Time To Be Inspired…

Posted by Jen | The Cat's Pajamas, cards, challenges | Tuesday, March 31, 2009

When I saw this week’s TCP Tuesday inspiration challenge pic I about fell over. I love the circles and the colors and… well, you see where this is going! Here is the pic that I am referring to…
tcptues52-inspiration
Isn’t that just tons of fun!?!

This is my interpretation…
tcptues033109

This is a VERY easy mass production card. I don’t usually mass produce anything, but I think a few of these would be nice to have on hand. I just love the sentiment! If I do end up mass producing it, I will probably take away using the Diamond Glaze and glitter on the balloon. Here’s a close up of that…
tcptus033109detail

So, wanna play along with the TCP Tuesday challenge?…EVERYONE can! Here’s what you are gonna want to know…
1. Each a week one of the The Cat’s Pajamas DT Members will host a challenge.
2. The challenges will vary {stamp, color, theme/inspiration, sketch, etc.}
3. You will have until {this} Saturday night to complete the challenge.
4. Link your project on this week’s hostess’ challenge announcement. This week you will link your project on THIS post on Toni’s blog.
5. TCP stamps are not required, but of course, highly encouraged. {Unless it is a challenge calling for a specific stamp}
6. There will be one winner each month. They will be deemed that month’s Swankiest Stamper and get $25 in Cat’s Cash {money to spend on the TCP site!}.
7. When uploading to SCS, please use the keyword TCPTUES52 for this challenge.
8. Alma will post the entries from the week the following Monday on her blog.
9. The newly crowned Swanky Stamper will be announced on the First of the Month and have his/her winning entry posted on The Cat’s Pajamas website where he/she will reign for the entire month.
10. Oh yea…HAVE FUN!

A Bugg And A Bitty…

Posted by Jen | Bella, cards | Monday, March 30, 2009

When I first got hooked on Stamping Bella stamps, I was all into the Bellas. Since then, the company and the lines have grown and my heart continues to skip a beat. Right now, I am {not so patiently} waiting on the Kettos to arrive. Fortunately, I have plenty {and I mean PLENTY} of other Bella stamps to play with, many of them not previously inked.

Today, I have a couple of cards to post. The first one uses BEEday HUGGABUGG, which is part of the Tiddly Inks line. I deviated from my norm and used some bright colors, which I like to set off with black.
beeday

The flower is by Jillibean Soup and I topped it off with a Making Memories brad. The ribbon is from Wal-Mart. They have a few bright, fun, spring colors in satin. I was really drawn to the pink and I think it put a nice finishing touch on the card.

Detail shot…
beeday_detail

The next card that I have to show is one that uses Poppy Bittybloom from the chichiboulie line {and you know how much I love this line!!}. I was drawn to this image because I knew that I wanted to color red to match this paper from Collage Press {available thru Stamping Bella}.
poppy

The corner was created by cutting a square in half to make a triangle and then punching the long side with the Flourish Border Punch {purchased through Impress}.

Detail shot…
poppy_detail

See ya tomorrow!

A Thank You Card…

Posted by Jen | Taylored Expressions/Whimsical Wishes, cards, random ramblings | Sunday, March 29, 2009

Happy Sunday! I know I am not a usual Sunday blogger, although it’s becoming more and more common, and I have this card to show. Red, brown and pink {with a splash of green} is not the most obvious color combo…at least not in my book, but I really like the way that it all came together here.

mar09tybranch

I started with Choice Buttercream cardstock {in the Taylored Expressions store} and then added some of SU!’s Chocolate Chip, Pink Pirouette and Real Red DP. The images are from the Branching Out and Branching Out Coordinates sets HERE. I am not sure if you can tell from the pic, but the flowers, leaves and a birdhouse are mounted on dimensionals. I am totally in love with the new EK Success punches that I found at Michael’s. They lay flat and they have lots of GREAT designs, including the scallop with the punches dots that I used on the thin Chocolate Chip layer under the sentiment.

I also want to show you some pics that I snapped last week just before a thunderstorm hit. There are updrafts and downdrafts that came into play here to make the clouds look like this. Very turbulent weather, but nothing scary or dangerous {this time!}. These were taken at about 1 o’clock in the afternoon, but it was SO dark outside. CLICK ON THE PIC FOR A LARGER VIEW.
clouds2

clouds3

Sketch For You To Try…

Posted by Jen | Bella, cards, challenges, designer of the month | Saturday, March 28, 2009

**Don’t forget to turn off your lights for EARTH HOUR from 8:30-9:30 pm local time**

Hooray for Saturday! I’m headed off into the blustery winter weather that has made an unwelcome return to North Texas this week. No worries though, I will only be in that weather long enough to get into my car, out of my car and then into the stamp store that I am teaching at today. It seems that every time I teach these classes on Saturday mornings it is FREEEEEZING! I am kinda a wimp when it comes to winter weather. There is no way I could survive for any extended period of time where some of you actually have “real” winters.

Alright, let’s get down to biz-ness! First, the winner of the Whiff of Joy stamp…

Congrats to #27 ~amy~ of Tsuruta Designs who made THIS card. {number chosen by random.org}
Amy, email me with all the needed info and I will get this stamp out to you next week.

Here is this week’s sketch…
sfytt_032809

My sample using a ‘bugg from Stamping Bella
sfytt032809sample2

A HUGE thank you to Jenn Dierck’s for playing with us this month and creating WONDERFUL card…
sfytt3_28helloduckyjenndiercks

Want more samples? Check out the SFYTT Sisters…
Amy Rohl
Amy Sheffer
Susan Liles
Carole Burrage
Kelly Lunceford

When uploading to SCS, please use the keyword “SFYTT” so that we can see them all in one place. :)

This week, I have another little something up for grabs for participants. Remember those flowers that I showed you yesterday? Click HERE to see them, again. I am going to send those to one participant of this week’s SKETCH FOR YOU TO TRY. Just link your card to Mr. Linky below by Friday at midnight {EST} to be entered :)


ABC Friday…

Posted by Jen | ABC Friday, Verve, blog tarts, designer of the month, projects | Friday, March 27, 2009

TGIF! Today I have a couple of things to show you. First, I made some of my own embellishments using the Slice machine, Cuttlebug, Primas, a button and dimensional glue dots. These were SO EASY to put together and ANYONE can do this! So, you are saying, “I don’t have a Slice machine!” No problem…if you have scissors, you can cut a couple flowers out of paper. Yes, that is a **little** more work, but it does work!

Here’s the finished product, which I will be giving away VERY SOON…
sliceflowers

How I did it…
First, I cut 2 different 2 flowers with the Slice machine (2″ and 1.5″). I used the Swiss Dots Cuttlebug embossing folder to emboss the larger one. I then placed a dimensional glue dot between the 2 flowers. I glued a Prima flower on top and then topped it all off with a button. Done and done!…easy peasy! I made all six in less than 20 minutes…including the packaging!

I have one more thing to show you today. This is the project that I did for the Verve Stamps Project Parade. The theme this month is “Egg-stra Special Spring.” All of the DT members have been posting their special projects with this theme on the Verve blog. I chose to make little favor/treat bags. These are really tiny and cute! The bag measures about 2.5″ x 3.5″.
pp_march

See you tomorrow for another SKETCH FOR YOU TO TRY!

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