Rain Puddles Design

I am completely thrilled to tell you, I've been asked to join the very talented designers at DigiStamp Boutique as a guest in April. There's no fools joke here. It's really happening! I am sure to have a wonderful time with the digital stamp characters, Sally-Ann, the illustrator and owner of DigiStamp Boutique, has for the month. The first to be seen are two cute mice as the Offer of the Month. Meet Marty and Matilda. Aren't they adorable! Every month at DigiStamp Boutique has a stamp or set of stamps at a discount and Marty and Matilda are the ones for April. While I'm busy coloring and creating with Marty and Matilda, why don't you pop on over to the Boutique and take a look around at the whole set and all the other fabulous stamps! You can also jump over to the desgners blogs to see some gorgeous inspirations. Beth Matson Denise Morgans Lisa Thompson Donna Barber Kim Fee Paula Morfitt Emma Wood Liz McGuire Sally-Ann's blog too...

Welcome along the Easter InStyle Blog Hop today! If you came from Lana's blog then you have made the right hop. If you have just popped in and want to start at the beginning,  go to InStyle Stamps blog for all the prize information and guidelines. You can also find the Design Team blog hop list in case you get lost somewhere along the way. Easter is just around the corner and some egg hunts have already begun. So let's get our baskets ready to fill with eggs shall we? Yep, you guessed it, my project is using Easter Basket image from InStyle Stamps.  This easter basket is filled to the top with eggs and it was pretty easy to put together. They are not just precariously stacked in that basket though, I had a little help from some clear acetate and nestibilities. I printed out the box template, cut it out and scored it, then ran it through my Cuttlebug with my Sissix Dots Embossing Folder. I used a circle die from my Nestibilities set and positioned ...

It's Monday and I have an extra card that I pulled together with some scraps. I had the card base and green panel already made from way back in December that I just couldn't throw away, so I've finally found a use for them . This card was suppose to be for the new Shabby Tea Room Challenge blog. They are now on the second challenge this week. I missed this challenge by not getting the time zone correct. Silly me. I decided to try out this challenge because most of the DT are excellent designers in that shabby chic style that I have such a hard time capturing. My card seems a bit to bold for the style, but I've attempted it just the same. It might be supplies that I'm lacking {wink}, but I'll keep going with this challenge when I can. Here's the inspiration picture and the challenge is to use pink, cream, red, green and brown. Now here's my card. How I did it? The base card and main panel are stamped on white cardstock with Old Olive, th...

Here's a card I made for my friend and next door neighbor. Her birthday was last week but I am just now getting to posting it. I used a new March image from DigiStamp Boutique called Birthday Poppy. I just love these images and I hope to fit in more time coloring them. I used my Prismacolor markers on the image and added some depth with Prismacolor Pencils. I really like using this combination for the hair. I think it gives it more detail and characteristics of hair, even though it tasks me much longer to finish my coloring. LOL I used Basic Black for the card base and some leftover rust paper for the front base. I had cut out two 4x6 cards from the DCWV Flower Shower paper pack for the paper pieced dress and succeeded on my first try, so I used the second card for the panels in the sketch. The sketch is from the Sweet Sketch Wednesday Challenge blog hop over the weekend (March 19-21, 2010). Inside I added a simple white panel to write my personal sentiment. Quick updat...

Some of my early Followers of my blog know the story of my dear hubby and I having our first date night from this post . It is a simple anniversary that is easy to track. It falls on St Patrick's Day! I always try to give him something to remember our first date together. Here's the cliff notes: I'm late to our movie date, sneak past movie goers for the last two seats, their smuggled candy coated chocolates roll down the cement floor of the theater. The End. For this years gift I wanted to go small, so I bought a small snack size bag of M&M's and went from there. I've been eyeing the template for a candy dispenser from Kelleigh Ratzlaff over at theDigichick.com and now that I know their website hates Internet Explorer, I can buy stuff there again through Firefox! I colored a birdcage with markers and pencils, added the Stampin' Up jewelry tags with sentiments and I was done. P.S. The birdcage reminds us of the movie that night. Can you guess what...

Instyle Stamps is having another week of Sneak Peeks! There is another prize so go check it out on this post at InStyle Stamps. Today's sneak peek is Mylie , our "always a bridesmaid never a bride", but Someday... ...her prince will come. That's what this card is all about. Now-a-days bridesmaid dresses are much more generous in flattery for those poor ladies that seem to be in the attendant line, but there always seems to be something about the dress that just makes it not re-usable. 1. Mylie's first invitation to be a bridesmaid. She was asked to wear a nice pretty spring green dress, but that large coral flower! If the flower were to be taken off, it would leave thread holes that looked like a termite colony had just been there. 2. Or how about the theme wedding where she had to dress like...well a medieval barmaid. 3. Now when her friend across the country emailed her the picture of that gorgeous bronze dress, when she got it in the mail it ...

It is Wednesday , the rest of the week is down hill! Well that sweet Virginia from InStyle Stamps is doing another OTHDBCGA ! The OTHDBCGA theme is green and yellow. Go over to InStyle Stamps blog to see what might be yours if you play along with us on Over-the-Hump-Day Blog Candy Give-away (Aren't ya glad I spelled it out this time?). I'm using this adorable Charlie , who reminds me of our two long-hair dachshunds. There's nothing that tickles me more of what they do then sittin' on their heiners and beg. One waves her paws at ya and the other talks and bellows until her tummy is granted a meal. Our dachshunds are red and red dapple, but the one that inticed us into Dachshund ownership was a sweet little Rosalina, or Rosie for short, for whom we puppysat and that was the end of us. Rosie was much lighter in color and more blonde than our pups, so Charlie has turned Rosie for my project today. After all, the theme is yellow and green, so I had to have Cha...

I've had the parts to this card plaque on my desk for a while. It was for the Viva La Verve challenge during the first week of February. I was set on showing some key parts to this inspiration photo. The leaves hanging in the chandelier and on the drape pulls, but also the splash of blue in the bowl. Then I saw the pears in the bowl. LOL So I was set on keeping these objects representing in my card. I added a scroll to ground the card and it was inspired from the chandelier itself. I had some spare upholstery brads and hammered those into a piece of distressed chipboard in my technique stash for of course the brads present in the chair arms. I hope you like it...now that it's done. Details: Stamps: Verve Dare to be You , Beautiful Kindness , SU! All Natural Paper: LSS cream, blue, rust cardstock, Close to Cocoa Ink: Really Rust, Chocolate Chip, Garden Green, Summer Sun, More Mustard Accessories: Nestibilities Labels, Sissix Leave Bigz Die, Upholstery brads, ...

Hawaii week is coming to a close. It's been AH-MAZING! All the projects with a bit of Hawaiian flair have been great! I think I'm going to miss it a little bit. LOL I'm not normally a gossip gal, but do you remember Mitchel and Tiff from a couple months ago? We caught them kissing on one of my cards! Well, I'm not one to tell all, but did you know they went off to Hawaii and got married? I think that is awesome! {giggle} Oh thanks for playing along with me. I love this new border frame from InStyle Stamps and wanted to use it for a photo frame, but can you believe I don't have any pictures of me and my hubby just standing next to each other? We haven't even been to Hawaii! Well, I decided to see if Mitchel and Tiff would loan me a photo from their wedding to showcase the frame (they sure do like that pose, don't they?). Check the InStyle Stamps store for this beautiful floral border and all the images from this weeks Hula Days. Have a wonderful Satur...

Today is the second Saturday of the month and it is Color Challenge over at Club Anime .  Here is the color inspiration for today. Now don't you want to know what it is? I do. I'm going to guess that its a purse. I have no idea what it is really but every time I'd glance over at it while I was doing my card, I kept thinking it might just be a clutch purse.  Anyway, here is my happy little Eula taking a dare to just be herself. I think she's enjoying the moment! I was inspired not only by the colors in the photo, even little Eula's shirt is the splash of purple, but I was inspired by the simple whimsy of a designer I saw by chance over on Splitcoast Stampers gallery. The color challenge goes for a whole month and I'm sure there is going to be a prize for entering your March Greens card. Why not join us for the Club Anime color challenge this month. I can't wait to see what you've created! Details: Stamps: InStyle Stamps Eula , Verve Da...

{this post is going to stay at the top until midnight 3/12/2010. Please scroll down for more recent posts.} Just wanted to make a special post to remind you of all that's going on this week over at the company blog for Instyle Stamps. 1. DO! Grab the Hula Days Blinkie here (sidebar) and Follow Instyle Stamps here . Comment about completing this step here  leaving your email and blog address. WHY? Free Leila digital stamp! (*here* is InStyle Stamps blog) 2. DO! PHOTO contest! 1. Find a family friendly photo of your family or of a friends, taken while vacationing on one of the Hawaiian islands. (No stock photographs, please) 2. Post it on your blog. Tell us why you enjoy Hawaii and what makes it special to you. 3. Mention it in a comment at InStyle Stamps Blog here . Why? You are in the drawing for a prize package valued over $150 ! Winner voting by the readers! 3. Do! Leave a comment on each reveal day post at InStyle Stamps blog (starting...

I had a funny thing go through my head yesterday. "I wonder if there is a punch art tutorial to make a coconut? I'll google it and see." What? Nothing in the first page of entries? Well I need to remedy that! Supplies: Oval and small circle punch Scissors Cardstock in brown, white or cream any other bright scraps leftover from those flowers we did on Monday tutorial  {wink} Brown ink and sponge Black pen Spray adhesive Scraps of hemp twine pulled apart (again, scraps from the tutorial on Monday, LOL) Embossing Buddy or cornstarch Optional - marker for coloring inside of coconut "meat"   The Whole Coconut   1. Punch out one oval from brown cardstock 2. Sponge brown ink on one side for shadow 3. Draw three small ovals in different directions on the top of the oval. 4. Spray with adhesive spray ( I just set it on top of all the paper scraps in my trash can) 5. Lay fibers down on oval going lengthwise. 6. Pat with embossing buddy or sprinkle cornstar...

I'm doing a tutorial over at InStyle's blog for Method Monday! Since this week is all about Hawaii at InStyle Stamps blog, I thought we could create some bright and cheery flowers for our projects! I've had so much fun that I made a few different flowers so check out this flower tutorial and then go over to InStyle's blog to see the other flower. Supplies are: White paper (not shown) Flower punch Twine (corded with at least three strands) Stylus Paper Piercing Tool and pad Matching marker and ink pad Sponges Glitter Step 1:  Apply liquid glue to one end of the strand of twine. Step 2: Apply glitter to the glue. Make sure to get all sides of the dab of glue. Place it in a tall glass to dry. Repeat this for as many flowers as you are going to make. Step 3: Punch out flower shape from white cardstock. Attach to sticky note and punch out a second time to double the petals. The sticky note acts as a handle to position the punched flower. Step 4:  Cut b...

Hello! I've set up a Verve Spring Fling Challenge Post...in hopes of getting them all done this weekend. LOL I'll be adding my projects as they are complete. It seems like forever since I've done any projects with my Verve stamps. I've been keeping myself busy with a couple of part time jobs. It's all fun stuff to do though. Anyway, I hope you are all having a splendid weekend and I'll be updating as I go along. Flowery Clean and Simple Challenge: I hope I can add more of the challenges to this post over the weekend, but only if I have time. Have a great Sunday! Sketch Challenge Nothing made yet! Colors - Yellow , Chocolate and Green Challenge Update March 9, 2010. Here's my color challenge card. I had a lot of these stamped out to use for the clean and simple card, but didn't get the look I wanted with them, so I'm no using them up for the other challenges. I think this will turn into a nice gift set! Tags! Challenge I ...

My last post was about InStyle's awesome The Greatest Love stamp complete with lilies of the season, but sometimes a simple but elegant cross is needed. So this sneak peek is for just that. I made a pendant with InStyle's Deco Cross to go on a nice Strawberry Cream candle. The possibilities are endless with this stamp. How about on a return label or even aside a bible verse for the inside bottom of a card. Hey you might even make a background pattern with it and then enlarge it for the main image. Remember, all these sneak peeks will be available on Friday March 5, 2010. If you decide to purchase some stamps, be sure to get an extra 5% off when you go through the link in my sidebar. Have you gotten your Hula Days Blinkie (see my sidebar) to help spread the word for InStyle Stamps full week of Hawaiian theme stamps? If you haven't you are missing out on possbily one of the easiest ways to win digital stamps! Go on over to InStyle Stamps company blog here and get ...

Good morning! This week has been so crazy busy for me. Has it been for you? Well, the week is almost over and I've got a little sneak peek to show you. InStyle Stamps has a hugh month in March. We already had our Anime Sketch challenge on Tuesday and tomorrow, Friday, March 5, 2010, this image along with others that have been sneak peeked will be available at the InStyle Store under What's New . Next week we are having Hula Days over at the store blog here . Be sure to stop on over to see new images each day of next week. It starts March 8, 2010. When I got the layering done on this "card" I decided it needed to be framed instead of getting slid into an envelope. So I searched for a frame around the house and found one stashed away, but it is unfinished. So here is my finished art in an unfinished frame. How's that for an artistic statement? LOL Actually my dear hubby says he likes it this way. Introducing...InStyle's Greatest Love Stamp Here's...

Have you ever received that look? You know, the one that tells you something has happened, but no one is gonna tell ya? Well when I saw this Anime Kitty from InStyle Stamps, I was pretty sure something was up. So maybe that something is today's Sketch challenge #7 for InStyle Stamps? Yep, that must be it. But first there is a bit of news to tell you. It's about the InStyle Stamps Design Team! If you haven't already noticed my sidebar, some names have changed on the Design Team list. With all things in life there is change, and while we will miss the girls that brought us in to 2010, we wish them all the best of luck in their next adventure. We have a great and energetic new bunch that have created for today's sketch. Hop on over to their blogs and leave them some love! Kitty Cat made a list of things to do for the day, but what she really wanted to do was... InStyle is also showcasing new images that will release on March 5th. I'll be showing...