It's Beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

Ack!!  Christmas is just around the corner and, as usual, I've left holiday shopping until the last minute.  It's time to start getting organized and making my To Do lists.  So to help me out, I decided to make a little notepad holder.

I made the cover just a smidge longer and wider than the notepad so the edges won't get yucky on the notepad.  I also added a small pocket to the inside for tucking in receipts, cards, etc.

I used my new Graphic 45 and Pink Paislee Christmas papers for my front panel.  My snowflakes were made with MFT's Let It Snowflake die-namic using red felt and white cardstock.  A pair of tiny bells finished out my bow.  The girl's boots and earmuffs are covered in chocolate flock and I added liquid applique to her hat.

Now I'm ready to do some Christmas shopping!  Thanks for stopping by!

PPRS Fall Stamp Sneak Peeks

Prickley Pear is releasing new rubber on Saturday and I've got some speak peeks to show you!  Saturday's release is full of great, versatile fall images.  Ready to see some in action? Lol.

I used some orange designer paper to cover the spine of this mini composition notebook.  Two cream panels cover the front and back of the book.  I stamped the trees in brown ink and added some copper glitter to the trees to jazz them up a bit.  A big fluffy bow and an orange hot air balloon completes the notebook.

I also made a quick mini card.  I always find myself needing small cards to attach to gifts or to send a quick thank you.  This card is just the perfect size.

I colored the pumpkin with prismacolors and OMS, added some pumpkin colored glitter to the design, and sponged with pine needle distress ink around the edges.  I added a craft panel embossed with a cuttlebug folder and sponged with distress ink.

Be sure to stop by the Prickley Pear blog, they *might* have something special going on over there, *wink, wink*.

Notebooks and Swaps

Today I have two cute projects to share.  The first one is a small composition notebook I made using some scraps I had lying around.  It all came together in about 10 minutes! 

I have a story about the swirl design on the bottom.  Last month I went to one of the local scrapbook stores and noticed a layout that had a gorgeous swirl embossed on the corner.  When I asked one of the girls where I could get the stamp, she refused to tell me!  She said that it was a personal stamp she had brought for the class and the class was no longer being offered.  Oh well.  Then, later that day, I went to Jo-Ann's and found the stamp!  It's from Inkadinkadoo and is part of a flourish stamp set.  And, the stamps just happened to be on sale that day.  Lol, how cool was that!  So much for secrets, huh.  Now, don't get me wrong, the lady was very nice and sweet but she just didn't want to share the information.  Maybe it's a store policy, I don't know... I'm just thrilled that I found it. :)

Anyways, I also have a card to show today.  I made six of these for an MFT swap that's being hosted on Splitcoast Stampers.  Reading Flopsey is one of my favorite MFT stamps, so I just couldn't resist using him for the swap, lol. 

Flopsey was colored with color pencils and OMS.  The library card and notebook page on the notebook and the card were made using Microsoft Excel.  They were so super easy to make and format.  Now, I have them ready to go and I can just insert phrases or journaling as needed. 

That's all I've got today, have a great weekend!

Bon Voyage

Hi!!  Boy it seems like my blog entries get further and farther in between!  Lately my stamping time feels just as scarce! :(  Well, hopefully things will get back to normal soon.  Anyways, enough about that! Lol.  I've got a few things to show you over the next few days.  Today I've got a journal and card I made for a lady at work that has accepted a new job out of town.  I thought I would keep the journal quite flat to avoid losing any of the embellishments while it's in use.

To make the journal, first I covered the spine with brown cardstock, then I covered the front and back with blue cardstock and some designer paper.  I kept the verse panel simple but added some depth with some sponging around both layers.  The large blue swirl is chipboard inked up with metallic pigment ink.  I covered the chipboard with UTEE, but left it uneven for added texture.  Everthing was attached with scor tape to keep it nice and secure.

I used MFT's Going Places stamp set to make her a good bye card as well.  The girl is paper pieced with the same dp used for the back ground.  I weaved the thin brown ribbon through the holes of the lace and layered it over brown cardstock die cut with MFT's large scallop border. 

That's all I've got for today, be sure to stop by tomorrow for a Prickley Pear sneak peek!

They say it's your birthday...

Hi guys!!  Welcome to Kim's Birthday Bash!!  Us MFT'ers are so thrilled to be able to help celebrate Kim's birthday and her AMAZING design team put together a blog birthday bash.  Below are the links to the other participants blogs, be sure to stop by and check out all the awesome projects that were created in honor of The MFT Lady's b-day.  Ready to see what I did?  Well, I've got to admit, at first I was stumped as to what to do, then it hit me Kim needs a place to store her favorite things, right? 

I covered a recipe box with patterned paper, added plenty of bling, some side panels ( I forgot to photograph them!!!  Doh!), and spelled out "My Favorite Things" using some very cute glittery black letters.  And here's what I put inside:

The small monogramed note cards are just right for that last minute tag to accompany a hostess gift, appreciation gift, etc.  The notepad holder is just perfect for writing those inevitable to do lists and has a cute pocket inside.  And, of course, plenty of bling! :)

And of course, I had to make a birthday card. 

Lots more of that hot pink and black combo, some more bling on the bottom of the card (right underneath the border punch peaks), and a WTG birthday cake to help top off the celebration!  Kim, I hope you have a wonderful birthday!!  Eat lots of birthday cake!!

• Alex Maldonado
• Alma de la Rosa
• Amy Sheffer
• Barbara Anders
• Beate Johns
• Bonnie Ratzloff
• Carole Burrage
• Carolyn King
• Cassie Trask
• Chris Veneruso
• Christina Fischer
• Cindy Haffner
• Dawn Barghorn
• Dawn Easton
• Erin Smetak
• Frances Byrne
• Gabrielle Howey
• Gretchen Belknap
• Jen Davis
• Jen del Muro
• Jenn Balcer
• Jessie Rone
• Joanne Basile
• Jodi Collins
• Jody Morrow
• Joy Stagg
• Julie Dinn
• Karen Motz
• Kelli Hull
• Kerry Johnson
• Leigh O'Brien
• Leslie Rodriguez
• Lisa Henke
• Lori Craig
• Megan Lock
• Melody Rupple
• Michele Boyer
• Michelle Lanning
• Sherrie Siemens
• Susan Liles
• Tammy Hershberger
• Wendy Bond

Don't forget to stop by Kim's blog and wish her a very happy birthday!

Big Thoughts

Well, I'm back from my trip to Austin.  I had a great time learning what to do during a public health deployment!  Before I left, I started working on a small project for Prickley Pear and I just finished it this afternoon.

I just love this stamp!  I chose pink and black because the carstock happened to be sitting right on my desk, hee hee.  The edges of the main panel were inked in hot pink in and then dipped in glue and glitter for a fun sparkly edge.  Instead of using a magnet, I decided to use some twine to hold it closed.  Inside is a small 3x3 post it pad.  Just the perfect size to write down your big thoughts.

That's all I've got today.  Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies:
pink and black cardstock, black and white twine, MS score board, crystal glitter by PK Glitz, Small Pleasures rubber stamp by Prickley Pear

Fairy Notebook

The Jolinne stamps have got to be my favorite MFT stamps right now.  I just love how cute and whimsical they are.  And, even though the fairy stamp is my favorite, I've only inked it up a few times.  So, the other day I made up my mind to just ink up the stamp and color it.  The next day, I decided that I wanted to make it into a notebook and here's what I came up with:

Jolinne was colored with copics and her wings were shimmered with a stardust pen and an aquapainter filled with rubbing alcohol.  I pulled out my beloved Basic Grey papers from the Eva collection and some wonderful crystal swirls to complete the look.  During my last trip to Xpdex, they had a clearance section filled with a huge assortment of paper.  I found a ream of resume paper for a dollar!!  So I cut some of the sheets up to make up the pages of my notebook.  And, to add some interest to the inside, I stamped everyother page with the fairy image in a light brown ink.

I think this is my favorite notebook yet!

Memory Book

My friend's grandfather died recently and I mentioned how many memories she had of him and how she wanted to write them down. With this in mind, I created a memory book for her to write stories of her granparents, attach pictures, etc. I purposely left the pages inside unlined so she would be free to add anything she wants to them.

I made the notebook using a pair of 8x8 covers and 1-1/2 inch coil from Bind It All. The covers were covered in designer paper from K and Co and sponged with London Fog ink to give them an aged look. I wanted to leave some blank space on the front for her to add a picture of her grandparents to the cover. To continue with the aged look, I used a Tim Holtz nameplate to frame her family name and I added Diamond Glaze to the inner oval to give it a shiny look.

The little tag attached to the key ring translated to "Memories of my Grandparents". This key ring is a left over part from my camera's broken strap. It sure came in handy for this project. I think it adds just the right touch.

I also created a simple card to complement the notebook. I think this is the fastest card I've ever made. It only took 10 minutes to make!Here's a picture of the set together: I apologize for the long post and so many pictures!! Did you make it to the end? If so, thanks for hanging in there!