Happy Birthday Karrie!

My good cyber friend Karrie is having a birthday today! Please be sure to swing by her blog and wish her a HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!

This is the card that I made for Karrie for her birthday. I figured using my new TCP Birthday sets was most appropriate (after all, she is one of my favorite TCP design team members). Wow...when I think about it, this card has it all: heat embossing, cuttlebug embossing, doodling, bling, glittery touches, watercoloring, etc.....)! I was up until about 1:00 AM making it. I just couldn't stop adding things to the card. LOL!

Hope you enjoy it Karrie and that your birthday is as fabulous as you are!

Card Deets:

Stamps: Smells Like Cake, You Say It's Your Birthday Balls (all from The Cat's Pajamas)

Cardstock: Shimmery White, Kiwi Kiss, Pink Pirouette

Ink: Black Staz-On, Kiwi Kiss, Pink Pirouette

Other: Nesties, Swirls Cuttlebug embossing folder, Copic Spica glitter pens, Stickles, WWC, various SU punches, ribbon and bling from my stash, large eyelets

Last of my OBP cards!

Here are the last of the cards that I made for the Johanna's "Talk Like a Pirate" challenges over on SCS! I LOVE challenges...they get me off my duff and actually in my stamp area creating things for a change. I have so many stamping things on my 'to do' list (i.e. birthday card for Karrie, ATCs for a couple swaps I signed up for, baby shower card, Three Peeps challenge card, etc.) so I should at least have a few things to share soon.

Here is challenge #6: Use the cover of your favorite pirate movie as inspiration. My pirate movie was "Pirate's of the Caribbean: At World's End". Who doesn't LOVE this whole series? This is incoporates a pirate ship from The Cat's Pajamas (who is having an awesome stamp release tomorrow)! The Planet Earth is from Odd Bird Planet.



Here is challenge #15: Make a card that incorporates a circle in some way. These stamps are also from one of the monthly specials that Odd Bird Planet was running. I love these deals and snag them up whenever the stamp sets really appeal to me.



Here is challenge #18: Make a card for your mum!



These are some of my cute Memory Box penguin images. I was inspired by the tutu to use the pink ribbon.

Thanks for stopping by!

A couple of my favorites.....

Here are a few more of my challenge submissions for Johanna's "Talk Like a Pirate" challenge weekend on SCS!

Here is Pirate Challenge #7: Make a card with a tree in it. This one by far is my favorite! I had this idea in my head and it executed perfectly on paper!



The trees are from the Stampin Up Lovely as a Tree set (which I will never get rid of). I don't know about you, but I love using glossy cardstock for cool effects like this one. One of my last orders from Just Johanna, included a grab bag of sorts of rubber by the ounce that she was offering (the rubber was for discontinued sets). In my 'comments' when I submitted the order, I asked Johanna if she could specifically include any Halloween images (as I love Halloween). Johanna was sweet enough to include Halloween images per my request (which included a TON of current images too)! You just have to LOVE customer service like that! Am I a dedicated customer now? YOU BET!

Here is Pirate Challenge # 10: Make a card for a little boy.



Both of my boys approved of this card, so I think that I hit the mark. These stamps were one of Johanna's special deals a little while back. This was my very first purchase from Odd Bird Planet. I used some Basic Grey paper (their baby line from a little while back) to paper piece the hot air balloon. The black background is some of that super glittery sugared Doodlebug cardstock.

Tah for now! I'll see you tomorrow with a few more posts!

Ahoy There!

Johanna (of Just Johanna's Odd Bird Planet) was having a "Pirate" challenges all weekend over on SCS. I was DETERMINED to get some stamping done and was able to complete 7 of the card challenges.

Here are my submissions for Challenge # 1: Stamp a Critter, Turn it into a Pirate




This is Flo Owl all decked out as a Pirate. Flow has a hand drawn peg leg and eye patch. She is sporting a pirate hat that was borrowed from Pirate Kitty (from TCP). Her sword came in the rubber grab bag special that Johanna was running a little while back. Nothing too elaborate for this challenge.

Challenge #2: Incorporate Treasure (bling, sparkles, glitter, gems, costume jewelry, etc.) into a card. If you know me, I was ALL over this challenge.




I had FUN with this one! This is Allison Little Owl who is sporting a little pirate hat that came in my rubber grab bag (I don't even think the little pirate hats are available anymore, but gosh are they ever cute and fun to work with). I stamped her on top of the Pirate Booty treasure chest from TCP and watercolored using my WWC and Copic Spica glitter pens. Used lots of bling from my stash on the inside of my pirate chest. The sentiment is also from TCP. I used my new Pacific Point and Riding Hood Red In Color cardstock colors from SU on this one (the new Riding Hood Red satin ribbon is to die for BTW). I thought that the Swirls cuttlebug embossing folder looked like waves and attempted to capture that feel by cutting selective portions out.

Be back tomorrow with a couple more challenge submissions!

Three Peeps Challenge

Two of my favorite peeps and I decided that we would start doing a monthly challenge of sorts here on our blogs. Who are those peeps you ask? None other that the uber talented Karrie Baker and Toni Armstrong. These two ladies have talent literally seeping from their pores! They're just that good! If you've never checked out their blogs, I highly encourage you to do so.

The three of us will all be contributing one factor to each of our challenges (i.e. specific stamp set, color, sketch, element, etc.). For our very first challenge, Toni challenged us to all use the new Birthday stamps from The Cats Pajamas. Karrie challenged us to use the color Turquoise in our creations. My required element you ask? Must use BLING BABY!!! LOL!

I was lucky enough to get the new Smells Like Cake and You Say It's Your Birthday stamp sets shipped before the official release date from the super cool and swanky designer for The Cats Pajamas, Alma de la Rosa. Alma not only designs the swankiest stamps on the planet, but she was also kind enough to listen and respond to the manic begging that came from me the second I saw the first sneek peek from her design team for the new sets. Thank You Alma!!!

So are you ready? Here goes....



Is this not the cutest little gift card holder that you have ever seen? I've been wanting to try the pattern for the Gift Card Holder that Jenn Balcer created for SCS for the longest time, and finally had the perfect opportunity with this challenge! I love how I was able to showcase so many of the different TCP images on one project.

Here is a picture of the inside. The gift card holder features two coin envelopes. One envelope is for the actual gift card, the other is for a stamped insert that you can write your greeting, etc.



Please be sure to check out both Karrie's and Toni's blogs as I'm sure that they each made something absolutely adorable! Thanks for stopping by!



Recipe:
Stamps: Smells Like Cake, You Say It's Your Birthday (all from The Cat's Pajamas)
Cardstock: Tempting Turquoise, Cool Caribbean, Lovely Lilac, Shimmery White
Ink: Black Staz-On, Tempting Turquose, Pixie Pink
Other: Assorted Copics, Copic Spica glitter pens, Sakura stardust glitter pen, various stickles, Kaiser bling, rectangle nesties, dimensionals, Fresh Favorites II eyelets, ribbon, dimensionals, Ticket Corner punch, 1 1/4 Circle punch

What I did over Labor Day Weekend

I know that this post is a few days late, but the photos are too pretty NOT to share. LOL!

Every year over the Labor Day weekend holiday, Colorado Springs, CO has a hot air balloon classic. It is not for the faint of heart (nor slow to rise) as you have to get up at what I fondly refer to as "O-dark-thirty" to go and see the balloons. As the kids have gotten older, it has been a little easier to get them out of bed ("when it is still night" according to the kiddos...LOL!)!

This is the very first balloon that took off! The balloon pilot wanted to be the very first one to touch the lake and get a cup of water.....

Here the balloon pilots are starting to inflate for the very first 'wave' of balloons to take off!

Here is Harland and Christopher! Harland now has his very own digital camera and was busy snapping photos left and right. Unfortunately, Harland came down with a nasty ear infection on Monday night. I had to take him to the Emergency Room at our local hospital on Tuesday morning. We did not make it out of there until 4:00 AM. Tired kid and tired mommy! LOL!

The ever popular Noah's Ark balloon!

This is the very first time that I have ever seen this ladybug....

Loved the patriotic Red, White, and Blue balloon! That is Cheyenne Mountain in the background.

I have many more pictures (literally in the hundreds) but thought I would share just a few! Our balloon classic isn't as big as the one held in Albuquerque, NM that goes on in October, but it is still fun to go to!