Love is love

Hi!

I want to share with you a couple of cute cards that my niece and I designed and created.

My niece asked me if I could take her to a class where she could learn how to make "LOVE" themed cards. After convincing her that I could teach her how. I had a hard time trying to design a card as she's 15 and just came out of the closet. I wanted to create a card that wasn't too serious and that reflected that kind of love.

So first, I visited SCS and didn't find any I liked there. Next I went to Google and couldn't find anything appropriate.

The other problem I had was searching through my stamp supplies for a "LOVE" themed stamp set that was appropriate for my niece. I personally don't have that any teen or gay themed stamp sets. I don't even have any sisterly stamps. Although now I will be keeping an eye out for them. As I love and support my niece in however she wishes to live her life as long as no one gets hurt.

These are the cards we created. So what we did was, first I designed a card and then she got to duplicate it and then it was my turn to design and me to duplicate. That way we both got a chance to teach and be creative. I try to keep my niece and nephews not only entertained but also to utilize their creative juices.

My card

Stamps: Amuse Cupcake Set

Ink: Palette Noir Black, Bic Markits

Accessories: Spellbinders Nestabilities Scalloped Cirles, Shapeabilities Nested Pennants, CM Circle Patterns, Fiskars Threading Water Scalloped punch

My niece Alyssa's card
Accessories: Fiskars JenniBowlin Jester punch, SU! 5-Petal Flower punch, EK Success Butterfly punch, CM Friendship Shapemaker
Happy Crafting,
M.E.

Happy International Chocolate Day

Hi!

Yeehaw! Today is International Chocolate Day!

I know a day to celebrate chocolate!?! How awesome is that?

I just had to make a little card to help celebrate today.

Stamps: Amuse All I need is love, SU! Out of the box

Ink: SU! Chocolate Chip

Accessories: Spellbinders Scalloped Circle, CM Circle shapemaker, Martha Stewart Blue White Bakers Twine

How are you celebrating? With dark chocolate, chocolate cupcakes, chocolate chip cookies,
or some other ooey gooey chocolatey goodness.

Don't forget to have a little chocolate today. ;)

Happy Crafting,
M.E.

Asian Inspiration 2.0

Hi!

I'm calling this card Asian Inspiration 2.o since as you know if you read my blog that
I've already done another Asian Inspiration card.

In fact, I reused the stamp sets that I used in the original. But I also just got these
awesome new stamps from Amuse Artstamps, they are the Fortune Cookie and
the Fortune Cookie Words Set. Also I did some heat embossing too. My embossing
powder comes from my fave lss Memory Depot.

I found the card sketch over at CPS. One of my favorite blogs for sketches, hands
down.

The sketch is CPS#116 and the sponsor this week is Stamping Bella. I love their
stamps, it's just so hard to pick the ones I want to start out with.

Materials Used:

Stamps: Hero Arts - Four Dolls, Amuse Artistamps Sushi Set, Fortune Cookie Words Set, Fortune Cookie

Paper: CM Cardstock White, Black, Cranberry, Raspberry Ink: VersaColor 82 Black,Memento Tuxedo Black, SU! Chocolate Chip, Brilliance Galaxy Gold, Copic E00 Skin White, R11 Pale Cherry Pink, R00 Pinkish White, R35 Coral, Bic Mark-it Summer Melon, Tuxedo Black, Meadow Green, Memory Depot Embossing Powder Clear High Gloss, Antique Gold

Happy Crafting.
M.E.

MSB Challenge #3

Hi!

Doesn't this card look delish. It's part of the new release over at MSB.

And the sketch for this card as well as the colors used.
Which by the way are:

• Ivory
• Pink
• Brown
  

You don't want to miss this challenge or the rest of the cards the DT created.

It's so interesting what the DT can come up with using the same guidelines,
which were to use the sketch, a color challenge, and the same digi image.

Go check it out here on the MSB blog.

Materials Used:

Stamps: MSB Cupcake Delight, Amuse Clear Stamps Cupcake Set

Paper: KI Memories Pop Culture 2749 Dot Candy, CM Cardstock Raspberry, White, Pink Lemonade, Archiver's Ivory Cardstock

Ink: SU! Chocolate Chip, Copic Y02 Canary Yellow, R35 Coral, Souffle pen, Bic Mark-it Fandango Pink, Pink Flamingo, at you Spica Silver, Uniball Signo White

Accessories: CM Custom Cutting System - Oval, CM Square Shapemaker, Nestabilities - Classic Scalloped Ovals Small, Offray ribbon

Happy Crafting,
M.E.

Amuse Bouche - deux

Hi!

So I was just strolling through the blogosphere and saw that Amuse is
doing another Amuse bouche.

It's super cute baby stamps. Plus Asian themed stamps! Yay! Asian
themed stamps are my fave right now. But I guess since I LOVE Hello
Kitty that's probably why I prefer my Asian themed stamps to be
more cute then sophisticated.

And I love Amuse stamps already. They're one of the few wood block
stamps that I'll buy besides SU!

I do so hope that the new stamps will be acrylic stamps because I'm
more ready to buy them since they're easier to store.

Guess I'll have to ask my mil. She's the closest scrapbook store within
50 miles of me that sells Amuse.

Check out the Amuse Bouche here.

Happy Crafting.

M.E.

Sweet Cupcake + a video

Hi!

I created this card using the sketch challenge over at High Hopes
Stamps. It's Challenge #25.

Something about circles always reminds me of cupcakes.

Which is the challenge over at CCEE Stampers which was to make a
cupcake card. Plus they're offering blog candy for using any cupcake
stamp on your card. Check it out here.

Plus, over at House Mouse & Friends have Challenge #32 Something
Sweet. And cupcakes are always sweet. Plus the sentiment is You're
Sweet.

I also got to use my new SU! dp. I just got it Friday night at our crop.

Here's the video:


After watching the video I realized that the parts where you can't see
the image is actually when I tried to hold the image up to the camera
to show you. But of course, it's me so you don't get to see that.

So here is a close up of the finished image.

Materials Used:

Stamps: Amuse Clear Stamps Cupcake Set, Studio G

Paper: CM Cardstock White, Pink Lemonade, Taffy, SU! Sweet Always Ink: VersaColor VC-82 Black, Fabric Applique, atyouSpica Twinkling like Stars 03 Red, 12 Silver

Accessories: Cuttlebug Embossing Folder Swiss Dot, Hero Arts pearls, CM CCS-Circles, Spellbinders Nestabilities Classic Scalloped Circles Large

Happy Crafting.

M.E.

Asian Inspiration

Hi!

I created this card using the Sketch Challenge at Inspirational Card
Sketches. It's ICSketches #11.

The ingredients are from the Sketches! by tamara Recipe Challenge
#43. Which is to create a card or layout using the following items:

• Stitching = Prism Skein
  
• Brads = red flower brads
  
• Cut out flower from Patterned Paper = Quickutz Nesting Flowers
  

I like how it turned out. Plus, I got to use 2 acrylic stamp sets that I
really like a lot. Also from this pic you can see that I made the face
more 3D.

Plus, I get to create something very Asian. Which is something that
my mom uses in decorating her home. Not to mention cuisine. Hey
what can I say we're Asian. My mom & Step-dad are Filipino. I'm
half but most Americans don't recognize it. DH did that's part of why
he liked me. Other Filipinos can tell though, I say it's the nose.

Him & his youngest sis like a little Asian Fusion in their marriage.
They both married half Asian people. Everyone else married Anglos.
(DH is the baby of 6.)

Materials Used:

Stamps: Hero Arts - Four Dolls, Amuse Artistamps

Paper: CM Cardstock White, Black, Cranberry Ink: VersaColor 82 Black, Copic E00 Skin White, W2 Warm Gray, R35 Coral, RV13 Tender Pink, SU! Classic Chocolate Chip, Marvy Brush Marker No. 48 Leaf Green

Accessories: Quickutz Nesting Flowers CC-FLOWERS-01, CM CCS - Ovals, Bazzill Basics Paper In-Stitch'z Template, Prism Craft Thread

Happy Crafting.

M.E.

Amuse Bouche

Bonjour!

I love Amuse stamps they're soooo cute. Right now they are having an amuse-bouche.

Well I took a look in my trusty French Dictionary and I couldn't find it what I did find was amuse-gueule - (cocktail) snack, savoury; (fig., pop. )preliminaries.

Then I went to wikipedia

An amuse-bouche^[1] [a.myz.buʃ] also called an amuse-gueule, ([a.myz.gœl]) is a single, bite-sized hors d’œuvre. Amuse-bouche are different from appetizers in that they are not ordered from a menu by patrons, but, when served, are according to the chef's selection alone. These, often accompanied by a complementing wine, are served as an excitement of taste buds to both prepare the guest for the meal and to offer a glimpse into the chef's approach to cooking.

The term is French, literally translated to "mouth amuser" [for bouche = mouth; amuser = to amuse, to please]. The plural form is amuse-bouche or amuse-bouches.^[2] The original French word, more frequently employed, is amuse-gueule (gueule is slang for mouth but in fact means animal's mouth (one word in French)), although amuse-bouche is more often used on menus in fine dining restaurants.^[3]

So for all you fine connaisseurse of stamps you've got to check out the Amuse blog and the Design Teams blogs to for your amuse bouche before the new stamps are available on the website. And let me just say that these stamps are really amusing. If you're fortunate enough to have a store close by that sells these stamps you've got to check these out for great ideas.

I'm fortunate enough that the closest store to me that sells Amuse stamps just happens to be owned by my mil so I get to have them placed on hold for me. And if there's a stamp that I want that's out of stock she'll order that for me too.

Happy Crafting.

M.E.

Happy Birthday! happy birthday!

Hi!

Created this card for a friend of ours. Her b-day's today.

What is it about cupcakes that makes me think of female birthdays.

Inside of the card.

We're off to Matt's El Rancho. But first to Barnes & Noble for a gift card.

I used the sketch from CPS #105 and used a tag as was the challenge on DRS Challenge #15.

Materials Used:

Stamps: Amuse Clear Stamps Cupcake Set, Inque #50136 - Say it again, CTMH Simple Invites

Paper: CM Cardstock Cranberry, Taffy, SU! Candy Cane Lane Designer Paper

Ink: SU! Chocolate Chip

Accessories: Quickutz Nesting Flowers CC-FLOWERS-01, CM Tag Punch, CM Circle Shapemaker

Happy Crafting.

M.E.

Cupcake love

Hi!

I'm so excited I just got my Amuse acrylic Cupcake set so of course, I had to use it.

I also used this sentiment from a Studio G acrylic set.

I paper pieced the cupcake and used Fabric Applique for the cupcake top.

I took the Cuttlebug Challenge to make a Love Card with Cuttlebug. I used the Swiss Dots embossing folder to create the background.

I also took the Recipe Challenge #34 on Sketches! by Tamara for this card too. The cupcake is sitting on Quickutz Nesting Flowers CC-FLOWERS-01. The brads are on the title. I think the brads are super cute and this is my first chance to use these brads. And the ribbon is under the die cut.

Thank you for looking.

Materials Used:

Stamps: Amuse Clear Stamps Cupcake Set, Studio G

Paper: CM Cardstock Raspberry, White

Ink: VersaColor VC-82 Black, Fabric Applique, atyouSpica Twinkling like Stars 03 Red, 12 Silver, SU! Classic stampin' spot Basic Black

Accessories: Quickutz Nesting Flowers CC-FLOWERS-01, Cuttlebug Embossing Folder Swiss Dot, Bazzill Basics Ribbon Black Dashed, Fiskars Threading Water Scalloped punch

Happy Crafting.

M.E.

Box of Chocolates

Box of Chocolates, originally uploaded by mardriggs.

Hi!

I created this card for VSN tonight on SCS.

I bought this stamp last weekend after using it at an Amuse card making class I took. I think it's super cute.

I've had the designer paper since I went to an Archiver's crop last year but hadn't used it until now.

I used the SK011009 Challenge from Paper Craft Planet.

Materials Used:

Stamps: Amuse Artstamps 8-8530D All I need is love, 2-7162 chocolate assortment

Paper: KI Memories Pop Culture 2749 Dot Candy, CM Cardstock Raspberry

Ink: VersaColor VC-82 Black, SU! Bravo Burgundy Marker, atyouSpica Twinkling like Stars 03 Red, 12 Silver, Prismacolor pencil Dark Umber

Accessories: Needle and thread from my sewing kit

Happy Crafting.

M.E.