Guest Designing with Sweet Stamp Shop!

Hello friends! I am so honored to be back today to share some more cards showcasing some gorgeous stamps this month. Nicole from Sweet Stamp Shop invited me to design with her new release this month, and I am so happy that she did!The reveal was on Nov 14th, and I shared some cards for that here, but I am also going to share some more cards today. First up, I'll showcase Monogram it-Stationery  and Monogram Alpha with you; done in two super trendy ways! 

Reindeers are totally trending right now, in fact I am thinking of adding a feminine gold one to the nursery decor.  Monogram it-Stationery has a great reindeer image with cute little foliage details at the top! For this card I wanted to show you that reindeer don't have to be a Christmas only motif; with the right colors you can make a card for any time of the year.

I stamped the reindeers in bright pink, red, lime and green and created a diamond pattern. I added a few pearls to the antlers for texture and used the Monogram Alpha set to create a custom sentiment. I liked this design so much, I had to make a second card!

This card uses the same reindeer stamp, but also the leafy garland, and has some more masculine colors like lime, gray, dark blue and turquoise.

The Monogram Alpha set is so easy to use! To get perfectly straight lines, I put a little washi tape down after lining the card up on my grid cutting mat, and then stamped-instant sentiment!

On this card, I used the Speedy Greetings set and the adorable matching flair. This is a fun mini set with some cute little images like trees, reindeer and speedy little car.

I stamped the tree and sentiment on the card, and then adhered the coordinating flair to give it dimension. I used patterned paper that coordinated with the colors, but wasn't necessarily Christmas based because I didn't want this card to look to "themey." 

My final card is a lovely thanks card from the "Both of Us." I am so happy that the Monogram it-Stationery set includes this stamp. Sometimes it's nice to have a thank you card that includes both you and your husband, especially for joint gifts. First, I die cut a crest from the Silhouette store, and then masked the banner and sentiment stamp. After that, I masked a floral and leaf arrangement on top.

I added the ribbon stamps at the bottom of the crest. To adhere the crest, I trimmed a little from it where the banner overlaps so you could see the "from both of us" sentiment and lastly, I stamped thanks with alpha stamps from the Monogram Alpha set.

Materials for Hello Reindeer Card 

Monogram it-Stationery | Monogram Alpha | PTI cardstock-White | Rosebud Dye Ink | Ladybug Dye Ink | Bamboo Leaves Dye Ink | Tuxedo Black Dye Ink | Lime Chalk Ink | Classy Red pearls | Green Pearls | Lime Pearls | Washi tape

Materials for Reindeer Thanks Card 

Monogram it-Stationery | Monogram Alpha | PTI cardstock-White | Charcoal Chalk Ink | Lime Chalk Ink | Ocean Deep Chalk Ink | Ink Blue Chalk Ink | Tuxedo Black Dye Ink | Blue Pearls | Turquoise Pearls

Materials for Speedy Greetings Card

Speedy Greetings | Speedy Greetings Flair | PTI cardstock-White | Cantaloupe Dye Ink | Tuxedo Black Dye Ink | Ladybug Dye Ink | Assorted paper.

Materials for Thanks from Both of Us Card

Monogram it-Stationery | Monogram Alpha | PTI cardstock-Vintage Cream | Mini Blooms set | Folk Art Florals | Aqua Mist Dye Ink | Hawaiian Shores Dye Ink | Pale Tomato Dye Ink | Soft Leaf Dye Ink | Cantaloupe Dye Ink | Yellow Pearl | Salmon Pearl | Turquoise Pearl | Washi Tape | Miniature doily

Trio of Cards with Sweet Stamp Shop

Hello friends! I am so honored to be designing with some gorgeous stamps this month. Nicole from Sweet Stamp Shop invited me to play along this month with some gorgeous stamp sets, and I am so happy that she did! She's got some great new sets and products that you're going to love! Today, I am going to share Monogram it-Stationery with you-done in three ways! 

This set has so many great elements! From laurel wreathes and antlers to banners and borders. For this card I took the wreath, flowers and borders and created a folk art feel using a simple chalkboard technique.

I stamped and heat embossed all the elements first using a color triad of blue, yellow and white. By symmetrically placing the wreath and flowers close to each other, I created a folk art feel. I then heat embossed a banner, and bent a sentiment stamp to fit inside. Finally, I added simple borders on each side and then embellished with some rustic twine, laser cut miniature doilies and 

For this card I mixed the cow from What's for Dinner with the banner and a sentiment from  Monogram it-Stationery. I adore the simple animals from the What's for Dinner set, and they fit perfectly inside the laurel wreathe. The card has a rustic sort of feel to it with the woodgrain patterned paper, and yellow twine, but it's still comes across as soft and sweet with the curves of the banner and warm yellows and reds.

One of the best parts of the Monogram it-Stationery is that all the sentiments fit perfectly in the banner. Now, I don't know about you, but banner sentiments can be tricky. One way that I have found to make them fit perfectly is to

|1| Gather two acrylic blocks and the banner and sentiment you want to use. 

|2| Place the banner right side up on one block. Bend the sentiment stamp to fit the curves of the banner stamp and "kiss" it down on the banner stamp.

|3| Take the second acrylic block on the sentiment stamp to "pick it up" and stamp on your card. It'll bend perfectly!

My go-to style is mixing patterned paper and stamps, and the borders in the Monogram it-Stationery set are perfect for this.

I fussy cut some embroidery hoops  and trimmed some paper from Crate Paper's Close Knit collection to adhere to the card. Then I stamped some borders to create a little frame and added a swag border with the leaves.

You're going to want this set! It is PERFECT for so many cards!! Make sure to check out the blog today for all the other new set releases including Sweet Stamp Shop's newest illustrator releases. Alyssa Lea's designs are super fun and cute and were so excited she's teamed up with Nicole.

Make sure to stop by my blog in November 25th for some more fun cards from this month's release!!

Materials for Folk Art Chalkboard Thanks Card

Monogram it-Stationery | American Crafts cardstock | PTI cardstock-Aqua Mist | Watermark Ink | Assorted Embossing Powders | Miniature Clothespin | American Crafts twine | Butterfly punch | Maya Road stick pin

Materials for Rustic Greetings Card

Monogram it-Stationery | What's for Dinner | Rhubarb Stalk Dye Ink | Cantaloupe Dye Ink | Desert Sand Dye Ink | Maggie Holmes Flea Market 6" x 6" paper pad | PTI Cardstock-Vintage Cream | Berry Red Pearls | Yellow Sunshine Pearls | American Crafts twine

Materials for  Card

Monogram it-Stationery | Assorted from Close Knit 6" x 6" paper pad | PTI Cardstock-Vintage Cream | Aqua Mist Dye Ink | Hero Arts Pale Tomato Dye Ink |  Yellow Sunshine Pearls | Maya Road Heart Stick Pin

Cath, You'll Always be Moxie Fab Blog Hop

Welcome to the Moxie Fab Thanks Bog hop, you should have arrived here from Taylor Usry's blog. If you get lost along the way or are just joining me, make sure to visit Moxie Fab World to start your journey.

I couldn't believe it when I read the news that Cath was retiring the Moxie Fab World and Moxie Fab column in Paper Crafts and Scrapbooking magazine on the Moxie Fab World website. Hands down Moxie Fab has been my most favorite column in the magazine, and I always was eager to find out what the newest trends were from the trend master herself, Cath.

I has always admired the flawless taste of Cath, and the talented designers that she asked to design for her column. I secretely wished that one day it could be me. Well, last year my wish came through--she invited me to design for Moxie Fab. I was ecstatic, and immediately set to work on a somewhat over-the-top project. Cath, in her gentle, guiding way helped me re-work my idea to focus it a little more. She offered such great advice, and the card below was the card that she helped me make Moxie Fab for her column that month.

Here we are at CHA Winter 2013 with the lovely Vera Yates and Susan Opel! Such fun times

Cath, has touched so many lives. So many women have been impacted and changed by her gentle and friendly spirit, and her creative outlook on life. Some of us have joined together to honor her in a special blog hop. We'll each share a project in honor of her, and I thought it fitting to create a card based on a Moxie Fab World challenge. I'm really loving gold right now, and even created a Pinterest board for my gold obsession, so my card follows, the All that Glitters is Gold challenge.

 I think the pink and gold look so elegant together, and gold seemed so fitting for Cath because she is so classy and timeless with great style! I used pink in the cardstock, ink and ribbon and gold with the embossing powder and doily.

I heat embossed a stencil on vellum and then trimmed into a banner, notching at the end. To as some dimension and texture, the ribbon and pin help, and a few sequins add a bit of sparkle without taking away from the gold.

Your next stop is the lovely and talented Amy Tsuruta. Thanks for joining me! Have a great weekend!

If you get lost, here's the entire list of blogs (so many wonderful ladies are participating!)

Caring Hearts Blog Hop

Good Morning! Thanks for stopping by during the Caring Hearts Card Drive. You should have arrived here from my lovely friend, Kimberly Crawford's blog. 

Each year my friends Vera Yates and Jennifer McGuire coordinate a card drive that delivers holiday cards to elderly residents in nursing homes who may be lonely or have no one to celebrate with.

The holidays are about family, about kindness and joy. During this time many of the elderly who live in nursing homes may feel the lonely or miss their families. Wouldn't it be so awesome if you could bring a smile to their face and brighten their holiday season simply by sharing your love of card-making? A simple gesture can let a person whose alone know that they're not forgotten.

We all love making cards, and what's better than knowing that our creations can bring a smile to others? 

To help jump start this hop (and holiday season), I've made a holiday card to share. I will be donating this card along with some others to the Caring Hearts Card Drive. For more information on how to submit your handmade holiday card, and for a chance to win some amazing prizes just for contributing, please visit Vera's blog for all the details.

I absolutely love the new Chalet collection from SEI. It's the perfect blend of rustic and elegant, and it's full of delicious creams and reds that work perfectly with the wood grains and textures of the patterned paper.

 I covered a card block with snowflake paper and then placed some cardstock over the patterned paper block. Then, I stamped a foliage wreath (which you'll see more of mid month on my blog) and added a cardstock reindeer sticker with foam tap in the middle. The cardboard star and star brad along with the rhinestones come in the Chalet Sundries and add some texture and dimension. Plus, the cardstock stickers in this collection are perfect for card makers-so many festive sentiments! For a finishing rustic winterland look I punched some snowflakes and added pearls to the center.

Materials: Chalet 12" x 12" Creative Pack | Cardstock stickers | Baker's Twine | Chalet Sundries |

Red Pearls | Snowflake punches

Please leave a comment below sharing a holiday tradition you share with your family. Random winners will be chosen from the blog hop to win prizes, so the more times you comment, the better your chances of winning. You can also win prizes from our fabulous sponsors just by submitting your cards to the Caring Hearts Card Drive. Here's a list of our prize sponsors (for a detailed list of prizes please visit the Caring Hearts Card Drive main page.

Clearly Besotted Stamps

Ellen Hutson

Fresh Squeezed Stamps

Hero Arts

Inspiration Emporium

Lawn Fawn

L'il Inker Designs

May Arts

My Favorite Things

Newton's Nook and Designs

Online Card Classes

Paper Smooches

Simon Says Stamps

Studio Calico

Tim Holtz

There She Goes Stamps

The Twinery

Thanks for stopping by today. I hope you join us in this fabulous card drive. Your next stop on the hop is the Paper Smooches blog.

WCMD 2013 with Studio Calico

Happy Monday! Here to finally share with you four cards that I made for the Studio Calico World Card Making Day challenge (I know, I know---super late). They hosted five different challenges, and I was so excited to play along! Part of the reason I was so excited to play along was because they'll also select a guest designer from the entires. I have to admit, I'd love to guest design with a card kit; I just love Studio Calico products! I had so much fun playing along.

The first challenge was a mood board challenge found here. I stamped triangles in the colors of the mood board using the Trifecta set from Mama Elephant. Then, I stamped a leag swag using stamps from Studio Calico's Toolbox class.

I then mixed in some goodies from the Flea Market collection by Crate Paper and the new Dear Lizzie Polka Dot Party collection. A little sticker sentiment from Studio Calico and a fun border, and voila--a mood board inspired card.

I really love the little bits of gold that pop in this card, and the embossed dots texture that is subtle, but adds the perfect amount of detail at the bottom of the card.

Another challenge was to take five of one product and design a card with it. I chose to use patterned paper as my "take five" element.

I took a journaling die cut from the new Dear Lizzy Polka Dot party collection and used it as a guide to trim strips of various patterned papers from Polka Dot Party, Heidi Swapp's Mixed Company collection and the Flea Market collection by Crate Paper. 

I created a clustered focal point of a punched butterfly and flowers with some patterned paper pennants too!

This card was created for the Use Your Scraps challenge, and I was inspired by the amazing Maile Belles. Not only is she an amazing designer, but she has this amazing offset way of layering patterned paper, and I am so in love with it; I just had to try it with this card because I had so many scraps of patterned paper. I took paper from an older Studio Calico collection as well as the Atlantic collection.

I also mixed in some vellum embossed with dots, some random sequins lying on my desk and a wood veneer butterfly that I heat embossed with gold embossing powder. Add in some bits of left over border punch patterned paper and a brightt blue scrap of riboon, and voila! Scraps that work together.

 I made this card for the Ombre Challenge. I took a really old Studio Calico arrow border stamp. I inked it with one light color, stamped it on cardstock, and then inked it again with darker ink color and stamped on the cardstock overlapping the previous image so that the two colors would overlap, creating an ombre effect

Here's a little close up of the ombre arrows with Studio Calico arrow wood veneers. To create some visual interested and break up all the lines, I used a vellum hello die cut from Heidi Swapp's newMixed Company collection.

Thanks for joining me today. I'm sorry that I am so late in posting these. The day that I was scheduled to post these I was having massive issues with Blogger making my photoshopped photos super dark. Apparently, some friends were having the same problem, and after having to create a google+ account to fix it, I got completely wrapped up in crafting and planning the gender reveal party for our little Twig. You can see how much fun that party was here at Twig's blog.