Our2AngelsInHeaven

Not to "Shabby"

2012-02-12T14:34:00.000-05:00

Hello Everyone! Things are a bit crazy here so I am delayed in getting this post up. I am due to get surgery this week on top of it being the 5th Anniversary of the date our two children went to heaven. I usually try to keep busy crafting so my mind stays off of it but I won't be able to since I just had surgery on my hand..sigh.Well first I wanted to share some exciting news that I got asked to be a designer for a newly released stamp company called Shabby Chic Stamps. You have to stop by to see some of her newly released stamp sets and keep popping on by to see what projects I have done using her stamps. I am working behind the scenes on some projects but I thought I would share one with you today.

Some of my most loved paper lines come from My Mind's Eye. OMG don't get me started on Stella and Rose!!!!!! LOVE LOVE LOVEEEEE that line. I saw the challenge over at their blog and designed my card around their sketch. Now what I didn't do is take a picture of the inside that said "THANK YOU" before I sent it off. Stupid me since along with the sketch you had to use the word YOU in it. Well trust me it is there I was just not smart enough to include a picture of it! LOL The paper I used is from My Mind's Eye Lost and Found collection. It is called BLUSH. I loved the shabby, vintage look to it. I thought it would work perfectly with the new stamp set from Shabby Chic Stamps called SHABBY CHIC. I used the sentiment C'est La Vie as well as the butterfly that I paper pieced on top of the sentiment. I had a THANK YOU rub on that I used on the inside.

I am entering this card into the following challenges.

My Mind' Eye - Sketch

Poodles Parlour - Anything Goes

Crafts and Me - Use a new stamp

Craft Us Crazy - Anything Goes

Scrapbook Sisters - Anything Goes

Papertake Weekly - Anything Goes

CES Challenges - Lots of Layers

Allsorts Challenge - Free & Easy

Crafty Sentiments - Let's Get Girly

Ribbon Carousel Challenge - Anything Goes

Market Street Stamps color challenge

2012-02-04T16:18:00.002-05:00

Hello everyone! It is a dreary day with a mix of snow and rain so this card is just perfect for the weather. I wanted to participate in the challenge over at Market Street Stamps. They have a fantastic color combo challenge going on. I have to admit that at first I thought I would have lots of trouble using those colors but much to my surprise I had none at all and I just adore the color combo. The stamp set I used is called Ain't No Sunshine. To make the frilly edge I used a MS edge punch on some scrap papers that I put together. This is a larger 6x6 card. I used my Prismacolor pencils to color in the poor sad cloud.

Home Sweet Home - SVG ATTIC & PKS Challenge

2012-02-01T13:23:00.001-05:00

Good Afternoon everyone! I can't believe it is winter and we are getting 60 Degree weather. Not that I am complaining but the darn plants are gonna get confused and start growing. Just came in from a nice little play day outside with the girls. This weather was to nice to pass up. But I wanted to come in and share my latest card that I made with my files from SVG ATTIC and stamps from PEACHY KEEN STAMPS.

There is a new challenge over at both blogs so I decided to make it so it would fit both challenges. First at SVGATTIC the challenge is to use a heart on your project. Which I did in the little birdies hand as well as on the bird house. There was a photo inspiration at PKS. It was so pretty that I wish that was in my yard. Looking at it I took the colors as well as the nature/flower theme and made the card around that.

For the card I welded some shapes together on my MTC program from SVG Attic's Yours Truly set. The adorable bird and birdhouse are from the Birds and Bees set. I added a branch from the Give a Hoot set so the birdie had some place to sit. My sister just bought her first house so I made this with her in mind. I included a gift card inside with some Congratulations. The sentiment inside the heart is from PKS's PK-636 Pumpkin House accessories stamp set. For the adorable "I just want to Pinch you" face stamp I used PKK-144 Winter Faces. The papers I used are from Basic Grey, October Afternoon as well as some various scraps I had laying around.

I am also entering this into the following challenges:

Simon Says - Animal Antics
Partytime Tuesdays - Anything Goes
SweetStamps - Shaped card
Marks Finest Papers - have at least 4 layers

Just Ducky!

2012-01-25T16:13:00.002-05:00

Whew by the skin of my teeth. Everything went wrong with this card. I couldn't find my darn cuttlebug plates (I flippin hate that they are clear...think when I buy new ones I will paint them) so I had to jimmy rig it and what a disaster. Let's just say I now need all new plates.

I wanted to make a double pocket card for my niece to sent her a gift card as well as a little note in it. Figured I would play along with the first Peachy Keen Stamps challenge. If I didn't have so many problems I would of had fun with this one. I am not super happy with the turn out from what I had in my head but it is what it is until I get to Michaels.

I used the Duck and Egg die as well as the Duck accesories die from Peachy Keen Stamps. For the inside sentiment and the faux stitching I used PK-225 Happy Flowers and Cheerful phrases. I made a tag out of some scrap paper to stick in the front pouch. In the back pouch I used the gift card holder from SVG Attic in the Be Mine set. The papers I used I also got from Peachy Keen stamps which came in a kit by American Crafts.

Part One of my Valentine's Day Goody bags.

2012-01-23T15:43:00.006-05:00

Hello Everyone! My girls go to "school" one day a week for 4 hours. I am excited because I never got to the point of getting teacher gifts and making class party supplies and stuff like that. I know many of you maybe burnt out on that but that is something I was robbed from so I am having fun with it this time.

My girls are in a class that consists of 10 children in the 2 year old range. Ironcaly there is another set of twin boys..hmmm can you say boyfriends?? LOL
So I am making up each child a Valentine Day gift bag. I am making them a bit bigger because a) its from two children and b) this is my first chance that I am getting to do this. I am compiling each bag with a couple of components. I will share what the end product will look like but I thought I would share with you each item as they are done.
Trying to keep in mind their age I decided to come up with a cute little Valentine's themed memory card game. Market Street Stamps has a really cool color challenge going on so that is how I picked the colors to use. Sigh... keep in mind I started this project a couple of weeks ago. All my cuts including the square cards are from SVGATTIC. Now I am only taking pictures of one set of the cards (4) obvisouly there will be 8 in the set since you have to find the matching picture.

For the back of the cards I used Hearts of Plenty background stamp. I first stamped it in Vintage Cream ink then a red ink on top of it to sort of give it a shadow effect. I also used Hearts of Plenty on the inside top note matting as well as the Gingham stamp. The stars are from the Blast Off! set. The cuts I used were from the following files - Birds and Bees, Sweetheart Captions, My Valentine,and Yours Truly.

I am going to enter these into the following challenges:

Market Street Stamps - Color Challenge

Paper Pretties - Valentine's Day

There She Goes - Love is in the Air

Send A Smile for Kids - kid oriented

Simply Create Too - Love is in the Air

Craft Us Crazy - Valentine/Love

Crafty Creations - Valentines

Angelica's Online Birthday Bash!

2012-01-22T01:00:00.003-05:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU...HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU! Consider yourself lucky that you are reading this and not hearing it in person! LOL Welcome to Angelica's birthday hop! A bunch of us have gotten together to throw her a birthday party!! If you came here from Julie's blog then you are right on track. If you just got here you can start at the beginning by clicking HERE to start at the way beginning. Trust me, you will be amazed at what these ladies came up with. I was blown away by their creativity.

Angelica is a Mom, business woman, friend, basically a juggler of many things. I hope and wish today on her birthday she gets treated like a Queen and takes a break, she surely deserves it. Angelica you are a wonderful human being and truly deserve the best. Sending you many hugs and birthday wishes on your birthday.
Since I am ALWAYS behind and running late I went ahead and made her a Happy Belated birthday tag to go with her little gift that I got her. I honestly have the best intentions all the time but somehow, some way time slips away from me. I wanted to package up her gift so I used the pillow box cut from SVG ATTIC. The beautiful background stamp is from no other than the talented Angelica. It is called Vintage Wallpaper. I think this stamp was one of my very first Market Street stamps that I purchased. To ink up the stamp I used Vintage cream from PaperTrey Ink and stamped it on their kraft cardstock. If you haven't checked out her stamps you should!!! I am pretty sure that you will love them as much as I do.

Now go on and hope onto Kristi's blog to continue Angelica's birthday blog hop.

Here is the full blog hop list in case you got lost along the way.

Kathy-http://www.peachykeenstamps-kathy.blogspot.com/
Amanda-http://amandascraftsandmore.blogspot.com/
Amy Crockett- http://www.scrappingmommy.com/
Cristina Garcia- http://www.craftingwithcristina.com/
Lauren Brewer http://www.laurenscreative.com/
DoBea Alberts- http://www.dobeaalberts.blogspot.com/
Raven Baca- http://www.Love4stamps.blogspot.com/
Jennie Garcia http://earthyscrap.blogspot.com/
Heather Hoffman - http://housesbuiltofcards.blogspot.com/
Lorie Souther- http://thethinkinspot.blogspot.com/
Stephanie Muzzulin- http://www.handmade75.blogspot.com/
Erin Schreiner - http://www.erinleecreative.com/
Brenda Weaver- http://www.sweetpapertreats.com/
Michelle Criswell- http://www.scrappinwithmybug.com/
Michele Gross- http://studiomsg.blogspot.com/
Leanne Garner - http://www.createdbyleanne.blogspot.com/
Tifany DeGough - http://inkblotsbytrd.blogspot.com/
Samantha Casey- http://samanthacasey.blogspot.com/
Nikki Foraker- http://scrappinnavywife.blogspot.com/
Heidi Anne Giebel - http://gotscraps.blogspot.com/
Glorajean Beardall - http://www.glorascrafts.blogspot.com/
Vivienne Holden - http://www.craftinghaven.blogspot.com/
Janice Wilson http://stampingwithjanice.blogspot.com/
Saundra Rega http://luvscrappingtogether.blogspot.com/
Julie Day - http://www.daydesigns.blogspot.com/
Lisa Buttafuoco - http://our2angelsinheaven.blogspot.com/ -- YOU ARE HERE
Kristi Bennett - http://www.littlepapersprinkles.blogspot.com/
Mel Haas- http://doxiemeldesigns.blogspot.com/
Stephanie Washburn- http://sweetstephcardcreations.blogspot.com/
Kim Score -http://www.paperpunchaddiction.com/
Emma Aguilar -http://www.creativetimeforme.com/

Buzzing by.....

2012-01-20T17:06:00.005-05:00

I had so much fun with this one! For some reason when I saw this I immediately wanted to make it with a pull tab. Don't know why but I did so I set to try to figure out how to do it. I used the beehive svg from SVGATTIC's set called Birds and Bees which you can find here. The sentiments and little flutter marks from the bees are from PEACHY KEEN STAMPS. The sentiment and one of the little flutter marks are from PK-244 Bee Happy and the other flutter mark is from PK-249 Honey Bugs and Bees. For some added dimensions I added some twisted florist wire for the antlers (actually I don't know what the heck they're called).
To make the beehive I cut out 3 beehives. Two in black and one in the yellow. When I glued the 2 layers together I used glue dots at the very edge along the side. Then I glued the yellow paper to the front as normal. I cut off the tippy top of the front layer as well as the back. I played along with another one of cuts from SVG Attic which I believe was just a simple panel for one of the cards. I made it into 2 layers that would fit inside of the beehive. There is loads of layers on this card and it looks so much cuter in person. Sorry about the pics but I haven't downloaded the software for my new camera yet...pure laziness I guess.

Above is how it looks when everything is tucked in nice.
Partially pulled out.

And here is what the complete card taken out looks like.

HOpe you enjoy my card, I certainly had fun making it :)

LOVE fully revealed

2012-01-11T14:03:00.004-05:00

Hello everyone! As promised here is a full view of my project made with a new collection of files released today from SVG ATTIC titled Sweetheart Captions. The minute I saw this file I knew exactly what I wanted to do and even had the colors I wanted in mind. I literally did this during nap time, sewing and all. This picture was taken of my daughter Mia by my friends 14 year old daughter who is absolutely phenomenal at taking pictures. Sweetheart captions is jam packed with all of these ideas and possibilities. It is not just for Valentine's day which is the type of files you need to add to your collection. I am working on another project using the Amour file but I did not get a chance to finish it for this post. Hopefully I will be able to share it with you soon. Here is a picture of all the svg cuts included in this file. You can click HERE to be directed to the page to purchase it.

I also wanted to share with you my project for the new Sisterhood of Crafters challenge. The challenge was to make a project related to snow. To be honest I am so snowed out and ready for some different type of projects. But I did have fun with this one. My fellow talented DT sister Darlene gave me this tutorial on how to make this memo holder. She is just so inspiring and gives me tons of ideas and projects so make sure to drop by her blog. You won't be disappointed!

It was so easy and makes wonderful gifts. All it uses is one 12X12 double sided piece of paper and that includes the pocket on the inside. I did also pair it up with a Post-It note holder using some scrap paper and another Mega Clip bookmark that I made. I made this with all items that I had on hand which was great for me! I hope you do stop on by and play along with our challenge.

Sneak Peak!!!

2012-01-10T09:08:00.003-05:00

How much fun did I have you ask??? LOL LOADS! You know you have a good file when things come together rather quickly. I made this project during nap time with a file that will be released tomorrow from SVG Attic. There are soooo many possibilities with this set. I am also working on another one and hopefully will have it done for the release tomorrow. Check back tomorrow for my full picture of my project made with the new release.

For now here is a little tease~!

Mega Clip bookmark

2012-01-08T09:42:00.000-05:00

Good morning everyone. I orginally had this posted yesterday but Blogger decided not to cooperate so here it is again.

I came up with this adorable bookmark using some files from SVG ATtic. I used the rosette and circles as the base from the Happy Haunt Halloween file. The hearts are actually the toppers from the Valentines Cupcake wrappers file. I cut several hearts out and played around with the colors until I got what I wanted.

I used some mega clips that I purchased from Staples to make this HUGE bookmark. Also to glue it all together I used hot glue so it is nice and firm and won't get destroyed. I am including a picture of it in my hand which isn't the greatest but I wanted you to see the size of this thing. This will be part of a package I am sending to my niece. She loves to read so I thought it would be a cute gift.

SVG Attic Challenge and some quick Valentine's Day treat boxes

2012-01-02T13:33:00.005-05:00

First I would like to wish everyone a very Happy, Healthy and SAFE New Year! I sometimes dread New Years because I wonder what is coming in the next year. Even though I would like to be healthier for my sake as well as my children's I am not going to make any weight loss resolutions. But what I am gonna do is get ORGANIZED! I have been on a rampage organizing cabinets and rooms downstairs. Things that have just been put aside for way to long. I sent picks to my hubby and he wrote back... "Are you okay?" LOL Let's just say I am far from organized. I also started to attack my craft room which is absolutely horrific. I don't get much time up here but when I do I am usually short on time so all the scraps and garbage from my previous projects just gets stacked up. It is going to take me some time but I will get there. I need to, it is just way out of hand. But the good news is that my computer is back and running and I actually got the girls down for a nap so I whipped up these two little crafty creations really quick using some svg's from SVG ATTIC.

I have loads of solid card stock in paper stacks that I forget about so I pulled some out and used the milk carton from the Fun Favors Kit. The sentiment is actually one half of the cupcake topper in the Valentine's Day Cupcake wrapper set. Using my Make-The- Cut program I cut the milk carton out at 80 DPI and the sentiment at 100 DPI to fit the box. I didn't want to add to much to it since I know they will just be thrown out. I filled some Cello bags with Cherry Cordial M&M's I bought on clearance after Christmas.

This is a scrapbook layout I made with the Give a Hoot collection for the new challenge over at SVG Attic. The challenge is to use something Metallic and Glittery in your project. It is hard to see in the photo but all the Dp's are glittered. Make sure you stop on by and play along for your change to win some great SVG's! You can find the contest by clicking HERE.

Christmas card holder

2011-12-17T09:08:00.000-05:00

Good morning everyone. I wanted to show you this fun Christmas card holder I made with some files from SVG Attic.

The papers I used were from October Afternoon and the ribbon is from Stampin' Up! First I simply scored 1/2" on each side of a 12X12 piece of cardstock and then 4" across the bottom. I cut a little slice out of where the scores met and folded the top part back and glued it and the bottom score up so it formed a pocket. I put eyelets in the corners so I could tie them together forming the card holder.

I fell in love with the NOEL sentiment from Cozy Christmas Captions so I knew I was going to use that one. I didn't want it to look off center so for the bottom sentiment "Believe" I cut out the base of the Noel and layered the Believe sentiment on top of that. The snowflake in the center is actually the Noble Fir tree from O Christmas Tree. I cut it out and just layered it with lots of foam tape to give it some depth/height. I am very happy with this card holder because it gives me someplace to keep all my Christmas cards and also acts as a piece of holiday decor.

SVG Attic has some great files on sale today at 50% off!!!! You defintely have to stop on by and check them out. You literally need to stock up on files at these fantastic prices. Especially the new collection called Stocking Stuff. It has an adorable lump of coal box as well as a great way to package up Wii games, DVD's etc.

The Sisterhood's new challenge

2011-12-14T10:36:00.003-05:00

It is time for a new challenge over at the Sisterhood. We are having a Christmas themed challenge and we would love to see your creations! I sure hope you stop on by and share your craftiness with us.

For the challenge I made an Photo tin. I thought it would be neat to take out each year and add Christmas photos. It would be great decoration to and fun to see the changes from year to year. Inside it is filled with photo mats, tags and lots of places for journaling. I had fun making this one. Originally it was going to be a gift but I think I may keep it!

I am off to try and get some holiday shopping and baking done!

My last post as a Peachy Keen Designer...

2011-12-13T10:55:00.000-05:00

Good morning/afternoon everybody! I am trying to be cheerful on this bitter cold day but it is hard. Today I am sharing with you my last post as a designer for Peachy Keen Stamps. PKS was what brought me to Blog Land. I have know Kathy for many years and I just love her to bits. She is the one who told be about getting a blog and all the challenges etc. etc. Well in 2009 I started a blog and that was all she wrote... I became hooked! Sometime after that I joined the PKS Design Team and met some AMAZINGLY talented women. Not only talented but a complete pleasure to know. These women made this not only a DT but a Family. I will miss that the most. Peachy Keen has an Open call for designers still going on until December 31st. Even though I would never intentionally leave PKS I will not be trying out for the next team. Reason being I want you all to be able to experience one of the most amazing companies EVER to design for. I encourage all of you to apply. You can click HERE for all the details. It will be exciting to see all the new craftiness coming out of PKS next year.

For my last card as a designer I decided to use the stamp set that I used for my very first post and challenge on my blog. I used the strawberry from PK-239 Faceless Fruit so I thought it was fitting to do as my last post as a PKS Designer. The sentiment is from PK-292 Faceless Corn and the papers are from October Afternoon's Thrift Shop line.

I want to thank you for all the support and comments you have left during the hops and the challenges during my term as a PKS Designer. I don't like change for obvious reasons but sometimes you just gotta roll with it. I am grateful and very thankful to have been part of the PKS DT as long as I have. I am also extremely thankful for getting to know some of the most amazing women EVER. PKS was just not a normal design team they were a family and I will forever miss that. I hope the new PKS team will get to have the same experience.

I will still be around the PKS world on the PK Connection (see button on my side bar), entering into challenges and alumni hops basically anything they ask me to do as well as supporting the new DT that they choose. I owe them alot and I will never forget that!

If I had to pick someone to take my place I would pick Glora from Glora's Crafts! She has been a big part of supporting the PKS DT so I hope she tries out!

Okay folks...this is me signing off from the best DT I will ever know! Hugs, kisses and many tears :(

Day 2 of the SVG Attic Blog Hop

2011-12-10T08:45:00.001-05:00

I hope you have been enjoying the SVG Attic hop so far!! I have gotten so many ideas just from my fellow DT members my head is spinning!! If you just stumbled upon this post you can find all the details of the blog hop HERE.

Today I used the adorable tea cup from the Mad Tea Party Kit that I have been wanting to use forever. This kit is the kit that made me want to finally buy a machine able to cut out SVG's. I work in a tea room every so often and my friend loves tea. I thought this was a cute way to package up some of the Christmas tea that we sell and send it to her for Christmas. We live far away so I thought this poem would be fitting.

SVGAttic Blog Hop

2011-12-09T20:00:00.003-05:00

Happy Friday Everyone! Welcome to the SVG Attic hippity hop blog hop! If you came from the ever so talented Laura's blog then you are right on track. If not you can start at the beginning by clicking HERE. You don't want to lose out on winning any of the fabulous prizes!!!! All you have to do is hop along and leave comments on all of the Designer's blogs.

The theme of this hop is "Gifts from The heart". We were asked to make gifts that we would give away this holiday season. I started several of them and I hope to have a chance to finish them all and showcase them to you. You have until Sunday to enter your comments and get a chance to win one of two $25 Gift Certificates that will be given away by the owner of SVG Attic, Jessica!
Here is my project for Day one of the hop. I made a recipe book to hold Christmas cookie recipes. This would be good to hand down from generation to generation. Defintely something I would treasure. I would even transfer some recipes that were handed down so they could all be kept in one place. For Mr. & Mrs. Claus I used Santas' Little Helpers. For the sentiment on top I used Cozy Christmas Captions and just added a couple more cookies that came with Mrs. Claus under the extras tab .

Now go along and hop onto Jearise's blog for some more fabulous eye candy and gift giving ideas. Below is the line up showing all the designers included in this hop. Don't forget to leave a comment on each blog to get your chance to win that fabulous $25 gift certificate!!!

Blog Hop Line Up:

SVG Attic Blog: http://www.svgattic.blogspot.com/ *Start here*

Jessica B. - http://www.thecrafterscottage.blogspot.com/

Ruthie - http://www.septemberninth.blogspot.com/

Kasi - http://19eightyexpressions.blogspot.com/

Jessica L - http://craftyrktsci.blogspot.com/

Laura - http://www.makinprettythings.com/

Lisa B - www.our2angelsinheaven.blogspot.com *** YOU ARE HERE ***

Jearise - http://lorbysworld.blogspot.com/

Corri - http://www.buglvr.blogspot.com/

Katie - http://ktsangels.blogspot.com/

Sandra - http://365daysofcricut.blogspot.com/

A Peachy New Challenge!

2011-11-29T11:00:00.000-05:00

Hello there! It is time for another Peachy Keen challenge. I started another project for this challenge but it was more involved than I thought so I will have to share it with you at another time. It is defintely a fun one and useful to boot!

Here are the deets for this challenge:

This is the sketch we had to follow

Our Guest Designer for this challenge is Julie - http://juliescraftyspot.blogspot.com/

This is what I came up with using PK-321 Snowmen, Greetings & Globe stamp set. The minute I saw this set I fell in love and had to have it. It is just to cute and the possibilities are endless with this set. I cut out the hat and popped it up with some foam tape but it is hard to see that in the photo.

Next I did a quick card using one of the stamps included in the new release from my fellow DT member Lorie Souther's stamp line. The stamps are called Country Bumpkin and can be found for sale on the PKS website HERE. For my card I used the adorable CB-07 Deputy T.O. Snow. I had these rustic metal signs in my stash forever (gulp atleast 8-10 years). When I was making this card I thought of them right away and thought they would be perfect for this card. On the strip of pape on top I used my Market Street Stamps Woodgrain Background stamp.

I sure hope you stop on by and play along with this great sketch challenge. We all love seeing what you create!

Cute candy, gift box from SVG Attic

2011-11-26T07:41:00.005-05:00

Good morning all! I hope you survived the holiday week. Better yet Black Friday! I wanted to share with you a great idea from SVG Attic. This cute little box is great for candy, stocking stuffers, jewelry etc. If you are looking for a more creative idea to give money here you go! This box is from the Fun Favors Collection which is on sale today for only $2.00! There are 4 very versatile boxes in this collection that can be resized to fit your needs.

Seeing Spots???

2011-11-23T08:04:00.003-05:00

Good morning everyone! Just a quick post to let you know about the new challenge over at The Sisterhood of Crafters. We have a fun and easy challenge for you this week. We would love you to use Polka dots on your creation. The paper I used is from My Mind's Eye and the Stamps are from Stampin up!. I put some glitter on the trees which you can't really see in the photo for some added sparkle. You can make any project with this from birthday cards to Thanksgiving place mats...the possibilities are endless! We hope you have the time to play along with us. I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving (if you celebrate it) feast with your friends and family.

We surpassed out mission!

2011-11-21T10:39:00.003-05:00

Today we were on the front page of our newspaper and I thought I would share it with you all. Making a long story short my husband always wanted to rebuild a car with my son Mikey. After we lost both of our children we got a 56' Chevy and used that has a path to healing. Whatever time he could he was in their with blood sweat and lots of tears. Now almost 5 years later the car is completed and he is able to start doing some Charity work with it which is what he set out to do. Last minute we put together a toy drive for Toys for Tots. Mike signed up to be in the Toys for Tots parade thru town and said it would be great to fill the Chevy up with toys to donate. Thanks to many great friends, neighbors and complete strangers we were able to fill up the back and inside of our truck as well as the inside and trunk of the Chevy. The Coordinator of Toys for Tots in our area came down to present us with a Certificate of Recognizition which was very touching.

The saying goes "When Life gives you lemons, you make lemonade"...well guess this is us making lemonade. We may not be able to see smiles on our children's faces this Christmas morning but we know that because of our children Annemarie and Mikey there will now be oodles of children smiling come Christmas morning.

Thank you to everybody who helped us complete this task! Many hugs from us and our angels!

You can click HEre to read the article. Now if I can just get past how HUGE my face looks...ugh ugh ugh

SVG Attic Ornament bag & PKS Blog Hop Day #2

2011-11-19T08:00:00.003-05:00

Hello Everyone! I wanted to share with you this adorable quick and easy bag from SVG ATTIC that I made. To make this, I used the ornament from the newly released Holidy Cheer Gift Boxes collection. These would make such cute gifts stuffed with anything from note cards for teachers, candy, stocking stuffers, maybe a cute way to deliver a "wish list" to Santa or filled with bakes goods. I thought it would be cute to actually hang on the tree stuffed with goodies for Christmas morning. To decorate the front I used the newly released PKS-15 Oh By Golly! stamp set from Peachy Keen Stamps. I just adore this set because there are soooooooooooo many possibilities you can do with it. Guess I have been in a Vintage kinda mood lately!

You can get this SVG collection as well as many other great cuts at SVG Attic's website. Stock up and save with this coupon code: SVG2011

Also don't forget to hop along with us at Peachy Keen Stamps. You can start at the beginning of the hop HERE.

Peachy Keen Blog Hop

2011-11-18T09:36:00.008-05:00

Good morning! I am so excited to be showcasing the new Peachy Keen Stamps along with their adorable new Peachy Keen Kut Out dies. If you came here from Samantha's blog then you are right on track. If not, you can start at the beginning HERE so you don't miss any of the eye candy and chances to win awesome prizes. The blog hop order will also be listed at the bottom of this post.

I am not a master with my scissors and always seem to botch things up when I try to cut out my stamps. But her dies just make my life so much easier!! For my first card I used PKKO-03 Lauri the Elf die and PKS-03 Lauri the Elf stamp set. This set comes with three different faces that you can choose from. The sentiment is from PKS-15 Oh By Golly stamp set which is also part of the new release. I just love this set because there are soooooo many possibilities and things you can use this for. A Definite must for your stamp collection. My adorable tree. Well let me tell you about that. I can not take full credit for that tree being colored so beautifully. Even though I would like to I had help from my fellow DT member Lorie while I was in WI. The tree has also just been newly released and you can find that HERE. I made the card using the tent card SVG from SVGATTIC.

For my next card I used PKKO- Skip the Elf Kut Out and PKS-04 Skip the Elf stamp set.

Now hop on to Kim's blog to continue on the hop. Don't forget to leave a comment on this post for your chance to win some awesome prizes as well as the other stops along the way of the hop for more chances to win. PKS will be drawing 3 winners. The winners will receive their choice of one (1) Peachy Keen Kut Out die and one (1) coordinating stamp set. Winners will be chosen amongst ALL comments left on all the blogs across the hop! You have until Sunday November 20th to enter to win.

Peachy Keen is also offering a special in honor of this hop. FREE shipping this weekend only 11/18-11/20 and an additional 5% off promo code - KUTOUT5 - which means customers will receive 15% off (promo code + everyday savings of 10% off)! So don't forget to take advantage of this great deal.

BLOG HOP Order:

PKS Blog - http://peachykeenstamps.blogspot.com

Kathy - http://peachykeenstamps-kathy.blogspot.com

Viv - http://craftinghaven.blogspot.com

Lorie - http://thethinkinspot.blogspot.com

Janice - http://stampingwithjanice.blogspot.com

Nikki - http://scrappinnavywife.blogspot.com

Emma - http://creativetimeforme.com

Samantha - http://samanthacasey.blogspot.com

Lisa - http://our2angelsinheaven.blogspot.com

Kim - http://paperpunchaddiction.com

Heidi - http://gotscraps.blogspot.com

Joanna - http://scrap-making.blogspot.com

Erin - http://erinleecreative.com

Ruthie - http://septemberninth.blogspot.com

Angelica - http://handmadebyangelica.com

Jeanne - http://www.thecricutcorner.com

Zeni - http://www.scrappyzeni.com/

Candace -www.scrappin2littleprincesses.blogspot.com

Michelle - http://www.scrappinwithmybug.com

PKS Blog - http://peachykeenstamps.blogspot.com

One of my FAV PKS sketches!

2011-11-15T10:39:00.007-05:00

Good morning everyone! Today it is dreary and rainy here in PA so hopefully my card will cheer up Mother Nature! This is a card that I made while in WI visiting with my PKS family. I used scraps for the background. I just fell in love with that paper (Called HOT COCOA) the minute I got there. I couldn't bare to waste any of it so I decided to use it for this sketch challenge.

Here is the sketch that Angelica whipped up for you all:

And this is what I came up with:

I used the acrylic snowflake from PKS which you can find here PKOA-11 Snowflake B. It is a card and gift in one since they can take the ornament off and hang it on a tree if they wante to. For the adorable face I used PK-520 Wintery Face Assortment.

In case you haven't seen them yet you have to stop on by and check out all the adorable new dies and matching stamps. They are to adorable for words. I don't know about you but I love dies and the face that there is a matching stamp is just a bonus.

Kathy posted a great video showcasing them all and you can see that HERE.

Some Super Duper Exciting News!!

2011-11-12T08:00:00.002-05:00

HOORAY FOR ME!!!!!!!!! I am now a Designer for SVG ATTIC, I made the Cut! No pun intended!! LOL I was like a giddy school girl when I got the news. Especially it was my first time really playing with SVG's. I just love her designs but I never had the right machine so I would just drool as I stalked her sight. Well when the Peachy Keen Stamps and SVG Attic teamed up I used that as an excuse to get a Silhouette. I wear my dunce hat when it comes to computers and by golly I wear it proudly (sniff) but Jessica's files are a breeze that even I could figure out how to use a SVG from her store.

In typical Lisa fashion I started like a gazillion projects because I couldn't decide what to do first. As some of you may know I love to bake and cook. Many of my neighbors wait for the holidays so they can get some goodies from me. The logical thing I thought was to make a simple bread box that I could mass produce and Jessica surely made the job easy for me. The file I used was from the Holly's Holiday Gift Boxes collection. The minute I saw this set I was in love and knew it was right for me. I have some other projects started with this set as well and will be sharing them with you. Every Saturday I will be posting a project made with a SVG file from Jessica's store. One of the things that I love about this collection is that you don't have to use it just for food. You can make the boxes into holders for virtually anything and everything by simply changing the style or size. I will be sharing some of those with you in the near future.

Now on to the deets. I cut the file out in plain kraft card stock. The pretty decorative edge is included in the file so you really could cut it out in plain paper and leave it at that. I decided to use one of my fav background stamps from Market Street Stamps called CANE. I stamped it on the kraft with my Memento brown ink, then distressed the edges with Tim Holtz Rusty Hinge and Vintage Photo. Glued it together in two easy steps and I was done. A simple ribbon tying to give it some extra pizzaz..easy peasy! Then I remembered the awesome sentiments from her THANKFUL CAPTIONS file and decided to add a quick tag. After it was all cut out I took a scrap piece of brown paper and that was all she wrote. Unfortunately by the time I was done the lighting was horrible.

Here are some pictures of the box before I added the tag which were taken in better lighting.

Thanks for sharing this day with me. I hope you stop by to see what else I create with my new addiction... SVG files! Just bare with me since I do not really know how to do anything fancy like everybody else does. All I know is how to open a file and cut but I will get there eventually!

Peachy Keen Challenge 64

2011-11-01T14:27:00.003-04:00

Hello Everyone! Janice here. Lisa is without power because of the recent snowstorm so I am posting her project for her. Sorry for the delay. They have heat and water, but may not have electricity for a few days yet.

Lisa made this adorable card while we were in Green Bay! She used PK-333 Snowmany Thanks Snowman and Bunny. I think she did a beautiful job coloring her handsome snowman! You can find out all the details for the sketch challenge and see what everyone else has created by clicking here!

Lisa is sorry for any inconvenience and will be back as soon as her power and internet have been restored. Thanks for stopping by!

Peachy Keen Sketch CHallenge #63

2011-10-18T11:00:00.001-04:00

Good morning everyone! I am having such a wonderful time in Peachy Keen Wonderland here in Green Bay. It is such an amazing feeling to be sitting with people you have admired for years but have never met. It was worth every penny and stress to be sitting here amongst some of the most genuinely beautiful friends I have ever had.

OK, let's get to the Tuesday Challenge card, (now I've shared how happy I am to be here with everyone),
Here's my card, which I've combined with the second day of the blog hop, using the new stamps from the mini blog hop . (You can find it HERE)
My card uses PK-694 Uglies 'Face Assortment'

Please excuse the short post as I'm on Lorie's PC and trying to get this to you from Wisconsin! Whey Hey!! (Sorry, but I'm having such an amazing time, lol )!
Please go to the Peachy Keen blog for all the details and the (Sketch of course).

Thanks for visiting!!

Peachy New Release Blog hop

2011-10-17T09:00:00.002-04:00

HELLO from Green Bay, WI!!! Yes I am here in the Orchard, Peachy Keen headquarters. I have died and gone to heaven. I just don't know where to go first. I now know what Charlie felt like when he won the Golden Ticket and got into Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory. I got carpet rash on my chin from it dragging all over the floor!!! I just couldn't shut it. I was in complete awe so it was hanging wide open the whole time. If I thought she was fabulous via the "internet" you have to see her and her stuff in person. WOW WOW WOWSERS!

Peachy Keen just launched a new mini release and they are just to darn cute. I was so busy getting ready for the hop I just didn't have time to play with all of them.

Lorie our fellow DT member has released her own line of stamps called Country Bumpkin stamps now being sold at Peachy Keen stamps. They are so adorable! You probably have seen most of them by now along the hop but if not you must go to the PKS store to check them out.

So to celebrate them both we are having this blog hop! If you came from Samantha's blog then you are right on track. At the bottom of the post I will list the complete blog hop order if you get lost along the way or just arrived here.

Here is what I came up with:

First I used Lorie's new Goblin Greetings. What is hard to see in the photo is it is 3D. I cut out the center with a Nestie and layered it with pop dots. Then stamped the image on cream card stock underneath. I added some liquid glass to the goblin to raise him even more.

I am always, always far behind on sending out birthday cards. So far behind I still have some from 2007 to send out so I figured I would be able to use a card like this in my stash! For this card I used the new PK-655 Fall Blessings and turned it into an easel card.

Now this one I had lots of fun with!!! Awhile back I bought a bunch of 6" candles on clearance figuring that one day I would do something with them. I was downstairs and an idea hit me and I ran upstairs. I used my Market Street Cane background stamp and stamped it onto tissue paper using Staz-On ink. Then gingerly using my heat gun I adhered it to the candle. The rosette is from SVG Attic which I shrunk to fit the candle. The sentiment from Lorie's new Jack O Light along with the pumpkin was perfect for a candle so I used that. I was so excited it worked!!

Here it is again as a flower pick in a Fall centerpiece.

Now go on and hop onto Kim's blog so I can go finishing drooling at all the PKS stuff!!

Below is the entire blog hop order.

BLOG HOP Order:

PKS Blog - http://peachykeenstamps.com

Angelica - http://handmadebyangelica.com

Viv - http://craftinghaven.blogspot.com

Lorie - http://thethinkinspot.blogspot.com

Janice - http://stampingwithjanice.blogspot.com

Nikki - http://scrappinnavywife.blogspot.com

Emma - http://creativetimeforme.com

Samantha - http://samanthacasey.blogspot.com

Lisa - http://our2angelsinheaven.blogspot.com

Kim - http://paperpunchaddiction.com

Heidi - http://gotscraps.blogspot.com

Joanna - http://scrap-making.blogspot.com

Erin - http://erinleecreative.com

Ruthie - http://septemberninth.blogspot.com

Kathy - http://peachykeenstamps-kathy.blogspot.com

Peachy Keen & SVGAttic Blog Hop

2011-10-07T09:00:00.004-04:00

Thank you so much for joining us for the Peachy Keen Stamps/SVG Attic Hop! If you've just come from Raven's blog, then you are hopping along just fine. If not, make sure you start at the beginning over at Peachy Keen's blog and the SVGAttic's blog so you don't miss a single chance to win one of two fun prizes up for grabs! You'll have until Sunday night to complete the hop. Peachy Keen Stamps and SVG Attic have partnered this weekend to bring you fun, creative, and inspiring projects to get your Fall crafting into high gear! You'll find out how easy PKS face stamps are to use with SVG Attic's adorable cuts!

I have been in love with Jessica's SVG's for some time but I didn't have the machine or the software to be able to cut them out. Well when this hop came up Silly me used that as justification to buy the machine, I just couldn't help myself. I really wanted to do the hop!! Well much to my horror with so much going on here in my personal world I didn't realize that the hop was only one day away and I didn't even take the machine out of the box yet. Computers and I just don't get along. Well needless to say I had one day (and not even a full day) to figure out how to use it and come up with some projects. Now I can kick myself in the but because I am sooooooooooooo in love with the cuts available on SVG Attic!!! She makes it so easy for you which was perfect for me especially since I was a first timer. I have so many ideas to work on with the other cuts I have so stay tuned next week for my next attempt at using SVG's. Alot of her stuff go perfect with the stamps from Peachy Keen Stamps which is why this blog hop makes perfect harmony. What is even better is both companies are run by wonderful and personable women and I think that says alot about a company.

Here is a little bit about each of the companies involoved in this hop.

PEACHY KEEN STAMPS:
Peachy Keen Stamps is a family business founded by Kathy & Dave Jakopovich in September, 2003. We are located in Green Bay, WI and are the leading manufacturer of the original clear, high-quality, whimsical face stamps loved by die cutters internationally! Kathy illustrates the entire face line as well as an image stamp line with the same sweet whimsical look. Our stamps stamp crisp, clear, and never need to be sanded or rubbed with an eraser. Trade quality photopolymer means that your stamps will last through thousands of impressions!

SVG ATTIC:
SVG Attic was founded early 2011 by Jessica Bashaw and is a family owned company that operates in Southern California. Jessica provides fresh, cute, and easy to cut/assemble SVG files for use with your favorite electronic cutting machines.

I wanted to play with all of her cuts. I had a hard time deciding which ones to do. But unforutantely I didn't have time on my side. I did start a couple other ones that I will have to finish this week and post. But for today I would like to share with you these ADORABLE newly released THANKFUL FRIENDS from SVG Attic. I also paired them up with the haystack and pumkin from the Fall Celebration Kit. The possiblities are endless with these kits. For those adorable chubby little faces that you would just like to pinch I used the PK-451 Wide Eyed Kids stamp collection. Now these can be used as placecards for Thanksgiving dinner or just as decoration for the Fall Season.

Thanks again for stopping by! I hope you're inspired and ready to create! Don't forget to leave a comment on each designers' blog for a chance to win a $50 prize package from SVG Attic or $50 prize package from Peachy Keen! The deadline for commenting is 11:59pm CDT, Sunday, October 9th. And remember to stop on by my blog next week for some more goodies from SVG and Peachy Keen. I will be giving away some prizes and have lots of eye candy for you.

Your next stop on the hop is Cristina's blog.

Did I ever mention I LOVE Fall

2011-10-04T11:00:00.000-04:00

Fall happens to be one of my most favorite times of the year. I love anything to do with Halloween, Thanksgiving, colors of Autumn and just about everything that comes with it. I am starting to love it again that is. It is now a hard time for me with my son and daughter celebrating their birthdays in heaven and with the upcoming holidays it usually just stinks. But it is hard not to smile when I saw this adorable scarecrow from Peachy Keen Stamps called
PK-648 Faceless Scarecrow dolls. OMG I instantly fell in love!! I thought this would work great with the new challenge this week which is another great sketch challenge over at the PKS Blog.

Here is the sketch:

And this is what I came up with using yet again more scraps within my reach on my ever so neat (NOT!) craft desk.

For the face of the scarecrow I used PK-693 Monster Mash Faces. I wanted to add a litte depth to the background so I used my newly purchased Bit of Burlap stamp from Market Street Stamps. To color him I used my Prismacolor pencils and some Copics. I distressed the edges with Tim Holtz's Rusty Hinge and my fav Vintage Photo. The deep burgundy cardstock I had already cut to make a 6x6 card so I just grabbed it and went with it. It wouldn't normally be a color I would use but I think it turned out okay.

Please stop on by and play along with us over at the Peachy Keen blog! There is some fantastic prizes as always and I would love to see your take on the sketch! See ya there!

Better late than never... I hope!

2011-09-27T10:53:00.003-04:00

Okay so last week I volunteered from sun up to sun down literally working 14-16 hour days. By the time I got home I was so tired that I just showered and went to bed. Only to get up at 6am the next morning and go back at it. Well thank goodness it is all over with now but in the mean time I never noticed that my
Peachy Keen challenge never went up!! I was horrified!! So a week late here it is. I do hope you play along so I won't feel so bad and it will help ease the guilt trip!

But the challenge was a sketch and here it is. But wait there was a twist! You had to use twine or floss in addition to the sketch.

And this is my take on it.

I used PK-628 Funny Spider and the papers were called Black Bird.

Quick Quotes & Peachy Keen Blog Hop

2011-09-17T08:00:00.002-04:00

Hello Everyone! I hope you are enjoying this wonderful hop so far put together by
Peachy Keen Stamps and Quick Quotes. Peachy Keen Stamps and Quick Quotes have partnered this weekend to bring you incredible creations from both Design Teams. You'll see how versatile our products truly are! If you came here from the ever so fabulous and talented Kim's blog then you are right on track. I was given the Savvy Davvykit to work with. Once I started I just couldn't stop. I used almost my entire kit. I had so much fun with this blog hop and I just went on a roll. I wanted to try to show you how versatile one kit could be so I did several different themes and projects.

Here are a couple of the projects I came up with.

This first one is a criss-cross birthday card that I made into a gift card holder. I used Peachy Keen Tear Bear die and PK-241 Happy Birthday Kids

Here is another criss cross pull out card but I changed the direction. This one was also made by using scraps from the other projects I made and PK-279 Faceless Bugs .

For this layout I used PK-242 Train Set

This sentiment was perfect for me and my life's ups and downs. I wanted to keep this page simple with the main focus (of course the pictures) the quote and gorgeous paper. I stamped some simple butterflies from PK-268 Mother's Day

I had a bunch of little scraps of the Savvy paper left over and I can't bear to waste anything so I came up with this set of 3x3 little cards. There is actually 8 cards in the set but to save room I only took a picture of the one side. The snowmen and penquins are from
PK-335 Christmas Heads. I packaged them in a clear cello bag to make a cute little gift.

Another quick card/gift card holder using mainly the paper as the focal point and to try to mimic the dots on the paper onto the plain card stock I used PK-276 Flower Centers
I hope I showed you how versatile one line of papers can be. The quality of this paper is fantastic and it is double sided which I love. And before I go I just wanted to mention how in LLLLLLLLOOOOOOOOOOVVVVEEE I am with their Powderpuff Chalking Inks. I don't know about you all but I have used chalking inks that stay wet forever or smudge ruining my project. But these inks dried almost instantly. I would defintely recommend stocking up on them!

I hope you have been enjoying all the fabulous projects from all the DT members so far. To continue on with the list hop on over to Lorie's blog where my projects pale in comparison to her talent. I just love her to bits!

Here is the info on the prizes from this hop if you missed it on the main blog.

How you can enter to win:
•Leave a comment on each designer's blog (including company blogs). We'll draw a random winner for each prize package.
•"Like" Peachy Keen Stamps on Facebook and "Like" Quick Quotes on Facebook, and leave a comment on this post letting us know you've done both
•Earn two bonus entries if you follow the Peachy Keen Stamps blog and Quick Quotes blog.
•The deadline for commenting is 11:59pm EDT, Sunday, September 18th.

Prizes are:

For a more details on the prizes or the blog hop order CLICK HERE.

Peachy Keen new release blog hop

2011-09-09T10:00:00.000-04:00

Good morning to everybody in blogland. Thanks for joining us to help celebrate all the new releases from Peachy Keen Stamps. If you arrived here from Ruthie's blog then you are right on track. I will list the blog hop down below in case you just wondered here or get lost along the way. You will want to visit each blog and leave a comment to get entered into the new release giveaway. Stay tuned in the near future for an additional give-a-way that I will be having on my blog for the PKS set that I was showcasing today (PK-646).

Mrs. Peachy Keen has done it again!!!!!!! These new releases are just out of this world adorable. Once I saw those scarecrows I about fell off my floor. I love fall!! These pumpkins..well the possibilities are endless. I unfortunately ran out of time but I had so many different ideas for projects. But no worries I have a bunch in the works and can't wait to share them with you. Wait to you see (if you haven't already) what the other DT members created..OMG I am sending them all my address so I can get on their mailing list and hope to get the cards that they made. Fall is my favorite time of the year so when I saw these I was in heaven.

Each DT member is given a set to work with. I was given PK-646 Faceless Fall Fun 2 to work with.

Here are the projects I came up with. I will warn you that the pictures are horrible because if you haven't heard on the news Pennsylvania is having severe flooding. It is devasting and heartbreaking at the devastation in areas. Even Hershey Park is closed due to damage from the flooding. The rain hasn't stopped and had no plans of stopping so I had to take the pictures indoors and with horrible lighting.

My tissue box holder. I really liked how this came out and I plan on keeping it. It sits next to me at my computer and it just makes me smile. The paper is October Afternoon. I used the leaf and pumpkins from PK-647 Faceless Fall Fun. I simply layered the pumpkins, colored them in and covered them in Liquid Glass.

Here is a top note box. I used the sunflower frm PK-646 and stamped it twice raising the top layer with pop dots. The background stamp is from Market Street Stamps.

Here is a gate fold card with the layered candy corns. The larger one is from PK-646 and the smaller one is from PK-647.

Simple card using some scraps.

I was done making my cards and I saw these scraps laying within my reach so I quickly came up with this card. The whole scene came about from a mistake but you know I am actually happy how it came out. The faces are from PK-690 Make A Monster Face assortment.

I hope you enjoyed your stay here on my blog. Now hop on over to Erin's Blog to see her adorable creations. Before you go here are the deets on the PKS Anniversary sale. It starts once the blog hop does and goes through the weekend.

Spend $25 - $39.99 15%off
Spend $40 - $74.99 20%off
Spend $75+ get 25% off!

Here is the blog hop order:

PKS Blog - http://peachykeenstamps.blogspot.com

Kathy - http://www.peachykeenstamps-kathy.blogspot.com/

Ruthie - http://septemberninth.blogspot.com

Lisa - http://our2angelsinheaven.blogspot.com

Erin - http://www.erinleecreative.com

Samantha - http://samanthacasey.blogspot.com

Joanna - http://scrap-making.blogspot.com

Emma - http://www.creativetimeforme.com/

Heidi - http://gotscraps.blogspot.com/

Nikki - http://scrappinnavywife.blogspot.com

Kim - http://www.paperpunchaddiction.com

Janice - http://stampingwithjanice.blogspot.com

Lorie - http://thethinkinspot.blogspot.com

Viv - http://craftinghaven.blogspot.com

Angelica - http://handmadebyangelica.com

A Spooktacular New Sketch

2011-09-06T11:14:00.002-04:00

Hello Everyone! It is hard to be cheerful when my computer is right next to a window and all I see is rain, wind and more rain. BUT to help cheer up my dreery morning I would like to share with you a new sketch challenge from
Peachy Keen Stamps.

Here is the sketch for the challenge:

And this is what I came up with. The items that I used on this card are:

PK-635 Haunted Pumpkin House
PK-636 Pumpkin House Accesories
Mounting square/pop dots
Prismacolor pencils & Gamsol
My Mind's Eye Blackbird paper

I would love to see your interpretation of this sketch so come on down and play along. Make sure you stop on by to see what fabulous creations my DT sisters came up with!!! They are truly amazing.

Charmed I'm sure ....

2011-08-23T11:00:00.000-04:00

I know I am FAR from normal so why would my brain think in a normal way right?? LOL
When I saw the new release from Peachy Keen Stamps PK-335 Christmas Heads the first thought that popped into my head was Wine charms. I hate going to a party and not knowing what glass is mine or hosting a party and having a bunch of wasted drinks because people get confused or lose their drinks. So I came up with this idea of using this set as wine charms. I found a tin that I had in my stash that I thought would be perfect to store them in.

I followed the sketch for the front of my tin for the challenge part this week. I grabbed whatever scraps that were within my reach and came up with this. I used Scor-Tape and MS glitter for the trim around the top lid. For the charms I stamped all of the outlines of the heads from PK-335 Christmas Heads on clear shrink paper. For the faces I used PK-482 Winterwonderland Assortment and PK-484 Snowmany Faces Assortment. Unfortunately some of the ones that I colored the best I broke last minute trying to put a bigger hole in them. A very important step is to make sure you put the proper size hole in the shrinky dinks before you shrink them!! I colored the faces with my Prismacolor pencils and my Copics.

I started to put the beads around the silver loop but my girlies woke up and my craft time was done. Itty bitty beads and little toddlers do not mix! I will be coming up with a better idea for packaging them inside as well as adding the beads but I hope you get the idea of what I was aiming for here. I think this would be a cute hostess gift or a great holiday gift to just about anybody. It doesn't have to be for alcholic drinks.

Some of the other supplies I used were:
DS65-3 SnowWriter for the puffy snow on the snowmans hat
Paint Writer in Christmas Red for the band on the Snowman's hat on the front of the tin
And some pear paint to accent the snow on the hat and inside of the buttons

Animal House!

2011-08-19T11:00:00.002-04:00

I bet you all thought I was talking about my house!!! Well it is not an animal house more like an insane asylum. LOL!!

I decided to play along with Peachy Keens Let's Face It Friday challenge this week. The theme they chose was ANIMALS. I wanted to use the stamps that they are giving away as a prize PK-755 Critter Faces Large Set. Since Fall is my favorite time of the year I picked the flippin' adorable turkey. I grabbed a tag that I had already cut out and worked with that. He is just to darn cute! To bad I didn't have a wobble to put him on because it would of went great with the sentiment...Wobble til' you Gobble!! That's pretty much what I do everyday..no need to wait to Fall to do that! LOL

I sure hope you play along and show us the "animal" inside you!

Having fun with my new PKS stamps!!

2011-08-09T09:23:00.007-04:00

Hello everyone in blogland! Here in PA it in a rainy dreary day..ugh! But on the bright side of things Peachy Keen Stamps just released a bunch of absolutely AMAZING & ADORABLE stamps. I tell you, everytime I think they can't get any cuter they do!! I did one project before I got the new stamps and once I got the new sets I just had to create something with them so I came up with another one. For both projects I used scraps and recycled materials.

The sketch to follow was:

For the first project I was playing around with some cookie ideas to give out at Christmas time. The first cookie I made was HUGE so I came up with a simple and quick packaging idea that holds only one cookie.

Here is the package I came up with:

Side View:

And here is they ooey gooey yumminess that is on the inside.

All the paper I used are scraps. The big red bow came from a pajama set that I got for Christmas (and of course I saved the ribbon). I was so proud that I was actually able to tie a bow. After I put it together I realized that the bow blocked the part top of the scalloped top border (as scene in the sketch) but I was so excited about my bow that I couldn't change it.

The snowflakes are from PK-232 Large Snowflakes. I stamped them with two contrasting colors. Next I covered them in several layers of Ultra Thick Embossing powder and hung them on some twine.

Another one of my hobbies is hoarding I mean recycling. A friend of mine gave my girls some clothes for their birthday and they came in these great sturdy boxes. The twins destroyed one box and my husband went to throw the other box out and I grew wings, flew across the room and said don't you dare!! For some reason I decided to decorate the box in a Christmas theme with the new PKS stamps (perfect timing). Then inside will be a Christms photo album that will be taken out every Christmas and displayed as part of the decorations.

Items I used for this photo box:
PK-334 LauriLoves Skip Faceless Elves
PK-417 Faceless Gingerbread Doll face stamp for the girl Elf
PK-277 Vivienne & Friends for the turtle toy and the doll in the Santa bag
PK-205 Feed, Santa or flour sacks for the toy bag
PK-332 Peachy keen Santa Set for the sentiment
Tim Holtz Brick embossing folder
Various stickers & embellishments
Prismacolor pencils
UTE
Graphic 45 paper
Joys of the Season Cricut cartridge for the fireplace

The only bummer is that covered the elves in 3 layers of UTE and when I glued them down they cracked a bit. I should of just stuck with one layer but oh well!!

Shaped Cards

2011-08-05T10:59:00.000-04:00

Hello Everyone!! Hope you are all having a great morning. I decided to join in on the LFIF Design Team's challenge over at Peachy Keen Stamps. They were asked to make a shaped card.

Well I tried my hand in welding on my Design Studio to make this card. The headstone is from Wrap It Up and the ghosts are from Simple Charmed I believe. For the faces I used PK-691 Make A Monster Face stamp set. I started out with coloring the ghosts with my copics. I distressed the edges with grey ink and then for some reason I decided to use Tim Holtz's antique linen distressing stain. When this is applied it makes it kinda damp so I crumpled them up a bit. I think I liked the ghosts better before the stain but oh well!! Since one of the ghosts were laughing and looked up to no good I decided to put a ball and chain around the other ghosts well I can't say legs but his little tail I guess you would call it. The ball and chain is from the Wedding cartridge...LOL go figure! This is such a fun challenge and I had sooooooooooo many ideas for it. I hope you guys decided to play along.

Time for another great Peachy Keen Sketch!

2011-07-26T10:59:00.001-04:00

Maybe I should of done a card dedicated to rain in place of a rain dance because by golly we need rain soooooooo bad. A couple of months ago all we had was some really bad flooding. Now everyone's hay I mean grass is dried up and crisp. I try keeping up with it and watering it but it is hard to do with over 100 degree temps and an acre and a half of grass to try to save. As I am typing this I hear thunder in the distance so I am praying that it will rain!

Anyway this week there is a great sketch over Peachy Keen Stamps. But hold on there is a twist!!!!

Here is the sketch:

And the twist was to use this color combo:

This is what I came up with using both guidelines:

The adorable elephant is from Peachy Keen Stamps. I embossed the image in a blue powder first and then colored it in. I wanted to add a little something in the blank space so I took a scrap die cut I had laying around and used PK-101 Medium Polka Dt background stamp to give it a bit of design since it was the same kraft color as the card. The buttons, sentiment and card stock are from Papertrey Ink.

I Knead you!

2011-07-25T10:36:00.002-04:00

Hello Everyone! I am so sorry. I had some friends up this weekend so I was busy entertaining and didn't realize that my post for the new LFIF Peachy Keen challenge didn't go up!!!! OOPPPSS!! I really wanted to play along with this challenge because it is such a fun challenge. The challenge is titled "So Punny".

Here is the definition of a Pun if some of you don't know or are lost.

What exactly is a pun?

A play on words, either on different senses of the same word or on the similar sense or sound of different words. - source: http://grammar.about.com

I have some great Pun Stamps that I wanted to use o I choose this one. I had to many ideas to pick from which was the hard part.

Face stamp used http://www.peachykeenstamps.com/products/PK_515_Fun_Kiddie_Faces_1_1_8-178-6.html
The paper is some scraps from October Afternoon.
Cuts are on the FROM MY KITCHEN cartridge
Ribbon is MY MIND"S EYE
Twine is from the TWINERY

Love at first sight

2011-07-18T16:16:00.003-04:00

Here is a scrapbook layout that I whipped up rather quickly following the sketch challenge over at My Mind's Eye Challenge Blog. Two of my FAVORITE FAVORITE paper lines are Fine & Dandy and the Stella and Rose lines. I only had a few sheets of the Fine & Dandy since that was all that was left so (insert me sulking here) I had to use it. I know I am ridiculous but when I LOVE LOVE LOOOOVVVVEE a paper line so much I hate to use it because once I do I won't have it anymore :( But since it was for my little Girlie Goo's I had no problem.

The layout I did was the day the twins were born and the pictures of the girls (of course) and Daddy's first time holding them. Which for the record I think is very unfair. I did all the work and I was the one strapped to the table and he got to hold them for the first time!! LOLFor the layout I used My Mind's Eye Tickled Pink paper and some of the Fine & Dandy ribbon. I even took the little piece of scrap paper and made it into a tag. On the back of the tag I wrote down the times that they were born so it could help in the arguements later on in life who came first..uggh! It was a blissful moment when the twins were born but bittersweet for us. It shows that even thru the worst of storms there is sunshine and sometime's even a rainbow will appear.

We were very blessed with two healthy girls that both weighed exactly 5lbs 13oz. each. My Doctor told me she never had that happen so I should go and play the lotto. I told her that I just won the lotto.....had two healthy babies with no complications that was payment enough. My youngest twin was even born with a tooth!!

Christmas in July

2011-07-15T14:41:00.003-04:00

The challenge over at The Scrapping Cottage this week is hosted by my friend Lorie from the Thinkin' Spot. She asked that we create a project using our Cottage Cutz dies to create a Christmas project. Here is what I came up with.

I used the Cottage Cutz snowman doll and accessories set to maket this adorable card. It started out a place setting but you can also use it as a bag topper with a simple invitation inside.

Preserves cartridge dusted off!

2011-07-15T11:43:00.005-04:00

I go from Cricut crazy to Stampin' Crazy to card making crazy. No rhyme or reason I just have these spurts. Well when I saw the challenge over at Scrappy Mom's I wanted to jump right in. My hubby is coming home today so I think this maybe an end to my blogging every day with projects for awhile..sniff sniff. Their challenge is to use your Preserves cartridge. I don't know if people realize what goodies this cartridge has on it and it is NOT all about food. There are some amazing shapes, labels and tags. I did two entries into this contest.

For my first project I wanted to do a simple card using my (yeah!) scraps from a recent project I just completed. I used their A pinch & A Dash stamp set. This is such a great set and has endless possibilities. When I was cutting out the leaves I was using a scrap piece of green card stock that I had stamped with my Market Street Sweet Lace background stamp. The cut calls for covering it up but I liked how it looked so I left it!

For my second entry..well I decided to bake! I recently just purchased 10lbs yes 10lbs of handpicked blueberries and split it with my neighbor. Not sure if I will ever do that again since a HUGE majority came with those little stems and that was not fun pulling them off all of them. I love to bake for all my neighbors so I decided to come up with a cute "personal" idea. I made these mini lattic blueberry pies and this simple but cute tag to go with it. I did a French pie crust which was so flaky it was hard to work with. Think I may stick with buying a premade pie crust to speed up the process next time..uggh did I make a mess!

Now don't laugh!!! I couldn't really get a good picture of it or decide which one I liked the best so I just posted them all! If anyone wants some blueberry pies I got a gazillion and a half of them. They range from tiny to big, to blueberry scones with lemon glaze and a blueberry cream pie..>Getting hungry???

Cereal boxes + recycled tin = this!!

2011-07-14T10:53:00.000-04:00

So I am a self professed hoarder of things. I keep every little thing that I can manage. Even the ribbons that come inside a shirt to help you hang them up, yep I cut them off and reuse them. I just can't bare to throw anything out. And the times that I do throw it out I find myself cursing myself or rummaging through the trash while shouting.."See I knew I should keep this! I knew I would use it!!"

Well I went to a charity auction and won a tin filled with Tastefully Simple items. Of course there was no way I would throw out the tin so I put it away for a future use (straw and all). I also have a stash of cereal boxes. I decided to go through my stash and use some of these things that I hoard. On this project I used only my scraps and boy did it feel soooooooooooo good to get rid of some of those puppies. Buried in my stash I also found a Sizzix star die. I became obsessed with Stars after my children were killed so I must of picked it up without thinking (didn't think it would work in my Cuttlebug since it was the Big die). The die cuts out each tip of the star so you can make it 3D. I did a layer of cereal boxes underneath and then a layer of my DP. Well one night I got to playing and this is what I came up with.

I used my Cricut Stand & Salute cartridge for the sentiment. I wanted to do another layer of the stars so I just searched for another star and tried to size it to fit in Design Studio. I stamped the sentiment with Perfectly Pretty Grid background stamp from Market Street Stamps. I distressed the edges with Tim Holtz Vintage photo then covered the whole thing with CTMH Liquid Glass. I added some stickles to the Stars to make them glitter a bit. I also used Vintage Sheet Music (also by Market Street Stamps) on the cream colored card stock in Espresso ink by Stampin' UP! For my flower I took my Nesties and cut out several layers of the scalloped circle in Kraft card stock from PTI. I used my Market Street Stamps Punched Tin background stamp and PTI Vintage cream ink. I had these thin strips of card stock left over so I ran them through a crimper and twirled them up (told you I don't throw anything away!). For the band I took a bunch of scrap pieces that were different sizes and cut them to the same width. I decided to make a ruffled look to hide all the different pieces being made as one. To help hold it all together I ran it thru my Janome several times in a zig zag design. Gosh I love using my scraps this way!!

It was really hard to get a good picture of this for some reason so sorry for the cruddy pics.

I am entering this into the following challenges:

Market Street Stamps ~ Red, white & blue

Little Darlings Challenges - buttons/brads/eyelets

Make it Monday with Kraft Outlet - Something Borrowed or Something Blue
Paper Creations Ink - Red, white and blue
Creative Inspirations - Red, white and blue
Fashionista Friday - patriotic
Cooking It Up With Katie - colors of your flag/something your country is known for
Our Daily Bread Designs - Red, White & Blue
Simon Says Stamp and Show ~ Stitching
Simon Says Stamps Challenge ~ Anything Goes

Not bad for something people would normally throw away!

While the Cat's away the Mouse will Play!!

2011-07-13T13:08:00.005-04:00

I don't know what it is but I feel like I am a kid left alone for the first time while my parents went on vacation. My husband is away on business and I am home with the girls. Now he is pretty much either working or sleeping most of the time anyway but for some reason just because I know he is away I feel all giddy like I am sneaking or something..LOL

So while the girls watched Toy Story for the gazillionth time I decided to get a card done for some challenges. This will be my second post for the day!! WOOT WOOT!
My fellow Sister Darlene from the Sisterhood has always inspired me with her cards and the look of them. She has such an amazing flare for vintage style cards. I always admired them but it was out of my comfort zone. So today I decided to try to do something a little different and this is what I came up with. This one is for you Dar!

This is my first attempt at something like this and I gotta say I know it's not the best but it is growing on me. I just love, love these papers. Here is how I made this.

First I took some Terracotta card stock from PTI for the base. Then I took some Rustic Cream cardstock also from PTI and stamped it with my Market Street Stamps Vintage Wallpaper in Bermuda Bay ink by Stampin Up!. I roughed up the edges and distressed it with Tim Holtz's Pumice stone and then Vintage Photo. I sewed all around the edges in a zig zag pattern and matted it in dark colored cardstock. Then I stamped Vintage Sheet Music (also by Market Street Stamps) in Espresso ink and distressed the edges.

I sewed around the inside in a straight pattern then layered it over the Vintage wallpaper background. Next I used some Graphic 45 Steampunk DP for the main image and matted that. I wanted to add a different element so I used a flower die from PTI to cut out several flower shapes out of felt. For an added touch I used my Staz-On ink in Timber brown and my Market Street Stamps Punched Tin background stamp. Folded them in several layers and used hot glue to adhere them. Finished it off with a PTI Terracotta button and twine..WALLAA it was done. I had so much fun doing this card, I hope you like it.

I am entering this card into the following challenges:
Simon Says Stamp and Show ~ Stitching
The Pink Elephant ~ Felt
PriscillaStyles Midnight Madness ~ Sketch
Simon Says Stamps Challenge ~ Anything Goes
Going Grey With Scrap-Creations ~ 2DP's & 2 embellishments
Jac-Inks Papercraft Challenges - Die-cuts Plus Texture
Shopping Our Stash - Use something you've been hoarding or your newest products
Lollipop Crafts - July challenge - Anything goes
One Stitch At A Time - Anything Goes

Being Thankful

2011-07-13T09:04:00.001-04:00

Hello Everyone! Are you all enjoying this heat wave?? LOL Thank goodness for central air. I feel bad but I have to keep the little ones inside because they are so sensitive to the heat they turn beat red from just a few minutes outside.

I have a bunch of photos to share with you today. Over at The Sisterhood of Crafters we are showing our "THANKS" by having a challenge. We are asking you to make some THANK YOU cards. I just had my girls 2nd birthday party so I just sat around one day (which was rare) and simply just played around to see what I would come up with. Sorry that the pictures are so bad but I had to take them inside and my batteries were dying.

I needed a simple, flat and easy to mail Thank you card that was easy to make in bulk. For these cards I just played around with the new PTI's Mehndi Medallion stamp in different colors (Stampin' Up ink). The sentiment is from PTI's Big & Bold Wishes

I made this card with my Vintage Music Market Street background stamp and PTI's Happy Trails.
This one makes me laugh. I knew I was a hoarder before but this one proves it. I have a 6X6 tablet of Stella and Rose which is some of my favorite DP ever. I had to cut the little strips off of the top but I couldn't bare to part with them so I made a card with them. OMG rehab here I come!

Hope you come and join us and show us what you can be "Thankful" for.

Many hugs...and stay COOL!

Two little piggies in a tub

2011-07-12T10:23:00.000-04:00

Good afternoon everyone!
There is a new sketch over at Peachy Keen Stamps and of course you will want to enter to win the awesome prize. I cut some DP in 2 inch squares and loosely glued that to a bottom mat. I then sewed it to make it look quilt like and when that was done used my Nesties to cut out the top note shape. I added a lighter rim around it by nesting my Nesties so I would just get the trim. Loved how it looked but somehow I must of leaned on something and got a bunch of ink and goo on it so I tried to distress it to hide the fact. The adorable stamped image is called PK-202 Piggy Tubby Time. This image just makes me smile because #1 it is just to darn cute and #2 it reminds me of my twins in the tub. To make the bubbles look a little more "bubbly" I added some liquid applique and then some CTMH Liquid Glass to the tub and the bubbles. I was trying to smudge some "dirt" on them to make them look even dirtier but it didn't really come out as planned so you will just have to in vision it for now! LOL The image is just dangling there like a tag so technically you can use it as a tag and write something on the back.

Hope you come and join us for this challenge. Love seeing everyone's different takes on the sketch. Off to go melt in the summer heat..uggh I wish!

My Peachified frame & Yes a challenge entry

2011-07-08T09:00:00.000-04:00

Hello Everyone!!

Peachy Keen Stamps Let's Face It Friday challenge team has a new challenge this week and I decided to play along. It was the first time in along time that I actually got in my craft room and it felt so good. I had a lot of fun with this one!! The challenge is called "Plenitful Patterns". Well when I made this frame I used patterns everywhere I could..I don't think I used any solid cardstock. I had so many ideas it was hard to decided which one to do and the funny thing is, that this was not one of the ideas. I went into my Craft Closet/cave and found a $1 frame from Michael's. I painted the edges black. Then picked a newer addition of DP to my stack from DCDW.

The bees were cut from Create a Critter and stamped with PK-640 Princess Face Assortment set.After they were done I covered them in several layers of UTE. I loved the sentiment from the new Hillbilly Holler SY-903 More Phrases stamp set so I used that and stamped it directly onto the paper. I then used the new adorable acryclic PKOA-BHV Beehive Set that Peachy Keen now carrys. I wanted to add some dimension to it. This was my first time using the acryclic shapes so I kinda messed it up but (like gluing it backwards)they are just so fun to use. Now that I have the hang of it I am playing around with the other ones I got. For the background paper I used my beloved and very versatile Sweet Lace Stamp from Market Street Stamps.

For the flower all I did was cut out a bunch of patterned paper with my Nesties scalloped circle and stacked them (inked them up with Tim Holtz distressing ink first). I then covered the whole thing in CTMH Liquid glass to give the flower shine and of course strength overtime. For the picture I just grabbed a piece of colored cardstock to stick in the center and I also took a picture so you could see what it looked like without it.

I really had fun with this one!! I hope you stop on by and show us your Plentinful Patterns!

I also wanted to share with you this entry I made for the challenge over at The Scrapping Cottage. I absolutely love their dies. Unfortunately I do not have to many of them and would love to have more so my plan was to make several pages to go with the sketch challenge in order to increase my chances to win. But due to an unforeseen back injury that has put me on the couch for the past couple of days (not an easy thing to do with twins) I barely got one page done. I wanted to keep it simple because I did this page for a friend. I did not know all the details about where the pictures where taken, etc etc. so I had to leave it a bit simple so she could write and fill in the info. Basically she has lots of room for journaling. I used the http://www.scrappingcottage.com/cottagecutzbunnies4x6peachykeendesign.aspx Cottage Cutz Bunnies for my layout. This particular set comes with three face stamps so you can change the expressions on the bunny which is just fabulous and fun! These dies are awesome because where can you get such detail on itty bitty objects and use up those tiny bits of scrap paper you have been hoarding..I mean saving. LOL! I have my eye on those bakeries, sweat shops and of course all the Santa ones....OMG how flippin' perfect are those??? Keeping my fingers crossed. Well gotta go get another Ice pack for my back. HOpe you all have a great weekend!

P.S. I used an Oldie but Goodie Cricut Cartridge - My Community - for the fence and stamped it with my Market Street Stamps Woodgrain background stamp. I used Tim Holtz frayed Burlap arond the outside to give it some color.

A Peachy New Sketch Challenge

2011-06-28T16:02:00.000-04:00

Whew...I think I survived but barely. My twins turned 2 on the 16th and we just had the party this week. My niece & nephew were here from Florida and last year we started a tradition of after the party putting up our tent (this thing is HUGE..we call it the Taj Mahal) and having all the kids sleep over. We had 8 kids in the tent and two adults to supervise not to mention 8 adults in the house. I woke up at the crack of dawn to make a gazillion Buttermilk pancakes and no I did not think ahead and buy Bisquick..sigh. But they had a blast and that is what counts. I just have been going for over 2 weeks straight with very little sleep and throw in some major stress and dealing with alot of crazy personal issues boy oh boy. The minute I stopped I crashed. It has been 3 days and I am still not recovered and I am still cleaning up the mess from the party. I haven't been in my craft room in weeks so I am very very sad..sniff sniff.

But the good news is that Peachy Keen Stamps has a great new challenge this week. That gave me a chance to sneak back in my craft room to make a card. I got to use the new stamps PK-287 Ballin' Bunnies released recently that are just to cute. I stamped the adorable crying bunny and glued it on top of the die cut. Then I did several layers of UTI and stuck it in the freezer for the cracked glass effect. I wanted something "broken" to symbolize saddness or hurt which is why the bunny is crying. I colored her in with my Prismacolor pencils with French Grey tones.

How adorable is this mouse????

2011-06-14T11:00:00.001-04:00

Okay this mouse just makes me want to cry!!! How cute is this mouse????? I couldn't wait to use her. So when I saw the sketch this week over at the Peachy Keen Challenge Blog I knew I had to use my PK-289 Mitsy Sue and Colby Cheer Up.

Here is the sketch:

And this is what I came up with:

I colored the image with my PrismaColor pencils and completed this card with 100% of my paper scraps. I just basically grabbed what was in my arms reach... I just love seeing what I can come up with when I do that. I had a die cut that I cut out with my Nesties and stamped with Market Street Woodgrain background stamp. I just cut it in half to give it another element on the card. I wanted to keep it flat for easy mailing. I also added some CTMH Liquid Glass to the flower which is hard to see.

I sure hope you join us for this great sketch challenge!

Blog Hop Winner!!!

2011-06-07T15:40:00.003-04:00

Hello and good afternoon! I just wanted to pop in and thank you all for hopping along with us. Oh and of course announce the winner of the $25 Peachy Keen Gift Certificate is..............

Dawn, RI said...
how adorable, your projects are really nice. I especially love the idea of the tag on the sugar cookies,Dawn RIabosoffit@hotmail.comdawnsdpl-papercrafting.blogspot.com

Congrats Dawn!!! Please contact me with your information so I can get you your gift certificate!

Hoping along with Peachy Keen & a WINNNNNEEERR!!!!

2011-06-03T13:00:00.004-04:00

Hello and good morning everyone!! I am so excited that you are all finally getting to see the new PKS stamps that were just released. Are they not the cutest????? I have been wanting a skunk stamp FFFOOORRRREVVVERR from PKS and I finally got one!! YIPPEEE... but unfortunately I have not had time to play with it....sigh :(

But on to the fun stuff!! The winner of the stamp set SY-905 Hillbilly Holler Set 5 I was giving away yesterday is ..........

Sherrie K. said...
Great peek and what a teaser...can't wait to see it! Sherrie K
Congrats Sherrie!

Please contact me with your info so I can get you your stamp set.

Now don't worry you still have a chance to win!!!! All you have to do is leave a comment on THIS post. Leave a comment on all of the DT's post to increase your chances..don't miss out!!

For this blog hop I was working with the SY-905 Hillbilly Holler Set 5. I just love this set because it is perfect for me. First of all I am ALWAYS running behind so I love all the sentiments that come with it. The frame can be used for just about anything and the invitation part is invaluable for parties. I had some ideas to do with that but I didn't get a chance to get them done so look forward to them in the future PKS projects. I decided to focus on the frame and the house.

Here are the projects I came up with:

This one just make sme smile. I wanted to do a carton of eggs or a basket of apples but then I changed my mind and thought of a cow. The wood border/frame and sentiment (all the frames below are from the same set) are from SY-905 Hillbilly Holler Set 5. That adorable cow is from SY-901 Hillbilly Holler Set 2.

I put liquid glass on the frame of the stamp and I tried to paint a sky background which isn't easy at midnight by candlelight so bare with me!! The sentiment is from SY-900 Hillbilly Holler SET ONE

I totally forgot to take a picture of the inside of this tag. I simply used a scrap tag laying around that was folded. I stamped the barn on the outside and on the inside I stamped .. "FROM OUR HOUSE TO YOURS" to make this quick and cute gift.

Quick and I mean really quick card I made using the frame or chalkboard from the stamp set. I stamped it twice as I did with all of the other cards to give it a different color center.

I ran out of time on this one but I wanted to show you how easy it is and how great this stamp set would be to make invites for any occassion. I started to do a chicken BBQ one as well as one for my daughters 2nd birthday.

If you are just getting here below you will find the order of the blog hop. You really do want to start from the beginning, not only to see all the amazing projects but there are prizes along the way. Now go on...hop on over to Samantha's blog!

Peachy Keen Blog - http://www.peachykeenstamps.blogspot.com/

Ruthie - http://septemberninth.blogspot.com/

Erin - http://www.erinleecreative.com/

Joanna - http://scrap-making.blogspot.com/

Heidi - http://gotscraps.blogspot.com/

Kim - http://www.paperpunchaddiction.com/

Lisa - http://our2angelsinheaven.blogspot.com/ --- YOU ARE HERE

Samantha - http://samanthacasey.blogspot.com/

Emma - http://www.creativetimeforme.com/

Nikki - http://scrappinnavywife.blogspot.com/

Janice - http://stampingwithjanice.blogspot.com/

Viv - http://craftinghaven.blogspot.com/

Lorie - http://www.thethinkinspot.blogspot.com/

Kathy - http://www.peachykeenstamps-kathy.blogspot.com/

Sneak Peek

2011-06-02T10:00:00.000-04:00

Hello Everyone! I am so super excited about the new stamps from Peachy Keen that we will be showcasing in tomorrow's blog hop. The minute I got them in the mail I had a gazillion and one ideas in my head of what to do with them and I just couldn't wait to start playing with them. But it seems that Mother Nature had other plans for me. First the tornado which gave us no power or internet, then another storm, and then we lost power again the following day for no reason. I assume that they were trying to get all the power back to the others that were without. Usually my crafting time is nighttime so that didn't help very much!

The set that I will be showcasing really does have endless possibilities. I am going to make as many projects as my little inky fingers can create in a couple of hours but I am not sure how many I will get done. I really want you guys to see how many things you can do with just one set. As with any of our PKS blog hops there are so many chances to win along the way so don't miss out tomorrow. And TRUST me you are going to want these new stamps!!!!!!

Here is my little tease of a sneak peek...see you all tomorrow!!!

My Little Hillbilly getting ready to Hop Along with PKS

2011-05-31T11:04:00.000-04:00

Hello Everyone! I hope everyone is safe and sound with all this horrible weather we have been having. Living in PA I never thought I would be hit by a tornado but go figure we did. We had minor damage compared to certain parts of the country so I am not even going to complain but it was a scary thing to live thru especially when you are home with young twins. The hail hitting the house was just simply crazy!!

Due to the tornado we lost power for a day which put me back in my crafting capabilities. I simply adore the new Hillybilly Holler stamp collection from Peachy Keen Stamps. They just make me chuckle!! So I decided to use SY-902 Hillbilly Holler Set 3 for a THANKS A BUNCH card. The challenge this week was to follow a sketch with a twist of Sponging on your card. So I stamped and colored my image then cut him out as close as possible to the lines. I then sponged him along the sides as well as the card base with Tim Holtz's Vintage Photo. After that I glued him down on white cardstock and trimmed him again so he can pop a bit with the trim. I tried all different kinds of DP for the background but couldn't find any that my little guy didn't get lost in. So I pulled out my Punched Tin background stamp from Market Street Stamps and stamped it on kraft cardstock. I added clear stickles to the flowers and to the center of each circle on the design of the background stamp. I hope you stop on by Peachy Keen Stamps challenge blog. I would love to see what you create with this sketch and the twist of sponging.

And for some exciting news....... We are hopping!!! Yes this week we are hoping to celbrate some more amazing stamps from Peachy Keen. Just when you think she can not come up with anymore adorable stamps she just blows you out of the water!! As always you will not want to miss it because there are oodles and oodles of prizes along the way. So come on back this week for some more fun. Sneak Peaks start June 1st thru the 2nd.

You won't want to miss this MEGA prize!!!

2011-05-17T10:33:00.008-04:00

Boy do we have a super prize in store this week over at You surely will want to make sure you play along for this challenge.

First I will start with the details and then move onto the mega prize! The challenge is a sketch.

Here is my take on it:

I just got my grubby inky 10 fingers on some brand new DP (to me anyway) that I couldn't wait to use by My Mind's Eye Fine and Dandy line. I had this picture sitting on my craft desk of my daughter Gianna looking up at my Mom and thought it was so sweet. For the faces I used PK-640 Princess Faces. When I was doing the sentiment at the bottom I wanted to give the plain cardstock some "Pop" factor or design so I stamped the green cardstock with my new Sweet Lace background stamp and the blue cardstock with PK-102 Small Polka Dot print. I realize now that I stamped the faces reverse of what I wanted to do so I may eventually try to fix it but for now..OH WELL!

So do you want to know what you can win by playing along this week???????
DRUM ROLL PLLLEEEASSEEE.....................

Yep no jokes here! If you are the winner this week this bad boy retailed at $130 will be on its way to you!!! And to share the wealth we secured a coupon code for our followers to use at AV Thing In Its Place the sponsor who has graciously donated such a wonderful prize. Here is the direct link to the craft rack that we will be giving away so you can get all of the information to it Wall Mount Storage rack with baskets. The only hitch is that it can only be shipped to the Continental US (Hawaii, Alaska will incurr shipping charges).

I myself have this same exact rack and I absolutely love it!!!! It was a lot larger than I expected. The top rack holds all my stamps that I store in CD cases wonderfully and keeps them within arms reach. On the bars I have rolls of ribbon and craft paper which beats being stacked up on my desk or leaning against the wall. The best part of it is that it is STYLISH and trust me I need all the help I can get in that department. I suggest you stop on by AV Thing In Its Place and browse around. They have such amazing storage solutions and furniture to make any crafter whine with delight. Who wouldn't love to have that craft desk and storage unit in their craft room????? Now the coupon code/badge can be found in the upper right hand corner of my blog as well as the Peachy Keen blog. The code is good on anything in the craft storage category. At checkout you need to enter 2angels-10 as the coupon code. The prices on the website reflect shipping and trust me you will be happy that they do because the rack I got was almost 30 lbs! I will be posting pictures shortly of my rack that I received (having technical difficulties at the moment with my camera...translation my twins got a hold of it..need I say more!).

There is two chances to win on this sketch challenge so don't forget to stop on by and play along with us this week to get your chance to win!!!

Counter Organizer for the new PKS challenge

2011-05-13T14:22:00.003-04:00

Hello Everyone! As you all know there has been major issues with Blogger being down so this post is a bit late.

Peachy Keen Stamps has two design teams. The team that does the Friday challenges uses only PKS face stamps on their projects. Well I decided to play along with their challenge this week since it sounded like sooooo much fun. I had so many stinkin' ideas I just didn't have the time to do them all in.

My hubby is forever getting at me for my organizational skills or shall I say lack of them. So when I saw that the challenge this week was to make something to help you or your family get organized I jumped right on in.

Here I made a desk top organizer to help me in that department and to also help prevent the build-up of bills, papers and my coupons. I started out with a box of tissues and covered it in paper from October afternoon. I went with the design on the paper and kept it that theme. I used the pear and apple from the Preserves cartridge and the radish was from Freshly Picked. I took the DP scraps and used my nesties to cut out some matting. For the faces on the fruit I used PK-450 Wide Eyed Kids Face Assortment.

I also just got the new Market Street Woodgrain background stamp. That stamp gave it exactly the look I wanted. I glued some things down wrong but since I used hot glue there is nothing I can do about it so I have to live with it.

I hope you enjoy my organizer and I hope you take the time to play along with us this week.

Bring on the Bling at the Sisterhood

2011-05-11T08:15:00.000-04:00

Hello Again!! We have another great challenge at The Sisterhood of Crafters for the next two weeks. "LET IT SHINE", Bring on the bling!! The challenge is to use something sparkly, glitter, bling etc.

I did a layout of my oldest twin (by 1 minute) using a picture that my neighbors daughter took. I kept it fairly simple because I wanted the picture to be the focal point. The two pieces of DP in the lower left hand corner will be for journaling.

Hope you stop on by and see what other fabulous projects our DT and Guest Designers came up with!!

2 More Frosted Designs Projects

2011-05-10T14:00:00.003-04:00

I was so excited that Frosted Designs extended the deadline on a couple of their projects/challenges. I wanted to do everyone of them but some of the challenges were over by the time I saw them. I tried to do as many challenges as I could during what I thought was going to be naptime.

First I did a layout for the Quick Scrap by Jessica. I tried to use what I had in arm's lengths and leftovers from other projects. I actually even gave myself a time limit and I did this in less that 45 minutes.

Then I did a card for the Border Punch challenge by Kristin. I used 100% scraps on this one and kept it simple. I was going to stamp a sentiment but I wanted to leave it open for a generic card. I was going to continue on with the challenges but unfortunately the nap that I thought the girls were going to take never happened so I had to stop.

Market Street & Frosted Designs Card challenge

2011-05-08T15:58:00.005-04:00

This card makes me laugh because it started out as a Post-It note holder in a cute decorative box. When that failed I moved onto a 3X3 note card box and when I didn't like that I ended up with a card!!! Talk about looking nothing like what you started with! I designed this card to fit into two challenges.

First over at Market Street Stamps they are having another great Color Cue Challenge this week. We were challenged to use Orange, Yellow and Blue. And over at Frosted Designs they are having a fun filled week of challenged every hour or so. I keep on missing the Hour long scrapbook LO challenges (since I just found out about it) so I am going to try to get the most in as possible. It is fun to challenge yourself. So I decided to start with their circle challenge. I took the colors from the Market Street Stamps Color Cue #2 challenge as the basis of my card and the theme of Circles fromFrosted Designs. All Card stock and ribbon is from PaperTrey Ink.

First I stamped the background (yellow cardstock) with the spankin' new stamp just released from Market Street Stamps called Sweet Lace. Then I cut out several scalloped circles with my Nesties as well as different sized paper punches and stamped them with another new release by Market Street called Punched Tin. The inks I used were by Stampin Up and to distress the edges I used Tim Holtz Vintage Photo. The stamped images are comprised of a gazillion circles but to add more I hand drew some with a white gel pen, added a circle brad and some colored bling stones.

Well I hope all you ladies are enjoying your day. I did get roses but my day is like every other day since Hubby is working. I am off to do what I would like to be doing anyway....scrapping!! I am gonna try to see how many challenges I can get done today!

"Popping Up" with another Peachy Keen Sketch

2011-05-03T11:00:00.001-04:00

Hello Everyone!!!! Today I would love to share with you another great challenge from

Peachy Keen Stamps. For this challenge we had to follow a sketch but there is a twist to it. The twist is that you have to cut out and pop up your stamped image. How stinkin' cute is this adorable little boy?? I just want to pinch his chubby little cheecks. PK-790 Boogie Board Max. What made me laugh is when I went to the PKS website to get the link info I realized that I colored him almost exactly the same colors as he was on the package without even realizing it!! I picked my papers first and then colored him to match the paper. As you know I hate wasting anything. I had this little strip of paper that I had cut from the DP and simply flipped it over and stamped the Happy Birthday sentiment from the SY-901 Hillbilly Holler Set 2. To ink it up I used Tim Holtz Vintage photo on the edges of well...practically everything. Max is cut out and popped up with some foam tape. I hope you "Pop in" and play along with us this week!!

Happy Mother's day

2011-04-28T00:17:00.002-04:00

MOM, MOMMY, MOMMA those are the most amazing words to be uttered out of your child's mouth. One of those words that will bring tears to my eyes till this day. And some days make you cry your eyes out while you are tearing your hair out after hearing it repeatly for hours and hours. Being a mother of 2 children in heaven and 2 on earth is the most important and rewarding job I have ever done or ever will. When I walk into my twins room in the morning they have this huge smile on their faces like they haven't seen me in years when it has only been hours. Moments like those are what makes all the hard times of being a parent all the worth while.

So with that in mind, this week over at The Sisterhood of Crafters we are celebrating Mother's Day. We are asking you to make any project, gift, card, layout etc etc. to celebrate this holiday. I just got in a brand new paper line that I just adored so I had to use it. I made a simple card that would be easy to mail to my friend. I stamped something that I didn't like so I had to cover it up (hence the strips of paper) and I added another one to even it out. I was planning on doing a beautiful layout but I am so busy this week with volunteering I just didn't get it done. Which is also why this post is going up late!! It is almost 1a.m here and I am not even in my PJ's yet!

Well I am off to try to get in bed before 3am since I have to be up early and back at it again to go to volunteer.

My laid back Hillbilly is LATE!!!!

2011-04-20T13:41:00.004-04:00

What a big OOPPPSSS! Guess I was in the Hillbilly mood and I was laid back and easy going because I never posted my post! Sigh :( Sorry folks! It has been one crazy week here to say the least but that is my life.

I don't know if you all have seen the new Hillbilly Holler Stamps over at Peachy Keen Stamps. They are stinkin' adorable! For this set I used SY-900 Hillbilly Holler Set One. I had so much fun with these. I can't wait to play with the other sets. One of the things I love about them is their size. It is very easy to color the images especially for a Novice like me. The best part of it all is they are supposed to look rustic so when I screw it up it looks like it belongs there! LOL! I colored him in with my Prismacolor pencils, Stickles, and lots of Tim Holtz Vintage Photo ink. The challenge this week at Peachy Keen Stamps was a fun one!! It is our 50th Challenge so you need to use the color Gold somewhere in your project. I am not a big fan of gold so I find it hard to use sometimes but I guess it is just my Phobia of it. For my gold I used Gold Stickles, Gold Small Library clips from Stampin' Up! and gold embossed paper from DCWV. To mat my Hillbilly Holler I cut out some cardstock with my Nesties. Then I covered up the image that I stamped on the diecut with a scrap piece of paper. Since my little guy is banging away on his homemade Banjo I wanted to add some music so he could really look jamming. I took my Vintage Music background stamp from Market Street Stamps. I also added a touch of gold threaded yarn across the border. I sure hope you stop on by and play along this week. Trust me it will be worth it, wait to you see the prize!!!!!

New Challenge over at the Sisterhood & a quick card

2011-04-13T13:30:00.003-04:00

Hello Everyone! I say that with as much cheer as I can muster up after an especially grueling session of Boot Camp. Ugghh makes you think twice about eating junk food. There is a great new challenge over at The Sisterhood of Crafters and you get a chance to win some great prizes. The challenge this week is to make an Easter related project which is easy peazy because of the timing. One lucky winner will be elgible to win a great prize from AmberInk. After the week I had I didn't get my card done in time unfortunately but there is some great eye candy from our new Guest Designer Team as well as our Sisters so make sure to stop on by.

I also wanted to share with you this super quick and easy card I made from scraps and things in my arms reach the other day. I was making a card for the Market Street Stamps Color Cue challenge and had some leftover scraps so I decided to make a quick card with them. I also found a die cut that I had stamped for a previous card and it fit the colors perfectly so I used that to mat my butterflies. I stamped the cardstock with Vintage Wallpaper first as well as the butterflies. For the die cut I used Perfectly Pretty Grid to jazz it up a bit. I didn't put a sentiment on it because I wanted to add some cards to my stash that can be used for anything and this card fit the bill. It's simple but the stamps make it looks so pretty! Thought I would share it with you all. I am off to try to make the best of this miserable, dreary and rainy day!

My entry for the first color cue challenge

2011-04-11T15:59:00.004-04:00

Maybe I am getting distracted by the 80 degree breeze coming thru my window or the screaming babies in the background but my card didn't come out the way I wanted. I always have a vision and somehow end up with something completely different. I thought the girls would sleep so I decided to work on a quick card for the very first Color Cue Challenge over at Market Street Stamps. I sure hope they allow more than one entry because this isn't what I had in mind..LOL For this card I used the Too Many Martinis background stamp and the Robo Love adorable robot. I didn't do such a good job coloring it and I didn't let the Liquid Glass dry that I put over it either before taking the picture...my bad :(

I also wanted to share with you these adorable quick and easy photo holders I made with Vintage Wallpaper and the Zebra Print background stamps. I spray painted the wooden cubes black and added a touch of cardstock for a bit of color. I know they are super simple but I just love them!

Getting Sassy With Market Street Stamps

2011-04-05T23:55:00.003-04:00

Okay I am soooooooooo in love with the new Market Street Stamps Zebra background stamp. I also got the new music note background stamp which is totally a MUST have. I ordered once 2 packages of DP just because I wanted the music printed paper that was in the assortment. Now I can make as much as I want. One of the things I love the most about Market Street Stamps is the size. They are so wonderfully huge you don't have to worry about trying to make the pattern match like some of the other stamps.

I recently purchased a Zebra print organizer for my desk. I am, well lets just say not gifted in the organization department. My husband recently told me that he need to build Monkey Bars just so I can get to my craft desk. So I decided to make some fun stuff to help me get organized. I wanted to keep it simple because it was going to be in a high traffic area (nice word for in the mist of a cluttered, chaotic mess of a desk). I made two of these caddys and used my Scor-tape to hold them together. I then took some Linen cardstock from PaperTrey Ink and embossed the Zebra print background stamp with black embossing powder. After I did that, I used two layers of Ultra Thick Embossing powder and that really changed it up a bit. Lined that with colored card stock.

Now I will say that I decided to use a hot glue gun to adhere the zebra print to the cardstock and the heat of the glue kinda made the embossing powder on the other side melt even though I did it the day before. So if I were you be very light with the glue gun or even better don't use it at all if you use UTEE or embossing powder. For the flower I used some scrap cardstock and stamped the Zebra print in Stampin! UP' Dusty Durango and inked up the edges.

This caddy holds all my Market Street Stamps perfectly. And it is all made out of paper! Beat the $30 I spent on the organizer I bought! On the other side I put some liquids, tools and tapes etc. I gotta say I love it. It looks so much better in person..sorry I just couldn't capture the pictures right. I am gonna make some more of these and fill them with cards, gifts etc...cause I am going WILD with my Zebra stamp...I just love it to bits!! You will not be disappointed I will tell you that!!

A Very Peachy Sketch

2011-04-05T13:35:00.005-04:00

I don't know about where you all live but yesterday it was almost 80 degrees and beautiful (here in PA). Well today it is flippin' cold out, only about 40 degrees and its rainy and very dreary. Perfect day for crafting!!I just wish that Mother Nature would make up her mind!!

This week over at Peachy Keen Stamps there is such a great sketch. This has to be one of my favorite sketches because it has so many possibilities. I was gonna try to do one with watermelon and one for the 4th of July but I ran out of time.

Here is the sketch: And here are my two takes on it:

For the Thinking of You card I used the flowers from PK-286 Easter Patch and the Sentiment is from PK-284 Spring Bouquet . I used Copics, Stampin Up! Markers and Stickles to color in the flowers. For my adorable little Space Boy I used PK-643 Boy Mates 1-1/8" . He is rather large. I think I cut up out from the Everyday Paperdoll cartridge at 5". For the moon sand I just used my CTMH wavy cutter and stamped it with the new PK-150 Accessories ONE Assortment for the circles using one of the stamps that were supposed to be a pair of eye glasses. The sentiment is from Market Street Stamps BLAST OFF set. I had a package of clips on my desk that had pretty cardboard backing in it so I literally just stamped it on that..talk about being resourceful (I hate throwing things out!!) .

I hope to see your take on the awesome sketch. Remember you have two weeks to play along with this great challenge and to get a chance to win some awesome prizes!

Hopping along with Peachy Keen

2011-04-01T20:00:00.008-04:00

Hello and welcome to another fabulous Peachy Keen Blog Hop. This release just knocked my socks off. I am sad that I didn't get to complete the rest of my projects for the blog hop, but I hope to for the future challenges.

I got to work with the adorable PK-278 Easter Basket Paint Fight. The grass is from PK-286 Easter Patch. My first idea was to make an Easter Egg coloring kit. I saved this old paint can container that held cookie cutters at one point and thought that it would be a great way to contain everything. I did not put the lid on the container because I realized that it had the name of the person I am giving it to and I don't want to ruin the surprise if they see it here. I thought it would be fun to fill the bucket up with a bunch of supplies to color Easter Eggs. For the matting I cut out the Glitter Cardstock (which will be available at PKS website) and white cardstock with my Nesties. To make my bunny soft & fluffy I used the Quickie Glue Pen from Peachy Keen Stamps and white Flocking. That glue pen is the bomb! It allows you to have such precision and gets into the smallest of spots. I literally just colored the spots in that I wanted with the glue pen and added the Flocking on top of it. A also used Stickles, Copics, White Gelly Roll Pen Medium Point and Prismacolor pencils. For some extra depth I covered the basket in Liquid glass by CTMH.

Next I decided to make a card to go with it. I used a piece of the glitter cardstock scrap to punch a decorative border, added some twine from The Twinery and an Epoxy flower. I cut out the mat with my Nesties and randomly stamped the paint splatters all over. I covered it in several layers of Ultra thick embossing powder and stuck it in the freezer for a couple of minutes to get that crackled look. The color of the images changed a little bit when I put the UTE over it. I then used mounting dots to bump up the image a bit. Simple card but a fun card.

This concludes the hop! Hope you had fun hopping along the PKS bunny trail and checking out all of the awesome creations. In case you just got here below is the full blog hop order...trust me you don't want to miss out on all of these awesome releases!

Blog Hop Order:

Peachy Keen Blog - http://www.peachykeenstamps.blogspot.com/

Viv - http://craftinghaven.blogspot.com/

Kim - http://www.paperpunchaddiction.com/

Lorie - http://www.thethinkinspot.blogspot.com/

Heidi - http://gotscraps.blogspot.com/

Janice - http://stampingwithjanice.blogspot.com/

Joanna - http://scrap-making.blogspot.com/

Nikki - http://scrappinnavywife.blogspot.com/

Emma - http://www.creativetimeforme.com/

Ruthie - http://septemberninth.blogspot.com/

Samantha - http://samanthacasey.blogspot.com/

Lisa - http://our2angelsinheaven.blogspot.com/ - ** YOU ARE HERE **

Sneak Peak of the cutest stamps ever!!!!!

2011-03-30T17:00:00.004-04:00

Okay I know I have probably said this a gazillion times about Peachy Keen Stamps but wait until you see the new releases of stamps for this month. OMG they are stinkin' adorable!!!!!! When I say CUTE I mean CUTE CUTE CUTE CUTE!! Unfortunately I have not been able to play with them and finish certain projects to show you all due to unforeseeen circumstances but atleast my fellow DT members at Peachy Keen Stamp were able to. And quite frankly I can not compete with their talent anyway!!!! I am so proud of the talent on my team I do not feel I am worthy sometimes!!

But here is my sneak peak. I will give you a hint...it's fuzzy, cuddly and CUTE CUTE CUTE! Leave a comment on THIS post to receive a chance at winning this set. Tune in April 1st for the complete Blog Hop order and new release. But remember leave a comment on THIS sneak Peak post for your chance to win the stamp set that I am showcasing here. Then Hop along the bunny trail to all the other DT members this week to also enter to win their stamp sets. Don't forget to come back on April 1st to see the completed projects as well as all the new releases.

Thinking "manly" over at the Sisterhood

2011-03-23T08:05:00.003-04:00

Hello Everyone!

This morning is a miserable rainy and dreary morning here in PA. I am trying to force myself to get up and go to Boot Camp but when I look outside I want to just go back to bed! YUCK!

On to some better news :) !! I have a great new challenge for you to participate in the next two weeks. What's even better is there is an awesome prize if you win. For this challenge at The Sisterhood of Crafters we are thinking manly. We all need those manly cards but for some reason I don't tend to lean towards manly. They are usually hard for me. That was until I saw the images over at Dude Time Doodles drawn by our very own Sisterhood Designer Boni! I have the best time with her images and I just laugh my butt off when I see all her new releases. This is one store that when I go thru the Digi's I want them all because I say.."OOHH I can use that for that, and that for that one.." etc. etc. They are unique, hysterical and just down right a must have! If you don't trust me, skip on over and take a look.

I have some great friends who appreciate a good laugh so for this challenge I decided to use
Dr. Strangelove. He just makes me wanna pee my pants laughing. I kept the sentiment clean on the outside but I left the inside blank for the possibilities of handwritten sentiments. I had to cut him out because I messed up on the first card I was making with him so he looks a little rough around the edges. To finish this card I used some paper from SEI and a scrap tag that I had laying around. After I took the picture I realized that I glued my button upside down!! No wonder the twine wasn't hanging right!! Of course I just wanted to scream but I just laughed instead.

Please stop on by The Sisterhood of Crafters and join in on our manly/boy themed challenge. You are allowed up to three entries into this challenge. One lucky winner will receive a $10 Gift certificate to Dude Time Doodles!! What an awesome prize!! The hard part will be choosing which ones to purchase.. Good luck and have some fun with this challenge.

My two little piggies

2011-03-22T13:04:00.003-04:00

Hello Everyone! I hope you are all enjoying the increasingly beautiful weather everyday. What a treat from the cold and dreary days!!

It is time again for a new sketch challenge over at Peachy Keen Stamps. I decided to do a layout to follow the sketch. I thought that PK-202 Tubby Time would be perfect for a bath picture of my twins. First because there are two pigs in the tub on the stamp and second I call them my little piggies all the time. After getting halfway done with the whole thing I realized I didn't have a picture that would be appropriate to put on a blog of the two of them together so I had to switch gears. My daughter Mia gained the nick name Piglet when she was born because every time she cried she would snort. It was to cute and toooo adorable. I wanted to stay with the pig theme for the layout so I used PK-201 Pig Peeker and face package instead. I just love all the "Peekers" from PKS!!

I stamped the pigs on two different types of patterned paper. I used Copics and my Prismacolor pencils to color/accent my little piggies as well as Liquid Glass from CTMH. For the sentiments I used some chipboard letters which I inked up with Stampin Up! Early Espresso ink. Next I covered them with Versamarker and Ultra Thick Embossing Powder to make it pop a little.

I wanted to jazz up the ribbon on the bottom a little bit so I just folded it over at random intervals and hot glued it down. I inked up the edges of the DP with Tim Holtz Frayed Burlap Distressing Ink.

Now on for some exciting news!!!!!!!!!! Keep your eyes peeled for a new PKS Spring Blog Hop to celebrate a HUGE new stamp release. You won't want to miss this one...trust me!!!! Once again Kathy over at Peachy Keen Stamps out did herself.

Do You need some help Organizing??? Plus some exciting news!

2011-03-09T22:54:00.004-05:00

Hello My Name is Lisa and I am a hoarder.. Yes a hoarder of anything paper, stickers, card stock, ribbon and OH MY BUTTONS!! I love me some buttons. The problem is you go in my craft room and you can not move. I have to climb, fight and crawl by way to even find a spot to craft. Give me 5 ingredients and I will whip you up an amazing meal, ask me to be organized and I will just crumble and cry like a little school girl. My hoarding issue wouldn't be so bad if I was organized. So I am on a new mission to get organized. I found a wonderful website that will help me not only get organized but to get organized in style!!

AV Thing In Its Place is an online website that has some gorgeous storage units at reasonable prices. I love the fact that shipping is included. I had to grab a paper bag because I was hyperventilating at all the choices. I decided to start off with something that I can use to hang in front of my main craft desk to keep all the things that I need at in hands reach. This is the piece that I decided on:

I am counting down the days until it gets here. For the first time I can't wait to start organizing. What is even better??? All the crafting storage is 15% off until March 20th. You can click the button on the sidebar to get to the site and check out all the choices. When you check out all you have to do is put the coupon code

2angels-15 to get the 15% off.

The sale ends shortly so don't miss out!!

Rumor has it that I maybe giving away the same unit that I ordered. How flippin' fabulous is that??? Once I get the unit in I will review it and post my pics to let you know what I think of it. Don't forget to check back for the reviews and the pictures as well as the details on how you can get your chance to win one of these.

Sketch time with a twist at Peachy Keen Stamps

2011-03-08T08:07:00.001-05:00

Hello Everyone! Hopefully by the time this posts I will be feeling better. Everyone around me has been sick but I thought I was skating thru unharmed..until today that is. So excuse the short post but I am crying to get back into my comfy bed.

For this challenge we have a great sketch to follow over at Peachy Keen Stamps. But there is a twist to bring on the BLING!! Yes Bling it up!! For this challenge I used some Blingified paper which I know it is hard to make out in the photo. I also used some rhinestones, liquid glass, Stickles, and Martha Stewart glitter. I smooshed the glue while tying down the ribbon because I didn't wait long enough for it to dry..OOPPPSSS!!

The adorable little Ducky is from PK-266 Duck Dolls. I can not get enough of this adorable Ducky!! He is to darn cute. I used a die for the mating and wanted to have a flat image so it would be easy to mail. I stamped the Duckie directly onto the mat but it looked so plain. I grabbed my spanking new Grid stamp from Market Street Stamps. I stamped the duck on scrap paper and roughly cut him out. I them covered the good image with the scrap piece and stamped the grid over it and WAALLLAAAA an instant background!! I wanted my duckie to "jump" out a bit so I covered him in liquid glass after I colored him in with my Copics and Stickles.

Okay you all...I sure hope you play along with us this week. Now I am off to La La Land!!

OOHH I can't take it anymore!! Here's some more Grid

2011-02-24T07:04:00.004-05:00

Okay I am so bad. The joke in the family is me at Christmas time. I can't wait to exchange gifts and I am usually trying to talk people into opening their gifts early. My husband and I barely ever make it to Christmas for the gift exchange. I just can't contain the excitement.

I was planning on releasing a couple more each day of projects that I made using my
Perfectly Pretty Grid. Well I have no will power so I am gonna post all the projects that are done today!! I am so bad!! But it was so much fun trying to see what I came up with. Besides on Friday Market Street Stamps is set to release a whole bunch of new stamps!!!! Yipee I have my eye on a couple already that I simply must obtain! Check out the vintage wallpaper background stamp...tell me that stamp does not have endless possibilities!!!

Okay now remember my challenge to myself was to use only Market Street Stamps and scraps. I can't tell you how fun this was. I had to literally force myself to stop because I have 2 other background stamps that I purchased that I want to showcase. Not to mention Friday's release!

On this card there is no Dp used. I used the Perfectly Pretty Grid and distressed the corners. I wanted some sort of decoration in the corners and that was a tough one because I have a few Market Street Stamps but none that would fit the bill. And since my challenge to myself was to only use Market Street Stamps I had to get creative. I took what was meant to be the water shooting up from the whales spout out of the Ocean Fun Stamp set and stamped it in the corners. I had a whole bunch of K&Company die cuts so I decided to use those on this card. Then I added some mounting dots for dimension and lace trim.

Next we have a super fun and easy card that I just love. The pictures really do not show it justice! I took some Hawaiian Shores cardstock from PaperTrey Ink and stamped the Perfectly Grid stamp in white over it and distressed the corners. I had some leftover mats on my desk that I had cut out with some PTI dies as well as some hearts that were extra from a Valentine's project I was doing. It looked nice bright and sunny so I grabbed my Ain't no Sunshine set from Market Street stamps. I stamped it in different colors and popped it up on mounting dots for dimension. This was super easy and alot of fun to make. That's how you know you have a good stamp..when they do all the work and make things look good for you!!

Next I had a leftover bus from an altered composition book that I did. I wanted to make a "Great job" card for a school age child. I put the flower on the card to see what it would look like and walked away. In that time it became permanent and I wanted to scream!!! I tried to take it off but it ruined the cardstock. I wasn't going to even show the card because I didn't like how it looked but I said the heck with it. There are no mistakes when something is handmade right??? HAHA I wish!
The focus was the bus anyway and that came out super cute. I used CTMH Liquid Glass for the windows to give it that glassy look.

Next week I will be showcasing some more of my fabulous Market Street Stamps. I just can't stop....... I challenge you all to see what you can do with one stamp and your scraps..really it's fun you should try it!

Using Market Street Stamps at the Sisterhood

2011-02-23T07:30:00.005-05:00

I don't know about any of you but I constantly make up challenges for myself while crafting. For some reason I get a kick out of it and it forces me to see what I can do.
Well the other day I received my order of Market Street Stamps that I placed. I was blown out of the water first by how quickly it got to me but then I opened the package and simply fell in love. I ordered three of their background stamps and could NOT believe how fabulous they were. They were HUGE!!!!! One of the bad things for me using background stamps is matching up the design if I need to do a large area. Well with the stamps from Market Street Stamps I don't have to worry about that. The background stamp coveres an A2 (4 1/4 x 5 1/2) sized card perfectly with room to spare!! I couldn't wait to start playing with them but then I realized that I didn't have a block big enough to fit the stamp. BUT NO FEAR HERE!! On Market Street Stamps blog there is a tutorial how to use the stamps without blocks. You can click HERE to see that tutorial. I used my Scor-Mat and it worked PERFECTLY!!

In today's world we are all so quick to complain when something is wrong or to our disliking. Very few people actually will call a company or a store manager when they are delighted with the product or service. So I decided I am going to do just that. This is where challenging myself comes in. I wanted to share how awesome these stamps are with everybody. I challenged myself to only use Market Street Stamps and scraps...nothing new..

There is a great challenge this week over at The Sisterhood of Crafters. This is a great way to use up some of your stash. The challenge is to use Ribbon & Brads on your project. Starting with this challenge I decided to do a little "Shout out" about Market Street Stamps and on how happy I am with their stamps. Also to show how one stamp can be so versatile and used for sooooo many projects/ideas. I just saw their sneak peak of a new release called "Vintage Wallpaper" so I know I will have to add that one to my cart...SHHHHH!

Ok so on to my challenge to myself & The Sisterhood of Crafters. The first stamp I decided to showcase this week was Perfectly Pretty Grid background stamp. This card was a simple card that I came up with using what I could reach on my desk. I used my favorite cardstock from PaperTrey Ink in Dark Chocolate. Next I stamped the Grid with Versamarker ink and Ultra thick embossing powder. Found some scrap pieces of paper also within my reach (sigh..I am not a neat crafter) and some rub-ons. I also had a container of flowers I was gonna use on another project but never did. They were kinda bland so I stamped the flower in red with the Grid background stamp to jazz it up a bit. Added the brad and ribbon for the challenge over at the Sisterhood and I was done. Easy Peasy! I love stamps that do that!!

I am did another project using scrap paper within my reach. I stamped the grid onto some yucky DP that I had on my desk and punched it out with my scallop punch to make a beautiful flower! I didn't like the paper before but now I just lllooovvveee it!
Plus I used up more of my scraps!! YIPPEE!!

Tune in tomorrow to see some more fun projects I used with my Perfectly Pretty Grid stamp. After that I have 2 more background stamps to showcase...Is it wrong to be having so much fun??????

Sketch time at Peachy Keen Stamps!!

2011-02-22T15:22:00.003-05:00

I get inspired daily by things around me, especially my girls clothing. My daughter has these adorable pajamas that I just love the color combination of. Every time I see her wearing it I just fall in love with the colors and say to myself "I need to do something with those colors" but I never have. These are colors I normally wouldn't do. I had enough of the procrastination so I just did it. There is alot of dimension to this card which you can not really see unfortunately but I am hoping that you get the idea.

The challenge at Peachy Keen Stamps was to follow a sketch. I wanted to challenge myself not to use any designer papers and to use only scraps. So for the background I used several different sizes of circle stamps from the PK-276 Flower Center set. I stamped it in Versamarker ink then white embossing powder. All of my mats were cut out using my Cricut. For the center images I used one of my favorite sets PK-08 Hot Cocoa. To make the designs on the mugs I used the "XO" symbol from PK-277 Vivienne and Friends, and the heart as well as the adorable face is from
PK-280 Valentine Sweets. I used my Prismacolored pencils and my Copics to color them in. I added some CTMH Liquid Glass to the inside of the cups and the outside of two of them. I made this card to go with a little packet of loose tea that my friend loves as a thank you. I wanted to have the tea wrapped up to show you but I ran out of time.

I hope that you come on down and play with us in this challenge. I can't wait to see your take on the sketch!

Quickest card ever!

2011-02-12T14:44:00.004-05:00

Okay I literally did this card in about 20 minutes if that. I used all scraps. I made this card for the PapterTrey Ink anniversary "Mega" challenge.

I only had a few minutes which I thought I was just gonna have a game plan on what I was gonna do. I shocked myself when I actually completed the card. I know it isn't anything fancy but in person it is so much cuter. One of my favorite things about PaperTrey Ink is the matching dies to their stamp sets. They are defintely a must! It takes no planning if you have it all. Simply just roll, stamp and glue..WALLAAA a card!

The stamps, dies and card stock are from PaperTrey Ink. The DP is from October Afternoon.

Just For You Tag - PaperTrey Ink

2011-02-11T21:31:00.003-05:00

Here is a quick tag that I made up to tie to some goodies, add to a card or to a bottle of wine. You can even add this to a card front. This tag is very versatile for any occassion. The buttons are from PaperTrey Ink as well as the stamp set. For the tag, I used the 2008 Holiday Tags Collection. I also added a bunch of pop dots for dimension.

I'm Late, I'm Late....

2011-02-09T19:09:00.006-05:00

Oh my craziness!! Sorry that this is getting posted now but we were having issues yesterday with the server so I was waiting to release my post. Today I had to run around crazy on errands and the post that I thought was done wasn't even written!!! YIKES! So today you will get two posts in one.

First this week over at Peachy Keen Stamps Challenge blog there is a great sketch. I was so excited when I saw this sketch because it fit perfect for an idea that I have been wanting to do. My original theme was going to be a "rainbow" theme for the pictures I have of the double rainbows that seem to appear on my angels in heavens birthdays. But once I started doing the sketch I (totally have attention disorder) I completely changed the whole thing and came up with this. I used PKS-450 Wide-Eyed Kids Face Assortment in the largest size that comes on the set. For the crawling babies I used the New Arrival cartridge and Plantin Schoolbook for the font. Papers are October Afternoon. As many of you know I am in LLLLLLLLLLOOOVVEE with buttons. So much that I hate to actually use them because I don't want to part with them. But since this layout is for my little miracles I splurged. When my friend saw the layout her first words out of her mouth were "WOW Lisa, you splurged...you actually used your buttons!" All of my buttons are from PaperTrey Ink.

Next over at The Sisterhood of Crafters we would love to see your Valentine's Day creations. The shame with this picture is that you can't see the dimension of all the layers on this card. I made this with scraps that I had on my table but you know what, I kinda like the way it came out. Simple but cute!

You have two weeks to play along with each challenge so I hope you come and play along with us and share in the fun!!

New Challenge & Guest Design Team Call !!!!

2011-01-26T11:05:00.003-05:00

Hello from my snowed in craft room! Actually the snow isn't that bad yet but it is our first significant snow fall this year and since I live in Pennsylvania I consider that pretty darn good. School is canceled but I can still see some grass in places. So I have declared it a Pajama wearing day. I am making some homemade soup and some homemade bread to set the mood of just chilling'!

This week over at The Sisterhood of Crafters we have an easy peasy challenge for you all. The theme is "ANYTHING GOES" so it is pretty much everything and anything your crafty little brain can dream up. AND the exciting part is that we are having an open Guest Designer call. We are looking for a few Crafty women who want to have some fun. It would be for a one month term which is 2 projects. All you have to do is put GDT next to your name on your challenge entry. I will be picking a few out and contacting the winners directly. I will let you know the two challenges you will be responsible for once you get picked so you will have plenty of time to create. Right now it is purely for fun and to get your creations out into blog world. We had a great response to our last challenge and hope that is the case on this one to. If you would love to be a Guest Designer and join us for some fun please submit your requests to us over at The Sisterhood of Crafters. Our challenges run for two weeks so you have some time!

I needed a card for a friend that is going through some tough times with her Mom being sick so I wanted to keep it simple. This is what I came up with.

I stamped the flowers in Versamarker then embossed with with clear embossing powder for a clean and simple look. Very dainty and delicate I think.

Blog Hop Winner & New PKS Challenge

2011-01-25T16:27:00.004-05:00

Hello Everyone! Sorry I am late in posting the winner but I have been busy going from Dr. to Dr. Today was my last one so I hope that is it for awhile!.

First the winner of the adorable PKS stamp set from the Valentine's Blog Hop is.....

Trisha said...
Fabulous. I love the mice. I love all the coloring also. Feels like when I was a kid (many millions of years ago.) Thanks for sharing and the chance to win. I am a follower. patnbobcuddy at gmail dot com

Trisha please contact me within 3 days to collect your prize. Congratulations!!

This week we have a challenge with a twist over at Peachy Keen Stamps Challenge blog. The challenge was to follow a sketch but the twist was to do a monochromatic card. I started doing an adorable card and halfway through forgot about the monochromatic thing so I had to start over. No biggie but I did decide that I am not very good at monochromatic cards..chuckle!

Here is my card:

Because I had to start over I didn't have that much time to perfect my card. I am not crazy how I colored it but hey it's handmade right??? For this card I did lots of sewing, used Stampin Up! double sided Love paper and used my PKS-280 Valentine Sweets set. I colored it in with Copics and Spica Glitter pens. I know it is hard to see that because the pictures were taken late at night and the picture stinks but trust me..the glitter is there! I then sprayed it with Glimmer Mist which almost gave it a fuzzy look. I popped up another heart to cover up something I wasn't happy with. To cut it out I used my Nesties for the mat.

I hope you hop on over and play along with our challenge this week. I would love to see some more examples of monochromatic so I can learn a lesson or two!

Doing the Valentine's Day Hippity Hop!

2011-01-20T19:46:00.003-05:00

Hello EVERYONE!!! By now you have seen all the adorable stamps that have been released. Are they not the cutest things ever?? Kathy surely does make it easy to come up with some adorable cards by just using her stamps!! Now if only I could have a ounce of her talent so I can color them in like a pro! I know I'm not perfect but I have a blast coloring them in. Reminds me when I was little coloring with crayons.

The stamp set I was given to work with was PK-281 Valentine Cupids. This is also the set I will be giving away (see information at the end of this post).

I used the smaller of the adorable mouse cupids so I could use it as a cupcake topper. I made some homemade chocolate cupcakes with double chocolate, sour cream, pudding..etc etc and made a yummy Chocolate ganache out of chopped chocolate and heavy cream. I then drizzled it with melted white chocolate to finish it off. I was going to make a card to go with this but with all of my doctor appointments this week I didn't have the time.

Other supplies I used for this cupcake topper were:

PaperTrey Ink Die

Copics

Stickles

White Gel Pen

Stampin Up Pastels

Stampin Up Ink

Now hop on over to Angelica's blog to finish the hop.

In case you got lost along with way or just arrived here below is the complete blog hop order. Don't forget to leave a comment on each post because every DT member is giving a

way the stamp set they designed with.

*** In order to win this stamp set all you have to do is leave a comment on this post. I will announce the winner and you will have 3 days to get in touch with me. If I don't hear from you, I will pick another winner. **

Lisa - You are here
Angelica

Wanna take a sneaky peaky of some fabulous fun??

2011-01-19T20:00:00.000-05:00

OHHHHHH MYYYYY GOOODNEESSSSS! Wait to you see what is in store for you. Peachy Keen has released some over the top adorable stamp sets. We are celebrating with a blog hop on Friday 1/20. The sneak peaks started yesterday on the PKS Challenge blog. Today is another wave of sneak peaks to dazzle your retinas!! Both Design teams have come together in another celebration of these wonderful stamps. Here is my sneak peak of the stamp set I will be using. Make sure to tune in tomorrow at 7pm CST for the blog hop lift off!! As usual each design team was given a stamp set to use and an extra one to give away on their blog. So there will be oodles of chances to win one of the many new stamp sets. I already have my favorite!

My Forever Snow Angel

2011-01-13T15:33:00.006-05:00

I am on a scrapbook layout binge. Once I start, it is hard to stop. Good thing I don't do drugs or gamble because I go overboard. I think I do a lot of layouts of my children when I start to miss them so much it hurts. It is my way of visiting them and remembering the good times we had. It is nearing the anniversary of their deaths so I guess there will be lots of layouts coming your way! I love doing them but then I feel bad that I haven't really done any for the twins. Once February passes maybe I will be able to squeeze some in. I just gotta get them printed out!!!

Once I saw the sketch over at Simon Says Stamps and the theme of snow over at Creative Belli Challenge for some reason I thought instantly of these pictures. These were some of the last pictures taken on my children. They were playing in only maybe 2 inches of snow but they thought it was the best thing in the world. I am gonna do another page with the other photos but for now I just wanted to keep this as a main picture.

The challenge over at Fantabulous Cricut is to use winter warmies..something related to clothing you would wear in the snow. I cut out my mittens from Simply Charmed I believe. I didn't like the way the layer for the bottom cut out so I hand cut it then flocked it with white flocking. I used my PKS-460 Happy Lash Assortment for the faces. I used the biggest one that comes in the set which I believe is the 1 3/8" size. I covered it in liquid glass from CTMH and added a metal token to the mittens also from CTMH.
And of course the picture of my daughter for the Cutie Patootie challenge over at
Paperplay. The papers are from October Afternoon. I added oodles of Stickles to the snowflakes on the paper to make them stand out more. One of my resolutions is to use up old stuff so I grabbed these chipboard letters that I bought years ago and added some stickles to that. Boy it felt good to use up some of my ol' stash I tell ya!I had some rhinestones leftover from the Shopping page so I stuck whatever I had on this page to complete it. Hope you like it!! Stay tuned for the page that will go with this one!

Challenges, Challenges & more challenges

2011-01-12T07:10:00.001-05:00

Oh boy, I can't even remember the last challenge I entered a project into. I had some free time and rather than clean I decided to make a project or two :) I mean who wants to clean anyway????

First this week over at The Sisterhood of Crafters we are back from a much needed break with a great challenge. We have switched it to having challenges bi-weekly on our blog so you will have 2 weeks to complete a project. The challenge this week is to make a Happy Birthday project and since you can never have to many of those cards in your stash I hope you stop on in and play along!.

I bought these stamps from Scrappy Moms Stamps awhile back and I have been dying to use the Lettuce Wish you a Happy Birthday sentiment. I am also trying to use items that I have had for awhile but never used so I took out my Freshly Picked Cricut cartridge to cut out the lettuce. I do not own (..sniff..) the cartridge they are using this week for their challenge so I had to come up with something different. For the face I used one of my favorite stamp sets PK-490 Everyday Character Faces from Peachy Keen.

I haven't done a challenge in ions and even though my craft room is in total disarray I managed to find a spot big enough to put my layout paper down. It felt good to do a challenge again and amazing enough I actually had the time to do it. Again, dust unfortunately will be there tomorrow so there is no rush..LOL

I decided to start with some of my fellow DT members challenges. Angelica & Erin are on my Peachy Keen design team and they have started up a new challenge called Music Mondays. Each week they take turns hosting the challenge and this week is Erin's turn over at Erin Lee Creative
This week the song is by Ray LaMontagne..You are the best thing. I of course automatically thought of my children since they are and always will be the most important thing in my life. Having Mommy & Me days with my daughter Annemarie will be memories I will cherish for ever and ever. Instantly I thought of doing a scrapbook layout showcasing the only pictures I have of our trips. My other fellow DT member Kim always has the best sketches for layouts so I stopped on by her blog
Sketches In Thyme to see what awesome sketch she had for me to get my creative juices flowing. I am in lllloooooooovvvveee with the paper from October Afternoon and I just got some for Christmas along with an ATG gun and other goodies so I had to use them. I brought out some chipboard pieces that I got a long time ago and decided to use those. I gotta tell you I wish I would of used them right away because I would have returned them..they are JUNK!!! Never saw anything so flimsy and junky but I am trying to use up my old stuff so I made them work. I covered them in Tim Holtz Frayed Burlap.

I entered this into the following challenges as well:

Top Tip Tuesday - Anything Goes
Cupcake Craft Challenge - Something New
Pile It On Children
Creative Cottage Something New
Crafty Catz - Food & Drink
Craft Your Days Away Anything Goes

I'm back...with a Peachy New challenge!

2011-01-11T10:38:00.004-05:00

I can't believe it has almost been a month since I have last posted. But the holidays are usually pretty hard for me to deal with. I do not take on to much of anything so I don't overwhelm myself. I actually just spent it around the house and hanging out with my family. I am trying to get my craft room in order. I did get halfway there and I just stopped. My intentions was to get it going before I started up again but that didn't happen. We are expecting our first snowfall of the winter today so maybe I will have the time to do it!!

I did manage to squeeze into a little space to make room for the new challenge this week over at Peachy Keen Stamps. Here is the sketch we had to follow:

And this is what I came up with:

One of my resolutions to myself is to use stuff that I haven't used in awhile. For this challenge I pulled out PK-275 Faceless Flowers Petal Pointed set. This is such a great set to have in your collection of stamps because you can use it for almost any occasion...Sympathy cards, Thinking of you, Happy Birthday, Congrats..etc etc. There are several different sizes on this size. I used the smallest size to fit my 5x5 inch card. I stamped the image of each flower twice then stamped the outline image of the flower in a darker color. next I cut each flower out and popped up each layer with a mounting dot. For the center I added a small button for a little pizazz. I used my Nesties to cut out the scalloped circle mats. For the sentiment I used PK-414 Bite Me Ginger.."Sorry to Hear you are not feeling well". This was a great card to add to my collection because I always need these. I am actually happy to be in the crafting saddle again. I got some goodies from Santa that I can't wait to use. I look forward to sharing them with you all!

Make sure you stop by and check out all the wonderful eye candy that my fellow DT members came up with.!!

I wish you all a very happy, healthy, prosperous but most of all SAFE 2011! And of course Lots and Lots of crafting time!!!

Wishing Kathy a Very, Very Happy Birthday

2010-12-16T03:00:00.003-05:00

Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you.....boy you are all very lucky that I am typing this and you don't have to witness me singing this in person!! Today I would like to wish my friend Kathy J. owner of Peachy Keen Stamps a HAPPY, HAPPY Birthday!!!! We are having a Surprise Birthday Blog Hop in her honor. We have managed to keep this a secret from her and even recruited some more people to help us celebrate (the complete blog hop list is below.) Make sure you stop at all of the stops along the way and trust me you won't be sorry. Many participants are giving away prizes to celebrate Kathy's birthday. On top of that random comments will be picked from all comments left on all of the blog stops along the way to win some of Kathy's favorite crafting items!! How cool is that??????????

I had the pleasure of "meeting" Kathy several years ago and I just knew right away she would be someone I would treasure as a friend! She is just such a wonderful person. Very giving, generous, thoughtful and down right a blast to talk to.. I made her something that I was going to share with you all today but because I didn't get it into the mail on time I don't want to spoil it and have her see it before she gets it. It's been rough around here to say the least so I had to come up with something else for the hop.

I used Peachy Keen Cottage Cutz Peach Die for the main image. I also used the Peachy Keen Happy Bird Die for the arms on the peach. I was trying to make the peach look like it was holding the cupcake from the PK-241 Happy Birthday Kids set. I glued it down wrong but when I tried to remove it, it had already left a mark so I left it. I absolutely adore the new
PK-461 Happy Lashes stamp set so I decided to use that as the face for the peach.

I will be also picking a random comment here to win a "Surprise" Prize!!! All you have to do is leave a comment on this post with a way for me to get in touch with you.

Below is the complete list of the blog hop in case you get lost along with way.

Now from here make sure you hop on over to

Jessica B.'s blog http://thatzuneek.blogspot.com/ to continue with

Kathy's Birthday Bash Blog Hop!

Angelica & Adrianne - http://www.handmadebyangelica.com/
Viv - http://craftinghaven.blogspot.com/
Kim - http://www.paperpunchaddiction.com/
Lorie - http://www.thethinkinspot.blogspot.com/
Heidi - http://gotscraps.blogspot.com/
Janice - http://stampingwithjanice.blogspot.com/
Joanna - http://scrap-making.blogspot.com/
Nikki - http://scrappinnavywife.blogspot.com/
Erin - http://www.erinleecreative.com/
Emma - http://www.creativetimeforme.com/
Ruthie - http://septemberninth.blogspot.com/
Samantha - http://samanthacasey.blogspot.com/
Lisa - http://our2angelsinheaven.blogspot.com/ - You are here!
Jessica B. - http://thatzuneek.blogspot.com/
Abby - http://www.scrapbookaholicbyabby.com/
Gaby - http://www.gabycreates.com/
Linda- http://www.krazyquilling.com/
Dobea - http://dobeaalberts.blogspot.com/
Theresa - http://www.thescrapbookingqueen.com/
Jessica K. - http://thecreativestamperspot.blogspot.com/
Glorajean - http://glorascrafts.blogspot.com/
Liz - http://skittles-and-scrapbooks.blogspot.com/
Jessica M.- http://www.kinderstampo.com/
Jenny - http://www.crazyaboutcricut.blogspot.com/
Kimmy - http://scrappinwithkimmy.blogspot.com/
Sandra - http://365daysofcricut.blogspot.com/
Sarah - http://www.pinkcricut.com/
Mandy - http://stamping4u.blogspot.com/
Lauren - http://laurenscraps.blogspot.com/
Raven - http://love4stamps.blogspot.com/
Janis - http://pausedreamenjoy.blogspot.com/
Momo - http://madebymomo.blogspot.com/
Paula - http://morethanfavors.blogspot.com/
Corri - http://www.buglvr.blogspot.com/

Embossing with Peachy Keen

2010-12-07T11:41:00.003-05:00

Hello Everyone! I hope everyone is having fun getting ready for the holidays.

This week over at Peachy Keen Stamps Challenge blog we have a fun challenge for you and it's an easy one! All you have to do on your project is use an embossing technique. It could be dry embossing or heat embossing. I used red embossing powder on the sentiment. I then cut out the peppermint background paper with my Cuttlebug and dry embossed that. I also stamped the images with Versamark and heat embossed with black powder. I like the lines it gives me when I emboss the images first.

I started early on this project but halfway thru I just lost my Mojo. Maybe if I am good Santa will bring it back to me. I had designed the front on design studio for days to look like a gingerbread house. Then I changed gears to make it look like a bakery but then I just scrapped everything because I ran out of time.

This is a recipe box that I got the idea from Following the Paper Trail. But I changed it up a bit and used paper bags. Sorry the pictures aren't the greatest but my batteries were dying.

I used the new adorable PK-416 Lorie & Al Gingerbread set. There are so many different stamps with this set and they are to darn adorable!! On my next one I make I am going to put pull tabs on the cards with the little bowls, mittens and utensils. Great holiday gift for the baker in your life!

Encouraging words Peachy Keen Style!

2010-11-23T15:19:00.003-05:00

There was a saying that I saw awhile back and for some reason I just loved it. After what all I have been through it really comes into play now. So when we were given the challenge of making a card over at Peachy Keen Stamps with encouragement as a theme this was the first thing that popped into my head. The saying is:

"When life gives you lemons...make lemonade".

I have heard it .."when God gives you lemons.." also but either way works for me. In that case I need to see up a lemonade stand on the corner because I will be making lemonade for a VERY VERY long time. But I figured that if I will be forced to make lemonade for the rest of my life I am going to make it the best darn lemonade I can! We can not control sometimes what life gives us. We have to take it and deal with it no matter what. Your life is what you make out of it. Not that I asked to be dealt the hand I was dealt but I was. Now it is up to me to make the best I can out of it.

I came up with this card. This was as encouraging of a statement that I could think of. Even when things look really bad, somehow, somewhere there is a light at the end of the tunnel.

I loved the color scheme on this paper. I know the sentiment is hard to see in the photo (sorry!). I was "encouraged" to actually weld something in my design studio. I took a scallop tag and welded it into a card.

I added Liquid glass to the lemondade glass but it doesn't show up very well in the photo. For my stamps I used PK-460 Happy Lashes Assortment. The size I used on the lemons was the 1 3/8" which is the biggest one that comes in the package.

I sure hope you come on by and play along with us this week. There are some AMAZING prizes to be won!

What are you Thankful for?

2010-11-17T11:20:00.004-05:00

Fall is my favorite time of the year. I just love the colors the "light" (and I stress light) chill in the air. It is also the season of "Thanks". Many of you may not celebrate Thanksgiving but you of course are Thankful for something. The challenge over at the challenge over at the The Sisterhood of Crafters this week is about being thankful. Even with the hard times I have gone thru I know I am blessed and very thankful for many things.
Why don't you stop on by The Sisterhood of Crafters this week and share your "Thankful" or Thanksgiving inspired project. Maybe even share your thoughts on what you are most thankful for.

Here is a quick card that I came up with that I will give to my neighbors attached to some baked goods. I had to keep it simple since I was making so many of them but I will dress it up when I attach it.

Hope to see you over at the Sisterhood!

My Peachy New Winner!

2010-11-15T21:31:00.002-05:00

Thank you all for hopping along with us to celebrate the November releases over at Peachy Keen Stamps. I wanted to log on to pick the winner of the PK-331 Our 2 Angels In Heaven stamp set. I also wanted to take a moment to thank each and everyone of you for your beautiful comments. I would love to email you all directly but my little girlie goo's tell me that I do not have the available time to take off in order for me to do that! LOL But I read everyone of them and they were very touching and comforting. So please accept this big ol' cyber hug from me!

Now on to the winner of the PK-331 Our 2 Angels In Heaven stamp set.

Drumroll please ...........................

And the winner is:

SueNJ said...
Lisa, your card and story touched my heart! I am now a follower and would like to share this on my blog as well. Being a preschool Sunday School teacher makes your strength resonate. May you be blessed beyond measure for your compassion and wonderful spirit.Happy Scrappin'Sue B

It's finally HERE!!! Let's hear it for Peachy Keen!

2010-11-12T19:46:00.006-05:00

Can you tell how excited I am??? I have been counting down the minutes till I could see all my fellow DT's projects with these great stamps. I have only seen the sneak peaks just like you all. And just by the little tidbits I know they are going to be great. Since you all probably have seen most of them along the hop, you know what I am talking about!! I unfortunately haven't been able to play with all of them yet and I am DYING to!!! sigh...

As you know along the hop each DT member has a stamp set that they made a project with for this release. They will also be giving that stamp set away (the one that they created the project with). If you count them you will have 14...yes 14 chances at winning one of these great sets.

Now on to my stamp set! Awhile back Kathy from Peachy Keen Stamps called me and told me that she has designed a stamp set of two angels in memory of my children who passed away in a tragic car accident Feb. 19, 2007 at the ages of 3 & 5. It has been a horrible struggle to deal with this loss but when someone does something kind like this I am just blown away. Of course I was crying like a baby (much like I am doing now ). She also knew that I sell things to help raise money for several children's charities ever since my kids passed away. So not only did she design the set in honor of my children she is donating $15 of the sale of this stamp set to the charity of my choice. I will be picking the Make-A-Wish foundation to help grant children's wishes that are extremely ill. What is great about this, is that I have already spoken to the Chapter in my area and I will be able to know the story on the child (hopefully more than one)and the wish we were able to grant. I can't imagine what goes on in a child's head when they are facing such a horrible battle but I can see the smile on their face when they get their wish fulfilled. Not only will they have forever memories, their families will to. No parent should ever have to see their child suffer.

The stamp set was lovingly named PK-331 Our 2 Angels In Heaven . This is the stamp set that I used and will be giving away as well. PLEASE forward the information on about the stamp set PK-331 Our 2 Angels In Heaven to anyone you think maybe interested since the profits from this set will be donated to charity. It would put a smile in my heart if we were able to grant a terminally ill child's wish. Thank you all in advance for you support!!!

Unfortunately when I made my card showcasing this stamp I wasn't feeling so well. That made me feel worse that I didn't do a good job, especially on such a special set but I promise to try better next time.

Here is the set. As you can see, it comes with a bunch of great sentiments so you can use this year round.

In case you get lost, here is the order of the blog hop.

Lisa - You are here

All you have to do to win this beautiful stamp set is leave a comment on this post. I will pick the winner by random on the 15th of November. You will have 3 days to contact me to claim your prize, if I don't hear from you another winner will be chosen.

SUPER SUPER SPECIAL PEACHY KEEN SNEAK PEAK

2010-11-11T11:00:00.000-05:00

OH My Word! Everytime I think I have my favorite PKS Stamp I get blown away by new ones that Kathy has drawn up. Just wait...Just wait till you see these November releases!!! They are just tooooo cute! I just wanna pinch their checks!! There are so many great and different ideas that you can do with each one. They are not just for the holidays.

There is something also VERY VERY SPECIAL going to be released tomorrow and I can't wait to share that with you. It is extremely close to my heart and I have known about it but I haven't been able to share it with you. It had me in tears (sniff, sniff as I am now)..OK can't say anymore...You will have to tune in tomorrow for the full story. But for now here is a little sneak peak.

To see all of the sneak peaks you can click on the banner to the right on my sidebar. You are going to be blown away with what all the PEACHES from the Orchard have been working on with the new releases!! You won't wanna miss the Blog Hop tomorrow because there is OOOODDDLLEESS of fun stuff to win. Peachy Keen just has the best blog hops. Not only do you get some amazing inspiration you have so many chances to win. Don't forget to shine your shoes tonight for the hop tomorrow!! Remember you got to be in it to win it!!!!!!!

Sugar and Spice and everything nice!

2010-11-02T13:30:00.006-04:00

Hello Everyone! Sorry for this late post but I have been dealing with a situation that has been brought to our attention this morning. I plan on posting it tomorrow because people need to be AWARE of people like this in Blogland!! It is disgusting that people would do this. So tune in later or tomorrow for the news.

On to the good stuff! There is a new challenge over at Peachy Keen Stamps Challenge blog. For this challenge we had to follow this sketch below. I started out with a layout and had it almost done. But time got away from me and in my twisted mind I thought it was easier to start all over on something else.

Here is the sketch.

And this is what I came up with.

The supplies I used were:
PK-411 Lil' Gingerbreads and phrases - for the sentiment
PK-406 Sugar 'n Spice Ginger Girl
October Afternoon DP
Papertrey Ink Kraft Card Stock
Papertrey Ink Pure Poppy ribbon
Prismacolor pencils
StazOn ink
white gel pen
Liquid applique
Martha Stewart border Punch

A Boo-Rific Challenge!!!

2010-10-20T06:00:00.000-04:00

Okay so Halloween is my favorite holidays to make things for so when I noticed the Challenge over at the The Sisterhood Crafters was going to be a Halloween inspired project I got all excited. But then reality set in, life got in the way, and my twins got 4 shots each (of course I was home alone with them while hubby got to work). So sadly all I could come up with is a card which is unusual for me. I found these scraps while cleaning my room and I decided to try to make something with them. The stamps I used were from the $1 bin at A.C. Moore last year. I used CTMH liquid glass on the moon which is hard to see in the picture. The card looks much better in person, for some reason it was really hard to get a picture of it. Hey...at least I used some scraps that I started for another project right??? hahahaha

It is my week to host the challenge at The Sisterhood Crafters so please stop on by and show us some Halloweeney Love!

Wrapping it Up Peachy Keen Style

2010-10-19T10:42:00.005-04:00

Hello Everyone! I have been M.I.A lately from blog land and haven't crafted in weeks ..sigh :( My kids birthdays in heaven just passed and I haven't had the mojo to do anything. But I did some retail therapy to help me get back into the groove and I am helping that will help with some of my new crafty goodies!!

This week over at Peachy Keen Stamps Challenge blog we have a super fun challenge for you!! We are asking you all to make a project by creating elements used in wrapping a gift. Ideas for elements are: tags, gift wrap, gift card holders, and note cards etc.

I decided to do a Stationary box for a friend of mine. She never gets Christmas cards out because of lack of time & she complains about the price of stamps. So as a little gift and a bit of a chuckle I am sending her this box filled of stamps, cards, tags and little cards as well as a little note pad. After seeing this pic I am gonna spruce up the inside a bit with some personalizing for her but in case she is reading this I don't want her to know it is for her!

This box contains 4 of each style ~ A6 sized cards, 3X3 cards and tags. The little pocket on the bottom right is where I will put the stamps. To make the image on the front of the box I used PK-019 What's so Funny Snowman. I took the tree & snowflakes from that set also to do the 3X3 cards. For the A6 cards I used the snowman from PK-327 Winter Peekers. I just love how cute those images are!!!! It is hard to see in the pictures but I used dimensionals to give it some depth.

The other supplies I used are:

Paper - Figgy Pudding by Basic Grey
Copics
Prismacolor pencils
Glitter
Stickles
Glimmer Mist
Nestabilities
White Gel Pen
Stampin Up Ink
Tinsel Glitter by Marth Stewart
Twine from Papertrey Ink
and a few other items I am not sure of the names
I hope you come along and play with us over at thePeachy Keen Stamps Challenge blog with this super fun & cute challenge! See you there!!

Blog Hop Winner & New Challenge

2010-10-05T09:39:00.007-04:00

Thank you all for some great comments. I read each one and I really enjoyed your stories. I laughed because I was in awe of the creativity of Mom's. I also had some of the same costumes that you all had and I just loved it.

Okay now onto the winner of the Peacy Keen Stamp set that I am giving away.

Drumroll please..............

CONGRATULATIONS GLORA of http://glorascrafts.blogspot.com/!!!

You have one Lisa Jean Halloween Stamp set coming your way. You have one week to contact me with your mailing information so I can get your prize out to you.

Now onto the new challenge over at Peachy Keen Stamps!! This challenge we were asked to make a project inspired by the month of October. My neighbors boys are my adopted family and they love anything spooky, gory etc. I came up with this door hanging for them to hang on their play room door. I took pictures of it and showed it two different ways. I was going to leave it like this originally

But then I thought it was not going to be scary enough for them so I added a couple more monsters & blood. I had a lot of fun making this for them. I designed it on my Design Studio.

The supplies I used were:

Cricut Catridges: Mini Monsters, Happy Hauntings, Plantin Schoolbook

Peachy Keen Stamps:

PK-630 Nikkity Knack Cat Gang

PK-634 Frankly...

PK-692 Monster Mash Assortment

PK-690 Make A Monster Face Assorment

Some fun in this rainy, yucky weather!

2010-09-30T11:00:00.000-04:00

Even though it is pouring rain, dreary and miserable out today I have a smile on my face! Today is the start of the blog hop that we are throwing in celebration of the Peachy Keen Stamps new September releases. OMG! When I say adorable I mean adorable!!! Mrs. Kathy never fails so amaze me. Every time I think she can't top the stamp I love, WHAM she hits us with more. To see all of the new releases click HERE.

Every designer was given a set to work with. I was given PK-637 Lisa Jean Halloween to use. This set has endless possibilities. I love that there is an extra arm that you can pose the witch in different ways. You could also use this as a "I'm sorry I have been such a witch lately" or something to that effect.

I started my image one late night after I came home from volunteering. It was one of those situations where I should of just walked away. I tried to save my poor little witch by using paint and flower soft for the hair. I just kinda slopped it on because I thought I wasn't going to use it. But when time got away from me I had to.

After I was done with the image I burned the edges and let it cool. Then I took a few more of the images from this set and stamped them on Shrinky Dinks and colored with my Prismacolored pencils. I wanted to get the witches legs into the cauldron which is how I came up with the idea to use Shrinky Dinks. I just love how the potion bottle came out! The amount of detail in such a small piece is amazing!! You will also see some guest appearances from the ghost and bat which are from PK-631 Halloween Minis & PK-630 Nikkity Knack Cat Gang.

This is what I came up with:

Now for the fun part! Each DT member along the way of the hop (see below for the full order of the hop) is giving away the stamp set that they used in their design!! How fun is that????? So if you just got here make sure to start at the beginning to leave comments on all of the posts to increase your chances of winning. We all pick our own winners so potentially you can win multiple times!! YIPPEE!!

All you have to do to win the set I am giving away is leave a comment on this post. How about telling us what your favorite Halloween costume was growing up??? The only ones I really remember were the ones my Mom made me. OMG..one year I was Wonder Woman and she had this star wallpaper that she wrapped around my boots, wrists and even made me a head piece. Then one year I was Raggedy Ann and I wore a red mop on my head...I loved it! I remember coming home with our sacks full of candy and all of us siblings would sit around a circle and barter & trade what we wanted and didn't want....How grand childhood is!

You have until October 4th to leave a comment to be eligible. I will then pick a winner and post it on my blog. If you do not contact me in one week I will have to give the prize away to another lucky person.

Click on the link below to keep on hopping. Below the button you will see the complete list if you have just joined us or got sidetracked along the way.

PKS linking to Kathy
Kathy linking to Viv
Viv linking to Kim
Kim linking to Lorie
Lorie linking to Heidi
Heidi linking to Janice
Janice linking to Joanna
Joanna linking to Nikki
Nikki linking to Erin
Erin linking to Emma
Emma linking to Ruthie
Ruthie linking to Sonia
Sonia linking to Samantha
Samantha linking to Lisa - YOU ARE HERE
Lisa linking to Angelica - CLICK HERE TO KEEP ON HOPPING!
Angelica linking back to PKS

It's that time again! Sneak Peek of whats to come!

2010-09-29T09:00:00.001-04:00

It feels so good to be back! I have been gone from blogland for about 2 weeks and I am just starting to get back into the groove. I was volunteering about 12-16 hr days. It was exhausting but thank goodness I had someone I trusted watching the girls (she's a nurse!). Right before I left I got a new shipment of Peachy Keen Stamps in the mail. I was so excited but then I wanted to scream because I would be gone and not able to play. I only had a short bit of time to come up with my creation for the blog hop and I usually have a bunch to show you all but I just don't have the time this week. Especially because I just got my computer back yesterday...boy I missed this thing!

Anyways......... Here is a little snippet of what is to come.

Today is the last day of the sneak peeks and then tomorrow we start hopping. Peachy Keen is releasing the most adorable stamps. They are just to cute!! I wanted to play with them all and hopefully I will be able to soon. And what is even better is the PKS design teams have teamed up to Hop together and all who partcipate have oodles of chances along the way to win these great stamp sets!!!!! How cool is that!

I hope to see you all hopping along the PKS Blog Hop trail tomorrow! Wait to you SEE these stamp sets!!!!!!!!