Let Your Dreams Soar

Hello everyone and thanks for hopping by (pun intended).  Today is the LAST day of MFT Teaser Time.  Check Kim's blog at 11 AM EST for the complete list of participants for today's teasers.  You know what that means, right?  Tonight is the release!  YAY!  At 10 PM EST, you can fill your carts with all the yummy goodness we have shown you over the past 5 days. 

For my card today, I used Flopsey Flies a Kite.  Since I already had my watercolor paper and watercolors out, I decided to be efficient and make another card using them.  I am all about being efficient.  If I'm going to go through the trouble to drag out something "special"... expect me to use it several times before I put it away.  LOL

Flopsey was stamped on watercolor paper with Stazon.  I colored the rock and blue shading around him with watercolors.  Flopsey was colored with Prismacolor pencils and blended using odorless mineral spirits.  I stamped the kite and colored it with Prismas as well.  I used some black floss to connect the kite to the string holder thingy in Flopsey's hands.  I completed the scene with some fluffy felt clouds.

For the inside, I mimicked the layout from the front of the card.  I stamped a simple sentiment from the set, and watercolored some wispy blue streaks on it, to resemble a blue sky.  A single felt cloud finished it off. 

 
Here are a couple details you need to know about tonight's release:

• All 15 stamp sets and 5 new Die-namics dies are available tonight at 10 PM EST in the MFT boutique.
• Join us for the release party from 8-10 PM EST for fun, prizes, and girly chit chat.  There is always fun to be had.  The guest designer will be announced during the release party. 
• The blog hop goes live at 10 PM EST, so see you soon for that. 

Thanks for stopping by!  Be sure to check back Thursday at 10 AM MST for a Make The Cut tutorial that you won't want to miss. :) 

Friends Forever

Hi and welcome to day 4 of MFT Teasers.  For my card today, I used the new Jolinne - Friends Forever.  I love the big ol' cuddly teddy bear.  What little girl doesn't love teddy bears?  I know my girls still love them... and have them ALL over their floor closet bed.  LOL

I wanted a "dreamy" look to this image, so I decided to pull out my watercolor brush and paper and color the image with my Peerless Watercolors.  I used lace trim and a rustic Prima flower, both gifts from my friend, Michele.  I used Basic Grey Olivia patterned paper, which was a gift from my friend, Karen.  :) 

I'm normally uptight prim and proper with my machine stitching, but this time I had too much plain pink in the background, so I switched it up by adding some criss-cross crooked stitching.  It's okay to be all crazy with your stitching when you do it on PURPOSE.  LOL 

Here is a peek inside:

Here is what you need to know for tomorrow, RELEASE day!

• 
  
  The MFT release is on September 1st at 10 PM EST. You can attend the release party from 8-10 PM EST here in the forum for fun, games, and prizes! All the new sets and dies will be available on September 1st at 10 PM EST.
• 
  
  The guest designer contest is ON! Check out the forum for details on how YOU can win over $100 in stamp sets and play along with the DT for a month.
• 
  
  If you'd like to see all the teasers for today, please click on over to Kim's blog at 11 AM EST. Be sure to leave comments as you go for a chance to win one of 2 sets being given away, just for leaving a comment. :) Check Kim's blog every day for the winners.

See you tomorrow for the last teaser day, then the hop at 10 PM!  :) 

Pure Innocence in Costume

Hi everyone and thanks for stopping by today.  :)  Today is day 3 of MFT Teaser Time and the focus is on Pure Innocence.  Oh how I love those sweet little faces. :)  The little cuties are in costume this month, which will work well for Halloween AND other times of the year. 

 Before I get to the cards, let me share the details about this week with you:

• The MFT release is on September 1st at 10 PM EST. You can attend the release party from 8-10 PM EST here in the forum for fun, games, and prizes! All the new sets and dies will be available on September 1st at 10 PM EST.
• The guest designer contest is ON! Check out the forum for details on how YOU can win over $100 in stamp sets and play along with the DT for a month.
• If you'd like to see all the teasers for today, please click on over to Kim's blog at 11 AM EST. Be sure to leave comments as you go for a chance to win one of 2 sets being given away, just for leaving a comment. :) Check Kim's blog every day for the winners.

My first card uses Honey Bee.  I decided to be "wild" and make a multi-colored honey bee.  I had my heart set on using the Olivia Basic Grey paper, so I went with it.  :)  She is colored in all the colors that match the patterned paper.  I added glitter to her wings and some Swarovski crystals to her antennas.   

Here is a picture of the inside of the card.

My next card uses Princess.  She is so cute in her little princess costume.  :)  I added several Prima flowers to the card and a bit of white lace trim.

 
That's it for today.  :)  I'll see you tomorrow with a Jolinne teaser.  Have a wonderful Monday! 

Hook, Line, & Sinker

Hi!  It's day 2 of MFT teaser time and I have a card using the new Fred Bear stamp set, Fred Bear Goes Fishing.

Here are some details about the release this week:

• The MFT release is on September 1st at 10 PM EST. You can attend the release party from 8-10 PM EST here in the forum for fun, games, and prizes!  All the new sets and dies will be available on September 1st at 10 PM EST.
• The guest designer contest is ON! Check out the forum for details on how YOU can win over $100 in stamp sets and play along with the DT for a month.
• If you'd like to see all the teasers for today, please click on over to Kim's blog at 11 AM EST. Be sure to leave comments as you go for a chance to win one of 2 sets being given away, just for leaving a comment. :) Check Kim's blog every day for the winners.

See you tomorrow with some Pure Innocence sweetness!  :)

Harvesting an apology... it was the little monsters

How is that for a title?  It gives you a little hint at what I'll be blabbing about today.  Today I am back after a 19 day absence.  It felt like an eternity... and I have a long list of reasons why, but I'll spare you the book and just give you a condensed version.  Ready?  

Family trip, girls at cheer camp, son at 2-a-day football practices, get kids ready for school, school starts, girls promptly get sick... who get my hubby sick... who get ME sick.  Night owl turned exhausted sick woman, went to bed EARLY every night since school started 2 weeks ago.  That about covers it.  LOL  So, what have YOU been doing for the last 19 days?  :)

When I sat down to stamp a couple days ago, I really felt like I forgot how.  LOL  Luckily, the stamps I was working with lend themselves to simple designs and clean lines.  Speaking of STAMPS, today marks day one of MFTeasers!  It's teaser time!  I'll post some info about the coming release at the end of the post, so be sure to scroll down when you are done looking at the pics. :)

I started with Clearly Sentimental about Harvest and 2 of the new Die-namics dies being released on September 1st: Perfect Petal Trio and Perfect Bracket Edge.  

What makes the Perfect Bracket Edge perfect, you ask?  (even if you didn't ask, just roll with it)  Well... it was uniquely and geniously designed to work with various widths of paper.  It has several levels of lumps and bumps, which translate to a beautiful design for the edge of your paper, from 6 inches, down to 3 1/2 inches.

To demonstrate it, I made a trio of cards, all with a different length of Perfect Bracket Edge.  

For this card, I die cut the actual edge of the card, which was 5 1/2" wide:

For this card, I die-cut a strip of paper and adhered it to the bottom of the white card base, which is 4 1/4 inches long.

For this one, I die-cut a strip of paper that was 3 1/2 inches long and used it along the bottom of my sentiment panel.

3 different looks, all from one edge die!  Pretty nifty, huh? 

Did you notice all my patterned paper flowers?  Those were made with the new Perfect Petals Trio Die-namics die.  They are a nice scalloped shape, with deeper petals, for easy curling and manipulating the petals.  I like that!

In an effort to show you I'm REALLY sorry for leaving you high and dry for 19 days... I stamped even MORE cards to show you today for teasers.  :)  

I used another stamp set that will be released on September 1st, Tiny Town Halloween.  As the name suggests, the images in this set are tiny and perfect for simple cards and small Halloween treats. 

Aren't the little characters so cute?  You get 4 characters and elements to build a cute little Halloween scene.  Fun stuff.  :) 

Well that's it for my teasers... now on to the details you have been waiting for:

The MFT release is on September 1st at 10 PM EST. You can attend the release party from 8-10 PM EST here in the forum for fun, games, and prizes!



The guest designer contest is ON! Check out the forum for details on how YOU can win over $100 in stamp sets and play along with the DT for a month.


If you'd like to see all the teasers for today, please click on over to Kim's blog at 11 AM EST. Be sure to leave comments as you go for a chance to win one of 2 sets being given away, just for leaving a comment. :)  Check Kim's blog every day for the winners.
 
Thanks for stopping by.  I'll see you tomorrow for another teaser.  :)

Generous Harvest... of sweet tea

If you read yesterday's post, you already know the tale of the sweet tea.  This is the second and final casualty.  LOL 

This card uses Clearly Sentimental about Harvesting, the Rolled Flower Die-namics die, Glittered Garnishes, Ruffled Ribbon, and net ribbon.

It's quick and easy... and totally drenched in sweet tea.  Nice.  *eye roll*  Maybe I should start keeping a sippy cup with me when I am on the computer.  LOL

Thanks for stopping by!  See you soon!

The Sad Tale of Fred and the Sweet Tea

It pains me to write this post... but Fred Bear had a run in with the sweet tea.  It started out innocent enough... I was hot... and thirsty... and on the computer.  My computer desk was in it's normal state: post-it notes stuck everywhere, notebooks, random to-do lists, printed documents, pens, scissors, tape, MY FRED BEAR CARD... you know... all the essentials (and then some).  I went to grab my sweet tea and well... I missed (or something) and next thing you know, Fred Bear is drowning in sweet tea.  I tried to revive him, but he was already gone.  RIP Fred Bear roasting marshmallows over my fire with "real" sticks.  *sigh*

Fred Bear was stamped and colored with Copics.  I gave him a fire-side glow with E50 and E51.  His marshmallow is on fire, and he is almost ready to make s'mores.  :)  I colored the fire with a mix of yellow, red, and orange.  He is sitting on a Small Scallop cork ground.  His nose was coated in Sakura clear glaze pen to give it some shine.

I made a fire pit with REAL sticks (aka brown card stock, run through a crimper, and then sliced thinly, crumpled, and adhered over the image of sticks.  (which are now drenched in sweet tea)

Just take a look at that tree die with the built-in embossing feature.  *swoon*  I can't get enough of it!  It should have a label on it that says: JUST ADD FELT LEAVES.  It just looks so darn neato!

Look at the fun texture!

The inside of this card is ironic.  A Happy Camper I am NOT! (says the chick whose card she loved is now RUINED because of a pesky glass of sweet tea).

CURSE YOU, sweet tea!

I'll be back tomorrow... with the sad, yet not AS sad tale of the Clearly Sentimental about Harvesting card.  Yep, you guessed it... SWEET TEA!

Happy Birthday Bunny

Hi all!  Here is a card I made using my TCP set, Birthday Bunny.  I chose a muted color combo based on my patterned paper from the Basic Grey Kioshi line.  The gifts were colored and then I used Divine Twine to embellish them. 

The sentiments in the set are hilarious.  I used 2 sentiments included in the set for my card:

• Happy Birthday
• Hope your Birthday is as Fabulous as Me

Isn't that adorable?

See you soon!  Have a wonderful day!

Go Forth & Eat Cake

Who really needs an invitation to go forth & eat cake?  NOT ME!  LOL  I am using the cute new stamp set from TCP, Forget About the Cake. 

I have to confess that the entire time I was making this card, I was thinking about the cake that my daughters made for my husband and me.  We recently celebrated our 11th anniversary, and while we were out having our anniversary lunch, my daughters (10 & 12) made us a cake.  When we got home, they made us close our eyes and lit 2 candles (signifying 11 they told us) and we blew out the candles.  Then they proceeded to tell us about their cake-making experience.  Apparently we were out of tub frosting, so they googled how to make chocolate frosting (isn't that adorable?) on their laptop.  It involved boiling the frosting and lots of ingredients.  I was grinning ear to ear until they got to the last part.  Then, came the confession.  They discovered when making the frosting that they didn't have quite enough powdered sugar for the recipe.  Their fix?  FLOUR!  *gag*  LOL  Knowing that might be kinda weird, they ALSO added in some granulated sugar to sweeten the flour.  LMBO  The frosting was literally dripping down the sides of the cake onto the cake plate.  heehee  They were SO sweet to think of us, but that frosting... ACK!  LOL

See you soon!  :)  Do you have any funny "kid stories" to share?  Something sweet? funny?  Any frosting mishaps in YOUR house?  I'd love to hear them. 

Designer Basket & Apples Template

Hi everyone!  The time is FINALLY here!  It's time for the August MFT release!  All the new products are available RIGHT NOW, right HERE. :)

Tonight, we are having our traditional Blog Hop & Shop.  If you have just happened upon the hop, you'll want to start at the beginning on Kim's Blog, so you don't miss anything. 

I am SO super excited to be able to share the new template that I designed: Designer Basket & Apples.  This will make the perfect gift to go with all the fabulous cards you'll make with Who's That Harvest Girl, or just as a fun gift all by itself.  With school starting soon, these apples would make the PERFECT gift for your children, and the new teachers.

OK, let's get to it!  Here is the complete template, assembled to create a Designer Basket, and 4 treat-filled apples.

I added a brown "stake" made from card stock to mount my An Apple a Day sentiment, which came from the Who's That Harvest Girl stamp set.  It is a strip of card stock, folded in half and then adhered to the inside base of the basket.  I topped it off with a Perfect Plaid ribbon bow. 

I love the way the corners come together on this basket.  It is a fun, kite-shaped corner.  I enjoyed adorning each corner with a button from the Earth Girl Collection.  You can also catch a glimpse of the side of the Designer Basket.  To create a wooden plank look, I simply scored along each side, in 1/2" increments from score line to score line.  It's super easy to do with a ScorPal. 

This template comes in MANY formats, all for the low price of $3.95!

PDF: traditional print & cut version. 


SVG: for use with the Cricut Expression and Make The Cut (link over in my side-bar) or Sure Cuts a Lot software

Ai & DXF: for use with Wishblade, Pazzles, and KNK machines

GSD: for use with the Silhouette

Also included with this template is a PDF (print & cut) with mini-sized "apples" perfect for cherry tomatoes. Try different colors of card stock to create a variety of fruit.  With your Cricut, you can size the basket and apples to any size you wish for the ultimate versatility.  I'll show you my cherry tomato project soon, along with some more Make the Cut pointers for you!  

So, what do you think?  Are you feeling fruity?  LOL

Ready to hop along?  You have plenty more stops to make before you reach the end! Next up is my super-sweet friend, Joanne.  She ALWAYS has something jaw-dropping to look at, so enjoy the eye candy! 

See you soon!

Tomatoes... Just For You!

Today is full of excitement with the final day of MFT Teaser Time happening this morning, the Blog Hop & Shop tonight at 10 PM EST (start HERE at Kim's blog), The release party from 8-10 PM EST, and all culminating in the release of all the new products we have been showing you at 10 PM EST. 

We are previewing the last of the new sets today: Who's That Harvest Girl, Clearly Sentimental about Harvest, and Garden Goodness.

I used Who's That Harvest Girl for my card today.  I was SUPER inspired by the adorable set, and all the fun things you can add to her basket: apples, peaches, tomatoes, and strawberries.  As you know, the Strawberries and Strawberry Carton template was already released.  Tonight, there is another "fruity" template being released that was designed by ME.  It is the Designer Basket & Apples Template!  I'll tell you more about it tonight during the blog hop, but how about just a little peek at what you can do with the template? 

First up, here is my card.  I used Who's That Harvest Girl and stamped the tomatoes in the basket.  The image was colored and then I added some Diamond Glaze over the tomatoes and let it dry overnight.  You know tomatoes from the garden are nice and shiny!  (YUM)

I used the Open Scallop Die-namics die, as well as an A2 note card in Espresso.

The more I used this set, the more fun I thought it would be to have gifty 3D things to pair with the cards!  After all, I do not have a green thumb and won't be harvesting any REAL fruit or vegetables from my back yard!  LOL  How about some treat-filled paper ones instead?

The apple template doubles as a tomato, peach, or any other round(ish) fruit or vegetable you can think of.  Just customize the top and you're good to go.  I cut the apple template on red card stock using my Cricut and Make the Cut software.  There is also an inner piece, that forms a treat cup.  You can put some candy or other small treats in the cup before finishing your fruit.

For my tomatoes, I used the Sunshine Die-namics die, wooden buttons from the Earth Girl Button Collection, and some thin brown ribbon I had for the "stems".  These come together SO quickly and are SO much fun.  In fact, my daughter Baliey has been harvesting quite the collection of fruit in her stamping space, lately.  LOL  There is also a designer basket as part of this template, which I will show you tonight during the hop. :)

Here is a side-view of the tomato.  You can see the treat cup peeking through the side.

If you'd like to see what the rest of team made for teasers today, be sure to head over to Kim's blog at 11 AM EST for the complete list of participants.  Be sure to leave comments as you go for your chance to win one of two new stamp sets being given away today!  The winners of today's sets will be announced during the release party HERE sometime between 8 and 8:45 PM EST.

I'll see you tonight at 10 PM EST for the Blog Hop, and a full explanation of the new Designer Basket & Apples Template! 

Sprinkles on Top

It's day 4 of Teaser Time!  Only one more day until RELEASE time!  :)

• The MFT release is on August 4th at 10 PM EST.  You can attend the release party from 8-10 PM EST here in the forum for fun, games, and prizes!
• You only have until the end of the day to submit your entry for the guest designer contest, for a chance to win over $100 in stamps!  Click HERE to read all the details. 
• If you'd like to see all the teasers for today, please click on over to Kim's blog at 11 AM EST.  Be sure to leave comments as you go for a chance to win one of 2 sets being given away, just for leaving a comment. :)

Today we are previewing 4 new stamp sets; Jolinne - Sprinkles on Top, Flapper Doodles - Hotsy Totsy Birthday, Flappers in a Vespa, and Goofy For You.

I used Jolinne - Sprinkles on Top for my card today.

I kept it sweet and simple!  Pink, pink, more pink, pink ribbon, Liquid Pearls, with a pink sentiment flag on top.  That about covers it.  :)

Here is a peek inside.  It uses... MORE pink. :)

See you tomorrow morning!  I'll have a sneak peek using my NEW template!  The blog hop is August 4th at 10 PM EST, so I'll see you TWICE tomorrow. 

I Simply Adore You

Hello everyone!  I am back today with another card for MFT Teaser Time!  Today, we are previewing the new Pure Innocence stamp sets and there are THREE of them (releasing on August 4th at 10 PM EST) that are sweet as pie: Being Cute is What I Do, Little Angel, and Bunch of Flowers.

I used Being Cute is What I do.  It's flippin' adorable.  Her flared pants and piggy tails remind me of my girls when they were small(er).  Awwww *sniff sniff* 

Her shirt is paper pieced using MME patterned paper.  I colored her flower pin to match the fun rolled flowers.  The jeans were created by coloring them with Copic BG72 and BG 75, and then getting a jean knee patch, wetting it with Copic colorless blender refill and then laying over her jeans and lightly pressing.  When you do that technique be sure you color ONLY the area you want to texturize, add the texture, and THEN color the rest of your image, or the blender refill will make your colors run together.  It's fun, fast, and neato.  Try it and use your imagination as to what material to use!

I just ADORE the Rolled Flower Die-namics die.  It makes perfect little blooms every time!  I have taken a liking to shoving Glittered Garnishes in the center.  It gives it a little pizazz!  You can also dump glitter down in there and it will adhere to your glue dot. 

This what the rolled flower die looks like.  I just love that I can have a uniform spiral every time.  I am all about being precise.  LOL

Here is a peek at the inside of my card.  I used another of the brand new Die-namics dies on the inside and the outside.  It is the new Small Scallop Border.  I love that it cuts out the whole shape so that you don't have to worry about it being straight on your paper when you die-cut. 

Want to see what the rest of the team came up with using the new Pure Innocence stamp sets?  Head on over to Kim's blog at 11 AM EST for the complete list of participants.  And don't forget to comment on each and every one for your chance to win one of two new Pure Innocence stamp sets.  Two commenters will be chosen at random from 2 pre-selected designer's blogs.

Here are a couple more details for you:

• The guest designer contest is ON! Check out the forum for details on how YOU can win over $100 in stamp sets and play along with the DT for a month.

• The release party is on August 4th from 8-10 PM EST in the forum HERE.  Early birds are welcome.  :)  There is already some chattin' going on.

I'll see you tomorrow with a Jolinne teaser!  Have a HAPPY MONDAY!