Just Us Girls Challenge #18

Well, it was still technically Saturday when I started writing this post.  Does that count as not officially being a day late?!  This week was a busy one with work and finalizing everything I'm contributing to the My Time Made Easy February release.  After all was said and done, I really let this week get ahead of me.  Come 10 pm Friday night I hadn't even started my banner.  I was just exhausted, so I gave in.  I realized there was no way I would produce a worthy banner in a crunch last night, so I took my throbbing head to bed.  Sometimes life just takes over, you know? 

Oh, I'm kind of putting the cart before the horse, huh?  Saturday's challenge over at Just Us Girls is being hosted by sweet Dana who challenged us to make a pennant banner.  I've never made one before, so this was definitely a challenge for me!  My plan as the week went on was to make a banner with Tia's name.  She told me yesterday that she didn't want one, so I switched gears and made one for my craft room instead.  "CREATE".  That's right, walk in my craft room, read my order and get to work!  LOL  Seriously though, other than eat, drink, and listen to music, what else do you do in a craft room?  CREATE! 

I used colors from the chaise lounge in my craft room so that everything is "matchy-matchy" as Lauren would say :]  I didn't stamp a thing on this banner...in fact, the only ink used was from my printer. 

When I bought my Cricut Expression, it came with two awesome cartridges.  One was the Storybook cartridge that has the font you see on my banner.  Isn't it elegant?!  I just love it ♥

Here's a close up of the letter 'A'.  The paper is one of the sheets I designed for the January release at MTME.  I think I'll use this paper forever!  I can't imagine it getting old :]  It's the pink definition paper from Fluttering-by© printed on SU! Very Vanilla cs.  The butterflies in between the pennants were cut in two sizes (1.5" and 1") using the Flutters and Flowers cut file from MTME.

Please swing by our wonderfully talented DTs' blogs to check out their FANTASTIC projects! <--- Links are in my left sidebar.  Don't forget to stop by our SPECTACULAR January Guest Designer's blog, Ms. Gabby Arriaza.  Gabby and her family are kind of in dire straits right now and could use a boost.  She was an AMAZING guest designer and I feel very lucky that she was our first.  She left some HUGE shoes to fill ;]  ♥ You're in my prayers, Gabby ♥

If you play along, please add a link to your project using Mr. Linky over at Just Us Girls, and use keyword JUGS18 in the online galleries.

Thanks for swinging by today!  See you back here on Monday for the My Time Made Easy February release!  You don't want to miss it ;]  Lauren has some fresh products and samples in store for you. 

Stamps: N/A
Paper: Bazzil, Red Carpet; SU! Very Vanilla; My Time Made Easy TM LLC, Pretty Impressions Printables ©, Fluttering-by digi paper
Ink: N/A
Accessories: Primas; PTI, Vintage Buttons; Michaels, Buttons and Ribbon; Cricut Storybook Cartridge; EK Success, Border Punch; My Time Made Easy TM LLC, Flutters and Flowers Cut Files

Color Throwdown Challenge #77

[Update on Tia is at the very bottom of this post for those of you following our recent mini-saga :]

Okay, so I say it all the time but I have been SWAMPED...yes, all caps :]  I feel like I've been going non stop for two weeks now.  Between designing paper and projects for MTME, JUGS, and CTD, and whisking my daughter to and from gymnastics practice and competitions...and my full time career...you know...I'm just busy and tired!  BUT, I always look forward to my design team challenges even when I do them last minute ;]  LOL  Today is week #77 over at the Color Throwdown, and only my 4th week as an official CTD designer!  I'm sooooo thrilled to be a part of their team!  These ladies are super talented, caring, witty and just FUN!  Love them all :O)

This week is being hosted by Cathy and she chose what I envisioned as a very elegant color palette:

Sooooo...for some odd reason I never took the time to buy Certainly Celery ink or paper (other than a couple of sheets I received in a multi pack of paper I purchased).  For some reason I was stumped on what to swap it with today.  I know, I know...there are so many shades of green, surely one comes close?!  Well...you would THINK so based on the overwhelming amount of supplies in my craft room...but, alas, the closest color I had (which really isn't all that close) was Spring Moss from PTI.  The problem there is that I never bought their ink!  Shoot!  Anyway, while I was searching through my paper scraps I came across a 4x4" piece of what I believe to be Certainly Celery cs.  Which brings me to my point.  I kept the Celery at a minimum due to my limited supplies.  I do LOVE the contrast of the Eggplant with the White though so it may have turned out for the best.

I stamped off the PTI Life stamp in Baja Blue then onto the cs.  Next I stamped the offset image with Eggplant.  I added a rhinestone to the sentiment and three to my butterfly for just a touch of bling :]  A little white satin ribbon added a nice finishing touch to my CAS card.

Oh, and check out the inside.  This was actually an experiment.  I layered my card visually before adhering anything and thought it might look neat to freehand two uneven borders with my marker.  Just to add something to the white layer since I didn't emboss or anything.  When I re-layered visually I HATED how it looked on the front of the card!  I set it aside and it wasn't until the front was finished and I was looking for a white scrap to use on the interior for the sentiment that I came across my doodled border scrap.  I thought...hmm...that might look cool on the INSIDE!  And it did IMHO :O) 

I used Mercy's Tuesday Sketch Challenge (MTSC58) for my layout.  I haven't played along with her as regularly as I would like, so I'm trying to sneak back over there every chance I get :]

If you made it this far, please be sure to swing by the rest of our amazing DTs' blogs!  They always produce the most gorgeous projects!! 

Tammy Hershberger

LeAnne Pugliese

Broni Holcombe

Cathy Indelicato

Barbara Anders

Danielle Kennedy

Deb Horst our January Guest Designer

Also, if you play along, remember you don't have to use these exact colors, just use something close.  Link your project using Mr. Linky over at the Color Throwdown and use keyword CTD77 if you post in any online galleries. 

***TIA UPDATE***

I made this card for my daughter. I know I'm very blessed that all she got two weeks ago when she fell on beam was a minor concussion, but the fact that she did not know who I was didn't sit well with me. Not to mention her asking me in her delirium whether she was going to die or not...I could have happily went the rest of my life without ever hearing those words come out of my daughter's mouth! Anyway...back to my point. I'm so grateful for my daughter and I think her concussion and recovery have truly given me a reality check. I've always marveled at this beautiful blessing God trusted me to raise and nurture. She has an infectious, charming spirit that just draws people in like a moth to a flame. Life and loving are so much more important than any sport or hobby or disagreements or chores. 20 years from now I want her to be known for being a kind, generous soul...not for being an amazing gymnast (though she might frown at that comment now :)


As for my update, Tia sort of passed her third concussion test yesterday after school. The trainer was a little hesitant to come right out and pass her with full approval to compete...but he did say she could do some light tumbling. Ha ha ha ha ha...my daughter's version of light tumbling is a cartwheel. He expects her to be good to go on Thursday though which is important timing. Her high school district meet where she has the opportunity to qualify for the regional competition is that night. So, please say a little prayer that she will be ready to go and will pass with flying colors! Oh, and last night she wasn't going to compete, but I stayed at the meet with her to volunteer to sell admission tickets. Good thing too. She came up to me when her team rotated to vault and said, "Umm...yeah, I'm vaulting." What?! OMG...I was nervous even though she warmed up before the meet started. Apparently one of the other girls didn't want to vault so Tia agreed to. I sucked it up and cheered her on. Mind you, she was competing the hardest vault in that particular competition also. No stress, mom! She pulled off her first vault beautifully, but fell on her landing. Her second vault (they take the best of the two...not an average) was almost flawless! Seriously, I don't know that I've seen her compete a better vault and her vault is typically amazing! This vault had a 9.8 start value and she scored a 9.5!! That is incredible in high school gymnastics! Oh, and Tia is a Level 9 gymnast...who just so happened to be competing against a Level 10 gymnast last night who was on a different high school team. She won vault in the end and the Level 10 gymnast came in second. As a proud mom, I thought that was pretty cool :O)

Well, that's all I have for now.  Thanks so much for stopping by!  Hope you are having a fantastic week...it's hump day so you're half way there!

Just Us Girls Challenge #17

Well, it's finally Saturday...thank goodness!  This was a LOOOONG, BUSY week for me.  I don't know about all you, but I was pumpin'!  That's not necessarily a bad thing though.  I thrive in that type of situation ;]

So, since it's Saturday, we're due for another Just Us Girls challenge!  Today Maria is hosting our 3-D/Template challenge.  We are soooo fortunate today that Lauren Meader, Owner of My Time Made Easy TM LLC, agreed to host us!  She also asked us to sneak peek one of her templates and one of her stamp sets ;]  How exciting to get a glimpse of what's in store February 1st!  She has some FAB stuff someing out, your don't want to miss it!  If you didn't arrive at my blog by way of Just Us Girls, be sure to hop over there and read about Lauren's generous prize she's offering this week!

Okay, onto my project. I'm posting JUST the photos now, but will update this post tomorrow morning!! I'm just too tired to think coherently right now and I have to get up in five hours :[ :[  I used the little mouse from one of the new stamp sets being released.  I wanted a spring feel and I wanted white flowers.  yellow is such a cheery, bright, fun loving color, I just had to use it!

Okay, I'm REALLY going to sleep now.  Swing by the rest of the teams' blogs to see they're AMAZING projects (links are in my left sidebar <-------)!   Oh and don't forget our awesome Guest Designer, Gabby Arriaza!   They are one talented group of ladies, let me tell you!  I'm so lucky to be working with them ♥

Have a great night :]

Color Throwdown Challenge #76

Welcome back to some of my mindless creativity.  Today's post is a picture perfect representation of that.  I semi-cased a set of cards in the Jan Card Maker magazine, that designer, Daniela Dobson had published, but added my own twists and decided not to make a box (err...ran out of time :).  First and foremost, lets check out Tammy's AWESOME color palette this week!  I must say I love a nice green with a great red or pink hue...flowers usually come to mind instantly; BUT, today I went Valentine-y hearts ♥

Here are my six cards piled on my Longaberger shelf with my little bird cage and ceramic bird I picked up at Michaels.  Aren't they sweet?  I thought they would make adorable little Valentine cards ♥

Here are some shots of the similar colors paired together. 

These were super quick and easy if you can't tell by looking.  First of all, ANY card that I create in one day (no coloring prior to, or using a partially created card, no stitching the day after, etc.) is a QUICK card for me.  These were all started and finished tonight after a full day of work, picking my daughter up from school after she failed her concussion test, taking her to dinner and to her gymnastics meet anyway to support her friends, and picking her up.  Oh, and I walked the dogs :O)  LOL  If I had more time, I likely would have added some stitching or at least some faux stitching...and I probably would have figured out a way to use some ribbon (my fave embellishment)...BUT, I think they're just fine how they are now, so, no added flavor!

Check out the rest of the Color Throwdown DT's projects!  They're SURE to inspire you. 

Tammy Hershberger

LeAnne Pugliese

Broni Holcombe

Cathy Indelicato

Barbara Anders

Danielle Kennedy

If you play along, remember you don't have to have the exact colors listed, you just need to come close (and refrain from adding a rainbow of additional colors :).  Upload before 11:59pm EST on Sunday and add a link to your post using Mr. Linky to be in the running for our Featured Stamper spot.  We sure hope you can play along!  Can't wait to see how YOU inspire ME!

Have a great (and hopefully SHORT) week!  Thanks for stopping by ♥

Stamps:  Stampin' Up! Short and Sweet and Warm Words; Martha Stewart, Flourishes
Paper: Stampin' Up! DSP; PTI, In Bloom and Select White; Cosmo Cricket, Girl Friday and Ever After
Ink: Memento, Tuxedo Black; PTI, Raspberry Fizz and Fresh Snow
Embellishments: Creative Memories, Heart Punch; Stampin' Up, Scalloped Border Punch and Rounded Corner Punch; EK Success, border punches; Marvy Uchida Daisy Punch; Michaels, Brads and Buttons; Martha Stewart, Lace Border Punch, and Frond Punch

Just Us Girls Challenge #16

Ahh...it's Saturday :)  And the beginning of a long weekend...what a nice thought.  First of all, I have to send out a big thank you to all of you who kept my daughter in your thoughts and prayers.  I assure you she is doing MUCH better and her memory seems to be intact.  Her energy is slowly returning and I think she'll be 100% before we know it.  It was very heartwarming to receive so many well wishes ♥

On to a more light-hearted subject, welcome back to another Just Us Girls challenge!  This week I'm hosting a color challenge and I selected what I believe to be a fantastic, albeit typical, Valentine's Day palette:

Here's what I came up with using a really fab heart cut file...keep an eye on the My Time Made Easy TM LLC release on 1 Feb for more about that :]  I simply resized the heart in SCAL to a 1/4 inch smaller than what I cut out of my Pretty Printables Fluttering-by definition paper and positioned it using the SCAL software precisely where I wanted it on my burgundy cs.  I have to say it again...THANK YOU Canda (from candacraft.com) for your generous offering of the SCAL software to Lauren's DT!  I LOVE LOVE LOVE using it!!  You have opened a whole new world to me...a world that I'm totally comfortable in.  I doubt I'll buy another die cut shape again!

 

If you have a Cricut and don't use SCAL, GO SEE CANDA at candacraft.com!  You will NOT regret it!  She has the best prices around and the cut files you can buy online are soooo much cheaper than the die cut shapes you can buy at the store.  Oh, and storage?  No cluttering your craft space...keep those babies on your computer!

 

I distressed and sponged the inner and outer edges of the definition panel (though you can't really see it in the photo), adhered to my card and did a little faux stitching.  I added lots of pretty primas and fab brads and stamped one of the All A Flutter Sentiments inside the heart window on blush cs using London Fog Memento ink.

 

Pretty simple when all was said and done.  I staged it on an awesome, vintage bench I picked up at Michaels today!  You should see the spring stock they put out!  OMG...I was in love with everything!  Like most of you, I was ready for something other than Christmas! 

We sure hope you can play along with us this week!  I'm so looking forward to the amazing creations that come in.  Be sure to link your post using Mr. Linky over at JUGS and use keyword JUGS16 in any online galleries. 

Speaking of amazing, check out what our FAB DT and guest designer, Gabby Arriaza came up with this week!!  They had my jaw on the floor checking out their beautiful projects ♥  [<---  DT blogs are listed in my left sidebar]

Thanks for stopping by.  Have a wonderful weekend! 

Color Throwdown Challenge #75

Hi all!  I'm back with another Color Throwdown challenge...finally ;]  I'm posting almost a day late because I procrastinated on making my card and didn't start it until last night.  Well, I didn't quite finish before I left to pick up my daughter from gymnastics practice, but planned to when I got home so that I could upload in the nick of time.  Wellllll....life doesn't always go as planned.  Last night was a prime example of that.


On my way to practice, Tia's coach called me.  Let me tell you, when you are on your way to pick up your gymnast, and practice isn't quite finished, you NEVER want to receive a call from her coach.  It rarely is a good thing.  So, when I talked to her she asked me if I was almost at the gym and said I should come inside when I got there.  I immediately asked what was wrong and she told me that my daughter fell while doing her series on beam.  [Her series consists of two back handsprings.  You can view it in her routine HERE if you're interested in seeing what I'm talking about.]  I would say that is a mother-of-a-gymnasts' worst nightmare, BUT, I know it's not...there are MUCH worse things that could happen.  So, I sped to the gym, parked and ran inside.  ALL of the other gymnasts were leaving and crying walking toward the door.  I asked if they were crying because of Tia and they said yes.  My heart sank.  Tia was in the gym with her coaches and when she saw me she asked, "Who are you?!" in a very confused, almost scared way.  We told her I was her mother and she said, "You're my mom" then started trying to identify other people around her.  She was speaking very slowly and deliberately, and would burst into tears asking us to "help her" or "fix her" and wondering what was wrong with her.  That tore me up.  I asked her coach to call 911.  She was definitely not herself.  She would identify me, look away to say something to someone else and look back at me and not remember who I was for a second.  Let me tell you, that is SCARY.  My kid is very bright, outgoing, funny, witty, you name it.  Totally down to earth.  This was NOT her and she was NOT faking it.  She was frustrated and very scared. 


The ambulance ride was scary as well.  Several times she told me she didn't want to die and asked if she was going to die and if they were going to fix her.  She held my hand, cried on and off and told me never to forget her.  Needless to say, that was scarier than the episode at the gym.  Fast forward through the ambulance ride to the emergency room visit.  Once we got to the ER she slowly started to act more like herself.  Like the clarity was ebbing its way back into her mind.  A gentleman named, Jose transported Tia to the Radiology department to do a CT scan.  While she was being x-rayed, I chatted with Jose.  I mentioned what happened and somehow got onto the subject that she knew Spanish pretty well.  I asked him if he would say something to her in Spanish when he took her back to her room, and he agreed.  He came through and asked right away if she was okay in Spanish.  She immediately asked, "Am I okay?"  as in, 'are you talking to me?'.  What a relief it was to know she comprehended what he was saying without even thinking about it.  I don't know why that sticks out in my mind, but it does. 


Okay, so the CT scan came back negative for any bleeding, or anything else they look for.  The doctor said it was quite possible that she suffered from a mild concussion even though it didn't show on the x-ray, but only her symptoms would tell.  By the time we left, she was exhausted and just wanted to get to her bed.  She was a lot more like herself and by this morning she was definitely my Tia again ♥ 

Sooooo....I didn't finish my card last night.  Turns out I HATED the card I was making anyway, and started all over today.  I like this one MUCH better!  I know my colors look a little off with my lighting and especially compared to the other girls' photos, BUT, I didn't have any Mellow Moss, so I used Spring Moss from PTI and I swapped Garden Green with New Leaf from PTI. 

I reverse masked/sponged Mellow Moss using Lauren's My Time Made Easy TM LLC butterflies from the Flutters and Flowers© cut file.  I stamped the Irish Blessing sentiment from the All A Flutter Sentiments© set in New Leaf.  I also stamped the same sentiment on several (8?) pieces of tissue paper using white craft ink.  Heat set briefly, then die cut with my Nestabilities Blossom Die.  I sewed a button on and scrunched the tissue paper just like Lauren showed us in her video tutorial last June.  I also stiched the flower to the ribbon after I tied it to the card.  I adhered the buttons on the butterflies with glue dots.

Last but not least, I stamped the full sentiment on the inside of the card and added a butterfly that I offset the outline on using Lauren's "fluttering effect" :) 

Please swing by the other team members' blogs to see their STUNNING creations!  My jaw was on the floor looking over them all...they are GORGEOUS :) 

LeAnne Pugliese

Broni Holcombe

Cathy Indelicato

Tammy Hershberger

Barbara Anders

Danielle Kennedy

Deb Horst ~ January Guest Designer

Oh, and today is Kisa's birthday!  Kisa is the awesome CTD graphic designer who makes all of the cool badges and banners.  I'm sure she would love it if you stopped by her blog to leave her some birthday wishes ;]

If you play along this week please remember to add a link to your post using Mr. Linky over at the Color Throwdown and use keyword CTD75 in any online galleries. 

Hope you get a chance to give these colors a whirl!  I'd love to see what you come up with ;]  Enjoy the rest of your week!

Just Us Girls Challenge #15

Hi all!  It's finally Saturday which means Just Us Girls are celebrating our 15th challenge!  Today Mona is hosting and challenged us with adding stitching to our project, whether it be machine, hand, faux...digi...you name it.  If we see stitching, your project qualifies!  LOL 

I almost went with digi stitching but my computer locked up on me so I figured it was a sign.  Instead, I chose to make my time easy by adding faux stitching to my card.  I literally sorted through all of my digi paper scraps from the recent My Time Made Easy TM LLC release and trimmed them down to fit a typical 4 1/4" x 5 1/2" card.  I adhered the scraps evenly on my card front, and ran it through my Cricut. 

I created a cut file to cut this card from my Cricut.  [Keep an eye out for a special "release" at My Time Made Easy...you just might see this cut file I created sooner than later ;]  Oh and I MUST thank Canda again from http://www.candacraft.com/.  Canda is SUCH a sweetheart!  She is just one of those generous souls!  Out of the kindness of her heart she offered the SCAL software FREE to Lauren's DT!!!  So, I went to work straight away...I ♥ new techy stuff ;]  If you're not familiar, the SCAL software is designed to interact with your Cricut and allows you to cut svg images from your computer...vs purchasing the $89 cartridges!  For instance, our Flutters and Flowers Pretty Pieces Cut File is only $2.50 at My Time Made Easy TM LLC!!  $2.50!  I can't even buy a jar of prima flowers for $2.50, but now I can have all the daisies I want in ANY color I run through my Cricut, ANY size, for a mere $2.50 purchase price.  Not to mention the butterflies! Who needs a butterfly punch when you can cut them out with your Cricut and use Lauren's coordinating stamp set to stamp wing prints or the thick, outlined border...OR just cut from patterned or solid cs and make your own unique design. $2.50 is a STEAL!

Check out these posts to see my projects using the Pretty Pieces Cut File Accents.

The Cricut didn't cut through the double layered paper (with the scraps) but it cut the base sheet so I had a great guide to trim the rest.  I poked my holes, used a SU! Chocolate Chip marker and ruler to make my "stitches", added some primas and another scrap.  The glittery, outline of the butterfly you see in the center is a SCRAP!  I created it for a project earlier this week and it just didn't fit, so I set it aside and salvaged it tonight!  Cool, ehh? 

The butterfly is only 3 3/4 inches wide, but it still fits a perfect little sentiment on the inside.  Oh, and I definitely poked through the base cardstock...I chose not to cover it because I think it looks so neat!! 

Here's a close up of the All A Flutter Sentiments saying that I used.

Isn't it sweet?  I am in LOVE with my butterfly card!  I hope it's not just me.  Normally when I really like a card, nobody says anything, but when I post a card I HATE, everyone LOVES it!  I hope that doesn't ring true in this case ;]  Ha ha

Please be sure to visit our JUGS DT (links are in my left sidebar) and dear, Gabby Arriaza, our super talented Guest Designer for January, for some incredible inspiration !!  These girls just impress me more and more each week with their projects.  They are AMAZING!

Also, please visit Lauren and Catherine for some added My Time Made Easy inspiration today!  You don't want to miss their projects!!

Thank you so much for stopping by.  I really do appreciate all of your feedback, congrats and well wishes!  I WISH I had 20 more hours in the day (where I don't feel like taking a nap) so that I could just blog surf and pay the comments forward better than I have been.  You all are my constant inspiration! 

Can't wait to see what you come up with for the challenge!  Be sure to link your post using Mr. Linky over at Just Us Girls and use keyword JUGS15 in any online galleries.

Thanks again for swinging by.  Have a wonderful weekend!

My Color Throwdown Time Made Easy ;]

My Color Throwdown Time Made Easy?!  What?!!  How in the...?  Yep, I understand...it's confusing :)  This is HOW...  The WONDERFUL Color Throwdown team asked ME to join their design team!!  I was soooo excited I was giddy when they asked!  I LOVE LOVE LOVE this team and always have, not only for their spectacular color challenges but because the team is AMAZING in so many ways (talent, humor, intellect...)...I just love these girls!  I'm so excited and honored to be working with them!  I will do my best to make them proud :]  I recognize the talent that plays along each week so it's very humbling to me as well as exciting.  THANK YOU again, ladies ♥

Today I am hosting the CTD74 challenge...the FIRST one of the new year.  Naturally, I wanted to use the colors from the patterned paper I designed for the first official My Time Made Easy ™ LLC release.  So, Lauren agreed to sponsor the team and offer not only they paper, but two templates as well!  Here are the colors:

I used two of the digi papers from MTME for this project.  I stamped one of the sentiments from the All A Flutter Sentiments© set down the left side of my Regal Rose panel and embossed in clear powder.  I then stamped a solid white butterfly from the All A Flutter© set randomly over the top of the text.

The daisy is also from My Time Made Easy ™ LLC...the Pretty Pieces Cut File Accents.  I created the daisy cut file because I LOVE LOVE LOVE Gerbera Daisies!  LOVE them!  I have a set of flower pens proudly displaying the tops of several, beautiful Gerbera Daisies and brightening my desk. Well, one day I got to thinking that a true Gerbera Daisy template would be sooo cool!  So, I made one.  I personally LOVE this daisy!  It turned out exactly like I had imagined.  For this card I cut three of the large daisies and two of the smaller daisies from the Fluttering-by multi-colored gingham paper.  I layered them after turning the leaves UP (vs curling them down like in one of my previous posts), and I LOOOOOOOOOVE how it turned out!  The pics don't do it justice...it really is full in person :O)

I layered pink definition paper on the main chocolate panel, added some GORGEOUS polyester, brown ribbon (that I think I got at Michaels in the dollar bin), a button and layered butterfly, pierced the corners and DONE!  Easy card tonight :O) 

My layout was inspired by Mercy's Tuesday Sketch Challenge #55.  She truly has some of THE best sketches, I've just been extra busy lately so I haven't had a chance to play along like I wanted to!  BUT, today I knew right away what I wanted to do when I saw her challenge! 

Need some more color inspiration?!  Welllll, check out Lauren and Mona's posts (heck, ANY and ALL of the My Time Made Easy DT's blogs...left sidebar), my most recent posts (Yesterday and Sunday), and of course, the fabulous Color Throwdown girls!!!

Bar

Broni

Cathy

Danielle

LeAnne

Tammy

Deb Horst - January Guest Designer

Don't forget, you are only eligible to win if you play along before midnight on Sunday and post your project using Mr. Linky over at the CTD74 post.  I cannot WAIT to see what you come up with!!  I LOVE this color palette and it's a nice break from the typical and popular, atypical holiday colors!

Hope you have a wonderful new year!  Thank you for stopping by :]

My Heart's All A Flutter for My Time Made Easy ;]

**Updated!  Edits are in blue font ;]**


Today is my day to preview both the first release at My Time Made Easy™ LLC!  This will be a quick post for me, but I'll try to come back and add deets around lunchtime tomorrow ;]

PROJECT #1:

The first project I'm sharing is an All A Flutter©  template I made into a purse with a young girl in mind.  This purse is all frill and fun with the Maribou I adhered to the wings ♥  Oh, and girly shouts pearls so I used some leftover "berries" from Michaels' Christmas decorations and adhered them to form the body of my fancy butterfly!  Girly also shouts jewelry, so I decided to create some earrings using the All A Flutter © Stamps ;]

Yep...those were made from stamps.  Remember shrinky dinks?!  Well, I've had a stash for over a year that has gone untouched.  I finally decided to use it and I'm so glad I did!  The butterflies turned out so vibrant!!  I stamped the outlined version of the butterfly and colored the outside edge with Copics...and after baking, the hue darkened consideraby which I was thrilled about!  I just couldn't seem to get them dark enough when I was coloring.

I printed the Pretty Printables© Fluttering-by© paper double-sided in the same pattern for the front and back panels, and used a different pattern from Shutt-erfly© for the side panels of the box.

Speaking of...these side panels are designed to "cave" in or form a solid "box".  I chose to score mine and have them cave in to give it a real purse effect.  I attached the double satin ribbon handle using hodgepodge hardware and a brad.  I love how this turned out (it's hard to see in the pic...sorry).

I also created a tag to go with my purse.  I cut the label from my pearl colored Bazzil paper, from one of the tag shapes in the SCAL software for the Cricut.

PROJECT #2:

For my second project, I made a pretty Shutt-erfly© box to house some Reese's Turtles (err...something like that) and  3.5 x 3.5 inspirational card to go with it.  Oh and I must point out that an entire bag of these Reeses minus two individual pieces filled the box!  The size is AWESOME!!!

On the template, you'll see that I added a butterfly to the satin ribbon.  I stamped the image onto Dusty Durango cs and embossed in white.  I used more Pretty Printables© Fluttering-by© and Shutt-erfly© paper from the My Time Made Easy ™ LLC store on the template and the card!!  Isn't is gorgeous?!  I love it!!

For my card, I layered my own hand cut butterfly that I stamped and colored with Copics to the label from the stamp set and adhered glitter to the flutter trails using glue.  Quick and easy but CUTE!  I think so anyway ;]

Okay, like I said, sorry so short, but I MUST hit the hay!  It's sooo late for me!!  That's what I get for trying to do too much...  Be sure to swing by Lauren and Mona's blogs for some AMAZING...JAW DROPPING previews of this release!!

Thanks for stopping by!  I hope you take advantage of this incredible release at My Time Made Easy ™ LLC...especially before these beautiful stamps are sold out!  You will NOT be disappointed...everything coordinates so perfectly and the stamp quality is seriously top of the line ♥