Hanna ~ You are a ROCK STAR!

Hanna is totally ROCKIN' this month with this new Rock Star set by Hanna Stamps! The possibilities are endless with this set & I had a blast making these projects.

On this first project, I took some chipboard letters and colored them black with my Copic marker. Then I added these cool silver studs to add a bit of bling. The fun guitar and dotted paper are from Piggy Tales which is available at i{heart}papers. I thought it was perfect for this set!

My next card was fun because I made Hanna's guitar pink and fuzzy with some Sparkle Fluff by Our Craft Lounge (coming VERY soon).

Don't you just love pink, black and white? I love the pop of color this combination gives!

My final project for today is a party invitation and name tag for a Guitar Hero party. We have a Wii and purchased Guitar Hero for the family. I totally STINK ~ seriously I can't even get past the first few bars. However, you should see my husband play. The first time he played, he got a 90%! That is SO NOT FAIR! Even my kids can play ~ they all love it!

Look at this sweet guitar sparkle!

So there are my project for today ~ the Rock Star set will be available on Monday, March 2nd at midnight!

Supplies Used

Card #1: Stamps ~ Hanna Stamps ~ Rock Star Hanna; Cardstock ~ SU; Pattern Paper ~ Piggy Tales; Ink ~ Palette & Copics; Silver Studs ~ Michael's; Chipboard Letters ~ SU; Nestabilties.

Card #2: Stamps ~ Hanna Stamps ~ Rock Star Hanna; Cardstock ~ SU; Ink ~ Palette & Copics; Sparkle Fluff ~ Our Craft Lounge; Ribbon & Trim ~ Making Memories.

Card #3: Stamps ~ Hanna Stamps ~ Rock Star Hanna; Cardstock ~ SU; Pattern Paper ~ Piggy Tales; Ink ~ SU, Palette & Copics; Stickles; Ric Rac ~ May Arts; Ribbon ~ SU; Nestabilties.

Friday Post #2 ~ Hanna Sneak Peek

Well look at little miss Sophie getting a pedicure! Isn't she just the sweetest thing? And get a glimpse at Sophie's towel on her head! I used some Sparkle Fluff (by Our Craft Lounge) to make it look like terry cloth with a bit of bling. I really love working with the Riley & Sophie stamps by Hanna Stamps because they are so easy to color and it's super easy to put a card together. This fabulous stamp, along with another Riley and 3 Hanna sets will be released on Monday, March 2nd at midnight! I'll have tons more sneak peeks over the next 3 days ~ so stay tuned!

Supplies Used: Stamps ~ Hanna Stamps (Riley Collection) & Hero Arts (Sentiment); Cardstock ~ Papertrey Ink; Pattern Paper ~ Imaginsce; Ink ~ Palette & Copics; Flock ~ Sparkle Fluff by Our Craft Lounge; Border Punch ~ EK Success.

Inchie Friday ~ March Calendar Page

Well March is almost here & my Inchie calendar page is now complete. I love how this one turned out because of the pretty flower with the Inchie square in the center. I just needed to add a bit of flare to this page & I think this really makes the image POP (and it goes perfectly with the pattern paper from Stampin' Up! Did you see the fabulous scallop border punch? The scallops are actually SCALLOPED! LOVE THAT!!!

If you haven't heat embossed on Inchie squares before, you need to try it. They emboss beautifully! The pigment ink sticks very well to the Inchie and they don't warp when heated. I love the result!

Stop by later today for post #2 ~ Hanna Sneak Peeks!

Supplies Used: White Inchie Squares (Inchie Arts); Cardstock & Pattern Paper ~ Stampin' Up!; Ink ~ SU & Copics; Flower ~ Martha Stewart; Stamp ~ Lockhart Stamp Co; Border Punch ~ EK Success; Calendar Grid ~ made by Kendra on Excel.

Wedding Madness...

So would you like to see what I've been up to for the last 3 months? Well it's been WEDDING MADNESS! A friend of mine asked if I would make her wedding invitations for her and of course that also included the RSVP card, the favors, ceremony programs, and thank you notes.....

The process started out with a meeting to discuss colors and basic ideas. Then I made 5 different invitations for her to preview. This lead to making the final decision on the layout and embellishments. After that I made one copy of the final product for her approval and then ordered the supplies. Once the supplies came in, my sister (who is an angel), came to visit for 5 days and she helped me cut, stamp, emboss, tie ribbon, glitter, and prep all the pieces for assembly. Then one Saturday in January, the bride and her friends came over and we assembled everything and stuffed the envelopes. WOW ~ what a job!

Here is the inside of the gatefold invitation. We used a magnet closure so the ribbon would not have to be untied.

The wedding program is below & I am so pleased with how it turned out. It's hard to see, but the edge is embossed just like the invitation.

Here are all the programs on the table after I put Stickles on the flowers.

I still have the wedding favors to finish and the thank you notes, but slowly this huge job is coming to an end! I'll just say this ~ I won't be going into the wedding invitation business. But I am thrilled with how everything has turned out ~ and the bride is pretty happy too!

ETA: Even a year after this post, I am still getting questions about these pretty invitations. So here are a few notes I have passed on:

The measurements:
Finished card - 5 1/4" square
Card base size - 11 3/4" x 5 1/4"
Score marks for gate fold - 3 1/4" & 8 1/2" (the inside square should be 5 1/4")

Print your text for the inside of the invite on cardstock first (2 per page) and then cut to the size you need.

Since this is a square invite, the cost to mail is more. Also, this particular invite was pretty heavy because of all the layers and the magnet.

Tip: whatever invite you make (or buy), make sure you mail one to yourself with all the pieces (map, RSVP & return envelope) to make sure you have the proper postage and that you are happy with how it held up during mailing.

The finished RSVP & Thank You cards were 3 1/2" x 5" & used the same envelopes.

Envelopes - These are what we used:
Invite
RSVP

Supplies: Stamps ~ Stampin' Up!; Cardstock ~ SU (black), Bazzill (Forget-me-not), Papertrey Ink (ivory); Ink ~ SU; Nestabilities; Stickles ~ Champaign; Ribbon ~ SU (vanilla), May Arts (velvet); Cuddlebug Embossing Folder.

Lizzie Anne Sketch Time

I'm on quite a roll with challenges lately huh? Well today, I played with the Lizzie Anne Designs weekly sketch challenge. This week Lauren came up with this fun layout. I used the Gizmos and Gears set ~ I just love this set! Go take a look at all the fun cards the girls are making with the sketch this week!

Supplies Used: Stamps ~ Lizzie Anne Designs (Gizmos and Gears); Cardstock ~ SU & Papertrey Ink; Ink ~ SU; Pattern Paper & Ribbon ~ Cosmo Cricket; Buttons ~ Papertrey Ink.

Some favorite things...

Happy Tuesday! Today I made a card for the Unity Sketch Challenge ~ I just love my Unity Stamps and the Kit of the Month. They have so many whimsical and unique images and sentiments.

I paired these fun Unity Stamps from the February Kit of the Month with some favorite new papers and trim from i{heart}papers. This gorgeous paper is from the Tweet Collection by Upsy Daisy & look at the fabulous Venise Lace Trim on the card by CTrims ~ AMAZING!

I've really been enjoying doing challenge cards the last few weeks ~ sometimes you just need to shake things up and look at things from a different perspective.

Luck o' the Irish!

Well I'm not Irish, but these are pretty cute images in this new set by Our Craft Lounge called Kiss Me, I'm Green! There are some fun images that can be used for all sorts of things ~ not just St. Patty's day (especially if you live in/near South Bend, IN and Notre Dame).

Supplies Used: Stamps ~ Our Craft Lounge (Kiss Me, I'm Green); Cardstock ~ SU & Papertrey; Pattern Paper ~ Piggy Tales (Itsy Bitsy Spider) from i{heart}papers; Punches ~ SU; Nestabilities.

Ruff, Ruff ~ BAD DOGGIE!

YES ~ There are more doggies from Our Craft Lounge! You know that makes me very happy! Today I played with a sketch challenge over on a brand new site called the Card Patterns blog. This week's sponsor is Kate from i{heart}papers & I love the sketch she posted ~ loads of fun! They post a sketch, you do a card and link to it on their blog. If you win the contest you could not only prizes but a guest spot on an upcoming challenge ~ very fun! SO GO PLAY!!!

Supplies from i{heart}papers: Stamps ~ Our Craft Lounge (Pat the Bad Dog, Pat the Good Dog, Pat the Dawg House; Pattern Paper ~ Sonburn Designs (Reigning Cats and Dogs); Nestabilties; Palette Ink; Paw Print Twill.

Just Saying Hi!

Just wanted to say hello &
wish you a wonderful weekend!

Inchie Friday ~ A Cherry on Top!

Inchie Friday is back & I am loving this page! I really enjoy playing with my Copic markers & I love using them to get some great shading.

Now you can't have an ice cream sundae without a Cherry on TOP ~ right? When I saw this cute little cherry stamp and this fun cherry paper, I knew exactly what page I was going to make with it. We love to have an ice cream sundae bar as a special dessert & I just love this picture of my little guy.

This week I used the Itty Bitty Checked Border stamp with the Itty Bitty Cherry stamp from Lockhart Stamp Company as an accent to my page. First I stamped the border in black Palette ink & then I stamped the cherry stamp in black pigment ink and heat embossed it because I really wanted it to stand out on the white Inchie square. I used the same cherry stamp around the border of the page & on the white journaling square. The little cherry accent not only ties all of the elements together on the page, but it also covers up something on the photograph that was a bit distracting ~ shhhhh.... don't tell anyone.

When you stamp on a journaling block(or anything with words), make sure you stamp off first. Meaning, ink your stamp, stamp on a piece of scrap paper and then stamp on your cardstock. The image will be just a bit lighter and you'll still be able to read your journaling.

Supplies Used: White Inchie Squares ~ Inchie Arts; Cardstock & Pattern Paper ~ SU; Lettering ~ Cricut (Alphalicious cartridge); Ink ~ SU pigment ink & Palette ink, Copic markers; Curly Label Punch ~ SU; Stamps ~ Lockhart Stamp Co.

Time for some Unity Challenges...

Just for the heck of it, I decided to play with my Unity Stamps today. They have been sitting uninked for far too many weeks & needed some attention! The sample above from the Unity Sketch challenge for this week (USCSC15) ~ and it's such a fun challenge. I used my images from the November Kit of the Month. The Unity kits are so cool because there are so many stamps and lots of variety with both the images and the sentiments. LOVE THEM!

This card was one I did last Thursday for a Hip Hop Challenge. Guess what? Today is Thursday, so that means it's HIP HOP day over at Unity! Go take a look and join in the fun!

Card #1: Supplies: Stamps ~ Unity Stamp Co; Cardstock ~ SU; Pattern Paper ~ Chatterbox; Ribbon ~ SU; Ink ~ Palette & Copics; Nestabilities; Flowers ~ Prima.

Card #2: Supplies: Stamps ~ Unity Stamp Co; Cardstock ~ SU; Ink ~ SU; Embossing Powder ~ SU; Nestabilities; Hearts ~ Hero Arts.

Birthday Treats...

YUUUUUUMMMMMMMY! These Sweet Treats from Our Craft Lounge look pretty yummy! Don't you just love cupcakes? Dang ~ now I'm craving something sweet. I knew I should have worked with the Bugz set again today!

Supplies from i{heart}papers: Stamps ~ Our Craft Lounge (Sweet Treats); Nestabilties; Palette Ink ~ Burnt Umber; atyou Spica glitter pens; Flower Gems ~ Hero Arts.

Just Bugz!

Now here's a super cute little new set from Our Craft Lounge. It's called Just Bugz & both the images and sentiments are adorable!

I also participated in this week's Featured Stamper challenge. This week's talented stamper is Julie Lacey & I picked a fun card from her gallery to sort of CASE ~ or at least use it as a starting point. If you ever want to join in the fun, give the weekly Featured Stamper Challenge a try over on Splitcoast Stampers.

Supplies Used: Stamps ~ Our Craft Lounge (Just Bugz); Cardstock ~ Papertrey Ink, Stampin' Up!; Pattern Paper ~ Imaginsce (Twitterpatter); Ribbon ~ Papertrey Ink; Ink ~ Palette, Copics, Spica Glitter Pens; Glue and Glitter; Brad ~ American Crafts.

More Fun Robots...

Just a few more Inky Antics samples that I made for the CHA display. These images were tons of fun to play with.

Sorry ~ super short post today. Everyone is home & underfoot so no time to play or blog today~ but that's OK cause we're having a great weekend.

OCL BLOG CANDY WINNER!

Sorry I'm so late today ~ I took the kids to a movie and just got home.

The winner of Pat the Bad Dog set is.....

Kerry J. who left a new comment on my Friday post at 4:37pm
So super cute!! My fave set is the Botz Family!

Kerry ~ email me your snail mail address & I'll forward it to the OCL girls.

Congrats girls!

OCL ~ Flowers for You!

There's still time ~ don't forget to post for the OCL blog candy today until noon (pacific time ~ 3pm eastern time). You can leave your post here or on my Friday post. I'll be drawing a winner and will post it here. The response to the new sets has been AMAZING!

Today's card is from the new set Flowers for You ~ it's a gorgeous set with lots of possibilities.

Inchie Friday on Saturday...

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!!!!

Don't forget to enter the blog candy on yesterday's post ~ I will be drawing a winner tomorrow. Click on the link to leave and comment and to see the list of other designers participating in all the fun blog candy!

OK ~ on with today's post...

Welcome to Inchie Saturday this week. I was going to post yesterday, but there was so much going on that I didn't want this sweet page to get lost in all the excitement!

My project for today honors the people I love most ~ my husband and kids! My husband is the love of my life and we've been together since we were 14 years old! We have two great kids who we love spending time with and drive us a little crazy from time to time! I wouldn't trade the three of them for anything in the world!

For my project today, I used some of my Black Inchie Squares from Inchie Arts. Because of the colors I used on my page, I thought they would be perfect! I simply stamped the ladybug in white pigment ink and embossed with white embossing powder ~ EASY PEASY! In addition, I used the same lady bug to stamp my own background paper ~ a perfect way to match all the elements of the page. I used my triangle and triple design principles on this layout to bring balance to the page and the other element I used to tie the page together were all the scallops ~ the edges of the page, the title box & the three Inchie squares ~ in 3's again.

Supplies: Inchie squares ~ Inchie Arts; Cardstock ~ SU; Nestabilties; Letters ~ Spare Parts (Hobby Lobby); Ink ~ Versamark, White Pigment Ink; Embossing Powder; Stamps ~ Lockhart; Scallop punch ~ SU.