My Silly Critter for April Fools Day...

It's Thursday!! Already!! The week is almost over!! Man does time fly!! Well, since it's a new month now...April 1....yikes!! Charlene has some fabulous challenges lined up for us. This week, we were to use some silly critters in honor of April Fools day. Well, I don't own many critters. Doesn't an owl in diapers constitute as silly? Well, I think she's just absolutely adorable too. I LOVE this tree with the little carved heart on it. And this sweet little owl? There's a little boy owl, buggy, squirrel and bird in this Night Owl set (My cute Stamps) too. Everything was stamped with Tuxedo Black Memento Ink and colored with Copics. Pretty easy.

Now I have to admit something too, that some may have noticed already. I tried my Copic airbrush for the first time. Now I've had it for probably half a year, but I'm really bad at trying new tools without being shown how to use them. I'm not going to be getting better at that anytime too soon either. I had a horrible time with that thing....splotches, splotches, splotches, no matter what I did. Anyone wanna come to California and give me a demonstration? That thing gave me FITS!!! You can see by the tree that that baby had something against me. *sigh*

Okay, enough whining, you should really go check out what silly critters the other CCEE girls have been working with. We'd love to see what critters you have on hand too. Just link up your creation with Mr. Linky on the CCEE Stamper's Blog found HERE.

Thanks so much for stopping by!
I hope you've been having a fantastic week!!
Happy Stamping my friends!
Tosh

Impression Obsession Week at Stamper's Dream

It's day three of Impression Obsession week for Stamper's Dream, and I get the privilege of sharing this gorgeous Watering Can with Butterfly image with you. I stamped it with Black Onyx Versafine and colored it with Prismacolor pencils and gamsol. The dp is Frond (Memory Box), and the base layer is actually wool felt. I love the texture it adds. I used some Natural Burlap String to stitch on the sides and wrap around the horizontal layer, and finished it off with some EK Success border punches.

Now, you won't want to miss the fantastic projects that the rest of the dream team has come up with. Here's a list for the week:

Mon. - Leslie (our newest dream team member!!! WOOT!), Laurie, Becca
Tues. - Cindy, Amy, Denise, Dawn, Michelle
Wed. - Silke, Cam, Amy, Michelle, Me
Thurs. - Cindy, Leslie, Denise, Dawn, Michelle
Fri. - Laurie, Silke, Michelle Me

Verve Project Parade

I made this card for this month's project parade over at the Verve Blog. Click HERE for a description of how I made it.

Stamps: Psalm 84:11 Plain Jane (Verve)
Paper: Papertrey, Pink Paislee, The Paper Loft
Ink: Versamark, Vintage Photo (Ranger Distress)
Accessories: Artisan Elements Frames (Pink Paislee), Doodle Parts (Spellbinders), flourish dies (SU!), Flowers (Prima), Latte and Garnet Maya Mists (Maya Road), Frosted Lace Stickles, Tombows, Dew Drops, Border and leaf Punches (Martha Stewart), Chipboard Butterfly (Maya Road), Rhinestones (Kaisercraft)

May all your weeds be flowers

I know, I know. I just posted an easel card a couple of days ago. But I had a request for a friend who needs cheering up, and they wanted an easel card. So, here it is. This is actually for our CCEE Inspiration challenge this week. Here's the photo we were supposed to use for our inspiration. I went with the colors, and I thought the stack of cookies looked like scallops. I used Mercy's sketch found HERE.

I stamped the flowers from the JustRite set Plant a Little Love, with Versamark, embossed them with Detail Black ep, and colored them with Tombows. The sentiment is from the set Seeds of Kindness. You can purchase JustRite stamps, along with a huge variety papers, inks and embellishments from Stamper's Dream. The name of the store says it all. Not only is this online store full of fabulous images, paper, rhinestones, buttons, and more, but the shipping is like none other. Michelle always ships the packages the next day. And if you place it before noon Central Time, she'll have it shipped that day. No joke!!

I love the Cream Velvet Scalloped ribbon by Maya Road. I also added some borders with Fiskars and Martha Stewart border punches. The main image is framed with one of Spellbinders newest Nestabilities Big Scallop Circles. And I added some Frosted Lace Stickles to the flower centers. Lastly, I added some mini pearls by Zva Creative, and some PTI buttons, along with a May Arts Satin ribbon bow. Oh, and finally, the yummy paper is Gossamer by Memory Box.

Here's a look at the inside:


Now, we'd love to have you join in on our CCEE Inspiration Challenge. Just head on over to the CCEE Stampers Blog for all the details. It's always fun to see how other crafters are inspired.

Thanks so much for stopping by. I hope you're having a fantastic week.
My next post won't be until March 30 because I'm working on a few projects for that week, that I can't wait to share with ya'll!!

Happy Stamping!!
Tosh

JustRite Mega March Blog Hop

28 designers, FIVE shopping sprees each day. No one knows where the prizes will be! Each day of the hop JustRite will have five Mystery Blog Candy Prizes hidden along the hop with a total retail value of $600. JustRite will randomly select five mystery blogs each day of the hop and randomly allocate each of the shopping sprees. For your chance to win, simply leave a little love (a comment) on each designer’s blog including the JustRite blog. The more designers you leave comments with, the better your chances of winning. Each day’s comments will remain open for three days. A winner from each of the mystery blogs’ comments will be randomly chosen using Random.org. Consult the listing of designers at the JustRite blog each day (each day’s designers will be different) and start out on your way! Beginning Friday, March 26, summaries of all the winners will be posted on the JustRite blog. Good luck to everyone and enjoy all the JustRite eye candy along the hop!

Today during the JustRite Mega March Blog Hop (Day One) JustRite and its sponsors will be giving away the following five prizes:

· $200 JustRite Shopping Spree

· $100 Spellbinders Shopping Spree

· $100 Stampers Dream Shopping Spree, and

· Two additional $100 JustRite Shopping Sprees!

Blog comments for Day One will be open until Thursday at 6pm EST. On Friday, JustRite will announce on their blog which five blogs have the mystery candy for Day One. You will need to go to the JustRite blog to determine where you need to go to find out if you are one of the five lucky winners.

It's no secret that I'm a huge JustRite fan, so I'm honored to be a part of this fantastic blog hop. I hope you like the project I have to share with you today. I've never made an easel card, and they've been quite popular lately. So, I thought it'd be a perfect way to showcase some of JustRite's fabulous images. (You can find a terrific Easel Card tutorial at SCS HERE.)

Here's just the front of the card. I stamped the flowers from the My Garden set with Versamark onto watercolor paper, embossed them with Detail Black ep, and colored them with Tombows. The gorgeous dp is Le Romantique by Graphic 45. I used one of Tim Holtz's new distress inks to ink up the edges too. It's called Pumice Stone, and it's one of my new faves!! I framed the corner circle with Kaisercraft rhinestones, and the image with Zva Creative rhinestones.

Here' a look at the card in its Easel form.

And Finally, here's the inside: The sentiment is from the Joyful Hearts Borders and Centers Oval set and is framed with a Fancy Tag (Spellbinders). The border is a Martha Stewart Punch.

Thanks so much for hopping by. If you came here by way of Becca's Blog, you're on the right path. If not, start at the JustRite Inspiration Blog. Then follow along on the hop. The next person on the hop is Kazan Clark.

JustRite Inspiration Blog

Becca Feeken
Tosha Leyendekker (You are Here)
Kazan Clark
Laurie Schmidlin
Kellie Fortin
Amy Sheffer

Jerri Jimenez
Denise Marzec
Michelle Rodgers
Stephanie Kraft
Sally Lynn MacDonald
Cindy Lawrence
Jenyfur Pohl
Silke Ledlow
Carolyn King
Dawn Easton
Holly Simoni
Julie Overby
Karen Maldonado
Colleen Schaan
Kimberly Crawford
Karen Taylor
Maren Benedict
Eli Harlan
Linda Beeson

Supplies:
Stamps: My Garden, Joyful Hearts
Paper: Le Romantique (Graphic 45), Papertrey
Ink: Versamark, Pumice Stone (Ranger Distress)
Accessories: Tombows, Detail Black ep, Circle, Scalloped Circle and Fancy Tags (Spellbinders), Rhinestones (Kaisercraft and Zva Creative), Ribbon (Offray), Frosted Lace Stickles, Sewing Machine, Scor-Pal

Feelin' Fantastic!!

I made this card for the Viva la Verve challenge this week. Love the sketch and apron inspirations!! Click Here for a direct link to the challenge.

No complicated techniques or details used for this card. I just followed the sketch and used the first apron as my inspiration. I loved the pinks, flowers and dots. The two Verve sets I used are Feel the Sun and Fairy Tales. The flowers are paper toled and colored with Tombows. The yummy paper is Gossamer by Memory Box, and the frame at the base of the flowers is a combo of the center of the Lattice Pendant and Petite Circle Scallops (Spellbinders).

Thanks for stopping by!!
Have a fabulous weekend!

Stamps: Feel the Sun, Fairy Tales
Paper: Papertrey, Wizard Medium (Prism), Gossamer (Memory Box)
Ink: Versamark
Accessories: Tombows, Aqua Pen, Detail Black ep, Lattice Pendant and Petite Circle Scallops (Spellbinders), Circle Punch, Rhinestones (Kaisercraft and Zva Creative), Ribbon (May Arts), Border Punch (Martha Stewart), Sewing Machine

CCEE Inspired Birdhouse and Edible Nest

Since today's Thursday, I had to make a project inspired by a food photo from Williams-Sonoma for our CCEE Food Inspiration challenge. I had so much fun working on this project. First of all, because I LOVE birdhouses and birds. Secondly, all three of these were just the easiest to make. Here's the inspiration photo:



I loved the look of the egg truffles in the nest, so I thought, why not make a nest out of Rice Krispie and Wheat Chex Cereal. I found some Egg shaped chocolate candies to put inside, and woila...a nest of eggs. Perfectly fun and easy for kids to make too.

Here's a close-up of the nest.

The card was super easy too. I'm in love with the new Lush papers by My Mind's Eye. The designs and colors are dreamy. And there's even flocked papers included in the sets. This particular pattern reminded me of Letterpress, so I kept it simple as the style suggests. I just framed the beautiful perfectly sized sentiment "Thank You" from the Verve Set Thankful Blossoms with the fabulous new Mega Ovals Nestabilities dies by Spellbinders. The gorgeous flower is from one of Verve's newest releases called Let it Shine. I think it's supposed to be a sun, but it just proves how versatile Julee's images are. I used it as a flower and combined it with an older released sentiment. It's colored with copics with a Kaisercraft rhinestone in the center. If you click on the photo, you can see the flocking.



Finally, I want to show you this darling birdhouse. I made it with a Papertrey template, and it took very little time to make. All I did was print the template onto the back of the flocked dp, cut it out, scored and glued it. I added a Labels 10 Nestabilities diecut piece to the top and threaded some satin ribbon through it, and framed the circle opening with some Circle Nestabilities dies (Spellbinders).

Here's a look at the top of the birdhouse:

That about describes everything. Now, head on over the CCEE Stampers blog to see what the rest of the design team was inspired to create.

Thank you so much for stopping by. Here's a list of the supplies I used for these projects. If you click on the colored descriptions, it will take you to where you can find the product listed.

Stamps: Thankful Blossoms, Let it Shine
Paper: Lush Brown (My Mind's Eye), Papertrey
Ink: Black Onyx (Versafine), Tuxedo Black (Memento)
Accessories: Mega Ovals, Circle, and Labels 10 Nestabilities (Spellbinders), Copics, Birdhouse Template (Papertrey), Rhinestone (Kaisercraft), Candy and Cereal, Ruffled Ribbon (Webster's Pages), Satin Ribbon (Offray), Dimensional Tape

Felt Flowers on a tag

Sorry I've been absent for such a long time. I've been spring cleaning. Going through my closets and cupboards and purging stuff that's been sitting idle for almost a decade. What a good feeling to get a bit more organized. Notice I said "a bit"...LOL I still have some to do, but I've conquered a mountain. *grin*

So...now about my project...

Stamper's Dream has some fabulous new toys coming in often and I was so excited when I got my hands on the new Maya Road Canvas Tags!! Talk about fun to play with. I started by painting Chocolate Acrylic Paint (Making Memories), on my Music Cover~a~Card Cling Background Stamp by Impression Obsession, with a foam brush. Stamper's Dream also carries IO's new Mega Mount Rocker Block, that makes stamping these large bg's easy as pie. You get perfectly straight images every time!!

Okay, after getting my musical bg on the canvas, I brushed on some Versamagic colors: Sea Breeze and Pink Petunia, and Brilliance colors: Pearlescent Beige and Pearlescent Crimson. I then sprayed Ivory Crocheted lace with Latte Metallic Maya Mist by Maya Road, and layered it on the tag with a strip of Pink Sheer Ruffle edge ribbon.

Next is the main image. The sentiment (from the JustRite set Harmony Classic Circle III) was stamped with Black Onyx Versafine onto Ivory Simply Smooth cardstock. I stamped one of the images from Tim Holtz's Slight Alterations set with Pearlescent Beige (Brilliance) to distress it up a bit, and sewed around the edges. Finally, I added some felt flowers and flourishes and a felt ribbon flower I made. Stamper's Dream has quite a variety of fun ribbon, and the curly-q's were made with a pink wired string by May Arts. Fun stuff. And the bottom loops are by Webster's.

That's it as far as the tag goes. It sounds really involved, but it came together rather quickly.

Now, in my last post I mentioned that I was going to the hills to visit a stamp store with two sweet and nutty friends: Pat Smethers ~ SCS and Nat (flatbdgrl ~SCS). The store is called Cat's Meow, and it's just that. It's in Oakhurst, California and has a fabulous variety of stamps, paper, and embellishments! And two adorable and friendly cats. Sweet and talented Melissa Cash works there and was kind enough to join us for lunch. As you can tell by the photos below, we had a fabulous time!! I know...scary huh? The mustaches are wax and smell like grape. YUM!!

Pat, Tosh, Nat

Pat, Melissa, Tosh, Nat

Well, the drive up there was stunning. The wild flowers were putting on quite the show, and the company was a delight. What a treat! Oh...and we got some fabulous new stampin' toys too!! Woot!

Thanks for stopping by! I hope your week is going smoothly and is filled with treasured moments!!
Happy Stamping!
Tosh

Spring is in the air

The sun is shining, the birds are singing, and the air is crisp. Spring is on its way!! Woot!!
I felt this card fit with the season right now...the wildflowers are already springing up everywhere: Purple Lupine, poppies, Mustard (I know it's a weed, but seeing a field filled with this yellow weed is sooooo striking. I LOVE it!!) I'm going to have to get my camera out and go do some shooting!!

I so love this sentiment from one of the newest Verve releases called Feel the Sun. And the flower is a dream to color and papertole. I love the layered look of it. Put those two together with Webster's Pages papers and you have one fabulous combo!! *grin* The flower was stamped onto Webster's Pages, and then had ink sponged around the edges with Dusty Concord Ranger Distress Ink. In fact, all the edges were distressed with Dusty Concord, but I added some Vintage Photo also to warm them up. Finally, I added some vintage lace and Kaisercraft pearls to dress it up a bit. The fabulous sketch was designed by the uber talented diva Amy Sheffer for the spring fling last week. I just never got it posted before now. I know...shame, shame. You can see the sketch HERE.

Thanks for dropping by! I hope you have a fantastic weekend.
I get to go to a wonderful stamp store in the hills with my dear friend Pat this weekend. It's a real treat because we don't go often since it's a bit of a drive. But the trip always goes quickly when you have a friend to pass the time with.
Happy Stamping ya'll!!




Stamps: Feel the Sun
Paper: Webster's Pages, Kraft, Neenah
Ink: Eggplant (Versamagic), Dusty Concord and Vintage Photo (Ranger Distress)
Accessories: Circle and Big Scallop Nestabilities (Spellbinders), lace, Pearls (Kaisercraft), Button (PTI), Sewing Machine

Food inspired sketch

I don't know what's gotten into me lately...this sketch seems to bring out the "bright" in me. LOL I loved working with this Mojo sketch, found HERE, so much earlier this week, that I thought I'd use it again with the CCEE Food Inspiration challenge found HERE. I was inspired by the colors. I'm surprising myself.

When I saw this sweet Maya Road Sewing Machine image at CHA, I just had to have it. I LOVE to sew on my cards....paper...not fabric. Who can figure out patterns? I mean, REALLY? LOL
Sew....... (sorry, couldn't help myself), I thought I'd use a variety of different sewing ideas. First, I hauled out my JustRite set Stitched with Love, because I knew it would work beautifully with the Sew Cute Singleton set by Maya Road.
And I didn't stop there. I was on a roll. Cosmo Cricket has a fantastic "sewing" paper line called Material Girl, and Maya Road has some fabulous sewing themed chipboard pieces called Sew Cute Mini-chipboard. That's where I got my scissors. I just sponged Vintage Photo Distress ink all over the scissors, stamped Brilliance Graphite black over the handles, and colored the blades with a silver Spica Pen. I love the look!! The sewing machine was inked up first with Versamagic's Sahara Sand, and then I rock-n-rolled some Jumbo Java to give it a bit of dimension. The heart was colored with a red Spica pen.

I wanted to have some fun with the sewing, so I added a variety of stitches around the borders: a blanket, a zig-zag, and a straight stitch. And finally, I added a PTI button, and some silk ribbon to the scissors.

Now, we'd love to have you join us in our CCEE challenge. It's always fun to see what people take from inspirations...whether it be shapes, textures, patterns, or colors. Head on over to our CCEE Stamper's blog for all the details.

Thanks so much for stopping by today.
Happy Stamping!!

Retro Wishes

This isn't normally my style, but as I worked with today's Mojo Sketch found HERE, this ultra-fun new font from one of Verve's newest releases called Big Wish, and the fun new Cosmo Cricket Joy Ride papers, this is what I came up with. I thought it was perfect for a guy! And we all know, those are hard to come by. If you're anything like me, you gravitate toward flowers and lace. So when a masculine card emerges, I don't complain. I go with the flow.

Everything is pretty self explanatory. No special techniques. Just straight forward stamping, Copic coloring, and gluing.

Have a fantastic week!! And don't forget to check out the challenges on the Verve Blog. You could win some of the newest releases, and they are fantastic!! You have until midnight tonight.

Thanks for stopping by!!
Happy stamping!





Stamps: Big Wish
Paper: Joy Ride (Cosmo Cricket), PTI
Ink: Tuxedo Black (Memento)
Accessories: Circle Nestabilities (Spellbinders), Ribbon, Metal Dots, Copics, Button

Verve Spring Fling Blog Hop

After a fabulous day of sneak peeks, challenges and set reveals, we’re topping off our Spring Fling Blog Party with a blog hop featuring the four new sets and five plain janes that just released from Verve. If you arrived here by way of Michelle's blog then you’re on the right track, if you just happened along, be sure to head back to Julee’s blog for the start of the hop.

And to celebrate our new release, we’ve got a very special treat hidden along the hop. One lucky commenter will win our entire release! So as you’re hopping along, be sure to give a little shout out in the comments if you see something that makes you smile. The lucky winner will be announced Tuesday evening, {March 10} on the Verve Blog.

Thanks for hopping by! Next up on the hop is Laurie!

And in case you get distracted or there’s a hiccup in the chain, head on over to the Verve Blog for the full list of hops.

I loved the Easter Joy set so much I just had to make another card!! The flower is perfect for paper toling!! I stamped it with Tuxedo Black Memento Ink, colored it with Copics, and added a bit of sparkle with some ultrafine glitter.

I had some fun with different shapes on this card too. The Frame behind the sentiment was made with a Martha Stewart Corner punch, and the grass was made with one of my newest toys, the Martha Stewart Fringe scissors. If ya look closely, you can see some vellum butterflies resting in the grass.

I also added some Liquid Pearls around the circle frame, some gorgeous lace, and some sweet butterflies that were a gift from Julee awhile back. Thanks Julee!! Aren't they perfect with this set? Woot!!

Of course I had to use more of my Webster's pages dp. At this rate, I'll have it all used up in no time. The colors are all so soft and beautiful, and they all blend so well together. Oh, I can't forget to tell you, I stamped the "Happy Spring" sentiment with Purple Hydrangea Versamagic, and punched the bottom with a Martha Stewart border punch.

Thank you so much for stopping by!! Hope you've been enjoying the hop!! I tell ya, the Verve divas just ooze talent. I love seeing what wonderful and creative ideas they come up with each month, and am constantly saying to myself..."now why couldn't I think of that?!?!?!"

Have a fabulous weekend my stamping friends!
I hope it's filled with oodles of blessings!!
Happy Stamping!

Verve Spring Fling Sneak Peek

Verve is having a Spring Fling celebration today, and I get the honor of sneak peeking the Easter Joy set. This set is filled with elegant, yet whimsical eggs, fabulous fonts, a sweet flower, and a super charming butterfly. Love it!! Head on over to the Verve Blog to see how you can have an opportunity to win some of the newly released Verve sets!!

Be sure to stop by again this evening for the blog hop!!
The Divas are stamping up a storm, and we'll be finishing off the night with a grand finale design team blog hop showcasing the new sets. The hop begins when the new sets release at 10PM Eastern, this Friday night. There'll be a chance to win our entire release, so be sure to tune in!

Verve Spring Fling CAS Plain Jane

It's time for another Vervalicious release!! And Julee has a wonderful event filled day planned with Sneak Peeks and challenges. It all starts at 1:00 pm Eastern Time, and finishes with some chat time in the SCS Verve Forum and finally the release of all the new Springy images! You won't want to miss a moment of this day.

I'll have a sneak peek ready for you later today, but I wanted to share this sweet little Plain Jane with you first. This card is only 2 1/2" x 3 1/2". So sweet and tiny. And I love this happy little sun. I just colored it with copics and added some Mini-multicolored rhinestones (Zva Creative) to the edges. I scored some vertical stripes with an open space in the middle too. If you click on the photo, you can see the details better. I used an EK Success border punch for the bottom. Easy Peasy, quick as pie!!

Be sure to stop by later to see my sneak peek, and check the Verve Blog regularly. Each hour there will be either a sneak peek or a challenge, giving you many opportunities to win these new sets!! How fun is that?!?!?

Thanks for stopping by!!
Tosh

3-way sketch

I love sketch images. Love 'em I tell ya. And boats!! I don't know what it is about them, but I love 'em....sailboats, rowboats, ships....any boat. So when I saw this sketched Rowboat image by Impression Obsession at Stamper's Dream, well it was love at first sight!! What a gorgeous scene!! And in sketch form. I have three styles to share with you, proving how versatile this type of image is, and why I love it so much.

Since it's March and Thursday, that means it's also time for another CCEE challenge, and I will be challenging you with food inspirations each week. (All the photos are from Williams-Sonoma.)
Here's this week's inspiration:

I went with the colors and the squares. The sketch, I used, is from SCS's sketch challenge yesterday. You can find that HERE. I thought it went well with the inspiration photo. I stamped this first one with Versamark onto Watercolor paper, embossed it with Detail Black ep, and colored it with Tombows and an aqua pen. I also added some new Distress Inks to my collection, and used the Forest Moss in conjunction with my fave Vintage Photo. I like the subtle green it gives the edges with the Vintage burnt look. Stamper's Dream has all the new Distress Inks. And of course I had to have them all!! LOL

For this example, I stamped the boat scene with Black Onyx Versafine onto Kraft CS and spotlighted the boat by only coloring it with pastels (chalk).


For the last example, I also stamped the scene with Black Onyx onto Kraft, but colored the whole scene with pastels. It's similar to the first example, only softer.



Three different looks, one image.
Thanks so much for stopping by. I really hope you'll join us in our CCEE Food Inspiration challenge this week. Just head on over to our CCEE Stampers blog for all the details. We'd love to see how you were inspired.






Stamps: Rowboat (Impression Obsession)
Paper: LifeStories (MME), Birchtone Dark and Medium (Prismatics), Kraft, Watercolor
Ink: Versamark, Black Onyx (Versafine), Forest Moss and Vintage Photo (Ranger Distress)
Accessories: Rectangle Nestabilities (Spellbinders), Tombows, Pastels, Cuttlebug Embossing Folder, Buttons (PTI), Natural Lightweight Twill Ribbon, Sewing Machine, Distress Tool