Happy Birthday, Dana!!

I was planning to be back with something more creative for Dana by now but I spent the afternoon in emergency with my little guy Henri. Since his bone marrow transplant, we've had at least three visits like this when he gets severe abdominal pain...so more tests tomorrow and no creative juice until we get past this one. Anyway, Dana's friends have wonderful cards to share today along the hop Karen organized for her BFF today...

Karen Motz - Paper Playhouse

Leslie Good - card will be shown on Karen’s blog

Wendy Bond - Bond Girl Bliss

Elaine Hughes - Quixotic Cards

Linda Heavens - Heavens Created This

Joanne Basile - Just a Little Something

Jodi Collins - Stamping a Latte

Paula Williamson - Paper Possibilities

Ebru Vatansever - My Scrapbooking and Craft Journal

Ann Kranitz - Stamp with Me

Janet Rossi - Corrosive Creations

Jeanie Whitmer - The Spotted Chick

Cath Groden - Paper Expressions

Michelle Leishman - Miche L Designs

Dana White - Dana’s House of Cards <--the birthday girl!!

Until a little later this week...

~Nancy

More sheep-December Release Day at Taylored Expressions

So I mentioned I’d have something to say about my experience in Scotland with sheep. Come to think of it, it may have been Wales—it was a long time ago...when I was an elementary school kid and we were on summer holidays in Great Britain. I remember sitting in a cafe (probably a pub) and watching the silly sheep grazing out in a marshy field only to have the tide come in and the sheep stranded...standing on any patch of higher ground they could find. Now wouldn’t you think these sheep would have been through this before and might have know not to graze in a loch?! Anyway, the sheep in Knit Wit is inspired by the sheep of Great Britain.

Thought I’d share another card with the sheep and her friend on their little patches of grass.

I’ve used the large scallop border die and the flowers and sentiment from Friendship Blooms. Now that I’m a McKinney (well, actually Ferguson McKinney), I have an attraction to all things Irish. These little blooms remind me of shamrocks with an extra petal. I’ve stamped both the solid and outlined image with chalk ink and cut out the flowers with the coordinating Friendship Blooms die. I coloured the half pearls with copics before placing them in the centres of each flower.

Check out what the Baker’s Dozen has to show you today...

Charmaine Ikach

Donna Baker

Danielle Lounds

Jackie Pedro

Jami Sibley

Jodi Collins

Karen Giron

Karen Motz

Melissa Sauls

Regina Mangum

Sankari Wegman

Tori Wild, and

Taylor Van Bruggen

Thanks for looking.

~Nancy

Crafty Petites!-Day 2 of December Sneaks at Taylored Expressions

It’s Day 2 of December sneaks at Taylored Expressions! These next Whimsical Wishes ‘crafty petite’ sets WARM MY HEART!! Taylor will tell you all about them, but I think they are the perfect little gift for your crafty friend or someone you are trying to convince that stamping is pure pleasure. Can you believe some people need convincing? I used two of the four mini sets being released this month for my cards today—Knit Wit and Kitchy Kitchen. First up...

Sometimes a person is ‘feeling a little loopy’...so this card sympathizes! The sheep and sentiment are from the Knit Wit Crafty Petite set. I used the letterpress technique and a new Cuttlebug embossing folder (part of the Give A Hoot Embossing Bundle). This is really so easy—just brayer pigment ink all over the raised portion of the folder, sandwich your cardstock as you normally would and roll through your machine. I liked the result so much that I didn’t want to cover up too much, so I cut a window and stamped the sentiment on velum paper with Staz On ink. The sheep is coloured with prismacolors and then I couldn’t resist using liquid appliqué on him (or her). I’ll share a story about my experience with sheep in Scotland tomorrow...

I like to knit. I just don’t have much time for it and often don’t finish what I start. These little miniature swatches are so much fun and easy to finish...well, even when they’re not finished, they’re super cute on a card with toothpick knitting needles (I knit with regular needles and then transfer the stitches onto the toothpicks). The sentiment “you warm my heart” is from the Kitchy Kitchen Crafty Petite set. I’ve paired it with a snowflake from Winter Wonderland, embossed with white embossing powder and cut with the coordinating snowflake die. I arranged the dangling yarn pieces to create a heart.

Check out the Baker's Dozen today to warm your heart some more...

Charmaine Ikach

Donna Baker

Danielle Lounds

Jackie Pedro

Jami Sibley

Jodi Collins

Karen Giron

Karen Motz

Melissa Sauls

Regina Mangum

Sankari Wegman

Tori Wild, and

Taylor Van Bruggen

Thanks so much for looking...

~Nancy

Friendship Blooms-Day 1 of TE Sneak Peeks

Today is the first day of sneak peeks for December at Taylored Expressions! Taylor's Baker's Dozen and I are showcasing one of the newest Whimsical Wishes sets—Friendship Blooms, which coordinates with a set of four flower dies and a die for the leafy branch too. I have two cards to share...

First, I can’t resist any stamp set that has coordinating dies! I’ve cut three of the four flowers in felt and used some of the other treats in store for you later this week (notice the border and backgrounds?). Just bright and cheery and super easy!

My next card uses the leafy branch in the set, stamped randomly in versamark and embossed with clear detail embossing powder on my background paper (Basic Grey Marjolaine 6x6 paper pad). Oops...I’ve done it again—you’ll hear more about the scalloped borders I’ve used later this week. Sorry to tease! The sentiment and leafy branch on my focal panel are stamped in Memento rich cocoa and then I used the leafy branch die to cut out the image. I sponged the white panel with chalk ink (the green from the Colorbox ocean breeze chalk ink box). Some half pearls on the border and larger leaves on the image...and that’s it.

Have a fabulous day and be sure to visit the Baker’s Dozen today for inspiration:

Charmaine Ikach

Donna Baker

Danielle Lounds

Jackie Pedro

Jami Sibley

Jodi Collins

Karen Giron

Karen Motz

Melissa Sauls

Regina Mangum

Sankari Wegman

Tori Wild, and

Taylor Van Bruggen

Thanks so much for looking...

~Nancy

Thanks for the birthday hop!

What a wonderful way to start my day! My good friend Karen organized a birthday hop for me. Thanks for the fabulous cards and heart-felt wishes, ladies!

I'd have something to show you, but my most recent card was selected to be published in PaperCrafts May/June 2011 so I can't!! I think I'll sneak some stamping time at some point and head out now for a Starbucks (the kids gave me a gift card) and a long hike with the dog. My hubby gave me a smoky topaz ring (with some help and encouragement from my daughter):

While the smoky topaz is not the same as my birthstone, I like what this site has to say about it. Apparently smoky topaz is the official gem of Scotland (my maiden name is Ferguson so I'm always drawn to anything Scottish). I guess the smoky topaz is actually a quartz so it has powers! Quartz is said to draw out negativity from the wearer as the gemstone absorbs it. It improves mood. It improves the lower organs- digestive and reproductive...I'm not planning to add to the family, but without a gallbladder, good digestion is welcome. There's more...it supposedly raises awareness, clears the mind and enhances reaction time. Overall, it is supposed to help the wearer 'tune in and come to resolution.' Maybe, just maybe, by peering through the smoke, dreams can come true.

Shouldn't everyone have one!!

Thanks for stopping by today. Hope you have a fabulous day!

~Nancy

More TE Sneaks for November

Today’s release day and the team is showing a little of everything now available at Taylored Expressions. I’ve got two more to show using What’s Cookin’ and Enjoy!, the newest additions to the Whimsical Wishes line—the stamps I illustrate.

First, I used Mojo Monday Sketch 156 for inspiration and had some fun with the apron skirt in the set. It's easy to trim along the top of the skirt once it's cut out with the coordinating full apron die. I've coloured the image with copics and prismacolors. Once again, I've used paper from the basic grey june bug paper pad. And maybe you'll recognize the Scalloped Eyelet Border Die I used for the edge of the red cardstock.

I’m probably enjoying one of these right now as this post goes live (that's a 'non-fat latte with a pump of mocha' if I can find one at Disney World)! The coffee cup with the “You Deserve It” label is also from Enjoy!

Guest Designer Mona Pendleton is joining the Baker’s Dozen today too...

• Charmaine Ikach
• Donna Baker
• Danielle Lounds
• Jackie Pedro
• Jami Sibley
• Jodi Collins
• Karen Giron
• Karen Motz
• Melissa Sauls
• Regina Mangum
• Sankari Wegman
• Tori Wild
• Taylor Van Bruggen

Thanks so much for looking...

~Nancy

Lots to ENJOY! at Taylored Expressions

Get ready for more exciting peeks for you to ENJOY today from Taylor and her team! I’ve got two using another new Whimsical Wishes set I illustrated, Enjoy! Guess what? There’s another coordinating die with this one too!!

My first project is just simple stamping (with masking but no colouring). When I was illustrating this set, I kept thinking...this is one my husband would actually use. He’s a great one for the I.O.U. So with this in mind, I kept my project simple and more masculine—no ribbons or frills...just black and kraft. The set is designed to work with the adorable small hinged tins Taylor has in her store. The die cuts the dotted frame to make quick little cards. I’ve used an assortment of images and sentiments on the six cards I’ve included in the tin. ENJOY!

Next, I used the fashion icons from the set for this card:

I’ve masked the stands and images and also popped up the shoes and purse that I coloured with copics and prismacolors. The ribbon is a gathering attempt gone wrong that I kept and decided to finally use. I think it looks like a whimsical rosebud. The patterned paper is from the basic grey june bug paper pad.

Can’t wait to see what the Baker’s Dozen has created with Enjoy! today...

• Charmaine Ikach
• Donna Baker
• Danielle Lounds
• Jackie Pedro
• Jami Sibley
• Jodi Collins
• Karen Giron
• Karen Motz
• Melissa Sauls
• Regina Mangum
• Sankari Wegman
• Tori Wild, and
• Taylor Van Bruggen

Thanks so much for looking...

~Nancy

What's Cookin' at Taylored Expressions?!

Today’s the first day of sneak peeks for the November release at Taylored Expressions. You’ll want to get all of the details on Taylor’s blog and visit the Baker’s Dozen for inspiration! I have two cards to share using the newest Whimsical Wishes set I illustrated, What’s Cookin’. What’s so cool about this new set is that we’ve also designed dies to coordinate with five of the images. I’m showing you four of them today—the tea kettle, oven mitt, apron and measuring spoons.

My first card shows the apron die, but also some paper piecing. I’ve followed Karen’s Sweet Sunday Sketch (SSSC90) for this one. The white eyelet lace is from Fabricland. I wanted the ribbon to coordinate with the colour scheme, so I pulled out a length and

coloured it with the same copic marker I used for the apron strings and measuring spoons. I used my bow easy to create my sweet little apron bow from the extra custom coloured ribbon.

Next, I went back to TE Sketch 126 for my inspiration. The tea kettle and oven mitts are die cut and coloured with copics and prismacolors. I stitched the green panel behind the images to coordinate with the stitching on the oven mitts. The rolling pin and ‘punny’ sentiment are two different images but work perfectly together. The frame is just cut with my paper trimmer and the opening is with a portion of a nestie.

Here are the links to the fabulous Baker’s Dozen. Can’t wait to see what they’ve created today!

• Charmaine Ikach
• Danielle Lounds
• Donna Baker
• Jackie Pedro
• Jodi Collins
• Karen Giron
• Karen Motz
• Melissa Sauls
• Regina Mangum
• Sankari Wegman
• Taylor VanBruggen
• Tori Wild, and
• Jami Sibley

Thanks so much for looking...

~Nancy

Off to Disney!

Henri was granted a wish through the Starlight Foundation two years ago when he had his bone marrow transplant. The time has finally arrived and tomorrow we take off for Disney, Universal Studios, Sea World and a very special village called Give the Kids the World, coincidentally founded by Henri Landwirth. Our Henri is cured of his immune disease and healthy, so our experience will be very different than two years ago. We can't wait!! For Disney, I created autograph books for Henri and the twins and thought I'd share them with you...












I created the covers with some chipboard; cardstock; and my computer, Silhouette SD and sewing machine; and had the books bound at a local print shop (I don't have a Cinch, which probably would have been just the thing for this project!). I created the black border with dots and mickey ears with my Silhouette. If anyone is interested in this cut file, just let me know...leave your email in a comment and I'll send it to you when I return. The character bottle buttons are from Michael's. I think we're in for some real fun at Disney!

Thanks for looking...
~Nancy

Two warm winter stockings and a nest of hope

I finally got a chance to play with my adorable Papertrey stocking dies! I cut two in each colour (white and Hawaiian Shores) then trimmed off the lower part to make the cuffs in contrasting felt. I thought the blanket stitch detail in embroidery floss was just the touch to make my stockings cozy and tie in the aqua mist colour. The little snowflake hung from each cuff is cut from the Basic Grey Jovial Blizzard patterned paper I used in the background.

My next card came together surprisingly quickly last night after I thought about the idea all day. I wanted to make a card for this month's Color Cue challenge, a reminder that October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Such soft delicate colours. I was also inspired by the ring my hubby gave me for our anniversary this year just in time for my trip to CHA Chicago to meet up with Taylor and her team. I love silver, nests and pearls!!!

So here's what I've got! I looked back through previous Mojo Monday sketch challenges and thought Mojo157 was perfect to showcase my nest of hope made from silver wire and a pink pearl bead. I also played with the letterpress technique again now that my new Papertrey impression plates have arrived! I didn’t really give the white pigment ink time to dry and let it smear on the panel but I like the effect.

The ribbon accent just seemed right as a pink ribbon for breast cancer support. I created my sentiment on my computer and printed on PTI rustic white cardstock. It’s hard to tell in the picture but I embossed the pink panel with my Cuttlebug Leafy Branch embossing folder to tie in with "the tree of life and the nest of hope" theme. A little corny, eh?

Here's my wire and pearl nest closeup...

I'd love to hear what you think...
~Nancy