Thursday, February 2, 2012

Pining for some SN candy...

I've gotta say that I think we've collected every last nut and berry in this clearing. Though I can't complain about the work because the pleasant company of little Nutter and the fabulous fall weather have been just perfect. Spring and summer weren't bad at all but I would be content to live in this 'sweet November' forever. ;)

Brrrr... is it just me or has the temperature made a sudden drastic drop? I can't believe we are all having to reach for those winter coats we wore on the trek here. Surely this cold-snap is a sign that we are about to meet the fourth seasonal sprite sibling. And Nutter is quick to confirm that thought as he starts to shake the nearest pine tree. After a few more tries on different evergreens his brother, Pine, comes leaping out of the branches! And a flurry of snowflakes seems to arrive with him, gently falling on us and the two brothers as they play wrestle in a fond hello. Then just as quickly as each of the previous meetings, Nutter starts to say his goodbyes then disappears.
Little Pine is a bundle of energy as the snow starts falling fast and thick. Before we know it, the white stuff is piling high and Pine has built a fantastic snowman here in the meadow. There really is no doubt that he is doing his job in bringing winter with him wherever he goes as we gaze across the transformed landscape of snowy white. And even though he is just as sweet as can be, I think this is a sign that it's time to head back home. I mean, it's not like we are escaping the winter weather here anymore! So we say our own goodbyes to Pine as he skips off to play with the snowman and little woodland friends. Then we make our way back to the real world. Upon return, I can only hope that Bloom will be traveling here sooner rather than later. ;)

In the meantime... Pine did send some fresh winter candy for us to enjoy, check it out...

The Pine candy kit includes; one Sweet November Pine rubber stamp, ten 6x6 sheets of We R Memorykeepers Merry January paper, small We R acrylic stamp, Prima flowers, Kaiser Craft pearls, ribbon, twine, buttons, pine cone die cuts, four envelopes, four card blanks and my card.

All you have to do for a chance to win the candy is leave a comment on this post. If you link to the candy on your own blog that is great and much appreciated but not a requirement... I want everyone to be able to play along. And when I say everyone, I mean everyone. I will ship the candy anywhere in the world so everyone is encouraged to play! :)

The candies will stay open through tomorrow, February 3rd and I will announce the winners on Saturday, February 4th. And just so you know... all of the new February stamps will be available for purchase tomorrow at the ATS store.

Alrighty, time to hop on over to the Sweet November Gals' blogs... Sammi, Nancy, and Marion will have you pining to get your hands on these new stamps! :)
As always, instead of using random generator I will be printing out names and tossing them in a hat SO if you leave comments for the SN gals on their blogs, you will get an extra name in the hat for each one that you do... this will up your chances of winning the candy... fun, fun, fun! And there is still time to leave a comment over on the ATS blog Sweet November preview post for even more chances to win!


Well, once again we have reached the end of our previews. Thank you so much for stopping by each day and helping us welcome these four new sprites into the Sweet November family! :)
Supply list:
cardstock- Bazzill and Copic X-Press It
paper- We R Memory keepers (Merry January)
stamps- Sweet November (Pine), October Afternoon (sentiment)
ink- Memento tuxedo black and Colorbox dark brown
Fiskars/Jenni Bowlin tab punch
Kaiser Craft gems
Divine Twine
Tim Holtz tiny attacher
Copic markers:
skin- E000, E00, E11, R00, R20
hair- C5, C7, C10
eyes- BG11, BG72, BG78
clothes- E84, E87, E89, YG95, YG97, YG99, YG91, Y26, Y28, BG18

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

Hope you like nuts in your candy...

Mmmmm... wasn't that a wonderful little summer siesta that we were enjoying? Shroom sure knows how to do the whole "livin' easy" thing. Still, I don't know about you but the heat is getting to be a bit much and I forgot to pack my sunscreen! Luckily I have a feeling that a change may be coming sooner than we think. ;)

The first sign we notice is the emergence of little forest critters scurrying to and fro... with all of their industrious energy gathering up nuts and other bits of food to store it seems that the lazy days are drawing to a close. Shroom notices this too and with a sweet smile she says that her brother is surely on his way. Even as she makes that announcement the sun becomes hidden behind some clouds and the air cools noticeably. We all look around to see where this new visitor may be coming from but all we see are some of the leaves in the trees changing color and falling to the ground. Then we hear a couple thumps as some acorns fall from the giant oak that has been shading us. Shroom suddenly squeals in delight and we notice that what fell from the tree wasn't just an acorn, but another of these small sprites! He quickly jumps up off the ground brushing the dirt from his knees before grabbing up Shroom and twirling her around in a big bear hug. Once he sets her back on her feet she gives a playful tap to his acorn cap and tugs on his hand to bring him closer to our group of onlookers. Shroom then introduces us to her brother, Nutter, before saying her goodbyes.
After her departure from our magical glen, Nutter wastes no time in doing his job to bring autumn to the land.
The day begins to shorten and there is a crispness to the air... definitely time to find my jacket again. But it's not all work and no play for this industrious little chap as he seems to make a game out of helping his forest friends gather and get ready for the even colder days ahead. It's hard not to join the fun that he makes out of hunting for nuts and berries so off we go into the trees to see what we can find with our new friend Nutter.

Oh, and if you like nuts in your candy, check this out...
The Nutter candy kit includes; one Sweet November Nutter rubber stamp, ten 6x6 sheets of Crate Little Sprout paper, small Basic Grey acrylic stamp, Prima flowers, Kaiser Craft pearls, ribbon, twine, buttons, felt acorns, four envelopes, four card blanks and my card.

All you have to do for a chance to win the candy is leave a comment on this post. If you link to the candy on your own blog that is great and much appreciated but not a requirement... I want everyone to be able to play along. And when I say everyone, I mean everyone. I will ship the candy anywhere in the world so everyone is encouraged to play! :)

The candies will stay open through Friday, February 3rd and I will announce the winners on Saturday, February 4th. And just so you know... all of the new February stamps will be available for purchase on Friday at the ATS store.

Once again, you won't want to miss checking out the Sweet November Gals' blogs. Sammi, Nancy, and Marion are amazing, the amount of talent and creativity they each display is almost nuts! :)
As always, instead of using random generator I will be printing out names and tossing them in a hat SO if you leave comments for the SN gals on their blogs, you will get an extra name in the hat for each one that you do... this will up your chances of winning the candy... fun, fun, fun! Annnnddd... the ATS blog is also previewing the new Sweet November stamps today giving you even more chances to win! :)


Day three of our February SN previews is now in the books... I hope you have gone nutty for our little Nutter. And we've got one more seasonal sprite to meet tomorrow, so don't miss that!
Supply list:
cardstock- Bazzill and Copic X-Press It
paper- Crate (Little Sprout)
stamps- Sweet November (Nutter), Papertrey Ink (sentiment)
ink- Memento tuxedo black and Colorbox dark brown
CC Designs acorns cutter
Crate Little Sprout die cuts and rub on
American Crafts knock outs border punch and twine
felt
Copic markers:
skin- E000, E00, E11, R00, R20
hair- E74, E77, E79
eyes- B95, B97, B99
clothes- E81, E84, E87, Y28, Y11, G07, E55, E57, E47, E49

Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Popping up with some SN fun!

Welcome back my friends!

We find ourselves still in Sweet November Land, enjoying a break from the winter gloom while passing the time with the Spring sprite, Bloom. It really doesn't seem like it can get much better than this I tell ya... though I have to say that I'm kinda starting to feel a little hot. Like the sun is shining brighter and the day is quickly getting much warmer. Bloom is suddenly very excited and when we ask her why, she explains that her sister must be coming!
Sure enough, only moments later another small sprite comes gamboling out of the woods, a large mushroom cap perched jauntily atop her head. The two sprite siblings laugh and embrace each other then exchange a quick hello and goodbye just before Bloom bids us all farewell. After a quick wave goodbye to her sister, this new sprite introduces herself as Shroom and just like Bloom, she has an important job to do too.
Wherever Shroom goes summertime follows, with it's long hot days and bright sunshine, the ripening of fruits and veggies along with the perfect excuse to swim and just relax. Hmmm... I think I could go for some of that relaxing right about now, followed by a quick dip in the river if the temperature continues to rise!
Still, I was curious as to why Bloom had to leave so suddenly? Shroomie is happy to explain that that is how it's always been... she follows her sister and when they meet it is a brief yet wonderful hello and goodbye as none of the four siblings can stay in the same place together for very long.
Then she yawns and settles back into the tall, sweet grass amidst the mushrooms to enjoy a summer siesta... and she encourages us to do the same. ;)

Before you drift off though, take a look at Shroom's summertime candy...

The Shroom candy kit includes; one Sweet November Shroom rubber stamp, ten 6x6 sheets of Imaginisce Twitterpated paper, small Studio G acrylic stamp, Prima flowers, Kaiser Craft pearls, ribbon, twine, buttons, butterfly punch outs, four envelopes, four card blanks and my card.

All you have to do for a chance to win the candy is leave a comment on this post. If you link to the candy on your own blog that is great and much appreciated but not a requirement... I want everyone to be able to play along. And when I say everyone, I mean everyone. I will ship the candy anywhere in the world so everyone is encouraged to play! :)

The candies will stay open through Friday, February 3rd and I will announce the winners on Saturday, February 4th. And just so you know... all of the new February stamps will be available for purchase on Friday at the ATS store.

Be sure to take a minute and hop on over to the Sweet November Gals' blogs today. Sammi, Nancy, and Marion have plenty of fun designs popping up to charm and delight you! :)
Once again... instead of using random generator I will be printing out names and tossing them in a hat SO if you leave comments for the SN gals on their blogs, you will get an extra name in the hat for each one that you do... this will up your chances of winning the candy... fun, fun, fun! :)


Well, that's all I've got for day two of our February SN previews... I hope you have enjoyed getting to know sweet Shroomie. And you would be nuts not to come back tomorrow for day three... see ya then!


Supply list:
cardstock- Bazzill and Copic X-Press It
paper- Imaginisce (Twitterpated)
stamps- Sweet November (Shroom and Mushroom set)
ink- Memento tuxedo black and Colorbox dark brown
Zva pearls
Martha Stewart butterfly punch
Kaiser Craft gems
American Crafts knock outs border punch and twine
Tim Holtz tiny tabs and tags die
Copic markers:
skin- E000, E00, E11, R00, R20
hair- Y21, YR24, YR27
eyes- E23, E27, E29
clothes- R24, R27, R29, E40, E41, E43, 0, BG0000, R00, R01, R02, R21, YG93, YG67, YG03

Monday, January 30, 2012

Things are Blooming at SN...

Hello everybody!

It seems that this time of month I always get the urge to visit one of my most favorite places... Sweet November Land. Perhaps you will join me on this little journey to see what magical new places and characters we can find?

I don't know about you, but I've been feeling like this winter is never going to end. The cold, snow, ice and grey days are beginning to wear me down. Hopefully we can leave that all behind as we step through the veil and into some Sweet November Land sunshine.
Hmmm... so far it's looking like we may be out of luck as things seem just as cold and snowy here too. But since things here have a way of transforming right before your very eyes, it is worth searching a bit further. So over the hills we go, down through the misty vale until we reach the edge of a dark, dense wood. I don't think we've ever come this way yet... do we dare travel onward? Absolutely! So into the thick trees we go and almost as soon as we do the atmosphere begins to change. The air here is warmer and sweeter and the snow disappears from beneath our feet, so we keep on walking. Finally as we near the edge of this strange wood, rays of sunshine filter in to warm our faces. Who could be behind this sudden change?
The answer to that question just so happens to be resting sweetly on a mushroom only a stones throw from where we stand. It's a small sprite that I've never seen before. She says that she goes by the name of Bloom and she has a very special gift that comes with a very special job. For wherever Bloom goes springtime follows. So she, along with her three siblings, travels all over the world doing her part to help with the changing of the seasons. What a life that must be to always enjoy the mild temps and gentle breezes, the soft sunshine and fresh smell of growing things. Little Bloom just shrugs and says that it is all she has ever known so she has nothing to compare it to.
Still after all this winter, I think she has it pretty good! ;)

Bloom also has some springtime candy to share with one of her lucky new friends... take a look...

The Bloom candy kit includes; one Sweet November Bloom rubber stamp, ten 6x6 sheets of My Mind's Eye Happier paper, small Studio G acrylic stamp, Prima flowers, Kaiser Craft pearls, ribbon, twine, buttons, butterfly punch outs, four envelopes, four card blanks and my card.

All you have to do for a chance to win the candy is leave a comment on this post. If you link to the candy on your own blog that is great and much appreciated but not a requirement... I want everyone to be able to play along. And when I say everyone, I mean everyone. I will ship the candy anywhere in the world so everyone is encouraged to play! :)

The candies will stay open through Friday, February 3rd and I will announce the winners on Saturday, February 4th. And just so you know... all of the new February stamps will be available for purchase on Friday at the ATS store.


Alrighty, now be sure to visit the Sweet November Gals' blogs! Sammi, Nancy, and Marion all have their creativity in full bloom today! :)
Once again... instead of using random generator I will be printing out names and tossing them in a hat SO if you leave comments for the SN gals on their blogs, you will get an extra name in the hat for each one that you do... this will up your chances of winning the candy... fun, fun, fun! :)


That's a wrap on day one of our February SN previews... I hope you have had fun meeting this new Sweet November cutie and come back tomorrow to see who else will be popping out of the woods!
Supply list:
cardstock- Bazzill and Copic X-Press It
paper- My Mind's Eye (6x6 Happier)
stamps- Sweet November (Bloom and Mushroom set), CC Designs (Woodland Label)
ink- Memento tuxedo black and Colorbox creamy brown
CC Designs Butterfly cutter
Zva pearls
The Twinery twine
Prima flowers
Kaiser Craft pearls
American Crafts knock outs border punch
Sharpie white marker
Copic markers:
skin- E000, E00, E11, R00, R20
hair- YR14, YR18, E07
eyes- YG01, YG25, YG67
clothes- YG25, YG67, G29, YG01, BG01, BG07, BG18, RV0000, RV00, RV10, RV52, E40, E41, 0, YR15, YR16, YR18

Sunday, January 29, 2012

Sweet November Spotlight on Sammi!

Hello!

Are you ready for some February
Sweet November previews? I know! I can't believe it is that time already either! But before we start that all up again, I want to shine the Sweet November spotlight on February's very special SN Guest Gal... Sammi Betbeder!

One look at Sammi's mad coloring skills with Copic markers and it is no surprise to find out that she is the owner/operator of her own Aussie based store... Mad for Markers! Yep, I've been a follower and admirer of Sammi's for quite some time now and she has always had quite the way with markers and her card designing is just as impressive. Her imagination always shines through on everything that she creates and come to find out... she is also quite artistic in other ways as well. Recently Sammi has started sharing some of her own drawings and designs on her blog and I'm sure that this is the start of a whole new adventure for her! :)

Now it's time for Sammi to answer the Sweet November questionnaire... which I always look forward to reading!


1) What color do feel represents your personality and why?

Purple - It is the colour for passion, romance and sensitivity. It is mysterious... a mixture of coolness and warmth (just like me) lol!

2) Is your style of dress/ home decor similar to your style of card making?

Perhaps... I am not sure of what my "style" is totally as it changes around a lot... bits of this and that... I guess that is the same for my dress and home as well as my card-making! lol

3) What one thing always puts you in a good mood?

Mmm... my lovely hubby, Guy, my copics, coffee and chatting with good friends/family - oops...was supposed to be only one thing! sorry!

4) If you could visit any time in history when would it be?

I would love to be alive at the time of Jesus' life and the early church... I think it would have been an exciting time!

5) If you were a mythical creature ie. fairy, elf, mermaid, troll, wizard, witch etc., what kind would you be and why?

Mmm, hard one there... I think I would be a fairy- to be pretty, dainty, graceful, mischievous. ;)

Bonus question
6) If you are a fellow Gleek, which character from McKinley High do you most identify with?
I'd love to say Rachel, as I would love to sing that well... but in reality I guess the character I am most like is Emma- sweet & nice (well that's what people think hehe) and would do anything to help others... and whilst I am not totally obsessive compulsive like she is, I so have "some" obsessive inclinations!

LOL, it's always nice to meet another 'slightly' OCD crafter... great answers Sammi!

Check out the stunning card that Sammi created featuring the ever dreamy Princess Isadora. I can't get over how much like actual satin her dress looks... amazing! And the tree branch that she drew and colored... it nearly leaves me speechless. WOW! The over-all layout design may be a simple one but it is the scene that Sammi created which totally transports the viewer to another place and time. Love it! So for my CASE of Sammi's card I just had to ink up a Sweet November Princess too. I chose the serene Princess Ilyse and flipped the sketch on it's side. Then I concentrated on creating a scene for Ilyse to live in. I decided it would be fun to create a 'tower' using a Sizzix brick embossing folder and some grey cardstock that I then inked with some Pumice Stone Distress ink for added dimension. And yes, I do realize that I've got yet another yellow and grey combo going on here but what else was I going to do when working with a stone tower? I couldn't fight it. ;)

Alrighty, so tomorrow Sammi is joining Nancy, Marion,and myself when we will be kicking off the February release previews! You won't want to miss the Sweet November sneak peek week!

See ya then!
Supply list:
cardstock- Bazzill and Copic X-Press It
paper- Basic Grey (Lily Kate), My Mind's Eye (Stella & Rose)
stamps- Sweet November (Princess Ilyse), Verve (sentiment)
ink- Memento tuxedo black, Tim Holtz distress pumice stone, Colorbox creamy brown
Sizzix embossing folder
Prima flowers
Kaiser Craft pearls
Martha Stewart butterfly punch
Copic Spica glitter pen
Copic markers:
skin- E000, E00, e11, R00, R20, R85, YG00
eyes- G46
hair- E30, E31, E34, E35
clothes- RV000, RV10, RV11, R83, R85, YR30, Y11, Y32, Y21, Y26, Y28, Y13, E50, E51, 0

Saturday, January 28, 2012

So tweet

Hellooooo Saturday, LOL!

So any big plans for the weekend? I've got things to do and people to see and it's all good. I'm happy to say that my week is ending on a much better note than it started. A small part of that is the happy mail that my awesome mail lady brought yesterday... my pre-order of the 12 new Copic colors are here, yeah! I'm a total marker geek because I couldn't wait to print out a new color chart and get it all filled in so that it would be ready the next time I sat down to work on an image. Even geekier... I've already started putting together a wish list of the next colors I would love to see Copic come out with. I know, it's terrible! What can I say, I'm slightly obsessed! :)

Ok, ok, on to my card... I couldn't resist printing out another of the super cute new Wryn digi stamps from Tiddly Inks. This one is Wryn and wren too tweet and boy are they ever! I was actually organizing and putting paper away when I came across this scrap of October Afternoon that I had used on a previous card last month and as soon as I saw it knew what this card's 'story' would be. Wryn is a cute little farm girl who is out watching the chicks hatch on an early spring day. And I even found this cluster of eggs stamp in an old Verve Easter set that was the perfect accent, though I did create the cracked egg by altering the largest egg and cutting it apart. Wryn's dress is paper pieced with that fab grey plaid... I know, more grey and yellow, but it's so pretty and I'm embracing the trend! ;)

Alrighty, well thanks for dropping by and take it easy my friends. Tomorrow I've got a brand new SN Spotlight to share with you which will be kicking off February previews at ATS... exciting! Hope to see ya then!
Supply list:
cardstock- Bazzill and Copic X-Press It
paper- October Afternoon (Farmhouse)
digital stamp- Tiddly Inks (Wryn and wren too tweet)
stamps- Verve (Chocolate Bunnies eggs), Imaginisce (sentiment)
ink- Memento tuxedo black and Colorbox creamy brown
buttons
Divine Twine
American Crafts Knock Outs border punch
Copic black multiliner 0.1
Copic markers:
skin- E000, E00, E11, R00, R20
hair- E50, E51, E53, Y11, Y21
clothes/chick/eggs- G00, BG72, BG78, W00, W2, W4, W5, Y11, Y35, Y38, YR24, E40, 0

Friday, January 27, 2012

Hugs & kisses

Hello friends!

Well, this is my final challenge and project as an Oddie... boy have these past six months just flown by! I had a great time though and will still be anxious to see what Kristy has in store for all of us SOG fans in the future. :)

There are some big changes occurring at the Some Odd Girl blog and the first is that it will be going to a monthly format in order to offer bigger and better prizes. Normally new challenges will kick off on the first of each month but this one will be a bit different as it started yesterday and will run through February 28th at midnight EST with the winner announced on February 29th (leap year)! Along with that you will now be required to use a SOG image (clear stamp, digi stamp or sentiment). And finally the challenges will now alternate between a color inspiration, like this one, and a sketch every other month.

To kick off the new challenge format we wanted to offer a fun and bright color challenge this time... the reds and teals found in the photo are truly delish! So the challenge is simple, use these colors as inspiration for your creation. If you don’t have those exactly, come as close as you can, we’re not that picky!

For my card, I used the Heartsy Mae digi and flipped the image so that she faced the opposite direction. Then I just dug through my red and teal paper scraps until I found a fun mix that would work well with Mae. They all ended up being from various October Afternoon lines so this card turned out kinda vintage pretty, which was perfect for another Valentine. :)

So I hope you'll join the fun and play along... the prize this go round are Foxy and Pinwheel Panda, talk about cuteness!

Good luck! :)

Supply list:
cardstock- Bazzill, We R Memory keepers stitched and Copic X-Press It
paper/label sticker- October Afternoon (Sidewalks, Schoolhouse, Thrift shop)
digital stamp- Some Odd Girl (Heartsy Mae)
stamp- Hero Arts (sentiment)
ink- Memento tuxedo black and Colorbox creamy brown
Fiskars border punch
Prima flowers
buttons
ribbon
Sharpie white marker
Copic markers:
skin- E000, E00, E11, R00, R20
eyes- E31, E34, E29
hair- E15, E07, E19, E18
clothes- E81, 0, R24, R29, E19, BG10, BG11, BG34, N5, N7, N9