{TCP223} Water, Water everywhere!

Hiya! This week Susan is our hostess at The Cat's Pajamas, and she wants us to get wet! Use any stamp set with a water theme and our Wave Cutup or Snowflake cutups (Snowflake Lace Paper or Snowflake).

I made a baby card, just to have on hand....it's a little busier than I intended, but that's okay;) I used Whale of a Time and the Wave Cutup. I also snuck in some Heart Trio cutups:) Some SU ribbon and cord button and some pink jute twine (Ribbon Carousel) and little white brads and pearl on her hat, finish it off!

Check out Alma's blog for links to all of the DT participating today (you can see updates on her sidebar) and for all the details on how you can be our weekly winner or even Swanky Stamper of the month!

{TCPTUES220&221} Captain Long Ears

Hey there! Today I am showing you a two-fer:) Last week I didn't get a chance to play along with TCP Tuesday 220- which was Amy's fabby sketch...so, I combined this weeks inspiration challenge (#221) and came up with this fun little ditty;) Now, you can still play with both challenges and be elidgeable for the title of Swanky Stamper, but only the current challenge will enter you in the draw for catcash.

You can check out our SCS forum HERE for all the details:) And link up your creations on the Dancing in Pajama's blog and use the keyword TCPTUES221 when loading to SCS;) Capish?

I used my Cloud Border Cutup to airbrush a cloudy sky....it turned out great, too bad the bunny is hiding most of it;) Cap'n Long Ears is from the set Take Off. Up the right side of the card, you'll see the Apron cutup peeking out. Been awhile since I used that one, but I still love it!!

I tied a bit of Ivory Linen thread vertically on the left side, and threaded an assortment of buttons with the same.

{TCPTUES216} Flutterby

Time for another TCP Tuesday! This week our hostess is  Jen d. and she has given us a gorgeous inspiration picture to get the creative juices flowing:)

I was inspired by all the lovely embossing on the jugs and little floral details on the lanterns and of course the serene colours: whites with touches of browns and greens:) So relaxing! Makes me want to redecorate my bedroom!
And what? No stamping? Yep! Just some fabby TCP Cutup dies: Lacey Floral Doily and Mini Exotic Butterflies....

I used this satin striped ribbon in Sage from the Ribbon Carousel.

Check out Jen's Blog for all the detials:)

{TCPTUES214} Blow Me Away

Hiya! This week Susan is our hostess with the mostest over at The Cat's Pajamas, and she is our resident stamp/cutup challenge head honcho.....well this week we want you to Blow Us Away! Yep- that's right! Use any stamp with wind, air, blowing (think outta the box a little- blowing on hot soup or tea.....) and the cutups we'd like you to pull out this week are the pinwheel and/or cloud border!

I haven't used the pinwheel cutup in ages, so I was really excited to use it! I must have been thinking about my niece, Gracie, when I started off, because I decided to make her some room decor. She has the cutest little bedroom with that green and pink, shabby-chic cottage feel to it...the one with the cabbage roses and white distressed furniture. You know what I'm talkin' bout!

I found this little 3-pk of terra cotta seed pots at the Dollarama for ...you guessed it, a dollar! I then painted them white with plain old acrylic craft paint. I hotglued some florist foam down and covered it in homemade crimped paper grass (just cut CS strips 1/8" wide and run through your paper crimper- if you don't have a paper crimper, dry emboss the sheet of CS before cutting- I had a sheet in my stash already embossed and it honestly worked just as well, so don't feel like you have to go out and buy a $25 crimper! Best is a very detailed, deep embossing folder). The 'leaves' are just SU satin ribbon bows with the end bits cut short and glued in place.

I assembled the pinwheels (I cut 2 out for each pot, to give it some strength in case a small person would like to manhandle this a bit;) by using a brad to hold it all in place, then hotglued a button tied with bakers twine on the top. I then cut 3 circles of TCP felt (from the Green With Envy collection) using a small spellbinders circle and hotglued a lollipop stick to the back of the pinwheel and covered with the felt circle.

I cut out a couple strips of white clouds and used the coolvetica alphabet to spell out her first, middle and last name in Melon Mambo ink on clouds that I had snipped appart. Her last name wouldn't fit on one cloud, so I just used two and then added a mini glue dot to attach them. Poked a hole through the cloud and fastened onto the stick with more bakers twine. Then I  hotglued the lollipop stick into the foam to make sure it stays in place. All done!! This sounds intense, but the painting was what took the longest! The rest actually came together really quick!

Thanks for stopping by, and check out the sidebar on the Dancing in PJ's blog to see which designers have posted today (and keep checking in for inspiration all week long- we like to keep it coming!)..and if you would like the chance to win a weekly GC or better yet, the whole shebang when we announce who gets to be Swanky Stamper and play along with the next release, then remember to upload your creation to the blog or use the keyword TCPTUES214 when using an online gallery.

{TCPTUES212} Pleated Paper

Ahoy there! It's Tuesday, and I am on the ball this week with a TCP challenge from Julie. She wants us to paper-pleat! It's actually kinda fun and I think I might have a new addiction:)
If you would like a tutorial, then you can check out the one that our very own Amy Rohl did HERE on SCS.

I used one of my all time favorite TCP stamp sets A Whale of A Time. I paper-pieced the whale and hat, and added a dark brown baby braddie to his eye. I used grey copics to shade the DP and the hat is popped up on dimensionals. The clouds were made using the Cloud Border Cutup and I love that you can easily snip these clouds appart to make undividuals! They are sponged with distress ink and popped up at various heights with dimensionals.

I cut two 1 1/2 x 6" pieces of dp and scored them at 1", 1.5", 2.5", 3", 4", 4.5", 5.5". Then you fold the strip, mountain-valley style and adhere the two together and trim the edges to fit the card front. I sponged the edges to give the pleats more definition. The brown strip in the centre was cut with the Big Scallop cutup and topped with Orange Divine Twine and a button.

This set comes with some really sweet sentiments, but I chose to leave them off, as I am finding lately that when I am in need of a card, it seems like the sentiments aren't matching the occasion! So I think I need some 'generic' cards in my stash! lol

 Here is a side view, where you can see the whale, hat, and clouds dimension. You can also see the pleats a bit better. With the measurements I gave you above, your pleats will measure 1/2 inch. You can change the measurements to suit your project. Just remember that the smaller number needs to be half of the larger to keep your pleats equal widths.

Link up your paper-pleated project to The Cat's Pajamas Blog for your chance to win weekly Catcash as well as a shot at the title of Swanky Stamper of the Month! Use the keyword TCPTUES212 when uploading to SCS.

Sketch- Mojo 241

{TCPTUES209} Mom Pennant

This week, Susan is our hostess and she has a stamp/cutup challenge for us: use any stamp associated with the letter 'M' for Mother's Day (monkeys, music, mustaches, etc) and the Pennant Cutup die.

I used the Nightie Alphabet and small pennants to make a M-O-M banner.....I kept this fairly simple, but I find that a CAS design tends to take me longer than a intricately coloured, loads of layers and embellies kind of card....go figure!
I used the current SSSC 158 for my layout. I also added a flower under my button/ribbon treatment using the Flower Button Cutup and strung the banner along with linen thread.

Not sure where the buttons came from, but the pink polka dot ribbon is from the Ribbon Carousel, as well as the Jillibean Soup 'Southern Chicken Dumpling Soup' 6x6 paper pad.

Blank inside, with plently of room for a nice message to mom!

Link up your card to the Dancing in PJ's blog, or use the keyword TCPTUES209 when uploading to an online gallery!

{TCP/iSSC} May Arts & Ribbon Carousel Blog Hop

Oh my, I think I am breaking some kind of company-challenge combination world record...and I'm throwing in a blog hop just for fun!! So I'll try to keep it straight for ya, cuz it's gonna get a little confusing. Maybe you should get a pen out and take a few notes to refer back to in case it gets too foggy to see through!
I was intentionally going to just combine my usual weekly TCP Tuesday gig with my iSpy Sketch this week, but then my good pal Corinna from the Ribbon Carousel asked me to join in on the RC's blog hop with May Arts ribbon. Oh Boy! So this card I made uses a very cheeky (monkey) image from one of my fave stamp companys The Cat's Pajamas, used in an iSSC layout, with some May Arts product, found at the Ribbon Carousel. Phew! Now, usually I am annoyed by people who combine a zillion challenges into one card...so I promise you this won't happen often, but you could look at it as me spreading my feelers all through cyberspace and trying to reach out to alot of readers (or a few;) while promoting an abundance of pretty awesome companies and challenges that I love:) So I shall look at it as the latter and not beat myself with a big stick. Agreed? Good.

Let's get on with it then. If you are here for one thing, and not another, just sit back and take it all in:) It's all good, baby!

I used the Go Bananas stamp set from The Cat's Pajamas and combined it with May Arts  Black Jute String, Red Jute Twine and Parrot Green Net Ribbon (all available at the Ribbon Carousel store)

Check out the iSSC blog for the original card, as well as the other Special Agents take on the sketch, as well as the Dancing in Pajamas blog to link up your TCPTUES208 colour challenge (RED, GOLD & LIME GREEN) card for your chance at the monthy Swanky Stamper or some weekly catcash!

Hop Details:

You have 4 chances to win! Hop along and leave some love on the designers' blogs. A winner will be chosen randomly from one of the designer's blog from the Ribbon Carousel and one designer's blog from May Arts.

Also,stop by and say hello on both the Ribbon Carousel's Facebook page and the May Arts Facebook page for additional chances to win!

You have until Friday , May 4th at 3:00 EST to play along! Winners will be announced on Friday, May 4th at 6:00 PM here, on the May Arts blog, the Ribbon Carousel Facebook page, and the May Arts Facebook page!

Here are the prizes:

Ribbon Carousel Blog: 4 spools of May Arts Ribbon (winner's choice)

Ribbon Carousel Facebook page: 2 rolls of Mary Arts Ribbon (winner's choice)

May Arts Blog: Ribbon Carousel

May Arts Facebook page: 2 ten packs of wooden spools

{TCP Release Hop} Baby's Wish

Release day is finally here at The Cat's Pajamas! We are pairing up our release day hop with a fun new TCPTUES207 challenge. This week Julie is our hostess with the mostest, and she is challenging us to use homemade flowers on our projects! Shouldn't be to hard with all the fabby TCP Cutups! I used the newest Cutup on the block, the PomPom Cutup and paired it with the cute little bunny from Wish. You should have arrived here from the crazy-talented Leigh O'Brien's blog, and if you didn't and want to start at the top of the hop, then head back to square one at our lovely hostess Julie's blog.

This little 'card' was supposed to be a framed bit of wall art for my little niece, who is a stubborn little one, and has yet to make her appearance, even though my SIL's due date was last week!! I can't tell you baby's name, but if my sis is keeping with her plan (and she is a planner;) then I am hoping I have the right initial;) If not, then I can change it up! No problemo!
Anyway, the frame was all going fine, till I went to spray on a coat of clear varnish, and guess what? It came out BLACK!!! I guess I should have tested it out first, cuz after I sprayed it in the trashcan, it did finally spray clear, but the damage was done:( But, I'm not a kitty that cries over spilled milk, so I will just buy at new one at Michaels next time I'm in town and start over! So here is my 'project' unframed....excuse the rounded corners on the white...that was just so the card would fit in the frame properly!

I relplaced the star at the end of Bunny's fishing line (which I also replaced with some wire twine) with an 'E' (cut from an SU alpha die)....
Bunny is coloured with copics, with clear spica added to the nose, tail and underpads of the paws. I coated the moon with a conservative layer of crystal effects and a very light sprinkle of diamond glitter. The 'I' in WISH is dotted with a crystal rhinstone and that circle panel was debossed with a EF.
Black machine stitching and silver brads add some interest!

 

  The button us a wood Maya Road button that I painted teal, then a few coats of white acrylic paint. I then sanded it a bit, so that the teal would show through, and tied it with a black rustic twine double bow. It was hotglued to the centre of the felt PomPom cutup rolled flower. Check out the TCP site for a how-to video that Alma is working on for this new Cutup...not sure when that will be going up, but keep your eye's peeled:)

Okay, up next on the hop is Miss Nancy! I'm sure she has something to delight you!

And we want you to play along with us this week! You never know, it could land you in the hotseat of Swanky Stamper of the Month, and next release, YOU could be playing along with us!! A big thanks to our Swanky Guests this release: Noelle, Christine & Wendy! They all did a bang-up job all week!! Thanks Ladies!! You are all amazing!!

Supplies- DP- MME; CS-SU!; Ink- memento, versafine; stamps- TCP-Wish; Felt- PTI; twine/ribbon/wire twine- Ribbon Carousel; button- Maya Road; brads- MM; rhinestone- TE; embossing folder- Cuttlebug; diamond glitter/ CE- SU!; dies- TCP- PomPom Cutup, spellbinder circles, E- SU!; Copics, spica, dimensionals, Bigshot, gluegun, sewing machine

Sketch- The Deconstructed Sketch #48

{iSSC10/TCPTUES204} Easter Greetings

Today I have another double-duty card for you! It's time for a new weekly sketch installment with iSSC, as well as fellow Catpacker Susan's TCP Easter stamp challenge: use any Easter-themed stamp and one or all of the following Cutups- Grass, Clouds and Eggs in A Basket. Fun, right?
This weeks sketch was inspired by Debbie Olson, and you can see her card here.
Here is your sketch:

I made a pretty simple, kind of shabby-country looking card. I've used a few Cutups: Grass border, Queen of Hearts border, and Eggs in A Basket.
The only stamping that I did on this card is the sentiment!! It is from the set Spring Fling.
I've also used some lucious seam binding from the TCP store in Cream.

The paper (woodgrain and yellow panel) is some new MME 6x6...not sure which one. The eggs are the same, and the grass and text-sky are from the scrap bin.

If you would like to play along in these challenges, simply link up your cards to TCP's Dancing in Pajamas blog or the iSpy Sketch Challenge blog!

{TCPTUES202} Smile!

Long time, no blog! I told you my life was going to get hectic, and boy oh boy if that ain't the truth!!! Idid manage to sneak in some stampin' time this weekend, in between marking. Julie is our hostess with the mostess this week over at The Cat's Pajamas, and she has challenged us to use Grass with Class...any stamp set featuring grass, our fabulous Grass Cutup die, or any other form of the green stuff;)

Here's the deets: I used the clear set, Kick Some Grass, and although there is grass on the image, I covered it up with some loopy Divine Twine grass. Simply use a row of double sided tape and lay down the sod...super fun, but not for those who are a little tight with their twine stash...this technique used a fair amount of the stuff;)
The little flower is a diecut from the Flower Buttons Cutups die...

I am just under the wire with this one, but you still have time to play...If you don't make it for the weekly draw, there is still time to use this challenge to help you become Swanky Stamper of the Month! Check out Alma's blog here for details...And tomorrow is a brand new colour challenge, so be sure to keep your eyes peeled for that;)
Sketch: Last weeks Mojo, turned on it's end.

{TCPTUES200} Gummy Bears & A Giveaway!

TCP Tuesday is 200! Can you believe it?

Today marks the 200th challenge that the Cat Pack has given to you! So we are celebrating in true Cat's Pajamas fashion, with a FREE Giveaway.

That's right, I said FREE! Since our 200th TCP Challenge is a sketch challenge we are giving away a fancy Cat's Pajamas Sketch Book featuring virtually every sketch challenge in TCP history! It's a great reference to get those creative juices flowing. Page after Page of sketch goodness! Just go to http://thecatspajamasrs.com/TCPTuesdaySketchbook.pdf and download your copy for FREE.

But that's not all. Comment on any of The Cat Packers blog that features our 200th TCP Tuesday Sketch Challenge by Tuesday, March 13 and you could WIN our complete NEW release! The more times you comment, the better. Alma will announce the winner on her blog on Wednesday, March 14.

Here is the sketch, by our lovely Leigh.....isn't it a keeper? Makes you really want that sketch book now, I'll bet;)

As soon as I saw the sketch, Andy Warhol instantly came to mind....you know the grid-like, colourful portraits? The different colour hues and saturations, over exposure....well, I tried to replicate Andy's style with my card. If there are any Warhol fans out there, I hope I didn't completely butcher the style (but seeing how people get their baby's picture made into a Warhol-like portrait, I think my little 'gummy bear' (thanks Leigh, LOL!;) version is pretty harmless to the diehard fans;)

Here's a tribute picture to calm the masses....

Here are some close-up of each horizontal row of gummies....

I coloured them up with bold and bright copics, mounting them on airbrushed sqaures matted in black. I added some seriously highlights with copic opaque paint using a thin paintbrush.

The fabulous hot pink netted ribbon is from the Ribbon Carousel....

 The Ribbon Carousels challenge this week is Anything goes (RCC42).

As always, we would LOVE to see what you can do with this sketch! Join us on SCS using the keyword TCPTUES200 or upload your card to Alma's blog for your chance to win weekly catcash or the title of Swanky Stamper of the Month!

And remember, you have all week to leave comments on all the DT's blogs!! Links to all the Catpackers are on my sidebar....

{TCPTUES199} Hey Buckaroo!

Hi there! Time for another challenge from The Cat's Pajamas! This week Susan is our hostess and she has a stamp/cutup assignment for us. With spring on the horizon, Susan has challenged us to use any stamp featuring the 'The Great Outdoors' and the Cloud Cutup die!
Fun, right?!

I created a fun scene with everyone's favorite lil buckaroo Ride 'em Ronnie and some cacti (is that the plural form of cactus??:).....airbrushed a cloudy sky background with the cloud border die as my mask and stamped the sentiment on two clouds that I cut apart from the cloud strip.
The denim dp border was cut using the Circus border cutup and the western theme was continued adding metal 'studs' using brown brads.
The little handmade star button was purchased at a quilting shop....I covered up the button holes with the twine lasso glued to the front.

 
I couldn't throw the DP scraps away, so I finished the inside, adding a birthday wish for the special boy. Another Ronnie was stamped next to the sentiment, using distress ink.

I had so much fun making this card! I can't wait to give it to the special boy that I made it for:):) I have a feeling he's gonna think I hung the moon with this one!

Supplies: Stamps- TCP; ink- versamark, memento, distress ink; DP- October Afternoon: Sasperilla; CS- SU!; Dies- TCP; button- unknown; twine- walmart; brads- Recollections; Copics and airbrushing system
Sketch- MOJO230

Want to play along for your chance to win this months Swanky Stamper? Check out Alma's blog for details!