Grads & Dads ~ TCM New Release Preview Day Two

Welcome back!

We are celebrating Day Two of New Release Previews at

It's Graduation Season and Father's Day is just around

the corner and today, we have two

fabulous sets that fit both occasions.

The first was designed by Kaitlyn Ord

called 'Grads & Dads'

I called upon my CAS senses to create this card and I kinda like it.

I stamped the fab graduate's cap in Blueberry ink from A Muse Studio

and made the tassel from Stone baker's twine from The Twinery.

I am happy to enter this in to the Simon Says Stamp CAS Challenge.

Our second stamp set preview today was created by

the talented Michelle Bertuzzi

called 'For My Dad'

Can you tell I am loving this gray and blue color story ? !

I think this is pretty self-explanatory from a design standpoint.

Make sure you pop by

 The Craft's Meow Blog

and check out the fabulous-ness

from all of the designers.

TCM is giving away a new release set

each day, so make sure you leave a comment

on the blog for a chance to win!

I am so glad you stopped by today and I hope

you will plan to come by each day this week

so you don't miss a thing!

Grad Project Recipe:

Stamps: Grads & Dads by The Craft's Meow
Ink: Blueberry by A Muse Studio 

Embellishments: baker's twine in Stone from The Twinery

Time to Wish Project Recipe:

Stamps: For My Dad by The Craft's Meow
Ink: Blueberry & Slate by A Muse Studio 

Embellishments: brads from Recollections

Dream Big with CAS-ual Fridays

What perfect timing!

I have a niece whose graduation party is this

weekend, so the inspiration was easy!

Have you played along in the Break Room over at

CAS-ual Fridays yet?  We have a 'Girl Friday Pool'

that specialize in some of the most

creative CAS card-making around.

This week's challenge to 'Graduation...Clean & Simple-Style'

I have always loved my 'Dot Spots' stamps from PTI.

It was the very first set of PTI I ever purchased, but they

don't get used enough, so I am glad to have used them here.

They are really beautiful with the inks that I used

from A Muse Studio.

These have become my 

absolute favorite inks on the planet!

They are silky smooth on paper and so vibrant.

One of my favorite sponsors is on board this week

I finally had a chance to meet the very sweet

Angelica Suarez, the owner of Market Street Stamps

at the Milwaukee Rubber Stamp Expo this past

weekend and what a sweetheart!

We are both on the design team for The Twinery

and live just a few hours from one another, but this

is the first time we have had a chance to meet.

So I hope you will pop over and check out all the fab

designs from our Girl Friday Designers and then

make plans to play this week...those stamps from

Market Street just might be yours!!!!

Today's Project Recipe:

Cardstock & Designer Paper: A Muse Studio
Stamps: Papertrey Ink, Scrappy Cat, Wordsworth
Ink: A Muse Studio in Cranberry, Slate & Ocean
Misc:  Embossing Powder by Stampendous, 
Rhinestones by Recollections

Big Things Come in...Well, You Know the Rest...

I am in the process of making a card for a graduation open house that I will be attending this afternoon and I got to thinking about all the times you and I have needed that 'little something' to include with a gift that really personalizes that it's from us...you know the dialogue in the middle of the baby shower...it goes something like this: "Oh, she always makes something handmade and we all wait to see what it's going to be!". No pressure there!?!

I think we get so used to working in standard greeting card scale, that we forget that we can pack the same 'Ooh...Aah...' punch if we think gift tags...with embellishments. I think the key is to embellish.

As we know with greeting cards, it's really easy to fold the cardstock (ok, I know some of you HAVE to score it first ), lay down a layer of backgrounds, use a brad or two for the 'flower centers', stamp the greeting and go. Why not do it with these miniature greetings. I guarantee, when you hand over a gift 'tag' that's just as embellished as the cards that people expect from you, it will go from being a miniature greeting to a miniature masterpiece!

I will be back later on with, what I think is a fun announcement. I hope you will stop back and be ready to participate. I only hope this post was enough to whet your appetite...hmmm...