Stampin' Up! Convention 2011 was awesome!!!!!

Hello all!!!  I know it's been a while since I've been on here, but I just got all caught up in getting ready for convention, then going and now I'm back home!  My how time truly does fly when you are having fun!!!

Convention this year was a blast!!!  Shelli spoiled us way beyond any year that I have been there and I can't wait to see how this new year plays out!  The new catalog is FANTABULOUS!!!!!!!   And the stamp sets we received are just awesome!  And the Holiday Mini coming is filled with even more wonderful new stuff!!!!  Have you heard we will have our own scoring tool - Simply Scored???  Can't wait to order that!!!

Here's some pics of convention to give you a taste of what went on:

My friend Brandy and I at Momento Mall.  We drove out from Michigan!!!

The theme this year was "Grow".

That is Rich Jutkins on stage, he is the President of SU!

Brandy & I during General Session.

Brandy, Chrissie, Lisa and I at the Garden Party on Wednesday night.

We had sooooo much fun!!!!  And the drive from Michigan to Salt Lake was not bad at all!!!  You could be there next year with me too!  They have an awesome sign-up special right now.  If you have any questions, let me know.  I would love to share the fun and excitement with you too!!!

Happy Stamping!!!

~~~Ann~~~

A Thank You Pear - CS40S

Hello all!!!  Wow two posts in two days!  Well, over on the Creative Sketches blog it's Thursday and time for another sketch!

The sketch this week made me stop and think for a minute and I wasn't quite sure what I was I going to do!  But once I looked at my dsp and thought of the new stamps I wanted to ink up, it just fell into place from there!  Don't you just love it when that happens?? :)

The card base is Whisper White, layered with Poppy Parade and a piece from the Pocket Full of Posies dsp.  Now, I have to admit when I first looked at this dsp in our pre-order period, I wasn't all that thrilled.  I mean I like retro and funky, but this seemed even a little funky for me!  But, I ordered to give it a try and I have to say I am glad that I did.  I've been cutting into it like crazy!

The center panel is Pear Pizzazz layered with WW.  I stamped the pear from one of the new hostess exclusive sets, Faith in Nature.  I used black staz on and then watercolored with the different stamp pad lids.  I really like how my pear turned out!  Not sure how much you can see, but I spritzed it with my Soft Suede marker after.  The sentiment is stamped in Poppy And a piece of linen thread is also wrapped around it.

The double ribbon strips are punched from So Saffron and then pearls are attached.  The entire center panel is is up on dimensionals.

Enjoy!!!

Happy Stamping!!!

~~~~Ann~~~

GCA #137 - Buy Anything New Lately???

Hello all!!!  Yes, I seem to be behind the eight ball lately!  Leaving for convention next week and I spent the entire weekend working on my swaps to get ready.  Besides doing the normal things like laundry, starting to pack, buying groceries and dealing with a totally annoying (non-life threatening) family drama.  My friend who is going out to convention with me and I, are driving out to Salt Lake City!!!!  Are we crazy you ask??  Maybe, but we are going to see how it goes!  We've traveled several times before and do it fine together.  I'm just excited to be going!

So, in reference to the new catalog year with Stampin' Up!, have you seen it?  I love this catalog and think it just may be one of my faves.  I'm trying very hard to resist buying anything from the catalog until after convention.  We did have a pre-order period of sneak peek products and that is what I have to show you today.  Two card, actually!!  So I'm going to keep the descriptions short.

Both of the cards use one of the new In-Colors - Pool Party!  Think this is my new fave!!  They also use Not Quite Navy, Wild Wasabi and WW.

The first card uses the new Pennant Parade set along with the co-ordinating Pennant Punch.This is a double punch that gives you both the scalloped one and the smaller layered pennant.  The "Thank U" is in the set.  The dsp is from the new set of "Just Add Cake".  White baker's twine was used to string the pennant's "together".

The second card uses the Touch of Kindness set from the current Summer mini.  New to me since I just ordered it!  It is the most delightful set, too!  I watercolored the birdbath and such and then on the water drops I added some of smooch paint, but you can't see it very well.  The belly of the kitty is paper pieced.  One other brand new item this year is the Lace Ribbon border punch.  OMG!!!!  I'm in love!!!

Upload your creation to either your blog or to an online gallery and post a link to your creation to this blog entry by July 9, 2011 at 12 midnight. I will choose the winner the next day. If you upload your card to SCS, PaperCraft Planet, Stampin' Addicts, Stampin' Connection (for SU! demos) or Stamp TV, please put GCA137 in your keywords. That way everyone can see all of the wonderful creations at once!


Even if you can't make the deadline, PLEASE feel free to participate in the challenges and upload your creations at any time. I would love to see it!

Happy Stamping!!!!

~~~Ann~~~~ 

GCA #136 Winner is....

.....Rebecca!!!!!  You can view all of Rebecca's work on her blog Little Miss Princess Scrapper.  She makes delightful cards so pay her a visit.  Here is her winning card for this week:

Thanks to all who stopped by, played along, left comments or just took a look!

Up Next:  GCA #137 - Buy Anything New Lately???

Happy Stamping!!!!

~~~Ann~~~

GCA #136 - The Colors of America!

Hello all!!!  Did you think I forget?  Had a stamp class today and finished cleaning up.  Always have fun spending time with my stampin ladies.

A week from tomorrow will be July 4th.  And for those in America, that means lost of celebrating and honoring the colors of our country.  So the challenge for this week is to use the colors of:

RED
WHITE
BLUE

That's it.  No special focus on images or anything, just use the above colors on your project and have fun!  I'll have my sample up in just a bit.

Upload your creation to either your blog or to an online gallery and post a link to your creation to this blog entry by July 2, 2011 at 12 midnight. I will choose the winner the next day. If you upload your card to SCS, PaperCraft Planet, Stampin' Addicts, Stampin' Connection (for SU! demos) or Stamp TV, please put GCA136 in your keywords. That way everyone can see all of the wonderful creations at once!



Even if you can't make the drawing deadline, PLEASE feel free to participate in the challenges and upload your creations at any time. I would love to see it!

Happy Stamping!!!!


~~~Ann~~~~ 

GCA #135 Winner is....

...... Flipsi AKA Sabine from Germany!!!!  You really should visit her blog, Flipsis Stamp Corner, and see amazing works of art.  She does some very unique tags.  That is what she made for her entry for this weeks challenge.  Thanks for playing along Sabine.

Is this neat or what???  Thanks to everyone who played along this week,stopped by for a peek or left comments.

Up next:  GCA #136 - The Colors of America!

Happy Stamping!!!!

~~~~Ann~~~~

Do Not Open Till....

Hello all!!!!  Thursday means another sketch over at the Creative Sketches blog.  But this week is the added the twist of also making your card a holiday card!!!  Any holiday will do, I just chose to make a Christmas card.  Never to early to get started on those!

I started with a Cherry Cobbler base, top folded, and layered with a piece of Deck the Halls dsp.  I also used the Deck the Halls fabric for my "ribbon", which I actually tied all the way around the card front!  (That means inside too, which I rarely do.)


The sketch shows the front panel straight, but I slightly tipped it once I picked out my stamp set to use.  The set I used on here is Winter Post and will be found in the new 2011 - 2012 Idea Book & Catalog due out July 1st!

What is hard to see in the photo is the piece on the smaller Cherry Cobbler panel.  This was actually sprayed with the gold Smooch Spritz onto Whisper White and dried.  It does curl it up as it's drying, but I was able to straighten it out and I did use the Tombow glue to adhere it.  Then I knew it was going to stay down!  This was actually left from another idea that didn't pan out.  I also spritzed the Soft Suede marker over some areas before stamping the postmark in Cherry Cobbler.

The couple were stamped in brown staz on and water-colored with the ink from the stamp lids and an aquapainter.  Once that was dry I went over some areas with a marker for highlights.  Soft Suede ink was sponged around the edges and the smallest of the pearls put on each scallop.  The "Do Not Open" tag is stamped in Cherry Cobbler onto the same gold Smooch paper and punched out with the Designer Label Punch.  A lot of dimension going on with the image panel too!

I was trying for a vintage look here.  Did I succeed??

Happy Stamping!!!

~~~Ann~~~

Summer is here and Getting Creative with Ann is back!!!!

Hello all!!!!  Well, getting back into the swing of things is much easier said than done!  Now that I actually feel like I have creative thoughts flowing in my head I seem to run out of time to put them together!!  I have alot of sketches and notes, but not a lot of completed projects!!  Ever happen to you?  Hopefully that changes now.

This week, actually June 21st, is the actual first day of summer.  Are you ready?  I know that I am.  Before we know it, all that white stuff will be here again and it will be cold and icky out!!  Until then, lets celebrate summer!!!

Anything you can create that celebrates the beauty and fun of summer is up for grabs!  Show your love for summer fruit, the water, beverages or whatever! 

What's better in summer than lemons, oranges and friends?  Odd combo, but it's summer so does it matter???  This cute set, Tart and Tangy, is soon to retire at the end of the month.  I have really liked using this set and am sad to see it go.  But, in the new catalog there is an equally cuter set to take it's place.  The sentiment comes from Simply Said, another retiring set.

I started here with a Whisper White card base and layered with Daffodil Delight and another layer of WW.  The bottom part was put through the Big Shot using the Perfect Polka Dots folder.  Strips of sticky strip just above the embossed part holds the ribbon down.  And the white pom-pom trim is not SU!  I was trying to make the lemons and oranges look as if they were "attempting" to balance on the card, sort of going with the saying.  Make sense?

Now, as I stated in my post here, I am making some slight changes to the GCA.  Primarily with the "stampin' goodie" packages that I send to the winners.  As much as I love to send these packages out, for multiple reasons I find it is not realistic for me to do so.  Time is my biggest factor with many changes happening at work that are going to be pulling me away from home more often.  In place of the stampin' goodie packages I will be choosing one person each week as that week's "Creative Stamper".  The card will be highlighted on my blog and a link to the stampers blog, or gallery, will be provided.  I really want to come up with a "blinkie" to give out to each "Creative Stamper", but I have very limited knowledge about putting those types of things together.  If anyone out there knows how, or know where I could get the info to do so, I would soooo appreciate the direction.

I am also looking into the Mr. Linky program for adding your entries too.

Upload your creation to either your blog or to an online gallery and post a link to your creation to this blog entry by June 25, 2011 at 12 midnight. I will choose the winner the next day. If you upload your card to SCS, PaperCraft Planet, Stampin' Addicts, Stampin' Connection (for SU! demos) or Stamp TV, please put GCA135 in your keywords. That way everyone can see all of the wonderful creations at once!

Even if you can't make the drawing deadline, PLEASE feel free to participate in the challenges and upload your creations at any time. I would love to see it!

Happy Stamping!!!!

~~~Ann~~~~ 

My Friendly Butterfly - DIC151

Hello all!!!  WOW!  Two posts in one day!!!  This is short and sweet and for now.  I'll give you all the details this evening when I return from work.

The inspiration challenge from UDI this week is a calm and serene butterfly with a rainbow.  I love butterflies.

Head on over there to check out the inspiration piece and play along.

Happy Stamping!!!!

~~~Ann~~~

Creative Sketches Color Challenge - From a Strawberry!!!!

Hello all!!!!  Boy does it feel good to be back to stamping and blogging.  I am humbled and overwhelmed get well wishes and thoughts of concern.  So much love out there in blogland and stamping!!

Anyway, this week over at the Creative Sketches blog it is a color challenge - inspired by a Strawberry!!!  The colors are Real Red, Whisper White, Wild Wasabi and Soft Suede.  I had a hard time not making a Christmas card with these colors!!!  LOL!!

I saw the sketch for the Mojo Monday this week and decided to try it out too!  I really liked the mix of stripes and circles.  I also paired this with a new fave technique of mine: Faux Mother of Pearl.  The large butterfly is done with Real Red and the smaller on with Soft Suede.  The sentiment comes from the new Level 1 hostess set in the Summer mini.

Check out the Creative Sketches blog and play along if you have a minute.

Happy Stamping!!!!

~~~Ann~~~

Where in the World has Ann been......????

…..well I haven’t been out seeing the world, that’s for sure!!! Yes, I know it’s been over a month since I last posted. And in my last post I commented that I had been dealing with dreaded migraines. I actually wound up at the emergency room one afternoon because it got so bad.

Needless to say, my doctor has seen me more this past month than he usually does in a year! I feel like I’ve been poked and prodded from every end. Not really, but almost!!

So, long story short, and not to bore you with my issues, the month of May is pretty much a blur to me. We played around with my medications, taking some away and adding some. One he added is Topamax. Anyone who suffers from migraines and takes this medication knows that when you first start it, it practically can drain you of all your energy. That is one reason why I have resisted going to it, but it just came to the point where I had no choice. And on top of that I have not been sleeping well at night for some time, so that meant I barely made it through the day and the thought of stamping, and blogging, at night was not happening. Even the weekends were spent sleeping or just laying on the couch.

However, I am extremely happy to say that I am on the road back to “life”! The Topamax appears to be doing what it needs to for the initial dose, but I suspect it will need to be increased. All of the tests I went through have come back normal (so I have proof that I am normal!!!), except for the sleep study I had. Still waiting for the results, but I believe that I will be doing a second one with a CPAP machine on.

And I finally feel like stamping, and blogging, again. It really hurt that I couldn’t stamp or blog. I love sharing my work with all of you and I so appreciate each and everyone of you that stops by to visit. So you can expect to see more postings again from me.  Like, starting tomorrow!!!!  The Getting Creative with Ann challenges will resume this Sunday, June 12th. Some changes are coming, but I’ll post that in another post.

Again, thank you to all who have continued to stop by, send me emails to see how I was and just say hi. I wasn’t ignoring you, but computer time wasn’t a top priority either.

Happy Stamping!!!!!
 
~~~Ann~~~

GCA #134 - Anything Goes with Animals!!

Hello all!!!!  Sorry for the delay in posting, but I am finally back to the land of the living!!!  After a week and half migraine, many trips to the doctor and many drugs!, the migraine is finally gone!!!!!  I seriously hate those things and if the weather we have already had is any indicator of what's to come this summer, boy am I in trouble.  So yesterday was spent in relaxing and doing much of nothing!!

This week we are going to focus on animals!  Any type of animals.  Bunnies, goats, horses, sheep or even rats!  As long as they fit into the animal kingdom somewhere!!  I know there are many stamp companies out there that have some unusual stamp images and I hope to see some this week!!

My sample will be up either tonight or tomorrow.  Posting this from work right now.

Upload your creation to either your blog or to an online gallery and post a link to your creation to this blog entry by May 7, 2011 at 12 midnight. I will choose the winner the next day. If you upload your card to SCS, PaperCraft Planet, Stampin' Addicts, Stampin' Connection (for SU! demos) or Stamp TV, please put GCA134 in your keywords. That way everyone can see all of the wonderful creations at once!


Even if you can't make the drawing deadline, PLEASE feel free to participate in the challenges and upload your creations at any time. I would love to see it! And yes, my challenge is open to everyone who visits, even if you live outside the US!

Happy Stamping!!!!

~~~Ann~~~~ 

Winner of GCA #133 is....

..... Tara from Homemade Happiness!  Check out out her fantastic baby card on her blog!  Tara please send me your snail mail address to amf1066@comcast.net and I will get a stampin' goodie package out to you.

Thanks to all for playing along last week!!

Up Next:  GCA #134 - Anything Goes with Animals!!!

Happy Stamping!!!

~~~Ann~~~

Happy Mother's Day - DIC145

Hello all!!!  Two posts in one day!!!  Need some more inspiration for Mother's Day cards?  The photo that Maria has picked out for us on the UDI Blog can help you out!

I'll post all the details tonight.

Happy Stamping!!!

~~~Ann~~~

Happy Father's Day - CS28 with a Holiday!!!

Hello all!!!  This week the Creative Sketches team has an awesome sketch and combo of making it a holiday card.  Any holiday, just pick one!

Off to work right now, but will post all the details later.

Happy Stamping!!!

~~~Ann~~~

Hello Baby Cakes - GCA133

Hello all!!!  We had a gorgeous day here in Michigan, but we are also under a tornado watch!  That must mean that spring is here!

Here's another baby sample for this week.  I made this on Sunday with the leftovers from the cards I made the grandkids.  Guess I was having too much fun with the quilting technique!!

With these squares I just randomly, in some order, put them together!!  Make sense?  Once I had the pattern I wanted, I went around each square with my white gel pen and did the faux stitching.  Doesn't show up too much after I embossed it with the Elegant Lines ebf.  Backed it with a Crumb Cake layer.

The sentiment and white/pear scallop oval come from the Nursery Suites Quick Accents.  I used my oval scallop from the Movers & Shapers set and then backed that with a Whisper White decorative label punch.  The overall set is up on very thick dimensionals.  Then, I used dimensionals under the pear scallop layer and one more under the sentiment.

The baby jammies is from the Simple Life level 1 hostess set out of the Occasions mini.  I used paper piecing by stamping first on WW in Brown staz on and then again onto the dsp.  The heart is punched from the owl punch and popped up with a tiny dimensional.  A mini library clip with the new WW baker's twine finishes that off.

The scrunched ribbon is using the Crumb Cake seam binding and then pulling a thread from the middle of it.  I've tried to do this many times and usually break the thread I'm pulling on!  But this time it worked perfectly and I am very happy with the end result.

The finished size of this card is 4 1/4 x 4 1/4 and has a WW card base.

Happy Stamping!!!

~~~Ann~~~

GCA #133 - Anything Baby!!!

Hello all!!!!  Happy Easter to all who celebrate this wonderful day!

With the blossoming of spring, new buds on the trees, flowers coming up and the birds returning, what does that make you think of?  Babies, right?  And not just people babies, but the baby birds, animals and plants!  Yes, I said plants!  They are babies too to start with.

My sample for today is three cards made with the Nursery Suites dsp and Quick Accents that coordinate.  I actually made these for my grandchildren's Easter cards, but they can easily be baby cards too.  I purposely left off a sentiment on the outside and will write each of them something inside.

I also created one of the "Quilted Cards" that was recently spotlighted on SCS.  It was much easier to make than I thought it would be and I really like how it came out.

The two blue/green cards are for Cameron and Malaki and the pink one is for Alysha.  So happy to have a baby girl to create for now!!!  Love my boys, but there is something special about girls!!

Upload your creation to either your blog or to an online gallery and post a link to your creation to this blog entry by April 30, 2011 at 12 midnight. I will choose the winner the next day. If you upload your card to SCS, PaperCraft Planet, Stampin' Addicts, Stampin' Connection (for SU! demos) or Stamp TV, please put GCA133 in your keywords. That way everyone can see all of the wonderful creations at once!

Even if you can't make the drawing deadline, PLEASE feel free to participate in the challenges and upload your creations at any time. I would love to see it! And yes, my challenge is open to everyone who visits, even if you live outside the US!


Happy Stamping!!!!

~~~Ann~~~~ 

Winner of GCA 132 is....

..... Kelly from Kelly's Kreative Korner!!!!  Check out her delightful stair step card done with heat embossing!  Kelly please email me your address so I can send you out a stampin' goodie package to amf1066@comcast.net.

Thanks to all who stopped by, played along and left a comment!!!  All of you are much appreciated!

Up Next: GCA#133 - Anything Baby!!!

Happy Stamping!!!!

~~~Ann~~~

GCA #132 - Anything Goes with a Technique!!

Hello all!!!  Sorry for the late posting.  Actually, I thought I had it posted earlier and just needed to add my sample!  Oh, well!

So, the challenge this week is "Anything Goes" theme wise, but with the additional twist of using a technique. Is it required to use a specific technique? No. I just like finding all the new techniques that I can!! If you do use a technique you found on a blog, in a paper craft mag or even one you came up with, let us know so we can check it out too!!  A couple of sites I can lead you to is SCS - Try a New Technique challenge and Technique Junkies.

Actually the sample I have for you tonight is one of the technique cards we did at club today.  This one is called Faux Mother-of-Pearl.  And does it pack a WOW!!  A little messy, but the results are worth it.

Started with a card base of Daffodil Delight, folded at the top.  On a piece of Whisper White the swirl from Baroque Motifs was stamped in Wild Wasabi and the flower in Tangerine Tango.  Once those were stamped the entire piece was run through the Big Shot using the Square Lattice ebf.  Sort of gives the panel the look of fabric, doesn't it?  I took my inspiration for this card from one I saw on Stampin' Connection by Brenda Ruse.

The butterflies were cut with the Butterfly die and Big Shot with glossy white card stock. 

To create the Faux MOP look you need shimmer paint, preferably white, plain or glossy white card stock, paper plate, plastic wrap and ink.  Here's how it goes:

1.  Pour a little of the shimmer paint onto a paper plate.  Scrunch up the plastic wrap and lightly dip into the paint.  Dab off excess if needed.
2.  Dab the paint over the image, or panel, randomly.  Leave parts of the card stock open.
3.  Set aside to dry.  Doesn't take long.
4.  Once dry, use a sponge or brayer to cover the image or panel with the ink of your choice.  On my sample the large butterfly is sponged with Daffodil Delight and the smaller one with Tangerine Tango.
5.  Set these aside to dry for a few minutes.  Then embellish and finish your card!

Daffodil Delight 1/8" taffeta and white crochet thread finishes off the butterfly.

Upload your creation to either your blog or to an online gallery and post a link to your creation to this blog entry by April 23, 2011 at 12 midnight. I will choose the winner the next day. If you upload your card to SCS, PaperCraft Planet, Stampin' Addicts, Stampin' Connection (for SU! demos) or Stamp TV, please put GCA132 in your keywords. That way everyone can see all of the wonderful creations at once!

Even if you can't make the drawing deadline, PLEASE feel free to participate in the challenges and upload your creations at any time. I would love to see it! And yes, my challenge is open to everyone who visits, even if you live outside the US!

Happy Stamping!!!!

~~~Ann~~~~ 

GCA #131 Winner is....

.....Glenda from Gilby's Corner!!!  Take a moment to check out her cute card and the fabulous site she got her sketch from!

Thanks to all who stopped by or played along!!!

Up Next:  GCA#131 - Anything Goes with a Technique!!

Happy Stamping!!!

~~~Ann~~~

Creative Sketches Color Challenge - 28 & Diva Inspiration

Hello all!!!  Another week has come and gone and here we are at another Thursday.  Time for both the Creative Sketches and UDI Blog Inspiration challenges!!!

The challenge this week on Creative Sketches is to use the colors of Daffodil Delight, Bashful Blue and Elegant Eggplant.  What a combo!!!  I played with this combo some the other day for my GCA 131 card.   I have to say that the Bashful Blue threw me for a loop!

So, I started with a Whisper White card base and the sketch from Stamping 411 for this week.  A nice easy and clean sketch.  Worked for me with these colors!  And I pulled out a stamp set that I haven't used, at all, and put ink to it!!  (And I buy more why???)

I used Silhouette Sentiments, a level 1 hostess set.  Since the Bashful Blue was throwing me off, I tried to keep it to a minimum.  I stamped the weedy flower image in Bashful Blue, randomly.  With the sketch you can really use anything on the left hand side, so I stamped the images in the three colors.  The smaller flower which I stamped in Elegant Eggplant, is from Because I Care, another level 1 hostess set.  Notice the theme???

The rest is really quite simple, and easy.  I stamped the bird/branch and then stamped the bird again and cut it out.  It's popped up with dimensionals.  Whisper White taffeta and Daffodil Delight 1/8" taffeta were used with white crochet thread tied around and through the button to hold it on.

If you get a minute, check out each of the sites and play along!!

Happy Stamping!!!

~~~Ann~~~

GCA #131 - Anything Goes with a Sketch!!!


Hello all!!!  Today is a fabulously warm and beautiful day in my area of Michigan!!!  It's at least 80* out!  Not to last forever, but the temps coming up this week aren't so bad either.

I haven't done an "Anything Goes" challenge in awhile, but this one has a slight twist.  I've said it on here many times that I LOVE sketches.  Any time I find a new one, or a card with an unusual layout, I make I save it!  There are so many blogs out there now that have specific sketch challenges and one of them I happen to be a design team member of!!  What a plug, I know!  Check out the Creative Sketches blog to see all of the fabulous sketches they have.

So, the challenge this week is "Anything Goes" theme wise, but with the additional twist of using a sketch.  Is it required to use a specific sketch?  No.  I just like finding all the new sketches that I can!!  If you do use a sketch you found on a blog, in a paper craft mag or even one you came up with, let us know so we can check it out too!!

My sample this week is using the weekly sketch challenge on Mary Jo's blog, TechnoStamper.  She posts a new sketch every Monday.

Upload your creation to either your blog or to an online gallery and post a link to your creation to this blog entry by April 16, 2011 at 12 midnight. I will choose the winner the next day. If you upload your card to SCS, PaperCraft Planet, Stampin' Addicts, Stampin' Connection (for SU! demos) or Stamp TV, please put GCA131 in your keywords. That way everyone can see all of the wonderful creations at once!

Even if you can't make the drawing deadline, PLEASE feel free to participate in the challenges and upload your creations at any time. I would love to see it! And yes, my challenge is open to everyone who visits, even if you live outside the US!

Happy Stamping!!!!

~~~Ann~~~~ 

Winner of GCA #130 is.....

..... Hazel!!!  You can see her fabulous card on her blog My Crafty Outlook.  So soft and pretty, I am sooo looking forward to spring!!!

Thanks to mall who stopped by this week!!

Up Next:  GCA #131 - Anything Goes with a Sketch!

~~~Happy Stamping!!!

~~~Ann~~~

Clearly for Mother - GCA130 & LNS115

Hello all!!!  I have another Mother's day card to show you today.  As you know this is the theme for this week's GCA and for the Late Night Stampers group I belong to.

Actually, for me, this card turned out to be quite CAS!!  Doesn't happen very often, but I used the sketch from the Create with Connie and Mary blog that just said CAS to me.  And, I was able to use up some scraps that I had laying around!  Bonus!!!

The card base is Whisper White, layered with a piece of the Love Impressions textured dsp (still available in the Occasions mini).  The panel was cut at 3 3/4 x 5 to leave some of the card base showing.

For the main image I decided to open up, and use, the Beveled windowpanes I've had since the Occasions mini came out!!  I also used the stamp set, Clearly for You, which coordinates with the windowpanes.  Pretty in Pink satin wraps and holds the windowpane to the card.  These are tricky little things to play with, but I do like the end result!  I used a piece of Crumb Cake seam binding around the know and used a hat pin (non SU!, but we no longer carry these!) through the middle.

Not sure how well you can see in the photo, but I also used my Tea Stain distress ink around the edges and on the crown.

Happy Stamping!!!

~~~Ann~~~

Creative Sketches 27 and Diva Inspiration 142!!!! A winning combo!!!

Hello all!!!  Two fabulous things, NEW, have happened for April!!!  The first I told you about yesterday and that is the guest designer for Late Night Stampers for April and the second is I am joining the design team for Creative Sketches from April to October!!!  I love sketches and I love new challenges!!

With that being said, let me tell you about my card!  You can check out the sketch on the blog.  I hope you can play along with us this week!!!

To start off the card base is Very Vanilla, 5 x 5.  The color combo is Tempting Turquoise, Melon Mambo, Daffodil Delight and Early Espresso.  I did take some liberty with the UDI Inspiration pic for this week with these colors.  But, I wanted to use the Sweet Stitches dsp and the matching rub-ons.  I'm sure Maria will understand!

There is a lot of dimension on this card to.  The rub-ons I used are the of the little girl and the row of straight pins.  Daffodil Delight buttons from Sale-A-Bration with pearl centers finishes it off!!

Don't forget to check out the Creative Sketches blog and UDI Blog for two awesome challenges!!  Let me know if you play along too so I can check out what you created!!!

Happy Stamping!!!

~~~Ann~~~

GCA #130 - Happy Mother's Day!!!

Hello all!!!  Finally, I have the never-ending wedding invites done!!!  I am so envious of those stampers who can do CAS to perfection!  I have another set to do later this year and I will definitely be doing them CAS!!!

While Easter is late this year, it seems that Mother's Day is EARLY!!  (We can never win can we??)  So, anything related to Mother's Day: cards, scrapbook pages, gifts or whatever are in order for this week. 

My sample for this week's GCA is also a combo with the Late Night Stampers weekly challenge of Mother's Day.  And, I was also asked to be the guest designer for April!  How cool is that??  Now I'm really nervous about posting my work!

The card today is really quite simple and easy.  The base is Very Vanilla textured (and leftover from the invites), the second panel is plain Very Vanilla and the punched scallops and circles are Peach Parfait textured.  The dsp is from Sweet & Sour.  The sketch is from Clean & Simple stamping - FTL134.

Upload your creation to either your blog or to an online gallery and post a link to your creation to this blog entry by April 9, 2011 at 12 midnight. I will choose the winner the next day. If you upload your card to SCS, PaperCraft Planet, Stampin' Addicts, Stampin' Connection (for SU! demos) or Stamp TV, please put GCA130 in your keywords. That way everyone can see all of the wonderful creations at once!

Even if you can't make the drawing deadline, PLEASE feel free to participate in the challenges and upload your creations at any time. I would love to see it! And yes, my challenge is open to everyone who visits, even if you live outside the US!


Happy Stamping!!!!


~~~Ann~~~~ 

GCA #129 Winner is....

......Carlie from Carlie Bug!!!!  Not too many girls her age craft and blog, but I'm glad she does!!!  She is very creative with her work.  Check out her blog and she what I mean!!  Carlie please send me your snail mail addy to amf1066@comcast.net and I will get a stampin' goodie package out to you.  Please make sure it's alright with your mom or dad that you do.  Thanks for coming by and playing along.

Thanks to all who stopped by, left comments and played along.  Sorry for being so late, but these wedding invites seem to be never ending!!!!!

Up Next:  GCA #130 - Happy Mother's Day!!!

Happy Stamping!!!

~~~Ann~~~

BLOG CANDY WINNER IS ............

........ Terri!!!!  You can see her delightful blog, and cards, at her blog Terri's Tries At Making Cards.  Terri please send me your snail mail addy to amf1066@comcast.net by April 8th, or I will chose another winner!

Thanks to all who stopped by, entered and/or left me a comment.  I love reading them and I do read every one of them!!!  Sorry to be so late today, but I have been slavishly working on wedding invites all day!   Almost done, thank goodness!!!!

Happy Stamping!!!!

~~~Ann~~~

Love You - DIC141

Hello all!!!  Time for another UDI Blog Inspiration challenge!  I just love the inspiration picture that Maria picked for us this week.  A very simple, yet focused, picture of a Monarch butterfly on a yellow flower.  It gives such a nice feeling that Spring is finally coming.   Make sure to check out the UDI Blog and play along.

My inspiration came from the yellow of the flower and the butterfly.  The newest Technique Junkies newsletter is loaded with fun and interesting techniques to try.  The technique that I used on here is called Millefiori.  It is based on an Italian way for making stained glass.  I used three different sets to create the background piece:  Flower Fancy, Pick a Petal and Dreams du'Jour.  I can't give you all the specifics of the technique, but if you check out the Technique Junkies site, you can get the details for getting the newsletter.

The main image and butterfly come from the Dreams du'Jour set.  And this image is great for also using the Outof-the-Box technique because it's already set up for you!  I stamped it twice, once in black staz on and again in Kiwi Kiss.  I then cut the image out, leaving the leaves and bud outside the box, following the inner boxed lines.  I then layered it with a dimensional with the second image.

Luckily for me, I stamped a butterfly in just the right spot so I could cut it out and pop it up over the stamped image.  Helps to give it even more depth.

The "bow" is a faux bow using the instructions from Mary Brown.  The entire background panel and strip are popped up on dimensionals too.

This is going out to my March Just One partner with Technique Junkies.

Don't forget to check out the UDI Blog and play along if you can!

Happy Stamping!!!

~~~Ann~~~

Hop on over - GCA #129

Hello all!!!  How is everyone doing??  In my area of Michigan today is BEAUTIFUL and sunny day.  Still a little chilly out, but the sun is out and that is what's important!!  Nothing like a sunny day to get the juices flowing.

Well are you ready to get back into the challenges???  This week is an easy one, I promise.  Easter is on the way and this week we are focusing on that.

So for the challenge this week, your creations need to be anything related to Easter.  Bunnies, chicks, carrots or Easter baskets, it all fits!!  My sample for this week is an easy one - even for me!!!  This was one of the cards I did for my monthly club.  The original idea came from Danielle Vincent on Stampin' Connection.  I apologize for those who are not SU! demos, as you will not be able to access the card.

What drew me to her cute Easter card was the bunny.  One: how it was punched with the 1 3/4", 1 3/8" and small oval punches and two: the button as the tail!!!Of course, I made some changes to make it my own, but the bunny is basically the same.  I sponged Regal Rose around all the edges and used a Pretty in Pink button with a pearl on top as the tail.  I also added "whiskers" to my bunny with white crochet thread.

To carry over the bunny/Easter theme I used the bunny dsp from the Nursery Suite dsp.  The striped dsp is the Pear Pizzazz from the hostess level 1 pack.  The "grass" is a strip of Pear Pizzazz card stock first punched with the pinking hearts border punch and then ran through the crimper.  I then used dimensionals behind the bunny for depth. 

I also used a new trick that I found out about from some fellow stampers!!!  SU! has the Movers & Shapers dies and XL die, which I have, but I rarely use.  Most of the time I forget I have them and the other times I just don't want to bother with pulling all that out.  But, some smart stamper discovered that if you have the clear circle or scalloped square BIGZ die, you can use the Mover & Shaper dies alone with those!  I usually just want the larger background piece so this works perfect!  The Regal Rose scalloped oval is from the Mover & Shaper and the Whisper White one is the large scalloped oval punch.  The sentiment is from Well Scripted.

Upload your creation to either your blog or to an online gallery and post a link to your creation to this blog entry by April 2, 2011 at 12 midnight. I will choose the winner the next day. If you upload your card to SCS, PaperCraft Planet, Stampin' Addicts, Stampin' Connection (for SU! demos) or Stamp TV, please put GCA129 in your keywords. That way everyone can see all of the wonderful creations at once!

Even if you can't make the drawing deadline, PLEASE feel free to participate in the challenges and upload your creations at any time. I would love to see it! And yes, my challenge is open to everyone who visits, even if you live outside the US!

Happy Stamping!!!!

~~~Ann~~~~ 

50,000 Hits and plus with Blog Candy!!!!

Are you ready for all the particulars now????  I think you will like this blog candy offering.  I had so much fun putting this together, but at the same time realized I had way too much stuff building up in my craft room!!!

Here's what is up for grabs:

* 12 x 12 pack of SAB dsp from 2010

* 5 12 x 12 sheets of various designs

* 2 stamp sets from Treehouse Stamps (now closed)
* 1 package of Popeze/Hinges
* 1 package of Owl design brads by Kaiser
* roll of Ice Cream Parlor ribbon - SAB 2011
* roll of Papertrey Ink - Lemon Sherbet saddle stitched grosgrain

* set of 15 cards & envelopes from me

* 10 1"x8" "skinny bags"

* 5 6" clear plastic test tubes with lids

* Pack of SU! post-it's and note paper

* a container of various odds and ends embellishments

There may be a few extra items I forgot about, but you get the main picture!!

This blog candy offering will be up until April 2, 2011 and closes at midnight.  What do you need to do to enter??  Just leave me a comment telling me the things you like about my blog, and what you see needs improvement, what you would like to see on it or whatever!

Good Luck!!

Happy Stamping!!!

~~~Ann~~~

Fan Flower - DIC140

Hello all!!!  Here we are again at another Thursday and time for the UDI Blog Inspiration challenge.  The inspiration piece this week is painting with a modern feel to it.

This past weekend I spent stamping and socializing with my Michigan Mingler friends in Novi.  I spent more time socializing than stamping, but I did manage to create this card for the challenge.

I took limited supplies with me, as I really couldn't take the entire craft room!!!  I did take my Big Shot and limited dies.

My inspiration card starts with a Crumb Cake base, folded at the top.  Then I used a piece of the SAB dsp in the Peach Parfait pattern, distressed with my cutter kit tool and then ripped or torn away at random areas.  Under that I layered a piece of the First Editions dsp, available in the Occasions mini.  The card base was also distressed and then sponged over with the Crumb Cake and Chocolate Chip.

The flower is made from a strip of Newsprint dsp, scored at every 1/4", folded accordion style and then shaped into a flower.  An antique brad in the center finishes it off.  Linen thread is wrapped around the card and a sizzlet leaf is the final touch.

Don't forget to check out the UDI Blog and play along if you can!

Happy Stamping!!!!

~~~Ann~~~

Winner of GCA #128 is....

... Kym from Kym's Crafty Cards.  Check out her fabulous card on her blog!!!  Kym please send me your address so I may get you a stampin' goodie package to amf1066@comcast.net.

Thanks to all who stopped by and played along.

I apologize for being MIA the past couple of days.  Out of town last week, and week end, with no internet access.  By the time I hooked back up, I had over 400 emails to get through!!!!

So, this week we are taking off with the GCA.  However, I see that I have over 50,000 visitors logged so that means it's time for some blog candy!!!!!  I will post all the particulars this Friday, as I am out of town for work until then.  But, I promise it will be good!!!

Until then, Happy Stamping!!!!

~~~Ann~~~

A Gift For You - DIC138

Hello all!!  WOW has this past week just flown by me!!!  Here we are at another UDI Inspiration Thursday.  This week Maria has provided us with a beautiful deep blue rose.

If you have a minute, check out the UDI blog and play along with us!!


More details later!!

Happy Stamping!!!!

~~~Ann~~~

GCA #128 - You Are In My Thoughts!

Hello all!!!  Another week has just flown by and it's Sunday once again.  Unless, you live under a rock, you know all about the massive earthquake and tsunami damage in Japan.  The more I look at the images coming from Japan and read the articles, the more I am grateful of where I live, but most importantly my heart just breaks for those who have lost their lives and the families left behind.

So, this week the focus is to create a card, or something, for someone you know, or don't know, and let them know that you are thinking of them.  It could be a Thinking of You, Sympathy, Get Well or just a general You're in My Thoughts.  Not only have the events in Japan occurred, but closer to home I have lost a dear co-worker and another co-worker fractured her pelvis while skiing.  So, I have cards to get done!  And I have had a couple of RAK requests come through my inbox that I need to get out.

Here's my sample.  Tried to keep it simple, but that doesn't always work for me!!!  I used the sketch from TechnoStamper's blog (AKA MaryJo), TSSC164.  I'm also using this for the Late Night Stamper's weekly challenge - to go green!

The thought here was to keep the colors somewhat subdued, yet still give the recipient a bright spot to their day.  The dsp is Greenhouse Gala, layered on a Very Vanilla card base.  The Top Note piece is cut from Old Olive, layered with Cajun Craze and then Very Vanilla.  The Cajun Craze layer was punched with the corner and border scallop trim punches.  Almost forgot how to do that I haven't done it in a while!!

The large butterfly was cut with the butterfly die in the cork and the smaller one is from the Beautiful Wings embosslit.  Layered those with an Old Olive button and Pumpkin Pie flower brad.  I took the prongs off the flower brad and used my hot glue gun to attach to the button.  The entire butterfly piece is up on dimensionals.  The sentiment is from Teeny Tiny Wishes.

Upload your creation to either your blog or to an online gallery and post a link to your creation to this blog entry by March 19, 2011 at 12 midnight. I will choose the winner the next day. If you upload your card to SCS, PaperCraft Planet, Stampin' Addicts, Stampin' Connection (for SU! demos) or Stamp TV, please put GCA128 in your keywords. That way everyone can see all of the wonderful creations at once!

Even if you can't make the drawing deadline, PLEASE feel free to participate in the challenges and upload your creations at any time. I would love to see it! And yes, my challenge is open to everyone who visits, even if you live outside the US!


Happy Stamping!!!!

~~~Ann~~~~ 

GCA #127 Winner is....

...... Gale from Hello - Gale is Playing with Paper.    She made an incredible butterfly explosion box.  You must check it out!  Gale please send me your address to amf1066@comcast.net and I will get a stampin' goodie package out to you!!

Thanks to all for stopping by, playing or commenting!!  There was a lot of green to be seen!!

Up Next:  GCA #128 - You Are In My Thoughts.

Happy Stamping!!!

~~~Ann~~~

Queen for A Day - DIC138

Hello all!!  WOW has this past week just flown by me!!!  Here we are at another UDI Inspiration Thursday.  This week Maria has provided us with a beautiful deep blue rose.  At first I thought, "What am I going to do with this??"

After I thought about it for a moment I remember the fabulous Springtime Vintage dsp and especially the sheet with the roses on it!!!  Since the rose is blue, I cut the dsp to show as many of the blue roses as possible.  Layered this on a card base of Not Quite Navy.  A leftover strip of the striped dsp was next and I topped that with Crumb Cake seam binding that I scrunched.

The interesting part of this card, I think, is the rose embellishment.  I just knew that I had to use one of the new rose adornments, available in the Occasions Mini Catalog.  But it needed to be built up just a tad and so I used 1 1 1/4" circle of NON, 3 1" circles of Baja Breeze that were crumpled up and then layered onto each other.  And just to set the rose apart slightly from the Baja Breeze card stock, I tore a piece of NON and have it peeking out.  This was then put on top of a banner strip cut from the Petal Cone die.

The layout is from the clean & simple blog, FTL130.  I also used a leftover piece of the scallop 1/2 circle from the Petal Cone die in Very Vanilla.  The sentiment was stamped in NON using the "You're a Gem" set.

If you have a minute, check out the UDI blog and play along with us!!

Happy Stamping!!!!

~~~Ann~~~

GCA # 127 - Let's Hear it for Green!!!

Hello all!!!  I'm sure you all so this coming didn't you??  Well, I just couldn't help it!  LOL!!

This week's challenge is to focus on the Green's in our card stock stash, in honor of St. Patrick's Day coming up.  Your creation does not have to be related to St. Patty's Day, but it just needs to have lots of green!!!  Use your card stock, embellishments or inks to bring it on!

This never-ending migraine is FINALLY gone!!!!!  I HATE those things!!!  Thank you to all who sent me well wishes!!

Finally I got the Petal Cone die from the Occasions mini and, of course, had to play with it right away!!!  I wasn't really sure what I was going for at first, except that I knew I wanted to put a "window" in one of the sides. 

The base of the cone is Pear Pizzazz and then I covered it with the Springtime Vintage dsp.  Of course, the green side!!  And to throw a little more color, I used the flowery side with Rich Razzleberry.  The handle, which you can't see all of, is using Pear Pizzazz twill.

And just because I am soooooo anal about things, I covered the inside with Very Vanilla!!  It just didn't look right with the window.  The button is one of the Sweet Stitches fabric buttons.  Once I finished this I wasn't sure what to do with it.  I was looking at the banner strips left over and decided to try greeting on them!  The ones I used are from the Bring on the Cake set from the Occasions mini.

Upload your creation to either your blog or to an online gallery and post a link to your creation to this blog entry by March 12, 2011 at 12 midnight. I will choose the winner the next day. If you upload your card to SCS, PaperCraft Planet, Stampin' Addicts, Stampin' Connection (for SU! demos) or Stamp TV, please put GCA127 in your keywords. That way everyone can see all of the wonderful creations at once!

Even if you can't make the drawing deadline, PLEASE feel free to participate in the challenges and upload your creations at any time. I would love to see it! And yes, my challenge is open to everyone who visits, even if you live outside the US!


Happy Stamping!!!!

~~~Ann~~~~ 

GCA #126 Winner is....

..... Ruby M from And That's All She Wrote!!  Ruby made a delightful and colorful card this week.  I can feel spring in the air already!!!  Please send me your address to amf1066@comcast.net and I will get a stampin' package out to you!

Thanks to all who played along, stopped by and left comments!!  Spring will be here before we know it and I can't wait!!

I apologize for not having this up yesterday.  Have been battling a migraine for going on 3 days now and it's just knocked the oomph out of me!  It's slowly starting to go away now.  Thanks for being patient!

Up Next:  GCA #127 - Let's Hear it for Green!!!

Happy Stamping!!!

~~~Ann~~~

It's A Celebration with Sock Monkey - DIC137!!!!

Hello all!!!  Here we are at Thursday again and time for another UDI Blog Inspiration challenge.  The piece that Maria provided us is a very calm and relaxing table setting, but I took some liberties with the piece and used a few other colors.

Finally here is my sample!!! Time just got away from me this week!  I decided to cover 2 challenges in one with this card.  My UDI sample, using the the colors of the inspiration piece of white, blue and a touch of pale green.  The other challenge is for the Late Night Stampers weekly challenge and this week it is to create a kids card!  Next to creating a masculine card, I find these just as difficult!!!

So when thinking of kids right away I thought of Sock Monkey.  And he hadn't seen any ink for awhile so I thought it was time!  LOL!  He was stamped onto Whisper White in black staz on and then watercolored with Crumb Cake and aquapainter.  The dsp I used is the Celebrations set, and is perfect for creating those kids cards with the bold primary colors.  I stamped him on the side I wanted and then cut out the parts and pieces.  Since I used the striped side I when I stamped him I tried to keep the stripes all going the same way.  I think I did ok!  Once he was put together I popped him on dimensionals and attached him to the card!

The cupcake was again stamped in Whisper White and then Pear Pizzaz for the holder.  I colored the "frosting" with the Soft Suede marker and covered it with Crystal Effects.  The cupcake is popped up with another dimensional.  I also added the Champagne glass glitter to the flame, but it's hard to see.

Not too sure about the ribbon tabs and glimmer brads, but I wasn't going to fuss with it once they were on there!  Dry embossed the top part of the Whisper White card base with the Perfect Polka Dots folder.  Even the panel across the front is popped up with dimensionals!!  Love my dimensionals!!
 
Please check out the UDI Blog and the other designers.  And play along this week!!

Happy Stamping!!!

~~~Ann~~~

GCA #126 - Bring on the Colors!

Hello all!!  Are you tired of the cold, dreary days?  Snow, snow and more snow???  If you live any of the areas of the world where it's gray and dreary most of the time, then you are anxiously awaiting Spring like I am!!

This week we are going to help Spring along!!  Get out those bright colors, or any colors, and make your creations!!  Any theme, any style just use color!! Color must be the majority of your card.  Use the neutrals lightly.  Help infuse the world with some color!!!

I actually made this card last week, hoping for Spring.  I used the color combo from the RubberRedNeck color round-up:  #23 - Poppy Parade, Crumb Cake and Early Espresso.  A fun color combo.  My neutral is Very Vanilla.  I used two of the SAB set: Punch Bunch and So Happy For You.  I just love that owl!!

I also used the diamond stamp from Grunge Rock on the Very Vanilla strip, off-stamped in Crumb Cake.  It's hard to see, but it's there.  I also stamped it on the Crumb Cake crimped/Faux Suede panel.  Two Very Vanilla brads and one In-Color Poppy glimmer brad finishes it off!

The layout is from the Clean and Simple blog FTL #128.  Not sure how clean and simple I kept this card, but I was intrigued with the layout.  The goal was to get out your die cuts and use them!  No problem here!!  LOL!!  I used the Top Note die in Early Espresso and then just trimmed the edges to the width I wanted.  The trickier part was trimming the Very Vanilla layer!  The owl was punched from Early Espresso and layered with a chest plate of Very Vanilla stamped in Poppy Parade.  The leaves were cut with my Big Shot and then I spritzed them with my Early Espresso marker to make them stand out more.

The inside was kept pretty simple by stamping the diamond stamp in Crumb Cake along the edge and using an owl from my stash.  And more leaves!

Upload your creation to either your blog or to an online gallery and post a link to your creation to this blog entry by March 5, 2011 at 12 midnight. I will choose the winner the next day. If you upload your card to SCS, PaperCraft Planet, Stampin' Addicts, Stampin' Connection (for SU! demos) or Stamp TV, please put GCA126 in your keywords. That way everyone can see all of the wonderful creations at once!

Even if you can't make the drawing deadline, PLEASE feel free to participate in the challenges and upload your creations at any time. I would love to see it! And yes, my challenge is open to everyone who visits, even if you live outside the US!


Happy Stamping!!!!
~~~Ann~~~~ 

GCA #125 Winner is....

.....Donna from Designs by Me Me!!!!  She created an adorable teddy bear card.  Thanks Donna for playing along this week.  Please send me your address to amf1066@comcast.net and I will get you a stampin goodie package!!!

Thanks to all who stopped by, played along and left comments.  I so appreciate it!

Up Next:  GCA #126 - Bring on the Colors!!!

Happy Stamping!!!!

~~~Ann~~~

More Craft Project Central projects!!! Have you checked them out yet???

Tammy created this handy project and says "If you’re like me you have your go-to tools that you use frequently to create your cards and projects. I’ve created a Stamper’s Toolbox that sits on my desk and is at arm’s length. This holds things like SNAIL adhesive, Sticky Strip, Bone Folder, Stampin’ Dimensionals, Smooch Pearlized Accent Ink and handmade journal tags. I love creating journal tags and having them close at hand for those quick notes."

Chinese New Year is celebrated every February.  Here is a simple favor box decorated with a really cool Chinese Lion (made completely with Stampin' Up! punches) punch art piece to help you celebrate!

This unique punch art and favor box was designed by Jill.
To get the instructions for these  projects, just head on over to Craft Project Central and subscribe to February!

Happy Stamping!!!

~~~Ann~~~

It's a Celebration - Vintage Style GCA 125!!

Hello all!!!  Since today is President's Day I have the day off and therefore I can create to my heart's desire!!  And do some laundry in between!! 

Here's another birthday card for the challenge this week.  An eclectic/vintage/collage style that I love to do!

The card base is Cherry Cobbler.  The scallops were cut with the Big Shot and Tasteful Trim die.  This is still available for purchase!  Two cut in black and one from the Newsprint dsp.  The back strips were embossed with the Perfect Polka Dots folder.

You can't see it clearly in the picture, but I used the Extreme Elements set to stamp a background.  I stamped the large "splot" in Cherry Cobbler, the feather swish in Black staz on and the Fleur-Di-Lis in Versamark.  The crown was stamped in Cherry Cobbler and versamark and then clear embossed.

The other Eiffel Tower is from the Artistic Etchings set.  Not sure who makes the "face" stamp, but I thought it went very well with the collage.  The leaf is from Martha Stewart and punched in Kiwi Kiss for a pop of another color.

And to add some bling I put a rhinestone on the sentiment tab.  A mini library clip with Very Vanilla 1/8" tafetta finishes it off.  All the images are popped up with dimensionals.

Hope to have you play along this week!

Happy Stamping!!!

~~~Ann~~~