Well, this is my second post for today (baby steps, right?), since my little "episode" over the weekend. Am I old enough to call them "episodes"? Let's hope not. Read my second post for today to see what I'm talking about. I'll just say that I'll be glad to get it all worked out. Anyway, onto why ya'll even come and visit me here...I absolutely love this little squirmy wormy guy from the I {heart} Books set from My Favorite Things.
So a while back, I made this adorable little gift card holder. I thought it would be cute to give as a teacher gift or to make for the kids to hold their very own library cards in. Yep, that's my actual library card in there and it gets lovin' every week (for movies and books for the girls--I'm not a big reader). It's similar to one I made HERE and I got the instructions for it HERE.

So now you've seen a bit of the last release from MFT. Wanna see a sneak peek from this month's upcoming release? Here you go! I LOVE how this turned out. I'm a big fan of Melissa Phillips and have been following her creativity on her blog whenever she posts (and I'm so glad she's decided to continue, even if at a slower pace!), even though I'm SURE she doesn't have a clue who I am. I have wanted to try to repeat some of the elements she often uses for some of her projects, and this soon to be released Annie LaPoint image called Plant a Seed of Love seemed to fit the bill perfectly with it's vintage flair. I colored it with my Prismacolor Pencils and blended it with OMS for the most part, but there's still a bit of Copic coloring in there for the lettering. Every bit of every edge was sponged with Tea Dye stain from Ranger and distressed in some way.
Do you see that Damask piece that was zigzag cut around the edges behind the main panel? That was the liner of an envelope someone sent me and I thought it was so pretty that I saved it for a special card. In following a bit more in Melissa's footsteps, I used some sparkly glitter glue from the Creative Cafe that is even sparklier than Stickles in my opinion and just hit random areas and edges with it. I hope to reign in some more of that stuff soon! A big ol' bow and button with a little twine finished it off after I added a few of the new Swarovski Crystals that Kim has in stock right now in the "Spooktacular Collection".

Here's a few details about the upcoming MFT release:

Tomorrow (Tuesday) night the 1st, join us for the MFT blog hop starting on Kim's blog at 10pm EST HERE.

Join us Wednesday night, the 2nd on the SCS forum HERE for the release party to begin at 8pm EST!

SUSIE Q-TIP: Look to your favorite designers for different styles and pull from them different elements of what you like. It may not be everything about them, and you might find them hard to duplicate (like I did with Melissa), but what I did learn from her style and combined with mine works for me as well. Does that make sense, or am I still feeling the effects of the morphine? LOL!

Bookworm Gift Card Holder
Stamps: I {Heart} Books (MFT)
Paper: Barely Banana (SU!), Pure Poppy (PTI), White Perfect Panels (MFT), October Afternoon, Cosmo Cricket
Ink: Palette Noir (Superior)
Accessories: Scallop Rectangle Nestabilities, Cuttlebug, Copic Markers, Circle and Scallop Circle Punches, Word Window Punch, Scor-Pal, New Leaf Satin Ribbon, Twine (PTI), Red Button (MFT), Jody Boosters

Seeds of Love
Stamps: Plant a Seed of Love (MFT)
Paper: White Perfect Panels (MFT), Vintage Cream (PTI), Imaginisce, Basic Grey, Damask Envelope Liner
Ink: Brilliance Graphite Black (Tsukineko), Tea Dye (Ranger)
Accessories: Sewing Machine/Tan Thread, Zigzag Scissors, Swiss Dots Embossing Folder, Cuttlebug, Heidi Swapp Distressing Tool, Sponges, Heat Tool, Prismacolor Pencils, OMS, Copic Markers, Spirit White Glitter Glue (Creative Cafe), Lavender Moon Satin Polkadot Ribbon, Rustic Twine (PTI), Prima Flower, Button, Swarovski Crystals (MFT), Jody Boosters

Doctor's Orders

Well, I told ya'll I'd keep you posted on my Dr.'s appointment I had Friday afternoon. I was having a terrible pain in my side that wasn't going away and I was getting more and more nervous about it. He was able to see me that afternoon at 3, so I pulled the girls out of school unexpectedly early and headed on over to the doctor's office. I really wasn't expecting him to say anything like the possibility of appendicitis or things like needing a CT scan to make sure, but he did. He sent me to the ER at the local hospital where they immediately made the same assumption and gave me lots and lots of morphine. After a CT scan, 2 ultrasounds, me almost falling off the ultrasound table (morphine), bloodwork, some more morphine, a pelvic exam which at that point I didn't care who looked down there (even though he wasn't McDreamy), an IV and some more morphine, they determined it was not appendicitis (thank the Lord since that meant no surgery). They kept me overnight, with no food and did some further testing. Turns out I'm having some complications with my bladder (won't go into too much detail here). They sent me home Saturday night after making sure I could keep food down (which was barely especially during the car ride home, but Eric wouldn't let me puke in the new car), and I stayed in bed the rest of the night all the way through last night, when I wanted a Jamba Juice and a piece of toast. A diet I don't highly recommend. So now, I'm finally getting over the side effects of the morphine (nausea, headache and dizziness) and have a whole new set of issues and pains that I am needing to get taken care of. (I've been waiting for the doctor to call me back for about 2 1/2 hours now..ugh) Hopefully the plumbing will be back to normal soon and in good working order!

I just wanted ya'll to know I really appreciated all your well wishes and good thoughts. This stamping thing really has its benefits and each and every one of ya'll's support made a difference. I will be posting another MFT post very soon!!

MFT--It's Been a While!

Well, I am such a list person. Before I started to write this post, I went to my handy list that I keep on the computer where I keep a list of all my cards I've made. I use it to keep track of what I still need to post about, what needs to go onto SCS, what I need to blog, photograph, etc. I love it and it's been a great tool. However, when I went to open it, IT'S NOT THERE!! OH NO!! So I'm having a small freakout moment here. I do keep a back up of it in OneNote, but I haven't updated it in a while, so most of it is lost. Crap-ola!! Just something else I have to do--and I LOVE redo-ing stuff. It's my favorite. Lesson learned--back up more often.

Anyway, traumatic as it is, blogging must go on. So I have a few MFT things to still show ya'll this month and I will be posting it all in the next few days hopefully. I have a Dr.'s appointment here in a little bit to make sure I don't have appedicitis, so details will be short and sweet as I am miserable with a severe pain in my right side that's been getting worse all day today. I'll keep ya posted!

This card uses an adorable little pumpkin image from the new set called Trick or Treat with Who's That Girl from My Favorite Things.. I just love Halloween images and these are some of the best! I stamped the pumpkins onto the orange polkadot paper. They actually have handles as part of the stamped image, but I cut them off and added my own using black hemp twine. An extra special part of this card is that it is super SPARKLY!!! I found some black glitter paper at Michael's. It's super thick and the glitter does not rub off.

Well, sorry for not posting the supplies details here, but I can't stand to sit any more and I need to go pull the girls out of school now to get to the doctor. I'm sure it's nothing, but it needs a little attention anyway. Have a great stamping day!

Verve's August Project Parade: Day 3

Well, can you believe it's already time for the Project Parade over on the Verve blog? It's day three! Jen has come up with another fabulous theme this month. If you haven't been over there to check it out, you'll want to be sure and do that and comment over there for your chance to win some Verve goodies. We'd love for youto play along for another chance to win. Here's my project and what I had to say about it:

Well, I love little gifty things to just surprise someone with, especially if they are quick and easy to make. Even the simplest of things will bring a smile to someone's face and isn't that the end result we want? So when I found out about the August Project Parade and Jen's fun idea: HAPPINESS FOR HOSTESSES, I knew this would be a great way to showcase something easy to duplicate and not too complicated to make, even if massed produced. I even tried to set a time limit on how long I could spend on this project to show ya'll how fast it came together, so ya'll would not be intimidated if you want to make one or some of these on your own. This project literally took me about 30-40 minutes to make! (Much less time than I spend on just a card most times!) It could also easily be transformed into little Halloween gifts or sweet neighbor treats for the upcoming holidays (which I always love to give!).

I know a lot of you have the Top Note die from Sizzix/SU! (?), but I don't. I have Nestabilities, so I used my new Labels 8 die and cut two of them out of some thicker scrapbook paper (preferably double sided for extra umph). One for a front piece and one for the back. Then I glued them to the front and back of a small (very small) lunch sack to create my little "box".

I stamped the image panel using one of my favorite new Verve sets called Enjoy, embellished it with clear butterflies that I stamped with the outline image and affixed them with brads. I then attached it to the front of my little treat bag/box with foam boosters.

All that was left was to make the closure. I attached the large black button by punching 2 small holes at the top of the front panel and tying it on semi-loosely with hemp twine strung up through the holes from the back. I then tied another longer piece of hemp through an eyelet I set through the top of the back panel. The longer twine, accentuated with some buttons for lack of beads (still cute!), just wraps around the button to hold it shut!

But before I closed it up, I couldn't forget to fill it with Raisinets--my favorite! (This may or may not make it to my friend I was planning on giving it to. Yep, too late--just ate the last one! Note to self: Buy more Raisinets.) So see how super easy and quick this was? And it's surely a smile bringer-onner! Try making one of your own just for grins!

So....have you decided what fabulous hostess gift you'd like to create? We can't wait to see it! To play along, just make a project or card that shows us your take on the Happiness for Hostesses theme. Verve Stamps are not required, but if you've got 'em we love to see 'em! Then just add a link to your creation to the Mr. Linky form in DAY ONE's POST before 8PM Mountain September 12. Two lucky participants will win a stamp set of their choice from the Verve Store. We've also hidden another $25 gift certificate somewhere along the parade for a random commenter. So if you like what you see, be sure and give a little shout out in the comments of each post! Have fun and good luck!

SUSIE Q-TIP: It's ok if you don't own the Labels 8 Nestabilities die, the Top Note Sizzix die, or if you don't own any dies at all! You can still make this gift bag! You can use any other shape you like that would accomodate some sort of bag on the inside. How about a square with rounded corners?

Stamps: Enjoy (Verve)
Paper: Basic Black (SU!), White Perfect Panels (MFT), Poppy (s.e.i.), Acetate (CHF)
Ink: Brilliance Graphite Black, Black StazOn (Tsukineko), Ruby Red (SU!)
Accessories: Circle, Scallop Circle, and Labels 8 Nestabilities, Cuttlebug, Cropadile, 1/8" Hole Punch, Small Lunch Sack, Silver Eyelet, Silver Brads, Adhesive Rhinestones, Buttons, Hemp Twine, Jody Boosters

A {Lindsie Style} Sketch For You To Try

Well, what are ya'll doing this weekend? Any last minute plans before the kidlets go back to school on Monday or soon thereafter? I don't know if Texas is the only state that does this, but this weekend is Tax-Free weekend, meaning Texas shoppers get a break from state and local sales taxes this weekend. It's meant to help parents save a little money when doing all that "back-to-school" shopping for clothes and supplies, but anyone can partake in the savings. Someone even told me they were going to just go get a bunch of bras they needed. Whichever way you want to "jug"-gle it/them, that's fine. For us, this will be the first year that we plan to take advantage of the holiday. I'm usually an "I'll pay double to not be in the crowds" kind of girl, but we've decided to be brave and go for it today. It ought to be an adventure. As I said a couple of days ago, Lindsie has less clothes than me (and I keep a pretty sparse closet), so she's due for some "Style therapy"...and let me tell ya'll, that girl has STYLE! She's into all the latest and greatest with all the fun accessories and scarves. I love it when she pairs a cute outfit with her pink Converse tennis shoes. She's awesome!!

Anyway today is Saturday and time for Jen's Sketch For You To Try! I used my new Verve set called Express Yourself that I hadn't gotten inky just yet. I wanted to make the embellishment really stand out, so just the sentiment and flourish did the trick, even though the set comes with a cute purse and shoe. I thought it would be the perfect card to make for little Lindsie to give to her before we go on our big shopping excursion. And did ya'll check out the bling on this card? I got these adhesive rhinestones in the new Christmas section at Michael's (yes, I said Christmas and now don't ya'll all go and buy them all up--save some for me, I'd like a couple more packs to hoard, please). They are faceted differently than most, rounded rather than a flat top, and are super spar-ka-lay! Some even have a sort of irredescent sparkle to them. Very stylish!

I'm off to the mall--maybe they'll be auditioning people for "What Not To Wear" and I'll get a lucky break and get plucked up for that show. Heaven knows I need it.

Ok, before ya'll head off to Michael's or to buy ya'll some bras (not at Michael's), make a style stop along the way and give a shout out to my SFYTT sisters. I'm sure they are "stylin' and profilin'" with their cards for ya'll today.
Amy R.
Amy S.
Kelly
Carole

SUSIE Q-TIP: I caved. I have to admit that sometimes it is necessary to break out your hot glue gun just to make a card. I resisted for the longest time and psshhhawed Jen unapologetically at doing so. BUT, when making these accordian flowers (?), it's really helpful in making them stay round and flat by putting some on the back before attaching to your card. I also used it for gluing the flower onto the actual card. It's not going anywhere. I {heart} my hot glue gun.

Stamps: Express Yourself (Verve)
Paper: Scarlet Jewel, Ocean Tides (PTI), White (MFT), Lemonade (Basic Grey)
Ink: Brilliance Graphite Black (Tsukineko), Cranberry Crisp (SU!)
Accessories: Swiss Dots Embossing Folder, Cuttlebug, Prima Flower, Scarlet Jewel Grosgrain Ribbon (PTI), Adhesive Rhinestones, Jody Boosters, Hot Glue Gun

Housekeeping

Well, yesterday turned out to be even more productive than I had planned, so my second post never happened. I'm taking it as a good thing! As you may have read, we accidently rented two identical copies of the Hannah Montana movie. We watched them both and enjoyed them equally. I ended up making only one card as opposed to the three I wanted to get done, but that's ok. We were also preoccupied with hearing who Lindsie's friends all got for their teachers this year. Lindsie never heard about hers and neither did her little best friend, so we can only hope they got in the same class. We will find out this evening at "Meet the Teacher" night. That's always fun. So today before that happens, we have a pile of school supplies to go through and label, dishes to do and laundry to fold (the aftermath of yesterday). Hopefully I'll even get those two other cards made!

Anyway, I wanted to take care of a couple of things here on my blog today that I had put on the backburner from when our air conditioner was out and I wasn't blogging.

My friend, Andrea Vernagus over at Crafty Engineering, had sent me this nice award and said some really sweet things about me on her blog. Thanks, Andrea! Now, I'm supposed to nominate others for the award, but I'm a people pleaser, so as to not hurt anyone's feelers, If you read this consider yourself awarded as a thank you for your taking time to check out my blog. It's so appreciated. It gives me a little spark of joy every day when I see a new follower or a new subscriber! Welcome newbies!!

The other day, I mentioned a cake I was making called Countrytime Lemonade Cake. Well, more than just a few of ya'll were interested in the recipe, so rather than email each of you individually, I thought putting it here would be best. Ya'll are going to laugh at how simple it is! It's actually a "poke cake" that my great aunt used to make it and it was always a favorite.

Countrytime Lemonade Cake
Bake a boxed Lemon cake using a bundt pan.
Turn it out onto a plate and let it cool.
Poke holes with the handle of a wooden spoon all the way down through the cake all over it.
Drizzle glaze (below) over it and into the holes. YUM-O!!!

Lemonade Glaze
1/2 c. Countrytime Lemonade Powder Drink Mix
1/2 c. water
2 T. melted butter
2 c. powdered confectioner's sugar
Mix the lemonade, water and butter first with a spoon. Then add the powdered sugar and mix again.

Oh and one more thing--I don't know if ya'll have noticed, but I started an Etsy shop! It's over there on my sidebar. Yes, I did it over a month ago and the original four cards are there for sale, but I thought every now and then it wouldn't hurt to mention it! If there is ever a card on my blog here that ya'll would like to purchase, send me an email and I'll see what I can do.

Ok, off to go swimming with Jen and Ellie!! I'll be back soon with a card or two to share!

No Sitting Around Eating Bon Bons Here!

Well, it's Wednesday, about 9:30 am, my mom brought me over a Starbuck's Frappacino, and it's been a productive morning already. We've gone through Lindsie's closet and dresser and have pulled out all of the clothes that don't fit her anymore to give to her cousin, Lillian. My 8 year old now has 3 shirts and 4 pairs of shorts to her name. Anybody got any size 14 hand-me-downs? Also checked off the list is empty-ing the dishwasher and cleaning the bathroom thanks to the girls. In exchange for their little chores, I told them we'd rent the new Hannah Montana movie today. So, going down my list of things to do, I went online and reserved it at my nearest Redbox. However, I accidently reserved 2 copies. Don't ask me how I did that--I don't want to talk about it and I'm really not sure in the first place. But now, we have two. Anybody wanna borrow one to watch today? Let's see, what else is on my list? Sweep the floor (or let the dog in to get "the big stuff"), put a few dishes in my now empty dishenwashen, and I guess I'll play nice and actually get a load or two of laundry done. I seriously have not stamped in days and need to find my mojo, so that will take up the rest of my day today if I'm lucky! I hope to get at least 3 cards done!

Anyway, blogging has been on the backburner this week, since I've been doing some last minute school supplies shopping, spending some time with my mom while she's on vacation, and we went on a big adventure yesterday (more on that tomorrow, I hope). So today, I've got a couple of things to show you and I may even post again later with a few "housekeeping" issues including the recipe to my Countrytime Lemonade cake that I spoke of the other day (it was delicious, btw). These two cards come from the latest release from My Favorite Things. For the first one I used the set, Grow Love, Plant a Tree. It's super cute and trendy and includes 2 different trees and then another one with just branches that you can add different little things to to make it fun. I was going for a more scrappy look to this card and I love the buttons on the tree. The second one is me every day, sitting around eating chocolates--NOT! It's actually Flopsey enjoying his candy he plundered when he went trick or treating! The set's called Flopsey Chocolate Bunny and he's just kicking back, eating bon bons without a care in the world.

Well, since I don't have time to sit around and eat bon bons, I guess I'll be on my merry way. I'll try to work up a post again for later. We'll see how much I get done if I don't get distracted by the Hannah Montana movie. Maybe I'll get "the best of both worlds" and multitask.

SUSIE Q-TIP: Experiment with your border punches. The little zigzags on the Flopsey card is actually the Martha Stewart Arches punch. I just have them barely peeking out here for a ric-rac effect.

Stamps: Grow Love, Plant a Tree (MFT)
Paper: Kraft (SU!), White, Scarlet Jewel, New Leaf (PTI), Dotted Girl (Fancy Pants),
Black Small Dot (MM)
Ink: Palette Noir (Superior)
Accessories: Labels One Nestabilities, Cuttlebug, Slot Punch, Sewing Machine/Black Thread, Corner Rounder, Copic Markers, White Grosgrain Ribbon, Buttons (MFT), Glue Dots, Rustic Twine (PTI), Jody Boosters

Stamps: Flopsey Chocolate Bunny (MFT)
Paper: Chocolate Chip (SU!), Perfect Paper Panels (MFT), Berry Sorbet (PTI), Summer Paper Pack (MFT)
Ink: Palette Noir (Superior), Chestnut Roan Cat's Eye (Colorbox)
Accessories: Slice/Noteworthy Card, Paper Piercer, Arches Punch (MS), Copic Markers, Aqua Ric-Rac, Button (MFT), Berry Sorbet Polkadot Ribbon (PTI), Flirty Brown Ruffle Ribbon (SU!), Brads, Jody Boosters

A {Summer Ritual} Sketch For You To Try

Well, we are feeling much cooler in our house these days. I haven't blogged in a little bit because our air conditioner went out for a couple of days. It was HOT in our house, reaching up to 86 degrees in here. Now outside and with a breeze that wouldn't have been so bad, but inside, it's stagnant! So we stayed at a hotel one night and it wasn't even all that fun. We walked into our room and it was hot in there, too! It took a while for the little a/c unit to cool it down. Ugh. Anyway, it's our summer ritual. It's been going out once a summer. So hopefully next year we will get a new one altogether. We could have cancelled our Disney trip and done it this year, but Mickey Mouse said no. And I'm glad.

Anyway, I'm sitting here writing this post in my cooler house, with a sick husband and the girls who are super excited about swimming today at my sister's house and eating a Countrytime Lemonade Cake that I'm about to make (let me know if you want the recipe, it's super easy!). But before I do (I have to get some eggs), let's talk about why you're really here--Jen's Sketch For You To Try! I have (another) confession to make. This card did double duty for Verve's release last night. So if you were so lucky as to have been at the release party last night, you may have already spied it. It's using one of Verve's new Plain Janes, Romans 12:13. I really like this verse and I think it makes a beautiful Thank You card. I really love the Plain Janes and need to remember to use them more often. They are so perfect! The entire release is FABULOUS so don't forget to check it out.

Speaking of fabulous, my SFYTT sisters sure are, and here's their blogs to prove it. We'd love for you to play along using SFYTT as your favorite keyword on SCS!
Amy R.
Amy S.
Kelly
Carole
I think last week, I failed to mention that my wonderful new friend, Megan Lock is Jen's guest designer this month. She rocked this sketch on Jen's blog HERE. She's also got a bit of BLOG Candy up for grabs on her blog HERE.

SUSIE Q-TIP: It's a running debate on SCS as to whether or not "naked" buttons are OK. I do both. It absolutely does not bother me to have them naked. Sometimes I think just that little bit extra can put your design in "over the top mode". However, in an understated card like this one, I love it! Jody says it's a "rule" to not have naked buttons, but even though I love her, I have to argue this point and since I'm a princess, her rules don't apply to me. Gotta go get some eggs now, not only for my cake, but to have ammunition when she starts throwing hers at me.

Stamps: Romans 12:13 (Verve)
Paper: Lemon Tart, Scarlet Jewel (PTI), Sage (Prism), White (MFT), Lemonade (Basic Grey)
Ink: Brilliance Graphite Black (Tsukineko), Antique Linen, Tea Dye (Ranger)
Accessories: Flower Nestabilities, Swiss Dot Embossing Folder, Cuttlebug, Slice/Basics 3 Card/Noteworthy Card, Lemon Tart Button (PTI), Rustic Twine, Sponges, Vintage Copper Brads, Scarlet Jewel Grosgrain (PTI), Jody Boosters

Just Add Color--Gifty Girl

Well, I'm really excited about this and hope to get one in my hot little hands in the near future....The August Just Add Color Kit called Gifty Girl from My Favorite Things is here! This month, along with your kit, you will receive an exclusive MFT offer good for only those who order the August kit. It's so exclusive, I don't even know what it is.

Here is what’s included in this month's Gifty Girl Kit ($25):
6 Shopping Tote Die Cuts ($6.00 value)
1 Package Perfect Paper Panels ($3.95 value)
2 yards Red/White Polka Dot Ribbon in 3/8” ($2.00 value)
2 yards Black/White Polka Dot Ribbon in 3/8” ($2.00 value)
50 Silver MINI Round Brads ($2.50 value)
50 Red MINI Round Brads ($2.50 value)
Exclusive, UNRELEASED Gifty Girl MINI stamp set ($9.00 value)

Anyway, these kits are a lot of fun and are so quick and easy to make, they practically make themselves! I encourage ya'll to check them out as they are only in limited quantities!

Here's Your Verve Sneak Peek

Well, in case you don't already know, I wanted to be sure and be your efficient little informant and let you know that the Verve Sneak Peeks have begun on the Verve Blog. Today, Jen T., Jen d., Mercy and I are introducing you to one of the new sets. Verve fans, meet Party Time. Party Time, meet Verve fans. Here's what I had to say on the Verve Blog in so many words about my new friend:

Hello Verve fans! It’s time to party with Day 2 of the sneak peeks! I’m sure you’ll be lovin’ this new set called Party Time. I know I do. I immediately thought of this paper that I had from Basic Grey with the balloons and numbers on it when I saw this set. I couldn’t wait to pair the balloon image up with it. I stamped it three times, colored all the balloons with my Copics, and then cut them out. (Yes, I left the little white spaces between the strings because I’m terrible at using an X-acto knife! So it’s ok if you do the same! I hereby give you permission!) I put the card together and at the last minute decided to tie the little twine strings onto the balloon strings. Anyway, I hope you like what you’ve seen so far…there’s lots more to come!

More Release Info:

1. Be sure you head over to the Verve Blog each day this week for your chance to win the set previewed each day by leaving comments on their corresponding posts.

2. My Give-away game is going on now in the SCS Forum HERE for your chance at winning $25 in Verve Bucks. More chances and fun can be found HERE.

3. There's still time to create your sketch cards for your chance to win more Verve stamps HERE.

4. Join us for the Release Party this Friday night at 8PM EST in the SCS Forum HERE where we'll be sneaking many more samples and announcing the winners of points 1-3 here. :)

SUSIE Q-TIP: A little dab of glue behind the twine balloon strings keeps the bows from coming undone. Is it just me, or does that string just not make tight knots?

Stamps: Party Time (Verve)
Paper: More Mustard, Brocade Blue (SU!), White, Pure Poppy (PTI), Invitation/Balloons (Basic Grey)
Ink: Palette Noir (Superior)
Accessories: Circle and Scallop Circle Nestabilities, Cuttlebug, Swiss Dots Embossing Folder, Copic Markers, Circle Punch, Rustic Twine (PTI), Silver Brads, Jody Boosters

It's Verve's Release Week and There's a Party Goin' ON!

Well, hola Verve fans!! I just wanted to pop in today and let you know about a few things going on over on Splitcoast with Verve! This week is release week AND it's Verve's 2-year anniversary. I'd say that's a lot to celebrate! Yessireee!! So Julee and us Divas have some fun things up our sleeves all week. Here's the lowdown, so you don't miss a thing:

Anni-VERVE-sary Sketch Challenges
Julee has designed five brand new sketches for this release. Play along by this Friday, August 14 at 6PM Eastern for your chance to win our ENTIRE release! Check out all the sketches and the deets on this thread in our SCS forum.

Diva Giveaways
Throughout the week, our Divas will be posting giveaway threads in our SCS forum. Participate along with them (it might be a challenge, a game, a question or some other activity) and you might win $25 in Verve Bucks, good for anything in the Verve Store. A few Divas are scheduled to post each day Monday - Thursday, so there's 13 chances to win!

Sneak Previews
Sneak previews officially start on the VERVE blog tomorrow. Each day this week, the Divas will be bringing you some Verve-alicious peeks at the sets releasing this weekend! Plus there'll be more chances to win some stamps!

Anni-VERVE-sary Release Party
Last, but not least, our release party will be this Friday night (August 14) at 8PM Eastern. We'll be revealing the 7 new sets and 2 plain jane singles, as well as chatting and announcing all of our release week winners. Be there or be square! Oh, WHERE you ask? Over on the Release Party thread in our forum!

I'll be posting a fun little game to play a little later today, so stay tuned....!

A {Best Day Everrrrrr!} Sketch For You To Try

Well, are you ready kids? I can't hear you!! Ohhh, who lives in a pineapple under the sea? Spongebob Squarepants! Absorbent and yellow and porous is he!...Ok, sorry, I woke up with that in my head. Pray for me. Anyway, who's happy it's Saturday? Me, me, me!! We have a big day planned here in Liles Land. The girls just left with Eric to go get a birthday present for a little boy that I used to watch after school. I don't "do" boys, so I am clueless as to what to get them. That's why it's always his mission to take care of that situation! Then comes his little skating party later this morning. No, I won't be skating. Then this afternoon, we are taking the girls out to get school supplies and school clothes. When Lindsie heard about these plans last night, she couldn't wait to go to bed as she said this was going to be "the best day everrrrrrrr!" (from both of our favorite Spongebob episode).

Speaking of the best day everrrrr!!!, don't ya'll just love Saturdays for the simple fact that it's time for Jen's Sketch For You To Try ! Almost all day yesterday, I thought it was Thursday, and finally realized last night about 8 PM (after watching 2 episodes of Spongebob in a row) that I needed to make my SFYTT card! Eek! Luckily, I already had this image from My Favorite Things called Bubble Bunny Flopsey stamped and colored from when I went to the Scrapper's Boutique and hung out on a Friday night and played with my friends! The bunny and tub are colored with Prisma pencils and blended with Odorless Mineral Spirits. The bubbles are highlighted with a blue Copic marker and Ranger Glossy Accents. I like the "simpleness" to this card and the colors are fabulous! I must use it again. They would be darling for Halloween!

Ok, well, I'm sure after this day, I'll feel like relaxing like Flopsey here, and maybe I'll grab a couple of Krusty Krabs for dinner. Don't forget...Chum is Fum! Check out what my chums here did for their SFYTT samples:
Amy R.
Amy S.
Kelly
Carole

SUSIE Q-TIP: When using brads, tap them gently on the front with your craft hammer for a finished look. Here's the trick: Turn it over and tap the back, too. This will make them nice and flat so that when you go to glue that layer down, you won't have any corners (where brads are often put) trying to stick up because of the "legs" not being completely flat.

Stamps: Bubble Bunny Flopsey (My Favorite Things)
Paper: Kraft (SU!), White Perfect Panel (MFT), GP White, Plum Pudding (PTI), Summer Paper Pack (MFT), Imaginisce
Ink: Palette Noir (Superior), Antique Linen (Ranger)
Accessories: Sewing Machine/White Thread, Copic Marker, Prismacolor Pencils, OMS, Glossy Accents (Ranger), Plum Pudding Stitched Ribbon (PTI), Rustic Twine, Flower Brads (MM), Orange Button (TCP), Jody Boosters

Happy Haunting...OOPS!...I Mean Hopping!

Well, hop, hop, hooray...you're here!! Yep, it's already time for another MFT release and ya'll know what that means: another happy blog hop! I'm so glad you're here, but if you didn't start at the beginning, you're missing out. Head over to Kim's Blog to do that if you didn't already because I don't want ya'll to miss a thing! What a haunting shame that would be! Here's the scoop: Tomorrow night, My Favorite Things is releasing four new sets this time and this one has already made it to my top ten list for MFT! It's called Trick or Treat With Who's That Girl and will be available tomorrow night after the release party on SCS. It makes me laugh that Flopsey is there trying to pretend he's just another little trick or treater, hoping nobody figures out his true identity! He's all about the treats, man and he'll get them any way he can!

For this card, I ventured into something a little different ya'll don't normally see from me (I'm usually just a plain A2 girl) and made a rounded gate-fold card for you to check out. Ooohh, Aaaahh!! I didn't use traditional "Halloween" colors either, but I really like the way it turned out and the Trick or Treat With Who's That Girl set really makes the card shine! It's kept closed with a couple of large silver eyelets with my new favorite ribbon---MFT's black PLAID from the Perfect Plaid Ribbon Nest. I used it on another Halloween card that I'll be showing ya'll a little later.

But for now, it's time to go haunt someone else's blog along the Hop: Michele over at Papercuts is waiting for you to come and see her!

SUSIE Q-TIP: Be sure that before you start sewing, your machine is set to the right stitch that you're expecting it to be. In the case of this card, the zig-zag stitch was a "surprise" touch, but now I actually am glad it turned out that way. Or don't look and let your card turn out to be a surprise. It's kind of like sewing, roulette-style.

Stamps: Trick or Treat With Who's That Girl (MFT)
Paper: Pumpkin Pie (SU!), White Perfect Panels (MFT), Smokey Shadow (PTI), Amy Butler (K & Company)
Ink: Brilliance Graphite Black (Tsukineko)
Accessories: Scallop Rectangle Nestabilities, Cuttlebug, Sewing Machine/Black Thread, Copic Markers, Silver Brads, Cropadile, Plaid Ribbon (MFT), Jody Boosters, White Gel Pen (Ranger)

TCPTUES70--Let's Eat Cake

Well, it's already August, it's already Tuesday and it's already my turn at being the TCP Tuesday Hostess With The Mostess again. If ya'll aren't familiar with TCPTUES, it's a little challenge that The Cat's Pajamas design team puts on each week to help inspire ya'll to get out your TCP stamps and play with us. Just to keep it stirred up, it alternates between a sketch, an inspiration, a color and a stamp challenge each week. Since I'm a princess, I get to issue the stamp challenge once a month, so what I say goes! Haha! Just kidding, but not really.

Here's what I decided to do for this month: My BFF Jen is having a birthday in a little over a week, so I was thinking we could all EAT CAKE!! I'm challenging ya'll to use any TCP stamps that involve some sort of cake....cupcakes, Sprinkle with cake, Poochie with cake, the Penguins with cake, just a cake, chocolate cake, pound cake, cake with chocolate covered strawberries on top, cake-balls, coca-cola cake, cake with cream cheese frosting, bundt cake...oh, sorry, I got a little carried away (but doesn't a nice Lemon cake sound good? I always want those in the summer for some reason). Hopefully you get the idea! Since there's lots of TCP stamps that you can use for this challenge, I hope a whole "bundt-load" of ya'll will get to play!

Here's all the details and what could actually happen to YOU if you choose to accept this challenge:
1. Each a week one of The Cat’s Pajamas DT members will host a challenge.
2. The challenges will vary {stamp, color, theme, sketch, etc.}
3. You will have until {this} Saturday night at 12 midnight EST to complete the challenge.
4. Link your project on this week’s hostess’ challenge announcement. This week you will link your project to THIS POST by midnight Saturday, August 8th.
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 TCPTUES70 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. HAVE FUN!!!

OH and a big congrats to Alice who is August's Swanky Stamper of the month! Check out this card HERE!

SUSIE Q-TIP: When you hear the ice cream truck coming down the street, go ahead and run out there and get one. It's like being a kid again. However, I highly recommend wearing flip flops or shoes when it's 100+ degrees. The heat from the road tends to flow up through your body and melts the ice cream you just overpaid the nice man for, I'm sure of it. Don't ask me how I know this. I'm too hot to talk about it.

Stamps: You Say It's Your Birthday, Happy Camper (The Cat's Pajamas)
Paper: Chocolate Chip, Pumpkin Pie (SU!), Rasberry Fizz, White (PTI), Sunshine Lollipop (Sassafras Lass)
Ink: Brilliance Graphite Black (Tsukineko)
Accessories: Labels One Nestabilities, Swiss Dots Embossing Folder, Cuttlebug, Circle Punch, Threading Water Border Punch (Fiskars), Corner Rounder, Copic Markers, Rasberry Fizz Stitched Ribbon (PTI), Buttons (TCP), Glue Dots, Jody Boosters

August One-Click Challenge for MFT

Well, ya'll know I don't normally blog on Sundays, but I just wanted ya'll to be sure and know about a little challenge going on in the My Favorite Things forum on Splitcoast. Jessie and I are hosting the ONE CLICK Challenge for this month and you can have the chance at winning the entire new MFT release on August 5th! In case you are new to the One Click Challenge, the winner will receive the FULL One-Click Collection of the unreleased sets for FREE! The winner will be announced on Wednesday August 5th during the release party.

Ready to hear what the challenge is? It's pretty simple: Show us your GINGHAM! Projects must feature the use of some MFT stamps or products, but are not limited strictly to MFT stamps or products. Your gingham can be in any form you chose from paper to ribbons to embellishments. A PERFECT opportunity to use those MFT Digital Paper Packs and Plaid Ribbon Nests!! HERE'S where you'll find all the details on how to play and what to do. Jessie and I will be popping into the gallery to see all of your creations here and there from now until Tuesday night. Have fun!

SUSIE Q-TIP: When you realize the mat you just cut with your pinking scissors (zigzag edgers) is just a tad small, learn from me and DON'T glue it down yet unless you like the extra largeness around the edge of it for your card base. Otherwise, try putting a mat under that layer to take up a little more room. Hindsight is 20/20 and my glue dries really really fast.

Stamps: Grow Love, By the Seashore (MFT)
Paper: Lemon Tart, Vintage Cream (PTI), Lemonade (Basic Grey)
Ink: Chocolate Chip (SU!), Palette Noir (Superior), Chestnut Roan Cat's Eye (Colorbox)
Accessories: Oval Nestabilities, Embossing Mat, Cuttlebug, Pinking Scissors, Slice/Noteworthy Card, Copic Markers, Prima Flowers, Rhinestone Brad, Gingham Spring Ribbon (MFT)