All Dressed Up...

I mentioned the other day how I have discovered my new favorite thing to make - paper flowers! I made a girly-girl layout with some of my favorite papers, and when I saw the Mojo Sketch 111, I knew I had to make a card with these papers and my favorite little floral pretties! I swear, if I had a little girl, her entire scrapbook would be in pinks, greens, and black and white...

I had a comment asking if I would do a tutorial for these flowers, and I will work on it this coming week while the munchkins are at school.

I also have some big plans for some blog candy (I have over 100 lovely followers, over 100 sales at Etsy, and almost 1300 hits on my blog!) to give away, so stay tuned :)

For this card, I did the fancy little flowers, and I also pieced the skirt together a bit. I stamped it first on white cardstock, then three times on patterned paper. I then "built up" the skirt in sections, layering parts of the skirt to give it a bit of dimension. I didn't pop dot it or anything, because I wanted it to be subtle...



I made the inside cute too - nothing fancy, just coordinating papers and brads :)

Ingredients
Image: Inkadinkado
Papers: Prima (patterned) and Bazzill (pink cardstock)
Embellishments: brads in centers of flowers
Ranger Distress Ink

Jingle all the way...

Today is Saturday Showcase at Pixie Cottage! The Design Team has created some seriously cute cards. Oh, and don't forget - tomorrow is the deadline for our "Once Upon a Wednesday" challenge! You have until Sunday midnight to get your entry in. The theme is "celebrate!" so get that card made and have a chance to win a 20$ voucher to Michelle's Scrapbooking and More. Not only does she carry fabulous Pixie stamps, she has the best deal on copic markers I have ever seen (seriously) and she has Flower Soft, Primas, Spellbinders, Stickles... whomever the random winner is, they will be like a kid in a candy store! Not only is there a random drawing, the design team picks its top three favorites from the entries and those fancy winners get a pretty little button for their blog!

My card features a stamp from one of the new designers, and he was super fun to color! I attached a real jingle bell (carefully grunged and kind of rusty but in a good way) for a vintage touch. I used the sketch from Cupcake Craft Challenge.

Ingredients
Image: Pixie Cottage
Papers:Cosmo Cricket, Graphic45, DCwV
Embellishments: Ribbon and bell from stash

Running on Empty, Cupcakes and Girly Girl-ness

For starters, I want to go on the record and say that I love Daylight Savings Time. The Fall one. I really, really enjoy falling back and getting that extra hour - especially with Christmas only about seven weeks away. The Spring Forward thing I am not so fond... So between this extra hour and all my vitamin C and echinacea, I have been a scrapping fool...


It feels like Halloween was forever ago, and yet it was just last week! In fact, it was a week ago that I made these little yummies...


I felt sooo fancy because, while the cupcakes were from a mix, and the frosting from a can, I tinted that canned frosting orange. I know - Martha Stewart I am not, but for a gal who usually plops the batter in a pan and pretty bakes just so she can lick the beaters, going that extra yard and coloring the frosting and adding sprinkles and adding a fake spider, well - fancy! I packed the cupcakes in the van, crammed Johnny in his winter coat, and hit the road with an extra five minutes to spare, heading to Mikey's class party...

... I should have known things were going too smoothly.

Exiting off the highway, I was about to hit the brakes to slow down, when my van started to slow down by itself. Now, my "Low Fuel" light was on (it almost always is - I know, I know - naughty me. I put a few dollars in here and there...) but I was pretty sure it hadn't been on that long... anyway, by the time I got to the traffic light, my steering wheel was locking up. I coasted through the red light using every ounce of energy to turn right, and landed mercifully in the driveway of the gas station with my tailend still in the road.

It was raining, I didn't have my purse, and Johnny was asking, "Where are we mama? The party isn't here, is it? Hey mama, hey mama, what are we doing? Hey mama...." Long story short, two attendants, one random lady getting gas, and little old me pushed the van to a pump (they let me get gas on my honor to return to pay) while Johnny was yelling that he wanted to push the van, too...

I left the gas station with a grateful heart, and four cupcakes less :) I returned later that night to pay for my gas, and my faith in the goodness of strangers is restored. Thank you, Speedway on Hill road, and thank you Random Lady who helped push my van in the rain...

On a happier, and less soggy note :), I listed probably one of the cutest girly-girl layouts I have ever made on Etsy this morning...


It doesn't have any crazy elaborate piecings or anything, but I just love the colors, and the papers from Prima are some of my favorites. And I made these cutie little flowers - my new favorite things! I might just make a bunch of these pretties and finish watching Baby Boom tonight after the boys go to bed... I just love Diane Keaton, and every time I watch this movie I want to move to Vermont and help her make baby food...

Hope you are having a great week, too!

Scrapping left and right...

I have been so busy making cards, I hadn't been doing too many scrapbook pages lately. This week, after mountains of Vitamin C and Echinacea, I am finally feeling better!

I have had a cough that has just lingered, I have been tired.... blah blah blah... but I am actually feeling like myself! I made some layouts for Etsy, and here are some of them....


a few have sold already, and I plan on making more! I have some great Christmas papers, and there are some embellishments I am dying to use...

Boo!

Happy Halloween! I hope your night is magical, your tricks are fun, and your treats are sweet!

My little ones both have the sniffles, and there is a wind advisory (in addition to sprinkles and below 40 temp) so we are staying in :( Luckily they got to trick or treat at their schools, so they had two days of Spooky Party fun, and I would hate to have them get sick.

We are handing out candy to the brave trick-or-treaters that come to our door, eating popcorn, and watching spooky cartoons tonight :) I may try to make them wear their costumes (I need photos to scrapbook!) but it might turn into a pajama party - and I think we will be ok with that :)

I think next year I will just plan on dressing them in furs and having them be polar bears...

Pixie Candy!

Candy candy! The Pixie Cottage is having its first ever blog candy! Lots of pretty new stamps, perfect for the upcoming winter and holiday season! Head on over and get the details...

Featured!

I was on the Graphic 45 site (one of my all time favorite paper companies!) and was completely surprised and thrilled to see my teapot card was on the featured page of the gallery! Too exciting! This site is fantastic for all things vintage/nostalgic/whimsical/retro/beautiful.... check it out! I love Graphic 45 pretties...

I am such a geek.

I actually am going to be teaching a teapot/altered book class in December at my LSS. So if you are in the Michigan area the first weekend of December... :)

Play with the Pixies!

It is time for our second challenge at Pixie Cottage! The challenge this time is "celebrate", and since babies are one of the most fabulous things to celebrate, I made this sweet pea card. I love pinks and greens, and this little cutie in a peapod makes me smile! Buttons, of course, and a bit of vintage pink eyelet fabric make this a little sweet card for a baby girl :)

Head over to the Pixie Cottage blog to see what cards the Design Team made, as well as find out the winners of the first challenge!

Ingredients
Papers: My Minds Eye
Image: Pixie Cottage
Embellishments: fabric, buttons, tag, brad
Colored pencils, ranger ink

I almost forgot! I am entering this card into several challenges :) Spots and stripes are all the rage at PaperTake Weekly, and I used the sketch at Cupcake Craft Challenges.

Great Pumpkin, Pretties for sale, and costume update

So it isn't even 7pm, and it is dark as midnight... when is Daylight Savings Time? But it makes the perfect ambiance for some Halloween movies, popcorn, and cuddle time on the couch. Of course, the Halloween movies will be G rated, and the scariest thing will be when Linus is spooked by Snoopy, but that is ok. I was going to make popcorn balls today, but I feel completely deflated after ruining two huge pans of pumpkin seeds yesterday :( It totally bummed me out. Trying to multi-task, I was carving pumpkins, keeping the twins away from sharp knives, baking seeds, looking for tea lights, chatting with my in-laws... the next thing I know, I smell smoke.

Many bad words were said. By me. My husband and his parents all ate handfuls, trying to convince me that the seeds weren't too burned... It was a sweet gesture, but by dinnertime, Steve's stomache was killing him, and I blamed the seeds.

I did manage to get some pretties listed on Etsy. My new favorite craft is altering and embellishing boxes. I had so much fun making the ones for my Halloween party, and I can't wait to make more! I also have a Halloween scrapbook layout up for grabs on eBay. It ends tonight, so you could get a deal!





I got the finishing touches for the twins' costumes today: pirate hat and hook, cowboy hat and badge. I also was delighted to find a little stick horse that Johnny can carry around (I know, I know - I will end up carrying it before the night is through, but it will be soooo darn cute!). I just need to cut Mikey's pants all jaggedy, and I think we are all set! Johnny insists he needs cowboy boots, but I think I have him talked into wearing his snow boots...

Don't forget tonight is the deadline to enter your cards for Pixie Cottage's first challenge! Woo hooo! I am having a blast seeing the cards made with my sketch.

Take care :) I am off to snuggle the munchkins (who are playing much too quietly... hmmmm...) and wait for the Great Pumpkin....

Visions of Sugarplums... Pixie Peek!

It is no secret I love pinks and greens. With two boys, I love the chance to girl it up with some pretty pastels! With Christmas around the corner, however, these colors are perfect for more than just "girly" cards. Gingerbread and candy canes, frosting and minty goodness are for everyone! This little card was super fun to make. I have been so busy with Halloween preparations, it was nice to push aside my black cardstock and pull out some red and pink!

More wintery wonders await you at the Pixie Cottage blog... the Design team has been working like Santa's elves to bring you some Pixie Peeks!

Ingredients
Papers: Heidi Grace, Daisy Bucket, Core'dinations
Image: Gingerbread Men by the Pixie Cottage
colored pencils and Ranger Distress Ink


With all this sweetness, I had to enter this card into the Cute Card Thursday challenge using the sketch from A Spoon Full of Sugar.

Chocolate, costumes, and challenges :)

I have had some success in my quest for cute costumes for the twins. I decided to go with altering "real" clothes. This has several advantages. One, I feel fancy doing a "homemade" costume. Two, in Michigan, it has been known to snow on Halloween, and the store bought costumes often get covered in a coat (because I usually would buy the cheapies that were flimsy anway), and three, I justify the cost of buying a few things because parts of the costumes can be worn "for real" after trick or treating. I got some nice heavy black sweatpants for Mikey - after I creatively cut the cuffs into ratty pirate pants, he will be warm and festive at the same time! I found a cute red fringed scarf on sale, which when wrapped around his waist will be a perfect pirate scarf (and I plan on pirating it later - I love red!). Johhny can wear jeans, and his new plaid shirt can be worn long after the sugar buzz has worn off. I plan to hit the dollar store tomorrow for the proper hats to finish the costumes off.

In other news... I have to share my new favorite indulgence. Three words: Nutty Waffle Chocolate. Ice-cream with chocolate covered nuts, pieces of waffle cone, and swirls of decadent fudge. I polished off the carton while watching last night's episode of Glee (could life get any better? I don't think so!), and I have a burning desire to go to the store and get more. This could be dangerous.

Finally, I want to remind all you card makers and other crafty people that the Pixie Cottage Challenge is taking entries until Sunday night, midnight EST. Exciting and new, challenges are posted every-other-Wednesday. You still have time to make your card with this sketch:

I actually created this sketch, and am tickled to see all the great cards that have been made so far! A random winner will get some fabby stamps, and three others get a cutie blog button to show they were a Top Three cardmaker. You have until Sunday night to get this sketch up and loaded to the Pixie Cottage blog, and then the winners, along with the new challenge, will be revealed on Wednesday, October 28. Come play with the Pixies!

Here is the little button for the challenge - feel free to snag it and put on your blog :) Just right click, save, and load.

Hope to see you play, wish me luck in my costume making adventure, and remember - eat lots and lots of ice-cream!

Halloween costumes and Hello Friend... a triple challenge card :)

So I am looking for Halloween costumes for my boys. Johnny has proclaimed he is in charge of choosing all of our costumes (I have no idea where he gets his bossiness... not me! Well, maybe a littls...) and has proclaimed that he will be a cowboy, his twin Mikey will be a pirate, my husband is to be a ghost, and I get to be a witch. So I am looking for costumes, and I keep thinking, I could make that. I could totally make that! Of course, I pretty much just sew on paper...


Any suggestions out there? I want to make their costumes, but I will admit it, I am not a master seamstress. I can get hats easily enough, and I figure I just need, what, a vest or two, maybe some chaps? If you have any sites or articles you can link my way, I would love to see them! And of course I waited until 10 days until Halloween, so this will be a bit of a challenge...

Speaking of challenges...


I love card challenges! Here is my latest :) Using the sketch at Friday Sketchers, the color scheme at Colour Create, and Moxie Fabb's challenge to use ruffles, I made this little square card. I love this stamp from Sugar Nellie! I could color her over and over...

Ingredients
Papers: Graphic 45
Image: Sugar Nellie (sentiment... Inkadinkado?)
Embellishments: fabric for ruffle, testained tag, brad
my only 2 copics (face) and colored pencil, Ranger distress ink

Yummy... Truly Scrumptious Coco :)

With the chilly fall weather, nothing warms you up like a mug of hot chocolate! I love this stamp from Whiff of Joy... Isn't Willow just tooo purty? I covet her hair...







This card was made for the challenge at Truly Scrumptious, which had the theme of autumn, and a great sketch! I love blues and browns together... so cozy!




Ingredients
Paper: Paper Loft, MME
Image: Whiff of Joy
Embellishments: Buttons
Copics, colored pencils, and Ranger distress ink

How Sweet! Sweet Sketch Wednesday...

This little card was super fun to make - I love buttons!

I used one of the newest Pixie Cottage stamps, and I loved coloring this little cutie :) He is a new favorite! Speaking of Pixie Cottage, don't forget the first ever challenge! You have until this coming Sunday to get your entry in :)

This card uses the sketch for the Sweet Sketch Challenge, and it is a nice one. I love the ribbon on top...

Ingredients
Paper: Cosmo Cricket, MME, Making Memories
Image: Pixie Cottage
Embellishments: fabric and buttons
Copics and colored pencils and Ranger Distress ink

Something WINNING this way comes...

Well, my broomstick is worn out! I was flying all over BlogLand this weekend, attending fabulous Halloween Celebrations, hosted and organized by Vanessa of A Fanciful Twist. I hosted a party as well, and had such lovely feedback! I am honored to have had so many visitors :) If you didn't stop by my haunted and magical party, the ghosts are still in full swing and the music is still playing... check it out!

I planned to have a random draw for a prize, and after having such fun at my soiree, I decided to have TWO prizes! Both gifts consist of a little altered box, a Halloween notecard, three "potion" tags, a mini book with a potion label, and a set of three of my altered vintage playing cards, tied with gingham and dried lavender.













I went to random.org and here is what I got! The first time, I had 90 comments, and when I decided to do an additional draw, I had 93 comments :)


So my winners are....

Suzy and Studio at Crow Haven Farm

Congratulations ladies! As soon as I get your info, I can send your pretties to you :)

Thanks again for everyone that stopped by. It made my weekend sPoOkTaCuLaR! I can't wait until next year's bash! Thanks again, Vanessa, for organizing such a lovely party :)