Enjoy Every Moment

I hope you're having fun soaking in all the new previews from My Favorite Things. Today I've got a sample to share with you using Enjoy Every Moment. I thought that this image would be super fun to watercolor, and boy was I right!

I'm loving the addition of these Claire Keay images on a regular basis, don't you adore her sweet striped socks, and her cute little face? I paired my main panel with lots of goodness from Crate Paper Circa 1932 papers. And decided to go on ahead and finish off the inside with some matchy goodness.


The sentiment "Enjoy Every Moment" was stamped in brilliance ink and I added a tiny Die-namics Flower and twine threaded button to finish off my project. Be sure to swing by the MFT Blog today for a full listing of all the designers participating in previews today!

Don't forget that the new release will be available tomorrow, Tuesday, February 1st at 10pm EST. We'll be chatting it up on the MFT Forum on Splitcoast Tuesday from 8-10pm EST. Please join us for previews, giveaways and always, lots of laughs!

Pure Innocence: Butterfly Kisses

Is it okay to say that I've got a crush on my own project? I couldn't wait to ink up this adorable Butterfly Kisses stamp set - one of five new releases that will be available on Tuesday night at 10pm EST.

I added a little MFT Adornment to her hairclip, and lots of glimmer to her wings with a Stardust Pen. You'll see my new, beloved, Simply Scallops Die-namics stitched down the front, and I've added a teeny flower from the Flower Trio finished with a button and a bit of twine.


I went ahead and used up lots of the paper - its My Mind's Eye Fine and Dandy to finish off the inside, using all the same elements (the second of the petals in the Flower Trio) as well as the Layered Label Die for my sentiment placement.



I {heart} Pure Innocence and I have another one saved up for you for the Release Blog Hop on Tuesday night.

Be sure to visit the MFT Blog today for a full listing of all the designers participating in Teasers today! I'll see you tomorrow with another one!

Set Sail!

Teaser time for you again today and that dear Flopsey is back again - and this time he has set sail in Flopsey Smooth Sailing. I thought this nautical chap was just perfect to pair with our new Flat Bottomed Clouds and our new Catch a Wave Die-namic as well. *Oh. My. Goodness* .......Fun times...... I'll admit, I had SO much fun making this card!


I cut the waves from light blue felt twice, and I cut it up into smaller pieces to fit across the bottom of my circular panel in layers. I reversed the order of the middle set of waves... just makes it look more like a choppy sea, versus all going the same direction orderly waves. Poor Flopsey, hope he isn't prone to sea-sickness.


I popped up the sails so that I could actually tuck the clouds behind for extra dimension. The patterned paper is October Afternoon Campfire. I love the plaid and this fun herringbone papers together. I actually popped the middle of the sail higher than the peak of the sail so that it really is billowing out like an actual sail would once their was wind in there.


A bit of vintage trim, and small twine bow finish off the card, and I'm being brave lately and digging into my stash of brads. I never use them but have lots....and I'm vowing to USE more of the things that I've um, collected??

Be sure to head on over to the MFT Blog today for a full listing of all the designers participating in previews today. Three sets are up for Teasers today so you'll want to surf around so that you don't miss a thing!

A Sunny Disposition

Its officially Teaser Time for My Favorite Things!

Today I'm thrilled to be playing along, I've used this week's Wednesday Stamp Club sketch for inspiration, and I'm previewing the new Fly a Kite Die-namics Die as well as a spectacular new set, The Great Outdoors.

If you're not already playing along in the Wednesday Stamp Club you are missing out! Here's this week's sketch, and you'll want to play along each week, for a chance to win up to a $20 gift voucher to the MFT Boutique!

Here's a closer look at the fabulous new Fly a Kite Die-namic. You'll see there is the main kite body, four panels for your kite, and the sweet kite tail. I cut my main kite with Saffron cardstock, then cut out the panels from patterned paper. I did a mixy-matchy with the panels for a little extra interest. This is a *fun* way to use up those tiny paper scraps too!

This new stamp set set is just filled with sentiments specifically designed to ccoordinate with your "collection" of Die-namics dies for a fun, and scrappy card. This one reads "A cloudy day is no match for a sunny disposition. William Arthur Ward"


I combined a little bit of felt, some of the My Mind's Eye Fine and Dandy patterned paper and a piece of ledger paper, and lotsa, lotsa sewing. I added a bit of Divine Twine for the kite string and added two tiny kite tails with the help of glue dots.

I finished off the inside with the new Layered Labels Die (if you didn't already pick this one up, trust me, you'll *need* it!) and added a Die-namics Sunshine. I used only two of the three layers of the label, but that's what great is that they work amazing either together or in pieces!

With the crazy amount of snow in Boston here this winter, I'm already itchy for spring. Just looking at these sweet clouds, kite, glowing sun and cheery sentiments remind me that in time... it will be here.

Be sure to visit the MFT Blog for a full list of all the designers participating in previews today - and I really DO hope you'll join us in the Wednesday Stamp Club challenge!!

Happy Bond-Day

How about another Birthday Blog Hop? I'm really loving these by the way!

Today we're celebrating Wendy Bond's birthday! She such a total crackup and a madly talented stamper too. What a fun list of bloggers signed in to play today - everyone loves Bond! So, if for any reason you get lost along the way, be sure to visit Karen Motz's blog for a full list of girls playing along today!

My very beloved Turtle Tots haven't seen some ink in a while, and I thought for the party that I'd break out a turtle for Wendy. I *happen* to know that she shares my love for Stamping Bella! I just *might* have twisted her arm into buying a few things over there....


The floral patterned paper is October Afternoon Seaside, but I really wanted some yellow so I grabbed this fun yellow polka dot from October Afternoon's Modern Homemaker. A bit of green Bitty Dot ribbon from Paper Trey Ink and some fun houndstooth I've got on my desk for a class I'm kitting.

I've been fooling around lately starting my images with Copics and finishing them up with a few layers of Prismacolor Pencils. And Bond might be annoyed today, because there isn't a stitch of Kraft paper on this project. How that happened it beyond me?!?

Raising a glass to my friend Wendy Bond on her birthday today. Girlie, I'll be giving you the 5:00 Wine Time Cheers - here's to a day all about YOU.

Your NEXT stop on the hop is Cath Groden - Paper Expressions - have fun!!

Happy Birthday Anne!!

Karen Motz has organized another one of her fabulous Birthday Blog Hops and I'm thrilled to be stamping along! Today we're wishing a Happy Happy Birthday to Ann Kranitz - a sweet friend, and talented stamper, who I was lucky enough to meet at a Stamping Around event.

She's such a sweetie, that I simply HAD to stamp up a little Pure Innocence sweetheart in her honor!

I inked up Don't Open Until and paired her with Pink Lemonade and Fossil cardstocks (sorry Fossil is out of stock. I must have purchased ALL of it. *giggle*) from MFT. You'll see that I'm still addicted to that Cuttlebug Numbers Collage embossing folder. That dry embossing seems to be just the thing I need lately... must. buy. more. embossing folders.

Our next stop on the hop is Wendy Jordan and if for any reason you get lost on today's hop, bounce on over to Karen's place, she'll have the full list of girls playing along! Be sure to wish our Birthday Girl Ann a very happy birthday today!!

Getting Sketchy with a RAWR!

I'm so excited that so many of you have been playing along with our new Wednesday Stamp Club format for My Favorite Things. Totally amazing right?

This sketch will be a super fun one, and I'm already anticipating a lot of variety in the galleries with this easy to interpret sketch. Remember that snowflake embellishment is just a jumping off point, it could be any sort of embellie.....
I had to put together a birthday card for my five year old's classmate, so I reached for Loveosaurus, and got to work. You'll see significantly LESS stitching than I usually do (um. how about none.....) Because, like I mentioned above, it was for a five year old boy.... *giggle*

I did have fun though digging into some new to me patterned paper from October Afternoon, and for my tucked embelie I used a twine tied button.



I mixed up the sentiment on the inside - changed it around a bit to read "RAWR Means Happy Birthday" usually it says "RAWR means I love you."


I hope that you will join us again for another round of Wednesday Stamp Club - be sure to join us on the MFT Forum for some chitter-chatter and that you'll add your project to the gallery using the keyword MFTWSC3. I really *do* hope to play along each week, and I really *do* hope that you'll all join me!

VIP Shop HOP

The My Favorite Things VIP Kit is HERE! I am thrilled with this month's new VIP Kit My How You've Grown. I'm sure tonight you'll see lots of PINK on tonight's Blog Hop, but as a mother of two boys, I had to make up a boy-ish card. And I'm going to be an auntie SOON with a new nephew on the way... so the timing is practically perfect!

If by chance you've just stumbled across this blog hop, be sure to stop up at Kim's Blog so that you don't miss a single sample!


I pulled out my Cuttlebug Embossing Number Collage Folder for the kraft panel, and all my matting is with olive today. I'm *trying* to add colored cardstock back into my projects, I've been such a maniac with the kraft, I've practically forgotten how to do that. *giggle*


Do you spy the newest addition to the Die-namics family. Check out Simply Scallops. Somewhere between jumbo and small is "simply" and I think its simply perfect. A bit of text paper, a bit of stitching and just smidge of Divine Twine. Simply Scallops is about to become my new BFF. I've paired a sentiment from the exclusive VIP Kit sentiment Sweet Beginnings - remember this sentiment set will ONLY be available as part of this VIP kit and then never again. Yes, I said never again.

See..... lots of VIP Kit goodness in here. You'll want to be sure to grab your VIP Kit and your two new a la modes, something tells me they're going to be a big hit!

Our next stop on tonight's hop is Julie -I know she's put together something totally delightful to share with you this evening!!!

Something's Fishy......

Today is day two of previews for our new a la modes release! Today, Something's Fishy. As I was coloring, I kept thinking of the book The Rainbow Fish and I coated that blue fishie with lots of glitter. I'll say that I've certainly never fished.... but doesn't she look cutie with her polka dotted shirt and yellow wellies?



I was excited to break out my new October Afternoon Campfire Paper - totally perfect for the them right? You'll see that I dug out Jen's SFYTT again, its really a great one! Remember you can play along all month long off the same sketch!

When you're doing lots of stitching on a project (I sewed each of my layers) try switching up the types of stitches you're using to keep your eye moving across the entire project. I've used a mix of straight and zig zag stitching and did a mix of both on the green polka dotted panel. ....I've been sewing A LOT lately on my cards.... need to restock on thread!

Just a quick post for you today, I'm pre-writing as we're about to head out the door for a day on the slopes. Wish me luck!

Be sure to check Kim's Blog for a full list of designers with samples for you today!

Oh Baby its Teaser Time

Are you ready for some serious My Favorite Things cute-ness? Today and tomorrow we'll be sharing the latest a la modes images with you, and Tuesday night we'll have our newest VIP Kit to share with you. Both of the a la modes will become available Tuesday at 10pm EST - and the VIP Kit will be added for 24 hours! I'll warn you, its adorable, and you *will* want to have it.

I love the a la modes, they're so fun to color, and these images have so much personality. I can see that you're all loving them too because I'm always running across them in our challenge, and in my daily Blogger Readering!


This month, we're adding Oh Baby to the lineup, just perfect for new baby cards, shower cards etc. The bear is so fun to color in, and of course I took the chance to paper piece his giant bow for a bit of fun.

A little twine tied button sits atop a Hearts a Plenty Die-namic and I've used a Little Open Scallop Strip along the side of my main panel.


I'll see you tomorrow with a preview of the second set being added to the collection, and I hope you'll pop on over to the MFT Blog for a full listing of all the designer participating in Teasers today!

Wednesday Stamp Club - Time to Get Sketchy!

Welcome back to another week of My Favorite Things Wednesday Stamp Club - you might have noticed that we've moved to an all sketch format, and personally I think that is fabulous!! This week has a fun sketch featuring this cool circular element on the side. I was unsure as to whether I'd flip it and go for a Clean and Simple look... but in the end, this sweet little Pure Innocence: Peek A Boo wanted to be inked up. So, she won.


I keep finding bits and pieces of the My Mind's Eye Quite Contrary here and there in my paper bins and finally I found enough to pull a card together. That was *really* one of my favorite paper collections in 2010.

The kraft panel was embossed with the houndstooth embossing folder, and then everything was stitched up. Little Miss PI has a paper pieced dress, little silver buttons (baby braddies) and her shoes have a double coat of Black Glaze Pen.

I'll be using Divine Twine on everything for a while. I'm loaded up with black, red, and pink and my heart is HAPPY whenever I find a place to tuck it into a project!

I really hope that you'll all join us in adding a little MFT LOVE to the Splitcoast Galleries this week. To be entered in the drawing for the weekly prize, upload your sample using the keyword MFTWSC2. Be sure to visit Kim's blog for a list of all the designers with samples this week. And of course, come chat with us on the weekly Chat and Chatter thread on our Splitcoast Member Company Forum!

My Favorite Valentines

In 2011, MFT is working harder than ever to inspire you, and we have come up with something we think you'll really enjoy. Our Design Team Creative Challenge will be a new monthly feature, where we challenge our design team to explore their creative side using a specific theme or product.

This month, we asked the team to get creative for Valentine's Day. It's a great occasion to get crafty, and put your supplies to good use. Are you ready to get some ideas for your Valentine's Day gifts? Be sure to visit the MFT Blog today for the list of participants - you'll see everything from cards to gift ideas and everything between.

Today I wanted to go a little "shabby" its not a style I often do, but this was a lot of fun! I tucked a Peppermint Pattie inside a glassine bag, and then created a multi-layered rosette to decorate the front of the bag.

Here's how I put together this custom embellishment for my little Valentine Treats.....

Lost and Found paper from My Mind's Eye with the 1/4 inch Rosette - I diecut the piece once and then cut it in half.

The second layer of the Rosette was cut twice in MFT's Fossil cardstock with the 3/8 Rosette. I like to use Jody's Dimensional Dots to hold mine together. They're PERFECT for the job. Once my Rosette was assembled, I painted the edges with some Ranger Crackle Paint and set it aside to dry.

Guess what nests PERFECTLY inside the new Dainty Doily (oops, already sold out!)from MFT? Rosettes! I cut my doily from vellum, and it makes a fabu-u-lous little doily. I coated it with Shimmerz paint for a shabby shine and the edges got all rolled up and antiqued. ....I sort of loved that part....

I cut a tiny pink heart with my Hearts a Plenty Die-namic and then coated it with Diamond Glaze, and then poured on a layer of Glitzy Glitter.


Finally, I wrapped the glassine envelope with a bit of text paper, layed over a Cotton Twill bow and a little bit of rhinestone bling. Lastly I tied on my Rosette embellishment with a bit of TCP Divine Twine in pink. My favorite part.... I added a bit of magnetic tape to the back of my Rosette so that it could be a decorative fridge magnet.

I ran all my materials through my Big Shot a few times so that I've got enough Rosettes and Doilys cut for all the boys teachers. I've just got to turn on a good stamping show and get the last few pieces assembled. And, once the candies are tied up tight, I won't be so tempted to *eat* them!

Don't forget to stop by Kim's blog today to see all the Valentine ideas that our team has to share with you.

Some shopping.....

Did you all get some spending money from friends and family for Christmas? I was lucky enough to get lots of gift certificates from friends, family and my daycare clients too.

First, I loaded up on Valentine supplies from The Cat's Pajamas. Divine Twine, Glitzy Glitter and their luscious felt too! Speaking of The Cat's Pajamas, those girls have a new release coming up on the 17th. I've spied a cute new Sprinkle, an adorable new Bear, and here's a new PJ!, one of those sweet kiddos and a web banner running on Splitcoast with that mischievious little penguin I love. Be sure to check out Alma's blog for all the details!



I also headed over to Michael's. When I saw the pink ATG gun at this summer's CHA I *knew* it would be mine, but I had a stash of adhesive to use up first. Then, I was hoping I'd find it in my stocking. But....Santa apparently doesn't shop at Michael's, so I picked this up with a gift certificate, and a 40% off coupon. My favorite Rhinestone swirls were also on major sale - so I bought the last two they had in stock. ....sweet... Speaking of Michael's, I never remember to print out the coupon, but I was able to pull it up on my iPhone in the store and YES she took it. Thank you sweet checkout lady!


I've been buying my patterned paper at The Paper Maniac lately, my friend Kerry recommended them to me... all I can say is lightening fast shipping baby! I picked up the new October Afternoon Campfire, as well as the Schoolhouse collection and this cute Bella Boulevarde paper "Sunny Happy Skies" was on sale too, so it *jumped* into my cart!




And this one, is Jen del Muro's fault - I love the the Spellbinders Label Eight - she's always using it. Looking forward to breaking this on on this snowy day!


I still have some money to spend on Amazon.com. Wonder if they sell Copics there... off to see!

Happy Little SFYTT!

Have you heard the fun news? Jen has switched up the Sketch For You To Try for 2011 - this year, she's offering one sketch a month, which is perfect, because it gives you SO much time to play along.

I'm challenging myself to complete each of the 12 sketches this year. And YOU really should play along too, want to know why? There is a big old prize at the end, awarded at random to ONE participant who completes each of the 12 sketches. And of course, the first sketch, was nothing but fabulous!

As you can see, I've fully moved onto Valentines, so I grabbed for my Pure Innocence: Happy Mail and lots of patterned paper from My Mind's Eye Animal Crackers. Sadly this sweet little stamp is currently out of stock, but be sure to check out the full line of My Favorite Things Pure Innocence!


I reached for the "xoxo" sentiment for the tiny flag I lifted it off of another of the PI Girls, I'm sure she won't mind, they like to share (um, unlike my kids...) The tiny pink woodgrain heart is courtesy of my much loved Die-namics Hearts a Plenty Die.

I love mixing brights and blacks for an extra bit of pop. Its also a good excuse for me to add a dash of TCP Divine Twine into my projects. Love. It.

So, here's the first of my SFYTT submissions for the year, looking forward to bringing you eleven more! *see if I claim it here as a goal on the bloggity, I'm less likely to skip any, I trust you'll all hold me accountable right?**