A little bit of sweetness

How about a little bit of sweetness to end the year?  I'm so happy to have a day off work... actually I have a 4 day weekend which I am so looking forward to.  I had a little bit of time to play today so I decided to color up the Rylee Puddle Jumper Digi by Lori Boyd.  So... it looked a whole lot better in my head than it translated onto paper.  I've watercolored the image with my Tombow Markers and then used some pearls for the polkadots on the pants (this is the part of my card I'm totally unsure of).  The sentiment comes from a new set from There She Goes called "Bucket of Love" which will be released tomorrow.  The sketch is from this Card Patterns.  I'm getting ready to head out so it's a short and sweet post for you today.

Happy New Years!!!

PS Don't forget about the Design Team Call that Lori Boyd is hosting. 

Exciting news at BLD

*** This is my second post today so please scroll down for the TSG Sneak Peeks****

As some of you may know, you will be able to find challenges at 

By LORi Designs very very soon!!

Our first challenge will be on Thursday, January 6th and the only hint I can give is that 

it's my favorite kind of challenge..... a Color Challenge!!

I have decided to add to the BLD Design Team ...YAY!!!

The Challenges will be Bi-weekly through out January and then once we have our 

Challenge Team, they will go weekly!!

I am so excited and hope you all love the challenges. DT Requirements: You must be willing and able to commit to a 4 month term. You must be able to meet deadlines. You must be willing to post a weekly card to your own blog. You must include a link back to By LORi Designs Shop in each post you post. DT Benefits: You will get digi images to use on your cards. You will receive a 50% Discount on any digis purchased from BLD.

If you would like to apply for a position on the 

By LORi Designs Team 

please link your name and blog to Mr. Linky  HERE

The Call Closes on Thursday January the 20th

There She Goes BHC - Love Birds and Clearly Sentimental

Welcome to our third and final day of sneak peeks for this months' release at There She Goes.  We've really gone all out this month and all the sets are fantastic. I had so much fun playing with each one and I can't wait to ink them all up again.  I know I'll be using them often.  (if only I had more free time right?).  Now if you came here from Alex's blog you're on the right track.  But if you just happened upon my blog today, you'll want to go back to the beginning at the TSG Blog. 

You’ll fall love with “Love Birds”. This set, illustrated by Torico, showcases a number of prim-and-proper birdies just dying to enhance your lovely creations. With accents like a scroll-like bird cage, beautiful branch, and whimsical sentiments this stamp set will make your heart got pitter-pat!  I'll have to admit I couldn't decide which bird I wanted to use, so I decided to not use one at all.  Call me a goof...  Although I have to tell you I love the look of the branch all on its' own. I've colored the image with my watercolor pencils and believe it or not, the DP is one of the Christmas lines from Echo Park.  I loved the colors together so I went with it and love how it turned out.


Love Birds is a 4x8 stamp set that includes a total of 18 stamps and will sell for $18 (Illustrated by Torico)

“Sentimental” is a must-have set for any card maker! A combination of type print and the scriptive handwriting of our very own Julie Lacey are showcased beautifully. These sentiments are not only versatile, but can be also used for everyday creations.  Isn't Julie's handwriting beautiful?  After having a few people ask me for all my Christmas cards, I decided I wanted to make a Valentine's card that I'm sure I'll give to my stepdad so he has a card to give to my mom on the big day of Love.  This card is so not my normal style - I've attempted to use the rhinestone swirls before and they always looked silly but this time it worked and I love them!!!  I'm sure you'll be seeing them again soon!!

Sentimental is a 2x6 mini set that includes a total of 6 stamps and will sell for $7


The next stop on the blog hop today is Christine's - our favorite Trendie!!!


Would you like a chance to win the Sentimental and Love Birds stamp sets? Here’s what you need to do- go to each of the Trendsetter’s Blogs and leave a comment on their Sentimental/Love Birds Blog Hop Challenge post. After you have finished checking out the eye candy and have left some love, return to the TSG Blog and add your name to the Mr. Linky at the bottom of this Blog Hop Challenge post. A winner will be chosen randomly using a random number generator to receive their very own “Sentimental”/”Love Birds” stamp set. The winner will be announced Saturday (Jan. 1st) during the Release Party Chat.

There She Goes BHC -Buckets of Love

Hey there girlies!!! Welcome back to Day two of the Sneak Peeks for the upcoming There She Goes release. If you just happened upon my blog today, you'll want to go back to the beginning at the TSG Blog, otherwise you should have arrived from Alex's blog.

With Valentine’s Day around the corner, you will definitely want to invest in a stamp set that is not only whimsical, but also versatile. Staying true to Torico’s clean and magical illustration style, this set features a bucket and a barrel that can be filled with all sorts of goodies (and the sentiments are to die for as well)! You’ll enjoy hours of creating and coloring with this fabulous set!

A bucket of love... who could ask for anything more?  Love it!!!  I kept this card a bit more simple and I'm loving it.  I was inspired by this card by Melody Rupple. For some reason, this layout just seemed perfect for this image.  So glad I had some Valentine's DP left over from last year!!!  Wahoo!!!  I knew I stocked up last year for some reason.  I'll tell you now, I'm happy to have my Valentine's cards already to go.... (especially considering I ended up sending out absolutely no Christmas cards).  Sad I know...

Buckets of Love is a 4x6 stamp set that includes a total of 18 stamps and will sell for $15.

The next stop on the blog hop is the amazing Christine!! Hurry over and check out her fantastic eye candy.

Would you like a chance to win the "Buckets of Love" stamp set? Here’s what you need to do- go to each of the Trendsetter’s Blogs and leave a comment on their "Buckets of Love" Blog Hop Challenge post. After you have finished checking out the eye candy and have left some love, return to the TSG Blog and add your name to the Mr. Linky at the bottom of this Blog Hop Challenge post. A winner will be chosen randomly using a random number generator to receive their very own "Buckets of Love" stamp set. The winner will be announced Saturday (Jan. 1st) during the Release Party Chat.  
 

There She Goes BHC - Wonderful Winter Wishes

Today marks the beginning of our sneak peeks of this month’s new releases at There She Goes. This first set, illustrated by Torico, showcases some precious images of children enjoying their snowy environment. This set will bring back childhood memories of crisp, fun-filled winter days.  If you just happened upon my blog today, you'll want to go back to the beginning at the TSG Blog. If you came here from Alex's blog, then you're on the right track.

 Aren't these two little cutie pies just too cute for words??  I fell in love with this set as soon as I saw it.  Perfect for winter, yet perfect for Valentine's Day.  Just simply perfect.  I've stamped the image with both Tombow Markers snd watercolor pencils.  The entire color scheme was inspired by the DP from Fancy Pants Design and Bo Bunny.  The snowflakes were cut using the MFT "Let it Snowflake" Die and then I used some MS Glitter (after I run the flakes through my Xyron). Just too cute I tell ya.

Wonderful Winter Wishes is a 4x6 stamp set that includes a total of 12 stamps and will sell for $15

The next stop on the blog hop is our favorite Trendie, Christine!!! 

Would you like a chance to win the “Wonderful  Winter Wishes” stamp set? Here’s what you need to do- go to each of the Trendsetter’s Blogs and leave a comment on their “Wonderful Winter Wishes” Blog Hop Challenge post. After you have finished checking out the eye candy and have left some love, return to the TSG Blog and add your name to the Mr. Linky at the bottom of this Blog Hop Challenge post. A winner will be chosen randomly using a random number generator to receive their very own “Wonderful Winter Wishes” stamp set. The winner will be announced Saturday (Jan. 1st) during the Release Party Chat.

Happy Birthday Jodi!!!

Happy Birthday, sweet Miss Jodi!!! 

Can I just say Jodi Collins  is one of the sweetest girls around and I'll admit she's one of my stamping idols.  If you just happened upon my blog today, you'll want to go back to the beginning of the surprise blog hop at Karen Motz's blog.  As you can see by the list of ladies on this blog hop, we all love Jodi and want to wish her well on her birthday.  You should have arrived here from Torico's blog (another fantastically talented stamper!!).

For my card today, I've used one of the a la Mode images from My Favorite Things (I'm sorry... I'm not at home and don't have the set in front of me and it's out of stock right now at MFT.   Jodi is responsible for many of my stamping purchases.... (hehe).... She's a great enabler that's for sure.  Jodi's talent is beyond amazing, her color combos spot on and her coloring, what can you say?  It's divine!!!  I've watercolored the image with my Tombow Markers and the DP is from October Afternoon.  The layout is from Mercy's sketch challenge from last week. 

I'm the end of the blog hop so head on over to Miss Jodi's blog to leave her some birthday love!!!

Another Look Back - July to December

JULY: Love this card!!!  Great color combo, love the DP, one of my fave images.

AUGUST:  Love the DP, image, Mercy's awesome sketch, who am I kidding??? I think this is one of my fave cards I've made ever.

SEPTEMBER: I made this journal for my parent's two month adventure in Australia and New Zealand. 

OCTOBER: I fell in love with this DP as soon as I saw it.  Great stamp too. Love the color combo, the glittery snowflakes. Another fun Christmas card.

NOVEMBER:  A labor of love the MFT Guest Designer Challenge.  The cool part is that it was one of MFT's favorite finds that week and then Kim (owner of MFT) used it in one of their newsletters.  Way too cool!!!

DECEMBER: A classic color combo for Christmas cards.  Love how I made the J.  Fun and sassy!!

Thank you all so much for reading my blog!!! I love that I am able to share my passion with so many people.  I appreciate the comments you leave on my blog. You brighten my day!!

Have a wonderful Christmas and enjoy your time spent with family and friends.

Isn't she cute?

I had a bit of time on Sunday night to play with stamps so I decided to color up this cute Lollipop digi called Kaylee by the amazingly talented Lori Boyd. I had some Eskimo Kisses Basic Grey DP sitting on my desk and it was begging to be used so of course.... I had to use it!!! I watercolored the digi with my Tombow Markers and then added a little bit of bling... We all know me... Bling is what it's all about!! I thought that this could make for a very cute Christmas card, what do you think? 

Have you heard the great news?? By Lori Designs is having a Christmas sale. For every $10 purchase, you'll get a super cute Santa digi for free!!!

Make sure you check it out!!  You'll fall in love with Lori's super cute and fun digis just like I have!!!

Changing of The Seasons Winter Sale

It's Winter and guess what that means...  It's a Changing of the Seasons sale at There She Goes.... bundles of savings for you just in time for Christmas!!!  This sale will run from December 21st until the 28th. All 5 stamp sets are 15% off of their regular price.



Dadisms $20.40 (reg. $24)

By The Sea $20.40 (reg. $24)

Art Is the Window $15.30 (reg. $18)

Bit of Stardust $15.30 (reg. $18)

Autumn Mosaic $15.30 (reg. $18)

In honor of the sale I decided to make a card using the set Dadisms. My stepdad asked for a bunch of tools for Christmas so I thought this might be a good card to include as part of one of his gifts.  I've used this week's sketch from Card Patterns for a quick and easy card. 

Have a great week!!!

TSG86 Button it Up

This week’s challenge at There She Goes  is brought to us by our Trendy of the Week, Iwona! This week we want you to grab your buttons and showcase them on your creations! Use them as a focal point, or simply embellish with them…the choice is yours. For both of my cards I decided to go clean and simple.  As I've mentioned in a previous post, life has been relatively chaotic and I haven't had any time to stamp whatsoever, I managed to sit down for a couple of hours today to stamp and had to make the most of my time.  I still needed a few more Christmas cards, so I've used some felt snowflakes from the Dollar Store and dressed them up with buttons... easy peasy!!! The sentiment for my first card is fromt the set, Wrapped in Joy. 

See.... another easy peasy card!!! A simple blingy frame, a felt snowflake, a button and there you have it... The sentiment is from the set, Just for You.

To be eligible for the giveaway, you are to create a card that utilizes buttons, and then come back to the TSG Blog to add your name and a link to your project in the InLinkz that is located at the bottom of this challenge post. This challenge is open until the winner has been announced on the following Monday (Dec. 27th). The winner will get a $5 gift certificate to use in the TSG Web store!

By participating in this challenge, you may also find yourself in the Trendsetting Spotlight that shines on the TSG Blog every Thursday. We will be on the look out to find challenge cards that stand out and show Trendsetting qualities. TSG stamps are not required to participate in the challenges but are appreciated :)

You do not need to have a blog to be able to participate in the TSG Challenges! You can simply add the URL link from your project after it has been uploaded to your online craft gallery. If you upload your card to an online craft gallery, please use the keyword TSG86 so we can check out your beautiful work!

Looking Back... January to June

Hi there everyone!!! I know that my blog has been quiet the last week or so... Life has been pretty chaotic with working full time, celebrating my birthday (last weekend), trying to get ready for Christmas and a few other things going on that bring stress into one's life.  It puts things into perspective and makes you realize how important family really is. 

I plan on making a few new cards on the weekend so until then, I thought I'd look back at some of the cards I made this year.  I've picked my favorite card from each month for  today's post (January to June)

JANUARY: I made this card for a friend's baby shower and I remember her loving the card.

FEBRUARY: This card was made using the set called Sassy and Fabulous from Clear Dollar Stamps illustrated by Kim Teasdale. 

MARCH:  My mom is an avid gardener so this card was perfect for her. I love the color combo, the DP's and how well they work together.  Who am I kidding?  This is one of my fave cards that I've made and my mom loved it.

APRIL: Gotta love the sentiment on this card....Happy "29th" Birthday from your "110" lb. friend.

MAY:  Too much fun with this card.  Love the DP, the dry embossing and the image. 

JUNE:  This was my first card I made using There She Goes stamps.  Love the DP together!!  Another one I gave my mom and she loved it.  Kim was trying to get this one out of me but I knew how much my mom would love it!!!

CPS196 A Bright Merry Christmas

I'm inspired....I'm out of my funk... and enjoying my cards.  Another thing I enjoy is a great sketch/layout and this one from Card Positioning Systems is no exception. It's fabulous!!!  I needed to make a few quick cards this week and this one came together in about 20 minutes (that's quick for me I tell ya).  I've used one of the sentiments from the new TSG set called "Season's Greetings" that I've sponged with Wheat Versamagic Ink.  I didn't have two flourishes so I decided to use a snowflake (MFT Snowflake Die) to balance the card out.  Another easy peasy card... 8 down and 4 to go...

FTL119 Season's Greetings

Are you enjoying my Christmas card making marathon I've been showing you this week?  I figured if I had to make a bunch of cards, then I wanted to be able to participate in a variety of challenges out there in blog land.  And if you know me.... I love a sketch!!! This card is based on this week's layout from the Clean and Simple Blog - Fall To Layouts. I enjoy making Clean and Simple cards, I just don't make enough of them.  I love the look of white space (or Kraft space I guess I should say).  The image and sentiment are from the new There She Goes set, Season's Greetings. I love the whimsical look of this set and the snowpeople are my favorite image in the set.  Not too much to explain with this card... great layout, DP from Cosmo Cricket's Mitten Weather, ribbon and button treatment and there you have it.  Easy peasy... lemon squeezy.  Okay I'm a dork... I'll admit it.

Card Patterns 93 Hugs anyone?

Hug me!!!  I swear that's what this snowman is trying to tell us...  hehehe... I made this card for this week's Card Patterns Sketch and I have to admit I love how it turned out. I know, I know... You're sick of the Echo Park DP aren't you?  I've used it on so many cards but it's my all time favorite Christmas DP so you'll be seeing it again... Sorry!!!  One of the things I like about it is that it is so versatile and the colors are great for a non-traditional girl like me.  I rarely make Christmas cards that are red and green but instead use fun colors.  You'd understand if you saw my Christmas Tree (It's white and reminds me of the Charlie Brown Tree) with bright ornaments (hot pink, lime green, purple and turquiose blue).  The snowman is from the Skipping Stones Design set called Sassy Snow.  It's such a fun set and I've been able to use it a few times already. I pulled out my Tombow markers for this cutie pie of a snowman. Hope you like it!!!!

SFYTT Simple Tree

Hey there!!  I hope you are all doing well... I'm back in Christmas card making mode... again....  I was asked on Friday if I had any Christmas cards for someone who wanted to buy 12 ( I only had 4 at that point because someone else had cleaned me out) so back into my craft room I went to get cracking.... Can I just say I feel like one of Santa's elves right now?  So busy.  I've had this digital image for a few weeks now called "Lollipop - Christmas Tree" illustrated by Lori Boyd. I've watercolored the image with my Watercolor pencils and then I added Diamond Stickles to the balls on the tree.  This week at Jen del Muro's blog,  the sketch is to use any of her old sketches... Easy peasy I tell ya!!! So I chose to use this sketch from a couple of months ago. I chose to leave two of the little circles off the card because I don't know if this card will end up getting mailed so I didn't want to make it too bulky. 

I'll be back tomorrow with another of the cards I made over the weekend.

TSG84 Bling brings on Joy

I'm here.... Sorry I haven't posted over the last week.  My mojo took a hike... and didn't want to come back. I've been on the go for so long lately that I needed a bit of down time to just regroup and get things back in order.  I'll admit, I was in a funk.... I didn't feel like stamping at all but then I got a sweet email from Corinna, my BSF on Friday and it lifted my spirits.  Thank you Corinna!!!  

This week’s challenge at There She Goes  is brought to us by our Trendy of the Week, Jodi! For this challenge you will need to pull out your BLING! Yep…it’s time to add some sparkle, pop, and pizzazz to your creation! You can use rhinestones, stickles, glitter, brads…just be sure to BLING IT UP! We can’t wait to see what you come up with!

You know me... I like  my bling!!!  I came up with this idea to create the word "Joy" using the candy cane from the new set, Penguin Pals and decided I had to go with it...  and I love how it turned out.. If I had thought about it though, I should have masked out the bow on the candy cane because it's upside down... Oh well... that's how my life has been this last little bit - upside down! I've watercolored the image with my Tombow Markers and then went over it with my Versamarker and clear embossing powder so that I could sponge the edges with Wheat Versamagic, Creamy Caramel and Close to Cocoa without having to worry about smearing any of the image. The o and the y have come from a set of American Crafts "Thickers" that I have.  The DP is from Echo Park (I think this is the best Christmas line ever).  Hope you like it!! The sketch is from Karen Giron's Sweet Sunday Sketch #95.

To be eligible for the giveaway, you are to create a card that showcases your bling, and then come back to the TSG Blog to add your name and a link to your project in the InLinkz that is located at the bottom of this challenge post. This challenge is open until the winner has been announced on the following Monday (Dec.13th). The winner will get a $5 gift certificate to use in the TSG Web store!

By participating in this challenge, you may also find yourself in the Trendsetting Spotlight that shines on the TSG Blog every Thursday. We will be on the look out to find challenge cards that stand out and show Trendsetting qualities. TSG stamps are not required to participate in the challenges but are appreciated :)

You do not need to have a blog to be able to participate in the TSG Challenges! You can simply add the URL link from your project after it has been uploaded to your online craft gallery. If you upload your card to an online craft gallery, please use the keyword TSG84 so we can check out your beautiful work!