Maryland City/Laurel Swap

Tomorrow I will be attending an SU only shoebox swap in Maryland City. I really struggled with a card for this swap, but this is what I ended up with. I wanted to make a black and white card- a first for me- but I'm not quite sure I'm happy with this...

I hope that the girls will enjoy making this card, even though it's very simple and somewhat boring...

Make sure to stop back on Monday and Tuesday. The Sherrod Studio Design Team will be showcasing their brand new digi-stamps!

Drum Roll Please....

**Please scroll down for February's Bombshell Hump Day Hop entry**

WOO HOO! I was SO excited when I found out I had been chosen to be a full-time Bombshell Stamps Design Team Member!! If you’ve still not checked out Bombshell Stamps, go now! You’ll find a wonderful selection of pin-up, hot rod, sugar skull, and tattoo-inspired stamps that are great fun to create with!

Shannon, owner of Bombshell Stamps, announced her brand new design team in the Bombshell newsletter today. Here is the new line-up for the next 6-month term:

Kathi Rerek
Nicole Maki
Glittery Kate
Terra Serrano
Kas Mello
Stephanie Jones
Erika Taylor
and ME!

The monthly pin-up girls (guest designers) are:

Patricia Stigsell- Ms. March
Cheryl Valadez- Ms. April
Katja Andersson- Ms. May
Kelli Green- Ms. June
Alison Heikkila- Ms. July
Rose Manchester- Ms. August

I am so honored to be a part of such a fabulously talented group of ladies! I will post links to the new design team’s blogs on March 1st, after the current team retires. Keep an eye here as I share even more Bombshell creations!

Bombshell Hump Day Hop

Hello, again! Welcome to another Bombshell Stamps' Hump Day Hop and YOU can join in on the fun!!! Here is this month's hop challenge, given to us by our own beloved Inky- Mama Said Knock You Out! No physical violence here, just time to dust off your PUNCHES and use your NESTIES (QuicKutz, Sizzix, Big Shot etc.) to create a Bombshell Masterpiece! We all have some fun punches and cutting shapes lying around, so why not use these valuable items and get our money's worth? All you have to do, is make sure something on your card has been punched or die cut....extra credit if there's a hole in your card. Don't make Mama mad....just start knockin' things out. So, here's my submission for this months' challenge:

This is a 6 x 6" square card. The card base is Certainly Celery textured cardstock with a layer of Summer Sun textured cardstock. The patterned paper is from CTMH (Discovery DSP pack). The image, from A Pirate's Life, is stamped onto GP110 white cardstock using Memento Tuxedo Black ink and colored with Copics. She was punched out using my scalloped oval Nestabilities and sponged along the edges using Summer Sun ink. I then stamped the Good Luck Horseshoe and the pot of gold images from the Bombshells Accessories stamp set and punched them out using my circle Nestabilities. They are colored with Copic markers and I used a gold Spica pen to color the horseshoe and the 'gold' in the pot. The Happy St. Patrick's Day sentiment is from a very old Stampin' Up All Year Cheer sentiment set. All of these 3 are also sponged along the edges using Summer Sun ink. I then attached Glitter Adornments (from MFT) using gem glue.

Now, hop on over to the other challenge players' blogs and see their creations. You won't be disappointed!!!

PerkyNihilist
BoHoRose
Patti
Stempelientje
Meredith
Erika
Angela
Sy
Cheryl
MaryG
Kas
Kathi
MissMagoo
Gabby
Steph
Kelli
Kim
Angie
Sunghee


Remember that you can win a great prize from Bombshell Stamps by either playing along with the sketch or monthly challenges or by leaving a comment on the blogs, but hurry- the contest ends February 28th!

FABULOUS Blog Candy!!!

Okay, you've GOT to check out Steph's blog candy!! Look at this HUGE pile of goodies that she's giving away!!!

In that pile, you'll find:

- A plethora of 6x6 papers that make her smile...some are DCWV, some are Autumn Leaves/Paperabilities, some are Me & My Big Ideas, and some are unknown...all are from various stacks in her stash, and all ones that she truly loves - and that pile is 5.5 inches high!
- 4 pretty little spice jars packed full of various flowers, buttons, baubles, ribbons and trims...
- A set of 4 glass coasters to leave as is, or alter as you see fit...
- 2 SU! Skinny Silver Tins...
- 2 packs of adhesive rhinestones in my most favorite colours (hot pink & teal)
- 1 pack of mixed colour adhesive half-pearls
AND...STAMPS!!!!

In the photo, you'll find 4 (all new):
- 'Changito Love Balloon' by Stampendous!
- 'Charlotte's Valentine' by Little Loud Stamps (found at PaperWorks Co.)
- 'Savannah' by The Greeting Farm
- 'XOXO' clear stamp by Imaginisce

And, even though it's not in the photo, she can't leave out her beloved Bombshells! She'll be putting in at least one set of the lovelies...but it could be two. She said she's having a hard time choosing a favorite! That's it! Maybe... or maybe not. Depends on what else she may or may not find before this is over!!!!

To take a chance on winning this absolutely fabulous candy, stop by Steph's blog!

Tuesday Throwdown...

Well, we're finally digging out from nearly 5 feet of snow that dropped within a couple of days!! Hopefully all the snowstorms will miss us from now on and that spring will be here SOON!!!

This week's challenge for Sherrod Studio's Tuesday Throwdown was to distress a card. Here, I used the Downhome Blessings stamp set for my attempt at a distressed card.


I'm not very good at distressing things. The card base is an unknown textured rust-colored card. The patterned papers and the dark yellow textured paper are unknown as well as I received them all in a blog candy that I won a while ago. The boy image was stamped onto GP110 white cardstock using Memento Tuxedo Black ink and colored with Copics. It is layered onto a panel of dark yellow and Certainly Celery cardstock. To distress it, I sponged Close to Cocoa ink around the edges and then stamped it using the speckle stamp from Itty Bitty Backgrounds and Close to Cocoa ink. I also stamped the speckle stamp onto the patterned papers and then stamped the small circle from Simply Circles to resemble a coffee cup stain...then I used my scissors and drug them down the sides of the image to give it a worn look.

This card also works for the Meade Girls' challenge. Gloria challenged us with an old sketch challenge from Mojo Monday:

Just a reminder that ALL of Sherrod Studio's stamp sets are on sale for 40% off!!! NOW is the time to stock up on these adorable stamp sets!!! Now, hop on over to the Sherrod Studio design teams' blogs to see their take on a distressed card. Links to their blogs can be found in my sidebar. See you again soon!

Bombshell's Wet & Wild Challenge

Bombshell Stamps' Ms. February guest designer, Steph, posted a fun challenge for this month. The challenge is to get Wet & Wild - she wants us to go for a nautical theme, use a wet medium (ie: paint) or both, she just wants to see us get "wet"! So, for this challenge, I decided to use Bombshell's Ahoy, Sailor stamp set. Here's my card:


This challenge is open to anyone, so if you'd like to play along, here are the rules:

"Wet & Wild" CONTEST GUIDELINES: (CONTEST ENDS FEB. 28, 2010)

The creation can be a card, layout or altered item, but must:

1. use a Bombshell Stamp somewhere
2. project must involve a nautical theme, use a wet medium, or both
3. post a photo of your creation in this thread in the Bombshell forum!

Then upload your project in our Gallery, and on our Paper Craft Planet Group (PCP). We can't wait to see what you came up with!

Here's the prize that you could win:

You can enter as many times as you'd like by playing along with the Wet & Wild challenge and/or the sketch challenge or by commenting on the blogs in the Bombshell Hump Day Hop coming up on February 24th.

Now for the recipe for the card I made:

Stamps: Bombshell Stamps' Ahoy, Sailor; Stampin' Up's Itty Bitty Backgrounds

Inks: Memento Tuxedo Black, Stampin' Up's Creamy Caramel

Papers: Stampin' Up's Chocolate Chip, Bashful Blue, GP110 white, CTMH Majestic Blue DP

Accessories: Copic markers, large copper brads, ribbon, linen thread, Nestabilities, Cuttlebug

Tuesday Throwdown

Hello, and welcome to another Sherrod Studio Tuesday Throwdown! This week, the design team was challenged to create a Clean and Simple card. I'm not very good at CAS cards...but that's why they call this a 'challenge'! So, without further ado, here is my CAS card:

I'm not sure WHY I picked all white...maybe it's because I'm a little stir-crazy with all the snow that we've had (we're getting ready for our 3rd blizzard of the winter coming tonight!) Great, just what we need- MORE snow! Anyway, back to the card- I used GP110 white cardstock for the entire card. I embossed one layer using my Cuttlebug and the Paisley embossing folder, then I embossed the other layer using the Dotted Swiss embossing folder. I stamped the girl duck image from Pond Friends using Memento Tuxedo Black ink and colored her feathers, beak, and feet only. I envisioned her wearing a white eyelet dress and hat. I added yellow Glitter Adornments from My Favorite Things using gem glue to each corner of the Dotted Swiss panel. So, what do you think? Clean and simple enough or too much?? I can't wait to hear your opinions!

Hop on over to the other Sherrod Studio design team members' blogs to see their CAS creations. Links to their blogs can be found in my side bar.

**Remember- for the entire month of February, I will donate $1.00 per comment to the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life in memory of my niece, Julie. See here...

Meade Girls' Challenge

Well, we're buried under about 31" of snow from a weekend Nor'Easter, so this is the perfect time to stamp!! Stacy was our last Meade Girls' challenge winner and she 'won' the opportunity to come up with our next challenge. She challenged us to create a card using red, pink and white only with at least one heart on it...well, okay, maybe I didn't read carefully since I used black on my card, too, but here's what I came up with:

The "Glamour Puss" image is from Totally Stampalicious. I stamped the image onto GP110 white cardstock using Memento Tuxedo Black ink and colored with Copic markers. The sentiment "Glamour Puss" is stamped using black Sta-zon. The card base is a 6 x 6" light pink textured card. I layered a layer of SU's Real Red then a layer of heart designed patterned paper. The black flowers are attached using glue dots and pop dots. The centers are glitter dots from Dress It Up. The original challenge said to use red, pink and white ONLY so I guess I'll be disqualified since I also used black, but I'm happy with how this turned out. I think I'll use it for a friend's birthday in a couple of weeks.

I'm also submitting this for the Totally Stampalicious challenge to use hearts on a card.

Most places aren't even dug out from the blizzard and they're forecasting ANOTHER snowstorm tomorrow which could possibly bring another FOOT of snow or more! Wish us luck!!!

Bombshell's February Sketch Challenge & CPS Sketch 153

Bombshell's resident sketch guru, Kathi, gave us this sketch challenge for February:

(This also works for CPS153) Here are the rules, simple as they are, if you'd like to play along:

This sketch can be used for more than just Valentine's Day. You can use it for "Love" cards or Anniversary cards. Plus you can change the heart to a different shape to make the card for any other purpose! The only definite rule is to have fun with it and give it some Bombshell flair!
Share your creations here, in the gallery, and over at the Bombshell Forum at PCP!

I decided to make my card for a bride-to-be. I used Bombshell's Lucky Bride stamp set. I just LOVE this bride image!

It didn't turn out quite like I had planned, although I followed the sketch very closely. The card measures 5-1/2" square. The card base and patterned paper are unknown as I received them in a large blog candy. The heart is cut from Stampin' Up's Pretty In Pink. I crumpled the heart and then flattened it out and dragged a white craft pad across it, leaving white along the crumpled parts. The eyelet punched piece is SU's Certainly Celery. The ribbons are both from Offray. The bride image is stamped onto GP110 white cardstock, colored using a combination of Copic and SU markers and cut out, popping it up on dimensionas. I used a gold spica pen on her veil and fan. I applied a stick-on light green gem to her neckline, and a larger gem to the center of the black flower.

I hope that you'll play along with us over on the Bombshell Forum. If you're not a member of the forum yet, what are you waiting for?

Remember, you could win a fabulous prize from Bombshell Stamps if you play along! Also check out Ms. February's "Wet & Wild" challenge here.

February is Julie's Month

A little over 2 years ago, we lost my 31-year old niece, Julie, to cervical cancer. She fought a long hard battle, but in the end, she lost her fight. She would have turned 34 on February 2nd. In her memory, I will donate $1.00 for each comment that I receive on my blog during the month of February to the American Cancer Society. My son, Brian, is captaining a team for our local Relay for Life event and I will donate that amount to his team. Please help me out by commenting often. If you would like to make a personal monetary donation, please visit Brian’s personal fundraising page here. Thanks for your support!

I made the following card in Julie’s memory. The adorable digi-image is called “Hope Fights” and was free from Whimsie Doodles last October during breast cancer awareness month. I used the color turquoise, because turquoise is the awareness color for cervical cancer. Remember- just because you’re a girl, doesn’t mean you can’t fight tough…and Julie did- she fought tough all the way to the end.

Julie, we love you and we miss you!

Digi-Image: Hope Fights (Whimsie Doodle)- no longer available
Papers: SU's Chocolate Chip, Tempting Turquoise, GP 110 white, "Cheeky (Making Memories)
Inks: Memento Tuxedo Black, Tempting Turquoise

Accessories: sponge, scallop oval and large oval punches (SU), pop dots, 1/16" hole punch, small turquoise brads from Recollections (Michael's)