Etsy Inspiration #128--The Hidden Alphabet

Good Morning & Happy Saturday!
Welcome to another Etsy Inspiration Challenge!!! 

We have a very fun shop for you all this week called The Hidden Alphabet.  Laura specializes in turning ordinary objects and architectural elements into original, photographic art that resemble letters of the alphabet.  Take your time browsing through her store....even the sold section for your perfect piece of inspiration---I know you'll find it & you'll see all the creative things she's done with her photographs!!  Ready for the prizes?  Well, The Hidden Alphabet is giving one of our players an 8x10 personalized LOVE print like the *Andrew and Paige* picture you see posted above & our sponsor Paper and Roses is offering up the wonderful tags & paper posies as an AWESOME  prize package to another extremely lucky player!!!!!  All you have to do to qualify for one of the prizes is visit the shop, pick your inspiration, make whatever creation your heart desires & link it to the EtsyInspired Challenge Blog by Friday, March  4 @ noon Pacific Time.

I was inspired by the colors in the My Love photo so I went to work hoping that my card would come together nicely!  I used Baja Breeze, Whisper White, Basic Black, Early Espresso & Crumb Cake to capture those colors with a pretty simple layout.  As you know by now, I'm a texture freak so after cutting out the butterfly and using the Vintage Wallpaper Embossing Folder on my white piece; I added shimmer paint to both of them in an attempt to get a more *vintage* feel.  The final touch was adding the pearls to a few black scallops & I must say that I can actually SEE the shimmer just a bit in the photo so I'm happy!!! 

I hope that I've inspired you to play along with us this week & for even more inspiration; check out the rest of the Design Team and leave them some love:
Angi
Ann--February Guest Designer
Ashley
Carole
De
Emily
Joy
Kerry
Ruby
Savannah
Sherry
Virginia
I can't wait to see your FAB creations! 

I hope you all have a wonderful rest of the weekend!  Thanks so much for stopping by!!!
Until Next Time,
Hugs & Love,

Supplies:  Just Believe & Great Friend stampsets; Baja Breeze, Whisper White, Basic Black, Early Espresso & Crumb Cake cardstock; Early Espresso, Baja Breeze & Crumb Cake ink; Basic Black 1/8" Taffeta Ribbon; Big Shot; Tasteful Trim Die; Beautiful Wings Embosslits Die; Vintage Wallpaper Embossing Folder; 1 1/2" Circle & 1 3/4" Circle Punches; Champagne Mist Shimmer Paint; Sponge Dauber; Pearls & Dimensionals

Blissful Throwdown

Good Morning & Happy Thursday!!

The week is almost over & I can feel the excitement in my house! Weekends are always nice and I'm thrilled that my kiddos still enjoy spending time with me!!

My creation for today features the Color Throwdown Challenge to use Chocolate Chip, So Saffron & Tangerine Tango/Pretty in Pink. I completely forgot about the Pretty in Pink part but these colors are very pretty together....reminds me of fall! I decided to use the sketch challenge from Splitcoaststampers to help tie everything together.....once again I added texture & used Champagne Shimmer Mist on the whisper white piece but you can't see it in this picture! I'll have to try a different angle or something! Oh well, I do hope you enjoy my card just the same & don't forget to visit me again on Saturday for the next Etsy Challenge!!!!

Thanks so much for stopping by & have a great rest of the day!
Until Next Time,
Hugs & Love,

Supplies: Bliss stampset; Whisper White, So Saffron & Chocolate Chip cardstock; Tangerine Tango, So Saffron & Chocolate Chip ink; Whisper White Organza Ribbon; Big Shot; Tasteful Trim, Scallop Squares Duo & Scallop Square Dies; Texture Plate; 1 3/8 Square Punch

Mojolicious Inspiration

Good Morning & Happy Tuesday Everyone!
I hope you all had a wonderful & relaxing weekend....I sure did and I'm wishing school was out for good!  We only have a few more months to go & then I'll truly be happy!!!

My card for today is for a couple of challenges that I LOVE playing in.....the layout is for Mojo Monday & the colors came from the absolutely beautiful cake featured at Cupcake Inspirations.  I also made the top 5 last week @ Cupcake Inspirations & that totally made my day!!  Thanks for the kudos ladies!!!!  This week's sketch is pretty awesome but I had to use some busy DSP so I tried to tone it down as much as possible with the photo corners & a bit of bling. I also spritzed my old olive piece with champagne shimmer mist--you can't tell by the picture-- & added the white dots to accent those pieces in hopes of bringing attention away from the pattern on the DSP......my children approved of the final piece so I can assume that it's all good!!!!

On a final note, I'm on the hunt for an AWESOME bakery for my oldest boys' high school graduation in May & his 18th birthday in July so if you know of any good ones in the Chicago Metropolitan Area---preferably further south like the Orland Park-Tinley Park area; please leave me a comment or send me an email with the links & your experience with them so I can check them out!!

Thanks so much for stopping by & have a great rest of the day!
Until Next Time,
Hugs & Love,

Supplies:  Essence of Love & Define Your Life stampsets; Old Olive & Night of Navy ink; Old Olive, Night of Navy, Bashful Blue & Whisper White cardstock; Photo Corners, Decorative Label, Giga Scallop Circle, 2 1/2" Circle & Eyelet Border Punches; Whisper White Satin Ribbon; SU! DSP; SU! Buttons; Big Shot; Scallop Squares Duo & Beautiful Wings Embosslits Dies; White Gel Pen

Etsy Inspiration #127--Claylicious

Happy Saturday Friends!
Welcome to another Etsy Inspiration Challenge!!!!
The featured store this week is called Claylicious.   As you can see from the pictures, her specialty is functional & decorative handmade pottery.  Eshkar's clay art is very inspiring so browse through her store *slowly* until you find your perfect piece!! 

Need an incentive to create something beautiful?  How about 2 prizes that are up for grabs when you play along with us:  the INSPIRE OWL DESK BUDDY  from the Claylicious store & a $10 Gift Voucher offered by our sponsor Your Next Stamp!!!  Now to win one of these awesome prizes, all you have to do is visit the store, pick your inspiration, make whatever your heart desires & link it to the EtsyInspired Challenge Blog by Friday, February 25th @ noon Pacific Time.

I chose the gorgeous ceramic espresso cups for my inspiration piece.  The deep purple color & heart handles just screamed Rich Razzleberry & Vintage Vogue to me!!!  I've been wanting to use this set ever since SU! gave it to me but I'm a bit apprehensive of the whole vintagy thing.  Why???  Because I feel that I'm not good at it yet.  However, I did give it the old college try....inking around the edges & the textured piece.....and to my surprise; I am happy with the *look* of my card!!!  I do hope that I've inspired you to play along with us & for more eye candy; check out the rest of the Design Team and leave them some love:

Angi
Ann-February Guest Designer
Ashley
Carole
De
Emily
Joy
Kerry
Ruby
Savannah
Sherry
Virginia
I can't wait to see all your gorgeous creations! 

I'm going to enjoy the rest of my long weekend with my children!  Thanks for stopping by & I hope the rest of your weekend is FABULOUS!!!!
Until Next Time,
Hugs & Love,

Supplies:  Vintage Vogue stampset; Rich Razzleberry & Versamark ink; Rich Razzleberry, Whisper White & Basic Black cardstock; Whisper White Organza Ribbon; Big Shot; Vintage Wallpaper Emobssing Folder; Scallop Squares Duo Die; Large Scallop Circle & Decorative Label Punches; Dimensionals; SU! Black Button; Hemp Twine

Blissful Sketch Creation

Good Morning & Happy Thursday! 
It's really close to a nice long weekend with my kiddos & I'm looking forward to relaxing and spending some quality time with them!!!

My post for today is showcasing a quick & fun sketch from CPS-Card Sketches and the Bliss stamp set which I recently acquired!  I knew when I first received the Sale-a-Bration booklet from SU! that this would be my first freebie!!!  I do love it & I see myself using this set quite a bit even after SAB is over! 

Well, I can honestly say that even though I'm kind of happy with the finished card--crooked layers & all LOL; I'm not exactly having a *wonderful* day yet because my thoughts have been on my brother & it's pretty hard to see through tears. Maybe I should've waited until my mind was clear.....however; I've found that crafting is quite soothing so I just keep at it. I constantly tell myself that it'll get better one day---that day appears to be very far away!! Soooo, despite my mistakes I do hope you enjoy my creation & come back to visit again soon because Saturday is Etsy Inspiration Day and we'll have another great challenge for you!!!!


Thanks so much for stopping by!!
Until Next Time,
Hugs & Love,

Supplies:  Bliss Stamp Set; Basic Black, Very Vanilla & Real Red cardstock; Basic Black Satin Ribbon; Versamark, Real Red & Basic Black ink; Black Embossing Powder; Glimmer Brads; Big Shot; Framed Tulips Embossing Folder; Circles #2 Die; 1 1/2" Circle & 1 3/4" Circle Punches; Dimensionals

Cupcake Inspiration with a bit of Mojo

Good Morning & Happy Tuesday Friends!
I hope you all enjoyed Valentine's Day with your special someone &/or your families.

I found a super sweet challenge blog called Cupcake Inspirations last week & decided to play along today.  The cupcakes they feature are so SCRUMPTIOUS looking.....makes me crave something sweet just staring at those delectable delights LOL!!!  I decided to focus on the green & purple in the cupcake and make a card with a spring type feel.  I also used the sketch from Mojo Monday & added some butterflies to it.....I felt that it needed something else because it was sort of plain.

I hope you've enjoyed my creation.  I'll be back on Thursday with another post for you!  Thanks so much for stopping by & have a great rest of the day!!!
Until Next Time,
Hugs & Love,

Supplies:  Upsy Daisy & En Francais stampsets; Certainly Celery, Perfect Plum, Early Espresso & Whisper White cardstock; Certainly Celery & Perfect Plum ink; Big Shot; Texture Plate; Perfect Polka Dots Embossing Folder; Beautiful Butterflies Embosslits Die; Scallop Circle #2 Die; Certainly Celery Satin Ribbon; Basic Black Taffeta Ribbon; Giga Scallop Circle Punch; Corner Rounder; Glimmer Brads; Champagne Shimmer Mist; Dimensionals

Etsy Inspiration #126--GlowGirl

Good Morning Everyone!

Welcome to another Etsy Inspiration Challenge!!  Our shop this week is called GlowGirl & she makes eco friendly coupon organizers, sandwich baggies & carry-all totes.  Her handmade & stylish bags are very pretty---the fabric choices are AWESOME---so I'm quite sure you will not have a problem finding your inspiration as you browse through the store.  Deb is offering one lucky player a mega or regular coupon organizer & our sponsor  The Stamping Boutique is giving another awesome player 5 digital stamps of your choice!  How do you get in on these FAB prizes?  Just visit our featured shop, pick your inspiration, make whatever your heart desires & link it to the EtsyInspired Challenge Blog before Friday, February 18th @ noon Pacific Time.

I love to use brown & green together so it was a cinch which bag I was going to use as my inspiration and I couldn't resist using the sketch from CPS-Card Sketches.....thanks ladies!  Even though I'm completely pleased with the outcome of my card, I did make 2 mistakes....I folded my cardstock the wrong way--you can see the broken fibers along the top part of my creation--& I couldn't poke those dang holes in a straight line around this square card to save my life LOL!!!  I'm very anal about things like that but I guess that's what you get when you're not concentrating 100%!  I do hope I've inspired you to play along with us this week & for even more inspiration; check out the rest of the Design Team's work and leave them some love:

Angi

Ann-February Guest Designer

Ashley

Carole

De

Emily

Joy

Kerry

Ruby

Savannah

Sherry

Virginia

Your submissions from last week were AWESOME & I'm so happy to see so many new players!  Good luck & I can't wait to see what you create!!!

Thanks so much for stopping by & have a great rest of the weekend!

Until Next Time,

Hugs & Love,

Supplies:  Just Believe stampset; Early Espresso, Certainly Celery, Marina Mist & Confetti White cardstock; Crumb Cake & Early Espresso ink; Early Espresso Taffeta Ribbon; Big Shot; Texture Plate; Scallop Square, Scallop Squares Duo & Circles #2 Dies; 2 1/2" Circle & Scallop Circle Punches; Library Clips; Handheld 1/16" punch; Mat Pack & Paper Piercer; Dimensionals

Crazy 4 Challenges Creation

Good Morning & Happy Thursday Everyone!!

Wow!  I don't think I've ever made an easier card!!  I decided to play along with the Crazy 4 Challenges team to make a Valentine's card & I really surprised myself at how QUICK I put this together!  I didn't follow any particular sketch making this either.....I just went with the flow.  Only after I was done with it did I realize that I didn't use any ribbon!  It's pretty rare for me to do that since I'm sort of a ribbon junkie but I think it works without it. 

That's all for today folks!  I'll be back on Saturday with my Etsy post so please come back to see which FAB shop will be featured!!  Thanks so much for stopping by & have a great rest of the day!

Until Next Time,

Hugs & Love,

Supplies:  Sweetheart & Grateful Greetings stampsets; Basic Gray, Whisper White, Basic Black & Real Red cardstock; Basic Gray, Real Red & Basic Black ink; Full Heart, Small Heart, Photo Corners, Decorative Label, Wide Oval & Scallop Trim Border Punches; Love Impressions DSP; Dimensionals

For You Sketch Creation

Good Morning & Happy Tuesday Friends!!!!
My post for today will be short & sweet!  The card I created this morning is featuring the layout  from Sketch Saturday , the colors I used came from The Color Dare & the butterflies are for Flutter By Wednesday. 

As always, I felt that my layers were sort of plain so I lightly textured the Marina Mist & Whisper White pieces and then added the deep texture from my Vintage Wallpaper embossing folder on the Daffodil Delight layer.  When I ran the Beautiful Wings die through my Big Shot, I decided to use all the butterflies because it just *flowed* to me.  I really do think that they were the finishing touch to this card & I'm very pleased with it!!

Well, that's it for now!  Thanks so much for stopping by & have a great rest of the day!!
Until Next Time,
Hugs & Love,

Supplies:  Fresh Cuts stampset; Basic Black & Marina Mist ink; Basic Black, Marina Mist, Daffodil Delight & Whisper White cardstock; Basic Black Satin Ribbon; Basic Black 1/8" Taffeta Ribbon; Modern Label, Word Window, 2 1/2" Circle & Giga Scallop Circle Punches; Big Shot; Texture Plate; Vintage Wallpaper Embossing Folder; Scallop Circle #2 & Beautiful Wings Embosslit Dies; Dimensionals

Etsy Inspiration #125--Daisy Petal Designs

Good Morning & Happy Saturday!!!

Welcome to another Etsy Inspiration Challenge!  You all made some FAB creations last week & I'm really looking forward to seeing what you come up with this week!!  Our featured shop is called Daisy Petal Designs & her specialty is artisan designed hair accessories & jewelry.  The store has many different pieces to inspire you so be sure to browse around for a bit.  For those of us that are shopaholics; there's a 10% discount off your total purchase using the coupon code *inspired10*. 

Now for the prizes:  Daisy Petal Designs is offering one lucky winner a pair of Vintage Glamour Earrings & our sponsor Shannon's Sentiments is giving away a digital stampset of your choice to another awesome player....pretty cool hugh?!!!  All you have to do to win one of these wonderful prizes is visit the featured store, pick your inspiration, make whatever your heart desires & link it to the EtsyInspired Challenge Blog.

I know some of you might be saying:"Didn't she make a card with that set not too long ago?"  YES I DID!!  Flaky Friends is one of my most fave sets & I really don't care that it's retired and besides; after the blizzard that just blew through IL, this image is a PERFECT example of how I feel right about now LOL!!!  When I was checking out our shop, I saw the headband pictured above & automatically knew my card would be based on those colors.  I think it's a pretty elegant color combo & the layout just came to me as I was coloring in the image.  I added the textured polka dots to go with the theme of her headband....I avoided glitter despite the urge to make my snow family sparkle but I think the overall card is nice!  I hope I've inspired you to play along with us & for even more eye candy; check out the rest of the Design Team's work:

Angi

Ann--February Guest Designer

Ashley

Carole

De

Emily

Joy

Kerry

Ruby

Savannah

Sherry

Virginia

I can't wait to see your wonderful creations!  Thanks so much for stopping by & have a wonderful rest of the weekend!

Until Next Time,

Hugs & Love,

Supplies:  Flaky Friends & Punch Pals stampsets; Basic Black, Whisper White & Real Red cardstock; Basic Black ink; Basic Black Satin Ribbon; Eyelet Border, Word Window & Modern Label Punches; Big Shot; Polka Dots Embossing Folder; Real Red & Basic Black SU! Markers; Dimensionals

Color Throwdown Sketch Creation

Good Morning & Happy Thursday Everyone!
Well, the blizzard has passed & now we're all snowed in...gotta LOVE winter here in IL!!!!  If it hit any of you, I hope you're staying safe & warm indoors!!!  My kiddos are out of school again today therefore giving me the perfect time to stamp soooo onto my creation for today.

With all that's been going on in my life these past 7 months; I haven't had the chance to play in any of my most fave challenges.  The Color Throwdown challenged us to use Early Espresso, So Saffron, Bashful Blue & Crumb Cake......quite the undertaking if you ask me but I jumped at the opportunity!  I decided to combine the colors with a sketch challenge as well so I went to the Sketch Saturday Blog & instantly  fell in love with the layout for this week.  Once I had my layout figured out, everything just fell into place.  I originally just had plain layers on my card but after looking at it for a bit; decided that it needed some texture & I must say that I do LOVE it now!!!!  Thanks ladies for the AWESOME challenges!  I truly enjoyed making this card!!!

Stay tuned for my next post on Saturday....that's right--Etsy Inspiration Day!!  We'll have a FAB store to help get your creative juices flowing!!  Thanks so much for stopping by & have a great rest of the day!!
Until Next Time,
Hugs & Love,

Supplies:  Always stampset; So Saffron, Early Espresso, Curmb Cake, Bashful Blue & Whisper White cardstock; Crumb Cake, Bashful Blue & Early Espresso ink; Early Espresso Taffeta Ribbon; Photo Corners, 1 1/4" Circle, 1" Circle, 1 1/2" Circle, 2 Step Bird & Eyelet Border Punches; Big Shot; Vintage Wallpaper Embossing Folder; SU! Pearls & Dimensionals

Mojo Valentine

Good Morning & Happy Tuesday Friends!!!
My post for today will be short & sweet.  We're supposed to get a LOT of snow & I have to take my oldest son to the dentist to fix his broken tooth.  He was getting out of the pool at school, slipped & hit his mouth breaking his front tooth!!  I'm keeping my fingers crossed & saying prayers as I drive in this mess today because I'd much rather stay at home but this does need to be taken care of ASAP!

Sooooo, onto my post.....my creation for today is totally inspired by the awesome sketch over at the Mojo Monday Challenge Blog.  I have always LOVED the sketches they come up with for the simple reason that they inspire such creativity in me.  I immediately knew that I wanted to make a square card and use my Greeting Card Kids stampset.  I figured I could brush up on my coloring skills with these adorable stamps & I must say that I truly enjoyed putting this beauty together.  The layout gave me the opportunity to use up some of my leftover DSP & that gorgeous Glimmer Paper....it's so easy to punch with it---there's no mess!!!!  Once I had it all laid out, I decided my card needed some texture at the bottom and ribbon at the top to finish it off......I am extremely happy with it & I hope you all enjoy it as well!!!

Thanks so much for poppin' in today and have a great rest of the day!!!
Until Next Time,
Hugs & Love,

Supplies:  Greeting Card Kids & Define Your Life stampsets; Whisper White, Real Red & Brushed Silver cardstock; Love Impressions DSP; SU! Glimmer Paper; Basic Black ink; Basic Gray Satin Ribbon; 1/16" Circle Handheld Punch; Decorative Label, Heart to Heart, Small Heart & Giga Scallop Circle Punches; Big Shot; Polka Dots Embossing Folder & Scallop Circles #2 Die; Real Red, Chocolate Chip & Pink Pirouette Reinkers; Aqua Painters; Blush Blossom Marker & Dimensionals