A Big Announcement!!

I have been keeping a secret for weeks now and now I get to make a big announcement - - -

I am very honored and extremely excited to be a new member of the Sweet 'n Sassy Design Team!!!

I have been a fan of their images for years.  They have a wonderful array of clear stamps and digital stamps. Their stamps range from very elegant and sophisticated to absolutely darling.  And, being a Christian-focused company, their stamps are PERFECT for church card ministries! 

I wanted to have a card up today that gave you a taste of their wonderful stamps, but I quickly realized that one card wouldn't do it.  They have such a variety.  So I have put together two totally different cards. 

The first card shows just how elegant and inspirational their stamps can be.  I started out looking for a very unique sketch challenge or a new technique, but I quickly realized that this stamp doesn't need anything special.  With the beautiful flowers and the elegant font for the sentiment - I simply stamped on an oval and colored, then added a punch for the sentiment.  (OK...maybe I relied on some pretty dsp and a few pearls - but you have to admit that the focus is the stamps!)

This card uses Sweet 'n Sassy's Poppies & Greetings clear stamp set.

I also wanted to go an entirely different direction.  Sweet 'n Sassy has so many cute images.  For this card, I used one of their digital images, but they also have this image in a clear set called Snow Friends that has a number of coordinating sentiments.

Aren't they just the happiest pair?

I have many other Sweet 'n Sassy cards throughout my blog - just go to the "Labels" section on the left side and click on "By: Sweet 'n Sassy".

And I will have many more coming soon!  Look at EVERYTHING that is going on!

There are sneak peeks of the new stamps on Sweet 'n Sassy's blog. The new release caps off with a party the evening of November 3rd in the Sweet 'n Sassy's Splitcoast Forum.

There is so much going on this month - check out this link to Sweet 'n Sassy's Splitcoast Forum that lists all of the activities and sales (!) that are happening for November in celebration of their 4th birthday.

PRAYING FOR YOU

• Stamps: Sweet 'n Sassy Poppies and Greetings
• Paper: Creative Memories dsp, Stampin' Up Riding Hood Red, Very Vanilla
• Ink: Memento Black and copics, edged with Tim Holtz Antique Linen
• Accessories: Nestabilities Oval and Lacey Oval, Stampin' Up Punch and Riding Hood Red Taffeta, Gunmetal Stickles (just on the very centers)

SNOW FRIENDS

• Stamps: Sweet 'n Sassy Snow Friends digital image
• Paper: Stampin' Up Lucky Limeade, Elegant Eggplant
• Ink: Copics
• Accessories: Stampin' Up Wisteria and Baja ribbon, Fiskars border punch, Cuttlebug embossing folder, Nestabilities Circle and Scalloped Circle, Martha Stewart Fine Crystal Glitter
• Challenge: Cardabilities Sketch #42

Just Add Ink to Freshly Made Sketches

My husband's niece has a birthday and I needed a little inspiration for the card.  I found Just Add Ink's color challenge with pinks, then...I have an iPad app on which I keep all the challenges that I like sorted by day - and right next to the Just Add Ink challenge was this week's Freshly Made Sketch!

I had such fun with the sentiment.  Most of it comes from Papertrey's Heartfelt Basics set that includes
fill-in-the-blank sentiments with elegant add-in words...hope your day is filled with "love" and "laughter"...may your day be filled with "blessings", etc.  But with that embossing folder, I HAD to include cupcakes.  I found one of those clear $1 sets that had the sentiment "Cupcakes forever" - I inked it up and applied a post-it to the "Forever" and I have a nice but quirky sentiment!

• Stamps: Papertrey Heartfelt Basics, Studio G
• Paper: Stampin' Up Blushing Bride, Cherry Cobbler, white
• Ink: Stampin' Up Blushing Bride, Cherry Cobbler, black
• Accessories: Cuttlebug embossing folders, Nestabilities, Stampin' Up Cherry ribbon

Stamping 411 with SCS CAS colors

I had mentally tagged this week's Stamping 411 Sketch Challenge as a great way to use stamp sets from my overflowing box-of-stamps-that-will-not-be-put-away-until-they-see-ink.  Then the Splitcoast CAS challenge came along with its colors of ivory, chocolate and red and it all came together!

I really wanted to use the "Best Wishes" stamp from the Stampin' Up set Petite Pairs but it was a little small for the space that I had available.  Since this stamp set includes innies/outies, I simply included the "dot dot dot" with gems to lead to the inside sentiment of "to the new Mr. and Mrs.". 

• Stamps: Stampin' Up Floral Fillers, Petite Pairs
• Paper: Stampin' Up Real Red, Chocolate Chip, Very Vanilla
• Ink: Stampin' Up Real Red, Chocolate Chip
• Accessories: Stampin' Up gems colored with copics, Stampin' Up embossing folder, Stampin' Up heart punch and scalloped heart embosslit, misc ribbon and button

i{heart}2stamp: Winter Owls

I spent Saturday afternoon at Archivers browsing Christmas papers and HAd to use this paper right away.  I thought I would use a tree image given its big graphic pine cones, but then I ran across this stamp with these darling, albeit very chilly, winter owls.

I'm actually posting this card an entire day before the monthly i{heart]2stamp challenge expires - that's early for me!  I did have to flip the sketch so that I could use one of its elements as a tree trunk.

• Stamps: Memory Box
• Paper: Little Yellow Bicycle Winter Woods (from Winter Twig line), Stampin' Up Old Olive, Chocolate Chip, Best Creations Glitter Cardstock
• Ink: Stampin' Up Chocolate Chip with Old Olive marker on the pine boughs, Tim Holtz Distress Tumbled Glass (sponged on edges), Copics
• Accessories: Star Dust Stickles (on the branches), Papertrey Ink Woodgrain Impression Plate, Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist over the image, Orange Souffle for noses, White pen and Pitch Black Spica for eyes

he crawls

Using some older photos of my eldest when he started to crawl for this months inspiration challenge at Get Picky!
We had this gorgeous Summery photo as inspiration as well as the added criteria of using fabric on the page some where, in my case I have used some Prima canvas letters.

Hop on over to the Get Picky blog to see the other DT members inspiration and all the details of how to enter for a fabulous prize. I hope you will play along.
Before I go I wanted to announce the winner of my give away from The Get Picky birthday Blog Hop...

Jessica if you can email me at kimtoms2000at yahoo dot com dot au(no spaces of course) and I will get your goodies off to you asap, thankyou to everyone who entered!
Till next time...

It's Pink Saturday!!

And it is the one following the BIG day...around these parts that means "The Race"...The Komen Maryland Race for the Cure...So, in honor of that Auspicious Occasion, I will post some pictures...I do promise that I will be posting a write up of the beautiful day...but for now...some images from our morning...

MICA students set up for a morning of portrait drawing...in the  Survivor Tent...

(they drew portraits of those survivors that desired one)

Another shot...

We gather for the big photo after the Parade of Pink...

Our very own PINK Fireman...He has lost all 3 of his sisters to Breast cancer...

Um...

Race Official...That's me...

Bang the Drums...The Pink Warriors are afoot...

We have our survivors sign canvasses with the I-words on them...we hung the ones from previous years on the walls of the tent...Can you find my signature?

Here they come! 32,500 Strong!! We are fighting, we will win this fight!

The theme for our Survivor Tent this year...

The signing begins...mine is in the loop of the ribbon...my favorite I-word is actually Imagine...I signed that one too...lol...

The stones...

Our Creations...

Here it is...My favorite...

I will leave you with this...I have already taken up way too much of your time...if you have lasted this long, I thank you!...lol...Just must say that I am the author of the above banner...it hangs on the outside of "my" Survivor Tent each year...Truer Words...

As always linking up...

howsweetthesound

and

and OK in honor of the Halloween thing...

and

Bloggers' Quilt Festival time :o)

I am very excited to link up to the Bloggers' Quilt Festival this year! Last year I was looking at all the beautiful works of art and labours of love and honestly never thought I would be linking up...ever :o)  What a wonderful place to go and look at and share with our fellow quilters!!!! Thank you so much Amy!!!!!

My  Rockin Retro tree skirt  was a love/hate project that was possibly my favorite this year.  I loved it and the other members of the household did not see the vision until it was completed.  Silly people!!! The happy Christmas colors and ric rac make me want to listen to Bing and Danny singing White Christmas and bake cookies with white powdered sugar or sprinkles :o) 

Possibly the best part of the project was the happy accident... an additional mini quilt that made a perfect mug rug!!!!!

I will be spending the better part of my day with a cup of coffee, a fresh banana pineapple nut muffin and possibly a quilt ( it is like winter today) looking at all the beautiful art here :o) Hope you will come join me!

Kim :o)

5 minute Friday...

On Fridays around these parts we stop, drop, and write.

We write bold and beautiful and free. Unscripted and unedited. We just write without worrying if it’s just right or not. Write for 5 minutes flat – no editing, no over thinking, no backtracking.

Won’t you join us?

OK, here goes...5 minute Friday...My first time...I am supposed to just start typing and keep going for 5 minutes without stopping. Just type about whatever comes to mind...Well, I am thinking that I need, really need, to post about last Sunday...I am also thinking that that particular post has to be spectacular, because that day was simply very special...Hard to describe...but given the time and the proper frame of mind...I know that I am up to the task...I am also lamenting, big time, the fact that the day after that race, one of my favorite committee members sent me a text that will be forever etched in my brain!


 "I found a lump!"

My time is up...I must follow the rules, musn't I?

I will take the time to say, that after the shock, and responding to her, I thought to myself...you know, it seems that whenever I am weary, or tired, or thinking that I might just have been doing this a little too long...Something happens to make me realize that my time is not done...But Lord, there must have been another way to send me that message this time...insert my tears...

halloween fun: monster slime kit

I went visiting teaching this morning (yes, I know it's the end of the month :)). I wanted to take along something fun for Halloween. We had such a good time and got so "freaked out" making magical monster slime yesterday, I thought I'd put together a kit with the supplies so Cami could make it with her own little monsters.

SUPPLIES:
4 oz. Elmer's glue
1 tsp. Borax powder in a little ziploc bag
green food coloring in a little ziploc bag
tri-fold how-to card (download below)
cellophane bag
halloween ribbon

Simply package up the supplies in a cellophane bag and tie with scary Halloween ribbon. I left the glitter out since Cami has three boys and I'm sure they don't think it's as amazing as little girls do. (But I did create a how-to card just for magical monster slime that includes adding glitter along with the food coloring.) Take your pick:

green monster slime how-to card (include green food coloring)
monster slime how-to card (include any color food coloring)
magical monster slime how-to card (add glitter to the kit)

Fold your how-to card on the lines into a tri-fold like this and it fits perfectly in front of the bag. So simple and I love a gift or favor that's also an activity.

Enjoy!

I almost forgot. The font I used for the how-to card is Shlop from Font Squirrel. Cool, huh?!