Embellishments and Insertions!

I KNOW you all embellish your cards - they just wouldn't seem finished without that little extra - be it ribbon, brads, rhinestones, pearls, - whatever your choice of embellishment is. But, what about the inside of your card? Do you take the time to finish the INSIDE of your card? If not, then take a look at the Top Tip Tuesday tutorial for today. My Teammate, Maggie has done a fabulous job showing you ways that you can finish the inside of your card. We also have THREE fabulous sponsors this week. Wink Wink Ink, Digital Delights by Louby Lou, and Simon Says Stamp. I have been working with some retired DSP this week - just trying to use what I have before buying more - and have made this simple card using the Saturday Sketch #191 from Stamping 411 I like using ribbon on my cards and usually some other embellishment - whether it be rhinestones, pearls or flowers - the lovely ones you can get from Wild Orchid are fabulous. I started out with the sketch, wanting to use my new Spellbinders dies - these are label #2. Don't you just LOVE those dies? They are so versatile and my husband thinks I need to get them all because he KNOWS I want them. Gotta love the man!! Anyway, back to my card. I used the set Blessed Mother which can be found in the new Occasions mini catalog. This is such a simple, yet beautiful set. I stamped it with Rich Razzleberry and then thought that I should have used a bit of old olive on the leaves - however, I don't have too many of the Stampin' Up! markers, but I do have Pear Pizzazz and Certainly Celery, so after I stamped the image, I colored with a little bit of the Pear Pizzazz to give just a bit of green to the leaves. I debated whether I wanted to put a sentiment on the outside, and decided that I would finish the inside of my card - something I seldom do - but have been inspired to do more of through Maggie's tutorial.I double stamped the smaller flower, adding a bit of green to the stems and then stamped the sentiment with Old Olive. Though this set is called Blessed Mother, you can see how versatile this set can be with the change of sentiment.
Thanks for stopping by today - and be sure to check out Maggie's tutorial and enter for a chance at some fabulous products from our sponsors.
~Paula~

Crafting again - at least for today!!

Actually, I did some crafting yesterday - so what I am going to show you right now is from yesterday. A few weeks ago, I was working with packages of retired DSP from Stampin' Up! Well, I am still doing that - so over the next few days, you are going to see ALOT of this particular DSP called Cottage Wall. It is a lovely paper that coordinates with Old Olive, Rich Razzleberry and Orchid Opulence (retired). The current catalog has this same design but with colors that coordinate with Poppy Parade (InColor), Daffodil Delight, Pear Pizzazz and Peach Parfait (also InColors). I chose my layout from Stamping 411 sketch challenge #190. I also used the set Easter Blossoms from the Occasions Mini catalog. I double stamped the branch - you have to look closely to see that. Then I stamped the sentiment and added my ribbon - which is certainly celery satin ribbon - I don't have any old olive or white ribbon - but this one coordinated close enough. I like the way this one turned out with such simplicity. This set really lends itself to doing a quick and easy card.
So, I encourage you - choose a DSP, grab some coordinating cardstock and this Beautiful set and get going on those Springtime and Easter cards.
Come back later to see what I am able to accomplish TODAY!!
~Paula~

No Time to Craft!!

It seems since I started working that I cannot find any time to craft lately. Do you find yourself in that rut sometimes?
Well, I DO want to share with you that today over at Top Tip Tuesday There is a fantastic tutorial on how to use your sewing machine on cards. Anne has given us lot's of tips and shows us some wonderful pictures of how stitching can be used on your cards and also how to use your sewing machine for paper piercing. Go on over and check it out - there are some wonderful sponsors this week too. Just remember, you can post up to three cards for the challenge.
Now, if I can find some time after work one of these nights, I might just try out my new sew easy stitch piercer. I do have wonderful sewing machines, however, it is more cumbersome to get them out to use - so I choose to do faux stitching. However you like to 'stitch' on your cards, I hope you will join us this week.
Thanks for stopping by - I hope to get working on some projects by the weekend.
~Paula~

Another Top Tip Tuesday Tutorial!

Today it is Top Tip Tuesday - and another fantastic tutorial by my Teammate Vee. We have a couple more wonderful sponsors for this weeks challenge as well. Digi Sparkle and Robyns Fetish. Robyn has graciously supplied the design team with some adorable images and I chose this romping pup for my card. He just looks like he is about to get into all sorts of trouble. I colored my image with prismacolor pencils - my favorite (as most of you already know) medium for coloring. I haven't played with any animal images, so my coloring is a challenge on animals. However, I ordered a couple of color pencil magazines today and I think one of the issues I ordered will help me with that. So, I started with a chocolate chip base and added a bit of designer paper. I then took a piece of vanilla cardstock and ran both sides through my border punch. I had thought about edging this with the chocolate chip ink, but I completely forgot about that. I was so busy trying to get the layout the way I wanted it that I just started gluing things down! :) Anyway, the challenge for today is 'In the Frame', so I took my nestibilities scallop circle and cut two different sizes creating a frame with the vanilla. I attached my pup with dimensionals on the chocolate chip circle and positioned his paws outside the frame. I didn't think it was quite finished. So, I took my newest nestibilities - the scallop heart - that I got at Hobby Lobby last week for a great price - and cut two different sizes. I was going to add a simple sentiment - 'Hi' - but decided to look at what else I had and found that this simple sentiment was perfect and it fit just right inside the darker heart. I added the ribbon - which is seam binding that I got in a blog hop win awhile back. This ribbon is so fun to work with and the color of this one fit with the color scheme I created.

I don't often finish the inside of my cards, except to add a bit of lighter paper so that a message can be written inside. On this one, I added another red heart that I had cut out. I especially like the way the card turned out - it was simple and fairly quick to do once I knew what I wanted to create.

I hope that you have enjoyed looking at my work today and I hope that you will hop on over to Top Tip Tuesday today and play along with our challenge. I am sure that you will find Vee's tutorial quite interesting and fun to try.

Thanks for stopping by today - and as always - I love comments and appreciate your support of my creations.

~Paula~

Ribbon Tutorial at Top Tip Tuesday

This week at Top Tip Tuesday there is a wonderful tutorial. Dawn from Carol's team shows you how to use up bits of ribbon to make a beautiful project. The Challenge this week is to make something girlie or use ribbon on your project. Our sponsors are The Crafty Pad Stamp Designs and Ooh La La Creations. So Check out the tutorial - it is very cool and then enter YOUR ribbon or girlie creation for a chance at a wonderful prize from these sponsors.
Remember, you can enter up to 3 times but your creations all have to be new.
Come back later today and I just might have some new creations to show you.
~Paula~

Valentine's is Just around the Corner!!

What is your favorite holiday? My favorite is Christmas, however, I really like most all of the holidays and I do like Valentine's Day. It is just one of those FUN holidays - though it really isn't a holiday at all - just a special day. I like to make it special for my family and have at times done something special for my sweetie and kids on that day. This year, I am planning to do something special - though I am not sure what quite yet - but I am sure that it will involve cards. So, I have set about to make several cards - and of course, I have had help from some of my favorite blogs. On the SU Only Challenges blog, this week, the challenge went out to create Valentine cards. So, I took some time earlier this week to make not just one, but several. This was the first one that I started with and I didn't have a sketch to follow, I just created my own with scraps of paper. Remember early in the week, I was trying to use up one DSP packet and make as many projects with that packet as possible - well, in some ways I am still on that roll, just changed packets. :) I chose this new DSP packet from Stampin' Up! and used the scraps that I had saved from some other projects I have been working on. This card is one of the more simple ones that I have done in awhile, but I didn't want to take away from the border that I had created. I also took some of the 1/4" grograin real red ribbon and ruffled it onto the card. This is a really fun technique and quite easy to do with a little red liner tape and ribbon of your choice. I don't like the grosgrain tied in bows as much with this size as I think they just get to flattened out, however, using the ribbon in this way is quite effective. After I was done with the main elements of the card, I decided to add just a bit more embellishments, so got out my pearls - I LOVE these - and added them to the right side of the scalloped strip and then under the sentiment. The card is really simple and a bit too plain too me - but yet it is complete. I am not sure who of my family members will get this card, but I am sure that whoever it is, will be pleased.

Thank you for stopping by - I will have more cards to show you of a Valentine's Day sort and I hope you find inspiration to send greetings to your loved ones too.

I am submitting this card for the following challenges:

SUOnly Challenge #11 - Valentines

Res-Q-Challenge #68 - Get in Line

~Paula~

Fabulous Flowers!!

Good Morning my friends. Today I have a Fabulous card to show you featuring Fabulous Flowers. The Tutorial this week at Top Tip Tuesday is how to make flowers from hearts and Leanne has done a wonderful job with this. The challenge for you is to either use this tutorial to make flowers from hearts, or to use flowers on your project. We have two Wonderful sponsors as well. Wink Wink Ink and Michelle's Scrapbooking and More
I have used the Tim Holtz Tattered Flowers die with some retired DSP from Stampin' Up! I really like the soft colors of this paper. I love two-sided papers as they give you more options for the money.My base is So Saffron with the DSP added. I distressed the edges of the paper and then sponged around with so saffron. I took another strip of the dsp and sponged with the so saffron again. I added a strip of certainly celery satin ribbon - love this stuff! My flower was sprayed with water and then crumpled up like I was going to throw it away - then, I opened it back up and sponged around the edges. I gave it a quick shot of gold glow smooch - this is also one of my favorite products to use. It just gives a nice shimmery touch to the card. Inside I added my sentiment on top of another piece of the dsp. I kept the dsp clean on this one and just sponged the edges of my sentiment. I used Spellbinders Polka Dot frame nestibilities and used the inside piece of the smallest frame. I love the versatility of the nestibilites.
I hope you will join us over at Top Tip Tuesday this week. You are eligible for a chance at one of the fabulous prizes by either making a NEW card (no back linking) following the challenge, or leaving a helpful tip in the comment section on the blog, or by doing both. We do ask that you only enter no more than 3 projects.
I am also entering this card in the following challenges:
Mojo Monday - Sketch 175
Paper Sundaes - Distressing
Tuesday Throwdown - Distressing
Thanks for stopping by the spa today I really enjoy your visit and hope that you find inspiration here.
~Paula~

A New Sketch

There are many blogs that I visit fairly regularly and one of them is the OWH Stars and Stamps Blog. Each Sunday they post a new sketch and it is usually quite simple to do.

This weeks was no different. I have been using this old DSP paper package from Stampin' Up! this week for my cards just trying to use up stuff I already have. I love the the soft pastel colors of Certaqinly Celery, So Saffron, and Bashful Blue with a bit of Sahara Sand for the base card. I added Bashful Blue Taffeta ribbon (retired) and some pearls below my sentiment for the final touch.

The OWH Stars and Stamps blog has challenges throughout the week, but one of my favorites IS the sketch challenge.

I hope you have enjoyed your short visit today. I haven't sat down to make anything today, but the day is not yet over. I would like to encourage you, though to check out the OWH site and perhaps share some of your gorgeous work with the troops overseas.

Thanks for stopping by,

~Paula~

I LOVE sketches!!

For those of you that follow me regularly, you know that I LOVE sketches. They make my card making SO much easier when I don't have to decide how to lay out a card. I like to enter challenges that offer a sketch so when I saw the one for the Stamping 411 Saturday Sketch, I just had to do it. I also love CAS cards, and this sketch just lends itself SO well to an easy and simple card. There are SO many ways that you can use that center panel. I don't have a lot of BIG sentiments that take up large panels, but as I thought about what I do have, I went in search of this particular sentiment from the All Year Cheer set. Actually, I was thinking of another sentiment from a different set, but this one worked. I used a MS border punch for my matting and OLD DSP for my background. The ribbon is Bashful Blue taffeta ribbon. I have a device that I got from a stamper YEARS ago that helps with the tying of the bow. You can find similar gadgets around or even make one yourself. Mine is fairly primitive, but it works! I finally tried my hand at tying a double loop bow and I am pleased with the way it turned out.
I am on a roll with this particular DSP, so you will see more cards in the coming days using the variety of papers in this packet. Actually, what I am trying to do is limit my supplies so as not to drag too much out at one time - I don't have a dedicated space just yet that I can leave all my stuff for whenever the mood strikes.
I am entering this card in the following challenges:
Let's Ink It Up - Anything Goes
Stamping 411 - Saturday Sketch #187

Thanks for stopping by - I will have more as I search through challenges and get inspired. I hope YOU have been inspired to do something creative today.
~Paula~

It's a Numbers Game!!

Have you counted your stamps lately? Perhaps you are a newby and only have a handful, or perhaps you have been doing this for A LOT of years and have NO clue how many stamps you own, you just know they are taking over every nook in your home! I feel that way, so I set about to do inventory. I finished up this morning - and unless I have a few hiding that I am not aware of, the grand total is MUCH less than I expected! Here are my totals - 2097 individual stamps. This includes clear mount, wood mount and everything in between - PLUS add 10 more for the wheels that I have. Now, out of those numbers I own 97 Stampin' Up! sets! A good portion of the non-SU stamps are Sweet Stamps and I thought there was around 2000 in those alone, but obviously, I was wrong. I do know that some of my Sweet Stamps are missing, but not that many. Now, this number does NOT include any digital images that I have purchased or gotten as freebies - I won't even attempt to count those at this point in time because they are not all in one folder - another thing I have to organize. So, there you have it.
So, why are numbers so important to me today? Well, because as of today I have had 10,000 hits to my blog!!! That is AMAZING! And is cause for a celebration - so while I go off to start my new job, I will be thinking along the lines of some blog candy - FROM MY INCREDIBLE stash, of course!! In the meantime, tell your friends - and come back in the next few days to see what my candy will be - I am SURE it will be good.

~Paula~