A Scrappy Card

The Cat's Pajamas has a "Summer Blog Hop" challenge.  The only requirement is to use one stamp or cut up from the recent Summer Release.   This card uses a stamp from the "Vintage Summer" stamp set and the flower was made with the "Petal Posies" cut up.  If you're interested all the other dies used are listed in the deets below. The leaves were cut free hand and a vein was scratched down the center of them with a piercing tool.

The layout for the card is a sketch from Retro Sketches challenge.  My original plan for this card was to use no patterned paper but then I realized that I have tons of scraps of patterned paper that would look better as the flags and isn't using the scraps in places like this just why I've been saving them. Speaking of scraps, the mat around the stamp is a saved leftover piece from a card I made for my June 13 post.  

To go along with the vintage theme of the stamp, shabby chic colors were used and the edges of the papers were sponged with Ranger's Tea Dye ink.  These colors just happen to be the colors in the Creative Craft Cottage challenge.  To keep the soft look, instead of stamping black on white, this is a Stampin' Up's "Baked Brown Sugar" on My Favorite Things "Natural" card stock.  

The card was ready posed for a photo when I decided it needed a little something to punch it up a little bit more.  Sooooo...a bit of bling was just the thing.  

Here's the deets:
stamp - the Cats Pajamas "Vintage Summer"
ink - Stampin' Up "Baked Brown Sugar"; Ranger "Tea Dye"
paper -  Bazzill "Blossom" card stock; My Favorite Things "Natural", "Berrylicious" and "Pink Lemonade" card stock;Stampin' Up "Garden Green" card stock;  Crafty Secrets "Heartwarming Vintage Collection" patterned paper
miscellaneous - the Cat's Pajamas Cut Ups "Frame Up 2", "Frame Up", "Petal Posies" and "Bitty Banners" dies; My Favorite Things "Fishtail Flags Stax" and "Pierced Fishtail Flags Stax" die-namics; button; linen twine; bling; Stampin' Up corner punch

Here's the challenges:
the Cat's Pajamas - Summer Blog Hop
Retro Sketches #123 - sketch
Creative Craft Cottage #25 - colour/flora
Left of Center #36 - Add Sparkle
Sister Act #65 - Anything Goes

Thanks for stopping by, come back again.

Hot, Hot, Hot

It's summertime and it's hot, hot, hot.  Time for vacations and fun in the sun.  That's my inspiration for this card.  Lots, of hot summer color.  It uses the sketch for this week's The Cat's Pajamas challenge.  

The stamps are all from TCP's "Summer Sentiments" set.  Can you see that "too hot" has been stamped several times on the yellow circle?  

For a change of pace there's no patterned paper used on this card.


Here's the deets:
stamp - the Cat's Pajamas - Summer Sentiments
ink - My Favorite Things "Blu Raspberry" and "Black Licorice"; Memento "Dandelion"
paper - My Favorite Things "Kraft", "Blu Raspberry", "Razzleberry", "Lemon Drop", "Tangy Orange" and "Orange Fizz" card stock
miscellaneous - The Cat's Pajamas Cut Ups "Queen of Hearts", "Framed Up 2" and Bitty Banners" dies; Baker's twine; sun charm

Here's the challenges:
the Cat's Pajamas TCPTUES270 - sketch
Daring Cardmakers - Travel
Sister Act #65 - Anything Goes
Charisma Cardz #15 - Anything Goes
Delightful - Hot, Hot Hot
Fab n Funky #223 - Feels Like Summer

Thanks for stopping by, come back again.

TCP Summer Release Blog Hop

Blog hops come when  Sneaky Peeks are over, the newest and fabbest stamps from the Cat's Pajamas are in the store just waiting for you to pick them up, or did you place your order last night?  I know I would have.
The blog hop is sort of a "blessing and a curse" sort of a thing.  We get to see more fabulous creation made with the new release but then it's really over.  No more sneaky peeks, no more new release, at least not for a little while.  Oh well...
If you've been hopping you should have arrived here from Cat Packer Jessie Rone's blog Can You Say Addicted to Stamps?  If you stopped by for other reasons,  you probably want to hop along so use this link for the Cat's Pajamas where you can find all the details and links. After you've finished up here the next stop on the hop is Kelly Hull's (you might know that wild crazy gal as KJ) Stampin' With a Dream.  Don't forget, if you lose your place just go back to the Cat's Pajamas, it's like going home.
I am thrilled that I was invited to participate in this hop with the ever so clever and talented Cat Pack and Swanky Stampers.  This release has great stamps and dies, so much fun to use. Miss Meowy, Alma, the Swankiest Stamper ever, is so generous  that I can't thank her enough for this experience.   
By the way, you can still participate in the Cat's Pajama's color challenge TCPTUES268 - Kraft, Rose and Vanilla.  Who knows, maybe you'll be the next swanky stamper and be invited to participate in the next release.

Here's the deets:
stamp - the Cat's Pajamas "Strange and Wonderful"
ink - My Favorite Things "Black Licorice"
paper - Recollections "Itsy, Bitsy, Ditsy, Cherry Pie" patterned paper; Stampin' Up DSP Patterns Stax Neutrals pad; My Favorite Things "Pink Lemonade", "Kraft" and "Primitive Cream" card stock
miscellaneous - copics; the Cat's Pajamas "Butterflies" and "Apron Border" Cut Ups dies; Spellbinder's Oval dies; bling; Divine Twine; Butterfly Twine; Viva Holo Iridescent 

Here's the challenges:
the Cat's Pajamas TCPTUES268 - colors Kraft, Rose and Vanilla
Addicted to Stamps - Outdoors
Stamping Sensations June - Animal Antics
Crafts and Me #149 - Add Wings
Live and Love Crafts #24 - Summer Garden

Thanks for stopping by, come back again.  Now you should hop on over to Kelli's blog.

TCP Life Is Like Ice Cream

Sneaky Peeks!  I've got another The Cat's Pajama's sneaky peek for you.  It's Bun Bun time again.  I love Bun Bun and am thrilled that there are two in this release.  This time we find Bun Bun peeking out from under a cherry in a bowl of ice cream.  Now that's a position I'd like to find myself in someday.   In the meantime I'll satisfy myself by stamping this over and over and letting Bun try all my favorite flavors, I'll be busy for awhile.

If you haven't been following the peeks for the last week then here's the big news - It's time for a New Release at the Cat's Pajamas.  It's here, TODAY!  I know those of you who've been following are anxiously awaiting and it's just hours away.  All the new stamps and dies will be released.  A new release means there will be lots of fun stuff happening.  Over on Splitcoast Stampers there's a release party tonight.  Anybody can come (you just have to be a Splitcoast member and joining is free and easy) and join the fun and chat with lots of other TCP fans.  Tomorrow, there's  going to be a blog hop featuring the new products so don't miss that.  

Here's the deets:
stamp - the Cat's Pajamas "Life If Like Ice Cream" 
ink - My Favorite Things Black Licorice
paper- Bazzill "Frosted Teal" card stock; Stampin' Up "Bordering Blue" card stock and "Specialty Sweet Shop" dsp
miscellaneous - copics; the Cat's Pajamas "Celebration" toppers and "Queen of Hearts" border Cut Ups; The Cat's Pajamas Aqua Divine Twine; Spellbinder's "Labels 22" and "Decorative Labels 22" dies; Stampin' Up Jelly Bean Sweet Shop brads; charm bling; glossy accents; stickles

Here's the challenges:
Sentimental Sundays #211 - Animals (and a sentiment)
Stamping Sensations - Animal Antics
the Squirrel and the Fox #72 - Use Something Metal (birthday charm)
Suzy Bee's Bloomin' Challenge #33- Celebrate
Brown Sugar #98 - Summer
Crafty Catz #235 - Use two different dies

Thanks for stopping by, come back again.

TCP - Sneaky Peeks - Aye, Eye, I

Sneaky Peeks from the Cat's Pajamas! The new release is coming and it's coming soon, in fact, it's tomorrow.  You'll be able to get your hands on all the new stamps and dies tomorrow.  In the meantime, enjoy the peeks, stop over at the Cat's Pajamas blog to find links to all the Cat Pack's samples or stop over at the Splitcoast Stampers forum and chat with the TCP fans.  We're having a hoot while we're waiting.

 Wohoo!  When I opened my bag of goodies and pulled out this set of Cut Ups I literally (as opposed to figuratively) made an out loud gasp followed by "Oh my God!" and if there were any room in my craftie room I might have gotten up and done a happy dance.  This is one seriously fun set of dies which just happens to have a matching set of stamps - or you can re-arrange that to stamps with matching dies if you prefer, but for me, it was the die set that sent me over the edge.  I still get a little tipsy when I look at it.  This is just too, too much fun.  Oh and by the way, it's always nice to have a stamp set that I love that's also good for masculine cards - just saying...

Here's the deets:
stamp - the Cat's Pajamas "Aye, Eye, I"
ink - Stampin' Up "Cherry Cobbler"; My Favorite Things "Kraft"; Memento "Grey Flannel"
paper - Bo Bunny "Timepiece Collection" pad; Add a Little Dazzle Bronze sheet; My Favorite Things "Black Licorice" card stock; Stampin' Up "Baked Brown Sugar" card stock
miscellaneous - the Cat's Pajamas "Under My Hat" and "Luggage Tags"  Cut Ups die; ribbon; Stampin' Up Houndstooth Embossing Folder

Here's the challenges:
2 Sisters #177 - Make Your Own Embellishments (decorated tag)
Fantasy Stampers #12 - For the Boys
A Creative Romance - Anything Goes with Option of Happy Birthday
Crafty Catz #235 - Use 2 Different Dies 
Creative Corner - Just for Boys
Sister Act #61 - Anything Goes

Thanks for stopping by, come back again.

TCP Sneaky Peeks

Day 5 of the Cat's Pajamas Sneaky Peeks. Today's stamp set is "Vintage Summer" and it will be available on Monday, June 16th with all the other new stamps and dies.   I know you're itching to get your hands on these stamps but Monday is just three sleeps away and that just means there's three more Sneaky Peek days. 

Don't forget that there's a chance to win the stamp set of the day by leaving a comment on the "In It to Win It" chat threads on Splitcoast Stampers. If you stop by Alma's (Miss Meowy, herself) you'll find the Design Teams samples and links to all of their blogs.   Of course the Cat's Pajamas are on Facebook too.  So there's lots to keep you busy till the release.   Don't forget that on Tuesday, there'll be a blog hop featuring the new products.  It'll be fun, so mark your calendar.

I've kept my card pretty much Clean and Simple because this stamp has so many sweet things going on it it and I don't want to take your eye away from it but at the same time I have to do a little something to keep it interesting.  After I embossed the blue card stock I decided where I wanted the image to appear and used the "Framed Up" die to cut out that spot.  I tied baker's twine around this layer and added a charm to it.  Next I used dimensional tape to pop up the embossed layer and at that was when I decided I didn't want to add anything else to the card.

Here's the deets:
stamp - the Cat's Pajamas "Vintage Summer"
ink - My Favorite Things "Black Licorice"
paper - Bazzill "Snow White" card stock; My Favorite Things "Berrylicious" card stock; Stampin' Up "Pistachio Pudding" card stock
miscellaneous - the Cat's Pajamas "Framed Up" Cut Up; Cuttlebug embossing folder; green Divine Twine; sun charm

Here's the challenges:
Crafty Girls #20 - Anything Goes
Crafty Ribbons #93 - Anything goes with Ribbon
It's All About the Vintage and Beauty #70 - Use Dies
Moving Along with the Time - Keep It Clean and Simple
Southern Girls - Punches and Die Cuts

Thanks for stopping by, come back again.

TCP Sneaky Peek - Simple Blooms

It's Day three of the Cat's Pajama's Sneaky Peeks. Today's stamp set is not one of the usual suspects, I mean fun characters that we love so much. Today Alma's given us a lovely and sophisticated set of flower silhouettes, "Simple Blooms".   There are four different flowers silhouettes, a branch of leaves, four sentiments and a banner sentiment.  Phew!  Lots to work with in this set.  

This set is part of the new Cat's Pajama release which is going to be available on June 16.  To keep you busy while you wait  hop over to Miss Meowy's (Alma, our fearless leaser) blog Eat, Play, Stamp to see what the Cat Pack (her fabulous design team) has created with the new stamps and dies.  Also stop over at Splitcoast Stampers TCP Forum and leave a comment on the In It To Win It chats for a chance to win a stamp set.

As soon as I saw these flowers I thought that they could be used to make a gift card set.  I usually don't make CAS (clean and simple) cards but I thought these stamps would make a statement on their own.   Oddly, it probably too me as much time to figure out the card even though there isn't that much to think out. 
The photo's lighting isn't the best, the paper and the ink is Stampin' Up Crisp Cantaloupe so imagine that the actual cards are a little pinker looking.

 Once you know what you are going to do these cards are really fast to make so if you need a quick gift you can make these in short time.  Besides the stamping on the top layer I've used a retired Stampin' Up corner punch which gives the card a little something extra, it's one of my favorite embellishments.  

This cards would look good in any color, so if you are making them as a gift if you know the recipient's favorite color that would make the gift that much sweeter.  To make a really special gift wrap them up in a silk scarf and tie a pretty bow around them.  OR, if your friends are of a different persuasion put them in a little sack and tie them around the neck of a bottle of wine - that would be the ultimate hostess gift for my friends.

I am having the greatest time playing along with the Cat Pack.  I can't thank Alma enough for this opportunity.   I hope you're enjoying the sneaks and that you'll be back again tomorrow.

There will be peeks up to and including Monday when the stamps are available.  On Tuesday there will be a follow up blog hop.  That's going to be so much fun so don't miss any of the fun, stop by the Cat's Pajamas everyday for the latest news and to see the peek of the day.  

Oh, The Cat's Pajamas is on Facebook too.





Here's the deets:
stamp - the Cat's Pajamas "Simple Blooms"
ink - Stampin' Up Crisp Cantaloupe
paper - Stampin' Up Crisp Cantaloupe card stock; My Favorite Things "Primitive Cream" card stock
miscellaneous - Stampin' Up corner punch

Here's the challenges:
Addicted to Stamps #99 - CAS
The Crafter's Cafe #67 - White and One Other Color
Creative Moments #44 - Anything Goes/Monochromatic
Loves Rubber Stamps #107 - CAS - Clean and Simple

Thanks for stopping by, come back again.

TCP Sneaky Peeks Day One

TCP - Strange and Wonderful

It's here!  Sneaky Peeks at the Cat's Pajamas new release. It's so exciting to be able to show you the newest stamps and dies that will be for sale in just a few more days.  I know that every TCP lover is sitting on the edge of their chair waiting to get their hands on them.  It's just about a week away, Monday,June 16  is release day and in the meantime you will be treated to peeks everyday.  Check out our fearless leader Miss Meowy's blog for all the info you need and links to all the Cat Pack's blogs.  


The Penguins are a favorite character among Cat fans.  They often appear in threes so I'm not sure if this is Larry, Larry or Darryl but he sure is cute surrounded by all those flowers.  If you're like me you've had trouble getting a good impression of the penguins.  Well, I discovered that when I put a foam pad under my paper I got a perfect impression.  That one little step made a major difference in the quality of my stamped images.  I hope that tip helps you too.  If you still have problem spots they should be small enough for a touch up with a blender pen.  

Today's also the start of a new challenge at the Cat's Pajamas.  The new challenge TCPTUES268 is a color challenge "Kraft, Rose and Vanilla".  Now that's a combination that I adore so it was easy to pull this card together and I'm sure you'll have no problem getting a card or project put together, hey you've got two weeks, so join the fun and maybe you'll win some cat cash.

Besides the new stamp set I've used the new "Petal Posies" Cut Up on this card.  It's yummy isn't it.  I've also used some of my all time favorite TCP products which you will find on lots of my cards.  I love "Divine Twine" and ever since the Cat's Pajamas started carrying it I've been addicted, it's on almost all of my cards.  I don't think I could live without it.  Then there's two of my favorite Cut Ups - the "Toppers" and the "Chevron" Cut Ups.  So much fun on one little card...

Here's the deets:

stamp - the Cat's Pajamas "Strange and Wonderful"

ink - My Favorite Things "Black Licorice" for image and "Kraft" for sentiment; Memento "Angel Pink" for sponging on edges

paper - Copics X-press blending card stock;  My Favorite Things "Kraft", "Insulation Pink" and  "Lemon Drop" card stock; Bazzill "Buttercream" card stock; My Mind's Eye Lost and Found "Market Street" dsp pad

miscellaneous - copics; the Cat's Pajamas dies "Petal Posies",   "Toppers" and "Chevron" Cut Ups; Pink Divine Twine; Spellbinder's Oval dies; sun charm; Close To My Heart Bitty Sparkles

Here's the challenges:

The Cat's Pajamas TCPTUES268 - Kraft, Rose and Vanilla
Addicted to Stamps #84 - Outdoors

Blessings Ink Amusing Challenge - Dies

Fairytale Stampers #39 - Flowers

Sentimental Sundays #210 - Anything Goes

Thanks for stopping by, come back again. more peeks later this week.

Besties

Every now and then I get the urge to try making a clean and simple card.  I just don't like to make single layer cards.  

This is for the The Cat's Pajama's TCPTUES267 Anything Goes challenge.  These guys were begging to be inked and with the summer upon us it seemed like the perfect stamp to use.

Here's the deets:
stamp - the Cat's Pajamas "Besties"
ink - My Favorite Things "Black Licorice"
paper - My Favorite Things "Kraft" and "Black Licorice" card stock
miscellaneous - waxed linen twine

Here's the challenges:
The Cat's Pajamas TCPTUES267 - Anything Goes
4 Crafty Chicks #196 - Anything Goes

Thanks for stopping by, come back again.

Sweet! 16

Sa-weet!  That's what I think about these big numbers.  I'm using them for the current Cat's Pajama's challenge "What's Your Number?"   See, there are some challenges that aren't "Spring and/or Easter" themed this week.

Here's the deets:
stamp - the Cat's Pajamas "Lickable"
ink - MFT Razzleberry
paper - Bazzill "Blossom" card stock; MFT "Kraft" card stock; My Mind's Eye Lost and Found "Blush" dsp
miscellaneous - SU corner ticket punch; the Cat's Pajama's "Numbers Plate" Cut Up; Making Memories Ribbon; Divine Twine; Queen and Co. Pearls; present charm

Here's the challenges:
the Cat's Pajamas TCPTUES263 - What's Your Number?
Speedy Fox and Friends #207 - the Letter "T" (twine)
Sister Act #52 - Anything Goes
Fab 'N' Funky #211 - Pink
Seize the Birthday - Anything Goes Birthday (no toppings)

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you'll come back again.

Rise and Shine

It's a very dreary day, actually it's been dreary for a few days now but yesterday I got a delivery from the Cat's Pajamas so I was happy to spend the day indoors playing with paper and ink.  The gray section in the middle lifts up to reveal the paper pieced bun bun under his stripey umbrella.  It looks pretty dull and flat in the photo but the layers give it some oomph in real life.









The layout for this card is based on a Retro Sketch challenge that has already closed.   I liked the idea of a cut out with something fun peeking through.  I decided to use it even though the challenge was over.  In order to play with some of my new TCP toys I combined this week's challenge "Make a card that has clouds in it" with the sketch.  Actually, the card has clouds removed from it, eventually one was added .

The cut out clouds don't reveal much of bun bun, so here's a photo of him in his yellow wellies.  

Plaids and stripes, or houndstooth check work well for masculine cards so I've kept the embellishments down to a couple of pearls for a dash of color, in the corner.  

Here's the deets:

stamp - the Cat's Pajamas "Rise and Shine"

ink - Memento "Tuxedo Black" and "London Fog"

paper - Stampin' Up "Baked Brown Sugar" card stock and "Howlstooth and Scaringbone" dsp; My Favorite Things "Steel Blue"

miscellaneous - copics; The Cat's Pajama's "Cloud Border" Cut Ups; Spellbinders Circle dies; Queen and Co Silver Pearls

Here's the challenges:

the Cat's Pajamas TCPTUES262 - Make a Card that has clouds on it

Speedy Fox and Friends #205 - Use a Negative from a die

Allsorts week 252 - Use Those Dies

Sister Act #50 - Anything Goes

Crafty Catz 224 - Anything Goes

Thanks for stopping by, come back again.

SFTW - Flower Power

It's the weekend!  So how about a Stampin' for the Weekend challenge to keep you busy?  The challenge theme is "Flower Power" and we've got Stamp and Create for our sponsor.   Get your stamping stuff and some flowers out and play along with us.  We can't wait to see what you create.

If you visit my blog regularly you've probably noticed that I don't usually use flowers on my cards.  Well, I don't know what got into me but once I adhered those big flowers to the card I thought it needed something more and before I knew it I just couldn't stop.  This is one busy card.  I wonder if there are any "Not CAS card challenges" out there.  By the way I made those big flowers using my the Cat's Pajamas heart border to cut out the three pieces and then I rolled them, put pearls in the center, surrounded the pearls with stickles and then added bling around the pearls.  The edges of the flowers and the rest of the card were sponged with Ranger "Antique Linen" ink.  By the way if you saw this card from another angle you'd see that there are roses under the big flowers on the left side too.  I don't know what made me finally stop I just hope that I stopped soon enough.  

Here's the deets:
stamp - the Cat's Pajamas "Ewe Complete Me"
ink - Memento "Tuxedo Black"; Ranger "Antique Linen"
paper - Stampin' Up "Crumb Cake" card stock; My Favorite Things "Insulated Pink" card stock;
Basic Grey "Cappella" patterned paper
miscellaneous - copics; My Favorite Things "Pierced Circle Stax" and "Circle Stax" die-namics; the Cat's Pajamas "Heart Border", "Heart Swirl", "Queen of Hearts border" Cut Ups dies; Spellbinder's "Hearts"and "Scalloped Hearts" die; pearls from Stampin' Up Pretties Kit; heart button Pebbles Button Candy Dots; peach lace; gingham ribbon; linen twine;  stickles; cupid charm; Sandylion flowers; Jolee flowers; bling

Here's the challenges:
Stampin' for the Weekend - Flower Power
the Cat's Pajamas TCPTUES256 - Love
Southern Girls - Bling it, Bling, Bling
Milk Coffee - Girly Challenge
Sisterhood of Crafters - Love You
Simon Says Stamp - Get Krafty

Thanks for stopping by, come back again.

Not a Valentine

Am I the only person in the paper crafting community who isn't posting a Valentine's Day/Love card?  I was browsing through some challenges today and every single one of them was centered around that big pink holiday that pops up later this week.  I don't have anything against it, and I love pink but sometimes you just don't feel like making another Valentine card, I made one earlier today for my Wednesday post.

Would you believe that I hardly have any birthday cards?  I need to build up my stash so I was happy to see that this week's Cat's Pajamas challenge called for a project using a candle, present or cake.  So I got to play with my TCP toys and I got a birthday card.

Here's the deets:
stamp - the Cat's Pajamas "Peeking" and sentiment from "Birthday Bunny"
ink - Memento "Tuxedo Black" and My Favorite Things "Jellybean Green" 
paper - My Favorite Things "Berrylicious" and "Sour Apple" card stock; My Mind's Eye "Hootenanny" patterned paper

miscellaneous - copics; the Cat's Pajamas "Star Rosette", "Queen of Hearts" and "Celebration Topper" dies; Stampin' Up corner punch; pearls; Divine Twine; Present charm

Here's the challenges:
the Cat's Pajamas TCPTUES255 - Use a candle, present or cake image
Totally Papercrafts #205 - Hey Cutie
Allsorts week 245 - Colors that Beginning with B (blue)
Sister Act #43 - Anything Goes
Divas by Design - Die Cuts

Thanks for stopping by, come back again.

Having Fun

Finally, I've had the time to just make a card for sheer fun of it.  To go through the sets of "must have" stamps I've been ordering and get to use some of them.

When I saw this Bun Bun stamp set from the Cat's Pajamas I just had to have it.  Funny thing is, I don't know a thing about football, it's just cute and I figured it's be a good stamp to use for making cards for guys.

 I have no idea which teams are in the which league and whose going to the Superbowl or when it is, but I know it's coming up soon and it'll be on at our house and hubby will plan to have dinner and snacks around half time.  

To get the colors for Bun Buns uniform I did a Google search to see which teams were playing.  I was surprised to learn that they weren't determined yet but there were four that were the contenders.  I picked the 49ers colors for Bun Bun's uniform's colors for a couple reasons -  Bun Bun is from San Francisco, the 49ers have the best colors of all the contenders and if I had to pick a town from the four that's the one I'd pick.  I'm a former Jersey girl, that's Jets territory, on general principals alone I have to be against New England...

But I digress...

Card making...I started making this card on Thursday. I hate using an exacto knife.  The card was almost finished when I stabbed my thumb putting away my exacto knife and then proceeded to leave a large drop of blood on my card.  It was a time when an embellishment just wasn't going to do the trick and my thumb didn't want to stop bleeding.  What started out as a fun morning was turning into bad time.   I actually had to unassemble (is that even a word?) the card.  I had to walk away from it and let it be for awhile.  I went back to it today and finished it up.

Here's the deets:
stamp - the Cat's Pajama's "Go! Fight! Win!"
ink - Memento "Tuxedo Black"
paper - My Favorite Things "Kraft", "Steel Blue" and "Safety Orange" card stock; Stampin' Up "Cherry Cobbler" card stock; Recollections Scrapbook paper
miscellaneous - copics;  Spellbinder's Oval dies; The Cat's Pajama's chevron die; button; twine

Here's the challenges:
the Cat's Pajama's TCPTUES252 - Paper Piecing
a Gem of a Challenge #111 - For the Boys
Totally Papercrafts #202 - Paper Piecing
Sister Act #40 - Anything Goes
Brown Sugar #77 - Anything Goes
Charisma #2 - It's a Boy Thing

Thanks for stopping by, come back again.

TCP September Paper Piecing

The Cat's Pajama's September challenge is paper piecing.  I do so love to paper piece, especially love to paper piece TCP images.  My favorite images to piece are the bun buns.  It's the ears.  There's something about those ears.  I don't think there's a TCP fan out there who isn't taken by those ears the EsOD (ears of death) as they are affectionately known.  Since I often piece Bun Bun i decided it was time to do something different for the challenge, but what?  I pulled out all my TCP stamps and browsed through them.  That's actually a fun activity for me, and I do that every so often just for yucks and jollies, yeah, I know I'm a little weird but that's not news to me or to most people who know me.  As I browse I sort the sets into piles, they're in an ever changing order but every sort has a pile of the ones I'm thinking I might use for my next card.  During this sort I ended up with 5 stamps that I would have liked to use.  So I sat and looked at them for awhile longer and attempted to make a decision.  Well, decisions are a funny thing for me.  Some days when I have to make them, I can do it with pause then there's day that making a decision is just not going to happen.  This was one of them, and on this kind of day I resort to eenie, meanie, minie, moe...and my mother told me that the penguins on the pumpkin were the very best one.  So that's how I decided to make this card.
It's obvious that the pumpkins have been pieced but what you probably can't tell is that even the penguins have been pieced.   Even though they're just black and white they've been cut out and pasted over (and in some spots under) the original stamped image.  Yes,sometimes for reasons beyond my understanding I can  get a bit nuts about this stuff but you probably already knew that.

Here's the deets:
stamp - The Cat's Pajamas Hello Pumpkin
ink - Memento Tuxedo Black
paper - Authentique Enchanted pad; Close To My Heart Mischief pack
miscellaneous - copics; MFT Oval stax die-namics; The Cat's Pajamas Hearts Swirl and banner from Easy Rosette Cut Ups; Jolee's Boutique spider web sticker; orange and black bling; machine stitching

Here's the challenges:
The Cat's Pajamas TCPTUESSept13
What If Wednesday DCC925 - Happy Fall Y'All
Simon Says - Anything Goes
Oldie But a Goodie - Dies and Punches (the CTMH paper pack, I bought over a year ago, put away and forgot I had, didn't even recognize it when I stumbled upon it this year)

Thanks for stopping by, come back again.

The Cat's Pajama Blog Hop

I can't believe the sneaky peeks are over.  It was so much fun playing along with the Cat Pack.  I can't thank Miss Meowy enough.  She really is the Cat's Pajamas.

Of course if the sneaky peaks are done that means the stamps are going to be released today.  Now Alma is on the west coast and she hosted a party last night so if you're sitting at your computer on the east coast in the early hours of the morning don't be surprised if the new stamps aren't there yet, give her a little time and come back later.   In the meantime enjoy the bloghop.

The hop starts at Alma's blog Dancing in Pajamas.  So if you just popped in here without being on the hop why don't you join us now.  Pop on over to Alma's and follow along to see what the design team and the Swanky Stampers have created for this special event.


If you are following along you got here from the fabulous Noelle's blog Paper and Ice.  When you leave here you're going to Kimberly's blog It's So Pretty!  It's So Cute!

I made this as part of my daughter's birthday present and she actually liked it.  If you have a teenager you know how hard it can be to get things right.  Inside the bag there's a chocolate cupcake with chocolate icing, her favorite.  Since the cupcake is in a plastic case I sliced up some of the dp and put it in the bag for color.  

For some occasions a cupcake with a pretty tag is just the perfect gift but sometimes you need a little more.  My daughter's birthday called for more so I flipped over the tag, covered it with dp and then attached a gift card envelope to it.  

Here's the deets:
stamp - the Cat's Pajamas - One Cupcake
ink - Memento "Tuxedo Black"
paper - Close To My Heart "Chantilly"
Miscellaneous - copics; the Cat's Pajamas "Bitty Banners", "Apron border", "Gift Card Envie" Cut Ups; hole punch; ribbon;  brads

Thanks for stopping by.  Now it's time for you to hop over to Kimberly's blog.
  

The Cat's Pajama's Sneaky Peeks Day 7

It's day 7 of the Sneaky Peaks.  This is the last stamp set for this release and boy have they been the BEST EVER!  But the fun isn't over yet.  There's the release party tonight and the blog hop that starts tomorrow at 12AM (or midnight tonight depending on how you look at it) on Alma's (Miss Meowy herself) blog.

For today's card bun bun is back and he's got one heck of an ice cream cone.  Can you find where I used the new bitty banner die?  It's in reverse, in the upper right corner of the ice cream paper I used one of the banner punches and sewed a button in the space it created.  

This month the challenge at the Cat's Pajamas is to make a card that will fit in a long envelope.  It's a little bit out of my comfort zone but I was game to give it a try.  Basically I took the measurements of a legal size envelope  and made my card base slightly smaller and tried to figure out how to use some TCP toys on it.  Fun, fun, fun.

Don't forget there's still a chance to win today's stamp set.  Just leave a comment on the Are You In It To Win  thread and you could be picked.  How sweet is that?

Here's the deets:
stamp - the Cat's Pajamas "Lickable" (available 8/27)
ink - Memento "Tuxedo Black" and Stampin' Up "Lovely Lilac"
paper - Stampin' Up "Lovely Lilac" and Pistachio Pudding" card stock and "Specialty Sweet Shop" dsp
miscellaneous - copics; Stampin' Up Pistachio Pudding ribbon; lilac waxed twine; ice cream cone charm; the Cat's Pajama's "Heart Border", "Buttons", "Toppers" and "Bitty Banner" Cut Ups dies; Spellbinder's "Oval" and "Scalloped Oval" dies; flowersoft; dew drops; machine stitching; embroidery floss

Here's the challenges:
the Cat's Pajamas TCPTUESAug13 - long, tall card
Totally Gorjuss #197 - Bows
Crazy 4 Challenges C4C200 - Animals
Simply Create Too #44 - For a Child
Crafty Catz #195 - Stitching with ribbon
Chocolate, Coffee and Cards #46 - Sweet Treats

Thanks for stopping by, come back again.

The Cat's Pajama's Sneaky Peeks Day 6

It's Day 6 of the Cat's Pajamas Sneaky Peeks.  Today the penguins are up and they're staying out of trouble for a change, this release they've gone camping.  Isn't that adorable and romantic.  

This card worked up very quickly.  There's just a little bit of coloring for the grass, tent and beaks and the sky was sponged.  The Cat's Pajama's Cut Ups were used for the banner, the star topper and stars.  A few green brads were used to give it a little more pop of color.

This stamp set will be available at the Cat's Pajama's store on 8/27.  In the meantime there's still a daily prize of a stamp set being made to one of the people who leave a comment on the Cat's Pajamas "In It to Win It" thread at Splitcoast Stampers.



Here'a the deets:
stamp - the Cat's Pajamas "Under the Stars"
ink - Memento Tuxedo Black; Stampin' Up "Garden Green" marker for sentiment; Ranger "Faded Jeans"
paper - My Favorite Things "Nightshift Blue"; October Afternoon "Campfire" dp
miscellaneous - copics; the Cat's Pajama's Bitty Banners and Holiday Toppers Cut Ups; stickles; button brads

Here's the challenges:
Crazy for Challenges C4C200 - Use Animals
Sweet Stampin' - Journeys, Travel or Destinations
Creative Corner - Cute Critters

Thanks for stopping by, come back again.

the Cat's Pajama's Sneaky Peeks Day 5

What happened to Bun Bun?  Every now and then Alma has to let some of the other characters out to play.  Today's sweet bear is versatile.  Besides a soup bowl, there's a cake and a wrapped present that could be placed on her platter.  How cool is that!   Of course there's a birthday sentiment and a get well sentiment.  

You know you want to add this to your stash, and you can, it will be available on 8/27 in the Cat's Pajama shop.  

While you're waiting for the big release you should stop over at the Cat's Pajama's Forum at  Splitcoast Stampers.  If you lieave a comment on the Are You In It To Win It thread you'll have a chance to win the day's stamp set.  



Here's the deets:
stamp - the Cat's Pajamas "At Your Service"
ink - Memento "Tuxedo Black" and VersaMagic "Pink Petunia"
paper - Bazzill "Snow White" card stock; Simple Stories "Vintage Bliss"
miscellaneous - copics; Stampin' Up Crisp Cantaloupe ribbon;lace; baker's twine; rose; charm; pearls; scalloped carner punch; Spellbinder's Lacey Circle die