FWF - Nobody Sweeter

I fell in love with a recent Unity "Kit of the Month".   Each kit has such a variety of stamps, and they're a great deal!
  
This kit featured a cupcake and a couple of cupcake sentiments.  I'm not lacking on either front, but these were so cute, I couldn't resist.   Here's what I mean:
  

    
These patterned papers are from Doodlebug -- this year's and last year's Valentine's Day lines.  They do say "love" and things like that, but nothing absolutely specific to the holiday... so I use them all year. 
  
Happy Stamping & Happy Friday!
  

Weekly Challenge #8 - All Boy

This week is all about the boys, and this should be easy for me because I'm surrounded by boys -- hubby, dad... even the cat!   I'm in a sea of testosterone at my house, but I have to admit that I still find girly cards much easier to create.    
I found an adorable paper pad from WeRMK called "For the Record".   It had nice, youthful masculine patterns and color palette.   And the "hey buddy" sentiment from Paper Smooches' "Simply Said" stamp set said "boy" to me.
    

         
Thanks so much for checking out my card!  Now it's time to head over to the Cuttin' and Stampin' blog to see the rest of the Design Team's inspiration projects and to learn how to enter your very own creation.
 
Happy Stamping!

Weekly Challenge #6 - Writing Instrument

I took a pretty loose interpretation of a writing instrument for this project...  I was thinking of writers like Hemingway and Tolkien writing their manuscripts -- long before the invention of the IBM Selectric II that we had at home growing up.

    

   

For my project today, I stamped the typewriter on cream cardstock.  I stamped the paper on white cardstock and cut it out.  Then I cut a slit in the typewriter to allow me to slide the paper down into it, making it look like it was coming out of the typewriter.  The typewriter font sentiments in the set were perfect for this!  The "for you" sentiment is from the Paper Smooches "Falling for You" stamp set.

    

Because the typewriter is a solid stamp, you may not get your desired result when stamping it with dye ink.  Because of its water base, dye ink tends to bead up on clear stamps causing either an incomplete image or an unbalanced image.  For the typewriter stamp, I got a perfect image using a pigment ink.  It was VersaFine Onyx black.  It takes a long time to dry, so I highly recommend heat setting it.
   
The ribbon started out as a cream-colored 1/4" silk ribbon from May Arts.  It was too light to match the cream cardstock and I really wanted an embellishment to carry the turquoise color through.  I colored the ribbon with the BG13 Copic Sketch marker, but then it was a bit too bright for the antiqued turquoise pattern.  The next step was to tone the color down and "age" it a bit by dabbing it on the Chestnut Roan chalk ink from ClearSnap.  Perfect!

   

I hope you'll join us for the challenge and submit your project(s) featuring a writing instrument.  Also, check out the main challenge page where the other fabulous group of DT members have created their own creative interpretations. 

   

Happy Stamping!!

   

Weekly Challenge #5 - Sweethearts

This week we are all about Sweethearts. It's just about Valentine's Day and everyone's looking for the great gift idea for that special someone.  The challenge for you is to create something special for your Sweetheart.   

  

To make my card, I started off cutting out a large heart (with an A Muse Studio die) and using masking tape to attach the outline/negative to a white piece of cardstock. I then used that as the template for making a heart of hearts.

   

    

I started with a few of the largest hearts, to make sure there would be room for them.  Then I filled in with smaller and smaller hearts. I alternated colors and made sure I got as much of the available area inside the heart template filled. And there we have it, a "heart of hearts". Heart stamps are from the Paper Smooches "Sweet Hearts" stamp set. Inks include Rhubarb Stalk, Lady Bug, and Angel Pink dye inks from Memento by Tsukineko. Heart embellishments from Doodlebug.

Because this week is an ANYTHING GOES week at Paper Smooches Sparks challenge, I'm submitting this card for that, too! 
      

You can link your project HERE for your chance to win. Hope you'll join us and create something sweet for your sweetheart!   

  

Happy Stamping!

  

2014 Cuttin' & Stampin' DT Blog Hop

 

     
Can you believe Cuttin' and Stampin' Challenge Blog has been going for over a year now? It has gone by so fast and we have had so much fun creating and sharing projects with you.  Starting the first of the year we decided to make a few changes.  These changes include bringing you different types of projects, and to do that we needed increase the number of members on the team.  We also decided to split the team in to two.
   
Today's hop features the Orange Team.
   
Be sure to stop by each of them and welcome them to our 2014 Design Team.  We will have a drawing for each day of the hop.  Just leave a comment below and at each stop along the way.  We will announce blog hop winners on Friday along with our regular weekly challenge winners.
      
For my project today, I'm celebrating both C&S and the 3rd Anniversary of Paper Smooches!   If you've been to my blog before, you know that Kim Hughes is my favorite stamp designer.  I'm so excited that she makes stamps and dies for all of us to enjoy!

This card uses the butterflies from the Flap Happy set and the Butterflies 1 die set, and the sentiment comes from the Many Thanks stamp set.   I chose three butterflies to signify the third anniversary.  The cute patterned papers are from My Mind's Eye and the cardstock is a smoothie from Bazzill Basics.  Happy Third Anniversary, Paper Smooches!!
    

             
ORANGE TEAM Line Up
Madge - http://thescrappinlounge.com
Karen - http://karey2005.blogspot.com
JoAnn - http://joboogie.typepad.com
Lynda - http://positive-force.blogspot.com/
Courtney - http://cshorrcreations.blogspot.com/
Cathy - http://cathyplus5.blogspot.com
Kim - http://kimross.blogspot.com  --- you are here ---
Melissa - http://CreatedbySunshineHoneyBee.blogspot.com/
Michelle Kinder - http://michellekinder.blogpost.com
  
If you're doing the full hop, you should have arrived here from Cathy's blog.   If you haven't started but would like to, please start today's hop with Madge.   Remember to leave comments, because there will be a prize drawing among commenters.   Next up is Melissa.
 
Thanks so much for hopping with us and Happy Stamping!