Thanks Girlfriend

Hey!! It's Wednesday again and that means it's time for another challenge from the Pink Papery Studios design team. This week I wanted to use one of the digital images and I thought I would show the steps to completing my Sista for those of you that may be new to digital stamping!! It's really easy!

1. When you purchase the digi-stamp, you'll receive the image in an email. Save it in a file and you'll always know where it is. I have a file in My Documents labeled Pink Papery Studios which is where I save all my digi images.

2. Open up MS Word (or the equivalent for your computer). You want to insert your digi-stamp into your document. For me, I go to INSERT, then PICTURE, then FROM FILE.

Find your image on your computer. Again, keep them all in one file in your documents for quick and easy access!

This is what you'll have. You can see that the image is really large.

3. One of the great things about digi-stamps is that they can be sized to any project that you have! After you have inserted your image, you will want to re-size it. You can do this by clicking on the image and using the "drag" method. Or you can do it by inputting the size that you want. To do this, select the image by clicking on it once. Then RIGHT-CLICK and select FORMAT PICTURE.
Go to the SIZE tab and change the height or the width to the size that you want. You only change one as they are somehow "connected together" so that they both change proportionally and your image doesn't distort.

Once you have your image to the size that you want, print your image onto your cardstock. If I'm not sure what size I want, I sometimes insert the image several times and size it many different ways so that when I print I have lots of options.

I wanted my Sista to wear a cute tunic so I knew I wanted to paper piece her top. It's very easy to do this with digi-stamps too!! I start by laying a piece of computer paper over my cardstock with my printed image. (You can just barely see it coming through)

Then I cut the pattern paper that I want to use to size. I only need enough for her top.

Using a glue stick, I glue the PP down on the computer paper, lining it up so that the portion I want to paper piece will print on my pattern paper. It is only necessary to glue down the top edge of your pattern paper. You can use a temporary adhesive but I just use a light swipe of a glue stick that I keep here by my computer.

Insert your paper into your printer and print again. This is what you'll get!

You can just repeat the process as many times as you like for multiple cards or for different papers that you may need.

This week the design team was challenged to make a thank you card. Last week I subbed in my friend's Keno group and had a wonderful time! The hostess served this yummy Thai Chicken pizza and a Bar-B-Que pizza with pomegranate martinis. They were all DELICIOUS!!! Especially the martinis!! So I thought I would send her a thank you and this Simply Sistas image with her drink from Pink Papery Studios is perfect!! She's having a pomegranate martini just like I did!! The original image is just a cute little dress, but leggings are all the rage right now and so I added leggings to her outfit by just coloring in with a black marker! Totally loved how it turned out! And off course, some bling on her belt!! My card is based on the sketch (#204) at SCS this week.

All in all, it took me longer to create this post that it did to make TWO matching cards today!

We'd love to have you play along too! Create a thank you card for someone and be sure to post the link so we can all see it!! Also, stop by the other girl's blogs and see what they have created!! Links are in my sidebar!!

Terrific Treat

Hi Everyone!! Just a quick log-in to post the Terrific Treat winner ---- VALERIE!!!
Thanks to everyone that played along and helped spread the word on diabetes!! I so appreciate it!! Valerie - email me your address so I can get your treat out to you!

I'll be back later with my Pink Papery Studios card but right now I've got family coming over so need to scoot!

Chocolate Roses

Hi! I'm posting later than usual - for this week anyway! But I've been busy working and housework this morning. My grandma is coming in to town today - in fact she's already here! My mom called about an hour ago wanting to know if the little man was still up. He wasn't but he should be very soon! It's been awhile since my grandma has seen him so I know she'll be surprised at how big he is.

She is flying out tomorrow to go spend Thanksgiving with my uncle and his family. Since I saw the limited supplies challenge at SCS was a chocolate theme one, I decided to make a wrapped chocolate bar for my fifth grey and red creation. Pretty basic and simple. I chose the base for my "white chocolate" color requirement and the embossing made me think of all the decorative molds you can get for chocolate. I colored my rose using my Prismacolors and baby oil. Pretty happy with how it turned out. The bonus part is that I added some Hot Cocoa card scents at the end so my treat smells as yummy as it looks!!

Have a great weekend and I'll see ya'll around the blogsphere!!

Thanks so much for coming back today to check out my fourth card featuring grey and red in honor Diabetes Awareness Month. I've so enjoyed hearing from each of you and your stories that you've shared.

I was going to create my card for today's post last night, but ended up working instead. So when I went in this morning, I was thinking I was either going to use Rain or Shine from MFT or Live Your Dream from Stampin Up. I even came in to the computer to look up the What's Up Wednesday Challenge. But when I went back in and sat down, I just got pulled into a completely different direction.

I have had this stamp for years and I think it's a quote we all have seen before. It is very true I believe and it just called to me. Such beautiful typography needs beautiful paper so I dug into my paper stash. My red today is not a bright red but more muted, almost burgundy in nature. I think the paper might be Anna Griffin but I could be wrong. I embossed the sentiment using Versamark, Basic Grey ink and clear embossing powder. That was the "hardest" part of the card? Are you like me and just in awe every time you emboss? It never gets old watching it turn. I remember the FIRST time I saw embossing: I was in college and one my roommates was an art major and she embossed something using OUR STOVE!!! I remember thinking she was crazy and watching her carefully just in case she set the place on fire!

I hope you are warmer where you are than here. A cold front blew in and it's FREEZING!! I mean, it's like 47 degrees outside, but that's cold here!!! I am going to run and start a load of laundry and curl my hair. I am subbing in my friend's Keno group tonight. Wish me luck that I win ... preferably the CASH PRIZE!!

Have a beautiful day!! All of the stamping friends that visit me each day, your praise and support are parts of MY BEAUTIFUL DAY!!

Something Warm

Thanks for coming back today, my third day of Diabetes Awareness. Did you know that 8% (that's 23.6 million) of the American population deals with this chronic disease every day? It's challenge day for the Pink Papery Studios DT gals and it was my week. I challenged everyone to use red and grey in their creations. Please go see what they've been up to - you'll find all the links in my sidebar!! We'd love to have you join in too!!

Today I have a little treat to share with you. I like to call these "sussies" - they are just little tokens of affection or appreciation that you give to those you care about. I think it's always so nice to just surprise people with something nice. I am a giver who has a budget that doesn't allow me to give extravagant gifts. But I am also a believer in it's not the "cost" of something that touches people.....it's the fact that you CARED. And I give freely, with no expectation of anything in return.....which means when I give, I don't want people to feel bad because they may not have something to give in return. That's why sussies are so great: they aren't so expensive that they'll make someone feel bad (or worse, obligated to return the favor) but they let someone know that they are SPECIAL - and that's an awesome thing to be able to do.

As Christmas approaches, there are even more people that I want to give to this holiday. When I was teaching, I always loved to give little sussies to my teacher friends at Christmas. I taught high school so that was a lot of teachers. This is a perfect little sussie to give when you have lots of names on your list. You can get 6 packets in a box of cocoa mix, add a little prettiness to it and it's such a nice treat for the receiver. As a past teacher, I can tell you that this - or anything like it - will be so appreciated: it's either the beginning of the day and you get a warm, fuzzy all day long or it's the end of the day and it's a perfect pick-me-up to carry you on home and into the evening. What a nice treat to have as a take-home prezzie when you have a holiday party or guests stop by unexpected. Hide one is a neighbor's mailbox. Leave one on the co-workers desk or a basket to put by the microwave at the church for all the staff. I will be making more of these!

I just used my Nestabilities for the all the layers. Some quick and simple stamping, tie a ribbon, use a little sticky strip and it's done. I finished it off with some stickles in the scallops, on the ground to represent snow and even have some drifting down on the sweet little bunny (perhaps you can see it glisten in the first photo?)

My image is from a set called Be Merry at Pink Papery Studios. The new site is almost ready and Amy plans to make it live this weekend!!

Have a beautiful day and I'll see you tomorrow!!

It's Always with You & a Terrific Treat

I know that diabetes is something my family thinks about a lot but from the comments yesterday, it's affecting so many of you too. From yesterday's post: November is Diabetes Awareness Month. My grandfather was a diabetic for years and my mom was diagnosed several years ago. The Diabetes Association uses the colors grey and red for their awareness colors. The grey represents the drudgery of dealing with diabetes every day and the red represents the multiple blood tests that a diabetic performs each day. To spread awareness of the disease, I'm featuring grey and red projects all week!

I used CPS91 as my sketch for this card. I was going to use my bird from the Always set, but he wasn't in the box nor was he right out on my desk. I wonder where he flew off to? Some lace, a vintage button and a distressed flower are my little details. I love how this card has a modern feel with the polka dots and vintage flair with the lace and button. I just noticed that the word "hope" is kinda in the center on my card. Couldn't done it better if I'd planned it that way!!

I really want to spread the awareness of diabetes and I'm hoping you'll help me! So I'm gonna offer up a Terrific Treat as a bribe (which I said I would never do, but hey, decisions can be changed.. I've just decided to do this as I'm typing this post so I don't have a picture right at this moment to share with you, but I'll work on that later tonight.

How to win my Terrific Treat?

1. Post a link on your blog to THIS POST (one entry)

2. Create along with me by uploading your grey and red creation to your blog. Leave a link here

so I can come see it (one entry)

3. Bonus entries for sharing the link on any message boards you frequent and for subscribing to

my blog and for sending your card to someone with diabetes.

4. You can take the Diabetes Risk Test HERE. It doesn't take very long and is a really neat way

to see what risk factors you may have if any.

You Really Want to Know?

My friend Tara recently joined the blogging world and I think she's loving it!! You should go visit her - she's a pretty funny read. And of course, she had a really pretty blog page after just a few days - and so sweetly hooked me up with the info to get one too! You can find the link way up there in the upper left corner on my screen. What I love about Tara is that she is completely honest and just puts it all out there. What you see is what you get - a trait that I happen to {love} in my friends!!

So she tagged me to share 7 random things about myself. And I am happy to share with you because I know that you are just *itching* to know more about me.

1. I spent almost my entire day going through a stack of Parenting, American Baby and babyTalk magazines today. I subscribed to them when the little man was born hoping that they would turn me into this wonderful, magical mother. I'm sure they would have if I had bothered to read them every month. Of course, reading them today, I realized that a lot of being a mom is instinct and I haven't done too bad of a job! Yea me!!

2. My first college roommate called my toes "finger-toes" because they were so long. Trust me, I wish I had short, stubby toes that are oh, so normal. If my toes were half as long, I'm convinced I could wear a 9 1/2. And I'm sure it's much easier to find cute shoes in a 9 1/2 than it is in an 11.

3. We have grown our own pumpkins for several years now and managed to harvest 12 this year
- our biggest crop to date!

4. One of my favorite shows is Project Runway and while I think Leanne does great work, I really, really wanted Korto to win. That coat she made from seatbelts was amazing!! I consistently loved the things she created.

5. I would be one happy girl if Sonic decided to bring back Pickle-Os. There is nothing like a fried pickle chip as a snack.

6. So far, I've got 2 presents out of the way: bibs and some cardboard blocks (just like the ones they had in the church nursery all those years ago) for the little man. I wish I could be like those women who have all their shopping done in September! I wonder if they hire out?

7. In my mail today, I got a request from the cable company to let them handle my phone service and a request from the phone company to let them handle my internet service. Why can't they both just be happy being really good at providing the one service that they originally started with?

Well, there you have it, 7 more random things. Consider yourself tagged if you want to play along.

A Special Week

November is Diabetes Awareness Month. My grandfather was a diabetic for years and my mom was diagnosed several years ago. The Diabetes Association uses the colors grey and red for their awareness colors. The grey represents the drudgery of dealing with diabetes every day and the red represents the multiple blood tests that a diabetic performs each day. Now, my mom is not down in the dumps with her diabetes, but I can imagine that it does get old having to think always about blood sugar, carb intake and the like. She manages very well with her diet but was put on insulin several months ago. With my history, I really need to make more of an effort to eat right and exercise which are two of the major ways that you can help prevent becoming diabetic. In honor of all those with diabetes, I am dedicating my blog this week to projects featuring the colors grey and red!



The main image panel on this card was created using the Faux Silk technique and a collage style of stamping. The jewel in the center of the bow was from a pack of Christmas embellishments I picked up last year at Hobby Lobby. I am in {love} with this card. Do you think it's wrong to feel so proud of yourself for creating something beautiful? I know pride is not a characteristic that God wants us to have; but sometimes it's just darn hard not to be!!




My friend Vicki from Stamped Smiles sent me this award. Really touched my heart that she would say such sweet things about me. If you are a reader of her blog, you know how talented she is and if you aren't head over and visit her!

I'm supposed to pass this award on to 5 other stampers as well. So many to chose from so I'll list 5 even though I could list several more!!

1. Janna - she hasn't been stamping very long but {oh, my} is she talented!

2. Lorelie - I love all the layers on her cards!!

3. Maren - she always uses ribbon and has a clean, crisp style!

4. Cindy - amazingly talented and her blog is almost always Just Stampin Up stuff which I love!

5. JanTink - such a fun blog to read as she has a terrific sense of humor. And she has no problem being proud of her GORGEOUS creations ... so you know what, I'm gonna take a lesson from her and be proud of myself too and not feel bad!! God gave me some talent to use and develop.

Well, the list could go on, but I'll stop here because I REALLY need to get some work done today while the little man is off at MDO. I do hope you'll come back all week - I love it when you stop by!!

Softly, the Garden Calls Me

I created this card eons ago when I first got this stamp back in May or June. I was entirely too intimidated by the gorgeous colored cards on SCS to try that but definitely wanted to use it. But I was stuck with it - couldn't come up with anything. I fell in love with this card and the monochromatic design of it. I changed the color scheme and the design just a little bit. I also added the stickles around the flower just recently as a way to add a little something more to it!

Upgrade

Remember this card?

I finally joined the Fan Club over at SCS earlier this month and one of the challenges is "More is More" where you create a card and then create a second card that has more - an upgrade! I was totally inspired by that challenge on this card.

Always is still my favorite Stampin Up set and I needed a quick but WOW card for my TACO night a few weeks ago (Totally Awesome Creative Opportunity - I saw it somewhere online). I remembered the card I created a few months ago and decided to ramp it up a bit.

(Whoa - what a difference in lighting - I used the exact same paper!) For the new version, I added piercing and a flower and popped up the entire panel on dimensionals. I also changed the sentiment to fit the upcoming holiday!

Welcome Sweet Griffyn

One of the gals in my lia sophia organization had a sweet baby girl yesterday morning. I was able to see both of them this morning and oh, what a treat. Griffyn is light as air - aren't all babies when they are freshly born? And despite his excitement about going to see a baby, my little man wasn't quite sure what to think of mommy holding a baby once we got there.

Emily - the new momma - is a tough girly-girl who is not really into pink ---- but I couldn't resist this sweet printed baby paper in my stash. I tempered it with gray and white. I think it came off sweetly sophisticated instead of sugary sweet - a lot like Emily!! Can you see the glitter paper I used as a mat?

Before I tucked this into a clear envelope, I scented it with Ah Baby! from Card-Scents (the new website is still under construction but will be up soon: http://www.pinkpaperystudios.com/) I'll always remember the look of delight on Emily's face when she saw her card. You know the one - it's the same one we see on everybody's face who gets one of our cards - that look of wonder that says "wow, I'm so special to her she made me a card of my very own!"

Thanks for stopping by today!! Have a beautiful night - The Office is on tonight - hope it's a funny one!!

Autumn Appreciation

Hi everyone!! Can you believe it is Wednesday already? It's been gorgeous fall weather here; I'd love to have fall year-round!

Today I have my Pink Papery Studios card to share with you. Lindsay challenged the design team to create a "bargain" card, using items that are inexpensive. I found the ribbons in the Target $pot and wanted to use them somehow. The stamp is from a new set over at Pink Papery Studios. I think it is designed as a "green" stamp since the sentiments are "Be Green", "Grow" and "Just Breathe". I do try to conserve and not be wasteful, but I'm not really a gal that's into all that "green" stuff. But this tree can be used in so many ways - from fall to spring.

I used the SC202 sketch on SCS for my layout and 2 cuttlebug folders to add texture. I don't think you can see them, but I used the swirl folder on the pumpkin panel to simulate wind and then the polka dot on the bottom squares just because it's my favorite!! Lots of distressing too. I'll be sending this to my sister and her husband as a thank you for organizing our leaf-viewing trip a few weeks ago. Better late than never, right? I'll scent it with Candy Corn card-scent before I mail it later today!

I'd love to see what "bargain" card you create!! Please link it up here so I can check it out! Also, go see the rest of the design team and check out their cards. Plus, we have some guest designers that have joined us and their blogs are definitely worth a visit (links in the sidebar).

Have a beautiful day!! And do come back, I love sharing with you!! And I've really been up to a lot lately!!

Balloons For You....

.....just because!

I made this card weeks ago, for FS86. But I just got around to photographing it on Wednesday. To be honest, I forgot about it for a little while so it was a nice surprise! I chose the card because I loved the way the front was designed and wanted to create a card in the same way. This is another digi-stamp from the Simply Sista's line over at Pink Papery Studios. I love her dress and all the balloons she has!

Have a great weekend girls!! I have a lia sophia party tonight so my weekend won't start until later, but I am excited to get out of this house and go hang out with some women!! I am not sure what tomorrow will bring, hopefully some more gorgeous weather as I'd love to take Dane to the park and we've been hermits the last 2 days. And definitely some stamping time!! I hope yours if full of things that bring you joy too!

Simply Showcase

Happy Wednesday!! It's good to be back; I got sick last week and just didn't feel like doing anything!! And you know how it is, when you are sick, there is tons of "make-up" work to do!! When I was teaching, I always felt bad for kids that were out sick and came back to tons of make-up work plus the days work too!

For the Simply Sista's Showcase today, Lorelie challenged us to use glitter or sparkle in our card. We also got new images from Amy that will be available very soon! I missed last week due to being sick (it was to use scallops) so I combined it with this weeks challenge! This card just GLISTENS in real life!! That is SPARKLE you are seeing - not a grainy photo!

Very soon, Simply Sista's and Card Scents will all be housed in one online store called Pink Papery Studios. Amy has also expanded the product line and one of the new products is Shimmer It! and Shimmer It! Simply Sparkly. You can read more about it HERE. Amy included some of this in my last package and it is AWESOME!!! It is very thin - has a watery consistency to it (as compared to Radiant Pearls) and just looks lovely when applied. I started by brushing this all over the base of my chocolate chip card. Since it is so watery, a very light coat is needed as you don't want your paper to warp too much. Then I laid a set of stamps over it as it dried to help prevent the warping even further. The snowflakes are stamped with Encore Blue on the base and on the main panel, I used the same ink, just the 3rd generation stamp of the image for the very light color. After I colored my image, I brushed some more of the Shimmer It over the image....actually I dabbed it more than brushed b/c I didn't want to risk smearing anything! A pretty snowflake, stickles for snow and some pearls in the corners finish it off! I also ordered some new card scents and I think I'll scent this one with Icicles!

We'd love for you to join in our challenge with us this week! Link up your projects using glitter or any other type of sparkle so we can check it out!! Have a wonderful Wednesday and I'll see you soon!