FairyBlossoms & Life

Verry Merry!

 

Techie Monday!

Happy Monday everyone!

I hope you're all warm and cozy wherever you are!  I am absolutely freezing, and have decided I will definitely be retiring somewhere warm and balmy.  The snow we got hit with this weekend was NOT fun!! The only nice thing was that I got to play with some brand new yummy stuff that I had ordered and hadn't had a chance to try out!

Recently my friend Donna posted some gorgeous cards she made using GinaK. stamps, and when I asked her about them, she absolutely raved about the stamps and products SO much that I just had to order some for myself!! Since this was my first time ordering, I figured I would let you guys know what I think now that I've received my goodies in case anyone needs some enabling! 

Okay, so before I get to my speech, take a look at my very first GinaK card:

I used my Tech Talk stamp set for this.  I just had to buy it as soon as I saw it!!  I figured this would be the one stamp set that Rae might actually look at without getting that glazed-over look he usually gets when I subject him to hours of showing off my cards!  lol.. It's computers right??? I love that the set has SO many different elements - seriously I don't think I've ever seen one stamp set with so many stamps!!  The possibilities are endless!! 

I wanted to make a simple card for this stamp, and I used my Cosmo Cricket Boyfriend patterned paper for it which is definitely fun for more masculine cards!  I did a little paper-piercing and that's about it!  Very simple and too cute!!  The Laptop is colored using Copics, and the sentiment is also from the Tech Talk stamp set.

I also ordered some Pure Luxury cardstock in a couple of colors - and I will surely be buying a lot more!!  Hands down amazing!!!  I have been looking for the perfect "deep red", and I have definitely found it in GinaK's Cranberry Tart, gorgeous I tell you!!  Of course if metallics are more your cup of tea, you will absolutely flip when you set eyes on the Mother of Pearl cardstock.  Sheer heaven and totally a MUST have!!  While you're shopping, don't forget to check out the Vintage Buttons.  I got the Neutrals Assortment, and they are delish! you need them too, trust me.

Now of course since we're all impatient when ordering our stuff (or that just me??) you will be thrilled to know the shipping was lightning fast, and everything was beautifully packaged (I mean PERFECT), no smooshed anything!!  I am one happy shopper and I am definitely going to be adding to my GinaK collection! 

Okay so there you have it!  You have a few more items to add to your Christmas list!!  Your hubbies will start coming after me for sure!! lol..

I'm always happy to help!!

Stay warm and I hope you have a wonderful day!  thanks for stopping by!!

Smoochies,

Alex

Twilight Christmas!

Happy Friday honeybunnies!!

and Merry (almost) Christmas...

 

Today I am sharing my very first Twilight-inspired card!!  As I mentioned before, I am the last person on earth to see the movie, so all this "Twi-craziness" is very new to me!!  I recently came across the Twilight Tuesday Website, and their last challenge of the year is to make a Twilight Christmas card/project, so that is what I did (adding my own little spin of course!).. look at the cutest little twilight cuppies:

HA!! is the the funniest thing ever or what??  I just HAD to use my vampire and princess cuppies from both Trick or Sweets sets to make Edward & Bella's Christmas card!  The card sketch is from this week's challenge on Splitcoast SC259.   Since I wanted my cuppies to be really dark and "hazy", I decided to break out my Prismacolor Pencils to color Edward and Bella, since I haven't touched them in ages!!  Of course, I threw in some sponging to give it the "night in the forest" look.  Edward and Bella are dressed for the prom, as you can see!  I stamped some silver snowflakes using my Encore Ink Pad, which by the way, gets two snaps up from me for being amazing!! I had never found a metallic ink pad that was actually dark enough! I am in LOVE!!

The black patterned paper and the grey strip are from Cloud Nine (wedding collection) and the smaller panels are covered in a patterned paper that I found buried in my stash from eons ago.. all I know if it has a huge purple flower covering the entire sheet.. not sure if I would consider it my "style" now, but boy did it come in handy! (see, it's good to be a hoarder!!)  I embossed them with my Snowflakes CB embossing folder and then sponged them using Bravo Burgundy Ink.  I used my nesties to cut out my image mat, stitched all the layers and voila!  My Twilight Christmas card is done!!  

Is this super fun or what??  I am lovin' this new Twilight inspiration!!

Thank you for stopping by!  I hope you have a deliciously wicked Friday!

Alex

Supplies:

Stamps:  Trick or Sweet II, Trick or Sweet Home Sweet Home from Taylored Expressions.

Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black Ink, Silver Encore Ink Pad, Ranger Walnut Distress Ink, Bravo Burgundy, Soft Sage, Almost Amethyst from Stampin' Up!.

Cardstock and Patterned Paper:  Choice White CS from Taylored Expressions, Riding Hood Red, Almost Amethyst, Basic Black, Vellum and Silver from Stampin' Up!

Accessories: Stampin’ Dimensionals,Prismacolor Pencils, Snowflake CB Embossing Folder, Black Brads, Stampin' up 3/4" circle Punch, and Martha Stewart Leaf Punch, White Gel Pen.

Sunshiny Day

Hi everyone!  I'm SO not having a sunshiny day!! I've been just miserably sick the past couple of days, but I decided to stop in and say hello! 

I wanted to share a card I made recently for an adorable little girl turning one! It just so happens her name is Soleil.  Her mommy asked me to make a card for her, and she wanted to incorporate the meaning of her name as well as her upcoming birthday, so this is what I came up with:

I just loooved making this for her!  I absolutely adore these papers from the K & Co. Cut 'N Paste collection.  I've used them quite a bit and they are just gorgeous all around!  I love the vintage feel, and the colors are just beautiful! 

I cut out the sun using my Tinkerbell Cricut Cartidge, and just sponged the edges and layered it on dimensionals.  The number one and the little heart are plain chipboard which I covered in patterned paper and distressed the edges using Ranger Walnut distress ink.  I added some stitching and a little grosgrain ribbon to finish off the vintage look! 

Well, I'm happy to report Soleil loved her card!  (well her mommy said she did!!) I hope you liked it too - and see how easy it is to incorporate a Cricut into your cardmaking??  (I'm such an enabler, aren't I?)  trust me - you NEED one, if you don't have one already!!

Oh, I almost forgot - I finally broke down and saw Twilight for the very first time (where have I been, I know!!) after hearing the whole world obsess about it (YES Jodi, I mean you) I couldn't stop myself - OH MY. I should've just kept on walking, now I'm lost!!  I have no words.  I think I watched it 10 times yesterday..  like I needed a new obsession! well...at least Edward made me feel better

Thanks for stopping by!!

he's watching!!

time to fess up!  have you been Naughty or Nice??

my answer to this one is usually along the lines of".. it depends who's asking" tee-hee..

I actually spent most of my stamping time today in a complete funk trying to avoid finishing up my Christmas Cards..not that I don't want to finish them, but I guess I was just looking to take a little break from the "assembly line", so I happened upon today's "Ways to Use It Challenge" on Splitcoast and I decided to give it a shot! 

This week's challenge is "Let's go Caroling", and basically you are to use Holiday music as the inspiration behind your project, so I decided to make a gift tag inspired by Santa Claus is Coming to Town:

I had so much fun making this!!!  I never think to make tags, and the best part was - I even got to dress up Cuppie in his Santa costume!!  (well his accessories anyway!)  I used the sailor Cuppie from my Trick or Sweet II and cut out his beard, hair and hat from my Paper Doll Dress Up Cricut cartridge. SOO fun! 

Santa Cuppie is colored using copic markers, and all of the patterned paper, cardstock and ribbons (with the exception of the green striped ribbon) are from my Taylored Expressions March Key Ingredients (Can you believe I still haven't finished it??!!  There's still SOOO much stuff in my kit that I have more than enough supplies to make a few more of these!!).  The little "gifts" and holly leaves are confetti accents from K & CO Swell Noel.  I added some Stickles and voila! 

Now, wouldn't this even make a fruitcake look good???!! lol..

I am loving how quickly these tags come together! I have a feeling they're going to be my new obsession  for the next few days!

Thanks so much for stopping by! I hope your Friday is off to a great start!

Hugs.

Alex

Supplies:

Stamps: Trick or Sweet II, A Year of Sweet Sentiments from Taylored Expressions.

Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black Ink.

Cardstock and Patterned Paper:  All from Taylored Expressions March 2009 Key Ingredients Kit

Accessories: Stampin’ Dimensionals, Ranger Stickles, Liquid Applique, Copic Markers, Stampin' Up! Celery Striped Ribbon, Cricut Expression Machine, Paper Doll Dress Up, and Tags Bags Boxes and More Cricut Cartridges, Stampin' up Small Oval Punch, and Martha Stewart Lattice Border Punch.

Just play and more!

Happy Tuesday!!  I hope everyone is having a fabulous day!! 

I have been itching to share some of my recent scrapbook pages, and this by far one of my favorites! mostly because I've been on a recent mission to use my Cricut, and this was just SO much fun to make! I used the Life's a Beach cartridge to make this submarine - how cool is this??

 

I just LOVE this picture - I took it using a disposable waterproof camera, so the quality is not the best, but I love that I caught him at just the right moment!  This was under one of the "waves" from Typhoon Lagoon at our Disney trip this summer!  SO fun!

The "waves" you see behind the sub's portholes are folded Prima Flowers!  I thought they looked cute that way (besides, I'm always happy to use as many flowers as I can on my "boy" layouts just because I love them so much!!) One day he's going to throw darts at my pictures for that, but I'll take my chances!! LOL..

Here's another layout using the same Cricut Cartridge (it is definitely a must have in my book!!)

definitely in major vacation mode as you can see!!  I used some stickers (the toucan, the girl and surfboards) but what I like to do is to mount my stickers on cardstock and then cut them out so I can add them to my layouts using dimensionals.  They look a lot better in my opinion, not to mention, they're stronger and you can layer them!  easy huh??

Thanks for letting me share these with you!!  One more thing!  loookie here what I got from my lovely super gorgeous buddy Donna:

 

AWWW!!   is she the sweetest or what??? SO now I'm supposed to list 7 Random things about me:

1. I collect Anne Frank books (my fascination with her story came at an early age, so I have TONS of them. All different covers, sizes, documentaries, you name it!).
2. I am a HUGE Elvis freak.  I LOVE my Elvis.  (I went to Memphis for a conference for work about 6 years ago and nearly missed my flight because I snuck out and took a cab to look at the outside of Graceland when I was supposed to be at the airport.) (SO WORTH IT!!)
3. There is not a craft I do not love. I crochet, knit, paint etc.. (of course, I'm the queen of unfinished projects, but hey, it's the thought that counts right?? I love making stuff!
4. I'm a night owl.  I am always bright eyed and bushy tailed once midnight rolls around, but I always wake up early which is why...
5. I LOVE makeup.  I always have major raccoon eyes, so my concealer is my best friend.  I would make one fine drag queen. sigh. I just looove my paint.
6. I bake a lot!! I love making all sorts of pastries and desserts even though my cooking skills leave much to be desired.   I can't make meatballs to save my life, but I can bake like nobody's business! (who needs to eat real food anyway??)
7. I'm terrified of heights. I can't even use a stepladder around my house.  I squeal like a chick every time I need to change a lightbulb.. (usually I just wait it out until he comes home)

Ha! there you have it! me in a nutshell!  (fascinating, I know...)

Okay so now for the real fun stuff!  I get to pick 7 fabulous bloggers to pass this award down to:

Bev

Katie

Debbie

Sparkle

Lori

Alison

Every single one of these ladies rocks! You must check them out for major eye candy, I stalk them all!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Smoochies!!

Alex

Bella's Party Time!!

Time to party hearty ladies & gents!! 

Today I am thrilled to be a part of the Bella's Birthday Bash Blog Hop!!

If you've just happened upon my blog, you can CLICK HERE to start from the beginning at Bloggabella.

Did you make your way here from Belinda's Blog? If so, perfect!!  Make yourself right at home and hang with me for a bit while I show you the card I made to celebrate Bella's day!

 

Much like everyone else, I am a huge fan of all of the fun stamp lines StampingBella offers, but for today, I decided I had to use one of the original girls!  These funky chicks took the stamping world by a storm 3 years ago and I couldn't possibly love them more!! 

My PMSaBella's comfy couch and PJs are paper-pieced..  I used Copic Markers to color in everything else.  The sides of the couch are "double-mounted" as are her pajama bottoms since I wanted those part to look extra puffy!  I finished the shabby look to my card by airbrushing some speckles onto my card panels.  The patterned papers I used are from the Porcelain and Bittersweet Basic Grey Collections -so gorgeous and definitely girly!!.  I added some of my favorite striped Stampin' Up! ribbon and a cool vintage button from FooFaLa to finish my card up.  It really is so much fun to play with my Bellas!!

I hope you are having lot's of fun making your way through this fabulous hop! Don't forget the prizes!!

Three gift certificates for $100 in Bella Bucks will be hidden along the hop, but we’re not telling you where, so be sure to leave some love as you hop!!! Make sure you leave comments on every post so you have a chance to win!!

The winners will be announced on Monday, December 7 at the Stamping Bella Blog.  

Thanks so much for stopping by! Now it's time to hop on over to Nicole's Blog.

Mwah!!

CIC3 Winter Challenge

Happy Friday loves!!

I am soo excited about today's post!  I get to show off a challenge card!  As you may know I am a former Clear Dollar Stamps DT member, and basically because I don't stop harassing them , I was recently welcomed into the Clearly Inspired Challenge Team!! YAY!!!

Anyhoo, I am thrilled to be back, and playing along with these awesome challenges! I hope you guys want to play too, and here are the basic details:

• These challenges will occur every other Friday
• You have until the following Thursday to link your project using Mr. Linky on THIS POST on Lori's Blog.
• Challenges will vary each and every time
• Your work is important so there will be 5 Inspirational Cards/Projects chosen to be featured here
• Use CDstamps if you have them... IF NOT PLEASE PLAY ANYWAY... use what you have!
• A PRIZE (your choice of stamp set) will be awarded to a randomly chosen winner
• If you upload to Splitcoast Stampers please use CIC3 as one of your keywords

This is the card I made using today's challenge, which was inspired by a Winter Theme.

For my card, I chose colors that remind me of the gorgoeus lights and displays that can be seen in NYC during the winter! (NO I DO NOT mean these,  thank you very much!!)   lol.. I kid, I kid.. Seriously though, we all know the famous windows displays and glittering trees that make NY famous this time of year, so I thought this challenge was purrrfect timing for me to go all out and use my brand new Poinsettia Shapeabilities to make a flower for my card.  Of course, since it is rather large and basically takes up the whole card, I needed to keep the rest fairly delicate and simple, which is where these gorgeous Mini Christmas Scriptures were just what I needed to complete my card!.  I used my Tag Frames stamp set to stamp my label for my scripture using gold ink and then just inked up the edges a bit.

For my flower and the back panel of the card I used a gorgeous paper from my "hoarding" pile which is embossed with vines and flowers.  I also cut out three layers of the flower using vellum cardstock so that it would have more dimension and a bit of a vintage feel.  LOVE it, super easy to do!! all of the petals are inked up using a combination of Vintage Photo distress ink from Ranger and Buckaroo Blue Ink from Stampin' Up!. I then added some assorted stickles to the edges, and voila!

I hope you're ready to get inspired by Winter!  please head over to the Clearly Inspired Challenge for some more eye candy from the fabulous team, and show your stuff!! There's plenty of time to play!!

Thanks for stopping by!!

Smoochies,

 

Supplies:

Stamps: Mini Christmas Scriptures, and Tag Frames from Clear Dollar Stamps

Ink: Staz-On Antique Gold, Memento Tuxedo Black Ink, Vintage Photo Distress Ink, Buckaroo Blue from Stampin' Up!.

Cardstock:  Very Vanilla, Naturals Vanilla, Vellum Cardstock and Baja Breeze from Stampin' Up.

Patterned Paper: Marcella K embossed paper.

Accessories: Stampin’ Dimensionals, Ranger Stickles, Cuttlebug Snowflakes Embossing Folder, Spellbinders Shapeabilitties, Making Memories Glitter Brad.

Enabler Alert!

I decided to have my very own version of Black Friday AND Cyber Monday today!  I am cleaning house and have tons of SU! sets that need a good home. 

Take a peek and see if there is anything you might need!  I'm happy to combine shipping, and email me if you have any questions!

Happy Shopping!!

$10.00
A Good Egg (set of 7)
Big Deal Alphabet (set of 24)
By Sea (set of 7)
Dad's Day (set of 6)
Echoes of Kindness (set of 4)
It's a Party (set of 6)
Letterpress Alphabet (set of 2)
Life's a Breeze (set of 13)
Office Accoutrement (Set of 10)
Older & Wiser (set of 9)
Perfect Presentation (set of 11)
Pick a Petal (set of 11)
Pretty Princess (set of 7)
Seriously Sassy (set of 5)
Silly Sealife (set of 6)
Stitched Exotics (set of 9)
Sweet Celebrations (set of 8 )
Tidy Alphabet (set of (28 )
Treat Yourself (set of 13)
Whale Wishes (set of 4)
Zoofari (set of 6)

$7.00

A Little Bit of Happiness (set of 4)
Along the Same Lines (set of 4)
Autumn Apparitions (set of 9)
Haute Couture (set of 7)
Itty Bitty Buds (set of 14)
Simple Shapes (set of 10)
So Many Sayings (set of 3)
So Much (Set of 5)
Spring Solitude (set of 6)
Think Big (set of 8 )
Time Well Spent (set of 12)
Very Punny (set of 8 )
Wishing You (set of 6)

$4.00
Alphabet Soup (set of 4)
Birthday Whimsy (set of 5)
Birthday Whimsy (set of 5)
Friendship Blooms (set of 5)

Polka Dots & Paisley (set of 6)

Yummy (set of 3)

Thanks for stopping by!!

Alex

Bittersweet Blessings

Happy Monday honeybunnies!!

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend! I still haven't put my tree up..does that make me a slacker now???

Well the truth is I was too busy stamping to wanna haul out anything, but I will get around to it sometime before New Year's I promise ...

I have to thank you all SOOO much for the wonderful comments on my HollyJolly Scrapbox, you are all sooo sweet and made my year!!  Today I have another Taylored Expressions card to show you!! (don't forget the sale ends today so get some shopping in!!!)

I made this card using the absolutely stunning Christmas Blessings stamp set.  I just LOVE this set, the images are so pretty, and no need to spend any time coloring so it really perfect for some simple but lovely cards. 

As you can see, I am still on a "non-traditional" Holiday colors kick, so I used my Basic Grey Bittersweet collection (SO delish) to make my card.  I also used sketch challenge SC255 on Splitcoast for inspiration. Thank heaven for these sketches - I still have NO clue what I am going to do when I sit down to stamp, so I am finding them extremely helpful!  

I stamped my image using Chocolate Ink from CTMH, (this is quickly becoming my new favorite brown).  It stamps beautifully and it's not overly dark.  I love that it dries instantly too so I was able to add some shimmer chalk as soon as I stamped it and it looks so pretty and shiny.. sigh..love it!

Thank you so much for visiting today! I hope you have score some great deals today during Cyber monday!!

Have a wonderful day!!

Supplies:

Stamps: Christmas Blessings from Taylored Expressions.

Ink: Chocolate from CTMH! Memento Tuxedo Black Ink.

Cardstock:  Very Vanilla, Naturals Vanilla and Chocolate Chip and Cameo Coral from Stampin' Up.

Patterned Paper: Bittersweet Collection from Basic Grey.

Accessories: Stampin’ Dimensionals, Satin Ribbon from Stampin' Up!, Shimmer Chalks.