Yo-Yo Maker Winner

Hi everyone!!

I am back today to tell you who the winner of the yo-yo maker is from the March of the Snowmen Blog Hop giveway!

True Random Number Generator

Result:
20

That means that the winner is:

MariLynn who said...

Love the pom pom trim on your first card. I love how the pom poms coordinate with your polka dotted sparkly hills. The colors on your yo yos are great great!!

Congratulations MariLynn!  Contact me by Sunday, January 31st with your address and I'll get it in the mail to you!  
 
Thanks everyone who visited and commented!  Have a great day!

Papertrey January Blog Hop Challenge

(This is my 2nd post today! If you are here for the "March of the Snowmen" Blog Hop post, please scroll down!)

Welcome to the January Papertrey Ink Blog Hop!!

"With the new year comes a clean slate along with many resolutions. This month's blog hop challenge involves you challenging yourself to use a Papertrey stamp set that has yet to see ink or even one that might be collecting a little dust! Go through your stash and see what little used treasure it might hold."

I chose to work with the "Warm Happiness Too" set for this challenge.  I LOVE this set, it has the cutest images in it and I really like its companion set too.  However, this set really does need to see more light! :)

I have had two colors sitting on my desk for a while now that I have wanted to use together on a card.  They were Aqua Mist (one of my all time favorites!!) and Ripe Avocado.  So, I started there.  It needed one more color so I added Scarlet Jewel as the accent color.

I am not sure why, but lately I have LOVED to leave a little bit of something hanging over the edge of my card!  I think it adds so much visual interest.  For this one, I cut my card base slightly smaller than the standard size card and then allowed the aqua mist mat to stick off the side.  It will still fit in a standard sized envelope and I didn't lose much space to work with!

The only Scarlet Jewel ribbon I had was the Swiss Dot ribbon but I didn't want so many polka dots competing with all the other polka dots, so I turned the ribbon backwards and used the solid side for the majority of the ribbon strip and left just the tied part of the bow to show the polka dots.  I think that that is such a fun look...and a great way to save some money if you can only buy one type of ribbon but can use it for 2 totally different looks!  I'm going to have to try this again sometime!

In case you are interested and enjoy saving color schemes in a file, here is the one I used for this card.

Thank you for stopping by today!! I hope you have fun checking out all the blog hop participants!!  To see a complete list (blog posts can be added until 11 PM EST) of blog hop participants, visit Nichole's blog!

Supplies (all PTI unless noted)

Stamps: Warm Happiness Too, Fillable Frames #8, Fillable Frames #11

Paper: Kraft, Aqua Mist, Ripe Avocado Distressed Dots Paper, Rustic White
Ink: Dark Chocolate, Aqua Mist, Palette Moulin Rouge

Other: Warm Happiness Die, Fillable Frames #8 Die, Fiskars Border Punch, Scarlet Jewel Swiss Dots Ribbon, Pop Dots, Hole Punch

March of the Snowmen Blog Hop...AND Blog Candy!

(I have two posts for today, so if you are here for the Papertrey Ink blog hop,  you can find that post above.)

Welcome to the 2nd Annual March of the Snowmen Blog Hop!!

This is a fun blog hop all about snowmen!!  I have 2 cards to share with you AND some blog candy at the end of the post! Also, be sure to scroll down to see the links to all the other talented ladies who are participating in this blog hop!  There is LOTS of blog candy along the way, so be sure to check them all out!  You will also see a variety of stamping styles represented throughout this hop!

(This is a very picture-heavy post by the way so I will try to keep the writing to a minimum!)

My first card was so fun to make!

I have had these large pom poms in my stash for a YEAR and haven't used them yet.  They seemed perfect for a card with a snowman on it.  They almost look like snowballs!

I HAD to make a hill for the snowman to sit on!  I used my circle punch and punched 3 circles out.  Then used scor-tape to make the tops and bottoms sticky to hold the glitter.  Love the sparkly hills!

Here the card is partially open.  You can see that this is a window card!  So fun!

And here, obviously (lol), it is completely open.  The die cut (mat stack) frame image is mounted on top of another frame image that is the same shape to give it a little more dimension.

For my second card, I wanted to do something totally different and therefore it is quite busy!!

See, told you it was BUSY!!  (Please ignore the fact that the bottom sentiment strip is out of focus! I couldn't get it to focus for the life of me and finally just gave up!)

I used a digital snowman image on this card...my first ever I believe.  The snowman is colored with copics and I added rhinestones for his buttons.  I thought that the fabric I used for the yo-yo's were fun wintery colors, so that is what I based the card's color scheme on.

Not only did I outline the snowman with a light blue copic but I then went over that with a clear spica glitter pen.  That added so much sparkle.  You HAVE to have sparkle on snowmen right? :)  I also used the glitter pen on the holly and berries.

And, of course, the giveaway!  How would you like to win a yo-yo maker so that you can also make yo-yos for your cards or projects?  Up for grabs is the large yo-yo maker which makes yo-yo's the size of the largest one on this card.

To enter, just leave me a comment on this post.  You have until Wednesday, January 26th at 8 PM CST to enter! 

Thanks for stopping by my blog today!  Be sure to check out all these other participants as well!

Angella Crockett
Barb Foster
Deb Felts
Holly Brown
Jen Carter You are here!
JenMarie Taylor
Joan Ervin
Julie Ranae
Kim Sears
Laurie Willison
Linda Lucas
Lynn Stevens
Pam Imholz
Patti Gilliam
Sue Pelletier
Stacy Rogers
Melisa Waldorf

Card Supplies
Celebrate Today
Stamps:  Papertrey Ink (PTI) Cupcake Celebration, Tiny Treats Christmas, All Booked Up, My Cute Stamps Let it Snow
Paper:  PTI Spring Rain, Blueberry Sky, PTI 2009 Bitty Dots Basic
Ink:  VersaMark, Palette Lamore Red, PTI True Black, Memento Black
Other:  Copics, Nesties Circle Lacey Die, Circle Punch, PTI Mat Stack 3 Die, Ribbon, Hallmark Large Pom Pom Trim, Etsy Small pom pom trim, glitter

Hugs & Kisses
Stamps:  Digital Image (digistampcharacters on Etsy) Mr. Snowman 002, PTI Simple Valentine
Ink: PTI True Black
Paper:  White, PTI Blueberry Sky, Raspberry Fizz, DCWV White & Green Glitter Paper
Other:  Michaels Ribbon, PTI Tag Sale Die #3, Fiskars Border Punch, PTI Sunshine Impression Plate, PTI Buttons, Hobby Lobby Fabric, Copics, Spica Clear Glitter Pen

Did you See?

Did you see The Twinery's announcement today?

They have THREE beautiful new colors of twine in their store!!

Oh my!! Be still my heart!! LOVE!!  I am super excited to get these into my  little hands!!  They are on the way and should be at my house this week!  Can't wait!  Just in time for Valentine's Day and Easter projects too!!

Here's a little bit about the colors:

Blossom - this is a very sweetly soft light pink & white combination
Honeydew - this is a light chartreuse green & white combination...just like the inside of a honeydew melon!
Charcoal - this is a basic black & white combination

And guess what...for a limited time, you can stock up at The Twinery with 25% off!! That includes everything in their shop {even the new colors}.  Use discount code NEWCOLORS when you checkout to get 25% off your entire order.

THIS DISCOUNT IS ONLY GOOD THROUGH SUNDAY 1/30/2011.

AND...if that wasn't good enough you have SIX chance to win a prize package from The Twinery!  Go to The Twinery blog and see how to enter...it's easy!! :)

....................................

Also, be sure to stop back tomorrow!! I'll have TWO new posts up!  One for the PTI blog hop and one for the March of the Snowmen Blog Hop!!  AND...I'm having my own giveaway on my Snowman post and if you comment you will be eligible to win this:

Your very own Large Yo-Yo Maker!! These are SO fun to add to cards and other projects!  And, they are super easy to use!  You don't even have to know how to sew...just how to thread a needle! :)

I hope to see you tomorrow!

A Change of Mind...

It's a good thing that we were created with the ability to change our minds!  I find I do it a lot, much to my husband's dismay I'm sure!! LOL!!  PTI has had the "Cupcake Collection" stamp set for quite some time and I've just never really been drawn to it although I LOVE cupcake images!!  Well, slowly my mind has changed... And, guess what?  This last release I broke down and bought it and the dies to match!  And, I have to say I LOVE it!! It was the first set that I wanted to play with when I got my release box.

Yes, I know! This card is super, super simple.  I think I'm going to go back and add some twine around the middle border.  I based this card off of the Clean and Simple Sketch #123 from this past week and the colors were inspired by Jay Gee's Nook Challenge #3.

I pulled out some of my glittered paper and used the dies that match this set to cut out the frosting layers.   The base of the cupcake was made with some old patterned paper that I had.  The polka dots were kind of an off white, so I took a yellow copic and colored them to match the pink & yellow theme.  I added a cherry at the top of the cupcake, but I'm not sure it actually looks like a cherry, more like a button with a string sticking out of it, lol!! 

The yellow polka dotted piece was made with a Quickutz Embossing Folder.  After I embossed the piece, I turned it around so that the embossed side isn't showing and instead you see the impressed side.

COMING UP...

I also wanted to tell you about a fun blog hop coming up next week!  I am again going to be participating in the 2nd Annual "March of the Snowmen" blog hop on Tuesday, January 25th!  If you enjoy snowmen, be sure to check this out! 

There will be prizes a long the way and I'm going to have a a little blog candy up for grabs!!  Here's a little hint on what I'll be offering:

Thanks for stopping by today!!  I hope you enjoyed my super simple card!! 

Supplies (all PTI unless noted)
Stamps:  Cupcake Collection
Paper:  White, Lemon Tart, Sweet Blush, DCWV Glitter Paper
Ink:  Hibiscus Burst, Dark Chocolate
Other: Tin Types Impression Plate, Cupcake Collection Dies, Hibiscus Burst Button, Twine from the Twinery, Black Scrappers Floss, Quickutz Embossing Folder, Fiskars Apron Lace Border Punch

Little Birds

I have another card to share with you using the same colors I used yesterday.  This one is based on the Card Patterns Sketch #98.  I loved this sketch from the moment I saw it and immediately put it on my card making to-do list! 

This one is a little different for me, sort of vintagey.  I stamped the bird cage from My Cute Stamps "Ashley's Blossoms" set and then cut it out.  Yes.  I did say that.  I cut it out!!  Hard to believe I know! :)  I also cut out all 3 of the butterflies!! Getting a little ambitious, huh?  All of the butterflies have been colored over with my Spica clear glitter pen so they are very sparkly in real life!! The bird cage is layered on part of a Mat Stack 4 frame that I used a woodgrain impression plate on and then ran my VersaMark pad over the top of to define the lines. 

Here is the sketch that this card is based on.

Fun huh!!

Here's another look at the colors I used from the Curtain Call Challenge:

I hope you enjoyed this card! It means a lot to me that you took the time to visit!! Have a nice weekend!

Supplies (all PTI unless noted)

Stamps:  Music Sheet Background, Butterfly Dreams, Verve Joy for the Journey, My Cute Stamps Ashley's Blossom

Paper: Rustic White, Hawaiian Shores, Martha Stewart Green Patterned Paper

Ink: Dark Chocolate, Pure Poppy, Tea Dye Inks, VersaMagic Turquoise Gem, VersaMark Champagne

Other: Ribbon, Pearls, Pop Dots, Mat Stack 4 Die, Woodgrain Impression Plate, Spica Glitter Pen, Fiskars Border Punch

Just a Note...

Hi!!  I have actually had some time to stamp the last few days after a very busy few weeks!! I do still have quite a hefty to-do list but I really wanted to stamp for a while so I took a break and did just that!

Here is one of the cards I made.  You all know how much I LOVE color...

This uses the colors from the Curtain Call Color Challenge #65.  What fun colors to work with!

Can you see the text impression plate I used on the white cardstock?  It is unbelievable to me what a little bit of impression does to a plain white card base! 

This card also qualifies for the Wee Memories "For the Love of Ribbon" challenge.  I know I only used white ribbon, but I love how crisp and fresh it is and how much it adds to the bright colors on the card!

So, what do you think?  Is is colorful enough?  It sure brightens up this cold and icy Kansas day!! We have no school today due to the ice we've had coming down.  Have I mentioned how ready I am for Spring!!?

If you get a chance, play along with the challenges!! They are so much fun and really get your mind working...sometimes outside of your comfort zone! :)  Have a great day!

Supplies (all PTI unless noted)

Stamps: It's Official, Star Prints, School Time

Paper: White, Blueberry Sky, New Leaf, Pure Poppy, Orange Zest

Ink: Pure Poppy, Spring Rain, Palette Giverny Green & Orangerie, VersaMark

Other:  Twine from the Twinery, SU! Notepaper die, Ribbon, Pop Dots

Twine Spool Storage

If you have the large spools of twine and aren't sure how to store them...check this out!

This is a creamer/sugar canister that I bought at Walmart.  It fits the spools of twine perfectly!  The twine comes out the opening without any problem! I love it!! I can't wait to get all my Twinery twine in these all lined up on my shelf!  How pretty will that be!!?

The best thing is that this only cost 99 cents!! 

Happy shopping!! :) 

Edited to Add:  Although I haven't seen anyone who has actually posted this idea before or who uses it, I did see someone selling something similar to these a long time ago if you bought a large quantity of twine from their store.  So, while I'd love to take credit for the idea, someone else gets the credit  for it...but I have no idea who!!  :)

Thinking of You

It has been FREEZING cold here all week and it snowed several days ago and so I thought it was an appropriate time to show you a snowflake card that I made several weeks ago!

I used an unusual color scheme for me but I really liked working with these colors.  It's good to get outside my comfort zone sometimes right?  Isn't that embossing folder fun!!  I just love the deep impression that it gives!

I also had fun with the Cappuccino twine!  For this card I wrapped it around the mat 3 times and then tied a bow and then I put the ends through a button and tied another bow.  I think the double bow is kind of a fun, unexpected element!

The melon berry looking ink on the snowflakes is "Pink Grapefruit" VersaMagic and it is a PERFECT match to PTI's Melon Berry!  That was a great discovery!

I hope you enjoyed this card!! I am keeping this short tonight because I am tired and can't think straight, LOL!!  Thanks for coming by!

Supplies (all PTI unless noted)
Stamps: Peace Be Still, Fillable Frames, Verve Kind Words
Paper: Vintage Cream, Melon Berry, Simply Chartreuse
Ink: Simply Chartreuse, Vintage Cream, Dark Chocolate, Pink Grapefruit VersaMagic
Other: Cappuccino Twine by the Twinery, Fillable Frame & Peace Be Still dies, SC Button, pop dots, rhinestones, Quickutz Embossing Folder

Hip Hip Hoorary & Yo-Yo How To

So you all have been loving the yo-yos as much as I have been, huh!!??  Aren't they just so fun!?  The possibilities are endless and if you send the card with a yo-yo on it, the recipient could easily re-use it for a decoration or a pin!  So fun!!  You know how it is...you get stuck on a theme and can't seem to quit! Well, that is where I am right now with these yo-yos!!

I have another card to share with you today using a yo-yo! It is a very cheerful card, full of color, just like I like!  And then, if you stick around, I'll tell you the secret to making them at the end of the post!!

How fun is that fabric?  I thought it matched Dot Spot perfectly!!  Such a fun, fun pattern and beautiful and cheery colors!  I used the sketch from Clean & Simple Stamping for this card!  Here is the sketch:

Don't you think that that corner was just screaming "yo-yo" on the sketch!! LOL!!  Here's a close-up. I took my needle and stitched the Pink Sorbet twine from The Twinery through the yo-yo and button.

Now onto the question I've been getting asked:  HOW do you MAKE them?  Well, let me tell you, it will blow you away with how simple it is!! If you can thread a needle, you are all set to go!  Well, actually I guess there is the help of having a yo-yo maker!  You can hand-stitch these but I prefer to use the tool that simplifies the process!

This is what the package looks like (I bought mine at Hobby Lobby for $5.99):

I purchased the large size yo-yo maker, although I'd like to get the other sizes as well.  This one makes a finished yo-yo approximately 1.8 inches in diameter. 

When you open the package, this is what you get, along with an instruction sheet:

Basically 2 pieces of plastic with grooves.  You take your piece of fabric and place it between the grooves (it tells you in the instructions how to line it up).  Then, you cut around your fabric leaving a small amount hanging over the sides.  Then, stitch with your needle and thread up and down through the grooves.  When you are done with that part, all you do it pop the plastic off and pull the thread, gathering the piece together.  This creates your yo-yo.  You tie a knot and if you want to add a button you sew it on and that is ALL there is to it!!  So very simple!!

Here is a video I found that will help you if you are more of a visual person and would like to see each step. 

There are also shaped yo-yos that you can make as well although I haven't given those a try yet.

Thanks so much for stopping by today!! If you have any other questions, let me know and I'll try to answer them!  Have a great day!!

Supplies (all PTI unless noted)
Stamps: Dot Spot, Fillable Frames
Paper: Dark Chocolate, Hawaiian Shores, Simply Chartreuse, Raspberry Fizz, Summer Sunrise, White
Ink: VersaMark, Dark Chocolate
Other: Fiskars Border Punch, Pink Sorbet Twinery Twine, Fabric, Button, white pearls

New Batch of Stamps for Sale!

Hello everyone!! I have another HUGE batch of stamps for sale!

Shipping is $1.25 for the first set plus 50 cents for every set after that (unless noted). Sets will be shipped in a plastic bag & cushioned mailer through USPS. Some of these sets are indexed on the back of the cling. Most of these stamps are from The Angel Company unless otherwise noted and are deeply-etched unmounted rubber with a cling backing.

Payment can be made by Paypal!  You can contact me by email via the sidebar on my blog.  Look for the "Contact Me!! Send Me An Email" function on the right!

Cameo Ovations Clear Stamp Set by Fiskars

with TWO sizes coordinating Fiskars Oval Punches (example shown below)

Cameo Ovations Clear Stamp Set by Fiskars (never used but it is in a CD case which is included)

and 2 sizes coordinating Fiskars Oval Punches (shown above and only used once each)

Set:  $26 (plus shipping)

(because of the weight of the punches, this will cost a little more to ship)

 

Angel Company Stamps (unmounted deeply-etched blue rubber stamps):

Aged Ornaments $8

Sample #1

Sample #2

Sample #3

Sample #4



 Always Remember $13

 Be of Good $12

Sample 1

Classic Alphabet $10

Only about 1/2 of these letters have been cut out

Sample

Deco Designs $7

Sample 1

Sample 2

Sample 3

Sample 4

Sample 5

Decorative Corners $8

Sample 1

 Distressed Typewriter Bet $12

Edge Designs $12

Sample 1

Sample 2

Sample 3

 Everyday Events $15

Sample 1

Sample 2

Sample 3

 Floral Dingbats $7

Sample 1

Sample 2

Sample 3

Sample 4

 Great Greetings $5

Sample 1

 

It's the Little Things $4

Just a Note $13

Sample 1

Sample 2

Just for You $4

 

Nurture Your Soul $10

Sample 1

Sample 2

Sample 3

Sample 4

 

Ornamental Snowflakes $10

Sample 1

Sample 2

Sample 3

Sample 4

Sample 5

Seeds of Blessing $13

Sample 1

Sample 2

Sample 3

Sample 4

Simple Bet $9

Sample 1

Sample 2

Spring Time $13

Sample 1

Sample 2

Sample 3

 

Trendy Greetings $13

Sample 1

Sample 2

Noel Noel $11

Sample 1

Punctuation $6

So Splattered $5

Sample 1

Sample 2

Misc Handmade Stamps $3

SS Greetings Swirl $4

(not sure what company this was from but my label says "SS")  It is unmounted red rubber.

To see more stamps that I have for sale, be sure to visit the Page Tabs at the top of my blog!!
You can visit them by clicking here and here!  Thanks!!