{YNS #51} 'Too Cute To Spook' Blog Hop & Release

Hi there and welcome to Your Next Stamp September release/blog hop and my YNS DT debut!! I am so excited to be joining this awesome little Canadian company..a big thanks to Karen for asking me to join her team:) I hope you enjoy what I have created for the release! I sure had fun making these cards;)
We are also combining the hop with YNS Challenge #51- Paper Piecing, so get your paper snips and scraps out and join in on the fun!

You should have arrived here from Dana's blog, but if you just stumbled over to my blog and want to start at the 'top of the hop', then go to Kerri's blog and you won't miss any stampy-goodness;) Trust me, this is a must-see release, filled with fun fall characters, cute critters and sweet spookables that will have you itching to make Autumn cards for everyone in your life! !
Today I have two cards to show you, the first featuring Handmade With Love. I am combining YNSC51 on this card...so keep your eyes peeled for some paper-pieced elements!

Isn't she cute? I think so:) I spy with my little eye: a paper-pieced sweater, hair bow (also popped up on a tiny pop-up dot) and table cloth! I stamped all the apple goodies, plus hands and fork) again on cs, colouring with copics and adding spica glitter pen, and adhered them to the 'top' of the tablecloth. The trick with paper-piecing is to make sure that your layers are as realistic as possible, so that things don't appear 'sunken'. For example, the little girls hands would naturally be in front of her shirt, so after I stamp and adhere the patterned paper sweater, I would stamp another set of cs hands and glue them to the top of the sweater. So the hands don't look sunken into the sweater..Get it? Same with the tablecloth. I didn't cut around the food with my patterned paper, but rather added the food to the top of the layer of patterned paper. Doing this makes sure that things appear to be in the right order. And it really does make a difference. If you have never done this technique and still don't quite understand, there are some awesome videos out there. This one by Joanne B is great!

Here is a close-up! I used some Verve dies for the paper/cork/button flower embellie, and the sentiment tags are cut from spellbinders. I stamped the 'Thankful' sentiment (one of three that comes with the set, as well as a few accessory stamps) in black ink.

For the inside, I left it pretty simple, just using scraps from the front. Plenty of room for a nice, personal message:)

For my second card, I used my personal favorite from this release, 'Apple Cutie'.

And here is a close-up of the apple embellie that I made! I used some small circle spellbinder dies, and cut them from a folded piece of red cs and patterned paper, trimmed the folded corners to give a more apple-y shape, inked the edges and embossed with cuttlebug folder. I did this because one side of the circle was nice and smooth, while the other was all rough looking from my well loved cutting plate. The embossing evened them out, and as a plus added some nice detail! The leaves and seeds were cut using an MFT dienamic and the stem was free cut. The fancy scalloped edge was cut using TCP's Big Scallop cutup, and the grass was cut using a TCP cutup as well. Her boots, eyes and the apples were coated with Crystal Effects glaze.

Awe- isn't she just the sweetest!? I thought she looked like a auburn-haired little muffin (E17,19,27), and in true red-headed style, a few prismacolour freckles were added (I find copic are hard to control and end up running a bitn into the light skin tones, so thats why I use pencil for my freckles).

Paying homage to me and my hubby's eternal fight over which is better: red apples (me) or green (him)...I decided to have both in my basket. Of course, we all know that red is best, but I am trying to be a peaceful soul lately and not rock any boats...so a mixed basket of apples it was!

 
The senitment that comes with this set was stamped on the inside, which again used up some of my cardfront scraps! And true to Jenny form, I smudged the inside;) I think it's my trademark! I am just gonna go with it! lol

Okay, no great blog hop is complete without a prize, so here it is! A selection of stamps from the new release!! Isn't Karen just the best?! So generous she is:) Just link up to any of the hoppers blogs (just once is all you need to do;)

 And guess what else? There is a sweet deal going on over at YNS! For every $30 you spend, Karen will throw in a free, surprise stamp!! Spend $60, get two..Spend $90, get three....Yippee! And with this being the cutest release EVER, you shouldn't have a problem earning yourself some free rubbah!

Now it's time to hop on over to one of our talented YNS guests,  Jen del Muro's blog!

TSG Paper Doll Challenge

Hey all! I was so excited to find a few packages of brand new stamps in my mailbox on Friday! One of those packages was my There She Goes DT package! Ooooo...so fun! I decided to whip up some spooky little paper dolls for this past weeks birthday challenges (you still have time to play along with all five challenges, and they're really easy! TSG will be giving away a $10 gift certificate for each day! If you want to make your own little paper doll and play along, check out the TSG blog for details.
I used the cutest little Halloween set 'Hauntingly Delightful' (sorry, currently out of stock) and made a cute little gang of trick or treaters!

Aren't they cute?! I stamped the characters onto Xpress It cardstock and coloured them all with copics, adding clear spica pen to the scythe, dracula's shoes and tie, and crystal effects to drucula's eyes, mummy's eyes, and the ghosts pumpkin,
The little stands were made by cutting one circle nestie for each 'doll', and cutting in half. One cut was made in each half, one halfway up and on the other, halfway down. I also stamped another double for each character (using taupe ink). This became the back of the doll (copics bleed through the paper and I didn't want that being seen from the back). The images were layered together with score tape with the top of the circle stand in between.
Here are some close-ups:

And here is the backside, as well as one of the dolls with his stand dismantled.

Well, there you have it! Easy peasy! My 5 yr old is itching for me to make him a little haunted house to go with his new friends, as well as the witch and bat that come with this stamp set. He even wants little gravestones! What can I say? He's my kid;) A Halloween lover!

Remember to check out the TSG blog to link up your paper doll and check out what the other Trendsetters and TSG fans have been up to...

{TCPTUES175} A Sketchy Anniversary

This week over at The Cat's Pajamas, Leigh is our super-sketchy hostess and boy, has she whipped up a doozy! This one was tough people! The double banner flags had me stumped! But I have never been called a quitter (okay, I have a few times;), so I didn't let this sketch get the best of me....My Ma and Pa's anniversary is today, so I made this one for them...Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad! (not that they read my blog, but what the heck, best wishes anyway;)

I've used a few different TCP sets on this card. The pattern on the rolled nest die (which is actually the nest stamp itself) and the birds are from the Nesting set. The branch is from The Tweetest Things, and the anniversary sentiment and filigree is from Simply Said. The cutups I've used are Rolled Nest (so super easy to make! And unfortunately, currently out of stock) and the smaller pennants from the Pennant cutup set. If you are ever wondering how exactly to use some of our awesome dies, Alma has put together a few fabulous videos to demonstrate. Check them out on the TCP website here! It's Oscar worthy material, I tell ya!

Aren't my two lovebirds so tweet, canoodling on the tree branch, waiting patiently for their three precious little eggs to hatch (there's myself and my two brothers in my family...coincidence? I think not;) Here is the inside, with my trademark, uncentered sentiment. Why stop now??

If you would like to play with us and take a chance on winning some weekly catcash, or better yet, the title of Swanky Stamper of the Month, then check out Alma's blog for more details!

Supplies: Stamps- TCP; Ink- memento, SU (early espresso, certainly celery), Colorbox Chalk ink; DP- Simple Stories- baby steps; CS- SU (kraft, early espresso, celery); dies- TCP, spellbinders circles; pearls- SU; ribbon- dollar store; dimensionals- SU; leaf stick pins- Maya Road; gluegun; bigshot; sponges

{TCPTUES174} Fly With Me

Hey all! I have quite a long-winded post for you today. This weekend I had some time to stamp and managed to sneak in my card, just under the wire, for TCP Tuesday. Susan was our hostess with the mostess and she challenged us to use any stamps with WINGS....yep, that's right, the Cat Pack has been wingin' it all week!
I decided my wings would be on a plane and I used the sweet Take Off from our last release, as well as the most rockin'est die on the market Cloud Border Cutup (currently out of stock, because it's just that cool).

So, whatcha think? I was going for a vintage feel...tons of torn and crumpled paper, some 'imperfect' stitching and did you see that I cut both the cloud strip and my circle panel from tissue? That's actually old dress pattern paper from my Grandma's stash! Neat, huh?

The plane is paper pieced and the wing was only adhered at the top, and the tip is rolled up a bit for added dimension. My image was stamped on Crumb Cake (SU's new name for Kraft- why fix something that ain't broke??) and coloured with copics....the sentiment is stamped on a little Maya Road kraft tag and I set both the large, paper covered tag and the small kraft tag with a copper eyelet and looped through some red and natural hemp twine (both SU...red is retired, I think). The DP is Teresa Collins 'World Traveller' and is perfect for these kinds of themes and has lots of other non-travelling patterns with gorgeous, rich colours in the pack...LOVE it!

Here is a close-up of those delicate clouds, with some black stitching running right through it! If you check in on my blog regularly, you may have noticed that I like to sew with dark thread alot of the time...I am no schooled designer, so there is no real design-based explanation for anything I do...I just do what looks and feels right, and sometimes I think that dark thread helps to 'ground' things, draws your eye's attention, defines specific parts...I don't know!!!! But give it a try sometime!! You might just like it! Obviously you have to consider the theme/mood of the card...maybe not the best for a welcome baby card, although with the right paper, image, and recipient, I wouldn't rule that out either!

SEWING INFO

Another sewing tip, and I'm not even sure where I picked this one up...somewhere in blogland. I use Coates and Clark button thread. It is thick enough for paper (my regular fabric thread is so thin that I find the needle holes more noticeable than the stitching, not good). I buy mine at good ol' Walmart. It's cheap to. I also use a jean needle. It's also a bit thicker and makes it easier to go through multiple layers of paper. That is what my sewing machine repairman (remember to NOT put any kind of adhesive where you are planning to sew...or you will have your own replairman) told me to use. He is a master of all things sewing, and I listen to him like the Gospel....One last lesson. I always tape my loose strings to the backside of my card. Then they are secure and won't unravel on you. Well, except this card, where the feeling was 'tattered'. To do this, after you are done your row of stitching, cut the threads, leaving some slack (one thread will be poking out the front and the other out the back). You want them both at the back. GENTLY pull on the back thread. You will see a loop come out the back. Now hook that loop with your tweezers, piercer, whatev and gently pull on the loop. Voila! Both threads will now be at the back! Now secure them with a bit of score tape!

And the inside....I let the dp be the sentiment...lots of room for a personal message.



Come back tomorrow for another TCP challenge!

Fallin' For You

Hi there! How's your Labour Day weekend going? Yesterday my boys and I went into town to get their haircut (did you see the pic a few days ago of my littlest at the beach with the shaggiest hair ever??). We didn't make any appointments and just hoped for the best, and unfortunately the stylist only had time for 2 boys. Since the older ones are in school and school pics are Tuesday, they took priority! So the little guy remains my trusty lil sheepdog;) Then we rented a movie and Xbox game, ordered a pizza to bring home and had a very chill evening! We are starting to miss the daddy of the house pretty bad though. Lazy days like that seem to make the hole that Craig leaves when he's away, rear it's ugly head:( Busy, hectic days are better for all of us when it comes to that, I think. But it definately still was a wonderful day and there is alot that I am thankful for...one of them being sunshine! The kids wore shorts yesterday and today! (well- 'cept Jake, who at the tender age of 5, is a diehard redneck at heart and lives for jeans)
I'll show you a little card that I have been working on. I had one of those 'lightbulb' moments (I hear mine in the voice of Steve Carrel in Despicable Me) the other night, and I literally shot up in bed with an idea for the MFT Guest DT contest going on tight now here. Unfortunatly, the idea didn't translate exactly how I wanted it when I was put to task. Maybe it had something to do with the idea coming to me in dream format.
Anyway, the theme is RIP & ROLL (ripped paper, rolled whatever....) I did a crapload of ripping, so much so, that my digits are aching and I'm probably going to develop premature arthritis. I tore 5000 bits of dp for my leaves, tore up some hills of grass, and rolled up some little red felt apples. PLEASE tell me they look like apples and not roses!!! I coloured up one of my favorite PI's Caramel Apple and added some Crystal Effects to her apple, barrette and shoes. Along with my wonky felt apples/roses...NO Jenny- they are APPLES, damnit!- I am not a fan of the orange sweater. I only have a very small number of orange copics, and looking at this sweater, I am thinking another copic order is in the cards for me. I also wanted to add some texture to the sweater, using colourless blender and some real knit, but I ate lunch at McDonald's with the kids today, and frankly, that greasy garbage sucks the life right out of me....why don't I ever learn? So with my ambition nearly at it's all time low, and a rotten gut, I just let sleeping dogs lie with the orange sweater.

See the bits of paper on the grass? They are supposed to be fallen leaves and also some apples that hit the ground. I probably should have made the apple in her hand red as well, to tie the apples together and reiterate the point that those are not roses. Haha! And in all the twists and turns this card gave me, I completely forgot that I do have the MFT cloud die, and used my TCP cloud die instead. It was already tacked down with score tape, which some of you know is so sticky, it can double as waxing strips. No pulling that cloud off.

Here are a few close-ups:

And here is the inside...

Okay, that's it for me today! Stay tuned for some TCP goodness coming up shortly:)

BIG NEWS: The sequel!

Holy smokes....true to everything in my life- when it rains, it pours! And sometimes that can be a great thing! In this case it sure is. A little while ago, when I was on my mother/daughter trip to Vancouver Island, I checked my email, and to my complete and utter shock, I had an email from one Jessica Knutsen (owner/designer of There She Goes stamps) asking me if I would be interested in being a Junior Trendsetter! One of reasons I was so surprised is that I have NEVER made a card with a TSG stamp! I don't know how many times I have had the cute little gnome set in my 'cart' and then that little voice in the back of my head says 'Jenny, you have enough stamps already!' and I curse my concience and sadly leave the site. Funny how that annoying little voice sounds remarkably like my husband?! Even though I am not a TSG owning girl, I do have a few of the DT girls on my google reader....Sr Trendsetter Karen Giron, Jodi Collins and Danielle Lounds (both of these hugely talented gals have since left the team)...so I definately was familiar with this whimsical line of stamps! Since getting the wonderful invite, I have been perusing the website like I did with the Sears Catalogue Wish Book as a kid (did you know it's out now! Yippee!). I have a huge order presently on the way (including my little gnomies;) and I am super stoked to get stamping! But for now you'll have to enjoy the creations that the other members of the DT have to offer. Trust me, they will not disappoint!
And guess what else?? This month is TSG's 3rd Birthday and the festivities are carrying through all of September! Yay- Happy Birthday TSG!! Head over to the TSG blog to check out all the deets. There are fun challenges and prizes to be won all month long:) And I'll be posting some cards as soon as I get my stamps! Is anyone else close to getting a restraining order from the mailman? lol
Oh yeah, my amazingly talented TCP sister Leigh O'Brien has also joined the team, as well as cyber-friend and fellow Albertan Melissa Hubert (now we have to meet for a Timmies, Melissa;)!

Okay- go check out the There She Goes blog and see for yourself what kind of fun I'm talkin' bout!

Some Big News!

Today I have something to share with you that I've been keeping under my hat for what feels like forever! Sweet Ms Karen Dedman, the boss lady and owner of Your Next Stamp, has asked me to be a permanent fixture over at YNS! If you remember a few months back, I was approached by her to be a Guest Designer and I helped out again for their August Birthday celebration. Well I had so much fun and Karen is such a joy to work for, how could I resist? Plus YNS is a Canadian company and I love supporting anything 'homegrown', and these stamps are freakin' cute to boot!! Win-Win?? Yes, I think so;)
In honour of my 'coming out', I decided to whip up a cute little YNS creation using Happy Days Mermaid.

Nothing says shiny like mermaids, so I just went with it! Red glitter paper, twinkly sand coloured ultra-fine glitter, clear and aqua stickles on her tail, starfish top (booby-underpants as my kids would say), earrings and hair flower. As well as a tiny little pearl in the flower center that I'm assuming she found in a little oyster shell;) The little kelp plant and crab come with this set, as well as 3 sentiments in total and a little starfish accessory. Everything is popped up using dimensionals. Copics were my colouring medium and I added simples to her and the the crabs cheeks using a white gel pen.

I kept the inside really sparse, as I'm not sure what kind of card this will be yet. The front sentiment is non-specific, so this could end up being a birthday, thankyou, friendship card....whatever! Lots of room for another stamp or just a personal note.

Supplies: Stamps- YNS; Ink- memento; DP- Echo Park Splash; CS- SU!; glitter paper- SU!; ultrafine glitter; stickles; copics; pearl- SU!; dimensionals- SU!; Bigshot; circle and scallop circle nesties
Sketch- SSSC