let's hear it for the gals (Lawnscaping, CMC, Dream Valley ...)

Bet you're dying to know what this girly in the sneak peek is all about, eh?  Sorry, gonna make ya wait...

OK.  So my cards take me so long cuz I get boggled down with all the possibilities - this ink or that one?  this PP or that one?  do I have a better heart stamp?  News flash:  it is really cool to challenge yourself to use only one stamp set.  Really cool.  Try it.  I've a couple more cards to share with you from the card set I made for BFF's birthday.  Remember this and this?  Using this age old Inkadinkado set:

Start with this inspiration photo from Challenge #57 at Inspired By:

And then notice the striped coffee cup stamp nestled between the bathtub and the martini glass.  Well, please meet "We Need Girl Time".

Took a Cat's Eye stack and just used it.  Talented people get paid lots of money to develop a bunch of ink colors that go together well.  Why not just trust 'em!

Entering this card at:
Card Mania - #12 Oh so girly!
Dream Valley - #48 Anything Goes

And... did you see that Lawnscaping is celebrating their second birthday?  Going strong.  Lawn Fawn is even getting into the die business now too I see.   Well, even though I'm not using LF stamps, I am making cards for BFF's birthday so I'm joining the fun.

Please meet  "Mani & Pedi - wishing you a Happy Birthday".  (Had to borrow the HB sentiment stamp for the inside from a different set but that's allowed.  My challenge.  My rules.)

Manicures and pedicures are so-not-me.  Don't know if it's that, or the fact that BFF is a hairdresser, or that these divas have such an attitude... I LOVE THIS CARD.  Did you notice the single bling on the sentiment?  And the cucumbers on their eyes?  Get outta town!

OK, so they are actually kiwis, but I'm sure your Pavlov's-dogs-brain told you at first glance they were cukes!  Some teensy thingies I picked up at our dollar store.  Supposed to go on your fancy, schmancy fingernails.  Nope.  But my wonderful card they may adorn...

These ladies are making their way over to:
Sweet Stamps - #100 Anything Goes
Stamping Sensations - Friendship

Whew.  Long post.  It's bedtime.  Nite.

Supplies for Girl Time:

Paper: Cardbase Papermania

Stamps: Inkadinkado

Ink : Cat's Eye, Versafine

Supplies for Mani Pedi:

Paper: Cardbase Papermania

Stamps: Inkadinkado

Ink : Versafine

Tools: 

Other: bling, nail decals

a little goes a long way (10 min Craft Dash, SSS, Dream Valley)

Nothing like a little stress to help a card along.  Promised DD I would make a Christmas card for her riding instructor.  Forgot.  Today she has riding lessons.  So I peel out from the dining table, head to my craft room and make a card.  And I did it in 8 minutes and 43 seconds.  Unbelievable!

OK, so I had the idea in my head all along.

And the embossing supplies were already out thanks to yesterday's tag.  When I had seen the 10-Minute-Craft-Dash challenge to use red I knew the sentiment would be heat embossed red goodness - thus the "a little goes a long way" title of my post.  Even made the decision to round the corner at the last minute - just did it without standing there contemplating it first ;)  Would have liked to add red glitter glue to the berries but didn't have time to go hunting for it and DD wouldn't have waited for it to dry.  She nearly killed me when I said I wanted to take a quick photo before she could leave... the joys of having a Mom with a blog, eh?

Also joining:
Simon Says Stamp - What's your Favorite?  (I love that Hero Arts branch stamp)
Dream Valley #47 - Christmas
Cupcake Craft Challenge #222 - Merry Christmas (that was my room number freshman year in college!)

Go make a card in 10 minutes or less.  You'll be pretty proud of yourself!  I have to go clean up my kitchen.

Supplies for Merry Christmas:

Paper: PTI

Stamps: branch Hero Arts, berries WMS, horse Artemio, sentiment 7 Gypsies

Ink : Versamagic, Versamark

Tools: corner rounder EKS

Other: embossing powder 

using up more scraps (CFC, Dream Valley)

Coming in under the wire with a couple more tags for CASual Fridays #80 - Gift Tags.  More using-up-what's-taking-up-space-on-my-ironing-board-crafting-space.

Also playing at Dream Valley #46 -Non-Traditional Christmas cuz this is!  That holey red star used to hold mandarin oranges.  Just sayin'.

Here's another non-Christmas at all.  That tag upon the tag is die cut from a kleenex box.  Beautiful pink rose image on it.  Just sayin'.  Yep, they call me the re-cycler...

Have a great day.  Hope all your holiday prepping is going well.  Mine's not yet...

Supplies for tags:

Paper: tons of scraps

Stamps: BG WMS, sentiment Inkystamp, letters Fancy Pantx

Ink : Memento

Tools: dies:  PTI, Spellbinders, Sizzix, MFT, star punch ?

Other: cord, ribbon scraps

joining CASE study with candy canes (CASE, CTS, Dream Valley, KIS)

There has to be a first time for everything, right?  When I moved to Germany it took me nearly a year before I would try to speak German at work.  Not that my colleagues didn't encourage me.  I just wasn't willing to speak the language before about 80% of what I said was correct.  FYI, 20+ years later I'm up to about 95% and stagnating...

Well, so is my relationship with CASE Study.  I love the work of everyone over there but have not felt up to joining them.  Until this week - the last week of CASE #119 with November's muse, and I quote, "the exceptionally talented Angeline Yong."  I love this gal's work.  So I had to join in.

Here is Angeline's card.

I reverted to my CASEing-a-la-Aimes mode and this is what I got from this card - sweets, twine, dots.  I should say that is what I finally got.  The journey started with an idea of pink-snowflake-on-a-stick-with-a-twine-bow-and-embossed-dots-panel...blah, blah, blah.  Ya'll know how the creative process is some days.  Uncooperative.

But, I do like how this card turned out.  It's me.

Sweets, twine, dots.  Check.  It helped when I saw my candy cane stamp and also decided to use the CASE This Sketch again!  Heat embossed the candy cane and gave the little lollipops some Stickles to add some sweet shine.

And I was even going to use turquoise instead of green (more non-traditional), but when I went for the washi I liked the green dots better.  Does it qualify for Dream Valley's Challenge #46 "Non-Traditional Christmas," don't know but I'm hooking up anyway!  Also playing at Keep It Simple #2 - Washi.

Appreciate your visit.

Supplies for Holiday delights:

Paper: CS Neenah

Stamps:   American Crafts

Ink : Versamark, Versafine, Jenny Bowlin

Tools: corner rounder EKS

Other: embossing powder Ranger, baker's twine, washi Target (dots) and Rayher (stripes), Stickles