Mother's Little Helper

M.I.A.

Howdy, faithful readers!  (Both of you!)

Just wanted to let you know that all is well, though from my lack of posting, you might get a different impression.  It's been a crazy week, and between working on several things for a DT deadline that I can't show you yet, getting ready to leave town for a short trip (which as you know requires just as much work as a long trip), and daily life... well, there hasn't been much time for anything else. 

I'll be back to regular posting soon.  In the meantime, please ponder this...

"Bill thought he was the President, too."

Hump-Bustin' SFYTT, part II

In part I of this elegantly titled series, I showed you one Kristi Mallett, slaving away at her day job, toiling over a hot keyboard.  Part II brings you Kristi at her night job.  (To answer your question: no, there are no poles involved.  You're confusing Kristi with Cammie, to whom I paid tribute yesterday.)
Kristi's night job is a little more colorful than her day job, much like Superman's.  By day, she's a payroll administrator at a local university.  But at night?!  She's Madame Entrepreneur, co-owner of Inola, Oklahoma (population 1,728)'s hottest beer joint, the Old 33 Icehouse. (If you go to their site, be sure to check out the way-cool logo -- it was designed by Sara Williams, my pal Susiestampalot's sister and MFT Presents illustrator extraordinaire!) 

Frequented by both bikers and my Bunco Babes, the Icehouse hosts live music and karaoke weekly.  And if you happen to be in the vicinity when Kristi and I do our version of Love Shack?  Well, you'll know why the earth is moving.  And it won't be a rapidly approaching tornado.  Unless it's just a coincidence.  We do live in Tornado Alley, after all... 

So I made this with today's Sketch For You To Try -- Jen's come up with another keeper with this one!  Perfect for those horizontal images, which made me think to break out this new 'Girls Night Out' set by My Favorite Things.  The ribbed velvet ribbon is actually covering where the original border of the stamp is drawn.  I extended it downward with a black art pen, then stamped the sentiment to make it look like it was all part of the image. 

WTG (Who's That Girl)s' shirts were paper-pieced, as was the table. Their skin and the wall were colored with Copic markers.  The bubbly they're drinking (which you cannot get at the Icehouse, by the way... Don't want the ATF or whatever busting them for not having proper licensing based on a card featured on my blog...  Hey.  It could happen!  It's conceivable there's an agent who papercrafts in her free time and happens to read my blog) was colored in with a gold Copic Spica marker, and then coated with Ranger Glossy Accents to make the glass look ... glassy.

Anything else?  Oh.  The chipboard flower is from Magistical Memories, and I covered it with straw colored Ranger Crackle Paint.  The felt flower and button are from Making Memories.  I broke out a scrap of Karen Foster's 'Cheers' patterned paper (an oldie but a goody).  To make the patterned paper pop a little bit, and echo the black outline of the stamped image, I ran the broad end of my black Copic marker around the edges to give it a faint black outline.

Get this great sketch from Jen's blog and check out what she and awesome April Guest Designer Kimberly Crawford came up with using it.  Then, be sure to check out my sweet SFYTT Sisters samples for more incredible inspiration:

Susan Liles (aka the aforementioned Susiestampalot)
Amy Sheffer
Amy Rohl, and
Kelly Lunceford

Wanna play with us?  Great!  Just be sure to use 'SFYTT' as a keyword when you upload to your Splitcoast gallery so we can be sure to give you props.  You can also link your creation to Jen's little Mr. Linky doo-hickey.  (That's a technical term.)

Have a great weekend, friends!

Supplies used:
Stamps: Girls Night Out by My Favorite Things
Paper: Kiwi Kiss, Taken With Teal, Regal Rose (SU!), kraft (PTI) Natural White (Neenah), Cheers patterned paper by Karen Foster
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black
Accessories: Copic Sketch & Spica markers, Making Memories ribbon, felt flower & button, embroidery floss, Ranger straw Crackle Paint & Glossy Accents, chipboard flower from Magistical Memories, Jody's Foam Boosters

Happy Birthday to one of my BSFs!

I'd like everyone to take a moment out of their blurfing to wish one of my BSFs a very happy, happy birthday.  Are you wondering who it is?  Well, I'll give you a couple of hints.  Here's the first one -- it's a pic I snapped of her on the way to the SCS Cupcake Reception at CHA this past January.  I told her she was a little over-dressed...
... but she insisted that those cavernous hotel conference rooms made her chilly (hence the ski-mask). 

Need another hint?  Well, this is part of her birthday gift.  When I saw it, I had to get it for her.  It looks JUST like her, don't you think?
Have you figured out the mystery birthday girl yet?!  She's got the best humps in the stamp industry...

Happy Birthday, Cammie!!!! 

Love you, girlfriend!

Love You, JiFFy Girls!

Hard to believe another month has rolled by -- seems like just last week I was staying up late, working on my March JiFFy Girls challenge.  But a new month has brought a new me -- it's not even 9:00 p.m. on Tuesday, and I'm already done with my challenge card and writing my post!  So there!  (Someone, please pass Michele her smelling salts...)

This month, Alli sent the cute, cute patterned paper -- 'Sliced Leek' from the Minestrone Collection by Jillibean Soup (aren't those names and titles too much fun?).  While the paper was in transit, Julie selected an oh-so-adorable image: Day Dreamer by Leanne Ellis for Sugar Nellie Stamps.

And here's what I came up with...
I think after playing with her that she might just qualify as one of my current favorite images -- she's just too, too adorable with her preppy lil shirt and that flower in her hair.  And how I wish I could have hair that lay just like that... *sigh*  It's kinda bad when you have hair-envy of a stamp, isn't it? 

What else can I tell you about this?  I colored Miss Thing mostly with Prismacolor pencils and odorless mineral spirits, but I did do her skin with my Copics.  (Copics make it way too easy and smooth-looking for me to do skin any other way, these days.  It would be like switching make-ups.  Once I'm comfy, I stick to the products I like and only vary when I'm out of everything all at once.  Which reminds me, I'm getting low on the Bare Escentuals and considering going back to my old stand-by... Lancome.  What do you think?  Do you have a make-up you love and think I NEED to try?  Convince me!)

Back to the card...  (I'm in a digressionary mood -- can you tell?)  I used various shades of Art Institute translucent glitter on her flower and the birdies, and her head, flower, and the birds were stamped two or three (in the case of the flower) times, and popped up on foam tape for depth and dimension.  I used one of Taylor's sketches (TECC57) that I'd printed out in February but hadn't gotten around to doing yet.  It's a good one, don't you think?  Last but not least, I'm not sure if you can tell from the photo, but the upper part of the window has been covered in Glossy Accents to make it look like glass.

Ready to see what my fabulous JiFFy Girlfriends have created using this same image and patterned paper?  I know I am!!!  Let's all go together then, shall we?  I'll meet you at the following babes' blogs:

Alli Miles
Julie Campbell
Lori Craig, and
Michele Boyer
Whoever gets there first and leaves a comment?  Owes me a drink...

Ready, set, GO!!!

Supplies used:
Stamps: Day Dreamer by Leanne Ellis for Sugar Nellie, sentiment from Hero Arts Clear Design Anytime Messages set
Paper: Suede Brown Dark (Prism), Old Olive (SU!), Ivory (Neenah), patterned paper: Sliced Leek from the Minestrone Collection by Jillibean Soup
Ink: Tuxedo Black, Rich Coco (Memento)
Accessories: Prismacolor Pencils, odorless mineral spirits, blending stumps, ribbon, embroidery floss, Copic Markers, Art Institute Glitter, Glossy Accents by Ranger, buttons from Basic Grey and PTI, Jody's Foam Boosters

TCP Tuesday: Sketch Challenge!

Greetings, all!  It's TCP Tuesday, and I'll be serving as your Hostess With the Mostess for the monthly sketch challenges from now until... whenever! 

I'm taking over the sketch challenge from the fabulous Leigh O'Brien, who provided the TCP Tuesday sketches for the first year of TCP Tuesdays.  Following in Leigh's footsteps is no easy task, let me tell you.  She's kind of a legend, don't you know.  In fact, Leigh's the one who initially made me aware of The Cat's Pajamas stamps oh-so-long ago -- she's one of the pioneers of stamping bloggers, and well... no telling what else she's responsible for in the world of stamping!  (Alma is shaking her tiny fist at Leigh right now, saying 'It's all your fault!') 

Anyway, I don't have Leigh's mad graphic skillz, but I'm workin' on that. In the meantime, here's today's sketch using my currently limited know-how:

And here's my sample using said sketch...

(Card dimensions: 4"x6") I've seen lots of cute cards made by my fellow Cat Packers, so be sure to check out their blogs today (see the list of Cat Pack Cronies on your left).  Wanna play along with us?!  Great! 

Here's how you do it (swiped from Ana's blog):
1. Each a week one of The Cat’s Pajamas DT members will host a challenge.  (This week=ME! ;) )
2. The challenges will vary {stamp, color, theme, sketch, etc.}
3. You will have until {this} Saturday night to complete the challenge. (4/25/09)
4. Link your project on this week’s hostess’ challenge announcement. This week you will link your project to THIS POST.
5. TCP stamps are not required, but of course, highly encouraged. {Unless it is a challenge calling for a specific stamp}
6. There will be one winner each month. They will be deemed that month’s Swanky Stamper and get $25 in Cat’s Cash {money to spend on the TCP site!}.
7. When uploading to SCS or PCP, please use the keyword TCPTUES55 for this challenge.
8. Alma will post the entries from the week the following Monday on her blog.
9. The newly crowned Swanky Stamper will be announced on the First of the Month and have his/her winning entry posted on The Cat’s Pajamas website where he/she will reign for the entire month.

Have fun and good luck!

Supplies used:

Stamps: Cat & Flower, You're Special (The Cat's Pajamas)

Paper: Pure Poppy, True Black, Bitty Dots (PTI), Hello Sunshine! patterned paper by Cosmo Cricket

Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black

Accessories: Nestabilities blossoms and large circles, Lemone Art Institute Glitter, Copic Markers, black brads, tiny Prima flowers, Jody's foam boosters.

Simple Celebration

It's the 20th, so you know what that means, don't you?  That my husband is 41 years young today?  Yes, indeed he is -- Happy Birthday, sweetheart!  I'll give you your present later...
(Pretend she's wearing glasses...)

Oh. You were actually thinking it meant that Hitler would have been 120 years old today?  Yes, well, there is that.   (It's an astrological bummer that my DH shares a birthday with arguably the most evil man to walk the earth in modern times.  Fortunately, I only buy into astrology when it suits me, and in this case?  It doesn't.) 

But month in and month out, the 20th of every month is... CELEBRATE MFT DAY! 

Each month, Joanne hosts the Celebrate MFT Day challenge in the My Favorite Things' Member Company Forum on Splitcoast, and this month, she's suggested that we use our favorite Flopsey stamps. 

I'm actually using a Flopsey I haven't inked up yet -- Tea With Flopsey.  There are a couple of Flopsey images I like even better than this sweet one, but this set does come with my favorite Flopsey sentiment.  When Kim first sent me a draft of the image and asked for sentiment suggestions, I really had to think long and hard.  I thought Flopsey looked a little wistful, a little thoughtful, and I wanted to come up with something that fit both the theme of the set, but that also conveyed that longing.  It took me a while, but eventually I came up with "A cup of tea, a shady tree... Wish you could keep me company."  Usually I can think something up on the spot, but sometimes, waiting for just the right words pays off, and I think this was one of those instances.

With this challenge, I also decided to give a one-layer-wonder card a whirl, in solidarity with the MFT Idol finalists who had the same challenge put before them this week.  Anyway, enough chatter...
My favorite way to create a one-layer card is to use a Fabriano notecard -- wonderful paper, and the slightly rough edges give them an elegant touch.  I buy all of my Fabriano Notecards from StarLit Studio.  (I have no affiliation, by the way -- I'm just a very satisfied customer. :) )  I colored Flopsey in with Copics, and decided to have him drinking from a Jadite teapot and cup.  His tail is made fluffy via Liquid Applique, and the fur around his paws and muzzle were highlighted with a white opague pen.  After masking him off, I sponged in the grass and the cloudy background.  The leaves were inked in Adirondack willow, and the pink buds are adhesive gems from The Paper Studio.

What do you have planned for today?  While Carter's in therapy, I'm going to do some last minute shopping for Sean's Birthday and then tonight we'll have a birthday dinner in his honor.  (Just us and the boys.  I'm making Sean come home tonight from OKC [when the state legislature in session -- Feb-May -- Sean usually stays in OKC from Monday a.m. until Thursday afternoon), so if you see someone speeding up the turnpike, cut him some slack... it's his birthday!])

Be sure to come back tomorrow -- I'm Hipster Hostess with the Mostess for this week's TCP Tuesday Challenge! 

Supplies used:
Stamps: Tea with Flopsey (My Favorite Things)
Paper: Fabriano Medioevalis notecards
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Adirondack Cloudy Blue & Willow
Accessories: Copic Markers, Liquid Applique, adhesive gems from The Paper Studio, Eclipse Masking Tape

Saddle Up for Today's SFYTT!

This past TCP Tuesday's challenge was a stamp challenge to use one of the images from the 'Havin' a Pow Wow' set (see this week's Hipster Hostess With the Mostess, Susan's post if you want to play), and a bunch of my fellow Cat Packers decided to play with Leigh's boyfriend, Ronnie.  I just had to join the party, so I used the Ride 'Em, Ronnie image and a sentiment from TCP's It's a Western Thing set.  Isn't Ronnie a cute lil wrangler? 

A few card deets: Ronnie was stamped on Neenah Ivory cardstock in Memento Rich Cocoa ink, then colored in with Copics.  All of the papers were sponge inked, as well.  The Buckaroo Blue oval layer was pierced and then backstitched by hand with embroidery floss.  The suede fringe was originally purchased for a different project but never used.  I think it lends a little western authenticity to the wee dude. 

Of course, the great sketch is courtesy of Jen.  You can find this week's Sketch For You To Try on her blog, along with samples by Herself and April Guest Designer Kimberly Crawford.  Be sure to visit my SFYTT Sisters, too, for more fabulous sketch interpretations:

Amy Rohl
Susan Liles
Kelly Lunceford,
and Amy Sheffer

Have a rootin'-tootin' weekend! 

Supplies used:
Stamps: Havin' a Pow Wow, It's a Western Thing (The Cat's Pajamas)
Paper: Creamy Caramel, Buckaroo Blue, Riding Hood Red (SU!), Ivory (Neenah), Spurs patterned paper from the Rawhide line by Chloe's Closet
Ink: Memento Rich Cocoa
Accessories: Copic Markers, Nestabilities, paper piercer, embroidery floss, suede fringe, star concho from Hobby Lobby, ribbon, hemp, Jody's foam boosters

Have You Seen This Yet?

Have you watched the latest You Tube sensation, Susan Boyle on Britain's Got Talent? 

I'd love to be able to embed it so that you can watch it here, but can't find a source allowing that capability, so here's a link where you can watch it in full.  Believe me, it's worth it!

I swear, I got goose-bumps as I watched her.  Such a wonderful, triumphant moment for a 47-year-old underdog from a small Scottish village.  And now?  Wow -- she's got the whole world listening.

Makes you wonder what other treasures lie beneath the ordinary surfaces we typically dismiss, doesn't it?  It's there -- our job is just to look harder.  And isn't it cool that the whole world has come together to root her on?  Love it!  Life is good...

What a Girl REALLY Wants...

 ... cupcakes!  Isn't this -- What a Girl Wants -- just the most fabulous new set?!  I'm bursting at the seams with pride!  Why, you ask?  Well, MFT's newest illustrator is Amanda Baird.  And Amanda Baird?!  Why, she's my niece!  Isn't she talented with a capital 'T'?!  I just love this elegant-yet-fun image.  I hope you do, too.  And I have more good news -- this is just the first in Amanda's Cosmo Girl series!  (Cosmo Girl and Who's That Girl are BFFs, BTW!)

I wanted this card to be a bit of an homage to 'Breakfast at Tiffany's'.  Even though I didn't dress Cosmo Girl in Holly Golightly's famous little black dress, I did want to use the famous Tiffany color scheme of robin's egg blue, black and white.  Lots of paper piecing going on, and I created the window scene using a sheet of acetate, upon which I stamped the sentiment in white Staz-On (shhh... don't tell Kim!  You're not supposed to use Staz-On on clear stamps, but I cleaned it right off!!!  I'm not endorsing this -- it's just all I had!).  The cupcakes in the background are from MFT's What's Up Cupcake set.  They're frosted with tiny glass seed beads and adhesive gems. 

I hope you began with Kim at the start of the hop and are winding your way through the fabulousness the DT has to bring you.  If not, you might want to go back and be amazed!  Next stop on the hop is another famous Holly -- Holly McMillen, that is!

Supplies Used:

Stamps: What a Girl Wants (MFT Presents Amanda Baird), What's Up Cupcake (MFT)

Paper: Stampers Select White, True Black, Clear (PTI), Solar White (Neenah) Candy Coated turquoise and white by Doodlebug Designs

Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, White Staz-On, Adirondack Lights Salmon (for stippling the building wall)

Accessories: clear seed beads, red adhesive gemstones, Copic Markers, Liquid Pearls, silver pen, Jody's Foam Boosters, white satin ribbon (SU!), stipple brush

Textual Teasing...

That sounds kind of naughty, doesn't it?  Don't worry -- this is a PG-13 rated blog (most of the time).  And the MFTeaser I'm about to show you?  Fully clothed... In fact, I'd wear what she's wearing -- how 'bout you?
This is the latest image in the BC Dzyn's line of stamps -- 'Text Ya Later'.  I still had SU's Sweet Slumber Specialty paper out on my desk from this weekend, so I gave it a whirl with this sassy girl.  The ribbon is from MFT's Summer Ribbon Collection.  I stamped her out on MFT's awesome new ultra thick, ultra smooth Perfect Paper Panels -- if you love to color, you HAVE to try this paper.  Trust me -- it's the ultimate in luxury and handles Copic ink and Prismas & Gamsol like a D-R-E-A-M!  Text-y gal is colored in with Copics, has Copic Spica highlights in her hair, and her outfit was paper pieced.  The corners were rounded on all the various layers, and the sentiment was glued on the edges and popped up in the middle with a foam dot.  Easy-Peasy-Lemon-Squeezey! 

Text Ya Later and What a Girl Wants by brand new MFT Presents illustrator extraordinaire, Amanda Baird (remember that name -- she's gonna be BIG!!!  And I'm not biased just because she's my niece and all... ) will be released at midnight EST tonight -- the same time that the MFT Blog Hop starts!!! I can't wait to show you've what I've done with my sweet niece's sweet new set, so promise to come back for the Blog Hop, okay?
 

Supplies used:
Stamps: Text Ya Later by BC Dzyns
Paper: So Saffron, Baja Breeze, Sweet Slumber Specialty (SU!), Perfect Paper Panels (MFT)
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black
Accessories: Corner Rounder, Cuttlebug Swiss Dots embossing folder, bling, Copic Sketch & Spica markers, Copic Airbrush system (for background), Jody's foam boosters, MFT Summer Ribbon Collection.

There's Still Time!

Hey, gang!  I just read about something in the MFT Idol Forum I thought I'd pass along to you.  The field of MFT Idol contestants has been whittled down to the Top 6.  Every week they've come up with AMAZING creations, that I know have taken enormous amounts of imagination and energy to create.  They've been give this week off to take a little breather, for which I'm sure they are eternally grateful!

In the meantime, My Favorite Things is sponsoring a Judges' Contest.  Who are the judges?  Anyone who is a member of SCS and eligible to vote for their favorite MFT Idol contestants.  (And if you're reading this blog, that most like means YOU!)

What's in it for you?  Well, if you win, you get this month's VIP Collection for free!!!  That's more than $50 worth of delicious MFT stamps and goodies!

So how do you go about winning this fabulous bounty?  All you have to do is create a project -- whatever your wee heart desires; but I warn you: you'll want to bring your 'A Game' -- using MFT stamps, and upload it to your SCS gallery using the keyword MFTIDOLJUDGE by 10 a.m. EST on Tuesday, April 15th. 

An MFT panel will consider all of the entries and narrow them down to 10, and then a poll will open up at 10 p.m. EST on the 14th for the public to vote for their favorite from the Judges Contest Top 10. The poll will close 24 hours later.

For all of the details, visit this thread.

You're still here?!  What are you waiting for, partner?!  You've got a title to claim and stamps to win -- there's no time to waste!!!

A Stamp-y L'il SFYTT

By the time you read this, I'll be doing my version of camping at Table Rock Lake in Missouri; we're taking a long weekend and going on our first RV trip of the year.  Of course, my version of camping includes Wi-Fi, Dish TV, and sleeping on a very comfy king-sized bed in our motorhome, but still.  Four people and a German Shepherd in a motorhome is close quarters, so don't tell me I'm not roughing it!

Anyway, I'm pre-posting this on Thursday evening.  Looking at Jen's sketch for this week, I couldn't help but be reminded of one of my favorite techniques: faux postage.  With that in mind, here's what I came up with...

  Like the rest of the stamping world, I'm totally charmed by SU!'s Trendy Trees.  When I saw the matching wheel -- Funky Forest -- I had to have it, too.  My pal Kristi delivered an order to me this week, and when I broke it out, I thought the tiny trees from Funky Forest would be perfect for this week's SFYTT. 

I'm trying to go completely unmounted for storage purposes, and that includes wheels.  Because Funky Forest is a repeating wheel (the pattern on the wheel repeats *almost* twice), I cut each tree out individually for the first half of the pattern, and then will leave the last half of the pattern whole in case I do ever want to use it as a border and make it easy.   

For this card, I colored directly on the stamps with my water-based Stampin' Write markers, then huffed (in other words, breathed on it to 're-wet' the ink), and stamped them onto PTI's Spring Rain card stock.  I punched them out with a Fiskars 1" punch, then wrote the country and postage amount by hand.  I used my new Nestabilites' inverted scalloped square dies to cut out the postage-looking notched background layers in So Saffron.  The piercing on the sides of the images was created using an Ornare piercing template.

Be sure to stop by Jen's blog for this fun sketch, and to see what sort of sweet stuff she and April Guest Designer Kim Crawford have created, then head on over to my SFYTT Sisters' blogs for incredibly inspirational inch-sized images and what not!

Amy Rohl
Amy Sheffer, and
Susan Liles

(SFYTT Sis Kelly Lunceford has other obligations today, but will be back to play with us next Saturday.)

Happy Easter to all of my stampin' peeps!

Supplies Used:
Stamps: Funky Forest wheel by Stampin' Up!
Paper: So Saffron, Red Riding Hood Red, Sweet Slumber Specialty dsp (SU!), Spring Rain (PTI)
Accessories: Stampin' Write markers (SU!), Fiskars 1" punch, Nestabilities inverted scalloped squares, Ornare piercing template, sewing machine, Jody's Foam Boosters

Tramps Like Us

Baby we were born to run

Protective eyewear is advised...

Get out your shades because today's TCP Tuesday challenge is a bright one!  Jen must have had Arizona on the brain when she put together this color combo (she and Miss Ellie were there this past weekend for a little va-cay to visit her parents): Raspberry Pink, Pumpkin Orange, and Sunny Yellow.  Since Jen is on the aforementioned vacation, our good buddy and fellow Cat Pack member Susan is filling in as today's Hipster Hostess With the Mostess.  You can find the details about how to play along with us on her blog.
In the meantime, here's Sprinkle, all decked out to be the grandest kitty in the Easter Parade...
(The sketch is Taylor's TECC62.)

Want to see some more TCP sweetness?  You may recall that a few weeks ago I showed you how I swankified a store-purchased invitation with TCP's Budding Baby stamp.  Well, the shower was this past weekend, and we had a local bakery make this cake:
That baby tasted as good as he looked!

Supplies used:
Stamps: Spring Fling and Beans & Bunnies & Peeps, Oh My! by The Cat's Pajamas
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black
Paper: Pumpkin Pie and Summer Sun (SU!) Raspberry Fizz (PTI), Solar White (Neenah), patterned paper from K & Company Berry Sweet Designer Paper Pad
Accessories: Nestabilities, PTI Raspberry Fizz grosgrain ribbon, Fiskars Basket Weaver texture plate, Copic Sketch & Spica Markers, Jody's Foam Boosters

A Sleepy Sunday SFYTT

Well, I survived the baby shower -- a good time was had by all and mama-to-be was happy and went home laden with lots of loot.  But man-oh-man, was I ever worn out afterward!  And though I started this first thing this morning, it's still taken me all day to finish.  I have to say, though, even though it took FOR-EVER to complete, I do like this card -- isn't this new Flopsey -- Flopsey's Flowers -- the cutest?  I love his little bouquet, so I decided to echo it in the three square side panels with a blossom from MFT Presents Sara Williams's Funky Flowers set.

I knew I wanted to paper piece Flopsey after seeing this adorable card by my pal Susan.  But where she left him with a totally white belly, I wanted him to have just a little 'soul-patch' of Fun Flocked tummy fur.  In order to make sure the patterned paper didn't peek through the flocking, I 'primed' his belly by coloring it in with an opague white pen.  I did the same thing for his inner ears, then colored over the primed space with an R20 Copic marker.  Then, instead of Flock Flock, I covered it with some of the pink, sparkly flock-type stuff that Cambria of Our Craft Lounge gave me at CHA.  It's really cool, and I'll have to figure out what the exact name of it is and let you guys know.  All of the blossoms were first stamped on PTI's Berry Sorbet cardstock and then covered with Baby's Breath Irridescent Art Glitter.  Lots of Jody's Foam Boosters everywhere, and the white background panels were embossed using a Fiskar's texture plate.

Of course, the fab sketch was created by Jen and is available on her blog, as are samples from Jen and April SFYTT Guest Designer, the awesome Kimberly Crawford.  And if you haven't checked out what my divine SFYTT Sisters have come up with, you're in for a treat!  Go visit these gals and you'll see what I mean:

Amy Sheffer
Susan Liles
Amy Rohl, and
Kelly Lunceford

Supplies Used:
Stamps: Flopsey's Flowers (My Favorite Things), Funky Flowers (MFT Presents Sara Williams)
Paper: Basic Black (SU!), Berry Sorbet and Lemon Tart (PTI), Solar White (Neenah), Patterned Paper: Bitty Dot Basics (PTI)
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black
Accessories: Copic Markers, Baby's Breath Irridescent Art Glitter, white Fun Flock, cool pink stuff to be named later, Jody's Foam Boosters, Fiskars Blossoms texture plate.