I Love Hot Chocolate

I love hot chocolate so much. I've even convinced my daughter that a good cup of hot chocolate will cure everything that ails her: illness, bad moods, cold hands and feet, and "owies". I'm hoping she always believes that, lol! When I saw December monthly mix from Lizzie Anne Designs, I fell in love with these two images. The set is called Warmest Wishes, and you can see it here. I made the card, and left it on my desk for awhile before ading embellishments. When I came back to it to decide what to add, I noticed that I liked it just the way it was - plain. So that's how it stayed. I did paper piece the mug, using the flip side of the plaid paper on the panels. it's from Webster's Pages Waiting for Santa/Sweet Season pack.

After my whirlwind four day Thanksgiving weekend I knew I needed a fairly simple sketch to host today's sketch challenge over on the Lizzie Anne blog. I like that I can use this basic concept and just switch out images to totally alter it. It works with so many different schemes! I hope you can play along this week :)

Winter Wonderland

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving!! I ate myself silly, and am so looking forward to leftovers today. We've got Christmas music on and are cleaning the house in preparation to start decorating. Yay! If you are joining me from Kerry's blog, thanks for hopping over!

The theme for this month's InStyle Stamps blog hop works perfectly with my plans today. We all chose our favorite holiday song, and made a project based on it. Well, I don't know that i have just one favorite - but I do have a lot of love for "Winter Wonderland". It's just a happy, fun, light-hearted song. With that in mind I made a gift for my daughter. For her birthday back in September she got a CD player for her room, which she loves. So I made her a CD full of Christmas music so she could listen to it in there. I used Lynn to decorate the outside of the white paper sleeve - she looks like she is enjoying a Winter Wonderland, doesn't she? She also fits perfectly with another of my favorite songs, "Let It Snow". 

I made this project to coordinate with the Christmas Wishlist I made for my daughter, so I could give her a little gift set. If you don't get the InStyle Stamps newsletter (you should run over to the blog to sign up in the top left corner!) you can see that project (complete with supplies and a step-by-step tutorial) here.

Your next stop on the hop is Angelique, and I'm sure she has something wonderful to show you. Remember to head back over to the InStyle Stamps blog to vote for you favorite project. You could win a $$25 goodie bag from InStyle Stamps!

Happy Thanksgiving!

I just wanted to write a short post and wish all of my American friends a very happy Thanksgiving. Enjoy this day of family, friends, food, and football! My family is headed to the beach to spend the day with my mom and her husband - we're taking a wine and cheese cruise on their boat while the turkey cooks, and then coming back to eat and watch some football. Sounds dreamy, doesn't it?

And if you are like me and have no desire to go out for Black Friday sales (ok, I'd totally go if I lived closer to the stores, but I don't), here are a couple of great weekend sales for you to hit while you are at your computer:

• InStyle Stamps has tons of rubber stamps on sale for $1 each! And from 12:00 AM PST on Friday the 26th to 12:00 AM PST on Saturday the 27th (so, basically, Black Friday) they are offering FREE shipping on all orders in the US. Wow!
• Lizzie Anne Designs has put the whole store on sale for 40% off from Friday to Monday. They'll also be including a holiday-themed Single stamp with every order over $25 (their choice.)

Happy New Year

This is the newest member of the Chloe family over at InStyle Stamps - New Year's Chloe. How darling is she? I paired her with metallic silver cardstock and vellum, for an elegant but fun New Year's card. She's colored with Copics.

Did you get a chance to see all of the images that InStyle Stamps released this week? If not, check out this post for a recap. And have a wonderful weekend!

Deck the Halls

It's challenge day for the designers over at Lizzie Anne Designs. This month we were challenged to make a paper wreath. Oooooh, this was hard for me! Sometimes, a person can not like a challenge. But other times, a challenge can not like a person - and that's the case with this one. I had four unsuccessful attempts before I finally pieced this wreath together!! My circles were always off, or my papers didn't look good together. It just wasn't happening for me.

I finally sat down on the floor with my sweet baby boy (in his bouncy chair) and my scrap bin, and while we watched Baby Bach (I love Baby Einstein) I cut out circles and embossed them with Nesties and the Cuttlebug. This wreath isn't perfectly round either, but it's close enough. I used images from the Deck the Halls set. And it happens to be on sale!

Be sure to head over the Lizzie Anne Designs blog to see what the other designers created - absolute fabulousness, I promise.  Have a wonderful day!

Puppy Love

InStyle Stamps is showcasing new releases this week - have you been checking them out? Today's image is Puppy Love, another in a line of their round images, perfect for creating tags, making cards or scrapbook pages, or for layering on altered objects. In case you've missed the others, here are some links: Harvested, Randolf, Snowman & Son, and Witchy Shoes. ANd be sure to check out Kitten Play, the other new image released today.

I used a Clausen pickle jar (because they're my FAVS) to make this cute little Christmas present for my in-law's dog. I like it so much, I'm making them for everyone in my family who has a dog! I colored the puppy with Copics, and layered him on several nesties. Easy peasy - my favorite kind of project!

Check out the other new release images over at the InStyle Stamps blog.

Wink, Wink

Remember last Wednesday when I told you about the InStyle Stamps color challenge, and shared this gorgeous picture? Well, I finally have my card done! She's been colored for a few days but I just haven't had time to get her on a card. The image I used is Suzette, and I just adore the playful way she is winking! I colored her in the browns, creams, and greens from the picture (with a touch of red thrown in).

And since we are back to a Wednesday, InStyle Stamps has a new challenge for you! This week it's the InSpiration challenge, and it's a great one today. The challenge is to use the photo provided to inspire you to make a "thank you" gift for someone unexpected - the mailman, the nurse at the doctor's office, the people who work at the food bank. Any someone who needs some appreciation, but doesn't always get it.Check out the InStyle Stamps blog for all of the details, and to see some inspiration from the designers!

Creating Yourself

It's the 15th of the month, and that is preview day for the newest monthly mix! I don't have it in my hands yet (sob!) but I made a card using the November 2010 monthly mix, The Key to Happiness to celebrate the mix blog hop.

Don't tell me - I know it is blurry. Blogger and I are just not getting along! But I'm showing you this soft, girlie card I made anyway, because I really like it! I love this sentiment - isn't it sweet?! I paired it with Webster's Pages, lace, satin ribbon, and a Prima flower.

Be sure to head over to the Lizzie Anne Designs blog to see what the other girls are showing off today - lots of them have their new stamps and have made amazing samples! And here is a sneak peek at the whole new mix, Warmest Wishes.

More Halloween Pages

I showed you the Whooligans Kit from The ScrappyChick Boutique in this post. Now I'm sharing the second two pages I made from the kit. Because I never follow directions, my pages are vary slightly the ones Cyndi laid out. My pictures were oriented differently so I had to make some modifications.

Just pretend you don't see my messy desk around them - I haven't figured out the best way to photograph layouts yet. And Blogger is once again making my pics fuzzy - grrrr. Anyway, I stayed similar to the original layout, but added a bit more ribbon at the top. And instead of a ribbon strip above the bat, I used a strip of paper and accordion-folded it at the bottom. I also added another chipboard sticker - the little boy. My little sweetie picked it out (she was so excited about helping).

Here's another look at these two pages, the way Cyndi laid them out in the directions for the kit:

The Holidays Are Coming!

The holidays are fast approaching...the keyword is fast! InStyle Stamps is kicking things off with a gorgeous English Christmas dish, Christmas Pudding. The color scheme is so pretty, don't you think? The olive greens, the rich reds, the creams and browns - scrumptious! My card isn't ready yet - it's hard to get much done with two sick little ones. But it will be in the next couple of days, and I'll share it then. In the meantime I wanted to give you a heads up about this great color challenge!

We'd love to have you play along with our color challenge this month! You have until Tuesday, December 8th at 11:59 PM PST to enter. All of the deets can be found over on the InStyle Stamps blog.

The Perfect Package

When I saw this month's AmberINK's INKredible 21-Day Challenge, I knew exactly what I was going to do. The challenge was to make a RAK (Random Act of Kindness) card for someone you don't know OR make an AK  (Act of Kindness) card or gift for someone you DO know. I made a set of cards and gift tags for someone I do know. She's about my age, with two very young boys, and has spent this year battling cancer. It's been rough, and I wanted to do something nice for her to help with the holiday crush.

I made six cards using the girl from You're the Perfect Package, and I also made ten gift tags. The don't match, but that's on purpose. I colored the cards in non-traditional holiday colors so that she didn't have to use them at Christmas if she didn't want to - maybe she could save them for thnak you notes or something else.I've got a bunch of other Christmas cards that I've been working on all year that I'm adding to her box, so she should be all set for the holidays!

I used the sketch that I posted for the Lizzie Anne Designs 150th Sketch Challenge earlier today for this card - I love how simple it is!

Warm Winter Wishes

Here's another one with the November 2010 monthly mix, The Key to Happiness, from Lizzie Anne Designs. I kept it simple and elegant for this one and opted for no embellishments - that way t is easy to reproduce and cheap to mail!

I actually used this card for the Lizzie Anne Designs 150th Sketch Challenge this week - I got to host it and figured this card would work great!

My paper is from the Webster's Pages Waiting for Santa/Sweet Season collection. I got it from Limelight Papercrafts :)

A Door Opens

I've always had a thing for doorways - I'm sure it sounds silly but they just capture my imagination. They hold such promise, share such history, and show such personality. So when I saw this new image in the November 2010 monthly mix, The Key to Happiness, and I was instantly smitten. Isn't it gorgeous?!?!

I paired it with DCWV's Old World patterned paper, which I think is perfect. All I added to the 5.5" square card was a bit of ribbon and some handstitching. I also sponged the main panel. I'm sure I could have added more stuff to it, but I liked it simple - so I quit while I was ahead!

Halloween Pages

I showed you the Whooligans Kit from The ScrappyChick Boutique in this post. Now I'm sharing the first two pages I made from the kit. Because I never follow directions, my pages are vary slightly the ones Cyndi laid out. My pictures were oriented differently so I had to make some modifications.

Just pretend you don't see my messy desk around them - I haven't figured out the best way to photograph layouts yet. And Blogger is once again making my pics fuzzy - grrrr. Anyway, I stayed similar to the original layout, but added a bit more ribbon on the purple page. And I cut my large circle off-center, which didn't make a difference on the orange page but added some fun visual interest on the purple page. I also left off the word 'Beware' at the top of both pages. I know they will need a title, I'm just not sure what I want it to be yet. I'm indecisive.

Here's another look at these two pages, the way Cyndi laid them out in the directions for the kit:

For $18.50, this kit is a great deal. You can make 4 full 12x12 pages with enough cardstock and patterned paper leftover for cards. You'll also have more than a few pieces of self adhesive chipboard and matching brads left.

 I'll be showing you my other two pages later this week :)

Hard at Work

I'm hard at work today on some pages using the Whooligans kit from The ScrappyChick Boutique - I can't wait to get these Halloween pages done! And after that, I am hoping to get some cards done to share on here. But I have a sick kiddo at home so I don't know how fast I'll get it done!

Since I don't have anything new to show you today, I'm sharing pics of the kits. Aren't they fab?!

Be Merry

Wow - it's the first Wednesday in November, which means it is time for the InStyle Stamps sketch challenge. For my card, I used Lynn - isn't she cute chasing those snowflakes? And I know the pic looks blurry - it is Blogger, I promise! If you click on it it should be fine. I don't know why it has started doing this again! I colored her with Copics and adhered her to a panel edged with a Martha Stewart edge punch. I love those sets.

It's another great sketch for you this month - it can be simple or you can dress it up. The versatile sketches are the best, aren't they? This one encourages you to do some color-blocking, or to use up some scraps of patterned paper you have laying around. Here's the sketch:

We would love to have you play along with us this month! You have until Tuesday, November  30th at 11:59 PM PST to enter. Leave your link below (directly to your entry, please) and remember to comment after you play! You could win TWO digi images from our store if you play along and use an InStyle Stamps image. If you don't use one of our images, you could win ONE digi image from us. Just go to the InStyle Stamps blog to add your link!

Stamps: Lynn (InStyle Stamps); Small Script (Stampin Up)
Paper: Whisper White (Stampin Up), GP White, Jolly Holiday (Hobby Lobby dp)
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Printer
Accessories: Copics (BG10, BG11, BG13, G20, G21, C3)White Organdy Ribbon
Tools: Oval Punches (Stampin Up, small and large), Double Loop Punch Around the Page set (Martha Stewart)

Sprites, Starbursts, and a Sketch

It's sketch challenge day over at Lizzie Anne Designs. It's also the first of the month which is the day that new singles are released! This month I combined Joslyn's fun sketch with the new singles, Sprite and Starburst. I just love this new addition to the Little People family!!

I flipped the sketch on its side, and left off the sentiment. I used the starburst stamp instead. The sketch lends itself to being simple, so my only embellishment is ribbon. The Sprites are colored with Copics, and their dresses are paper pieced with some Basic Grey Wisteria. I know the pic isn't great - it's that kind of day here!

Head over to the other designer's blogs to see their samples today - you'll love the inspiration! Links are also on my sidebar.