Just a quickie post

I don't have any pictures to post today, but wanted to pop in and say "Hello!"

My parents are visiting from PA all week and my step-son is staying for the week (he lives in Buffalo with his mom, but visits us a few weeks every year)... he's 16...

So with parents and a teenager, I haven't had much crafty time...

I did manage to convince my mom to sit and make a scrapbook page with me, using the pictures she took of the kids building a snowman... when it's done, I'll post some pics... but she's never done anything "crafty", so it's a real stretch for her (even narrowing down the photo choices was a chore)... she still isn't quite sure she understands why we can't use 7 pictures on one page...

Here's a snippet of our conversation:

me: Well, we could if you didn't print them all 4 x 6, Mom...We could do it with wallet size prints, though...
her: No that's too small, I won't be able to see them...
me: Ok, we'll make it a 2 page layout
her: But I want them all together...
me: {sigh}I'll see what I can come up with!

And that's just picking the PICTURES!! Can you imagine how it went when we got to the part where we picked papers and colors???

And then I had to explain that we needed to make a space to WRITE on... a journal that tells the story...
I suggested using a journal tag tucked behind one of the pictures... she isn't quite sure that we need to do any writing or add a title because it covers the pictures... so then we're back to... if we weren't trying to do one page with seven 4x6 pictures, we'd have room to do the other things....

Welcome to scrapbooking 101...

Any suggestions? LOL!!

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas to All!

Hope you have a warm and wonderful Holiday and receive all the blessings of the Season!

This is my LAST Christmas card of the year {I think}!

There are LOTS of "Anything Goes" challenges this week, so I will list them below!

This lever card is from the SVGCuts.com "Holly Jolly Lever Cards Collection". I love these cards. When they open, the front "levers" out of the window in the front... hard to describe, but really pretty!

The image on the ornament is "Holly Berry with Ribbon" from The Stamping Boutique.

I colored it with Prismacolor pencils, of course!

Now would be a great time to head over to The Stamping Boutique!

All digital images are 35% off!

What a great way to start the New Year, with a basket full of TSB images!

And some of the new images are totally awesome!! The newest Cupcake Bakery is right up at the top of my wishlist, for sure!! And at the $1.94 sale price, even I can afford it!! LOL!!

Here's just one more picture of the same card.
This time it's closed so you can see all the details!

The lights are actually really shiny (covered in Glossy Accents).

The red string of lights is actually an old gift bag that I cut apart for the shimmery paper!

The pretty papers are all from K& Company.

And here is the list of "Anything Goes" challenges I found to enter!


Sew Many Challenges
Stamp n Doodle
Drunken Stampers
Digistamps 4 Joy
I Did it Creations
Stamping Scrapping: they do require that a product be used that is available in their store.
I have used my ATG gun to assemble this entire card, to make SURE it will stay together.
You can get ATG tape refills at Stamping Scrapping by clicking here.
Sarah Hurley
Digis With Attitude!, Anything Christmassy

Thanks for stopping by and I'll see you soon!

{{hugs}}
Stacie

Passing the Torch and Secret Santa

{sniff, sniff} It is with bittersweet melancholy that I announce that the time has come to pass my torch!

The past month working with the INKredible Amber Ink (TH)ink Tank has been so much fun and now that my time is through, it's time to introduce you to the newest Amber Inkling!

Her name is Cheryl Ann First.
Her blog is Cheryl Ann First Expressions (CAFE) for short!

Prepare to be AMAZED, AWESTRUCK and BEDAZZLED!!

When you see what she can do with a Cricut and digi paper, you'll understand why she was my first choice to receive my precious purple torch! She is so creative and generous and I'm really looking forward to seeing what she can do with Amber Ink Products!

As I prepare to join the hallowed halls of the Torchbearer Alumni, I have one more project to share.

This one is so special to me because I have been saving it for over a week, waiting for the time to pass my pretty, purple torch.

And wouldn't you know it... on Torch Passing Day (which was technically yesterday) , I couldn't get the picture to upload...

A day late, a dollar short, so they say!

Why is this card so special? Because it's an eclectic mix of my favorite things: Amber Ink Products and CAFE cut files!

The purple background paper, the gift bag and the "Brilliant not patient" badge are all from Amber Ink.

The Purple Torch in the gift bag is MINE! I have guarded it and loved it and have now passed it on...

The star cluster is a cut file that Cheryl created and provided for FREE!

The sentiment was made in Make the Cut and the white and gold paper borders are from Martha Stewart (I think... they were in the scrap bin and were rescued for this project...

No matter how I tried, (and believe me, I took over 25 shots at different angles, different lighting arrangements, different places, etc) the card still looks blurry!

I think it's the "Glossy Accents" I used on the letters... the shimmer just REFUSES to photograph well!

Speaking of Glossy Accents... that is one of my new "toys" courtesy of Secret Santa Heather from our Secret Santa exchange at The Latte Lounge!

Look at all the goodies she sent!!!

We did set a price limit for the exchange so either Heather is one of them Southern Rebel Girls who doesn't like to follow rules, or she is one HECK of a coupon-cuttin', bargain-huntin' craft shop DIVA!!

My thought is, based on how I know Heather, well, she's definitely not the rebel type... can't wait til the day she can teach me how to shop!

Thank you, girlie... love it and love YOU!

The Grinch Game at CCS has begun

CLICK HERE TO PLAY ALONG

The Grinch lives on snowy Mount Crumpit, a mountain north of friendly Whoville. The Grinch keeps to himself, living only with his dog, Max. Characterized as having a heart "two sizes too small," the Grinch becomes annoyed by the sounds of  Happy Who Stampers.  


BUT one Who Stamper in particular bothered him more than any other, Laura Lou Who. The noise from her studio annoyed the Grinch all year long. It was a constant racket - with all her stamping, cutting, and matting. 

The Grinch could take it no more. With an evil smile on his face he gathered his thoughts, and layed out a plan. He hitched up his sleigh and was soon on his Grinch Grinchy way.......

CLICK HERE FOR THE GRINCH GAME RULES

OBJECT: To help locate and capture the Grinch and recover all stolen property from Laura Lou Who. 

REWARD: SLEIGH FULL OF BLOG CANDY (minus the sleigh) (minimum prize value $100.00)

• Prize value begins at $100.00 and includes CCS stamp sets, Tools, Spellbinders Nesties, Soft Spoken, and much much more
• The prize value will increase with every 10 new followers
• One Lucky Winner to be announced 12-24-10 (no purchase necessary)

GOOD LUCK! and HAVE FUN!

The Stamping Boutique Fairies Frolic

The Stamping Boutique is sponsoring
the challenge this week at the
2 Sisters Challenge Blog.


The challenge theme is:
CHRISTMAS.


I used the "Fairies Frolic" image from 
The Stamping Boutique.


Colored her with Prismacolor pencils then added gold Atyou Spica highlights.


The ornament shape is from Scrapping Table. The back side is a beautiful swirl design, as you can see below!


The red glitter paper and gold foil paper are from the Martha Stewart Holidays paper pack.


I really had a tough time taking a good picture of this ornament. In Real Life, it is really quite stunning and I just can't seem to get a good photo that shows all the shimmer, shine and detail!


The image looks "pink" in the picture and the light seems to reflect off the shiny paper making it look all light and washed out... 


If anyone has tips on taking pictures of reflective projects, I'd love to hear them!

Here is the back side... in this photo, the ribbon looks pink and "blotchy"...


Ah well, I still think it's one of the prettiest projects I've made...


Are you convinced?  (ha-ha)


Thanks for visiting today and be sure to pop over to the 2 Sisters Challenge Blog and play with us this week!


There's a chance to win Stamping Boutique images... and there are some real BEAUTIES in the shop right now!!

Other challenges for this project:

The Latte Lounge, Anything but a Card (sponsored by JLJ Designs)

The Latte Lounge, Anything Goes (sponsored by Rhonda Miller)

The Crafty Ho's, Red and Green (it's all red, in a green tree. That counts, right?) (-:

For Fun Challenges, Christmas

The Stamping Boutique FREEBIE!!

Get this Cynthia the Fairy image FREE!!

All you have to do is "Like"

The Stamping Boutique 

on Facebook!

Then email April Lower or Tracey Malnofski

to request your FREEBIE!!

She'll jump right into your email box

with the twinkle of fairy dust!

A Child is Born!

A timeless classic!
That's how I'm going to describe this "Baby Jesus" image from
Fresh Brewed Designs.


Our challenge at the Fresh Brewed Blog
will run for two weeks this time!
We were asked to create a 
card for the theme:
Merry Christmas!


Well, to me, nothing says Christmas like the birth of Jesus. And this sweet little baby is what it's all about!

My self-imposed"project" today was this Nativity Scene. I did it for no other reason than that I wanted to.
It's not for any challenges or any DT assignments... It's "Just Because"...


It is one of the mini collections from MyScrapChick!


Every piece was cut on white cardstock then inked, colored and painted.


I did a little embossing, too!


The end result is BIG: 11" x 11", so I'm not sure what I'm going to do with it yet, but it sure is pretty!


Even DH, who saw me working on it all day said "Oh My, that really is beautiful" when he saw the completed project! That's pretty high praise, indeed! (-:

And CHECK THIS OUT!!!


Heather from Fresh Brewed Designs has been asked to create and EXCLUSIVE digi for Card Cupids!


You can read all about it HERE!!


He's only $2 and Heather has generously offered to donate the entire selling price to the Card Cupids program!


Isn't she one of the nicest people, EVAH!!??!!


I think so!!

I got to play around with him today!
I made a bookmark, using the Splitcoast tutorial HERE!


It was super-easy and I'm sure some little one will love to prop this guy into the corner of their favorite bedtime story!


The Card Cupids program is so awesome!!


They sent "Card Cuddle Care Packages" to kids who are facing difficult challenges... they include a hand-made card and a stuffed animal!


The recipients are through referrals and their mission is to make a little one's day just a little brighter!!




AND AND AND... there's a little more news today!!!


I am excited to share with you that Fresh Brewed Designs has been chosen to design an exclusive digi for a company called In A Scrap Creations. 
That image will go 'live' on Dec 15th at her shop. It will only be available at IASC!! We're so delighted that Heather was chosen as a Digi Designer and can't wait to see all the new goodies at IASC!!

Voting is now open!!

Just a quickie post while I'm working on a few projects!


My days as a torch bearer are numbered, so I'm going to take advantage of every chance I get to post my awesome badge!

The voting has opened for the Amber Ink INKredible 21-day challenge!

Stop over and vote for the winner of the Wrap It Your Way Challenge!

Remember, the winner will participate in the creation of their very own set of stamps, so choose wisely!

We're confident you'll make the right choice!

Blog Candy Extraordinaire!

Looking for THE MOST amazing blog candy EVER??


Look no further!


HERE IT IS!!

Last Chance to Win Your OWN Digi Stamp Set!!

Have you ever looked through your digi stamp collection and thought, "Gee, I wish I had a ______"!


Now is your chance!!!


There is only one day remaining in the Amber Ink
INKredible 21-day Challenge!!


The theme is "Wrap it Your Way".


My little fishies are wrapping their tree with garland!


The image is from the collection called "Best Fishes"...


Let me tell you how "Best Fishes" came to be! The winner of the Amber INK INKredible 21-day challenge in October was Wendy Price. Her GRAND prize was to work with AMBER to create her very own stamp set!! With her son Willem's input, they developed an entire set of FinTastic Stamps that are now available in digi AND clear stamps!


And the November winner, Karin, is FULL of Ink-credible ideas... can't wait to see what they come up with!!


You can read all about it at the "Winning Developments" Page and get a sneak peak at the newest set, coming to an Amber Inkling near you!


Our days as torch-bearers are closing in fast and this has been an Ink-redible ride! Working with this Team has been SO much fun and I'll be sad when I'll have to pass my torch!


If you've ever dreamed of having your OWN set of stamps without doing all the work, this is your chance!


You have just over 24 hours to enter the Inkredible 21-day Challenge!!

The Stamping Boutique Sledding Snowman

WOW! Christmas is coming so FAST!!
I spoke with my mom, who lives in Pennsylvania and she said they have 43" of snow on her deck... really?? Almost FOUR feet of snow!!
And it ALL fell this week!

So, it seems the only way around town is in a sleigh.

Good thing I had this cute "Sledding Snowman" from The Stamping Boutique!

He's all bundled up and ready to help make deliveries!
I tried something new today and colored the entire image with my Zig Markers... WAY outside my comfort zone, but overall, I think I'm pretty happy with the end result... definitely darker and more vibrant than my colored pencils!

This cute little guy qualifies for all kinds of challenges this week!

Crafy Ho's, Any Religious Holiday,
Alphabet Challenge Blog, G for Glitter,
Character Cafe, Glitter, Glitter, Glitter,
Paper Playtime, Snowflakes,
Daring Cardmakers, Snow Much Fun,
Digis with Attitude!, Anything Goes, Digital Stamps,
Mami Doodles, Anything Goes,
Stamp Something, Anything Digital,
Stampin With the Dragon, Make it Sparkle,
AI Factory, Holiday Christmas,
     with a chance to win a free Celebrations Set
Delightful Challenges, Embossing,
Dutch Dare, Christmas Card, Tag or Ornament,
Shirley's 2 Girls, Seasonal Card with Glitter and Bling,
Anything Goes Challenge Blog, All the Colors of the Rainbow,
Spoonful of Sugar, Christmas Card,
Digital Tuesday Challenge, Baby it's Cold Outside,
Papercutz, Snowman,


And how, you ask, did I know about all these wonderful challenges??
Why, Karen, at Feline Playful, of course!!

Every day, she posts all the challenges she knows about, with details!!

If you're not following her blog, you're surely missing out on a ton of opportunities!

Digis With Attitude! Office Party Hop and DT Call

Have you seen the new Grumpy Gretchen Elf?

She's FREE all this month!

Isn't she a riot, with that "look" on her face??

Digis With Attitude! is participating in a combined Office Party Blog Hop with Drunken Stampers!

I was a little late getting started, but hopped all the way thru and what a blast it was!!

Some of the cards are hysterical and they're ALL magical!

There's still time to check it out! Just click HERE to get started!

They're giving out TONS of prizes for random commenters, including FREE digis and Gift Certificates to the Digis With Attitude Store!!

And Cyndi-Lynn, the brains behind the Digis With Attitude! is having a Design Team call!

You can read all about it HERE!

Fresh Brewed Designs, Oh Holy Night

It's been a bit of a rough week, but I did manage to get something made on time for the newest Fresh Brewed Designs challenge: 
Sparkle and Shine


This card didn't exactly turn out the way I envisioned it, but it sure does sparkle and shine!


This lovely image is called "Oh Holy Night" from the Jesus is the Reason collection at Fresh Brewed Designs.


Maybe it's just the lighting, but everything in this photo looks dull and washed out...


Ah well!


This Sparkle and Shine theme should fit in with a lot of other projects this week, so be sure to add it to your list of challenges to enter!!


The rest of the Fresh Brewed Crew have created some amazing projects, so when you stop over at the Fresh Brewed Blog to show us YOUR sparkly, shiney project this week, be sure to give them a little love!

Seven Course Meal for Two Amber Ink Holiday Hop

How exciting! Today is the First Annual Holiday Blog Hop with Amber Ink.

Our challenge was to create a "Seven Course Meal for Two"

OK! OK! I know! You're saying "What??!!??"

Yeah, me too... at first... once I figured out what they were talking about (you know, those folks in Hawaii talk funny sometimes) it was actually really fun!!

So here's how I translated it:

Use 2 colors (and a neutral- in my case, white)

Use 7 "things" (this can be products, procedures, techniques, etc.)

My seven "courses" are:

   1 Amber Ink iPaper (Purple Holiday Cheer)

+ 2 Amber Ink Images from the "Tis the Season set"

+ 2 Sizzix embossing folders ("Frost" and "Dearly")

+ 2 brads

=7

Of course one of my two colors was PURPLE (GO TEAM PURPLE!!)

Here are the hop details:


Our Ambassador of Awesomeness:

START HERE: Shannan Teubner 


Purple Team:


Karin Martin 
Melissa Czapor 
Stacie Gorse  (you are here!!)


Brown Team:


Jackie Randolph 
Julie Elak 


Pink Team:


Julia Dunnit 


Blue Team:


Kerri Michaud 


Orange Team:


Taylor Usry 
Wendy Price 
Emily Leiphart 
Angela Hathikhanavala 
Sunghee Chon  


If anybody adds on late late tonight, we'll put them up on amberinklings as
well.


There will be random prizes to commentors along the way!


Images of each entry will be on the AmberInklings blog on Wednesday with a blind voting app which will be open until Wednesday midnight. 


The winner will be announced on Thursday.


So make sure to leave comments along your way.


And pop on over to the Amberinklings Blog to vote for your fave!

Sweet Digi Day from 3-5 pm and Holiday Celebration from 7-9 pm

Hi All!! 

We are having digi day on Papercraft Planet TODAY from 3-5pm EST....

here is the link

Be sure to RSVP and there is a FREEBIE waiting for you there right NOW!!!!! 

You are being given a TSB FREEBIE of a recipe card. My challenge to you (and we will have some prizes for winners) is to decorate and add your favorite holiday sweets recipe to your card and bring it along to share with everyone. Sounds like fun right? I thought so too!

Where: The Stamping Boutique Forum on PCP

When: TODAY 3-5pm EST

What to Bring: your recipe cards decorated and filled out with your favorite holiday sweet

What to expect: Freebies, new recipes for your holiday baking, fellow crafters to chat with, 4 challenges....yes 4 challenges this month because we have joined up with Fresh Brewed Designs for this digi day and so Heather is going to do 2 challenges (with 2 freebies of her own design during digi day) and then I will be doing 2 challenges (with 2 freebies from TSB during digi day). So you do NOT want to miss this digi day!!!

And from 7-9 pm EST, we're having a Holiday Celebration LIVE CHAT at The Latte Lounge!


If you haven't checked out the Latte Lounge, yet, you'll really want to come over and check it out!!
There are challenges, tutorials, support groups, chats and all kinds of fun things!


We're growing by leaps and bounds and having a blast in the process!


Our Holiday Celebration is going to last all weekend, but tonite we are hosting a LIVE CHAT!

There are a few challenges already posted and more to come. 


We have games and challenges lined up that are sure to put you in the Holiday Spirit!

I'ts Party Time!!

Today is the big day!!


The Christmas Celebration at The Latte Lounge has begun!


We are all anxiously waiting for word from the Master of Ceremonies, Rhonda, with our Secret Santa assignment!


Can't wait to see whose name I get!


C'mon over and join us!!


The chat window is open and super simple to join in: Just click here and scroll down to the middle of the page!




We're planning all kinds of fun and games, we will be having a live chat get-together Saturday at 7pm EST!


I am hosting the Santa Challenge and I'd love it if you can play along!
Pretty simple! Create anything with Santa on it!


Here's mine:

I made him on my Cricut using files from MyScrapChick!


Sorry the goodie box looks so empty, but I can't show you what I'm sending to my Secret Santa!


And don't forget, we're having a Digi Day on Papercraft Planet which is going to be H-U-G-E!!


The Stamping Boutique is joining forces with Fresh Brewed Designs
tomorrow, Saturday, December 4th from 3-4 pm EST.


Pop on over to the Papercraft Planet and snag your FREEBIE right now!


It's a recipe card you can fill out and bring to the party! 


It's a "Sweets" themed party, and we're all bringing a recipe card with our favorite Christmas treat! C'mon over and exchange recipes and join us... we'll be talking about FOOD all afternoon! YUM!!

There are going to be at least four challenges/games with FOUR FREEBIES from TSB & FBD. It's going to be a lot of fun and you won't want to be left out!