"Lattice" Impress you with Cheery Lynn Designs Embossing Plates

For the past week, over at the Cheery Lynn Designs blog, all of the Cheery Lynn Designers have shown some fun and unique ways to keep your projects from falling flat by using our Grunge and Embossing plates to add dimension to your next papercraft project. Today I have the pleasure of showing you another project that I hope will inspire you to spend a bit of time in your craft room this weekend creating with Cheery Lynn Designs dies and embossing plates.

One of the things that I absolutely love about the Lattice2 die that I used to create the background of this card is that you can use it to die cut your paper (by running it through your machine like you would any other die template) like the cards I showed you in this post right here, or you can use it to emboss (by running it through your machine like an embossing plate with your embossing pads) like I've done with this card I am showing you today. Dies like the Lattice2 and Lattice1 from Cheery Lynn Designs give you so much more for your money because they can be used to emboss or cut... imagine the endless design possibilities made easy with just one die! These Lattice dies are also the perfect size to fix the front of an A2 card exactly and I love that, although today, I trimmed the die cut down a bit to layer it under a lighter shade of purple to add a touch more color to this clean and simple card.

I recently got some new stamps that I knew blended perfectly with the beautiful Dimensional Buttons3. To highlight them for this card, I used a pre-cut piece of chipboard (these ATC size pieces of chipboard come white on one side and brown on the other), and cut three of the larger buttons from one of the chipboard cards. Afterwards, I sorted through my supplies to find a few small "round" stamps that would fit the front of each of the buttons and stamped them for added color and interest. I rounded the edges of another piece of the pre-cut chipboard with my Corner Chomper and ran it through my Big Shot with the Large Round Stitcher Plate  (that's what creates that gorgeous circle faux stitched look on the white chipboard).  I stamped the chipboard piece, tied up the buttons with some twine and then added them to the chipboard. I then adhere the button card to the front of the Lattice2 embossed card front using some Pop Dots for even more dimension. 

Stop by the Cheery Lynn Designs blog today, to check out all the Designer inspiration posted daily and be sure to visit the store to see the entire line of Embossing and Grunge plates available for your next papercrafting project.

Other Supplies Used in this Project:

Cardstock and Stamps: Papertrey Ink

Ink: Stampin' Up

Papercraft Star Executive Team Reveal

Thank goodness it's Friday...and not only is it Friday...but it's also time for me to share another Executive Team Reveal for our current challenge this week over at Papercraft Star.  

I loved Liz's sketch for this week's challenge that is sponsored by Copic Markers (heck, I love all of her sketches all of the time) and I was really inspired by the both the bird and the banner she included, so I incorporated them by using the Tickled Pink 6 x 6 paper collection from My Mind's Eye that features both!

The patterned papers also inspired me to pull out my Cricut and the Cindi Loo Cartridge that I used to create the doily-cut and Birdhouse. I added some Martha Stewart glitter to the little heart on top of the birdhouse and some more bling using my Imaginisce I-Rock tool to adhere the crystal Hot Rocks to the front of the house.  The patterned paper I used to create the outside of the birdhouse is from the new Berrylicious collection by Imaginisce by the way. 

The finished size of this card is 5 1/2 x 4 1/4 inches.  I cut the birdhouse  with the layers and shadow at 3 inches. The Doily4 was cut at 3 inches as well.

Thanks for letting me share my card with you today... oh by the way, there's still time to join our sketch challenge this week at Papercraft Star and to get in on a chance to win some Copic markers too!

Enjoy your weekend and create something beautiful!

Supplies Used:
Cardstock: Papertrey Ink: Hawaiian Shores, Rustic Cream, Raspberry Fizz
Patterned Paper: My Mind's Eye: Tickled Pink 6x6 collection, Imaginisce: Berrylicious collection
Ink: Ranger: Archival "Coffee"
Ribbon: Papertrey Ink: Hawaiian Shores
Stamps: Stampin' Up: So Happy for You
Other: Provocraft: Cricut Expression and Cindi Loo Cricut Cartridge, Martha Stewart: Glitter and Glue

Imaginisce Berrylicious Video Tutorial

I hope you've had as much fun this week joining us at Imaginisce for our official Berrylicious Release Party as I had creating the projects I shared with you this week so far.  But hey, I'm not done yet... today I have one last card to show and a video tutorial at the bottom of this post as well.

Isn't that 3-D Lemonade cup cute?  I believe that it was last summer some time that I saw a 3-D cup on a card made by some talented designer out there in blogland... unfortunately, it's been so long now, I have no idea who to credit for inspiring me to create my own 3-D cup. I do remember that their cup had a drink umbrella in it as well as a straw...cute, cute). 

Now it's the cup I'm having you take a gander at right now (above), because that's what this video tutorial is all about... creating the cup.  By the way, I tried something new with this particular tutorial... I put the photos and written instruction together in a video. It took quite a while to put it together and in the end I do believe I would have been much happier with the finished result had I just used photos and written details regular-like. But after I spent all that time doing it... I was not motivated to do it all over again in a different format.  At any rate, this is the last time you'll see a video using this style... next tutorial will be either step by step photos or a regular video. But okay, blah, blah blah... here's the video... and if you have questions... let me know!



 
There is still time to sign up for chance to win the COMPLETE Berrylicious collection over at the Imaginisce blog too... so hop on over there to get in on the party!

More on the Imaginisce Berrylicious Release Party

It's Day Three of the Imaginisce Berrylicious Release Party and I hope by now you've had a chance to visit the Imaginisce blog to get in on all the fun and prizes... you have, right??!! Today we're featuring cards made by a bunch of the 2011 Imaginisce Designers so there is a lot of inspirtion to be had using this "Berry-Sweet" Berrylicious collection... don't miss it!

The little stamps that are part of the Berrylicious collection are so dang cute (and they are so affordable too... gotta LOVE that).  At any rate, they inspired me to create a gift-set of all-occasion cards as well as a gift box (recycled from a clear box that some Papertrey Ink stamps came in).

For these cards, I featured all the stamps (except one) from the collection as well as the back side of the Sunshine Seeds 12 x 12 paper and the back side of the Summer Stripe 12 x 12 paper. Here's the entire set together... and below I have some close ups...  the lighting for this group photo was less than ideal (like I had to tell you that.. ha).

I used my I-Rock too to add Hot Rocks to the sun as well as the bee's buzzing trail. I colored the stamps with my Copics and added the blue sky in chalk.

More Copic and I-Rock action in the both the photos above and below as well! :-) By the way, for the Lemon card (above) I created my own sentiment using my computer... now that I read it again I have to admit it's kinda corny... but at the time I found it to be a tad witty, In retrospect I do believe it was late at night...and I may have been a bit punch-drunk.

This is the final card in the set as well as the recycled gift boxed that I dolled up with some papers and a sticker from the Homegrown Chipboard set.

Come back tomorrow and I'll show you the final project I created for the Berrylicious Release party as well as a fun 3-D Lemonade cup tutorial. In the meantime, hop on over to the Imaginisce blog and get in on the party and give-aways!

Tuesday Takes at Sketches in Thyme

I've had so much fun as a Card Maven for Sketches in Thyme, it has been a pleasure working for Kim and alongside so many talented designers... but alas all good things must eventually come to an end. My time as a Card Maven is done with this post, but things will still be hopping over at Sketches in Thyme so I hope you'll continue to stop in over there and play along with all the great sketch challenges and fabulous Designers she has lined up to inspire you!

This week's sketch is by Mojo Monday (you just gotta love their sketches!) and like I mentioned a couple of weeks ago, I used both this sketch and the last one for the Tuesday Takes challenges to create birthday cards for my daughter  who turned 21 in late January. (I made both of the cards in early January, so I was ahead of the game for a change when it came to having birthday cards ready to go for the special event!)  Yippee!

I chose to keep this card pretty clean and simple...and just highlight that big "21" that my daughter has been dreaming of for the past year! :-)

I cut the number '21' and the shadow using the Blackletter (a free Gypsy download with a December update) and embossed it using the Swiss Dots folder and my Cuttlebug. To make the number stand out even more, I added some gems as well. A quick and simple card for the big day!

I'm really looking forward to seeing what you design for this challenge too!  Have fun.

Supplies Used:

Cardstock: Papertrey Ink: "Stampers Select White", "Sweet Blush", "Dark Chocolate"
Patterned Paper: My Mind's Eye: Fine and Dandy "Tickled Pink" 6 x6 paper pad
Embellishments: My Mind's Eye: Find and Dandy "Tickled Pink" gems, Dear Lizzy and American Crafts: Ribbon
Other Tools:Provocraft: Cricut Expression and Blackletter cartridge, Swiss Dots Embossing Folder

Imaginisce Berrylicious Release Party is Going on Right Now!

Hey all, it's the official release of the Imaginisce Berrylicious collection and we're having a Release Party over at the Imaginisce blog right now! A bunch of the Imaginisce Designers have put together some fantastic scrapbook layouts using this Berry-Sweet collection of yummy papers for Day 1 of our party. There are lots of prizes to win every single day this week during the Release Party too... so make sure you hop on over to the blog and enter to win the entire Berrylicious collection from Imaginisce!

While I got you here too, I also want to take a moment to tell you that Imaginisce has just recently issued the very first official Imaginisce Newsletter. It's pink, pretty and loaded with lots of projects and prizes too! You can read about it right here. Or if you want you can just go right here and sign up to get the first (and subsequent) newsletters. Sign up today!

Okay...back to Berrylicious!  The first thing that I saw when I pulled the Berrylicious collection that Imaginisce mailed to me out of the box (besides all the sweet papers) were the Sweet and Tart Sticker Stackers.  So I knew what I had to do... I sent my honey to the store, had him buy up a couple of bags of Sweet Tarts and went to work on this candy jar. (Sweet Tart Stickers equals Sweet Tarts Candy... I'm just original like that... ha!).

For the top of the jar I also used a Pucker Up Canvas Sticker and Juicy Fruit Die Cuts. My I-Rock and I-Top got some action on this project too as I added some Metallic Glam Rocks and created a matching button for the bow.

Okay now hurry on over to Imaginisce and get in on the Berrylicious Release Party right away!

P.S. On Wednesday I'll show you the card set I made using all the cute stamps that come with this collection and on Thursday I'll show you a fun 3-D card I made along with an easy tutorial for you to create your own! Hope to see you then!

Leaving an Impression with Cheery Lynn Designs

As a papercrafter, if you are anything like me you've had a project or two in your past that just fell flat. What if I told you that Cheery Lynn Designs has a cure... wouldn't you be excited? Okay, now don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that we have a cure for those moments you may experience some Mojo woes... but I can say that no matter what your next papercraft project might be... you'll be sure to leave an impression using Cheery Lynn Designs Embossing plates... no more flat projects! Yay!

Over the next couple of weeks the Designers at Cheery Lynn Designs are going to show you how to put an end to those flat projects with the fabulous embossing plates, grunge plates, dimensional dies, stitiching and piercing plates and more! We've got so many products that literally add up to hundreds (heck, maybe thousands) of ways that will help you leave an real impression with your next papercraft project!

When we recently heard from our Design Team Leader Sandy that this would be our focus for the next couple of weeks... to feature all the "impressive" products available at Cheery Lynn Designs, that really got my Mojo going and I ended up creating a card that I was so excited about, I couldn't wait until next Saturday to share it with you... so I put my original card that I had lined up for today on hold... just to show you this...

To create this card I started with a stack of the fabulous embossing plates available from Cheery Lynn Designs. I first embossed the polka dot patterned paper using the Dotted Swiss XL Embossing plate.  For the second layer of my card, I added the beautiful French Pastry Doily, that I let just peek out toward the bottom of the card. Next, I used the Fleur de lis XL Embossing plate. Then, to add a little more interest, I first die cut a piece of Ripe Avocado cardstock using the laregest die from the Card Makers Stackers Nesting Dies Scalloped Rectangle set (just try saying that three times, fast) and then cut a strip that I then embossed with the new Large Square Pierce Plate. For the final layer of this card, I used the Foliage XL Embossing plate. I finished the it up with the "Friend" and flowers sentiment that I stamped and layered on cardstock I cut using the Little Stackers Nesting Dies Inverted Scalloped Oval. I also added a bit of ribbon and some pearls (just for good measure).

Enjoy your weekend!

Happy Hour and Sketch Challenge at Memorable Seasons

Right now... at this VERY moment (9:00 P.M., to 10:00 P.M., Eastern Time), the Design Team at Memorable Seasons is hosting Happy Hour on the forum. You don't want to miss it as it's sure

 to be great fun.... because it's a one-hour sketch challenge!  (Actually you have until the end of the month to upload your project from this sketch at the Memorable Seasons forum... but I do believe there just might be a chance to win a little something-something if you participate during Happy Hour... me thinks :-).

Here's the totally fun sketch perfect to scrap those Valentine Day photos (or perhaps create a card from - like I did!)...

Now I loved this sketch and can envision how great a layout would look using it... but, I got this really (I mean REALLY) cool new wood mounted stamp from Hero Arts... and I just couldn't wait to ink that baby up and use it... thus I created this card featuring Pink Paislee's Sweetness Collection (love that paper!). (The sentiment is from Darkroom Door stamps and the flourish is from Papertrey Ink). The blue ribbon was a freebie from Really Reasonable Ribbons.. (tied around my stamp order) and the pretty yellow stuff is from RRR too. (I think it might be May Arts...but don't hold me to it!).  At any rate, here's my take on the sketch:

I hope you can join us for Happy Hour  (hurry, get over there!)... but if not, please stop by the forum anyhow and upload your project before the end of the month... all the details are available at the forum!

Click it with Cricut at Imaginisce!

I very recently had the honor of working alongside Liz Qualman (one of the Senior Designers at Imaginisce) on a special assignment to kick off Imaginisce's official Click it with Cricut Feature. In fact, our team of designers can't wait to show our fans how Imaginisce and Cricut are totally meant to be together by pushing the creative boundaries with Imaginisce's expertise in paper and embellishments and Cricut's expertise in technology and die cutting. Liz and I both knew we had the perfect cartridges to go along with the brand new Berrylicious collection, so we each created a couple of cards to show you just how Circut and Imaginisce click!

I'll show you my cards here in just a moment, but first I want to tell you that if you visit the Click it with Cricut post and leave a comment today or tomorrow, you'll have an opportunity to win a Birthday Bash Cricut cartridge, so please hop on over to Imaginisce for a chance to win!

Here are the two projects I created...

For this card I used the Cricut Preserves Cartridge. You'll find the instructions on how to recreate this card with your Cricut at the Imaginisce blog.

Supplies Used:
Imaginise Berrylicious Collection
Sewing Machine and White Thread
Cardstock from Papertrey Ink
Cuttlebug Embossing Folder

I also thought it would be fun to try my hand at a Pop Up Card for the VERY first time in my life. The instructions for creating that card are also available today at the Imaginisce blog.

I created the outside of the card using Plantin Schoolbook, Walk in My Garden and Freshly Picked.

The inside of the card features cuts from Freshly Picked and all of the cards feature the brand spankin' new Berrylicious Collection from Imaginisce. Speaking of which, we'll host our official Berrylicious Release Party at the Imaginisce blog next week... you don't want to miss it! 

Now hop on over to Imaginisce and get signed up to win that Cricut cartridge! We'll announce the winner over there on Friday!

Just Because Cheery Lynn Designs Dies are Fabulous...

By now I hope you've had an opportunity to see all the beautiful new dies from Cheery Lynn Designs that were showcased at Winter CHA, but if you haven't yet, you can learn more about the new releases right here. I also just want to take a moment to remind you that there are some very imformative videos available for viewing at the Cheery Lynn Designs store right here. (So many great tips and tricks...you don't want to miss watching them!).  The video's are now organized by a handy Table of Contents that makes it so easy to find exactly the information you need to create beautiful projects with Cheery Lynn Designs dies!

Now, I know that I already told you how crazy I am about the new Wickers and Weavers in my last post, but it's worth telling you again! In fact, I'm so crazy about them, that I created another card this week that features the beautifully cut and embossed strips from the Wittle Weavers die, that I adhered to the card front on a diagonal after I distressed the strips with some pink ink. The card front turned about to be the perfect backdrop to showcase the absolutely GORGEOUS Oriental Butterfly Doily die cut. I absolutely adore the detail created with this die!

For this card, I cut one butterfly from Soft Stone cardstock and one from my patterned paper. I adhered the two cuts together at the center only so that I could create even more dimension with the layered wings.  I used the Scalloped Diamonds border to cut a strip of patterned paper for the top of the card and layered that with some pink gingham ribbon. Then just for a little something extra I tied the top of the card with up with some pink and white Baker's Twine and topped the bow off with a pretty button cut from cardstock using the amazing Dimensional Buttons (from Dimensional Buttons 3 die set).

I wanted to share this close-up of the card with you so that you can see the beautiful fine lines embossed into the cardstock from the Wittle Weavers dies... not to mention the amazing cuts created with the Butterfly Doily die! I am having so much fun creating cards with Cheery Lynn Design Dies...that it seemed only fitting to create a "Just Because" card this week... just because Cheery Lynn Dies are FABULOUS!

Dreams Come True Cricut Cartridge and Imaginisce

My youngest daughter Cydney has loved the Disney Princesses since I can remember. (There was a time when if asked, she would tell you that is what she wanted to be when she grew up). She's almost 19 years old now, and despite the fact that she now has her eye on a more realistic career goal, she still has a love for all things Disney Princess. It is for this reason that I purchased the Disney: Dreams Come True cartridge a few months ago... and also the reason that many of the characters on the cartridge adorn one of my craft cupboards... thank you Cydney! :-) 

At any rate, this past weekend Cydney asked me to create a card for a friend of hers that is turning 21 and also loves Disney Princesses (birds of a feather...you know ).  Happy to oblige the request, this was also a perfect opportunity for me to combine Imaginisce Enchanted collection with my Cricut and the Disney: Dreams Come True cartridge.

 

To create this card I started with a 4 1/4 x 5 1/2 inch card base (white). I cut the Imaginisce Enchanted Collection patterned paper at 4 x 5 1/4 and (although it's hard to see in the photo) border punched the bottom. I attached the rectangle to the card and added a border die cut (also from the Enchanted collection) across the center of the card.

I cut Belle and all of her layers at 6 inches. This made her large enough to make the really small layers (like her eyes) easier to work with, while also ensuring she could still fit on the card. After piecing her together, I gave her cheeks some color with a cotton ball and pink chalk and attached her to the card front with Pop Dots. I attached the Princess die cut, also from the Imaginisce Enchanted collection, using more Pop Dots to add dimension. Then I stamped a sentiment onto a yellow cardstock scrap, trimmed it and adhered that to the card as well. I also added some Hot Rocks with my I-Rock... because every princess deserves a little bling... we all know that!

It had been awhile since I created a card that featured a main image from one of my Cricut cartridges and well, that got me thinking that I need to give my Cricut some love again real soon. :-)

Tuesday Take at Sketches in Thyme

It's Tuesday Take at Sketches in Thyme! And we've got a another fun sketch to inspire you for this challenge.  I hope you'll take the time to hop on over to the Sketches in Thyme blog to play along with us!

Now I know that a big card day (Valentine's) is just around the corner, but what I really envisioned when I saw this sketch was a birthday card in honor of my middle daughter's milestone 21st birthday. (In fact, in a couple of weeks you'll see yet another card I created for her using the next Tuesday Take challenge sketch).

To create this card, the first thing I did was pull out one of the new Cuttlebug Quilling Kits...this one is their pretty Daisy kit. After I took the photo of the card for this post, I realized that I didn't emboss the leaves to the flower (I ALWAYS emboss my handmade flower leaves...so I can't believe that I forgot this time and frankly I'm not sure how I'm feeling about those plain leaves, but I sure love the flower. Never the less...here's the card, plain leaves and all! :-)

Supplies Used:

Cardstock: Papertrey Ink: "Stampers Select White", "Sweet Blush", "Aqua Mist" , "Lemon Tart" "Melon Berry"

Patterned Paper: My Mind's Eye: Fine and Dandy "Tickled Pink" 6 x6 paper pad 

Embellishments: My Mind's Eye: Find and Dandy "Tickled Pink" gems, Dear Lizzy and American Crafts: Ribbon

Other Tools:Provocraft: Cuttlebug Daisy Quilling Kit, Spellbinder's die cut

Imaginisce Valentine's Project Inspiration Days Feb 7 through Feb 9!

It's almost Valentine's Day and over at the Imaginisce blog there is Valentine project inspiration galore beginnning today (February 7) though Wednesday February 9... why, that's just in time for you to create something GORGEOUS before the big day arrives! You really don't want to miss this exciting event that will include cards, layouts and altered projects too... and a chance to win Imaginisce products as well!!!

I'm making it a tradition (this is the second year I've done it...so does that count as tradition?) to create Valentine Pillow boxes for my family and friends (filled with candy of course).  I started last year when I found this AWESOME Gypsy file created by Magoo at Design Create Inspire.  Here's the link to download your own Gypsy file from Magoo. This year she's added a special Valentine Pillow Box with heart cut-outs as well. You can create four pillow boxes with one 12 x 12 sheet of cardstock too by the way!

These particular pillow boxes each hold 4-6 Kisses... but I've also filled them with a few mini candy bars before as well.  

To create these pillow boxes I pulled out my I-Rock (to attach the Hot Rock crystals), I-Top (to create the center of the flowers using small Button Daddies) and the new  I-Bond cordless glue gun (to stick eveything all together).  The flowers were so easy to create using Imaginisce's Pop Up Posies and the Imaginisce Petal Roller makes creating dimension to the petals easy as pie! The patterned paper is from the Imaginisce Enchanted Collection, "If the Crown Fits".  The die cuts are Cheery Lynn Designs Large Dimensional Leaves 2 and Heart to Heart Doily.  I also used cardstock, ribbon and stamps from Papertrey Ink and embossed the hearts and pillow boxes with my Cuttlebug Swiss Dots embossing folder.

Okay, so that's it... now hop on over to Imaginisce and check out all the other fabulous Valentine Day creations from our 2011 Imaginisce Design Team and be sure to follow the directions to enter yourself to win a fabulous prize!

New Dies from Cheery Lynn Designs

This is my first post for the month of February for Cheery Lynn Designs and with that said (being that it is now officially February), I'm hopeful that spring is just around the corner (just six tiny weeks away according to that little groundhog at any rate.) In honor of the coming spring, I pulled out some pink cardstock to create my card as well as some patterned paper by Pink Paislee (the Sweetness Collection) and ..... I used the new Piercing Plates that are now available in the Cheery Lynn Design stores right here. 

Before I go further (or show you the card) however, I want to tell you that this is the first card that I made using the new plates and my first attempt was to use it for the obvious (to me anyhow) as a kind of embossing plate to give my cardstock texture. BUT... these plates have SO MANY more uses and if I were a bettin' woman, I'd say you are going to be seeing a lot of creative ideas from our Design Team as we all start working with the Piercing and Stitching plates more often.

Besides using one of the new Piercing Plates (I actually used the Large Square), I also turned to some of my favorite Cheery Lynn Designs dies from the XL Stackers Nesting Dies "French Flair" , the Little Stackers Nesting Dies "French Flair"  and  the Dimensional Butterfly Bundles. Now I've told you before how much I love the dimensional butterfly dies (I mean look at that detail!)... but just for fun I first ran my paper through my Big Shot using the Piercing Plates and then cut/embossed with the butterfly die. I loved the extra effect this created on the butterflies... just imagine the "life" it will bring to those flat die cuts as well!

But wait... I saved the best (I think) card for last today...

Another new die that had its' debut at CHA in California last weekend, in my opinion TOTALLY ROCKS...and that's the Widdle Weavers (Widdle Wickers too!).  The DAY that these arrived in my mail box I knew exactly what I wanted to try with them... a Valentine's card using a techinque that I found on Ashley Newell's blog.

The Widdle Weavers and Widdle Wickers cut and emboss strips of cardstock. I actually worked with the Widdle Weaver plate for this project which cuts the strips of paper to 1/2 inch. When you run them through your die cut machine, they are still attached together at one end and make it easy to cut two sheets of cardstock (one at a time) and then weave them together to create a basket weave (gorgeous)... but I changed it up a bit and instead cut the end off that held them together and then inked up the edges of each one of the strips of paper. Then I adhered them onto the front of the card diagnonally to create this card base.

On the above close-up you can see the embossing that occurs (along with the cutting). The fine lines it creates in the paper are gorgeous and makes it look just like basket weaving material! So yummy.  I loved how the card front looked so much that I didn't want to cover it up with too many extras so I simply cut an image/sentiment label from the Little Stackers Nesting Dies "French Flair" I added my image by stamping it with embossing ink and embossing with American Crafts Zing! in pink. I then stamped the sentiment, added some Imaginisce Hot Rocks and popped it up on the front of the card with some Pop Dots.  A bow with another Hot Rock finished off the pretty card.   

Thanks so much for stopping by today, and I hope you are (by now) making it a habit of also visiting Cheery Lynn Designs regularly because we have new posts with new designs featured by all of our Designers each and every day of the week.... now how cool is that?! I know I can't wait to see what the other Designers do with all the new plates and dies showcased at CHA in California!

Papercraft Star Executive Team Reveal

It Friday's (whoot whoot) and also my turn for the Papercraft Star Executive Team Reveal.  I had such a great time working with another Liz Chidester sketch (she is such a talented sketch artist and papercrafter as well!) for this week's sketch challenge at Papercraft Star.

It just so happens that a couple of weeks ago, one of my daughter's (hi Cait!) celebrated a birthday, so I used this sketch to create a gift bag and card for her. I know, I know, ANOTHER gift bag and card... BUT, when I have the opportunity to use a challenge to actually create something I know I already have a recipient for, I just have to combine the two... I can't help myself! For me, this means that I won't be adding to the growing pile of cards I've created that I still haven't given away!

Anyhow, the event (her birthday) and this challenge also gave me a chance to pull out some new Bo Bunny patterned paper and chipboard that I purchased in early January (another plus!).

Other products I used to create this gift bag and card set included cardstock, stamps and ribbon from Papertrey Ink, Hot Rocks (adhered with my I-Rock) by Imaginisce, dies from Spellbinders and an EK Success border punch.  The bag I purchased in a bundle that was on clearance from my local Meijer store (in fact, I bought three packs of ten bags for just a few dollars... gotta love a bargain!).

Okay, so there is still time for you to join in this week's challenge (but you gotta hurry) so hop on over to Papercraft Star lickety-split to join in... I'll look forward to seeing what you create!

Memorable Seasons Design Team Inspiration Kit

Each month, the Memorable Seasons Design Team receives an "Inspiration Kit" from products at the Memorable Seasons store. With the kit, we create projects that we hope will inspire you. This month I had the pleasure of working with Pink Paislee: Sweetness Collection and other yummy goodies from the store. We reveal these projects at the Memorable Seasons forum around the first of the every month. If you have an opportunity to stop by the Memorable Seasons forum (it's such a fun, busy and up-beat forum, we'd love to have you join us there!) be sure to check out all of the Designer's inspiration kits for this month!

The first thing I wanted to create with this kit were these pillow boxes.  Well over a year ago I downloaded a Gypsy file created by the very talented Magoo, you can see the post and download the file at this link right here. (Thank you Magoo!). You'll see more of these from me this month as I love to create them as little Valentine's for my friends and family. This pillow boxes are filled with Hersey Kisses and mini candy bars.

Here's a close up that gives you a better look at the rose (a die from My Favorite things) and Stamps and matching die cut from Papertrey Ink.  The gems are crystal Hot Rocks that I adhered with my Imaginisce I-Rock. 

I went kinda of crazy with the kit this month and also created a quick and easy card gift set with box, a Valentine candy jar and a scrapbook layout.

This glass jar sports a tag with my new favorite stamp from Hero Arts. The jar is filled with Valentine candy for my family and friends who visit right now...but once it is empty I think it will find a spot in my craft room.

Here's a close up of the stamp I am so loving right now! In fact, it will make an appearance here again on my blog on February 17, but I love it so much, I just want more stuff to stamp on... (where are my grandsons when I need them?) :-)

Speaking of grandsons, I also created this scrapbook layout using a photograph taken a couple of years ago with my oldest grandson (who is now three).

and finally the kit also came with four card blanks that I used to create a quick and easy card set with a gift box (recycled packaging from a Papertrey Ink stamp set)

I actually got the idea for this card (above) from a magazine (but heck if I can remember which one right now!).

The darling embellishment from the Sweetness Collection make creating a quick and easy card...well, QUICK AND EASY... you just gotta love that cute felt embellie!

The crocheted flower is handmade by Julie from Memorable Seasons. Pretty flowers like these will be available at Memorable Seasons store very soon!

...and finally, here's the box I decorated to contain the quick and easy card set!

Whew... this was a long post. I guess I should have broken this up into a couple of different posts...but, heck... I'm just too lazy to do it now! :-)

Enjoy your day and as I type this I hear we are suppose to have 10 to 15 inches of snow by tomorrow morning...  I  am guessing this means that little groundhog is gonna tell us we still have 6 more weeks of winter here in Michigan (like we needed him to tell us that!) 

Speaking of "Furry Little Critters"... you still have time to join The Kraft Journal challenge this week, the theme is (you guessed it) "Furry Little Critters", all you need to do is create a project using that theme and either Kraft cardstock or product from Kraft Outlet.  When you enter a project you are eligible to win a store voucher...so get on over there and enter to win!

Stay warm and be safe if you have to go out!

Imaginisce February Color Challenge and Blog Hop

Welcome to the Imaginisce February Color (photo inspiration) Challenge and Blog Hop! We are so excited you joined us today because we have some fabulous inspiration for you, using some darling colors! But first... you should have arrived to my blog from Amy's blog, if you didn't then please go back to the Imaginisce blog and start from the beginning of the hop (so you don't miss a single thing!)

If you are in-it to win-it...  (a totally rocking I-Top package OR a smokin' hot Imaginisce paper collection, both valued at over $75.00 each), then here are the details you need to know!  To be eligible for this prize, you must LINK up your challenge project on the February 1, 2011 post at the Imaginisce blog by Friday February 25. Your project must include at least 75% Imaginisce product. Now, should you decide not to participate in the challenge (but ummm... why not??) then you still have a chance to win an I-Bond with accessories just for participating in the hop! To be eligible, you must comment at each designer's blog and then back at the Imaginisce blog.

Here is our inspiration photo for the challenge:

Photo Credit: Amy Atlas Events

Aphra chose the challenge and I am just so excited about what the Design Team has created and what YOU are going to create as well!

I think I squeeled just a little bit when I saw the inspiration photo (I still love banners!!) and couldn't wait to create a card using it and the Imaginisce Enchanted paper collection and some crystal Hot Rocks (attached with my I-Rock) for a little added glam.

Next on your stop is Cari's blog so hop along to see the fantastic project she has to inspire you.
Don't forget to leave COMMENTS on all of the blogs in order to eligible for the fabulous hop prize... and join us in the challenge too!