CSS Inspiration Hop

Hello and welcome to our final blog hop as the CSS Alumni Group. For our final hop we have a bright and snowy photo to use as our inspiration.

I took the colors and the abundant snow as my inspiration and used an older set called Winter Friends to make this Christmas card.

I hope you have time to travel the entire blog hop. Hopefully you came from Lori McAree's blog. If not, please start at the beginning over at StampTV and stop by all the CSS Alumni member's blogs to see how they were inspired by our snowy photo.

And...

Make sure to leave a comment as you go along because we will choose a random comment and that stamper will win a grab bag of Gina K. Designs products! Look for the announcement on Tuesday, December 24.

If you came from Lori's blog then your next stop is...

Miesje Flach

Owl Be There for You

I finally purchased a digi stamp I've been eyeing for a while. I adore owls and this stamp from Little Miss Muffet Stamps is just so adorable. I used the sketch from the most recent challenge over at Seize the Sketch. I love the simple layout.

The large chevron heart and sentiment are cut files from Silhouette. I also used the digi stamp to make a print and cut file. Much easier than fussy cutting the image. I also found some older embellishments, the olive metal corner brackets. I bought them years ago and never used them. I thought they looked perfect with the chevron heart. The paper is from a new pad of papers I bought on Friday. The pad is DCWV The Kidlet. I love the fun colors and designs in that pad.

Groovy Hello

I've been wanting to play along with MFT's sketch challenges for a while now, but always ran out of time. I finally had some time to use the sketch this week and broke out a stamp and die set that I purchased several months ago when it was on sale. Anyone out there that can relate to that? LOL! This card is for MFTWSC151.

I stamped cut the pocket out of dark gray card stock and stamped it with the stitching outline. Then I added some swirls and flowers. In place of the die cut border of the sketch I stamped various flowers and vines on the white panel and then embossed it with a chevron folder. I love this color combo and how the whole thing turned out.

Bean Thinking...for a sketch challenge

I wanted to make a card with some digi paper I printed out the other night and went in search of some sketch challenge blogs. I found a great sketch over at Seize the Sketch. And here is my card using that sketch.

I used an older GinaK set illustrated by Melanie Muenchinger. The digi papers are from Echo Park.

CSS Thankful Hop

Good evening and welcome to another CSS Alumni blog hop. For this hop the theme is "Thankful". You should have just come from Miesje's blog where she shared her beautiful thankful project. If not, you will want to start at the beginning of the hop over at StampTV.com. Make sure to leave a comment as you go along because we will choose a random comment and that stamper will win a grab bag of Gina K. Designs products! Look for the announcement on Tuesday, November 26th.

This time of year in the US many people are preparing for the Thanksgiving holiday. This brings being thankful to the forefront for many. I for one am thankful every day for the blessings God constantly provides to me. I am especially thankful for my creative gifts and the pleasure I get from being able to stamp, sew, crochet to name a few. If it weren't for my mom taking time to do crafty stuff with me as a kid, I may not be doing all the fun creative things I do today. So my "Thankful" card is meant for my mom to tell her how much appreciate her teaching me to be crafty.

I used a fun set illustrated by Theresa Momber called Up and Away! I love how simple it is to just stamp the balloon images on pattern paper and cut them out for cute hot air balloons. The sentiment is from a set illustrated by Melanie Muenchinger called Holiday Basket.

Now head over to Lori's blog to see her thankful project.

Camping and Stamping for Challenges

I made a few cards last weekend while we were camping. They are all for Sweet N Sassy's Release challenges. I had limited supplies with me which made it challenging, but satisfying and fun.

Challenge One - Include Snow or Snowflakes

Challenge Two - Use Kraft with Shades of Blue

Challenge Three - Make it Masculine

It felt good to get some stamping time in and I feel like my mojo is slowly growing. I especially am finding it hard to get into the Christmas card groove. Watching some Christmas movies is helping though. First it was The Grinch (my favorite Christmas movie of all time) and now Polar Express (love the hot chocolate scene).

Foxy Christmas

I must admit that I very much like the new fox image trend that is emerging. I adore the owls that are out there and now these foxes have captured my heart as well. I found this cute little fox Christmas stamp in the dollar bin at Michael's the other day.

I made two slightly different cards with this cute little fox. I had fun adding all the fun little elements too. Are you getting ready for Christmas? I am trying to get some Christmas cards done now, so I have them  ready.

Getting Ready for Christmas

With the unseasonable warmer weather we've been having here it is hard for me to get into the Christmas card making spirit, but I need to get stamping nonetheless.

I made this first card for the SplitCoastStampers Sketch challenge.

The second card I made for one of the Mini VSN challenges going on right now over at SplitCoastStampers.com.  We were given a yummy picture as inspiration. I always love a chance to make something with an image of a mug on it.

SSS234...Christmas Light

Hello Sweet Stop fans. This is sadly our very last Sweet Stop Sketch.

I've been trying to get some Christmas cards done, so I am not making them last minute. So for our last sketch I have a Christmas card to share. I actually put a bunch of glitter accents on the card, but it is hard to see in the photo. It looks much cooler in real life.

I hope you will stop by The Sweet Stop Sketch blog and see what the rest of the Sugar Babies did with our last sketch. You can also link up your project that you made this week with the sketch.

Have a blessed weekend!

SSS233...Thankful for Autumn Weather

What a beautiful Saturday. It is finally feeling like Autumn here. Nice cool mornings and beautiful low temp days. For the Sweet Stop Sketch this week, we have an Fall/Autumn spin.

I pulled out some older fun fall papers as my starting point. I stamped some leaves from the Leaf Silhouettes set with colors from the pattern papers and used them in place of the oval shape. I cut the thankful sentiment with my Silhouette Cameo.

Please join us and show us what you can make with the sketch this week. You can see what the rest of the Sugar Babies made and link up your project over at The Sweet Stop Sketch.

"Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name." Psalm 100:4 (NIV)

SSS232...He Never Changes

Happy Soggy Saturday Everyone! Boy have we been getting pounded with rain. I thought I saw Noah floating in his Ark today. LOL! And to top it off we had reservations for a camping trip this weekend. So I am writing this post from inside our RV. Praying it stops raining soon.

I love the sketch this week. A very simple sketch that really opens a lot of possibilities. I ordered the Featured Set, Season of Change, last week from Sweet N Sassy Stamps and had to use that for my card. I just love the gorgeous leaves. And how about that quote. So glad God never changes. For my card I pulled out this fabulous pattern paper I bought from Hobby Lobby a while ago. I just love all the wonderful words about God on the paper. So uplifting! I pulled some of the colors from the words on the paper to stamp the leaves and cut them out. I wanted to give a little bit of a grunge feel, so I sponged everything and rolled the one corner of the main panel.

Now it is your turn to show us your stamping stuff with the sketch this week. Please stop over at The Sweet Stop Blog and look at what the rest of the Sugar Babies made with the sketch and then link up your card or project.

"God is not human, that he should lie, not a human being that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?" Numbers 23:19 (NIV)
When everything around me seems to be out of control and people let me down, I am full of joy knowing that God will never change nor will He let me down.

SSS231...Comforting Bear Hugs

It's Sweet Stop Sketch Saturday and I had a lot of fun with the sketch this week. 

I received a new stamp from Little Miss Muffet Stamps in the mail this week and had to ink her up. The stamp name is Jasmine. This is my first stamp from the company. I just adore this little girl hugging her bear so tightly. The "Bear Hugs" sentiment is from the Sweet N Sassy Stamps set, Love From Rhubarb, which is on sale right now. I added a lot of texture to this card. I pulled the colors for the stamped image and the card stock from that plaid paper. I've had this plaid paper sitting on my table for a while and finally found a way to use it. I used embossing folders on the red and the blue panels. After embossing them, I rubbed some VersaMagic Cloud White Chalk Ink over them. I love that look. I added lots of silver half pearls to make it shine. Then finished it off with some white lace trim and polka dotted ribbon.

Now it is your turn to give the sketch a try. You can head over to The Sweet Stop Sketch blog to see what all of the Sugar Babies did with the sketch and then link up your own creation.

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God."  2 Corinthians 1:3-4 (NIV)

SSS230...Thanks For Being Precious to Me

Time for another Sweet Stop Sketch Challenge.

My starting point was a beautiful pad of paper by Recollections. I pulled out a few gorgeous sheets with coral pinks and taupe's. I used my favorite go to set for feminine cards and fabulous sentiments, Precious Poppies. I stamped the larger poppy image directly onto the floral pattern paper and then again on the pink polka dotted paper. I paper pieced the flowers and left the rest as is.  I added some pretty lace trims and a bow with a button center.

Now it's our turn. Head over to The Sweet Stop blog and see what the rest of the Sugar Babies made and then link up your project for the sketch this week.

SSS229...Best Friends

This week we have a spin with the Sweet Stop Sketch.  The spin is School Time.  I wasn't sure where to go with this one at first. I'm way past my own school years and don't have any children school.  So I went through some already printed Digi Stamps and found a fun image by Mo Manning. Since. The one girl is holding a binder and a book. That fits the School Time bill for me.

I pulled out a paper pad I got from Walmart a while ago and made sure I colored the image very brightly. The black just pulls it all together.  I moved the piece represented by the star to the left to accommodate the image of the girls.

Now it is your turn. Head over to The Sweet Stop Sketch blog for more inspiration by the Sugar Babies and upload you project for the sketch with a spin this week.

SSS228...Happy, Loved and Blessed - Most of all Thankful

Time for another Sweet Stop Sketch. For this sketch I stretched the card base and made it to fit a business size envelope.

The card base is Early Espresso. I found the awesome pattern paper at Hobby Lobby and bought a bunch of it. I love the message and the colors. I pulled the colors of the card from the paper. I love the fun silhouette leaf stamps from the Leaf Silhouettes set. I used some words from the Mini Tags & Sentiments set. And the Happy Thanksgiving sentiment is from the Save the Turkeys set. So many different sets that work perfectly together. I pulled it together with some fun twine and a wooden button.

I can't wait to see what you've done with the sketch this week. There are so many possibilities. You can see what the other Sugar Babies made and enter a link to your newly made card over at The Sweet Stop Sketch blog. So get stamping.

SSS227...Save the Turkeys

The weather is cooling down here, and that means Autumn is on it's way. Plus Starbucks started selling Pumpkin Spice drinks about a week ago. I've had several Iced Pumpkin Spice Chai Lattes. Yum! My favorite Autumn holiday, of course is, Thanksgiving. And lucky for the guy on my card I am sharing today, I don't eat turkey. So he is saved. :)

I used the SNSS set, Save the Turkeys. I bought this set last year after Thanksgiving when it was on sale. This is my first time inking it up. Isn't he just so cute with his little sign. I pulled out my stash of Autumn papers and used two different patterns from Hobby Lobby. I used some vinyl backed burlap I got at Michael's for the larger banner and added some large brads to the top to hold it down.

Now it's your turn to use the Sweet Stop Sketch for this week and create something. You can share a link to your project over at The Sweet Stop Sketch blog and while you are there check out what the other Sugar Babies created with the sketch.

Have a super weekend! And if you have some free time, make sure you stop by SplitCoastStampers Sweet N Sassy Stamps Member Company Forum to learn about the new sets that were just released and join the challenges that are going on right now. I also plan to participate in some of the Virtual Stamp Night challenges at SCS, hope to see you there.

SSS225...You're a Star

My friend's niece graduated as an Honor Star at a Christian Life Assembly ceremony tonight. I made a card for her using The Sweet Stop Sketch this week.

I used a square instead of the oval to make it work better for the star image. She likes purple, so I used purple with some light blue. The star and flower stamps are from Unity. The niece stamp is from SNSS. I also used a scripture verse and the sentiment, "You are so precious to me!" on the inside of the card, both from Precious Poppies. I love the Proverbs 31:30 verse from the Precious Poppies set. It was perfect for the inside of this card.

It's your turn to give this sketch a try. You can link up your card or project over at The Sweet Stop Sketch blog. You can also get inspired by seeing what the rest of the Sugar Babies made.

Have an amazing and blessed weekend.

SSS224...Happy Heart

Another Saturday brings another Sweet Stop Sketch challenge. This week the challenge also has a spin: Sunflowers. Ahhhh, I love sunflowers. There is a farm nearby that has been growing fields of them for the past few years. We drove by a field of them last Sunday on the way to church and I smiled the whole time we were driving by that field. And what an appropriate name; sunflowers. They are like rays of sunshine aren't they?

Anyway, I pulled out an older GinaK set, Autumn Beauty, that has some sunflower stamps. The sentiment is from a new Sweet N Sassy Stamps set, Sweet Kiwi Koala. I used some fun vintage looking paper from Hobby Lobby that I had in my stash. And had to pull out some burlap ribbon. I love burlap with fall images like the sunflowers. And of course I had to add some stitching.

Please join us and create something with the sketch this week. Head over to The Sweet Stop Sketch blog to share a link to your newly created project using the sketch and also check out what the other Sugar Babies created with the sketch this week.

SSS222...Oh Happy Day

Happy Saturday! It's Sweet Stop Sketch time again.

I made a Happy Card for the sketch this week. The sketch is pretty simple, leaving room to show of some fun pattern papers. I had this pretty sunshine paper and some fun hearts paper. Since I've been in a sewing mood lately, I added a lot of stitching to this card. I stitched along half of the sun rays and around the heart strips. I love how the stitching turned out. I put a little orange button in the center of the sun to cover up the ends of the stitching lines. The sentiment is from the newer Sweet Kiwi Koala set.

So now it's your turn. Head over to The Sweet Stop Sketch blog and get all the details. Also, make sure you look at all the eye candy created by Sugar Babies.

May God bless you with a wonderful weekend!

SSS221...Exploring Mixed Media

Happy Saturday! Time for another Sweet Stop Sketch. This week I decided to use the sketch for something other than a card.

I was wandering through Michael's the other day and found a really cool framed canvas coated with black Gesso. Then I found a roll of laminate back burlap. And I knew I wanted to use the Grunge Borders stamp set on the burlap. I pulled out some trading card size adhesive back canvas sheets I had in my stash to stamp the Proverbs verse from Precious Poppies. It much bolder in real life. I was kind of hard to get a good shot of the decorated canvas. I did some stitching with black thread and added some fun earthy embellishments. I stamped one of the butterflies from New Beginnings with white chalk ink to finish it off. I like how it turned out and will definitely find a place to hang it in my apartment. I am definitely going to do some more projects like this in the future. I had fun incorporating my other favorite hobby (sewing) with stamping.

Head over to The Sweet Stop to check out the full challenge and see what the other sugar babies created. Then take some time to play along with the sketch this week.

Have a fabulous weekend.