The Dancing Pear

I say tomato...

2011-07-29T07:41:00.000-07:00

Hello blog land!

I simply had to share a pic of what my garden gave me this morning. I love tomatoes so very much, and LOVE to grow heirloom varieties, to me they are beautiful to look at, and taste so much better!

So, how about pureeing some olive oil, roasted garlic and basil (also from my garden!), pour over the tomatoes, and top with some crumbled goat cheese? Yum!

Hope you are all staying cool today!

Toot, toot, toot!!

2011-07-26T10:42:00.000-07:00

Hello blog world!

I stopped by the ole blog to toot my own little horn :0) The latest issue of Paper Crafts Stamp It! Cards issue has 3 of my little cards in it, my personal best number of cards in one issue!

You can find "Good Fortune" on page on page pg 17, using the MTME So Fortunate stamp set!, pg 41, "Many Birthday Wishes", also using MTME So Fortunate stamp set, and last "Happy Halloween" on pg. 86, using MTME A Spooky Surprise and PTI's Friendship Jar Fall Fillers.

I can't show you the cards yet...so go buy a copy already! :0)

Thanks for stopping by!

MTME group post

2011-05-04T23:55:00.000-07:00

Hello blog friends!

Wow, time buzzez...I mean flies...when we are having fun! It is already the last day of the MTME May release peeks...I hope you enjoyed the eye candy from this talented team! I had one more project from Bee-Loved that was tickling my brain that I just had to try and create (do you guys get those?? Little brain flutters that you have to create or they keep bugging you?):0)

I wanted to make the little bee into a necklace! What do you think??

I bought the little frame at Michaels, stamped the bee onto turquoise paper, added glitter and sealed with Glossy Accents.

Here's a really terrible picture of me wearing it! But you get the idea :0)

Go visit the other ladies and leave some love :0)

Teresa~Guest Designer

Sweet tulip

2011-05-03T23:55:00.000-07:00

Hello blog friends!

One of the great things about designing stamps is that I get to be a bit selfish :0) I get to design things *I* want to stamp, in a style I want to work with. I like large images to use with Copics, because I like acting like a kid with crayons and a brand new coloring book!

Working with Lauren at My Time Made Easy, as many of you follow her, she makes her love of tulips well knows. So, when I was designing Bee-Loved stamp set, I wanted to make sure I included a tulip, one that I could color! :0)

Another image that can "hold down a card" all on it's own.

One of my tricks I remember learning when I was taking the Copic Designer class, was to use Momento London Fog (a grey ink) if I wanted a stamp to look like a pencil drawing. I used that tip on this card, it gives a softer appearance to my delicate tulip. A few small bees along the side stamped in VersaMark complete the card, and finally added the "Sweet as can bee" sentiment from Bee-Loved Sentiments along the bottom in black, so it stands out a bit.

This is intended for my sister for Mother's Day, as she is a tulip fan too :0)

Thanks for stopping by!

The latest buzz....

2011-05-02T23:55:00.000-07:00

Hello blog land!

I have one more ~buzzy~ little bee to share with you today from the May release from My Time Made Easy! This is the medium sized bee from the new stamp release, Bee-Loved and Bee-Loved Sentiments!

I went "traditional" colors of yellow and black on this card...hope it tickles!

I Copic Spica'd her wings for shine. Super easy and fast card...my kinda card!

Buzz on over to check out these ladies:

Lauren

Pam

Tangii

Buzzing by...

2011-05-01T23:55:00.000-07:00

Hello blog friends!

So, what do you think of the My Time Made Easy's Bee-Loved release so far??

I have another card to share today! I used a sweet color combination, khaki, brown, pink, hot pink and vanilla. This time I focused on the large daisy image, stamping it in two different colors. (The roses...from my garden...da bomb.)

Then I stamped one tiny little bee in chocolate brown.

Added the sentiment, which is perfect for almost any occasion...and I think I'll use it for my Mother's Day cards! I love to give Mother's Day cards to all of my "mommy friends". Mother's do not get enough credit for the tough job of raising children!

I popped the sentiment and added a bit of twine...easy and sweet!

Buzz on over to visit these other talented ladies:

Lauren

Katie

Debbie

Bee-Loved

2011-04-30T23:55:00.000-07:00

Hello blog friends!

Finally, May 1st is here...that means it's finally time for the release of Bee-Loved and Bee-Loved sentiments, my latest release for My Time Made Easy! Hope you pop over to MTME to see the amazing coordinating templates Lauren designed to coordinate with Bee-loved!

I wanted a LARGE bee stamps. I have tons of bee stamps, but nothing with a large bee, large enough to hold down a card all by their little selves. So, when I was thinking about what I wanted in a bee set, I knew BIG was on the menu!

The bee in this image measures 2.5 inches from wing tip to wing tip! The daisy flower measures almost that large! The spotty bee trail is another large stamp in this set.

There are many wonderful sentiment in Bee-Loved Sentiments, this is one of my favorite!

I took a quick shot in the sun so you can see the Spica Glitter from my Copic Spica marker!

Now, using the same basic layout, I switched up the colors and made an even more basic card. I think this one could be used for almost anyone that needs a "day brightener".

I outlined Mr. Bee with a pale blue Copic marker and stamped the "trail" using Versamark. Here's another large and wonderful sentiment!

Buzz on over and check out the rest of the MTME Design Team!

Teresa~Guest Designer

Scroll down to see more of my projects for this release :0)

Missing my honey!

2011-04-29T23:55:00.000-07:00

Hello blog land!

Today is the last peek day before My Time Made Easy's next release! The stamps, templates and paper will all be released May 1st! I have two stamps bee-ing released this month, have you figured out the theme yet? :0) May-bee you have!

Bees are amazing creatures, and produce a favorite among my children...honey!

When I was thinking about the sentiments for this set (there are two sets bee-ing released, Bee-loved which is primarily images, and the second set is coordinating sentiments!), I wanted to have a variety of images and sentiments that coordinate with bees...honey and flowers bee-ing my favorite (are you tired of my "bee's" yet?). I designed this vintage-ey bee hive just to go with the "Missing my honey" sentiment!

The tiny bees are also included in Bee-loved set. I popped the hive and lightly inked the edges, then I stamped the tiny bees tone on tone, they actually look more intense in the picture than in real life.

So buzz on over to see more ideas and templates for these Bee-loved sets!

Bee-loved pillow

2011-04-28T23:59:00.000-07:00

Hello blog friends!

It's that time again...and it never gets old :0) Another stamp release for me! I have been patiently waiting for this latest stamp release from My Time Made Easy! This set is call Bee-loved (for sale on May 1st), and it features bees, and flowers, honey and wonderful sentiments! I designed these many months ago and it is practically *torture* waiting for the release day!

I love bees. Happily buzzing around, drunk on pollen. They represent life, change and those warm summer days ahead.

So...are you wondering how I turned one of the stamps into a pillow?? Hmmmm???? There is probably a really cool computer way to do this...but that's not how I roll. I roll with a projector! I simply stamped the bee onto white paper, then projected it onto a piece of fabric taped to a wall...look close, you can faintly see the bee image! (OK...so forgive the electrical cords, the tape measure, my Big Shot, ect, that also some how snuck into this photo!)

I traced the image onto an 18 x 18 inch piece of this soft and vintage-y muslin fabric I had laying around. I used your basic #2 pencil to trace the image.

Then I broke out a needle and craft thread. This is thick thread, about the size of embroidery thread if you didn't separate the individual threads. To stitch, I used a basic back stitch...nothing fancy. It did take me several hours to complete the stitching, and I used almost the entire skein of thread. I caught up on one of my favorite movies...Pride & Prejudice..."...you have bewitched me, body and soul...." sigh. Oh...back to stitching.

Ahhh...isn't it beautiful! I simply sewed the pillow closed and stuffed it, then machine sewed black grosgrain ribbon around the edge. This only cost me pennies to make...and it looks like something from a high end catalog!! If you follow my blog , you know that I love to challenge myself to do something other than cards or paper projects with my stamps. You could do this project with of ANY stamp you own!!

Thanks for buzzing by! I'll bee posting lots of projects this week (yes...all puns intended).

Can't get enough of these buzy bees:

Teresa ~Guest Designer

Out with the old....

2011-03-27T18:17:00.000-07:00

Hey blog friends!

I am doing some MAJOR thinning out of my stamping supplies!! Sometimes you just wonder how in the world you "collected" so many of these wonderful stamps. Well, it's time for me to thin some older ones out to make room for some new ones!

I will be listing some Papertrey Ink, JustRite, Magnolia Stamps, Hero Arts and MORE!

I've started listing them on Ebay...here's a link to my posts! I'll be listing all week :0) Thanks for peeking!

My Ebay Stamps for Sale...click HERE.

Hi!

2011-03-18T11:21:00.000-07:00

Hello my blog friends!

Sorry it's been a little while since my last post...I wanted to share what's been keeping me busy for the last few weeks.

One of my very best friends was married a few weeks ago, and asked for a painting from me as a wedding gift.

Here's the photo of their wedding...

And here's my interpretation of this beautiful photo:

I hope they like it! I snapped a quick photo before I wrapped it...sorry it's not staged, or hanging on a wall! It did feel good to get back to my "roots", so to say, of painting. This is acrylic paint, and I used some Glimmer Mist to make the painting shine.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Come ON, Spring!

2011-02-26T05:47:00.000-08:00

Hello, blog friends!

I don't know about you guys....but could Spring get here any faster this year??? I have both kids at home ALL week with the flu. Really...I could use a Mojito. A big one. :0)

So, not much paper crafting time recently, or not much I can share! But, with the hope of Spring, I start decorating. Time to bring out the colors of the ocean, my favorite theme for Summer!

Now, I don't remember the names of these papers...please forgive me. They were in my "stash". I simply wanted paper that would flow together and brighten up my mantle. Turquoise, blues, sea green...and a pop of orange!

I've also been in one of those "change everything" modes. I have been wicked with a can of white spray paint! The candlesticks and lantern were black last week....

My walls in this room are "Silver", a color I picked at Lowe's...

Michael's has canvas' on sale last week, so I picked up 4 12 x 12 ones. I Mod Podged the paper to the canvas, and wrapped the edges with satin white ribbon. The upper right one I added a few sand dollars for some interest. I think I need two more canvas,' the space is larger than I thought! I'll add a new picture when no one here is sick, and I can hop back to Michael's!

Here's to Spring....

Happy Valentines Day!

2011-02-13T18:21:00.000-08:00

Happy Valentine's Day, my blog friends!

I thought I would provide you with a little creative inspiration today... take a look at some of the colors, shapes, patterns that are used in these amazing paintings!

As many of my regular followers know, I have a background in fine art, and every now and then share some of my favorite artists and painting. How about some love today??

Gustav Klimt...The Kiss... (one of my personal favorite artist. Don't you just want love to always be like this?)

Renoir...The Lovers

...or the love we have for our children... (Mary Cassatt, Mother and Child")

...or we could just love that spring is hopefully around the corner...Claude Monet

Happy Valentine's Day...for whatever kind of love you are celebrating today!

Woot! Woot!

2011-02-11T13:15:00.000-08:00

Hello blog friends!

Well, I'm just sharing some happy news...I had a few cards accepted to the next publication of PaperCrafts Stamp It! Cards Issue!! To make the news even sweeter...I created cards using stamps I designed. Small dreams do come true :0)

The last time I was in the issue...I was on the cover (the cherry card is mine)...I still get a thrill seeing my cards in magazines!

Life is good.

B-E-L-I-E-V-E

2011-02-04T23:55:00.000-08:00

Hello my blog friends!

Well, have you enjoyed this month's release from My Time Made Easy?? I hope you have been inspired :0)

This card was the first project I created when I received my stamps. I love letters and words, so I was very excited about this release! A single word can be so powerful, and hold such meaning. I love how one simple word, Believe, can mean so many different things.

Believe in God, believe in miracles...believe in Santa! But this card I made for a very special friend...and I want her to believe in herself :0)

The monogram letters are from Monograms Defined, as well as the smaller "believe" along the bottom. I very lightly colored the flowers with my Copic markers, and drew the dots between the words. Tied with a simple ribbon, and a scattering of pearls for an accent.

I wanted to share my "power bracelet" as I call it. "Believe" is a special word to me too, along with other words that keep me grounded and focused. I simply look down, and one of "my words" reminds me of what is truly important in life. Check out The Vintage Pearl for information on their jewelry!

Thanks for stopping by today!

February My Time Made Easy release!

2011-01-31T23:55:00.000-08:00

Hello blog friends!

It's the best time of the month here on my little blog...My Time Made Easy's release day!

Lauren asked us to make it personal...so, I did a little something different this time, and Lauren is always telling us to go where our creativity takes us! A cozy little home is very personal to me right now!

So, using some of the new stamps from this release, Monograms Defined, I created a mixed media canvas of a little cozy home.

The "home" is actually from a new paper released this month called Vintage Posts, designed by Kristin.

Here's a shot of some of the vintage style details I put on this home...buttons, glitter, lace, ribbons, felt..ahhhh...music to my ears...err...fingers!

Take a peek at the tree...look closely...do you see the "T's"?? That is the "T" from Monograms Defined, used to create some interest on my otherwise flat paper tree!

How about the words along the bottom "hill"? Hope, Love, Memories. These words are also from Monograms Defined. They are each separate words, and I stamped them over and over...words that mean "home" to me!

I love all of the hidden stars in the sky...I used true vintage dictionary pages as my background.

Sometime you just have to think outside the box with your stamps! They can be used for so many things besides cards and scrapbook pages! Sometimes you just have to let your imagination run a little wild!

Go check out the rest of what the design team created for this release!

Sneakity Peek!

2011-01-28T23:55:00.000-08:00

Hello blog friends!!

Time flies...right?? It's already time for the sneak peeks to begin for My Time Made Easy's February release!

With limited time these days, I like to create a fast card when I can sneak in a few minutes of crafty time...and with Valentine's quickly approaching (wasn't it JUST Christmas??) I wanted to create some cute cards for my kiddos! Sometimes I find simple cards more challenging...but this one must have been in the back of my mind somehow...it came together very quickly!

My inspiration for this card was simply wanting to use turquoise and red together...one of my favorite color combinations. The kraft paper is a great neutral, and the tearing effect helps to direct your eye to the sentiment. Lauren created a WONDERFUL alphabet set for this release called Monograms Defined (available for purchase on February 1st!).

Instead of using the monograms for this card, I used the "definitions". The "Love" and the "You" are two separate words, but I LOVE how I can create my own sentiment :0) My favorite part you ask?? The tiny dots in the center of the "O's".

Hop on over to see what the other talented ladies have created!! Thanks for stopping by...

Lauren
Pam
Monique
Kristin
*Guest Designer....Naomi*

other supplies: Papertrey Ink Kraft, Hawaiian Shores paper, ribbon...MemrieMare

chirp...chirp...

2011-01-25T07:57:00.000-08:00

Hello blog friends!

Anyone else hear crickets? Sorry it's been so quiet around the blog recently....but trust me...I've been very busy personally and professionally in the background!

I don't have a card/stamping project to share today, but I thought I might share a wedding gift I created for my cousin and his wife when they married.

Using their beautiful wedding invitation, and my trusty Cricut Expression, I cut out the letters LOVE.

I tried to cut out "memories" such as the date, location...what was on the reception menu, ect. Little details that might get lost over time.

Then, in the background, you can see faint typing. I printed that off the website they built for their wedding (GREAT idea, by the way!). It was their memories they placed for the wedding party to read and share in their love about how they met.

I used everything I could...the envelope is the "shadow" of the letters, the gold was the back to the invitation that I pulled apart and ran it through my Big Kick to emboss...and even a tiny piece of the ribbon that held it tied closed.

Finally framing it in simple black, so they can hang it in their house and hopefully stop every now and then and remember their wedding day!

Thanks for stopping by...My Time Made Easy's next release is just around the corner!!

My Time Made Easy Group Post

2011-01-05T23:55:00.000-08:00

Hello my blog friends!

This is the last day of eye candy for My Time Made Easy's January release! Lauren asked her design team to do something a little different....we got to choose a favorite stamp set and template to work with. In other words, a year in review!

Looking forward to Spring, I chose one of my favorite color combo's...berry red and lime green! With my sister's birthday coming up, I knew that I wanted something bright and fun!

I chose to work with the To Go! Template (HERE), and several different stamp sets!

The "label", strawberry stamps and the word "strawberry" are from Well Preserved found HERE. The "check off list" is from Fancy A Cuppa? HERE. The card used this months release, So Fortunate, found HERE.

I have so little time these days, that I am loving cute, fast and easy! This card was so fast....literally less than five minutes! I stamped the sentiment randomly all down one side, tied coordinating ribbons and added three little jewels to highlight the word "birthday". So cute!

I stuffed in a ton of lip gloss from Bath and Body Works...just some girly fun!

Make sure you visit the rest of the design team to see what template and stamp set they chose to work with! Thanks for stopping by!

Time for Takeout!

2011-01-04T23:55:00.000-08:00

Hello blog friends!

Who doesn't love a little take-out Chinese food??? I couldn't resist creating this super fun and easy card with My Time Made Easy's latest release, So Fortunate!!

I love doing one layer cards...the faster I can make a card...the better!! This was sooo easy...just stamp the take out box on the corner of your card...add a few cookies spilling out...then the sentiment (FUN!)...draw a line around to help create a border and direct the eye to the sentiment!

I did use my Copic markers to add a touch of color!

Thanks for stopping by! Hop on over to these talented ladies to see some eye candy!

Lauren
Lisa
Tangii
Kristin

Little lantern

2011-01-03T23:55:00.000-08:00

Hello blog friends!

Are you enjoying the So Fortunate examples from My Time Made Easy?? As much as I LOVE Christmas, I am also looking forward to Spring, and these cherry blossoms are just ticket to get me in a springy mood!

If you follow my blog, then you've seen me use these cherry blossoms as background builders over the last several days...but on this card I wanted them front and center! Using my wonderful Copic's, I had a great time coloring in all the blossoms, then to add an extra pop of color, I used a pale yellow around some of the blossoms and lantern.

The pattern inside the lantern is a separate stamp, and I did a "stamp off", where I stamped it first on a scrap piece of paper...then the second stamp on my card to make it a pastel blue.

Thanks for stopping by...now hop on over to see what some of the other design team members have created for your viewing pleasure!

Lauren

Pam

Monique

other supplies: Neenah Classic Crest paper, Momento Ink, Papertrey Ink Sweet Blush cardstock

Little China Dolls....

2011-01-02T23:55:00.000-08:00

Hello blog friends!

Welcome back to MORE inspiration from My Time Made Easy's January release featuring So Fortunate!! I love to give cards...as gifts! As part of my cost saving gift ideas, I usually make sets of cards for my family as part of their Christmas presents. I made this set for my sister, and she requested birthday cards this year!

Using the little doll as the focus, and the CUTE sentiment...I created a set of 3 using the same layout, but simply changed colors. It gave me a great chance to work with my Copic markers :0) Coloring faces is still a bit of a challenge to me, but I liked the way these girls all have pink little cheeks.

...now in lavender and purple....

....and turquoise and blues!

Hop on over and see what the other MTME design team ladies have created for your viewing pleasure!

other supplies: Papertrey Ink Kraft Cardstock, Lavender Moon cardstock, Plum Pudding Ink, Orange Zest cardstock and ink, Blueberry cardstock, Momento Ink, Neenah Classic Crest paper, Momento Ink

So Fortunate!

2010-12-31T23:55:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year to my blog friends!!

Wow. It is really hard to believe that it is already 2011. Really?? WOW! This last year seemed to never stand still long enough for me to really reflect on it! I hope 2011 slows down so I can appreciate my rapidly growing children!

Don't we all need to sometimes be reminded of what we are fortunate for in our lives? I think this set is PERFECT for a New Year's release, as it can help remind us of what we are blessed and thankful for!

Enough chat...onto a project ( 'cause I know that's why you are all really here...)! It is finally time for My Time Made Easy's January release! Introducing....So Fortunate! (and...yes...this is another one of my stamp designs...hope you like!!)

I have to confess, when Lauren asked me to design an Asian themed stamp, I was a little intimidated! One, I can't draw people...and two, Asian is not a style that I've ever worked with before!

But, after thinking and researching what *I* liked, this charming little doll (hand cut out and colored with Copic's!) was created...along with tons of sentiments (some are a little funny!) that are perfect for most anything...and this lovely cherry blossom stamp! The sentiment says..." A small blessing will soon arrive". The sentiments are designed to read like they are Chinese fortunes. :0) There is even a fortunate cookie cut file that the sentiments will fit in!

And...if you are a fan of Lauren Meader...you know she has the BEST templates...and here is another perfect one! Also called So Fortunate, it is a large sized "Chinese Take Out" Box. I created this set for my BFF who is expecting a baby next summer...would this not be the CUTEST baby shower theme?? For a little doll??? So, I chose pink and brown, then stamped the cherry blossoms in white. It could easily be adapted for a little boy!

I wanted to show you the side detail where I added the ribbon. I punched a hole in the side using my Crop-a-dile Big Bite, tied a knot on the interior and threaded it through...so I had two strings, one on each side, and tied them at the top! Perfect little detail and great POP of color! Now, scoot on over and check out what the rest of the design team created!! Thanks for stopping by!

Christmas Wreaths

2010-12-21T13:52:00.000-08:00

Hello blog friends!!

Christmas is just a few days away! I love how excited the kids are getting...trying to peek at their gifts, wondering what Santa will bring, reading the story of the birth of Christ. It is a *magical* time of year, and my kids are the perfect age to really enjoy the magic of the season.

My husband, though, is driving me a little crazy with the Christmas Card requests :0) "Oh...can you whip me up like 8 or 10 more?....for tomorrow?" SURE!

So, with very little notice...I made a set of 8 of these cards, completely inspired by a card Nichole Heady posted HERE. The stamp set is a Wreath for All Seasons...I LOVE wreathes, so I've been using the heck out of this set! I didn't have time to do all of the details that she created (nor do I own all of the tools she has!) , so I simplified the design, and made it larger to fit on some pre made cards...but I still think it makes a beautiful card!

I inked the edges and added some Stickles to the berries.

Super quick and easy...I whipped these out in about an hour! The longest part was waiting for the Stickles to dry!

If you guys have a few extra minutes, please keep Lauren Meader and her Mom in your thoughts and prayers. If you haven't read about her Mom's cancer diagnosis...read about it HERE.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to my friends out in blog land!

Glitter is Glam

2010-12-16T10:43:00.000-08:00

I love to play with challenges when I have the time these days...which seems to be few and far between! But, a snow day has me snowed in with two kids...so the perfect time to play! Over in the Moxie Fab World, Cath has a challenge called "Glitter is Glam"

Well, I whole heartily agree...glitter is glam! Especially when I get to play with a new set I bought from PaperTrey Ink, Wreath for All Seasons. I knew my Mom would love the wreath, so I wanted to make several projects for her as Christmas presents! I started with this set of tags, I actually made around 7 of them, but I couldn't get them to look right in the picture...a great project to make "assembly line" style.

I glittered everything I could on these tags....the grey scallop mat (Spellbinder square and square scallop dies), the berries on the wreath...and the jingle bells. But, I didn't stop there! Oh, NO! I found some "glitter" ribbon and had some spray glitter laying around and even glittered the poinsettias! I tied several of these onto small poinsettias for my preschool director and assistant, and the teachers helper for my daughter's class. I love the vintage feel, and the chunky silver glitter (found at Wal-Mart) seems to make everything very vintage inspired.

Thanks for stopping by!

...Or so she says...

2010-12-13T05:18:00.000-08:00

Hello blog friends!!

I just wanted to share I am being featured on "Or so she says" today as a guest blogger :0) Thank you guys for giving me the opportunity!!

Assembly line angels

2010-12-07T11:14:00.000-08:00

Hello blog friends!!

Hope you are all enjoying your holiday season so far...it seems to rush by so fast!

I thought I'd take a minute and share the "assembly line" cards I created for my husband's employees. I do this every year, like a small gift from me to the wonderful people that work so hard for him. Because it's a religious based organization, I always try to do a card that has a religious element to it, and this year I chose angles. I found this beautiful swirly angel stamp set at Michaels, from Inkadinkado...and it was on sale :0)

I used my favorite technique, heat embossing. I think it looks so elegant! To make this process a little easier, I bought a set of "pre-done" card bases at Michaels, these happen to be golden (hard to tell in this poor winter light!) I needed to make 20, so I wanted the layout and technique to be super easy, therefore I settled on a basic, yet elegant layout.

Using gold as my inspiration, I heat embossed the angel in gold on Scarlet Jewell cardstock (by PaperTrey Ink) and used the Signature Christmas (also by PTI) for my exterior and interior sentiments. I highlighted her trumpet with Copic markers, and added a few Stickles on her "dots" for extra bling.

I also stamped the interior...

...and the envelope...

And here's all 20 cards! Whew! It took me almost a week to cut, stamp, assemble and emboss everything, but it is such a wonderful feeling when I'm all finished.

Lauren gave her design team the month "off" for us to enjoy the holidays and extra time with our families. I am taking this opportunity to not worry about posting too much over the next several weeks! I am getting ready for January's release for My Time Made Easy, and doing my graphic illustration work in the background...so I'll be around, but just taking a wee break from posting! Enjoy the holidays everyone :0)

Wonderfully Wrapped Santa

2010-11-30T22:05:00.000-08:00

Hello blog friends!

Can you believe it is already December 1st???? Have you finished your holiday shopping? I am proud to say that I am ahead of the game this year and just about finished :0)

December 1st also means another release for My Time Made Easy, and this month's template, Wonderfully Wrapped, is perfect for those great gifts you are giving!

I can't get enough of my Secret Santa stamp set (found HERE), I've been using it like crazy! I knew I wanted to use it for this template...I was pleasantly surprised at how large this template is, I was able to stuff and entire bag of gummy bears in here, with room to spare!

I was going for a Santa "look", can you kinda see Santa? The red PTI card stock is his suit, the ribbon represents his belt, and the tag is his belt buckle. :0) I created the stitching with a white gel pen.

Here's another use for a cute and easy tag too...I created the Secret Santa stamp set with all things Santa in mind...wouldn't this just be PERFECT for a Secret Santa exchange at work?

It's right up my alley...easy, fun, cute! Everything was created from punches...the circle tag, the scalloped circle and the holly leaves! Finish it off with jingle bells and some candy cane bakers twine? So easy!

Thanks for stopping by...now, hop on over and see what the rest of the design team created!!

Winner, winner (chicken dinner) :0)

2010-11-27T06:54:00.000-08:00

Hello blog friends!

I stopped to announce the winner of my blog give away...it was number 4...Laurel...who said:

I am thankful for the heated seats in my new car! I am a follower and thanks for the chance to win, love your project!

Yeah!! Please contact me Laurel so I can get your prize out to you :0) Thank you to all of my blog followers, I appreciate each and everyone one of you!

Black Friday Sale :0)

2010-11-25T14:02:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving Blog Friends!!

I just wanted to stop in and let you know that in honor of Black Friday, My Time Made Easy is having a sale tomorrow! Check Lauren's Blog for the details HERE...or go to My Time Made Easy HERE!

Gobble, gobble :0)

Embellish Magazine Challenge

2010-11-24T08:30:00.000-08:00

Hello blog friends!

**If you are looking for my blog candy...scroll down or look HERE**

Embellish magazine has a beautiful new color challenge going on now, sponsored by My Time Made Easy (I know...I can't win...but I can still play!)

So...here's my interpretation!

Using the Carry It template from My Time Made Easy, and the Sugar & Spice stamp set, I created a sugary sweet gingerbread house all decked out for Christmas! I love creating these fun little gingerbread houses...and so easy with this stamp set!

The sentiment stamped on the sides is from the Secret Santa stamp set, also from My Time Made Easy!

I used several layers on the roof to give it more stability. Then covered it with vintage dictionary pages, buttons and Martha Stewart vintage glitter. I spritzed the entire house with Pink Bubblegum Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist.

The branches are a Martha Stewart punch, and some silver and lots of clear Stickles finish off my sweet little house!

Thanks for taking a peek :0)

Other supplies: Papertrey Ink Vintage Cream cardstock, buttons, Martha Stewart bakers twine.

Very Thankful ~ For YOU :0)

2010-11-22T14:05:00.000-08:00

Hello blog friends!

With Thanksgiving just around the corner, I always try to stop and remember the things I am thankful for. One of the things that I am thankful for is my little blog, and the people I have met through it! So, how about a giveaway? Just for one of you guys!!

I have an extra copy of My Time Made Easy's Secret Santa, a stamp set I designed. Just perfect for you to create Holiday related gifts and tags :0) Just leave me a comment about something you are thankful for! **BONUS** If you are one of my blog followers, and you win, then I'll throw in some extra goodies! Just let me know in your comment if you follow my blog. I'll leave this open until Friday, November 26th, 9:00am EST.

How about a project using Secret Santa??

I created this for my niece and nephew, it will be filled with Magic Reindeer Food for them to sprinkle on Christmas Eve. These stamps work perfectly for a Santa related project... with the jingle bell image (heat embossed with clear embossing powder) and the sentiment "Believe" (heat embossed in white)... St. Nick will love it!

This just makes me happy to look at it! The template is from My Time Made Easy, Tea Tabbed Box. I love this template because it is so super easy and quick!!

Thank you, each and everyone for being a part of my little spot in blog land! You have no idea how much joy my blog brings to my life!! :0)

Little Gingerbread Card

2010-11-21T08:37:00.000-08:00

Good Sunday, Blog Friends!!

Christmas is coming, Christmas is coming!! As much as I love my fall decorations, I am ready to move to Christmas, and I'm trying to make it through the week until next weekend when my house will look like little elves came to visit. While my children are small, I try very hard to keep it magical :0)

Gingerbread houses are one of our favorite traditions, and I love this little gingerbread stamp set that Lauren Meader created called "The Gingersnaps", found at My Time Made Easy's store :0)

The sentiment and scalloped background I created using one of my stamp sets, "Sugar & Spice", just perfect for the holidays and gift giving!

One year I baked 10 Derby Pies and gave them to all of my neighbors! Don't know what a Derby Pie is??...oh, let me share with you :0) It is basically a Pecan Pie that fell into a bag of chocolate chips. HERE is my favorite recipe (I use the first one)! Being a southern girl (raised on grits, biscuits and the word "Y'all") Derby Pie is something that is in my blood...and not helpful for the waist line, but at Christmas time...I just don't care :0) I can diet the rest of the year!

Thanks for stopping by!

A quick tag post...

2010-11-19T12:09:00.000-08:00

Hello blog friends!

I only have a minute to post today, but I wanted to share more tags I have created for Christmas!

This on combines several stamp sets...I love combining sets together to give you completely new looks! Here I started with A Spot of Tea from My Time Made Easy for the tea cup, stamped the holly from Secret Santa, the steam from Fanciful Flourishes, and the sentiment from Sugar & Spice. The base of the tag is a Spellbinder Die, and I colored the "hot chocolate" cup with my Copics!

This tag used some creative masking! I used the jingle bell image from Secret Santa (and the sentiment) and stamped it three times, one I cut out to layer on top! The base of the tag is a Spellbinder Die, and the greenery are all Martha Stewart punches!

Hope you all have a great weekend! Thanks for stopping by!

Tags, tags, tags!!

2010-11-12T11:41:00.000-08:00

Hello blog friends!

Sorry it's been a week since my last post...I've switched to a Mac, and I'm basically lost :0) It will be amazing once I am used to the format...but I'm in that learning curve now that makes me realize WHY did I want to do this?

But, I've been creative, getting ready for a fund raiser for my Mom's church. They have a craft sale every year, with all proceeds going to the church. It makes them several thousand dollars, and I love to support her small, community church! So using my latest stamp set, called, "Secret Santa", from My Time Made Easy...I created some super quick and easy tags to dress up some small canning jars. I filled them with Christmas yummies, dressed with a tag and goodies...and had 12 ready to go in less than 2 hours. PERFECT for teachers, neighbors, office mates!

The Holly leaves are from the Holly-Day Accents cut file from My Time Made Easy (the little ones are a Martha Stewart punch!)

Then I got to working on another idea to use the tags for...cards!

The paper is from Martha Stewart (found at Michael's), then a strip of coordinating blue paper, and some satin red ribbon...a bright and festive Christmas card!

So, I became so addicted to making the tags...that I even made a few sets for my Etsy store! (take a peek HERE) I made a tag kit...completed tags with a ton of ribbon and embellishments!

Thanks for stopping by!

Shake your tail feathers...

2010-11-04T23:59:00.000-07:00

Hello blog friends!

Shake your tail feathers!! And, boy are there lots of tail feathers in this post :0)

Today is the final group post for My Time Made Easy's November release! What a fun and creative week we have had...

Sharing my final official project (oh, I still have a TON to share...stick with me over the next few weeks!), I created treat boxes for the children that will be attending Thanksgiving at my house this year! Using the new template, "Any Way You Slice It" and the "Thankful" stamp set...I created these fun and bright little turkeys...I wanted them to appeal to children, lots of cuteness and bright colors!

I hand cut out the bodies, beaks and gobbles...then created the tail feathers with the new Trendy Tags cut file, number 2 and 6. Using my SCAL program and Cricut Expression, I elongated the tags until they looked like feathers. Having the ability to customize digital items is sooo cool! I'm not a digi girl, so when I think to work with digi elements...I have to pat myself on the back. Probably the longest part of making the turkeys was waiting for my Cricut to cut out the about 100 feathers!

The stripe and dotted papers are digital lovelies called Pretty Printable Fall Foliage. With the scraps, I punched the large leaf shapes feathers you see!

I LOVE to have my children creating next to me...and Turkey Lurkey here is created by my 7 year old daughter. I think my favorite parts are the two little yellow feet sticking out on the bottom, and the tiny nose dots. Little touches like that just make "her" soooo cute, don't cha think?

Here's how I plan on presenting them to the kids, filled with little projects to keep tiny hands busy while waiting for the boring adults to stop talking :0) The coordinating place card instructions are HERE.

I am very thankful for my family, very thankful they will be visiting for Thanksgiving, and I can't wait to share these with the children :0)

Now turkey trot on to see what the rest of the design team has in store for you!!

Lauren
Pam
Tracey
Monique
Debbie
Katie
Tammy
Kristin
Tangii
Lisa

other supplies: Papertrey Ink cardstock in Kraft, Scarlet Jewel, Harvest Gold, New Leaf, Orange Zest. Ribbon from Michaels, copic markers,

Chocolate Gingerbread House

2010-11-03T23:59:00.000-07:00

Hello blog friends!

Can you believe the amount of inspiration from the design team members for this release from My Time Made Easy?? Amazing!! If you follow my blog...remember a few days ago when I told you that you would be seeing a LOT of the Pretty Packaging Carry It template made into gingerbread houses with the Sugar & Spice stamp set from me? Well, here's #2! (Lauren asked us to decorate this template other ways besides a gingerbread house...but I just can't stop!)

A CHOCOLATE gingerbread house! If this was real...I'd blow my diet :0)

I might be hard to tell, but this is actually embossed with SILVER embossing powder. Then I added my favorite Martha Stewart vintage glitter everywhere! I "Stickled" the windows and doors for extra shimmer and snowy-ness.

The roof is from the adorable Pretty Printable digi paper called "Candy Shop"...I used it for both the roof, then cut the cute tags from the Cut File Accent "Trendy Tag 1" from the scraps. The "To & From" are from the Secret Santa stamp set.

Oh, I think you guys will be seeing a few more of these before long :0) They are addicting to make!

Now, hop on over to see some more MTME Design Team inspiration!

Lauren
Pam
Debbie

other supplies: Martha Stewart Branch Punch, Michaels ribbon, jingle bells, Dark Chocolate cardstock, New Leaf cardstock by Papertrey Ink

Tag, you're it!

2010-11-02T23:59:00.000-07:00

Hello blog friends!

Well, I certainly hope you are enjoying the amazing projects and ideas from the My Time Made Easy design team! I have been in creative over drive, anxious to get a jump start on my holiday tags and cards this year. I love the thought of having handmade tags on all of my gifts this year...and I have a few to share with you today. :0)

Super easy and cute, I created this tag using my Spellbinder Label Die, sponged ink around the edge, then colored (with Copics) and cut out the gift image from Secret Santa and pop-dotted it off the center of the tag. Secret Santa is PERFECT for creating holiday tags :0) I created Secret Santa so that you can mix and match the sentiments to come up with an amazing amount of holiday sentiments for tags and gifts!

Here's another quick and easy tag, using Killer Curves, and Killer Curves Cut file for the tag, then colored and cut out the iconic Santa hat and sentiment from Secret Santa. Something about Santa is so magical...to me, he brings the spirit of giving to life. But, I have to say when my daughter saw this tag...she wanted to know if I was *making* a gift for Santa. :0) I explained the magic of giving...

Finally, one of my favorite images from Sugar & Spice! The sentiment and "To and From" are from Secret Santa. Another perfect stamp image for a holiday tag...could you see this on a bottle of wine? On top of a plate piled high with cookies? Wonderful sentiment for friends and neighbors!

Thanks for stopping by, make sure you check out the other examples from our amazingly talented team :0)

Lauren
Debbie
Tangii
Katie

other supplies: papertrey ink kraft, pure poppy cardstock, Neenah Classic Crest cardstock, Ranger white embossing powder, Martha Stewart branch punch, bakers twine, Michaels ribbon, bling.

Star of the show

2010-11-01T23:59:00.000-07:00

Hello blog friends!

So, the sugar rush is calming down here, Halloween decorations are coming down and the Thanksgiving ones are going up! That can only mean Christmas is just around the corner...gulp...really?? Wasn't it just summer?

Anywho, let me show you some more My Time Made Easy November goodness! Introducing another amazing template, Star of the Show!

The amazing holly leaves? Well, a great cut file called Holly-Day Accents ! If you have a cutting machine, these were sooo easy to cut out, plus I re sized a few so I have a big pile of already cut holly leaves waiting to go! Perfect that the holly leaves coordinate with the holly image on the tag :0)

The holly, sentiment and snowflakes? From Secret Santa stamps, one of my new sets being released this month.

The snowflakes were heat embossed with clear embossing powder, then Stickles in the center for some bling.

Last, using the decorative layer from Star of the show, I COVERED it in some glittery Martha Stewart vintage style glitter.

I know you are just here to take a peek...make sure you pop over to some other talented ladies for more examples! Thanks for stopping by!

Lauren
Lisa
Tracey
Debbie

other supplies: Papertrey Ink Kraft, New Leaf paper, Momento Ink, Well Preserved MTME Stamp, ribbon from Michaels, twine from Martha Stewart.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

2010-10-31T23:59:00.000-07:00

Ho, ho, ho blog friends!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!! Today is My Time Made Easy's November release, and I can't wait to share my quick and easy Christmas cards with you. I am highlighting two Christmas stamps sets being released that I designed, Sugar & Spice and Secret Santa! Lauren also designed two more sets that all coordinate together. Perfect for the great templates from this release, but also perfect for cards and scrapbook pages!

The team is full of holiday inspiration, all showing you quick and easy Christmas cards. I'll stop chatting and get to some cards!

Using the door image from Sugar & Spice, and a sentiment from Secret Santa, I created my first fast and easy card!

For my second card, I used the snowflakes and sentiment from Secret Santa and the circle from an older, but great set, Well Preserved. Super easy using red and Versamark Ink and a few Spellbinder dies...easy card!

For my third card, I used the jingle bell image from Secret Santa (my FAV of this set!), stamped in silver ink, then stamped the sentiment in black right on top! I found the bling at Michaels, and took the color cues from the bling for my card. A few punches later...another simple and easy card!

Finally, for my last card, I used the Santa hat image from Secret Santa. I hand cut it out, colored quickly with my Copic markers, then embellished with some vintage style Marth Stewart glitter, and a tiny holly bling also found at Michaels! How about this *sweet* paper that Kristin designed?? It's called Candy Shoppe Stripes, and this is a scrap from another project you'll see soon! The sentiment is from Secret Santa...and you can see that I placed the "Christmas" inside :0)

I know you want to scoot to see what the rest of the team created...thanks for stopping by!

My Time Made Easy Design Team:

Lauren Meader (owner)

Kristin Bueter

Catherine Doucette ~ you are here!

other supplies: Martha Steward bakers twine, Spellbinder Dies Labels, Scalloped Square, Martha Stewart Holly punch, Stickles, Papertrey Ink cardstock: Kraft, Pure Poppy, Vintage Cream, Hawaiian Shores

BOO!

2010-10-30T23:59:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween my blog friends!!

Who wouldn't love the biggest candy corn e.v.e.r. ??

Yummy, yum, yum, yum!! I LOVED this card by Ashley Cannon Newell...total inspiration for this project :0)

OK, so I know it's not a REAL candy corn, but you can still dream, right? Today is the last day of peeks for My Time Made Easy's November release...and this is one of the new templates called "Any Way You Slice It". It is soooo versatile, it can be made into so many different ideas! I finished it off with a little tag from MTME's A Spooky Surprise (remember, you can still get this set via digital download to make those last minute gifts!), and some candy corn ribbon I had laying around (can you tell..I love candy corn??!!)

So, tomorrow is the big day! You will get to see all of the new releases from My Time Made Easy! You will not believe the amount of Christmas inspiration you will see from the team tomorrow!!!

But, for more inspiration right now...pop on over to see what these talented ladies have created!

Lauren
Pam
Debbie

Other supplies: Papertrey Ink Orange Zest, Harvest Moon cardstock, Neenah classic crest paper, copic markers

Be still my Gingerbread lovin' heart~

2010-10-29T23:59:00.000-07:00

Hello blog friends!

It's day two of My Time Made Easy's November sneak peeks! (Remember, these products will be available in just a few short hours...on November 1st!)

Let me tell you, I don't think I've ever been so pleased to have an idea in my head turn out the way I wanted to, like this one has! I went to Lauren several months ago about an idea for stamps to create a gingerbread house. I wanted to design stamps that allowed you to decorate a gingerbread house template as you would a real one. So, I created the stamps...and Lauren created the PERFECT little template.

Introducing...."Sugar & Spice" stamp set and "Carry It" template....a match made in gingerbread heaven!

Can you see all of the candy? Peppermint sticks, peppermint candy, gumdrops, little candy that reminds me of M&M's...then the frosting? A door and windows made from frosting, a roof and trim too! I did all of my "frosting" with white embossing powder, the colored the red areas with my Copic markers.

Your are also getting a peek at some gingerbread "people" that Lauren created, called The Gingersnaps, and tags that Kristin created called "Trendy Tags 2".

Now, use your imagination...could you see going to a cookie swap with these little houses in tow? How about for a baby shower, all frosted in pink and white? A brightly colored one for a candy party? So many ideas :0) my favorite though, is the classic gingerbread house. You guys will be seeing lots of these!

Now, let's turn the tables a little and show you how you can also make cards with this stamp set too..so sorry about these pictures...we've been having the worst weather! ugg!

The sentiment is from another of my new stamp releases, called Secret Santa :0)

What a "sweet" card!

So, what do you guys think?? I'd love to hear some feedback as I'm always trying to tweak and improve my stamps designs!

Thanks for stopping in...hop on over to these ladies to see what other peeks you can see!

Lauren
Debbie
Lisa
Tracey

other supplies: Papertrey Ink Kraft, Pure Poppy carstock, ribbon from MemrieMare

Witchy Woman

2010-10-28T23:59:00.000-07:00

Hello my blog friends!

It's here...and boy, let me tell you this month FLEW by! Wow! My Time Made Easy's November peeks are here...yipee! I'm excited because, well, one...Lauren made some AMAZING templates this month, some of my favorites so far, and two...I have two more stamps being released this month :0) I'll be showing you TONS of inspiration of the next week or so, so tune in!

Introducing...Any Way You Slice It, one of the most versatile templates yet! (This template will be available for purchase on November 1st!)

I know it's hard to see the template, it's actually the main triangle shape. I stamped it with MTME's A Spooky Surprise first (Don't worry...you STILL have time to buy this set and use it! Remember, it's available by digital download!), then spritzed it with Glimmer Mist to give it that magical shine and splotchy look that all the best witches hats have.

To create the base of the hat, I cut a large rough oval shape by hand, then spritzed both sides with Glimmer Mist and while the paper was damp, rolled it up. Once dry, it takes on a vintage, leathery look! The "buckle" is a Spellbinders Die, and the spider tag (also from A Spooky Surprise) is the shape from the inside of the buckle. I covered them both with Stickles for shine, and my ribbon is from MemrieMare.

This is going to be perfect for my little witch :0)

Hop on over to see what these other ladies have brewed up for your peeking pleasure!

Lauren
Tangii
Katie
Tammy
Monique
Debbie
Kristin

other supplies: Papertrey Ink Vintage Cream Ink, True Black, Harvest Gold paper.

"Tis near...

2010-10-25T19:39:00.000-07:00

Hello blog friends!

My ghosties and ghoulies are gearing up for Trick or Treating....how about you? Ready yet? I've purposefully put off buying candy until the last minute, or I just eat it :0) Chocolate and me...we get along juuuuust fine.

Here's another one of my favorite Halloween poems to help get you in the "spirit":

When witches go riding,

and black cats are seen,

the moon laughs and whispers,

‘tis near Halloween.

~Author Unknown

My BFF bought me these Papertrey Ink stamps, Friendship Jar Fall Fillers, and jar & lid dies for my birthday...are they not the cutest?

Not being very original, I just mimicked what was inside the jar on the tag, colored with my Copic markers. I've got about 15 of them lined up on my dining room table, just waiting to be given out. They dead stop every person who sees them, so I think they will be a hit!

Ahhh...'tis near Halloween :0)

Five little pumpkins....

2010-10-20T07:05:00.000-07:00

Hello blog friends!

I have always loved this little rhyme my children learned in pre-school:

Five Little Pumpkins

Five little pumpkins sitting on a gate.
The first one said, Oh, my it's getting late!

The second one said, "There are witches in the air.
The third one said, "But we don't care.

The fourth one said, "Let's run, let's run!
The fifth one said, "Isn't Halloween fun?

Then Woooooo went the wind
And OUT went the lights.

And five little pumpkins rolled out of sight.

I have two little pumpkins sitting on a Martha Stewart gate :0)

Using My Time Made Easy's stamp sets Thankful and Spooky Surprise pumpkins...I made a cute little card for one of "my" little pumpkins! Halloween is getting close now!!

I am busy crafting away getting ready for MTME November release...I have two stamp sets being released, and Lauren Meader has designed some cute ones too! And the templates...you guys just won't believe it :0) Next week the festivities begin!

other supplies: Papertrey Ink Terracotta Tile, Summer Sunrise,Vintage Cream ink, Stickles, Copic Markers, Momento Ink, Pop Dots, Martha Stewart Bat Punch

Thankful little caramel apples

2010-10-17T16:12:00.000-07:00

Hello blog friends!

I love when I have a chance to enter a challenge now...my creative time is limited, and I devote much of it to designing stamps...but when I have a little break, then I'm trying to enter challenges to keep my mojo going!

JustRite Stampers has a challenge going for "Color of Fall"...right up my alley if you've seen my posts lately! I LOVE fall :0) Perfect time for me to create some of the millions of fall/Halloween gifts I like to create for teachers, t-ball Moms, secretaries, ect! I love to give little gifts to people who do so much for my children!

One of my all time favorite stamp images is this basket full of apples from JustRite's Autumn Blessings Borders and Centers. I created this cute little caramel apple "kit" :0) A little jar filled to the brim with caramel, the craft sticks tied into the bow.

Kraft, browns and deep reds...warm fall colors.

Can you see the caramel all stacked up inside? YUM :0)

Thanks for stopping by!

other supplies: copic markers, Neenah classic crest paper, momento ink, papertrey ink kraft cardstock, spellbinder label and oval dies.

I love Fall!

2010-10-15T08:16:00.000-07:00

Finally, it is crisp and cool outside.

I wonder if my name should have been "Autumn"....

I love roasting marshmallows and roaring fires.

I plant pansies for color all fall, winter and spring :0)

Can you tell?? I love fall :0)

Birthday in a box....er....cup

2010-10-12T10:24:00.000-07:00

Hello blog friends!

Do you guys have a best friend? Someone that knows all your secrets, that just "knows" you...you were instant friends from the moment you met?? I do...and I'm so lucky she is in my life :0)

For her birthday, I wanted to buy her something special, and recently I'm addicted to necklaces from The Vintage Pearl. So, I bought her one and wanted to package it up so she knew it was something special and different!

Using the new To Go! coffee cup template from My Time Made Easy was the perfect choice! Then, stamped it with my new stamp set from MTME called Fancy A Cuppa? :0)

Is it not *the coolest* that the To Go! template fits a coffee lid perfectly???

I stamped the polka dots and daisies before I assembled my template...

I also stamped my tissue paper on the inside...and you can just see the bag that her necklace was in!

She loved it :0) Thanks for taking a peek!

other supplies: Papertrey Ink Vintage Cream, Kraft, Raspberry Fizz cardstock, Raspberry Fizz ink, Versamark Ink, Ribbon from Wal-Mark, Momento Saddle Brown ink.

Double, double, toil and trouble...

2010-10-08T14:25:00.000-07:00

Double, double toil and trouble; fire burn and cauldron bubble...

I LOVE Halloween! Just love it, so fun being a little spooky one day a year, pretending and playing dress-up, even as an adult :0)

I wanted to share a little more Halloween inspiration! I took the Grab A Cup template from My Time Made Easy, and turned it into a spooky-cute witch cauldron! I stamped spider webs and spiders from A Spooky Surprise, then simply hand cut out the handles on the side. Around the top I glued on vintage style glitter from Martha Stewart!

I stuffed my cauldron with some hot chocolate goodness, little specialty hot chocolates and marshmallow ghosts. Then created a quick and easy tag...

I have the perfect teacher in mind for this little spooky cute-ness!

Thanks for stopping by!

other supplies: Papertrey Ink cardstock in Spooky Shadow, Plum Pudding, Neenah Classic Crest, Momento Ink.

Pinch me!

2010-10-04T23:59:00.000-07:00

Hello blog friends!

Today is the last "official" day of projects for the October release for My Time Made Easy...it's been a great release, hope you have all enjoyed all of the wonderful projects by the MTME Design Team and Guest Designers this month!

Thank you all for the well wishes on my stamp sets! You have no idea how excited I have been waiting for this release to come...and I'm happy to say I have two more sets being released next month too :0)

On to some projects!

Using this CUTE little template, Pinch Me, I created two very different gift giving ideas. The first one, I wanted to use my new "Thankful" stamp set.

I simply masked the oak leaves and stamped the tall pumpkin on top, adding dimension with my Copic markers! I stamped Thankful along the bottom, stamping the stamp a couple of times to get a "shadow" effect on the sentiment. Then I finished the gift off very simply with Martha Stewart twine, and cutting the edge of the bag with my pinking shears.

Now switching gears, to a completely different look, using the same template! This time I cut the template out of a thin acrylic sheet I had, then ran the template through my die cutting machine using TWO different Cuttlebug embossing folders!

Then, using my other new stamp set, A Spooky Surprise, and combined it with Secret Surprise, I created a spooky little tag! I LOVE the little spiders, with the worms inside...so the perfect sentiment of "Bugs and Hisses to you!". The other sentiment from Secret Surprise is, " A little surprise to brighten you day"...well...you can see that I altered that to fit my scary theme :0)

I took this picture trying to show you the different embossing on this little gift, pumpkins on the bottom, then Swiss dots along the top!

Keep checking back with me over the next few weeks, I still have a TON of projects to share with you!

Now, hop on over to see what the rest of the design team has created for your viewing pleasure :0)

other supplies: Neenah Classic Crest paper, Momento Ink, Papertrey Ink cardstock in Kraft, Scarlet Jewel

Candy Corn To Go!

2010-10-03T23:59:00.000-07:00

Hello blog friends!

Well, I promised you a ton of inspiration with this release from My Time Made Easy, and I still have a few more days to go!

Here's another project idea with my new favorite template, To Go! and using my latest stamp release, A Spooky Surprise!

I am all about "cute, simple and easy"!! The To Go! template fits all of my requirements :0) AND I did not have my Cricut when I made this set. It is sooooooooo easy to simply cut this out by hand too. I like to roll the top of my template to make it look even MORE like a coffee cup. So, to roll it, I dip my fingertips in water and run it along the edge of the cup. Once it is lightly moist, then I just roll down and it won't tear.

Before I glued my project, I stamped it all over with the candy corn and star images from A Spooky Surprise using Versamark Ink! AND, to get the rounded sentiment, I just placed it onto my stamping block that way. I love the versitility of acrylic stamps, you can cut them, shape them, and turn a flat sentiment into a curved one. The accent colors around my tags are a light purple, but they look blue in these pictures....sorry! It's been raining here for a week!

Here's another quick and easy card using A Spooky Surprise and my Copic Markers. The sentiment I sponged on two different colors, light orange on top, darker orange on the bottom, so it would have a graduated color scheme just like my candy corns!

Yum, yum, yum!

Make sure you have stopped over to see the other design team ladies today!
Lauren
Tracey
Stephanie
Debbie

Thanks for stopping by!

Very Thankful!

2010-10-02T23:59:00.000-07:00

Hello blog friends!

I have even MORE to share with you for the October release for My Time Made Easy! I have been a crafting fool! :0)

I wanted to highlight another of my new stamps being released this month, simple titled "Thankful". I am thankful for many things in my life, my children being what I am MOST thankful for, as I know many of you are.

Thankful is designed to fit perfectly inside the Secret Surprise stamp set also released this month!

Using the Secret Surprise Label cutting file, in my Cricut, using Sure Cuts A Lot, I placed two labels end to end, overlapped them and "joined" them. When I cut them out and scored them, I had made place cards! I made them different color schemes using my Copic markers and allowed my daughter to put write the names in. I love Thanksgiving almost as much as Halloween :0) These will be beautiful on my table!

So, here's another idea for the Thankful stamp set!

Using Jam Packed, one of my all time favorite MTME templates, I created the perfect gift to hold an autumn candle. The paper is from the digital set, "Taylor's Teeth" in Sunflower. The bottom paper is stamped and colored images from Thankful.

The autumn wreath is from Killer Curves, Fancy Frames. ( I LOVE using older stamp set...you can create so much my combining different images!) I loved the idea of cutting a leaf from my Spellbinder Leaves Die, and stamping Thankful on it too!

Here's another shot of the stamped paper I created. And, silly me, forgot to take a picture of the inside of my gift. Trust me, a Bath and Body works small candle fit in there perfectly!

Thanks for stopping by to take a peek!

Make sure you hop over and see what Ashley Cannon Newell, our celebrity guest designer for this month, has created! Thanks again, Ashley!

Also check out the other design team members with MORE projects to share with you!

other supplies: Wal-Mart ribbon, Neenah Classic Crest paper, Momento ink, Papertrey Ink cardstock in kraft, orange zest.

World Card Making Day :0)

2010-10-02T12:45:00.000-07:00

Hello blog friends!

Did you know that it's World Card Making Day???? I have a fun little card to share with you, AND I get to play along with the Embellish Magazine Challenge :0) I miss playing with challenges, so I was happy to get to participate. The challenge this time is for a card using black, white, grey, and yellow...and to use a stamp to create a back ground pattern.

I did add some pale blue to my color palette but overall kept the color scheme! (We've had terrible weather here recently, it looks more orange than it is!)

These stamps are all from my new stamp line being released from My Time Made Easy, called Fancy A Cuppa? (Except for the swirls...they are from Fanciful Flourishes). The background was created by taking the checkerboard stamp and stamping with VersaMark ink. The white border is actually craft thread that I sewed into place using HUGE back stitches. I tipped the edges of the steam with Stickles.

Thanks for stopping by! Have a great day!

Other supplies: Studio Calico Home Front pattern paper, Papertrey Ink Cardstock in Spring Rain, Smokey Shadow, Momento Ink, PTI Vintage Cream ink.

Coffee cups everywhere!

2010-10-01T23:59:00.000-07:00

Hello blog land!

I am here today to share MORE examples of my newest stamp set released with My Time Made Easy, Fancy A Cuppa? and Fancy A Cuppa Add-On Sentiments! I won't bore you with chat..let's see some pictures!

Yes, I know...not the best pictures...sorry! But, this is an odd little corner in my kitchen where all of the "drink" action happens! I have my Keurig on the counter, and coffee's and teas all stored. I wanted to show you some art I created with the large coffee cups from Fancy A Cuppa? Everything you see is stamped! The colored areas are all created with Copic Markers!

These are such fun little framed art pieces to look at every morning! Helps remind me why I work so hard at learning how to design stamps :0) I found the little white frames at Target in their "dollar" section at the front of their store...I think I paid around $5 or so for the three frames. Every now and then I see them there, and when I see them, I snap them up because they are not there very often!

Now let me share a card with you using the same stamp set, Fancy A Cuppa? :0)

I have been dying to try the cracked glass technique with this mug! If you are not aware of the cracked glass technique, it's pretty easy! Simply cover your paper (in this case, it was the cup, stamped on the green paper with the decorative checkerboard and cut out) with *extra thick* CLEAR embossing powder and heat with your heat gun, then add another layer of embossing powder and heat, and another layer! Pretty soon you will have a thick layer of melted hot embossing powder running all over the place! (TIP...I have a pair of tweezers on hand to hold the cup as I don't want to get burned). As soon as you can't "handle" the liquid anymore (it will be running all over the place), put it down on a flat surface and let completely cool, and I generally stick it in the freezer for 15 minutes or so.

Once it's cooled, then start "breaking" the clear embossed cup by folding it back and forth. If something doesn't turn out the way you like, you can simply heat that area over again and re crack! Now, I have ripped a few projects doing this technique, so I try to bend carefully just until it cracks!

I love the retro feel of this, which is what I was going for when I designed this set. I was thinking of an old fashioned diner with red, black and white checkerboard everywhere...and I added the bright green cup as a huge splash of color!

The steam is from Fanciful Flourishes and the "Perk UP!" is from Grap A Cup Sentiments.

Thanks for stopping by, hope I was able to get you to "think outside the stamp" and to try a new technique...or use your stamps in a different way!

The MTME design team is still sharing more inspiration too... make sure you stop by and see:

Lauren
Katie
Tangii
Debbie

other supplies: Momento Brown Ink, PTI New Leaf cardstock, PTI Pure Poppy Ink and cardstock, PTI True Black cardstock, Prism craft thread, UTEE.

Are you In Suspense??

2010-09-30T23:59:00.000-07:00

Hello Blog Friends!

So, are you In Suspense yet for My Time Made Easy's October release? I know I am :0) It's finally here, MTME largest release ever! You have a ton to look over :0)

I won't keep you with chatter, I'll go straight to some projects:

Here is one of MTME's new templates for October, In Suspense! Perfect for boo-ing your neighbors, friends, co-workers!! What a perfect little surprise!

After cutting out my template, I accented it with A Spooky Surprise, my new stamp release with My Time Made Easy this month! Even has the perfect sentiment: You've Been Boo'd!!!

Can you see how perfect it would look on a door?

Now, A Spooky Surprise is designed to coordinate with a new stamp set called Secret Surprise, in fact, the spider web fits EXACTLY inside the frame! Now, hold on to your hats....over the next several months, Lauren will release SEVERAL stamp set to ALSO coordinate with Secret Surprise! A Spooky Surprise is just the first in the line up :0)

OK, I admit it, poor planning on my part (I should have designed the ribbon to be further over)...BUT...here is the poem that Lauren wrote to coordinate with a Secret Surprise! I have it stamped on the back of my project...and it's not just for Halloween, it's written so it can be used for any "Secret Surprise" :0)

Now, here's my coordinating card, also created with A Spooky Surprise, and colored using my Copic markers!

Well, I have been creating TONS with this release, I just love everything about these stamps...so let me share another In Suspense project with you!

Using some adorable My Time Made Easy digital paper, Darling Dots Bashful, I created a fall inspired gift for a special someone!

The black "frames" are from Secret Surprise, I simply turned the upper one on it's side....the knife, fork and spoon are from Fancy A Cuppa? stamp set, and the "From the kitchen of" is from "Well Preserved" acrylic stamp set. I LOVE when I get to use my older stamp sets to combine even more uses for the new stamps!!

The tall pumpkin and leaves are from another set also in the Secret Surprise line-up, simply called Thankful. "Thankful" is full of all things autumn, pumpkins, leaves, acorns and swirls! The outer ring (I masked out the inner ring) is from Fancy A Cuppa? Add On sentiments, the pattern paper is another adorable digi paper release, Autumn Leaves in the pumpkin color, and the tiny tag is from the Grab A Cuppa stamp set!

So I was so enchanted with my knife, fork and spoon tag, that I made another one to create a simple gift to give!

I cut a tag out with a Spellbinders Tag die, stamped my knife, fork and spoon, then colored them with my Copic markers. Stamped "From the kitchen of" from Well Preserved, and do you not LOVE this divine ribbon I bought?? I'm hoarding it, so I don't run out, from MemrieMare.

The I cut out some scrap muslin fabric and stamped the flowers from Fancy A Cuppa? all over, colored with copics.

Whew! Did you get all of that?? Now, scoot...off to go gaze at some more amazing projects from the My Time Made Easy design team :0)

other supplies: Momento Ink, Papertry Ink cardstock in True Black, Orange Zest, Spring Rain, ribbon from Michaels, Martha Stewart punch

Grab A Cuppa!

2010-09-29T23:59:00.000-07:00

Hello blog friends!
**scroll down to see more projects for this release!

Welcome to day two of sneak peeks for My Time Made Easy's October release! Everything you see will be available for purchase on October 1st!. Today I am happy to share with you two very different projects for the same template, Grab A Cuppa...another amazing template by Lauren Meader.

Can you believe she created a 3-D coffee cup?? Is this not the sweetest gift? I am READY for winter and hot chocolate season :0)

I am also showing you some more peeks of one of my stamps sets being released in October with My Time Made Easy, Fancy A Cuppa stamp set! I created the polka dot design on the cup by heat embossing white, using the background builder in the Fancy A Cuppa set. The small hot chocolate cup image is also from this set, shown in the middle of the tag! The "hot chocolate" sentiment is from the add on sentiment set called Fancy A Cuppa Add Ons!

So...let's switch gears and show a masculine project!

Having lots of boys/men in my life, I'm always thinking of ways of creating something "gender neutral", or even masculine!

This Grab A Cuppa template also highlights several of the Fancy A Cuppa stamps! The checkerboard print, the coffee beans and the dots are all a part of the Fancy A Cuppa set!

Do you not just LOVE the little base to the coffee cup template? That is my favorite detail :0)

Here's a peek at the large coffee cup image with the checkerboard rim and the build a background around the edge of the card! Then I added the "coffee" sentiment and circle stamp from the Fancy A Cuppa Add On Sentiment set. The "steam" is from another MTME stamp set, Fancy Flourishes, stamped using Versa Mark ink, add a little twine, and you have a perfectly masculine gift!

So, if you haven't been yet...PLEASE go take a peek at our celebrity guest designer for October...Ashley Cannon Newell HERE. She creates such lovely work. I feel so lucky to have her work with some of my stamps...and she is the NICEST person too :0) THANK YOU Ashley!

Next, go peek at what the rest of the MTME Design Team has created for your viewing pleasure :0)

Lauren (if you haven't stopped by yet)

Katie

Stephanie

Pam

Debbie ~Guest Designer

Tammy

Thanks for stopping by!

Fancy A Cuppa

2010-09-28T23:59:00.000-07:00

Hello blog friends!

First...some great news....Lauren and Alexa are home! Thank God! Please continue to keep them in your prayers as they rest and finish recovering at home :0)

Finally, the big day is here (for me...at least!) I get to start showing you more of the stamps I've designed for My Time Made Easy! It's months from design concept, then design process, then waiting for the release month. Ugg...it's almost torture for me, but I get so excited when the day finally arrives that I can share with you all.

Introducing...Fancy A Cuppa, Fancy A Cuppa Sentiments and Lauren's amazing template: To Go!

Do you guys want coffee now? How about hot tea? Hot Chocolate? Soup????

I don't know about you guys, but in the fall and cooler months, I LOVE soup, coffee and hot chocolate! So that's where the concept came from for this idea. I also wanted something that was a little retro, fun, fresh and a little funky :0) Also, easily can be a masculine gift too! With my first stamp concept with My Time Made Easy, A Spot of Tea, it was very feminine, and I wanted something that would balance that.

Fancy A Cuppa is all about celebrating warm things! It has great coffee images, plus a large cup that you can paper piece or stamp, plus, one of the things I am most excited about, are the background builders! The dots on the cup, and the spoon, knife and fork are just some of the background builders with this set! The "cozy" around the cup is a cut file (or .pdf) that I stamped with Fanciful Flourishes! The lid?? Well...I recycled a lid from a Starbucks cup! The To Go! template is designed for those lids to fit perfectly :0) I've also bought a few from Target to fit on top!

The Fancy A Cuppa Add On Sentiments are designed to fit perfectly inside the circle stamp. The are wonderful sentiments perfect for many occasions! The tiny coffee cup image is a part of the Fancy A Cuppa set.

So, what did I pack inside my To Go! template? Soup! My children were given dried beans, spices and directions as a learning opportunity from our church. That gave me the idea of packing the cup with the dried soup mix. Wouldn't this be wonderful for a sick friend? Or teacher gift? Just think of the amazing things you could fill this with :0)

So, what do you guys think? I'd love to hear your feedback! Thanks so very much for stopping by!

Go hop on over and check out some of what the other design team members created:

Lauren (if you didn't start there first!)
Lisa
Tangii
Tracey
Debbie ~Guest Designer :0)
Tammy
additional supplies: Momento Ink, Fiskars punches, Papertrey Ink paper in Dark Chocolate and New Leaf, Neenah Classic Crest paper, Wal-mart ribbon

Candy Corn...yummmm

2010-09-28T08:38:00.000-07:00

Hello my blog friends!

Today is the last day for me to share "early" peeks of My Time Made Easy's October release, " A Spooky Surprise". Starting tomorrow, we will begin the official release of ALL of October releases, which include TWO more of my stamps sets! You'll get to start seeing everything, and you will LOVE the templates Lauren Meader has created to coordinate. That girl has some serious talent :0)

Here's one more quick and easy gift idea using A Spooky Surprise:

How cute is this??? Just fill a small canning jar with candy corn (I JUST bought these at Wal-Mart, so they still have them! Usually you can only find them during the summer for canning season).

I created the tag using my Spellbinders Label 1 die, and stamped my images, coloring with Copic markers. Then I threaded the ribbon UNDER the screw part to the lid to hold the ribbon in place (in between my labels on the top) and tied the big bow on the side.

What teacher, coach, friend...wouldn't LOVE to recieve this? Super easy and great presentation :0) Fill it with hot chocolate mix, or any small brightly colored candy!

Well, thanks for hanging in there with me, tomorrow I have to switch gears...hope you love the new templates and stamps as well!

other supplies: May Arts ribbon, papertrey Ink Orange Zest cardstock, Neenah classic crest cardstock, pop dots.

Bugs and hisses to you!

2010-09-27T06:59:00.000-07:00

Hello blog friends! Hope you guys are having a wonderful start to your week! First, if you haven't read the good news about Lauren Meader's daughter, Alexa, read the blog post HERE. Prayer is powerful :0)

The official release for My Time Made Easy is almost here :0) We will release ALL of the new items on October 1st, but the "official" peek begin on Wednesday, September 29th...and you'll start seeing ALL o f the amazing templates and stamp sets we are releasing!

Today, I'm offering you another quick and easy card using MTME's A Spooky Surprise stamp set. It is available for pre-order (shipping Oct. 1st) or available for digi now. It combines with another stamps set too, but you can use it completely on it's own to create some super cute Halloween cards :0)

I started by stamping the web in a dark grey, the spider and sentiment in black. I added the orange strip (cut with pinking shears) to the edge, finishing off with a bright green sparkle for the spider's body, and purple string for an accent. Seriously easy :0)

For more examples of A Spooky Surprise, go check out
Pam
Tangii
Katie

other supplies: Papertrey Ink Orange Zest paper, Prism craft thread, Momento Ink London Fog, Tuxedo Black.

Witch way did she go?

2010-09-24T06:57:00.000-07:00

Hello blog friends!

**scroll down for more Spooky Surprise projects! :0)
I have just a few minutes this morning before I run to volunteer at my son's school...but I wanted to show you a simple and cute Halloween treat created with my *very* soon to be released set, " A Spooky Surprise" with My Time Made Easy. This set is designed to fit perfectly into a frame stamp set called "Secret Surprise", BUT you can also use the set entirely on it's own, as I did for this treat!

Using my Spellbinder die, I cut the shapes in black and purple, and stamped my sentiment and stars. Now the sentiment "Have a WICKED good time!" is a nod to Lauren Meader ;0) She, living in New England, uses the word "wicked" as a term meaning "really". So when you talk to her, she uses "wicked", as in...."that's wicked cute!". So, when creating the sentiments, I had to throw a "wicked" in there just for her. Plus, it just works with some really cute witch shoes :0)

I colored my stamped image using my Copics, then cut it out off center to add additional interest. There are glittery star buttons, which coordinate with the little stars around her shoes :0)

Have a great weekend, everyone!

supplies: Papertrey Ink True Black & Orange Zest paper, Couture Cardstock purple, Spellbinder Labels 1, Fiskars circle and scalloped circle punches, Momento ink

A prayer request...and a little more inspiration!

2010-09-23T07:51:00.000-07:00

Good Thursday, my blog friends!
**scroll down for more A Spooky Surprise projects!

First, I would like to ask for prayers for Lauren Meader's daughter, Alexa. She is in the hospital fighting pneumonia (as is Lauren!), and really struggling. Read the blog post on Lauren's blog HERE. We are asking for prayers, and if you have time, maybe make a card to cheer up Alexa and the family :0) The MTME Design Team is going to be holding down the fort for her while they are trying to get Alexa better. So bear with us if we seem a little disjointed!

I promised you tons of inspiration for my stamp sets being released on October 1st for My Time Made Easy...so here's the next peek of "A Spooky Surprise" (available for pre-order now)!

If you guys are anything like me, you don't have a ton of "crafty" time. So I have created several "5 minute cards", as I like to call them, with this stamp set. This is one of them! Super simple...I heat embossed the ghost image and the sentiment, "You've Been Boo'd" with white embossing powder. Attached three orange rhinestones, then layered it on orange paper. I cut out the orange layer with pinking shears (as well as the bottom edge of the card AND the green ribbon), popped it up, added a strip of green ribbon and attached to my card. SUPER quick and simple :0)

If you guys get a minute...say a quick prayer for Lauren and her family! Thanks for stopping by, I'll continue to post inspiration everyday!

supplies: Papertrey Ink cardstock in True Black, Smokey Shadow, Orange Zest. Rhinestones and ribbon from the dollar bin at Michaels.

A "Spooky" Haunted House

2010-09-22T07:42:00.000-07:00

Hello blog friends :0)
**scroll down to see more A Spooky Surprise projects!
I wanted to show you more inspiration for my new stamp set, " A Spooky Surprise" (scroll down for more examples!). I wanted to created a fun, slightly vintage, slightly cute Halloween set. The stamp images you see are hand drawn images by me. I do not use ANY clip art, it's just me :0) I had no idea that many, many stamp companies simply purchase clip art, then turn it into a stamp! So, when you purchase one of my designs, you'll know you will never see anything like it anywhere else!

This was another project I had in mind when I was designing this set!

Can you figure out which My Time Made Easy template this is? That's right...it's Shop Around released September 1st! I simply turned it into a haunted house :0)

Complete with ghosts, spiders and spider webs...

Witch's feet....

pumpkins (there is a tiny peek of two additional sets released Oct. 1st too...see if you can spot them?! I know, I'm mean aren't I?)

And spooky sentiments!

I cut the windows out and lined with an opaque-ish vinyl, then stuffed the house full of candy corns. I also am going to put a "flameless candle" in there and use it as a decoration for Halloween! I promise to take a picture when I do to share with you all!

The gate is a Martha Stewart punch, as are the tiny black micro beads (I wanted them to look like tiny spiders or bugs).

So, what do you guys think so far? Am I getting you in the Halloween spirit yet??

supplies:
Papertrey Ink cardstock (Plum Pudding, True Black, Orange Zest), Copic markers, Stickles, Momento Ink in London Fog, Tuxedo Black, PTI Ink in Orange Zest

Introducing....A Spooky Surprise!

2010-09-21T10:08:00.000-07:00

FINALLY! It's here!!!! My stamp sets are starting to release and I can FINALLY share with you some of what I have been designing since mid summer :0)

A Spooky Surprise is the first stamp to be released this month with My Time Made Easy. Lauren decided to only order this in limited quantity in the acrylic, so she has released it for pre-order (HERE) to assure her customers it will mail on October 1st! That will give you plenty of time to make those super cute Halloween gifts and treats! The digital version will of course be available any time :0)

So, this set is designed to go into another stamp release (which you'll be seeing peeks of...but will not be available until Oct. 1) called Secret Surprise. These two stamp sets together, along with another amazing template, form your very own BOO kit! PLUS can be used to make the most amazing cards and tags!

I wanted this to be cute and spooky :0) The witch feet are my favorite image from this set...so I decided to share this card with you all first! You can use the set all on it's own, or combine it with many of our existing stamp sets...and will coordinate with ALL of the stamp sets we are releasing in October! I have a ton for you to peek at in the coming weeks! LOTS of ideas!!

Thanks for being patient with me! Have a great day!

supplies:
Papertrey Ink cardstock, MTME stamps A Spooky Surprise, Secret Surprise

Mush for Brains :0)

2010-09-20T17:36:00.000-07:00

I know, I know...this is not paper :0) But, if you've followed me for a while, you know that I share a good/easy, and generally vegetarian recipe. Well, this one falls under the "just too darn cute not to share" category! I found it in the latest Halloween "Taste of Home" magazine and HAD to try it!

Super easy...
Remove the top of the orange pepper and scoop out seeds. Carve a face into one side of the pepper. (HINT...I allowed my 7 year old daughter to carve this. I put a huge oven mitt on the hand that was holding the pepper, and a tiny paring knife in her other hand and let her cut the face herself. I figured if she slipped with the knife...she would just jab the oven mitt. Worked like a charm!)
Cook regular kid friendly spaghetti with meat sauce (I used ground turkey and whole wheat pasta...they love it).
While the water is boiling, before you cook the noodles, I dropped the pepper into the water for 2-3 minutes just to soften it a bit.
Make your spaghetti with sauce, then fill the pepper to the top, place the cap on top!

I sauteed spinach and put it on the side for the "pumpkin patch". My kids thought this was soooooo cool. Getting to eat "worms and brains"! They both ate most of the pepper too :0)

So perfect for Halloween! This recipe's a keeper!

So, hopefully next week I'll get to start peeking my stamps being released with My Time Made Easy. I think I have 20...yes, 20, examples to share with you...I can't wait! I am so in the Halloween mood...and you'll see why :0)

Enjoy the Ride

2010-09-14T10:45:00.000-07:00

Hello Blog Friends!

Do you guys ever get the, "Can you whip up a card? I need it in 10 minutes...". Of course I can :0) I also had to take the picture under a lamp at night...so not my best photo either...but you get the idea! And what a messy desk too!

So this is a 10 minute card and matching envelope! I needed something for a masculine going away party, someone who recieved a great job promotion, so I thought this was appropriate! I tore the green paper and rolled it down a little to give it a tiny bit of dimension, colored quickly with my Copic's and off it went!

I am working like mad on the next My Time Made Easy release, just a few more weeks now...and Lauren let me know that my Halloween set will be available for pre-sale soon! She ordered a limited amount, and to make sure that it is in the mail on October 1st (so you have plenty of time to create those quick and adorable Halloween treats!), she is going to allow a pre-sale. I'll let you guys know ASAP when that will be! It will be a Spooky Surprise (hint...hint).

Enjoy the Ride!

Supplies: Papertrey Ink Pure Poppy, New Leaf, Enchanted Evening Paper and Buttons, Everyday Button Bits Stamp set, Momento Tuxedo Black ink, Neenah Classic Crest Paper, Copic Markers.

2010-09-09T11:24:00.000-07:00

Hello blog friends :0)

I am crafting like crazy getting ready for my stamp releases with My Time Made Easy, just a few short week left :0) I c.a.n.n.o.t wait to share everything I've been working on for the last few months :0)

Since I can't share even a teeny, tiny sneak, I'll share a card that was published in CARDS several months ago (I can't remember which month...and I'd have to walk upstairs to dig through some piles...and I don't feel like doing that right now :0) )

I actually made this card sometime last year, then it went off for publishing, then you don't get it back until the magazine is published. So, it can be sometimes 6 months before you get your project back! Well, they made a little oopsie and didn't send it back to me until a few weeks ago. So, mostly what I remember doing is making those beautiful fabric flowers :0)

I became quite obsessed:

I turned them into pins for a sweater, using really wide sating ribbons and various buttons and lace, felt...and also made lots of little girl hair bows!

Hope you guys are having a great day! I'll be sharing more very soon :0)

A little rain must fall

2010-09-01T12:22:00.000-07:00

Hey blog friends :0)

I wanted to share on of my latest cards to appear in PaperCrafts magazine. The call was for original ways/ideas to use buttons...and this idea popped into my little head.

All of these supplies are by PaperTrey Ink. And it is so true, right??? When it rains...it pours! Sometimes I feel like that everyday:0)

I'll be posting regularly very soon. I am loving learning the graphic design side of this industry, but as I'm having to teach myself, so it's slow going, but I AM learning and creating and chasing one of my dreams :0) I'll have several of my stamps released with My Time Made Easy starting in October, peeks will start the end of this month!

Bad, Bad, BAD Blogger :0)

2010-08-26T10:37:00.000-07:00

I'm such a bad blogger recently!! I'm so sorry...but I promise...I'll be back to blogging again very soon :0) Starting in October, I am going to have several of *MY* stamp designs being released with My Time Made Easy! So, I'm here...in the background...working like mad!

Thanks for hanging in there with me :0)

Tending the Garden

2010-07-01T00:05:00.000-07:00

Hello blog friends!

I'm back to share a few cute cards for this release from My Time Made Easy :0) Most of my design time is taken up with designing more stamps...but I always make time to try some of Lauren's too cute stamps each month!!

Using my favorite adorable image from Tending the Garden, a Pretty Impressions Acrylic Stamp set being released this month...I created this cute and easy baby card :0) I am really into quick, clean and simple cards these days...mostly using kraft as my "neutral". I love the way a kraft can really help your other colors pop right off of your card!

This was such a fun little image to color :0) I use those Copic's any chance I can!! For this card, I stamped the image three separate times and hand cut them out, then started playing with the colors. After I colored them the traditional way, I started playing with non-traditional colors...and came up with pink peas! I thought it went perfect with the sentiment "Lil' Sweet Pea"!

I popped each pea off of the card using a pop dot, just to really make them stand out! The pink gigham accent paper is from My Time Made Easy's Pretty Printables digital paper...GaGa for Gigham. If you haven't tried the digital paper yet...you should! I love being able to print off whatever color I want...whenever I need it!

Make sure you check out Lauren's blog today...all of the design team are posting some really cute things! Thanks for stopping by :0)

Winner, winner!

2010-06-09T07:22:00.000-07:00

Hello blog friends!!

We have a winner for the free "A Spot of Tea" stamp set. I put the number into Random.org and out came number 86...Bee Burg (I wish I knew how to copy/paste it so you guys could see it...I promise this is how I picked the winner)

Bee Burg said...

I'm a tea drinker, all the way! :-) So it's nice to see a set dedicated to it, when there are already so many coffee sets on the market!... ;-) I enjoyed your colorful and elaborate samples! :-P

Bee Burg...please contact me with your address :0)
Congratulations :0)

So Berry Sweet

2010-06-08T00:01:00.000-07:00

Hello blog friends!

Today is the last day of inspiration for the June release of My Time Made Easy. It's been a fun 10 days for me and I have loved sharing all the inspiration with you! I wanted to say "thank you Berry much" to all of my readers and fans out there who have stopped by this week!

I have one last card to share, and I used the new Pretty Impressions Well Preserved and my favorite strawberry :0) The kraft "die cut" is actually a Cut File Accent from Killer Curves to use in coordination with your Cricut and SCAL ( or whatever machine you use to cut with...). Super sweet and super simple!

Kraft with a pop of color...one of my favorite "go to" color combo's! See...this set can be used for so much...not only if you are a canning/jelly person (I'm not...wish I was!), but makes the cutest little cards and gift tags too!

Pop on back to Lauren to see the links to the rest of the design team...these ladies have been so busy creating wonderful inspiration for you all!

I won't be posting as much as I have...but just know I am behind the scenes creating like crazy! Check back in tomorrow to find out who won the A Spot of Tea set (go HERE it you haven't left me a comment!)

other supplies: Papertrey Ink Kraft, Pure Poppy card stock, Pure Poppy ribbon, Michael's brand green ribbon, Momento Tuxedo Black Ink, Versamark, EK Success circle, scalloped circle punch.

Orange you Sweet & a Giveaway!

2010-06-06T10:59:00.000-07:00

Hello blog friends!

Sorry I'm running late today...small children live at my house...need I say more? :0)

Here's another quick and simple card using A Spot of Tea, my new Pretty Impressions acrylic stamp set by My Time Made Easy, and Well Preserved, another new release this month! I had no idea how much I would love combining fruit and tea.

I'm making a set of cards for my Mom. She has a definite clean and simple style...I may have even pushed this too far for her by adding the twine bow! I love how large this tea cup image is...and I love paper piecing it. The paper is more digital paper by My Time Made Easy...my still current favorite is Preserve It Orange and Strawberry!

I stamped the "Orange" sentiment from the Well Preserved set, then hand wrote in the "you sweet".

I know this set is already sold out...but Lauren put aside one set for me to giveaway on my blog :0) So, just leave me a comment letting me know what you love about this set...or any ideas YOU would love to see! You have until Wednesday, June 9th at 9am EST to enter.

Thanks for stopping by!

other supplies: Papertrey Ink Kraft, Summer Sunrise paper, Momento ink, EK Success embossed curve punch, corner rounder, Papertrey ink vintage button twine.

Quick and Simple Get Well

2010-06-05T05:58:00.000-07:00

Hello blog friends!

I still have a ton of ideas floating through my head for "A Spot of Tea", my new acrylic Pretty Impressions stamp set just released by My Time Made Easy!

I thought I would show you guys how this design can also be perfect for you clean and simple lovers out there! I know that I love clean and simple designs, and sometimes they can be very hard to get right. With the tea cup being a large image, it can easily "hold down" a card all on it's own. I think I'll probably play with this concept more in the coming days!

This is my new favorite color combination...black, white and bright green! And this was a less than 5 minute card, using stamps, scraps and a little ribbon.

I stamped the image off center and added the dots, scallops and sentiment...then outlined in my Copic N0 (very light gray), cut my scraps, (the black and white dot paper is from the MTME Digital paper Darling Dots) tied my ribbon and rounded one corner. Waa laa! Perfect little 5 minute card!

Hope you guys are having a wonderful weekend! Go check out Lauren and Stephanie for even more examples!

other supplies: Papertrey ink Vintage Cream, New Leaf cardstock, Prism craft ribbon, Momento ink.

Tea cup ideas!

2010-06-04T05:15:00.000-07:00

Hello blog friends!

Today I have just a quick little post for you...things are a bit crazy around here and the card I wanted to share just didn't look right...so I'll work on in more if I get a few quite minutes today :0)

But, I did want to share with you a work sheet I created when I first recieved my A Spot of Tea stamps. It helps me sometimes to stamp everything so I have a "cheat sheet" to glance at for ideas!

I've shown you lots of examples of paper piecing the tea cup...these are all with markers and ink :0) The first tea cup is just with Copic's!

Have a great Friday everyone...go check out Pam and Lauren for more examples!

Strawberry Tea

2010-06-03T00:01:00.000-07:00

Hello my blog friends!

I have been so pleased with the response to my first stamp set with My Time Made Easy " A Spot of Tea"! Lauren let me know it sold out in the first 24 hours! Wow, so happy you all liked it :0) It gives me a ton of motivation to create more wonderful sets! I think it will be back in stock by mid June, so please be a little patient if you have to wait a little while to get it...I know how frustrating that can be.

So...sorry you have to wait...but I promised you a ton of inspiration, and I will deliver! Here's another quick example of how to combine the new digital paper Preserve It Oranges and Strawberries (my fav!) this month with the "A Spot of Tea" stamps!

Using another cut file template Lauren designed, called Time for Tea Bag, I whipped together an invitation for my daughter's birthday party. A tea party, of course!! I also used the coordinating cut file for "A Spot of Tea" called A Spot of Tea Cut File Accents. Yes, I know my paper is upside down...but I just didn't think that all the way through when I was cutting (it was late...) BUT I did print this paper on both sides so when you open it....

...it is correct and the adorable pattern paper is everywhere you look! I used another great new stamp set called Killer Curves: Fancy Frames. It's the perfect size for the inside of the Time for Tea Bag!

Just to make it complete, there is also a cut file for that stamp set called Killer Curves. So, if you have a Cricut Expression and SCAL (or one of the other cutting machines and programs that are compatible....) you can whip this up in NO TIME!

Please join us for tea :0)

Silke also has a beautiful project to share today :0)

Thanks for stopping by!!

Other supplies: PTI Kraft & Vintage Cream card stock, Pure Poppy Ink, Prism thread, PTI Pure Poppy dot ribbon

Jam Packed and Well Preserved!

2010-06-02T00:01:00.000-07:00

Hello blog friends :0)

I've been showing you lots of examples using my new "A Spot of Tea" stamp set finally released for My Time Made Easy...so let me change gears for today and show you a super quick and easy project I created for my son's preschool teachers!

Using the new Pretty Impressions Well Preserved acrylic stamp set, and the new Pretty Packaging Jam Packed template from My Time Made Easy...I whipped up two adorable gifts for them in about 30 minutes!

Hands down, I think my all time favorite digital paper from MTME is this a.d.o.r.a.b.l.e. new paper by Sara called Preserve It. I love strawberries...so you'll be seeing lots of this paper :0)

Who could resist something packaged as cute as this???

With the PERFECT sentiment? (Again with the strawberries...I know)

I bought a large size, high quality preserve at the grocery store. They are large jars, so I did adjust the size of the cut opening in SCAL when I cut this template with my Cricut. So, do you see the "real" gift in the lid? That is one of the pieces of the new Time For Tea Bag cut file accents. I found they fit perfectly in the lid of the Jam Packed template and I could slide my gift card right in!

The teachers just loved them :0)

Thanks for stopping by, I'll have more to share tomorrow!!

It's release day!!!

2010-06-01T00:01:00.000-07:00

Finally!

After MONTHS of waiting...today is the day for me :0) The release of my very first stamp set with My Time Made Easy. Thank you Lauren, for giving me a chance :0)

Pretty Impressions acrylic stamp set A Spot of Tea is now officially for sale in the My Time Made Easy store! Please let me know what you think!!

Here are a few more cards I made...and using one of the fastest ways I dreamed of using this stamp...paper piecing! Stamp, cut out either by hand or using the Time for Tea cut file (I hand cut these!) I found this adorable paper in my stash from My Mind's Eye called be loved. Love indeed!

I cut a slit at the top of the cup and the tag stamp slips in perfectly! The "Tea time" stamp along the bottom is also in this set! This sentiment could be used for anything from recovering from an illness, just saying "Hi!", or even a sympathy card.

The "tea bag" tucks all the way in, so your recipient has to pull out the tag to read the sentiment :0)

And another card still using the be loved paper. How can you not love that lemon slice stamp? A perfect pop of color!

I love this sentiment. Instead of "Get Well", it says, "Feel better soon"...perfect for anyone needing a little pick me up! I love how the sentiments fit perfectly on the "tea bags" too.

Make sure you visit the rest of the MTME design team...everyone is featuring cards today!

other supplies: Papertrey Ink Kraft, Aqua Mist, Vintage Cream card stock & button, Vintage Twine, Dark Chocolate Ink, Hawaiian Shores twill, lace from stash

A Spot of Tea Day 2

2010-05-31T00:10:00.000-07:00

Hello my blog friends!

I promised you TONS of inspiration for my first stamp set release for My Time Made Easy...and I will not disappoint you :0) Here is day two of my examples for A Spot of Tea! (released June 1st).

I know that I always struggle making masculine cards and items, so I do make it a goal of mine to create at least ONE boy/masculine project for each release. This time, I focused on a baby shower for a bouncing baby boy!

Let's start with my invitation! This is the too cute Time For Tea Bag template. I stamped my tea cup from A Spot of Tea, adding my dots and scallops to create the perfect tea cup, stamped my lemon (on kraft paper to keep it muted looking), then using Lovely Labels (another new release), I stamped my sentiment "A baby is brewing". I actually attached the cup TO the ribbon so it will just slide off.

When you slip off the ribbon, you see the invitation to the shower on the inside! I used the large label from Well Preserved, and the lemon stamp and date stamp...then very faint, another "A baby is brewing" stamp. I colored the edges using my Copic's then hand wrote the invitation!

Now on to the favor for my guests! Here's another adorable template Lauren created called Tea Tabbed Box! It perfectly holds a box of tea, with a slit at the bottom for you to pull the tea out! (Now, you have an option to not cut the slit at the bottom to make it even more versatile!) And let me tell you...this was a super easy template to put together!

Here's the lid up close and personal :0) I created another tea cup identical to my invitation...but added some blue berries (colored with my Copic's) from the Well Preserved stamp set since I stuffed the box FULL of Stash blueberry tea! The spot paper is from another new release from MTME digital papers, Vintage Dots!

Here it is opened up...it holds a ton! Won't your guests be thrilled to receive this as a little thank you gift?

So, whadda ya think?? I could totally see making the Tea for You teapot template for another great decoration for your baby shower! Check back tomorrow...I'll have some cards to share :0)

A Spot of Tea

2010-05-31T00:05:00.001-07:00

Hello my blog friends! I know it's been some time since my last post...but I've been quite busy personally and professionally, and needed some time to work on everyting! If you found me from Lauren's blog...well, you know what I've been working on!! Here is your first peek at my first stamp set, A Spot of Tea, available for purchase on June 1st in My Time Made Easy!!

Lauren has allowed me to start designing my first ever stamps :0) She took some of my hand drawings and created "A Spot of Tea" out of them. I love tea :0) LOVE IT! And I have been sooo wanting a LARGE tea set that I could easily paper piece to utilize all of those amazing paper that are out there. So, together we designed this very versitle set. So...in the months to come, as I become more familiar with my designing software...you'll hopefully be seeing more of my stamps :0)

When Lauren and I were first discussing this stamp set , she said, "I have a tea pot template I think would be perfect for this!". How does she do this???? Create these 3-D sculptures out of paper? I have no idea...but I love that she can :0) So to compliment A Spot of Tea, Lauren designed Tea for You, an amazing template, and Tea for You Tea Bag, another small template perfect for holding tea bags or gift cards...all sorts of little things.

I thought this would just be perfect for a bridal shower, and tea themed showers are so very popular these days! Here I created an entire set...the invitation, the center piece for the tables, and favor to give the guests!

Can you believe this template???? And I LOVE to use the "tea bag" image from the set as tags...perfect sentiments for a bridal shower, "Love is Brewing".

See the embossed scrolls on the lid? Another stamp from this set :0)

Here's the coordinating favor to give your guests...Time For Tea Bag holder.

A little velcro to hold it closed....

...and the inside. I used a frame from another new stamp set, Killer Curves...did you notice the "Tea time" stamped inside the holder? I stamped the tea bag image again along the bottom and used it to write a little thank you note to my guests :0)

oooo...sorry for the poor lighting on this shot...but here's my invitation ( cloudy day!) ...or could be a thank you note too :0) All the images are from a "Spot of Tea"! I love that you can mix and match stripes, roses, dots, flower, and scallops to create your perfect up of tea. We even remembered the lemon! It is designed to fit perfectly along the edge of your tea cup. You also get a peek of some of the new vintage inspired paper that will be available for purchase too...see the vintage dot paper? :0)

Well, I hope you all liked seeing the first peeks of my first stamp set :0) I have been very busy making TONS of examples to inspire you all! Stop by all week to see what I've created next! If you haven't already been to Lauren's blog, she's having a give-away...make sure you stop by!

ALSO...for more beautiful examples...go check out

Pam

and Silke

other supplies: Papertrey Ink Vintage Cream Kraft and Sweet Blush paper, Vintage touch inks, Sweet Blush Ink, Dark Chocolate Ink , twine, Prima Marketing Pearls.