DigiStamps4Joy Challenge #107--Add Glitter!!

Merry Christmas Eve!  Today is the beginning of another challenge at DigiStamps4Joy and the theme is ADD GLITTER!!! I was very excited about this one since I just love glitter, so I whipped out my Wink of Stella and glitter cardstock and got to work! I decided to take a break from the Christmas cards this week to introduce you to this adorable image called Dozy Owl. I thought this would be perfect to use for a new mom because they're obviously overtired, but decided on an early Valentine's Day card for my husband instead.

The glitter on my owl is very subtle and can only been seen if the light hits it the right way.

Thanks for stopping by today! Please share your glittery creations with us and stop on over the blog to see what my teammates have come up with!

Submissions:

Stella Says Sketch Challenge #221

A Random Fan Challenge Blog #21

Through the Craftroom Door

DS4J Sunday Release--Gift Card Holder

Hello out there! I am SO very excited to share today's project!  

Head on over to DigiStamps4Joy to see all the new releases and what my talented teammates whipped up this week. They're amazing!  

This week, I couldn't decide which image I wanted to use right away, but was inspired when my son asked to watch Frosty the Snowman.  So....the top hat it was :)  Here is my take on this particular release:

Since it's Christmas time and I have a lot of teachers and coaches to buy gifts for (seven of them!), I wanted to make a gift card envelope, so I enlisted the help of my handy dandy Envelope Punch Board, one of my favorite, most used tools that I own.  I used Copics on the hat, some Wink of Stella on the red, covered it with Glossy Accents and popped it up using dimensional adhesive.  I just love the way the stars float off of the envelope!  I really do love the way this turned out and think it's got the perfect amount of magic to it for the season :)

Thanks so much for stopping by today!  I hope you enjoyed your visit!

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:

Come and Get it Challenges--Christmas Theme

Lacy Sunshine Challenge Blog--Holiday Joy

My Besties Norge--Christmas/New Year/Celebration

Sentimental Sundays--Anything but a Card

The Corrosive Challenge Blog--Anything Goes

The Glory of Christmas Challenge--Anything Goes

CHNC--Christmas

DigiStamps4Joy Challenge 106--Something New

Hi crafty friends!  I hope you're all ready for the holidays! I haven't done any Christmas shopping yet, but that's nothing new. I remember many years ago I worked in a music/electronic/book store and bought every present on Christmas Eve LOL  Hopefully I'll be finished long before that this year! Hopefully.....

Today starts another challenge at DigiStamps4Joy!  The theme for this challenge is "Something New", so there are loads of possibilities with this one! Whether or not you use a DS4J image, you're welcome to join in the fun :)

Something new can mean many things: birthday, the new year, wedding, baby, etc. When I was browsing the images in the store, I thought this one was so cute, so the decision became much easier.

Many months ago, I bought a pack of gelatos but hadn't used them yet because I had (and still have) no idea HOW to. I tried once and failed, so I just kind of left them in a basket untouched all this time.  I wanted to do some stenciling and thought it would be great if I could dye my embossing paste with the gelatos..and it worked!  You can kind of see that there are different shades of pink and that's because there are tiny chunks of the two colors I used. It was tricky to mix and it wasn't perfect, but it worked just fine. Up close it looks like candy cane ice cream :) It's really cool!

I colored the image with Copics, fussy cut it out and centered it on the card base. I should use kraft cardstock more often. It's a nice change from a white card, and it's such a great, neutral color that looks awesome with pink! My wedding colors were brown and pink, so they're one of my favorite combinations :)

Thanks so much for stopping by!  Hope you join us in the challenge!  

Sunday New Releases at DigiStamps4Joy

Hello,  hello!  It's Sunday and that means DigiStamps4Joy shares it's new releases with the world!

I decided to use the Deconstructed Sketch # 179 to inspire this weeks card.  I followed the sketch more loosely than I normally would because I printed the image way too big and it was difficult to get everything to fit LOL

I colored the lantern with my Copics and printed the sentiment in Word, which is something I don't normally do, but it's a great way to give cards a more personal touch.

That's about it for me today and thanks for stopping by! Hop on over to DigiStamps4Joy's page to see what the rest of my teammates have for you this week and don't forget to join us for our challenges!

Freebie Friday at DigiStamps4Joy

Hi everyone :) Are you ready for a freebie?!? 

This month's freebie is called Christmas Stocking and it's adorable! Head on over to the shop quick because this digital image will only be free through Sunday!  While you're over there, you should check out the other images they offer. GREAT selection and the prices are fantastic!

Quick entry today, but I hope you liked it :) Thanks for stopping by! 

Ranger Liquid Pearls--Oriental Trading Review

Hello out there! Today I'm doing a review on Ranger Liquid Pearls that were provided to me by Oriental Trading, but before I do, I want to mention a H-U-G-E giveaway they're having! If you like winning things, hop on over and enter to win their $500 daily giveaway!  Imagine what you can do with $500 worth of free Oriental Trading products! Wowza!  They carry thousands and thousands of products, so there is something there for everyone.  Hurry because this generous giveaway ends December 13!

If you're not familiar with Liquid Pearls, think of shimmery puffy paints from years ago.  Each bottle is .5 ounces and has a really skinny needle nose tip for precise application. Liquid Pearls can be used on paper and fabric, so there are a lot of uses out there!  They add a lot of interest and dimension to projects and have a beautiful pearlescent look. They're waterproof, permanent on fabric, and non-toxic, which is one of my favorite words to see because I have a little one who likes to craft with me :)  

This pack came with 8 bottles and the colors are just so beautiful! Lots of possibilities here! I made sure that I didn't alter these samples so you can see exactly what they look like.  And please forgive the mishap with Onyx Pearl. One of the bottles went rolling across the table and landed right in it. Oops!

These tiny bottles carry a lot of fun and excitement in them, but there are also a few bits of info to keep in mind when using them:

            **Because they are paint and they're in tiny bottles, they could get air bubbles, which could easily ruin your project or mess up the look you're going for. To minimize this headache, hold the tube upside down and tap it on the table a few times, then squeeze a tiny bit onto a scrap piece of paper before adding it to your project.  This should help get any air out of there.  If you look at the pictures above, you can probably pick out the colors that had air bubbles in them ;)  

           **Sometimes the tips of bottles like these can get clogged. If you discover this happened to yours, all you have to do to unclog them is to insert a straight pin into the needle nose tip.  To minimize this problem in the future, try squeezing the tube until the paint is ready to come out, then putting on the cap.  

            **Also, don't limit yourself to just applying dots with the product. You can squeeze it out and paint with a paintbrush, too!  Be creative and play around to see what you can come up with.

Let's get started on how I used them!

In early October I realized I didn't have any Halloween shirts so I bought a cute grey one with the word "BOO" spelled in rhinestones.  It wasn't scary and was a neutral color that I could wear with red lipstick (bonus!!), so I thought it was going to be great....until I washed it and the rhinestones started coming off.  I thought that Onyx Pearl would be the perfect color with the perfect amount of shine, so I tried it out....

Look how pitiful the rhinestones looked after just one wash, even inside out on the gentle cycle!

Ta-da!!  I was pretty happy with this result and since Liquid Pearls are washable, they stayed put!

I love adding embellishments to cards and this is a great way to add dimension and interest as well. I love that the applicator is so thin that I can get little tiny dots or large dots out of it.  Here are some examples of different projects on which they were used:

(I used the Gift Bag Punch Board to make the bag pictured above and will be posting a tutorial on it soon!  Stay tuned!)

I really love the pearlescent look,  am very happy with the quality, and definitely recommend this product. There are plenty of color choices, too!  If you have a project that you made using Liquid Pearls, please share it in the comments below!  

Want to see more projects using Liquid Pearls?? Just do a keyword search for "Liquid Pearls" and check them out :)

Thanks for visiting today!

Naughty or Nice Winter Holidays Challenge

It's the first of the month, and that means a new challenge at Naughty or Nice Challenges!!  This month's theme is....

 I have been waiting for a chance to feature a naughty card, especially using this stamp which happens to be one of my favorites, and this was the PERFECT opportunity! I have a thing for everything vintage and pinup, so I just had to go that route :)

Not your traditional Christmas at all and I just love it :)

A couple of years ago I made a card very similar to this, and with my friend's encouragement, I sent it to his wife at work. The only thing it said inside was "I want to jingle your bells!" and I didn't include a return address. She was stumped and had a lot of her office stumped, thinking it was from the janitor!  We got a lot of laughs from that one LOL

Thanks for stopping by today! You have until December 25 to submit an entry for this challenge, so get crafty :)

DigiStamps4Joy Challenge 105

It's Wednesday and it's my week to make a card, so that means it's a new challenge over at DigiStamps4Joy! Each challenge runs for two weeks and this time around you can submit your creations that fall under the theme of "Christmas".  This one had LOADS of possibilities, so create away and don't forget to submit it to the challenge for a chance to win great digital images!

I was hoping that I had a chance to make a shaker card and today was my day!  I really love making fun cards like this, but I assure you they are not always as easy as some make them look LOL

Supplies:

Santa's Letter digital image by DigiStamps4Joy

Copic makers (R 12, 14, 17; E 25, 27; E 77; T 1, 2, 3; B 00)

Martha Stewart Crafts Coarse Glitter in Crystal

Recollections Tinsel Glitter

Spellbinders Nestabilities Standard Circles

Thanks so much for spending part of your day with me!

New Release at DigiStamps4Joy

Happy Sunday! Today is.....

I used the new Sunshine Set to create this CAS card. The set comes with four different suns, four sentiments, and lots of possibilities :)  

I tried something new and colored the sun with chalk this time.  Not as vibrant as Copics, but still cute and pretty blendable. I colored his sunglasses with a black marker, then zapped it with two coats of clear embossing powder before fussy cutting it and adhering it with dimensional adhesive next to the sentiment :)

The ladies behind the scenes at DigiStamps4Joy work so hard to bring you these great images every single week! Head on over to the blog to see what new images are being released today and what my great teammates came up with.

I am joining a great sketch challenge this week at Just Add Ink! I thought their sketch would be perfect for this project:)

Thanks for stopping by!

Challenge 104 at DigiStamps4Joy--Preparing for the Holidays / Fall

Happy Wednesday!  Today starts another challenge at DigiStamps4Joy, and if you haven't joined us yet, you definitely should. The challenges run for two weeks, so you have plenty of time to submit your creations! The theme for Challenge #104 is Preparing for the Holidays / Fall.  

Head on over to the blog to see what the rest of the awesome Design Team put together, and enter a card or two if you'd like.  We'd love to see what you come up with!

Supplies:

Balancing Act digital image from DigiStamps4Joy

Copic Markers (YR 16, 18; YG 67; N 2, 4; E 25, 27)

Impression Obsession Small Grass Borders die

Colored Cardstock

Simon Says Stamped Curved Edge Die

White Opal Liquid Pearls

White Gelly Roll Pen

Thanks for stopping by!

DigiStamps4Joy Sunday Release

Hi friends! Today is......

I get so excited for Sunday releases :) Head on over to the DigiStamps4Joy blog to see all the different new releases and for your chance to win one! There are so many different images to choose from and so many different opportunities artistically. I decided to use the hot air balloon images for my showcase :)

Thanks so much for stopping by today! I appreciate you spending part of your day with me!

DIY Puzzles--Oriental Trading Review

 

Good morning!  Today's post is a review on DIY puzzles that Oriental Trading provided to me. I was so excited to put these to work and since they're a kid's craft, I decided to put them to the most challenging test by the most outspoken critics I could think of: 14 active preschoolers! 

I was very excited at all of the possibilities they offered. It's a top rated puzzle on their site with a five star review, so it sounded like a great bet.  The front of the puzzle was shiny so there was concern that some of the ink would smear, so I did a few test puzzles and was very pleased that the washable markers dried very quickly with little smearing.  I noticed the ink smeared only if I pressed on the marker and rubbed my finger across it, but since it dried in only a few seconds, it wasn't really an issue.  While testing them, I took note of a few things that would make it more adaptable for the preschool classroom:

**It is best to draw pictures on all of the puzzles before giving them to the kids.

**It's important to have a picture large enough to touch all of the puzzle pieces. If not, you're left with white space that won't be easy to piece together.

**When drawing something smaller, (ie: eyes on a pumpkin, moon, mouth, etc.), make sure they're large enough to touch several different puzzle pieces.

**Although we didn't really use it for any of these puzzles, patterns help make it easier to match up pieces.

The kids used Crayola Washable Markers and had the freedom to color and decorate however they wanted.  They sat quietly, sharing markers and were, for the most part, completely focused on their creation.  The craft took probably 15-20 minutes to complete and within a couple of minutes after finishing, they were dry enough to go into plastic bags to be taken home.  Simple, fun, and the kids really enjoyed themselves :) 

Just starting out:

Almost finished.....

Perfect!

The puzzles were perforated and came apart easily.  They were fun and just challenging enough to put back together.  I was so excited to put these to use and cannot wait to use them again! They met every expectation that I had.  I highly recommend these puzzles to parents and teachers alike! We've made several more at home for crafts. My son asks to make them, so I know they're a hit :)

Thanks so much for spending part of your day with me!

DigiStamps4Joy Freebie Friday

Hello, hello! I've been all about trying new things lately and wanted to share the FREEBIE that DigiStamps4Joy has this week!  If you'd like to grab this one for free, stop on by the shop and grab it before it's gone....you only have three days!   To avoid confusion, I feel it's important to note that I stamped the robot and sentiment on my tag, and the freebie DOES NOT include them.

I did something a little different with this tag and honestly wasn't sure if I liked it or not. It's really cartoon-y, but I was sold when my son was so excited and asked if I could make one just like it for him :)  He got this one and was thrilled!

Supplies:

Gear Tag from DigiStamps4Joy

Memento Tuxedo Black Ink

Recollections Robots stamp set

Black Sequins

Copic Markers (V12, 15, 17; YG 05, 09)

Liquid Pearls in Onyx Pearl

Glossy Accents

Googly Eyes

Wink of Stella in Clear

Thanks so much for stopping by today! Don't forget to head over the DigiStamps4Joy to snag this awesome tag!

Naughty or Nice--November Challenge

I have some very exciting news!!!  A few days ago I got invited to join the Naught or Nice Challenge!  It's such a fun challenge and I'm really looking forward to getting to know my fellow troublemakers and what we can come up with! I've submitted entries to their challenges a few times in the past and have always wanted to join their team. I'm thrilled to be here :)

Every month there is a themed challenge and this month happens to be Holiday Animals. Here's my take:

I used patterned paper for the background and added sequins, Liquid Pears and the banner.  The Santa bunny was made using two different stamp sets and paper piecing.  I colored him using Copics and added a sparkly red nose and fake snow on his little suit. It's very hard to see in the photo, but I used Wink of Stella on the Santa suit for a little extra shimmer. Adorable!!  

Supplies:

Mama Elephant--Honey Bunny

A*Muse Studio--Naughty or Nice

A*Muse Studio--Not a Creature was Stirring

Copics--W 0, 2, 4; R 12, 14, 17; Y 08, 100)

Distress Ink in Vintage Photo

Lawn Fawn Lawn Ornaments Mixed Sequins

Liquid Pearls in Onyx Pearl

Snow Marker

Wink of Stella in Clear

Memento Tuxedo Black Ink

Martha Stewart Crafts Garnet Glitter

Dimensional Adhesive

Thanks so much for spending part of your day with me! Check out the other talented girls over at the challenge and submit one of your own if you're so inclined :) We'd love to see what you come up with!

Phineas and Ferb Bday Party--Oriental Trading Product Review

Hi there!  Today I'm excited to tell you about the fun that we had for my son's fifth birthday! We had a fantastic time and had all kinds of cute decorations from Oriental Trading (love that place!) to help set the mood.  I was provided products for the purpose of this review and am excited to share my experiences on them! Keep in mind that these opinions and experiences are mine and don't necessarily reflect everyone else's :) Oriental Trading is an exciting place to shop and their website is so darn easy to navigate! They have all kinds of ideas for most things imaginable and the prices are very reasonable. Check them out!

After browsing the wide selection, we decided that a Phineas and Ferb birthday party would be perfect this year. It's a very creative, fun show that my family enjoys watching, so we felt it was a good fit.  Oriental Trading had a great selection of their products, so we were very happy, and what's MORE important is that my kiddo was super happy too :)                                                         

                             

Check out these great decorations!

          Please note that  a cupcake ring made it's way into

                                                                                        the photo and that it's not a part of the package. 

After doing a lot of searching and narrowing down choices, I decided to order the following items:

Phineas and Ferb Invitations
Pin the Tail on Perry
Phineas and Ferb Candles
Table Decorating Kit

The invitations were just so cute! I like to make my own cards, but there was no way that I would be able to produce something like this and I thought they were the perfect way to announce the party. Agent P is the birthday boy's favorite character, so it was a no brainer :)  Invitations set the tone for the party, so I wanted something fun, cheery and thematic, and they absolutely fit the bill.

I love surprise images on the inside of cards! My son didn't color this image, but it would have been a great way to personalize each one :)

I really like to brighten up tables and space at parties and the table decorations were a perfect way to accomplish that! They were very cute and the little die cuts gave the kids who ate their cupcakes way too fast something to play with while they were waiting for everyone else to finish :) To my surprise no one played with the fun, inviting stand ups! I thought for sure they would be the first ones floating around the room, but they stayed put on the table while the kids reached for the little die cuts. I am so happy that we got these, by the way! They were so cute and added an extra level of cheer to the party. They were sturdy, easy to put up and take down, and they folded easily for storage.  There were a lot of decorations in the bag and they covered about 15' of rectangular tables without being crowded or looking sparse.  The Agent P decoration was about 12 1/2" high and the Phineas and Ferb decorations were 7" high.  I apologize for so much blank space in the photos. I didn't want to get crop-happy because I thought the die cuts were too cute to cut out!

The candles were sturdy and had fun shapes, but I would have preferred if they were all the different characters rather than objects.  The largest one had two bumps on the bottom to hold it in place, but the others were just flat, so they didn't stick in as easily causing it to be difficult to get a decent picture of them in the cupcakes.  I wasn't sure if they would fall off or make it through the gathering of kiddos, singing, and blowing out candles, but they did without falling over too much! I put them in at an angle and rested them on top of a dollop of icing and I think that helped a bit. Although not my favorite, I got no complaints, they served their purpose, were solid and smooth, and I liked the way they felt (weird I'm sure LOL).

After all the fun of eating cupcakes, it was time to open presents. If you know my son, you know that this takes a while. A. Long. While.  A lot of his guests were crowded around him while he opened every last card and package, smiling and laughing at all the great presents he received. It was truly a beautiful sight :)  When we finished with presents and everyone got a giant THANK YOU, it was time for one game before packing up and heading home.

I was so excited about this game!

Pin the Tail on Perry was so much fun and quite hilarious!  It came with a cute poster, eight face masks, and 8 tails. There were ten kids at the party so I decided to make a few more tails out of orange cardstock because I wasn't sure if I would need more in case one got ruined or the older kids wanted to join in.

One thing that I didn't really like was that the tails were actually stickers so if you used them as such, the game could never be used again. In addition, in all my years attending celebratory parties, I have seen many people start to put their tail (or whatever they were pinning) on the poster, but change their mind at the last second and move it.  If we used these as stickers, where they stuck, they stuck and couldn't be removed. To get around this was very simple...we used double sided tape instead of the stickers and it worked out great!

One thing to keep in mind is to put the poster lower to the ground because little bodies can't reach as high as adults can. We had this party at a venue for kids where the teenage employees do everything for you, which is nice, but at the same time it kind of drives me crazy because there were certain things that I wanted a certain way.  They were a great group of workers and made the party fun, so I can't complain about much.  Anyway, back to my point....they put the poster high enough for taller people to reach so the kids had to reach up to put it in place.  I even had to pick up one of the three-year-old guests who was struggling to reach so he could put it in the right place LOL

Aren't these hilarious?!? I LOVED the expressions on these face masks!!! The kids looked so cute and silly in them :)  It's amazing how eyes can transform someone's face, even if they're cardboard cutouts!  Having said that, the masks must have been a little too thick and didn't mold easily to their faces because four out of eight children put the tail EXACTLY where it should have gone LOL.   Either they were very intuitive five-year-olds or they could see out of them ;)

These kids were AH-MAZING pinners ;)  It's difficult to tell from the photo, but four tails were stacked on top of each other in the right spot!  My son was the first who did it and exclaimed that he was going to get the prize because he was the winner LOL

What a fun time!!  Everything went fantastic and everyone had a great time! Overall I'm very happy with the party supplies from Oriental Trading! Nothing fell apart, the colors and quality were great, nothing was torn upon arrival, there were no surprises with the actual product looking different than the packaging. And what's best is that the prices are some of the best I've seen! I'm one very happy Mommy to one very happy five-year-old! 

Thanks for spending part of your day with me! Have a great one!

DigiStamps4Joy Challenge #103--Anything Goes!

Hello, hello! I am so very happy to share the exciting news that I have been one of the lucky ladies picked to hold a spot on DigiStamps4Joy's Design Team!! This is going to be an awesome adventure and I'm very much looking forward to the ride :)  The journey has just begun, but I have already met many wonderful ladies who are talented, supportive and encouraging!  If you haven't heard of DigiStamps4Joy, you should definitely check them out. They have hundreds of great digital images in their store just waiting to be printed and colored. There are new designs coming out every week, and they also have great challenges to play along with :) You should stop by and submit something this week! 

This week's challenge is Anything Goes!  I haven't done anything with a creepy factor since I started making cards, so I thought this Steampunk Spider would be so cool! I loved how robotic he looked and it made sense to use him since my son has become very interested in Transformers and robots lately, and he has a deep love of any and every kind of  creepy crawly creature.  I thought this would be fun to give to him with a little present tucked inside :)

I took a different route this time by making a bag (tutorial to come) and not a card.  I printed the spider and colored it with Copics, then fussy cut it out.  I  added Liquid Pearls and *LOVE* the way it turned out! It adds some shine, depth and interest, and I must say it's quite captivating in real life :) While letting it dry, I came up with the idea of adding the little ivory piece to resemble a flap because it just wasn't working without something solid and lighter behind the spider. After the Liquid Pearls dried, I adhered it to the front of the bag with dimensional tape, and I was finished!

Supplies:

Steampunk Spider (digistamps4joy image)

Neenah Solar White Cardstock

We R Memory Keepers Bag Punch Board

We R Memory Keepers Corner Chomper

Ranger Liquid Pearls (Dark Chocolate, Silver Pearl, Onyx Pearl, White Opal)

Foam Tape

Ivory Cardstock

My Mind's Eye cardstock

Copics (N 0; 2; 4; 6)

Thanks so much for spending part of your day with me today! I hope you enjoyed your stay!

Give Thanks--NON8 Card Challenge

Hi friends! I have mentioned in the past that I just LOVE Naughty or Nice Challenges and today is no exception!  They have a great group of ladies over there who make it so much fun :)  If you haven't already done so, you should check them out!

I have an easy peasy card for you today but thought it fit perfectly with this month's challenge--giving thanks!  I really love cards that make you giggle and hope you enjoy it!

There are just a few steps in this card but that's perfectly OK! Sometimes you don't need to put a ton of time and supplies  into a card.  I just love how simple and fun it is!  Although it could be used for a man or a woman, men tend to like more simple things in life, and this definitely fits the bill. Simple, no frills, and beer, so what's not for a man to love?!

SUPPLIES:

Beer Mug Stamp (I have no idea what brand b/c it was an old yard sale find!)

Inkadinkado Kid Phrases

Copic YR21

Neenah Solar White Cardstock

Thanks so much for stopping by!