Dare To Be Sassy Thursday #105 - Shaped Card

I'm here with a quick post for the new Dare To Be Sassy Thursday challenge over at Sassy Studio Designs. I know I've been quiet, and I apologize but I have been taking a much needed hiatus from my busy, busy life to relax and recharge this week. I have actually watched 3 movies and started reading a book (Something I haven't done since before my son was born over 2 years ago! And I used to be an avid reader, even working part-time at a book store.) But I did need to do a little crafting. As much as I've been enjoying the couch time, time at my desk is good for the soul too.

This card is for DTBST #105 - Shaped Card. No square or rectangle cards allowed. We want to see you get creative here! I have used one of my Nestabilities dies (Labels Seventeen) to achieve this fabulous shape! The image is French Maid from the Sassy Studio Designs Halloween collection. I thought she'd also be perfect for a Valentine's Day card. She is colored with Copics and fussy cut. I've kept it pretty simple, just adding a few flowers and a feather. The sentiment is from a My Favorite Things Who's That Girl set called Maid for You and was too perfect to resist!

Thanks for stopping by! We hope you'll play along! You don't have to use a SSD image to enter, but we love it when you do! In case I don't get back on here this week, I want to wish everyone a safe, happy, wonderful new year!

{hugs}
Regan

Graphicat Sketches December Challenge

Aaaannnd, I'm back! Here is another Christmas card I made this week, featuring Spritz from Saturated Canary! Isn't he adorable?!?! I recently discovered his fabulous creator, Krista Smith, and have already amassed a lovely little collection of her whimsical digital images! This card went to my son's day care provider along with an itunes gift card and a handmade ornament.

I am entering it for the December challenge over at Graphicat Sketches. We were challenged to pick any of their past sketches to work with this month. And get this: The prize is a guest designer spot! How fabulous is that? This is my second entry as I would love to have a go at that! The sketch I used is shown above. I couldn't figure out what month it was from and it's just labeled Sketch 2 so we'll go with that. I have a thing for doilies and muse tickets this week! All items are from my stash. Designer paper is once again from a retired Stampin' Up holiday pack. I've added some Stickles to Spritz's wings and my Clear Star pen gives the icicle border punch a little sparkle too.

Before it gets any later I must go get started on this holiday To Do List. I am running on only 3 hours of sleep and I have another long night ahead of me. Wrapping, baking, and crafting all need to get accomplished before I can close these eyes. I hope you are done with your holiday preparations and can relax and enjoy, but if you are like me and are in panic mode, take a minute, breathe, grab an egg nog or a peppermint hot chocolate, put on some Christmas music and have at it! And good luck getting everything done!

Wishing you all the magic that Christmas brings!

{hugs}
Regan

The Sweet Stop - Sketch #139

Hello and Merry Christmas! I know I've been scarce this month and I apologize. It's that most wonderful time of the year where we are all busy, busy, busy! I have been crafting, baking, shopping, and wrapping like a mad woman all month! And now it's crunch time! There is going to be a marathon baking and crafting session going on tonight! But before I dive head first into the holiday madness, I wanted to share a card I made today. It was a request from a co-worker for his wife, and I have to say I was pleased with the end result. Some days you've got mojo, others not so much! lol Today was a mojo day!

I used the sketch #139 from The Sweet Stop, but apparently they already picked their featured cards for the challenge. I'm not sure why they would do so before the challenge closes, but it's the holidays so I'll cut them some slack! :) I rotated the sketch to accommodate my image and added a few extra embellishments to give it my own personal character. My image is from a set by My Favorite Things, called Santa Baby. I love their Who's That Girl line! I paper pieced the clothes on Santa and his holiday honey. I also used bits of cotton ball on Santa's beard and "fur" trim. The rest is colored with Copics. Paper are from an old retired Stampin' Up pack. The rest of the goodies are from my stash. I've been infatuated with these Tim Holtz muse tokens lately!

Despite being over-tired I am really looking forward to this weekend! IF I can get through the next 20 hours of holiday prep first, that is! lol Thanks for stopping by! I did make two other cards this week so I'll try to get those posted shortly as well.

May your merry be very!

{hugs}
Regan

i{heart}2stamp December 2011 Sketch

Hello and happy holidays! In the midst of all this festive craziness I received an order for a special card. The request was for a "Happy You're Here" card to celebrate the anniversary of a sibling's adoption. I thought it was the coolest thing! I was told he liked vintage VW Bugs so I searched for some clip art, a fun sketch - i{heart}2stamp's December 2011 layout - and added those awesome miniature tires I got from Michaels for a buck as part of a model car kit. The punch buggy is colored with Copics and Prismacolor Art Markers. A white gel pen adds some highlights on the hood. I also added some clear glaze to the window and used my Sakura CLear Star Gelly Roll glitter pen on the rims and bumper. Papers are from the Dots, Spots, and Stripes stack by DCWV. I did rotate the sketch to accommodate my image and added the computer generated sentiment.

With Christmas now only 10 days away I have SO much to do! I still have not mailed my holiday cards and not a single present is wrapped! However, I've been having a wonderful time at night cuddling and watching Christmas specials with my small man so I figure a little stress is a small price to pay.

Thanks for stopping by and I hope your holiday preparations are shaping up nicely!

{hugs}
Regan

The Corrosive Challenge #139 - Anything EXCEPT Christmas and a Design Team Call

Welcome to the last Corrosive Challenge of the year! And since it falls on the Sunday after my company holiday party, this post is going to be brief. I am scheduling it ahead of time since I do not believe I will be functional come tomorrow morning! lol And since I am running late and haven't even begun to get ready for a party that starts in less than an hour, I'd best get moving!

So on to the challenge.... We are giving you a free pass from making holiday stuff. We want to see Anything EXCEPT Christmas! No holiday cheer here, thank you! We're also looking to expand our design team for 2012. If you are interested all you have to do is add "DT" after your name when you link your project. Candidates who are selected will be contacted via e-mail after the 1st of the year. I hope you'll play along with our fa-la-la-free challenge!

We have a new sponsor since it is a new month, and we'd like to welcome Krista Smith of Saturated Canary! Check out her etsy.com shop for all her adorable and whimsical images! I have selected Whispy, a Fairy for my card. I'm a fan of Krsita's work anyway, but this image she was kind enough to provide specifically for this challenge. I made a "Thinking of You" card. She is colored with Copics and Prismacolor Art Markers. Papers are from My Mind's Eye, a darling little pad called So Sophie - Graceful. Only cost me $2 for the 24 sheet 6x6 pad! How could I resist? Flowers and pearls are from my stash and I used my Martha Stewart punch to add some white branches.

My sketch is an old one from Graphicat Designs, but this month's challenge is to select any of their previous sketches. I went with July. The prize is a spot on their design team. I love Cheri's layouts, wicked sense of humor, and fabulous digi and clear stamps so I have to participate! For all the details, visit her challenge blog here.

I hope you've enjoyed my creation! I appreciate you stopping by and love hearing from my visitors! And please visit The Corrosive Challenge blog to see what delights my design team mates have to share with you, too! Enjoy your Sunday and have a crafty day!

{hugs}
Regan

Tickled Pink Stamps Challenges #49 - Shabby Chic

Another Thursday already? Before we know it Christmas will be here! But right now it's time for another Tickled Pink Stamps Challenge. This week the theme is SHABBY CHIC. I love this style, though I don't often create it. But I had fun today with Tickled Winter Snowflake Fairy Nadine! I went white on white with lots of texture and bling. Nadine was colored with Copics. (I've asked Santa for some new colors, and I've been a very good girl this year!) And not even a scrap of designer paper was used! That's almost unheard of for me! lol I used three different Cuttlebug embossing folders instead. The bling is all Recollections from Michaels and the hardware is Tim Holtz.

If you want some photo inspiration head over to the Tickled Pink Stamps Challenges blog where you will also find gorgeous creations from my fellow design team mates. If you'd like to play along for your chance to win one TPS digital image of your choice, simply use a Tickled Pink Stamps image (including Lil Lolitas and Lads, Lil Pinkettes, Pink Pets, and Cherrie all found here in the TPS online store) and link up your creation using the InLinks tool you'll find there.

My layout is courtesy of this week's The Deconstructed Sketch (#30). I just love this sketch challenge blog, though sadly I don't always have time to play along. But check out this fun blog! Not only are Jen's sketches fabulous, but so are her creations! It's well worth the visit!

Besides being crafty and making this card, I also made a batch of my peppermint candy cane sugar cookies last night for work today. It's National Cookie Exchange Week, and of course all the gals felt that was worth observing! This weekend will be filled with more holiday festivities, including shopping, wrapping, and my work holiday party. It's a big, fancy deal with loads of amazing food! And adult beverages too! lol So look for my Corrosive Challenge post on Sunday, but know it will have been pre-scheduled and I'll most likely still be in bed!

Thanks for stopping by and hope you have a fun, festive weekend planned as well!

{hugs}
Regan

Sassy Studio Designs Sponsorship: Frosted Designs

Sassy Studio Designs is sponsoring a fabulous sketch challenge (#7) over at Frosted Designs! If you would like a chance to win 4 SSD images of your choice head on over to check out their design team's inspiration (many using Sassy images) and link up your creation before December 18th.

I chose to use Glowing Gwen for my project. I missed a baby shower for my cousin's wife so my mom and I will send her a little something inside this card. This was a fun sketch to work with! I love the circle elements! The image is colored with a combination of Copics and Prismacolor Art Markers. Card stock is Stampin' Up and the cute designer paper is from a DCWV stack called Nana's Kids. Most of my embellishments are courtesy of Michaels' Recollections line. Though I think the "Love" charm is Making Memories. I can't be positive as I found it loose in my stash. The sentiment is from a My Favorite Things set called Baby Bump, and I altered it slightly so it would fit inside the size circle die I wanted to use.

I have more crafting to do this week and hope I can get it all in with everything else that is going on! It's National Cookie Exchange Week and I instigated a cookie a day swap at work. My turn is Thursday and I will be whipping up my Candy Cane Sugar Cookies. I have the butter out to soften now so I can make the dough when I get up. On top of it all I have to pick up the lay-a-way from the toy store, do some other shopping, and my company holiday party is on Saturday so there will be some primping required for that, of course! I'm sure I'll manage to squeeze it all in somehow, but I'm going to be very tired come Sunday! lol

I hope your holidays are shaping up to be fabulous so far! Thanks for stopping by and please check out the challenge at Frosted Designs when you can!

{hugs}
Regan

Dare To Be Sassy Thursday #101 - Christmas Sparkle

December has finally arrived and holiday preparations are in full swing here! I can't believe the countdown to Christmas has begun... I'm in good shape with cards as not everyone gets a hand-made one. I do photo cards of the small man as well, of course! We had them taken at Target again this year, with Santa, and despite having a less than cooperative child, I was pleased with the end result. I really like their work there, and with a coupon the prices aren't all that bad. Plus I earned $50 off a future purchase! Woo hoo! Their customer service is excellent - without hesitation they re-ordered my cards TWICE due to typos and then gave me free photos when I came in to pick them up! Impressive! And I work in customer service so I should know!

But anyway, enough about THOSE cards and on to this one! It's time for another Dare To Be Sassy Thursday over at Sassy Studio Designs and this week the theme is Holiday Sparkle! We want to see your creations sparkle, shimmer, and shine! It could be glitter, jewels, foil.... whatever pretty, shiny things you have in your crafty stash is okay by us! I opted for glittered designer paper and adhesive rhinestones. The image is a sweet one from last year's holiday collection simply called "The Nutcracker". She is colored with Copics and Prismacolor Art Markers and the highlights on her dress are a white gel pen. I embossed one panel with snowflakes and added a few flowers and punched branches for texture. The layout is courtesy of MMSC132 over on the priscillastyles blog. The Midnight Madness sketches always have two versions to choose from, and I selected the fancy one here.

Please stop by the Sassy Studio Designs blog for all the challenge details on how you can play along to win 2 Sassy Studio Designs images of your choice. You don't have to use a SSD image to play along, but we love it when you do! Also, you'll want to check out the lovely creations of my fellow design team mates while you're there! Plus don't forget to check out the December Sassy Christmas Challenge, which started today!

I hope you are all having a fabulous week so far! Thanks for taking the time to visit! I love hearing from you so please feel free to leave a comment! I {heart} them! lol Enjoy your day and happy crafting!

I'd also like to enter my card into the following challenges:

• Cooking It Up With Katie: #86 - Anything Goes
• Digi Stamps 4 Joy: #33 - Merry Christmas but no mouse in my house
• Divas By Design: #16 - Anything Goes

{hugs}
Regan

Saturated Canary #5 - Anything Goes

It's only Monday, and I'm already completely exhausted! That is never a good sign! lol I have more cards to sit down and make, but first I wanted to quickly share with you my first ever Saturated Canary creation! These images are fabulous - a little whimsical and a LOT adorable!!! I am thrilled to have found them and even more excited to finally get to play with one of the first four I purchased. (I made my 2nd purchase today, and I'm eagerly waiting for those to arrive in my in-box!)

I decided that I was going to play along with the Saturated Canary Challenge this week as well. It's an easy one - Anything Goes! The only requirement is that you use a Saturated Canary digi or a Simply Sassy rubber stamp for the challenge. This is "Suzie Stockings" that I have chosen for my card. She was SO much fun to color, and I couldn't resist adding some sparkle to her gloves and stockings with my Sakura Clear Star glitter gel pen! I also thought she needed a crown so I used a Jolee's sticker to finish off her outfit. I kept my color palette simple - black, cream, and a touch of red with her dress and lips, the rose, and the border on the Tim Holtz adage ticket. A bit of bling adds some more sparkle and a fabulous sketch from Sketch Saturday (SS-183) brings it all together!

If you haven't checked out these amazing Saturated Canary images or the challenge blog, you should be sure to do so immediately! Artist Krista is extremely talented, and her design team is inspiring!

Thanks for visiting, and have a beautiful evening!

{hugs}
Regan

The Corrosive Challenge #138 - CASE a Design Team Member

Things are still a bit hectic here as the holiday weekend winds down, and I attempt to get back on track. It seems that everything is due all at once and how I didn't realize this before now if beyond me! So I have combined two design team projects to create one card.

First, The Corrosive Challenge begins anew, and this fortnight we want to see you "CASE a Design Team Member". Yup, that's right... We want you to Copy And Share Everything. In other words, use one of our sample projects as inspiration to create your own. Be sure to tell us which DT member you selected, why, and what elements you used from their card. Our wonderful sponsor, Inktegrity, has offered up a $20 gift voucher as November's prize.

Next, Tickled Pink Stamps Challenges is looking for Handwritten Sentiments in Challenge #47. I have used Lil Victorian Christmas Damon as my image and added the "bah hum bug" to the panel in my own writing as the sentiment. The obligatory flowers and bling adorn my card as well as some metal gears from Tim Holtz. I think the result is a vintage, masculine holiday card. Remember, you MUST use a TPS image for this challenge, and you could win another digital image of your choice just for playing along!

And lastly, my sketch is courtesy of The Sweet Stop (SSS136). I really do enjoy sketches and this one was no different! It was simple one which is wonderful as you can dress it up or down as suits your needs and tastes.

I have a To Do List a mile long (crafty and otherwise). Not only are there cards to be made, but Christmas decorations remain to be put up. Despite having to work, I did get some shopping done this weekend, including a fabulous dress for my company holiday party! I also took in a movie - The Muppets (Mah Na Mah Na! lol) - with my best friend. Busy, busy! Today I will start out by meeting my dad for breakfast. He and my small man are best buds so he enjoys showing him off in public. Then it's time to get down to it and get some things taken care of. Though I'm sure what I'll really want to do is nap! I mean, if I put it on the To Do List then it's okay, right? Haha!

Thanks for visiting and please stop by The Corrosive Challenge and Tickled Pink Stamps Challenges to check out all the details as well as the amazing work of my fellow DT members'. You will not be disappointed you did!

{hugs}
Regan

Sassy Studio Designs Fabulous Freebie Friday

Good morning and welcome to the official start of the holiday season! Some of you are out shopping already, but I am here to tell you about a new freebie over on Sassy Studio Designs' Paper Craft Planet group. She is called "Baby It's Cold Outside". Isn't she gorgeous?! She is free for 24 hours on PCP if you are a member of the group so be sure to snag her while you can! There is also a new challenge starting over there today. This fortnight the theme is "Tis the Season" - create a holiday card for someone special. You have two weeks to play along. You MUST use a Sassy Studio Designs image to play along, and you can find all challenge details here.

I selected the current challenge, sketch 182, from Sketch Saturday as the layout for my card. Designer papers are from my stash as are all the embellishments! I used two Nesties, one for my image panel and one for my sentiment banner. I outlined the edge of my image panel with my Stardust gelly roll pen for a bit of sparkle. I also used it on her eye make-up and lips. The snowflake is a Martha Stewart punch.

Well, not to post and run, but I have things to do and place to go! I am off to get ready to go to work for half a day. Then I will be headed to the mall to partake in an annual tradition of Day After Thanksgiving shopping and dinner with my best friend! I love this time of year, and I am even more excited than usual - I suspect because of my small man! It is amazing the amount of holiday magic and spirit having a young child will bring! Thanks for checking out my card, and I hope you will visit us on Paper Craft Planet! A few of my design teammates have made projects as well and you won't want to miss their gorgeous work, or the FREE SSD image!

Have a fabulous day!

{hugs}
Regan

Thankful For....

SKECHES!!! lol While I do love a good sketch (like the three above despite the issues they are giving me uploading their photos to this post) the real things I am thankful for are too many to enumerate here! Every day I am grateful to have been blessed with my happy, healthy, sweet, and adorable small man! He brings such joy to my life, and he has no idea how very much I love him! I also must mention my wonderful family and friends, for without them the material things I am grateful for would mean little.


Happy Thanksgiving to all who celebrate it! I am watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade with my son and when it is over we will head out to be with family for a delicious meal and that warm, fuzzy feeling you get when you get to spend time with the ones you love.

But first, I have a few cards I'd like to share with you! (I am also thankful that I discovered the fabulous world of paper crafting! I have made so many wonderful friends since I began my crafty journey, and I want to recognize all of you as well!) Here is a trio of Thanksgiving cards featuring Luka from La-La-Land Crafts. He is just the cutest, and as I've said before he reminds me so much of my little guy. You can purchase him, and his sweet counterpart Marci, here in the La-La-Land Crafts online store or visit their customer gallery for inspiration. I have made cards for his father, his day care provider, and my parents for Turkey Day.









































































I have used sketches from Sketches by Carly (#44), The Deconstructed Sketch (DS28), and The Sweet Sunday Sketch (SSSC144) to create my cards. Designer papers are Tim Holtz and DCWV. Card stock is Stampin' Up. All other goodies are from my stash.

I am going to keep this post brief so that we can all go spend time with family and friends. Oh, and lets not forget all that amazing food! Enjoy your dinner with all the fixings (and maybe a nap and some football too!).

Thank you for stopping by! Happy Thanksgiving!
{hugs}
Regan

Tickled Pink Stamps Pinkettes in Review - Coraline

Hello, blogland! I'm sorry I've been so quiet this week! I have no excuse except to say that I caught up on some housework, spent quality snuggle time with my small man, and have started on Christmas preparations! A few presents have been purchased, the tree is up (though not decorated yet), and last night my son had his pictures taken with Santa! Okay, so I had to bribe him with a new Hot Wheels car to get him to cooperate, but a mom's gotta do what a mom's gotta do, right?! lol I am officially in the spirit and ready to tackle Thanksgiving next week! Except now I have projects piling up and deadlines looming so I'd better start sitting my crafty a$$ down at my scrap desk every night! lol And that is just what I did to finish this fun, festive holiday card to show you!

Tickled Pink Stamps has some fabulous images, as you know, and one of their collections is the Lil Pinkettes! With a new year, and new releases, fast approaching we wanted to take some time to do a {PINK} review with you! We want to make sure you didn't miss an image you love so the Pinkette design team members each selected their favorite to show you this month. For November we were to chose from August, Coraline, or Pippa! I think these are my three favorites so it was hard to decide, but when it came down to it I selected Lil Haunting Pinkette Fairy Coraline. And would you look what I did with her? I made her a Christmas fairy! Just to illustrate how versatile these adorable images are!

I love sketches! So how could I resist Kellie's beaut that she created for this week's Tickled Pink Stamps Challenge?! It wasn't my team's week to post a creation so I decided to use it for this project instead. Papers are from a retired Stampin' Up collection called Holiday Treasures. A little dry embossing, a few of my usual embellies (flowers, pearls, and a snowflake charm) plus some Stickles on her wings make this fairy deck the halls ready!

Be sure to head over to the Tickled Pink Stamps blog to see what gorgeous things my immensely talented and awe-inspiring team mates have shared with us!

Thanks for stopping by and hope you have a fabulous weekend planned!

{hugs}
Regan

The Corrosive Challenge #137 - Give Thanks

Welcome to another Corrosive Challenge! It's a new month so we have a new sponsor and a new prize! Our November sponsor is Inktegrity! Owner Joni Wilson has generously offered a $20 voucher to her on-line shop for our winner!

This fortnight the theme is "Give Thanks". In the US, this time of year our thoughts turn toward turkey, football, and family with Thanksgiving right around the corner. So for this challenge we'd like you to create a Thanksgiving project or simply a thank you card to show the recipient some appreciation.

My card uses an image from our sponsor called Fall Tractor. It is a set that includes the tractor, different carts, and an assortment of sentiments. Here I've used the tractor with a cart full of pumpkins. I sponged the image panel and embossed the More Mustard card stock behind the ribbon treatment to add some texture for interest. The sentiment is Stampin' Up and the paper is from a pad I bought on clearance at Joann's. Martha Stewart punches, flowers, Fall leaves plus some gingham ribbon and jute finish off the card.

I chose Sketch SSS134 from The Sweet Stop for my layout. I haven't joined in over there in a while and thought it was time to play along again. As you all know, I do love sketch challenges!

I hope you enjoyed my card and that you'll play along with The Corrosive Challenge!

{hugs}
Regan

Sassy Studio Designs Holiday New Release

Welcome to the Holiday Honey Blog Hop! I know, I know... I have one of the only two non-Honey images to share with you, but this Sassy Holiday Victorian is every bit as sweet as those Disney Princesses! If you've come from Julie's blog you are on the right track. If not, you may want to head back to the Sassy Studio Designs blog and start from the beginning!

We have some festive fun for you today, of course! We're celebrating the 12 Days of Christmas with a little trivia game. Each member of the design team has a question on her blog. You will need to collect all the answers and post them as a comment on the Sassy Studio Designs blog when you have completed the hop. A winner will be selected at random from among the correct answers to win 3 of the new holiday images of their choice. Also, be sure to leave some love for the DT as you go because two random winners will be chosen from among those comments to receive one new holiday image of their choice.

My trivia question is: What do the 11 pipers piping symbolize?

I must admit that I chose this image for a reason. I had visions of a pretty Victorian Christmas card floating in my head like the proverbial sugarplum. However, the finished design turned out nothing like I had imagined it. The decision to use the Tim Holtz Book Cover stamps at the last minute was what took me in a different direction, but I have to say that I'm quite pleased with the outcome. The various sentiments were cut from a piece of Recollections designer paper. Flowers, pearls and a bit of hardware complete the look. I hope you like what you've seen so far! It's nice to win, but it's fun to shop too... All images are now available in the Sassy Studio Designs online store!

Next you are off to visit our guest designer for the month of November: Ellis (aka Elenor). She has another image and the last trivia question to share with you!

I'd also like to mention that we have an extra special guest joining us for this release! It's stempeltigger who won our Sassy Steampunk Relay! Though she is not part of the hop, it would be fabulous if you could pop by her blog to say "hi" and see what she has created with her prize.

Thanks for stopping in and hope you can join us later tonight for a chat with the SSD design team on the Sassy Party blog beginning at 7pm PST (10pm for those of us on the East coast). The link can be found on the right-hand side of the Sassy Studio Designs blog.

{hugs}
Regan

Sassy Studio Designs Holiday Release Sneak Peek

As I hinted yesterday, I am back with a Sassy Sneak Peek! Sassy Studio Designs will be releasing seven new holiday images on Saturday, November 12th. A collection of old favorites are back dressed for the holidays and ready to sparkle and shine! I am here to show you a preview of Holiday Ariel Honey! And I'm super excited as she is one of my favorite princesses! It's all that red hair, I think! lol She was so much fun to color with my Copics and Prismacolor Art Markers! I kept everything pretty simple so that she was the center of attention at this holiday gala! Designer paper is SEI - Glitzmas. Punches are Martha Stewart. I used two of my embossing folders to give the card some additional texture and couldn't resist my usual flowers and Tim Holtz embellishment plus a touch of pearls.


My layout is the optional sketch part of the current Christmas Card Challenge #49. I hope you have enjoyed the week of sneak peeks on the Sassy Studio Designs blog! We'd love for you to join us for our holiday new release blog hop and party chat on Saturday. All the details will be on the SSD blog Saturday at midnight PST. And it wouldn't be a release without fun and games and prizes so be sure to stop by tomorrow!

Thanks for the visit and have a fabulous Friday!

{hugs}
Regan

Tickled Pink Stamps Challenges #45 - Vintage

I'm late, I'm late! But what else is new, right? lol Time seems to keep getting away from me these days! Yesterday, after an all day off site meeting for work, we celebrated my dad's 60th birthday. It was so sweet to see my 2 year old son sing his version of "happy birthday" to his Papa. I have been distracted with birthday card (my youngest brother recently celebrated his as well) and orders and as a result I find myself remiss with my design team duties. I hate to let anyone down so I was up early today to get crafty. The card got completed, but there was no time for a personal blog post before we had to get ready to head out the door to day care and work.

Now that my small man is quietly watching Finding Nemo and the laundry is in I can finally sit down to do my post. Tonight I'm here to tell you about the new Tickled Pink Stamps Challenge. This week the theme is "Vintage". This is one of my favorite styles with these images! They just lend themselves to it so well! Remember, to play along you MUST use a Tickled Pink Stamps image. These include Lil Lolitas and Lil Lads, Lil Pinkettes, Pink Pets, and Cherrie. All can be purchased here in the Tickled Pink Stamps store.

I have used one of the new Lil Victorian Christmas images for my card. This is Ivy and doesn't she look darling in her winter wear? I have colored her with a combination of Copics and Prismacolor Art Markers. I used some Snow Writer on her trim and added glitter to it. Card stock is from Stampin' Up and the designer paper is from a holiday Tim Holtz stack. I distressed some of the edges with my small scissors. I then embossed the die cut green panel with my ornaments folder and layered it on top of a ink distressed doily. The border punch is from Martha Stewart. A few flowers, punched branches, and some pearls finish it all off. The layout is courtesy of Cards and More Challenge Blog - #40 Sketch. Now that Halloween is over I can focus on the next big holiday looming - Christmas! With Thanksgiving only two weeks away it's time to start thinking about all those holiday things like presents, decorations, and of course, cards! I already have a head start this year, with a stash from the various holiday challenges, but I'll keep working on them now until December 24th.

And speaking of Christmas, I will be back tomorrow with my sneak peek of an image from the first Sassy Studio Designs holiday release, which launches on Saturday, November 12th! Thanks for stopping by today and hope you'll be back to see what else I have for you this week!

{hugs}
Regan

Dare To Be Sassy Thursday #97 - Falling Leaves

I have been neglectful of my crafting this week. I would think about going to sit at my desk and work on one of the many pending projects and then I would snuggle under the afghan on the couch and watch TV. I guess sometimes you just need days like that. I did take the time to cook a fabulous dinner on Tuesday after work, though - my homemade hot Italian sausage and cheese stuffed shells! And Monday was Halloween so even though there was no trick or treating we hung out with my parents for the evening. Today and Friday are back to back TOT events for us. It seems odd to be doing this a few days into November, but there are people still without power so I guess I understand the reason behind the postponement. Odder still is the fact that it's supposed to be 60 degrees out today. Mother Nature is definitely a fickle woman! lol

I did manage to get off the couch tonight to make my Sassy Studio Designs card for the new Dare To Be Sassy Thursday challenge. Challenge #97 is "Falling Leaves" and we want to see leaves somewhere on your project. I used some autumn hued mulberry paper leaves I've had since last Fall. Also the silver brads have an embossed leaf pattern on them. My image is Scarecrow Honey from the Wizard of Oz Little Honey collection. I simply used her for a harvest themed card. The layout is courtesy of a wonderful sketch (#118) over at Tuesday Morning Sketches. I did a little "deconstructed doodling" and added a few flowers and some gingham ribbon.

Head on over to the Sassy Studio Designs blog to see what some of my design team mates have created for this challenge and to play along for your chance to win two SSD images of your choice. You don't have to use a Sassy image to participate, but we sure love it when you do! Don't forget that a new Sassy Christmas Challenge has just started too! That one does require use of a Sassy Studio Designs image and the theme is "Christmas Carols". You can check out all the details here. And hopefully I'll see you all over on Paper Craft Planet for Fabulous Freebie Friday this week as well!

Thanks for stopping by and have a fabulous day!

{hugs}
Regan

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween!!! My favorite holiday has arrived! Sadly, a freak autumn snowstorm that dumped a foot of snow in my area and cause wide spread power outages has resulted in the re-scheduling of trick or treating! I didn't even know they could do that! Santa had better watch out... No one is safe! So we will now be celebrating on Friday. It is disappointing to me, but thankfully my small man isn't old enough yet to understand so he won't be upset by it. I plan to spend this evening with my parents, and we may dress him up and parade him down their street to the neighbors anyway. He is going to be the cutest Frankenstein ever! lol

I have my last couple of Halloween cards to share with you. One for his dad, the other for my parents. The first is the one I made for his father. As some of you know, we have a mostly cordial relationship, that had hit a bit of a rough patch the past six months or so. Things will never go back to what they were, but a new acceptance has emerged and it has been peaceful again for a few weeks now. I have always wanted to be the kind of co-parents who could sit next to each other at their kid's soccer game and talk, be friendly & warm to each other, and be genuine about it. Maybe one day all the hurt and the bad feelings will heal, but in the meantime, this small gesture was what I could do to let him know that despite it all he has his son's love and my respect as his dad. Soon enough our little guy will be signing the cards himself. I used a Luka image from La-La Land Crafts because he reminds me SO much of my son. He is dressed in a skeleton Halloween costume and is just too cute to spook! And I couldn't resist a little playful jab with the sentiment. That gem is from Graphicats Designs. Papers are My Mind's Eye and the sketch is courtesy of priscillastyles Midnight Madness Sketch Challenge (MMSC127).






My last Halloween card of the year is for my parents. I selected FrankenJude from Simply Betty Stamps. He was a freebie she offered on her Paper Craft Planet group a few weeks back, and I was all too happy to make him mine! Since my son is dressing up as Frankie this year, I thought this was the perfect image to use for a card to his grandparents. I again used the humorous Graphicat Designs sentiment and the sketch is from Sketches by Carly (#43). Papers are Recollections from Michaels and the whole pack cost me $2.50! I love when I find an awesome bargain! And of course, the trusty Martha Stewart Drippy Goo punch makes an appearance on BOTH cards! I have to say that was probably one of the best crafty purchases I've made! lol

I hope you have enjoyed my Halloween creations as much as I have enjoyed making them! All together I believe I churned out over two dozen Halloween cards since August! I hope your day is frightfully fun today and happy haunting! Though it will be an unusual Halloween here, we will still enjoy it regardless! (Maybe more than I thought as I am unsure if I have to go to work or not... My place of employment had no power last I heard. Wouldn't THAT be a nice treat! lol) Thanks for visiting today!

{hugs}
Regan

The Corrosive Challenge #136 - With a Flourish

I know Halloween is tomorrow (and I still have cards to make), but since we're in the middle of a freak autumn Nor'easter here that is supposed to dump a foot of snow on us this weekend, I thought I'd make a wintry card for the new Corrosive Challenge. Our theme for this fortnight is "With a Flourish". That means we want to see you incorporate a flourish into your project. It can be die cut, chipboard, sticker, bling, stamp, paper, whatever. The type of flourish is yours to decide! I opted for bling since it is one of go-to embellishments. My gorgeous angel image is courtesy of one of our fabulous sponsors for this month, Karen's Doodles. Isn't she pretty? She is paired with some designer paper from Stampin' Up.

You would think being snowed in I would have gotten a lot of crafting done... Not the case. I spent a majority of yesterday on the couch watching TV or playing with the small man. It was nice to just relax and watch the snow swirl around outside. There is always something magical about the first snow fall, even if it could put a crick in our trick or treating plans for Monday! Welcome to New England! lol

I hope to get some crafting and baking done today. I also plan to make my home-made stuffed shells for dinner. It might be a bit ambitious, though, as I'm sure I will spend some serious time shoveling later today. My son has new boots and snow pants, both acquired just this past week, so we will get bundled up to brave the elements.

Be sure to stop over at The Corrosive Challenge blog to see what the rest of the design team has to show you in way of inspiration and, of course, to play along. Thanks for looking and have a wonderful day!


{hugs}
Regan

Tickled Pink Stamps Challenges #43 - Photo Inspiration: Halloween

Hello! So sorry for the late post! I keep taking my procrastination to an all new level and then bIogger was giving me some issues! It's been a busy week with Halloween fast approaching! I've done a bit of baking - creepy finger sugar cookies for my small man's day care, chocolate chip cookies for home, and pumpkin bread for work. But here I am to tell you about a fabulous new challenge at Tickled Pink Stamps Challenges! This week it's a photo inspiration! We hope the creep-tastic photo below inspires you to play along!

As you can see I decided to use the Halloween angle. Oh, big surprise there, right? lol I needed a card for my son's day care provider and chose Lil Haunt Frankie Frankenstein as my image. The sentiment, which made her laugh, is a gem from Cheri's wickedly witty Graphicat Designs shop! I also visited her sketch challenge blog, Graphicat Sketches, and used her sketch for the month, October's Frightfull of Layers, as my layout. The designer pap ers are from The Apothecary Emporium pad by Echo Park. Frankie is colored with my usual combination of Copics and Prismacolor Art Markers. I used a couple of my Nestabilities dies and added fun creepy cloth, striped ribbon, brads, a couple of flowers, and one big glittery spider to complete my card.

Pop on over to the Tickled Pink Challenge blog to see what the rest of the lovely {PINK} design team ladies have created. And to join in the fun! You could win a Tickled Pink Stamps digital stamp of your choice! REMEMBER, you MUST use a Tickled Pink Stamps image to participate. These include the following collections: Lil Lolitas and Lil Lads, Lil Pinkettes, Pink Pets, and Cherrie. They can all be found in the TPS shop here. Owner Kellie is currently away on holiday (on a cruise, that lucky gal!) but shipping will resume at the end of the month when she returns. Also, through the end of October, all digital images are available in the shop so snag yours while you can or wait until November's Digi Week to get them!

Thanks for looking and have a fabulous day!

{hugs}
Regan

Sassy Studio Designs Sponsorship: The Crazy Challenge - Scary Ladies

I just need to tell you that it is a small miracle the above photo is posted. Blogger has all of a sudden decided that I can't upload pictures from my computer. And with THE least user friendly help around, it took me over an hour of frustrated searching to find a less than perfect solution. I am able to use my Picasa albums to "blog this". Basically, it will upload the photo into a new post which I can then save as a draft and edit as I normally would. However, this will not help me when I need to add photos to an existing post! I am irritated and tired so will ponder that problem tomorrow.

For now, let's talk about my card and the super cool Halloween-y challenge Sassy Studio Designs is currently sponsoring over at The Crazy Challenge! It's all about "Scary Ladies"! There is also an optional sketch portion to the challenge, which I wasn't aware of. I opted to work with Sassy Bride of Frankenstein. The card is a request I received for a birthday card for a co-worker's wife this weekend. The inside sentiment says "Have a Monster of a Birthday". My layout is pretty simple, allowing my image the spotlight. I added some black lace, flowers, and a black rhinestone bling flourish. Her hair was fun to color and I love the look of the white gel pen lines!

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you'll head over to The Crazy Challenge to play along for your chance to win 4 Sassy Studio Designs images of your choice!

{hugs}
Regan