ual Fridays blog

for all the details you need!

Well...that's my 'stuff' for today.

I have a whole bunch of new things to share

and will look forward to posting them soon.

Thanks so much for coming by....

'Homemade' Recipe:

Designer Paper: Webster's Pages

Stamps: Studio G
Ink: VersaMagic in Bamboo Leaves & Rhubarb Stalk
Tools: Big Shot, Cuttlebug 'Mixed Fruit' EF
Spellbinders 'Scalloped Circles' & 'Basic Circles'
Martha Stewart Border Punch 'Eyelet Lace'

Embellishments:  baker's twine by The Twinery

Rhinestones by Recollections

'Time to Celebrate' Recipe:

Designer Paper: Webster's Pages

Stamps: Hero Arts
Ink: Memories in black
Stickles in Stardust
Tools: Distress Tool by Tim Holtz

Embellishments:  baker's twine by The Twinery

Rhinestones by Recollections

CAS Recipe:

Cardstock: American Crafts

Stamps: Lizzie Anne Designs, Studio G
Ink: Memento & Memories 
Tools:  Fiskars Corner Rounder punch
Embellishments:  American Crafts ribbon

Rhinestone Flourish by Prima

Cherish Every Moment...The Play Date Cafe

It's another week with another grand challenge at

The Play Date Cafe!

How about this amazing photo??!!!

It was chosen by our own Ruby 2 Shoes who as

one of our newest Senior Designers, will be joining

Sarah and I as color hosts.

I think all of the girls on our design team are willing to admit

from time to time when we struggle with a challenge, 

and it seemed like the more I loved this color story,

the harder I was making it for myself.

I know that as players, many of you experience the

exact same things in your creative process.

I am happy to say that I love the results!

One of the elements I really wanted to use was

this fabby blue rose, which at this point doesn't

really resemble a rose, right?

I tell you this because again, I know we all experience

many of the same creative road blocks and many are

really easy to get around.

This rose bloom was very substantial and would

have caused my card to need a box to send.

I wanted to use it, but wasn't sure how to without

ruining it.  I just took some scissors and cut

right across the bottom then flattened it out.

It was a tough little monkey to cut through and 

at some point, I had to get Paul to lend 

his strength to the cause!

So don't give up on an element or an idea

just because it doesn't seem like it fits!

I love the results of this!

Hope you will stop by The Cafe.

You will see some fabby creations by

The World's Best Design Team....

these girls right here....

Sarah Anderson  

Ruby McGuire

 Savannah O'Gwynn 

Andrea Ewen

Colleen Dietrich  

Fiona Shultz

Jaclyn Miller 

Jinny Newlin
Libby Hickson  

Michele Gross

Tracey Kuzniak

 So glad you stopped by and I hope you'll 

leave a quick little note to let me know

you were here : )

Today's Project Recipe:

Cardstock: The Paper Company

Designer Paper: My Mind's Eye, Webster's Pages
Die Cut Sentiment: My Mind's Eye 'Madison Avenue'

Embellishments:  Recollections rose bloom & pearls, 
Making Memories fabric brad, Prima gemstone flourishes

Hand-dyed Seam Binding from Sugarlump Studios