Yea!!! Remember the Doodle Pantry DT call I mentioned?  Well – I made it – which means I get to play with more fantabulous digital stamps – thanks Laurie!  In light of that happy news, I thought a wee celebration was in order – so I carved a little time out of my schedule to play with one of the new sets – Pumpkin Birdie.  I started creating in Photoshop – the sizing of the image was perfect to start with so I just duplicated it several times on an 8.5×11 borderless page. For the pumpkins and leaves, I “pieced” a digital paper from Kalo Designs County Fair kit – resizing as needed.  The little birdie is “colored” using my favorite Chalkies from Jodiann Cates – I LOVE these Photoshop styles – they are seriously one of my go-to tools! After printing out my pieced elements on white CS and a full-size, unaltered image on Very Vanilla CS (SU), I started trimming.  I cut the base image with my large square nesties and embossed it with my Birds and Swirls CB folder (Provo Craft) and then added color by running my Antique Linen Distress Ink pad (Ranger) over the embossed areas.  Since it’s almost impossible for me to avoid some sort of sparkle, I spritzed the entire layer with Gold Glimmer Mist (Tattered Angels) and then placed it face-down under a heavy book to dry and flatten out.  Then I began work on the leaves – using a paintbrush, I applied a thin layer of PVA glue to my stamped image and the applied Autumn Flowersoft (the premade blend mixed with my own creation) for texture.  While those two items were drying, I cut my scallop mat (embossed with D’Vine Swirls CB folder) and my frame from Indian Summer Fall DP (DCWV).  My card base is a standard A2 made from Very Vanilla CS (SU), embossed with a Fiskars Texture Plate and distressed with Antique Linen Distress Ink (Ranger).  To finalize my layout, I browsed the net and discovered this week’s sketch at Card Patterns – which fit beautifully with my design. Instead of using another DP layer, I rummaged through my stash for some Autumn wired ribbon which I attached to a 2.25×4.25 scrap of CS for added stability.  Since everything was dry (at least until that point) I started piecing my layers together.  As I adhered the pumpkins, I covered them with Glossy Accents (Ranger) – I wanted them to shine!  The little birdie (highlighted with Spica markers) followed the pumpkins and then the leaves – all attached with varying thickness pop-dots (Fiskars).  After my scene was assembled, I attached it to the scallop mat and added the frame over the top (which I then embellished with adhesive pearls (Michaels).  The sentiment is handwritten in Pumpkin Pie marker (SU) and attached with a piece of hardware from my stash (SU-retired Hodgepodge Hardware in Aged Copper). I opted to use complimenting pearls in place of the traditional brads on the hardware. All in all, I’m pleased with the results – though I wish I could use Glimmer Mists without curling my paper! I’d love to know what you think too!

Challenges I Played In:

• Card Patterns – Sketch 78
• Alota Rubber Stamps – Fall Colors
• Artful Inkables – Bling It Baby
• Creative Card Crew – Sparkle and Shine
• Scrap Creations – Ribbons, Flowers, Brads or Pearls
• Paper Creations – Use Flowersoft

That’s all from me! I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend! Be sure to visit Laurie’s blog – you can meet the new DT there.

My little one is 3! In some ways it doesn’t seem possible yet in others I can’t really recall a time without her. Nadya had a special treat this year – her birthday cake came from the same bakery that made her Daddy’s cakes when he was small.  Here are a few photos from her big day:

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She rounded out her evening with a ride on the Centennial Train at Acme Brick Park – she’s still talking about it this morning!

Have a fabulous day!

Welcome to Day 2 of the Lindsay’s Stamp Stuff Hop, Crop and Shop Birthday PARTY! I know it’s Wednesday and you’re used to hearing from me on Thursdays, but since this is a special week, we’re changing things up a bit.  If you didn’t get a chance to play – be sure to check Lindsay’s blog post from yesterday and then check out the goodies the girls showcased – each one of us is giving away one of Lindsay’s awesome sets – so you don’t want to miss out.  If you haven’t had a chance to visit the Crop Room at My Grafico – be sure to stop in there as well – Lindsay has some fun challenges and daily freebies just for stopping in and her ENTIRE store is on-sale 50% off – you can’t beat that!!!!  Ok – on with the hop!  Didn’t you just love Lisa’s project? If you are just starting out today and didn’t come from Lisa’s blog – you’ll want to start with Lindsay’s blog – or if you get lost along the way – Lindsay will have the map for you.

This is month for babies!  I have a shower to go to this weekend and another of my friends just had a little boy – so I definitely needed to work on at least one baby project…so here’s part 1:My combined project works for several different challenges – a definite change for me!  Melissa’s recipe challenge over at Tuesday Morning Sketches; SVGCuts Bag & Box Challenge; and Lindsay’s challenges #4 (blue and masculine are not my style) and #7 (the SU DP I used is from my stash). I started out by creating the gift box (there’s an adorable onesie and matching bib inside).  The box was super easy using files from SVGcuts – it’s one of the files in Betty’s Boxes and Bags – I used SCAL to add a scallop edge (Annie’s Edge) in the center and cut it out of double-sided DP, so when the box is opened there are cute little flowers inside.  The begonia flower (3D Flowers set 1 – which really doesn’t dwarf the box in real life) was cut twice in SCAL, once on DP and once on white CS. I sponged Brocade and Bashful Blue inks around the edges and then layered the flower.   I used a fabric brad (Paper Studio) and glue dots to secure everything together and then coated it with a light layer of Iridescent medium (Winsor & Newton) to add some sparkle and shine.  The ribbon is 7/8” white grosgrain from my stash. My box meets Melissa’s challenge as it is comprised of soft colors, ribbon, and flowers. My card is rather simple, but I’m really happy with the way it turned out.  I started out by embossing a white A5 (4.25”x5.5”) card base with an SU texture plate (tips: I misted the CS lightly with water since I didn’t have any ink to run and it really helped make a deeper impression and since I only wanted to emboss the front, I used a bit of drafting tape to secure the card to my plate with the back off of the plate and rubber mat and top plate placed at the fold). If you guessed the the scallop edge is the cut-out from my box, you would be correct – I didn’t want to “waste” any of my DP. The ribbon and pearls (Michaels) are from my stash and are layered for texture, depth, and interest.  I used an EK Success punch to edge my card.  The cute little baby shoes are  from Lindsay’s Babies and Bows set – I resized (~1.9”x1.5”), layered and colored (using SU RGB colors and different opacity settings) them in Photoshop before printing.  I trimmed them and used pop-up glue dots to add them to my card front.  The inside sentiment (SU) reads “A little something for a little someone” and is stamped in Bashful Blue. The last part of my project was to create a matching envelope.  Once again, I turned to Lindsay’s Envelope Bonanza set – with both SVG files and printable templates – it truly makes the creative possibilities almost endless.  In this case, I created my DP in Photoshop by filling an 8.5×11 layer with a solid color (though it doesn’t matter which one) and applying Jodiann’s Dot Cute style set (I added a color overlay to better match my colors, but that was totally optional) and then printing out.  In SCAL I opted for the Bracket Envelope cutting it out of my homemade DP.  Since this set will be hand delivered rather than mailed, I added a tiny pearl to the bracket center for interest and to tie the envelope and card details together.

Whew! If you’ve made it this far you definitely deserve a reward!  Everyone who leaves a comment will be entered for a chance to win Lindsay’s Envelope Bonanza template set – you have until Monday morning to comment at which time I’ll use Random Number to pick a winner! For a 2nd chance to win, grab Lindsay’s fan blinkie from my sidebar, add it to your blog linked to Lindsay’s store, and then come leave me a 2nd comment with your link. Easy peasy!!! If you already have Lindsay’s the template set or don’t want to wait ‘til Monday since it’s 50% OFF right now, not to worry – Lindsay will let you select another set in its place – so what are YOU waiting for!??!  Your next stop along the hop is Tanya – and when you’re done hopping, stop by the Crop Room for today’s freebie and to see what’s happening – we’d love to have you join in the fun! Have a FABULOUS Wednesday!