Ahoy Matey!

We are so happy over at Sew Many Cards to have Elizabeth Pujalka from Soft Pencil as our sponsor this week.  She has graciously donated a $15 voucher to her store for this week's challenge winner so if you haven't already made your project then come on and join us....not only could you win some wonderful SMC images but  you can also win some Soft Pencil ones as well!  Don't forget SMC has a free image every Friday so hop on over and pick up this week's to get your collection started!  Elizabeth was gracious enough to give SMC design team members some of her wonderful images to work with and I was lucky enough to get to play with this cute image called Sweet Pirate (isn't that the perfect name for him?).  You can purchase it here.  He was so fun to work with....love that fun bandana!  I used some of my SU Rockabilly design paper (that cool black satin stripe is just the back of the red).....I believe that this is one of the packs on sale in their clearance section now....it's worth checking by your SU demos site and looking at all the cool stuff on clearance right now.  Anywho....I made the sentiment on my computer and just printed it out and then cut it with my nesties...the same set I used on the image...added some ribbon and buttons and I was done.  Here are the copics I used:

Sew Many Challenges Easel Card

This week's challenge over at SMC is to make an easel card.  I used Tayla hanging on this tree which is part of the huge set you can get FREE over at Sew Many Cards with a $10 purchase....just use code MAYBONUS when you check out.  You can find more information about that here.  My Dad is going through a second round of chemo right now so I wanted to make a card to send to him (please keep him in your prayers).  I used some copper cardstock that is "locally grown" and some basic black spruced up with some wonderful patterned paper from the Juntos pack from Stampin Up (another one of my clearance purchases).  I printed my image fairly large as I wanted it to take up most of the front, I colored it with copics and then sponged with a very light blue around it to make my sky.  I used my nesties to cut out that perfect sentiment which is also part of the FREE set.  Here are the copics I used

This week our sponsor is Elizabeth Pujalka from Soft Pencil and she has graciously donated a $15 voucher to her shop to the winner of this week's challenge.  Here is a little more about Elizabeth and her shop:

"Hello everyone! my name is Elizabeth Pujalka and I´m the illustrator and designer behind Softpencil - Digital Stamps, home of Michu and his lovely friends, where you can find cute illustrations for your crafting needs.

My illustrations are a homage to the Nature and their creatures, where a sweet child, a simple flower or a fragile animal become protagonists.


I invite you to know my whimsical world plenty of gorgeous characters and to enjoy creating with them!"

So not only can you win some wonderful SMC images butyou can also win a voucher to Soft Pencil this week so what's not to love!  Don't forget there is always a free image on Fridays at Sew Many Challenges and this week is a real cutie...I hope to get something posted using that image soon!  Plus the May bonus pack is just "packed" with images and it is free with a $10 purchase.  Can't wait to see what you make!

Stitchy Stamps...is it playtime?

Isn't she gorgeous?  I just feel like I didn't do her justice as I have a hard time coloring the fine details but I had so much fun playing with this image!!  This image is from the amazing Stitchy Stamps ...her name is Playtime and you can purchase her here.  Believe it or not she is on sale for only $1.50!  I used Papertrey Ink Lemon Tart for my card base and all the other papers are from Basic Grey's Lemonade line.  We are so happy to have Stitchy Stamps as our sponsor this week at Sew Many Cards.  Be sure to join in this week's challenge and you can win not only some awesome SMC images but also some Stitchy Stamps ones, too!  Can't wait to see what you make!  See below for copics used on this project:

SMC Christmas In.....

This week over at Sew Many Challenges ....we challenge you to make a Christmas project!  Yes, I know it is only May but....how many of us end up sending out email cards over the holidays because time gets away from us?  I know....I know...I can so relate so why not get a head start and have some fun!  For my card I used this sweet heavenly Miki Christmas Angel image which you can find here.  I love a monochromatic card as I think it just automatically gives an elegant look.  I used some ivory cardstock that I bought by the ream at Office Depot or Office Max and just gave it lots of texture using my spellbinders and my cuttlebug folders.  As you will see below I didn't use much in the way of colors with my copics because I wanted to keep it a "soft" look.  I used the wonderful SU Dazzling Diamonds glitter which I love!! I then finished it off with a bow and a nice little gem in the middle!  Here are the copics I used:

We are so excited to have Stitchy from Stichy Bear Stamps sponsor our challenge this week.  She has graciously donated 3 digis of the winner's choice from her store to the winner of this week's challenge.  Here is a little bit about her:

Hi Everyone, my name is Stitchy and I create under the name Stitchy Stamps...I have been creating digital images for designers for almost a year now and try to learn something new everyday...I started out in paint shop pro about 8 years ago and started making digital scrap kits...then I was introduced to the wonderful world of paper crafts and card designing...like I said, learning new everyday, the rest is history...I can't draw enough to keep me satisfied anymore lol...

Living in a small town in upstate New York, tucked away where cable doesn't even go...friends are far and few between...But being on the internet for the past 10 years, I have gathered quite a few from around the world...Just like I learn something new everyday, I also try to meet someone new every day too...

Thank you Angela and Company for allowing me to sponsor for you...I am truly honored...

Be watching as I will be posting a project made with one of their images very soon!  Be sure to hop on over and check them out as they have lots more than just bears!  Can't wait to see your projects!!!

Friday Sketchers Sketch Challenge

This week Sew Many Cards is sponsoring Friday Sketchers and I couldn't wait to play with Angela's new release Marvin!  You can get this cute little mouse here!  I think he is just the cutest little mouse - what a sad little face!  I used the awesome sketch over at Friday Sketchers and my new Basic Grey Origins paper and this came together really fast.  Having a sketch takes so much of the work out of it for me!  It makes me think of paint by number....just fill in the papers and the image and you are good to go!  Here are the copics I used:

Would you like to win the ENTIRE line of Sew Many Cards' new releases for May AND get a coupon code for 45% off of all your SMC purchases???  Well......then you need to hop on over to Sew Many Challenges and participate in this week's Anything Goes challenge!  The only requirement this week is that you use a Sew Many Cards image and remember that there is always a free one each week so head on over to pickup this week's cutie! 

Cricut Expression Giveaway!!!

Be sure to head over to Everyday Cricut here to get your chance to win the Cricut Expression which will be given away on Sunday, May 9th....What a Mother's Day someone is going to have!!!!  Plus...while you are there be sure to check out some of the wonderful ideas....they showcase everything from cards to layouts to altered projects and they keep the motivation coming with a new project everyday!!!

KLM Basketball Player

We over at Sew Many Challenges are so excited to have Kathryn & Sue from KLM sponsor us this week and I am honored to get to work with this super cute little guy!  He is part of a set called Sporty Shorties which you can purchase here.  He is so easy to color and I'll show you the copics I used below.  I had some bright team sport papers from a pack I picked up a long time ago in the $1 bin at Target that I thought would be perfect for this project (blue and the team print).  I cut the stars out using my cricut and paper scraps from a DCWV stack (sorry I can't remember which one it came from).  I also used my cricut to cut out my basketball.  Be sure and check out KLM's digital images as they have a huge variety over there!  Hope to see you join us in our challange at Sew Many Challenges!!!

Easter Layout

I saw this layout  by Monique Griffith on her fun blog here and had to get my new Easter Cricut cartridge out and try it myself.  I love those sweet little animals and that beautiful dish to hold the Easter eggs.  My daughter wasn't too thrilled with the Easter bunny but I just had to scrap this picture.  I put the "Hawaii" in the grass because we are military and move alot so I always like to denote on my page where we were living at the time.  Hope you enjoy!

Cloudy With A Chance of ......

This week's challenge at Sew Many Cards is Anything Goes!  I've been itching to work with this cute little airplane which you can purchase here.   I used my Hero Arts Clouds background stamp and then my Martha Stewart scallop punch to create a layering of clouds along the bottom.  The red saddle stich ribbon is some that I found at a local craft supply warehouse - love it!  The hello greeting is from a SU set called Tiny Tags and I used the coordinating jewelry tag punch to punch it out.  The base cardstock is SU Bermuda Bay and PTI Pure Poppy.  There is a banner included in this digital image set but I opted not to use it and replaced it with my "loopy" string.  As a matter of fact this set has 3 images included:  2 different banner sentiments and then a blank one for you to create your own if you choose.  This image is really fun to work with!  Here are the copics I used:

We are so excited to have Kathryn & Sue from KLM Designs to sponsor again this week!  Just in case you missed them before here is a little information about KLM Digi Stamps:

KLM Digi Stamps (KLM Designs) was started by a Mother & Daughter team. Kathryn (owner of KLM Digi Stamps) and Sue (Company’s artist) started designing digital stamps for their own creations. After much response & excitement to their designs they formed KLM Digi Stamps.

KLM carry’s a large selection of designs from clowns, which are the company’s signature design to digital sentiments. All images are delivered ZIP format. Each image file contains JPEG and PNG format files. Images can be resized, reversed and altered to your likings.

The winner of this week's Sew Many Cards Challenge not only wins SMC images but also will get three digital images of their choice from KLM Designs Store!  So come on over and bring your projects and join us for Anything Goes!  Don't forget to pick up your Friday Freebie and....to take advantage of the April Special Image Set free with a $10 order as it will be replaced in a short few days!

The Cutting Cafe (Beautiful Blooms)

We are so excited over at Sew Many Cards to have Regina Easter from The Cutting Cafe sponsoring us again this month.  Talk about some talent....this lady and her design team are AWESOME!  I am honored to get to work with a set called Beautiful Blooms.  This set contains so many beautiful flowers and your choice of different vases, pots and containers plus....different sentiments.  Everything you need to make a beautiful card all in one set.  I printed the bouquet of flowers out and then cut around them (please, don't look too close as there is a reason you don't see me do much fine detail cutting).  I then printed the terra cotta pot out and colored it, then layered on my flowers with dimensionals.  That grass is some scrap green cardstock I had in my stash cut with the new Martha Stewart fringe scissors.  Most of you could do this easily with your regular scissors but as I hinted to above my cutting abilities are seriously lacking....hence why I love all the cutting tools (he! he!).  The cardstock colors in my base are Gina K. Designs Pure Luxury Cardstock in Sweet Corn and SU's Dusty Durango.  The patterned paper I used is from My Mind's Eye Bloom and Grow collection.  The ribbon is American Crafts.  Here are the copics I used:

If you haven't already checked out The Cutting Cafe then be sure to head on over there as you will be seriously motivated.  Also be sure to head on over to Sew Many Challenges to see what we have going on this week! 

Sunshine Stamps

We are thrilled to have Rob and Christina from Sunshine Stamps as our sponsor this week at Sew Many Challenges.  I had so much fun playing with this cute image named Hopscotch.  I again used the Farm Fresh paper from October Afternoon (lovin it!).  I felt it suited this image perfectly!  I used my computer to print my sentiment and then punched it using the word window punch from SU and then layered that on to the modern label punch also from SU.  I cut my carrots on my Cricut using the From My Kitchen cartridge and then I did some embossing on them with my cuttlebug and tied some string around them.  I cut my image and then background oval with my Nestabilities (love those, too).  As always, I colored this image with my copics ... it seems I don't get anything else out anymore....here are the colors I chose:

                                     

Sew Many Cards Mother's Day Sketch Challenge

This week's challenge over at Sew Many Challenges is to make a Mother's Day project using the sketch which you can find on the challenge blog here.  I chose this new image called Girl with Hearts which you can purchase here.  I wanted to make a really soft vintage"y" card.  I used some papers from the Dewfrost collection by Memory Box, Inc. and I love blues and browns together.  I added a little ricrac and some Kaiser pearls with some flowers I picked up at Ben Franklin and using my Cricut to diecut the letters for MOM and backed it all with some SU Baja Breeze.  Here are the copics I used - sorry for the fuzzy picture:

We are so excited to have Christina and Rob from Sunshine Stamps as our sponsor this week.  They have graciously donated 3 images of the winners choice from their store to this week's challenge winner!  Here is a little bit about Christina and Rob:

Sunshine’s Stamps is the brainchild of Christina {Sunshine} and Rob. Angus Argus was launched into the paper crafting world on June 27th, 2009 and the rest as they say is history! We have a wide variety of stamps in our inventory - all of which are hand drawn by either Sunshine or Rob.

We love to “sunshine” masculine vehicles and give them personality. We also have our signature image - Sunny Bunny - who will continue to be altered to celebrate all holidays and occasions. If you have a suggestion for a Sunny Bunny send us an e-mail and we will happily consider it! Whether it’s a card for your husband, boyfriend, man-cub or daughter, wife etc. we have an image that will suit your crafting needs! Our images are constantly evolving and are unique in the paper crafting world. We are very pleased to say that we respond to customer suggestion on images and sentiments. If you have an idea for an image or sentiment that you cannot find elsewhere on the web let us know. We will respond to all suggestions and let you know if its "doable". Finally,


be sure to hop to our blog http://sunshinesstamps.blogspot.com/ to check out our wonderful design team "Sunshine's Dream Team" blogs! We are so very proud of our gals! They are all rock stars and continue to create amazing cards and projects to showcase our imagesand to inspire you all to create!!

I hope to see you participating in our challenge this week!  Can't wait to see what you make! 

HUGE Sew Many Cards Sale

OK.....a little enabling here but it is a SUPER GREAT deal!!!  Angela has just announced a special sale at the Sew Many Cards store that I don't want you to miss out on.  She has put together some special packages and you can get ALL the 2009 or ALL the 2010 images produced so far this year which is ALOT for just $25.  There are lots of other specials also and you can get more info here.  Be sure while you are over there to sign up for the newsletter if you haven't already so you will be the first to read about all the specials and receive any special coupon codes!!!  Hurry as this is only available for a few short days.

Did you notice my new profile photo?  Isn't that cool?  Angela drew that for me!!!  I'm so excited as I think it is so FUN!!!  Be watching for more about that!!

Stitchy Stamps

I am so excited to share this project with you today!  I had the honor of playing with this beautiful image from Stitchy Stamps, this week's sponsor over at Sew Many Challenges.   This gorgeous cross is called Fall Blessings and you can purchase it here.  As this image just seemed to stand alone I didn't add any patterned papers.  I used Gina K. Designs Sweet Corn Pure Luxury cardstock and the blue is Bermuda Bay from SU.  The flowers are from K & Company and I used my copic marker to color the top ones and added a little bling and wove in some ribbon.  I used my Scor Pal to add a little dimension and punched out some leaves with a hand punch I have had for quite some time.  Hope you like it!  Here are the copics I used on this one: