The Stamp Man 2nd Annual Award Event

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This may be a re-visit of a project for many

of you.  It was a design team contribution at

The Play Date Cafe back in July.

The reason I am sharing it with you once again

is because one of my favorite UK blogs is hosting

their Second Annual Blog Hop & Awards Event.

It such a fantastic idea!

My friend Jill Tuck has a terrific a store over there

appropriately named 'The Stamp Man' and she is

offering this award to any who participate.

My bestie Sarah is on the DT their and has

featured one of her projects here.

(how she chose a favorite is beyond me!)

All of the details are over at The Stamp Man blog,

but the idea is to choose your favorite project from

the past year and share it on their challenge blog.

When you do so, you can grab the awards badge

and it gives others a chance to see your work.

So here is the rest of mine....

For the details on what I used for this card,

please visit my post here.

If you'd like to see what my favorite(s)

project was for 2009 when Jill first started

this idea, just click here!

I cheated just a bit and shared my favorite post

rather than a project, but you'll get to know me 

a little more, too!

It's a great way to end 2010....

to share with you something meaningful...

Happy New Year to all of you!

2011 is looking creatively wonderful for me.

I would love for you to share what your creative

goals are as you head in to the new year, so please

leave a comment below...I'd love to hear from you!

Sending my Love Play Date-Style...

Gosh...it seems so CrAzY to be putting away the

holiday-themed stamps for now, but I guess it's time!

The color story over at

The Play Date Cafe

is just the ticket to get me going in the right direction.

Nothing like this fabulous color story to get me

in the mood for a little Valentine greeting.

I love this shade of 'taupe' with just about

any color combo and I really did enjoy

working on this card.

I recently received a lovely gift package from

Sarah and if there is one thing I LoVe about

paper crafting things from the UK, it's the beautiful

array of decorative papers...and this is one of them.

It was the perfect shade for this challenge.

I then added the beautiful gemstone hearts to the

top.  To give it added dimension, I left it on the

acetate backing sheet, so it really pops off the page.

They're from KandCompany and get this....

I paid a whopping $1 for the package!

I love silk ribbon and thought it was the

finishing touch.

The sentiment is from 

Ippity's 'How You Doin' set,

which of course, is available for purchase

from me on my Ippity page here.

I hope you will have a few minutes to play

along with us this week at

The Play Date Cafe.

My Gift to You...

Merry Christmas!

God bless us...everyone.

Just Because I {Heart} You...

I really love this printed twill ribbon...you know why?

Because it came in a beautiful care-package

all the way from the UK.

Yep...my bestie Sarah purchased it from

one of my favorite stores, John Lewis'

and I have been waiting for just the right time

to play with it.

Coincidentally, Sarah is our host for 

this week's challenge.

I love this vintage print that she chose for

this week's color story, don't you?!

It's been a CrAzY busy week in my house,

as I am sure it has been in yours, so I went

CAS all the way!!!

The ornament was created using my

Sizzix/BasicGrey Die and then embossed

with my brand, new Cuttlebug EF.

I absolutely love the design it makes.

I then heat embossed the top with

silver and edged the ornament sides with

Tim Holtz Distress Ink in 'Frayed Burlap'.

The rest is just layering and adhering.

The beautiful heart center is from Prima.

It's been quite a week over in The Cafe.

Have you checked out the new line-up of

designers over there?  Phenomenal!!!

It's going to be an all-star 2011

and we are excited for you to be a part of it!

Here Are Your New Play Date Cafe Designers!

What an exciting week over at

The Play Date Cafe!

The new Designers who are joining

our fabulous team have been revealed.

You must pop over and check out each of

the posts as the designers have shared a bit

about who they are and their passions.

Introducing the newest additions to

The Play Date Cafe Design Team...

Jaclyn Miller

Designs by Jax

Michele Gross

StudioMSG

Tracey Kuzniak

Trace's Tri's

Jinny Newlin

Soaring

Libby Hickson

Libby's Little Addiction

Fiona Shultz

Made by Fee

and our next 'Private Blend Designer' is....

Colleen Dietrich

Dietrich Designs

We are also excited to share that...

 Andrea Ewen

EwenStyle

will be joining us as a first-term designer

after being our most recent 'Private Blend Designer'

and more good news....

Savannah O'Gwynn

Savannahland2

and

Ruby 2 Shoes

Ruby 2 Shoes Design

will be joining Sarah Anderson and

myself as Senior Designers.

I hope you will stop by each designers blog

when you have an opportunity and encourage

them on their new journey.

Then plan to check out our 'Christmas edition'

challenge which will be posted tonight

at Midnight, EST at

The Play Date Cafe.

A Very Happy Christmas Gift!

What a terRIFfic Christmas gift!

Many of you know Savannah O'Gwynn from her wonderful

and creative blog, Savannahland2.  You may also know her

as one of my fellow designers over at The Play Date Cafe.

I was super excited to get the call that Sav & her husband Travis,

would be traveling through Chicago on their way to O'Hare airport

and I jumped at the chance to go spend some time with them.

Because we have been design-team-mates for nearly a year,

(which we only just realized tonight)

and because we Skype all the time, recognizing the really

tall girl at the door of The Longhorn Steak House

was no problem!

Travis was a great sport as Savvy and I spent a good portion

of the two and a half hours talking blogging, stamping, etc...

Paul was supposed to make the trip with me, but he had to

work a couple of extra hours today at B&N

(no rest for the retailer at Christmas...)

What a great couple!

I highly recommend spending time with fellow bloggers

when you have the opportunity.

Now I am working on the idea of a reunion of the designers 

from The Play Date Cafe...how fun would that be??!!!

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

Who have you had an opportunity to meet 

since you've been blogging?

I'd love for you to share by leaving a comment.

OH!  Before I forget, I want to thank Susanna over at
Paper Craft Planet for
the Holiday Blog Post they featured today.
You can view it here.... 

I loved making that collection of cards and was
happy to be asked to share them with you once again.

A Bird on a Wire Cage in The Play Date Cafe

I spy with my little eye black and white with a

splash of color!

You know what that means....

It's 'Color Splash' time in The Cafe!

Now I know we are all knee-deep in

Christmas creations, but why not spice it up

a bit with a non-traditional color??!!!

Yes I know...my card is hardly Christmas-themed

but it sure could be.  I could have added white poinsettias

and a sweet holiday sentiment.

But I chose to use these sweet little blossoms by

Making Memories that my friend Mona Pendleton

sent to me in a lovely gift package awhile back.

They were just calling my name!

The MM set came with tiny silver brads, but I 

switched them for tiny yellow ones.

How about that little yellow bird in a cage?!!

We have Jolee's Boutique to thank for that

lovely acetate embellishment.

The beautiful flourish circle frame is from 

Mark's Finest Papers, a recent sponsor

over in The Cafe.

So how about it?

I would love to see your creativity using

black, white and a splash of yellow!

Go check out the rest of the fabby creations

by our fabby design team

and then get your thinking cap on and play!

Inspired by Others

Over on Facebook, I have been fussing about the fact 

that I have had a hard time transitioning out of

Christmas creations to what's next, whether that be

just general winter-themed card or even, dare I

say it....Valentine's?

I found terrific inspiration by way of two

different challenges.

Moxie Fab's Tuesday Trigger

and the

Scrappy Saturday Challenge

in which I CASED one of my favorite designers...

Savannah O'Gwynn!

I absolutely love the colors from both photos. The softness

of the cakes and cookies were reflected in the sweet

wreath from Heidi Grace.

The sentiment is from Paper Inspirations

and my favorite baker's twine from The Twinery 

wraps it up so sweetly.

The beautiful pink rhinestones in Sav's card came alive

in mine with the pink rhinestone hearts and of

course the 'themes' mesh as well.

Before I forget, Jenny over at Wee Memories

(host of Scrappy Saturday Challenge)

is having a giveaway of this fabulous storage 

cubby from Studio 3 Solutions.

If I were you, I'd go check it out!

What a great little Christmas pressie this would be!

Fingers crossed : )

Thanks again for stopping by!

I LoVe hearing from you!

Wishing you Peace...

Today is a suPREMEly busy day, but I really wanted

to share this little creation with you.

You know me...I LoVe glitter!

I have been pretty conservative with it this holiday season,

so I thought I would create something that although it

is *sparkly* it's still subtle.

Thought I would enter this for the

'Glitter is Glam Challenge' in the Moxie Fab World

 

Here's what I used...

The ornament was created using my

Sizzix/BasicGrey die cut.  I topped it with a

beautiful acetate greeting from Little Yellow Bicycle.

Underneath, you find another acetate lovely in the

form of snowflakes, also from LYB.

The glitter comes in with the silver swirls which were

created with fun chunky glitter.

The ornament is adorned with silver micro-beads

& a huge rhinestone from Martha Stewart, 

vintage ribbon and soft pearl embellishments. 

All of the shading was done using Tim Holtz's

Distress Ink in 'Frayed Burlap'.

All right....I hope you enjoyed that little

glimpse into my projects for now.

Why so busy?  Well, the final designers

have been chosen for the newest team

at The Play Date Cafe, so there are 

eight acceptance emails and

110 'we're so sorry' messages to send.

I know that typically, just acceptance emails

are sent but it is my feeling that if you took the time 

to honor us with a submission, then the least

we can do is personally thank you.

 

I also have tomorrow night's project for

the PDCC to finish up!  I'm hosting this week's

challenge, so I can't be late!  haha

Hope you have a great night...thanks for stopping by!

A Little Birdie Told Me it's H{ippity} Hop Monday!

Happy Monday.....

Happy H{ippity} Hop Monday, that is!

This is the day the Ippity Chicks & fans share

their inspirational creations with you.

Stop over at The Ippity blog and check out

all the fabby girls you can visit on the hop!

I thought I would do a little

paper-piecing for this card using

a fun set from Ippity

Of course you know this set is available to 

purchase from my Ippity page here

along with the entire Ippity line.

I featured the fabulous baker's twine from The Twinery.

I am LoViNg being a part of their Design Team and am

always looking for new ways to use this twine.

You may recognize the Martha punch.

I love unique border punches and this certainly

works with the theme.

The 'tummies' of the little birds are courtesy of

BasicGrey's 'Jovial' DP.

I thought this would be a good entry for
Moxie Fab's Card Creation's Favorite Occasions
Week 'All Occasion' Cards Challenge HERE

If you need your very own

'Ippity Chick'

then I'm your girl!

Make sure you visit my Ippity page to

see the newest and classic collections.

All sets are discounted and you receive a

free Ippity image with any $65 order.

So glad you could stop by today!

I hope my little corner of creativity gives you

an idea or two for your next project.

I would LoVe to know what you are working

on right now....please share.

Joyeux Noel

OK...so not only am I on the

'Christmas card designing' track, but

apparently I am loving all the bling that

can be used to really take it to another level!

When I saw the finale challenge for EBTKS,

I knew I had to put my newest acquisition to use.

TEXTURES!!!

I love the new 'Snowflake Impressabilities' from

Spellbinders.  I used it with Coordinations cardstock, so when

I sanded it, I got this great teal-y green affect.

Kind of reminds me of a velvet embossed sofa!

 I then took my terrific Prima Poinsettias and sprayed

them with Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist in

Bazzill Navajo, which I believe was a limited edition color.

The beautiful top card is from Fancy Pants Design.

I embellished with teardrop rhinestones and a

gigantic pearl center.  The black diamond

rhinestone flourish is from Prima as well.

The simple sentiment is from The Paper Company.

I am also offering this card over at 

Simon Says Stamp & Show ~ Holiday Greeting
There She Goes Challenge ~ Bring on the Bling

Well...I am off to make a few more things.
I am feeling a bit 'crafty' tonight.

Wishing you Joy...The Play Date Cafe Challenge

I love this time of year with all the bold & bright

colors that are all around.

This week, we are challenging you to play

with this fabulous color combo from

The Play Date Cafe....

Sarah is our challenge host this week and she is

the voice in my head that is always saying

'come on...just smoosh all the colors together!'

Well....that isn't quite what I did, but I did make these

beautiful colors work and of course, I am

still

on my Christmas card-kick!

Whenever I struggle with colors that are not easy for me

to put together, I automatically call on my stash of

embellishments and they did not fail me!

I used my Sizzix/BasicGrey Ornament Die to create

that fabby focal point and layered a wonderful purple

rhinestone flourish and a beaded flower brad from

KandCompany.

The sentiment was just the right shade of

blue rhinestones and is from Studio18 

and I know you know

my favorite baker's twine from

The Twinery in lilac.

We would love to have you join us this week!

We have such fun meeting and greeting all of

our players and the design team's inspiration...

well...forget about it!  

It's off the chain!

See you in The Cafe!