Are You Ready For Fall?

I can't decide. I like to cling onto summer as long as possible. But it was only 59 degrees for my morning walk. Talk about a chill in the air. And it's only just beginning. So, whether you're ready or not, I've got a fall inspired card for you. This uses Lizzie Anne's In The Treetop, one of my all time favorites. I inked each treetop in celery, then rolled the stamp in olive, ruby red, and pumpkin pie. Same with the leaves, except I accidentally dunked one in the chocolate chip ink pad that was sitting out. So I decided to just roll with it. For the grass, I repeatedly stamped the zig zag stamp randomly using celery and olive inks. I also sponged a little bit of soft sky for the sky.

What's In It?

Stamps: In the Treetop (Lizzie Anne Designs)

Paper: chocolate chip, vanilla, Haiku (Stampin' Up)

Ink: chocolate chip, certainly celery, old olive, pumpkin pie, ruby red, soft sky

Other: chocolate chip ribbon (SU), vintage findings plastic flowers (Making Memories), pop dots

Sunflower Friends

Good morning! I woke up early today and used the time to finish off this card that I started last night. Sometimes I need a little break to see what I need for the finishing touches. Or to decide that it's alright as is. This morning I decided that all it needed was that tiny bit of ribbon and a button. There wasn't a whole lot of room for accessorizing with these big beautiful images.

I used Beate's weekend sketch and Papertrey's Friends 'Til The End stamp set. I use my photo corner punch to make the little pointed flag endings. A square punch would work just as well, perhaps better, but I don't have one. So the photo corner punch it is! By the way, if anyone is looking for a replacement for the gorgeous but retired Soft Sky, I just love this sea salt color from Bazzill. I'm so happy to have found a new "soft sky". I had been down to itty bitty scraps. Josh seems to have picked up pink eye again yesterday. He had it a couple of months ago too. So I may be on my own for our usual morning walk. We've gone every single morning but one for the past three weeks, weekends included. And that was because I was really sick. We walk 2 miles, including about a 3/4 mile jog. I sure hope you all enjoy your weekend. Thanks so much for stopping by and sharing a bit of your time with me.

What's In It?
Stamps- Friends 'Til The End (Papertrey Ink)
Paper- vanilla, cocoa, bayou, saffron, celery (SU), seal salt (Bazzill)
Ink- tuxedo black (memento), chocolate chip (SU)
Copics- Y21, Y17, Y38, YG03, YG63, YG95, E55, E57, E79
Other- lemon tart grosgrain ribbon (PTI), button and thread, pop dots, photo corner punch (SU)

And the Matching Thank You

This is the matching Thank You card to go with yesterday's invitation/baby card. Again, pretty simple. I cut the star image from the lemon tart Bitty Box Basics paper and pieced it onto the circle panel. I didn't want the moon this time, so I inked only the stars with a chocolate marker to add them to the blue circle panel. The circle "thanks" stamp is from the Circle Sentiments set. Card is 4.25 inches square. And here are the two of them together.

What's In It?
Stamps: In The Nursery and Circle Sentiments (Lizzie Anne Designs)
Paper: spring rain, vintage cream, bitty box basics (PTI), kraft (SU)
Ink: chocolate chip (SU)
Punch: embossed curve (EK Success)
Other: antique brads (Lasting Impressions), pop dots, glue dots, american crafts and PTI lemon tart ribbons

Moonbeams and Stardust

I made this card for a publication call, but it didn't get picked up. So I get to share it with you here. And tomorrow I'll have a similar card that goes with this for you. It's pretty clean and simple. Stamp the sentiment, star and moon on blue card stock with brown ink. Layer on pale yellow patterned paper that has been punched with an embossed curve. It's hard to see the faint pattern, but that is Papertrey Ink's Bitty Box paper. Tie on layered ribbons and insert brads. See? Simple. But I thought it was nice and calming for a chic baby shower.

What's In It?

Stamps: In The Nursery (Lizzie Anne Designs)

Paper: spring rain, vintage cream, bitty box basics (PTI), kraft (SU)

Ink: chocolate chip (SU)

Punch: embossed curve (EK Success)

Other: antique brads (Lasting Impressions), pop dots, glue dots, american crafts and PTI lemon tart ribbons

You Are My Sunshine...

...my only sunshine. You make me happy.....

Yeah, you get the picture. This week's Jbelle challenge is a fond farewell to summer. That could mean summer images like bugs, flowers or beach stamps. Or maybe hot summer colors like orange, yellow or red. Or maybe your shine comes from Shimmerz or Stickles. Once you've made your summer card, leave a comment on the Jacksonbelle Embellishments blog so we can all check it out.

I LOVE summer and wish it could last all year long. I won't hold my breath though, not here in the northeast. Here's my sunshine card. It's five inches square. I used some Lizzie Anne stamps from the August Monthly Mix, aptly titled Hey Sunshine, along with these bright, happy June Bug papers. It doesn't get much hotter than that. The matching ribbon is from May Arts and the flowers, from Prima. The flowers are dotted with Stickles (on sale all week).
Jacksonbelle Embellishments has been getting in some fun new stuff recently, the latest and greatest of which, in my opinion, is JENNI BOWLIN! Woot! Go check it out. Just don't buy it all before I get a chance to pick some out. LOL.

What's In It?
Stamps- Hey Sunshine (Lizzie Anne Designs)
Paper- caribbean, turquoise, summer sun (SU), white (PTI), June Bug (Basic Grey)
Ink- tuxedo black (Memento)
Other- Copic markers; eyelets, paper piercer and template (SU), ribbon (May Arts), circle and label 1 die cuts (Spellbinders), flowers (Prima), stickles, foam adhesive

Be sure to check out how the rest of the design team is celebrating summer too.
AJ Otto
Carly Robertson
Heather Lee-Reppen
Jill Dunn
Jimmi Mayo
Kristine Breach
Lindsey Botkin
Loretta Lock
Lynda Benden
Michelle Philippi
Mitzi Koons
Shemaine Smith
Tobi Crawford
Trudee Sauer

Lemon Lime

Veronica was such a sweetheart to send me some beautiful Flourishes images to play with. Thank you, dear! I am in love with this lemon tree. And yesterday I found some spare time to get my coloring on. The coloring (with Copic markers) was fast, easy and fun. Then I hit the proverbial wall. Eventually, after a few reorganizations, I came up with this. If you have any questions, just drop me a line.

What's In It?
Stamps- Life, Love and Lemons (Flourishes)
Paper- white, spring moss bitty box (PTI), Hometown: Depot Park (October Afternoon), brilliant blue (SU)
Ink- tuxedo black (Memento)
Copics- Y13, Y17, YG03, YG63, G99, B23, B29, B99, W3, E57, E71, E79, 0
Other- oval nesties, brads (SU), flowers (Prima), ornare piercing template

Clean and Simple Friday

(If you're looking for the Friday Funny, scroll down to the next post.)

I've got a quick but cute card to share with you today. I'll be using it to go with my cousin's wedding gift. She actually got married at the beach a little while ago, but there is an informal wedding party tonight. I used Fall-To Layout 55 from Clean & Simple Stamping, along with two stamp sets, Bloomin' Doodles for the flower and Say It In Script for the sentiment. This was pretty much a no-brainer, which was just what I needed since I've been in a creative funk for the past few days. I colored the flower with Copic markers (0, Y17, B02, B05, B29) and rearranged the sentiment to make it longer rather than taller. For that, I used a Stamp-a-ma-jig and a black Stampin' Up! marker.

What's In It?
Stamps- Bloomin' Doodles and Say It In Script (Lizzie Anne Designs)
Paper- vintage cream (PTI), kraft (SU), Woolsworths from Hometown collection (October Afternoon)
Ink- black marker (SU), tuxedo black (Memento)
Other- aqua mist satin ribbon (PTI), urban prairie button (Basic Grey), thread, pop dots, glue dots

The Friday Funny (8/21/09)

Mr. Johnson was overweight, so his doctor put him on a diet.

He said; “I want you to eat regularly for two days, then skip a day, and repeat this procedure for two weeks. The next time I see you, you should have lost at least five pounds.”

When Mr. Johnson returned, he shocked the doctor by having dropped almost twenty pounds.

“Why, that’s amazing!” the doctor told him. “You did this just by following my instructions?”

The slimmed down Mr. Johnson nodded. “I’ll tell you, though, I though I was going to drop dead that third day.”

“From hunger, you mean.”

“No,” replied Mr. Johnson, “from skipping.”

Tree-mendous

This is another card using the upcoming Lizzie Anne Monthly Mix for September, called Something to Crow About. I pressed the stamp into a celery ink pad, then colored the stem and around the swirl with a chocolate marker, then pressed to paper. Lastly, color the bird pink, dotting the eye brown, and add your sentiment.

Happy Hump Day!

What's In It?
Stamps- Something to Crow About (LAD)
Paper- vintage cream, raspberry fizz (PTI), chocolate chip (SU), Carolyn Gavin Greenhouse mat pad (K & Co)
Ink- chocolate chip, celery, pink passion (SU)
Other- swirls from flower bouquet die (Sizzix), antique brads (Lasting Impressions), raspberry satin ribbon (PTI), parisian punch (EK Success), pop dots

A JBelle Sketch Challenge

Today's Jacksonbelle Embellishments challenge is a sketch. Love those! Check it out at the Jbelle blog, and hopefully you'll be able to play along with us as well. We'd love to have you join in.

So here's my card. I used some great June Bug paper and the oh-so-fun June Bug pops too. I didn't like the sentiment on this oval, so I punched out some paper and added my own. Along with a couple of little butterflies from a Martha Stewart punch. What's In It?
Stamps- Friends 'Til the End (Papertrey Ink)
Paper- June Bug 6x6 pad (Basic Grey), saffron, black (SU)
Ink- onyx black (VersaFine)
Other- classic butterfly punch (Martha Stewart), oval punch (SU), Lil' Man and Girl Friday ribbon (Cosmo Cricket), June Bug pops (Basic Grey), flower bouquet die (Sizzix), jumbo brad (making memories), small brads black licorice (Lasting Impressions)

Stop by the rest of the Jbelle team's blogs for more eye candy!
Kristine Breach
Tobi Crawford
Stephanie Hargis
Mitzi Koons
Loretta Lock
Jimmi Mayo
Michelle Philippi
Carly Robertson
Shemaine Smith
Lynda Benden
Melissa Bove
Jennifer Buck
Jill Dunn
AJ Otto
Heather Lee-Reppen
Lindsey Botkin
Trudee Sauer

A September Day

I can't believe how the time is passing. September is sneaking up on me. This card is done with Lizzie Anne's soon to be released September Monthly Mix stamp set. The set is called Something to Crow About. If you haven't heard about the new Monthly Mix program, check it out here. It is such a great deal. So I did my stamp in Onyx Black VersaFine ink, then colored the dots and swirls with Stampin' Up! markers. Then I added the "Enjoy Your Day", which is a separate stamp, in real red. All of my papers come from the June Bug 6x6 pad, and the flowers are a combo of different felt flowers. The card sketch is by Jen del Muro.

Here's a shot of the whole set. How cute, right?!? What's In It?
Stamps- September Monthly Mix Something to Crow About (Lizzie Anne Designs)
Paper- black, real red (SU), white (PTI), June Bug (Basic Grey)
Ink- onyx black (VersaFine), real red, summer sun, celery (SU)
Other- classic butterfly punch (Martha Stewart), black licorice brads (Lasting Impressions), lemonade felt flowers (Heidi Swapp), greenhouse felt flowers (American Crafts), pop dots, circle nesties (Spellbinders)

The Friday Funny (8/14/09)

It was April and the Aboriginals in a remote part of Northern Australia asked their new elder if the coming winter was going to be cold or mild.

Since he was an elder in a modern community he had never been taught the old secrets. When he looked at the sky he couldn't tell what the winter was going to be like. Nevertheless, to be on the safe side, he told his tribe that the winter was indeed going to be cold and that the members of the tribe should collect firewood to be prepared.

But being a practical leader, after several days he had an idea.

He walked out to the telephone booth on the highway, called the Bureau of Meteorology and asked, 'Is the coming winter in this area going to be cold?'

The meteorologist responded, 'It looks like this winter is going to be quite cold.'

So the elder went back to his people and told them to collect even more wood in order to be prepared.

A week later he called the Bureau of Meteorology again. 'Does it still look like it is going to be a very cold winter?'

The meteorologist again replied, 'Yes, it's going to be a very cold winter.'

The elder again went back to his community and ordered them to collect every scrap of firewood they could find.

Two weeks later the elder called the Bureau again. 'Are you absolutely sure that the winter is going to be very cold?' he asked.

'Absolutely,' the man replied.

'It's looking more and more like it is going to be one of the coldest winters ever.'

'How can you be so sure?' the elder asked.

The weatherman replied, 'Our satellites have reported that the Aboriginals in the north are collecting firewood like crazy, and that's always a sure sign.'

Buzzin' By

Sometimes I just don't have it in me to come up with a good blog title. Okay, let's face it. Most times I don't have it in me to come up with a good blog title. But I do think I came up with a pretty cute card today. At least I'm rather tickled with it. It's that clean vintage look that I've been loving lately around blog world and in the mags. I started with this sketch from 2 Sketches 4 You and my new Cute as a Bug stamp set. I dug out some coordinating paper and ribbon and set to work. I stamped the bee on confetti white card stock and colored with Copic markers. I applied Shimmerz gold glimmer Blingz, a light coat to the body and a heavier coat to the wings. I love the sentiment banners and flags that are so "in" right now, so I used one of those here. It seemed to fit right in with the buzzing bee. I achieved my vintage look with the confetti and kraft papers, roughing up the one layer, and staining the patterned paper with Vintage Touch tea dye duo inks. To keep the ribbon a little bit flatter, I didn't knot it. I just layered the two tails over one another and sewed on my button, gathering the ribbon behind it.

What's In It?
Stamps- Cute as a Bug (Lizzie Anne Designs)
Paper- kraft, confetti white, black (SU), urban prairie: wild flowers (Basic Grey)
Ink- tuxedo black (Memento), N5, 100, Y17, Y38 Copic markers; tea dye duo inks (PTI)
Other- gold glimmer blingz (shimmerz), Lil' Man ribbon (Cosmo Cricket), urban prairie button (BG), black licorice brads (Lasting Impressions), black thread, tonic distresser, pop dots

Home Is...

How cute is that? "Home is where you dig your stakes." This card started with Fall-To Layout 52, and I tweaked it just a bit to work with my images and this card's style. I stamped the tent on creamy caramel and colored with a gray Copic marker. The fire was also stamped (on white) and colored with Copics. I cut out the tent, then stamped it directly on my card front as well, to get the stakes and ropes. (What are those support ropes called?) Those totally fun mushrooms are in the Great Outdoors digi paper pack. Love 'em! I also used some decorative scissors on the garden green trim and a white gel pen for the marshmallow. All stamps are from the Great Outdoors set. Card base is sahara sand.

Thanks so much for stopping by today!

The Challenge: No Stamping!

Eeek! I thought the no stamping challenge would be fun, which it was. But it was more of a challenge than I expected. If you'd like to play along with this week's Jacksonbelle Embellishments challenge, we'd love to have you join us! Just make a card or project using NO STAMPING! You don't have to use Jacksonbelle products if you don't have them yet. Please use keyword JBE066 and leave us a message on the Jbelle blog. For my card, I started with this SO CUTE cupcake, cut from some Pink Paislee paper. I colored over the cherry with a clear glaze pen. I also used some more patterns from the Sweet Cakes line. I added a Basic Grey button (Urban Prairie line) Prima Mini Me's and gemstones, and the Cuttlebug "hi" (from Olivia alpha). The yellow scallops were cut with my long scallop rectangle nesties.

If you haven't checked it out yet, don't miss the Dollar Days sale going on for a limited time at the Jacksonbelle store. You will find some amazing deals. I just hope I get my butt in gear before it's all gone. LOL.

What's In It?
Stamps: NONE
Paper: sweet cakes (pink paislee), coral, saffron (SU)
Ink: NONE
Other: button (urban prairie: basic grey), thread, ribbon, long scallop rectangle nestie, pearl cluster, gemstones and mini me's (Prima), olivia alphabet (cuttlebug), pop dots, clear glaze pen

Check out the rest of the team:
Kristine Breach
Tobi Crawford
Stephanie Hargis
Mitzi Koons
Loretta Lock
Jimmi Mayo
Michelle Philippi
Carly Robertson
Shemaine Smith
Lynda Benden
Melissa Bove
Jennifer Buck
Jill Dunn
AJ Otto
Heather Lee-Reppen
Lindsey Botkin
Trudee Sauer

Parka Penguins For You!

ETA: Random.org chose number 34. Sooooo, the winner is Nicole! Congrats! I'll be in touch shortly!

Check them out! Just how cute are these peguins, all bundled up for winter? Read on for details on how you can win this Our Craft Lounge stamp set, called Parka Penguins.They just keep remindig me of Chilly Willy the Penguin and I can't get the theme song out of my head. Do you remember that cartoon? "I'm Chilly Willy the Penguin. I'm frozen through and through..." So anyway, my chilly little guy is doing a little winter fishing in his purple parka and cap.

What's In It?

Stamps: Parka Penguins (Our Craft Lounge)

Paper: white (PTI), turquoise, black (SU), Blitzen's Jack Frost and Skate Shoppe's K-Stall (Basic Grey)

Ink: black (memento), old olive (SU)

Other: Copic markers, SU oval punch, ribbon, EK Success wavy punch, SU brads, sponge dauber, pop dots

Now for the fun stuff! I have one Parka Penguins set to give away. Leave me a comment on this post between now and Sunday, August 9 at 9 pm Eastern, that's 6 pm Pacific time. How about letting me know what your favorite cartoon was growing up? You MUST leave me a way to contact you in your post or I'll move on to the next winner. I'm sorry, but I won't have time to track you down otherwise.

More good news! The entire OCL release, all 31 stamp sets are now available for purchase at retail locations, including some online stores. So check out the Our Craft Lounge website for participating retailers, right here.

Yet more good news! There are thirty more OCL stamp sets being given away this weekend. The list of blogs for you to visit is on the OCL blog. Each person can win only one set. Have fun hoppin' and good luck!

Another Our Craft Lounge Preview

It's Day Three of the Our Craft Lounge previews. Check out the blog for links to all ten sets being shown today. And don't forget, tomorrow's the big give away of 31 different sets to 31 different winners. Today I'm previewing: Tweet Winter Wishes What's In It?
Stamps- Tweet Winter Wishes (Our Craft Lounge)
Paper- spring fling: skipping stones (pink paislee); caribbean, turquoise, real red (SU), white (PTI)
Ink- tuxedo black (memento)
Copics- E27, R29, R24, BG10, BG15, B05, Y38, YR07, YG03, YG63, C1, 0
Other- snowflake punch (martha stewart), oval nesties, fruit punch and star dust stickles, half pearls (Basic Grey), ribbon (may arts), pop dots

Stamps will be available from online retailers starting tomorrow! See ya here for the blog candy tomorrow as well.

Let's Get Punchy

In honor of the arrival of the latest Martha Stewart punches, today's challenge on the Jacksonbelle Blog is to Get Punchy! We'd love to have you play along and link your punched creations to the Jbelle challenge. If uploading to a public gallery, please use keyword JBE065. I built my card around the butterfly and border punches, adding in a labels four die, some really lovely October Afternoon paper, and this dotted American Crafts ribbon.

Thanks for stopping by. Tomorrow I'll have another Our Craft Lounge preview, so be sure to check in again.

What's In It?
Stamps- thank you (imaginisce)
Paper-vanilla, ruby, chocolate chip, caribbean (SU), Detours: Gazebo (October Afternoon)
Ink- choc chip, real red, celery, apricot, caribbean (SU)
Other- swiss dots (Cuttlebug folder), vintage die (cuttlebug), scallop border and butterfly punches (Martha Stewart), label four die (Spellbinders), ribbon (American Crafts), sponge dauber, pop dots

More Get Punchy cards from the Jbelle Design Team:
Kristine Breach
Mitzi Koons
Loretta Lock
Michelle Philippi
Carly Robertson
Shemaine Smith
Lynda Benden
Melissa Bove
Jennifer Buck
Jill Dunn
AJ Otto
Heather Lee-Reppen
Lindsey Botkin

Our Craft Lounge BLITZ

Our Craft Lounge is coming out with thirty one new stamp sets and you can get some peeks at them over the next three days, starting right now. I am thrilled to be helping out Joy and Cambria as they share their newest release. Today, I made a card with my personal favorite of them all...Fueled by Caffeine.

You can see all ten sets being revealed today and lots of great design projects starting with the Our Craft Lounge blog. Check the blog every day through Wednesday for more reveals and finally a blog candy hop on Thursday. As Cami would say, "Yeah, Baby!"

What's In It?
Stamps- Fueled by Caffeine (Our Craft Lounge), polka dot basics (PTI) Paper- white (GP 110), teal, celery, mustard (SU), raspberry (PTI), girl friday: saturday (Cosmo) Ink- black (memento), summer sun (SU) Copic markers- Y17, R05, W3, B05, YG03, YG63, 0 Other- flower dies (cuttlebug), urban prairie buttons (basic grey), raspberry satin ribbon (PTI), black thread, pop dots, glue dots

Anni-VERVE-sary Blog Hop

Welcome to the first ever official Anni-VERVE-sary Blog Hop. Verve turns two today and we’re celebrating with a hop, hop, hop! The party kicked off over on the Verve blog, so if you’ve just happened along, be sure to hop on over there to start from the beginning! And to make this party a real shindig, there’s a mystery jackpot hidden at one of the stops along the hop. One lucky commenter on that blog will win Verve’s entire August release! But of course, it wouldn’t be a mystery if you knew which blog, would it? So if you’re feeling the love, give a little shout out to the bloggers in the hop and you just might have a reason to jump for joy!
My card uses last year's Anni-VERVE-sary stamp set, Beautiful You, along with some delish K & Company paper. Clicking the picture should give you a close up.

Thanks for stopping by! Now it’s time to hop on over to Sarah’s blog, for a little more Verve-y goodness.