So Suzy Stamps Friendship Hop

Good morning, everyone! Are you enjoying our So Suzy Friendship Hop?? Hard to believe we've only known each other for a year now...seems like it was just yesterday these ladies were hearing for the first time that I was going to mail them my Jasper cat. LOL

As a special 'thank you' to everyone who has been on the team, followed our blog and made new friends, we are doing a Friendship Blog Hop with some of our past and present Design Team members. Be sure to leave a comment on everyone's blogs for a chance to win a $15 gift certificate to So Suzy Stamps! Woohoo!

You should be arriving from sweet Martha's beautiful blog - I just love that gal. One day I'll get to hug her in person!

For my card, I broke out the Distress Inks and water to do some water coloring. The first time I saw that lovely rose hanging in Suzy's shop, I knew what I wanted to do with it!

Distress Inks - Wild Honey, Abandoned Coral, Twisted Citrus

I hear some of you giggling...you know already what stamp I used for the sentiment, don't you? It was just so fitting for my teammate loves!

Stamps - Rose, Open Sketch Heart, Weird Stalker

Hehehehehe, I truly do love them all in a non-stalker way. Ok, off you go to my dear Monica's blog to continue on the hop! You have until December 4th to leave us some love for a chance at that gift certificate to the shop.

Happy Crafting!

CASEing Kelly Blog Hop

Good morning everyone! Welcome to my stop on the CASEing Kelly Blog Hop! Are you having a fabulous day soaking in all the creativity? I know whenever I look at Kelly's blog I'm like a kid in a candy store, in awe of all the beautiful colors and unexpected pops of fun techniques around every corner. I always loved when it was Kelly's turn to post on the a2z Scrapbooking blog because I knew it was going to be something super cool and beautifully colored.

We have some fabulously generous sponsors for this hop as well, because hey, what's a hop without some fantabulous prizes?? Leave a comment by 11:59 pm EDT on Thursday, October 29th along each stop in the hop to increase your chances of winning a prize from one of our sponsors: a2z Scrapbooking, Altenew, Create a Smile Stamps, Dee's Artsy Impressions, DJ Kard Kreations, Hero Arts, Ink Road, Lia Stampz and Simon Says Stamp! Winners will be notified by email after October 29th.

Ok, on to the cards! Let me tell you, I spent hours pouring over Kelly's blog looking at card after card for inspiration. Then I discovered that she has a Pinterest board of her cards, so I lost a few days looking at those. What is it with Pinterest - every time I get on there, time seems to speed up around me and it's suddenly three days later by the time I'm done. In the end, these three beauties really spoke to me:

I just love the bold stripes here! The sailor knot twine is so fun, and the coloring soft yet eye-catching.

So much love here - the sequins, the rainbow, the unexpected pop of black, the random die cut pieces...yowza!

I love the CAS feel of this one, and the bravery to die cut such a beautifully colored flower! That's scary.

So, what did I come up with?

I went bold! The stripes from the first card were so cool, I knew I wanted to use those. The die cut sentiment from the third made for an easy way to incorporate a greeting without detracting from the bold stripes. You should have seen me sweating while I die cut that panel...yipes! I pulled the color palette and the sequins from the second card; black & white with pops of color. This card is so different than my norm, and I love it!

It needed a bit more shimmer than just the sequins, so I coated the flowers in Clear Wink of Stella for some added sparkle.

Time for you to keep hopping! Thank you so very much for stopping by my little caffeinated corner of the internet today. :)

Blog Hop Lineup:

a2z Scrapbooking

Amy Tsuruta

Ardyth Percy Robb

Brandi Hall

Char Kochensparger

Cindy Chiu

Darnell Knauss

Dawn Turley

Debra James

Deepti Malik

Donna Idlet

Elizabeth Campau

Ellen Haxelmans

Heather Ruwe

Jennifer Loftfield <<< you are here!

Joan Bardee <<< go here next!

Kara Vrabel

Kara-Lynne

Kathy Wade

Katie Gehring

Kristie Goulet

Kristina Beagle

Kymona Tracey

Laura Jane

Leigh Penner

Lin Brandyberry

Linda Trace

Lindsay Amrhein

Lydia Evans

Maria Sabina Raita

Marika Rahtu

Martha Lucia Gomez

Michele Cunningham

Michele Ferguson

Michelle Lupton

Michelle Williams

Monica Maier

Niki G.

Nina-Marie Trapani

Rubeena Naz

Shelly Kurth

Taunya Butler

Thordis Dogg

Vera Yates

Happy Crafting!

Remembering Why

Happy Memorial Day weekend everyone! Today I'm sharing two cards that remind us why we have a long weekend, sales, BBQs, and all the other things we enjoy this weekend.

This first one was created by inking up my stamps with the Distress Markers, giving them a quick 'huff', then stamping onto linen paper. The end result is a lovely texture with bright, vibrant colors.

This one was a very CAS card and can also be found over on the Mountain Plains Crafters blog today. You might also find a flash giveaway over there...shhhh! The feathers were die cut from my Simon Says Stamp dies (love them!) and spritzed with Heidi Swapp gold spray, then a couple of Pretty Pink Posh sequins were added to draw your attention back to the sentiment. All of the stamps are from Unity Stamp Co.

Both of these cards will be sent off to Operation Write Home. Hope you get some crafting in this weekend, and take a moment to remember all of our troops past, present, and future.

Happy Crafting!

Happy Birthday! with Kraft Paper, Inks, and Die Cuts

I posted a sneak peek of this card over on my Instagram feed and promised a full blog post after the recipient, well, received it! Seeing as I hand delivered it yesterday to my dear dad I can now share it with the rest of you.

I was inspired by this card by Kristina Werner and seeing as I needed a card for Dad thought this was a prime opportunity to try it out. Besides, I even HAVE that Paper Smooches stamp set! Woot!

Happy Birthday!

Seeing as I don't have any of the new Simon Says Stamp inks yet (boo), but my Memento's held their own. I inked up Pistachio, Teal Zeal, Elderberry, and Dandelion for a bright and pretty design. I had a bit of empty space left on the bottom so I drew in the faux stitching with my Inksentials White Gel Pen, and am very pleased with how straight the line came out. Go me. :)

The speech bubble is a Simon Says Stamp exclusive and cuts like a dream, especially when paired with my magnetic Sizzix board. I used scrap paper I had leftover from other projects of various thicknesses, so in the end I cut and glued together (7) bubbles. I can easily see using this same technique with my Cameo. The 'happy birthday' sentiment is also from Simon Says Stamp and comes with the stamp set with the kitty in the box I love so much. You may recognize it from this card.

Woo, look at the height!

Including picking out inks and paper scraps, I put the whole card together in under 30 minutes. Fast, easy, pretty, and easily changed up for any occasion. I think I've added another card to my 'go to' pile!

Have you been inspired by any cards lately?

I'm linking up here: Simon Monday Challenge Blog: We Love Stamps!, Simon Wednesday Challenge Blog: Get Krafty!, Paper Smooches! Challenge: Fun and Cute

Happy Crafting!