Oh, I'm stuffed!

As soon as I saw this adorable hamster on Mo's Digital Pencil I had to have it! I always had hamsters as a kid and it was so funny to see how much they could stuff into their cheeks.

I used Prisma pencils and OMS on Neenah Solar Crest White Ultra Smooth cardstock. The cupcake is accented with glittered sprinkles. The patterned paper from Imaginisce is stitched in panels to Dark Chocolate cardstock from PTI and finished with a bow and a few dew drops.

On another note....I just want to apologize to all my fellow bloggers and followers for my lack of comments the last several weeks. I am suffering from Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI) to my right hand and it's painful to do everyday tasks which include using the computer (typing), coloring, writing, opening jars and bottles...you name it. I have been trying to take it easy as not to aggravate the condition further and to heal as quickly as possible. I have still been visiting all of your blogs and seeing all of your gorgeous work but just not commenting much.

I hope everyone enjoyed their weekend! Promise I'll be visiting!

It's my turn!

To host this weeks Color Throwdown. We are at #53 already, wow! This also marks the end of our July Guest Designer Juliana...she will be missed! We loved having her and soon there will be a new Guest Designer...will it be you? Here are the colors I have chosen for this week: Rose Red, Bordering Blue, and Pirouette Pink. I based them on this adorable designer paper from Imaginisce that I used on my card.



I chose another Whipper Snapper image, one I had purchased a while ago and just finally inked up. Ain't she a cutie? After watching Crissy's wonderful watercoloring tutorial here I decided to give it a try here as well as having done it here. Check out her tutorial-it's excellent!


After coloring up this cutie with Sparkling H20's I used a Liquid Pearl dot for the flower center. The party hat paper and pink polka dot paper are both from Imaginisce. The ribbon is from PTI and all the cardstock is SU, except the one I stamped on...I used watercolor paper. The Happy Birthday sentiment is from Anna Wights set Chicken's in the Kitchen and I only inked up that part...the full sentiment is Wisking you a happy birthday! The flowers are all Prima's and the large ones have frosted brads from Doodlebugs as the centers and the small one have a dot of Liquid Pearls.

Okay, now don't forget to get over to the Color Throwdown blog and check out all the awesomely talented designers! Please use keyword CTD53 if you upload to a PUBLIC gallery. Yes, public. Whew. I got it right this time...See you there!!!

And while you are visiting the lovely ladies below...please say Happy Birthday to LeAnne!!!

LeAnne Pugliesi - Wee Inklings

Barbara Anders - Paper Pursuits

Broni Holcomb - Splashes of Watercolor

Tammy Hershberger - Stamp Happy

Cathy Indelicato - Crafty Thoughts

Juliana Swanson/July Guest Designer - Stampin' with Inky Fingers

My Friday Scarecrow

Is it possible to be madly in love with a patterned paper? If you can, then I am! I love, love, love this Imaginisce Fall Flower Girl floral paper! I have to get more because I only bought one sheet apparently. I don't even remember buying it (how bad is that...when you have so much you don't know if it's new or not?!) but I was going through my fall paper to match up with this stamp and I flipped over this!

This adorable scarecrow is from Whipper Snapper. I colored him with Copic markers and sponged around the panel with Distress Ink in Tea Dye. The sentiment is stamped on the flip side of the floral paper and wrapped with a piece of hemp. I added a hemp tied button to the center of a prima and stamped an extra scarecrow to pop up at the top of the frame with a tiny bit of raffia under him. It's all layered on a gorgeous piece of Prism paper and I think the card base is Bazzill cs...sorry I don't know the names of any of the colors. I buy what I like and just put all my solid cs together. I can't tell the Bazzill and Prism apart but I never write down the colors.

I think I need to make at least one more of these...for me! I don't know if I can part with this super cutie and that paper, oh!

I wish everyone a wonderful weekend!

Featured Stamper challenge

This weeks featured stamper is Julia aka artystamper! She has a wonderful blog which I love to visit often-check it out! I cased this card very closely as I love hers! I wish I knew someone to give it too...but I'm sure an occasion will arise someday! The giraffe stamp and dp are both from Imaginisce. I used a Martha Stewart border punch to make the valances as Julia calls them and a Marvy scallop square for the mat behind the image. The "baby" sentiment is from Stampendous. I inked around the image and the mat and paper pieced the giraffe. His spots were covered in Cinnamon Stickles. Base card is cream and image is stamped on white cardstock both from PTI. The ric rac I think is from Target...it was on a little roll with some others for $1. I never ever use ric rac so although it is very close to Julia's card I thought it was appropriate. It was little sparkle to it. I colored the giraffe with Copics but I just wasn't happy no matter what I did to it so finally I had to just stop before I ruined the image and had to start over. It's still cute though-but I am very picky. I am totally in love with the baby paper though-how cute is that?!



On another note-sorry I have been posting infrequently. I have been so busy with different appointments, family gatherings, and getting things ready for my sons birthday party in a few weeks. He will be 5 and it's a big deal! He's also going to kindergarten and that's even bigger-I don't know who's more nervous, me or him!

I have been having terrible pain in my right thigh which has now traveled into my foot as numbness and tingling for about 8 weeks. I got muscle relaxers and pain killers from my primary physician to hold me over until I got to the ortho. Saw the ortho on Monday and he said he thinks it's a herniated disc so I am headed for an MRI on Sunday. In the meantime I am trying to get a PT appointment-something, anything, that will alleviate some of this pain (I can only take the drugs at night, so I still hurt all day long). So with all of that I have fallen behind on more than just posting...there's house cleaning, laundry, grocery shopping, etc. I think I am going to take tomorrow off and drop the kids off at daycare and just try to get caught up on somethings.

I hope everyone has a fabulous day!

Elzybells Spring Collection

I love the new Elzybells stamps for spring and Easter. I was surprised to find a thread where people complained and were disappointed that there were no girls in the new line and didn't like the new images at all. I mean the girls are cute, and I have several, but these chicks and bugs and flowers are adorable! Not to mention that a bunch of the girls were just released a month earlier. Anyway...this image fit perfect inside of the egg punch from McGill. I borrowed it from a friend and she told me it was discontinued...which is very disappointing! I haven't looked for it yet myself but I'll give it a go any way. So I stamped the image in Palette Noir and then punched it out so I could make sure it was perfectly fitted inside the egg. I love how the curve of the daisy stem mimics the shape of the egg. I colored it with Copics and sponged a little purple hydrangea Versa Magic around it. The yellow patterned paper is the flipside of one of the gorgeous Imaginisce For Peeps Sake pages and the strip with the chicks on it is from Creative Imaginations. It's a 12x12 sheet with a row of beautiful tulips at the bottom and some blue and polka dots rows as well. The flowers are Primas layered together with a Doodlebug sugared brad in the center. The ribbon is from Michaels. The base card is Die Cuts with a View and the sentiment Printworks. I went over the sentiment with the Sakura star dust pen but didn't really like it after that. It's okay...but I wasn't starting over! Anyway, I will post another Elzy in the morning and if I haven't heard from my blog candy winner by then I will draw another name. Good for all of you that posted and check everyday, huh? Am I being too impatient? I hate waiting, so fair warning and good luck! Goodnight everyone!

Over 1000 Hits and The Blog Candy I Promised!

It's been a very busy weekend and I have been neglecting my blog. Even as I sit here and type I am so exhausted all I can think about is bed and it's only 8:30pm! Really 9:30, but still, I'm an old fart. I ran all of my errands yesterday with my 4 year old in tow in torrential downpours and fierce whipping wind. Then after dinner I made the most delicious dessert! I totally blew Weight Watchers this weekend!! You must check out The Pioneer Woman Cooks and her sister site Confessions of a Pioneer Woman. I can hardly pull myself away from it!! Today we celebrated my brothers birthday and I said "why don't you just come here for dinner" since my mom's place is smaller...what was I thinking? I did all of the cooking but thankfully his girlfriend did most of the dishwashing, then cleaned up again after dessert only to start on the laundry I had been putting off. So, weary and bleary, here I am, thinking of you!

Okay so I exceeded 1000 hits over the weekend and this milestone is quite exciting for me! I have a nice little package put together for blog candy to celebrate!


Included in this prize package are two templates, one for two different sized take-out boxes and the other for party favor boxes, 4 bar notes cards and matching envelopes, a lovely assortment of summer party colored ribbons and fibers, and two of the cutest penguin stamps from Imaginisce .

I love these penguins and all the matching paper and embellishments, but I was too slow to get to my LSS and I was lucky I got what I did as the whole line sold out quickly...but I made sure I picked up a couple extra penguins because I knew someone out there would want them.

Here's two small square cards I whipped up with mine.
I took my color que from the matching paper. They were both colored with Copics and accented with Stickles...her on her fabulous grass skirt in Lime, and him on his tasty popsicle with Icicle. The cardstock is Bazzill and the ribbon from my stash. The turquoise is from the blog candy package I won from Linsey recently! I cut and extra popsicle from the dp and popped it up on the boy card and his shorts and pop are accented with the Sakura stardust pen. I used a 1" circle punch and punched out a flower from the dp and popped it up on her card too using some yellow Stickles in the center of the flower.

Okay so to enter the blog candy giveaway how about just leaving me a comment. Especially if you're one who just likes to browse and never leaves a comment...and if you like my blog, let me know. If you don't, well, don't tell me because then I might cry. Nah, just kidding. I will pick a random winner on Wednesday morning. Have a great night!

The Single Chick

Ok, not me, but the stamp! These are such great stamps for $1 from Imaginisce! I think this card is just adorable with her...she is such a great size to use alone. Stamped on PTI white with Distress Ink in Black Soot and colored in with Copics. I added a dot of stickles to the flower center. I punched the image out with a circle punch and layered onto a punched scalloped circle from Bazzill cardstock. I used the slot punch from SU to make holes on either side for the ribbon and mounted it all on Imaginisce dp, then more Bazzill, then Bo Bunny dp and Bazzill as the card base. I used sugared brads from Doodlebug Designs in the corners to finish it up. The finished size is 5x5. The ribbon is from Michaels...the $1 bin and it's really nice! I just wish I could tie a nice knot...more practice on that!

I Skipped Right Over Valentines...

Not really, I just couldn't resist using this guy I got in the mail today from Rubbernecker. It is freezing here today in the teens but we haven't had any real snow. It's a bummer because I really like the snow and this cold is just depressing without it. This card was fun to make even though Easter is a bit away...

I stamped Chip twice, once on watercolor paper and once on designer paper, all from Imaginisce, which I used to piece his shell. The entire image was cut out and placed onto the green dp layered with turquoise more dp and more turquoise. I added some ribbon and prima flowers with these great brads from Making Memories. There is also a "sugared" brad in the top left corner. I bought a whole package in all the pastels...they are gorgeous! I also added a bit of dimension to the flowers on the shell and where there would be natural highlights on the shell also with a clear gelly roll pen which really shines in the picture. I think he's just adorable and really helps to cheer up these dreary days!

Here's what I used:

Rubbernecker Stamps "Chip", Sentiment by Printworks

Design Paper by Imaginisce "for Peeps Sake", cardstock by Bazzill

Prima flowers, and all brads by Making Memories, ribbon from Michaels

Markers and waterbrush for watercoloring