"Faith"

It has been a while since I've stamped that I wasn't sure I could remember how! I know, you are probably wondering where I have been. Well, I've been right here at home just haven't been stamping! *shock, horror* What is this world coming to when I don't stamp? But it's true! I didn't stamp at all last week. Nope, instead I did the terrible five letter word... CLEAN, all WEEK LONG!!!! (no, I'm not for hire. LOL)

The family has been down with fevers and colds and even though I really needed a break from it all and should have stamped, I cleaned. I even cleaned my stamping area! Infact it was so clean that I was actually inspired to stamp on Sunday and do the Featured Stamper!

I cased this card of Jami's. Changing the colors, images and the embellishments. Have I mentioned how much I love Treehouse Stamps newest set "Count your Blessings"? I stamped the cross in chocolate chip and then sponged some bravo burgundy around it. Jami did cracked glass on her image and since it is such a fun technique, I had to do it too. Covering the image with clear embossing powder a few times and freezing it. Well my image was hardening in the freezer, I finished the rest of my card.

Love my design paper? I got it for FREE! Yes, I said, FREE and so can YOU!! Because my design paper is actually WALLPAPER!! So how can you get your free design paper? Just go to any paint store and ask for discontinued wallpaper books that you could have. I know, it takes guts to go in and ask a question like that and sometimes you get a wierd stare but it is worth it in the end! So anyways, I decided to pull out my wallpaper books and find a piece that would go with the image.

I ran one piece through the cuttlebug and stamped "Faith" on the other piece. I stamped in distress ink so it did take a little longer to dry. I used jumbo square brads and a piece of gathered ribbon to finish off the card. Now to get the image out of the freezer and crack it.

After cracking it, I rubbed distress ink on it to vintage it up. The brown layer there with the image is another piece of wallpaper!

stamp: Count your Blessings - Treehouse Stamps; paper: chocolate chip, vanilla, wallpaper; ink: chocolate chip, bravo burgundy, distress ink; accs: square brads, clear embossing powder, ribbon, cuttlebug

Helmar and a Princess Birthday

What a funny title. But it all ties in together, believe me. My little one turned 3 yesterday and wanted a "Princess" party. Just like any little girl, she is into princesses big time. Always calling herself Princess Jorden. All the little girls were to come dressed in fancy dresses. I found some little tiras and even found directions on how to make wands. (hence Helmar coming into play!)

And of course we had to have a Princess Cupcake cake!

l to r: Princess Leah (cousin), Princess Jorden (birthday girl), Princess Mercia. All 3 yrs old!

The princesses with their wands and doing what princesses do best... talk!

Princess Jorden with her cupcake cake (from this view you can see the cupcakes) and holding her wand. I used Helmar Acid Free Glue to glue the entire wand together. It is still holding too after being played with!!

I love this shot of Princess Jorden before she blew out her candles. You can tell she loved being a princess for the day.

I meant to get a picture of just the wands and completely forgot to! So that will have to be another post for another day.

Blog Candy Winner!

Random.org picked #88.

Jennifer Bradley said...
Thanks for the opportunity to win this adorable set!!!!

Jennifer.. email me your address at hillmanfam@woh.rr.com and I will send your info on to Our Craft Lounge so they can send you the set.

Congratulations!!!

If I don't hear from Jennifer by tomorrow night, I will pick another winner.

Happy Valentines!

Little late in posting this but the day got away from me. But I wanted to say Happy Valentine's Day. Most of the time I don't have much to brag about the day as I don't usually get anything. But hubby surprised me with:

Remember during the summer when I talked about our local coffee shop and the yummy fudge they make? Well hubby also got me:

My favorite kinds, Peanut butter/chocolate and Mint Chocolate. This is just 1/4 lb of fudge all for me!!

I hope you had a nice Valentine's Day. I've been busy meeting deadlines and having a little sick one.

Our Craft Lounge Blog Candy!

Have you seen the new 28 stamp sets being released by Our Craft Lounge? They are too cute!

A little masking, add some loot to the fishing poles, used copics to color in the images and cut the image so it was coming out of the box. The fish and boot have crystal effects on them to make them look 'wet'. The fish, boot and fishin' hole sign are popped up with Helmar liquid Scrap Dots. The entire card is held together with Helmar's Quick Runner adhesive.

I got my colors from SU's color wheel and even used an old sketch challenge 143 for my layout.

stamp: Bear-ly Fishin' by our craft lounge; paper: rose red, so saffron, chocolate chip, white; ink: black; accs: prismacolor markers, crystal effects, helmar liquid scrap dots & quick runner, cuttlebug

What did you say? OH! I did name this post Blog Candy, didn't I? Well..... How would you like to win this set? Our Craft Lounge is giving away one of each of their new 28 sets! You have until Sunday at 12pm eastern time to leave a comment on this post to win Bear-ly Fishin' (see picture of complete set below). I will announce a winner later on that day. Please make sure you include your email so you can be contacted if you win.

But wait... didn't I just say one of each 28 sets is being given away? To find links to the other sets, check out Cambria's blog

Leave a comment for a chance to win this set. Good luck!

Count Your Butterfly Kisses!

Treehouse Stamps is releasing some new rubbah this Friday and I have some sneaks to share with you! I think these are my favorite sets so far from Treehouse! First we have

Butterfly kisses

I loved the colors Emily picked for the Color Challenge 205, (pink pirouette/pretty in pink, perfect plum, kiwi kiss/old olive) this week over on SCS. So springie like that I just had to use Butterfly Kisses! I even used the layout from this weeks CPS sketch102.

I stamped the butterfly in perfect plum twice. Cut both butterflies out and then layered them by gluing only their bodies together. I used Helmar's Premium Craft Glue. I then took Helmar's Liquid Scrap Dots and added different amounts to the wings to give them dimension. Using the three little butterflies, I stamped all over the white in pink and sponged on more pink around the edges. Sentiment is stamped in old olive and a little star burst is stamped on the old olive cardstock. I used Martha Stewart's doily punch on the pink cardstock.

This set has another big butterfly and a few small ones plus some more sayings. Like I said... I'm loving this set!


stamp: Butterfly Kisses - Treehouse Stamps; Paper: pretty in pink, old olive, white, perfect plum; ink: perfect plum, pretty in pink, old olive; accs: martha stewart doily punch, artist pen, helmar liquid scrap dots, helmar premium craft glue

Count Your...

For sketch challenge 215 on SCS I used the second set being released from Treehouse Stamps, Count your blessings. Since I still had the colors sitting out from the color challenge, I just used them. I thought the Basic Grey dsp went perfectly with the colors. A little sponging around the cross in pretty in pink and old olive. Rounded the corners with the small corner round punch and added the 'corner' stamp that is in the set.

The Basic Grey paper and Cuttlebug folder can be found at Treehouse Stamps. Count Your Blessings has another cross and more sentiments in the set. Did I mention I'm loving this set too?

stamp: Count Your Blessings - Treehouse Stamps; paper: Sultry BasicGrey, Chocolate Chip, Old Olive, White; ink: Old Olive, Pretty in Pink, Chocolate Chip; Accs: corner round punch, cuttlebug

FYI.....You will not want to miss my post tomorrow!!

2 new MFT sets

I loved today's sketch challenge214 on SCS!! So simple (that is if you make it, of course i used stuff that had to dry so my card took all day!! go figure! lol).

I used an alphabet set that is being released from MFT tonight, Bling 'Bet. There are 'spots' on the letters that allow you to fill them with 'bling' if you wish. I used cotton candy stickles to fill the 'spots'. I also cut out the letters individually and then used Helmar Liquid Scrap Dots to make them different hieghts.

How do you like all that design paper?? Guess what?? It's DIGITAL!! From MFT, called Chocolate Kisses. After ordering it, you download it and there it is on your hard drive for you to use when ever you want. An endless supply of design paper!!

stamp: bling 'bet by mft; paper: chocolate chip, pink, white, chocolate kiss digital design paper; ink: distress ink; accs: cotton candy stickles, ribbon, heart charm, distressing tool, helmar liquid scrap dot

I almost didn't do the Try New Technique206, Recessed Window, as I had had a rough weekend and just couldn't wrap my head around it. So I saved it for the color challenge204A and after working on it for most of the day, I got it!! And actually love it!! (I know.. I'm crazy!! lol)

I used another MFT set that is being released tonight called Tea-Rific by Stephanie Frizer. I used watercolor crayons to color the image. I made my frame by using the scallop edge punch and cutting it to fit the window. Martha Stewart doily border punch was used on the digital paper. (yes, more digital paper from MFT, Stephanie Frizer Spring Collection digital paper)

I made the sentiment 'label' using the notched punch and artist pen for the faux stitching. Helmar Liquid Scrap Dots was used again on the primas and the 'label'.
stamp: tea-rific by mft; paper: cameo coral, old olive, creamy caramel, stephanie frizer spring digital collection paper; ink: black, cameo coral; accs: water color crayons, aquapainter, scallop edge punch, martha stewart doily punch, primas, brads, helmar liquid scrap dot

My Favorite Things (http://www.mftstamps.com/) is having a New Release Cocktail Party on Wednesday, Februray 4th from 9-10 p.m. EST. This month there are THREE new sets being released including a Who's that Girl set that is GOING DIGITAL!Head over to the MFT forum on http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/ to find out all the details and to find out how YOU can be the next MFT Guest Designer. We hope to see you there on Wednesday night.