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Hi girls! How are you?? I've missed ya'll the last few days. I know I've been MIA - not only here but in visiting you too. Hope to rectify that in the next few days. But oh, have I been busy!! Most of what I've been working on I can't share yet. However, one of my projects has been posted.
Here's a little peak:

This is part of the garland/banner that I created for the Cuttlebug Challenge LUV BUG Event. What a weekend: fun, prizes and the most A.M.A.Z.I.N.G. projects and inspirations ever! My mind is spinning!! I do hope you'll take a little trip over there and see it! I just love looking at it every time I head down my hallway! I'd love to know what you think!

I will have my card up for Madelynn's Twinkling Tuesday tomorrow - although probably in the afternoon so be sure to stop back by!!

Welcome Chick

Hi girls!! (I hope that doesn't bother any of you - I'm a southern girl and it's a term I use for all the women in my life and I mean it most affectionately. I guess it's kinda like "ya'll" where I'm from).

Anyway, it's Wednesday and time for another Pink Papery Studios DT challenge. This week I laid out the challenge to create a SIMPLE card. Or to take the week off. Either one. I'm always looking for an excuse to stamp so I made this little tag. I had hoped to have it done and "scheduled" a week ago but that never happened. I brought some items with me to my in-laws and in the bag were all the new PPS stamp sets I just got. I was drawn to this set as it is seems very "folk art" to me and I don't have many stamps like this in my collection. There is a bird house and another bird in it so it's very versatile.

Simple to me means QUICK. And one of the quickest, simplest ways I can think of to add color to a project is a watercolor wash. As I was looking at the items I brought, I was thought of my MIL who has created one of the most welcoming homes I've ever been in. She always has tons of little touches for her guests (like a Christmas tree in my BIL and SIL room that has her baby booties and a picture of my BIL as a baby and baby washcloths for them). I could totally see her leaving out some towels in the bathroom with this little tag on top to let her guest know how happy she is to have them. The bathroom is done in this gorgeous warm tones of gold and amber and that inspired my color combination. I created a little tag from some watercolor paper and just used my markers to scribble on one of my acrylic blocks. Then using my blender pen (b/c I forgot my waterbrush) I created a row of color using: More Mustard, Pumpkin Pie, Really Rust and Chocolate Chip. Once it dried, I overstamped it with my chicken and added the welcome sentiment. Tying a quick little bow finishes it off nicely. This didn't take very long but is really cute!!

Hope you are having wonderful times with your family and loved ones. All my best wishes to you and yours!!

First Snowfall

Hello girls!! Can you believe it's Wednesday already? I have my tag for today's Pink Papery Studios challenge. Janna challenged the DT to create a tag using the colors blue, purple, silver and white. I loved the color combo she suggested the minute I read it and was so excited to play. I used the Catch A Falling Snowflake set from the Trafalgarssquare line over at Pink Papery Studios. The more I use this sweet little girl, the more I fall in love with her!! I just love how she is so excited about the snow and trying to catch it in her coat!! I hope you can see some of the sparkle and shimmer in the photos. I am so desperately hoping that I get the light tent I put on my Christmas list. It seems like what works one day won't work for the next 3 around here.

Here's how I created her:

1. Stamped girl using StazOn Timber Brown on my tag (which is really a playing card blank I picked up at a local teacher supply store)

2. Cut out a mask for her and created a simple color wash for my sky using Bashful Blue (SU!) and my waterbrush. I even added a touch of purple to show how COLD it is! I can just imagine her not wanting to come in even though her mommy says it's getting late and cold. Oh to be a kid again and not feel the cold!

3. Stamped the snowflake using Colorbox Silver. When using a stamp like this multiple times, I always make sure to twist and turn my block as I stamp; this ensures that my snowflakes don't all look the same. I then used my Clear Shimmer It and went over the sky again to give it a subtle sparkle, just like itty bitty snowflakes falling down. Added some pearls to the centers.

4. I knew I had some stuff to use for snow so I went digging in my stash and found these cool little flakes from Perfect fX; just some Tombow glue to adhere them I don't know where to get them these days or if you even can as I've had them for YEARS!! But I know that there are other products out there very similar. In the same drawer I found my Perfect Pearls paints which I haven't used in a long time either. I decided to use those for her coat but had to create my own color as the purple I had was, well...let's just say VIVID!! I toned it down with what I thought was lavender but was really blue. Turned out perfect!!

5. I decided that I wanted a few flakes falling in the sky too so placed some random tombow dots and shook on some more Perfect fX. Should've thought about the paint not being quite dry as there is quite a bit on her little coat too. Now she looks like she's playing in a blizzard instead of a peaceful snow. Oh well. I still love this tag.

6. Finished it off with some ribbon, a snowflake button and a little sentiment tag.

Spelling it all out like that makes it seem like this took a lot of time, but it really didn't. I'm so glad you stopped by! Be sure to go check out the rest of the DT and see their tags. They are gorgeous!! You'll find the links in my sidebar. Would you prefer them linked in the post? I know I read almost every blog in Reader so it's nice when they are included. And if that's what you want, then I'll take the extra time to include them. Perhaps someone knows an easy way to include them than having to open, copy and paste links from every blog every time??

Thanks for stopping by today!! I so love having you here!! If you play along in our challenge, be sure to let me know so that I can come check it out! Upload at SCS or PCP using Pink Papery Studios as your tag or leave a comment here!

And a little more....

....stuff you didn't know about me. Yep, I got tagged again!! This time by Lorelie over at My Paper Adventures. She is also on the Simply Sista's Card Scents DT!!

So here goes:

1. One of my best friends from college used to call me Casserole; I'm not entirely sure why, but I think it had something to do with the Green Chili Casserole that I would make. If you read back far enough, I think you'll know that I reference this as my all-time comfort food.

2. I have never colored my hair. (Unless you want to count the time I accidentally dyed it green during a high school chemistry lab. Not my whole head, just a lock of hair.)

3. I can totally get into a reality show on Bravo - my favorite, Project Runway followed by Top Chef - but can't seem to get into any of the ones on network tv. Especially Survivor. Or The Bachelor.

4. There is a mint chocolate Ghirardelli square sitting here by my monitor. It's been here for months. I love Thin Mint cookies by the Girl Scouts and mint chocolate chip ice cream, but that's it. I think this was from a baby shower favor. It seems like such a waste to throw away good chocolate, but apparently, it's never gonna get eaten around here. (Yep, I threw it away).

5. I had a wedge salad for lunch today. YUMMY!! So simple but so good!! I really need to just make them myself instead of buying them off the salad bar to bring home.

6. Cocoa Krispies were my favorite cereal growing up. It was mostly the generic brand in our house but hey, it's the same thing. My brother could chow down on some cereal let me tell you. I rarely ate breakfast, but occasionally Mom would let us pick out whatever we wanted and that's what I always picked. Then I'd get annoyed because he ate it in like 2 days before I even got a bowl.

7. I would love to learn to play tennis.

That's it for me this time!! I hope you enjoyed it!! Should you decide that you want to play, here are the rules!! And be sure to let me know so I can come catch a glimpse into your life!!

Tagging Game Rules:
1. Link your tagger and list the rules on your blog2. Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog some random, some weird.3. Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs4. Let them know that they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog