12 Kits of Occassions May - Let's Hear It For The Boys!

Oh Happy Day! It's time for the 12 Kits of Occasions! Why am I so excited? Well .. I'm the hostess this month! And the theme?? Yep that's right.. "Let's hear it for the boys!!!". I know. I'm a girlie girl so how did I get this theme? I totally thought I would freak every body out and prove I can do both! LOL!! Still laughing about Tracey doing the "Pretty in Pink" theme last month. I bet everyone thought that would be mine!!    So what did I put together for the kit.. Some Basic Grey "Persimmon" Collection papers and A WHOLE LOT of other things.  I'm always scared to death that my kit's going to be a disaster so just keep piling in more and more.  By the time I'm done there just HAS to be something in there for EVERYBODY!

Happy to share the love this month too with some special guests!  Renee Lynch - the original member that asked me to join the group ... way back when... once upon a time... is honoring me by joining us this month.

I've also asked Richard Breaks - That's Mr. Card Maker To You! To join us this month. Richard has a wonderful style!  I love how he alters and combines elements, putting them together in ways I couldn't!  Ok... the fact that he is a man - and I have this manly theme this month is a big PLUS!  No worries about sending him a kit filled with flowers!

And yes.. a THIRD guest!!! Jill Norwood  was the lucky winner of this kit.  She left a comment on our 12 Kits of Occasions Blog - and get this.. Marybeth's husband picked her as the winner!  The funny part about that is Jill is such a good friend!  It must be karma!

Ok... on with the show... I told you... scared that the kit is a disaster so I made LOTS of things to prove to myself that YES...everything works together beautifully and it will be alright.  SO a personal best..  record setting.... 7 cards for you today!  Enjoy!!

Ready to see more?  Well there are 10 other members and three guesties waiting for you to drop by for a visit.  Why not head on over to the 12 Kits of Occasions Blog where you can get a sneak peek from each designer as well as a complete list of all the products that were supplied with this kit!! 

Paper Crafter's Library Designer Spotlight!

Poppystamps is sponsoring Paper Crafter's Library today!  Paper Crafter's Library is the largest on line library of video tutorials for paper crafters!  Whether your interest is in stamping, card making, scrapbooking, creating 3D items or altered art – you’ll find all the resources you need to navigate the world of paper crafting in ONE place, organized and indexed so that it’s quick and easy to find.

It's also a great place to find inspiration!  Their blog keeps you up to date on the latest trends, products, and designers.  Today I'm the featured artist  in their Designer Spotlight. 
Here's some "sneak peeks" at my projects today!





Do you notice a theme here?  Yes!  We're featuring our new clear cling stamps and companion dies!    Here's a look at the prize  - Two clear stamp sets - Into The Words, A Fox Tale, and A Fox Tale Companion Die Set!!! 

Into the Words

A Fox Tale

A Fox Tale

InLinkz.com

You need to stop by their blog to enter to win!  Just click here to jump to the Paper Crafter's Library Blog to find out how!

Tag You're It! Berry Sweet

How are you today?  Keeping busy?  I know I am.  I've been trying to spend a little time every day in the garden getting things started.  I figure if I take it slow it won't wear me out.  Most of the time the whole family does it all in a weekend - that's just not working out this year. Everyone has their own agenda and if I put things off  there wont be much picking later! LOL!

A new challenge begins at Tag You're It today!   I love tags!  I know .. I know.  I've said that a billion times.... but I really do.  There is something about transforming a small scrap of paper into a bitty work of art that fascinates me.   

Take this beauty from Lynn Put today!  So many perfect little details that just delight me.  I love the strawberry with the two color "berry" sentiment, and that perfect bit of gingham on bottom and top.  This has such a homey country feel,  And how about that second tag on back, that little slip of red peeking out from under?    If you look really close you'll see that Lynn even stamped the strawberry image on that!

SO how to make this one my own?  I kept with the berry theme and layout.   Instead of red trims I kept to blue.  I added a bit of glitterly "sugar" to the berries and a lacy border to the bottom of the tag. 

Now it's your turn!  I know you have a berry stamp set somewhere in your collection!  Dust it off and get stamping!    You can link up your project and see other samples from the design team HERE at Tag You're It Challenge!

Supplies:
Stamps: WPlus9 Fresh Picked
Dies:  Cheery Lynn  Lace Lite Deco Border, Simon Says Stamp Large Tags
Washi
Ribbon:  Twisted Burlap, 7/8 Solid Ivory Check Blue  May Arts
Ultra Fine Glitter Martha Stewart

Fusion Card Challenge - Wedding Belle!

Oh there is some beautiful inspiration at Fusion Card Challenge this week! This one is called Wedding Belle - I want to call it Island Wedding!  The inspiration is a pretty teal cake covered with intricate flowers of white, gold and silver.    I couldn't wait to get started on this one!   Don't love the photo? That's ok - let the sketch be your guide!  Feeling clever?  Fuse the two together!  I tried to keep with the layout but wound up turning it on it's side and moving the ribbons more to the center. 

I wish you could see this one in person.  It's really stunning.  I started out with a smooth card stock base - just like that frosting on the cake.  I topped it with an intricate detailed die cut from Memory Box.  I added bits of gold - flowers and pearls, and even a little bit of silver.  My sentiment is embossed in silver and I added a layer of silver glitter paper underneath it. 

The colors are really striking together and the photos here really don't flatter this one as much as it deserves.  

Feeling inspired?  I hope you'll play along!  Need a little more inspiration?  Hop on over to my Fusion teamies and see what they cooked up for you this time!  

Amy Tsuruta

Deanne Kay

Julia Aston

Katie Brooks

Kelly Griglione

Kimberly Wiener

Lyndal Higgins

Lynn Mangan

Michelle Williams

Michelle Lupton

Stephanie Severin

I hope I see you linked up at Fusion Card Challenge!    Have a beautiful day!  Friday's coming!! 

Finished Size 4.25 x 5.5"
Dies:  Memory Box Aberdeen Branches, MFT Fishtail Flags, Poppystamps Large Madison Window
Walzingmouse "Say It With Style" Stamp Set
Glitter Paper - Stampin Up!

SSCB#43 My Girl - Rose Square

Hi and thanks for stopping by today!  I've been busy trying to get the garden planted.  DH had to till the garden, rake it out and get it ready for me.  Today I planted tomatoes, peppers, onion, corn, zucchini, eggplant, cabbage, and kohlrabi,   That's it for today.  I'll get more in tomorrow.  I'm tired!  LOL!

We're at the half way point of the latest Serendipity Stamps Challenge.  This month it's "My Girl".  We're looking for feminine cards for the special ladies in your life.

 I wanted something soft and feminine for my card so I started with the Floral Frame Die from Serendipity!  I thought the Rose Square stamp embossed in gold would be stunning - and it is!!

For my sentiment I used this "Love You" stamp.   The letters are so scrolly and feminine and the message looks personal and hand written (If only I payed attention in penmanship class! - do they even have that anymore???)    I masked off the quill pen portion of the stamp with a piece of washi tape before I inked it up, and then removed the tape before I stamped the image.  I generally look at images as shapes and thought this one would fit beautifully inside an oval.  To make it stand out more I cut a second scalloped oval in a darker shade of pink to draw more attention to it. Of course a cute little heart gem doesn't hurt either!  LOL!

Here's the finished card.  Mary asked the DT to make cards with special folds or to add a pocket to their card. If you're looking for mine you won't find it.  I blew it this week and neglected to add this special feature.   My card is an unusual size if that counts -  it's 4.5" x 5.5" - not my usual A2 size.  

Want to go shopping?  This stamp called "Aprons" is the 50% off stamp this month.

We have a very special guest this month too.   Isha Gupta!  Her designs are always bright and beautiful and sure to make you smile!  I hope you will stop and say hi to her!

Want to see more feminine projects from the DT?  Just click on their names below to jump to their blogs. 

Jenny Gropp

Julie Warner

Karen Amidon

Marybeth Lopez

Miriam Napier

Vickie Zimmer

Have a great day!

Top Dog Die Shaker Blog Hop!

Oh you picked another great day for a visit! Top Dog Dies is having a shaker blog hop!  If you're following along with the hop you should have reached me from Nicki Sheck's blog.  If you want to start from the beginning you can get all the details here at the Top Dog Dies blog!

I am totally crazy about a shaker card!  Something about all that shiny bling just makes me silly!

I used the Top Dog Dies Feather Dies set to cut holes in the top panel of my card.  To help me decide where to cut the dies I cut some of the feathers and arranged them first.   Then I snapped a picture with my cell phone for a quick reference.

There are three dies in the feather set, and you can run all three at the same time.  You can tape the dies down with washi but sometimes that leaves an impression of where the washi was - so I usually put a glue dot inside the die to hold it in place.

I finally got my hands on a fuser tool - so I just filled a photo photo sleeve with sequins, sealed it and adhered it to my card stock base behind the front panel. 

Ready to see more fabulous shaker cards made with Top Dog Dies?  Your next stop is my talented friend Vickie Zimmer! 

To add extra fun to our blog hop…we are offering up a prize! Three winners will receive the New Top Dog Dies Hot Air Balloon Die Set. For your chance to win, enter your email address here onlineform by 5/20/15.  Winners will be posted on the Top Dog Dies blog after 5/20/15.

Here's a complete list of all the designers with projects today!  Happy hopping!

Piali Biswas
Natalie Dever
Marcia Dehn-Nix
Kymona Tracey
Nicki Sheck
Jeanne Jachna  (That's Me!) 
Vickie Zimmer
Kelly Griglione

Happy Hopping and Shaking!

Finished Size 4.25  x 5.5"
Dies: Top Dog Dies: Feather Die Set

Stamp: Waltzingmouse Stamps: Fine Feathers
Sequins:  Pretty Pink Posh

Waltzingmouse May Pajama Party!

Are you staying up all night with us? It's time for the Waltzingmouse Pajama Party! I still can't hear that without thinking of staying up late, watching scary movies, eating popcorn, talking and laughing all night with friends. Sorry. I know I say that every time but it's the truth I tell you!!    I love Waltzingmouse Stamps and the Pajama Party is a great excuse to get out those stamps and create - it's really a win win situation because even if you don't win a fabby prize you have your Father's Day cards all done a whole month ahead!! Masculine cards are a little tricky for most of us too - so just think of all the great examples you're going to get to case!  

Here's the challenges and the different projects I made for the party!    

Challenge 1 - Man of the Moment   I can't resist this little guy with the mustache and the top hat... and his oh so British accent!  I say!! 

Make a card for the significant man in your life - he doesn't have to be an adult... We are looking for masculine themed cards for any occasion. For some more masculine inspiration see these sets at the store: Man of the Hour, My Kind of Guy, Free Spirit Boy, Half pint Heroes,

Challenge 2 - Surprise Him  Sorry I skipped this one!!  I kept thinking shaker card.. but didnt imagine too many guy friends who would want a card full of blingy sequins.   I'm going to leave the trixie stuff up to you!! 

It's all about men this month, and we're getting ideas together for Father's Day, so we want you to make a masculine project that has some element of surprise about it - an exploding box card, a pocket card with a concealed message/gift, a moveable element. This cute card has a flying rocket! See details of this card here.

Challenge 3 - Old Pajamas   Back to my monocle man and his google eye!  He is the perfect accent for any of the sayings from the Man of the Hour set!

Use one of your older Waltzingouse Stamps sets to create a project for this challenge! We'll be digging out our Man of the Hour, stamp sets for this one, and I used it on these projects above.

Challenge 4 - Bedtime Story sketch   This one was lots of fun!!! All my favorite colors paired up with Halftone Basics, and Kaboom!  What guy (young or old) wouldn't like these?  The backgrounds were fun and easy to stamp and so eye catching!

Here it is - Go ahead and create now so that your project will be ready to link up on the night of the party! This sketch features 3 co-ordinating tags with an all over stamped pattern and a smaller tag on top which carries the sentiment. We don't mind if you play around a bit with this - so long as the spirit of the sketch shows through!

I  can't wait to see what you made.  If you need the details or want to see the other projects linked up you can find them both here at the Waltzingmouse Stamps Blog!

Hugs to you!