Hope Your Day Is Fabulous

I promise leaving you hanging at the begining of the week isn't the new plan... Things have just been a little off here. I've been sick. Hubby's been sick. Work has been busy. Life has been stressful. You know the drill, I'm sure. Anyway, I did get a card made between life going on...

It's for the current CR84FN Challenge and I'm really liking how this one turned out.

Here are the DEEtails:

I started with some Whisper White cardstock, which I stamped the SU! Bliss image on in Real Red ink. Then I trimmed it down to size, added some Real Red Satin Ribbon to the top and adhered it to a Taken with Teal card. I stamped my sentiment from the PTI Signature Greetings set and added a Real Red mat. I tucked it underneath and added a doily from my stash. Then I die cut some pages from an old book with the Tasteful Trim die and formed the large scallop edge into a flower. I added a Real Red Designer Button and adhered my flower to the doily. Hope you like it!

Winner Wednesday

Sorry that this post is going up so late! I'm finally ready to announce the winner of the I {Heart} Ribbon Challenge #2! Congrats to Chris V, who created this fabulous card with lots of fun elements, including striped ribbon.

Chris, please contact me at deesignsbyninadee{at}gmail{dot}com to claim your prize!

And don't forget to bring out your green ribbon and play along with this week's I {Heart} Ribbon Challenge! I can't wait to see your creations!

Love, Fergus

I'm back this week for my usual Sunday spot at Cupcake Inspirations. Isn't this cake adorable!?

Here are the DEEtails:

I stamped the too cute Fergus the Dragon, from this week's sponsor, Wild Rose Studio. Fun! Fun! Fun! I paper pieced my little Fergus, using Greenhouse Gala and Sweet Stitches DSP. Then I used my Stampin' Write Markers to color in the flowers. I extended the line of the ground under Fegus along the bottom of my sentiment from SU!'s Messages for Mom, then matted my Whisper White card stock onto some Perfect Plum. To finish things off, I pleated some Certainly Celery Satin Ribbon.

Hope you like my ribbon treatment today! Don't forget to add some green ribbon to your card and link up to my I {Heart} Ribbon Challenge!

Happy Birthday Little Sis (Part 2)

Today sure has been busy! We're exhausted after a long day of partying with the Cuties. We went bowling and then hung out back at the house to enjoy cake, presents, and a cookout. I'm back to share the birthday gift we got for Little Sis and the card I whipped up for her this morning.

Hubby and I often buy the girls books as gifts for all the special occasions. They have a mini library with everything we've gotten them. :) So of course, it was only natural that we bought some sort of book present for Little Sis. The girls love to read, so buying them books isn't a total bore, but it's gotten to the point that when they get a book, they say, "Oh, this must be from Ker & Nina..." even when it isn't from us! So, we try to be creative with our gifting. Last Christmas, we bought them a mini fold out couch for reading of course, along with a stack of books.

We actually considered getting a non-book gift this time, but when we found the perfect gift, we couldn't resist. As I was going through some mail, we came across a flier from Hallmark, advertising their interactive storybook buddies. We instantly fell in love and just had to get this little guy.

You see, the girls love playing a little game called Raccoon, which Big Sis actually invented herself. I don't understand it entirely, but it seems to mostly involve a bad raccoon (usually grandpa) being tied up, fed and trained to be a good raccoon. The girls love it and it is quite a popular game around here. Watson the Raccoon seemed like a perfect choice for Little Sis, the birthday girl. Naturally, I had to make a card to go along.

It really didn't take much time or planning to make this little guy. I just cut the pieces by hand from Going Gray, Basic Black, and Whisper White card stock and trimmed and pieced them together as I went.

We laughed when Little Sis pulled Watson out of the gift bag and said, "Oh... a skunk...!" But soon, the interactive book and buddy were quite a hit with all of the little kiddos at the party.

Hope you're enjoying your weekend so far! We are definitely relishing the last few moments with family before we head back home...

Happy Birthday Little Sis (And A Few Spring Pics)

This week has been dreary, wet, windy, and cold... But there were a few nice moments, and the sky was actually blue on Wednesday. I popped out into my mom's garden and took a few quick photos.

Here are a couple more photos of the Weeping Cherry. I love the way the color pops against the bright blue sky!

And these little blooms coming up between the pine trees are so precious. They remind me of the first signs of spring peeking out.

This afternoon Hubby and I are heading out to celebrate our niece's 4th birthday. Boy! We just got to see the cuties for the first time since Christmas and my, how they've grown! I can't wait to spend more time with Big Sis, Little Sis, and Baby Bro today. I'll be back later to share some birthday goodies. :)

I'm So Grateful

Hi again! I'm feeling the need to make up for some of that lost time earlier in the week, so I'm back again with another card for today. This one is for the current Color Cue challenge.

DEEtails:

It's all about simplicity right now, since I'm out of town and only have a small bag of supplies with me. Here, I started with a Marina Mist card (I know it isn't quite Turquoise, but it'll have to do!). I stamped the circle image from SU!'s Apple Blossoms onto some Riding Hood Red card stock and adhered it to my card. I layered on some brown masking tape and some Baker's Twine along the side. Then I added some fun little doily embellishments from Maya Road. I simply stamped my sentiment from PTI's Signature Greetings to finish it off. Hope you like it!

Too Kind

Ooh! I am loving this week's ColourQ! Except, I didn't bring any bunny stamps with me on this trip. I seldom look at an inspiration photo and just pull colors from it, but I had to this time (by had to, I mean because I couldn't resist these fun colors and I didn't have any bunnies, even though I begged hubby to take a quick trip to the craft store), and I'm loving the outcome. I love the simplicity of the inspiration and the simplicity of the card.

Want DEEtails?

I started with a Crumb Cake card and wrapped some Baja Breeze Stitched Grosgrain Ribbon around it. Then I stamped the sweet frame from SU!'s Baby Blossoms onto some Pink Pirouette card stock. Next I stamped my sentiment, from SU!'s Whimsical Words and stamped the frame around it. This time I cut out just the center of the frame. I pulled out some cute SU! buttons, which I tied up with some Linen Thread and adhered them to my frame with glue dots. Easy Peasy! And so cute!

Sweet and Simple Hearts

I'm back with another card for today. This one is for this week's Pals Paper Arts Sketch Challenge.

Here are the DEEtails.

I started with a piece of Nursery Suite DSP and wrapped some gray ribbon and brown twine from my stash. Then I stamped some woodgrain hearts from SU!'s I {Heart} Hearts set on Going Gray, Chocolate Chip, and Basic Gray card stock and embossed them. I cut them out and adhered them to my card. I love how simple and sweet this one turned out.

Don't forget to check out the new I {Heart} Ribbon Challenge! I'm excited to see your creations!

Cheery Cherry Blossoms

I was finally able to feel well enough to create something, so today I'm posting a belated Cupcake Inspirations Challenge card.

The inspiration above is fabulous, but I was even more inspired when I looked outside in my mom's back yard. She has two variations of cherry trees in her yard, which I quickly ran out in the cold, wet, and wind to take photos of.

Gorgeous, right? Okay, so here are the DEEtails for my card:

I printed out the Cherry Blossom image from this week's sponsor, Prairie Fairy, in Crumb Cake, Pink Pirouette, and Pear Pizzazz card stock, I cut out the branches, leaves, and blossoms and adhered them all to some Bashful Blue card stock. I bent the petals on my flowers a bit so that they would pop up from the page. Then I added a Pear Pizzazz mat to my Bashful Blue and adhered it to a Pink Pirouette card. I stamped the sentiment from SU!'s Because I Care set on some Pear Pizzazz card stock, then wrapped some linen thread around one end before adhering it to my card. Hope you like it!

I {Heart} Ribbon Challenge #3

Hello friends! Sorry for disappearing on you all of a sudden! Please forgive me! I've been battling a terrible combination of tension headaches, sinus pressure, allergies, and stomach aches. Yuck! Plus, Hubby and I are back home visiting our families this week, although we haven't been up to much since I've been feeling so awful. The weather here is so gloomy and uninspiring, too. I haven't been able to do much, but I'm hoping to get back into the groove of things soon!

Today I'm here to share the new I {Heart} Ribbon Challenge - Green Ribbon.

Green is one of my favorite colors, so you'll see it pop up on my cards often. Here are a few samples of my creations using green ribbon.

Now I'm challenging you to use green ribbon on your cards! You can use a lot or a little, combine it with other ribbons, or use it alone.

Plus, right now I'm offering a Green Ribbon Share, for $10! The Green Ribbon Share will get you 2 yards each of Stampin' Up! 1 1/4" Striped Grosgrain, 1/4" Grosgrain, 5/8" Grosgrain, 5/8" Satin, 1/8" Taffeta, and 3/8" Taffeta ribbons! Choose from Certainly Celery or Old Olive (or get both!) Order your Green Ribbon Share by May 4 by e-mailing me at deesignsbyninadee{at}gmail{dot}com!

You'll have until Wednesday, May 4 to link up your Green Ribbon card. One lucky winner will win a prize pack of green ribbons from my stash and will be announced on May 11! Good luck!

Craft From the Past

Today is a busy day, so I'm sharing a craft from the past.

I bought a topiary form a while ago and was trying to decide what to do with it. Back before Christmas last year, I saw this at West Elm.

It's made by David Stark, the famous party planner and cost $24. I knew I could make it for way less. How about for $1? I got a book from the dollar store and a little bit of decopauge medium. After an hour of sticky messiness and a few hours of drying time later... Voila! David Stark Topiaries.

Two of them! For only $1. Except, they weren't made by David Stark. But honestly, I don't think the West Elm ones were made by him either - probably some worker bees in the West Elm factory. Right? Plus, I only used 15 pages of my book, so technically this project cost me less than 10 cents. How's that for a cheap project?

A Colorful Hi

Today I'm sharing my card for this week's Moxie Fab World Tuesday Trigger. Aren't these colors bright and fun?!

DEEtails:

I started with some Daffodil Delight card stock and added a piece of Whisper White card stock. Then I added some pleated Poppy Parade cardstock. The pleats were inspired by the shape of the dresser in the photo. I added a die cut scallop circle from PTI's Limitless layers, inspired by the fun mirror, and added a Whisper White circle, die cut from the same set and stamped with the sentiment from SU!'s Cute By The Inch. I tucked a piece of Daffodil Delight Striped Grosgrain ribbon underneath. For the final touch, I added some teal ruffle, inspired by the pillow in the photo. Thanks for peeking in today!

Don't forget to participate in the I {Heart} Ribbon Challenge! This week's challenge is Striped Ribbon and just a tiny bit like on this card, counts! Hope to see you there! :)

Fabulous Flowers

Today I'm the guest stamper over at Pals Paper Arts and we're eager to welcome spring and the fabulous flowers that the season brings for us!

Here are the DEEtails for my card:

I started out by punching several scalloped circles and Floral Fusion blooms out of various patterns of Sweet Stitches DSP. I crumpled them up a bit and layered them onto some Whisper White card stock, matted with So Saffron and Riding Hood Red. I liked the shape of the bouquet in the inspiration photo, so I tried to follow the shapes and sizes when I layered my flowers. Then I added some Pearl Jewels in various sizes and clusters. I stamped the sentiment from SU!'s Upsy Daisy in Riding Hood Red on some So Saffron card stock, trimmed it down to size and used a Scallop border punch along the edges. I like how the scalloped edges add a little more interest to the card. Thanks for peeking in today!

Don't forget to check out the new I {Heart} Ribbon Challenge! I can't wait to see your creations!

Winner Wednesday!

Thank you dear friends for joining me in the first I {Heart} Ribbon Challenge! I hope you had fun creating your ribbon flowers! Feel free to continue to use my Ribbon Flower DEErections to make beautiful blooms!

Congrats to Dawn Hage, the winner of the first I {Heart} Ribbon Challenge! Dawn combined a lacy stamp with black satin and rhinestones - what a fabulous combination!

Dawn, please contact me at deesignsbyninadee{at}gmail{dot}com to claim your prize!

And don't forget to bring out your striped ribbon and play along with this week's I {Heart} Ribbon Challenge! I can't wait to see what you all come up with!

April Blog Hop

Welcome to the April PALS HOP! This month, we're featuring Wonderful Wedding and Mother's Day projects for your inspiration! You've likely hopped over from Melanie Collins at Oops a Daisy Designs. I'm stop number 11 on the PALS HOP and I'm glad you hopped in! I'll help you "hop along" from blog to blog where you'll find great ideas for paper crafted creations from the Stampin' Pretty Pals! Should you hop off course, simply click on any of the links in the PALS HOP LINE-UP below and you'll be back on track!

Today I'm showcasing cards for Mother's Day for my Mom, my Step-Mom, and Mother-in-Law, three ladies who are as different as can be in style and personality. I challenged myself to use one stamp set to create three different looks that capture their style and here's what I came up with.

DEEsign 1: For My Mom

When she's not working on her sewing projects, or following my brothers on the golf course, my mom enjoys gardening. Her favorite colors are pink and red, so I incorporated them in my card. I stamped the SU! Circle Circus images on Pear Pizzazz card stock with VersaMark and heat embossed them. I punched them out with my circle punched, then lined them up on a strip of Soft Suede card stock. Then I created a pot with some Riding Hood Red card stock. I adhered everything onto some Whisper White card stock, matted with some Riding Hood Red, then tucked a piece of Pear Pizzazz stamped with the sentiment from SU!'s Messages for Mom and punched with the Corner Rounder punch. I tied on some Riding Hood Red Striped Grosgrain Ribbon on my Blushing Bride card stock, and adhered my image onto the card.

DEEsign 2: For My Step-Mom

My Step-Mom loves things bold and bright with a good dose of neutrals thrown in. I stamped various images from SU!'s Circle Circus around the SU! Messages for Mom sentiment on some Whisper White card stock. The ink colors used are Poppy Parade, Peach Parfait, More Mustard, and Soft Suede. I matted the stamped piece with some Poppy Parade and tied a bow with some Stitched Poly Twill Ribbon. Then added a second mat or Soft Suede before adhering it all to my Poppy Parade card.

DEEsign 3: For My Mother-in-Law

My Mother-in-Law thrives on a clean and crisp look, with a touch of country charm. I stamped a single image from SU!'s Circle Circus in three different colors - Daffodil Delight, Certainly Celery, and Marina Mist - onto some Whisper White card stock, then punched them out with a 1 1/4" Circle punch. I lined them up on a piece of Whisper White card stock, matted with Daffodil Delight, and adhered it to a Certainly Celery card. Then I stamped the SU! Messages for Mom sentiment on some Whisper White card stock, punched it with the Corner Rounder and matted it with some Daffodil Delight.

Hop along for more inspiring ideas from Carmen Sublasky at the Creative Stamptuary, stop number 1 on the April PALS HOP! Thanks for "hopping" by!

1. Carmen Sublasky at the Creative Stamptuary


2. Martha Stewart at Seasons of Stamping


3. Stephanie Uzee at Stampin' with Suzee


4. Barbara Chatzkel at Take Out Paper Arts


5. Joan Norris at Clearly Creative


6. Mary Fish at Stampin' Pretty


7. Sue Bendinsky at My Color Creations


8. Joanna Munster at Inspired by Stampin'


9. Mike Funke at Stampin-Style


10. Melanie Collins at Oops A Daisy Designs


11. You're Here :)

Green and Grateful

Happy Monday! Hope you all had a nice weekend. Mine was spent in bed, as I was sick. I'm still feeling a little icky, but hoping that the day will treat me well. Today's card is for the current Embellish Magazine Color Trends Challenge. I'm loving these colors.

Here are the DEEtails:

I started off with a piece of white card stock, which I ran through my Cuttlebug with the Woodgrain embossing plate from PTI. I added some fun trim that I had in my stash, then matted the piece with some Crumb Cake. I tied an Old Olive Satin bow and added some PS Chartreuse cardstock, die cut with the PTI Fillable Frame, stamped with a sentiment from PTI's Signature Greetings, and adhered with some Stampin' Dimensionals. Then I stamped a piece of PS Moss with the SU! Pendant Park image and embossed with with some white embossing powder. I punched out some MS butterflies on the viney image and adhered them with glue dots. I love how they turned out. Hope you like it too!

Psst! Hope you've got your striped ribbon ready for this week's I {Heart} Ribbon Challenge. Check it out here!

Also, it's not too late to get your hands on my lovely notecards, free with a small donation to my local band! Check out the DEEtails here.

Stampin' Pretty Sunday Spotlight

There are two posts today, so be sure to scroll down to see this week's Cupcake Inspirations creation!

Today is my lucky day! I'm being featured on Mary Fish's fabulous Stampin' Pretty blog. Mary is my upline and a fabulous source of inspiration. She is my cheerleader and is always encouraging me to push myself in the stamping and blogging world. Today I've created a card of Thanks to be showcased on her blog. I love how this card turned out.

Here are the DEEtails:

I stared off with a piece of Soft Suede card stock, stamped with SU!'s Woodgrain background stamp in VersaMark and heat embossed. I matted it with some Early Espresso then layered on lots of ribbon - first some Early Espresso Striped Grosgrain ribbon, then some Victoria Crochet Lace, and finally some pleated Old Olive Satin Ribbon. Then I tucked in a piece of Crumb Carke card stock stamped with SU!'s Thank You Kindly and punched with the decorative label punch. Finally, I added some sweet blossoms - the large flower is the smallest die cut from the Floral Fusion die and the small blooms are punched from the Itty Bitty Bits set. I added some Pearl Jewels in the centers for that special touch.

Here's a closer look:

Thanks for stopping by today! I hope you'll bring out your striped ribbon and join me in the current I {Heart} Ribbon Challenge!

From Our Gnome to Yours

One of the perks of being a Cupcake Inspirations Sweetie is getting to play with fun new images like these gnome ones from this week's sponsor, Whimsie Doodles. They're perfect for this week's Cupcake Inspiration!

DEEtails:

I started with a Bashbul Blue card and printed out several copies of the images from Whimsie Doodles in Blush Blossom, Old Olive, Poppy Parade, Soft Suede, Tempting Turquoise, and Whisper White. I cut out each piece of the image and layered them to create the picture. Everything is layered cardstock, except for the gnome's suspenders, which are colored in with Basic Black and Summer Sun Stampin' Write markers and the thread on the buttons, colored in with a Poppy Parade Stampin' Write marker. I printed out the sentiment on some Tempting Turquoise card stock and created a little banner, which I adhered to the bottom of my card. Hope you like it!

Today's card doesn't have any ribbon, but you can get your daily dose of ribbon love by participating in this week's I {Heart} Ribbon Challenge! Hope you'll play along!

Merry Music (And A Request...Plus A Giveaway!)

Along with crafting hobby, another love of mine is music. I've started playing music from a young age, but stopped once I started working full time. Just last year, I got the urge to play, and through talking with a couple of different people, I was connected with a volunteer band in our area. It was love at first song!

As a new season begins, the band members are encouraged to request donations from various businesses, family, and friends to help support our band. Today I'm asking you to consider making a donation to The Southern Maryland Concert Band. By sponsoring our band with a donation of $15 or more, you'll receive a set of note cards as a thank you gift from me.

This season is an exciting one, including titles such as Barnum and Bailey's Favorite, An American in Paris, Liberty Fanfare, and selections by Aaron Copland and some favorite Sousa marches. Our first formal concert is about a month away and we're working hard to prepare for it! Our schedule, along with additional information about the organization is available on the Southern Maryland Concert Band website. The roster and pictures are a little outdated, so you won't find any photos of me, but feel free to browse around.

To make a donation and receive your free gift, please e-mail me at deesignsbyninadee{at}gmail{dot}com. Today, I'm offering a free set of note cards for the first person who can correctly guess the instrument I play. (Hint: The sheet music used as the backdrop in the photo above was taken out of my music folder.)

UPDATE: We have a winner! Chris is correct! I play the tuba! Congrats! Please contact me to claim your prize! :) (By the way, I have played the flute and percussion before, so Kathy and Renae, you weren't too far off the mark!)

Basket of Flowers

Today I have another basket card for you. This one is for this week's Mojo Monday challenge. I simplified the sketch a bit since the basket is rather busy. Plus, I've had several requests for DEErections on how to make the basket, so here it is!

DEEtails:

I started layering some Old Olive card stock on my Pear Pizzazz card that had been tied with some Old Olive Satin Ribbon. Then I added a piece of Bermuda Bay, punched with the scallop trim. Then I made my flower basket of teal flowers and added a braided handle. Finally, I stamped my sentiment from SU!'s Live, Laugh, Love set on some Crumb Cake card stock and trimmed the edges. Hope you like it!