the Crafter's Companion Inspiration Magazine is HERE!

i'm up today on the Crafter's Companion Facebook page, and i had LOADS of fun trying something a little different than my usual...

i LOVE LOVE LOVE the newest issue of Crafter's Inspiration - it is FULL of fabulosity on the DVD and in the magazine, and the freebies are AWESOME.  i have never tried the decoupage/layering technique with an image except for some minor paper piecing, so i decided to give this little Angelica cutie some love...

i cannot take credit for coloring her up, but there is a lot of dimension and all i did was stick the layers down...  i didn't use foam dots for this one, but i may try it next time for some of the layers, just to see the difference...  the image, floral paper, blue flowers and birthday sentiment are all from the sampler pack, and the box?

ah, yes!  the box! WOOT!  :)  box made with my awesome Ultimate Tool, and the simple box-making board that comes with it.  it's SO. STINKING. EASY.  and it's a perfect fit every time!  check out one of the super simple tutorials HERE...  (i made some boxes using the Ulti-bags and Ulti-boxes embossing boards earlier this week - click HERE to check them out!)
yep.  FUN.  and different.  and sometimes i just need to step outside of my comfort zone and do something besides cards to keep it fresh and funky!  whatcha think?  :)

Paper Issues - new issue sponsored by Ruby Rock-it!

there's a new issue at Paper Issues and you are invited to join us!  our fab sponsor for this go-round is the radical Ruby Rock-it!  (i'm showing Ruby Rock-it lotsa lurve this week!)  our theme?  "The World is a Circle", which seriously can go just about anywhere!  places, circle elements (die-cuts, buttons, brads, gems, etc.), travel, your circle of friends, your family circle, any Ruby Rock-it products, etc...

i played with some of the soft and subtle East Coast line from their Essentials collection, and i added my bold pops of colour because that's what i do!  who says soft and pastelly has to stay that way?!

with the exception of the die-cuts and mist from Heidi Swapp, the grey and black alphas and the black pearl bling, everything you see is from Ruby Rock-it (i did add in some paper from their Color Fusion line from my stash), even those little teensy-weensy white alphas (which i LOVE!)...

zoom of me and mah bestie:

(the "ess" word started out as "blessed" but, well, this totally fit so i couldn't resist!)  get a little closer!

that journaling card - the most fav ever?  yeah, i love that (but i'd totally add an E to make it FAVE)

so that's us, CHA Vegas 2013. 

got some ideas to play along with this issue?  join the Link Party by CLICKING HERE!  you can share old or new projects, as long as they fit the theme.  and if you remember to link back to Paper Issues in your post, you're eligible to win this:

this whole fab collection (excluding the album) could be yours!  it's the lovely Essentials East Coast collection, which was the basis for my whole page, and it's so versatile!  i love the season cards!  

click here to see what the rest of the Paper Issues Creative Team did to show off this line, and be sure to link up to win!  you've got two full weeks to join us!

The Odd Girls are Rockin'-It with Ruby Rock-it for a HOP!

HELLOOOOOOO Odd friends!  are you here for the hop?  you betcher sweet potato you are!  :)  WELCOME!

we are totally excited to bring you a fun event that incorporates both Some Odd Girl and Ruby Rock-it products into our creations, and we are READY TO ROCK-IT!  Can you handle the excitement?  :)

our hop runs NOW through Saturday, May 31st at midnight Eastern, and there are PRIZES to be won!  oh yes, there are prizes...  two lucky winners will receive a $20 gift certificate to the Some Odd Girl store, as well as this fabulous kit, the "Bella! Year in Review" collection from Ruby Rock-it:

all along the hop, you'll see inspiration from the Odd Girls and the Ruby Rock-it Creative Team, and all you have to do to be eligible to win one of the two prizes is leave a comment at each stop along the hop.
you should have arrived from PATTIE's blog, but if not, you can CLICK HERE to get started at the beginning!  you'll wrap up at the Ruby Rock-it blog, but you have many stops in between!

i busied up and got my BOX on, and put some cute gift boxes together for the many occasions that are coming up this summer - we have graduations, babies, birthdays and friends missing friends, so it's time to get some creative gift wrapping on! here's my little montage:

told you i was busy!  i used my Ultimate Tool from Crafter's Companion for all of the box templates, busted out a couple of 12x12 sheets of Ruby Rock-it paper for the two shaped boxes and embossed and covered each panel with patterned paper from their Color Fusion line.  here's my first box, featuring the super sweet Clever Kittys clear stamp set, along with a (partial) sentiment from Make a Statement clear stamp set , and two Ruby Rock-it flowers layered over some ribbon to finish it off:

love this little mouser and couldn't help but add the punny little sentiment!  

next up, box #2, featuring the gorgeous Scooter Mae digi stamp:

i went light on the embellies here as i wanted to give Mae the proper attention - see that cute teal circle embossed paper though?  i LOVE it!  it's a nice heavyweight cardstock and i want a hundred sheets of it!

and last, but not least, this ridiculously sweet couple is a little clear stamp sneak peek...
meet Milk and Cookies!

isn't the heart detail for the box closure COOL?  and i'm totally loving the sentiment!  these dudes are ridic.

and them's my boxes!  OH, and the backs:

ALL Ruby Rock-it paper, all Some Odd Girl stamps, ALL tons of fun and fabby little things will live inside the boxes later! 

we Odd Girls have LOVED working with the Ruby Rock-it papers and embellishments for our creations!  leave your comment below, and from here, you're going to head on over and visit Beckie!  In case you're bouncing around at your own leisure, here's the full hop list...

Some Odd Girl blog
Candice
Linda
Jenifer
Dana
Pattie
Leah
Beckie
Marilyn
Erin
Paola
Kaka
Lenny
Monique
Nicole
Katie
June
Suzanne
Alicia
Stephanie
Ruby Rock-it Blog

WHEW!  SO much to see along the 21 different stops!  Have fun, happy hopping, and thank you so much for joining us!  Our hop winners will be announced at the main blogs on Monday, June 2nd...  GOOD LUCK!

it's RAINING CATS AND DOGS at Paper Issues!

okay, my cat is awesome.  and i haven't taken NEARLY enough opportunities to whip up some scrapbook pages featuring my wicked awesome dude.  SO.  because there's a bit of time left to join in the fun at Paper Issues, imma share this one with you.  i'd have shared days ago, but my camera is on its last leg.  finally, SUNSHINE! 

so our theme - "It's Raining Cats and Dogs"...  sponsored by the fabulous Simple Stories, of which there is a TON of new stuff in the Paper Issues shop, in case you haven't already seen it.  a TON!  and it's awesome! 

well this, of course, follows the cat part of the theme, but you can go with dogs, rain, showers (of the weather or celebratory kind, or BOTH!), spring/summer, someone acting catty, or someone being a dog, or hey, go deeper and show us a Slush Puppy theme or something!  we're easy to please!  and link up (just remember to link back to the Paper Issues blog), and you could win one of three fun prize packs from Simple Stories! 

here's Fletcher B. Cat, being cool and collected and not even trying.  he should be in the Dos Equis ads.

i could eat him up.  :)
ZOOM!

LOVE HIM, dadgummit.  he's the coolest cat i know, and i'm SO happy to be his person!  :)

i used some SNAP! goodies from Simple Stories, as well as Studio Calico, Doodlebug, Crate Paper, Bella Blvd, BasicGrey and Panda Eight, plus some spritzing action from Heidi Swapp and Mister Huey's, finished off with embossing paste over an UmWowStudio mask (check out the effect below)...  did i cover all the bases?!  :)

oh, and for the record, there's a whole slew of stuff from the Paper Issues Swag Bags on here, from various months - the June Swag Bag will be available SOON, so you'll want to click HERE to see the fabulosity that is the Swag Bag.

RIGHT.  so.  link up your project (old or new!) by clicking HERE, and join us!  take a look at how the Paper Issues Creative Team used the Simple Stories on their projects (and the prizes  and if you're itching to grab some of the various thingamabobs like those i've used on my page, you'll want to do that with a discount code, right?  take this, off your WHOLE PURCHASE at the Paper Issues store...

Sassy and Scruffy - new from Crafter's Companion!

last week i shared a card using one of the new Scruffy Little Cat stamps from Crafter's Companion...  they are SPUNKY little ladies, and today's stamp is no exception!  i imagine all of them with a confident and feisty attitude that says "don't mess with me".

this one is called "Louise" and i thought she'd look rather pretty in pink...

 i gotta say, i'm totally digging the giant lipstick and powder puff.

Louise is all done up with Spectrum Noir markers:

FS1, FS4, FS6, FS7, FS8, IG1, IG3, PP2, PP3, PP5, HB2, LV2

and with my Spectrum Noir blendable colored pencils for a bit of shading;

35, 116

here's the rest of my supply list...

Memento Tuxedo Black ink
Ultra Smooth Premium White cardstock
Radiant Neon Inks - Electric Pink, Electric Coral

see the full Scruffy Little Cat release HERE, and be sure to check them out on Facebook - there's a whole Scruffy Little WORLD that includes so much more than just stamps!  i'll be back on Monday with some pretties using my Ultimate Tool!

the Scruffy Little Cat collection is HERE from Crafter's Companion!

WOOT!  now available, these crazy-cute and ridiculously sassy gals - the Scruffy Little Cat collection, which includes stamps, embossing folders, papers and a CD-rom!  the whole she-bang!  Crafter's Companion USA released all of it YESTERDAY, so CLICK HERE to check it all out!  i'm up on the Crafter's Companion Facebook page today with this card...

isn't she sassy and fun?!  i added a little smirk and a mole just 'cuz...  here's my supply list:

Scruffy Little Cat EZmount stamp set "Autumn"
Memento Tuxedo Black ink
Ultra Smooth Premium White cardstock
Spectrum Noir blendable colored pencils:
5, 9, 34, 41, 57, 60, 63, 73, 85, 88, 89, 91, 96, 116, 119

i love the SIZE of these images - they really fill a card nicely, give the crafter a change to REALLY get their color on, and don't require much embellishing to tie everything together!   don't forget to check out the Crafter's Companion USA blog for more inspiration from my talented teammates, including lots of Scruffy Little Cat projects and tutorials using the new Spectrum Noir blendable colored pencils!  for inquiring minds that wanna know!  ;)

Spectrum Noir blendable colored pencils have COME TO TOWN!

hey there, chickens!  did you happen to catch the headline?  it's TIME!  this is my second card for the Spectrum Noir PENCIL launch, and i am very pleased to share it for our huge worldwide release!

the Crafter's Companion USA Inspiration and Education teams have been enjoying this new media and rockin' out the projects to really showcase what they can do!  most of you know that i'm a pencil girl at heart, although i have been loving my Spectrum Noir markers lately, too!  they say you never forget your first love, right?  ;)

well here's evidence that i still love my pencils - here's card #2 using the Spectrum Noir blendable colored pencils:

very pastelly and much different than my usual bright and bold palette, but i loved trying this style out, too!  here's my supply list:

Angelica & Adam acrylic stamp set (female) - Playtime
Bebunni Love EZmount stamp set - Hearts (sentiment)
Ultra Smooth Premium White cardstock
Memento Tuxedo Black ink
Radiant Neons Electric Pink ink
Spectrum Noir Blendable Colored Pencils:
4, 9, 17, 34, 35, 43, 56, 58, 74, 84, 85, 88, 91, 103, 110, 112, 114, 115, 117, 118, 120
(with UmWowStudio Circle Confetti Mask)

linked up at Paper Issues for the May 26-June 8 issue - The World is a Circle
i used a ton of circular elements on here!

announcing Spectrum Noir BLENDABLE COLORED PENCILS - they're HERE!

well folks, we've been talking about 'em.  and talking.  and talking.  and now they're HERE! 
announcing the Spectrum Noir blendable colored pencils from Crafter's Companion!  WOO HOO!

i have been busy getting acquainted with my new pencils, and i'd like to share my first release card with you today...  CHECK ME OUT!

here's what i used: 

Sheena Douglass A Little Bit Sketchy EZmount stamp set - True Colors
Everyday Sentimentals EZmount stamp set - Imagine
Memento Tuxedo Black ink
Radiant Neons Electric Orange ink
Ultra Smooth Premium White cardstock
Spectrum Noir markers and blendable colored pencils:
markers (base layer) - LY1, OR1
pencils (on top of the the markers) - 015, 020, 022, 024, 027, 109, 113, 115

that's really all there is to it.  i went VERY lightly with the pencils but it helped that i had put down a base layer to make the colors bolder - i am getting used to them and the pigments are LOVELY with lots of different intensities!  you're gonna love 'em.  CLICK HERE to check 'em out and be sure to visit the Crafter's Companion blogs *USA and UK* and the Spectrum Noir blog to see all the GORGEOUS creations using these lovelies from the design teams!

Bebunni baby love at Crafter's Companion!

he's adorable, right?  i am a huge Bebunni fan, and when i was asked to make a card for a baby shower for one of my co-workers, i knew EXACTLY what had to be done!  Bebunni to the rescue!  i've got a Crafter's Companion inspiration project on the Facebook page today, and i hope this IS inspirational!  :) 

this one uses the ridiculously adorable Bebunni "Built With Love" stamp set from the Baby collection.  this little cutie is SO much fun to color, and i love that the blocks can be colored to go with ANYTHING - any color scheme, any theme, any patterns, etc.  FUN!

here's a zoom!

Bebunni is stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black ink on Ultra Smooth Premium White cardstock, and  colored up with my Spectrum Noir markers:

Bunny - BG1, BG3, BG5
Ears/cheeks/tummy/paws - PP1, PP2
Blocks - DG1, LY1 and CG1, CG2

zoom again!

(how much fun are the cloud distressed wood veneers?)

and that's how a baby (card) is born at 1:30 a.m. when you're on a strict deadline!  love him?  CLICK HERE to check out the full Bebunni range,

playing with Spectrum Noir re-inkers!

hey there, chickens!

i've got a card up on the Crafter's Companion USA Facebook page today, and it's super bright and super pink!

i'm not a huge mixed media person, but i have developed a little penchant for alcohol inks via my lovely Spectrum Noir markers...  i may never actually NEED to use the re-inkers to re-ink my markers, but i sure am loving them on their own! 

here's the card i made using one of the gorgeous Britain in Bloom stamps from Art-Kure by Mike Goss - this one's English Rose:

the sentiment is from the Sentimentals set, "Friends and Family" - both are inked with StazOn Jet Black and i sponged around the edges of the main panel with Jet black as well.  i used my Spectrum Noir re-inkers PP4 and BP3 with some of the blending solution to create my very pink background...  zoom for a look:

and an embossed chipboard piece (black, bright and pale
pink embossing powders) with a resin flower to accent:

so.  first of several Mothers' Day cards i need to make for people at work - i'm going to be busy this weekend!  CLICK HERE to visit the Crafter's Companion Facebook page - there's some BIG stuff going on right now and you're not going to want to miss it!  *wink, wink, nudge, nudge*  HAPPY FRIDAY and i hope you have a fantastic weekend!

Heidi Swapp's FAVORITE THINGS is at Paper Issues!

seriously, the Heidi Swapp "Favorite Things" line is SO happy and right up my alley, i bought the paper plus a slew of coordinating things and i just want to roll around in it.  it's gorgeous.

i made these two cards and am sharing them for our new issue at Paper Issues - it's called "Mum's the Word" and we're looking for projects related to flowers, mothers, quiet, words, basically anything that could be even LOOSELY related to the theme, plus anything using product from our awesome sponsor, Doodlebug Design! 

since my two cards have giant and lovely flowers on them from the Ephemera die cuts pack, i'm throwing them into the mix!  i also used the Puffy gloss shapes stickers on both...  aw, heck, i'm just gonna show you!

first, cut squares from the 6x6 paper pad and clustered everything else to make a pretty, sprinkly mess:

the sequins and heart clothespin from my stash..  do you not flippin' LURVE the transparencies in this pack?

next, background paper from Pink Paislee's "Color Wash", a couple of things from my stash (including a chunk of wood, the flair and journaling tag), some inky goodness, and more clustery fun:

i am on a mission to de-stash some pieces that i've held onto for WAY. TOO. LONG.  i was able to use two of them on this.  LULLZ.  yep, TWO.  clearly i need to make more STUFF!

so.  LINK UP!  your projects can be new or old, as long as you link back to us in your post.  you could win a SWEET prize from Doodlebug Design (and trust me, their new Kraft in Color line is FAN-FLIPPIN'-TASTIC - i am hoarding every single piece right now!). 

here's the stuff i used:

and here's what you do to save some money...  get 20% off EVERYTHING in the Paper Issues store!