The 12 Kits of Occasions--March 2014

Hello, friends!  Another month has come and almost gone, believe it or not.  I hope it's beginning to look like spring where you are.  This month's hostess for the 12 Kits of Occasions, Kelly, has certainly set the mood for the coming season with this beautiful kit:

As wonderfully filled to the brim as this kit was, I'm sorry to say I only managed two cards, and I just barely squeaked those in!  I'll share more on what I've been up to instead of card-making in a future post.  For now, I hope you'll forgive me for leaving so many lovely supplies unused (yet).

Full supply lists of every month's installment of the 12 Kits of Occasions can be found on the group blog.  You can also find links to each designer, special guests, and sneak peeks of each month's kit!  Be sure to stop by and become a follower if you haven't already.

Thanks so much for visiting today!

The 12 Kits of Occasions--February 2014

Welcome back for another edition of The 12 Kits of Occasions!  This month's kit was provided by Renee, and as you can probably tell from the beautiful graphic above (courtesy of Kara), our theme is everything SNOW!

Life certainly hasn't slowed down around here in the month since I last posted, but I snuck into my craft room just long enough to make 3 cards with the kit.  Like Renee, I adore the papers from Crate Paper's Bundled Up, so this kit is sure to see more love in the future.

I made a beeline for the teal chevron patterned paper as soon as I unpacked my kit.  This is such a fantastic winter color, and it pairs beautifully with the glittered silver snowflakes.

Renee included some darling die cut snowmen, so I pieced one together and popped him up on a tag.  The kit came with lovely red satin ribbon, but I wound up using some red twill from my stash because it seemed to fit the playful feel of the card a little better.

I don't often do pink and sparkles together, but I had a lot of fun combining them on my last card!

Stop by and say hello to our Guest Designer this month, Judy Marino, then be sure to visit the rest of the 12 Kits crew to see the magic they've worked with their supplies:

Cathy Weber
http://emptynestcrafter.blogspot.com

Jeanne Jachna

http://akeptlife.blogspot.com

Jessica Davis

http://thepaperparade.blogspot.com

Joyce Mehrberg

http://cards-by-the-sea.blogspot.com

Kara {kandrdesigns}

http://kandrdesigns.blogspot.com

Kelly Schirmer

http://ginghamgirlsadventures.blogspot.com

Kim Heggins

http://cupcakescardsandkim.blogspot.com

Marybeth Lopez

http://marybethstimeforpaper.blogspot.com

Renee Lynch

http://itsapatchworklife.blogspot.com

Sharron Gregory

http://onpapillonwings.blogspot.com

Tracey McNeely

http://inmycreativeopinion.blogspot.com

Thanks for stopping by today!

The 12 Kits of Occasions--January 2014

Well, hello strangers!  Did you think I was never coming back?  The last several months have been absolutely crazy around here, and crafting has definitely not been at the top of my priority list.  But I have tried to escape from my responsibilities for a few minutes here and there this month, and so I have 5 cards to share with you for this month's edition of The 12 Kits of Occasions.

Our hostess this month is Sharron, and the theme is love and Valentine's Day.  Sharron sent such a fantastic kit with a color combo that I absolutely adore as an alternative to the usual red, pink, and white.  And many thanks to Kara for creating our beautiful graphic once again this month, giving you a peek at all of the goodies packed into our kits.

My favorite card was the first one I made, shortly after my kit arrived.  I love the striped paper and the pretty script in the sentiment.  It's hard to see in the photo, but the Sahara Sand cardstock was debossed with a music score impression plate.

Sorry for the shadows on the next card, but I popped up the die cut "happy" with teensy pieces of foam tape in a few spots.  I used another of my favorite papers and some of the cute die cut accents from the kit.

How do you like these cute elephants?  I think they're adorable, especially paired with the matching paper.  Such a cute sentiment from Mama Elephant, too (of course!).

For my next card, I layered the pretty heart doily with the word "love", along with a couple of stitched die cut hearts and gold sequins.

My last card is sort of a work in progress, and maybe you can help me finish it.  I've had it sitting on my desk for at least a couple of weeks just like this, and I feel like it needs something else.  I've tried buttons, twine, sequins--nothing quite works.  I think it's ok the way it is, but it's just a little blah.  Any suggestions?

That's all from me, but I have so many cute supplies left to use.  I can't wait to see what the rest of the 12 Kit Designers created with them:

Cathy Weber
http://emptynestcrafter.blogspot.com/

Jeanne Jachna

http://akeptlife.blogspot.com

Jessica Davis

http://thepaperparade.blogspot.com

Joyce Mehrberg

http://cards-by-the-sea.blogspot.com

Kara {kandrdesigns}

http://kandrdesigns.blogspot.com

Kelly Schirmer

http://ginghamgirlsadventures.blogspot.com

Kim Heggins

http://cupcakescardsandkim.blogspot.com

Marybeth Lopez

http://marybethstimeforpaper.blogspot.com

Renee Lynch

http://itsapatchworklife.blogspot.com

Sharron Gregory

http://onpapillonwings.blogspot.com

Tracey McNeely

http://inmycreativeopinion.blogspot.com

And our Guest Designer for this month, Michelle from Pretty Periwinkles.

For supply information, be sure to visit The 12 Kits of Occasions blog, where you can also access information about our group and links to all of the designers.

Thanks so much for stopping by today!  Have a great day!

Curtain Call Inspiration Challenge--Smitten and a Farewell

Happy New Year!  I'm looking forward to a wonderful 2014, how about you?

To help ring in the new year, we have a new challenge at the Curtain Call that I know you're going to love.  Say hello to this week's challenge photo:  Smitten.

photo credit:  knitsandknotsweb.blogspot.com

We also have a fantastic new sponsor for our challenge:  Linnie Blooms.  Not only did Linnie Blooms provide the Faber-Castell Gelatos the designers used on their projects today, but they are providing a gift certificate to the LEAD for this week's challenge.

I chose the Faber-Castell Gelatos 50's Diner collection for my card today.  The colors were so perfect for the inspiration photo.  First I stamped a cozy pattern using WPlus9's Fair Isle Backgrounds with Versamark on white cardstock and heat embossed it in white.

Using the blending tool included with the gelatos, I added the red pigment to one end of the stamped panel and the yellow to the other and blended each color toward the middle.  I just kept reapplying the color until I had the effect I wanted, then rubbed a baby wipe over the embossed pattern to remove any excess pigment.

The sentiment, from Uniko Studio's Stunning Snowflakes, is stamped in Basic Gray and adorned with a few gray gems.

Cardstock:  Papertrey Ink (Smokey Shadow), WPlus9 (White)

Stamps:  WPlus9 (Fair Isle Backgrounds), Uniko Studio (Stunning Snowflakes)

Ink:  Stampin' Up! (Basic Gray), Versamark

Tool:  corner rounder

Other:  Faber-Castell Gelatos (50's Diner), Filigree (white embossing powder), gems

As you may have seen on the Curtain Call Challenge blog, this will be my last post as a Design Team member.  It was a difficult decision to step away, but it's the right one for me at this time as I try to balance my new responsibilities at work and the activities of my busy young family.

Never fear, though, the talented ladies of the Design Team will continue to wow you twice a month over at the Curtain Call Inspiration Challenge blog!  I wish them all continued success and many thanks for letting me be a part of the reopening of the Curtain Call.

Thanks to you, my readers, for visiting today!  I hope you have a wonderful start to the New Year!

The 12 Kits of Occasions--December 2013

Hi there!  Sorry I've been even quieter than usual lately, but this month has been especially hectic for my family.  My husband and I sold his mother's home of 42 years and bought her a new one closer to us, and we had less than a week to clean it out.  It was incredibly stressful getting everything lined up to happen in time, but somehow we finished up just a few days before Christmas.  We're looking forward to getting my MIL moved into her new place soon and settling back into our normal routines.  :)

Believe it or not, we've come to the end of another month, and with it another round of The 12 Kits of Occasions.  This month's hostess is Jessica, and she sent us a Christmas-themed kit full of the most darling images and supplies.  I knew I'd only be able to scratch the surface of this fantastic kit in the limited time I had this month, so I pulled out my very favorite items and went to work.

The first card I made used the cute rabbit on a sled from Lawn Fawn.  I colored him with Copics and added a trail of gems behind him to give a sense of movement.

My second card uses more Lawn Fawn images and sentiments with a fun chevron embossed background.

My last card uses die cut poinsettia flowers from Paper Smooches with a pretty script sentiment from Mama Elephant.

I can't wait to see what the other ladies made!

Stop by The 12 Kits blog to see the full list of supplies, plus you can find out the winner of our recent Guest Designer contest!

Don't forget to leave a comment here and on the rest of the designer's blogs for a chance to win a fabulous giveaway, courtesy of Jessica.  Stop by the 12 Kits blog for more details.

Thanks so much for stopping by today!

Curtain Call Inspiration Challenge--Sweet Snowflakes

We have some sweet inspiration for you this week at the Curtain Call, as well as a wonderful sponsor and a couple of special guest designers.

photo credit:  akeptlife.blogspot.com

Our generous sponsor for the Sweet Snowflakes challenge is Uniko Studio, and they are offering a gift certificate to the LEAD for this week's challenge.

The Curtain Call Crew was fortunate enough to get to work with Uniko Studio's Stunning Snowflakes stamp set.  This is my first set from Uniko Studio, and I was impressed with the high quality of the stamps themselves as well as the sturdy DVD case they came in.  Many thanks to Beverley for sharing this set with us!

I pulled the aqua, kraft, and white from the photo for my card.  The kraft card base is stamped with the smaller snowflakes in white ink, with some dots of white gel pen in the empty spaces.

For the white panel, I die cut the bottom edge before stamping the sentiment, then added the trio of snowflakes in Pool Party ink.  After adding some texture to the panel with an impression plate, I stitched from each snowflake to the top edge, pulling the threads through to the front above the biggest snowflake to tie a tiny bow.

Cardstock:  WPlus9 (Kraft, White), Stampin' Up! (Pool Party)

Stamps:  Uniko Studio (Stunning Snowflakes)

Ink:  WPlus9 (White), Stampin' Up! (Pool Party, Chocolate Chip), white gel pen

Tools:  My Favorite Things (Die-namics LJD Bracket Edge Duo), Papertrey Ink (Linen & Canvas impression plate)

Other:  thread, gems

As promised, we have two fabulous guest designers in addition to the Curtain Call Crew sharing inspiration today:

Beverley Brown, Uniko Studio

Amy Wanford, Guest Designer

Amber Kroening

Barb Murphy

Christina MacLaren

Gayatri Murali

Kim Singdahlsen

Laurie Willison

Marisa Ritzen

Maureen Plut

Monika Davis

Sheri Gilson

Stacey Schafer

Tenia Nelson

Tracey McNeely

I hope you'll join us for this week's challenge!  Thanks for stopping by today.

25 Days of Christmas Tags with Tracey McNeely

I'm feeling very honored today to be taking part in a fun event with my friend, Tracey McNeely.  This is the third year for her popular "25 Days of Christmas Tags", and this year is even more special because she has invited guest designers to join her each day of the month.

I'm sure Tracey needs no introduction for most of you, but not only is she one of my teammates in The 12 Kits of Occasions and at the Curtain Call Inspiration Challenge, she is also one my favorite designers.  I am always drawn to Tracey's ultra-CAS, fresh designs and her beautifully balanced use of color.  But more than that, she is one of the sweetest people I know in blogland, and she always leaves the most genuine and encouraging comments on my posts.

For my tag, I had actually planned to use the more recent holiday set from WPlus9, Merry & Bright.  Then I looked back at Tracey's previous tag posts and saw that Kara had used it for her gorgeous design.  There's no way I'm competing with that beauty, so I pulled out one of last year's Christmas sets, Iconic Christmas.

The tag and frame, patterned paper strip, twine, and gems are leftover supplies from The 12 Kits for November.  I stamped the tree on the solid tag, then layered the frame, silhouette image, and paper strip on top with foam tape.  The sentiment is from WPlus9's Silver Bells.

Cardstock:  Papertrey Ink (White)

Patterned paper:  Echo Park (Tis the Season)

Stamps:  WPlus9 (Iconic Christmas, Silver Bells)

Ink:  Stampin' Up! (Garden Green), Memento (Tuxedo Black), Sakura (silver gel pen)

Tools:  Papertrey Ink (Tag Sale #8), WPlus9 (Iconic Christmas die set)

Other:  rhinestones, baker's twine

I can't wait to see the tag Tracey created for today, and rumor has it there's a prize up for grabs at the end of the month.  Stop by her blog, In My Creative Opinion, to get the details!

Thanks to Tracey for letting me join her today.  And thanks to you for stopping by!

Curtain Call Inspiration Challenge--Christmas Countdown

It's the beginning of a new month, and the beginning of a new challenge at the Curtain Call.  This week's theme is Christmas Countdown:

We have another fantastic sponsor for our challenge:  Sweet Stamp Shop.  They were "sweet" enough to provide the Curtain Call Crew with a stamp set of their choice, and they are offering a $15 gift certificate to the Sweet Stamp Shop store to the LEAD for this challenge!

My interpretation of the challenge was very literal.  As soon as I saw the Alpha Tabs stamp set, I knew I wanted to create my own Christmas countdown in card form.  I stamped the "25" first, then filled in the numbers around it, using lightly drawn pencil lines as a guide.

There are even more projects to inspire you this week from the Curtain Call Crew:

Amber Kroening

Barb Murphy

Gayatri Murali

Kim Singdahlsen

Marisa Ritzen

Monika Davis

Sheri Gilson

Stacey Schafer

Tenia Nelson

Tracey McNeely

I hope you'll play along with us this week!  Thanks for visiting today!

The 12 Kits of Occasions--November 2013

Hello, friends!  It's my favorite time of the month--time for the latest installment of the 12 Kits of Occasions reveal!

Kelly is our hostess this month, and she sent us an incredible kit full of trendy chalkboard sentiments and iconic holiday images.  Be sure to head over to The 12 Kits blog to see the kit contents and get sneak peeks of projects from the rest of the crew!

I've made 4 cards so far with my kit, but I anticipate working more with it over the next couple of weeks once I'm done teaching.  :)

My first card uses one of the fantastic chalkboard greetings with holly leaf accents and a debossed music score in the background.

The next card might be my favorite.  I simply stitched some of the patterned papers along an angle and added one of the tags from the kit, tying it with gorgeous red ribbon.

This was actually the first card I made, on which I hung the ornaments from the top of the card using silver embroidery thread.  I'm not exactly sure where I was going with the label frame behind the ornaments, but I guess it works!

For my last card, I stitched some papers at an angle again and placed the die cut tree at the intersection.  I used the pretty, silver sheer ribbon to add some interest at the bottom.

In addition to our amazing regular designers, we have a special guest this month, so be sure to stop by The 12 Kits blog to find out who it is.  There is also a prize up for grabs this month, so head over to check out the details!

Thanks so much for stopping by today!

Curtain Call Inspiration Challenge--CAS-ual Christmas

Ready for a new Curtain Call Inspiration Challenge?  We have another wonderful sponsor and a beautiful image to work with for this week's theme:  CAS-ual Christmas.

We're fortunate to have one of the best stamp companies sponsoring us this week:  CAS-ual Fridays Stamps!  I was lucky enough to design with many of Michele's stamps when I was a member of the CAS-ual Fridays Challenge Design Team, and I still love the graphic illustrations and beautiful fonts of these versatile sets.

The Curtain Call Crew got to choose a CFS holiday set to work with for this challenge, and I chose Christmas Carols:

Doesn't the holiday scene in the inspiration photo look cozy and relaxed?  I love the rustic touches of burlap and the unexpected use of cool blue, so I included those elements in my design.

To create the tree as the focal image, I repeatedly stamped the four-petal flowers and decorated the centers with silver pearls.  I stamped one of the sentiments in Early Espresso right on top.

I finished my clean and simple design with a stitched border and a strip of burlap ribbon for texture.

Cardstock:  Stampin' Up! (Baja Breeze), WPlus9 (Oatmeal)

Stamps:  CAS-ual Fridays Stamps (Christmas Carols)

Ink:  Stampin' Up! (Old Olive, Baja Breeze, Early Espresso)

Tool:  corner rounder

Other:  Michaels (pearls), thread, burlap ribbon

Don't forget to stop by the Curtain Call Challenge blog to see the rest of the Design Team samples and link up your creation.  This week's LEAD will receive a CAS-ual Fridays stamp or die set of their choice!

Thanks for stopping by today!  Have a great start to your weekend!

Moxie Fab Thanks Blog Hop!

Today I'm participating in a very special (and enormous) blog hop for the one and only Cath Edvalson!  

You should have arrived here from Leigh Penner's blog, but you can find the full list of participants at the Moxie Fab World blog.

Like many of you, I was saddened when I found out that Cath would be saying goodbye to the Moxie Fab World and Paper Crafts magazine.  Cath has been such an incredible source of inspiration to those of us in the world of paper crafting, it's hard to imagine what it will be like in the blogosphere without her daily posts.  Not only did she make the Moxie Fab World the go-to source for everything trendy and beautiful, but her posts were always engaging, enlightening, and written in a friendly voice that made it feel like we were having a chat.

Cath, thank you for showing us that it really is a Moxie Fab World!  You will be missed!

My card for Cath is simple to keep the focus on the message.  I used an inset die cut "thanks" and the coordinating stamp from Simon Says Stamp, Echo Park paper, and Studio Calico wood veneer stars.

Cardstock:  WPlus9 (White)

Patterned paper:  Echo Park (A Perfect Summer)

Stamps:  Simon Says Stamp (STAMPtember Stamps Thanks)

Ink:  Stampin' Up! (Island Indigo)

Tools:  Simon Says Stamp (STAMPtember Thanks Craft Die), Papertrey Ink (Linen & Canvas impression plate)

Other:  Studio Calico (wood veneer stars)

To continue on the hop, your next stop is Heidi Van Laar.

Thanks again to Cath, and thank you for stopping by today!

Happy Birthday Tracey!

Hello, friends!  I have an extra special post today to celebrate the birthday of a talented designer and all-around fabulous lady, Tracey McNeely!

Lots of people want to wish Tracey a happy birthday, so our friend and fellow 12 Kits of Occasions designer, Joyce, is hosting a Linky party over on her blog.  Feel free to join in with your birthday wishes for Tracey by linking up there!

I hope Tracey doesn't think my card for her is too masculine.  :)  I wanted to incorporate an autumn theme and keep the design very clean and graphic, as Tracey's own designs tend to have lots of white space and perfect stamping.

My favorite part of this card is the stitching for the leaf veins, which adds just the right amount of texture to otherwise flat images.

Cardstock:  Stampin' Up! (Baja Breeze), Papertrey Ink (Vintage Cream),  A Muse Studio (woodgrain)

Stamps:  Paper Smooches (Leafy Greens), Clearly Besotted (Tag Along)

Ink:  Stampin' Up! (Baja Breeze, So Saffron, Peach Parfait, Chocolate Chip)

Other:  sequins, thread

I hope you have a wonderful birthday full of all of your favorite things, Tracey!  Enjoy your virtual party!

Curtain Call Inspiration Challenge--Welcome Home

Wow, how did it get to be November?!  The weeks are just flying by, and it's already time for a new challenge at the Curtain Call.  Check out our lovely inspiration photo:

Our sponsor for this challenge is Paper Issues, and they are offering a $20 gift certificate to the LEAD for the Welcome Home challenge.  Thank you, Paper Issues!

I was drawn to the soft blue, weathered wooden door in the background and the placement of the wreath off the edge of the photo.

To create this card, I first stamped the woodgrain pattern with white ink onto blue cardstock.  I ran my finger over the ink while it was still wet to soften it and remove any excess ink.

I don't have a wreath stamp large enough for the design I had in mind, so I created one using the single pine bough stamp from WPlus9's Merry & Bright.  I traced a circle in pencil where I wanted the wreath to go, then stamped the pine sprig repeatedly along that line.

The pine cone stamp is also from Merry & Bright.  The berries, sentiment, and ribbon are from WPlus9's Silver Bells.

Cardstock:  WPlus9 (Lake House, White)

Stamps:  WPlus9 (Merry & Bright, Silver Bells, Woodgrain Silhouettes)

Ink:  WPlus9 (White), Stampin' Up! (Old Olive, Chocolate Chip, Raspberry Ripple)

Tools:  WPlus9 (Silver Bells companion dies), corner rounder

Other:  Zig (Wink of Stella glitter brush)

I'm sorry if the colors seem a little washed out in my photos.  My computer is one that was issued by the college where I work, and it was recently upgraded to a newer version.  Unfortunately, the screen resolution is not as good and I will have to get used to editing my photos on it.

There's more inspiration from the talented Curtain Call Crew to help you get started!  I look forward to seeing all of the beautiful entries in the gallery this week.

Thanks for stopping by today!  I hope you have a wonderful start to your weekend.

The 12 Kits of Occasions--October 2013

Autumn Blessings card

Hello!  It's time another edition of The 12 Kits of Occasions.  You can read all about the 12 Kits on the group blog if you haven't already.

Our hostess this month is Kara, and she sent us a fantastic kit full of Autumn and Thanksgiving themed supplies.  Here's a peek at the goodies:

As always, you can check out the full supply list at The 12 Kits of Occasions blog.

It's been a rough month at my house, but I managed to sneak in some time to make two cards and a set of 4 place cards.  There are plenty of supplies to play with later, and I will look forward to CASEing the rest of the girls with what's left.

Blessed card

Autumn leaf place cards

Sorry to post and run, friends, but I still need to prep for my class tomorrow and get through a pile of grading!

I hope you're having a great week.  Thanks so much for stopping by!