Amber Ink and Cupcake Inspirations

This week's Cupcake Inspirations challenge is sponsored by AmberInk! The inspiration cupcake is this:

Pretty! Shimmery! Festive!

Here's my take on it:

Pretty! Shimmery! Festive! Who knew fish could be so romantic? I used AmberInk's Best Fishes on this one, along with some pretty glossed-up heart accents punched from Holiday Cheer iPaper (which you can see in the background as well). I used a snowflake embossing folder to fit in with the cupcake, but with a quick background change, this card would be equally at home for Valentine's Day! And if you think that background is shimmery, check this out:

Aww, glittery fishies! My girl fish even has glitter lipstick! I also managed to break out one of my oldest craft supplies -- remember those little epoxy raindrop thingies? Turns out, they make great fish bubbles :).

Anyway, you should dash over and join in the challenge -- you could win a festive digi set and some iPaper of your own.

Have a lovely day!

More Thanksgiving Wishes

The holiday may be over, but the sentiment lives on --

First:

This card went to my pal Meg -- it uses A Wreath for All Seasons, as well as 2009 tags for Autumn (both PTI), and a patchwork of dp from Stampin' Up and Lily Bee. Here's a close-up:

Sparkly!

Next:

A rustic, leafy little Thanksgiving card, using the same sentiment as before, along with Leaf Prints and matching dies (also PTI). I added circles punched from Cosmo Cricket's new line, Circa 1934. The background is embossed with a Tim Holtz folder, then inked.

This one went to all my pals over at Scrappy Chic (who have had some great deals going on this weekend if you're around!).

I hope the rest of your weekend is just lovely. Time to get ready for Cyber Monday!

Happy Thanksgiving, y'all! (Papertrey November Blog Hop Challenge)

Hi people -

To my US pals, Happy Thanksgiving! To everyone else: eat lots of delicious food today anyway :)

For the past couple of years, I've switched from cards to tags for the fam on major holidays. Here's the 2010 Thanksgiving edition:

Don't they look festive in a big ol' pile? Wait, let's get a little closer:

Rustic and collage-y, no? I admit, this isn't a style I turn to often, but every once in awhile, I get the urge to mix and layer. Let's focus, shall we?

For a little tag, there's a lot going on. Mostly Papertrey (Leaf Prints, Autumn Tags 2009, Wreath for All Seasons, Scrapbook Series: Ledger, and a couple Fillable Frames). Also, dies from Spellbinders, Papertrey and Sizzix/Tim Holtz, some BG Pyrus, Maya Road mini-tickets, Twinery twine, Stickles, staples, burlap and a button. Whew! If you'd like to know more about the products, you'll have to let me know -- I'm way too lazy to link everything up (just finished baking 2 pies and a crisp, you know!).

A parting shot:

Sparkly! Festive. Just like today.

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Scrap the Moments -- around the house

Hi y'all --
It's time for another challenge over at Scrap the Moments! This time around, incorporate something you have around the house on your layout -- say, a bit of ephemera or other memorabilia. Here's what I came up with:

In August, we went to the first Maker Faire Detroit -- so fun! Lots of shops and demonstrators and inventors and artists all celebrating the DIY spirit. The photos here showcase two of my favorites -- the life-sized Mousetrap game, all assembled from scrap metal and other junk once destined for the landfill, and a fireworks show of sorts -- only using Mentos and Diet Coke!

The huge image on the left is where the challenge comes in -- it's the program from the faire. Well, it's actually a color copy of the program (newsprint and scrapbooking aren't exactly friends). I added a little journalling to it as well.

Here's a closeup of my title:

I used my new banner builder dies and stamps from PTI. Fun, fun.

The other cool thing about this layout (if I do say so myself), is that I really only used a few consumable supplies: paper, twine, and staples. The rest (dies, stamps, typewriter) are endlessly reusable. Hooray! Oh, and the papers and alpha stamps are from the last two kits from Studio Calico.

I hope you enjoyed your stop -- but I also hope you play along with the Scrap the Moments challenge!

Have a happy day.

AmberInk 21-day Challenge begins today!

Time to Wrap It Your Way with AmberInk!  For this challenge, take a little gift, and instead of using that boring old wrapping paper, use some AmberInk goodies to really make it sparkle!

For instance, aren't you tired of taking a plain old bottle of wine as a hostess gift? How about this:

Super-easy, super-fun. This quick little wine tag uses a new addition to the Spin Pin series of iPaper patterns, as well as last month's release, Hostess with the Mostess.

Ok, so I know our little hostess is carrying champagne, yet this is a bottle of lovely Italian red wine...but hey, I just don't keep champagne in the house! Italian reds, however, are always welcome! Next time, I'll color accordingly :)

You too can participate in the AmberInk Challenge -- and the prizes are great! The lucky, lucky winner will get a chance to design her (or his) very own stamp set! Go check it out for yourself :)

Oh, and I'd like to give a little shout-out to the wonderful Meg, who totally has me hooked on Picnik for photo editing -- totally gives my taken-in-the-dark-of-night photos a new life :) Thanks, lady!

A new release from AmberInk!

Hi everyone!

Today's my first post as an AmberInk Torchbearer for Team Orange -- check it:

Holiday Fishes to all of you :)
This little card uses a couple new AmberInk goodies -- the new image set called Best Fishes (designed by an AmberInk challenge winner...more on that tomorrow!), along with some very fun and convenient iPaper -- this design's called Starburst, but there are lots of great new designs out now.

I was looking to add a little flair to this puffer fish:

I broke out my white flock and some sparkly Stickles for his little Santa hat, and then used the Stickles to create little bubbles. (give it a click to get even more detail.) Cute, eh?

Just a sweet and simple card for the fish-lover (or holiday-lover) in your life! Be sure to check out the AmberInk store for the rest of the new releases -- I'll be back tomorrow with more.

A lovely reminder of summer

Happy Saturday!

A couple weeks ago, I hung out at the Sunday crop at Scrappy Chic and got a bunch o' layouts done using my November kit. Here's one of them:

That's my pretty mom back in August. I love these photos! To highlight them, I used Glitz papers (also lovely), stamps from Pink Paislee and My Mind's Eye, Tim Holtz tissue tape (behind the title), and some other goodies. My favorite thing is the journalling, which I actually broke out my typewriter for! (That's an ek punch, by the way, and it punches out all three labels here at once.) To get it to fit on the label without ripping my hair out, I punched the shape from scrap paper, then taped it over the paper I wanted to use, ran it into the typewriter, typed away, then punched out the result. It's masking, but for a typewriter :)

Well, it's a quick post for me today -- gotta get busy on some upcoming projects!  Have a great weekend.

Here I am, bearing a Torch! (aka Exciting News, vol. 2!)

An AmberInk Torch, that is!

First off, thanks so much to the delightful and talented Emily for passing on the Team Orange Torch!  It's so exciting to be an AmberInk Torchbearer for November. I'll try to live up to the excellent example Emily sent -- her projects were beautiful! You can see them here, here,  here, here, here, here, AND here! Holy cow!

Ah, but I'm not the only Torchbearer out there -- you should totally go check out the other lovely ladies:

Julia

Julie

Kerri

Stacie

AmberInk has both digital and clear stamps, as well as very cool iPaper, which is instantly printable -- and very cute to boot! There's also a blog (of course), as well as a 21-day challenge with an extra-cool prize! I'll tell you more about that soon :)

I've already made one card with AmberInk goodies -- and I'm totally looking forward to making more! It's gonna be a fun month!

Exciting news, vol.1

Hey all -

I got a bit of good news the other day -- I'll be designing for Scrap the Moments, a brand-new scrapbook challenge blog! You can see the full post here, where you can also check out the other talented designers.

Scrap the Moments is run by Devon, who also happens to have a kit company called Catch the Moments, which has cute stuff at pretty amazing prices!

I also wanted to give a thank-you shout out to Liz, who scored a spot on the kit company DT and told me about the challenge blog -- so now we'll be designing for two of the same places! Cool -- and thanks, Liz!

Stay tuned -- tomorrow is another bit of news!

Buried Treasure

Hi there --
So, I was scrolling through my iPhoto pics, and I realized I never posted this quick and fun little project:

A simple/rustic thank you card, combined with a little gift sack -- for my pal Vera (I'll explain why in a sec). I used PTI's Big and Bold Wishes for the sentiment, along with a cute eggbeater from the sadly-defunct Cornish Heritage Farms. There's a Hero Arts doily stamped in the top corner, but it's so stinkin' subtle that it barely showed up in the photo! A twiney bow finishes off the card, and more twine and a button on the bag. By the way, the bag contained a Michael's gift card and some cute cupcake papers, which might make sense when you see what Vera made:

My dad's birthday cake! Isn't it awesome? He's super-handy (redid our kitchen and does that kind of thing for a living) -- and he loved it!  Vera made it for his surprise birthday party -- you can see the layouts I made for it here, here, and here. It was a dang tasty cake, too -- chocolate cake with mocha buttercream. Yum.

Anyway, I have some new layouts coming up for you, along with a couple of exciting announcements, so stay tuned!

We need a little Christmas...

...well, maybe we don't need it, but still...here it is!

This layout features the men in my family, including my late grandfather, on Christmas '08. As a family, we aren't big on the whole posed-picture thing (thankfully), but Christmas is our one exception. We always take an "official" family photo then (in regular and goofy versions). In '08, though, my grandma decided that we needed props! All the dudes got Groucho glasses (click the photo for a better view [if you dare!]).

The layout features layers of We R Memory Keepers' cute Christmas line, including a hand-cut mustache by moi :)

I cased myself on this one -- using the "Super Classy" layout in this post. Though my favorite detail (besides the mustache) is the "family fruitcakes" sticker phrase up top, I thought a close-up of the title and layers around it made for a better detail photo:

Those Thickers are new and cheerful, and here they're layered over some Jenni Bowlin journalling sprouts that I've had forever. If you'd like to see this layout in person, why head on over to Scrappy Chic, of course!

I hope you all have had lovely weekends. I just finished baking some pecan sandies (yum!) from this year's Martha Stewart Holiday Cookies magazine. It's a good one this year...really good. I've tried to find a link,  but to no avail. I did find a picture though, so you can get your very own copy at a newsstand near you :)

Anyway, enjoy the week ahead!

Feel like scratching a back?

The voting is open now for the AmberINK challenge --- if you're feeling friendly, you could go here, scroll to the bottom of the post, and vote for me! Or, you know, for whomever you like. If you must. Ha!

In the meantime, how about a quick layout? Why not?

My derby-girl friend, Elizabeth (aka Nancy Raygun of the Ann Arbor Derby Dimes), would probably hate this page (we are MIGHTY sweaty in that bottom-left photo)...but she doesn't know it exists. Yet. I think she looks awesome -- and these photos are from before she started training for real (which was the last time I skated with her. She could do donuts around me now, I'm sure!). Anyway, the title says it all -- she really is a librarian by day, and she really hits people at night -- only on the track, of course!

I used BoBunny's Learning Curve line here -- I saw that library-card pattern and knew right away how I'd use it! Both of the smaller alphas are from Girls' Paperie, and I used some old-skool masking tape and staples in addition to some Tim Holtz tissue tape, but the rest is all from that BoBunny line.

You can check this one out in person at Scrappy Chic (of course!).

wha...?!

Two posts in one day? That NEVER happens!

Except when deadlines loom, that is :)

So take a look:

This little ditty is for AmberInk's INKredible 21 Day Challenge! Note: 21 days. When are submissions due? Oh, in a few hours. Nothing like a deadline to provide a little extra motivation!

Anyway, I used two fun AmberInk products here. This iPaper is so cute -- even cuter because "olive" is sort of a family code-word in our house. It's a long story.  But the paper printed like a dream -- and now I have it forever -- added bonus! Yay for digital product!

Speaking of which, I also used this sweet banner digi stamp, which I simply printed on red cs, trimmed, adhered, and added a love-y accent of little stamped hearts. I added some twine from the Twinery above the banner, and I freehanded (yep, officially a word) a heart around the sentiment with some more twine.

The final touch is a little shine and dimension -- red distress stickles and some glossy accents on the olives.

So, the challenge is to make a RAK or AK -- this is definitely an AK (no point telling anyone random  about my love, really!). It's for the hubby, of course -- the holiday season is kinda stressful in the land of choir directors, so I'll save this for when things get a bit nutty and then tuck it into his lunch or pocket or something. So Andrew, if you read this post, well...pretend you didn't!

Anyway, if you have a minute (almost literally -- submissions close SOON!), feel free to play along! Otherwise, feel free to vote on your favorite starting tomorrow.

Enjoy your evening!!

We heart hart.

Hart Plaza, that is. Don't believe me? Here:

It really is a fun place to spend time. Here we are at the Detroit International Jazz Fest. Usually, it's hot -- this year, it was fa-reez-ing! So windy and chilly! We had fun anyway, though. The pics include the gorgeous Noguchi-designed fountain as well as the Renaissance Center. This is definitely a spot to see if you ever come visit -- or if you live here already!

The layout features October Afternoon's Seaside collection -- I trimmed out those banners by hand (whew!), and used punches for the hearts (harts?), which are quite glittery irl. Maybe you can see it better here:

The Thickers are already glittery, but I used some Rock Candy Distress Stickles to add shine to the OA alphas, as well as the hearts. One more fun detail:

These hearts sit on a rose cut from some Dear Lizzy ribbon. Those glittery borders below are from Melody Ross's line for GCD.

This is one of those layouts I just had fun with, adding details here and there and everywhere. It's happy -- and it makes up for the fact that, in that photo, I'm just realizing that I was coming down with a ridiculous cold! Glad that's over with.

Have a delightful day!

ooh, a challenge layout!

Every time I see a fun challenge on a blog somewhere, I think, "ooh, I could totally do that!" And then I don't. At least, not in time for the deadline.

This time, though, I actually did a challenge on time! Last month, I got my first kit from Studio Calico, and it just so happened that one of their challenges inspired me to break into it -- you could read about it here, but the "recipe" is to use kraft cardstock, tags, buttons, die-cut paper, alpha stamps and journalling strips.  Here's what I came up with:

Kraft is always a no-brainer for me. Here, I used it along with some Crate Paper dp (from the School Spirit line), border strips from Sassafras's Mix and Mend, die-cut paper (trimmed and sponged) from Dear Lizzy's Enchanted line, and some Sassafras chip-flower-and-button thingies (which have a more official name I'm too lazy to look up), all of which are from Studio Calico's On the Easel kit. I added in some metal-rimmed tags, PTI buttons, Hero Arts doily stamp, Twinery twine, and alpha stamps (Noah from Studio Calico, plus an American Crafts alpha set I've had forever). Feel free to click for a larger view.

So, I got my second kit from Studio Calico this month (also grand), but I've been debating about actually subscribing to the club. See, most of their kit contents are easily accessible for me (Scrappy Chic carries about 90% of the goodies in my kit) -- but I bought both kits because the exclusive stamps and Studio Calico dp are just so dang cute. So my quandary: is it worth shelling out a bit of cash for the kits, or no? Your thoughts?

Have a pleasant evening!!

two dude cards

Hey hey hey -

My dad and uncle have birthdays pretty close together, so every year at this time I'm stuck making two dude-appropriate cards within the same week or so.

I used to think that guy cards were hard to make, but then I realized that I don't need "masculine images" to make masculine cards...which is good, because I have no real desire to have a stamp collection full of golf clubs or tools or elk or whatever. Instead, here's what I do:

This one's for my uncle (who happens to be an optometrist, though I only had my own selfish desires in mind when I got the stamps!) I used some Tim Holtz goodies on this one -- a couple different stamp sets, plus his ticket die for Sizzix. I used Matte Accents for some, well, accents (a bit manlier than glitter, no?). I also made that little flower-that-isn't-really-a-flower-because-it-looks-so-rugged out of some vintage pattern tissue. Here it is in close-up:

Nice. Rugged. Vintage. This one also happens to be for the Embellish Magazine color challenge, which you can see below and read about here.

 Very manly colors, don't you think?

But there's more!

Here's my dad's card:

I made my own background for this one using Papertrey's Distressed Stripes (fun and easy, I might add), but my fave is that Polaroid-esque focal point, made with the stamp from last month's Studio Calico kit (my first -- and I like it!), along with some vellum. Totally different than the last card, but equally manly, don't you think? More fun and graphic, and a tad retro.

So, happy birthday to both dudes. I hope they like their cards!

Better late than never!

Hi there --

The day before Halloween, I had a sudden surge of Halloween spirit -- and I made three cards. Way too late to send them to anyone, of course, but hey, now I'm ahead of the game for next year!  Let's take a look.

This first one uses a mishmash of new and old -- that classic drippy goo punch from Martha (and no, I don't know how you can find one now...but you can borrow mine!), some new Tim Holtz tapes and ticket stamps (and the die that goes with 'em), and some splashes of Glimmer Mist.

Next, a pretty simple and quick card, using more of the same tickets, along with an embossing folder from Stampin' Up, highlighted with silver paint.

Finally, another mix -- some paper from Basic Grey's Halloween line from last year, more Tim Holtz tapes, and still more stamped tickets. The bats are from some trim -- I just cut 'em apart to use as accents.

So, if you end up getting one of these cards next Halloween, act surprised, ok? :)

In other news, I have a new Scrappy Chic DT kit to work with, which I'll be diving into this Sunday at the free crop at the store. Maybe I'll see you there!