Mother's Little Helper

I'm Attached

Happy Monday! Are you ready for the first week in February? What do you think Punxsutawney Phil will determine when he looks for his shadow, later this morning?  Hmmm. Not sure I personally put a lot of faith in the weather forecasts of a woodchuck, but that's just me. Large rodents aren't my thing, and I'm quite certain that if Phil or any of his brothers and sisters chose to show up in my backyard, Sweet Pea would make mincemeat out of them in nothing flat. That's just the way she rolls, and I approve.

It's the first MOJO MONDAY of the month, which means it's CONTEST TIME!  For every 50 card entries, one randomly selected participant will win the VERVE stamp set of her choosing, and there can be up to 7 winners!  Be sure to visit the Mojo Monday Blog for all of the details how to play along.  In the meantime, here's my sample this week:

I'm still thinking about the 100 Card Challenge I mentioned in my previous post, so consider this 2/100 for Mr. Truman.  I used MFT's Office Space stamp set, and I got a little slap-happy embellishing the sentiment panel with mini-staples, but still: I likey. Believe it or not, I found that hand-stitched panel hanging out in my stash, after I had created the masterboard using the stapler images. Bonus!

Here's a look a this week's sketch:

And here's yet another view of my sample (I notice fancy bloggers take lots of shots of their cards.  I'm trying to be fancy...):

For more interpretations of this week's Mojo Sketch, head on over to these lovely ladies' blogs:

• Debbie Carriere
• Julee Tilman (Owner)
• Marisa Ritzen
• Mary Fish
• Sarah Bigelow
• Teresa Kline
• Wanda Cullen

Thank you for stopping by, and I'll see you later in the week with some brand-new look-sees at February offerings from Your Next Stamp. Are you excited? Good! :) 

Super Friends

Growing up I was a huge fan of the Super Friends cartoons. I loved to pretend to be Wonder Woman, flying my invisible jet and forcing the bad guys to confess by tying them up with my Lasso of Truth. Occasionally, I would get exotic and become Isis ("Oh, zephyr winds that blow on high, lift me now so I can fly!"). We girls didn't have nearly the number of characters to morph into that the boys had, but we made do.

Fortunately, in the world of stamping, there are LOTS of super hero gals we can ink up and identify with. I tend to collect these images as I love them so.  My latest is BB YOU'RE SUPER with coordinating dies from My Favorite Things:

Isn't she simultaneously adorable and bad-ass?  I {heart} her!  In addition to being my sample for this week's Mojo Monday Sketch, #382 -- like so...

-- she's also my entry into the current MFT Color Challenge:

I paper-pieced the Star Child (not to be confused with Paul Stanley, of KISS fame)'s bodysuit/skirt and boots.  Wouldn't you like a cute pair of similar footwear?

I'm pretty sure I could kick some major booty with those badboys on.

Soar on over to the Mojo Monday Blog for more information about how you can play in this week's sketch challenge, and also visit these card-making crimefighters for truth, justice, and inspiration:

• Debbie Carriere
• Julee Tilman (Owner)
• Marisa Ritzen
• Mary Fish
• Sarah Bigelow
• Teresa Kline
• Wanda Cullen

 

Thoughts & Prayers

Good morning, friends.  Today's the last day of Mr. Carter's Longest Winter Break Ever (he's been out of school for exactly a month, now, due to the semester break and a series of illnesses).  Moral of that story: we will never miss another flu shot again! Today, the entire school district has a day off due to a teacher work day/MLK, Jr. Day, but tomorrow, Carter will be in class for hopefully the whole day, and Mom will get a couple of blessed hours of solitude. Woo-hoo!

In sadder news, there have been a couple of recent deaths for which I've needed to raid my stash of sympathy cards, which is never very deep.  I don't know about you, but I don't tend to make many of those, even though (circle of life) there is a fairly steady need for them. One of these days I hope to stumble into a combination of layout, colors, and images that I like well enough to make about 10 of, which will keep me in supply for a while.  I don't think this one is it, though:

Individually, the elements are fine, but I think the turquoise for a sympathy card throws the whole thing a little off.  At first, I was going to use Kraft, Soft Sky, and Subtle Sage, but then I stumbled across that Strano grosgrain ribbon and decided to match it. The result leaves me feeling a bit "Meh." Maybe next time...

In the meantime, perhaps you'll come across just that right balance using this week's brand new MOJO MONDAY sketch, and you'll be inspired to make a whole set of cards for your own stash. It could happen!  Here's MojoSketch #381:

Be sure to visit the Mojo Monday blog to learn how to play along with this week's sketch, and go see these lovely ladies interpretations for more inspiration:

• Debbie Carriere
• Julee Tilman (Owner)
• Marisa Ritzen
• Mary Fish
• Sarah Bigelow
• Teresa Kline
• Wanda Cullen

Thanks so much for stopping by.  Have a wonderful rest of your week! :)

Card Supplies:

Stamps: Hang In There Baby by The Cat's Pajamas; Dies: Spellbinders Nestabilities Circles, Blooms, and Labels, Taylored Expressions' Circles Cutting Plate; Paper: Kraft, Tempting Turquoise (SU!), Suede Brown Dark (Prism); Ink: Adirondack Darks - Espresso; Accessories: Strano Ribbon, Jody Boosters; Sketch: MojoMonday 381

Mojo Monday - Happy Everything

Don't you hate when you schedule a post and realize you did it for the wrong date?  *Sigh*  My inner calendar/sense of timing has been thrown off due to having a sick boy at home for the past week.  He's still coughing like a barking dog and running a slight temp, so no school yet for him. I'm going to go pick up some make-up work for him from his school right after I post this; please send positive vibes that it's not a thick sheaf of math worksheets!!!  Not his favorite thing to do, nor my favorite thing to oversee!

Anyway, you ready to see the newest Mojo Monday sketch?  It's #380:

And here's what I made with it:

I used the Fancy Feathers stamp and die set from Lil Inker Designs?  Isn't it pretty?  I used Tim Holtz Distress Ink in Peacock Feathers to create the background paper, using one of the five distinct feather images that come in the set.  The foreground feathers were stamped out in Peacock Feathers, Mowed Grass (THDI), and Purple Twilight (Adirondack) inks, then tied with linen thread and popped up on Jody Boosters. I embossed the green layer with an embossing folder from Lifestyle Crafts, and the patterned paper is from a Doodlebug Designs 6"x6" pad. Here's a close-up:

Be sure to visit the Mojo Monday blog to learn how to play along with this week's sketch, and go see these lovely ladies interpretations for more inspiration:

• Debbie Carriere
• Julee Tilman (Owner)
• Marisa Ritzen
• Mary Fish
• Sarah Bigelow
• Teresa Kline
• Wanda Cullen

Now, I'm off to tend to my warm, barky little boy.  Have a great day, friends!

 

Use Your Stamps with Mojo, Parts 2 & 3

Hey, gang. Remember my last post? It was for Mojo Monday # 365, and I created this card:

Much to my surprise and delight, my card was mentioned in this past week's Splitcoaststampers' Favorites thread.

Warm fuzzies! 

Within that last post, I also mentioned Susan Raihala's Use Your Stamps Challenge.  Then, I said something about posting the very next day with how I was participating in that challenge. Please tell me you weren't holding your breath that I was actually going to follow through and post the very next day; I would hate for any of my beloved readers to die from asphyxiation on my account (unless it's by autoerotic asphyxiation, because I can totally see how I would inspire that sort of behavior. KIDDING! I know, I know: I probably went a little too far with that one, but hey -- that's how I roll...).

I actually did have parts 2 and 3 of my efforts thus far on the UYSC done for your viewing pleasure, but then I came down with a nasty case of bronchitis.  So nasty, in fact, that I had to cancel a long-anticipated and much-needed trip to Florida to visit two of my favorite people in the world (stamping or otherwise), Kim (the MFT Lady) and Jody (designer extraordinaire and purveyor of the best Sticky Stuff in the universe).

I'm on the mend, and because I know you've been biting your nails down to the quick, waiting for me to show you the aforepromised UYSC progress I've made, here I am!  (Was that a long enough intro? Um, yeah...)

I don't know about you, but it seems like half of the time I spend creating goes towards finding/creating a sketch and picking out the various elements like stamps, ink, paper, embellishments, etc. I like the color combo I came up with for last week's Mojo sketch, and the sketch was super versatile. I had already selected the stamp set and coordinating dies (Taylored Expressions' Discover Your Wings) I was going to use, so putting together a couple of extra cards utilizing the same ingredients went far faster than starting from scratch. So much so, I even decorated the inside of a couple of them (something I rarely do because me so lazy). Decorating the interiors also gave me the opportunity to use more of the sentiments, which I was motivated to do thanks to the UYSC.

Here's the interior of my original card:

And here's the second card I made, flipping the sketch and rotating the color palette:

The flower silhouttes were heat embossed with silver embossing powder. Shiny!

And here's the interior...

I did a mirror image of the sketch for my final card, and again swapped colors.

The dragonflies were heat embossed with silver embossing powder on white card stock and white detail embossing powder on the Smokey Shadow card stock.

Here's the trio...

I only have one more image and die to use from this set until I will have used every single image!  Woohoo!  That may be a first...

Mojo Sketch 365	Taylored Expressions - Discover Your Wings Stamp Set	Taylored Expressions Dies - Discover Your Wings - In Flight	Taylored Expressions - Banner Stacklets 1
MFT Hybrid Ink - Blu Raspberry	MFT Hybrid Ink - Steel Grey	PaperTrey Ink Cardstock	VersaMark
Powder Keg Embossing Powder	Jody's Foam Boosters

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Use Your Stamps with Mojo Monday

Happy Monday, friends!  How are you on this last Monday of September?  Are you in one of those areas that have a long, lovely autumn? (LUCKY! <-- say this like Napoleon Dynamite would) Or are you in a different part of the world, where it still feels like summer or has already rushed into winter?  I'm always amazed to read Laurie Schmidlin's blog when she talks about snow. Laurie lives in Montana, where it was snowing this past May 31st.  Recently, on her Facebook page, she mentioned the first snow this year was on Sept. 11.  Crazy!

 

Here in southeastern Oklahoma, we're still well into the 80s and on a couple of days this week, it's supposed to get into the 90s. Laurie's snow sounds pretty good to me, right about now. I could totally live in an area with lots of rain and snow as I am very indoorsy. I like being stuck at home due to the weather, so long as I'm warm & dry, with a good internet connection and plenty of groceries (read: wine).

Moving right along... For my birthday a couple of weeks ago, I treated myself to new die storage from Stamp-n-Storage.  It arrived last week, and I've been organizing my dies ever since. I had been using various binders and storage systems.  That worked well enough, but I like the idea of having them all in one place with room to grow, so I purchased two of the large, covered wooden die totes with two extra magnetic card bundles.  Now, I have all of my dies together, organized by manufacturer and motif. During the course of this project, I realized how many dies I have that I have yet to use. 

It reminded me of something I'd read on Susan Raihala's blog that she calls the "Use Your Stamps Challenge." (UYSC) To summarize, she suggests the INSANE idea that we use every image of every set we own (use of all sentiments is optional), and that when we finish using a set, we record such usage to acknowledge that set has been used (she writes a little note inside the stamp set storage that says "You did it!"). 

I have to say, this challenge both inspires and frightens me. When I consider all of the stamps I own that have yet to be used, I wonder if starting this challenge would inhibit me from ever purchasing anything new. Anticipating and getting that box of new crafty product in the mail is one of life's greatest pleasures, for a certain type of weirdo (if you're reading this, you're probably the same kind of weirdo. Don't take that as an insult -- own it! :) ).  On the other hand, trying to live by this challenge would necessitate mindfulness regarding the acquisition of new products and determining which products deserve the valuable real estate they take up in our craft spaces. That can't be a bad thing.

Food for thought!

With the UYSC in mind, I created my card for this week's Mojo Monday sketch (#365) using a lovely stamp set from Taylored Expressions called Discover Your Wings:

I love the art-deco-esque butterfly graphic, which I stamped out in MFT Blu Rasperry ink, then stamped over in VersaMark, and then heat embossed with Powder Keg Crystal Embossing Glitter.  After the image was dry, I die cut it with TE's coordinating Discover Your Wings - In Flight die.

This quote by Helen Keller grounds the image and offsets the top embellishment of the sketch (rule of 3s!):

Okay, okay, you're saying. I used a stamp and die set -- what does this have to do with getting all worked up and wordy about the UYSC?  You'll have to come see me tomorrow for the answer to that question, my pretties! Trust me, all will be revealed.

In the meantime, though, ponder what I've given you, and head over to the Mojo Monday blog for information about how to play along in today's Mojo Monday challenge.  Then, to inspire you further, visit these lovely ladies' blogs for their interpretations of today's Tall & Skinny sketch:

• Debbie Carriere
• Julee Tilman (Owner)
• Marisa Ritzen
• Mary Fish
• Sarah Bigelow
• Teresa Kline
• Wanda Cullen

Mojo Sketch 365	Taylored Expressions - Discover Your Wings Stamp Set	Taylored Expressions Dies - Discover Your Wings - In Flight	Taylored Expressions - Banner Stacklets 1
MFT Hybrid Ink - Blu Raspberry	MFT Hybrid Ink - Steel Grey	PaperTrey Ink Cardstock	VersaMark
Powder Keg Embossing Powder	Jody's Foam Boosters

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Dream Big

Good Monday Morning, friends! Are you ready for another week? September is quickly coming to a close -- only 8 more days, and we'll be into October. Which means Christmas is around the corner... Good Lord.  This kind of thinking is what makes me want to hop back in bed and pull the covers over my head. Somebody slap me!

Let's start over again, shall we?  Happy Mojo Monday!  Here's the quick and dirty card I threw together using this week's sketch:

I heat embossed the sentiment from MFT's Chalkboard Greetings Too set, using white detail embossing powder on black card stock, then edged that layer with white ink. I decided to pull out the sponges this week and ink stain the edges of my layers after reading this post of Julee's last week. Obviously, I don't do this with a very practiced hand -- Julee's cards look lovely and vintage-y, while mine just looks dirty.  But I'm not going to think that way; comparison is the thief of joy, right?  I just need to work a little harder at it. 

While I was making this card, a burning question came upon me that I would like you to thoughtfully consider. Is ribbon "out"?  Think about it: do many of the cards that you see and like these days utilize ribbon as an embellishment?  I think of ribbon as a classic and timeless embellishment, but then again, I have a ton of it and if I don't use it on my cards, it'll end up cluttering my tomb. Give me your thoughts. I want perspectives other than my own on this issue of great consequence.

Here's a lookie-loo at this week's Mojo Monday sketch:

For instructions regarding how to play along this week, head on over to the Mojo Monday blog, and for more inspiration, visit these lovely ladies to check out their interpretations:

• Debbie Carriere
• Julee Tilman (Owner)
• Marisa Ritzen
• Mary Fish
• Sarah Bigelow
• Teresa Kline
• Wanda Cullen

Get back to me on that ribbon question, people.  I'm anxious for your thoughts!

Mojo Sketch 364	MFT Chalkboard Greetings Too	MFT Card Stock	VersaMark	Powder Keg Embossing Powder
Jody's Foam Boosters

InLinkz.com

Let's Get this Mojo A-Go-Go!

Y'all are so sweet - all of your comments and emails sent after my most recent post gave me warm fuzzies and did me more good than a year's worth of talk therapy, I swear!  I felt the love as if I were Simba and you were Nala, and we were frolicking on the African Pride Lands. Or something like that... er, yeah...

 

Speaking of feeling the love, I need to send some love to my long-time friend, Lesa, who threw a wonderful alumni meet-and-greet for Sean at her beautiful home in Tulsa.  Check out the fabulous (and SINFULLY delicious - truly the BEST tasting cookies I have ever had in my life.  They literally melt in your mouth) cookies she sent from the event home to the boys and me:

Cute little Southeastern symbols!  And look at this gorgeous flower arrangement she also had Sean bring me:

They still looked (and smelled) lovely on Saturday, so I took them to decorate the President's Box as a couple of dozen fans cheered the Savage Storm on to victory at SOSU's first home football game against Arkansas-Monticello (52-49; it was a squeaker won with a last-second field goal -- phew!).

 

Anyway, such thoughtfulness surely deserves a handcrafted card, don't you think?  I agree.  And, why not combine it with my first-in-a-long-time Mojo Monday sample, now that I'm getting back into my stamping groove?  Good idea, right?  Right!  Here's this week's marvelous Mojo Sketch -- #363 -- as rendered by Julee Tilman, herself:

And here's what I created with said sketch, in Ms. Lesa's honor, utilizing Southeastern-ish colors with a bit of Baja Breeze...

The stamps and dies are from My Favorite Things' Laina Lamb Designs' Geek is Chic collection.  Here's a little hint for you when working with small die cuts of different colors of paper that you want to pair together -- use a tiny strip of extra cardstock to adhere them both to like so:

(At first I was going to make the glasses navy, but then they didn't *pop* enough from the bottom layer of the card, so I switch to Baja Breeze frames...)

To play in this week's challenge, head on over to the MOJO MONDAY BLOG, and/or for further interpretations of this week's sketch and loads of inspiration, visit the fabulous ladies known as the MOJO MAKERS on their blogs:

• Debbie Carriere
• Julee Tilman (Owner)
• Marisa Ritzen
• Mary Fish
• Sarah Bigelow
• Teresa Kline
• Wanda Cullen

I'll be back soon with something I've colored.  I haven't created it yet, but I think I may work on it this afternoon as I'm anxious to see if I still know how to use my Copics properly...

Have a wonderful start to your week, sweet friends!

Mojo 363 Sketch	MFT Geek is Chic Stamp Set	MFT DieNamics Geek Is Chic Glasses	MFT Lemon Drop Hybrid Ink	Nestabilities Pinking Circles
Nestabilities Circles	Doodlebug Designs - Day to Day 6x6 pad	Stampin' Up Card Stock	Neenah Classic Crest Cardstock	Jody's Foam Boosters
Divine Twine

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Baby Love

Happy Monday morning, friends! Ready to hit the week running? Me neither. I could have easily slept in for another couple of hours. I'm on big time antibiotics, fighting a lymph node infection caused by an ingrown hair. Weird, kinda gross, and a little painful. But true!

Still, I do have a Mojo Monday post for your visual consumption. I am willing to sacrifice myself -- put my physical distress to the side -- and stamp my weakened fingers to the bone in order to give you, my adoring public, something to look at as you contemplate your own creative endeavors. What can I say? I'm a giver...

Yeah, yeah, yeah.  Enough o' da babble.  Here's my baby lovin' Mojo Monday card:

I created this with Taylor Van Bruggen in mind. Her due date for sweet baby girl #2 is tomorrow.  I can't even imagine what it would be like to be that pregnant as both my boys came a couple of months early. Taylor AMAZES me at what she's able to get done, in spite of being prego and having a toddler and running a business, and so on and so on and so on. I tremble at her super powers!

Here's a close up of the little tag, from Taylored Expressions Totally Tags - Occasions set:

And here's a look at this week's Mojo Monday sketch (#316):

Head on over to the Mojo Monday Blog for all the details about how you can play along. For more inspiration, visit my fellow Mojo Designers to see how they interpreted this week's sketch:

• Julee Tilman
• Debbie Carriere
• Marisa Ritzen
• Mary Fish
• Sarah Bigelow
• Teresa Kline
• Wanda Cullen

 

*totally tags occasions	*totally tags	*bloomin' stacklets 1	*banner stacklets 1
*memento rich cocoa full pad	*choice snow white cardstock	*foam tape - 1/8" thick	*best glue ever

InLinkz.com

 

Have Yourself a Preppy Little Christmas...

Good Monday morning, friends! Or, as Carter has been calling it, "Like Thursday!" because school lets out for Fall Break after class on Tuesday. 

Mid-October already?  Crazy... Christmas will be here before we know it! Good thing I'm already in the swing of Christmas card making. Check out this pink & green little number I created for this week's Mojo Monday using the new O CHRISTMAS TREE die from Taylored Expressions:

If that doesn't warm the cockles of your Lilly-Pulitzer-lovin' heart, nothing will. I'm always looking for an excuse to use my favorite color combo, and was inspired this time by the ribbon, which comes in the current TE Key Ingredients kit. As I got going, I decided to add the yellow because light pink and/or green rhinestones looked a little flat against the tree. A little hand-stitching seemed called for, too.

Here's this week's Mojo Monday sketch:

It's a particularly versatile one, don't you think? Head on over to the Mojo Monday blog for details how to play along, and visit my fellow Mojo designers to see their interpretations of this week's sketch:

• Julee Tilman
• Debbie Carriere
• Marisa Ritzen
• Mary Fish
• Sarah Bigelow
• Teresa Kline
• Wanda Cullen

In other news, the fam is getting on the Paleo bandwagon. Truman's basketball team is doing CrossFit and the coaches are encouraging this eating program for the players. Seeing as it's the same amount of work to do it for all of us as it is to do it for one of us (in addition to the fact that I need to lose about 30 lbs.), we're all going to be eating like cavemen. Can't say I'm really looking forward to it, but I know I need to make some changes. If any of you have tried this, and have any hints, tips, anecdotes, testimony, etc., I'd love to hear 'em.

Happy Monday/Like Thursday!

*o christmas tree	*label stacklets 6	*banner stacklets 1	*simple tabs
*a glimpse inside	*key ingredients subscription - united states	*choice snow white cardstock	*foam tape - 1/8" thick
*best glue ever	*memento tuxedo black full pad

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Taylored Expressions September Studio Challenge

It's time for the Baker's Dozen Studio Challenge.  This is a monthly opportunity for the Taylored Expressions team to share what makes our stamping studios hum.  Each month we  have a fun, crafty question or theme so we can share our favorites, some tips and tricks, stamping advice and more.

The theme for September is:

We’re continuing our month-long TE Birthday Bash celebration with a special birthday-inspired Studio Challenge! Sometimes all we need to help us create is to simply see something that is beautiful, cool, or unique. Did you know that Taylored Expressions has over 30 boards on Pinterest filled with crafty eye-candy? We’d love to have you follow us at http://pinterest.com/tayloredexpress

Today’s challenge: choose a photo from Taylor’s Birthday Inspiration Pinterest Board to inspire a stamped creation!

When I clicked onto Taylor's Birthday Inspiration Pinterest Board, I was immmediately smitten with these sweet, tasty-looking monsters...

Nom-nom-nom, no?  The new Candy Monster stamp set with Coordinating Dies is a perfect complement to these cookie critters.  When I sat down to make my card, I knew I wanted to keep the color scheme similar, and utilize turquoise, purple, orange, and lime green.  Bright and cheerful, just as I like 'em! I got to work and came up with this:

I used the current Mojo Monday sketch (#312), and added a couple of rows of orange cross stiches for some extra detail.  Here's a close up of my little googlie-eyed candy freak.  Please notice his shiny treats (created with a little Glossy Accents).

And, because we're still celebrating TE's 5th Birthday, you're invited to play along in this month's Studio Challenge and be eligible to win some pretty fabby prizes!  Go to the Taylored Expressions Blog for all the details.  But first, you'll want to get fully inspired by checking out what my fellow Baker's Dozen teammates have put together for this month's challenge.  Can't wait to see what these oh-so-talented ladies have created for today!

Charmaine Ikach
Jen Shults
Joan Ervin 
Kerri Michaud
Sankari Wegman 
Shannon White
Shelly Mercado
Stephanie Kraft
Tammie Edgerton
Taylor VanBruggen
Wanda Guess

Taylored Expressions Share Joy Campaign: Inspiration Challenge Week

Good morning, and happy Mojo Monday!  Before I get to all the stampy stuff, I've got to get something off my chest: was last night's Breaking Bad not the BEST EPISODE EVER?! Don't worry - no spoilers here - it's just, I can't stop thinking about it... that opening sequence, going back in time to the very beginning of the story... juxtaposing who Walt used to be via his interactions with both Jesse and Skyler... and then contrasting that to the final moments of the episode and who Walt's become... just devastating. I'll tell you one thing: it's certainly got me swearing off cooking meth and/or trying to become a drug queenpin any time soon. That being said, when it comes to stamping, I advise you all to tread lightly and know I AM THE DANGER!

Now that you've been properly warned, let's move on. The Taylored Expressions 5th Birthday Bash is continuing this week with a new Share Joy Campaign, benefitting the Union Rescue Mission of Los Angeles, Prodigal's Home of Phoenix, and Iowa Homeless Youth Shelter of Des Moines. These wonderful charities work tirelessly to bring comfort and care to many homeless individuals and families throughout the year. One way they are sharing joy each and every day is by celebrating the birthdays of their participants, and you can help by sending in your handmade birthday cards!

This week, Taylored Expressions will help you to create with a different Birthday Inspiration Challenge each day. These charities need birthday cards of all kinds: child, adult, baby, so send in your funny, sweet, pretty, elegant, works of art and know that you will be brightening someone's day in a way only a handmade card can do.  To get all the details on how to participate, please hop over to the Taylored Expressions Blog.

Today's challenge is a color challenge - take a look-see:

Those bright, happy colors are, as you know, right up my alley, and I used this week's Mojo Monday sketch challenge to create this...

Want to play along?  Of course you do!  But first you'll want a little more information and inspiration (I know these things), and for that, you'll need to go to Taylor's blog for the link list to all of the Baker's Dozen design team members and alumni who have samples to share.  To play along with Mojo Monday and to see more of this week's sketch interpretations by the Mojo Monday designers, you'll want to visit the Mojo Monday blog.

Thanks for visiting me today, my people! :)

Happy Fall, Y'all

We're deep into September now, so I think it's appropriate to hang my fall wreath on the door.  It's also a good time to make a card with Taylored Expressions' sweet Autumn Wreath image...

As I've mentioned before, acorns are one of my favorite fall motifs as they always make me think of my boys ("Tall oaks from tiny acorns grow").  Thus, this image (and the adorable new 'Happy Harvest' paper line from Doodlebug) is sure to get lots of love and use by me.  I gave the acorns a glossy sheen via a Sakura Glaze pen - here's a close-up:

Now that I've got my head seasonally acclimated, I just need the external to weather cooperate and get out of/below the mid/high '90s for the next 9 or 10 months.  Come on, Mother Nature - do a sister a solid!

Taylored Expressions August Sneak Peek: Butterfly Parade and Say What?

Goedemorgen from Holland!  My husband and I are celebrating our 20th anniversary this week by showing the Dutch how it's done.  We got in yesterday morning at 7:45 a.m., napped in our hotel room until 2 p.m., then walked/pub-crawled through Amsterdam until about 4 a.m.  It's now 2:00 p.m., and after a quick blog post, we're ready for a late lunch and visiting Van Gogh's museum and the Anne Frank House.  I forgot my camera cord, so I won't be able to make you watch my slides until I get home, but rest assured, wij gaan lekker aan de rol (we are going to have a good time)!

Back to bidness.  Ready for some sneak peeks of some fabulous new stamps and dies from Taylored Expressions?  First up, I have BUTTERFLY PARADE to show you, an adorable full-size stamp set (concept by our very own Wanda) that coordinates with the BUTTERFLY IN THE SKY die set. 

I used this week's Mojo Monday sketch (#305) and couldn't resist a little hand-stitching around the borders of the green layers.  See that elegant background shape?  That's TE's new LABEL STACKLETS 4 die set - another must have.  Here's a close up:

Be sure to go by the Mojo Monday blog to find links to other design team samples and for instructions in how to join the challenge.  It's the first Monday of the month, and you know what that means: PRIZE WEEK!  Up to seven randomly selected participants will win the Verve Stamps set of their choice just for playing along.  Why shouldn't one of those winners be you?  You deserve it!

Know what else you deserve?  An adorable mini-set like SAY WHAT? that coordinates with the SAY WHAT CONVERSATION BUBBLES die set and will combine like cuteness with all of you Moka, Cuppie, critter and character stamps.  I decided to let them do the talking for themselves on this little number:

Fun stuff, don't you agree?  Do you think you can stand any more fun?  Of course you can.  Then head on over to these loverly ladies blogs to see what they have up their sneaky peeking sleeves:

Charmaine Ikach

Heather Jensen - Guest Designer

Jen Shults

Joan Ervin

Kerri Michaud

Nancy McKinney

Sankari Wegman

Shannon White

Shelly Mercado

Stephanie Kraft

Tammie Edgerton

Taylor VanBruggen

Wanda Guess

Party Animal

Goedemorgen!  I'm brushing up on my Dutch because this time next week, the hubster and I will be exploring Amsterdam and celebrating our 20th anniversary. Actually, one of the bonuses of traveling to the Netherlands is that most residents speak English, thus the natives will be spared me butchering their mother tongue. I plan to take lots of pictures to share with you as we tiptoe through the tulips, tilt at windmills, and window shop in the Red Light district.

In the meantime, here's a little uni-sex birthday card I created using this week's Mojo Monday sketch and Avery Elle's fun 'Party Animal' stamp set, available at i {heart} papers:

I know, I know: some of you think this card can't be uni-sex because it's embellished with ribbon, and ruffled ribbon at that. I disagree. Ribbon has no gender. That is a fact.

It's also a fact that this is the last Monday of the month, so you've got the option to go round or square with this week's Mojo Monday sketch.

Head on over to the Mojo Monday blog for instructions about how to participate in this week's challenge, and for more inspiration, be sure to visit my fellow Mojo Monday design team mates blogs:

• Julee Tilman
• Debbie Carriere
• Marisa Ritzen
• Mary Fish
• Sarah Bigelow
• Teresa Kline
• Wanda Cullen