Curtain Call: Send you a Blizzard

It's time for a new challenge at Curtain Call Inspiration Challenge.  The inspiration photo is this sweet and yummy picture.

We have a fabulous new sponsor, Uniko Studio, for this challenge!

The LEAD of this challenge will receive a gift certificate to use at Uniko Studio!  And the design team got to play with Stunning Snowflakes.

It's a beautiful set with three different snowflakes, each in three different sizes, along with beautiful sentiments.  I love this sentiment - sending a blizzard of kisses....

Aren't these lovely snowflakes??  And it was very nice change to work with pinks and blues instead of reds and greens!!!  I do hope you join in to this challenge.  I know it's a busy time -but all that much more reason to try to take some time for yourself and get craft!

• Stamps: Uniko Studios Stunning Snowflakes
• Paper: Stampin' Up Coastal Cabana
• Ink: Stampin' Up Coast Cabana, Crumb Cake, My Favorite Things Bubblegum, Versamark
• Accessories: Lifestyle Crafts embossing folder, Hemptique twine, Pretty Pink Posh sequins, Stampin' Up Heat & Stick Powder, Martha Stewart Fine Crystal Glitter

Curtain Call: Christmas Countdown

It's time for a new challenge at Curtain Call.  Could it get any better than a Christmas countdown??

photo credit:  thesewingloftblog.com

Actually, it could get better.  Our sponsor for this challenge is Sweet Stamp Shop and they are offering a $15 gift certificate to the winner of this challenge!

I got to play along with my Sweet Stamp Shop goodies and used a number of sets.  Here's the card...

I used a Sizzix embossing folder to get the countdown.  From the Sweet Stamp Shop, I knew that I had to use the reindeer from Speedy Greetings - he is so...hmmm...sweet!!  I used a retired sentiment and, with my apologies, it is gone from the clearance section. The little sparkles are a weakness of mine.  Sweet Stamp Shop's Happy Hour set is really cute and a little quirky, and would be perfect for New Year's or any drinking occasion.  But I got the whole set for the sparkle stamps.  There are a number of sparkles so it was a good purchase...right??!
Be sure to head over to the Curtain Call blog for lots of design team inspiration!  You do not have to use Sweet Stamp Shop's stamps on your card - but you do get a chance to win some.  Create a card based on the inspiration and link up!  I would love to see you play along.

• Stamps: Sweet Stamp Shop Speedy Greetings, Happy Hour, Holiday Sentiments (retired)
• Paper: Papertrey Ink Kraft
• Ink: Memento Black, Copics, Stampin' Up Green Galore, Real Red
• Accessories: Divine Twine Holiday, Papertrey Ink Tag Sale 3, Sizzix embossing folder

Curtain Call Reminder: Looking a Lot Like Christmas!!

I was having so much fun playing with my CAS-ual Fridays Stamps as part of the joint challenge between CAS-aul Fridays and Curtain Call that I made one more.  I made three cards when the challenge started, but this card has been in my mind since then.  I love that long sentiment and wanted to use it like an ornament hanger.


The stamps come from two different sets.  The long sentiment and the poinsettia is from Christmas Carols and the circular Season's Greetings on my ornament is from Snowflake Greetings.  I love that the fonts work together to give me more options!
The theme for the current Curtain Call is CAS-ual Christmas.  You don't have to use CAS-ual Fridays stamps but you do get a chance to win a set.  You have until 8 a.m. CST on Monday, November 25th to play along!

• Stamps: CAS-ual Fridays Christmas Carols, Snowflake Greetings
• Paper: My Favorite Things Jellybean Green, Webster's Pages It's Christmas 6x6
• Ink: My Favorite Things Jellybean Green, Stampin' Up Melon Mambo
• Accessories: gold cord, circle punch

Curtain Call: A CAS-ual Christmas

This is my second post today.  It's just a short

scroll down for a Fresh Squeezed Anniversary!

It's time for a new inspiration challenge at Curtain Call!  Check out this gorgeous graphic:

photo credit:  myhomeideas.com

CAS-ual Fridays Stamps is our fabulous sponsor and graciously gave each design team member one of their Christmas sets. And the Lead for this challenge will get to choose a CAS-ual Fridays stamp set of their choice! AND you can play along at the CAS-ual Fridays challenge also for another chance at winning!  

I had a very tough time narrowing down what I wanted to do for this challenge because I do have a growing collection of CAS-ual Fridays Stamps.  This is probably because CAS-ual Fridays headquarters is just 5 miles down the road from my house!!  (That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it!)  I ended up making three different cards.  This first card is the card that I used for the Curtain Call blog.   I think it best represents the challenge graphic - warm and just a bit rustic.  The set is Merry Kiss-mas and includes mistletoe, holly and about every sentiment that you can think of that would be appropriate for mistletoe and holly!



My second card uses the set Snowflake Greetings.  I liked the blue furniture and fireplace in the photo (although I went for aqua just because it feels fresher) and I noticed the snowflakes on the trees in the inspiration photo.  This set has a number of traditional Christmas greetings with snowflakes as the "O"s. The colors on this card come from Festive Friday.

Then I have one other CAS-ual Fridays Christmas set that was feeling lonely - it's Christmas Carols.  I can't say there was any inspiration from the challenge - maybe the big gold balls. Mostly, I was just having fun and I kept making cards! This set has a coordinating die called the 4-Petal die and, in their brand new release, they have a set called Wallflower that uses the same die!  I adore the sentiments in this set!

I hope to see you each creating card(s) for our CAS-ual Christmas challenge.  Even though we focused on CAS-ual Fridays Stamps, you don't need them to enter - but you do stand a chance to win them!!  The challenge is open until November 25th.  Have fun!

Catered Crop Washi's Up? Merry Christmas!

This week's recipe at Catered Crop is Washi's Up?  (Don't you just love the names of the challenges?!)

I most definitely jumped on the Washi Tape trend.  I have an entire shoebox size container of Washi to prove it.  What I don't have are many cards that actually use it?!  So I am definitely not the creative Washi person from which you will get a new idea. When I do use it, it's just a strip of color.  Sometimes that torn end is just the unique touch that a card needs.



My attempt at creativity is the button - it's covered with Washi!!  And the leaf is Washi adhered to white cardstock and then I used the die to cut a leaf.
I definitely chuckled at myself when I was putting this card together.  First, I swore up and down that I did not need every color of sequin and/or enamel dot out there.  Now it's been pointed out to me that they are on virtually every card that I make..and often in multiple colors like above.  Yes...I have every color made!!  I find them perfect in sets of threes to highlight a sentiment - it's like the sentiment is in a spotlight with sparkles of colored light around it!
Second, check out the big, loopy, Stacey Schafer-style bow - especially in black!  Mine isn't quite as dramatic as Stacey's, but it's a whole lot more dramatic than my usual twine or bow.  I had adhered the strips of Washi.  After some experimentation, I decided that I liked the poinsettia die. Then I got stumped with the sentiment.  I didn't like it in black because it seemed so stark, but it got lost in red or green.  Then I saw the roll of black twine from Hemptique.  Why not try a big loopy blow to ground the poinsettia and to bring a little black to the card so that a black sentiment wasn't so stark?  It makes me happy!
There's another week on the Catered Crop Washi challenge.  As always, Linda has curated a Pinterest board of ideas.  Tomorrow, you will get some extra inspiration from the design team (probably a little more unique than my strips!!)  I hope you play along!

• Stamps: Paper Smooches Christmas Sampler
• Paper: Stampin' Up Real Red
• Ink: Memento Black
• Accessories: Queen & Co. Trendy Tape, Paper Smooches Poinsettia Die, Doodlebug Sprinkles in Ladybug, Limeade and Beetle Black, Hemptique black twine

Curtain Call Inspiration Challenge: Welcome Home

It's time for a new challenge at Curtain Call Inspiration Challenge and it's a good one!!!

Welcome Home!!!

photo credit:  marthamoments.blogspot.com

How perfect is this for the season?!  I love the weathered wood and the twiggy wreath!

Our sponsor for this challenge is Paper Issues. A $20 gift certificate to the Paper Issues store will be awarded to the LEAD of the Welcome Home challenge!  Thanks so much, Paper Issues!

I'm sure you are inspired by that beautiful photo - and I know that not a single one of you would turn down a gift certificate to a store full of paper and other great supplies.  So I hope you play along!

Here's how I was inspired...

I really liked the background wood and was feeling justified that I just bought an entire 6x6 pad of weathered wood paper (KaiserCraft Base Coat)!!  I also wanted to capture the twiggy wreath with pops of color.  I used Papertrey Ink's A Wreath for All Seasons, but the dot layer of the wreath is quite dense.  So I used some small Memento Dew Drops to just splash a variety of colors on the stamp.

There is so much great inspiration at the Curtain Call blog. Be sure to check it out!  And then play along with Welcome Home!!

• Stamps: Papertrey Ink A Wreath for All Seasons, Birds and Blooms (sentiment)
• Paper: Papertrey Ink Ocean Tides, Kaisercraft Base Coat 6x6
• Ink: Papertrey Ink Ocean Tides, Stampin' Up Sahara Sand, Memento Dew Drops Desert Sand, Potter's Clay, Sweet Plum
• Accessories: Papertrey Ink Terracotta Button, Hemptique white twine

A Freshly Made Curtain Call: Paper Sweeties Scarecrow

The current challenge at Curtain Call Inspiration Challenge is a photo of gorgeous blue gourds.  The sponsor for this challenge is Paper Sweeties who provided the design team with a discount code and, more importantly, is providing the winner of the challenge with a $20 gift certificate.  One of the sets that I got because it had pumpkins/gourds in it, also had a cute scarecrow.  I had used the gourds here in a more elegant card, but I also wanted to ink up the scarecrow.  I found the perfect sketch to showcase him at Freshly Made Sketches.  The sketch also led me to create his hay bale border.  This guy makes me smile!!!

I have a couple of scheduled posts this week but other that, it will be fairly quiet on my blog.  My children have state marching championships on Friday and Saturday.  It's in a town that's a five-hour round trip away so those days are shot from a crafting standpoint - but very exciting from a marching standpoint.  It's also finals week for me in a couple of accounting classes (this school does 2 classes for 2 months instead of the standard 4 classes for 4 months - so finals are hitting me right now!)  Everything is due on Sunday - but I really want to be done before the state championships.  Think of me when you are happily crafting and I have my nose buried in accounting textbooks and financial statements!

• Stamps: Paper Sweeties Stand Add-On 3 (scarecrow, hay bales, big gourd), Stand Add-On 2 (two little gourds)
• Paper: My Favorite Things Primitive WWhite, blue is a scrap piece, flags are Stampin' Up More Mustard CS and dsp
• Ink: Memento black and Copics
• Accessories: Lil' Inkers Stitched Rectangles, My Favorite Things Fishtail dies, Hemptique twine

Curtain Call: Gorgeous Gourds

It's time for some more inspiration at Curtain Call Inspiration Challenge and we have some Gorgeous Gourds!!

Aren't those blues fabulous?!!

Our sponsor for this week is Paper Sweeties.  The LEAD of Gorgeous Gourds challenge will receive a $20 Paper Sweeties gift certificate! 

They have a very cute line of stamped paper dolls but, with this inspiration graphic, I had to use some gourds and pumpkins. The gourds and the wheat are from from Stand Add-On sets that are actually meant to use to decorate a big farm stand stamp (you should see the cute scarecrow.)  Paper Sweeties also has gorgeous crinkled ribbon.

I hope to see you playing along this week.  There is lots of great design team inspiration over on the Curtain Call blog.  It's a gorgeous inspiration photo - it's definitely the time of year for some gourds and pumpkins and/or those beautiful colors (or anything else that inspires you!) The challenge stays open until October 25th with The Lead and Show Stoppers announced on October 31st.

• Stamps: Paper Sweeties Beautiful (the frame and sentiment), Stand Add-On 2 (the blue gourd), Stand Add-On 3 (the wheat and tan pumpkin)
• Paper: vintage cream
• Ink: Papertrey Ink Aqua Mist, Memento Black, Copics
• Accessories: Paper Sweeties Oatmeal Cream and Aqua Mist crinkled ribbon

Curtain Call: A Neat & Tangled Halloween

It's time for a new inspiration photo from Curtain Call and we are getting spooky!

Neat & Tangled is our fabulous sponsor for Curtain Call Inspiration Challenge: Spooky Scene!  Danielle Walls, owner of Neat & Tangled generously provided the crew with their choice of Graveyard Shift or Halloween Scene to create spooky scenes for today's challenge!

Neat & Tangled is also offering a wonderful prize to the Spooky Scene LEAD...a choice of any stamp set in their store!  

I got to work with Halloween Scene which is perfect for the house in the inspiration photo.  I was also inspired by the decoration in the upper left corner which looked like a sunburst because...guess what?...I also have Neat & Tangled's Sunburst stamp!  A little neon orange ink and check out my not-so-spooky scene!

It's that month where you should have your Halloween stamps out anyway - so play along!!  If you don't do Halloween, how about a black and white card with a smidge of orange?!

• Stamps: Neat & Tangled Halloween Scene, Sunburst
• Paper: white
• Ink: Hero Arts Neon Orange, Memento Black, gray Copics for shading
• Accessories: misc silver and black sequins (BTW - Neat & Tangled has gorgeous sequins, but I started my collection with Christmas colors and with their fall and winter mixes so didn't have the colors that I needed for this card!)

Curtain Call: Sunflower Surprise!

It's time for another inspiration photo from Curtain Call!  It's Sunflower Surprise!

photo credit: poshtotevents.com

The sponsor for our Sunflower Surprise is Clearly Besotted Stamps.  

Clearly Besotted Stamps has generously provided Blooming Marvellous Stamps and Die Collection for each design team member!  And the LEAD that is selected from all of the entries will also win the set and the dies for themselves!

My card was obviously inspired by the bright sunflowers in the inspiration photo but also by the hint of bright blue near the center of the photo and by the wood planking.

The sentiment on this card comes from a different Clearly Besotted set You Said It, and the butterfly is from Butterfly Additions with the coordinating die.

I also made a bonus card today.  I had to make two birthday cards for two special friends.  I had made the sunflower card but the other flower in the set was calling my name too!  I decided that I would use the same layout and create a second card with the bold rose.


The butterfly on this card is from Butterfly Additions.  (The sentiment is not from Clearly Besotted.)
I have to tell you that since I got this set and have been playing with it - I have paid extra attention to other sets offered by Clearly Besotted and have ordered more!  I used their beautiful feather set here.  I have used two of their butterflies on today's cards.  The sentiment on the first card comes with word bubbles!   Just yesterday in their mail, I got their Halloween set, Fright Night, and their Signature Christmas and Addition collections - so you'll be seeing even more.  The company is based in the United Kingdom but shipping is very reasonably priced and very fast.  They are also available in the U.S. at Simon Says Stamp.

Now, it's your turn!  You have until September 25th, 8 a.m. CDT to create a new paper project inspired by the photo.  The LEAD and Show Stoppers will be chosen by the crew and announced on September 30th at 8:00 AM CDT.  I hope to see you play along!

Curtain Call with SPARKS: Back to School

It's time for another challenge at Curtain Call!!  Since it is September, this challenge just has to focus on school!

I have loved reading blogs and Facebook the last few weeks.  There are first day of school pictures and so many people are saying they are sad that their children are back in school.  Personally I dropped mine and ran!!!  But I still want to make sure that they know I am thinking of them during the day so I like to have a stash of "great job" cards ready to go.

All of these fun images come from the Paper Smooches set Smarty Pants!!  I think I used most everything in it except for the cute little professor and Christina, also on the design team, used him on her card here.


I hope you all pull out your "school supplies" and create some back to school/way to go/thank you teacher type cards for our Back to School challenge!!  And be sure to head over to  Curtain Call and check out all of the design team inspiration.  There is a prize up for grabs from The Alley Way Stamps for The Lead of our Back to School challenge!

I love my diagonal layout but I definitely didn't come up with it on my own.  I was inspired by the angled look of the frames on the photo challenge at Paper Smooches SPARKS.

Also linking up to Simon Says Stamp Anything Goes.

• Stamps: Paper Smooches Smarty Pants
• Paper: Stampin' Up Real Red, Crushed Curry, Papertrey Ink Winter Wisteria, Hawaiian Shores
• Ink: Versamark
• Accessories: White embossing powder, button from A Flair for Buttons

Curtain Call: You Make My World Go Round

It's time for more inspiration from Curtain Call!!

The new challenge is called Carnival Craze.

The sponsor for this challenge is Lawn Fawn and The Lead gets their choice of a stamp set!!  The Curtain Call design team is playing with two Lawn Fawn sets that fit this challenge: Blue Skies (which includes hot air balloons, clouds and banners) and I get to play with Admit One (merry-go-rounds and ferris wheels and cotton candy!)


Isn't this just the sweetest ferris wheel?  You should see the cute little merry-go-round in the same set!
You have until August 25th to be inspired and to create something for Carnival Craze.  I would love to see you play along!  And if you want all of the design team cards, inspiration and the winners in one place - but sure to follow the Curtain Call boards on Pinterest!
This is also most definitely a summer card - I don't typically do summery cards simply because I really hate being hot, so summer is not my favorite time.  But as it is actually a summer card - I'm going to link it up over at Addicted to CAS also! 

• Stamps: Lawn Fawn Admit One
• Paper: Melon Mambo
• Ink: Memento Black, Copics, Versamark
• Accessories: Lawn Fawn Admit One dies, Lawn Fawn Pink Lemonade cord, Memory Box Carnival Tickets die, My Favorite Things Fishtail die, Papertrey Ink Sunshine Impression Plate

Curtain Call Reminder: Watermelon Wonder

Just a reminder - there's still time to play along at the current Curtain Call.  You have until August 10th at 8 a.m. CDT to be inspired by this picture:

I wanted to make a second card for this challenge.  My first card used Chinese lanterns (you'll have to check it out to see why I thought Chinese lanterns worked for this challenge!)  I definitely wanted to do a second card actually using a watermelon.  I wanted to stick with the gorgeous coral colors from the inspiration, but I have to tell you that my husband wandered by and told me something was serious wrong with the watermelon because it was orange!!

I'm using the fun fruit digis from Rockwell Designs (see the tabs across to access all of the digis)But here's my deep, dark secret....I don't like watermelon...shhhhh...don't tell anyone!

• Stamps: Rockwell Designs digital stamps
• Paper: Stampin' Up Calypso Coral, New Leaf dsp
• Ink: Memento black, Copics
• Accessories: Avery Elle Sequins: Citrus and Lucky Blend, Lil' Inkers stitched rectangles and squares, Stampin' Up Calypso Coral twine

Curtain Call: Hang in There

Thanks to all of you who made the first ever Curtain Call challenge a huge success.  And if you didn't get a chance to play along, today's another day with our next challenge!!

photo credit: Ruffled

The sponsor for this challenge is Fresh Squeezed Stamps.  The prize is your choice of a stamp set!  It's definitely worth your time to play along!

I have to admit that I had a huge wishlist of Fresh Squeezed Stamps but hadn't ordered anything yet.  So this was my excuse to order (as if I need an excuse!!)  I got all the sets on my wishlist and then one last set jumped into my cart.  It's called String Me Along and contains this very unique, but very fun variety of images - a high-topped tennis shoe, a baby onesie AND...Chinese lanterns which I thought were just perfect for the party image above!

You will LOVE all of the inspiration from the design team.  There are some with watermelons, others used the feathers, some focused on the colors - it's an amazing variety and will most definitely give you ideas and inspiration.  Check it out at Curtain Call.  The challenge is open until August 10th - I hope you play along!

• Stamps: Fresh Squeezed Stamps String Me Along
• Paper: Stampin' Up Island Indigo, American Crafts My Girl 6x6 dsp
• Ink: Memento black and Copics
• Accessories: Stampin' Up Island Indigo twine, Ellen Hutson sequins, Spellbinders square dies

The Curtain Rises!! Feeling Nautical

It's finally here.  The curtain is rising at Curtain Call!!  Here is the very first inspiration challenge!

And...the amazing sponsor for this week...Verve Stamps!  Verve provided the entire design team with the set Strong Anchor and the matching dies.  The Lead for this challenge (the winner chosen by the design team) will also receive this set free!  Thank you Verve!!

The inspiration is definitely nautical - but if you aren't feeling nautical or don't have any nautical supplies - check out what else is hiding that picture.  Look at those shoes and sunglasses and what about the royal blue handbag and floppy hat.  Or just the fabulous fresh colors of navy and yellow and green.  Or the layered postage shapes and all of the woods! I look forward to seeing what you come up with!  Here is how I was inspired...using the Verve Strong Anchor set...

All of the challenge details are over at Curtain Call.  In general, use the inspiration to create a new project, then post it and link it, and you have until July 25th, 8 a.m. CDT to do it!

• Stamps: Verve Strong Anchor
• Paper: Stampin' Up Night of Navy, Crumb Cake, MME Kate & Co. Oxford Lane 6x6
• Ink: Stampin' Up Going Gray, Night of Navy
• Accessories: Verve Strong Anchor dies, Papertrey Woodgrain Impression Plate (on ship's wheel), Spellbinders square and postal square, My Favorite Things fishtail dies, May Arts twine, Studio Calico sequins (FYI: the Studio Calico sequins come in a fun multi-pack with the woodgrain sequins(!), dark blue, yellow, lt gray and pinkish.  I wanted to use the blue and yellow but they are fairly big and I did a small 4x4 card - so the blue and yellow on my card are actually from Ellen Hutson)