Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Joyeux Noel

Hoping your Christmas is warm yet bright
simple yet blingy
Just like ANGELA's card.

Joyeux Noel.

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Yep. Still December.


That means there is still time to play along with the SFYTT Challenge!

Monday, December 19, 2011

Time for Cupcakes and a Christmas break!

Well, it is the final countdown now.
Time for cake and a tall glass.

We're so excited to be sponsoring the Cupcake Inspiration Challenge
at this special time of year. 
We knew the Sweeties would come up with something spectacular...


We knew our girls would come up with something spectacular too...





No rush.
Plenny time.
This challenge will be held over until January 7th,
so even if this cake tempts you after New Year's,
it is zero calories and you can still play.

In the meantime,
we'll have a couple of more posts for you
and then will take a little break until after the holidays too.

Hope yours is looking Merry and Bright.

Saturday, December 17, 2011

Pinny Party #4

A few guidelines:  
  • Our link parties are Saturday and Sunday only (it's a weekend thing).
  • Please make sure that there is paper in your project.
  • Please use a direct link to your party entry.
  • Please credit the rePin from PINTEREST and put a photo of it in your post.
  • Whenever possible, visit each other's blogs to comment. 
 ------------------------

Congratulations to Michelle who won our 3rd Pinny Party.
This was her copy cat project -
From this:

to this:

Michelle won $5 worth of ipaper!
-------------------------

My repin today comes from Teresa Jenkins
originally from Moey's Heart and Hearth

So come on...
You know you see something on Pinterest and think
"Oh WOW...I could do that...and it would look awesome,
and people would admire me near and far."

That is why I love these Pinny parties.
They humble me,
but hey...I still feel good about myself for trying.
Not like some people who just pin and pin and pin :D
But I digress.

Now for the humble part...
So, since our Pinny Parties require the use of paper,
you are now wondering - where's the beef paper?
Here it is:
The reason why I thought that maybe I could even attempt
this project in the first place is that you TRACE!
Just size up a coloring page, or a digi stamp in this case
and tape it upside down to a piece of glass
(like take a piece of glass out of a picture frame)
then flip it over and tape a piece of wax paper to the other side.
So it goes:
image
glass
wax paper
(Keep in mind that the final product will be a reverse image)

Make sure you have a yummy cake.
You can cheat if you want to
like some people do and buy your cake from Costco.
Just cover the top with some white icing
and unassuming people will think that you are
Martha Frickin Stewart!

Next on to the drawing part.
Pipe the outline FIRST
and then color over that.

Do not follow my example.
Follow the expert example of the original pin.
See all those wormy lines?
Don't do it.
No, No, NO.
You will get a wormy elf. Ick.
Smooth it out or use a big icing tip.

Put your smooth, pretty icing artwork into the freezer
(check to make sure your glass picture frame will fit before you start)
and you will leave it there - glass and all - for about 15 minutes.

With incredible finesse and skill you will now flip it onto your cake.
It is frozen and hard, so aim well and pray.
Once that puppy has landed,
peel off the wax paper
and stand all amazed.
Kind of.

If it doesn't work,
you can always send it to cake wrecks.

Okay.
Your turn.
One random winner gets a $5 gift certificate.
For what?

-------------------------



Friday, December 16, 2011

Just EIGHT more days...

Can you hardly WAIT?
After waiting all the year long it is FINALLY here!
Oh wait...
did you think we were talking about Christmas?
well yes, there's that too.
But what we really mean is...
IT IS FINALLY THE GRAND PRIZE SFYTT DRAWING!!!!!
noon.
December 25th!

i{heart}2stamp

Have you religiously entered the sketch every month?

Like December's perhaps?
Here are a couple of our unbiased favorites...



Hopefully you are in the running and if not,
it's almost the new year and time for
a fresh start.  SFYTT is on a deja vu track.
One sketch a month for 2012.
One grand prize drawing next Christmas.

In glancing through the family album
I think this was our favorite sketch last year...
Hmmmm....I wonder why?
---- SFYTT March 2011----


Thursday, December 15, 2011

Control your ELF!

Actually, that may not be possible.
Especially when it comes to chocolate :D





Yep!  Sure is getting sweet around here.


Amber Ink products used in this post:


Wednesday, December 14, 2011

WOYWW - Prepping for a Pinny Party!

Amber here. 
Forgive the Sunflower.
He may not be seasonally appropriate
 but the idea of taking him down to make way for Christmas lights
 nearly broke my little heart.
Ahhhhh..just look at that face.
Pinny Party on Saturday. 
Whoo Hoo!
Not divulging what this is I'm working on quite yet.
Still trying to figure it out myself.
Guesses?
Shhhhh.

Mom will take the Saturday Pinny Party  lead w/me faddo's bday cake project.
Stay tuned.
Hope you all are fab.
Pretty sure Queen Julia is fab
since there is always so much love and adoration
heading her way

P.S.  Early apologies girls.  NYC est and after a night of looking at
NYC Christmas windows all night w/me outta town Auntie, I'm hitting the hay.
Promise to catch up tomorrow!

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Summertime to Christmas

Yesterday we focused on the talent of turning Halloween into Christmas.
Talent realized.
Today we will focus on turning Summertime into Christmas.

Schedule a moment or two.


And now a visit from the ghost of Christmas Past...









So check your images.
Check them twice.
Make sure you have some
 Santa hats
Christmas Sentiments
Holiday colors
and glitter.

And you too can turn Summertime into Christmas.

Amber Ink products used in this post:


Monday, December 12, 2011

The Kiddos for Christmas.

True creatives can take a line and turn it into something note worthy.
It's a talent.
Amber is kinda known for her "scribble drawings".
Actually if you google "scribble drawings" you'll get a lot of Amber.

Mark that down as another thing we love about stampers and scrappers.
They can take one thing
and turn it in to something else note worthy.
It's a talent.

Take Kaija.
Look how she turned Halloween in to Christmas...





Come back tomorrow and we'll show you
how you can take Summertime
and turn it into Christmas.
It's a talent.


Saturday, December 10, 2011

Pinny Party #3


A few guidelines:
  • Our link parties are Saturday and Sunday only (it's a weekend thing).
  • Please make sure that there is paper in your project.
  • Please use a direct link to your party entry.
  • Please credit the rePin from PINTEREST and put a photo of it in your post.
  • Whenever possible, visit each other's blogs to comment.
-------------------------

My repin today came from Marcy Hoggard
originally from Kojo Designs

My project today proves that it takes almost no time
and I mean 10 minutes or less to recreate some of your pins.

I started this last night at 10 pm an finished by 10:09.
Frankly, it looks like something I would have made at Girl's Camp.
But the recipient loved it and it made the presentation
a little more festive than throwing a box of tea at her.

Everything was on hand.
Scraps of ipaper from earlier projects.
Clothes pins.
Glue.
A box of tea I purchased at the store earlier in the day.
Full instructions are on the original pin.

Easy peasy.

Okay.
Your turn.
One random winner gets a $5 gift certificate.
For what?

Friday, December 9, 2011

Are you're out of time?

Think again!
Everybody knows you make gorgeous cards right?
Everybody expects a hand made card if it is coming from your house.
But...the kids are sick, the house is a wreck, deadlines are looming.
Ack!

Here's our latest magic button...


Go ahead.  Press it!

It's there.  Right behind the "shop" button.

Our new DIY printables section will be filling up with really cool stuff.
To make life easier.

Sometimes you just don't have time to color.
Sometimes you really want to color.
Now you'll have a choice.

You know we always love testimonials.
Here's one from Ashley...
I choose the printable because it's SO easy, just print and you're ready to create. Now, I do love to color but sometimes it's nice to to just have something done FAST!

 And again...

Since the kids have been sick, I haven't really had time to color so this DIY Printable came to my rescue! Woohoo!


The special handmade touches are still there.
But Ashley has simplified.

Ashley is one savvy girl!

Amber Ink products used in this post:


Wednesday, December 7, 2011

It's raining elfs and elfs!

Thank you so much for joining in on all the fun
at our Amber Ink 2nd annual holiday blog hop!

Time to announce some winners!

to Melissa C.  a snow angel elf    

to Angela k  a regrets elf        
      
to Esther  a regrets elf            

  to Melissa C a presenting elf

to Erika Owens a nocs elf

coming your way soon an Elf on the Shelf

to Lucianna an Elf on the Shelf 

to Tanny P an Elf on the Shelf 

to Diane Clarke Sutton a yoga elf 

to Lucianna a regrets elf 

to Erika Owens a prayer elf 

to Michelle B a nocs elf 

to Savannah O'Gwynn  a regrets elf 

to Diane a Have a sat elf 

to Michelle B a yoga elf 

to Tanny P a yoga elf

to Debra M a nocs elf
to Christine Penningtonregrets elf

to Barbara mother/daughter an elf on the shelf 

to Melissa C a have a sat printable  

Debra Hensley an elf on the shelf  

to Tanny P a presents elf 

And from the Amber Ink comments, the winner was Starla B.

-------------------------

We put all of those winners in to a hat held by a Mr. Rand M. Org
and the winner for the Elf in the Shelf gift set
is....

LUCIANNA!!!!

Let us know what you name him!
Coming your way via Amber Ink via the North Pole via Amazon shortly.

Thanks for playing everyone.
There are still plenty of elves left to adopt.