Humble Pie Challenge:Use those Die Cuts!

(I have two posts today!! If you are looking for the Kraftin' Kimmie Preview, just click just scroll up or click here!!)

The new challenge over at Humble Pie Stamps today is to use die cuts...they can be done with Spellbinders, Cuttlebug, Sizzix, Cricut, etc. The Bakers however, have all used Spellbinders on their creations this week. Why?? Well, because Phebe carries a wonderful assortment of Spellbinders at The Town Scrapper!! If she does not have the particular set you want, she is more than willing to order it in for you! I recently ordered a couple of sets, and she had them in very quickly!

For my card this week, I have used a brand new Humble Pie image that was previewed last week on the Humble Pie Blog. This is Angel Maggie...she will be available soon as a stamp, but you will only be able to find her at The Town Scrapper!

I paired Angel Maggie up with papers from TCP and Coordinations. I used a few different Spellbinders sets: Fleur de Lis, Fancy Tags and an Oval. The flowers are Prima Hydrangeas and I added a jewelry spacer to the largest flower. Phebe carries both the flowers and the spacers. (She also has a great selection of charms too!) The sentiment is from Amy R. Thank-You Sentiments by CC Designs (another company Phebe carries at The Town Scrapper).


Now, hop on over to the Humble Pie blog to see what the rest of the Bakers have made this week for inspiration! You do not need to use a Humble Pie image, but if you have some, please go ahead and ink them up...we'd love to see them! The Humble Pie Stamp line is exclusive to the Town Scrapper.

Have you gone out to The Town Scrapper recently? Well, Phebe's amazing sale of buy one, get the second of equal or lesser value for 50% off ends February 14, 2010!! So you still have a bit of time. Don't miss out stampers!

Blessings,

Melanie

Humble Pie Challenge: Bling Bling!!

Break out your Stickles, rhinestones, glitter, spritzes, glitter paper...whatever sparkles and shines in your stash, because we are asking for projects featuring lots of bling (at least two different kinds) for the new Humble Pie Challenge this week!


I pulled out this Humble Pie image of Maggie holding a strawberry. I stamped her on Neenah cardstock and coloured her with Copic markers. The papers I used are from the new Basic Gray "Sugar Rush" collection (available now at The Town Scrapper!!). I found this fabulous rhinestone swirl at the dollar store (I do love a good bargain!!). I also used clear Dew Drops which I coated with Christmas Red Stickles. It is hard to see on the picture, but I used a Copic Spica pen to shimmer up Maggie's eyes and also to add highlights to the strawberry.




This sentiment is actually from a digital set from Sweet 'n Sassy stamps ("Cupcake Sentiments")...but I felt it was just perfect for making this Maggie stamp work for Valentine's Day!!
So come and play along with us this week! You could be the lucky winner of a prize from The Town Scrapper, exclusive home to Humble Pie stamps!! Hop on over to Humble Pie to find out more details!

Blessings!

Melanie

Stamps: Humble Pie "Maggie with Strawberry", Sweet 'n Sassy Digi Stamps "Cupcake Sentiments"
Ink: Copic markers
Paper: DCWV cardstock, Neenah cardstock, Basic Gray "Sugar Rush"
Embellishments: Dew Drops, Stickles, Dollar Store rhinestone swirl.

Humble Pie Challenge: Classic Black & White (plus an accent colour!)

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! 2010...can you believe it?? Why is it the older you get, the faster time flies by? lol I would like to take this chance to wish you all the very best in the new year!

Well, to start the new year off, we have a brand new challenge over at Humble Pie. This week, we are putting forth a colour challenge...black, white and ONE accent colour. Now, I have to admit that I didn't have much in the way of black and white paper, which kind of surprised me, as I love black and white cards! What a shame...I had to go out shopping for some! lol I found this fabulous Daisy Bucket paper. Actually, I picked up several different patterns. I also got a chance to break out my brand-spankin'-new oval Nesties for the focal image! I used my Labels 8 to make a shaped card. I chose to use Flower Maggie as the image for my card. I was inspired by all those pictures of kids in black and white, where only a bit of the image is highlighted with a colour. So, I used a red Copic marker to colour just the flower...and to add a touch of colour to her cheeks. The ribbon is recycled from a Christmas present.

I hope you get a chance to play along over at Humble Pie this week! Hop on over there to see the winner from the last challenge, and to see the examples from the rest of the Bakers! Remember, if you are on the hunt for some Humble Pie images, you will only find them at The Town Scrapper. Give Phebe a call, or send her an email for more info!

Hope to see you back soon stampers! Remember, I still have SECRETS to reveal!!

Blessings,

Melanie

Humble Pie Tag or Bookmark Challenge

Oh, we are so close to Christmas! Why does December fly by so quickly?? Hope you all are ready. I know that the stores are NOT a place I want to be right now! Too hectic.

So, this will be our final challenge over at Humble Pie before Christmas. So make sure to join in...you could be our winner! How merry!

We are asking you to make a tag or a bookmark. I loved this challenge! It was a lot of fun to work on a smaller scale. I picked up some wooden tags at Michaels, and adhered the DP with Glossy Accents. I then sanded the edges, and got to work on the designs!

For my first tag, I wanted to go for a vintage feel. I stamped Maggie on Neenah and coloured her with Copics (as I did for the image on the next tag too). The DP with the ornaments is DCWV, but unfortunately I forgot to record the company of the green plaid DP. I really have to stop doing that!! I sanded these papers...A LOT! I then attached Maggie, and gave her a good sanding too. Now, this did stress me out a bit to scratch up an image I had just worked on for a while...but I HOPED the end result would be worth it! I really wanted this to appear old. After sanding, I applied Distress Ink in Antique Linen to the edges of the tag, and then all over the entire project. I just kept layering the ink until I was happy with it. Maggie is now quite muted, and hopefully looks as though she is from a very old children's storybook. I also applied Distress Ink to my ribbon to coordinate with the now antiqued papers. Finally, I added some rub-ons that say "Ho Ho Ho"...however, they are not showing up well in the photograph!

For my second tag, I wanted something brighter. I pulled out this cute Humble Pie snowman for this tag. The DP is DCWV, and the white cardstock is Bazzill. The "snow" layer was coated with Polar White Flower Soft. The sentiment is made from a rub-on alphabet from the dollar store. Oh, that ribbon is a dollar store find too! I finished it off with a few snowflakes punched from glittery cardstock.

Each of these tags only took me about fifteen to twenty minutes to assemble...not including colouring time! However, if you have a bunch of pre-coloured images, then this could be a great challenge to help use them up! Hop on over to the Humble Pie blog to play along. Remember, you do not have to use a Humble Pie image, but we do love to see them if you have them!!

Don't forget about Phebe's sale out at the Town Scrapper...buy one, get one of equal or lesser value for 50% off!! Hmmm....how I would love a Town Scrapper stocking! lol. Phebe carries terrific products, so make sure you give her a call, or send her an email!

Blessings,

Melanie

Humble Pie Challenge : Dry Embossing Post #2 for today!! (Don't forget to keep scrolling down for the 1st!!)

My goodness, can you believe it is December 11 already?? Only two weeks until Christmas...are you ready? If not, you should probably kick it into high gear!

I've been busy with so many projects lately, that I was able to post TWICE today! Under this post, you will find some cards and information on a fundraiser we've been holding at our church. Feel free to take a gander at that post while you are here! (although, maybe grab a coffee first!)

Well, with another Friday comes another Humble Pie challenge! This week we are looking for projects featuring dry embossing. For this, I pulled out my trusty Cuttlebug. This is a tool I highly recommend adding to your crafting room. I chose this cute little snowman from the latest Humble Pie release. Remember, the only place you can find Humble Pie stamps in at The Town Scrapper.




I stamped the snowman...or perhaps it's a snowgirl in this case!...on Neenah cardstock and coloured her with Copic markers. The background was embossed with the Swiss Dots folder and highlighted with blue ink. That Polar White Flower Soft somehow found it's way onto this card too! lol I also used some Spellbinders Labels to cut out my focal mats. Spellbinders are another of my favourites! Not only do they cut, but they also emboss your paper and can act as a stencil too. The purple strip of Bazzil Bling (which was also used as the card base) was embossed with the Swirls folder. The DP is from a Christmas DCWV stack. The sentiment was printed off my computer. As a finishing touch, I added some flat-backed rhinestones for a bit of bling.



So, hop on over to Humble Pie and link up your project for a chance to win a great prize. You do not have to use a Humble Pie image, but if you do have them then we'd love to see them!

Have a fantastic Friday!

Melanie

Humble Pie Challenge and a SALE!!!

Happy Friday! No card in this post...just a quick note! (I hope to be back soon with something I've been working on!)

Hop on over the the Humble Pie blog for the new challenge, and to find out if you won last week! This week, we are calling for altered items. Remember, you DO NOT need to use a Humble Pie image, but if you have them, by all means ink those babies up!!

You will only find the Humble Pie line at The Town Scrapper. Give Phebe a call. She also has a great SALE going on: Buy one item, get the second of equal or lesser value for 50% off!!! Time to stock up stampers! Phebe will be running this sale until the middle of January 2010! As a note, The Town Scrapper will be close from December 11 to December 21, 2009. Happy shopping!

Melanie

Snowflake Medallion: Humble Pie Challenge

Happy Friday!! Hope your week was great. Friday brings about another challenge over at the Humble Pie blog. This week, Baker Maria has challenged us to make a circle card. For my card, I have used one of the brand new Christmas images from the Sweetie Pie line, exclusively available at The Town Scrapper. I love snowmen, so I was excited to colour this friendly snow gent up! I love how he has a strand of Christmas lights wrapped around him!

So, I used my scalloped circle Nesties to make the card base with Coordination cardstock. The design paper behind the snowman is from my Christmas stash (I have so many papers in this stash!). I decided to recycle an empty ribbon spool for the top layer. With this added dimension, I was able to tuck in some of my new Spellbinders Snowflakes to make a medallion. This was my first go at making one of these, and I have to admit, I didn't get the spacing quite right! So insert a bow and an extra snowflake and voila! No empty spaces! (hee hee). I've had fellow cardmakers tell me that the tiny imperfections we see in our creations show that they are actually handmade! I think that's a great way to look at things!

Snowmen are so easy to colour! Just a little shading, and you're done. I used my Copics. Now, what is a Christmas card without sparkle?? I added Polar White Flower Soft for snow, Frosted Lace Stickles to the snowflakes and Start Dust Stickles to the light bulbs. The snowman's hat also received a coat of Glossy Accents. The little brad on the snowflake is from Bo Bunny. That bow was tied with my Bow Easy. Funny story, the first time I used this fabulous little creation I was so confused! It was definitely the Bow-Not-So-Easy! I had two friends over stamping at the time, and we were not able to figure this gadget out! There are some fabulous tutorials on-line (You-Tube) which will clarify the instructions for you! Now, I definitely recommend this tool...you will love it once you learn how to use it!

Here is a side shot of the card, so you can see how it was assembled:

Now hop on over to Humble Pie to play along this week. You DO NOT need to have a Humble Pie image to play...but if you have one, go on and ink it up! There is always a great prize to win from The Town Scrapper, home of the Humble Pie stamp line. While there, why not become a follower so you will not miss out on any news from the Humble Pie Kitchen!

What are your plans for the weekend? Not that much time until Christmas folks, so best to start that shopping now! I always hope to have things done by the end of November so that I can just sit back and enjoy December. So far, I have not yet reached that goal...so maybe this year!

Blessings!

Melanie

One card...three challenges!!

Happy Friday stampers!

I confess...I am quickly becoming addicted to challenges! I really enjoy looking at all the participants projects and seeing how different the interpretations of the challenge rules are. Wow, there are some talented papercrafters out in blogland!

So, I made this card for the following challenges:

1. Stampin' Sisters in Christ Challenge #9 : Based on Luke 2:11, make a project featuring the nativity or other theme about Christ's birth.
2. High Hopes Challenge #49 : Non-traditional Christmas Colours
3. Kraftin' Kimmie's Challenge #2 : Who's Got Some Buttons!

This adorable nativity scene is from High Hopes stamps. I love this stamp! I decided to go with shades of teal (yes, I know it looks more blue in the pictures, but in real life it's teal!) for my non-tradition colour choice. I absolutely love teal! I also wanted to do a card with a lot of sparkle. So, I started with a card base of deep teal and sponged the edges with white ink. The nativity image is recessed in that window (not sure if the dimension is showing in this pic), which was cut with my Nesties. The DP is from a Christmas pack I picked up last year, but the cover fell off so I have no idea of the company! lol This card also features some dollar store treasures...the snowflake and the word "hope". I picked up a pack of these super sparkly snowflakes, so you might just see some more in the future! That little wooden "hope" was painted white and then generously coated with some beautiful white sparkle. I also coated some buttons with some Martha Stewart glitter in a deep blue...love that colour of glitter! Finally I added some little rhinestones on the DP. Can I just tell you that I was a glittery mess when done with this card! lol It was on my face, in my hair, on my clothes!!!






Here's a closeup of the image. As always, it was stamped on Neenah cardstock and coloured with Copics.

I loved making this card! Christmas is just my favourite season, and I love making projects that focus on true meaning of Christmas. What a beautiful quiet moment we can peek in on, with Mary, Joseph and the little baby Jesus.

Make sure to find time to get inky this weekend!

Blessings,

Melanie

Don't forget about the next Humble Pie challenge!

Pop on over to Humble Pie Stamps to play along in the new challenge this week. We are asking for a Halloween-themed non-card project! Hmmm...can you think outside the card?? There are some great projects posted by the DT to inspire you! You DO NOT need a Humble Pie image to participate, but if you do have one...ink it up! You can also find out who the winner of last week's challenge is.

Have fun!

Melanie

Humble Pie Challenge: Buttons and Bling!

Happy Friday morning stampers!! The challenge this week over at Humble Pie is to create a project that includes "buttons and bling", both of which I love!!


For my card this week I used the Haunted House image from Humble Pie stamps. I stamped the house on Neenah cardstock and coloured it with Copic markers (do you all get tired of hearing me say that??!!) The sign on the door says "Keep Out", so I thought it would be fun to add a silhouette up in the attic window...the only room with a light on. Creepy? Enough to keep you out? Mwa ha ha ha. Ok...I don't do scary well! But hey, I tried!

Take a look:

I love the shows on TV where they do house makeovers, and I've seen some that just focus on the "curb appeal" of the house. It is from these shows that I drew the inspiration for my card! I am just imagining the look on a prospective buyer's face when their real estate agent shows them this little gem! The little "For Sale" sign is hand-drawn...didn't have a stamp for that!! The sentiment is my own, printed off my computer. As for the required buttons and bling elements, well I decided to "bling" my "buttons"! I coated some buttons with Glossy Accents and covered them with some Martha Stewart glitter in onyx. I did the same with the little rhinestones on the sentiment. I also added some Stickles to the little ghost die cuts. The "creepy" ribbon is a dollar store find. The fabulous orange paper with the trees if from Reminisce, and I THINK the striped paper is Bo Bunny...but I forgot to check before I glued the piece with the company name on it to my card! (lol...oops!) I also snipped the edges of my cardstock to create grass. Everything was distressed with a dark green ink.

So, head on over to Humble Pie to play along this week. You could win an awesome prize!!

ETA: Don't have a Humble Pie stamp yet?? You can feel free to use ANY image for now, as long as you are following the rules for the challenge (buttons and bling) this week! If you would like to get your hands on one of these great stamps, contact Phebe at The Town Scrapper! If you win this week, you will receive some "Maggie Bucks" to spend at the Town Scrapper on Humble Pie stamps! So go get inky!!

Have a fantastic Friday!

Melanie