Prettie Thursday

This cute little guy is from the soon to be released set from Paper Pretties, Beach Bum. He's colored with Copics, and because I funked up the feet shadowing, I cut him out. :) Now, I'm calling it a "design decision".

I layered him on a Cuttlebuggled piece of CS Vellum. The PP is from the brand new Cosmo Cricket (Jack's World) that I shamelessly asked Eric (the Cosmo guy) for at CHA - you know, to decrease his shipping and labor costs to get it back home. I'm a giver.

Remember, the Prettie girls will be Stamping in Our Jammies, in the PP forum, on Aug 1st at 8pm. So make sure that you stop by to say hi! Also, today is the last day to submit a card to Christie (christie@paperpretties.net)to be the next PP Cutie Pie! (Hey! That rhymes! ;))

Now, I must wrap this up, d/t the fact that I have a whiny child that is clamoring for my attention at the moment. Come back tomorrow, because I have another card for you. Would you like a Bella or an owl?

xox,
Kirsten

CHA Recap, Part 3

So, I still have nothing stampy to show you, but I DO still have plenty of CHA pix! :)

This is Ali Edwards, THE name in scrapbooking. It was very cool to meet her and hope that just a little bit of her talent rubbed off on me! :)


This is one of Joanne and I with THE Miss Debbie Olson. She is the nicest and most down to earth person ever. She was also so patient with all of our Copic questions when she was demo-ing in the Copic booth.

This is Heidi Swapp. She makes the most awesome paper crafting products. It was so cool to meet her and learn that she currently lives in China! It was great to chat her up!

This is Lisa Strahl, and boy was it nice to meet her, as well! She is so uber talented and just seemed like a really cool chick!

And lastly, this is the wonderful Ellen Hutson. She was so totally nice, as well. Just what you would expect from her blog!





Well, that's about it for this installment. I'm hoping that I'll get something done today during naptime. Keep your fingers crossed for me! :)

Now I'm off for a MOMS Club brunch. TTYS!

xox,
k

Strawberries for Maggie

Okay, so it's not Spring anymore, but I went with the stamp anyways. :) This is a little strawberry garden that I made for one of my bestest friends, Mimi's daughter, Maggie. She just had a birthday, and loves to grow things, so I thought that she would like this.

The PP is from K&Company, and the stamp set is from PTI, as is the Egg Box. Ribbon is from May Arts, and I used my Marvy punches for the label. Rhinestones are from the $1 Store.

This is the inside of the box. (Sometimes I like to state the obvious. ;)) I covered the insert with some coordinating PP, but you can't really see that. Just know that it's prettier IRL. :)

Target had some little pots a month or so ago in their Dollar Spot that I had to grab up for this purpose. Well, they were a little too big for them all to fit in this box, so I grabbed up some smaller ones at Michael's to put the soil in.

The seed packets are underneath the pots and I included the directions for her in the gift bag that I decorated with the little strawberries and pretty ribbon. And lastly, to make sure she remembers what she planted, I added a little strawberry sign, made with a toothpick and two little 3/4 in. squares.

In quilting news, I finished my quilt top and now I just need to grab up some batting at the quilt store, and make my quilt sandwich! I'm really liking how it's turning out! I'll post a pic (or seven:)) when I finally get it finished.

And in conclusion, I would like to thank a few ladies who thought that this blog was worthy of an award. Thank you so much, and I'm so sorry that it's taken me so long to post some of these!!!

Tammy, from Dream, Create, and Share, awarded me the Arte Y Pico. The badge is on my sidebar.

Chelle, from The Many Adventures of a Painter Girl, tagged me with this badge. I'll get to that one later...

Babs, from My Pink Pajamas...Late Night Stampin' and Scrappin', tagged me with the same above badge.

Katie, from Just Me, tagged me with this badge (below).

Thanks again, Ladies, for thinking of me with these tags! I'll have to think up some more for the 7 weird facts one, since I've done it a few times already. I'm not sure that there's THAT much weird about me! (Wait a minute... who have you girls been talking to??? ;))

Well, my friends, that's about it for today. I'll post some more CHA pix soon!

xox, Kirsten

Psst (again)...

I just noticed that Kim has all of her paper goodies on sale for 20% off on the My Favorite Things web site! She needs to make room for all of the new CHA goodness, and TRUST ME, that's a good thing! ;)

Just enter the code CHASummer08 to receive the discount!!! Easy peasy!

Pssst...

Did you see that Alma's put the WHOLE STORE on sale??? Check out The Cat's Pajamas web site. EVERYTHING is 25% off for the next three days!!!

Thought you'd want to know...

Losing Sleep

This has been me for the past week! LOL This is Sophia, in Bunny Slippers. This set will be released, from Paper Pretties, on the 1st at 8pm! Isn't she adorable!

I picked up this paper this past weekend at Stampology, while I was in Chicago. It's from American Crafts. I really love the colors. I especially love them because they match these felt flowers that I had to have from SU! and keep forgetting to use. I paired them up with some Bazzill brads.

The MI (main image - have to check if that's in the StampSpeak list...) was colored with Copics. The teddy bear's head is popped up - not sure if you can tell from the pic, but you can always click on it to make sure that I'm not fibbing to you. ;) I'm usually a pretty lazy stamper, and don't think about doing this, but I'm really liking the dimension that it gives, so you're sure to see more of it in the future! LOL

Make sure you mark your calendar for Aug. 1st at 8pm, because the Prettie girls will be Stamping in Our Jammies, in the Paper Pretties forum! There will be loads of challenges and fun to be had.

Also, don't forget that it's your last chance to sign up for the SOTMC and get Howdy Girlfriend before it's released.

And lastly, Paper Pretties will be doing the Cutie Pie Contest again, so here's all of the deets that you'll need to know to play along with that...

How would you like to be Paper Pretties Cutie Pie? I thought you would!! All you have to do is make a card using your Paper Pretties stamps and send it to Christie at christie@paperpretties.net, and she will chose a winner from the entries. Besides getting to call yourself a Cutie Pie, you will also get all the stamps from this release for free!! You have until July 31st at 8pmCST to get your entries in!! Good luck!!


And now, I'll leave you with a CHA pic or two...

This is me with Sharon Johnson (notimetostamp) and Michelle. Miss Sharon was the sweetest down-to-earth person ever, and it was a pleasure to meet her.






This is another sweet duo - Lindsey Botkin (jacksonbelle)(Jacksonbelle Embellisments) and Michelle Boyer. I've been on DTs with both of these super talented girls, and it was so nice to meet them IRL.

This is another cool line-up of me :), Trudee Sauer, Laura, Michelle, and Susan Roberts (Rainy). (FYI, don't try to compliment someone when Carole's around. It'll turn around to bite you in the butt! ;))

Well, that's about it! I'm trying to get a quilt done, or at least into the next phase, so I might not have a TON of cards to show you for a few days, but I've still got loads of CHA pix, so stay tuned...

xox,
Kirsten

CHA Recap, Part 1

Okay, so I know you've all been on the edge of your seats, waiting for my take on CHA. Well, to tell you the truth, I'm overwhelmed with it! I have SO many pix, and met SO many people that I don't know where to start. It has the potential of turning into a mini series, like the Thornberries, or something! LOL

So, I figure that I'll start off with the highlights, and then throw in a pic or two in subsequent posts. I spent all morning editing my photos with the people I met, but I still have to go through all of my product photos! LOL

Here is one of my favorite pix (THANKS, Carole! ;)), because it shows all of my favorite girls that I was primarily hanging out with. There ARE a couple missing (Christy Beckwith, Amber Hillman (bambi64), and Kim's awesome friend, Jamie), but I'm sure that I've got them on my memory card somewhere! I was a bit comprehensive with the pictures - I'm sure you could find SOMEONE to verify that!? LOL

I love all of these chicks! We literally never stopped laughing! We all immediately hit it off, and I can't wait till the next time we get together! I think I was happiest to meet them.Top row from left: Cammie, Alma (TCP), Laura (Lov'n Life n Vegas), Deb (beadn & stampn), Michelle (flaxychick), Kim (the fabulous MFT bosslady); Bottom row: Joanne (basilefamily), Carole (TruCarMa), and Me.

This is me and one of my stamping idols, Nichole Heady (PTI), at a very bad angle. She so sweet, I'm so glad that I got the chance to meet and talk with her, even if I DO have several chins in this picture!

This is Cath Edvalson and Kim Kesti at the Paper Crafts booth. Both are so super nice!

This is none other than Tim Holtz. I'm not very big on distressing myself (as evidenced by my previous post), but darned if I was going to come home from CHA without a Tim Holtz picture! LOL

It was pretty funny how I got it. My first pic was one of him amongst his throng of admiring women, doing a cool project with his Ranger products. Next, I thought, "Hmm, maybe I could have someone take a pic of me standing behind him, so that we were both in the picture!?" So I did. Very funny picture. Then, Laura decided to do the same thing, but she got closer and even put her hand on his shoulder for the splitest second! Well, not to be outdone, I started to tip toe back to up to him, when he figured that he'd better address this situation or we were liable to never leave him alone to finish his demo! He nicely took my camera from me and took THIS pic. (There's more to this picture, but for now, I'll leave it at that. Joanne, you SOOO owe me... ;)) Finally, we ALL got in a pic! He was very gracious to humor us with all of our giggling starstruck-ness.

This is Laura, Michelle, and I with Eric from Cosmo Cricket. We were harassing about eliminating the 8x8 paper packs from his latest 3 lines, and attempting to talk him into changing his mind. We also found out that his first and last name is an anagram for Cosmo Cricket. He was so nice, and even had pity on us to give out some new paper packs for coming back on Sunday! Wohoo! So, you'll be seeing the new Mr. Campy and Jack's World from me very soon! :)

This is the very sweet duo of Gina K and Melanie Muenchinger. We ended up having a meal or two with them, and they couldn't be nicer!

This is another complete sweetie, Jenn Balcer, who gives the bestest hugs ever! I was SO happy to meet her at the SCS Cupcake Reception.

And lastly for today, this is Emily, from Stamping Bella. We had the opportunity to spend a good bit of time with her and Nicky, and it was so much fun!

We all really did have so much fun! We even had the chance to do a little shopping at a local stamping store in Chicago, Stampology. Those guys were awesome and even treated us to some authentic Chicago deep dish pizza and drinks! Oh, and we did a little shopping there, too! ;)

Wow, I think that this is all of the pix and links that this post can handle! I'll be back tomorrow with more superstars and maybe some products, too! LOL

Check back soon for more deets! I've got to do some cleaning around the house. :( Back to reality! LOL

xox, Kirsten

Hope It's Not "TOO" Shabby!

As much as I love the shabby chic look, I don't think that I do it well. However, I absolutely love this Cosmo Cricket Honey Pie paper, and after all, it DOES have a lot of PINK, so I thought that I'd give it a try! LOL

This is a 8 1/2 x 11 scrapbook page that I made for my friend Kim. She is such a great person, and I'm so thankful for have gotten the chance to know her. Well, this was for her 40th birthday, but if you know me, then you know that rarely do I have something like this done on time, SO here it is. Late, but better than never! :)

I distressed the picture (a lot, maybe too much?) with a sanding block and then sponged on some Distress ink. I used the Boho Blossoms set in the bkgd, along with SU!'s Linen bkgd stamp for some light pattern on the green layer. I also inked all the paper edges. For the sentiment, I used the SU! stamp set, Friendship Flowers.

It has been a REALLY long time since I've scrapped, so I hope that she likes it! The picture was taken a year ago at last year's StampFest. I stupidly didn't get one from this year! :(

Well, I get home today, and I'm sure that I'll be DYING to see my guys when I get there (I'm preposting this :)) Hopefully, sometime soon, too, I'll feel like getting all inky again! I'm so exhausted, I can hardly think of it, but things should be dying down as of next week. Therefore, there's a light at the end of the tunnel! I think! :)

Till later...

xox,
k

Today is the Day!!!

Today is my last sneak peek, and my last full day at CHA. I'm catching my "jet plane" tomorrow to head back to my little guy (and my big guy, of course! :))! I can't wait to hug them to pieces!!!

Today is also the BIG LAD RELEASE DAY!!! Make sure that you head on over to Lizzie Anne to get the full look at all of the new sets and singles! They're going to knock your socks off! I already told you that I have ALL of them! I'm just dying for the time to get to use them all! :)

Tomorrow, I will have a special project that I made for a special person...

xox,
k

One More Day...

Another day closer to release day, and another very brief post!!! For this card, I concentrated on the gears from the Gizmos and Gears set. I really like how they work so well together! Again, for the list of upcoming LAD sets and festivities, check out this link!

This is using more Cosmo Cricket paper, some punches, and my SU! Key Tag punch. Hope you like it!

Till tomorrow...

xox,
k

It's Good to be Queen

It's Paper Pretties day here on my blog, so I have another Sophia for you! This is her maxin' relaxin' on the beach with her trusty pooch. Isn't she cute!?

I've paired her up (again) with MME Just Dreamy paper, some Primas, and a few brads. She's colored with Copics.

I'm preposting this because I will be in Chicago by the time this posts! I will be doing that with several posts, as Lizzie Anne's big release is on Saturday!!! Now I have to run and go pack!

Have a great weekend, and if you see me this weekend, make sure you come and say hi! I love meeting my "pretend stamping friends"! :)

xox,
k

Sneak Peek Alert!!!

This adorable new set is called Gizmos and Gears, and it will be released on Saturday by Lizzie Anne Designs! It is a definite MUST HAVE for all mommies of little boys! TOO cute! I'm so excited, I'm even going to give you a two-fer! LOL

I'm going to keep this post brief as I'm preposting before CHA, and I've got a million things to do! I'll just forward you on to this link for the complete listing of the LAD release festivities, and trust you'll go check it out!

The patterned paper is from Cosmo Cricket. Click on the above picture, and you'll see the Crystal Effects, Stickles, and Twinkle Sticker that's hard to see otherwise. Other than that, I think everything's self explanatory!

Thanks for stopping by! I'll have another Peek for you tomorrow and Saturday, so stay tuned!

Till then...

xox, k

Got Tubes?

This is a card that I made with/for my MIL when she was here. She needed a card for a group of nurse friends who like to go tubing together. So, the sentiment works on both accounts! LOL (Get it? IV tubes, Foley catheter tubes, etc...)

I stamped the sentiment with PTI's Simple Alphabet and Hannah Stamps' Riley. The paper is MME Just Dreamy, again. (Don't worry, I'll put those markers away soon...probably.) There is Crystal Effects on the tube and a tiny flower behind her ear. Oh, and that green water DOES match the paper - just doesn't look like it from this pic! LOL

I was inspired by Michelle Wooderson for this layout. I just love her sketches!

Well, we're off to NJ today! I'll get back next week just in time to work a day and head off to CHA!!! Wohoo! Busy busy, but I'm SO excited to meet all of the SCS folks at CHA!

Have a great weekend!

Till later...

xox,
k

Will I Ever Get Tired of this Paper???

Okay, so the REAL reason that I keep using and using this paper is that I've got all of the markers (and there's a lot) pulled out on my table, and I don't have to have to put them back JUST to pull them back out again! It's laziness, really. Well, the MME Just Dreamy (boy pack, 'cause there's two) has a "pieces" page, and that's where I got this cutie flourish.


This is Paper Pretties' Sophia heading off to school. Isn't she cute!? She is, of course, colored with Copics (on PTI Stamper's Select white paper). I added an A Muse sentiment b/c I thought that this would make an adorable card to stick in the book bag of a little girl. My mom used to do that for me, and it made me feel SO special.


Well, that's about it! Hope you have a great TGIF tomorrow!


xox,
k

I Don't Exercise...

Last post tonight, but I did live up to my promise! This is a Bella card that I made with some more MME Just Dreamy paper and an Inky Antics sentiment, while my MIL was here.

I got this sentiment at StampFest, and it made me LOL when I read it! I thought that it would be perfect with this Cosmobella (even though most martinis don't have ice)!

I paper pieced her pants, and colored the rest of her with Copics. The flowers are Prima, and the tab is MM.

Tomorrow will bring a Paper Pretties card. Till then...

xox,
K

Come on Down!

Good Morning! The winner of the super yummy Lizzie Anne prize is...

Random Integer Generator
Here are your random numbers:121
Timestamp: 2008-07-09 14:37:44 UTC

That translates into Eileen M! So, if you are Miss Eileen, then email me your address ASAP, so that I can get it to the LAD girls! If you're not Miss Eileen, but you know her, give her a ring and tell her to get on over here and claim her prize! LOL

Here's what she said...

"I think one of my wishes may be covered in the next release- with Giddyup Girl. Next, because of my age (or more accurately, the age of my friends), I have a few retirement cards to make, and that will be happening more and more! So a retirement set, with some quirky sayings, would be great. And a music set would be great, too. Thanks for the chance to win!"

Congratulations, Eileen!

Now, keep staying tuned because I WILL have a card posted by day's end! LOL

xox,
k

Who's Up for Some Lizzie Anne Lovin'?!?

The Lizzie Anne Celebration (click <--- for full schedule of deets!) is still in full swing, and today is my day to spread some LAD love! All you have to do is leave a comment here ON THIS POST, and tell me what kind of Lizzie Anne sets you would like to see in the future. You never know who might be reading this! :)

Then, tonight at 12:00am EST, I will draw a random winner via random.org. I'll announce the lucky person tomorrow morning right here on my blog, and then then the winner will need to get their home addy to me so that they can receive their super secret special package direct from the Lizzie Anne girls!

How easy is that!!! So, hurry up! You don't have much time!

Also, here's another LAD girl you might want to check out - Katie Ellsworth. I do believe that she'll be handing out some candy over on her blog today!

Good luck!

xox,
Kirsten

PS I should be back soon with a card to show you, so stay tuned! :)

Guess What?

This is the birthday card that I made for Wyatt's 4th birthday. His actual bday isn't for a few days, but his party was today, and boy is he pooped! We had a Spiderman Slip and Slide, water guns, and loads of sprinklers going on in the back yard, so the kids all brought their bathing suits and played like crazy. Then we ate, had cake, and opened presents, and by the time everyone left, Wyatt was so overstimulated, it wasn't even funny! He had a blast though! So many awesome gifts from so many awesome friends and family. We're very blessed.

His big gift from us won't even come for a couple of weeks. He's getting a super cool tent loft bed with a slide. He's going to love it! I think I'm hating waiting for it even more than he is! LOL

Anywho, back to the card. I wanted to make a Suspension Card for his special day, because I thought he would love the interactive-ness. His party theme was Super Hero, so I thought that I'd create a phone booth type of thing (but w/out the phone booth) and show him changing from an average fun-loving kid to his SUPER persona. :)
Try not to be jealous of my super stylish manicure, but here is the pic of Super Wyatt and his trusty sidekick. For great directions on creating a Suspension Card, click here - Beate did a beautiful job on this tutorial!

The images are from Pink Cat Studio {Billy Set and Dress Up Wyatt (Billy) Set}, and the sentiments are from PTI (Simple Alphabet) and Stamping Bella. PP is from MME's Just Dreamy and ribbon is SU! The images were colored with Copics.

That's about it! Till later...

xox, Kirsten

Sketches

Happy 4th of July! Sorry I don't have a patriotic post ready for you! But at least the pic is taken outside, right!? It's a LITTLE festive, right!? Okay, maybe not... This is my sketchbook that I altered with some Prima paper and my Lizzie Anne sets, Far East and Chloe alphabet. I used the scratching technique that I described in this post on this project, as well. I actually used it here first. I wanted the main image to look older, like the paper, so I removed little lines of ink with the tips of my scissors before stamping to the paper. I think my favorite part, though, is the lantern hanging from the top of the "h". :)

Lots to do today, so I'm off and running! Catch ya later!

xox,
k

Finally!

I know that all of you have been on your edge of your seat to hear my big announcement that I alluded to a couple of weeks ago... ;) Well, I was contacted by Paper Pretties to be one of their Guest Designers for the next three months, and I had to say YES! Their little Sophia images are just too stinking cute! PLUS, I had the chance to meet Christie last year at StampFest, and I just really liked her, so it was only natural for me to want to design with her stamps! SO, for the next three months, I am a Pretty Girl! :)

I also wanted to have something to show you when I shared my news, but d/t technical reasons, I was delayed till now. Finally, I get to play! This is a sneak peek of a new Sophia set, Howdy Girlfriend. She's all colored with Copics, and layered with some MME Just Dreamy paper and a Heidi Swapp Ghost star. I also added some SU! ribbon.

Well, I'm off to bed. It's been a crazy day, and I'm beat! Have a great Fourth of July, and I'll have something else to show you tomorrow! Till then...

xox,
k

Life is Fabulous

This is an Emerson Quillin image from American Art Stamp. Isn't she fun!? I used a bit more of my MME Just Dreamy paper for this. After that, all I added was some SU! ribbon and some bridal flowers that I colored with Copics and finished off with Dew Drops.

Recognize this sketch? I also used it for my Call Me card I did on Monday! Very easy to work with, but the angled line in the bkgd adds so much interest! It's also a fun sketch for PP, and you all KNOW how much I love THAT! :)

Tomorrow I'll show you what I did with the cover of my sketchbook. I finally altered it! Till then...

xox,
k

Worth the Effort

Meet Flopsey. Gardener Flopsey, that is. Isn't she adorable?! She, along with a sentiment or two, make up a new MINI set that will be released TONIGHT, right HERE (<-- Click there!) This sentiment is actually from the other Flopsey set also to be released, called Pulling for You.
The image is colored with Copics (as always), and embellished with a little flower and pearl in her hat (my favorite part of the card). The PP is from Cosmo Cricket's Honey Pie, and is cut out at the bottom, to make room for the little tile buttons my MIL sent me! They fit just perfect with a card like this! I just tied little linen thread bows in each one. The decorative edge was done by a new Fiscars border punch. It cut and embossed. Ribbon is from SU!

Well, that's about it for my Teasers! I have some things planned for the new Annie LaPoint images, but I haven't had a chance to get them down on paper! Make sure that you check out all of the other DT blogs for more ideas on how these sets can be used. (Links are on my sidebar -->) The options are endless! Kim outdoes herself every month! (Next month will be no exception... I know. That was mean. :))

Tomorrow should bring an American Art Stamp card. Till then...

xox,
k

A Hug to Ease...

Don't you just love those bunny slippers and that sentiment??? This is the new stamp set from MFT, called what else, but Bunny Slippers! :) The image is colored with Copics and accented by pink Stickles (see below).

I used my new MME PP, Just Dreamy, again - I'm loving that stuff, and I haven't even broken into the boyish pack, either! LOL I also used some SU! rub-ons, Twinkle Stickers, SU! ribbon, Nesties (for the circle), and SU! bkgd stamp Stitched. Don't forget that the MFT new release Cocktail Party (and release date) is tomorrow night! It's always loads of fun, but we're getting family in tomorrow, so I hope that I can make it, at least for a little while! I've got another Teaser for you tomorrow, so stay tuned...

xox,
k

Takin' a Lil Stroll

Are you taking the Lizzie Anne Blog Stroll? If you're not, then you should! :) If you get the LAD newsletter, you know that all of the Design Team is posting their favorite June LAD card today, so now's the time to do some blurfing (that's blog surfing, if you're new to this!) for some pretty awesome cards! If you didn't get the newsletter, well, you know now anyways! LOL

I picked this card because I love the background technique that I used on it. I call it my Fabreeze technique! It's like the water spritzing technique on glossy paper, but with Fabreeze instead. It also gives it a nice April Fresh fragrance! LOL

I discovered this idea while making a Halloween card ages ago, when I couldn't find a water spritzer. I wanted to hurry up before the ink dried, and Fabreeze was the only thing I could find! So I sprayed and it worked beautifully, and had the added benefit of the nice smell! :)

All I did was stamp the lotus flower (from the Far East stamp set) on the glossy cardstock with Black Stazon, then sponge on color. I was looking for a sunrise effect, so from the bottom I sponged Rose Red, then Regal Rose, then Pumpkin Pie. After it was all blended like I wanted it, I lightly sprayed the Fabreeze all over the image. It created the "rain drop" effect, that I think is so pretty with a solid black stamped image.

I stamped half of the sentiment (from the Say it in Script stamp set) and punched it with my SU! Key Tag Punch, and folded it over the top of the largest layer. Then, I stamped the branch image on the Pumpkin card base. Lastly, I tied the May Arts ribbon around, and layered the card together.

I hope that you like what you saw, and that you continue on with the stroll. If you didn't get the newsletter, then you can always click HERE, to get the full DT list. This is just the first bit of fun that the LAD girls have planned in preparation to their AWESOME summer release AND their second birthday! For the official schedule of events, check out THIS LINK!

Now, I'll be back later with another MFTeaser. See ya then!

xox,
Kirsten