Teaser Time: Pure Innocence

Oh my word. Seriously, don't these My Favorite Things Pure Innocence images get cuter, and cuter, and cuter each month? Today is the preview day for the newest Pure Innocence images which will be released on March 1st at 10pm EST.

For my preview today, I couldn't help but ink up the Pure Innocence: Girl Scout.  Isn't she sweet?  I think she'd be just about perfect for a thank you note to your best customer if your girls sell cookies, a little note if you happened to buy a bunch of cookies and wanted to thank your favorite scout for those tasty treats, a sweet note to your den leader, or even a scrapbook page for your little scout to record those precious memories.

Me, I have no little Girl Scouts, I do have one Boy Scout and one little guy who is so eager to be a Boy Scout next year.  But, the girls that I've had in class know that I fill my urge to buy little girl clothes, by playing with cute, cute cute little girl stamps! *giggle*

I created a custom, coordinated embellishment with my Die-namics, I cut out the Button Quartet and the Perfect Petal Trio and mixed and matched.  Finished off my flowery buttons with lots of embroidery floss. 

Here are the details about the upcoming release on March 1st at 10 PM EST:

• The MFT release is on March 1st at 10 PM EST. You can attend the release party from 8-10 PM EST here in the forum for fun, games, and prizes! All the new sets and dies will be available on March 1st at 10 PM EST.
• The guest designer contest is ON! Check out the forum for details on how YOU can win over $100 in stamp sets and play along with the DT for a month.
• If you'd like to see all the teasers for today, please click on over to Kim's blog NOW! Be sure to leave comments as you go for a chance to win one of two $10 vouchers being given away daily, just for leaving a comment. :) Check Kim's blog every day for the winners.
  
  

Teaser Time: Clearly Sentimental

Today I've got a teaser to share with you using last month's Triple Scoop set - Clearly Sentimental about Parenting. If you didn't earn it free with your purchase last month, it will be available as an individual set as part of our March 1st release.

I must say that really love these sentiment sets combined with lots of Die-namics - I also dug into the seam binding that I picked up on a girls shopping day. You'll see that I've been playing in my stash pile again in a mixy-matchy fashion.

I've got a little bit of My Mind's Eye Quite Contrary (green polka dots), some Pink Paislee (the blue hearts) and the grid and floral pattern on the very front is... Collage Press. The floral was a sweet surprise that I found on the back of the grid paper - I keep every small piece of grid paper because I love it for sentiment panels......

I added felt accents with the Simply Scallops Die-namics and the Butterflies Die-namic.... and I tripped across half a package of Crystal Flourishes when I was cleaning my desk the other day.

Now, don't forget all the important details about the upcoming release on March 1st at 10 PM EST:

• The MFT release is on March 1st at 10 PM EST. You can attend the release party from 8-10 PM EST here in the forum for fun, games, and prizes! All the new sets and dies will be available on March 1st at 10 PM EST.
• The guest designer contest is ON! Check out the forum for details on how YOU can win over $100 in stamp sets and play along with the DT for a month.
• If you'd like to see all the teasers for today, please click on over to Kim's blog NOW! Be sure to leave comments as you go for a chance to win one of two $10 vouchers being given away daily, just for leaving a comment. :) Check Kim's blog every day for the winners.

Teaser Time: Fred Bear and Sassy & Sweet

It is that time when the My Favorite Things Design Team will begin to share teasers with you each day. We're now unveiling the newest stamps and accessories from our next release.

Today, I've got a little Fred Bear in Oopsie Daisy. I am *so* ready for spring, that I was thrilled to find this sweet image in my mailbox! I've paired Fred with my Fresh Cut Grass Die-namics and some felt for a little instant scene building.

I'll admit that I'm always a little nervous coloring fur. Its supposed to look hairy, and messy and I'm usually a neat and clean type girl. I applied layers of colors in brush strokes, versus my usual blending in neat circles. Then I did a sort of messy cross hatch of various browns to give him some texture.....


I love the inside and out aspect of this sentiment...I reached for my October Afternoon Campfire pattern paper pack for this card. I'm so glad I conquered my little fear of Fred Fur, because in the end, I {heart} this little guy.

I also have a peek at our newest stamp set and Die-namic Duo. I'm super excited about the possibilities of Sassy & Sweet! This stamp set contains a bold zebra stripe, a fun cheetah pattern, and a ton of gorgeous sentiments, and beautiful flourishes... pair it with the coordinating Die-namics set - containing three size labels. They are so fun to mix and match, for a bold, graphic card...


I added a double layer butterfly by cutting the Butterflies Die-namic once with felt, and once with vellum. They are stacked, and adorned with a tiny rhinestone. And what's more glamorous than bling? Lotsa, lotsa bling! I can't wait to play more with these FUN dies and stamps!

Here are the details about the upcoming release on March 1st at 10 PM EST:

• The MFT release is on March 1st at 10 PM EST. You can attend the release party from 8-10 PM EST here in the forum for fun, games, and prizes! All the new sets and dies will be available on March 1st at 10 PM EST.
• The guest designer contest is ON! Check out the forum for details on how YOU can win over $100 in stamp sets and play along with the DT for a month.
• If you'd like to see all the teasers for today, please click on over to Kim's blog NOW! Be sure to leave comments as you go for a chance to win one of two $10 vouchers being given away daily, just for leaving a comment. :) Check Kim's blog every day for the winners.

Feeling Sketchy?

Oh man, these sketches for the My Favorite Things Wednesday Stamp Club challenges are so fun. I'm really loving making it an appointment in my weekly "routine" and I hope you are too. Here's the fun sketch we've been provided for this week....


As I was cleaning up from another project, I ran found scraps of My Mind's Eye State of Heart, and this Houndstooth from October Afternoon sitting next to each other. And based my card on wanting to combine them.....


The sentiment "You're Awesome" is part of More Essential Sentiments - I think I've mentioned a few times how much I love this set. It really is handy for just about any occasion! I've tucked it onto my card with the Layered Label Die-namic.  For the scalloped part of the layout, I added my Simply Scallops cut from a newsprint paper.

I hope you'll join us on the MFT Forum on Splitcoast not only to share your project based on this sketch, but to chat with your fellow MFT fans! 

...random...

Hi everyone... I've been busy behind the scenes preparing for the next release at My Favorite Things! It is maybe the most I've ever stamped for a release before, I'm super excited about the new goodies, and I know you will be too.

My kids are off of school this week, and we'll be doing family stuff, so not so much on the blog. You will find my MFT Wednesday Stamp Club post coming on Wednesday and then MFT previews will begin on Friday... be excited. Be very excited.

I've also been doing a ton of cooking... these blueberry muffins look pretty tasty. Though I'm doing Weight Watchers, so I couldn't really tell you if they are, or if they aren't. But I will take my kids word for it, they LOVED them. The recipe is from my favorite baking/foodie blog Smitten Kitchen and found HERE.

I also have been making home made marshmallows for the boys from the Smitten Kitchen site (which you can find here) They are amazingly delicious (I tried them before said Weight Watchers diet began) you WILL make a total mess making them, but they are worth every bit of it. My little one has a corn allergy, so regular marshmallows are off limits to us....

Here's the boiled sugar getting whipped to a frenzy in my mixer. If you're a Kitchen Aid user, did you know you can buy a glass bowl for it now? I love being able to see the goodness going on inside the mixer. I'm also finding it handy to have a second bowl for days that I'm baking a lot.....

Have a great day, I'm going to be avoiding all the goodies I've made for the boys, but man does it smell TASTY around here.....

Please join me! Extra session added at Colorful Creations - Hyannis, MA

I'm so excited, my morning class at Colorful Creations in Hyannis on April 16th has already filled! So guess what, lets make a day of it! We've just opened a second session from 1-3 pm. Find all the details HERE on the Colorful Creations site!

And, the third card that we'll be making is the Who's That Musical girl project I made here for the VIP Kit.

The paper and ribbon I've ordered for the classes has already started to arrive - looks like its time to start kitting!

Alter it: Lampshade

Usually I'm a carding girl, but today I've got a little something that isn't a card to share with you. Yesterday I shared a little frame that I'd made.... and today I've got an altered lampshade.

I found this burlap (um, super trendy!) shade at Target for $9.99, and I grabbed some of my red felt, and my Rolled Rose Dienamic. The only supply I'm forgetting is some stick pins with pearl heads.


I cut three red rolled roses - in home design, as well as card design, that rule of three is KEY!


If you haven't done a rolled rose before, you'll grab the outermost edge with a pair of tweezers or a quilling tool, and roll backwards, from the outside towards the center. I secured mine in back with Jody Boosters. (Note I didn't take the back booster off. I left the paper backing on the other side...)

I stuck a pearl ended straight pin through the bloom, and through the Booster and simply tucked it right through the lampshade.


The great thing, these are literally pinned in place, not glued onto the shade, so if I want to switch out the color for the summer to something else, it is totally no problem! Safety tip: Once you have your pins stuck through, use a pair of pliers to bend the pin backs so that you don't have sharp pins inside your light! Yikes!


Once I had my three blooms in place, I added a crystal flourish. I have to say I love the rustic feel of the burlap shade contrasted with lush felt, and a bit of bling. So me.

This was so fun, that I'm looking forward to freshening up and adding a bit of color, texture and a bit of what makes me so me throughout my home.

Sketchy again....

I'm having fun investigating my "scrappy" side and this week's My Favorite Things sketch is another fun one for that style.


Today and tomorrow I have stampy/scrappy home decor pieces to share with you. I'm sorta addicted to the Nate Berkus show and he's always talking about having pieces in your house that represent you and what you LOVE. Well, me, I love paper. So its only natural that I extend my favorite things into some home decor elements....

Here's the layout from this week's WSC and I so hope you'll play along. For me, sketch challenges really are freeing, I don't have to worry about the layout, I just figure out what I want to play with that fits into that sketch. And from there, its all FUN!

This little frame is inspired by a chair that we purchased this fall. I saw it from across the showroom and knew I had to have it. It is a chocolate and ivory houndstooth chair. So very me.

I paired it with a chocolate leather ottoman and I'm using red accents for the winter - red pillow, red vase on the mantle, so I reached for this red music print scrap to make my Die-namics Rosette.

For the tiny horizontal panel, I stitched on some tiny denim scraps. After all, I am a mom to two very busy little boys. Oh, and as a home daycare provider, I *live* in my jeans.

This is the room we snuggle in to watch TV, the room we visit in, the room where I read to my boys just before bed. The sentiment from Clearly Sentimental about Mothers was just perfect! (sorry... out of stock....)

I really hope you'll play in with Wednesday Stamp Club this week - I can't wait to see what YOU come up with for this fun sketch. Add your project to the Splitcoast Galleries using the keyword in the sketch, and join us for some chatter on the MFT Forum too!

And I'll be back tomorrow with another little scrappy something that makes my home just a little more *me*.

VIP Shop Hop

I have been dying to share the newest Who's that Girl with all of you - because you are seriously going to LOVE the fun new shape this month. Its a circular stamp set the first Who's That Girl in this shape, and I must say.....I love the possibilities.

Want to know what the VIP Kit is all about? It is your chance to get your hands on the upcoming Who's That Girl two weeks ahead of schedule - and each month, a fabulous selection of product is bundled with the stamp set. This month - one of those bundled items is a Die-namics die! Here's the direct link to the kit in case you're looking....


If you've just tripped across our hop, you'll want to start over up at the MFT Blog - so that you don't miss a single stop along the way.

I went with a classic My Favorite Things pink, black and white creation today - because I knew I wanted to use this beautiful music note paper from Echo Park's Be Mine collection. I'm still on a roll with my Simply Scallops die from last month! I've layered a Divine Twine bow right over the top. I love that the die is wide enough for a little embellishment!


I've gone ahead and finished off the inside, working hard to make that a habit.... and I've used More Essential Sentiments to turn this into a Birthday Card! In my mind, that sheet music is Happy Birthday (though since I can't read sheet music, who really knows.....)

Your next stop on tonight's hop is Julie Dinn and lucky me, I've already seen her sample..... and it is beautiful!! Have a great time on our hop tonight, and be sure to grab yourself some a la modes, and this amazing VIP Kit while they're still in stock!

You're an All Star!

If you've been following along with the My Favorite Things releases for a while, you'll know that the mid month release includes two a la modes. These cling mounted sweethearts are quickly becoming a "go to" part of my stamping collection.

Today the designers are showcasing All Star - which will be available for sale beginning TONIGHT at 10pm EST. I'll be back to share the newest Who's that Girl as part of our VIP Kit tonight at 10pm too! Get ready for a FUN blog hop!

Till then, here's my sample of the latest a la modes, and be sure to visit the MFT Blog today for a full listing of all the designers with samples today!



Here we go mixy match again. I've got the new red polka dot from October Afternoon's Modern Home Maker, Striped paper from Girls Paperie (the green on the banner is the reverse of the blue stripe) - the yellow polka dot and the houndstooth are both unknown, from my scrap pile! The scrap pile gets a LOT of use lately thanks to Die-namics.

The number pattern is a Cuttlebug Embossing folder...which has been getting a little workout lately. The pattern is just subtle enough to fit in with anything!

The inside was finished off with all the same elements, and the sentiment - congrats onto Kraft paper. I'm liking trying to make my insides just as detailed as the outsides, and it helps me churn through the aforementioned scrap pile too!

Here's a fun tip for this new a la modes - I made short work of paper piecing my banner by using the Die-namics Banner Die! Fun, right?



Thanks for stopping by today - see you tonight for the VIP Shop Hop!

Wishing you Luck

Good morning everyone! Its already the middle of February (hooray - does that mean all this snow will start to melt now?) so it is time for our My Favorite Things mid-month release.

If you've been following us a while, you know that the mid-month release is two a la modes, and a new VIP Kit! I'm a little late to the posting game today - I've been up to my eyeballs in Valentines prep for my two food allergic boys - and woke this morning to find I'd totally spaced on my blog posting for the day. Whoopsie!

Without further ado, here's a quick peek at Wishing you Luck. She'll be available Tuesday, February 15th at 10pm EST. I just *happen* to be Irish, so I'm loving this set, but it also comes with several companion sentiments that make it just about perfect for anyone!


I finished off the inside using the same Basic Grey Pyrus papers and the same general layout....


Please be sure to visit the MFT Blog today for a full list of designers participating in previews today and I'll see you tomorrow with another preview!

Butterfly Kisses

If you know me well, you might know that I hardly EVER use purple. I'm sort of purple-phobic. But, my new favorite paper package has this cute purple stripe in it... and my little niece just celebrated her FIRST birthday (how did that happen so fast?) My older niece has everything pink, and the little one, has everything purple. So I knew that I'd have to break into the paper for her!


She's my sweet little red-headed girl, so I colored my Pure Innocence: Butterfly Kisses in her likeness, and while I love her to pieces, she's a little destructo, so my sis will have to keep this out of her reach so she doesn't eat this tiny gem, or this glitter either....


The alphabet paper is so adorable, but the card was getting "busy" looking, so I took a piece of vellum, put it over the alphabet, and stitched all around. Just softened the colors up a bit, and in my humble opinion, its pretty sweet.....

Lately, I feel like a big cheater if I don't finish off the insides too. I matched the layout adding a portion of the sentiment (love that with clear stamps you can selectively ink things up - I like to use just the corner of a dew drop sized pad to achieve this)


Happy Birthday to my sweet little girl - Auntie LOVES you, but please, please don't eat the card little chicken!

Valentine Paper Pockets

I had this fun idea for Valentines, that I was going to do for both of the boys classes, then I came to my senses that I didn't REALLY want to sew fifty paper pockets. But the sample was SO cute that I am going to make it for all their teachers instead!

I took a paper lunch sack, and folded it over in half, leaving about 1 inch at the top. I stitched just the sides of that pocket closed. Then I inserted two pencils into the opening and made a mark with a pencil as to how much room that took up. Removed the pencils and then stitched a line down making a mini pocket for the two pencils along the side.

I wrapped a length of Echo Park Be Mine patterned paper, and created a tiny hang tag with My Favorite Things Die-namics Hearts a Plenty Die and a sentiment from More Essential Sentiments. The tag is attached with a bit of Divine Twine and I added a rhinestone flourish too. Can I say, I love the rustic feel of the paper bag, contrasted with the shiny bling!


I tucked in a Hershey bar into the larger pocket and then a tag which includes a Dunkin Donuts gift card and a space for my little guy to write his name. Coffee and chocolate, I tell you there isn't enough of these to keep you going after a day with 25 five year olds who have had indoor recess since the beginning of January. Can you say R-E-S-T-L-E-S-S!


Quick note: Remember when you cut out the Die-namics Hearts a Plenty die that it cuts three hearts, so I've tucked the smallest one here on the inside!

I love this little project, but I am grinning that I'm not sewing these x 50. Though, you COULD make it with adhesive minus all the sewing..... which would certainly streamline things. I'm off to set out the supplies for the project we ARE doing with the boys for their valentines. Thank goodness my Cricut came to the rescue for my mass production needs! Have a GREAT day!

Time to Get Sketchy!

Have you been playing along with the Wednesday Stamp Club for My Favorite Things? We're up to our SIXTH sketch this week, and if you ask me, I think this is a fun one for a clean and simple type card, a real focus on the sentiment....



I am adoring that within the October Afternoon lines, you can mix and match. This flowery pattern is from Seaside, and the yellow polka dot from Modern Homemaker. I also like mixing and matching all of my Die-namics and stamps. I've used the Polka Dot Greetings Die-namic and the sentiment is from Textile Rectangle. If you've got any Baby Braddies, might I suggest they are just the right size for this sketch!

I'd say this card looks clean and simple - but somehow it still took me ages to put it together. You wouldn't think one clean and simple looking card would trash your desktop... but somehow, it always does. Ah, that's half the fun, right?

Be sure to play along with us adding your project to the Splitcoast Galleries using the keyword for the week MFTWSC6. Remember there is a $15 prize each week for one lucky participant, selected at random. Did you SEE the last cute new release.... who couldn't use an extra $15 to spend at the store! Hope you'll play along!

February Creative Challenge

I'm really excited to be playing along in My Favorite Things Creative Challenge this month. This month we're all working with digital products from MFT. We've got a selection of digital stamps, digital papers, and our amazing digital templates.

This month, I wanted to play along with our Digital Calendar Pages. First, I downloaded the Calendar Templates, and then reduced the print size of the file so that it would be the right size for a 5 1/4 square cardfront. And as you can see, I went sorta "scrappy" with this card versus super stampy.

I've embellished with two layers of the Simply Scallops Die-namic and the Hearts a Plenty Die-namic, and this fun pearl and lace flourish I found at Michael's. Oh, and a ribbon tab, because I pretty much love squeezing a ribbon tab in if I can't figure out where to put a bow! *giggle* The sentiment "xoxo" is found in More Essential Sentiments was stamped repeatedly across the panel.

How about a peek at a finished off inside too? When I was cleaning my desk, I ran across my cork sheets, and was sad that I hadn't played with them in a while. A few alpha stickers and a little button make it say {heart} YOU!

Speaking of calendars.... I've seen lots of girls on the team using these calendar pages alongside the new Pure Innocence: Year of Flowers. If you're a plan ahead type girl, you'll be thrilled to know that the 2012 Calendar Pages are already available! Its perfect if you want to make a page a month and have a gift ready at Christmas!

Be sure to visit the MFT Blog for a full list of designers playing along in today's Creative Challenge!