Some stuff to share...

It's been a little while since I've had a chance to make a post on here...busy busy busy. But here are a few things I've created lately. This one is a project I created for a challenge with my Stampin Up! demonstrator group...AND I WON! Woo Hoo! Our challenges involve getting a baggie of "card parts" and using them all to create a unique project. For every challenge I do with all of those extremely creative ladies I always try to think way outside the box and try to out do myself and I apparently succeeded this time. The project started as a plain silver box that my mom got somewhere and it came with some rimmer sugar for margaritas...so I ran with the idea and used my Cheers to You stamp set and really jazzed it up with all of the challenge items which included the designer paper scallop, tangerine tango ribbon, a large star brad, and a silver circle piece of hodge podge hardware. So here it is... I also made this cute checkbook cover using a cheapo planner I got at the $1 spot at Target. I just pulled out the calendar part and made my own cover using the Priceless stamp set and Bella Rose designer series paper plus some pretties from the pretties kit. I also made a cute little matching pen by rolling up a little piece of DSP and sticking in the barrel of and RSVP pen and tying on a piece of pink pirouette ribbon. Easy easy easy! I think I may make a bunch of these and sell some during craft show season next year...

Blog Candy

Some very nice blog candy over at Cindy's Blog And unfortunately, that's all I have to post today...it's been a busy week so far. But I am anxiously awaiting my newest shipment from Stampin Up! I got a brand new Valentine's bundle that is going to be available to purchase in December...It's so cute! It comes with a stamp set, a pack of designer series paper, and a punch. I can't wait to play with it!!!! Oh Mister UPS man, please hurry!

More Bellas

I've got some more Bellas to share today. I feel like I've abandoned my Stampin Up! stamps lately because I've been so obsessed with my Bellas...but the Bellas are just so much fun to color and so stinkin cute!

I know a lot of stampers like to use Copic markers to color in their stamped images, especially Bellas....BUT I can not justify paying anywhere from $3-6.00 for ONE marker especially because you need several shades of one color to get the "shaded" effect. So I've been using a combination of Stampin Write markers, colored pencils, and the real secret weapon Bic Mark-it Markers. 

I've found that the bic markers really get a nice shaded/watercolored effect similar to the look of Copic markers but with a tiny fraction of the price. They come in a pretty good range of colors too. The only thing that the bic markers don't do well is flesh tones...so that is one area where it may be a good investment to get a few flesh tone copics or prismacolor markers...personally I've been using the Stampin Write marker in Blush Blossom for the flesh tones and I'm pretty happy with it. 

While I'm doing commercials (haha) I'd also like to mention a wonderful basic black ink pad that I just got turned on to. It's called Momento ink. OMG it's soooo good. I get a perfect stamped image with it 99% of the time and the other 1% is mostly due to my own error. The best part is you can color the image with markers immediately with no drying time and there is NO bleeding! It's a truly wonderful ink and it's only about $5.00

Anyway here are the cards I've been working on. I used the Bic markers I was talking about on each of these cards.

The first one  is a "just because" card I made for my friend Amanda because she is a "Savvy Shoppah"

The next one is for my friend Katie, because she just got engaged last weekend! Yay Katie!

And the final one is a card front that I did for a "winter bella" swap. This was the first card that I used Shimmerz on and I looooove it.

More Blog Candy...

I'm beginning to look like a very greedy person from all of the blog candy posts I've been making lately...but hey, I want to win! So here's another generous blog candy from Lara

I got up nice and early to complete a challenge for some Blog Candy from Katie who is super cool and I love her blog! 

Shocker...I used a Bella stamp :)

So I might be a lil obsessed..

I've been going Bella crazy lately. They had a special promotion with free shipping for Bellas last week and I totally bought 8 new bellas! I've been stamping and coloring like crazy every night this week and last night I finally got around to actually making some cards. I think they came out pretty cute...I want to work on giving my cards more of a wow factor though...I keep feeling like my cards have become pretty formulaic. Maybe I should just buy some more bling! :)

It's (almost) the most wonderful time of the year!

Yay for Blog Candy...This one from Suzanne is getting me in the holiday spirit...I know it's still early, but I just loooove the holiday season and it can't come soon enough for me!

Speaking of the holidays, my favorite night of the whole year is coming up in ohhh approximately 45 days...not that I'm counting :) The night that I'm talking about is always the Saturday before Christmas when my dad's band goes out for a tour of some of Cincinnati's finest bars and restaurants playing holiday music and collecting donations for Shriners Hospital for Children and other childrens charities. They have been doing this "tour" for 25 years and I've been lucky enough to join them as an "elf" aka money collector for the past 4 or 5 years. I always bring a few of my closest friends with me to help with elf duties as well and we always have such a blast! It feels so great to do such a good thing while having a fun night out. If you happen to be in the Cincinnati/Mason area you should check out the Santa's Goody Bag Band website and look at the schedule so you can come out and see the show...and put a few dollars in my santa hat :)