Thursday, May 3, 2012

Bee cute!

TGIF my friends!

This was quite a week, wasn't it? All those new May stamps being released which are now available in the All That Scraps store... fun stuff! I made a few cards for the other releases but since I was busy with the Sweet November previews they haven't made it up here on my blog yet. 

So today I'm  sharing my card that features the newest little character to be introduced to the CC Designs range of stamps. This tiny toddler is called Beatrice and for her debut she is available both dressed up as a strawberry and dressed as a bee. I think it is pretty obvious which one I chose to ink up first, LOL! Bee-trice is as sweet as honey and I thought that it would be fun to color her hair into a mop of curls, kind of like a fuzzy bumble bee. All of the papers were pulled from my scrap bags but they are all October Afternoon, just from a couple different lines. I really like the pop of turquoise with the traditional black and yellow bee colors. Then I simply added a few dimensional bee stickers to keep Bee-trice company and called this one done. :)

All of the new May stamps are now available in the ATS store and you've still got until tonight to get your name entered into my Sweet November Garden Gnome candies below.

Enjoy your Friday!     
Supply list:
cardstock- Bazzill and Copic X-Press It
paper- October Afternoon 
stamps- CC Designs (Bee-trice), CC Designs (Bees Knees sentiment)
ink- Memento tuxedo black and Colorbox dark brown
American Crafts knock out border punch
Tim Holtz tiny attacher
Sticko puffy bee stickers
Copic Spica glitter pen
Copic markers:
skin- E000, E00, E11, R00, R20
hair- T5, T7, T9, T10
clothes- E44, E47, E49, BG000, Y13, Y15, Y17, C5, C7, C9

A wagon full of candy

Hi there! 

Spring in Sweet November Land is a magical time of year. Sure, there is lots of play and good times to be had but there is also plenty of work to be done as well. And I know a few industrious denizens who love nothing more than to roll up their sleeves and get their hands dirty. Perhaps you will join me on a stroll down the garden path to meet these charming characters?

As we begin to wind down our tour of the Sweet November gardens we stumble upon one last little garden gnome blissfully going about her business. Adele uses her walnut wagon to transport seeds and starter plants from the green houses to the garden rows where they will be planted. And it looks like she has picked up a little passenger who's along for the ride on one of her return trips to re-load. Adele doesn't mind because this little field mouse is a friend and he knows better than to nibble on any of the garden greens. 

But he does enjoy nibbling on candy from time to time... take a peek...  
The Adele candy kit includes; one Sweet November Garden Gnome Adele rubber stamp, twelve 6x6 sheets of Pink Paislee Indigo Bleu paper, small Studio G acrylic stamp, Prima flowers, Kaiser Craft pearls, ribbon, twine, buttons, mini doilies, wood veneer birds, 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, May 4th and I will announce the winners on Saturday, May 5th. And just so you know... all of the new May stamps will be available for purchase Thursday night at the ATS store.


As always the Sweet November Gals' blogs are the place to be. Kadie, Nancy, and Marion have each brought a cart-full of creativity to the garden 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!


Thanks so much for joining us on this third and final day of previews. I hope that you have enjoyed getting to know these newest additions to the Sweet November family.
The Garden Gnome previews continue over on the ATS blog today and you will want to be quick because there are only about 12 hours to get your name in for the prize drawing there! :)

Supply list:
cardstock- Bazzill and Copic X-Press It 
paper- Pink Paislee (Indigo Bleu)
stamps- Sweet November (Garden Gnome Adele), Kraftin' Kimmie (sentiment) 
ink- Memento tuxedo black and rich cocoa, Colorbox creamy brown
ribbon
American Crafts Knock Out border punch
Pink Paislee Indigo Bleu die cuts
Sakura clear glaze pen
Copic markers:
skin- E000, E00, E11
hair- E25, E47
clothes- YG21, Y13, Y15, V20, BV20, BV23, BG70, BG72, BG75, W0, W1, W2, W3, E55, E57, E59
mouse- W1, W3, W5, W7, R00
walnut wagon- E53, E55, E57, C0, C1, C3, Y11, Y13, Y19

Wednesday, May 2, 2012

Candy in bloom

Hola!

Spring in Sweet November Land is a magical time of year. Sure, there is lots of play and good times to be had but there is also plenty of work to be done as well. And I know a few industrious denizens who love nothing more than to roll up their sleeves and get their hands dirty. Perhaps you will join me on a stroll down the garden path to meet these charming characters?


As we make our way deeper into the immaculate gardens of Sweet November Land it is easy to see that the little sprouts have recently gotten a cool drink of water. And it is Garden Gnome Elsie with her magic silver watering can who makes sure that none of her precious plants go thirsty. And she always has a song to sing while she goes from row to row because Elsie knows that the sweet sounds help the sprouts to grow just as much as the water does.

I don't know about you but all of this watering is making me thirsty... and hungry for some candy...   
The Elsie candy kit includes; one Sweet November Garden Gnome Elsie rubber stamp, twelve 6x6 sheets of Cosmo Cricket Tea for Two paper, small Studio G acrylic stamp, Prima flowers, Kaiser Craft pearls, ribbon, twine, buttons, mini doilies, wood veneer birds, 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, May 4th and I will announce the winners on Saturday, May 5th. And just so you know... all of the new May stamps will be available for purchase Thursday night at the ATS store.


Don't forget to check out the Sweet November Gals' blogs now! Kadie, Nancy, and Marion are pouring on the inspiration! :)
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 all I've got for day two of our May SN previews... be sure to come back tomorrow for the third and final day of gardening goodness!
And over on the ATS blog today there is a brand new range of stamps being debuted by a brand new artist so hop on over there and take a look. :) 


Supply list:
cardstock- Bazzill and Copic X-Press It 
paper- Cosmo Cricket (Tea for Two)
stamps- Sweet November (Garden Gnome Elsie), Papertrey Ink (sentiment) 
ink- Memento tuxedo black and rich cocoa, Colorbox dark brown, Tim Holtz faded jeans distress 
Basic Grey PB&J wood button
Martha Stewart butterfly punch
Kaiser Craft gems
Copic markers:
skin- E000, E00, E11, R00, R20
hair- YR20, YR24, YR27, E99
clothes- R81, R83, R85, R89, YR30, Y21, Y26, YG93, YG95, G99, E55, E57
watering can- C0, C1, C2, C3

Tuesday, May 1, 2012

Weeds and wildflowers... and candy?

Hello everybody!

Spring in Sweet November Land is a magical time of year. Sure, there is lots of play and good times to be had but there is also plenty of work to be done as well. And I know a few industrious denizens who love nothing more than to roll up their sleeves and get their hands dirty. Perhaps you will join me on a stroll down the garden path to meet these charming characters?


Did you catch that scent of fresh turned soil warmed by the morning sunbeams? It brings with it the promise of flowers and all sorts of growing things. There is a special group in Sweet November who dedicate their time to making sure that the gardens are immaculate... and they are the Garden Gnomes. Little miss Tilly is the first Garden Gnome we stumble upon during our stroll and she is busy, busy, busy! There is so much prep work to be done so that the seeds can all be planted in time and she is just the gnome to do it. Tilly takes a lot of pride in her straight rows and perfectly spaced planting mounds because she knows that once her little seedlings begin to sprout each one will have all of the water and nutrients that they need to grow and flourish. Now be careful not to trample on all of her hard work as we leave Tilly to her task and continue on down the garden path. 

Though Tilly did reach into her apron pocket to treat us with a bit of candy, take a look-see...      
The Tilly candy kit includes; one Sweet November Garden Gnome Tilly rubber stamp, twelve 6x6 sheets of Crate Story Teller paper, small Studio G acrylic stamp, Prima flowers, Kaiser Craft pearls, ribbon, twine, buttons, mini doilies, wood veneer birds, 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, May 4th and I will announce the winners on Saturday, May 5th. And just so you know... all of the new May stamps will be available for purchase Thursday night at the ATS store.


Alrighty, now be sure to visit the Sweet November Gals' blogs! Kadie, Nancy, and Marion are each sowing the seeds of creativity 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 May SN previews... I hope you have had fun meeting this new Sweet November cutie and come back tomorrow to see who else will be sprouting in the garden!

Supply list: 
cardstock- Bazzill and Copic X-Press It 
paper- Crate (Story Teller
stamps- Sweet November (Garden Gnome Tilly), Papertrey Ink (Garden Variety and Garden Variety 2), Kraftin' Kimmie (sentiment) 
ink- Memento tuxedo black and rich cocoa, Colorbox chestnut roan, Tsukineko fresh green, Tim Holtz ripe persimmon distress 
Papertrey Ink Garden Variety die
Crate Storyteller die cuts
Divine Twine
Martha Stewart butterfly punch
Zva pearls
Copic markers:
skin- E000, E00, E11, R00, R20, R21
hair- E30, E33, E35
clothes- R05, R08, E09, E40, E41, 0, BG70, BG72, Y21, Y26, G12, G14, E53, E55, E57

Monday, April 30, 2012

Sweet November Spotlight on... Kadie!

Hello friends!

It seems like it's been sooo long but now it's finally time to start previewing the new Sweet November stamps for May. Before we dig in and get our hands dirty I want to shine the Sweet November Guest Gal spotlight on an uber talented and upbeat card maker whom I'm pretty sure I've been following since I first started blogging... please say a happy hello to Kadie Ensley!

Kadie is a card maker after my own heart. It is undeniable that she loves to stamp and can color right up there with the best of them, but she is also passionate about playing with and mixing lots of patterned papers on her projects as well. Not only does she have a keen eye for color combos but Kadie also layers her paper backgrounds in unique and interesting ways that can't help but inspire if you ever feel yourself getting into a design rut. Kadie's cards easily transition from cute and sweet to polished and elegant yet whatever the style she is working in you can always see the love that she has for her craft. She is a positive and vibrant member of our little stamping/card making community and that is why I am so excited to have her joining us for this release! :)

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


 1) What color do you feel represents your personality and why?
Orange has always been my color of choice and it's not because I use it in a lot of things or wear it very often, it's because growing up people always said "blue" or "green" or "purple" and I thought orange deserved a chance too! I think I've always associated myself with the color of orange because it tends to sometimes get overlooked, but whenever you see orange, you can’t help but smile. It helps to make things bright and cheerful. I hope that I can be like orange in that way. :)
 
2) Is your style of dress/ home decor similar to your style of card making?
My personal style is VERY laid back. I'm a jeans and sweater gal all the way. My card making style is similar in one way, I usually always start with the same basic foundation every time and build up from there. After that I like to try different things and can be somewhat of a perfectionist at times...ie: I do all my stitching by hand.

3) What one thing always puts you in a good mood?
Music! I love music of all kinds.
 
4) If you could visit any time in history when would it be?
The 80's! Oh, wait, I did live the 80's and I had a blast! Some people might say those were crazy times, but it was a fun decade to grow up in. Haha, I want to go back to the future!
I would also love to visit the time and place in history when Jesus was alive. I can only imagine what that would have been like.

5) If you were a mythical creature ie. fairy, elf, mermaid, troll, wizard, witch etc., what kind would you be and why?
Oh, this is a hard one because I could see myself as any of them at one point or for different reasons, but I think I will go with elf. I think elves generally spread joy and I would like to have that job!
 
Bonus question
If you are a fellow Gleek, which character from McKinley High do you most identify with?
Tina. She is quiet a lot of the time, but that makes it all the more compelling when she does have something to say. She also has her own style and is not afraid to be who she is in the face of adversity. She is kind and sensitive to the needs of others. I only wish that my guy had killer moves like hers does!!
 
There is nuthin' wrong with lovin' orange, LOL! Great answers Kadie!  ;)

Check out the super cute card that Kadie created featuring the hoppy little Tulip Bunny Baby. Her coloring is just fantastic and I love how she has paired the stamps and border punches together to create a fun Easter scene as the main focus of her card. And her angled cuts on the background papers really caught my eye. With just a simple shift to a couple of diagonal lines Kadie has added so much movement and interest to the overall design that really gives this one a total WOW factor. So I suppose it is no surprise that I wanted to try my hand at a similar funky cut background. I chose Meadow the unicorn for my card because it has been awhile since she has pranced onto one of my cards and I missed her. Other than having a circular scene rather than an oval I pretty much CASEd Kadie right down to the button and twine bow... hey, why mess with a good thing?! Oooh... and I colored that little wood veneer bird with Copics this time and guys, I have to say that I think I'm loving the veneer embellies even more now! :)

Alrighty, so tomorrow Kadie is joining Nancy, Marion,and myself and we will be kicking off the May Sweet November release previews! You won't want to miss sneak peek week both here and over on the ATS blog... there's a brand new character from CC Designs being introduced over there today that I think you will totally adore. And as always there are chances to win all of the new goodies so don't miss out!

Later gators!

Supply list:
cardstock- Bazzill and Copic X-Press It
paper- American Crafts (Dear Lizzy Neapolitan), We R Memorykeepers (clouds)
stamps- Sweet November (Meadow), AmyR (Many Thanks sentiment)
ink- Memento tuxedo black and rich cocoa, Colorbox creamy brown
Studio Calico wood veneer bird
button
Divine Twine
CC Designs grass cutter
Copic Spica glitter pen
Copic markers:
R000, R11, R21, Y13, Y21, Y26, Y28, E40, E41, 0, G03, G05, G17

Sunday, April 29, 2012

Start everyday with a smile

Mornin'!

Ok, last night I finished reading A Feast for Crows... OMGosh, so many cliffhangers! And I don't think that there will be many resolutions to those cliff hangers as I have read that the fifth book, A Dance with Dragons, takes place during the same time frame but follows the characters who weren't featured in A Feast for Crows. That means that I will have to wait to find out what has happened until the sixth book is published in a few years! Argh! 
I haven't started A Dance with Dragons yet because of that long wait that is looming. I know that once I finish this fifth book there won't be the immediate gratification of diving right back into the story. So I'm trying to pace myself but these books are just SO good! If I got HBO I would at least be able to fill the void a bit with season 2 episodes of the Game of Thrones series. But alas, I do not and I will have to wait a year for it to be released on DVD. Believe me folks, I wouldn't be whining near as much about these long waits if the story wasn't absolutely amazing! ;)

Alrighty then, card time! Today I'm playing along in this week's Kraftin' Kimmie challenge to create a Spring inspired card. Easy peasy... especially since I had sweet Peony already stamped up just begging to be colored. I thought that the Miss Caroline Dolled Up paper pad had some pretty patterns that suited her and the soft colors definitely feel spring-ish to me. That great cluster of accents on the left is all part of the paper itself which made this come together super quick and I was inspired to add just a few more small doilies to pull that design across the card. Peony was loads of fun to color, especially that great skirt of hers. I really like how she pops against the lighter colors of the background yet still ties into the darker pinks of the flowers in the corner and the butterfly fluttering up above. Yep, I'm pretty happy with this one! :)

I've got lots to keep me busy today so I won't be reading at all. Though I will be getting ready for new Sweet November and ATS previews that are starting up this week so be sure to check back tomorrow when I'll be kicking off the new release fun! 
Hope to seen ya then!           
Supply list:
cardstock- Bazzill and Copic X-Press It
paper- My Mind's Eye (Miss Caroline Dolled Up)
stamp- Kraftin Kimmie (Peony)
ink- Memento tuxedo black and Colorbox creamy brown
Martha Stewart butterfly punch
My Favorite Things mini doily dies
Kaiser Craft pearls
Zva pearls
Sharpie white marker
Copic markers:
skin- E000, E00, E11, R00, R20
hair- YR30, YR31, Y21, Y26, E33
eyes- BG53, BG57, BG18, BG000, 0
clothes- YG21, YG95, YG97, R11, R21, R22, R29

Saturday, April 28, 2012

One last Flutter By...

Hola chicas!

My card today is rather bittersweet... I made it for the 200th Flutter By challenge. And sadly this challenge will be the last one at Flutter By. I've enjoyed playing along in Danni's challenges for a couple years now so it will be kind of strange not having them to look forward to each week. Still, even though I will miss the challenges I couldn't miss making one final card for them. 

The challenge this week is a sketch so that took all the guess work out of the card. All I had to do was find the right papers to go along with this altered Anya that I put together. Even though the Flutter By challenge requires either a butterfly, fairy or angel to qualify, I always liked to have a fairy on my FB cards. So I thought it would be fun to alter up a little Anya fairy. I chose Sitting Cute's body with Princess Anya 3's head (minus her crown), then once she was glued together I added some vellum butterfly wings for her to flutter away with. The papers are all October Afternoon Sidewalks because the bright, happy colors totally caught my eye. And yes, that's another Studio Calico wood veneer embelly, just like the birds from yesterday. I'm really diggin' the different look that these cute things add to my cards.

I hope that if you have time to play along this week that you will join in and help give the Flutter By challenge a fond farewell. :)
Hugs!      
Supply list:
cardstock- Bazzill and Copic X-Press It
paper- October Afternoon (Sidewalks)
stamps- The Greeting Farm (Sitting Cute and Princess Anya 3), Daisy Bucket (sentiment)
ink- Memento tuxedo black and rich cocoa, Colorbox creamy brown
K&Co butterfly vellum
Studio calico wood veneer butterfly
Prima flowers
Kaiser Craft pearls
glitter ribbon
Copic markers:
skin- E000, E00, E11, R00, R20
hair- E25, E77, E79, E49
clothes- YG00, YG03, YG17, Y11, Y13, Y17, Y35, BG000, BG32, BG34