Ann's Creative Nook

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

2011-07-24T16:40:00.000-04:00

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

2011-07-07T06:00:00.006-04:00

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???

2011-07-06T20:01:00.001-04:00

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....

2011-07-06T19:26:00.001-04:00

.....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!

2011-06-26T19:29:00.000-04:00

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....

2011-06-26T19:17:00.002-04:00

...... 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....

2011-06-23T06:00:00.002-04:00

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!!!!

2011-06-19T16:08:00.004-04:00

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

2011-06-09T08:02:00.000-04:00

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!!!!

2011-06-09T06:00:00.001-04:00

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......????

2011-06-08T20:17:00.001-04:00

…..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!!

2011-05-02T16:11:00.001-04:00

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....

2011-05-02T16:03:00.000-04:00

..... 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

2011-04-28T09:02:00.000-04:00

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!!!

2011-04-28T08:51:00.000-04:00

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

2011-04-26T20:50:00.000-04:00

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!!!

2011-04-24T10:34:00.005-04:00

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....

2011-04-24T10:21:00.001-04:00

..... 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!!

2011-04-17T22:26:00.000-04:00

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....

2011-04-17T13:11:00.002-04:00

.....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

2011-04-14T20:03:00.000-04:00

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!!!

2011-04-10T18:36:00.003-04:00

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.....

2011-04-10T11:25:00.000-04:00

..... 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

2011-04-09T15:17:00.000-04:00

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!!!

2011-04-07T08:32:00.001-04:00

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!!!

2011-04-03T21:30:00.002-04:00

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....

2011-04-03T21:24:00.000-04:00

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

2011-04-03T19:59:00.000-04:00

........ 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

2011-03-31T06:00:00.001-04:00

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

2011-03-27T11:02:00.003-04:00

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!!!!

2011-03-25T22:08:00.002-04:00

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

2011-03-24T06:00:00.001-04:00

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....

2011-03-22T21:49:00.000-04:00

... 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

2011-03-17T07:39:00.000-04:00

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!

2011-03-13T13:03:00.003-04:00

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....

2011-03-13T11:48:00.001-04:00

...... 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

2011-03-10T18:37:00.000-05:00

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!!!

2011-03-07T18:27:00.002-05:00

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....

2011-03-07T18:21:00.000-05:00

..... 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!!!!

2011-03-03T08:43:00.001-05:00

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!

2011-02-27T16:52:00.002-05:00

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....

2011-02-27T11:52:00.000-05:00

.....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???

2011-02-26T13:31:00.000-05:00

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!!

2011-02-21T06:00:00.003-05:00

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~~~

Birthday Wishes - Western Style GCA 125

2011-02-20T12:04:00.005-05:00

Hello all!!! So sewing was not that popular last week! This week we'll try something fun and easy! Birthday cards! That's it. All you need to do is make a birthday card. It can be for a man, woman or child and whatever colors/theme you like. It just needs to reference "Birthday" somewhere on the front.

My card this week is for three challenges. Mine and the Late Night Stampers Yahoo group I belong to. The challenge for LNS was to make a masculine card. I think this is masculine! I also used the Monday Lunchtime Sketch challenge on the Technostamper Blog by Mary Jo.

The card base is Marina Mist, layered with Soft Suede and Crumb Cake. Very Vanilla is my neutral.

It's hard to see on here, but on the Crumb Cake piece I did the Faux Suede technique. I also stamped the hat and boot on there in Crumb Cake and spritzed with Soft Suede. On the Soft Suede panel I stamped the horseshoe and steer head, but they are pretty much covered up on here.

The thing I like the most is the "stitching" on the scallop square piece. That was done with linen thread, needle and free hand! I like the rugged look it gives here. The Soft Suede square was distressed with my distressor tool and then layered with a piece of the Crumb Cake Faux Suede.

The cowboy, from the Out West set, was first stamped on Very Vanilla in Brown ink. Then he was "cut out" using the Out-of-the-Box technique. I just love doing this technique with this image. Once I had him cut to where I wanted, I colored him with my aquapainter, stamp lid inks and markers. The main image/Crumb Cake piece is up on dimensionals as is the entire scallop square.

My birthday sentiment is from the SAB set, So Happy For You, stamped in Marina Mist. I tried the curly/pennant tag on here. Need some more work on that!

On the inside I stamped the boot in Soft Suede, steer head in Crumb Cake and the hat in Night of Navy on Marina Mist. The hat is popped up. The sentiment is non-SU!

Upload your creation to either your blog or to an online gallery and post a link to your creation to this blog entry by February 26, 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 GCA125 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 #124 Winner is.....

2011-02-20T09:54:00.001-05:00

.... Mandy from Made by Mandy. A wonderful gift to give to her darling DH! Many I will get your goodies out to you soon.

Ok, so sewing may not be your passion, or scares you off a little bit. It does me! Well this week the challenge is very easy, and very open, for you.

Up Next: GCA #125 - It's A Celebration!!!

Happy Stamping!!!

~~~Ann~~~

My Tall Treat Box on Craft Project Central!!!

2011-02-19T10:30:00.000-05:00

Hello all!!! My project as a February guest designer for Craft Project Central, is now posted!!! And, it's the February Bonus project!!! Hop on over there and subscribe and refer your friends! All of the projects on this site are SUO and fabulous!!!!

This tall treat box can be used to give many different types of gifts to your friends and family! With the clear window front it will give the recipient a sneak peek of what’s inside! Change up the theme and use it to give gifts for any holiday! Makes a great club or class project!
To get the instructions for this great project, just subscribe to two or more months in a row, put our badge on your blog, or refer a friend and when they subscribe, let us know!

Happy Stamping!!!

~~~Ann~~~

Birthday Wishes - DIC135

2011-02-17T08:04:00.000-05:00

Hello all!!! Another Thursday means another UDI Inspiration Challenge!!!

This is one of the cards we made at club this month and fits perfectly with the challenge!!! I was recently in a birthday card swap and received a card like this. I made some changes, of course, to make it my own, but it was the layout with the circles that caught my attention.

The card base is Peach Parfait, layered with Whisper White. Only the bottom portion was put through the Big Shot using the Perfect Polka Dots folder. The new, and fabulous, cupcake punch was used to create the cupcake. The bottom was punched in Early Espresso after being embossed with the Square Lattice folder. The topping was punched from the SAB dsp - Ice Cream Parlor. And the cherry on top is punched with the new red glitter paper. I think the cherry really does top off this cupcake!! LOL!

Each of the circles are punched using the 1 1/4" circle punch, adhered together in a triangular shape and then put on the card using dimensionals. The cupcake is then put on top of the circles with more dimensionals! You know how much I love my dimensionals!!!

The ribbon and buttons are from the SAB Ice Cream Parlor buttons and ribbon pack. The ribbon was placed just at the top of the embossed area. Using another SAB set - So Happy For You - I stamped the birthday wishes in Peach Parfait. Two of the buttons, topped with rhinestones, finish off the card. Pretty easy and clean and simple for me!!

If you have a minute, check out the UDI Blog and play along!!

Happy Stamping!!!!

~~~Ann~~~

Happy Valentine's Day to YOU!!!!

2011-02-14T20:33:00.000-05:00

Hello all!!! Happy Valentine's Day to all of you! Hope it was a great day and ate lots of chocolate!!

Here's my Valentine to you. I was playing around with a new set, Clearly for You, and this is what I came up with. Some of the parts and pieces were leftovers from other projects.

I've also been playing around with the new style out I'll call Eclectic Vintage, and I really like how it turned out. Really with this style there is no right or wrong. Using a variety of the smaller stamps in the Clearly for You set, I stamped them on the DSP from Springtime Vintage. 1 1/2 lattice dies were used to layer over the top.

The rest is bits and pieces, a daisy cut from the cork, scrunched Very Vanilla seam binding, the bird is from the Hostess Level 1 set, Punch Potpourri and an antique brad. For me, what really finishes this card off, is the little crown stamped in Cherry Cobbler and popped on top of the birds head! Is that not cute or what??? Of course, every crown needs some bling so I put one of the rhinestones on there.

I had fun making this card and isn't that what it's all about?

Happy Stamping!!!!

~~~~Ann~~~~

GCA #124 - Oh Sew Sweet!!!

2011-02-13T13:43:00.002-05:00

Hello all!!! In my neck of the woods in Michigan we are having a brilliantly beautiful and warm day for February!!! Maybe spring is really on the way??

Seems like everywhere you look right now, some type of sewing is showing up in stamping. SU! has a new suite, Oh Sew Suite, in the Occasions mini. Now, I don't sew, but I have to say I love the new fabric SU! is carrying and the dsp in this mini. The sewing stamps are adorable, but not for me. That doesn't mean that I can't still be part of the sewing craze with other products!!

So, for this week, you need to incorporate some type of sewing reference on your creation. Whether you use dsp, fabric or actual sewing stamps, just show us your love of sewing!

My card is actually one we are making for stamp club today. The dsp, Sweet Stitches, is a delightful and fun pack to play with. At first I thought some of the patterns, and colors, were a little too bold for me, but if you break them down into smaller pieces, they work!

I used Wild Wasabi for my card base and layered with So Saffron and Tangerine Tango. The sewing machine side of the dsp was cut into strips and then layered over the lighter Wasabi pattern piece layer. This is also our technique card for this month: Inlaid Embossing and Sanded DSP. The dsp layers were put through the Big Shot with the Square Lattice Embossing folder and then the sewing machine strip was lightly sanded over to remove some of the colors.

Not much stamping on this card, as I wanted the dsp to show off. I really like the piece of lighter Tangerine with the dress pattern girl and wanted that as more of my main image. The sentiment was stamped in black staz on, from Teeny Tiny Wishes. I ran a piece of the cork sheets using the Daisy die, for the embellishment. The button is from the new pack in the Occasions mini, Sweet Stitches. A piece of Daffodil Delight 1/8" taffeta is tied through it. Leaves punched from the bird punch finish it off.

Upload your creation to either your blog or to an online gallery and post a link to your creation to this blog entry by February 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 GCA124 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 #123 Winner is....

2011-02-13T13:18:00.000-05:00

..... Tammylee from Tammylee's Stamp Corner!!! The Packers may not have real cheerleaders, but Tammylee made sure they had stamped ones!! Tammylee please email me at amf1066@comcast.net with your address and I will get a stampin' goodie package out to you!

Thanks to everyone who stopped by, played along or left comments. I have to say the green and yellow must have been very heavy in the air last week as the black yellow colors received no love!!

Up Next: GCA #124 - Oh Sew Sweet!!

Happy Stamping!!!

~~~Ann~~~

A Wise Valentine Owl - DIC134

2011-02-10T06:00:00.002-05:00

Hello all!!! The UDI Blog Inspiration challenge this week is a fun and flirty pic in reds and pinks. Just in time for Valentine's Day!! Are you ready?

I have to confess actually. The basic components of this card were sitting on my craft table, leftovers from a previous class. A Christmas class to be exact, but I thought it would make for a nice Valentine card. I think it turned out just fine!

The card base Blushing Bride, layered with Real Red, CandyCane dsp and striped Shimmery White. Some of these items are retired, but just goes to show how some dsp can be used for other holidays too! The big button is from the 2010 Holiday mini and I soooo hope they show up in the new catalog this year!!

As I'm still lovin' this owl punch and stamp set, I had to use him! The owl is from the SAB set Punch Bunch and punched with the 2 step owl punch. So much fun. The owls "chest cover" was stamped separately in Real Red on Whisper White. The small heart is in Blushing Bride, popped up with a tiny dimensional and topped off with a rhinestone. The pinking hearts border punch was used on the back of the card base. A 1/4" is cut off the front so it shows through.

If you have a chance, check out the UDI Blog and play along!!

Happy Stamping!!!

~~~Ann~~~

GCA #123 - Go Stackers!!!

2011-02-06T11:38:00.008-05:00

Hello all!!! Whether you are a fan of football or not, everyone knows that today is Super Bowl day!!! And the teams playing today are the Pittsburgh Steelers and Green Bay Packers. What has that got to do with this week's GCA? Well, I am not a football fan, but I know there are many stampers out there who are.

So, this week we are going to incorporate the colors of the two Super Bowl teams into our creations!! It doesn't matter if you are a fan of one team or the other, or of neither, but just use their colors to create your project.

The Pittsburgh Steelers colors are: Black and Yellow.

The Green Bay Packers colors are Green and Yellow.

Use either color combo on your creation for this week. You can add any other colors as you'd like, but you must have at least the two primary colors on your creation.

The owl is from the SAB Punch Bunch set. I kept the design simple as I will use these for male V-Day cards for my male co-workers. I used the colors of Whisper White, Garden Green, Daffodil Delight and Basic Black. DSP I used is Woodland Walk and Sweet Pea (retired) pack. The trim accents are from the Playdate accents.

Upload your creation to either your blog or to an online gallery and post a link to your creation to this blog entry by February 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 GCA123 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 122 Winner is....

2011-02-06T10:53:00.000-05:00

.... Elaine from Craft My Life. Take a moment to check out her totally sweet and adorable Valentine! Elaine please send me your address to amf1066@comcast.net and I will get a stampin' goodie package out to you.

Thanks to all who stopped by, played or left comments!! I so love seeing you come by.

Up Next: GCA #123 - Go Stackers!!!!

Happy Stamping!!!

~~~Ann~~~

Colorful and Funky Birthday Mushrooms - DIC133!!!

2011-02-03T06:00:00.003-05:00

Hello all!!! Another Thursday is here and that means another fabulous UDI Blog Inspiration challenge!!! This week Maria has provided us with a fantastic picture of glass-blown mushrooms.

So it was a no-brainer to dig out my Funky Four set and go with it. The sketch is SC317 on SCS. I had not intended on using the tree, but once I started working on this I know that I needed something for the background to help "ground" the mushrooms. Clear as mud? The tree was colored with my Garden Green and Choc Chip markers.

The mushrooms were stamped in Concord Crush, Daffodil Delight and Tangerine Tango. The large ones are popped up with one dimensional and the smaller ones use two. Even more dimension is used on all the panels. The Garden Green has one layer and the Choc Chip layer has two. The sentiment, from the fabulous SAB set So Happy For You, is stamped in Choc Chip, placed on a Garden Green strip and popped up with dimensionals. Just for some texture I distressed the edges with my cutter tool.

A brass mini library clip and three brass brads finishes it off. Not sure how much you can see in the pic, but I was off center with my brad placement and so I covered those up with 1/4" circles under the brads. I think this will make a fabulous manly birthday card. The dsp I used on here is the Woodland Walk. Took me forever to order this! Not quite sure why!!

Hop on over to the UDI Blog and play along with us!!!

Happy Stamping!!!!

~~~Ann~~~

True Love - GCA 122!!!!

2011-02-02T18:47:00.000-05:00

Hello all!! Well, here in my area of Michigan we had a SNOW DAY!!!! While I don't think we got as much snow as they predicted, enough came to cripple the area for a day! So, I played in my craft room, took a nap and did a little laundry.

I did not make this card today, but I want to show it to you all before I give it to my co-worker. I made this for her to give to her boyfriend for Valentine's Day. I can't get her to try stamping, but she wants me to make her lots of things!!! I don't mind though.

This card was made following one of the Verve sketches on SCS. The finished size is 3 1/2 x 7 and will fit into one of the long open-ended envelopes, now retired. The card base is Going Gray textured with Love Impressions dsp. The dsp is on a layer of Whisper White and sponged with Going Gray and Pink Pirouette.

The birds, from Love You Much, were stamped in Basic Gray and the heart was colored with the Real Red marker. Punched them out with the Decorative Label punch and sponged with the same colors. The layer behind the birds is two of the Decorative Labels cut and layered to create a larger label. A strip of 1 1/4" Pink Pirouette gg layered with Pretty in Pink satin was scrunched up and the main image placed over it. I used the Heart Trio punch with the Red glitter dsp. This one is the middle one and I put the other two inside.

I know she'll like it, but I hope it isn't too much pink for him!!!

Happy Stamping!!!!

~~~Ann~~~

Nature Walk Desk Caddy - CPC Project

2011-02-01T06:00:00.002-05:00

Here's a beautiful little Nature Walk desk caddy designed by Tammy! Make and keep on your desk and you'll always have a scrap piece of paper and pen when you need one! No more digging through the piles (okay, now you know what my desk looks like)!! This would make a great teacher or co-worker gift too! Also, easy enough to do as a club or class project!

To get the instructions for this beautiful little project, just head on over to http://www.craftprojectcentral.com/ and subscribe to January!

Hope you can check the Craft Project site. They have a ton of wonderful projects to make!!!

Happy Stamping!!!

~~~Ann~~~

GCA #122 - Anything Goes - Valentine Style!!!

2011-01-30T19:50:00.001-05:00

Hello all!!! No I didn't forget to post the challenge today!! We had a very beautiful, sun filled day here in Michigan and I actually got out of my apartment to enjoy it!! Not many days like this happen in the winter here. But, I hear that we have a major storm coming. Yuck!!!

Well, Valentine's Day is just around the corner! Anyone want to tell me where the month of January went??? WOW, it was here and now it's almost gone!

To help you get those last minute Valentine cards and projects completed, this week is all about Valentine's Day! Whatever you want to do, it just has to be Valentine related!

Now, you may recognize the colors and layout on my card. I had leftovers from the swap I did with this card and decided to use them up! I did trim the overall card size so I could place it on a base card of Melon Mambo. The hearts were punched using the Full Heart punch and the Love Impressions dsp, in the Occasions mini.

The cute button is part of the SAB button/ribbon pack and I placed a large rhinestone in the middle! And to finish it off, I used the Melon Mambo pom-pom trim. Isn't it adorable?? This is available in the Occasions mini also. The hearts are popped up with dimensionals, as is the panel they are on.

Upload your creation to either your blog or to an online gallery and post a link to your creation to this blog entry by February 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 GCA122 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 #121 Winner is.....

2011-01-30T19:37:00.000-05:00

.... Kelly from Kelly's Kreative Korner!!! Check out her adorable Valentine made for her hubby!! Kelly please email me your address to amf1066@comcast.net and I will get you a stampin goodie package!

Thanks to all who stopped by, played or left comments!

Up Next: GCA #122 - Anything Goes - Valentine Style!!!

Happy Stamping!!!

~~~Ann~~~

Hello Baby - DIC132!!!!!

2011-01-27T08:01:00.000-05:00

Hello ladies!!! Another week has flown by and here we are at the UDI Blog Inspiration challenge!!! This week Maria gave us a very bright, cheery, pink infused bouquet of daises along with pink marshmallow bunnies!!!

My card doesn't have any bunnies, but it does have pinks and rubber duckies! I used the new SAB set, Punch Bunch, to make a sweet baby card. And, for me, this is pretty simple too!!!

I'll give you all the details tonight! Off to work now!

Happy Stamping!!!!

~~~Ann~~~

GCA #121 - Not Your Usual Valentine Image!!!

2011-01-23T12:36:00.002-05:00

Hello all!!! I see the unusual Valentine colors kept some of you away, but I hope you can find that unusual Valentine image to play along this week!! I just love using things that not necessarily meant for that particular holiday on my cards or projects.

For this week, I want you to look through your stamps/images and see what you have that you can use on a Valentine card. Do you need to make a masculine Valentine? How about a motorcycle, truck or skateboard and use the traditional Valentine colors. What about using any of those cute monster stamps out there to make kids Valentines?

Of course, there is one catch!!! You must use non-traditional images as your focal point. This focal point cannot be a Valentine themed image. You may use hearts on your card, but only from punches, die cuts or whatever. No stamped hearts!! And, you may use any colors you wish to create your projects. (not shouting, just making sure this is seen!)

Well, now that the end of the week is here, here is my sample!!! This was one crazy week, I tell you! Anyway, on to the card!

I wanted to make a "manly" Valentine card for my supervisor (without being mushy!) and so I pulled out Uncharted Territory. Both of the images are water colored, using my stamp pads and aquapainter. I used Whisper White, only because I have no watercolor paper, and you can tell it warped the card stock. Oh well, it lends to the overall wavy, lake feel!

My layout came from the November 2010 CardMaker sketch #20. I did alter it a bit by putting the embossed strip under the panels and not over the larger one. The colors I used are Poppy Parade, Not Quite Navy, Sahara Sand, Whisper White and Poppy Parade dsp.
Upload your creation to either your blog or to an online gallery and post a link to your creation to this blog entry by January 29, 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 GCA121 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 #120 Winner is.....

2011-01-23T12:27:00.000-05:00

...... Sandie from The Crafty Side of Me. Check out her adorable Valentine gift tag with non-traditional colors. Sandie please email me your address to amf1066@comcast.net and I will get a stampin goodie package out to you.

Thanks to all who stopped by this past week!!

I believe there are two of you waiting for packages from me. They are absolutely going into the mail tomorrow!!! My mother's husband passed away last week and I've been busy with her taking care of all the arrangements.

Up Next: GCA #121 - Not Your Usual Valentine Image!

Happy Stamping!!!

~~~Ann~~~

More CPC projects to LOVE & Keep you WARM!!!

2011-01-22T10:26:00.003-05:00

Hello all!!! Here's another cute project that is featured on Craft Project Central!!! Isn't it adorable?? Head over there to check it out!

The kids will love this alternative to a Valentine box. This cute box is created to look like a little mailbox. Best of all their Valentines can be dropped in the box through the top and when they get home to read all their Valentines, it will be easy to open with the front flap!

This cute little project designed by Tammy, is the January Bonus project over at Craft Project Central! To get the instructions for this great project, just head on over to www.craftprojectcentral.com, subscribe to two or more months in a row, put the CPC badge on your blog, or refer a friend and when they subscribe, let them know!

Here's a twist on traditional hot chocolate; this recipe uses white chocolate! This yummy drink will keep you warm on the inside when the snowflakes are falling outside!

To get the instructions for this recipe page to add to your Craft Project Central recipe collection, just head on over to www.craftprojectcentral.com and subscribe to Janaury! Don't forget to make a batch of this yummy hot chocolate to drink while you're stamping!!

Happy Stamping!!!!

~~~Ann~~~

Pure Bliss - DIC131!

2011-01-19T22:19:00.000-05:00

Hello all!!! Another Thursday has arrived and so has another UDI Blog Inspiration challenge!!! And as the title states, the inspiration piece evokes the feeling of pure bliss! At least for me!!!

So, I have a card for you that I actually made for a recent swap. This uses the new, Sale-A-Bration set, Bliss. This will become available to earn for free on January 25th!!! Remember, with every $50 you spend, you earn one SAB set. Do you have your wish list ready?

All of the stamps on here are in this set, plus one more. I just love the damask stamp, which I used on here as a background image. It was stamped in Pink Pirouette on Pink Pirouette.

The dsp is the new Springtime Vintage and it is fabulous!!! So is the fabric that matches it!!! I took my colors from the dsp: Rose Red, Very Vanilla, Pear Pizzazz and Always Artichoke.

A small basic pearl gives the touch of "oldness" and the bird in the Pear Pizzazz gives it that right amount of pop!!!

Check out the UDI Blog and the inspiration piece. Why not play along if you can??

Happy Stamping!!!

~~~Ann~~~

Have you heard about Craft Project Central????

2011-01-18T12:11:00.000-05:00

Hello all!! Have you heard of this all Stampin' Up! site? I have been asked to be a guest designer for the month of January and couldn't be more excited!!! I've come up with two fabulous projects for the site and I hope you'll pop over there to check it out!

It is loaded with tons of cute, quick, easy and fast to make projects. Craft Project Central is awesome for coming up with those quick gifts to make for Valentine's Day!!! Check it out! Until my project is posted is here a taste of what you can find over there:

This cute project gives you some snow family punch art to add to your Craft Project Central punch art collection and also shows you how to pop-up the snow family up in this pretty wintery card!

To get the instructions for this project designed by Lynn, just head on over to http://www.craftprojectcentral.com/ and subscribe to January 2011!

I'll be posting more pictures during the week to wet your appetite!!

Happy Stamping!!!

~~~Ann~~~

GCA #120 - Not Your Usual Valentine Colors!!

2011-01-16T22:43:00.002-05:00

Hello all!! I apologize for the delay in my posting today. The day did not turn out quite like I had hoped!

Are you getting ready for the "Holiday of Love"?? Seems like Christmas just finished and we are thrown into another holiday!! Valentine's Day always brings out the best chocolate, among other things!!

This week we are focusing on unusual Valentine colors. What kind of Valentine/Love type of creation can you come up with using no reds or pinks! Think outside the box with blues, oranges or yellows. Even brown can make a Valentine paired with the right colors!!

In keeping with my unusual colors for this week, I went with Marina Mist, River Rock and Whisper White. I recently participated in several swaps and the color combo came from one of them. I also used parts of a sketch from another one for my layout on my card.

I used the Presto Patterns dsp inked with River Rock for the vertical panel. I must use that dsp more, because I forget how you can really customize your card with it. The scallop circle is River Rock, run through with the Perfect Polka Dots ef and spritzed with the Vanilla Shimmer smooch spritz.

The heart is punched from a non-SU! piece of embossed card stock. It is a glossy front and embossed with butterflies. I inked it up with Marina Mist.

Upload your creation to either your blog or to an online gallery and post a link to your creation to this blog entry by January 22, 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 GCA120 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 #119 Winner is.....

2011-01-16T10:55:00.000-05:00

..... Vix from Vixykins!!! Check out her blog and see the fabulous card she made!! Vix please send me your address to amf1066@comcast.net and I will get a stampin' goodie package out to you!

I have 3 stampin' goodie packages going out this week!! You know who you are that is expecting one!!

Thanks to everyone who stopped by, played along and/or left comments!! Stampers are the best!

Up Next: GCA #120 - Not Your Usual Valentine Colors!!!

Happy Stamping!!!

~~~Ann~~~

A Nature Walk with You - DIC130

2011-01-13T08:29:00.000-05:00

Hello all!!! Here we are at another Thursday and time for the UDI Inspiration challenge! This week Maria has given us an adorable birdhouse and birds to pull out our creativity!

I originally started this card for a swap and then changed my mind. But is works perfectly for this week's challenge!

The card base is white and top folded. Since I started this a swap, the original card base was Tangerine Tango, but I trimmed that to put it onto the white base. The dry embossed layer is also Tangerine Tango, with the Square Lattice ef.

The stamp set used on here is the new Nature Walk that is now available in the Occasions Mini!!! Love this set with the vintage, nostalgic feel to it. There is also coordinating dsp too! I used a small piece of it here, the muted olive color.

The bird is stamped in Choc Chip and the bird cage is in Tangerine Tango. Both are cut out and popped up with dimensionals. The sentiment tab is half of the decorative label punch and the stamp is from Teeny Tiny Wishes.

Enjoy!!

Happy Stamping!!

~~~Ann~~~

GCA #119 - Got Hearts???

2011-01-09T15:30:00.002-05:00

Hello all!!! I hope this finds all of you warm and cozy, in the north and dry in the south! Crazy weather happening lately!!

Here's how we can heat things up! The GCA this week is to incorporate HEARTS, somewhere in your creation. Your creation does not have to be Valentine related, just include hearts on it. You could make a birthday, wedding or anniversary card. Just be sure you have hearts on it somewhere!

WOW!!! You guys are so very observant, thank you!!! Trying to do too many things at the same time yesterday!!! The corrected date and challenge # is now up. Here's my sample! Will give you all the deets tonight! Off to work!
Upload your creation to either your blog or to an online gallery and post a link to your creation to this blog entry by January 15, 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 GCA119 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 #118 Winner is....

2011-01-09T11:07:00.000-05:00

..... Naush from Doodle Buddies!!! Check out her blog to see her darling card!! Naush please send me your address to amf1066@comcast.net and I will get a stampin' goodie package out to you!!

Thanks to all who stopped by, left comments, played along or just just stopped by for a look!!! You are always welcome at the Nook!!

Up Next: GCA #119 - Got Hearts???

Happy Stamping!!

~~~Ann~~~

GCA #118 - Happy NEW Year to You!!!

2011-01-02T14:32:00.002-05:00

Happy New Year everyone!!! I pray all of you had a safe and fabulous New Year's Eve and Day!!! I stayed nice and cozy in my apartment, working on some swaps I need to get out!!

Now that Christmas is behind us and the New Year has started, this week we are going to focus on NEW things!!! What did you get for Christmas, either from loved ones or stuff you bought yourself???? Anything that is NEW to you, I want you to use it on your creations this week!!

The week of Christmas I received my Occasions/SAB pre-order. One of the sets I ordered is from the main IB & C, but one I've wanted since the catty came out: Grunge Rock! Not exactly sure why I like this set, but since I seem to be into more vintage/collage/distressed looks lately I think that's why I like it!

Anyway, I finally inked it up yesterday and new it would be the perfect choice for this week's GCA!! And, I used every stamp in the set on this card!!! That doesn't happen very often! I also made this for the FS204 on SCS : WhiteRockMama AKA Marisa! I liked the layout she used on her card and the colors. The colors came from the Curtain Call Color Challenge.

My changes are:
* Stamp set
* Colors - While I kept the Certainly Celery, I did use the original Melon Mambo and Pink Pirouette from the challenge
* The layout is basically the same, yet I tweaked my sentiment panel and didn't notch the ends.
* Left off the button and used a clip/ribbon combo
* Used rhinestones instead of dew drops

I also used my Distressing Essentials kit - Tea Stain - around the sentiment tag and the main image panel. The sentiment tag was also distressed with my distressor tool.

Love how this turned out!!! And I know who it will go to!! One of my close girlfriends has a birthday in April and this is perfect for her!! Nothing like being prepared, right??

Upload your creation to either your blog or to an online gallery and post a link to your creation to this blog entry by January 8, 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 GCA118 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 #117 Winner is....

2011-01-02T13:49:00.000-05:00

.... Barbara from Forgotten Scraps!!! Check out her fabulous card on her blog and how she used sparkly items not necessarily intended for cardmaking!!! Barbara please email me your address to amf1066@comcast.net and I will get a stampin' goodie package out to you!

Thanks to all for stopping by again and playing along!!! I always look forward to see who is going to stop by and play along.

Up Next: GCA #118 - Happy NEW Year to You!!!

Happy Stamping!!!

~~~Ann~~~

Playdate Goes Western!!

2010-12-31T09:37:00.000-05:00

Hello all!!! Here we are at the end of 2010! Kind of hard to believe that in 24 hours, or less, we will be starting a New Year! Do you have your resolutions ready? And can you keep them for more than a day??? LOL!!

Today I have 2 cards for you that I created using my newest set, Out West. This set is perfect for any and all male cards. And, if you are like me, those are not the easiest to create!! Both of these cards actually started, and were completed, with scraps/leftovers on my craft table.

Each card uses pretty much the same supplies, just in different ways. The background piece is what started it. This was left from the strips I used on my reindeer scrapbook page. It's rolled with the Rough Texture wheel in Crumb Cake and stamped with the Sanded bg in Choc. Chip.

What I really want to point out are the techniques on the two cards. On the first card, I used the out-of-the-box technique with the horse and cowboy. Normally I would leave a little more of the base card, but every time I placed it on the square layers it looked liked just a little more needed to come off!!! I do like how the cowboy and horse seem to really be coming off the card! They were colored using my aquapainter and stamp pad lids. Once dry, I went over some of the highlighted areas with my markers.

On the second card I used the "Depth of Field" technique I learned from Technique Junkies. You have to look very carefully, but the horseshoe is there, stamped in So Saffron. Then the cowboy hat in Old Olive and the steer in Choc. Chip. Not sure how many cowboys wear green boots, but it certainly does make the boot pop off the card!! The felt ribbon is from last year's holiday mini and the baby safety pin came from a recent clothing purchase. It was just sitting on my craft table and tried it on here. I like how it looks on here. This will be my card for my supervisor who is retiring in April. Since he likes "cowboy coffee" I thought this set was appropriate!!

I'm also entering both of these in Shelli's monthly So Shelli contest. This month is focused on techniques!

Happy Stamping!!!

~~~Ann~~~

A Nature Thank You - DIC128

2010-12-30T13:08:00.001-05:00

Hello all!! This week the UDI inspiration piece is 3 very yummy looking cocktails. Each in their own fabulous color.

I mainly went with the colors from the piece to build my card, but still not quite sure how the cocktails translate to birds!!! Anyway, I love how this came out and I just love this new set coming out in the Occasions mini, January 4th!!!

While the overall look of the card is clean, it not necessarily simple!!! I combined alot of techniques on this card, once again!

The first is using the dry embossed method with the new Framed Tulips embossing folder and Perfect Polka Dots folder. However, the fun part is that I double embossed them! To do this you run your secondary folder through first and then place your card stock into your primary folder and run it through the Big Shot again. You will still notice the secondary embossing, but just not as pronounced.

The second technique I did was Out-of-the Box. This is a fun and fairly easy technique to do. The tough part is making sure you don't cut into your image when trying to trim part of the card stock away. To do this you stamp your image onto the card stock and then trim away parts of it. You should cut your card stock as close to the size you want to end up with. The idea is to leave part of the image "cut out" of the card stock.

The third technique is watercoloring. Pulled out my watercolor wonder crayons and blender pen, and colored away. Not sure if there is a bird this color in real life, but I think it's pretty! The eggs were colored with markers direct to the stamp and then cut out.

I couldn't resist the fly on here, since the cocktails are fruity and flies also come around with the sweet things!!

If you have a chance to play this week, check out the UDI Blog and see what you come up with.

Happy Stamping!!!

~~~Ann~~~

GCA #117 - New Year Bling!!!

2010-12-26T18:36:00.001-05:00

Hello all!!! I hope everyone had a fabulous, special and magical day with loved ones yesterday. I spent the afternoon with my grandsons and son. It was so much fun watching those two open their gifts. Cameron, the 5 1/2 year old, kept saying "this is the best Christmas ever Grandma!" How sweet is that??

Now that Christmas is over for another year, now we prepare for the New Year. And what do you think of when you picture New Year's Eve? Bright colors, lots of sparkle, bling, bubbly and so much more!!

So, this week your creation has to incorporate some type of sparkly/brightness to represent the coming of the new year. Still trying to put my house back together after yesterday!!! As I was in the process of cleaning up, I also tackled my stamp room!! In putting away this and that, I found that I had cut pieces of cardstock everywhere!!! So this is where my sample came from; all those cut pieces and scraps.

These were leftover pieces from some wedding invitations I designed. I used the Medallion bg stamp and the Charming set. The colors the bride-to-be chose were Taken with Teal, Tempting Turquoise and Very Vanilla. The idea with this design was an overall stamped collage using both stamps and then cut as needed. The script stamp in Charming was overstamped in black and then I smooched it with the Silver smooch spray. It's hard to see in the photo, but IRL it does sparkle! I added some rhinestones to increase the bling value. I left the sentiment off, because I'm not sure what I'll do with this card. Maybe the wedding card for the happy couple???

Upload your creation to either your blog or to an online gallery and post a link to your creation to this blog entry by January 1, 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 GCA117 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~~~~

Three Silly Reindeer - DIC127

2010-12-23T11:09:00.001-05:00

Hello all!!! I'm still plucking away at Christmas gifts and such this week, how about you??? This week's UDI Inspiration piece is a traditional Christmas picture of Santa with a darling little girl.

No Santa on my creation, but I do have 3 of his silly reindeer, chomping at the bit to get going!!! At my December stamp club this is the scrapbook page the girls made. The colors and feeling of the piece are what I used. This is 12 x 12.

Do you have the owl punch yet? If not, what are you waiting for??? You can do so much more than just owls with it! The reindeer were made with the owl punch, minus the little feet! I'm not sure who came up with idea, but it is one darling, and clever, use of the punch!! I used a card I found on SCS for the basic idea of the reindeer "looking" over a stall. We had a lot of fun making this page.

Be sure to check out the UDI Blog and play along if you get a minute!!

Happy Stamping!!!

~~~Ann~~~

Christmas Slacker I am!!!!

2010-12-22T19:32:00.000-05:00

Hello all!!! I do so apologize for not getting this week's GCA up and posted. I have been so busy finishing up Christmas projects, putting things in the mail and so on, that time is literally getting away with me!!! And, I know that I am not the only one this week!!!

So, this week the GCA is on hold until this Sunday 12/26. If you want to start thinking ahead, or maybe you have a creation ready, GCA #117 will be all about the New Year! Think bright colors, bling, parties and more!!!

Again, thank you to all who stop by and visit. You are so very much appreciated!!

Happy Stamping!!!

~~~Ann~~~

GCA #116 Winner is....

2010-12-19T12:02:00.000-05:00

.....tampatha from Creatively Me. She made the most fabulous non-traditional colored Christmas card I've seen in a long time. Please send me your address to amf1066@comcast.net and I will get a stampin goodie package out to you.

Thank you to all who stopped by, played along and/or left comments! I just love seeing everyone come back for more each week.

Up Next: GCA #117 - Anything Goes - Christmas Style!!!

Happy Stamping!!!

~~~Ann~~~

GCA #116 - Non-Traditional Colors of Christmas!!!

2010-12-12T15:09:00.001-05:00

Hello all!!! How is your day coming along? Today was supposed to be stamp club, but I canceled it due to the snow we are getting. It is that heavy, wet snow that makes driving very difficult! Wouldn't want anyone to get hurt on their way to stamping!!!

If you've followed my blog, or visited a different times, you know that I love to use non-traditional colors at holidays!!! So, this week was a no-brainer!

This was one of the cards we made at my Christmas Club this year. Very quick, simple and easy. Soooo hard for me to do!!! But, the girls loved it and so do I! The idea came from a card I saw on Stampin' Connection. I made a few changes, of course, to make it my own, but overall the original idea is still there.

The stamp set used is Winter Post. I actually bought this from a fellow stamper who was cleaning out her collection. She already had it mounted on cling and only wanted $5!!! How could I not buy it? I have really enjoyed using it and like the cards I've made with it.

The non-traditional colors I used are Blushing Bride, Shimmery White and Early Espresso. It's hard to see on here, but the Shimmery White panel is off-stamped in Blushing Bride with the Linen background stamp and the snowflakes were over stamped in full color.

The scallop envelope die was used, but I only cut the out portion out. Since we were using the back and not the front, the flaps weren't needed. This is also up on dimensionals. The felt ribbon is from last years holiday mini. I have alot left over!!!

Upload your creation to either your blog or to an online gallery and post a link to your creation to this blog entry by December 18, 2010 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 GCA116 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 #115 Winner is....

2010-12-12T14:45:00.000-05:00

.... Stacy from Stacy's Scraptastic World!!!! You can see her beautiful Chirstmas card on her blog. Stacy please send me your address to amf1066@comcast.net and I will get you a stampin' goodie package to you.

Thanks to all who stopped by, played along and/or left comments!! You are appreciated.

Up Next: GCA #116 - Non - Traditional Colors of Christmas!

And here's what we woke up to in my part of Michigan today! It is so beautiful and was so quiet out when I took these.

Happy Stamping!!!!

~~~Ann~~~

Girl in Christmas Red - DIC125

2010-12-09T00:10:00.000-05:00

Hello all!!! With Christmas right around the corner, the inspiration pieces on the UDI Blog are all about Christmas. I had ideas for my card this week, but in getting ready for my own Christmas projects, I ran out of time!!! So this one is quick and simple.

At my Christmas card club this year we made this card and the ladies loved how easy it was.

I used Old Olive for the card base, a strip of the Holly Jolly dsp, Cherry Cobbler square and layered with a Very Vanilla scalloped square.

The scalloped square was cut using the Big Shot and the duo scallop die in the Holiday mini. It fits so well with the large clear scallop square. The image is embossed with black craft and black embossing powder and then watercolored. We used ink from the stamp pads to watercolor and an aquapainter. While watercoloring is not my forte, I do enjoy it and keep trying to improve my skills.

I still needed to add something, so I put a scallop edge in Old Olive on here.

So, check out the UDI Blog if you get a moment and play along.

Happy Stamping!!!!

~~~Ann~~~

GCA #115 - The Colors of Christmas!!!

2010-12-06T13:13:00.000-05:00

Hello all!!! Did you think I forgot?? I really didn't didn't, but I got pulled away by two very adorable and lovable little boys yesterday!!! However, on to the stamping today!!

This week the focus is on the colors of Christmas. Traditional colors, like:

RED
GREEN
GOLD

You may use any combination of these colors, or or just one, but your creations for this week must include one of the colors above. Of course, neutrals may be added as needed.

The card I have to show you today covers 4 different challenges!!!! The first is CC299 on SCS. The colors are Real Red, River Rock and Old Olive. The second is SC309 on SCS. The sketch calls for a square card and I went with it!! The finished size is 5.5 x 5.5. This is one large card!! The third is for Shelli's monthly challenge on her blog, So Shelli. She is the co-founder of SU! The challenge this month is techniques. And of course, the fourth is for the GCA!

Most of the details are pretty obvious, but I want to talk about the techniques I did on here. The most obvious is the Torn Frame technique I learned from the Technique Junkies. It really is easy to do and makes a wow for your images. Another one, and one of my favorite, is watercoloring with my Watercolor Wonder Crayons!! I used my blender pen to pull off the color from the crayon and onto the image.

It's a little difficult to see, but I used the Champagne Mist shimmer paint for the tree ornaments and around the scallops on the sentiment. I used my stylus, dipped it into the paint and then dotted the shimmer paint where I wanted it. The background dsp is from Presto Patterns, which I highlighted with Real Red and River Rock.

And the last technique on here is the hot new trend with ribbon: scrunching/ruffling! This is so much fun to do and very easy once you get the hang of it! When you give it a try, be prepared though, because you do use more ribbon than you think you will!!! The bow was tied using my bow-maker.

Upload your creation to either your blog or to an online gallery and post a link to your creation to this blog entry by December 11, 2010 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 GCA115 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 #114 Winner is....

2010-12-05T11:23:00.000-05:00

....Sandi from Another Chance to Stamp!!!! Check out her awesome paper Christmas trees!!! Every year I say I am going to make one, and I never get to it!!! Thanks Sandi for the inspiration once again. Please send me your address to amf1066@comcast.net so I can get you a stampin goodie package out!!!

Thanks to all who stopped by, left comments and played along.

Up Next: GCA #115 - The Colors of Christmas!

Happy Stamping!!!

~~~Ann~~~

A Candy Cane Christmas - DIC124!!

2010-12-02T00:10:00.002-05:00

Hello all!!! This week Maria, over at the UDI Blog, has presented us with a yummy inspiration picture of candy canes!!! Since I have been working on Christmas cards I had this one all ready!!

The card base is Blushing Bride along with Real Red, Whisper White and the Candy Cane dsp. Love that dsp!! The stamp set I used is Season of Joy.

The eyelet punched border is attached on the inside of the front and I cut 1" off the bottom to make it even.

My first intent was to stamp the collage sentiment in the Blushing Bride and then over stamp the tree in Real Red. Well.... I decided that wasn't going to work, so I stamped the tree on Whisper White and cut it out. I used the new stick on rhinestones for my "bling"! The big Candy Cane buttons was used with the Blushing Bride poly twill.

So check out the UDI Blog and play along if you get the chance!!

Happy Stamping!!!

~~~Ann~~~

More Christmas Cards!!

2010-11-30T21:51:00.000-05:00

I have these coming out of my ears!!! LOL!! Two more cards to show you, well actually one and a set of cards.

The first one was inspired by a card, made by Barb Mann, I saw on Stampin' Connection (SU! demos site) that used the lattice die as more of the focal image. Hers was for Thanksgiving and I changed it to Christmas. The lattice die is cut from the wood sheets and is where I got all those little pieces that I used to make the Thanksgiving card on this post. So, don't throw away all those little pieces!!!

The rest is really quite quick and simple. All of the layers/parts are from punches: Ornament, 1 3/4" circle, Word Window, Boho Blossoms and 2 step bird. Plenty of dimension going on here too!! All of this is put onto a Whisper White card base. The inside is decorated too, but I don't have a pic of that.

The set of cards is actually a completion from the one I featured on GCA#111 - Recycle, Recycle! I had four of the lattice pieces cut, so I made a set of cards. They all have a Soft Suede card base, the lattice die cut from the brown packing paper from my SU! orders, Paper Daisies, Deck the Halls big buttons and the Deck the Halls fabric. I cut the fabric with the Trimtastic die. LOVE it!! And I love my Big Shot!!

Hope you enjoy!!

Happy Stamping!!

~~~Ann~~~

Non-Traditional Christmas Colors!!

2010-11-29T21:36:00.001-05:00

I love to use non-traditional colors on my Christmas cards. With any holiday for that fact. Why conform when I can express myself through color???? LOL!!

The two cards I'm showing now are also for the LateNightStampers Yahoo group I belong and the current challenge. And, of course the challenge is to use non traditional colors on a Christmas card.

The first one uses Soft Suede and Blushing Bride. I love these two colors together!!!! I paired the colors with the Season of Joy set and the wonderfully fun big buttons in the Holiday mini!! The ribbon is the Blushing Bride poly twill and I frayed some of it.

The second card uses Pacific Point, Silver and Whisper White. I'm not much of a "blue" person, but I do love Pacific Point!! I used the Baroque Motifs swirl for the "branches" and silver cord to hang my ornaments from. The ornaments were punched from Silver which I embossed with the Petals A Plenty and Perfect Polka Dots eb folders. Each of the ornaments is up with a dimensional. The saying is from Heard from the Heart. A quick and easy card to make, that should also be regular price to mail!!!

Happy Stamping!!!

~~~Ann~~~

GCA #114 - Not Your Usual Christmas Items!

2010-11-28T18:29:00.001-05:00

Hello all!!! Today has been one of those lazy, don't move too fast, kind of days! Hence the late posting for today. Starting with this GCA, through the month of December, we will be focusing on the upcoming Christmas holiday. If there is anyone out there like me, I still have plenty of projects to finish and need the push and ideas to get them done!!!

Luckily, for me, the majority of my Christmas cards are completed. Now to get them addressed and off in the mail!! With that being said, that is how I came up with this week's challenge. I think my all time favorite stamp set will always be Lovely as a Tree. There is so much that you can do with it, for so many different occasions. I have seen many cards completed using the row of trees and the reverse masking technique. Most times I, and others, use the single pine tree as the focal image. The background is in Crumb Cake with the trees in Early Espresso.

Well, I just received the new "Have a Seat" set and was playing around with it, when the light bulb went off!! Why not use the bench as my focal image? So, I went from there. I have two cards here, alike but different. I started with stamping the bench in Poppy Parade, but when I put it on the card front with the Espresso trees, I didn't like it. So, I stamped it again, in Soft Suede. The bench seat is also stamped in Garden Green and popped up, as is the pot of poinsettias. I used the Champagne glass glitter in the center of the flowers.

And yes, I cut out each of the benches and then used my craft knife to cut out the legs! Wouldn't want to make to many of these like that!!

The second card uses Pear Pizazz as the background and Always Artichoke for the trees. As I was sponging the background, I noticed I was getting the edges of the card, so I fixed that!! I sponged all around the edges too! I really like the framed effect it gives here. I used the bench I already had stamped in Poppy, and added the flowers and owl. The flowers are from the Punch Potpourri set and are supposed to be poinsettias!! The owl comes from the Inch by Inch set.

So, what unusual items/images can you think of to create Christmas cards, projects, scrapbook pages or whatever!!! I'm sure we all have plenty of them around.

Upload your creation to either your blog or to an online gallery and post a link to your creation to this blog entry by December 4, 2010 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 GCA114 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 #113 Winner is....

2010-11-28T17:55:00.000-05:00

.....Hazel!!! You can check out her fabulous fall creation on her blog My Crafty Outlook. Hazel I will get a stampin goodie package out to you!!

I hope all of my American stampin' friends had a wonderful Thanksgiving!! Now we are all into the Christmas mode!

With that being said, the GCA's from now until the end of December, are all about Christmas. I hope it helps you create some special Christmas cards, projects or keepsakes.

Up Next: GCA #114 - Not Your Usual Christmas Items!!!

Happy Stamping!!!

~~~Ann~~~

Happy Retirement - DIC123

2010-11-25T12:09:00.000-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!! Even if you are not celebrating Thanksgiving today, take a moment and look around you to see what you have to be thankful for.

The Inspiration challenge on the UDI Blog is a picture of a lush fall scene, ripe with pumpkins, squash and fall leaves. Check it out and play along if you have a moment.

I needed to make a retirement card, actually a couple more too!, for one of the ladies in my office. With the early retirement that the state of MI is offering, we have several taking advantage of it. So, this is card #1.

I just received the new "Have a Seat" set and decided to put it to good use! Isn't that what retirement is all about? Relaxing and enjoying life?

I took a variety of the colors from the inspiration piece to complete my card. The base is Naturals Ivory, layered with More Mustard and pieces from the Autumn Spice dsp in the Holiday mini. I just love this dsp! It is heavyweight and textured.

I stamped the bench in Early Espresso and sponged the edges with the ink pad. This is layered on Cajun Craze and Pear Pizazz, which has been embossed with the lattice square folder. The entire panel is popped up with dimensionals. A mini library clip helps keep the sentiment panel attached to the main image. Two, non SU!, chocolate stick on pearls finishes it off! (Sorry Maria, but they were just what I needed!!)

Don't forget to check out the UDI Blog for the rest of the design team creations and play along when you get a chance.

Happy Stamping!!!

~~~Ann~~~

GCA #113 - The Colors of Fall!!

2010-11-21T18:50:00.001-05:00

Hello all!!! Another wonderful Sunday afternoon spent with my stampin friends. This was the second in a two class series to complete Christmas cards. I'll post pics of them soon.

Since this is the last full week of November, and Thanksgiving is Thursday, I thought we would focus on the beautiful colors of fall. Most of the color is gone from Michigan now, but I still like these colors.

For your creation this week you need to include at least one of the following colors:

BROWN
GREEN
ORANGE/RED
YELLOW

You can use any color variation of these colors, I'm just listing the "general" colors.

My card I created for a "wonderful friend" of mine who is very dear to me!! She is also having a bit of a difficult time and I just want her to know that she's in my thoughts. This also uses the colors from the CC295 over on SCS of: Cajun Craze, Peach Parfait and Early Espresso.

My card base is Espresso layered with Peach Parfait dsp. The Cajun Craze was punched with the double ribbon punch. The sentiment panel is Very Vanilla and stamped in Cajun Craze. I also sponged the edges with Cajun Craze.

I was playing around with the new cork sheets and my big shot, so that is how the leaves ended up on here. The other leaves are punched from Wild Wasabi using the 2 step bird punch. The Wild Wasabi piece was ran through with the Lattice Square die. A piece Chantilly lace and some tiny pearls, finishes it off!!

The sketch is from Stampin' Connection, SCCSC38.

Upload your creation to either your blog or to an online gallery and post a link to your creation to this blog entry by November 27, 2010 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 GCA113 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 #112 Winner is....

2010-11-21T18:27:00.000-05:00

...... Yogi!!!! You can see her fabulous creation on her blog Art with Yogi. Love how she created the background on her card. Yogi please email me at amf1066@comcast.net with your address and I will get a stampin goodie package to you.

Thanks to all who stopped by, left comments or just had a look!!

Up Next: GCA #113 - The Colors of Fall

Happy Stamping!!!

~~~Ann~~~

A Thanksgiving Greeting - DIC122

2010-11-18T00:10:00.001-05:00

Hello all!!! I cannot believe the weather we are having here in Michigan!!! You would think it's early spring instead of the middle of November. But, I am truly enjoying it.

Over on the UDI Blog this week, the inspiration challenge is a gorgeous picture of a fall tree in all it's glory! The color of the leaves is stunning. Check out the UDI Blog to see it. And play along!

I had one thought for my card when I looked at the picture, but then, like always, the card went on it's way by itself!!! But, I do like how this turned out!!

It all started with the "wreath". I cut out several lattice dies from the wood sheets the other day, and just couldn't throw away all the little bits and pieces left. If was cardstock, that's one thing, but this was using the wood sheets. As I had them on my table the "light bulb" went off and I thought those pointed ovals would make a great wreath.

Originally I intended for this to be a Christmas wreath, but when I looked at the pic for this week, I thought a fall wreath would work too. I have no idea how many pieces I used, but it does have two rows. I punch a circle first with the 1 3/4" circle and then punched that out with the 2 1/2" circle. That is the base. I added sticky strip and stuck 'em down!! I then spritzed it with the Log Cabin Smooch Spritz.

I used the Greeting Cards Kids set and actually this image is more for Halloween. But, we have pumpkins at Thanksgiving!! I omitted the broom she is holding and made her hat look more like a pilgrim hat. I watercolored her with my aquapainter and stamp lids. It's supposed to look like she's "holding" the sentiment!

The sketch is from this month's Fan Club/Dirty Dozen group on SCS. The card base is Naturals Ivory, layered with Old Olive stamped in the same ink with the Sanded BG. The second layer is Chocolate Chip with a piece of the Autumn Spice dsp. I distressed the edges with my distressor tool. A piece of Victoria lace and linen thread, and it's done!

Happy Stamping!!!!

~~~Ann~~~

GCA #112 - Thankful Thoughts!

2010-11-14T17:07:00.004-05:00

Hello all!!! Late posting today since I spent the afternoon stamping with my club girls. They are so much fun.

As I was thinking about this week's challenge, I kept coming back to Thanksgiving being only 1 1/2 weeks away! And last Thursday was Veterans Day. Of course both of these holidays are US ones, but I know other countries have days similar to these.

I am very thankful for my family, my job, my friends, my ability to stamp and so much more. Most of all I am thankful that I have a loving God to watch over me.

So, the challenge for this week is create something with a theme of Thanks, Thankfulness or Gratitude. Those are just a few I can think of. However you want to express your thankfulness works!

This is the scrapbook page we created at club today. It is 12 x 12 and the base is More Mustard textured. We also used the Autumn Spice dsp from the Holiday mini. To make the leaves I used the cork sheets and wood sheets and Leaves #2 die. The stamp set used is Define Your Life.

I will add pictures, once I find the ones I want! Most likely of my grandbabies as I am very thankful for them.

Upload your creation to either your blog or to an online gallery and post a link to your creation to this blog entry by November 20, 2010 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 GCA112 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 #111 Winner is.....

2010-11-14T16:57:00.000-05:00

....Jeanette from H2O Creations!!! Check out her blog to see the beautiful card she made and the recycled products she used!! Jeanette please email me at fittona@yahoo.com with your address so I can get a stampin goodie package out to you.

I loved looking at all of your creations this week! Many clever uses of recycled items. We sure can use just about everything to make a card or scrapbook page!!!

Up Next: GCA #112 - Thankful Thoughts

Happy Stamping!!!

~~~Ann~~~

Caffeine is a Vitamin - DIC121!!

2010-11-11T11:59:00.000-05:00

Hello all and Happy Thursday!!! And Happy Vetrans Day to all of our vetrans, past and present! Without you this country would not be the safe haven we all love. Thank you.

This week on the UDI blog Inspiration challenge, Maria provided us a picture of a yummy cup of coffee/lattee. Either one I'm good with!! So, I decided to pull out my Morning Cup set, which I HAD to have, and decided to ink it up!

The card base is Very Vanilla, layered with Soft Suede and then dsp from the Blueberry Crisp set. On here it kind of reminded me of vintage wallpaper.

The large scallop circle is cut from the scallops #2 die in Marina Mist. The smaller one, is punched from the 2 3/8" scallop punch. The Very Vanilla image layer is punched with the 1 3/4" circle punch.

Lots of dimension going on here too. The Soft Suede center strip, and each of the scallop circles are popped up.

I stamped the cups in brown staz on and watercolored them with my aquapainter and ink from the stamp lids. It's hard to see, but on two of the cups I used my white gel pen for some highlights. I used the Soft Suede ink pad directly on the circle layer for shading.

A piece of Chantilly lace and Vanilla Seam Binding and some stick on pearls, and we're done!

The sketch is this week's SCS306 over on Splitcoast.

Don't forget to check out the UDI Blog for rest of the design team cards!!

Happy Stamping!!

~~~Ann~~~

GCA #111- Recycle, Recycle!!!

2010-11-07T20:22:00.000-05:00

Hello all!!! Sorry for the late posting. I am currently out of town and have very limited internet access. Anyway, if I had planned better, I would have had this ready!!! LOL!!

This week we are focusing on recycling. And by that, I mean re-using something you have in your craft room, or house, that wouldn't normally be used in crafting!

For example, on my card for this week, the lattice square was cut from the brown wrapping paper that comes in my SU! orders. I crumpled it up before I ran it through the Big Shot and then tried to "lightly" glue it onto the card front. I like how it doesn't overtake the card, but lets the rest of the items show off.

I used the new SU! fabric, Deck the Halls, cut with the Tasteful Trim die. I cut several pieces and I am going to put together a set of Christmas cards using the rest of it. When I get back home I will add the Christmas sentiment. The card base is Soft Suede textured.

The flowers are with the new Paper Dasies, love them!!! The smaller one was colored with the Cherry Cobbler pad using a sponge dauber. You have to be very careful when doing that, as the name implies, they are paper!!! The button comes from the Deck the Halls buttons in the holiday mini. I used the Itty Bitty flower punch to put in the center and topped it with a stick on pearl. For my "leaf" I used a piece of the Always Artichoke seam binding. It is sooo smooth!!! The entire flower is popped up with dimensionals.

Upload your creation to either your blog or to an online gallery and post a link to your creation to this blog entry by November 13, 2010 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 GCA111 in your keywords. That way everyone can see all of the wonderful creations at once!

Happy Stamping!!!!

~~~Ann~~~~

GCA #110 Winner is....

2010-11-07T18:19:00.000-05:00

.... Joyce from Peach Crate!!! You can check out her fabulous Asian inspired pink wedding card by clicking on her blog link. Joyce please email me your snail mail address and I will get a stampin' goodie package out to you.

Ali and Susan, your packages are going in the mail this week.

Thanks to all who stopped by!!

Up Next: GCA 112 - Recycle, Recycle!!!

Happy Stamping!!!

~~~Ann~~~

An Old Fashioned Christmas! - DIC119

2010-11-04T07:54:00.000-04:00

Hello all!!! I hope everyone is doing good and, of course, finding time to stamp!!! Halloween is now behind us, and Thanksgiving and Christmas soon approaching. Where does the time go???

The UDI Inspiration pic this week is a basket of different breads and wheat. I'm not quite sure how I got from that to a Christmas card, but it's where I felt lead.

The "wreath" is made using the new, and gorgeous, Deck the Halls fabric. If you haven't seen or felt this fabric, you are missing out! I cut four of the large scallop circles from the Scallop Circles #2 die and my Big Shot. My idea for this card came from a Christmas card on the front of our monthly demo magazine, Stampin' Success, but I made a few changes. They used the scallop circle from the Pennant die. Since my circles are just a bit bigger, I added additional layers to the center.

The button is from the new Deck the Halls buttons currently available in the Holiday mini. I LOVE those buttons!!! I used the new stick on Pearls for the center. Another fave of mine!

The ribbon tags are using the Always Artichoke seam binding ribbon, also available in the Holiday mini. My card base is 4.25 square from Soft Suede textured and layered with a piece of Very Vanilla. I ran this through the Perfect Polka dots eb folder and then aged with my Distressing Kit inks. The saying is from Teeny Tiny Wishes and held on with linen thread tied around the button.

Don't forget to check out the UDI blog to see the inspiration piece and what the other team members did!!

Happy Stamping!!!

~~~Ann~~~

GCA #110 - Think Pink for October

2010-10-28T07:54:00.000-04:00

Hello all!!! WOW!! What a crazy week for me this has been!!! One thing after another, but it's calming down now. Sorry for such a late posting of this week's challenge.

As we all know, October is Breast Cancer Awareness month and pink is the universal symbol for that. So, in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness, the challenge this week is create something with the majority being the color PINK! And, since I was a slacker this week with posting, I am going to extend this week's challenge through next week also! So, you have until November 6th to create something in Pink!

I'll put up all the details about me card when I get home tonight.

Upload your creation to either your blog or to an online gallery and post a link to your creation to this blog entry by November 6, 2010 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 GCA110 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~~~

Ann's Creative Nook

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

A Thank You Pear - CS40S

GCA #137 - Buy Anything New Lately???

GCA #136 Winner is....

GCA #136 - The Colors of America!

GCA #135 Winner is....

Do Not Open Till....

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

My Friendly Butterfly - DIC151

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

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

GCA #134 - Anything Goes with Animals!!

Winner of GCA #133 is....

Happy Mother's Day - DIC145

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

Hello Baby Cakes - GCA133

GCA #133 - Anything Baby!!!

Winner of GCA 132 is....

GCA #132 - Anything Goes with a Technique!!

GCA #131 Winner is....

Creative Sketches Color Challenge - 28 & Diva Inspiration

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

Winner of GCA #130 is.....

Clearly for Mother - GCA130 & LNS115

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

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

GCA #129 Winner is....

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

Love You - DIC141

Hop on over - GCA #129

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

Fan Flower - DIC140

Winner of GCA #128 is....

A Gift For You - DIC138

GCA #128 - You Are In My Thoughts!

GCA #127 Winner is....

Queen for A Day - DIC138

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

GCA #126 Winner is....

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

GCA #126 - Bring on the Colors!

GCA #125 Winner is....

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

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

Birthday Wishes - Western Style GCA 125

GCA #124 Winner is.....

My Tall Treat Box on Craft Project Central!!!

Birthday Wishes - DIC135

Happy Valentine's Day to YOU!!!!

GCA #124 - Oh Sew Sweet!!!

GCA #123 Winner is....

More Awesome Projects Posted at Craft Project Central!!!

A Wise Valentine Owl - DIC134

GCA #123 - Go Stackers!!!

GCA 122 Winner is....

Colorful and Funky Birthday Mushrooms - DIC133!!!

True Love - GCA 122!!!!

Nature Walk Desk Caddy - CPC Project

GCA #122 - Anything Goes - Valentine Style!!!

GCA #121 Winner is.....

Hello Baby - DIC132!!!!!

GCA #121 - Not Your Usual Valentine Image!!!

GCA #120 Winner is.....

More CPC projects to LOVE & Keep you WARM!!!

Pure Bliss - DIC131!

Have you heard about Craft Project Central????

GCA #120 - Not Your Usual Valentine Colors!!

GCA #119 Winner is.....

A Nature Walk with You - DIC130

GCA #119 - Got Hearts???

GCA #118 Winner is....

GCA #118 - Happy NEW Year to You!!!

GCA #117 Winner is....

Playdate Goes Western!!

A Nature Thank You - DIC128

GCA #117 - New Year Bling!!!

Three Silly Reindeer - DIC127

Christmas Slacker I am!!!!

GCA #116 Winner is....