Mother's Little Helper

Sneaky Peek of a New Illustrator!

{Please scroll down for my SFYTT post; I am being an overachiever and posting twice -- TWICE! -- today!}

I'm super, super excited to show you the next SNEAKY PEEK from The Cat's Pajamas upcoming release.  We have a new illustrator, Laurie Nadeau, and I swear, when I first saw her drawings I SWOONED!  Her stuff is so, so, so up my alley!  Cute and cartoon-y with a nice heavy line...

Need a visual?  Okay...

Ain't she sweet?!  And yes, that is an owl on her head.  I, myself, am not a bird/winged creature lover.  It's not that I'm scared of them; they just freak me out.  I think I saw The Birds one too many times when I was a little girl.  And I was chased and pecked by a chicken when I was three.  So you won't see me with an owl on my head any time soon, but I think this little gal is cute enough to pull it off.  I asked Truman (my 13 year old) if he thought the owl just landed there or if it's her pet.  He voted for pet since she's smiling and not clutching her skull in terror.

She and Woodsy appear to be looking at something.  I think they are enjoying the beautiful fall foliage, as exemplified by the Flower Soft-ed bushes. I had the current Moxie Fab challenge -- Offset Scallop Gallop -- in mind as I was creating this.  Instead of scallops, I made a background using the new Cut-Ups Pinking Border die (all of the new Cat's Pajamas stuff will be released on Sept. 14th).  I made a little border around the main panel using eggplant Adirondack Dimensional Pearls.  I was trying to channel my inner Sankari, but I don't think she heard me as they're a little wonky.  Oh well -- chalking that one off to wabi sabi.

Remember, if you want to win all TWELVE of The Cat's Pajamas new sets, you've gotta leave comments on all the featured Sneaky Peek blogs.  Leave me some love, and then head on over to Alma's blog to see the other Cat Packers you need to visit.

Gotta run, peeps.  My experiment in intention regarding party preparation as mentioned in my earlier post has been an abject failure.  And time is ticking away.  I can't put my chores off any longer.  Have a good one, and I'll see you on Monday with another SNEAKY PEEK!

Flakes and Cupcakes!

I know, I know -- I've left y'all hanging for a week or so now.  What can I say?  I'm a flake.  *sigh*  At least, I'm a flakey blogger.  Every once in a while, I disappear for a week or so.  You know: I'm hot then I'm cold, I'm yes then I'm no... someone should write a song to that effect.  Then again, I'm so vain, I'd probably think that song was about me.

Anyway, sometimes life -- such as it is -- gets in the way of regular blogging.  I'd like to say this was the last time, but for all of my flakiness, I'm not a liar.  I know that in all likelihood, sooner or later, it will happen again.  So to proclaim otherwise would leave me eating crow.  Crows?  Not so tasty.  Take it from someone who's consumed more than her fair share of that particular bird over the last 39 or so years.

In fact, I'm probably going to be scarce this coming week, too, because the boys (the big one and the two little guys) and I are leaving today for Navarre Beach in Flo-rida for a family vacation.  I'm bringing a computer and camera, so I hope to give you a few action shots.  (Me in a bathing suit?  Not happening, don't worry... *giggle*)  As I said, I hope to check in with you wonderful folks, but I'm not making any promises due to my aforementioned flakiness and distaste for crow.

Enough about me and my character flaws.  How's about a little eye candy, hmmm?  Jen's come up with a yummy sketch, and I pulled out an equally delicious image to illustrate it: Cupcake Flopsey from MFT.

See that fluffy frosting?  Lean in a little closer and I'll tell you my secret ingredient... Flower Soft!  Yep -- anything you can do with flocking or Liquid Applique?  You can also do with Flower Soft.  One of the benefits of Flower Soft?  You can trim it once it dries (much like you might a hedge) (well, not exactly like a hedge; use your detail scissors instead of gardening shears...) if it's a little fuller than you want at first.  Can't do that with flock or Liquid Applique -- once it's on there, you're either stuck or starting over.  Just another reason those wee little flowers are ultra, ultra versatile.

Speaking of ultra, ultra versatile: that definitely describes today's Sketch For You To Try.  Be sure to hop like Flopsey on over to Jen's blog for the sketch and to see samples from Jen and June Guest Designer Ashley Newell.  Your next stops need to be my nifty SFYTT Sisters' sites for more inspirational interpretations:

Susan Liles
Kelly Lunceford
Amy Sheffer, and
Amy Rohl

Thanks for coming to see me!  I will definitely be back for the TCP Tuesday Sketch Challenge.  If you don't recognize me?  It's probably because I'm sooo tan...

Supplies used:
Stamps: Cupcake Flopsey by My Favorite Things
Paper: MFT Perfect Paper Panels, PTI Hibiscus Burst, Basic Black, Soft Sky, Yo Yo Yellow (SU!), Basic Grey Lime Rickey 6" x 6" pad
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black
Accessories: Sunshine Yellow Flower Soft, Flora Doodles Jeweled Florettes by Petaloo, Copic Markers, Nestabilites, Jody's Foam Boosters

Fun & Flower-y News!

Well, I've been keeping a secret from you guys for a month or so now, but at long last, I'm able to share that I'm part of the brand new Flower Soft Design Team! 

I'm really excited, because not only is it a FANTASTIC product and company, but I'm in absolutely wonderful company on this team.  I'm reunited with friends from past DTs (Val Stangle and I were on the Farm together, I was a Verve Diva with Charmaine Ikach, and my dear buddy Jennifer Buck and I served part of our terms on the SCS Dirty Dozen together), and I have the opportunity to work for the first time with some really talented women whose art I greatly admire. 

I've got to hand it to our DT Coordinator, Jen Buck -- she's put together an awesome crew of designers with diverse and distinctive styles.  I'm fairly certain the reason she asked me to be a part of this illustrious group is because I am very vocal about being 'floral challenged.'  I figure I'm here to show the world that if I can make something look pretty with Flower Soft, ANYONE can! 

Anyway, to celebrate,  we're kicking things off with a Design Team challenge to make something using our favorite Flower Soft bouquets.  We had the option of making a bouquet, or adding Flower Soft to a bouquet image.  I really love the little bouquets wrapped in tissue paper -- like mini-versions of flowers you get from a florist.  I love miniature stuff!  So here's what I came up with...

A sunny little trio of bouquets on a long-note sized (3.25"x6.5") card.  These bouquets are sooo simple to create.   In addition to the Flower Soft stalks (created by coating a bit of Flower Soft wire with glue, then sprinkling the FS over them, and letting them dry upright for a half-hour by sticking 'em in a bit of styrofoam), I added a few 'fronds' for a little greenery.  I imagine one of us will have a tutorial on these bouquets before too long on the new Flower Soft Blog, so make sure to put that site in your Google reader or however you choose to blurf. :)

As for the other card details, all stamps are by My Favorite Things, and were inked in VersaMark and heat embossed with white detail embossing powder.  Don't you just love embossing?  Very possibly my all-time favorite technique, and what pushed me over the edge from being a scrapbooker to a stamper.

I can't wait to see what the other gals have come up with -- how 'bout you?  Well, then, why don't we mosey the web together and visit the other members of the new Flower Soft Design Team:

AJ Otto
Charmaine Ikach
Deb Saaranen
Jennifer Buck
Niki Estes
Sharon Johnson
Val Stangle

Oh, and one more thing: do you like Blog Candy?  The good news about Blog Candy, of course, is that it's non-caloric and you can still partake even if you're on your last day (as I am) of the Master Cleanse!  For those of you interested in getting a little somethin'-somethin' free-o'-charge from Flower Soft, be sure to head on over to the Flower Soft Blog as a little bird (or Buck, as the case may be... ;) ) told me that there's a giveaway going on for all who leave a comment this week.  A winner will be selected on Monday, June 8th!

Supplies used:
Stamps: Congrats All Around, Flopsey's Flowers (sentiment) by My Favorite Things
Paper: Yo-Yo Yellow, Pretty in Pink, Wild Wasabi (SU!), patterned paper from MFT's Spring Collection, tissue paper
Ink: VersaMark
Accessories: Flower Soft in Sweet Pea and Sunshine Yellow, Flower Soft Wire, Flower Soft Glue, button brads, Jody's Foam Boosters, ticket corner punch